Naka was standing in the middle of the guard's training grounds. All dwarves present gathered to watch the combat. It was a rare occasion to have the captain facing someone in battle. Hera looked around, searching for training equipment, but only saw stone staffs like the one Naka was using or stone swords. There was no handaxe or chakram for her to use.
"Do you guys have training axes here?" Hera asked, not wanting to hurt the captain by accident during the duel. Naka had taken off her armor, making it much easier for a stray attack to result in a serious injury.
"We do, but it doesn't matter. You two need all the handicap I could give. Maybe I should even use only a single hand," Naka replied.
Hera and Blue exchanged a glance. It was one thing to treat them as dangerous people, but now she crossed a line. There was no need to be that much of an ass towards them. They jumped into the arena, ready to fight. Even though Naka was level 67, Hera still believed they could at least land a hit if they worked together.
Naka took a wide stance, holding her staff to the side while facing the humans. Hera pulled out her chakram, already setting up her poison enchant on it, while Blue's shoulder guard created the smoke blocking her arms from sight with tiny blue sparks appearing around her. They started to flank the dwarf, Blue going towards her back. She had ways to grapple someone from behind that could neutralize someone without much trouble.
Hera tossed her chakram, aiming at Naka's body that was only covered by a grey shirt. The dwarf moved her staff to intercept the attack, but Hera changed the path with a burst of mana, making the blade shift towards Naka's face.
"Oh?" The move surprised the captain, but she was still fast enough to turn her staff and block the chakram.
Just as the impact happened, Blue closed the gap, trying to lock Naka's arms and head. The dwarf just pushed her staff back, hitting the controller's foot and making her trip forward. Hera sent a poison needle flying towards Naka, making sure to steer it away from Blue's path. The captain was with her back turned towards Hera, but she dodged away from the almost invisible projectile even without looking.
Blue rolled away from the dwarf. At the same time, Hera used her grease fire, aiming to the side to corner Naka. She didn't want to attack the captain directly with a spell like that. Blue jumped up and delivered a flurry of punches while trying to find an opening to grab Naka. Hera pulled back her chakram and entered the melee. Having a bladed circlet waving around wasn't helpful when a friend was close to her target. She took advantage of a moment where Naka used the staff to block Blue and cut the stone weapon in two with her handaxe. The captain tossed the two pieces of rock aside and used her fists to defend against the assault. Hera spun her handaxe around her and attempted an overhead swing. If it hit, it would be a blunt strike with the back of the weapon. Seeing the attack, Naka grabbed Hera's wrists and pulled her to the side, tossing her like a doll. Blue was about to use her electric buff to throw a charged punch, but the captain was already moving away from the hit. Hera had a bad idea, but she still decided to do it. Pushing her arm towards Blue's fist, Hera let herself be hit by the electric punch. The current coursed through her armor and straight into Naka's hand.
Hera knew that Blue's buff didn't create enough energy to actually hurt, only to make the target spasm or lock up for a moment. Her plan seemed to have worked. Naka didn't let go of her wrist and seemed to be stuck, even if for a moment. Blue was surprised by Hera's movement, but she didn't stop her assault. With a spin, she threw her foot towards Naka's chest. Before the attack could hit, the captain pulled Hera back and used her like a bat, slamming the humans together and sending them both flying off the arena, crashing into the spectating guards.
"Weak, sloppy, and stupid. It's like neither of you two had proper combat training. Not to mention you seemed too scared to hit your opponent. You had options to hurt me but chose to use the fire to trap me and the backside of your axe that was not made to deliver an effective impact," Naka said as she turned her hand and put out the fire using sand from a spell, "Still, there was some ingenuity in the attacks. The moving circle thing was interesting, and the last move was surprising, even if desperate. With some years of training, you might even be able to land a solid hit on me."
Hera and Blue struggled to get up, even with the guard's help. They wanted to protest, but at the same time, there was nothing they could say. Especially now that they realized that Naka didn't take a single step during the entire fight. They quickly became the talk of the entire guard. Not for their overwhelming defeat, but to have received such high praise from the captain.
"I don't remember the last time I saw the captain smiling after a fight," Lerynn, the on-call healer, said.
"I didn't see her smile," Hera replied as he fixed her bruised arm.
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"Well, it's hard to notice those things when you are getting your ass handed to you," Lerynn noticed Blue's expression, "Sorry, but you two got slammed."
"He's not wrong. I just hoped we could at least make her move," Hera sighed.
"Don't feel that bad. Naka does a single bout with every single new recruit. You two lasted more than most. Usually, she just finishes it in a single strike. Even being two of you, the results are impressive, especially for your level."
"I mean, she did finish us off in one move, and it wasn't even an attack," Blue said.
