Emilio found that Balsea absolutely sucked at swordsmanship. He had not realized it before because he had been too busy with his new sword and the Professor guiding him. Balsea, unfortunately, had been left alone to swing his sword mindlessly.
But now that they had all paired up with their own friends and Emilio found himself facing Balsea, he could tell that the fae had no talent for the sword.
“It’s not my fault!” They exclaimed as Emilio disarmed them for the third time. “I can only imitate the human form on the outside. All the muscles and reflexes and perceptions humans have, I do not! How do they expect me to learn this? I am fine with wielding my energy, thank you for much!”
They flicked a finger and a bout of energy slammed into the trees opposite to them, making them sway and bump against each other. Emilio winced. He could feel a sense … irritation, he supposed, from those trees.
Emilio sighed and patted the other’s back gently “Still. You said you wanted to learn the human ways. Combat training in the Academy starts with the use of only a weapon. Once you have learned to refine mana enough to be able to channel it through your sword, you can move on to actual magical combat. That’s for the second years. Third years add using your elements and other forms of magic and spells in Combat. And fourth years is just practise combining everything. So … you will have to wait at least for a year before you can use energy in combat.”
Emilio was rattling off information he had learned from Captain Killian back home.
Balsea groaned. “I know,” he mumbled. “Professor told us in out first class. Just moving around a sword is so boooooooooring. Not using my energy for combat feels weird, I have been avoiding this class mostly.”
Emilio chuckled. “No wonder you suck!”
“Hey!” They exclaimed. “I shall have you know that I can knock you upon your behind just by lifting a finger.”
He paused, before giving a soft chuckle which sounded more like a scoff. “I know. Anyone with a smidgen of mana can do that.”
Balsea frowned before quickly patting his back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean …”
“I know.” Emilio smiled at him before shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it. Let us practise some more, shall we?”
Balsea groaned and grasped his sword from the ground. Emilio smiled and took his position, taking one moment to assess before attacking. Balsea had learned from his mistakes. It took Emilio a few moments longer to actually disarm him again. Even though Balsea was trying to move their body and sword against Emilio’s, it was very easy to find the weakness in their stance and movements and target them.
It was when he disarmed the boy for the fifth time that he heard loud, rapid clapping.
“Gather round, everyone!”
He turned his head and saw Professor Sullivan calling everyone to him. He lowered his sword and started to walk toward the man, Balsea falling into step beside him.
“What’s happening?” He asked softly.
“Well, Professor Sullivan sometimes likes to hold one or two spars of his choice, especially on the days where he doesn’t assign students to different sparring partners. Maybe he wants to hold them today.”
Emilio nodded. That made sense. It would not do to always fight with your own friends. You already knew all their strengths and weakness and the monotone routine would rarely allow you to learn much. There needed to be some sort of diversity.
“Alright,’ the man started once everyone was gathered around him. “We all know why I called you guys, right? Now, we will have two spars today. The rules are, as usual, only your weapons and limbs, no magic, no malice, no permanent damage or death. Understood?”
“Yes. sir!” Emilio echoed the rest of the students.
“Good. If anyone breaks these rules, I’ll make sure you face the consequences. Now,” his eyes swept over the students. “Clara Preises and Hans Klevan, step forward!”
The two familiar figures walked out of the crowd. Clara’s eyes met Emilio’s and all he could see was disdain. Strangely enough, he did not feel the apprehension with a hint of heartbreak he had when she had first spoken up in the Student Hall. He felt nothing. He raised an eyebrow at her, before turning to Balsea and starting to chat softly, as if she held no importance to him.
He only looked back when the Professor called for them to “Start!” He actually wanted to see what was happening in the spar.
They were good. Both of them. Despite their arrogance and superiority. Or perhaps their arrogance and superiority were the result.
Hans, contrary to what Emilio thought, was fluid and very flexible in his movements. He danced in and out of the range of Clara’s sword as he twisted and turned the thin, long sword in his hand. To Emilio’s surprise, he could easily switch his sword hand and his left hand was almost as effective as the right. His strikes were light, but they clearly aimed to bring pain and wear down his opponents. His feet also had a tendency to kick at his opponent’s weak points. It was a nasty way of fighting. It suited him.
Clara, on the other hand, was sharp and precise, the strength behind her movements evidenced through the loud clacking sound every time her spear hit something. She had a nasty habit of dragging her spearhead against the edge of her opponent’s sword in an attempt to turn it over and disarm him. It made a gods awful screeching noise that had Emilio gritting his teeth. Even Balsea beside him huffed in annoyance.
