CHAPTER 7: DAO OF FIGHTING

Jenna gripped the mace in her hand as the Pyramid started her combat training.

Beginning First Round of Combat.

There were three goblins this time. They didn’t look any stronger than the monsters had the day before, but Jenna still moved cautiously. It was better to take a little longer to dispatch them than to charge too aggressively and end up injured. All of her calculations for making it into and through the rift relied on her remaining healthy.

As she began her approach forward, Jenna made a note to ask about healing costs. The three goblins were clearly at least as smart as yesterday’s had been. They split before coming into her reach, clearly trying their best to flank her.

Jenna didn’t let them. Testing out something she’d learned in mace training that morning, she swung the mace as she spun, taking the leftmost goblin by surprise.

Although the blow didn’t kill the creature outright, Jenna was sure that the large hole in its chest would make it a non issue. Seeing it collapse to the ground out of the corner of her eye only reinforced that idea.

The other two goblins hadn’t been lax during her exchange. They struck out in what seemed like a rehearsed pattern, clearly trying to force her to take a hit from one or both of their sticks. Hoping that the sticks hadn’t gotten any less brittle, Jenna met the goblins’ slashes with a strike of her own.

As it turned out, the sticks had gotten stronger. It wasn’t enough to prevent her from breaking through the first stick, though it did mean that she merely deflected the second, rather than snapping it as well. Jenna leapt back, hoping to bait a single goblin forward.

What she didn’t expect, though, was for the center goblin to toss its still intact spear to its partner. She watched in confusion until she saw it reach for the downed goblin’s spear. Just like that, the advantage she had gained disappeared.

Once more, the goblins moved through their attack pattern. Though it seemed just as smooth as before, they clearly hadn’t learned from the last time they went through the patterns. That, or they couldn’t learn. Jenna decided that the question of temporary training aid’s ability to learn was best left for another time. Probably after she left the Pyramid.

Once again, she timed her strike and broke through one of the spears, deflecting the other. This time, rather than give them any opportunity to potentially even the fight again, Jenna pressed the advantage. She feinted at the central goblin, making him take a step back.

When he did, she used her reach advantage to brain the rightmost goblin. It fell, making the fight a one on one. She quickly dispatched the first goblin she’d struck, ensuring that it would stay that way.

The lone remaining goblin didn’t blindly rush towards her, which made Jenna cautious. She advanced hesitantly, doing her best to avoid creating any openings for a surprise attack. When she came within range of the goblin, it lashed out more quickly than she had seen it move.

Thankfully, staying on alert meant that she was able to deflect the sharp point, even if she wasn’t able to apply enough force to outright break the wood. With the goblin momentarily disoriented, Jenna ended the fight.

Congratulations! You have finished the First Round of Combat. Generating Report.

As it turned out, there was a lot that she had done wrong in the fight. She knew that letting the goblins replenish their weapons had been a mistake, but Jenna was surprised to see how many other mistakes she’d made. Her opening attack had apparently left openings that a slightly faster or stronger opponent could have taken advantage of.

Jenna’s mental argument that they weren’t stronger or faster, so it was fine, fell flat even as she thought it. She didn’t know that they would be as slow as they had been, and she hadn’t even considered the risk of using a new move. Still, she didn’t regret trying it out.

After running through everything else that she had made a mistake on, the Pyramid made her practice the opening against images of the goblins until she had mastered it. When that happened, the Pyramid was clearly satisfied that she had learned the lessons.

Beginning Second Round of Combat.

Once more, three goblins came out. They looked identical to the first set of three, though Jenna wasn’t certain. What she was certain of, though, was the fact that the opening she’d practiced with the Pyramid was a bad idea to use.

Testing the goblins with a feint, she was proved correct. This trio was faster than the last ones had been. Even with her practice, she would have been an easy target if she’d chosen to use the implied lesson the Pyramid gave her.

That was a good reminder. For all that this was a training ground, there was a reason that the Pyramid’s motivations were speculated on so much. There wasn’t even public agreement if it was a generally benevolent, malevolent, or indifferent force to humans.

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Jenna shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside. As much as they were important to consider, now was not the time. Now was the time for violence and bloodshed.

