Goddard eventually calmed down after being assured by Paxton that the angels were going to take good care of Christina.

   "Listen, we need to keep working," Paxton urged his brother. "While the angels are healing Christina, we should focus on one of the others. What about Samson, he seems like the most drastic?"

   "Yeah, yeah, okay," Goddard agreed, trying to get his long-lost love out of his mind. "So, Samson: He needs to be angry, but he also needs to be on our side. The plan is to get someone else to bully him and encourage him to stand up for himself. I was thinking, there's two guys who kind of picked on him, but they were beaten in by wrathful Samson."

   "What are you thinking?"

   "Let things go the same way, but we secretly antagonize the bullies so that they bully him harder. If we play our cards right, Samson should have a good boiling rage he can access."

   "But once the issue's resolved, won't Samson go right back to being meek?"

   "Not necessarily," Goddard declared. "It'll take some engineering, but I think we can get it to stick with him just right. How good of an actor are you?"

   "Oscar-worthy."

   "I don't know what that means," Goddard admitted, "but it sounds good, so I'll take it."

   Goddard paused suddenly, then looked around.

   "Where is she?" he asked plainly.

   "Who?" Paxton inquired.

   "The demon bit-"

   A cold chill went down his spine as Paxton dared his brother to finish that word.

   "You know who," Goddard corrected.

   Paxton waved his hand to the side, revealing the invisible girl. Her red skin shined and twinkled like a crimson sunset.

   "Why do you insist that she go everywhere with us? She can wait in the room."

   "No, I want her to come out and spend time outside. Shame on you for leaving a child alone! Shame!"

   "Fine, fine," Goddard excused. "We're free for the rest of the day, what do you want to do?"

   "Train," Paxton answered immediately.

   There was a particularly large courtyard on the school's terrace used for those who have warrior magic. There were fully kitted out swords and shields, as well as leather armor. It was all nearly identical to what the two brother's used at home, which Paxton suspected is why Goddard had suggested them.

   The two brothers grabbed swords, but Goddard also grabbed a small shield for his other hand.

   "You're using a shield?" Paxton yelled from the opposite end.

   "It's what I'm used to," shouted Goddard in return.

   "Very well," Paxton stated, then he returned to the weapons rack and picked up a second training sword.

   "Are you sure about that?" Goddard shouted. "Using two swords is very difficult unless you're trained. A single sword is often better as long as-"

   Paxton swung both swords around in his hands, getting a feel for the weight. He turned them around so the dulled blade went the length of his arm, then alternated turning each one around until he was comfortable. The older brother then swung both swords in the air, twirling them like batons before catching them in the opposite hands.

   There was a brief applause from the sideline where Mini was watching in human form.

   Goddard shrugged off the impressive display of handling, going to the center for the start. Paxton matched him, standing on the opposite end of the yard.

   "Whenever you're ready," Goddard shouted, pulling on his shield.

   Paxton took the hint and started walking closer, extending the reach of his fake swords for maximum effect. He made it half-way across the yard while Goddard just stood there with his shield raised and ready.

   Paxton paused right before crossing the threshold of no return and asked, "Is there a boundries rule?"

   "What?"

   "If I knock you out, does it count as my win? Or can we just go all over the school fighting?"

   "If someone steps outside the yard, we call a break and reposition."

   "Fair enough."

   Paxton charged forward, his swords at his side and his head forward.

   Things kicked off with a hard stab at the shield, which didn't do anything. A sword came from behind the shield and returned the stab, but it was parried. Goddard then rushed, using his shield like a battering ram. Paxton dropped almost to the floor, stabbing his swords on the ground to keep balance. He then threw his legs at Goddard, who jumped with his shield and sword still ready.

   Goddard was going to fall on his brother, landing on the shield and stabbing with the fake sword.

   Paxton kicked upwards, but didn't strike. He put his foot on the shield and carried the momentum so that his brother went over him. He then kicked off, sending the warrior tumbling a short distance away.

   Goddard landed on his shoulder, but made it to his feet just as Paxton crawled with his swords like two extra legs. They clashed once more, only this time Goddard used his shield to smack at Paxton, who couldn't counter the heavier shield.

   Instead of countering, Paxton dropped the sword and waved with his fist, striking Goddard on inside of his arm as they dueled with their other hands.

   Paxton then kicked up, but Goddard met his foot with his knee. Since Goddard had the better stance, he managed to kick Paxton away.

   With some distance between them, Goddard took the time to pick up the fake sword and toss it out of bounds.

   "Good idea," Paxton congratulated, "keeping me away from my weapon."

   The two clashed once again, much harder. However, now that he didn't have two swords to control, Paxton was able to use his hands and feet, which he was much more capable with. It was made clear to Goddard that a shield was almost useless when your opponent preferred to get within range where it became more useful to have hands.

   To prove his point further, Paxton beat Goddard by disarming his sword, then grabbing the shield and swinging him out of bounds. The younger brother actually got some air on the throw, landing comfortably on his ass.

   "Nice one," Goddard congratulated, standing up stiffly from the fight.

   There was quick applause from Mini over Goddard's defeat.

   The two brothers changed out their equipment. Goddard decided to ditch the shield since, while it was good in skirmishes, it didn't have much use for a single nimble adversary. He picked up a single sword, which is what this body was comfortable with anyway. His ideal setup would be a larger broadsword and wall sheild, but that required him to be much stronger and wealthy than his current state.

   Goddard then looked over at Paxton and wondered, 'What kind of weapon set would best suit him? Daggers, no doubt, or maybe this 'gun' he once mentioned. He told me he'd never invite such weaponry into this world, but it should be somewhat useful against the demons.'

