A day later Ranvir was walking to weapon class with Grevor, who shrugged off his serious attitude.

They barely arrived before the bell rung Teacher Vigo had returned, though, he had another teacher along with him that Ranvir didn’t recognize. Weapon class had gotten a little stale, as they’d been repeating essentially the same thing for the last week and a half, with the exception of the throwing competition class.

So Ranvir was pretty hopeful that this would mean a change in the usual events of the class. They were quickly separated into the usual groups and put through their paces.

He hoped it was just warm-up that the rest of the class might change. As he went through the patterns, he noted the other Teacher moving through the groups, looking intently at all the students. They weren’t checking forms, or at least they weren’t correcting them.

Vigo also hadn’t explained why they were at the class in the first place, Ranvir just assumed they were another weapon teacher. The amount of teaching he wasn’t doing was shaking that thought somewhat.

He swallowed making sure his feet were planted safely, as he swung through a few wider strikes that held a lot of power. The hammer was heavy in his hand, but not cripplingly so. It would be by the end of class, he knew. His fingers would be cramping, forearms burning, and shoulders aching from swinging the heavy weight.

The war hammer was only slightly heavier than a sword, the issue was the distribution of weight. You couldn’t balance a hammer around the hilt, that would defeat the purpose. As such, it worked his muscles a lot harder, just due to the distance between the heavy head and his hand.

He wasn’t the only one struggling with weight. Just in the time since Ranvir had joined the group two students had left for other weapons. Ranvir had considered it the first few days, after he changed from the sword.

But in the short amount of time he’d been using it, the hammer had gotten a lot more natural feeling in his hand. More than the sword ever did. More importantly, he liked swinging around the hard hitting weapon. With a spike on one end and blunt bone breaker on the other, swinging his war hammer, even if it was only made of wood, was fun.

Which, more than anything else, was what made Ranvir return to weapon class everyday. Even today when his legs had been shaking from the beginning, exhaustion setting in quickly.

If he wasn’t having fun, then there was no way he would remain in this class. The class was an elective. He found it unlikely that he as a space tethered would be out on the front lines fighting. He might have to man up against the occasional spy, or attempted break through, but more than likely he would simply be suring up old space anchors and the like.

At least that’s what he’d heard from the other students. It wasn’t like Ranvir had a lot of experience with the front lines himself.

“Alright, everybody!” Teacher Vigo called out. “That’s enough of that. Gather here, quickly!”

All the students broke into a light jog, Ranvir included, as they gathered in the semi-circle around Teacher Vigo. The other teacher, wearing the white on black uniform of the academy in the simple but elegant style of a Master, watched them like a hawk over Vigo’s shoulder.

“Today you’re trying something new!” Vigo began, causing all the students to still. “We’re going to simulate some of the chaos you’ll experience when fighting against the Ralith. However you’re picturing fighting on the front lines to look like, I guarantee you’re wrong. War is chaotic, bloody, exhausting, and tiring. Today’s sparring and much of our sparring going forward, is going to be in groups of three to five.”

Ranvir perked up. With the larger group he could train with Sansir and Grev, hopefully. He immediately started searching for them in the crowd. Sansir was very tall but there were a lot of people in the class, and Ranvir himself wasn’t.

Vigo continued speaking as he searched, “You will engage in free for alls, with the winner taking home a token.” Vigo raised one of the wooden tokens. “Yes, these are usable during physical, too.”

A minor frenzy set on some of the students at those words, but compared to the stir they would’ve caused two weeks ago, it was quite subdued.

“Set up your teams. The other master and I will watch your fights. If you have any questions, or need help don’t be afraid to approach us.”

They aren’t going to offer it? You have to ask? Ranvir wondered at that. Why would they throw in hurdles like that. He noticed someone pressing through the crowd, occasionally seeing a shock of blond hair. He decided to consider possible answers later, instead focusing on the combat ahead of him.

Grev burst through the students, almost barreling Ranvir down. “I found you! Let’s go!”

Ranvir blinked as he was hauled off towards the nearby sparring field and its small arenas.

“Who else is coming?” Ranvir asked, after regaining his balance and jogging after his friend.

“Sansir, obviously.”

