A Master

Chapter 7 A master

Today I decided to follow Gabe's advice and followed Ella over to the training ground. She avoided any conversation and interaction along the way. I wonder what got her in such a bad mood? The walk over was luckily short and Ascal was waiting at the entrance.

"Wow." Ascal lets out a whistle of approval.

"I respect the gesture but I'm afraid we wouldn't work out."

"Ew! That is not what I was talking about. The sword on your back." he points.

"Oh."

"Yeah, can I hold it?"

I place it on the floor and watch with amusement as he tries his hardest to lift the thing up. It seems Ella also got a slight kick out of it. I pick it back up with one hand and we all head inside.

The inside was far different from the exterior. While the outside looked to be worn down and old, the inside seemed well kept and clean. Even the walls had a shine to them like glass or jewels. The hallway stretched reasonably far but before we could make it to the end both Ella and Ascal stopped. 

"Well this is us so I'll catch you after class. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you got some fancy sword." Ascal states before heading in the room.

Ella doesn't seem to want to talk to me like she did in the beginning. I don't exactly know why but it's probably best that I give her space. I might accidentally fuel the flames somehow. I'm sure she'll come around at some point.

I continue my walk around and notice things like trophies and awards showcased across the hallway. This year's undisputed champion Ella Stokes. Well there's a surprise, how did I miss the fact that Ella had the aura of a fighter? 

As I walked down the hallway it only seemed to get longer the more I looked around. Each classroom was either packed with kids or a very selected group. Either way for each classroom the kids seem to be of all equal strength and skill. I got closer to the end of the hallway, a man stood halfway out of one of the classroom doors.

"Hey over here." he gestured to me.

I walked closer to the man but before I got close enough he ducked back into his room. He left his foot outside of the door and he quickly stepped back out. He had a confident stance that exuded strength. He definitely feels like someone you want to learn from.

"Hey, the names Alter. I heard of you from Gabe. Though you're taller than I imagined and scrawnier." Alter admits.

"I don't know how to take that." I say.

"Well since you took out two lesser demons all on your own I would consider it a compliment for your strength being more hidden."

"So I heard you're a master of the sword. I got this thing here. Would you help me learn?" I say pointing to the sword on my back.

"Before we get to that, how about you pop in for a bit and help me with this lesson."

"I don't know. I've never been the teaching type."

"Oh come on it's worth a shot aint it?" He says dragging me into the room.

The classroom was larger than I realized, almost like a field with multiple spots to train. The ground was dirt and each spot to train had a white outline. We got to the middle of the field where all the kids sat in a group. 

"All right, thank you all for waiting. This is the man that single handedly took out two lesser demons." He introduced me.

"Nice to meet you all." I said. They all gave me a smile.

"So to wrap this class up, how about you all get to witness your teacher fight someone far stronger than himself." He proposed to the class. The class all seemed quite interested in the idea.

Before I had a say in anything I found myself at the edge of the field opposite to Alter. What should I do? I don't want to make him look bad in front of his students. Maybe I'll go a little easy on him. I know now would be a good time to practice using my new sword.

A kid in the crowd stands up and steps onto the middle of the field.

"There will be no killing and all attacks must aim to end the fight without breaking this rule. Any use of magic is prohibited and any use of the terrain is also not allowed." with that the kid stepped back and made a loud clap with his hands. 

Alter slowly walked towards me with his sharp eyes looking for my weaknesses. I began to walk towards him but as I took my first step he was next to me in an instant. Before I could block his attack he hit a point on my body that would typically rip me of my strength. It's a clever idea to go after things I have the advantage in. 

I quickly recover thanks to the goddess and move in to launch my own attack. I go for a left swing of my sword but he manages to dodge it by ducking. Before he could fully react I quickly went for a kick that sent him back a few feet. I couldn't put all my strength into it, though I can tell he definitely felt it. He gets back up showing little sign of fatigue. Well he's a tougher fight than I thought. He's definitely faster than me and I don't think I could land a hit that would result in him forfeiting. 

If I smashed the ground around us it would give me a chance to catch him but the boy said I couldn't use the terrain to help me. Then I can really only think of one other way. I began balancing the sword with one finger like a party trick. I could tell it left Alter confused so I quickly put the sword back in my hand and rushed him. But before I could reach him I tripped and the fall sent the sword flying into the air. 

A wave of panic grew on Alter's face and he prepared himself to catch the blade. As the sword made it to his hands the weight was too great and he fell to the ground. As he sat there unable to pick his hands up I stood over him about to crush his head with a single kick.

"Stop, the fight is over." The kid from the group announced

"So it looks like you got me." Alter admitted

"Well it was a bit dirty on my part but you were using magic so I didn't think you would object." I said

"So you noticed huh? Well I couldn't leave you with a disappointing fight now could I?"

"Yeah thanks for that. Also I noticed your fixation on the sword. I figured it must mean you have a true desire to protect Gabe's work. You must be amazing friends."

With that the classes lesson ended and the first ever time that there teacher lost a fight. I never expected Alter to be so fast even if he was using magic. I mean I don't even have the magic capable of making me any faster. Wait a minute Gabe said that Alter was a master swordsman but he didn't even use a sword. 

"Hey Alter you weren't going all out were you?" I suggested

"Why of course I could never think of hurting a novice on his first battle with the sword. Had you gone with just your fists you would have seen what I was truly capable of." he said with a smile.

As we walked towards the class door a loud explosive sound permeated through the walls. The sound definitely came from the building. We both decided to pick up the pace but before we could exit the classroom a wave of kids and some adults rushed through the hallway towards the origin of the noise.

The pathway to the noise is blocked but Alter jumps past the commotion onto the opposite facing wall. He then begins to wall run towards the banging. I decided to adopt his idea but I can't use the magic that can do that. If I can only use my speed and strength I'll just have to jump from wall to wall. Doing this was far faster than Alter's method and I caught up to him in only moments.

Soon we arrive at the classroom and the noise is fully audible. A clash between a large hammer and a sword. Raw strength versus concentrated technique. Ella and Ascal were in the midst of an ongoing battle. I looked at Alter but all he could manage was a shake of his head. I guess this is the first battle in a while that I haven't taken part in. 

"What are you doing Ella? Is this really all this state of yours can offer?" Ascal shouts.

Ella didn't respond with words but gave her answer through a large swing of her hammer. Ascal skillfully redirects the attack at its center of mass. The hammer hits the floor digging into it. Ascal jumps onto the hammer sinking it further into the ground. He then runs alongside the handle and launches a right kick. Ella turns to the kick and headbutts it, stopping a lot of the force. 

The crowd was silent and the fight left at a halt. Blood began to slowly stream down from Ella's nose. Her eye began to dye in red from the blood dripping from her forehead. Her face began to pale by the second. She was on the verge of passing out but instead she grabbed strongly onto Ascals leg. Her grip grew so strong that his leg snapped. She throws him into the crowd wildly.

I catch his falling body and lay him on the floor. I think it's time I find a way to calm her down. Before I can enter the battle ground, Alter grabs my shoulder. His face was one of understanding and empathy. 

"Can you heal him?" Alter asks me.

"Yeah I can." I get on my knees and slowly flow the goddess energy into his leg. 

"I've never seen healing magic act so quickly. Truly impressive. This is not your fight, it is his."

Ascal stands up with a new kind of look in his eyes. I can tell now this fight is far from over. Ella is strong but Ascal has something that he hasn't brought to the table yet.