Arn watched Liara toy with two young classers, easily holding both at bay. They tried to encircle her, but Liara simply glided around the closer classer, putting him between her and his friend. “what brings you by today Arn,” Liara casually asked while blocking. “Elder Dannis said we have a date today! I can’t wait for our turn to dance. I am putty in your hands!”

Liara snorted and casually stepped into the closer man smashing forward with her shield and knocking him back explosively with a spray of blood. She pivoted and drove a leg into the stomach of his would be helper, who flew backwards landing on his ass. She turned and grinned evilly at Arn, “you know what? I’m really looking forward to this too. Dannis said if I don’t fill your belly with steel, he would make me the Festival Queen. Cheeky bastard deserves the beating, but you’ll have to do. It has been forever since I’ve been able to use live steel, this is going to be fun!”

Arn gulped. Liara turned to the two classers picking themselves up, “that was just sad. Lem, you have a man rushing from the other side, you can’t let me circle around you like that. It isn’t flipping high magic, just back the heck up and keep me between the two of you! Anyway, get out of here. Let Venitra know to come in two hours and remind Tas and Rion to come a bit after lunch. Once I cut Arn back down to size, he’ll need some training partners he can at least imagine landing a hit on.”

As they left, Liara turned to Arn. “You talk a good game Arn, but your class gives you jack with the sword and a whole load of nothing with the shield. You want to go zero to hero, you are going to have to work for it, go from 1 to 2 to 3. Understand?” Arn nodded, “All respect Mistress, but I’m sure you’ve noticed that I spent all last week getting eaten, beaten, stabbed, smashed, and bled more than a dozen pigs. I won’t quit.” Liara sighed. “You are not understanding me Arn. Toughing it out is all well and good, but that isn’t what we need here. You don’t have the basics down. Stabbing you a bunch isn’t going to help with your non-existent footwork. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll do it and enjoy it! Ha! But you’re going to need to pay attention and really, really concentrate.” Arn happily told Liara about unlocking the Focus skill. Liara smiled, “excellent! Dannis isn’t half as senile as he lets on. Lets do this!”

They started with the sword. Liara walked him through the basics, from how to hold the sword, to the essential footwork to basic thrusts and counters. When Arn finally got the "Congratulations" message granting him level one in Sword Mastery he had to fight off tears. The sword was the standard the villagers trained on, and Arn had been perhaps the only villager over eight without Sword Mastery.

For the next two hours, the pattern was that Liara would review a set of basic moves, then led him through a drill to practice. She went over the footwork used to turn, then circled around him ever more rapidly poking him in the side with her sword when he was inevitable too slow, or tripped over his feet. She went over feints, how to spot them and how to execute them, and then repeatedly got Arn’s blade or shield going the wrong way, before smoothly scoring hit after hit. When it was his turn to practice feints, Liara didn’t move at all when Arn tried to feint, giving him a “friendly” stab with an inch of steel, and announcing what gave him away.

Arn sighed and feebly tried to joke. “Better clean your blade, wouldn’t want it rusting.” Liara paused and frowned. “You know Arn, I really am sorry about this. Joking aside, using live steel and seeing you bleeding like a watering can – you know we don’t have to do it this way, right? I mean, I know Dannis wants you to be properly prepared when you head off, and its definitely true you will learn a lot faster with real stakes, but Hells, your sixteen Arn. Training isn’t supposed to be easy, but this . . . this is NOT normal. There is all the time in the world to learn the slow way. Maybe not here, but it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Arn smiled. Liara might intimidate the other students, but they weren’t paying attention. He tried to put her at ease. “I’m tired of being weak Liara. My class was made for this. Its getting easier; my Pain Resistance is up to five now. Plus, I unlocked Masochist, so if can’t get a girl, there is always dueling. Or warg petting.” Liara gaped. “Masochist! That is just so damn wrong…just wow, I haven’t been paying enough attention to how Dannis is training you, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him.”

Liara shook her head at the absurdity of it all, and resumed her explanation. “Well, Dannis isn’t wrong about everything. The way he wants you to fight is probably right, his strategy for you is get in close and stab, or if you are fighting another human one-on-one, grapple, trip and stab will work well too. With your size, you fall on top of someone, they are going to have trouble stopping you from getting all stabby. All right! Watch closely, then you’ll give it a go!”

Arn smiled. “I will work tirelessly till I can throw you down and grapple you into submission! And then I will work really har…” Arn saw a streak and felt the air go out of him before he flew backwards bouncing on the dirt. Arn refocused to Liara in his face, “this . . . is . . . not . . . fun and flipping games Arn. Right here, right now, we decide whether you live or die, and whether you let your teammates die. I don’t care whether you have a crush on me or you’re just playing, either way it stops now. You’ve got a better chance at dying. Sure, you are starting to look like a real man, but your still a boy, albeit a very, very big one.” She paused, eyeing him. “I’ll make you a deal. You cut the nonsense, give everything to the training, and if you make it back here in a few years, maybe, just maybe, we will wrestle for real. Deal?” “Deal!!!” Arn replied with an enthusiastic squeak. Liara snorted and gave him a hand.