Chapter 23: 1v3

The Frozen Sapphires are shaken by my bloodlust that's begun to leak out. I try to reign it in, try to extinguish it once again, to bottle it up before reassuring them as I did before the duel yesterday. With a deep breath to calm my last remaining nerves. "Sorry, I remembered a bad memory." 

They're still on edge but none of them were brave enough to ask. It is still taking all my might to keep from focusing on Veda's event and drag all my attention to the Frozen Sapphires without leaking my disdain for the Keeper in Yellow.

But it helps immensely that Emeri is raising her voice in my stead.

I cleared my throat before proceeding as planned yesterday and have a training session with the Frozen Sapphires. "Alright, let's go over the rules of this session." After finishing the bath earlier than Veda, we had breakfast at the same restaurant we went to last night. Their selection was more varied at that time than at night as we had a lot of farm products such as eggs, bread, and milk on top of the meat and vegetable platters. Likely a large haul of food that comes in with the early morning caravans.  Now we're on a field to start the 1v3 with the Frozen Sapphire. 

We couldn't train using the arena in the guild hall because one of them is a caster that could end up setting something on fire, so we headed for a nearby clearing on the edge of the road instead.

Some onlookers had ended up following us, my antics last night seemed to make me into a new attraction to the mundane lives for the adventurers who claim to be 'protecting the town'. 'I think I see some new faces mixed in with some of the crowd from yesterday.' 

Jikani is going to be using blunt-tipped arrow heads made of wood to make it non-lethal but it could still hurt immensely. However, due to the nature of those arrows, it's going to be more difficult for her to fire them straight, so I gave her a major handicap.  "I will limp whatever body part is struck so make sure to aim those arrows true." 

She still seems annoyed she has to use these arrows but it can't be helped that I don't want to be pierced so we have to make do. 

For Floris, I told him to give me the best he's got and if I get hit by any spell, from lightning and fireball to pitfall or control rope, it will be their immediate victory. He seemed hesitant to accept. "Are you sure? I don't know how much magic power I should put into the spells to make them nonlethal." 

I shrug, "I'm not sure myself but I practiced with my sister so I think I'll be fine. If worse comes to worse, you can just cast a healing spell." Seems that lie worked as he's more reassured, but it's to be expected that he's reluctant to use magic against me, it's powerful and deadly. But him being a varied caster like Veda, he has just as many nonlethal spells he can use to catch me as there are lethal spells that could graze me.

Finally, there was Sapheir, his sword and shield are both practice weapons but I give him a similar rule to Jikani due to the difference in fighting prowess. "If you hit me twice in the same place, so long as it touches me, I will stop using that limb, but hitting me in the chest is an instant victory." 

He gives me a confident nod as we all prepare for battle. With the conditions of their victory set, the match can begin. I'm on the other side of the open field with everything I'll be using in this fight. 

Everything I have on me is a wooden weapon like the ones I fought against Gradon with. The only thing I have not from the training ground is the shield I picked off the Hobgoblins when I ran into the Frozen Sapphires. While not the best one to block spells, it's better than no protection at all. And I won't have to pay for damages if I use my own shield. 

And yet, despite the fight being ready, no one makes the first move.

This match begins when one of them makes the first move and because of the power difference, they're all afraid to be the one that starts it. 

Sapheir knows the gap in skill, power, everything that he has, I have more of. If he starts the fight, he will be forced into melee combat, and he knows he doesn't want that. His offense would be broken the moment I reached him, so he's chosen to stay on the defensive, to be a wall between me and the ranged. 

Jikani is also afraid to grab an arrow, this counting as a 'first move'. A boon in disguise as her being able to shoot faster than an incantation isn't always better. They have to take the win conditions into account. Even if she grabs an arrow to start firing, it doesn't mean it will hit anything because she's not used to these arrowheads.

And to top it off, it would be forcing the last of the three to lag behind. So, Floris will be the one to start the battle by chanting an incantation. The moment he speaks, he will have an extra second or two to complete his incantation, a high reward for such a low risk.

But, of course, I won't let him finish that spell. 

-------- 

Gripping my wooden sword tightly, this tension was unreal. The aura he showed before was still on my mind but the memory of being overwhelmed by him once before was overtaking my thoughts. 

This is training, training with Uldrei Deidura's grandson, the grandson of our childhood hero. The bloodlust he showed us might've been to steel our minds as monsters have given that kind of aura before, so he must be trying to make himself seem like a monster, a strong monster ready to face us.

I was going to be on the defensive while the other two try to outrange him for the highest chance of victory. We wouldn't dare start a fight without being ready as I would fall faster than Jikani can say 'You fucking idiot!' 

But I noticed Jikani is also hesitating to start. She's too afraid of messing up so she must be thinking of going on the support, to fire her arrows to protect me and try to let Floris get a spell through. 

[[Stone bend and twi...]] 

The moment Floris's words came out, Mr. Deidura threw a wooden dagger. 

I try to get between the dagger and our caster but the moment I blocked the arrow a wooden hatchet flew over my head, striking Floris on the shoulder. He isn't out of the fight because we are only down the moment we can't fight. That was a handicap he put on himself, a glass cannon who dies in one good hit.

