Astrid stood still for close to a minute before realizing what in front of her.

“What do you mean choose? And die my ass, I will die of old age in my sleep, not with a weapon in my hand. Besides I have been only being here a month. How do you expect me, an amateur, to choose between nine or ten different types of weapons when I have only used each for five maybe six hours?” Astrid was enraged.

Her mind was already preoccupied on her ability and now stress was building up. It felt as if she was back in the university and had left several assignments for last minute or had forgotten about them. In her mind she could picture herself eating a large piece of chocolate fudge cake with chocolate ice-cream on the side, her favourite snack to reduce stress.

“That should be enough to choose your main weapon. See, we are not in a novel where you can learn to be the best fighter in a short amount of time, we are not in a story where you learn a skill by reading a book and immediately master it. This is the real world. You need time and effort to master a weapon and we only have nine months to put you in shape and prepare you for what is to come. During this time, I will continue to train you in all the weapons we have seen and more but I will focus much more profoundly on the one you choose so you can master it as much as possible. Understood?”

Jacob said this in a sturdy and sharp voice, a voice she had heard only twice in the time she'd known him and when he used that tone, he meant business; he would not tolerate any insolence.

He was as bulky as ever, even if the cloak from his uniform covered most of his upper body you could see the tensed fabric beneath. His uniform was mostly similar to hers with the exception of male uniforms using dark grey pants and his cloak having golden finishes and a symbol containing the AL from assassin leader on his back. He had maintained a short full beard and his long hair was tied up in what could be called a bun hairstyle with a short-trimmed cut from two centimetres above the ear and down.

“Yes sir” Was her immediate response.

“Good” He started to walk towards a table placed on the centre of the room.

The armoury was the largest area in the compound and occupied an entire lower level. It was divided into four distinct areas for security; there was the sparing grounds where most melee weapons were stored, the firing rage for muskets, the archery pit that included any rage weapons that did not apply the use of gunpowder and a hall that connected the three where hand to hand combat was trained.

No weapon was allowed outside its respective area without the permission of the head of the facility or anyone above him on the chain of command. All weapons stored here were for training only; security had their independent weapons stored higher in the facility.

“Here, in this table I have placed all weapons we have studied so far. I will not accept any half ass answer; you will stand in front of each weapon and you are going to tell me its advantages and disadvantages along with your honest opinion on how it suits you” He explained as he displayed the table at his back.

In order from left to right, the bow and arrow, daggers, throwing knives, musket rifle and pistol, long sword, polearms and finally one-handed sword (with and without shield).

As she stood in front of the bow, she felt nervous; this was more than just choosing, Astrid understood she had to show her dedication and understanding of her new identity.

“The bow” She started with fluctuation in her tone due to nervousness. “I decided to start with this weapon because of fantasy reading. Most people give woman either bows or daggers on those pieces of fiction so I thought it would be easier” She grabbed the bow using her left hand and tried to pull the string but it would not move more than a few centimetres.

“This one is an eighty-pound bow; a hunter normally would be required to be able to use a fifty-pound bow to hunt with it, any less and the animal could escape. As assassins we don’t have that luxury so the requirement to go to the field is being able to make a bullseye using this bow at a distance of eighty meters. This weapon is silent, light and durable; on the downside it has low ammo capacity and most structures now a days are covered meaning the arrow might not reach the target” Astrid left the bow in the table one more.

“This weapon is not for me; I don't have the strength or aim required to use this bow”

“I agree with your assessment; for now, you could maybe use a twenty-five-pound bow and you looked like a new born baby waiving your arms around while trying to place the arrow” Said Jacob with a grin across his face. She rolled her eyes and decided to ignore him.

Their dynamic seemed unchanged from the time in the small apartment. He still joked on anything he could. They treated each other harshly but as friends, trying to get on each other nerves every way they can.

As long as there was no one around or he had no direct order to follow he was calm and friendly. When others were watching, however, he changed into something more of a guard, cold and taking only to give orders or correct her.

“Daggers, I liked this one. Small and agile” She took two, turning them in her hand and waving them.

“This are the weapons of assassins and warriors as they can be concealed and are small enough for them to fit into the divisions of plate amour. The biggest problem with these girls...”

“Girls?” Interrupted Jacob.

