22. Sparring

Wednesday, April 13, 2349. 5:47 p.m. A clearing somewhere in the Loncier Forest…

Lucas traded blows with Chloe using their wooden swords.

Long story short, she asked him to help her train. It was roughly just a bit over an hour ago after classes were dismissed when she made the request.

“Please. Can you help me?” she asked, pulling him to the hallway, away from the others.

“Right now?”

“Right now…”

“Sure? But I mean, it’s literally the first day of class. There’s really no need to rush,” he said with a raised brow, scrutinizing the girl’s eyes. It was a look of fear… but also determination. But for what? “Why not just take it easy for today?”

“Oh,” she said with a disappointed sigh. “Are you busy?”

“No. Not really,” said Lucas. “But fine. I guess. Although, why though?”

Chloe hesitated for a moment. Her cheeks tinged with pink when she finally replied. “The FCT,” she whispered, as if embarrassed with the prospect of her competing. “The others have a lot of advantage, and I never really learned how to fight.”

Lucas hummed before nodding. “You know. You’re pretty cool Chloe. I kinda like you, but you’re asking a Spectra for training. And while I’m not the best teacher, I really take this seriously. It’s not going to be easy.”

“It’s fine…”

But. “I can’t anymore,” Chloe broke his thoughts, trying to catch her breath.

“You can still fight. And listen. The point of duels is for us to get more comfortable with fighting. And at some point, you’ll find yourself fighting a Rogue,” he said.

Chloe shook her head.

“Come,” he said, fist gripping tight his wooden blade. “It’s when you can’t but still do it, that training benefits you the most!”

“I can’t,” she repeated, her usual cheerful mask long have shattered.

“You can! I believe in you!”

Chloe’s fists clenched tight her own training sword, her knuckles turning white. “Why do Evokers have to train martial arts, anyway? We’re supposed to be long-ranged. You hear me? Long…–” She coughed. Her throat must be dry. “Ugh!”

“To train your instincts,” Lucas smiled as he lowered his sword. Chloe may complain a lot, but she didn’t give up. They’ve been training for over an hour. “When you fight, it's difficult to actually do something, even if you know what you should actually do. Theory can only do so much. Your body has its own memory too.”

“That’s easier said than done!” she roared and stood erect, aether once more embracing her form until they disappeared, activating her Aura and Shield. Her now shimmering blue eyes stabbed Lucas like a blade.

He wondered where her sudden motivation came from.

Chloe dashed to him, and Lucas did the same.

Their wooden blades met again and Chloe immediately retreated, fighting defensively, and blocking Lucas’ flurry of attacks.

Lucas stopped, seemingly to retreat as he stepped back, deliberately giving Chloe an opening by lowering his sword, leaving his torso vulnerable to attack.

But Chloe did not follow through and raised her blade defensively instead.

Lucas sighed. “Why did you not follow up? My guard was down,” he said. She should know when an action is a bait or not. Or maybe he’s expecting too much?

Chloe hesitated and muttered. “I. Uh. You look scary.”

“…Right,” Lucas sheathed his blade. “I know you’re not a Sentinel, but you still need to understand how we fight. That means knowing how to fight in melee combat. And to do that, sometimes you have to use your Shield offensively.”

“Offensively?”

A nod. “Yes. In melee, you need to stick to the enemy and not be afraid of getting hit. As long as you have your Shield up, it doesn’t matter if you get hit. Just hit them twice as much. It’s a matter of shattering your opponent’s Shield first.”

Chloe tilted her head, confused. “Isn’t it better to keep up your Shield as much as you can and avoid getting wounded? All the while trying to find openings or ways to counter attack?” she asked.

“Against the Ashen, yes. And in a melee duel – ideally – also yes. But, realistically…,” Lucas did not complete his sentence and rushed Chloe. Instead of his blade, he used his fists.

Chloe tried to defend his flurry of attacks, but Lucas gave her no ground.

He did not stop attacking, until Chloe dropped her blade, and Lucas’ fist halted just a few inches away from her face.

Colour drained from her face.

