Swords For Dummies[NoM/Job Chain]

Job:

Wounds and exhaustion plagued Zion's body all over after the previous night's training. Breaker hadn't seriously injured the magician, but the sheer number of small cuts delivered had added up to quite a bit of blood loss. Not to mention that Zion had never been very confident in his physical endurance in the first place. Even if he was simply sidestepping and evading the entire night it was still quite the burden on his untrained body. He had returned to his inn and had a large meal before promptly collapsing into his bed where he slept the day away.

Another day of coliseum matches went by and as the sun set, Zion awakened feeling a bit more refreshed despite the lingering aches in his muscles. The fatigue did not deter him from heading out to meet Breaker for the second day of training. Zion was too determined to see this venture through to the end. The one small secret behind the elusive "greatness" he sought were hidden in his labors. Zion could not put the reason why he believed as much into words but he could feel it in his bones. Zion arrived at the coliseum barracks in his usual cloak and mask of bandages. There were no small amount of additional bandage wrappings on his body now, less for disguise and more for treating the litany of cuts on his arms, legs, and torso.

"Good to see your cowardice hasn't gotten the best of you. Many would not have the spirit to return after being slashed up like that yesterday."

The gruff voice of his mentor echoed throughout the empty barracks causing Zion to turn towards the source of the sound. Breaker was standing by the entrance to a training area set aside for gladiators that was separate from the battlegrounds. Torches lit up the dark stone room casting unstable shadows around Breaker which swayed from side to side. "Hey, I wasn't getting cut up quite as bad towards the end. I'd be a fool to quit after making such progress." Zion retorted with a smile as he approached his trainer. The ever grumpy Breaker snorted and gestured with his head for Zion to follow him into the training room.

"If you weren't a fool, you'd be at home sleeping like a normal person. Not here spending your night getting a beating. Come on, I've prepared something to help you train."

Didn't that make Breaker just as much a fool? Zion suppressed his urge to chuckle at the thought and followed the veteran fighter into a large room with a raised wooden platform. There were numerous wooden dummies on the platform standing on circular plates and ropes leading to and from the plates which stuck out from the sides of the platform. "Get on up there....and catch." Zion listened to the order and leaped up onto the platform before turning just in time to fumble catching a hardwood longsword. Zion hurried to pick up the dropped weapon and felt a rush of excitement. Breaker had previously said he wasn't worthy of even using a practice weapon. Clearly Zion had proved himself in their last training session.

Excitement soon turned to shock however as the magician felt the heft and weight of the longsword in his hands. "Can't I get a lighter weapo-" Zion's complaint was soon cut off by a brisk shout from Breaker. "Quiet!...When you train, use something heavier than what you'd normally use. Though it may be more difficult, you will find it easier and less tiring to move in a real fight. Now pay attention!" As Breaker spoke, he slowly circled the platform stopping with one of the ropes in hand. He punctuated his shout with a strong tug on the rope. This caused one of the dummies closes to Zion to spin suddenly.

A swipe of the dummy's wooden sword smacked into the back of Zion's head as  it spun. "Ow! What was that for!?" The magician stumbled forward and rubbed the back of his head as he complained. Breaker showed no pity and pulled on another rope. "Look alive! Use what you learned yesterday! Damned fool!" Another two ropes were pulled as Breaker circled the platform. Zion found the dummy in front of him spinning for another swipe and leaned back side stepping the blow only for another swipe to crash into his gut from a blind spot. This blow knocked him towards another dummy which swiped its wooden mace into his chest. The blow knocked Zion off the platform causing him to land onto the stone floor below winded.

Breaker frowned and shook his head as he watched Zion gasp for air and slowly get to his feet. "Don't focus on just one foe. Get back up there, we're continuing until you can 'defeat' each dummy by landing a strike." The man showed no mercy, pulling on another rope the moment Zion managed to clamber back onto the platform. The magician ducked under another swipe with a forward roll that carried him to the center of the platform. "Haaa!" With a spirited shout, Zion hefted the wooden sword overhead and struck down towards the dummy closest to him. A pull from Breaker and the dummy spun its buckler into parrying the strike. Another pull and the dummy next to him swiped at the back of Zion's head.

