Battle Bard: Bards of the Broken Empire by Robyn Wideman & Cooper Wai

Author:Robyn Wideman & Cooper Wai [Wideman, Robyn & Wai, Cooper]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

27 The Bar and a Blonde

The pattern of Max’s days became fairly consistent for the next week. Every morning he ran the wall, then sparred with Zan Lee Ann. They would use either two suna sticks, one and an open hand, or one and a dagger. Unlike his chi magic, which he could do after a single lesson, sparring was a slow and steady progression. Max continually was beaten on by Zan Lee Ann. Every time that he thought he was making progress, she exposed a new flaw in his thinking. Stick fighting was far more nuanced and complicated than he’d ever imagined, and when you included open-hand and knife techniques in the mix, it became even more so.

After sparring, he’d head to lunch, and every second day, he was able to share a meal with all of his friends before heading to the dungeon to work on his bard skills. After using most of his stored chi practicing his spitball attacks, Max would head back to Zan Lee Ann’s compound, where he’d meditate until the twins returned. Then they’d head to dinner, where they’d meet up with Tao. After, Max would work on his Twisted Tree Meditation.

On the Eighth Day of Max’s third week in this new world, the routine finally changed.

“I can’t wait to go have a drink with Tao and his brother,” Tobias said as he and Max waited for Adaya to get ready. “I’m loving the training we’re receiving here, but I miss my village and being able to get a good drink. We deserve a little entertainment.”

Max laughed. “I’m not against a little entertainment.” He felt the same. Hard work was the path to success in this world, but taking a little time to unwind and recharge was a part of the process. This might be a fantasy world full of cool magic, but it didn’t mean that depression, anxiety, and stress had magically disappeared. Being social and enjoying time with friends was still a valuable use of time.

Adaya came out of her cabin and both Max and Tobias’s jaws dropped.

“What?” Adaya said.

“Is that a dress? Why are you in a dress?” Tobias said.

Adaya rolled her eyes. “Look, bozo, we aren’t in the swamps. I don’t have to worry about a dire beast eating me on my way home. I can look like a girl, thank you very much.” She turned to Max. “Are you going to comment as well?”

Max shrugged. “Only to say you look lovely.”

Adaya smiled. “Good answer.”

“I don’t like it, and I do think you need to worry about being eaten by a dire beast. I’ve seen some of the men in this town.”

Adaya scowled at her twin and then winked at Max. “That might be a good time.”

Tobias stuttered and shook his head. “Gods above, why do you punish me so?”

“Shut up, you blow hard. I know exactly what’s going to happen when we get there. You’ll have two drinks and be flirting with every beautiful woman in the place.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.