Dungeon Noble - Squire

The southern training grounds were an expansive area that seemed to have been expanded somewhat haphazardly over the years. An obstacle course stretched down the centre that was made from shaped and compacted earth, with sparring rings on either side and a racing track around the whole lot.

Surprisingly, only a few other Classers were present when Jake arrived, and they all seemed to be more than familiar with the area as they trained.

Not really sure what to do, Jake wandered over to the obstacle course and took a closer look.

There were walls to climb, ramps to run up, pits to swing over and trenches to crawl through. It looked pretty daunting to Jake’s eyes.

Jake was considering having a go, just to see how tough it actually was, when he noticed Felix and Ari approaching, both of whom were carrying their weapons.

Felix had a longsword belted at the waist, whilst Ari was carrying a small satchel with a pair of familiar-looking training swords sticking out as well as his usual greatsword.

Ari was a nightmare with his greatsword, so Jake was more than happy to be using wooden swords that would only bruise.

“So, a sword user,” Felix said as they drew close, gesturing with his hand at the sword on Jake’s hip. “Why?”

"What do you mean?” Jake asked, somewhat taken aback by the question.

“Spears are easier to learn, hammers and maces are relatively straightforward, but swords require far more training to make you effective. So, why a sword?”

“I’m not sure. It just felt like the right choice,” Jake said, shifting uncomfortably as he spoke. His reasoning was poor, even to his ears.

“Hmm, are you trying to emulate a hero you’ve heard stories of, or were you drawn to the weapon?”

“The second, I wanted a blade, but I didn’t want to use knives anymore,” Jake said, explaining a bit more than he originally intended.

Felix simply nodded and waved towards Ari. “Show me what you’ve learned so far.”

Ari tossed Jake one of the swords and gave him a moment to prepare before kicking things off.

The clack of wooden swords was interspersed with Jake’s grunts as Ari methodically took him apart, pushing him to do his best as Felix watched with an impassive expression.

“Enough,” Felix called out after a minute or two. “You have picked up a few basic things, which is good, but your footwork is shocking, and your technique is poor. I can tell you used to use a dagger, but we’ll focus on the sword for now.”

Jake was given a minute to catch his breath before Ari began to show Jake a series of basic strikes and blocks and had him run them over and over.

Felix looked on with an unreadable expression, pointing out flaws in Jake’s stance and giving corrections where needed. Each time he did, Jake could almost feel the change that Felix wanted and was able to adjust accordingly in a way that he couldn’t with Ari.

Time passed with surprising speed, and by the end of the afternoon, Jake was covered in sweat and was sore from the irregular sparring sessions.

“A good first start,” Felix said, a slight smile appearing on his face. “Now, go and get some rest, we’ll be running in the morning before you delve, and I want to test Ari in the meantime.”

Jake nodded, trying to hide his satisfaction at the praise from the older man and instead smirking at Ari’s crestfallen expression.

Jake lingered a moment to watch the beginning of their spar, his eyes wide as he watched Felix conjure a soft grey light that wrapped around Ari’s greatsword and his own longsword, covering the blades entirely.

Jake wasn’t sure what he expected, but his breath still caught in his throat as Ari darted forwards and brought his greatsword across in a powerful swing that looked like it would bisect Felix.

Instead, the older Classer sprang away with surprising agility before unleashing an onslaught of attacks with his sword. Ari was moving with incredible speed as he blocked, dodged and counterattacked. Despite it all, when the two split apart, Ari had four glowing marks on his body where Felix had hit him, and Felix had none.

Ari had seemed overpowering and incredibly powerful, so to watch him struggle like this was eye-opening for Jake.

Having had their initial fight, the two were deep in conversation, so Jake carried on back to the inn, his mind filled with dreams of when he’d be that skilled with a blade.

-**-

Jake woke the next morning, tired and aching but nowhere near as much as he’d expected. Felix had worked him hard, and Jake had been dreading how he’d feel after a night’s rest, but it wasn’t so bad.

Pulling himself out of bed, Jake got dressed and headed down to where Felix had told them to meet him. He still felt half-asleep, but he wouldn’t let that stop him.

