Professor Morgan used the rest of the period to better explain everything that they would be covering throughout the year. He even gave a few insights on troop movements, though nothing Jon hadn’t already witnessed himself by taking part in the hunt for Vasilis years ago.

After the end of class, the trio left the classroom to meet with Nevil and Bella. Their next classes, Practical Combat, would be conducted on the underground floor. They all went down the stairs before separating, Jon and Bella to one side while Nevil, Aeron, and Deon went to the other.

The Practical Combat room looked like a smaller version of the arena without the spectator stands and with a stone floor instead of sand. Racks were placed at the walls, filled with a great variation of swords. Only swords, though. No spears, maces, or even shields. Their materials ranged from the sharpest rippled steel razor to the bluntest wooden stick.

At the center of the room, besides an ornate pedestal made out of smooth obsidian, Professor Derfel Rosser waited, both arms crossed in front of his chest. The sleeves of his blue tunic were rolled up above his elbows and his face had a perpetual frown that reminded Jon of Marleya. “Form into pairs,” was all the instructions he gave.

By the other side of the pedestal stood another professor, her long white robes stopping a few inches short from touching the floor. Her blonde hair flowed past her shoulders while her blue eyes were fixed on the ground as she avoided everyone’s gaze. It was Willow, the light spell professor.

Behind Jon, a few of the male students whispered, more interested in her… other assets, not unlike Deon the night before.

When all the pairs had been formed, the professor finally spoke again. “Good morning. My name is Derfel Rosser and I’ll have the task of instructing you in the art of combat. True combat, be it at a tourney or at a war, involves using everything at one’s disposal to defeat the enemy. Namely, it requires swordplay and, for those who cultivate it, spells. But you all must first learn how to walk before you can run, which is why we’ll focus on the sword for the first half of this year.

“And to make sure that no one is using a spell, we have this,” he said while patting the obsidian pedestal. “To those unaware, this is an anti-magic tool. When activated, it creates an anti-magic field that prevents all spells from being cast. Unfortunately, it means that any healing will be made impossible. Therefore, you will be using blunt swords so that you don’t accidentally kill one another.” The professor pointed towards his right. “Those there are all dummy weapons. Pick one, take off the robes, and return to where you are.”

Everyone did as ordered, moving quickly to have their pick of weapon. Jon and Bella both chose a longsword.

The professor nodded as the last of the students returned. “Before starting, don’t forget: just because the weapons are blunt doesn’t mean they can’t hurt. If anyone breaks anything, then Professor Breckon here will mend their bodies after class ends.” He turned to the side and addressed his colleague. “Ready?”

She nodded before fishing inside her robes and producing three coins of crystalized mana. Placing them in a triangle atop the pedestal, she uttered an incantation. In response, it began to change, the dark obsidian turning somewhat transparent. From inside it, different runes burned with a purple light, one after another.

The coins floated up, powering the magical artifact, and Jon felt some sort of change in the air. It was as if something had suddenly gone missing, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

“Now, spread around and begin sparring with your pair. I’ll walk around the room and explain where each of you can improve.”

“I’m glad we’re together in the same class,” said Bella as she and Jon prepared to face off.

“Why is that?” Jon had both hands on the hilt of his weapon. The blade felt heavier than what he was accustomed to.

“Because I wish to find out which of us will come out on top in a duel.” She raised her sword, the tip pointing straight at Jon’s body. An uncharacteristic smile formed on her lips. “It’s something I’ve been wondering ever since I saw you fighting at the tourney.” Without warning, she thrust her blade forward.

Jon hastily reacted. He swung his blade upward, intercepting the attack before quickly swinging it down against her body, missing it by a couple of inches as she sidestepped.

By now, the classroom was filled with the sounds of metal blades clashing, feet scurrying over the stone floor, and Professor Derfel instructing the students in a loud voice.

Bella’s smile didn’t leave her lips for a single instant. Jon could still feel the weight of her earlier attack. She packed a surprising amount of power in such a lithe body. After so many years in this world, he never got used to the fact that size no longer mattered in terms of strength. Here, a child could be just as strong as a bodybuilder. And in the current situation, her thin arms had as much strength as Jon’s, maybe even more.

She attacked again, swinging her blade low this time as she aimed for his legs. Jon jumped back, barely avoiding the full blow, though the tip still managed to hit in the thigh. A real blade would’ve cut through the muscle. Her blade flowed like water, smoothly transitioning from one attack to the next and always keeping him on his back foot.

Jon knew that, at this rate, it would only be a matter of time before her blade once again found its mark. Sure enough, after reacting a beat too slow to block an attack, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand as her blade made contact.

“That’s two for me and zero for you.”

Dropping his weapon for a moment, Jon massaged his hand, making sure that it wouldn’t hinder him for the rest of the spar. If only he had twin swords. In a direct duel, without armor to get in the way, the added agility would be all too useful.

Jon picked his sword back up and they continuing sparring, with him closing but never quite eliminating the gap. In the end, he came out on top eleven times against twelve wins of hers. “Let’s go again,” he said between huffs, hoping to get at least a tie. That’s when a loud crack echoed through the room. A beat later there was a second and a third crack.

He turned to the source of the sound and found that the three coins had all broken apart, its pieces resting atop the once again lifeless pedestal.

“All right, that will be enough for today’s class,” the professor said. “Return the weapons to where you found them and come back to the center of the room. And don’t forget to put your robes back on.”

“Not bad,” Bella complimented as the two walked back to the weapon racks. “I already knew it from before, but you’re actually good with a sword.”

“Thanks, though I would have fared better with the twin swords.”

“You mean like back when you helped me and Nevil, right? Why didn’t you do it then?”

“Because they rely too much on quick movements, which is somewhat hard while in full armor. If I hope to do well here at the academy, then I need to continue improving with the longsword.”

With everyone back at the center of the room, the professor clapped his hands. “Congratulations on your first class. You’ve all done well displaying your skills, and I can already see we have some promising students in our midst. Now, return to your quarters, wash up, and rest. Class dismissed.”