The goblins’ increased speed thankfully didn’t come with any extra strength. She parried the first blow that one made before twisting her mace. The spear popped out of the monster’s hands, and she quickly kicked it away.

It lunged at her, as though it thought that it could get within range to attack her with its bare hands. She quickly dispatched it, but realized what its real motivation had been. Jenna had taken her eyes off of the other two goblins when the third jumped her.

They had made the most of their comrades suicide approach, splitting to opposite sides of her. Now, she had no way to engage one of the goblins without giving the other unrestricted access to her back. Jenna froze for a second, unsure how to respond.

Clearly that wasn’t what the goblins expected, because they did not capitalize on her hesitation. The world sharpened as she realized the condition she was in. Her mind simultaneously rushing and empty, she chose her approach. If she could maneuver further back, she might be able to put them closer together, or at least pick one off.

To her relief, one of the goblins rushed forward before the other. Jenna was able to counter one of its strikes, sending it into the stabbing stick of the other.

A part of her had wondered whether the goblins were strong enough to kill themselves. As it turned out, they were. She actively avoided looking at the final goblin’s face, worried that she would see some sign of humanity on it as it killed its partner. She swung down harder, going through its skull and jaw.

The goblins faded out of existence, leaving her panting and sweating. She bent at the waist, trying to catch her breath. Those last moments of combat had felt so natural, but they had taken their toll. The world seemed to fade back into its normal colors and shapes.

Congratulations! You have finished the Second Round of Combat. Generating Report.

This time the report was more like what she had expected. The disarmed goblin jumping towards her had been unexpected, but now she knew not to let monsters jump onto her weapon. The Pyramid helpfully supplied a list of other reasons a monster might do so, and they were nearly all worse for her than what had happened in the scenario.

Her breathing was almost under control when she saw the notification that it was time to learn geometry. It was another lesson on higher dimensional surfaces, which added mental fatigue to the physical strain she was recovering from. By the time the day ended, she was more tired than she had been the day before.

“Will every day end with me more exhausted than I ever have been before?” she asked as she finished stretching before bed.

Query imprecise. Best guess query: Assuming unaltered training schedule and no refusal to follow it, will each day’s exertions require subjectively more from trainee? Accept guess?

“That’s close enough,” Jenna said, too tired to argue about any semantics.

Only until Calibration has been achieved. When model for trainees are perfected, each day’s exertions will require the same subjective amount.

“Will that amount be more or less than it currently is?”

More. When model is perfected, maximum subjective exertion is possible. This is the optimal way to train.

On that bright note, Jenna fell asleep.

The morning somehow saw her awake even earlier than the day before.

You are eight minutes ahead of schedule. Suggestion: move entire schedule forward eight minutes. Accept suggestion?

“Suggestion accepted,” Jenna said, already beginning to jog. She fell into a rhythm during that run that she hadn’t found before. It was still an incredibly hard exercise, but she felt a little of the sharpening around her that she had noticed while fighting the goblins.

Even as she noticed it, though, the feeling faded. It seemed like whatever it was, the state was too fragile for thinking about it while she was in it. She didn’t get even the slightest hint of the feeling during mace practice, which was a little strange.

Jenna considered what the sharpening might be while she ate her daily food. After a moment, she remembered that she had something she could ask any question to. It was still strange being in the Pyramid.

“When I was fighting the goblins yesterday, the world sharpened. I felt a little of it again this morning during my run. What happened?” she hoped the Pyramid would be able to answer the question as worded, especially because she couldn’t think of any way that she could rephrase the question.

Query imprecise. Best guess answer: when connecting body, mind, and Magic, Mages often report a subjective change to experience of reality. For more than two thirds of participants in the training grounds, this effect is likened to a “sharpening” of reality. Accept guess?

“Yes, thank you.” That was not what she had been expecting. How could her Magic have been connected while she was fighting yesterday? It had been emptied out.

Jenna’s Status:

Jenna Fredrickson First Year Spells Known: Expected Years Completed: 7 Prediction Confidence: 25% Points: 67 Qualified to Ascend to Next Year? No