After grabbing some dinner and spending some time talking to his mother, Rob logged back into Elysium Online and started his form training again. This time there was no one else around. He combined defense and offensive forms with the privacy and open space, testing each combination without worrying about criticism or heckling. Even though it was a game, Rob still felt self-conscious.

He had never played as a half-elf in any other games, so he didn’t know the racial benefits. The forums for Elysium were still closed until launch day, so it surprised him that he had minimal difficulty seeing in the dark. In the dim torchlight, he could see like it was day, and in the darkness, he could still see like it was the dim torchlight. This made practicing at night a lot easier.

Two and a half hours of constant sword training paid off. By the end of his session, he had received another level in his short sword skill, which brought him to level three beginner. Not bad for swinging around a sword at some practice dummies. He’d also received a new notification:

Congratulations, you’ve improved your Intelligence!

Base Stat Points: 13

Through creativity and hard work, you have gotten a little smarter! Next thing you know, you’ll be able to dress yourself and count past ten!

Shortly after the sun rose, Vulmon entered the training yard and headed straight to Rob. “Good morning, Rob. It looks like you’ve been training a little. Care to show me what you’ve learned?”

Rob nodded and began his practice in the standard stance. He went through the basic defensive and offensive forms twice each before combining them. He attempted to flow from one to another. Blocking an imaginary strike and then pivoting slightly and following through with an attack. He continued for nearly ten minutes when Vulmon signaled for him to stop.

“Excellent, Rob. It seems melee was the right choice for you. You’ve done well combining the forms. How about we add a few more movements?”

“That would be awesome.”

For the next hour, Vulmon instructed Rob in a variety of additional strikes and parries. Rob had found the blocking techniques interesting, but moving between them and striking had felt awkward. The parries were smoother to him and led into a more fluid style.

As they finished their first round of training, Rob said, “Thank you, Master Vulmon. The parries are very helpful in combining techniques.”

“Yes, it is often more efficient to just redirect a strike rather than stopping it entirely. Fighting is often a game of inches, and a good parry is all you need. There are benefits and problems with each technique. Figuring those out is half the fun of practice.”

Rob nodded, understanding the lesson and asked, “Now that I have learned some basic forms, is there anything else I should learn?”

Vulmon sat back on his bench and thought for a minute before answering, “The sword is a lifelong discipline, but a good next step would be to do some sparring. Swinging at a log all day long is good to start, but nothing can substitute for a live training partner. And on that note.” He stood and walked past Rob, who had taken a knee facing the trainer.

“Good morning, Riniya. I hope your evening was uneventful.”

“Yes, very much so. The mid-watch can often be boring, but it is also the most likely time for a surprise attack.”

“Very good. If you agree with the idea, I would like you to continue training Rob this morning. I have given him some instruction in combining the defensive and offensive forms. I think some light sparring is in order.”

Riniya looked at Rob skeptically. “As you wish, master. Should he spar with me or one of the others?”

“I will leave that in your hands. Maybe have him start with Alok. He is of moderate skill.” The old elf said as he turned back towards the training ground building. “I have some work to do inside. Put him through the paces for at least an hour and then let me know how he’s doing.”

“As you wish.” Facing Rob, she said, “Follow me.”

They walked across the training yard to a group of elves. Rob had a hard time guessing the age of the elves he had seen. Vulmon was obviously older, but there was negligible difference between Riniya and the group they approached. They all appeared to be somewhere in their mid-to-late twenties.

As they came near, one man broke from the group and said, “Welcome sword-master... half-elf...” he trailed off, not knowing what to make of Rob.

“Good morning, Tasar. Can I borrow young Alok? I need him for some sparring practice with Rob.”

The elf looked past Riniya and inspected Rob. “Of course.” He turned to the group and said, “Alok, you are to assist sword-master Riniya this morning.”

An elf that looked no younger than Riniya or Tasar stepped forward and said, “Good morning, sword-master. I am at your service.”

Riniya wasted no time on pleasantries and turned while she said, “Follow us. We will do some one-on-one sparring using one-handed short swords. Rob has been working on the basic defense and offense movements, and he needs a training partner.”

“Yes, sword-master.” He said, but his eyes looked skeptical.

Rob said, falling beside Alok as they walked, “Thank you very much for your help today, Alok.”

Alok just nodded as they continued to a small raised circle in the yard. The ring was made of closely spaced smooth rocks half buried in the dirt. The circle was roughly thirty feet across and flat.

Riniya stopped at the edge of the circle and pointed at a rack. “Choose a practice sword and enter the circle. I will tell you when to begin.”

Both Alok and Rob went to the practice sword rack and looked through the various blunted weapons. This time Rob took his time and found one that was most like the blade Riniya had chosen for him. Unlike the sword he had been using, these all had unsharpened edges, and the tips were rounded. Robert suspected they would still hurt when hit with one, but they were not likely to cause fatal wounds.

