Chapter 21: Group Training

Chapter 21: Group Training

Silas Blackwood and his friends gathered in one of the training rooms after their classes, eager to hone their skills as a group. They decided to pair off for duels, with Silas facing Lyra and Jace squaring off against Rowan. Nadia, left without a partner, opted to practice her archery on a nearby target.

[Combat initiated: Defeat enemy combatant]

As Silas and Lyra began their duel, the sharp clang of steel against steel echoed through the training room. Silas swung his hammer clumsily, missing Lyra by inches as she ducked and jabbed at his exposed side. Lyra's rapier darted in and out, finding gaps in Silas's defense, but her strikes lacked the power to truly rattle him. Silas's heart pounded as he tried to anticipate Lyra's next move.

Lyra's rapier struck Silas's chest, arms, and legs in quick succession, leaving behind small, stinging cuts. Silas gritted his teeth, waiting for an opening. When Lyra overextended on a lunge, Silas seized the opportunity, bringing his hammer down in a mighty arc. The blow caught Lyra in the shoulder, sending her sprawling to the ground, her bones crunching under the impact. Silas winced as he heard Lyra's bones snap, despite knowing she would heal quickly.

[Enemy defeated: +5 Exp]

Silas watched as Lyra's body knit itself back together, the bones snapping into place and the cuts sealing shut. He rolled his shoulders, feeling his own wounds close, the pain ebbing away. Offering Lyra a hand, he helped her to her feet, both of them panting and frustrated.

"I don't feel like I'm learning anything," Silas said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He tried to come up with a solution that would help them both improve.

"Me neither," Lyra replied, her brow furrowed in concentration. "We're not going to have the benefit of instant healing out in the field, but I have no idea how to parry you." Lyra's frustration was evident in her voice, and Silas could relate to the feeling of being stuck in a rut.

Silas nodded, considering their options. "I don't even know if war hammers are built to block rapiers. From my understanding, they were used during very different periods of history." Silas tried to recall what he had learned about the history of weaponry, hoping to find a solution to their problem.

Lyra's eyes lit up with an idea. "Hmm. What if we agreed to use the same or at least similar weapons when we fight?" Silas could see the gears turning in Lyra's head, and he was impressed by her quick thinking.

"Sure, but how do we do that? The training weapons have all been put away," Silas replied, glancing around the room. He couldn't see any spare weapons lying around, and he wasn't sure where they would find any.

A mischievous grin spread across Lyra's face. "I have a solution for that." She took a deep breath, her hands moving through the air as if parting an invisible curtain. The air in front of her shimmered, a rift opening up like a gash in reality. Tilting her hands, Lyra directed the rift downward, and a cascade of training weapons spilled out, clattering to the ground.

"Whoa! How did you do that?" Silas said, eyes wide.

Lyra smiled, pleased with his reaction. "It's my pocket dimension. I can store stuff in it. I stashed a bunch of training weapons when Tiffany wasn't looking. I doubt she'd mind." Lyra's confidence was infectious, and Silas found himself grinning along with her.

The wound healed in a matter of seconds, and Rowan was able to talk again, although he was a bit raspy. "What the hell, Nadia? What is wrong with you?" Rowan whisper shouted. Rowan's voice was hoarse, but his anger was evident in his tone.

"I'm sorry, ok! This dude startled me," she said, pointing at the guy behind her. Nadia's face was flushed with embarrassment and guilt as she tried to explain herself.

"Why were you aiming at me in the first place? You could have killed me!" Rowan yelled. Rowan's voice grew louder as he confronted Nadia, his anger boiling over.

"It wouldn't have killed you. The worst I could do is scramble your brains, and that might even be an improvement," she said. Nadia's words were flippant, but her tone was apologetic as she tried to defuse the situation.

"Errrgh!" Rowan yelled, throwing his sword and shield to the floor. "You! You infuriate me!"

"Ok, ok. I guess that's fair," Nadia said. "I did just skewer your neck. I'm sorry, ok. This weirdo snuck up behind me." She gestured to the man again. Nadia's apology was sincere, but she couldn't help but shift some of the blame to the stranger who had startled her.

"Who are you and what are you doing interrupting our training?" Rowan yelled at the man.

"Hello, it seems you miscreants don't have a shred of decency or manners. My name is Damien Devereux, and I would like to make a formal request to Silas," Damien said, his voice smooth as he addressed the group.

Silas finally made it over to the three of them, with Lyra and Jace trailing behind. It was a large room. "What could you possibly want?" Silas said, his voice wary as he approached Damien.

"I would like to formally challenge you to a duel. This afternoon, just before sundown, in the main training room. It has been pre-sanctioned and it will be supervised by university officials," Damien said. His words were formal and precise, but his tone was mocking as he issued his challenge.

"I'll be there. I can't wait to wipe that smug look off your face," Silas said, his voice firm and determined as he accepted the challenge.

"I'm afraid you'll be gravely disappointed," Damien replied with a smile as he turned to leave.

With that, Damien walked out of the training room. Silas watched him go, his mind already occupied with strategies and plans for the upcoming duel.

"Yeah, get out of here, asshole!" Nadia stared daggers into his back as he left. Then she turned to everyone else, and said, "Who was that guy?"

"No one. Just the guy who threw me off the edge of Arcanium," Silas replied, remembering his encounter with Damien.