"A good choice of magic Floris! Few words for a quick cast but you rely too heavily on your allies for defense!" Mr. Deidura states as he sprint in our direction. "Sapheir! Though I purposefully aimed high, you should never put that shield between your eyes and the enemy!" 

I couldn't believe Mr. Deidura had enough room to lecture us while closing the distance. Jikani was firing arrows in an attempt to slow him down but he blocked any he knew would hit as he reached within spear range of me. 

I kept an eye on his hands and saw his shield cover his spear, preventing him from using it. I took a swing at what I thought was an opening only for that same shield to burst forward with the force of his entire body against my pummel. If I wasn't holding the handle so tight out of fear, my sword would've been launched who knows where. 

I noticed Mr. Deidura was holding higher up the shaft of his spear, ready to jab into me as though it were a dagger. I would have lost there if Jikani hadn't shot an arrow just right and forced him to block instead. He made enough distance while I was recovering from the recoil only for his spear to leave his hand to go for Jikani because I wasn't close enough to stop him. 

At first, I was relieved she dodged it, but a pit grew in my stomach when the spear punched two inches deep into the dirt behind her. 

Had that hit, she would've been knocked out cold the rest of the match with internal injuries that would need Floris's magic to heal. 

'How can he be so short and have so much strength?!' 

I shake my head and focus my eyes on Mr. Deidura, it's then I see him grip the wooden sword that was on his belt. I tried to get out of his attack range but he anticipated that and charged in after me to swing wide for me, not hesitating in the slightest.

I managed to block it but a question crept into my mind. 'Why hasn't Jikani fired an arrow to slow him down yet?' 

Everything happened so fast that I hadn't even realized what was behind me, slamming into Floris after taking that hit. 

"Enough!" 

With the sword at my throat, I hear Mr. Deidura call the match. It was then I saw Jikani holding her hand while her bow was on the ground. 

Claps and whistles came from the pack of on-looking adventurers who witnessed the entire thing from an outside perspective. 

Before I can register what happened, Mr. Deidura questioned me. "Sapheir, have you figured out what happened to Jikani yet?" 

After too many failed ideas on why she dropped her bow, I gave in, shaking my head. He pulled up his wooden daggers and I saw only 3 of the 5 he had on him. 'He threw more than just the one at Floris? But when?' 

As though reading my mind, he answered. "I threw the second before gripping my sword. It struck her and made it impossible for her to draw her bow because of how fragile a ranger's arm can be. She gave up then and there, collapsing to the ground." 

Jikani's head hung low. I know more than anyone how hard she worked to use the bow. And it's because of that, I also know she doesn't have any experience beyond the bow. If she can't draw it, she's out of the fight. 

Mr. Deidura continues. "Then there's Floris who was injured by an axe throw that got through your defenses when you blocked your vision. Truth be told, anything could have happened the moment you stopped being able to see me, but I chose to throw the axe instead of another dagger to see how Floris would handle it. I didn't think I was using a 'tree' for throwing practice..." 

Floris hides his face when he's compared to a tree. It was impossible for him to oppose the similarity when he couldn't even finish casting a single spell because of a bit of pain from a blunt object. He was lacking in the field of using any melee weapon, similar to Jikani, but he was lacking more in his pain tolerance. 

"Instead of moving, you dedicated everything to speaking a spell you couldn't finish. By that point, you were just praying for a spell that you couldn't cast. So, in order to do better, I would suggest getting some physical training under your belt. Up that stamina so you can cast while moving and train in pain tolerance to complete a spell, regardless of how hurt you are. Either way, that will be a long road you will be starting today." 

Floris remains motionless as he hears the criticism on his lack of physical and mental fortitude, taking the words to heart. 

Then lastly was me. "As for Sapheir. I think Jikani is more fit to give out orders..." 

My heart sinks at those words. 'I was the leader, and yet, I was being told I'm not right for the position?' 

But he shook his head, " That likely came out wrong... I'm not saying that she should take your role as leader. In combat, she has the advantage of overlooking the battlefield. She has more leeway to warn everyone of something they don't see. You, on the other hand, are fighting on the frontlines with a limited point of view beyond the enemies in front of you. You made good decisions from defending Floris to attempting an escape against my blade but your own combat experience is lacking when faced against something with a weapon." 

I was shook by him saying the words as he did. He wasn't just talking about fighting against him, or even fighting against people, he's referring to the time with the hobgoblins too. He saw my biggest flaw. 

Floris took this moment to check on Jikani's arm, leaving the two of us alone.

I take a deep breath before confessing to my greatest weakness. "Y-yes. I lack experience fighting humanoid creatures. I have always been good at fighting beasts but not things of two arms and legs such as goblins. I don't like fighting against... something like myself." 

We, the Frozen Sapphires, haven't taken many quests that involve fighting humanoids and the reason is that I'm too conscious of the similarities between humans and monsters. Any quest we've taken was an overwhelming victory like against hobgoblins, but lives are rarely in danger against those E-rank monsters who wander alone. Even a child could kill one if he has a weapon while the goblin doesn't. 

Mr. Deidura puts a hand on my shoulder. "Well, I can help you with that as long as you don't mind my company!" 

I was surprised by how quickly he offered his help. "Y-yes, I definitely don't mind you training us!" 

But when I said that, he shook his head. "That isn't exactly what I meant." 

I was confused at first, but he answered my confusion, "For training you, I want you to help me become an Adventurer."