Chapter 13 – A Foundation in Combat

"Can you believe that ability?" Jordan was beside himself as the group made their way from the Arena sands and towards the room they'd been told had been designated for combat training.

"What... what was that thing?" Titus asked.

"I've heard him call it his 'Last Stand' before, but I don't really know if it's a real skill or just something he says," Jordan admitted. "I never really knew that things like that were actual skills or anything. Makes you wonder how many skills someone like Lucius has. You know I've watched so many fights in the Arena and seen so many things that now I know what I know about The God of Balance; I'm not sure I really know anything anymore."

Titus hadn't meant the skill though. Yes, it had been impressive and yes, it had ended the fight in one single strike, but his mind was elsewhere.

"I mean that monster..." he said, his eyes wide in wonder. "Are we supposed to fight things like that?"

Jordan laughed. "No, of course not!" the proclamation allowed Titus to exhale, somewhat relieved. "I mean, technically, yes we are," Jordan continued, making Titus' heart race at the sudden u-turn. "But things like that are reserved for the really skilled. Plus Lucius is going to be a Hunter soon, so what you just saw is pretty much as bad as it gets. Well before you watch a few high-ranked team battles that is. Imagine the monsters that're needed to pose a challenge to three Contestants as skilled as Lucius. Sometimes they just throw in a handful of monsters all at once, each posing different challenges to see what happens."

"That's barbaric!" Petra interrupted. "Do they really have to make it so difficult for the Contestants?"

"I suppose they do," Titus said. "Otherwise, what happens when they become Hunters and it's much more difficult in the real world outside the walls? They need to be as ready as they can, right?"

"Yeah," Jordan agreed. "And they need to give the crowd a good fight! People pay to watch those fights, and if they aren't entertaining, what's the point in going?"

Titus thought about that. He had been so focused on what was happening in the Arena that he hadn't thought about the spectators. These people paid to watch the Arena fights, and seeing what he just saw, he could see why.

"Do they die?" Titus asked. "I mean when they lose, what happens?"

Jordan gave a small smile. "It happens. Sometimes the monsters are just too much for them. Sometimes they get saved, but it's rare; usually, it happens too fast. It's just the risk you take to become a Contestant."

It wasn't a surprise to Titus, but somewhere deep down inside he'd been harbouring the belief that these people, perhaps even Miss Kane in particular, wouldn't just let people stand there and die. Especially not anyone as young as he was.

"Come on, we don't want to miss the first-ever combat practice, do we?" Petra said, increasing her speed when she noticed that the three had fallen behind the bulk of the Contestants heading that way.

It didn't take them long to catch up, and when they did so they were just in time to see the large, open doorway that led into the training area and the sheer size of the place made Titus' jaw drop.

Formed from a large, open cavern, the training arena was a walled expanse of sand and gravel that went on as far as he could see. Some kind of light was shining down on the cavern from above, illuminating everything perfectly, though Titus couldn't tell if these lights were natural - being carved out the ceiling above like some kind of porthole - or some spell that magically illuminated the place. He wouldn't have been surprised either way, given what he'd seen so far.

The ten White-Ranked Contestants filtered into the cavern and huddled together on the edge of the sand and gravel. Standing before them was a tall, young man with short dark hair wearing a cotton shirt and leather trousers. He didn't look much like the other teachers they'd seen so far and Titus analysed him:

Theodore: Level ?

Profession: Combat Instructor

Again, Titus could see little more than he already knew about the man and he hoped that as he learned more about the people around him, more of their information would become available to him.

Theodore coughed once, and then began by introducing himself.

"I am Theodore, your Combat Instructor for today," he said, his voice projecting clearly. "Our first lesson will focus on the fundamental use of a sword and shield. These basic skills can be a matter of life and death in the Arena, so it would be useful for you all to pay as much attention as possible, even if these are things you already know."

"What, they couldn't get a proper Instructor?" Titus heard Henderson whisper. "Looks like this one's not much older than us."

Titus saw a flash of something on the Instructor's face that he was sure meant he'd heard Henderson's jibe, but Theodore did nothing about it if it was indeed the case.

Theodore gestured to the ground behind him, and Titus could now see that there was a selection of training swords and wooden shields piled up there rather haphazardly.

"Each of you will pick up a sword and shield. Remember, they are practice weapons, but that doesn't mean they can't hurt you if used carelessly. So, while you are within this training area, I want you to behave as though you are holding real weapons."

The Contestants eagerly approached the pile, selecting their equipment. Jordan, Titus, and Petra each grabbed their new weapons.

The wooden sword and shield were heavier than Titus had been expecting, and just holding them made him think about using something like this in the Arena. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"Let's start with the basics," Theodore instructed. "Getting to know your weapon. Now if you haven't done so already, I want you to take a good look at your sword and shield. It might not be much right now, but you'll be surprised at the properties these weapons can hold, especially when handed to a Contestant."

Titus frowned and looked down at the sword and shield in his two hands. And then he realised what the Instructor was saying: he was supposed to analyse the equipment.

Wooden Training Sword

Value: 1b

Effect: Damage dealt by this weapon is halved.

Wooden Training Shield

Value: 1b

Effect: Damage blocked by this weapon is halved.

