Arriving at the arena, I look around to get a lay of the land. It was as you’d expect, dummies in the middle with a weapon rack beside it laden with battered wooden weapons and a few shields.
Off to the side curving around the arena in a half circle that followed the wall was what could be described as a course.
Almost like the course that a character from a book that I love called ‘the witch man’ had attempted, his naming sense was even worse than mine. Who would call their horse cockroach?
Anyway, on the opposite side from the course was a set of doors,that I assume lead to a resting area along with a wider array of weapons. Which turned out to be true.
“To the left of the arena is the agility and stamina course. To the right is where training weapons are kept, and the middle-right is the dummies. I doubt I have to explain what they do?” Roland said.
“For the first part we shall use the middle area for sparring. We will follow a similar setup as the first appraisal area, as there aren't enough knights off duty to spar with all of you at the same time. Stand off to the side, and when your name is called step forward. To speed it up we shall be doing it in sets of five. Having said that, Alex, David, Hannah, Issa, Maria, step forward and grab one of the simple weapons from the rack of your choosing. I strongly recommend picking a weapon that matches any martial skills you may have.”
Watching the five of them walk to the weapons rack, I take a quick scan of them and note anything of importance.
[Scan confirmed. Scanning basic information of: David: Human, Issa: Human, Alex: Human, Hannah: Human, Maria: Human…]
Glancing over their stats, I realise, ‘Why are their stat averages so low? Mine’s thirteen or so while theirs is only eleven. It doesn't seem like much but it still means there's ten or so stats more distributed to me then them.’
Being lost in my inner ramblings, I miss that they had chosen their weapons already and were preparing for the duel. To my luck, Sir Roland called out that they were beginning.
“Now that you have chosen your weapons, I shall run over the rules of the spar. No lethal attacks are allowed. You can make attacks that would kill in a real fight, but you can’t follow through with it. The knights are confident in their skills so I can guarantee that there will be no major injuries. And if there are, we have healers on standby. The only other rule is no skills or abilities, as that would show their strength, not your own. In the finall spare you will be allowed to use them though.”
Listening to his list of do’s and don’ts, I'm more surprised that he even had to specify them. While I myself am not really a fighter, I know plenty about gentlemens rules and what he just described is exactly that.
Feeling anxious knowing that they may not be as competent as they may seem, the summoned hero’s that is, I watch the spars that had just begun apprehensively.
Needless to say, they went without a hitch. The knights simply repelled and counter-attacked in a casual manner, while the hero’s tried their absolute best. The boy named David showed decent coordination, but he wasn't even remotely used to wielding a sword, which was his weapon of choice.
The others also tried their best. But even from someone like me who had never been in a fight like this, it was almost sad to watch.
The fights went on for the next hour or so with varying levels of success. A few of the hero’s showed decent body coordination and understanding, but there was only really one person who had a comfortable way around their weapon.
‘I wonder what they did to be able to have such confidence.’ I say, watching the person who seemed to know what they were doing.
[Scan target, Human: Hero?]
I wonder what kind of abilities he has?
[Scan confirmed, scanned targets information:
Name: Nikola
Race: Human
Class: Hero
Vit:12
Agi:10
Str:13
Mag:9
Def:14
Innate Ability:
Skills:
Lower greathammer handling: lvl 2, Lower heavy armour proficiency: lvl1,]
Looking over his stats, I feel slight surprise. His stats were nothing to marvel at, and neither were his skills. So why did he seem so confident and skilled?
Another thing I noticed after scanning near every summoned hero so far, is that none of them have any Innate Abilities…
“Hero Nikola, do you mind telling me where you gathered such proficiency with a hammer?” Roland asks.
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Nikola looks over to him having finished his spar, giveing a big smile as he puffs up his chest a bit.
“My family has both nordic and slavic history, with my grandfather running a small martial arts club. He taught me how to fight, saying it was ‘To keep your heritage strong.’!” He boasts.
“Impressive.” Roland states. His face seems a bit plain though, and as someone who spent most of their life with multiple masks, I could tell that he was in fact not that impressed.
“You show great promise.” He finishes up before turning back to the group of heroes. Calling out the last names, “Heroes Finn, Elizabeth, Mark, and John. Please step forward.”
I stop for a moment, realising that everyone had been called except me. Wondering if it was a mistake, I grapple with asking as to why I wasn’t called. But end up settling with not bringing it up, as Sir Roland most likely had a reason as to why.
Watching the final spars, I don’t really notice anything special. Overall, there were only really three people that stood out in this part of the test, one of which was the boy named Nikola.
“Alright then, that's almost everyone. The final person I have to call out is Erja, Please step forward.”
Finally hearing my name, I feel excited. My heart beating in my chest like a wardrum. Was I nervous? I didn’t entirely feel that way. Fearful? Not in the slightest. Excited? Very.
But there was something more. My blood pumping furiously, I step forward, moving to the weapon rack, yet just as I was about to pick up an axe, “Hero Erja, I would like you to use this.”
