Edwin quickly fell into a rhythm of his feet pounding the packed dirt and his mind started to wander. He was most of the way through a list of all the things he had to find out before people noticed he didn’t know any of them when Edwin was approaching the start top of the archery range, and the older man peeked his head around the barrier.

“Hello again. Since you’re running up and down anyway, mind bringing back some bolts? The kid’s out.”

Pulled from his reverie, Edwin took a moment to understand the question and formulate a response.

“Uhm, sure. Just don’t shoot me while I’m down there.”

The man chuckled. “Usually I would say ‘no promises’, but seeing as we’re out of bolts, you’re safe.”

“Sounds good, be right back.”

Edwin finished his round, then veered off onto the range. Several large round straw targets were hanging off a wooden backstop at different heights, but none too high for him to reach. They were absolutely riddled with shafts, but Edwin noticed that the bolts were all clustered near the centers of the targets, with only a few strays sticking in the outer rings, and none that had missed completely. He turned to look down the range and saw the two men standing there, the older giving him a wave. They appeared quite small from this distance.

The boy has some skills. Edwin thought.

Remembering his task and not wanting to get chewed out because he stopped running, he turned back towards the targets. Grabbing one of the bolts, he pulled at it. Nothing happened. He pulled harder, jiggled it left and right, and finally tried twisting it. The bolt popped out of the target with a satisfying feeling. Having found a technique that worked, he got to work on the remaining projectiles.

Having finished, Edwin gathered up the bolts in his arms and started jogging again to deliver them. He had never seen a crossbow bolt up close. They were exactly what he thought they would be, short sticks of wood with fletching on the back and a metal tip. Somehow they looked meaner though, more dangerous than he had expected.

I should really try not to get hit by one of these. he decided.

When he arrived, the older man directed Edwin to place the bundle onto a table by the back wall.

“Thanks, you saved us a trip.” He said cheerfully. “I’m Bordan by the way, and the marksman over there is Leodin.”

“Sure, no problem.” Edwin responded, shaking the offered hand. “I’m Edwin.”

“You’re a new recruit, I take it?”

“Yes, I just started training. Which reminds me: I should probably get going, or I’ll get into trouble with Mennick.”

Bordan and Leodin chuckled.

“Sounds like a good idea. Best get going then.”

With a wave Edwin sped off, hoping to make up enough time on the return that Mennick didn’t notice how long he had been gone. As he rounded the corner, the old instructor was already waiting for him with his hands on hips.

“Finally. Ye get lost?”

Edwin stopped and smiled. “No instructor. Bordan asked me to fetch them bolts on the way back, and I didn’t think you would mind.”

Mennick stared at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds, then he waved dismissively.

“I don’t. But ye’re not even breathin’ hard, what’s wrong with ye?”

Edwin flashed him a disarming smile. “I did some training before I came here.”

Mennick raised an eyebrow. “Some training, eh?”

“A…lot of training?”

Another few seconds of uncomfortable staring, then Mennick shrugged. “Bugger me, sure seems like ye did. Well, I suppose it makes my job easier. Enough running for now. Follow me.”

The instructor led Edwin to where he had sat against the guild house’s wall and opened a door. It led into a storage room that was filled to the brim with wooden implements. Edwin couldn’t identify many of them, but he assumed they all had some kind of training-related purpose. Mennick stopped next to a barrel full of wooden sticks and turned to Edwin.

“Time to choose yer weapon boyo. What’s it gonna be? Ye wanna be a marksman like Leodin over there? Want to learn the bow, crossbow, or maybe how to throw javelins? Or do ye want to get up close and personal? I can teach ye how to use swords, spears, axes, staves, halberds, maces, whips, morningstars, hell if ye can kill somethin’with it, I can teach ye how to do it without killin’ yerself.”

“Uhm,” Edwin said. “I don’t know? I don’t think I’m the type for archery, though. Could you recommend me something?”

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Mennick sighed, walking back out. “Bring the barrel.” He called over his shoulder.

Edwin scratched his head, then grabbed the barrel and carried it outside.

“Alright listen up.” Mennick pointed out a spot next to one of the practice dummies, and Edwin placed down his cargo. “Every weapon has advantages and disadvantages. If ye’re choosing a weapon, ye have to keep in mind what ye want to do with it. The army uses spears as their main weapon. Know why?” Mennick pulled a wooden pole out of the barrel that Edwin realized was probably a practice spear. He thought about the question for a second, then answered.

“The length?”

“Ye mean the reach, and ye’re right. The more reach a weapon has, the farther away ye can keep the enemy and still hurt him. If he has a weapon with less reach, there’s a distance where he can’t hit ye at all, but ye can hit him. Sounds good right?”

“Sure.”

“Also remember: The army doesn’t do duels. They fight big battles, hundreds on both sides, standing in lines one next to the other. So what they do is they use shields and spears. Usually, that would be bad. If ye’re using a spear with one hand, ye lose many of the advantages of having one. Spears are long and that makes them unwieldy. An enemy with a sword might get close, pin yer spear between ye, and then ye’re boned. The army don’t have that problem, because if someone rushes ye to pin yer spear…“ Mennick spun around, stabbing the stick into the dummy with a loud, wooden bang. ”…the guy next to ye stabs him dead. We adventurers don’t have the luxury of having a hundred fellas watching our backs at all times. Lots of recruits come here thinkin’ ‘The army does it so it must be the best’ and want to wield spear and shield.” The instructor fixed Edwin with a flat stare. “Don’t.”