"Well, yeah, but you two were still good," Lerynn finished checking the duo.
Hera and Blue looked at each other. It was hard to tell if he was telling the truth or if he was just trying to butter them up. While they were being treated, other guards went back to their practice. Fighting against each other to improve their skills. For about half an hour, ten different guards faced each other. The combats were quick, taking at most five minutes with one bout ending in just 30 seconds.
"Everyone who just fought, come to the center," Naka looked at Hera and Blue, who were watching by the sides, "The humans too."
Twelve guards rushed to the arena, staying in three lines. Hera and Blue took place in the back of the group. They were at least half a meter taller than even the tallest of dwarves, so staying in front was not just unnecessary but just plain rude. Naka sized up every single guard. She was carrying a staff in her hand and a wooden sword on her waist.
"I'll start with the one who made the most mistakes. Gekas, you were too open, and the way you used a staff is wrong. A weapon like this is not a spear. You shouldn't focus on stabbing and using its reach. Yes, the impact will be strong, but that leads to long attacks and longer recovery in case you mess up," Naka showed an example of how Gekas used the staff, holding close to the edge and attacking. She then shifted the position of her hands, placing them close to the center of the weapon, "Keep it close to your body. With this, your attacks will be swift, and you can always change the movement to block any incoming blows."
The captain kept pointing out the mistakes of the group. After two lessons about the staff and three about swords, she turned towards Hera and Blue.
"Now for you two. The axe user," Naka snapped her fingers, trying to remember the name, "Hebe?"
"Hera."
"Right, that. Your close combat is lacking. There was no structure to your attacks. You were just flailing around the axe, hoping to connect a hit. Another thing, never break a weapon like a staff. Yes, it can disturb your opponent, but then," Naka broke the staff on her knee, "Now you have to deal with someone who is wielding two weapons that can move independently. The staff's greatest advantage is its predictability. If you focus on the tip, you can know where the other side is going, but that is also its greatest flaw for those who know how to use it to their benefit. Last thing, stop being afraid to hurt your enemy. I told you to come at me with everything you've got. Not only did you not use the so-called poison spells, but you aimed the fire towards the ground and not me. Do you want to defeat the sky ruler without hurting it?"
Hera didn't reply. She wanted to defend herself, but no one talked back to the captain. She didn't want to make things even harder for her and Blue.
Naka turned toward Blue, staring at her hair for a moment before speaking, "Blue… your punches are not that hard. They seem to be more fitting as grabs, and your footwork is all over the place. What did you want? Get closer when you were already in arm's reach? You need to fix that, and both of you need to practice not getting into each other's way. Hera couldn't use her spells and her disc because you got closer. At the same time, Blue should always be in the melee range. She can't hold back because you can't do anything without hitting her."
"I don't know if you guys have this here, but I'm a grappler. I work using grabs, throws, and locks. That's why my punches come out weird, and my footwork is odd," as Blue explained. The other guards stared at her in disbelief. No one ever talked back to the captain.
Naka just listened, "Interesting, show it on me."
Blue walked up and explained how she could do an arm lock. The captain put her arm out and allowed the controller to make her move. Even being close to 50 centimeters smaller, it was still enough for the lock. They both were on the floor. Blue's legs were wrapped around the captain's arm and chest.
"I see, and the intention is to hold the opponent's arm back to neutralize it, correct?"
"Yeah. If I apply some pressure with my waist, I can also break your arm," Blue explained.
"Do it," Naka said.
"What?"
"Break my arm. You are confident in this move, so finish it."
"But…."
"Do it! Or are you too afraid to hurt me like your friend? Are you both incapable of dealing with the sky ruler?"
Blue snarled and pulled on Naka's arm, trying to break her elbow, but the arm wouldn't budge. The captain started to stand, holding the human up with a single arm.
"Is that all? You humans can do only that? How can you beat a monster like the sky ruler like that? You must really like it here since you don't seem to want to leave. What? Is your family so awful that you are glad to get rid of them?" Naka said as she got up.
Blue yelled and slammed her foot into the captain's face, pulling the arm even harder. Naka's arm started to bend slightly. She swung it towards the side, sending Blue flying. Naka smiled and wiped the dirt from her face, "Now that's more like it. I was wondering if either of you two had some backbone."
Hera frowned. How could she say that when their first interaction was the two threatening each other? Naka kept going with her observation until all the guards received some tips. No one mentioned Blue's kick, but the guards stared at her with a different expression.
After finishing, Naka assigned the duos that would be training together. Hera and Blue were the last ones, "I want you to start practicing some better ways to fight. Blue, you will train with Sevaris. He uses his fists to attack. Your styles might be similar. And…. Hema? You stay with Silah. She has some practice when using a mace. See if you two can learn something together. Next week I'll take you to the dungeon."