And the comments are in I read, I listened, and decided on a course of action, well for this chapter anyway.

Enjoy!

----------------

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm going to have to decline." Steel shook his head, "This class is too important to me to just give up on a whim."

Eric cocked his head, "Are you sure boy? I'll admit that I'm not familiar with that class of yours, and I know most classes and skills, so I can't fault you for wanting to keep it. Ask yourself, however, will that class really help you to succeed in your goal?"

Steel blinked, "What do you mean sir?"

The old trainer leaned forward, "I can tell maggot, I've lived long enough to recognize it when I see it. You may give off the aura of someone who wants to protect, but I smell your inner desire."

"Your need for revenge."

Steel gasped, unable to control his reflexes. This shouldn't be possible; his personal life was not known in game, how could a program or A.I. know this?

"Sir, you must be mistaken." Steel shook his head, recovering, "That..."

"Maggot shut your mouth." Eric flatly stated, "If I haven't broken through yet with your new nickname, it’s no wonder your friend died." Steel stared at him, anger rising.

"I don't see...”

"Exactly you maggot, you don't see. You are trying to cover your center with another goal, forgetting your original intentions. Problem is, that doesn't work, and your inner demon will start to devour your new goal, morphing it beyond the original intentions. Don't lie to me boy, I've seen and trained men with that exact situation."

He pressed inward, "Tell me, was it a her? Was your friend a girl? Did she boy tragically, you not having the power to save her? Let me guess, you decided you were going to gain strength to prevent it from happening again right? Now you’re going to be the world's savior."

He gave a mocking chuckle, "Point is, you didn't save her. You weren't strong enough. You, failed, terribly." Eric punctuated each word, striking Steel's heart with every blow, "In fact, I bet this happened before too. Another friend hurt by your weakness. You vowed to gain strength that time too, didn't you? Well guess what, it didn't work the first time, it won't work the next time. That's why you’re a maggot, lower than dirt, because at least moves on with the flow, maggots just drown in it."

Steel's eyes blazed in anger, his fists so tight virtual blood began flowing, "You bastard." He said in a low voice, "What gives you the damn right..."

Eric slapped him, "I'm stronger than you, that's what gives me the right. Let me guess, you have a new friend right? Your friend is helping you, and you’re going to protect him or her. Well, why don't I go out and drag her bloody corpse in just to prove to you how weak you are."

Steel broke, the picture of Nina's bloody body in his mind. With a roar of anger, he lunged across the floor at the little man, killing intent spilling out of body in waves. Eric deftly avoided the charge, throwing the shield back to Steel.

"You want to protect your friend? Prove it maggot! Show me everything you have!" Eric roared at him, a blood thirsty grin on his face.

---------------

Steel roared out response, throwing his shield back onto his arm. He instantly activated Earth Armor, green ethereal wood covering his body and armor. The dark green ethereal spike formed on the shield, dark and menacing. Gripping his arm, he rushed Eric with the full intent of piercing right through him and running him into the ground. The two chairs they had been sitting in were blown out of the way by the force he exerted.

Feet stomping against the ground like steam train, Steel slammed with full force into the wall, sending cracks splintering up it and leaving a sizable hole in it. He turned his head, for he had missed his prey.

Eric was sitting on one of the downed chairs, an impressive pipe being smoked in his mouth. "Come on then maggot, I got all hot and bothered for ya, least you can do is show me a good fight." He complained. Steel narrowed his eyes, canceling the Earth Armor long enough to remove his shield from the wall.

This time, he held the shield on his left side as he charged, focusing on the little man before him. As he neared, he swept down with the shield and executed a beautiful upper cut. Eric merely jumped up and used a single hand to push himself off the shield, landing behind Steel again.

"Such a big weapon shouldn't have any trouble hitting little oh me." He mocked, "That the best you can do? Throw your weight around like an uneducated lout?"

Steel ground his teeth, the little bastard was quick. He used the chair as a kickoff as he soared into the air, holding the shield above his head. He brought it down quickly as he was falling, waiting until Eric moved to swing the shield in a falling shield bash.

Eric grinned and pushed off the shield again, using the edge this time to avoid the spike. Steel crashed into the ground, failing to recover himself in time.

"Interesting use of the environment maggot, but if you can't execute the landing, it's still a failure." He sighed and held his hands up, shaking his head as he shrugged, "Best come up with new things before you fight me."

Steel dragged himself off the floor with a cunning glower.

"How about this then? Dark Bind!"

Instantly, the darkness pooled itself around Eric and closed like a noose, but the slippery man hopped out of it.

"I see you failed to mention all your skills boy, still it's nothing I haven't seen before." He yawned.

"Try this then." This time, Steel focused the darkness spell into his shield, canceling the Earth Armor. The green spike was replaced by a black ethereal tentacle, which pulsed in the light. As if reading it's Master's mind, it shot out fast and zoomed toward Eric.