He spun the stick around, holding it with both hands and pointing it at the dummy.

“Now don’t go believin’ spears are bad. In fact, they’re one of the most used weapons by us adventurers. Remember, we fight monsters, not people. And monsters come in all shapes and sizes. If ye’re fighting a direbeast, be it wolf, boar or badger, a spear is great. Ye don’t want to get close to a direbear, it’ll shred ye up in moments. So ye take a spear for the reach.”

“Okay, so I should learn the spear?” Edwin asked.

Mennick tossed the spear at him, Edwin almost fumbling the catch.

“Yes. But.”

“But what?” Edwin asked, confused.

“Spears are nice when ye have room to move around, and when ye don’t need a shield. If ye’re fightin’ direbeasts, use a spear. But what if ye’re goin’ after a mammoth beetle? Or goblins? Mammoth beetles have a tough shell that ye’ll have real trouble piercing. And goblins have weapons, some of them even bows. A shield can save yer life there. Also, lots of monsters live underground, in caves or burrows. Ye might not have the room to swing around a spear. And that’s the first lesson, the biggest thing that separates us adventurers from soldiers and guardsmen: Adventurers are adaptable.”

Mennick pulled another wooden weapon from the barrel.

“Ye don’t need to know every weapon. What ye do need is a weapon for every situation.” He pointed at the spear in Edwin’s hands “Somethin’ long to keep the direbeasts away. Somethin’ short to fight in tunnels. Somethin’ heavy to crack armor. A shield, because shields are amazing and will save yer life more than anything I could ever teach ye. And if ye have time to spare, learn to throw knives or axes, ‘cause sometimes ye need somethin’ to hurt and don’t have time to walk over and stick ‘em. But that takes a lot of practice, so don’t worry about it yet.”

“That…sounds like a lot of weapons. Do I really have to learn that many?”

Mennick laughed “ ’Course not. Most adventurers have three weapons and carry two. A spear, or a halberd, poleaxe, or any other polearm if ye want to be a special little snowflake. A sword, axe or mace, for close fighting, and a dagger for emergencies. Ye decide if ye bring short or long depending on the assignment. Crawling through tunnels with a spear on yer back is even worse than with one in yer hands.”

“Alright, I think I get it. So I need a spear, a dagger and something else. What should I take to use with the shield?”

Mennick nodded. “That’s up to ye. Lots of people like swords, especially the nobles. They’re nice, fancy, and look good. Girls like swords, or so I’m told. Lionel Lidion used one, and lots of people think he had wisdom runnin’ out of his arse in big fat globs. Truth is that for nobles it’s custom to carry a sword, and many of them get trainin’ with it from when they’re young. Makes sense to use one if you already know how. The sword is one of the harder weapons to learn, because it’s versatile. Ye can both cut and stab. However, while swords are nice against soft targets like humans or goblins, they struggle with armored foes. Still, they’re decent enough if ye want to put in the time to learn.” While Mennick talked, he attacked the dummy with the practice sword in his hand, demonstrating several swings and thrusts. He looked back at Edwin, studying his clothes.

“Somethin’ else to think about is that swords are some of the more expensive weapons, especially good ones. And ye need to maintain them well. A dull sword is an overpriced club.”

He tossed the sword to the side, pulling something else from the barrel.

“Then there’s the axe. Easier to learn, cheaper to make and maintain, better against armor. If ye want somethin’ dead, ye hack at it till it is.” Mennick proceeded to viciously chop at the dummy. “ ‘Course ye need to train, but it’s straightforward. Ye can use it against humanoids, beetles and direbeasts if ye need to. Ye can even use the blade to trap weapons.”

“So the axe then?” Edwin asked cautiously.

Mennick shrugged. “Sure, if ye want. Many do. Just imagine this: Ye’re in the middle of a fight, ye finally land that big hit that ye wanted and bury yer axe into that direwolf up to the hilt. It drops dead on the spot. Now its mate doesn’t like that and comes running at ye with murder on its mind. Problem is: Yer axe is stuck in the first guy’s spine, and ye’re gonna have to put some work into getting it out. I’ve found that it doesn’t happen a lot, but it always does when ye really don’t want it to. My advice to every axe user: Bring two. Or maybe three or four and learn how to throw ‘em.”

The instructor tossed the axe next to the sword, reaching into the barrel again. “Now, ye wanted a recommendation, and here it is. This is what I recommend to all recruits who start out, though few enough of ‘em take me up on it. Girls must really like swords I guess.”

“Uhm Mennick?” Edwin asked. “That’s just a stick.”

“Close enough.” Mennick laughed, slapping it into his palm. “It’s supposed to be a mace. If ye ask me, which ye did, maces are the best weapon for a new adventurer. They’re short enough that ye can use them basically anywhere, crack bones just as easily as chitin, need almost no maintenance, and they’re dirt cheap. I grant ye, a mace struggles against beasts with thick fur, but that’s what yer spear is for anyway. And since all ye have to do to hurt yer opponent is to hit them really hard with the heavy end, it’s really easy to learn. If ye want to switch to somethin’ else later when ye have some experience, that’s simple enough as well.”

He turned towards Edwin, tossing the mace next to the other two weapons on the ground.

“So, what do ye think?”