“…it’s not that easy to find that opening. So you have to create it yourself,” reiterated Lucas. “I’m not saying you have to fight dumb. The basic idea of combat still applies,” he said, but he wished the others were around so he could better explain it to Chloe. He’s not the best teacher.

“I think I get it… So, even if I’m getting hit. Try to hit you back?” she asked, but her features slightly changed. She looked more nervous and afraid.

“Mhm. I mean. It’s fine to retreat, but make sure you do it with a plan. That applies especially to Evokers, who kites around,” he said.

“Kites?”

Lucas nodded. “We’ll pause with martial arts for now and switch to some ranged-combat training,” he said.

He thought that training further in melee combat at this time won’t be beneficial to Chloe. She simply didn’t have the foundation yet to understand what he was trying to teach her.

He may be a Prime. But that doesn’t mean he’s a good teacher. He also wouldn’t want to somehow corrupt Chloe’s education at the Academy with improper teaching.

“Ranged combat?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Yeah. This time, you’ll fight with everything you have,” he replied. “I’ll teach you how to kite.” Or rather, he’ll show her just the basic idea for kiting. The concept should be easier to understand compared to martial arts.

“Remind me what’s kiting again?”

“Kiting is staying out of your opponent’s range and hitting them from afar.”

“Ohhh. Right.”

“I think it might be better to demonstrate it. How much Shield do you have?”

“Um… 80%?”

“Still plenty. Let’s do another round.”

“So, I can use ALL that I have? Even Aether Blast and Dash?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Can I use my Basic Attack too?”

“Yes.” Unlike Sentinels, Evokers’ gain Aether Bullets as their basic attack.

Bullets are like mini Aether Blasts. But they are not spells.

Evokers can use them indefinitely because they don’t have a spell or global cooldown. But the attack speed depends on the Evoker’s mental ability to swiftly create those bullets–– their spell control.

And unlike Evokers, a Sentinel’s basic attack is just coating their fists or weapons of choice with the aether, reinforcing it.

“Okay, let’s start,” said Chloe with a slightly quivering tone.

Lucas raised a brow. “What’s wrong?”

Chloe gulped and hesitated, looking away. “Nothing. It’s fine.”

Lucas just looked at her and said nothing.

Chloe sighed. “Fine… Look, it’s just... I know that when we have our Shield, our wounds heal up immediately even if we get cut. But it’s painful…”

“Right… of course.” Lucas scratched behind his neck as he looked at the bright sky. “Hmm… Maybe I’m not the best person to train with…,” he muttered.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Back in SPECTRA, they were trained to improve their pain tolerance. But I shouldn’t expect that of someone who isn’t even Awakened for a week, he thought.

“What? No. Don’t say that,” she said with a glare, biting her lower lip. “It’s just… using and expecting your own body to get hurt, just so you can find an opening,” she heaved a deep breathe, as if considering the words she’s about to say next. “…How do you do it? How do you stand the pain?”

Lucas kept a stolid expression , but deep within, he wondered if he should lie.

He remembered the times when he was five. They were tortured as a form of training. It was before the current Director, and before Mrs. Livia became their instructor.

He had his bones broken. He was burned, and he had a limb or two detached. And he remembered the pain, and he still shudders to this day.

It was arguably unethical. Even the Defense don’t do deliberate pain tolerance training for its soldiers. Even their special forces just root out soldiers without a naturally high pain tolerance. Or so Mrs. Livia said.

But Primes? They had to. It was cruel. Thankfully, they stopped it when they realized it was a waste of time and proved no benefit to Primes.

At least, that was the excuse.

But, as much as Lucas hated to admit it, it helped him to a certain extent.

“You never get used it,” he just said. “You just learn to tolerate it.”

Chloe rolled the tip of her tongue inside her cheek, seemingly deep in thought. It’s like she wanted to say something, but is choosing not to.

“Take a quick breather. But can you send me your status, real quick?” Lucas asked.

Chloe nodded and silently sent her status sheet.