The spar lasted a few minutes more, neither of them wanting to give the other an inch However, Clara had a slight advantage with her strength and sharp movements always going in for the vital spots. She managed to corner Hans when she herself adopted his tactic and used the flat of her spear to hit at his shin his shin before aiming at his throat. Hans managed to raise his sword and use the flat side t shield against the spearhead but Clara quickly twisted her spear to get under the sword and push it out of the boy’s now loose grip. Hans was disarmed and Clara was now pressing her spreadhead against his throat.
Hans raised his hands in surrender.
The audience there started clapping and cheering as Clara stepped back, twisting the spear in the air one more time just for the sake of it. Emilio resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She always did like dramatics.
“Quiet!” Professor Sullivan’s voice boomed over the rest of them. “We have time for one more spar. Emilio Florian and Evan. Step forward!”
Emilio froze for a moment, his eyes meeting the man’s. He had not thought that he would be called for a spar today, on his first lesson. The thought … had not even occurred to him. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he had known that one day he might have to go up against actual mages in a true fight. But that had always been nothing but an abstract. He had not thought the day would come so soon.
“Emilio Florian, come forward.” The man repeated.
Emilio realized that he had been rooted to the spot whereas Evan had already stepped out. And, of all the people to be paired against, it had to be this one. The boy who had accosted and threatened him smack dab in the middle of the Academy.
“Emilio, go,” Balsea whispered beside him, nudging him forward a bit.
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Evan scoffed at him from across the crowd. “Really, Professor? Why are you pairing me with him? What can a Laik do? Look at him, he’s terrified.”
“Fuck off!” Balsea shouted at him. “He’s not scared! He’s better than you!”
There was a brief pause before the Professor spoke again. “Emilio, as you saw, there will be no magic used here. But if you would like to withdraw, you can.”
Emilio felt all the eyes on him, felt the people around him jeering, he could almost hear their thoughts.
‘Of course, he would withdraw.’
‘Coward.’
‘What can a useless Laik like him do?’
‘Know your place.’
Emilio clenched his fist. He hated that even without being able to read minds, he could tell what they were thinking. He hated that Evan could say those things to him and no one except his one friend even thought to defend him. He hard that the Prfessor had to reassure him of the fact that there would be no use of magic.
He wanted to prove them all wrong.
He did not want to give up before even trying.
And, more importantly, he did not want to give that smug bastard the satisfaction of seeing him turn tail and run.
Emilio took a deep breath and stepped forward, out of the crowd. “It’s alright, Professor. I can spar.”
The man stared at him for a long moment, and Emilio stared back with the same determination he had at the beginning of the class. After a moment, the man sighed and nodded.
“Very well. Remember the rules, boys. Only your weapons and limbs, no magic, no malice, no permanent damage or death.”
Emilio's sword, which had been resting against his leg before he started walking, was now in his hand. He pulled it out of its scabbard and walked to the middle of the field where Evan was waiting with his own sword. The boy took one look at Emilio and scoffed.
"Don't go crying to Daddy once I beat your ass."
Emilio did not say anything. Mostly because he did not feel confident enough to actually say something. He was nervous, he could feel his gut twisting. But he would not let any of it show on his face. So he quietly raised his sword and spread his legs apart, parallel to his shoulders, and held the sword put in front of him, both of his hands gripping the hilt tightly.
He did not move.
"Never take the first step," Captain Killian had taught him. "Remember, you will always be the weaker one. Your opponents will know that too. If you attack first, it will be very easy for them to make you a target. Instead, focus on defending yourself. Dodge and conserve your strength, and look for an opening."
He followed those words. There was a long moment in which everything was silent. And then Evan snorted.
"A useless coward, after all. And here I was actually expecting something." The boy spun his sword in the air. "Standing around is a waste of time. If you're not coming at me, then I'll come at you."
Please do.
His grip on the hilt tightened and he braced himself. The boy pressed on the balls of his feet before using them to push himself forward, the momentum closing half the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Emilio was thankfully ready, raising his sword just in time for it to clash against the one coming down to slash at him.
The strength of the strike forced Emilio to take a step back, despite the fact that he knew he had defended well. His own sword trembled against the weight of his opponent's. Evan pushed down even more and he was so close that Emilio could feel his breath ghosting over his face.
"I'll show you your place today, Laik." His voice was a low growl.
Emilio's brow twitched. "I have a name," He growled back and then pushed back with all his strength. All his strength was … quite a lot. Captain Killian had put him through the wringer, after all. Even stumbled back, losing his balance for a split second. Emilio saw his chance and shot forward, his sword pointed towards the boy's chest. Evan deflected and jumped two steps back to regain the distance as well as his composure. A soft smirk curled Emilio’s lips for the first time at the fact that he was able to push the boy back. Evan notice it too.