“Yes girls, you call your weapon however you like and I call them what I like” She responded. “Anyway, the biggest problem is reach. You where an ass and showed me that. I felt comfortable and happy training with them and you came a long and ruined the illusion of invincibility. You were able to slap me square in the face even if I tried to stab your unarmed ass. I can train with them; I can enjoy using them but this will not be my weapon of choice. I have short arms and to feel safe I will need something longer or with range.”

“Throwing knives are a balanced weapon, a good shot with one of this could kill a guy thirty meters away. The problem here is me; I have no affinity with this. In our three-day training with these little ones, I must have made less than one percent of the shots, and even the ones that struck the target where nowhere near the bullseye” The last word was partially muffled by the sound of the knives striking the table below.

Jacob just nodded this time. He was walking beside her with his arms behind his back.

Astrid continued along the table; she did not stop in front of the pistol but moved forward towards the musket. She stood still for a second and making a circle with her arms that contained all firearms she said “NO” and tried to walk away before Jacob raised an arm.

“That was a half ass answer” Was all he said before an arc of lightning crossed from his index finger to Astrid's arm. She let out a scream and started to curse. He had been gentle; a normal punishing shock was at least twice as strong but it still hurt.

“Stop cursing and continue” Was his response after more than twenty seconds of cursing and arching her body.

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“FINE” She stood upright and pointed to the flintlock pistol. “Gun powder arms are a noisy bunch; you can hear a shot no problem from another room. Besides, my grip was not the strongest, the flintlock flew from my hand in the first shot and the musket almost dislocated my shoulder. Sooooo, no thanks. This musket is standard issue for the royal guards in the capital if I am not mistaken”

“Did not expect you to know anything on weapons, I showed you how to use it but never gave you any specific name or code” Jacob interrupted.

“One of my books, Aga’s journey, describes them extensively” She responded with a smile on her face. Jacob just shook his head.

“Any way, in terms of noise and recoil this one is not so bad, I think there are better ones in terms of real quality aint there?” She stopped and looked at Jacob.

“Yes, most weapons have less recoil and better handling than the ones here. This are for training only so the best and most expensive are reserved for the field” He responded as he crossed his arms. “I have complained to the boss that people should train with the weapons they are going to use but he is a cheap bastard so unless you buy it yourself, this is what we've got.”

“No way I am going to spend my money on a gun. Not with my aim, I am much better with something close and personal” She finished as she let the musket in the table.

“Swords, Swords, Swords. You know, in most games we played at the university’s game log I choose anything but sword fighting class. Mage, Shaman, Hunter even Warlocks; I like my range magic, so when you told me the next weapon was going to be a longsword, I thought I was going to hate it. I could not be more wrong. I expected this weapon to be a heavy block of steel only the biggest warriors where capable of using; in reality this is a light weapon, less than two kilos. I found it easier to handle the longsword than the one handed at the end of the table; their weight are not so different and with this one I am able to use both hands” She gave this explanation while going through different stance they had trained.

“Your stances need practice; I could take you down in seconds. You are out of balance; feet at shoulder length, place your hand correctly. We will practice this as we go.” Jacob had stopped and helped her get into a more balance stance before placing a hand on his chin, the other on his hip.

“Much better, your core and legs have gotten much stronger and could give you an advantage in a fight. However, I think I will change the training to focus a bit more in your upper body, the shoulders are still weak.”

Astrid started to blush. She placed the sword harshly on the table making Jacob take a step back.

“REALLY? More training? I hate your ass” She felt more strongly to the fact that he had complemented her only to then remark on a weakness, but she was not going to let him know this.

Her body was one thing she did not like to talk about and rarely got any compliments. He had given her boost of confidence and then destroyed it sharply with the next sentence.

“Training is ALWAYS gonna increase, we have just seen the basics we haven’t even chosen a style for you” He responded coldly after he had regained his judging stance. “Fine, but before we continue what in the world do you mean by style, I’ve got style” She finished with a small mocking tone.

“You really want me to hurt you” He responded in regards to the tone. “Style refers to what school of combat you study, picture your artificing as your style in the university. You studied some math, literature and medicine at first before dedicating fully to the studies of artificing. Combat is similar. You study the basics before entering a style. There are five different schools; Water, Dragon, Wind, Moon and Thunder. Each of this are characterized by a different trait, Adaptability, strength, defence, stability and speed.” He said this as he counted using his fingers.

“Each style has titles to describe your level, Apprentice, Adept, Advance, Monarch and Saint. There is only one saint level by style, to officially advance you need to go to their dojos to demonstrate your skill. However, being of a higher level doesn’t mean you will win. Those levels describe your technique and development of the style not overall strength. I am officially adept in three styles and advance in the other two so I could train you for around a decade before you are at my current level.”

