Chapter 38: The Training Montage
The Barton estate basement had been transformed into something between a dojo and a medieval armory. Weapons lined the walls—stakes, crossbows, vervain grenades my parents had apparently stockpiled. Training mats covered the concrete floor, and the air tasted like sweat, determination, and the metallic tang of supernatural preparation.
Harper moved like deadly poetry, demonstrating combat techniques that were older than America while I tried not to get my head taken off.
"Vampires are faster and stronger," he explained, his British accent making casual violence sound like a lecture. "But we're also predictable. We rely on overwhelming force because it usually works."
He blurred forward, and I barely managed to get my Defensive Shield clone between us. The barrier absorbed the impact, but the feedback still rattled my teeth.
"However," Harper continued, not even breathing hard, "if you can predict our movements, redirect our momentum, you can survive long enough to find an opening."
"Survive being the operative word," I gasped, wiping blood from my split lip.
"Quite. You're not going to overpower ancient vampires, Mr. Barton. But with your clones providing tactical support and distraction, you might just live through the encounter."
Two weeks of this. Harper had agreed to train me as part of Pearl's alliance, and he took the job seriously. Rose had joined the sessions after the third day, adding her own five centuries of combat experience to the curriculum.
My clones trained alongside me, their affinities growing stronger through constant use and practice. Mind Shield clone could now maintain compulsion immunity for extended periods, even resisting brief mental attacks that didn't require direct eye contact. Defensive Shield clone's barriers had evolved from simple walls to complex geometric patterns that could redirect force rather than just absorb it.
Sensory Enhancement clone had become terrifyingly effective at battlefield awareness, feeding me tactical data that let me anticipate attacks before they fully developed. Even without Enhanced Speed, our coordination was reaching levels that made Pearl comment about "supernatural teamwork."
But the real surprise was Caroline.
"I'm not sitting on the sidelines while you face Klaus," she'd announced three days into the training regimen, showing up in the basement wearing workout clothes and a expression that brooked no argument.
"Caroline, this isn't—"
"What? Safe? Fun? Easy?" She'd grabbed a practice stake from the wall. "None of this is safe, Sam. But I refuse to be helpless when the people I love are in danger."
Harper had looked at her appraisingly, then nodded. "Motivation is half the battle. Very well, Miss Forbes. Let's see what you're made of."
What Caroline was made of, apparently, was pure competitive fire wrapped in designer workout gear.
She approached combat training the same way she'd approached cheerleading—with meticulous planning, fierce determination, and an absolute refusal to accept anything less than perfection. Her naturally athletic build combined with vampire-taught techniques turned her into someone genuinely dangerous.
"Again," she panted, circling me on the training mat. We'd been sparring for twenty minutes, and she'd tagged me more often than I'd tagged her.
"Caroline, you've been at this for hours—"
She moved while I was talking, using my moment of distraction to sweep my legs and send me crashing to the mat. A second later, she was straddling my chest, wooden practice stake pressed to my throat.
"I win," she said with a grin that was equal parts triumphant and predatory.
"You always win," I replied, reaching up to pull her down for a kiss that tasted like sweat and victory.
The kiss deepened, and for a moment the basement faded away. There was just Caroline, her weight warm against my chest, her heartbeat steady and strong beneath my hands.
"Ahem."
We broke apart to find Harper standing in the doorway, wearing the expression of someone who'd seen entirely too much over the centuries.
"While I appreciate young love," he said dryly, "perhaps we should focus on keeping you both alive long enough to enjoy it?"
Caroline blushed furiously and rolled off me, but I caught the satisfied smile she was trying to hide. Our relationship had evolved during the training—less teenage romance, more partnership forged in shared purpose.
"We're not just dating anymore," I realized. "We're allies preparing for war."
The realization should have been terrifying. Instead, it felt right.
[RELATIONSHIP EVOLUTION: CAROLINE FORBES - WAR PARTNERS]
[BONUS: +15% ALL STATS WHEN FIGHTING ALONGSIDE CAROLINE]
[CAROLINE COMBAT CAPABILITY: COMPETENT FIGHTER ACHIEVED]
On the thirteenth day, something clicked.
I was sparring with Rose while Harper corrected my footwork, all three of my clones providing support and distraction. The coordination felt natural now, like conducting an orchestra where every instrument was an extension of my will.
Rose attacked from three angles simultaneously—a maneuver designed to overwhelm human reflexes. But my Sensory clone fed me her movement patterns, my Mind Shield clone intercepted her attempt at mid-combat compulsion, and my Defensive Shield clone created barriers that funneled her attack into predictable channels.
I moved with the flow of battle, redirecting her momentum rather than opposing it, and managed to get a practice stake against her ribs before she could adjust.
"Bloody hell," Rose breathed, stepping back with something like respect. "You actually tagged me."
Harper nodded approvingly. "You're learning to think like a supernatural instead of just fighting them. That's the difference between surviving and dying."
[SKILL ADVANCEMENT: INTERMEDIATE VAMPIRE FIGHTER]
[CLONE COORDINATION: 80% EFFICIENCY ACHIEVED]
[MIND SHIELD MASTERY: 20% (APPRENTICE LEVEL)]
That night, alone in my basement with my clones, the System finally delivered what I'd been working toward.
[LEVEL 12 ACHIEVED]
[TOTAL EXP: 13,000/13,000]
[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 5]
[ALLOCATE NOW? Y/N]
I distributed the points strategically—two into Agility for combat speed, two into Intelligence for a larger MP pool, one into Wisdom for better tactical thinking and MP regeneration.
The changes settled into my body like warm honey, muscles becoming more responsive, thoughts sharper and clearer.
[UPDATED STATS:]
[STR: 10, AGI: 20, VIT: 25, INT: 28, WIS: 31, PER: 18, CHA: 20]
[HP: 700/700, MP: 570/570, MP REGEN: 31/MIN]
I could feel the difference immediately. My reactions were faster, my magical reserves deeper. Not enough to challenge Klaus directly—that would take years of advancement—but enough to survive the encounter and protect the people who mattered.
My phone buzzed with a text from Elijah: "Klaus arrives in Mystic Falls in three days. Prepare your allies. The ritual is coming."
Three days. I looked at my clones, arrayed around me in perfect formation—Mind Shield with his Epic-tier compulsion immunity, Defensive Shield with his evolved barrier techniques, Sensory Enhancement with his battlefield awareness.
The fourth slot remained empty, waiting. I'd been saving it for the right moment, and I had a feeling that moment was approaching fast.
Caroline's key turned in the lock upstairs, followed by her voice calling down: "Sam? You better not be bleeding on my good towels again!"
I smiled despite the weight of what was coming. Caroline Forbes, worried about towels while I prepared to negotiate with the Original Hybrid. It was perfectly absurd and absolutely necessary.
"Just finishing up," I called back, dismissing my clones with a thought.
"Good. I brought Chinese food and terrible movies. We're having a normal evening if it kills me."
"Normal," I thought as I climbed the basement stairs. "What a concept."
But as I reached the top and saw Caroline arranging takeout containers on the kitchen table, humming under her breath and looking beautiful in the fluorescent light, I realized that normal wasn't about the absence of supernatural threats.
Normal was having someone worth fighting for when those threats arrived.
Three days until Klaus. Three days to strengthen our alliance, finalize our plans, and steel ourselves for a confrontation that would determine whether we saved Elena or lost everything.
But tonight, Caroline Forbes wanted Chinese food and terrible movies.
Tonight, normal won.
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