He growled and and once again ran towards Emilio, his broadsword swooping up in an effort to slice his shoulder. Emilio dodged and slipped inside the other's range, aiming for the side of stomach. Evan stepped away, and Emilio's sword only grazed his uniform. Evan twisted his sword to aim for his neck but Emilio leaned back, letting it pass over him before spinning behind Evan's back, with sword arching up towards the boy's shoulder. But Evan was already using his momentum to change direction and block his sword. Emilio immediately pulled away, knowing that in close combat, the biy would win on raw strength.
The back and forth continued for the next few minutes.
Emilio was patient, never going in recklessly. He would only block, dodge or defend before using the boy's own attack to aim at his weaknesses. Evan, who had probably expected an easy fight and an easy win, was clearly getting frustrated. His eyes were now clouded with rage and every time he was pushed back, he growled. He was getting angrier and his movements were getting sloppier. He was starting to make unnecessary movements and, even though his strength was at its peak, he was not employing it in the right places. It was becoming easy to change its direction and momentum.
Emilio was sure he would make a mistake soon.
And he did.
It was when he was charging blindly at Emilio with sword, face red with anger - and perhaps the feeling of humiliation at being pushed back by a Laik - that Emilio saw it. The way he was putting too much force on his feet and leaning forward a bit more than was appropriate. Only his rage and strength pushed him forward without any hope for pause. Emilio waited until the boy reached him and then stepped aside, using the flat side of his sword sword against Evan's to drive it further forward, making him stumble. Emilio used his freehand to shove down the boy's shoulder and force him onto the ground, pressing his sword against his neck, just enough to make a shallow cut into the boy's skin.
Both of them panted due to the exertion of the past few moments, Emilio more than Evan. He was not exhausted - the past 3 years of training built his endurance a lot - but this spar had been one of the most intense. It almost felt like the boy truly wanted to hurt him.
"Winner, Emilio Florian!" Professor Sullivan's voice echoed in what Emilio now realized was complete silence. "Well done. Class dismi-"
Emilio felt the heat before he saw the telltale spark of the fire. He pulled himself back, just a second before the fire forming in Evan's hand exploded right where Emilio had been. The boy stood, ignoring his sword on the ground, as he turned to Emilio with lumps of fire mana twisting across his palms.
There were loud gasps and murmurs rippling across the crowd. Emilio could hear Baldea shouting his name and Professor Sullivan yelling at Evan to stop. But the boy's eyes were red … hazy … he did not look like he could hear anything.
Evan did not say anything. Before anyone could step in to intervene, he raised his hands and small balls of fire formed in front of him. They shot forward, clearly aiming at Emilio. Emilio dodged as fast as he could, ignoring the heat the followed and the screams of the students as the fire got too close. The boy was clearly targeting him. Emilio started to move away from the crowd and he could feel Evan follow him. He heard a loud yell behind and felt something coming down upon him from behind. He quickly moved to the side before turning around to see Evan's fire wrapped hands punching into the ground. A moment of delay and that would have been him.
Emilio watched with wide eyes as the boy turned his fists towards him without even moving and a streak of fire shot forward at Emilio. Instinctively, he raised his sword, twisting it with his wrist like the Professor showed him, and used the flat side to deflect the fire. It worked, the fire was shoved back towards Evan. But the very weak defence mechanism on the sword wasn't enough to protect it. He could see the now heated blade start to crack.
Evan growled again and propelled himself forward. This time, Emilio didn't even have the time to blink. The bog grabbed his sword blade and sent another bout of fire into it. Emilio hissed and let go of the sword, and it fell to the ground crumbling. Before he could react, Evan raised his leg and kicked him in the chest. Emilio fell backwards with a grunt, his breath being knocked out of him. He looked up, eyes wide and heart clenching with panic, and saw the boy raise his hands, a large ball of fire forming between them.
"I will. Never. Lose. To a fucking. Laik!" With every word he growled out, the fireball got larger.
As Evan pulled back to hurl the fire at him, Emilio realised the Professor was right. He was truly, utterly helpless. He clenched his eyes shut and crossed his arms before him, a silent plea for help leaving him as he waited for the heat and pain.
Help. Help me!
The heat and pain never came. He felt the ground rumble underneath him before he felt something rip out of the earth around him with a loud cracking sound and he heard something twisting and turning upon itself, along with a loud, infuriated snarl which surely came out of Evan.
Emilio panted softly as he opened his eyes cautiously. And then they widened at the sight before them.
Before him was an entangled mass of tall tree roots that had upended the ground to come out into the air, coiling and warping upon themselves to create a large wall in front of him.
A wall. A shield.
His plea for help had been granted.