“FIGHT!!!” Raising his hand into the air, Instructor Alistar jumped back, narrowly avoiding a large [Stone Spike] which tore from the ground heading toward Benny.
Benny received the spike, strengthening his stance and bracing his shoulder against his shield but soon discovering he had made a big mistake. At first, the sudden force and weight behind the skill only sent him sliding backward. After that, however, it didn’t take long for him to get overpowered and flung back.
“You clearly haven’t used a shield that size before, or else your stance wouldn’t have been wrong.” Then, advancing slowly, Instructor Garrison began his teachings.
“Your biggest mistake was your footing. By not placing your left foot forward, you lost out on the ability to use your left knee to brace the shield, preventing you from gaining a stable footing when blocking the attack.”
Splayed out on his back, Benny gripped his Estoc and Aspis tightly and did a kickup, landing back on his feet and immediately resetting his stance as taught by the Instructor.
“A stable foundation leads to a tank who can defend his party; without one, you are useless to them. Unlike the DPS, who has to be quick when dealing damage, or the supporters in the back line, the Tank must not only be able to get in and out of the pocket when fighting but must also be able to defend against any incoming danger that could cause the collapse of your line. You are a vanguard, and as such, you must always be ready to take the hit and protect your party. AGAIN!” Instructor Garrison fired off another large [Stone Spike], stomping his lead foot, but Benny was ready for it.
Easily deflecting it this time, he stepped forward and angled his body-sized Aspis. Then, using his left arm to guide the spike away, he slammed his sword downward, channeling Water Mana particles around the blade, and used [Water Whip], snaping it in counter-response at Garrison.
Unfortunately, Benny had telegraphed his idea in his inexperience, allowing Garrison the opportunity to react. Flicking his wrist and flourishing his longsword, Instructor Garrison swirled his blade around the whip, catching it, and yanked Benny forward, breaking his stance and throwing him off balance.
Releasing his skill, Benny allowed himself to be dragged forward, tucking and rolling while using it as a chance to get closer. His actions drew a chuckle from Garrison, who activated one of his class skills, shrouding his body in a haze as all his accumulated sweat evaporated visibly, and he rushed forward like an angry bull.
Back at the bleachers, Cynrik and Brance clicked their tongues simultaneously.
“That Instructor is too much for Benny; that movement skill is from the SheildBreaker Class, one of the Tier-2 warrior options. It’s basically an enhanced version of the Warrior’s [Shield Rush]. Not only that, but he seemed to activate a skill similar to [Haste]. If memory serves, the main difference between the two skills is the evolved version allows the user to change directions without breaking their momentum, unlike Rush, which moves you forward.” As the residential Tank of the group, Brance spoke first.
“He’s trying too hard to be agile. The problem is that shield weighs too much to bounce around easily; tack the Estoc’s weight on, and he’s starting to struggle. Also, he is too used to having that tiny buckler and a short sword. Benny really hasn’t had the time to test out longer weapons, unlike us, who have trained with many different ones.” Cynrik’s eyes narrowed as he watched Benny try jumping from side to side and dodge several spikes. For the most part, he was succeeding; however, when Garrison picked up his rate of fire and joined in by thrusting his longsword, Benny was quickly overwhelmed and sent flying again.
“Big Bro Ivar, what are an Estoc and Aspis? Like I know WHAT they are, a sword and shield, but why is the distinction so important?” Gabby asked while nervously clutching Brance’s right hand tightly. It was nearly as nerve-racking for her to watch Benny getting tossed around as watching the brother fight earlier.
“I expect you not to know, considering the bulk of your training has been with daggers and bows. Regardless, it’s about time you start learning about what we all use anyway; that way, you can be prepared if you are forced into close-quarters combat.”
“The Estoc is a specific type of longsword meant for two-handed use; think of it as an older cousin to the one the Instructor uses. However, unlike the longsword, it’s edgeless, so it can’t be used for cutting. Although they come in varying sizes, roughly 1.25 meters (4.1 feet) to 2 meters (6.5 feet), the one Benny chose looks around 1.62 meters long (5.31 feet), from point to pommel. Weight-wise, it’s floating around 5-kilos (11 pounds), which is SIGNIFICANTLY heavier than the less than 2-kilo short sword he is used to.”
“Like I said earlier, when I explained what kind of sword I wanted him to choose, the Estoc is meant for crushing and thrusts. Although it has a sharp point, being edgeless is a massive change for Benny, who is used to dealing out damage with slashes. Now, he has to worry about being unable to dismember his opponent. If you look closely, Gabby, you’ll notice that the Estoc isn’t made like a wing, but instead, its cross-section is in a diamond shape. There are a couple of different variations, but Benny went with the diamond. Anyway, all is not lost. If he can land several well-timed thrusts at just the right point, he can cripple that kite shield.” When Cynrik fell silent, there was a loud crash as Benny finally got used to using his new sword and shield. The two were at a temporary stalemate, with each combatant pressing their sword against the other’s shield.
