The Spear

The day after Thirteen's rainy archery training and survival class was rather uneventful, though interesting. Most of the martial Instructors had been gathered in the practice area for the first time since Thirteen had arrived here. They each were masters in at least one martial weapon, and they each spoke of the strengths, weaknesses, and overall usability of the weapons they mastered.

The eighth generation would all be expected to choose a weapon next week and train under the relevant instructor every week thereafter. It was an important decision, and so a great deal of time was spent giving each of the children an idea as to the capabilities of the weapons, and letting them wield them against dummies and helpers.

Personally, Thirteen most favored the longsword he already used and the descriptions of the spear, but one and two handed swords were already being taught to them, and spear training would begin the very next day regardless, so he felt it a bit of a waste to simply double down on one of them.

Luckily, he had a week to decide.

Thirteen had resumed his fundamental refinement, and was beginning to find it easier to cultivate. He was able to cultivate faster and for longer than when he had started. 'Nicholas hasn't mentioned anything like it before. Perhaps I'll ask him during the next Q&A in cultivation hall.' He thought as he finished cultivating for the night and went to bed.

When he awoke, Thirteen set about his regular routine. He'd been growing taller in the time spent here, but his clothes were sized well enough to fit him for a few months still.

Theory Hall continued teaching the usual subjects, focusing today on both the heraldry of the noble houses and large mercenary bands, as well as speaking about monsters and spirit beasts, their habitats, abilities, etc.

Cultivation Hall passed as usual. One other student had completed their first refinement last night, being rewarded for it today.

When finally practical training came along, Instructor Diores was not the one waiting for them.

'That's one of the weapon instructor's from yesterday' Thirteen realized as he approached.

Thirteen couldn't quite grasp the existence that was Instructor Gilias. The man had the appearance of an elder, with deep but thin wrinkles, silvery-white short hair, and beard. And yet, his figure was more imposing than any other Instructor Thirteen had met. His height stood around 6'2", his build was incredibly muscular, and his eyes still shone with the power of a man in his prime.

'What kind of elder looks like that?'

"Gather around and quiet down." The Instructor's voice was surprisingly mild.

"We've already done the introduction yesterday, so I will simply repeat this much. I am Instructor Gilias. I have served on the battlefield my entire life and mastered a wide variety of weapons including all manner of polearms. I will not yell at you, nor will I coddle you. The spear is incredibly difficult to learn, and if you don't have the attention to spare in our classes, you will simply fall behind. Let it be known that spear training is essential for your entire generation, and those who cannot grasp even the fundamentals by the end of the year will be thrown aside.

Now then. To your right are a series of weapon racks containing spears of various lengths, widths, and levels of flexibility. You have twenty minutes to test a variety of spears and find one that suits you best. There is excess provided so don't fight over any of them.

Well? Go on then."

Thirteen was surprised at how mildly the man spoke, despite his overbearing appearance. 'Even Instructor Diores yells or speaks strictly. Every Instructor does… or did.'

As he set to testing the many spears on the weapon racks, Thirteen wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. He had an idea how to judge whether a weapon was appropriate for him thanks to his prolonged use of the sword and bow, but had no idea as to the advantages or disadvantages each feature would bring him, nor how much reach he would need his spear to have. And he certainly had no idea what he was looking for in regards to flexibility.

When finally, the twenty minutes had almost passed and everyone had chosen their weapon, Instructor Gilias eyes each of them, one at a time, inspecting their chosen arms. Thirteen was expecting him to comment on their choices, what they did right or wrong, but he never did.

"Alright. Let's begin."

The class began with a series of basic maneuvers, as with any new weapon they learned. Instructor Gilias directed the pace of the repetitions by clapping his hands as he walked around, watching them all, and explaining the fundamentals of the spear. He explained its use on the battlefield as well as in more personal encounters.

"The spear in your hands is like an unruly snake. If you are unable to control it, it will spin and flail until it either frees itself or turns its fangs on you. By the end of this year you need to have tamed your spear and learned to control its flexible nature to your own advantage. When one day you finally do master this weapon, you will find the unruly snake of old has become a mighty dragon. But you cannot achieve that with impatience.

The spear is about control. Impatience will breed frustration and a lack of finesse. When you perform your repetitions do not think about anything else. Just feel the weapon in your hands, how it bends, how it shifts, how it slides in your grip. Understand how it moves and it will follow your directive."

The lesson continued until shortly after nightfall, before Instructor Gilias sent them back to the estate.

——

The next day Thirteen was still thinking about his weapon of choice for next week, and how the spear felt to use. He liked the feeling the spear gave him, but it felt like it was missing something. 'The flexibility is useful, but I feel like I need something sturdier. Even when I use the sword, I focus much more on the weightier longsword and rarely attempt those graceful maneuvers. Perhaps I'm more suited to a direct approach?' He pondered throughout the day.

In the afternoon, Thirteen made his way to the practice area and was greeted with the sight of dozens of horses and a great deal of helpers. Today was his first equestrian class. The Instructor in charge of the class spent half an hour going over the basics of how to ride a horse, before making each of them try it.

"Easy now…" Thirteen whispered as he approached his horse. The beast was not in any way agitated or nervous, rather it was Thirteen who was sweating bullets as he approached from the front.

Making himself known to the horse, he then moved to its side and began to size up the saddle and stirrups. 'Okay now…. One, two, three!' With a foot in the right stirrup and his hand grasping the saddle, Thirteen pulled himself astride, his left leg ending up on the horses rearside, with his face and upper chest falling into its mane.

"There we go… almost there" he groaned as he righted himself. "Okay. That wasn't that ba– Woah!" He shouted as the horse moved a single step ahead. "Right. Okay."

Grasping the reins, he looked back to the instructor with a pleading expression as he waited for the next instruction.

Once every child had mounted their horse, the instructor spoke with a sly grin. "Okay, now what you want to do is grip the horse with your legs and give a slight tug on the reins".

Following the instructions, Thirteen felt his upper body sway back as he was caught off guard by the beast suddenly moving forward.

The class continued from there with each of the children adjusting to the mounts they rid, trotting around the open area, before eventually picking up pace bit by bit. Noone entered a gallop as the Instructor forbade it, and eventually, the class came to an end.

——

When the next day came, it was the fifth day of the week once more, and it was time for Thirteen to earn his much needed resources through sparring. He once again managed three consecutive wins, finding only one of them seriously challenging. There were in fact many more than three fights now that sparring took up the entire class, but Thirteen did not manage to score more than three consecutively.

Thirteen had begun to find the fifth day less enjoyable, as he would always find himself dwelling on his defeat to Eleven. More than once, he had caught himself replaying the fight in his head, thinking of all the things he would do differently, and how much easier it would be to beat the Eleven of that time now.

In truth, only a few weeks had passed, but Thirteen had made startling progress in all fields during this time. His unarmed skills and battle sense had become more robust, while his swordplay and cultivation had undergone complete transformations. And then there was his new attribute. All things considered, Thirteen could easily be considered one of the fastest learning combatants of his generation.

'Just a little more. He looked fine in his fights today, so his injury should be healed soon.' He thought to himself, extremely hung up on Eleven's injury.