“So, what are we going to train? ‘Cause I don’t think I can learn five different styles at the same time.” She responded.

Astrid was sure she could never even get to adapt if it was Jacob’s level.

“For what I have seen you should focus on Water or Dragon. Your strength has developed faster than your speed of durability and you tend to prefer to be cleaver over anything else.” He finished with a smirk on his face.

“I will trust you with that.” Was all she could say. She shook her head and continued with the selection.

“Swords are good now a day ‘cause no one but guards and knights use armour; slashing causes massive damage and bleeding out can cause death if the target escapes” She jumped over the pole arm reaching for the one-handed sword.

“Between this two I prefer the longsword; it has more reach and has a better balance while fighting, at least it does for me” She placed this one beside the longsword looking the different design.

The one-handed sword had a northern craft like shape. It was broader than the longsword, it had a length close to a meter with a small brass coloured pummel and a round guard leaving just enough space for her hand.

The long sword was much longer, closer to meter and a half, the handle could accommodate both her hands with some space to spare. The guard was a classic cross silver coloured guard that made it look with class.

Looking cool was something Astrid always cared on her characters, now for the first time she cared for her own ‘coolness’.

“I just have a question” Astrid said. Jacob nodded her to continue. “How am I going to get a sword or pistol or any of these weapons past any security my target may have without getting myself killed?”

“There is nothing to worry about. We have people for that and some bribes and extortions here or there can get you anywhere” He answered as if was something of an everyday life.

Astrid paused for a few seconds.

“Pole arms are fun” Was all she said as she lifted the spear with both hands.

“AND?” Jacob responded as he lifted a single finger as a warning.

“They have the best reach among melee weapons.” She continued as fast as she could with a nervous jump. “I liked them; the reach gives me an advantage for once. The problem is they are too big. Using a spear like this one or the other pole arms requires strength and a large area so it doesn’t hit the walls or roof.” She started to wiggle the spear from side to side. “This thing in a narrow corner would mean my doom”.

Jacob stopped moving for about ten seconds before Astrid asked.

“What?” As she left the spear on to the table.

“Nothing; It’s just that you think more than most people around here. You place yourself into situations in which you are at a disadvantage, you see the worst-case scenario and think ways for you to survive it. Most men I train only think in what makes them stronger or what they enjoy the most to kill with. Your thinking will help you survive longer; I believe your edge over the other competitors will be your brain, not your ability or your body.” He said this in a calm close to serene way.

Something like pride filled her. She knew she was smart; when she put the effort, she could get the highest grades in almost any class; however, she almost never had anyone praise her for anything.

Most people did not give a second glance at her and even when she gave it her all her teachers normally gave the credit to genetics. ‘That is expected from a Colins’ – ‘You are just like your father’ – ‘I expect as much of you miss Colins’. She felt happy someone praised her for herself.

“So, Astrid” Jacob began one again. “After all this consideration and exposition; which one do you chose as your weapon?” He asked as he displayed the weapons in the table with a movement of his arm.

“The answer is obvious, isn’t it?” She responded placing her hands on her hip. “None, of this is the correct choice” She said with a smile on her face.

Jacob smiled at her. A wide and friendly smile. Eyes closed he placed his hand on her shoulder.

“That my friend” He said with a proud voice. His grip tightened, his smile vanished and his eyes opened showing nothing on them. “Is the wrong answer” He finished coldly before giving her an electric shock what paralysed her.

Her arms and legs straitened and her jaw clenched shut. She felt pain racing through her body, her vision darkening. Just before the darkness took her, just before she passed out; Jacob released her. She went to her knees

For the first time since she became Astrid she was not scared of the pain. The anger she felt as she stood overpowered her fear of electrocution.

“That was the correct answer you bastard” She said between her teeth as loud as she could. “Cadem and you have been my examples of successful assassins. Neither of you use a traditional weapon.” She grabbed Jacob’s wrist as hard as she could feel an unnatural cold on her upper back and continued. “He uses that bracelet of his and you use some weird needle looking things” Jacob started to twist, pain showing on his face. “Attached with wire so your electricity can reach its target precisely. So, don’t give me that bull that you expect me to use traditional weapons when I have powers, you should go eat som….” Was all she could say before darkness enveloped her.