30 Obrecht's Fourth Periodical Battle Part 1

The next day, the periodical battles have already begun. Since it could be a source of learning opportunity for the younger, inexperienced students, we are allowed, if not recommended, to sit and observe the one on one battles of the advance class. Moreover, I think Otis and Rohati just wanted a breather from teaching the younger generations and if the opportunity presents itself, why not take it?

I sit somewhere in the middle, with Vera and Krael sitting adjacent to me, still as inseparable as always. Ever since yesterday's incident, Vera seemed more proactive with interacting with me, much to Obrecht's discontent. I think he's just jealous that Vera's attention was on me now. What a child, really.

Perhaps because she had already gotten Obrecht's promise to help with her weapon design, but she's become so much easier to talk to now. It didn't take long for us to become friends. Though sometimes I wonder if Vera and Krael truly see me as a friend, and not some surface-dweller they need to monitor in place of their parents.

What surprised me was Krael's attachment to Vera, but I guess it's only normal since they basically grew up together since infancy, stuck by each other like a pair of conjoined twins. I've only found out lately that Vera was Amos' only child and that her mother had died at childbirth. I sympathize with her a bit and console her at times that her father was a bit more protective of her.

Apparently, her father wanted her to take on a less dangerous job like a scribe or a trader in one of the many shops lined at the Circ, but she wanted to be a hunter through and through. There were bigger beasts the size of two to five people the deeper one went into Inferis' forest, and I think Amos just doesn't want anything to happen to his only family. I know how it feels to be protective of your family, as well as being protected by them strictly, so I remain quite during Vera's complaints about her father most times. It's not like I have the right to. They have to settle it among themselves as a family, else they may not move forward from it.

It was also this reason between child and parent that Vera had asked Obrecht and his weapon smith of a father, Halvalt, to help with the design of her arrows instead of asking Amos.

I hear a loud grunt and I see man lying down on his back at the round stage. His opponent won after he was unable to get back up after ten seconds.

The rules for the periodicals are simple. If you are pushed out of the circular stage or arena, as they call it, then you lose. If you are unable to get up after a blow for ten seconds, then you lose as well. Weapons are allowed in this match since they are the advanced class.

Additionally, this is a great opportunity for the younger class to study what kind of weapons they'd want and think deeply regarding its compatibility with their own fighting style. It's a win-win situation for both classes, even the teachers.

I see Obrecht come up to the arena and I drop all my thoughts to focus on his fight. This was his fifth fight, consecutively winning all the previous four.

"Raguk, let's have a good fight", Obrecht says as they both take their stance.

In a heartbeat, the playful smirk on his lips drops, and his eyes dilate to see his surroundings better; the solemn expression he wore looking more mature than his actual age. It was times like this that I remember how frightening Obrecht's fighting prowess is, given that he never goes all out on any of our practices, but I know his strength exceeds mine, even with everything that I have improved on.

Obrecht swings he heavy sword like it was nothing, though I can see the slight strain on his arm and his forehead as he does. Others may notice but I know that Obrecht is still adjusting to his new sword. I know because I've seen him swinging the wooden models of his sword in so many different freestyle manners.

Being immensely heavier and a bit longer than his wooden swords, his present sword style of him looked more restricted than before.

"Let's." Raguk sneers, not the least bit daunted by the Obrecht's countenance.

The fight starts at the signal Maestro Rohati gives through a drop of a rock on a metallic gong-like bowl that reverberates the sound all around, like a heavy big bell issuing deep tintinnabulations despite the bowl's smaller size.

Raguk chases after the opportunity to launch the first attack, not even letting the last echoes of the gong fade as he swiftly swings his thin katana sword, taking one foot forward to increase the force, while leaving the other back for a quick escape the moment a counter attack arrives.

