Trash: Chapter 169 Joining The Boys Club (Patreon)

Chapter 169

Joining The Boys Club

Arriving at my Advanced Weapons Training class was simultaneously everything I expected and nothing like I expected all at once. The room was an open circular arena type structure that seemed to have part if not all the soft padding that I had witnessed in the arena littering the ground. Along the walls were an assortment of training weapons of all types, sizes, and shapes. Many of which I had used or at least been taught how to defend myself against the use of. But the biggest difference was the fact that the class was made up of all guys, well all guys and one female.

Upon entering the room, Marcus ran forward and proceeded to hand a parchment to the teacher. A male who was both shorter and leaner than most all the males in the class but still had a confidence that was undeniable. Scars littered his exposed arms, calves, and even his feet that rested upon sandals. From his footwear alone, I gathered that he did not take us that seriously as a class, even though he had a spear resting on his right shoulder. Taking the letter, he used his free left hand to hold and read the parchment, while shifting back to rest solidly on his right foot. All signs that he was predominantly right-handed. All subtle clues that Mr. Yi taught me to look out for. Now if the instructor was crafty, they would be using these cues to throw me off, to lull me into a false sense of confidence, but I didn’t get that from this instructor. He seemed to be the type of instructor who wanted you to know his strengths and find ways to overcome them, perhaps that was why he seemed to over exaggerated his form. I was thinking about these thoughts and more, when he finally spoke to me.

“You want to be here, at Advanced Weapons Training?” The instructor asked.

“I do,” I replied.

“And you have at least one badged Skill related to combat,” the instructor added.

“I do, it’s—” I began, trying to say it was Improvised Weapons, but I was cut off.

“Very well, then you will be paired up with Trinity,” the Instructor stated, pointing to the only other female in the class. The one who was set off by herself in a set of dark formfitting leather leggings, dark leather padded top that all matched her raven black hair, and had a large sword attached to her left hip, making her right-handed, as she would have to reach across her body to draw her sword easily. Those were the things I noticed from just the way she was sitting.

Hearing my instructions, I began going next to the dark-haired warrior who was sort of cute, in that plumpish way that someone who eats can have. It was clear that she had at one time been larger, but had shrunk considerably, as her clothes were much looser. The only sign that she had really been heavy at all was the lingering fat in her cheeks that gave her face a soft round look. Just going near her, I could all but feel her insecurities rolling from her in waves as she stared angrily at me. Well, she stared angrily at everyone, as if we were all her enemies here, which might explain the wide gap that separated her from the other twenty or so males that made up the class.

Just looking at her, I could tell she was going to be one of those women.

As I walked, Marcus too began walking with me, but that is when the instructor called out, “and just where do you think you are going attendant Ghulum?”

Hearing the instructor call out Marcus’s last name so casually let me know that he was well known by the instructors, which made sense as he had been here for multiple years at this point. Marcus just pointed towards me, as if it was obvious he was there to help me.

“You know the rules, if you are here, then you train, just life everyone else,” the instructor called out, and I could almost see the moment when a large smile crested Marcus’s face as it was clear that was what he had intended all along. For not even a second later, he shrugged at me, a sign of what can you do, before he ran back to the line of weapons racks, found a blunt metal sword and ran back to the formation of males, while sheathing his sword to his left side. Seeing that Marcus likely chose this instructor for the express purposes of getting more practice time, I noted the act and respected it. I couldn’t blame Marcus for singing me up for classes that he could also gain benefits from. Though I did make a mental note to double check that this was the best instructor possible, I didn’t want opportunity to outweigh the quality of training I received, by too much. If the instructors were comparable, then I would be okay with the deception.

Kneeling on the soft padded floor, I ended up taking part of the space that separated this new warrior, Trinity, from the rest of the males that normally sat a good ten feet away from her. All glancing at her, and well me now from their periphery, as if they didn’t think we could notice their stares.

Seeing my large weapon and hearing it clatter to the ground, I could hear Trinity’s mocking tone come, just low enough so that only I could hear her condescending tone.

“Nice sword, compensating for something?” Trinity asked. Hearing the blatant provocation, I smirked, knowing that it had already begun. Rather than answering her question, I responded back with my own comment.

“Nice lips, you use them for anything other than just yacking?” I replied. I don’t know exactly what Trinity expected me to say back, or maybe my non sequitur reply threw her off, but she stopped and grew red in the face, though I’d swear it was more from embarrassment than anger. Before we could say or do anything else, the instructor chose that minute to call me out.

