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Chapter 21: Group Training

As Silas and Lyra began their duel, the sharp clang of steel against steel echoed through the training room. Silas swung his hammer clumsily, missing Lyra by inches as she ducked and jabbed at his exposed side. Lyra's rapier darted in and out, finding gaps in Silas's defense, but her strikes lacked the power to truly rattle him. Silas's heart pounded as he tried to anticipate Lyra's next move.

Lyra's rapier struck Silas's chest, arms, and legs in quick succession, leaving behind small, stinging cuts. Silas gritted his teeth, waiting for an opening. When Lyra overextended on a lunge, Silas seized the opportunity, bringing his hammer down in a mighty arc. The blow caught Lyra in the shoulder, sending her sprawling to the ground, her bones crunching under the impact. Silas winced as he heard Lyra's bones snap, despite knowing she would heal quickly.

[Enemy defeated: +5 Exp]

Silas watched as Lyra's body knit itself back together, the bones snapping into place and the cuts sealing shut. He rolled his shoulders, feeling his own wounds close, the pain ebbing away. Offering Lyra a hand, he helped her to her feet, both of them panting and frustrated.

"I don't feel like I'm learning anything," Silas said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He tried to come up with a solution that would help them both improve.

"Me neither," Lyra replied, her brow furrowed in concentration. "We're not going to have the benefit of instant healing out in the field, but I have no idea how to parry you." Lyra's frustration was evident in her voice, and Silas could relate to the feeling of being stuck in a rut.

Silas nodded, considering their options. "I don't even know if war hammers are built to block rapiers. From my understanding, they were used during very different periods of history." Silas tried to recall what he had learned about the history of weaponry, hoping to find a solution to their problem.

Lyra's eyes lit up with an idea. "Hmm. What if we agreed to use the same or at least similar weapons when we fight?" Silas could see the gears turning in Lyra's head, and he was impressed by her quick thinking.

"Sure, but how do we do that? The training weapons have all been put away," Silas replied, glancing around the room. He couldn't see any spare weapons lying around, and he wasn't sure where they would find any.

A mischievous grin spread across Lyra's face. "I have a solution for that." She took a deep breath, her hands moving through the air as if parting an invisible curtain. The air in front of her shimmered, a rift opening up like a gash in reality. Tilting her hands, Lyra directed the rift downward, and a cascade of training weapons spilled out, clattering to the ground.

"Whoa! How did you do that?" Silas said, eyes wide.

Lyra smiled, pleased with his reaction. "It's my pocket dimension. I can store stuff in it. I stashed a bunch of training weapons when Tiffany wasn't looking. I doubt she'd mind." Lyra's confidence was infectious, and Silas found himself grinning along with her.

"Cool. Do you want to start with rapier against rapier?" He was eager to try out Lyra's idea and see if it would help them improve their skills.

"Sure. Let's," Lyra said, tossing him a rapier and taking one for herself. Silas caught the weapon deftly, feeling the weight of it in his hand. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the next round of their duel.

With matched weapons in hand, they began to clash swords, parrying and striking in turn. The fight was more balanced now, their movements growing more fluid and precise as they adapted to each other's techniques. Lyra's experience gave her an edge, and she eventually disarmed Silas with a deft flick of her wrist. Silas felt a surge of admiration for Lyra's skill, and he resolved to work harder to match her level.

Next, they chose war hammers, the weight of the weapons a comforting presence in Silas's hands. Again, the match was closer than expected, but Silas's strength and agility won out in the end, his hammer finding its mark more often than not. With each successful strike, Silas grew more confident.

As they continued to spar, switching weapons and honing their skills, Silas and Lyra felt a sense of progress, a growing understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses. The clatter of weapons and the occasional laugh filled the training room. Silas found himself enjoying the challenge of sparring with Lyra, and he was grateful for her guidance and support.

