A day later, Isfrid was in the library with three books in front of him.
He quickly learned that all martial arts in the human territory derived from these three books.
Each represented a philosophy of one of the three human kingdoms.
Northern, Central, and Southern.
The Northern martial arts, predominantly used in Valenhold, was the best fit for fighting magical beasts.
Valenhold was a kingdom of warriors, tempered by constant battles.
The Rocky Mountains that separated the human territory from the elves, where the dwarves reside, were home to powerful magical beasts.
This is why the dwarves lived inside the mountains rather than on top.
Magical beasts from these mountains often traveled down and posed a major problem to the humans.
However, the north was filled with warriors who dedicated their entire lives to slaying monsters.
The Northern martial arts foundation was born from endless battle and slaughter - cold, unrelenting, and shaped by survival.
With powerful, swift movements that are meant for slaying beasts many sizes larger than themselves.
The Central foundational martial arts are all about balance.
Eldara is a political kingdom; reputation, honor, and legacy are the values the kingdom holds dear.
Their martial arts reflect these values, with high adaptability, strong counters and ripostes, and efficient movements that minimize errors.
And lastly, the Southern martial arts. Caelthar is a Kingdom of sun, sand, and tradition.
Their homeland is rich with vast expanses of golden sands, sun-baked plateaus, and winding oasis valleys, and the people there had grown in harmony with the land rather than seeking to conquer it.
Their martial arts are flowing and ever-changing - movements that looked less like combat and more like a dance carried by the wind.
Isfrid came to the understanding that traditionally, people from each Kingdom would practice its foundational martial arts.
However, Isfrid felt no attachment to Eldara, the Kingdom he had been raised in.
In fact, when he thought about their philosophies, it was truly a good representation of his family.
Focused on honor and bloodline. He felt no connection or attachment whatsoever.
He decided to focus on whichever foundation best suited him and his own principles.
And then he realized
'There's really no other choice, is there?'
The Northern Foundation.
A strong lower body, wide, decisive strikes, chaining attacks that use momentum, and cold efficiency.
The next thing he had to think about was his chosen weapon.
For that, he felt he would have to test the weapons and think about what felt right.
He decided to study more about the Northern style, wait for dusk, then sneak into the Vaelor training grounds.
Once there, he could find a variety of weapons and feel them out.
He continued to read the book about the Northern foundation and began to think about his first step in training.
'The first step for the foundation was building a strong body and having good stamina,'
After unlocking his core, the things he could create with ice reached a new level.
'I could create weights and everything else I would need for muscle training with ice' he thought.
And once he decided on his weapon, he would be able to enhance his stamina through practicing with it.
He shifted his focus to reading anatomy books that would help with his strength training.
Time passed while he finished the book about the Northern style and read many books about human anatomy.
Before he knew it, it was beginning to darken outside. He decided to return to his room and wait 'til he was sure nobody was in the training ground.
When he returned, he found two plates carefully wrapped on his desk with a note next to them.
He knew this was Eliza leaving his lunch and dinner. He felt a slight warmth in his chest, thinking about her.
"Here's your lunch and dinner, Isfrid, it's not much. Studying is important, but remember to take care of your body." - Eliza
After reading the letter, a small smile touched his lips. He was happy he had her to care for him - a rare comfort in a place that gave him none.
His mind drifted back to his training and which weapon he would use.
He finished eating and decided it had been enough time, and began to sneak towards the training hall.
He had read a book that described the layout of the entire mansion, and easily committed it to memory.
However, he didn't want to have any unexpected encounters, so he traversed slowly and carefully through the mansion.
When he finally arrived, he let out a sigh of relief to find the grounds empty.
On the wall he found a variety of weapons, from swords, axes, daggers, spears, rapiers, and even large two-handed shields.
He began picking up weapons one by one, hoping one would pique his interest.
The first thing he noticed was that he liked the feel of the swords more than the other weapons.
He began feeling out each type of sword until he landed on a katana.
The moment he held it, he knew it was going to be his weapon.
His hands wrapped around the hilt, he unsheathed it, and thought the blade was beautiful. - clean, elegant, and balanced in a way that resonated with him.
The more he held it, the more he knew he had made the right choice.
He knew he would have to find a swordsmanship manual for both the North and katanas, which he wasn't even sure he could find here in House Vaelor.
But regardless, he was going to follow his instinct.
He quickly sheathed the sword and decided he would take it.
'Nobody should notice,' he concluded.
Then he made his way back to his room, deciding to get some sleep and begin training tomorrow.