The Call to War

Chapter 34

"Next," Arthur called out from within the sparing field at the Wall.

In two days a massive horde of mana beasts was going to collide with the Wall, and Arthur was there to help with its defense. Currently he was sparring with the adventurers there, giving tips to help improve their fighting styles, although as long as everything goes according to plan they won't be needed. Nearly everyone was busy preparing, although for Kathyln her preparation was a little different. She had been ordered by her parents to return to the castle, but refused to leave. Arthur had been asked to get her to leave, but all he did was relay her parents wishes and made sure this was what she wanted, which it was. Lunaris was still there, his way back to his unit being blocked by the horde, and was instead ordered to join the trailblazers member as a portion of them were going to be clearing the dungeons closest to Elenior in case they were needed to aid in their defense.

A male augmenter stepped into the ring with Arthur, causing Arthur to raise an eyebrow at his unusual choice of weapons. The augmenter was wielding two spears, one in each hand.

"Are you sure you want to fight me like that?" Arthur asked.

The man just smiled as he took a fighting stance. Arthur shook his head and did the same. The man charged forward pulling both spears back, before thrusting them both forward when in range. Arthur easily dodged, then karate chopped his left arm, forcing him to drop one of his spears.

"The spear is a very reliable and versatile  weapon, but using two at once limits you significantly. Carry a backup if you want, but only use one at a time," Arthur lectured.

"You say that only because you disarmed me too fast, if you weren't a Lance it wouldn't have made a difference," the augmenter argued.

Unlike before when any mage could see his movements, Arthur practically disappeared this time due to the speed, and reappeared right in front of the augmenter nose to nose.

"No I beat you because using two spears limited your options, the strength I was using was equivalent to a solid orange core mage. If you want to bitch and moan make sure you have your facts straight first." Arthur's attention then redirected to the crowd. "Who's next."

"How about me," a very familiar female voice called out.

Arthur smiled as he quickly turned around to see Tess walking into the ring. He was ready to end the sparring right then and there, but he noticed Tess drawing an elven sword from her hip, showing she really did want to go a round with him.

"Are you sure you want to princess?" Arthur asked teasingly, as she hated him calling her by her title.

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "I'm sure," she replied as she took a battle stance.

This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. A few months ago she was able to show Arthur just how far her conjuring skills had gotten, and today was her chance to show him her swordsmanship.

Arthur drew Dawns Ballad from its sheath for the first time since he started these sparring matches. Not only did he respect her enough to take her request seriously, but he was also curious how well her swordsmanship had developed over the years.

Once Arthur had entered a battle stance Tess charged forward, starting off with a piercing strike. Arthur sidestepped to dodge, thinking that would be enough, but Tess instantly redirected and changed her attack to a horizontal slash. This time Arthur chose to block. Their blades clashed, but instead of holding their Tess continued moving, dragging her blade against his as she spun around. Arthur easily could tell her plan, step back and he would be opened to her sword, hold his ground and get kicked in the stomach. Arthur chose to hold his ground, and as expected, as her right side lined up with him she lifted her leg and kicked him right in his gut, causing him to back off a few steps.