Meanwhile, Jace and Rowan circled each other, their eyes locked in intense concentration. Jace's daggers flashed in the light as he darted forward, seeking to exploit any weakness in Rowan's defense. Jace's movements were quick and precise, his daggers a blur as he attacked from all angles.

Rowan, his sword and shield at the ready, met each attack with a solid block, biding his time for the right moment to counter.

As the duels progressed, Nadia nocked an arrow and drew her bow, aiming at the target across the room. She let a few loose, hitting the bullseye every time. She was bored. Hitting the target took no effort. Nadia sighed, wishing for a more challenging target to test her skills.

She wondered if a moving target would be harder to track. Hesitantly, she aimed at Rowan to see if she could keep him in her sights as he swung and lunged. Nadia's eyes narrowed as she focused on Rowan's movements, trying to predict where he would be next.

She wasn't too worried she'd accidentally hit him. She had a good control over her bow. She knew how to hold an arrow back.

However, unbeknownst to any one of them, someone had come into the room. Since she was the least occupied, they came up to Nadia and tapped her on the shoulder.

Nadia jumped, startled by the sudden touch. This startled her, causing her to release the arrow, which sailed right through Rowan's neck. Rowan looked over and saw Nadia holding her bow, aimed at him.

Rowan and Jace stopped their fight as soon as the arrow pierced Rowan's neck. Rowan came trudging over to Nadia, his voice raised, "What the hell, Nadia? What was that for?" Rowan tried to say.

What actually came out was gibberish. With the arrow still through his throat, he couldn't form words properly, so all that came out were garbled wet sounds.

"Take the arrow out first you big oaf!" Nadia said, grabbing Rowan's neck and yanking the arrow out.

The wound healed in a matter of seconds, and Rowan was able to talk again, although he was a bit raspy. "What the hell, Nadia? What is wrong with you?" Rowan whisper shouted. Rowan's voice was hoarse, but his anger was evident in his tone.

"I'm sorry, ok! This dude startled me," she said, pointing at the guy behind her. Nadia's face was flushed with embarrassment and guilt as she tried to explain herself.

"Why were you aiming at me in the first place? You could have killed me!" Rowan yelled. Rowan's voice grew louder as he confronted Nadia, his anger boiling over.

"It wouldn't have killed you. The worst I could do is scramble your brains, and that might even be an improvement," she said. Nadia's words were flippant, but her tone was apologetic as she tried to defuse the situation.

"Errrgh!" Rowan yelled, throwing his sword and shield to the floor. "You! You infuriate me!"

"Ok, ok. I guess that's fair," Nadia said. "I did just skewer your neck. I'm sorry, ok. This weirdo snuck up behind me." She gestured to the man again. Nadia's apology was sincere, but she couldn't help but shift some of the blame to the stranger who had startled her.

"Who are you and what are you doing interrupting our training?" Rowan yelled at the man.

"Hello, it seems you miscreants don't have a shred of decency or manners. My name is Damien Devereux, and I would like to make a formal request to Silas," Damien said, his voice smooth as he addressed the group.

Silas finally made it over to the three of them, with Lyra and Jace trailing behind. It was a large room. "What could you possibly want?" Silas said, his voice wary as he approached Damien.

"I would like to formally challenge you to a duel. This afternoon, just before sundown, in the main training room. It has been pre-sanctioned and it will be supervised by university officials," Damien said. His words were formal and precise, but his tone was mocking as he issued his challenge.

"I'll be there. I can't wait to wipe that smug look off your face," Silas said, his voice firm and determined as he accepted the challenge.

"I'm afraid you'll be gravely disappointed," Damien replied with a smile as he turned to leave.

With that, Damien walked out of the training room. Silas watched him go, his mind already occupied with strategies and plans for the upcoming duel.

"Yeah, get out of here, asshole!" Nadia stared daggers into his back as he left. Then she turned to everyone else, and said, "Who was that guy?"

"No one. Just the guy who threw me off the edge of Arcanium," Silas replied, remembering his encounter with Damien.