Chapter 10: A Day at the Academy 1/2

"Hey, Kira, I will be your partner." Says a student.

"Sure, What is your name?" Kira responds

"I'm Garett, Garett Bladeson"

"Nice to meet you, Garett"

Ragnar shouts "We will start with a dagger, mace, short sword, and flail. I will demonstrate the first weapon which is a dagger" Ragnar shows the students the proper stances and strikes. The rest follow and practice with their partners.

Garett and Kira start practicing, and the teacher watches the other students and helps if necessary. As he is walking by Ragnar sees me, and he looks at me and calls me over. The students see me coming over, and Kira looks at me with a confused look.

"Kira I will be borrowing your servant to demonstrate the proper technique," Ragnar explains

Kira nods and Ragnar throws me a wooden dagger. "Student this is Renzor, he was an A-rank mercenary, I will be demonstrating with him. Watch carefully and see the proper way of holding the dagger and the proper stances. Also, we will show the correct ways of striking, and defending"

I get into a wide stance with my dominant leg forward. My knees are slightly bent and the dagger is held near my chest and the tip of the dagger is pointing at the opponent. "This stance is perfect for slashing and stabbing. When your opponent attacks you, you can evade the strike or use the dagger to block, and then counter." he examines me and we spar.

Ragnar and I move in a fluid dance of blades, circling each other with focused intensity. With a sudden lunge, he thrusts towards me, but I anticipate his move and deftly sidestep, my blade slicing across his chest in a swift motion. I leap back, readying myself for his next assault.

Turning to face me, Ragnar's grin is unmistakable, a mix of challenge and respect. We resume our sparring, the clang of steel echoing in the air. This time, he swings his sword in a horizontal arc, but I anticipate the trajectory, smoothly slipping to the right to evade the attack. Seizing the opportunity, I dash forward, closing the distance between us in an instant, and my blade finds its mark, slashing across his thigh with a satisfying connection.

Ragnar stumbles, his balance faltering as he falls to one knee.

The students watch intently, and some are shocked by the quickness of my movements and the way I attack.

"This a great example of close combat students. I hope you all watched attentively." The students nod "Renzor I will ask you a few questions about your mindset during the spar, why did you attack the thighs"

"Your thigh is an important body part, and If I cut through the arteries you will bleed out and it can render you unable to walk, and then I can either escape or deal a killing blow."

"Why did you slash my chest, when I lunged"

"The chest is the largest area on the upper body, especially when you are in close. By slashing the chest, I can inflict massive damage, unlike the neck which is small and easy to miss"

"Why do you come in close, after every attack."

"When I get into close range, it is to overwhelm my opponent and I can gain the upper hand. It is the same when the enemy is attacking me, and if I move in to attack, and the enemy retreats, it will break their concentration, and their focus"

"That is great, this spar and explanation that Renzor has given is the perfect example of close-quarter combat and IQ," Ragnar explains

The students look at each other and start practicing again. I see Kira and Garett sparing and practicing, and they seem to be having fun. I stand near the sideline watch the class and make sure Kira doesn't get hurt.

Kira's attacks are a bit sloppy, she has no control, and her footing is not great. The class lasts 1 hour and then the bell rings. "Alright, class is dismissed. Good work today. You will continue practicing and learning new skills, and we will have another class tomorrow. Remember class is for your benefit as mages. It is best if you understand how to defend yourself, even if it's without magic. You never know the situation, and being prepared is better than not" Ragnar explains.

The students start walking to their next class, and Kira comes up to me and I give her water. "Hey, Kira, great spar hope to see you next time and your servant is pretty awesome." Says Garett.

"Thanks, I will see you tomorrow," Kira says

Garett leaves and Kira looks at me. "What is it, Kira," I ask

"Do you think, was I good in the spar."

"Do you want me to be honest or lie?"

"Lie"

"Yes, you did great"

She laughs "Okay, tell me the truth" 

"Your attacks are sloppy, you have no control over your strikes, and your footwork is terrible. You need more practice, and you should not be using the full force of the swing."

"Wow, that's harsh, ok, if I am that bad teach me."

"I would be honored, but only when you have free time." Kira smiles and starts walking to her next class.

I follow her and we walk into the building. "You have a magic theory, and after that, you have a class on magic history, and then lunch and your final class is on the basics of magic."

"Okay"

She enters her classroom, and I stand at the back of the class, and students come inside, and the teacher is an elderly woman, and she is very old. "Hello children I am Madam Hilda, and I will be your magic theory teacher, please take a seat." She is a human wearing a grey dress and her hair is white and long. I look at her closer and she does not have a slave collar.

"Welcome to magic theory, we will be learning the different types of magic, how it is utilized, and the advantages and disadvantages. You will have to learn this to help improve your magical capabilities. We will be having a test, at the end of the semester, and your knowledge will help improve your abilities. Now, before we begin I would like to go around the room and say our name, and why do you want to become a mage."

The other students introduce themselves and the teacher starts the lecture. After the introductions, she explains to the students that there are 4 main elements Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. "Now, children these are the 4 basic elements, and there are others, and we will cover those later. There are 4 existing types of magic those are light and darkness are the common ones, but the other 2 are extremely rare and they are Space and Time Magic."

Later on, they talk about mana and the students start to understand. "Mana is the core of magic and you cannot have magic without mana. Mana is the energy that is required for the caster to activate their spells and magical ability. The bigger the spell the more mana required, and the more control you have over the spell, the less mana required."

Madam Hilda goes deeper into detail, and the class learns more. Kira takes notes and listens attentively. "There are 4 categories, these are support, enhancement, summon, and healing. Support, enhancement, and summoning require a high amount of concentration and control. The healing category requires you to have light magic and divine mana and is hard to master. Hence, only priests and priestesses have healing magic"

As the class is wrapping up, the bell rings. "Now, I will see you tomorrow" The students get up and leave the room. Kira gets up and we go to her next class.

"Miss Kira. Madam Hilda is a human right? Then why does she not have a slave collar on"

"Madam Hilda is a 'Renegade'. She is an S-rank mage and was already a professor in the Royal Academy. Other humans have their freedom because they are strong or wealthy enough that they weren't affected by the war."

"Oh, I see. That is interesting" I think to myself