Eric's eyes widened as he dropped hi pipe and pushed off the floor onto the wall. The tentacle reached his former spot in seconds, than soot out toward him again. Eric had to push off the wall to avoid it, but it turned suddenly and followed him. Before it grasped him, however, Steel ran out of mana and it disappeared.

Grimacing, he drowned a mana pot and unleashed the spell again.

Eric had only a moment to recover when the darktacle shot at him again. This time, though, when he launched into the air it immediately tracked him. Just as it almost touched him, Eric frowned and pushed off the air. He launched himself thought the air as if it were solid, before finally landing behind Steel.

Steel gave him a confused angry look, watched Eric point, and turned just in time to watch the tentacle hit him. Instantly, it wrapped itself around him in a cocoon of darkness, only his head outside. Eric chuckled and walked in front of him, "Well, that certainly was interesting. I promote you to worm for that." He gave a mocking bow, "Too many weakness with that though."

Steel cancelled the spell and forced himself up. "Yeah? See if you can dodge it again!" He chugged a mana pot and pointed the shield at Eric again, unleashing the darktacle a third time. Eric shook his head, "Fool worm."

He pushed off the air again, and soared toward Steel. Steel smiled evilly at him as he did so, "Earth Wall!"

A pillar of stone shot up from the floor between the two. With a yelp, Eric pushed off the pillar before he crashed into it, but ended up getting caught by the darktacle. It wrapped him in a dark cocoon as well, falling to the floor with a thud.

"Who’s weak now!" Steel roared, chugging a fourth mana potion to shoot a spike through the cocoon.

Before he could do so, the cocoon blew apart in a gust of wind, forcing Steel to move his shield to cover his face. When he put it down, a very different looking Eric greeted his sight.

Eric was dressed in full leather armor now, a sash crossing his torso diagonally and filled with daggers. A circlet around his head, he held a short sword in one hand and a buckler shield in the other. His grin was filled with excited blood thirst.

"That's what I'm talking about cub, now this is a real fight!" He took a fighting stance, "Prepare yourself!"

He shot forward, and Steel barely raised his shield in time to block the first blow. 'Too light.' He thought to himself, dropping himself to the floor in an instant. A second sword slash whisked by where his neck had been. Steel rolled across the floor and jumped up, eyes alert.

His instinct skill activated, and he threw his shield behind him as the trainer sliced at Steel's back. This time, however, Steel was thrown back by the force of the blow, barely managing to keep himself upright off the floor. He glowered at the smiling imp in front of him.

"Come on pup, anything else? I guess I'll have to go get your friend after all." He sighed dramatically.

Steel's mind blanked out, similarly to when the gate guards had mistreated Hunie. His entire body glowed green as the same skill activated that had allowed him to knock the level 12 guards out. He cast Earth Armor again, coupling it with Earth Wall to cover his exposed skin with stone. A stone helm covered his head, and looked every bit the juggernaut of rage as he felt. Giving an inhuman roar, the figure charged Eric, its stride leaving impressions in the floor where he kicked off.

Eric sighed, "Guess that's the end of it huh, too bad." He took a martial pose, leaning forward with his shield while reversing his sword grip behind his back. He watched carefully as the juggernaut approached, eyeing him with insight.

"Slice!"

The behemoth slammed down into the ground where the trainer had been, leaving a deep gouge in the floor. Eric was behind him, and he put his sword away as he turned to regard the figure. He looked at his hand, a small cut drawing a drop of blood. He grinned.

"Well then boy, I see you have quite the potential in ya. Especially with this trump card. I be looking forward to training you." At this, the stone armor shattered and Steel crumpled to the floor, unconscious, his hand still outstretched toward his for.

Eric chuckled, then sat down with a grunt. 'Years are really catching up to me' He thought ruefully, feeling the dull pain return to his leg, "Can't move like I used to." He sighed and waved his hand, ending the room's spell. Instantly, the damage disappeared, replaced by its former unblemished look.

This room was useful for anger outlet, as only instructors could actually be hurt within and students were immune to damage; thought not mana and stamina fatigue. Speaking of, Eric limped over and inspected Steel. His face grew pale immediately, as the boy had over taxed his mana and stamina, causing his health points to drain slowly.

"Crap, can't have you dying now, they'll blame me! Healer! I need a healer!" Eric cried as he shuffled out of the room as fast as he could. He slammed the door open, ignoring the players who had been listening. They hadn't heard anything through the door unfortunately, but had felt the force of the battle within.

That being said, one of them had moved over when Steel made a hole in the wall and had recorded the fight through the hole before it had vanished. Normally, it was impossible to breach the room, but the earth spike had synergized with the stone enough to actually make the hole. Steel didn't know this yet, but the video would be posted and many would learn the nickname for the figure, the Forest Giant.

----------------------------

So, I took some advice from you guys on the fight scenes. What do you think of this? Too much, not enough?

Thanks