Fantasy World Online II: Second Chance

Day 101-142: Propheus

For four more weeks Propheus trained in the use of a shield. He would connect at sun rise, equip his uniform and proceed to the training grounds were he would spare with his instructor. At lunch he would eat with every one else at the barack's long wooden tables and resume his sparing sessions in the afternoon. From time to time his instructor would ask someone else to train with him due to his own duties.

After a week of training with the buckler Propheus no longer felt tired, his arm was stronger and his movement coordinated. That is when his instructor made his exchange the small buckler for a wooden round shield.
The shield was twice as large and heavy as the buckler, it had no iron part and the handle was different to, more difficult to keep in hand because there was no strap.
It took Propheus a while to get used to the new weight and balance, he got tired much quicker too.

Not only that but his instructor started attacking him more forcefully, moving around, avoiding his attacks, rolling to the sides to surprise him... If he did not keep a hundred percent concentrated on his opponent movements he would end up on his bottom a sword to his neck.

On the third week the instructor grabbed a buckler for himself. From always attacking and parrying with his sword he switched to attacking, blocking and parrying with his sword and shield. Now, Propheus had to be wary of both his arms.

Finaly when the third week ended Propheus was given an iron round shield. Once again it was much heavier than the one he was used to and it took him several days to gain the strength necessary to wield it comfortably. When he did through he realized that he no longer stumbled backwards or felt painful vibrations in his arm when his shield was struck.

At the end of the fourth week his instructor gave him a day off saying that he needed time to prepare the next stage of the training. Propheus spent it using his training pike and a iron round shield on a dummy.

Using a sword and shield and using a pike and shield was very different. With a sword one had to get closer than with a pike, the pike enabling its user to stay a relatively safe distance away. Not only this but the attacking patterns of the pike was different too. It had to be held above the head with the sharp edge pointed downwards or horizontally at the hips during attacks and vertically on the shoulder during rest time.

Propheus spent the whole day practicing in such fashion on the wooden manequins, his shield and pike producing a notable BANG! each time they connected. When his instructor returned to the training ground in the evening he saw Propheus training with the pike and decided to spare with him the next time he had time.

"Here, this is yours." he told him while handing over an old iron round shield with the eye symbol of Last City painted red on it. "From now on consider it part of your uniform. Tomorrow someone else will join us in your training."
"Yes sir"

That evening Propheus went to grind solo in the forest, taking on small packs of five to seven wolves on his own.

As told by the instructor the next day an archer joined them in the training. Propheus had to run from his starting position to the archer and get his bow while the ranged soldier shot wooden arrows at him. Blocking the arrows with his shield and advancing one step at a time Propheus took three hours to touch the man the first time. Then as the days went by he learned to walk and block at the same time and managed to cut his time to thirty minutes. Finally on the eleventh day of being mercilessly shot at he reached the archer in five minutes. at that point the instructor came to him and said:

"That was perfect! I no longer have anything to teach you about shields. This training is over!"