“Recruit Bloom,” the instructor called out, his voice having a slightly thick eastern accent, but still understandable. “We have a tradition here, that everyone must spar at least once on their first day here. The challenge is, that you will need to fight and win against at least one opponent to stay in my class.”

At that comment, I turned to look to my right at Marcus who just knelt forward eyes locked obsessively on the instructor. Seeing this look and seeing the signs of obvious tension radiating from Marcus, he clearly knew this would happen and chose not to tell me. Strike two.

“Now since you are new, I will let you choose who your first opponent will be,” the instructor called out. Suddenly, the angry reception from Trinity made more sense, she was warning me to choose someone else.

Standing up, I realize that this moment is key. Either I stand up and face the challenge head on, or I get washed out of my dual combat and musical lining. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize that this was likely a test done solely to make me give up on my goal on the first day. An interesting plan, one that might have worked, against others. Standing at my full height, I glance dismissively over the lot of them.

“Who do you choose?” The instructor called out, daring me to challenge any of them. Knowing that my calling on one would make them feel that they had something to prove. I wasn’t about that, for why would I only make one of them angry, when I could make them all equally angry. Also, the longer they were all angry, the more energy they would waste while waiting for their chance to fight me.

“I don’t care who I face from this lot,” I begin gesturing towards the group of males that are all staring at me with a measuring gaze. Then I hit them with the ultimate line that I know will get them all angry at me, “they all look like scrubs to me anyways.”

I give my line as I casually walk up to the stage. It’s not that I am dismissive of the threat posed, but I know a few things. First, I am fairly confident that I could at least survive a fight. Second, I’m a healer, which means that if I do survive the fight, I can continue until I can finally win a match. Third, and probably most importantly, I want these guys to come at me with everything that they’ve got.

Seeing me casually stroll to the stage, I stare at the instructor in a what are you going to do gesture, not even glancing at the gaggle of males that are all quivering and moving with overcompensating bravado. At my stare that is solely placed on the instructor, I can see a faint smirk fill his face as he realizes what I just did.

“Very well then, do we have any challengers?” The Instructor asked the class of students.

“Me!”

“Oh, me!”

“Pick me!”

The male students all called out in ravenous pleas, all wanting to be the person who put me in my place. Strolling to the back of the ring, I turn around and draw my blunted stone blade as a large male wielding an axe walks forward.

Judging by the warrior’s body type, he has the potential to eventually become someone as muscular as Mr. Karl, but he’s not quite there yet. While he has the frame to work with, his muscles aren’t quite there, while he is clearly strong, it is clear that the large battle axe in his hands are at his maximum weight, a sign that is shown by the way he has to keep readjusting his grip as me raises and swings the blade menacingly. As he walks forward, I also realize the ultimate advantage in my favor, as this warrior doesn’t have a Class. That or if he does, it is a weaker Class grade than my own. While I haven’t developed a Skill that allows me to analyze people, I have gotten pretty good at reading the patterns of a fighter, as Mr. Yi taught me.

As the giant warrior comes forward, I just smirk, then in a move that unsettles even me, or should unsettle me. I decide to make my position in this class clear as I take up a stance with both hands on the hilt of my hefty sword, holding it up in a beginning stance, then I do something totally stupid. Something that I have wanted to try ever since I got my new Free Slotted Skill, I close my eyes.

“What?” The hulking brute calls out, “too afraid to see your death?”

At the provocation, I just smile and reply while keeping my eyes shut. “No, I just know that it would be too much of an advantage if I used all of my senses to track your deficiencies.”

At this, the hulking brute gets visibly angry, a fact I can pick up on by the light patter-tapping of his feet as he tries to balance himself while still wielding a weapon that is too large and mostly used for intimidation purposes.

“You sure?” The instructor calls out, his voice directed at me, which I nod in agreement. I’m not sure, but I do want to practice with my Earth Resonance Skill now and see if I can use it to help me fight in a battle. What better place than here to test my true capabilities. Also, if I fail here, then I can always try against the next fighter. With my long blade, and understanding of his footwork, I realize that there are relatively few patterns or angles he can strike from. He will need space, as his axe is larger, meaning he will need more space to wind up and attack from, which will give me the space I need to back up when I feel his feet set into the mat to make a strike with such an over-sized weapon. It sounds simple in theory, but to put it into practice is another thing entirely. Then before I have time to second guess myself, it is already time to begin.

“Very well then, begin!” The Instructor called out, letting me know the match had begun, and with that I cleared my mind and focused on only the match before me.