I couldn't deny that the training Jade was giving us had benefits, even though I was sore every day while my body adjusted to the regimen. She had started us off with stretches and simple fitness exercises like the ones I had done in gym during high school. After that we worked on techniques, stances, and weapon knowledge. I hadn't realized that so many different kinds of weapons existed. And it was rather impressive that Jade had so many.

"What does she need all this for anyway?" I asked Paz after our latest training session. "Is her life that dangerous or is combat her hobby?"

"She's one of the last remaining Dragon Knights." Paz explained. "The Dragon Knights protected my people and have the rare ability to harness the energy of a dragon."

"Oh," I said. "So Dragon Knights are pretty rare then."

"Definitely," She said. "And it's my fault you had to become one. I just wanted a friend and I didn't realize our bond would do this-"

"It's okay," I cut Paz off. "Don't stress about it. I can deal with all this as long as I have you as a friend."

I was determined to keep Paz from spiraling. I didn't want her to feel guilty about our bond. After all, I was being honest with her about it. I truly didn't mind it. I was actually hoping to see more of this secret world. 

"When do you think Jade will let us see more of Kahea than just the inside of her house?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Unfortunately all I did was make Paz even more stressed.

"Hopefully never!" She said. "I don't want to risk anyone recognizing me. At best I'll be forced to leave and return to Cloudside Rim. At worst we would be attacked and possibly killed. "Staying in the forbidden lands is much safer than exploring any part of the continent of Haruhi."

After that, Paz settled on to the couch in our house. She pulled out a book and read. I grabbed my Lit and Comp book and notes to prep for an upcoming test. The book wasn't super engaging though. I tried to study, but my mind was still on other things. I needed a distraction. And soon.

"Hey, remember when I mentioned the LARP group I almost joined?" I asked Paz.

"Yeah," she replied. "Why?"

"They have a practice on Saturday and I was thinking we should go. I want to see what it's like to fight for fun, and not because I have to in order to live." I said. "It'll be a nice change of pace."

"Well, it can't hurt. What do we need?" Paz said. "I don't think Jade's training weapons are appropriate for this."

"Well, I was reading their rulebook and website. According the them we need garb appropriate for our characters, and LARP weapons if we want to fight." I said.

"I know what those words are but not in that order." Paz commented.

"Okay, so garb is what we wear, usually medieval or fantasy style clothing." I explained.

"And as far as weapons, we can order some online." I pulled up a website on my laptop. "The best brands seem to be Epic Armory and Calamacil."

Paz and I looked over the options. There seemed to be a LARP safe option for almost every weapon in existence! I was sticking mainly to looking at swords as I figured that would be best to improve on what I was learning from Jade. In the end, we settled on longswords that had the grip length of a short sword and could be easily wielded one handed.

"Now for the clothes," I said.

"Why is it most of the women's sizes are just skirts and dresses?" Paz complained.

"We'll find something," I said as I clicked through different sites.

After some searching, we managed to find breeches, blouses, and leather armor. I chose blue and black for my clothes while Paz chose red and gold.

"It feels right," she told me. "As a dragon I'm red and gold. I may not have shifted in a long time, but I want to stick with my colors."

Now that we had ordered everything we needed to LARP, I was starting to get excited. This wasn't training for survival, this was combat for fun. I truly hoped that this would give Paz and I a chance to relax and have fun. We needed a break.

That weekend, Paz and I put on our new garb, grabbed our LARP weapons, and walked to the park. It was a clear, warm day and we were ready to try fighting for fun. 

The park was huge and a vibrant mix of woods and open fields. As we walked down the main trail in the park, I spotted a side trail with a wooden sign that read LARP Village on it.

“Looks that that’s where we have to go,” Paz said as she also noticed the sign. “Let’s hope we aren’t late.”

We hurried along the side trail and soon we heard other people. The woods gave way to buildings. Small cottages, shops, and even a small castle and stables were standing in an enormous clearing.

And then there were all the people. Everyone was dressed in garb, with so many different colors and styles that I was certain I would never be able to name them all. While most of the people had at least one LARP weapon on them, not everyone did. 

People were interacting with each other like it was a real place, talking and shopping. There were minstrels and bards with instruments and dancers and performers. There were even horses. Horses being led, horses being ridden, and horses pulling carts and carriages. Even the horses were dressed up.

“This is not what I was expecting,” Paz said quietly to me.

“Same,” I replied. “This place is intense. But in an amazing way.”

“Hey, check out that sign.” Paz gestured at a large wooden sign near the entrance.

The sign read:

Welcome to Feather Grove Village! Enjoy your time with us but please follow the rules.

1. Respect your fellow players and the area we use.

2. No combat outside of the designated fighting areas

3. No weapons are to be used on any of the animals.

4. Clean up the area before leaving.

“So, now what?” Paz asked.

“Well…” I thought for a bit. “If this was a fantasy novel or a video game the first thing that would happen would be to check out the nearest tavern for news.”

We walked through the village, looking at the signs on the buildings. The main path seemed to mostly be a market area, with shops for anything you could think of needed for LARP. We passed shops for weapons, armor, clothing, books, instruments, horse tack, and jewelry. 

“Any sign of a tavern?” Paz asked.

“Not yet,” I replied, adjusting my garb. “This is a pretty big area so we should find one sooner or later.”

A few building later, Paz and I found the tavern. It was a large, two story wooden building with a sign that pronounced it The Savvy Stallion Tavern and Inn. Below the tavern’s name was a painting of a rearing black stallion.

The tavern was busy. People were standing outside chatting, horses were tied to hitching posts outside, and as Paz and I got close enough to see inside the building, we could see a large amount of people inside. Some of them were enjoying meals, others played games, and some were heading in the direction of a flight of stairs.

Music was playing and some people were dancing. A counter near the stairs had a rack of room keys hanging behind it and a man dressed as an innkeeper standing in front of them. On the other side of the building was a bar. I was certain that one of those counters would be the first place we should stop at.

“Well, shall we?” I said to Paz, gesturing at the tavern’s entrance.

“We might as well,” Paz said.

And with those words, we walked into the tavern.