They both finished choosing their swords and entered the circle. As they entered, Rob noticed a health bar appear over Alok’s head. Alok found his way to the other side and stood facing Rob with his blade lowered and to the side. Rob found a place opposite Alok and mirrored his stance.

Riniya announced, “This is the sparring ring. It is special because it will not allow you to take lethal damage. That said, being hit will still cause pain, and to minimize damage to the other gear you are using practice weapons that have been blunted. You will fight three rounds to start with. The first person to have their health fall into yellow loses.” She looked back and forth between them and asked, “Are you ready?”

Alok nodded, and Robert said, “As ready as I can be.”

She held a hand up above her head for a moment and then dropping it while she said, “Begin!”

Alok immediately rushed across the ring, starting with a lunging stab that almost connected. The only thing that saved Rob was him stumbling backward while trying to get his sword in a guard position. He found his footing once more and tried to ready himself for the next attack, which was already on its way.

Alok finished his thrust by flourishing his blade slightly to the side and executing an upward diagonal strike that hit Rob in the middle of his chest. Even though the edge was blunted, it still hurt a lot. It caused Rob to react poorly by trying to create more distance, which Alok used to continue charging forward and executing another strike. This one impacted Rob’s collarbone and raked down his chest again.

Rob finally got focused and circled away from Alok, attempting a quick thrust that was easily batted away. Rob looked at his health gauge and saw that nearly a third of his overall health was now gone. He needed to do better.

Alok spun, following Rob, and advanced again. This time he executed a series of strikes that Rob was familiar with, and Rob could sloppily block or parry them. Alok finished his attack with a blow that broke the pattern and hit Rob again just above the hip. Rob’s health dropped and changed color to yellow.

“Break!” Riniya shouted from the edge of the ring.

Alok stopped his next attack and returned to the other side of the ring and got back into his ready stance. It was slightly lowered with his blade held in his rear hand pointed to the front. Rob returned to his spot as well while his health gauge filled back up.

“We will begin the second round when Rob’s health has recovered. Until then, reflect on what you have done wrong and improve.” Riniya said in a harsh tone.

Rob took the advice to heart and analyzed the fight. He was on his back foot the entire time and had a hard time getting into a suitable position to block or strike. Alok was very aggressive, but he should have been able to do something. He thought about what to do a little longer, and then he noticed his health bar brighten briefly, letting him know it was full.

“Ready... begin!” Riniya yelled.

This time Rob was in a ready stance and met Alok head-on. He sprinted across the ring towards Alok. Rob was the first to strike. His slash was not perfect, but he made contact with his opponent’s blocking blade, and was able to stay light on his feet and circle rather than stumble.

While Rob was more capable that round, it was not enough for him to win. Alok reacted to Rob’s change in tactics and adjusted his fighting style appropriately. Each strike Rob threw was parried or block completely and followed by an attack. Only one in four could hit. Rob was simply outmatched.

Eventually, Rob’s health changed color to yellow, and Riniya called for a break once more. Rob thought about his approach and his attacks. They were better than his first attempt, but he still felt jerky and hesitated when striking.

As he stood in a ready stance recovering, Riniya said, “Rob, what is it you are waiting for?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Your second match was an improvement on the first, but still, you falter. You block most of the strikes, but don’t monopolize on openings. There were at least four times you could have counter-attacked, but you didn’t. What are you afraid of?”

She sat back down, not waiting for an answer. Rob thought about the match and realized she was telling the truth. Rather than push the attack, he would retreat or move to a safer place, waiting for the next strike. He dismissed his thoughts and focused on the opponent in front of him. This time he wouldn’t hesitate.

Riniya stood, and the moment Rob’s gauge blinked green, she yelled, “Begin!”

Again Alok sprinted across the ring, confident about his chances. Rob moved forward, meeting his opponent in the middle of the ring. This time Alok swung at Rob’s thigh. Rob was ready for it and changed direction slightly at the last moment to parry the strike. Instead of finding a better position, Rob carried his momentum forward. He reversed the course of his swing, grazing Alok’s thigh as he continued past. It wasn’t a hard strike, but it shaved a small portion from Alok’s health gauge and stopped him from instantly pressing his attack.

Rob spun towards Alok and went in for a horizontal strike that was blocked with a ringing of steel. Rob rebounded from the hit and struck the blocking blade two more times in quick succession, trying to weaken the defense. Alok held steady and struck after the third attempt with a thrust that hit Rob just above the kneecap. It was enough to make Rob stagger for a moment.

As Rob attempted to recover, Alok continued forward to end the fight. Rob desperately thought of a way out and, at the last moment, dove to the side into a clunky roll. It wasn’t smooth, but Rob avoided the strike and was back on his feet before Alok could attack again.

Rob was now at Alok’s side, and he didn’t hesitate. He dropped low and went in for a fencer style lunging strike to Alok’s hip. Rob made contact, but Alok was a little faster and pivoted just enough to make it a glancing blow. In the same movement, Alok brought his blade down onto Rob’s neck, dropping his health gauge into yellow for the third time.