Since they still had a few hours before dark, Nick was able to get in his full exercise routine, along with a lengthy round of skills training. Sophia watched his efforts with interest, occasionally taking a break from her own practice so that they could share tips and compare techniques.
When he was ready to move on to drilling with his weapons, she walked over to him and said, “I think we should try sparring against one another. We’ll learn faster that way and it will help prepare us for fighting other people when the time comes.”
Nick wasn’t sure that it was a good idea. The idea of accidentally harming Sophia with a careless strike was a deeply frightening proposition. He wasn’t nearly as worried about getting hurt himself. By now, he trusted her aim far more than his own. He voiced his doubts, and they discussed the matter at length. But in the end, she talked him into it.
“We aren’t always going to be battling against animals and beasts, Nick. Before long, likely before we reach the top of Darkstone Tower, we’re going to have to fight creatures capable of wielding various weapons. We need more experience facing off against weaponry in live combat. To get used to swinging them at something that looks human. I hope that it never comes to it, but we might have to defend ourselves against people like those bandits one day. If we aren’t prepared, it could wind up being the end for us.”
Nick knew that Sophia was right. His encounter with Greg and Shaun had already driven that point home, not to mention his desperate battle with the ratman foreman back in the tutorial dungeon. He was still inexperienced with his sword, but he knew enough to realize that the mechanics of fighting against other weapon wielders were completely different from battling beasts.
If they didn’t start to master them now, the consequences could be catastrophic later down the road. He set aside his reluctance and drew his sword, facing off against his partner on the hilltop, their shadows growing longer by the heartbeat as the sun made its lazy descent toward the horizon.
She borrowed his arena dagger to pair with her own, since even a prick from her frost venom stinger could be deadly. Sophia took her stance and raised her weapons, squaring off against his blade with a knife in both hands.
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At that point, there was no reason to stall any longer. So, Nick shelved his reservations and took his first swing. For their first sparring session, they moved with exaggerated slowness, focusing on footwork and technique rather than landing blows and following through.
Nick thought that he would have a considerable advantage due to his longer blade, but he quickly learned that it wasn’t so simple. While he did have a superior reach, Sophia’s fighting style was versatile and lethal up close. She had a remarkable ability to step into his attacks, ducking or deflecting his blade, then following up with a stab to his vitals with the weapon in her other hand.
The downside to using two short blades was that Sophia had a hard time blocking his heavy sword, even with her considerable strength. Its momentum could drive her back and knock her off balance, especially when Nick started working in kicks and shoves too. She could deflect his attacks with greater success, but she mostly relied on dodging, making her movements easier to predict.
While she could inflict flesh wounds by slicing from the boundary of her reach, to go in for a kill, she had to get in close, giving him a moment to prepare his defense. He scored a half dozen points before she started to adapt, pressing him back while searching for a way around his blade.
Once she was inside his guard, Sophia was a force to be reckoned with. Her strength and unerring ability to strike for the least armored parts of his body made her a deadly fighter. He knew that it would be even harder if she were using the stinger, where a graze was enough to inject her opponent with venom. But as matters stood, they were remarkably evenly matched.
They called it quits an hour later, both drenched in sweat despite keeping their movements to half speed until they were comfortable sparring with real weapons. They sat across from each other in front of the fire, eating the last of the tasty flower petals Nick had picked as a post-workout snack.
“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” she asked with a grin.
“No. You were right, Sophia. This was a good idea, and we should make it a regular part of our routine. I wonder if it was enough to raise my sword skill.”
On that note, he opened his profile, pleased to see that their training had paid off in more ways than one.
Through use you have improved the following skills:
Sword has increased from [4] to [5].