I would like to say that Obrecht had the upper hand at this fight, what with his big heavy sword that could easily break the thin katana in half, yet its weight itself was a disadvantage; he was far slower than Raguk and less agile as the big blade needed a far bigger rotation in every swing for maximum effect of its power.

I smirk, not one bit nervous for Obrecht.

Obrecht defends Raguk's attacks precisely, if not a bit clumsily. But though his defenses may look inept at first, it was because Obrecht was exponentially adjusting to all the factors there were in the fight, thus his concentration poured more on analyzing rather than defending during the first few minutes of the fight.

I think Raguk understands this, for his attacks become fiercer and fiercer as time goes on, leaving Obrecht to dodge and defend by the skin of his teeth. Any longer and Obrecht will retaliate and that might bring him more into a disadvantageous circumstance.

The coldness and seriousness of Obrecht's expression constantly seems to shock me, no matter how many times I see it. It didn't seem like the easy-going childish person I knew, yet, this part of him never seizes to make my heart pound. I can't imagine how conscious Raguk must feel in line of those pair of hawk-like eyes, making one feel as if all you do and trying to do was transparent to him.

Trying to rub off the goosebumps on my arm, I focus on noticing every bit of detail in their fight and try to stimulate what I would do against all of Raguk's aggressive attacks, and how to defend my mental stability and balance given Obrecht's pressure.

Sharp eyes follow every movement Raguk carefully performs, from his feet to his hamstring muscles to the direction his waist was facing, Obrecht's eyes reflected them all unblinkingly.

Despite Raguk having the advantage of having a year's worth of experience compared to Obrecht, who has just come of age, he still fails to entirely dodge the first successful swing that the latter had done. The heavy impact pushes Raguk near the border of the arena, and a silence spreads around the audience.

The two opponents on the stage stare at each other as they gasp for breath. Raguk clicks his tongue at ostensibly losing at their first exchange of blows. Only a few minutes in and they look tired.

Slowly, the audience comes back to life as they murmur about the intensity of the fight that they just witnessed, excited by the quick attacks and agile dodges the two had displayed.

"Advance class sure is too different", Vera says resignedly, but her cheeks are flushed with adoration. Krael wasn't an exception; his eyes glued to the front.

I readjust my attention back at Obrecht, who takes advantage of the pause in their exchange to push the embedded crystal on his heavy sword. The inner black part of the heavy sword clicks and slides out like a perfectly shaped puzzle piece. The thin middle part of the sword remains hollow, as the grayish outer part remains the same. From the top of the crystal embedded on the black blade, a hilt expands and Obrecht takes it in his grasp tightly.

Judging closely by the equal flexing of his biceps, it seemed that the weight on each sword was just about the similar, regardless of the size and shape.

"Amazing", Krael utters softly.

On hearing that, Vera nudges Krael's shoulder, saying, "I told you—I told you it was the right choice to ask Obrecht's help with the design. Look how beautiful those swords are!" Vera eyes didn't leave Obrecht's two swords as he talked with Krael.

Krael talks back in a similar fashion, his bent index finger and thumb clutching his chin in attentive scrutiny on the on-going battle. "If my guess is right, then that thin sword could be black Zirconium, while the grayish thicker but hollow one should be either Titanium or Tungsten. I can imagine how heavy the two combined together must be", he analyzes.

"I though before that the crystal was either a seal for some resistant attribute for the sword, but looks like it's also a switch or hook or something. It rotated when he pressed it down and the thin sword just slid out so smoothly! I heard Obrecht designed his own sword, but Tito Halvalt was the one who crafted and refined."

"…" I feel like my arms will pop off if I try to lift either of those swords.

"It's not a surprise though", Vera continues to say to whomever. "Obrecht has always practiced with a thinner lighter double-edged sword, but then he started to practice the heavy sword ever since he came of age."

"Mm." Krael nods. "I would have also left a backdoor for me like that, if I wanted to practice the heavy sword from square one, ah—", Krael distractedly say, his attention waning off the conversation.