“First to arrive, good,” Felix said as Jake reached where he and Ari were waiting outside the tavern.

“When did I start to not count as a person?” Ari asked with a dramatic scowl that made Jake chuckle under his breath.

“If you’re ever not the first here, I’ll be adding regular sparring bouts to your routine,” Felix said, giving Ari a pointed look.

“Consider me suitably threatened,” Ari said, rolling his eyes as he started to go through some stretches.

“Hmm, somehow I doubt that,” Felix said, the corner of his mouth quirking up as he turned back to Jake. “Now, I recommend stretching. Follow along with Ari as best you can. Borvon is late, so I will retrieve him.”

Jake nodded, wincing in sympathy for Karl as Felix strode off toward the building they were housed in. This was a good opportunity to ask some questions, though, so he headed over to join Ari, copying the other man’s motions as best he could.

Jake’s initial attempts were a poor imitation in comparison, giving him a new appreciation for how limber Ari was.

“So, Felix said he knows a lot, and he certainly seemed strong yesterday, is his Class based on training?” Jake asked quietly as he stretched out his legs.

"Yep, he’s taught quite a few people in his day, including yours truly. I was already trying to talk him into working with you lot when you came back and started asking about training yourself. This is a bit earlier than I’d normally start for fresh Classers, but once Felix decides you’re worth training, there’s no stopping him.”

“So, he thinks we’re worth it?” Jake asked, proud that his determination had shown through enough to impress Felix so quickly.

“Nope,” Ari said, shaking his head with a snorted laugh. “Not even close. Consider these fitness sessions as a test to see if you’re worth his time, if you’re Worthy.”

“What do you mean by being Worthy? Is there something more to it?”

“It’s a standard term used by the System; its meaning can vary depending on the situation, but it usually has to do with something being fitting or impressive. Those rats in the Dungeon aren’t a Worthy foe, but the Guardian at the end will be. The other side is that Felix could teach me to do a new technique, but it’s not a Worthy application of his Class. Teaching a dedicated student from the ground up, however, would be. Do you understand?”

“Sort of,” Jake said, carefully mulling over Ari’s words. “It has to be something challenging or a good use of your Class.”

“That’ll do as an understanding for the moment. You’ll pick up the rest as you figure out your requirements to tier up,” Ari said, bouncing up to a standing position from his last stretch and grinning as Jake tried and failed to match the move.

“What do you mean about figuring out my requirements?” Jake asked, mentally poking the part of him that could display the information.

Deed requirement to increase Tier

1 - 5 Tier 1 or higher Dungeons bound

2 - Rank X

“Wow, you just can’t help but give away that your Class is an odd one, can you?” Ari laughed and shook his head at Jake’s confused expression. “Nearly all tier one combat Classes are required to defeat Worthy enemies in order to advance. Karl will likely need to defeat them with a hammer, while Rhew may have to use her wand or her skill, one of the two. Alan won’t, but his Class is a non-combat one.”

“Ah, got it,” Jake said, wincing slightly as he realised his mistake. There was no way he could have known, though.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’m not in the habit of spilling secrets,” Ari said idly, waving away the issue with one hand. “Just be careful what you tell the others, or anyone else for that matter.”

“I will,” Jake said solemnly, thankful that Ari wasn’t bothered about his secrets.

“Good, now look sharp. Felix is back,” Ari said, nodding over to where Felix was leading a bedraggled-looking Karl to join them.

“Fortunately, Borvon had simply overslept, and I am an understanding man, so there will be no repercussions today. However, you have used up the only pass that either of you will get while working with me, understood?”

“Good, now, let’s get to it. Borvon, set the pace, go,” Felix said, pointing off to their left with an expectant look in Karl’s direction.

Karl gave Jake a pleading look before setting off at a slow jog in the direction that Felix had pointed. While Jake commiserated, especially with Karl’s lack of warmup, he couldn’t do much in this situation.

“Jake, you’re next. Get moving,” Felix said, gesturing with his stump for Jake to start jogging.

“I can do this,” Jake muttered, moving into a steady jog to follow Karl. It was just going to be an easy jog.

It’d be fine.