The Leviathan System

Chapter 16: Training Room

Silas Blackwood stepped into the massive training room. His eyes scanned the white walls and the wide array of training weapons on display. The air had a strange chemical scent to it that seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Professor Tiffany Umbercrowe stood in the center of the room. Her suit of magnificent armor and dragon-scale sword were on full display once again.

Today she wore her long black hair in a braid that fell down to her lower back. "Choose your weapons wisely," she instructed the students.

"Today you will be sparring with each other to get used to the experience of fighting in real combat. Don't worry about injuring each other, the air is infused with evaporated health potions. Any injuries will heal almost instantly, but it will still hurt. I advise avoiding head shots. Those can be complicated to heal," Tiffany said.

Silas's gaze fell upon a war hammer. He picked it up. The weight and balance felt right in his hands. His strength was currently his greatest attribute, so a weapon that could compliment that would be useful.

Jace, on the other hand, chose a pair of daggers. They would work well with his natural agility. He twirled them with a mischievous grin. Rowan, looking for a balance between defense and offense, went for a sword and shield combo.

Much to Silas's surprise, Lyra and Nadia entered the training room. Nadia was the fifth person in their assessment exam. He didn't know Lyra and Nadia were friends.

Their presence was unexpected but welcome. It was nice to get the band back together, so to speak. While short lived, they had experienced something nerve wracking and profound together.

Lyra, looking for something she could apply her strategic thinking to, chose a rapier. Nadia, silent and thoughtful, picked up a bow and a clawed gauntlet. The combination of long range offense and short range defense appealed to her.

As the students paired off, Silas found himself facing Jace. They made brief eye contact, knowing the consequences of prolonging it, and nodded at each other, holding their weapons at the ready.

[Defeat enemy combatant]

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Jace jumped in first, trying to get in close to Silas for some quick slices. Silas countered with the long sturdy hilt of the war hammer for defense.

He found the surprisingly thin wooden pole didn't take the hits well. They left deep gouges in the wood. Wounds it couldn't heal from.

Thinking quickly, Silas choked up on the hammer and tried to slam the head into Jace's chest to push him back. Jace blocked with his daggers but Silas did succeed in pushing him back.

Jace's feet actually left the ground for a brief moment, which gave Silas an idea. As Jace coiled his body for another lunge, Silas brought his hands back closer to the bottom of the handle.

Silas pulled the hammer back, getting ready for a swing. When Jace made his move, Silas swung the hammer underhanded as hard as he could.

Jace once again blocked with his daggers, but he didn't anticipate the sheer power behind the swing. While it didn't hurt him, the impact launched him into the air, throwing him off balance.

Silas dashed forward to get behind Jace as he was falling and took another big underhanded swing. This blow impacted Jace's back and also launched him into the air, but not as high due to his downward falling momentum.

Silas had hoped to get a juggle going like in fighting games, but it seemed real physics didn't match that of his favorite past time. Jace fell back down to the ground before Silas could get under him again.

Despite this failure, Silas felt triumphant in getting the first blow. After a few seconds of laying motionless face first on the floor, Jace got up and dusted himself off. "Hey, dude, that hurt! I think you broke my spine." He said this, cracking his back.

[Enemy defeated: +5 Exp]

"We're fighting. What did you expect?" Silas asked, an amused yet confused look on his face.

"Well, I expected to get hurt, but I didn't expect to die in the first 10 seconds. Geez, guy," Jace whined. He cracked his knuckles and his devious smile made its way back onto his face. "Alright, let's go again!"

As Silas and Jace continued fighting, a match between Nadia and Rowan was about to begin. They had opted to stretch first before engaging in mortal combat.

"I won't go easy on you just because you're an archer," Rowan said, adopting his signature frown and furrowed brow.

"I won't go easy on you just because your brain is made of muscles," Nadia replied, a little offended.

"That seemed unnecessary. I'm sorry if I offended you," Rowan said, feeling guilty.

"Thanks, but no thanks, sugar. Pretty boys like you are all the same. You think you're better than everyone else, so you cater to us," Nadia said. "I'm not here for it. Now let's fight." She nocked an arrow and aimed at Rowan.