Status

Name: Chloe Auclair

Shield (SH): 82/100 (Activated)

Level: 1

Force: (FR): 10

Age: 15

Basic Attack: 5 (10 FR x 0.50)

Class: Evoker I (Mind)

Aether Essence (AE): 7/100

Spell Control: 1.2

National Rank: 71,203

Global Rank: N/A

Spells – 2/5

(Spell Damage = Force x Spell Power)

1. Aether Blast (Common)

(Evoker-exclusive)

SC Requirement: 1.10

Type: Active.

Effect: Form a sphere of aether and shoot forward, pushing your target back.

Spell Power (SP): 4

Cooldown (CD): 30 seconds.

Effective Cooldown (ECD): 39.6 sec.

(Starter Evoker Spell.)

2. Aether Dash (Common)

(Evoker-exclusive)

SC Requirement: 1.10

Type: Active.

Effect: Instantly dash in any direction.

Cooldown: 15 seconds.

Effective Cooldown: 27 sec.

Aura(s)

Aether Aura I (Common)

Description: Basic aura used by all Awakened. Cannot stack with other Auras.

Effect(s):

Enables Shield (SH)

+Basic Attack = (FR x 0.50)

Locked Aura

Spell Requirement: Evoker III

Description: Elemental Aspect not unlocked.

As Lucas read her status, Chloe looked at him expectantly.

Close window. Lucas directed her gaze back at her. “Okay, so, I know our spells have a really high cooldown. Even so, you’d have to play around them.”

“Sorry?”

“Uh. Like for example, when you use Blast, and it hits, it pushes me away, right? Then you can keep hitting me with Bullets. When I get close, use your Dash to widen the distance again.”

“Not save them until I have to use them?”

“You’re partially correct, I guess. In duels, the idea is cycling your spells. Right now, our spells sucks until we upgrade them,” he said, trying to sound like a Class I just in case someone might be eavesdropping nearby. He can’t be too careful, even if Chloe already knew his real identity. And even if it’s not that uncommon for a Legacy to train with a Natural.

Lucas continued. “But the idea still applies. For example, if you use Blast, that puts you in an effective 40 seconds cooldown, right?”

“Yeah. Because my SC-level is low,” she said.

“Yeah, so, when you push me back with Blast, use that opportunity to widen the distance while still hitting me with Bullets. But don’t use your Dash. Keep it on reserve. Ideally, you would want to use it when your Blast is close to coming off cooldown.”

“Why?”

“Because the goal is to be able to use your spells at the most optimal times.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” Chloe said with a tilt of her head.

Lucas wasn’t sure either if he was making any sense. How could he even articulate the concept of kiting? “Like… I mean, with Blast and Dash. They both widen the distance, right?”

“They do?”

“Yeah. Like Blast pushes the target, and Dash push or pulls you away. But your goal with them is the same–– trying to keep your opponent from closing in. And, because Blast is difficult to hit when you’re aiming at a moving target. Use it only when you think you have a high chance of hitting me to push me back. This will widen the distance. When I get close too close in your range, then use your Dash to widen the distance again. Rinse and repeat! That’s what I mean by spell cycling and using your spells at the most optimal moment.”

The edge of Chloe’s lips curved upward into a wry smile. “Cass… I literally understood like 0 per cent of that. Sorry if I’m disappointing you. Also, you’re too fast!”

Lucas grinned. “Well. Just try to hit me as much as you can, alright? Fail as much as you can! Let’s just try learning on the go!”

Chloe huffed as if hurt by the comment.

“Hey, you’re honestly doing great. But yeah, that’s how spell cycling and kiting works. You actually already kite when you fight defensively. It’s just a matter of doing it deliberately.”

Chloe groaned. “That’s so much easier said than done.”

“That’s why we spar, no? It took me years of training to learn how to trust my instincts. And even more years to actually learn how to think while fighting. You just can’t automatically think and fight at the same time–– if that makes sense. Now. Again! On your position!”

Both of them moved further away from each other until they were at least around 30 feet afar. That’s about the maximum range for a Class I Evoker to hit their spells and remain at a safe distance.

For Sentinels, it’s a matter of crossing that distance, which he planned to do.

