Another day of Monster class.
“Monsters populate the land and are constantly endangering the average citizen, that is why the army has the Monster Hunter guild. The guild has outposts located throughout the land, depending on the area the outposts can change in size and importance. In your second, third, and fourth year you will be spending some time at different outposts to learn more about monsters firsthand. The experience you learn is incredibly valuable and can be lifesaving. We as elemental users are the only thing that stands between monsters and normal humans. As elemental users, it is our duty to stand in front and protect them.”
“Now, last class I told you that monsters are able to absorb as many elemental cores as they want. There is a lot to monster transformations and the first core they absorb is always the most important. However, the other cores they absorb do also impact their transformation. The second stone they absorb continually gives them access to more mana. Monsters don’t train their abilities, and this is how they gain strength. A beast that absorbs one core has roughly 100 mana. This can vary a lot though depending on the animal that absorbed the core. A larger animal naturally has more mana already, so they start higher. A good monster hunter must be able to sense a monster’s mana level and quickly be able to determine the best course of action.”
“The highest ever recorded monster was the infamous Continent Consumer; Argrir. The exact amount is impossible to quantify but they estimate he absorbed over 1000 elemental cores before he was finally brought down. There have been many devices designed to help precisely measure and analyze the cores absorbed by a monster, but those items can be very finicky. The only surefire method is to get close enough and feel their mana. Mana detection is a straightforward approach to use with monsters. It can sometimes be used on people, but that can be seen as rude if not asking permission first. Today we will be practicing mana detection. I want everyone to pair up." Jack happily paired with Sable.
Neither knew the technique and were excited to learn. They were standing in a room very similar to the dodgeball room and Jack noticed a few of his classmates looking around nervously. If he was being honest Jack had also started to panic a little, but then Ms. Griffith walked in. She was also wearing an athletic uniform similar to the students. That had been the first time Jack saw a teacher’s clothing conform to the school’s standards. Usually, they wore whatever they seemed to want. “The technique for mana detection is a little counterintuitive. To sense someone else’s strength, you need to extend your mana. While extending you push against another person. Depending on how hard the other person’s mana pushes back is how strong the person is. This method can feel weird at first, it just takes experience and practice.”
“The process of extending your mana outward is very similar to powering an item. I want you all to close your eyes. Now focus on the power within yourself. Imagine that power slowly flowing out, filling the area around you.” Jack was focusing intently when he could start to feel something weird. The sensation was hard to describe, it felt like the air got thick and you could almost swim through it. He realized after a moment it was other student’s mana filling the area. Each person’s mana had a distinct feel. You could almost feel the person’s personality through their mana. The experience was intense. As he pushed his own mana out, the sensations softened slightly as his own mana must have been pushing the others away.
After a moment of pushing, he was able to start feeling the resistance of the others around him. The closest to him was Sable and he could clearly feel him now. Jack tried to focus on Sable, and he could slowly get an idea of the strength of his mana. It was weird and hard to describe. As you pushed into them you could feel the resistance. Jack could feel Sable testing his aura also and it was a bizarre sensation. He felt naked and like his entire body was being examined. After a few moments, they were instructed to switch partners and Jack was set up with a girl he didn’t know. They were instructed to perform the same exercise. The idea was to give them the feel of multiple different mana levels so you can get an idea of scale and the difference. By the end of the exercise Jack was surprised to find his classmates had a very wide variety of mana levels, but even more interesting was the personality you could feel through the mana. Every student felt amazingly different and after the experience, he felt like he had gotten to know each of his classmates on a deeper level than any conversation could go. Jack left that class in a daze. His mind was awash with sensations of the mana. He had been performing the exercise for so long that it almost felt like he was floating as he walked. Jack went to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. The water helped him center himself and he calmed his breathing as he refocused himself. The class had been incredible, but his senses were totally overwhelmed. He just leaned against the sink for a few moments before gathering his wits and heading to lunch.
