Geno Arts

The four boys eventually made their way to the designated training area that was shown on the maps that they had been provided. They soon arrived in a large training hall.

The walls of the hall were lined with racks of all different types of weapons. From a sword, to a spear, to even a whip! Any kind of weapon you could imagine was present there. This was to accommodate the different backgrounds and teachings that the new recruits might have undergone in their various schools, or by their families.

Upon stepping into the training hall, the boys immediately noticed Maxwell standing on the far end of the hall. They went over to him and greeted him with respect.

"You all look eager. That's good. There are no Nobles with weak wills. Except for some few that might have been coddled all their lives, and just managed to get lucky, that is." Maxwell nodded when he saw how eager the boys were to begin their practice.

"If you did not come with your own personal training weapon, then you can choose one from the racks along the wall. Be quick about it so that we may begin." Maxwell instructed. Fortunately, all the boys had brought their own personal training weapons. The other equipment would be provided by the organization.

"Here, I want each of you to drink this before you begin practicing your geno arts." Maxwell handed each of them a 20cl bottle of dark blue liquid. The liquid smelled and tasted like apple juice, so none of them wasted any time in downing it. They immediately felt a strange power begin to rush through their bodies, and they began practicing their various geno arts.

A geno art was an advanced form of martial arts. While martial arts had to do with one's ability to do battle and fight, geno arts were slightly different. While they aided in battle and such, they also enabled a person to generate a geno armament.

The geno armament that was generated depended on the geno art that was practiced, and on the person themselves. Two people could practice the same geno art, but he geno armament that they generated would be different.

Some geno arts required the practitioner to make certain movements, while others simply required deep meditation.

Connor and Elijah's geno arts required them to simply meditate, while Robin and Rowan's required them do do something else entirely.

Robin's geno art was one that was passed down through their family. Strangely enough, it required him to practice with his voice, so Robin began singing in a low voice that was barely audible to the others there.

Rowan's own geno art was much different from the others, however.

Ever since Rowan was young, he had taken his time to practice the geno art that was passed down through the years in his family. It was a blade art that required him to make certain motions with his training sword.

With a focused mind, Rowan began. He moved in practiced motions, with his hand and sword twisting in fluid motions. It started slow, but as time passed, his movements began to look faster and sharper. They never lost that touch of grace, however.

"Wonderful. The Heart Family's Heart Sword Art is as mystical as the rumors say." Maxwell whispered in awe. Even his fellow trainers that were sharing the training hall with him paused to look at Rowan as he moved with the grace of a ballerina.

Rowan's steps were light as he moved around, but his sword was strong. His eyes remained clear and bright as he continued to follow all of the steps that had been taught to him over the years by his brother.

An hour passed before Rowan finally felt the tide of energy within him start to settle. It seemed like the effects of the geno fluid had begun wearing off. He kept at his motions, though. It took another half hour before the effects finally vanished. After that, Rowan stopped and turned to face Maxwell as he wiped away the beads of sweat that had gathered on his brows. The energy that he had burnt while practicing had been less than usual after he consumed the geno fluid, but it was still tiring nonetheless.

When he turned around, he was met by the stunned gazes of his three roommates, and his trainer.

"You never told us you had a cool geno art like that!" Robin, ever the talkative, immediately exploded with a loud voice, but he quickly reduced his voice. "Sorry, I'm always extra loud whenever I finish practicing." He explained.

"That was the Heart Sword, the exclusive technique of the Heart Family, yes?" Maxwell asked as he stepped forward.

"Yes, that was it." Rowan agreed.

"I see. The rumors have not done it justice, I guess. Baron Eric does not usually practice in public, so I have never seen it before. This is my first time laying eyes on it in active practice." Maxwell sounded intrigued when he spoke. He was eager to finish the day's practice sessions so that he could go and brag a bit to the other Barons and Viscounts.

"You four can take a thirty minute break. We will go for another round after you are done resting." Maxwell soon waved the four away. They followed the map on their comms to get to the mess hall so that they could eat quickly before returning to continue their training.

"Rowan, your geno art is really cool! All I can do is sing during my practice... It isn't really anything eye catching..." Robin exclaimed, but his tone became lower and turned into a murmur soon.

"Hey, at least your geno art has you doing something. The two of us can only meditate like monks. If I shave my head and start wearing long robes, then people would surely see me as one." Elijah, who was mostly quiet spoke up. He was talking about himself and Connor.

Both their geno arts focused on direct body strengthening. They did not come from a family that had been able to create their own geno arts, so they had learned a rather generic one from their various schools.

Body strengthening geno arts were fairly cheap, depending on how complex it was. Both their geno arts had a certain level of complexity that was decent, but not too much. Connor's geno art had a bit more complexity than that of Elijah, but they both needed to meditate to make progress on their own geno arts.

Sometimes though, having a complicated geno art might not necessarily mean that it was stronger. It was mostly up to the practitioner in most cases.