The next day, Ivy found herself staring down Val, her sword in hand. Her scepter waited across the room, in a large chest. That part had taken much convincing from Val before Ivy had agreed to it. Val, in all of her kindness, had made another offer, so that no one would steal the chest.

"You can have this chest, and I have a key with a pendant on it," Val said.

"Thank you," Ivy said.

Inventory items:

20 coins

1 scepter

6 bullets

1 pistol

a sword

1 key

1 chest

Ivy took the pendant and placed it around her neck. Compared with her white arena, she looked back in her eye and found that there was something hollow with the way she looked at herself. But that was not the important bit. She could have a place to keep her scepter safely, although even still, there were times where she began to question the safety and validity of leaving her stuff by itself.

"It's just for the training session," Val said. "You're going to need to train for a bit longer first. Although, may I suggest putting the darkstone on a chain instead? That way, you can free your hands for combat."

"I would love to," Ivy said. "Maybe I could pawn the gold off, too. But it is worth a price more solid than anything. And then we need to keep it safe regardless, considering where it came from."

Val looked Ivy in the eye. "Yes. But that's not what we're here for right now, now is it? Would you like to begin sparring with the sword? Oh, and don't worry about the bullets. I can replace them. But today, I want to see how you will use your gun."

Ivy took her pistol out, and she noted it. Val placed her hand on top of Ivy's, and gave her a cold expression.

"Now," she said. "What is the first rule of handling a firearm?"

"Always treat it as if it is loaded, even if you know it isn't," Ivy said.

Val nodded, giving a low grin. "That's the way we do it."

Ivy took the gun and held it carefully. They were supposed to make landfall later that day. As she looked up at Val once more, she sighed. "I don't suppose there are jobs aboard the ship that would help someone find a way to buy a chain for their pendant, is there?"

"You will have to earn it," Val said, pointing to a target. "I want you to shoot that for me. Remember how to use a gun?"

"I do," Ivy said. She spoke slowly.

"Show me. Walk me through the process."

"First, you take the pan and you load it with grain," Ivy said. She took a small thing of paper and carefully loaded it. "Then, you take the bullet, you stuff it down the barrel, and you pull out the rod to chase it down there."

Ivy then took her gun, aimed it at the target, and shot. The force from it, and the snap as the gun fired, gave her a raw sense of power. The bullet landed near the target, although it wasn't precise enough for her. She glanced back at Val. Val stepped closer.

"You know how to do it," Val said. "I have some practice bullets for you. I want you to shoot all of these within five minutes. Although in the heat of the battle, you will have less time. This is where your sword, and your magic, will come into play. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Ivy said.

She continued to practice with the gun. At first, it was a clunky, and it left her with her mind screaming. She should be faster than this. But as she worked, and as she glanced at the sand clock to the side between firing, she kept a steady pace. All she had to do was shoot three bullets per minute. Yet even still, she found herself to be rather slow.

When she finished, the last few grains had fallen to the bottom. She glanced at Val, who now sat on an empty wooden box. Val nodded.

"Now you see the other problem," Val said. "And this is where strategy comes into play. Have you ever trained formally in battle?"

"No," Ivy said.

"Well, this is where you start," Val said, giving her a wry smile and elbowing her side. "Regardless of where we go, and whatever we end up doing here, we will end up facing Lavender again. Are you ready for such a battle?"

"I would hope?" Ivy asked. "I mean, I felled a king. But I nearly lost my life in the process."

"That's the problem," Val said. "We need you to learn how to fight. Your track record, as a pirate, is wonderful. But when you face that next battle, I want you to make me proud. Now. Show me what you can do with a sword."

Ivy took out her longsword. Val had a cane sword herself, and she smiled as she brandished it at Ivy. Stepping into the ring, Ivy took her sword and pointed it at Val's longsword. she parried multiple times, but still felt as though she were behind. Val, after all, was a quick study. She had jumped to every attack, and each time Ivy countered, Ivy felt as though she were behind.

"You're doing rather well," Val said.

"Shut up!" Ivy said. She charged forward. "Let me defeat you first before you sing my praises. That's not how battles work."

Val arched an eyebrow. "Insolence is never a good thing. Even aboard such a ship as mine. Do you want to be specially known for that among this world, especially when you have only just arrived?"

"No," Ivy said, her voice a whimper. She countered once more, finally finding the footing she needed to disarm Val. This time, she smiled. "Now, I can take your praises."

Val picked up her sword. "You do rather well, but there's one critique I have for you."

"I don't like distractions when I fight," Ivy said.

"Whether you like it or not, they will be there when you spar in the real world. It's up to you to know how to deal with them," Val said. "For your insolence, I want ten pushups from you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain," Ivy said.

In bending down onto the ship, she counted out the pushups, using extra power behind her voice. If she were to be punished, she would at least make a show out of it. Val stood behind her, a shadowy figure as she watched. Ivy remained silent afterward, glancing up at Val.

"You did those well, and you were fast enough," Val said. "Just be thankful I didn't assign chores. But next time you tell me to shut up, or you show any blatant disrespect or backtalk, I will come down hard on you. And believe me. If you think I am being tough, just ask my other crew members about me. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Ivy said. She looked into the fray beyond the ship. The waters were a constant. They found themselves on rough waters, knowing it wouldn't be long before they would come to their next storm.

Ivy herself, despite all odds, found herself pondering the idea of a storm on this ship. Despite everything else, a part of her desired to see one, even if it was impractical, and according to the others here, it would be rather dangerous. She had done what she had done back home because she was an adventurer, and now, the same would hold true here.

As Val came to stand beside her, the woman gave her a light smile. "For your first day aboard this ship, you haven't done bad. You have shown up, and you have shown grit."

"Thanks," Ivy said.

My life on a ship has been filled by training. For my first day, I have found I have come to respect Captain Val. Although somehow, I feel as though that will change soon enough.