Titus coughed. This was the first time he'd seen anything given a value, and it didn't get any lower than this. One Bronze coin was a tenth the value of a Silver and one hundredth the value of a Gold. Then he remembered his Contestant salary of one gold a week and realised that even with that amount of money, he could buy fifty sets of wooden swords and shields per week. That was, of course, provided that someone was selling that many. And then the main issue was whether he really wanted fifty sets of wooden swords and shields. To which the answer was a resounding 'no'.

Theodore moved to the centre of the training area, his eyes scanning the group. They stopped briefly on Henderson, who had decided to remain quiet for the time being.

"Alright, now grip your sword firmly but not too tight with your dominant hand. Your shield hand should be raised and ready to block."

He demonstrated the stance, showing how to hold the sword and shield defensively. "This stance provides both protection and the ability to strike when the opportunity arises. Now, if you're all happy with that, pair up with a partner, and we'll practice some simple drills."

The Contestants paired off, with Titus partnering with Petra, and Jordan moving away to pair up with another boy.

"First, we'll focus on blocking," Theodore said once all the Contestants had finished shuffling themselves about. "One of you will be the attacker, and the other will be the defender. The attacker will make slow, controlled strikes, aiming for the defender's shield. The defender must block the strikes effectively."

Petra and Titus took their positions, with Petra starting off as the attacker. She swung her practice sword at Titus's shield, and Titus followed Theodore's instructions to block the attack. The wooden sword made a dull thud against the shield.

Titus hadn't expected it to hurt, but as soon as the sword hit the shield, the strike reverberated up his arm and he winced.

"Now did any of you think that hurt?" Theodore asked, and there were one or two nods in reply. "So you've never used a shield before, that's interesting," he said. "Well, I saw the problem; you were all a little passive in your defence. You need to shift your shield towards, move into the attack so that the force isn't all in one direction. Now I'm not saying you should be going for a shield bash or anything, but next time when the sword strike approaches, I want you to move your shield towards it to mitigate the impact."

The next attack arrived, and Titus followed the instruction. To his surprise, the pain he'd felt the first time was substantially reduced.

"Good," Theodore said as he watched the group. "Now go again, and don't stop until I tell you otherwise."

The crashing of swords against shields continued for a long while. Enough time for Titus to watch all the other Contestants, and it was clear to him which were comfortable with a sword and shield in hand. Clear cuts above the rest were Henderson and his friend Jordan, who were each blocking their opponent's strikes with little effort and a practised ease.

Titus' arms had grown heavy though, and just raising the shield was becoming a chore, let alone defending Petra's slow strikes.

"Good, now switch roles," Theodore instructed, and Titus sighed in relief.

After a short while, Titus found that swinging the sword was certainly easier, but having been already tired by the defensive position, Titus' arms still complained, and he wondered how long he could keep this up for.

They continued to practice and switch roles, getting used to the feel of the impact from both sides of the shield and eventually, after another long stretch, Theodore spoke up again.

"Now, let's focus on your strikes. You'll be attacking again, but this time I want you to really think about what you're doing with that sword. Focus on controlled strikes, still aim for your partner's shield, but now also remember that it's important to maintain balance and not overcommit to your attacks. And shield-bearers, if you see your opponent off-balance at any point, I want you to take a small step towards them, OK?"

The group of Contestants agreed to the new format and returned to their training.

"Is any of this making sense to you?" Titus asked Petra as her sword struck his shield with a dull thud.

"Well, it hurts less," she said, "so that's something. But I've never really been interested in becoming a Warrior or a Defender."

Titus nodded. Blocking the strikes did hurt less. But he knew that in a few minutes of doing so, the pain was going to return.

Titus met each of Petra's attacks with a small inflection of his shield. Sometimes the thud of the sword reverberated along his arm, and others - when he'd managed to hit the sweet spot - gave a hollow thud, and the feeling was almost pleasant. He didn't have to take a single step forward all the while Petra attacked, as she was as nimble and stable on her feet as anyone he'd ever seen before.

Then there was a cry from a Contestant, and it drew everyone's attention. On the floor on his back was the boy named Kai, his nose bloodied and his eyes filled with tears. Standing over him was Henderson, looking very pleased with himself whilst holding his wooden shield.

"If you can't swing a sword properly, you're going to get far worse than that out in the Arena," Henderson said. He was smiling like he was incredibly proud of himself.

"Right," Theodore said, "Perhaps the execution was a little off, but Henderson is correct: these things are going to happen. Kai, back up on your feet and get back in the fight. I don't want to see you on the ground again."

Kai wiped his face and returned to his feet. Where a moment ago he had looked shocked and upset, he now looked determined. Henderson grinned.

"Back to it, the rest of you. In the next few hours, I want you all to be familiar with everything we've been learning so far."

By the time Theodore concluded their first combat class, the Contestants who hadn't handled a weapon before appeared much more comfortable, including Titus. It was evident that there was much more to learn than could be taught in just a few hours, but this initial lesson had laid the foundation for their training in the Arena. Titus couldn't help but suspect that the 'Instructor' Profession provided these Instructors with much more than just a title, as he found that he could retain the information they had shared more easily than things he had tried to learn in the past. He wondered if he would have been in the Arena at all if he would've had a 'Bakery Instructor' in his early years.

"Now, before you head out to lunch, please return your training weapons. And I want you to remember something: mastering these basics will be crucial to your survival in the Arena. Practice these skills diligently becasue they could make the difference between life and death."