Tia's training was well underway. He was serious about getting stronger, and even after just a few days, his progress was incredible.
His first day was with me. We had already gotten used to spending time alone together after all our shopping and drinking, so we were prepared for the days to come.
Honestly, I hadn't planned this regimen in hopes of getting more Tia to myself; I just thought it would be most beneficial to him, but I was still incredibly happy to get to spend more time with him.
I began by explaining to him the typical tactics I employed when fighting monsters, when and how he should be healing me, and advanced maneuvers if a monster ever got close to him. Since he had already experienced a lot of this firsthand, we quickly moved on to more physical instruction.
We began training exercises that simulated real combat, making sure he was quick enough with his casts while still maintaining enough mana for an emergency.
He exceeded my expectations.
Despite only having a single combat experience, I think his healing could've kept me alive even in a fight against a black dragon. He only got better with each drill.
I was quick to praise the priest for every bit of progress he made, and each time without fail his cheeks burned bright red, and I always received the most adorable "Thank you."
Despite the occasional interruption by a certain crystal mage, and the undeniable lewd gestures of Tia, we continued our training until nightfall. When we again waved each other goodnight, secretly wishing for a hug instead.
The next day Tia was with Amethyst.
I was actually very excited for this; despite her flaws, Amethyst was an exceptional mage, and under her guidance I believed Tia would be able to finally master his ancient druidic magic.
It didn't go exactly as planned… Tia returned to me with reports bordering on sexual abuse from the busty mage, due to excessive amounts of grabbing and squeezing with praise. Despite this, the healer was happy with his lessons.
Apparently Tia was truly talented with druidic magic, and his natural gift with the school of spellcasting would only continue to grow.
He could already conjure small flowers and vines with ease, even some with special healing properties. After just one day with Amethyst, she had taught him to blossom entire fields of pretty pink flowers, small fields, but still impressive nonetheless. The mage suggested that with a few more days of lessons, he could already be on par with the other few rare druids in the guild, if not better.
These lessons combined with mine would truly grow him into the dual-class adventurer he was destined to be.
The healer destined to be by my side.
See now, Kyros is one of my oldest friends, my closest ally on the battlefield… but he was never known to make great company, or even a decent teacher. In spite of this, his knowledge on various occult and alchemical studies would prove invaluable to the new adventurer.
I had to reassure Tia of this many times before he agreed to meet with Kyros alone, and I don't blame him; that man scares me sometimes. The lessons would take place in his study, buried in the slums of Castellum near Goblin Street. I walked him there, in fear of any thugs hoping to take advantage of the cute boy.
When we arrived, Kyros simply stated: "Don't waste my time." Dragged Tia into the shadows and slammed the door shut in my face.
I waited to walk Tia home, and after a few hours he returned before me.
His face was drained of all its colour. I asked him how it went, and he could only respond, "I need some ale."
I later learned it wasn't too bad. He told me he was very happy with himself that he learned how to brew a simple healing potion, and he believed he actually learned quite a lot from Kyros' rambling on the undead.
The regimen continued, and the next day Tia was back with me.
I decided to increase the intensity of our training while making sure it wasn't too difficult for the priest. He was surprisingly fit considering his feminine build, and he kept up with relative ease.
Despite the early autumn weather, all of the physical exercise had us sweating after just a few rounds of mock combat and healing. I couldn't help but admire the way little beads of sweat glistened on his pale skin.
The shade brought a welcome escape from the heat during our breaks from training, and we probably spent too much time together under the cover of whispering trees, talking and teasing each other.
A longer skirt probably would've been smart for Tia to wear considering all the physical activity, and there were more than a few upskirt situations, which the femboy didn't seem to mind too much, and neither did I.
Regardless, the training was again a success; he could now cast 3 major heals in such quick succession that I felt like I would be invincible against any pack of monsters.
Tia's druidic spellcasting also seemed to be advancing at rapid speeds. Amethyst seemed just a little jealous of his magic, and now he could even cast a few combat druid spells, including Grasping Vines and Poison Berries.
And of course, more Kyros…
On his rest day, Tia and I spent almost the entire afternoon together exploring the city. We visited all the shops on King Street where I bought him a small leather satchel for his studies with the alchemist, and he thanked me with a hug. The feeling of his chest pressed tightly against mine was unforgettable.
Amethyst even joined us later at the tavern, where I had to make sure the priest didn't drink too much ale.
"Nuh uh, you're still training; we can't have you hungover tomorrow"
His begging eyes showed incredible disappointment, but he listened.
And the training did continue. Again and again for another two and a half weeks, until the chilling winds of true autumn blew in from the north, and I felt like we were finally prepared to take on any challenge that came our way.
This whole time Tia and I grew even closer; every moment that I wasn't spending with him was spent dreaming of him.