Sure enough, when Ranvir looked over his shoulder Sansir had split from the crowd and was headed in their direction, too.

Ranvir realized with a start that he might’ve paired up with some of the best physical combatants in class. Sansir had a reach advantage on basically all the students and he’d been training for a long time.

Grev had trained even longer than Sansir, maybe even under actual sword masters, and he’d prepared for the academy in the same bootcamp as Dovar.

Ranvir had worked with his mother to make jewelry.

He shook up his shoulders, as they stopped in front of a ring waiting for Sansir.

Alright, you can do this, you can do this. Ranvir shook himself up. They were spread equidistant from each other around the ring. You just gotta move fast and hit hard! That’s what the hammer does best. Crack and break!

Grev counted them down, and they all stepped into the ring. Ranvir put on a burst of speed sprinting for the weakest combatant, who wasn’t himself. Sansir had barely raised his axe, eyes still on Grev when he’d closed most of the distance.

His tall friend let out a colorful curse, just a second before Ranvir pulled back for his swing. In the full run and violent swing, he lost sight of his target. The strike caught nothing but air, whooshing ahead of Ranvir as put all his weight into the quick attack.

Sansir had stepped out of the way at the last second, but he was still in Ranvir’s path. Before Ranvir could stop himself, he hammered directly into him.

His opponent didn’t go down, instead it felt like Ranvir had hit a slightly movable wall. Sansir staggered back one step before striking down on Ranvir’s back, right on his shoulder blade.

The pommel of Sansir’s practice axe hammered into him again and he lost grip of his hammer. Ranvir pulled back groaning from the hit and caught a knee to his forehead, that sent him on his ass.

Ranvir was blinking away stars as he lay on the sandy ground of the circular arena. Near him he could hear the wooden exchanges of Sansir and Grev’s attacks and responses.

Not that he could focus on it. His eyes seemed to be swimming around, independent of his head.

He blinked and suddenly, Sansir was in front of him, along with the Master. Ranvir was pulled aside and asked a few question, mostly about his head and how he felt.

After confirming he wasn’t nauseous or dizzy and spending ten minutes with the Master on the bench, he was allowed back with his friends.

“You’re back.” Grev said, as he and Sansir broke up from their spar, when he approached. “Ready for more?”

“I don’t think I’ll be rushing in, this time.”

“Smart.” Sansir replied, raising his axe in salute.

Grev did the same. Ranvir stepped into the arena lifting his hammer.

I can’t outfight them. He paused. I can’t even fight with them. They’re too good for me to even attempt it. I have to think and fight. Wonder and pond-.

Sansir had been approaching the middle of the arena, which made Grev strafe to the side. Pushing him closer to Ranvir, so he had to pull away. They jockeyed for position for a while longer, before Sansir extended himself, swinging for Ranvir.

He staggered back, barely fending off the blow without stepping out of the ring. Grev capitalized and almost got a hit in on Sansir, locking them in a brisk exchange.

Ranvir watched closely. Grev had the slightly longer weapon but Sansir more than made up for it with his height, but he’d been caught on the back foot and was forced into a defensive position.

He’s vulnerable. Ranvir realized. He moved to the side, searching for a position to attack without being noticed, or stopped. Sansir tensed every time Ranvir moved, not a large reaction and he never took his eyes off Grev.

Grevor on the other hand was pushing hard, every slash and cut was pushing Sansir closer and closer to the edge of the arena.

Cautiously, Ranvir moved closer. He didn’t charge in this time, instead approached cautiously. When Grev didn’t react, he lunged forwards swinging for the shoulder of his sword arm.

Sansir’s eyes jerked away from Grev’s movement. Just for a second, but Ranvir could see the realization on his friend’s face. But it was too late. Ranvir was already swinging, and he’d closed the distance.

Grev’s sword flicked out faster than a bolt of lightning, slamming into the haft of the hammer, as he threw himself back in a roll.

He quickly came to his feet, already in a defensive stance, but Sansir hadn’t pushed the sudden advantage. Instead, he was watching both of his opponents cautiously.

He knew he’d given the attack away, and judging from their last exchange, probably the fight along with it.

“This is a lot different than a normal spar.” Grev observed, slightly out of breath. He flicked his wrist and sending his sword through a quick flourish.

