Slave Girl 2: Chapter 96 (Patreon)

Like yesterday we begin with striking practice and also like yesterday the group of us are paired up based on height, with Cassie’s presence shuffling the deck a little.  She is paired with the smallest man, Gyasi, while Lucas’ new partner is Oeneus, my old partner Quique is paired with Julian, which left only Toke himself to square off against me.  Which I suspect was just what our grizzled trainer wanted.

Try as I might to normalize things with him Toke made it impossible for me to ever forget about the match between us that was coming.  Barely a few minutes would go by without me being reminded of it in some way.  His sharp gaze noting and critiquing even my most subtle movements.  The relentlessness with which he drove me to strike faster, stronger, cleaner, better.  The instant and painful ramifications of when I would let my concentration in defense slip for even a second.  The quicker pace that he was setting for our pair as compared with the others, more often than not training right through our water breaks.  And how, only with me, the technique alone was never enough.  How I always had to couple my actions with my emotions in a state I can only describe as controlled aggression.  It was clear to all that he was holding me to a far higher standard than the others.

With a couple of days of good food and a couple of nights of good rest behind him Toke was once more moving like that sharp-eyed predator I first saw him as.  Today even more than yesterday or even during our fight on the street in front of Aristocles’ shop do I realize just how far my training had to go.  No matter how fast or how hard I went Toke avoided my strikes with seemingly no effort expended.  And when I was on defense I could see how he was holding back so that he pushed my limits without ever exceeding them.  Even in the middle of a chain of combinations he would duck and weave and block while casually correcting the style of the others.  I knew he was reading my body, seeing my next move before I even launched it, yet I hadn’t a clue how to change that while also maintaining good technique.

Perhaps sensing my frustration he ends the striking session with an encouraging slap to my shoulder.  “Well fought.”

I stand hunched over in the middle of the platform, hands on my knees and dripping sweat as I caught my breath, when Cassie approaches with a cup of water.  Gratefully I take it from her and chug it down.

“Thanks.”  I say as I take a second to admire her glistening flesh.  “How’d it go?”

“Good.”  She smiles.  “Gyasi is a great partner.”  Rather proudly she shows off a bruise on her forearm.

I touch her arm and run a thumb gently across the bruise.  We catch each other’s gaze and blush before pulling apart again.

Next comes the new element of our training, weapons practice, which everyone was quite excited about.  Just beside the training square we lay out the tools we’d brought.  After running through some safety practices and rudimentary basics Toke has us step up one by one to give us each a once over handling each of the various improvised weapons we’d brought.  To our surprise he then begins assigning certain weapons to certain people based on their strengths and weaknesses.  He tells that our matched weapon would be the only one we would focus on during his time with us.  He simply didn’t have the time to teach everybody everything.

“Lucas.”  He calls up first.  “Shield and gladius.”

“Yes!”  Lucas hops to his feet and goes forward to collect his ‘shield and gladius’ which were just a slab of wood with a couple loops of rope run through it and a sturdy three foot stick.  Looking every bit like the Imperial soldier that I knew he would one day become he takes up his weapons and steps up onto the platform to feel them out.

“Gyasi.”  Toke says.  “Though I have little to teach you that your people have not already I would like you to practice your archery.”

“Happily.”  The small African nods, his eyes shifting over to the hunting bow that Lucas was able to get for us.  “It will be good to feel the draw of a bow again.”

“I would like you to take Cassie and guide her training as well.”

“The bow?”  Cassie whispers.  “But…”

Toke points off toward the tree that we’d used as target practice where her arrows struck center nearly as often as Gyasi’s.  “You’ve a keen eye and a steady hand, girl.  Develop them and you could be great.”

“I wouldn’t mind a student.”  Gyasi says to her.  “Or at least a partner.”

Cassie nods.  “Okay.  At least I’ll be able to hunt for supper if times get lean.”  She glances to me.  “Maybe you could gather us some nice tubers.”

I smile and roll my eyes as a round of chuckles ripple through the group.

“Julian.”  Toke’s voice cuts through the laughter.  “You can choose the ax or the maul.”

“Ax?  Maul?”  He looks about at the rest of us.

“Ha!  Barbarian weapons.”  Lucas says as he continues swinging his ‘sword’ left and right.