The magician couldn't see Breaker from where the man stood, but he could heart the ropes against the pulleys and the movement of the mechanical contraption that made the dummies spin. He lowered his stance and ducked the blow just in time to avoid the swipe and deliver a horizontal slash to the dummy. The blow caused the wooden man to fall over, rotating on a hinge designed to let it fall when struck. "Good! Keep it up!" Breaker shouted, impressed that Zion had struck during the natural opening created after the dummy's attacks. One, two, three, ropes were pulled in quick succession forcing Zion to shift his position with quick steps to avoid the resulting attacks.

A thrust from Zion poked one dummy in the chest causing it to topple. Another slash during a back step struck one of the inactive dummies whilst dodging a swiping one at the same time. But just as Zion thought he was getting the hang of it, another swipe smacked him on the ass sending the youth into a forward tumble. Zion rolled to his feet and got his wits about him just in time to block another swipe, but the dummy just spun in the opposite direction curtesy of another rope tug from Breaker. A reverse swipe caught the unsuspecting Zion just as he tried to retaliate and slapped him across the face.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline, perhaps Zion simply had gotten fed up with these wooden men. But his eyes went wild and he ignored the burning in his lip where a splotch of red was starting to seep through his bandage wrapping. The slap only caused him to falter for a brief moment before he followed through on his slash bringing the his practice blade down onto the dummy with a heavy blow. The next two hours were a blur to Zion. At times, Breaker would focus heavily on one dummy, causing it to swipe and parry far more effectively than they had before. Those dummies took minutes to defeat, but those minutes felt like an eternity to Zion. However, they were less likely to land a hit on him too. Zion cut down one only to be beat between three others that knocked him from one blow into the next.

Zion circled the platform while Breaker circled the outside going in the opposite direction. An upward slash from Zion intercepted a swipe before it could land and another slash to the dummy's head brought it down. His follow up strike to another dummy was parried and another swipe from the neighboring dummy was unleashed. But Zion was ready for it and blocked with his wooden sword before striking the one that had just parried him before it could complete a rotation and bring forth a counter attack. A mere three dummies remained. They were all far enough from each other that Zion no longer needed to worry about getting ganged up on as long as he didn't stand between the two that were closer together.

By this point, Zion was huffing and panting, body soaked in sweat, limbs aching from fatigue and bruises alike. "Keep going, who told you to rest!" Breaker shouted from the side, but Zion couldn't hear him. The magician could only hear the sound of his own blood in his ears, his heart beating madly to try and keep up with his pace. Zion eagerly drank down a few breaths of air while he kept his distance from the final dummies before finally stepped forward to meet them. The wooden sword he'd thought was heavy at first not felt as though it were made of stone. But Zion forced his weary arms to lift it overhead anyways. He started to advance and strike, but it was a feint! The act drew a parry from the dummy's buckler, but Zion cut his step half short and paused long enough for the buckler to pass empty air before driving his blade down for a finishing blow.

Carrying the momentum through to his next strike, Zion lunged sideways and slashed at the next dummy. It met his slash with a swipe and the two struck each other at once. Zion stumbled backwards with a bloodied nose, but the dummy fell over. Now just one dummy remained. "I'll admit you've got guts kid. But try not to trade blows. If that were a real sword you'd be losing more than just a bit of blood!" Breaker reminded from the side. Zion focused on his last foe and struck out at it multiple times but the dummy was under the most control of any other as Breaker held two ropes in hand. He carefully timed his pulls to make the dummy swipe and parry time and time again.

Zion received no less than ten blows from the dummy after 17 exchanges. His movements had become rough and sluggish due to pain and exhaustion. The grip on his wooden sword had weakened so much that another swipe from the dummy sent the practice blade flying from his hand. But Zion roared in defiance and threw himself forwards, headbutting the dummy into submission. The dummy fell over backwards with a thump. Zion swayed on his feet, eyes barely kept open as his vision swam. He could vaguely hear Breaker laugh, "Hahaha! Not bad, not bad! Now that's using you're head like a fool! Bwahahaha!" His mentor's guffaw was the last thing Zion's mind captured before his vision turned black and he fell over backwards.

Breaker hopped up onto the platform and stood over the unconscious magician. "I underestimated this rookie." The veteran said in an uncharacteristically solemn tone. "You've got no skill, you're a fool, and you let yourself get beat black and blue far too easily...but you got spirit and talent, kid. Maybe, just maybe, you'll grasp glory as Revenant did..." Breaker spoke openly as he picked Zion up and carried him away. Though Zion would never know his mentor's kind words, the fact that he had begun to win over the hardened man's heart was undeniable.

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WC: 1912/1000