“No kidding.” Sansir replied.

Ranvir kept his mouth shut, since he wasn’t familiar with sparring. Though, he could see both Sansir and Grev recalculating their strategies.

Eventually, they both engaged again, but Ranvir could tell they weren’t truly fighting. Both were trying to tempt him into an attack. However, he didn’t bite and they eventually broke apart.

Grev burst forwards sword thrusting for Ranvir, who threw himself to the side, landing between Grev and Sansir. He barely caught the tail-end of Grev’s cut, as he rolled to a stop in the middle of the field.

Before he could roll back to his feet, Grev’s sword hit him square on the back, not a graze like the previous slash, but a deathblow.

“Son of a-“ Grev cursed moments later. Both he and Sansir were standing above Ranvir. Grev’s sword was hanging in the air, midway between Sansir’s extended arm and Ranvir’s back. Sansir’s axe was resting against Grev’s collarbone, though.

By beating Ranvir, Grev had lost the fight.

Ranvir saw it now. He was annoying to deal with, a constant calculation to worry about, but if either of them turned their back to deal with him, they would be giving up the win. They had deal with Ranvir quickly, or fight him last, otherwise the other would simply land a clean blow.

He could work with that.

Ranvir was sweating and out of breath, but Grev and Sansir were both heaving for air under the early evening.

A tingle of electric-blue excitement ran through Ranvir, as he hopped to his feet. This sparring was definitely more interesting than one-on-ones.

Grev tried the taking down Ranvir first twice more, before he abandoned it as foolish. During the last attempt, Ranvir hadn’t been as freaked out and had been able to block or evade enough strikes, that Grev was the first one out. Though, Ranvir had quickly followed.

Something more interesting happened during their last fight, though. Ranvir’s true plan, that he’d definitely planned for and anticipated all throughout the sparring session, came into fruition.

He’d noticed a clear difference in both of his friend’s fighting over the last couple of rounds. First they’d slowed down, then become more predictable during their attacks. Whether it was just him getting a better read on them, or just a side-effect of them slowing down, it was a great help.

Grev and Sansir were struggling against each other, in a slow calculated exchange, when Ranvir flanked Sansir. The exhaustion and added pressure got to him. Even though Ranvir didn’t deliver a single strike in his direction, he still slipped.

Grev’s sword whipped past his guard in a sudden flurry of motion and struck him across the chest, eliminating Sansir from the spar.

In the same burst of movement, Ranvir lunged at Grev. Despite his exhaustion, Grev still managed to pull his sword up in a guard. Ranvir didn’t falter, forcing his strike with all the weight and power of the hammer.

He saw the realization on Grev’s face, moments before practice sword met practice hammer. Grev’s weapon was twisted out of his hand and the hammer continued down hitting him on the shoulder.

The reverberation of the strike rung up through Ranvir’s arm. He’d tried to pull back on the attack in the last minute, but hadn’t quite managed it. He just let out a relieved breath when he didn’t feel anything crunch through his weapon.

For a split second, he was reminded of the student he’d hit during throwing practice. The hollow crunch, followed by the thump of his body falling limply onto the ground.

Grev let out a howl, jumping away from Ranvir and letting out a steady stream curses and swears.

“Well done.” Sansir said. He was sitting outside the ring, rubbing against his chest.

“Thanks.” Ranvir gasped, falling onto his ass. They both watched as one of the teachers approached Grev and pulled him over to Master Stjarna.

“You okay?” Ranvir asked.

Sansir continued rubbing his chest. “Just exhausted. This was a lot tougher than normal sparring.”

“Really?” Ranvir asked. “Why? I would’ve thought a straight up fight against an opponent like Grev would be more tiring.”

“There aren’t any opponents like Grev in the axe group.” Sansir began. “But that’s not the tough part. I can handle physical exhaustion. You were the tough part.”

Before Ranvir could butt in with his own disbelief, Sansir soldiered on. “You, as the extra combatant. I’ve trained to fight in a dueling style. Focusing on the opponent, keeping a close eye on their every move. Just keeping track of a second enemy massively complicated the experience. And you made good use of that distraction. Like I said: ‘well done’.”

Ranvir didn’t know what to say, so he just bowed his head in thanks.