Rowan put up his shield, waiting for Nadia to let the arrow fly. For a moment she was aiming at his shield, but then she lowered her aim and fired. Rowan wasn't quick enough.

The arrow went right through his knee. Rowan grunted in pain. Now he couldn't move without removing the arrow, and he didn't have time with Nadia already nocking another arrow.

She let her second arrow fly but this time Rowan was ready for it. He lowered his shield as it flew at his other knee and deflected it. Then he chucked his sword at Nadia, forcing her to duck or dodge.

While she was distracted, Rowan pulled the arrow out of his knee. The wound healed right in front of his eyes. Rowan went to charge at Nadia, while holding up his shield, but the internal part of his knee hadn't finished healing.

His leg crumpled underneath him, sending him to the ground. Nadia let another arrow fly, and Rowan barely lifted his shield to block it. Seizing the opening, Nadia came running at Rowan.

He wasn't prepared for it. He lifted his shield instinctively, but she came at him from the side with her clawed gauntlet. The short, thin knives that made up the claws stabbed through Rowan's forearm, making him cry out in pain.

With her other hand, Nadia pulled out an arrow. With her claws stabbed through Rowan's shield arm, she was able to manipulate his arm, moving the shield out of her way.

She put the arrow against Rowan's jugular vein and said, "I win." A proud smile spread across her face.

"Yes, yes, you win. I get it now. You're strong and I shouldn't underestimate you. I'm sorry, ok?" Rowan said.

"You better be," Nadia said, a serious look in her eyes, but then it broke and she smiled again. She laughed at him, not with him. She offered him a hand and helped pull him back up to a standing position. Then she straightened up and said, "Again."

"Ok," Rowan said, starting to smile. "I'm going to get you this time."

"We'll see about that," Nadia replied as she nocked another arrow.

Meanwhile, Lyra was facing off against a boy with a staff. She had skewered him at least a dozen times, and he was starting to get tired. Health potions didn't help with stamina.

Tiffany watched the students closely. She noted their strengths and weaknesses with an experienced eye. Calling out with advice and encouragement, she guided them to refine their techniques and strategies.

"We're going to kick things up a notch. Using the techniques you learned in your mana manipulation class, you will pour your mana into your weapons. While they are low-tier, they are still beast-core weapons, which means infusing them with mana will power them up. Make them stronger and in turn they will make you stronger," Tiffany instructed.

Silas focused his mind. Drawing upon the mana he had absorbed from others, he channeled it into the war hammer. The weapon came alive in his hands, emitting a soft, pulsing glow. Its weight became more balanced and its surface thrummed with barely contained power.

After the events of last night, Silas didn't have much mana left. He would have to be careful not to use it all up before he could go out and gather more. He had 100 MP left in his reserves and powering up the hammer took 20, leaving him with 80.

His body seemed to drain 1 MP per hour. This left him with a little over 3 days worth of mana, assuming he didn't use any up with spells or mana manipulation, which wasn't a fair assumption since one of his classes was literally called 'Mana Manipulation'.

Around him, the other students were experiencing similar transformations with their own weapons. Jace's daggers shimmered faintly, while Rowan's sword and shield took on a lustrous sheen.

Lyra's rapier glowed with a delicate, silvery light, and Nadia's bow and gauntlet pulsed with a deep earthy green aura. The staff of the tall, lean boy opposite Lyra, turned an obsidian black.

Tiffany nodded approvingly, surveying the students and their newly empowered weapons. "Good," she said. Her voice carried across the training room. "Now that your weapons have been infused with your mana, you'll find that they respond better to your movements. They will strike with greater precision, move faster, and deliver more powerful blows."

Silas could feel the difference in his war hammer. The weapon now felt like an extension of his body. Swinging it experimentally, he was in awe of how easy and fluid it felt to move. It also seemed to leave a trail of energy behind it, like a slight after image.

The other students were testing out their powered-up weapons as well. Their faces were full of excitement with the newfound capabilities they possessed. The training room was filled with the hum of energy and the soft whoosh of weapons cutting through the air.

Tiffany's voice cut through the clashing of weapons, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, students. Who's brave enough to face me in a sparring match?"

With that the room fell silent. There was the sound of liquid dribbling onto the floor, which may have been someone peeing their pants or somebody spilling their drink.