“Barbarian weapons.”  Toke confirms with a slow nod.  “You have the strength…”  With a glance toward the stout Lucas he quips.  “…and height…”  He looks back to Julian.  “…to handle them.”  With a wave of his hand toward the pile he says.  “Try them each.  See which one you prefer.”

“Right.”  Julian nods and does as he is told.

“Quique.”  Toke turns to his fellow slave.  “Your reach is your greatest asset.  Let’s accentuate that by giving you the staff.”

“I get a stick?”  Quique’s shoulders slump.

Toke walks over and takes up the straight six foot wooden pole we’d brought.  He takes it in a firm two-handed grasp, gripping it closer to one end, then dazzling us with some whooshing swipes, stabs and spins.  With a final twirl he hands it over.  Quique takes the staff and looks at it as if it were something miraculous.  “Find another and sharpen the end.  You will train in spear as well.”

“Yeah!  Ha ha!”  He clicks the end of his staff against the stone.

“Oeneus.”  Toke says.  “Swiftness and reflexes are your strengths.  You will train knife.”

“Ha!”  Lucas guffaws at what he obviously thought was Oeneus’ bad draw.

“Knife?”  The Hispanian says, undeterred.  “Got it.”  Looking back over his shoulder he calls.  “I am a knife fighter Miss Rosa.  Flashing blades of furious…”

“I’ve got the staff!”  Quique cuts in.

“That’s nice good Masters.”  Rosa waves to them.  “Do your best!”

“We will!”

“Ahem!”  Toke clears his throat, drawing all attention back to him.  “Take both blades.”  He says, pointing to the pair of knives that we’d brought with us.  “Get good enough with one and I will train you with two.”

“I will.  I will.”  He hurries over to collect the knives.

He then looks to me.  “For you I encourage whichever of the weapons Julian forgoes.  You have the stature of my people.  Those are the weapons which would suit you best.”

“The ax or maul?”  I whisper.  “Uh…”

“What is it?”

“I was just…”

“You are also long of reach.  The staff would suit you well also.”

“The staff?”

“Not to your liking Master Quintus?”  His eyes narrow.  Before I can answer he continues.  “You are quick as well.  Perhaps a pair of fighting sticks?  A hatchet and hammer?”

“Oh…”

“Speak.”

“You see I…uh…I have my father’s pugio.”  I say.  “It’s been with me since he fell in the Emperor’s campaigns.  I thought I might train in that?”

Toke tilts his head.  “Where was your father stationed?”

“What?”

“South?  East?  West?”  His already stern features harden more.  “North?”

I swallow hard and glance about at the others, every eye was now on me.  “North.”  I answer honestly.  “But I don’t see how…”

“No.”  Toke interrupts.  “Your gifts are too many to be wasted on just a dagger.  There is a reason the pugio is generally kept sheathed when the real fighting starts.”

“Ah.”  I say.  I hadn’t at all been prepared to step into the delicate territory that I had.  It hadn’t even occurred to me that my dad might have encountered Toke’s people under the banner of our Emperor.  “Perhaps a sickle?  My goddess’ symbol.”

“No.”  Toke says.  “Too flimsy.  Unbalanced.  Poor reach.  Good for grain, bad for an armed foe.  Not practical.”

“Oh.”

With a wave of his arm Toke asks.  “You may choose any weapon here Master Quintus.  Any weapon you like.”  He fixes me with a steely stare.  “If a threat came to your door at night, which of these tools would you reach for?”  There was an off putting gravity behind his words.  As if far more than just my training regimen rested on my decision today.  “Choose.”

As my eyes pan over the various choices the real meaning behind his words began to dawn on me.  I was, right here and right now, choosing the weapon that Toke and I would eventually square off with for real.  Gods this was a heavy decision.  Hoping to lighten the mood even a little I shrug with a smirk.  “Honestly.  They all look good.”

“Very well.”  Toke says.  “You will train them all.”

“What?  But…?”

“Bring your pugio and a sickle tomorrow.”  He says.  “You will train those as well.”  Before I can get out another word he turns from me and steps onto the platform.  “Lucas!  You carry that shield like a burden.  It should be a part of your arm.”

As Toke sets straight into Lucas’ first lesson the others glance between me and each other.  The awkwardness of what had just happened not lost on any of them.  As they spread out to start feeling out their various weapons, Cassie’s gaze lingering on me the longest, I am left alone with the remaining tools before me.  Not sure of what else to do I pick up the wood cutting ax and step away to practice on my own.

Chapter 97