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

   'Why not just ask him?' came a voice in Goddard's head.

   Alciel was standing near Mini, both of them looking on as the brothers reset themselves.

   "What kind of weapon would suit you?" Goddard shouted to his brother.

   "A cane," Paxton stated.

   "What? Why a cane?"

   "A cane is a multi-function, multi-variant weapon capable of hiding other weapons inside of itself. It is, at once, the most necessary and most hidden weapon that anyone has ever invented."

   "Is that so?" Alciel commented. "Would you care for a demonstration?"

   "Do you happen to have a can to hand?" Paxton asked.

   Even as he said that, an angel appeared over the ledge of the building. She carried a simple rod of strange material that seemed like a translucent glass. She handed the rod off to Alciel, who nodded as she left.

   Without a word, Alciel approached the older brother while bending the glass object into the shape of a simple cane.

   "Will this suffice?" Alciel asked, holding the bent rod as an offering.

   "Can I make some improvements?"

   "Certainly!"

   For the next ten minutes, Alciel and Paxton huddled around each other making design changes to the cane.

   Finally, Paxton was satisfied with the outcome.

   The cane had a flat top with spikes coming out of the handle on either side. The cane itself was a standard shaft, except that the end had a small bulk on it.

   "This is perfect," Paxton stated, looking at the tempered glass machination.

   Alciel departed the field, leaving the two brothers to get into their fight.

   This time, Paxton had no reserves. He charged straight into Goddard, who stood with his shield ready. The instant he was within range, Paxton dropped his grip so that he was holding the very end of the cane. He swung it like a club, top-down on Goddard.

   Goddard raised his shield, but the cane came over the lip, pulling the shield down. With the shield out of the way, Paxton reached right past and grabbed his brother's throat.

   Goddard knew he was screwed, but he brought his sword around to try and get a hit off. Paxton dodged the close proximity strike, then used his straight arm and neck to hold his brother's arm.

   Paxton then spun the cane around in his hand to position the end spike right at the back of his brother's neck.

   "I win," Paxton stated, poking his brother a few times with the pointy end.

   "That's unfair," Paxton said, still straining under his brother's choke. "You got a custom-made weapon! Why don't I get one!?"

   "Is that what you're gonna say when the demons attack? 'Oh, we weren't ready! It isn't fair!' Well tough shit! A lot of things are unfair! You just have to deal with it. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome."

   Paxton released his brother, who took a second to catch his breath.

   "Your shield is blocking too much of your vision. Try to find a way around it."

   "How am I supposed to defend against a cane?" Goddard demanded. "It's a weird weapon!"

   "It's the deadliest weapon," Paxton urged, returning to his brother's side. "I can grab and pull with this, I can stab and puncture, I can bludgeon and blow. I already to you, it has a dozen different uses. If I put the hook around your neck and grab it; instant headlock. If I do the same thing from the back, I could flip you over. If I MISS, the sharp head is going to puncture your neck and you are going to die! The worst part is, I can carry this anywhere. There's no restriction for using a cane, it is there as a medical device.

   "Shut up, and think. Find a way."

   Even though Paxton said that, he knew that there was no real way to counter a cane weapon unless you had one as well. The cane simply is 'the anti-weapon'. Only a master martial artist could defeat the cane in his chosen field.

The brothers prepared their steps again, but this time, Goddard unhinged his shield and held it like a frisbee.

A bit odd, but underhanded fighting was usually the key to victory.

   Paxton charged once more, aware that he had the advantage. As he got closer, he noticed that Goddard had the shield ready to be thrown.

   Paxton braced for the throw, but managed to get into range where the shield throw would take too long.

   At least, that's what he assumed.

   When a red fire flickered around Goddard's arm, Paxton knew he was in trouble. On basic instinct, Paxton swung his cane around to try and block the shot.

   It felt like a shotgun blast right under the ribcage. Paxton went flying backwards, landing hard on the ground and sliding a few feet.

   Mini screamed, crying as she ran onto the yard to comfort her step-father.

   "OOOHHH," exclaimed Paxton, rolling over and aggressively using healing magic on his side. "That was a good suprise! Your magic efficiency's really good!"

   Mini blubbered over Paxton as he lifted his shirt to reveal the broken bone and hard bruise left behind by the shield.

   Goddard didn't waste any time; he knew his brother wouldn't concede the win if it wasn't total victory. Charging forward, he picked up his shield and kept it in hand as Paxton tried to stand.

   "STOP IT!" screamed Mini, standing somewhere between the two brothers to try and stop the fight.

   Goddard pointed his sword tip at Mini, demanding, "Surrender the win."

   Mini just pouted and yelled, "MEANIE!"

   "No, Mini, he's right," Paxton conceded, "the losing side has to surrender fully before the fight is truly over."

   To make his point, Paxton tossed his cane to the side and put his hands up.

   "Well played," Paxton admitted, nodding to his brother.

   There was a round of applause from the side as Alciel and two other angels watching the spectacle.

   Paxton comforted Mini, who was almost in tears, while Goddard turned back to get ready for the next bout. The sight of his brother nuzzling the demoness like a pet sickened Goddard to his very core. He could still picture all of people massacred by the demons, sending a shiver up his spine.

   Goddard then glanced at the angels, who had tripled since he last looked over at them. They seemed like kind folks, but to beat Christina like that was beyond acceptable. It was also a point that they were few and far between. The angels staffing this academy couldn't be more than a hundred, and it was supposedly an entire fourth of their race.

   There were so many variable Goddard never needed to consider before, it was enough to give anyone a headache.

   Still, he couldn't stop.

   Whatever it takes, whatever he has to do; the demons will be stopped.