Completely set on erasing the incident from her memory Khione acted as per normal, albeit slightly stiffer than Frost had gotten used to.
"The spear in your hands is one we use for training purposes, it's sturdy and durable but blunt and a mediocre conductor for mana." The aim being to have the user focus solely on their spear arts, nothing more.
Frost weighed the weapon in his hands, shifted his grip a couple times and twirled it so as to get a good feel for it. Compared to his glaive it was a little lighter and balanced differently but it still felt somewhat familiar.
"Try it out." Suggested Khione, keen to know how quickly he'd adapt to a new weapon. She herself managed to pick it up rather quickly despite focusing on the partisan for over a decade. A chance to compare herself to Frost and perhaps this time not lose.
"Alright." He said with a confident nod before entering his usual battle stance. He centred his gravity, held the spear with both hands and imagined a shadow enemy.
His initial attacks were quick but sloppy, inaccurate and opened him up for a fierce counterattack. Instinctively trying to use the spear as a glaive, relying on what already knew and attempting incorporate or rather force his mastery on a different type of weapon.
"Ugh!" Eventually he hit a wall, a move he made resulted in a sharp pain spreading from his wrist all the way to his shoulder. The difference in balance and his brutish methods ultimately backfired on him before he had the chance to adapt.
"I'm pretty sure I handed you a spear, right?" Khione sighed and shook her head before pointing at her own weapon.
"You did." Replied Frost knowing full well that he was about to be mocked and insulted.
"So why on Nova are you trying to use it like a glaive?" She asked as though he was stupid and ignorant of how the world worked, a tone that stung him deep. It was a rare occasion for him to fail at anything; he was prodigy an outright monster in most cases.
"….Well they're both pole weapons and I've never tried to wield anything else so…" Embarrassed by the look in Khione's eyes he tried to defend his actions only to receive a look of derision.
"Idiot! Just because they're of the same family doesn't mean they're the same. You wouldn't use a sword in the same way as a blade would you?" She started a puffed up rant, wagging her index finger inches away from his nose as she spoke of the basics of basics, taking no small amount of joy from being able to legitimately mock the one who almost shamed her to death.
"Hey, I'm not an idiot…I'm just a little lacking in knowledge." He stubbornly fought against being called an idiot especially by Khione, anyone else would have be fine just not her.
"Hmph if I say you're an idiot then you're an idiot." Khione was having none of it, who gave him the balls to stand against her. She still far outclassed him when it came to strength so whatever she said was gospel otherwise he'd have a close encounter with her fist, a fist that seemed to be itching for an excuse to let loose given its clenched state and the occasional sounds of cracking.
Frost wanted to continue to argue but Khione's whole demeanour screamed danger as if taunting him to test her patience. She was abusing the age old rule, that might makes right.
'The moment I get you in my clutches I'll have you begging me for mercy.' Being a strategic warrior Frost gave up on the battle so he could win the war. When Khione finally became his he swore an oath to make her pay for this insult, he'd completely shatter that shell of hers, drawing out her true nature.
Such thoughts brought an evil smile to his lips, a smile that Khione didn't fail to notice.
"Ow!" Finding his current expression irritating she bonked him on the head with her fist, soft enough to not make anything crack but hard enough to cause swelling. An appropriate wound for training.
On reflex Frost glared at her with accusation but was met with the face of a cold demon and a readied fist. He said anything or continued to look at her in such a disrespectful manner he'd get another pummelling.
'Ugh she's just like Maya when she's .' After deepening their bond Maya had become far more submissive, loving and gentle but when it came to training she'd always return to her natural drill sergeant persona, a demon that wouldn't even balk at seeing pools of blood littering the floor.
"It seems that I need to remind you of your place Frost and since you're so slow I believe physical correction will be the most efficient way." Khione's entire body let out intimidating cracks as she tensed up, her already massive frame growing even larger.
"Gulp." Frost audibly gulped, he had the sudden urge to run and perhaps even beg for mercy. His hope for a peaceful education, to have Khione calmly show him the standard steps and stances for wielding a spear. To have her stand in close proximity, using her body to correct his form until he gradually mastered it, an opportunity for natural intimacy was shattered….he should have expected as much given her personality and his track record when it came to teachers.
'Haaaa I miss my time with Lola and Sam.' Frost thought of his friends, his seniors in the adventuring business who taught him in a more normal manner, Oh how he missed those days.
Frost and Khione trained in that isolated room for close to five hours, well 'trained' might be a bit of a subjective term. Others may have referred to the experience as a one sided beating, a punishment that made death appear merciful but for Frost it was a bit of both.
Khione certainly took advantage of the situation to dish out some her hidden frustrations, a malevolent smile flashing every so often on her lips as her spear or fist or even legs made contact with Frost's bare skin. He was a perfect punching bag, so resilient and so determined. No matter hard she hit or how vicious she was with both her blows, and her words Frost continued to get back up, holding his spear firmly in his hands.
For him fighting with his body on the line was the best way to learn, it may hurt to the point that he wanted to pass out, but he couldn't argue with the results. After being punched and beaten you either had to give up and die or learn how to protect yourself.
It took him a while to ignore his tendency to wield the spear like a glaive but once he did he made rapid progress, easily achieving beginner mastery and even creeping towards basic, proving that when it came to the spear he had a great deal of talent.
Frost's wrecked body that was bleeding from every orifice was slammed into the wall, leaving several large cracks.
"That's enough, any more than that and you might actually die." In a stark contrast to Frost, Khione except for a small amount of sweat that glistened against her dark skin looked as pristine as she did when they first began, strong, beautiful and even more alluring.
"I…I….can still …go on." Frost fell from the wall, crashing with a loud thud when he struck the hard floor. He squirmed, his every muscle trembling in pain as he tried to stand up and once again ready his stance. His conviction was admirable but without Maya who could cast healing magic he could only rely on potions which quickly lost their efficiency when used in succession.
"No you can't." Khione shook her head, finding it impossible to mock Frost's current plight, in fact she admired him. It took a lot of courage to stand up to her again and again.
"…Ugh….ok maybe I can't." He coughed up a dark dollop of blood and collapsed where he was, his limbs splayed outwards as the tension left his body and the pain swarmed in like a tsunami.
'Fuck it hurts!' He internally screamed before passing out, blaming his stubbornness to continue beyond his limits and Khione for using blows that were a lot harder than necessary if she just wanted to simply teach him.
Shocked by the amount of blood and his sudden collapse Khione felt her heart tighten. Before she even knew what she was doing she arrived by his side and starting using her hands to check his injuries, read his pulse and access his breathing.
'He's alright, thank the Gods.' Relief washed over her as she found that his wounds weren't life threatening, at least for someone like him who was born with a tenacious resilience.
"Hu hu hu hu." Frost's breathing was heavy and looked quite painful given the movements of his chest. Blood leaked out with every rise and fall but he remained asleep, his body left completely unguarded revealing the level of trust and sense of safety he had with Khione as she watched by his side.
Even when she brushed his wounds with the tip of her fingers or lifted him up to check his back he didn't flinch, trusting her completely.