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After lunch was another day of weapons. This time Chad only had a couple of guns with him. This was how Jack had seen him most of the time. This seemed to be his normal amount of guns, which was still a lot. He had two pistols, one on each of his hips. He also had these small, advanced guns on his legs. Jack had asked him about them, and Chad had happily shown him. The guns were small transport type model that was designed to fold, slide, and open into a large gun in moments. He had a couple attached to his pants, where pockets might have been on a pair of cargo pants. Jack wondered how he had modified his uniform without getting in trouble.
When class started there was a large group of instructors at the front of the room. Each instructor was carrying a different style of weapon. “We will be breaking you into groups. For the next couple of weeks, we will be moving the groups through different types of melee weapon handling and defense. When you hear your name called, join with the instructor that you have been paired with and follow them to their specified location.
After a small commotion, they were able to figure everything out and Jack was unfortunately not paired with anyone he knew. He was with a couple of students whom he had never spoken to before. Jack was paired with the instructor who was wielding an incredibly long spear.
“Who here has experience with spear combat?” No one spoke up. “Ok, that’s good, I prefer when my students start from scratch. Spear fighting is a simple art form that allows a user to fight their enemy while keeping a short distance away to ensure their general safety. First, I want you to each grab a spear and we will be practicing simple holding techniques.” Everyone was handed a simple short spear. The tip was metal, but it was reasonably dull, if you tried hard, you could still cut yourself, but it definitely wasn’t made to kill. Once everyone had a spear, they spread out around the teacher.
“Fantastic, ok everyone let’s try some basic wielding styles. First is the most common and straightforward. Holding the spear mid-way with two hands. This allows for quick and easy attacks from both ends of the spear. This is a great way to fight in close combat where the spear is usually seen as having a disadvantage. The next style is to hold it near the end. This obviously gives you much greater range, but then fighting someone up close can be difficult. If you are ever fighting someone using this technique try and break past their guard and get in close. They won’t be able to wield their spear effectively and will be at a huge disadvantage.”
“In a rare occasion, a spear wielder may even throw their spear. This is a more variable technique that is generally only used if the person can somehow reacquire the sear with minimal effort. Using the standard wielding styles, you are able to spin the spear around your body. This is a great technique for defending oneself. By spinning the spear, you are able to gain momentum and quickly strike while still spinning. For the next couple minutes, I want you all to just practice with your spears against your designated target. I want to get an idea for each of your skill levels, so I will be watching.”
Jack squared off against his target and for the next couple of minutes did his best to impress the instructor. Jack was mediocre with the spear. He could twirl and stab and do a generally good job manipulating the spear point. But unfortunately, Ariel Rambova the white-haired girl was in his group. Ariel was a master of the spear and casually darted around her target while smashing it to bits. Her technique was flawless, and she brutally destroyed her target with ruthless efficiency while maintaining smooth-flowing strokes that made it impossible to tell where the next one would come from.
“Ok. Well. I don’t think there is anything I need to teach you. He said plainly. I uh thought you guys didn’t have spear experience.”
“I wield a staff.” She said. Her voice was soft, and she was surprisingly calm for just moving around a bunch.
“Oh. I guess those are similar.” The instructor almost seemed dejected that he wasn’t able to teach. “Well, I guess you can wait until we switch instructors.” For the next little while, the instructor took time with each student. He would help them with their posture, and grip. He showed some simple tricks and some great ways to get in close on a spear wielder. “The most dangerous part is the pointy tip, but don’t let that distract you from the shaft. The shaft can be just as dangerous.” Eventually, they switched instructors and were set up with the sword. Each instructor would spend some time with the students teaching them some basic techniques and giving them advice on their strengths and weaknesses. By the end, Jack had learned about spears, swords, shields, axes, staffs, daggers, and Hand to hand. It took a couple of weeks, but Jack started to feel very competent in his fighting ability and started to find some enjoyment in weapons.