I turn around to see Sir Rolan holding a metal hand axe. Dulled, yet nonetheless impressive. The rest of the hero’s glancing between me and the axe, whispering to each other as to why it was presented to me yet they had to use wooden ones.
I look at the axe with a mild surprise. I then throw a glance at Roland, who continues to hold it out. “Don’t keep me waiting, take it.” He says.
I stare at it for a moment longer, before reaching out to take it. My hand grasps the cold steel, sending a wave of what I could only describe as ecstasy through my body.
In my previous life, I spent a lot of time using axes. Not for any particular reason other than I enjoyed wielding them. Moving the axe to glance at its head, I lose myself in its surface for a moment.
“Hero Erja.” Roland says, pulling me from my trance. I look towards him and realise he’s smiling.
“I had a hunch you would know how to wield an axe.” He grins, and I realise that I was as well. The kind of grin I got when I couldn’t help myself, when I felt excitement beyond words.
The summoned hero’s muttering amongst themselves, I catch a few words like, “He's scary” “How could someone smile like that?!” “Why did he get a metal weapon?”.
Ignoring them, I turn back to Roland and glance around. Noticing that the other knights were standing back and at ease. Confused, I look to Sir Roland hoping to get a proper answer.
“I would like to test you myself, this can count as your second spar as well. Meaning you can use skills.” He says.
I startle, not expecting that, but ready nonetheless. Seeing him take out a dulled steel sword of his own, I prepare myself.
“I’ll go easy on you, I don’t want to hurt a Hero.” He throws a provocation at me. And I take it to the face, fully intending to enjoy myself.
I crouch low, preparing to lung forward. Holding steady for a moment, I wait to see if I can make Sir Roland move first.
He seems to notice my plan, and holds his position, not moving so much as an inch. We come to an immediate stalemate. Not wanting to be left waiting, I decide to move. I rush forward, on a slight angle so as not to be head on.
Reaching Roland’s left side, I spin away on my heel so as to land behind him, just as he attempts a slash where I just was. Finishing my spin in his blind spot, I attempt to slash in an upwards arc, intending to hit just below his left arm.
Not wasting a moment, he moves backwards and into me to try and hit me with an elbow jab. Falling for his bait, I duck backwards and flip over, kicking his outstretched arm so as to upset his balance.
Not wanting to lose my momentum, I swing my axe at his sword, catching it in the curve between the back of the axehead, and the handle.
I try to pull his weapon away, to no avail. Using the fact I was once again at his back and had his sword in a lock, I take a swing at his back with a left jab.
The jab hits, but his armour tanks most of the damage. But to my luck, it was just enough to throw him off.
I jump back so as to be able to take another swing and avoid whatever retaliation he may have. My foresight pays off, and I dodge a swing that he brought around in a roundhouse.
I abuse him being off kilter from the attack, and run in. In my hubris, I fail to see the pommel strike he makes to my chest.
Feeling at least one rib broken, I use the heft of the attack to get out of his range. Just in time to avoid him trying to grab my collar. Using the advantage from him overreaching, I take a swipe at his abdomen.
Finding the lucky angle and punishing his arrogance, I get a hit in on his side, once again clashing with his armour. Being just enough to move his attack away, I kick the back of his knee, sending him down to a kneel.
Grabbing his right shoulder which was carrying his blade, I push it away and go for another hit to the ribs with my axe. The clang of metal on metal rings across the field, as I get yet another hit in.
Shaking me off with a well timed shove, Roland turns and makes an overhead slash. Seeing his move, I grin with a wild yet calculated look in my eye. Brushing off his slash with the back of my axe, I kick him in the chest to push him back while the words ‘THIS, IS, SPARTA’ ring around in my head.
I notice him stop, so I halt my advance just in time for him to say, “I thought you said you were a fisherman?” with a smile as he stands up and sheaths his sword.
“I was, but I never said that I didn’t have an interest in axes.” Giving a witty yet nonchalant smile in response. He chuckles, and I rest the axe on my shoulder, wondering if there was going to be yet another twist to the test.
“Well done, I can see that you don’t have any proper training. But what I can see is that you have a skill with an axe that not many can boast, even in the knights guard. I can imagine you being an incredible fighter in the future.” He complements.
I put on my mask of shying away. Even if the expression was a facade, I felt a real sense of pride, and hope for the future.
“Hero’s, I look forward to you showing the same skills as Sir Erja in the future. Even if you don’t, I can see the country and realm being in safe hands.” Roland states.
Realising he called me Sir, I show a true expression of shock. Knowing how honourable the title of Sir is for knights and even nobles alike around this relative time period.
“Now that the sparring is over, we will move onto the agility and stamina course.” He continues.
“While speed isn't the main component of the course, it is encouraged. As the faster you complete it, the more confidence you show in yourself to be able to move the way you would need to when the time arises.”