“BENNY, YOU WON’T WIN IN A BATTLE OF STRENGTH!” Cynrik shouted, getting a nod in response from the boy, who planted the edge of his shield on the ground and vaulted up, kicking Garrison’s kite shield at a weird angle and knocking it to the side.
Benny took advantage of the opening created when Garrison’s shield dropped. He spun his body mid-air, just as Cynrik had done countless times before, but unlike the party leader, he did not use his off-hand to do a backslash; instead, he thrust his Estoc forward, targeting the weak buckle joint of Garrison’s stabilizing straps.
Surprised by how agile the bulky boy could move, Instructor Garrison was caught off guard for a moment. Still, when he felt the bite of Benny’s Estoc, his pupils constricted, and he used his now free shieldless arm to catch Benny by the front of his shirt and deliver a devastating headbutt, which created a loud impact sound.
“Fuck, you surprised me, kid, but what will you do now!” Then, smashing his own head into Benny’s one more time, he whipped the boy around and slammed his body onto the ground before finishing it with a powerful kick to Benny’s abdomen, flinging him away like a ragdoll.
“Shit, he just got Frieza’d; this isn’t looking good.” Cynrik retorted as Benny rolled uncontrollably on the ground, losing his shield along the way but keeping a firm grip on his Estoc.
His off-handed comment made Gabby panic, so Brance leaned over and smacked his older brother in the head.
“BENNY, GET UP!” Gabby screamed nervously.
“He’s fine; Gabby, your brother tends to get thrown around worse by Big Brother and me. He just needs to figure out how to use his weapons properly. It’s never easy fighting against someone who outclasses you, as Instructor Garrison does. Yet, do you see any worry or confusion on Benny’s face? No, it’s the “Strategy” face?”
Looking at her brother, who slowly got back up and used [Water Whip] to retrieve his shield, she noticed the focused look on his face. One she recognized as it was the expression he had every time he worked out one of Cynrik or Brance’s hypothetical battles.
“He’s plotting something, so don’t be so nervous. Benny is a tough kid; a few bumps on the noggin aren’t enough to keep him down. We talked about the sword, but that shield, if used properly, can actually be more deadly.” Changing the topic to keep Gabby occupied, Brance took over where Cynrik left off.
“The Aspis is well, for lack of a better description, a two in one kind of shield. Choosing the Aspis opens many doors that even my CS Tears aren’t necessarily capable of. Ranging from 0.7-meters (2.29 feet) to 1.5-meters (4.9 feet) in diameter, it is mainly constructed by layering several materials, be it wood, or metal, on top of each other and then coating the outside surface with beast-hide or another stronger metal type.”
“The problem with the way it’s assembled is how heavy they become. Benny chose the one at the tail end of diameter and close to 1.5 meters, but its weight affected him too much. Although I can’t be sure, based on how he is holding his shoulders and the dip of his left arm, im guessing it’s around 13-15-kilos.”
“However, there are two significant differences between the buckler or the Instructor’s kite shield and the Aspis Benny is wielding. The first is its shape. Concaved like a large bowl, it fits neatly against the wielder’s shoulder, partnering with its second feature, its Argive grip. Fastened on the inside of the shield, at the top and bottom, is a long thick band. This band, either made from beast-hide or leather, is easily tightened around the wielder’s forearm, preventing it from slipping or sliding around.”
“Then, once fastened, there is another strap for your hand to grip. But since the forearm strap is snug, it isn’t necessary to always hold the hand grip. This frees up your hand to use a two-handed sword or spear. To top it all off, if there is a sharp edge added in the mix, Benny could beat his opponents to death with an easily controllable shield and hack them apart, making up for the shortcomings of his Estoc.”
[[Fuck, it’s hard to describe a Spartan shield when SPARTANS DIDN’T EXIST HERE!]] Brance complained to Cynrik and Selene, who only rolled their eyes in response.
[[Now you know how I felt, I can’t just say the Estoc is a long sharp-pointed edgeless sword, I feel like the following question woulda been, “But why big bro Ivar?” It was better to give Gabby a full description. Especially for the Aspis, she will need to know where to target with her arrow in the future.]]
BANGGG!!!!
Just as Cynrik replied, the battle between Instructor Garrison and Benny took a sharp turn. Crashing their shields against each other and sending sparks flying, Benny took advantage of the maneuverability of his Aspis and rolled to the side of Garrison, taking out his right knee, under the kite shield, with a slash of his Estoc. Then, with Garrison knocked off balance and his stance broken, Benny righted his Aspis and slammed its edge directly into the Instructors chest full force, sending him flying backward a couple of meters.
“ATTA BOY BENNY!” Cynrik and Brance clapped loudly while shouting like proud dads, alongside the roar of cheers from the other students.
-This series is exclusively published on WebNovel if you are reading it anywhere else…You Wrong, Fam. P.S. Check out the discord, https://discord.gg/dcxKNJEMwg