Chloe nodded and held her blade in her left hand. She then raised her right hand and slightly opened her palm, adjusting her wrist so her fingers would face the ground; except for her right index finger, where she wore her talus, pointed toward him like a gun.

She fired an aether bullet, which Lucas immediately avoided. Aether Bullets, despite their name, are not as fast as real bullets – which are twice as fast.

And she kept firing. There’s about a few seconds of delay each time she fired.

She needs to at least reach SC-2.10 if she wants to fire Aether Bullets like a semi-automatic pistol.

And because of this delay, Lucas could reach her easily with a simple, straight dash.

But she wouldn’t learn anything if he did that.

So he zigzagged to avoid her bullets.

Chloe looked alarmed as she kept firing more bullets. But most notably, she didn’t move.

She’s placing most of her focus on aiming, Lucas thought, as he allowed a few of those bullets to hit him. It hurt. It’s like being hit by a rubber bullet.

But he shrugged off the pain, allowing the damage to be cushioned by his Shield. That means whatever blunt trauma the aether bullet caused was immediately healed.

He didn’t allow those bullets to hit him to make Chloe feel better. Rather, he did so to make her uncomfortable.

And he was right.

Chloe’s face scrunched a bit, as if she didn’t want to hurt him.

But because of her hesitation, Lucas managed to get closer. He’s a few yards away. Just 10 feet.

Chloe gritted her teeth, panic in her eyes, and used her Aether Blast, most likely to try and push him back.

But.

Too early. Lucas predicted the attack, so he only slightly tilted his body to avoid the spell.

Five feet, he thought, calculating the remaining distance. But it took him just a slight push of his legs to reach her, before slashing her torso.

Chloe avoided the attack by activating Aether Dash. Moving like a blur, she dashed to her left, widening the distance by another five feet. At least she knew not to Aether Dash behind her.

But five feet was still a short distance, and she didn’t move immediately, so it didn’t take long for Lucas to reach her again.

As expected, she moved back and fired more bullets. They hit Lucas.

But unbothered, he kept attacking, letting her practice her dodging. But he made sure not to really hit her. Because even if her wounds might heal with her Shield, it would still be painful.

She moved back as she tried to avoid his attacks, until she yelped when she lost her footing and fell on the grass.

He stopped and stabbed his sword on the ground. “One way to sure-hit a Blast is to shoot it at point-blank.”

Chloe sighed. “Right…”

“Also, don’t move horizontally or diagonally. Move in zigzags,” he said. That’s what he wanted to teach her the most.

Chloe, clearly exhausted, panted and struggled to answer. “What… does that… even mean?”

“So, when you fight, you instinctively face someone right?” said Lucas. “Don’t do that. Ideally, always try to position yourself so your body is not directly facing your target even when you’re attacking.”

“Even when I’m attacking?”

“Yeah. Like in a melee duel, instead of attacking head on, try to hit them when you’re on their flank,” he said. “Because when two Awakened fights, they move around a lot. It’s not like two boxers fighting in a ring duking it out, right?”

“I see. Because of spellcasting.”

Lucas nodded. “Yeah. It’s like bringing guns to a fight. You have to keep moving. That applies to Evokers the most. So now, when you move, never move in straight crisscrosses, especially when moving behind you, because your opponent will just chase after you.”

“I think I lost you there.”

“I mean. Sometimes, you already move in zigzags, right? Just like how you did when you dashed left to avoid my initial attack, instead of dashing back. That was great. So, keep that up, and train yourself to move that way more deliberately,” he said.

“Why is that?”

But it wasn’t Lucas who responded. Cale revealed himself from the surrounding shrubbery, wearing a black three-piece suit this time. The uniform of Noah Academy.

Cale walked toward them as he addressed Chloe. “Because it makes it harder for your opponent to follow your movements,” he said before nodding at Lucas.

What’s he doing here? Lucas thought. He’d rather be left alone, so it’s definitely not because he wants to hang out.

“Let’s demonstrate for her,” Cale said as he stopped 15 feet before Lucas.