Shattered Sanity

(House Argent Training Grounds)

Circuit remained completely silent for several seconds after making his declaration, as his eyes moved between Riven and the enormous halberd currently resting within his hands.

’Two days...’

He thought.

Two days to somehow transform Riven Dawnriver from someone who barely knew how to swing his chosen weapon into someone capable of defeating Gary Ironveil.

The more Circuit considered that objective, the more ridiculous it sounded.

In fact, somewhere during the past several minutes, his goal had quietly changed without him consciously realizing it.

Victory was no longer the immediate priority.

First, Circuit needed to ensure that Riven did not completely embarrass himself.

Because it was one thing to lose a competitive fight against the first overall selection, and another to walk into a training ground before hundreds of paying spectators, swinging a halberd like an oversized farming tool and getting dismantled within thirty seconds.

The latter would be catastrophic.

Especially when greatness was almost expected of someone with the Dawnriver surname.

’Think, Circuit... Think..... you can’t thrive in the academy if your protector is being bullied himself....’

He urged himself, as his mind rapidly worked through everything available to them.

Two days was nowhere near enough time to teach Riven advanced martial techniques or new spells.

And there certainly wasn’t enough time for Riven to suddenly master a movement ability he had apparently never even attempted before.

Which meant they needed to simplify everything.

”All right.”

Circuit eventually muttered, as he looked towards Riven.

”For now, My Lord, I want you to remain here and practice your swings.”

Riven looked towards the halberd.

”Thrust it, swing it horizontally, swing it diagonally and practice moving your feet alongside the weapon. Don’t try anything complicated, and please don’t invent any techniques of your own.”

Riven frowned slightly at the final instruction.

”Just continue until the halberd stops feeling unfamiliar within your hands.”

Circuit continued.

”You’ve only recently changed weapons, so right now you’re thinking about every movement before making it. We need to remove at least some of that hesitation before you fight Gary.”

Riven slowly nodded.

”That makes sense.”

”Good.”

Circuit replied, feeling slightly relieved that at least one thing about this situation was straightforward.

”Meanwhile, I will somehow find an instructional manual containing basic halberd drills, footwork and weapon fundamentals.”

Circuit continued.

”Nothing advanced. We don’t have enough time for advanced. I just need something capable of teaching you the correct way to stand, move, defend and attack without losing your balance every third swing.”

Riven glanced towards him.

”And you can find something like that?”

Circuit stared at him.

”My Lord, less than an hour ago I walked into your room knowing about a secret agreement between two House Lords before either of them informed you.”

A brief silence followed.

”I’ll find you a halberd manual.”

Riven smiled faintly.

”Very well.”

He said, as he repositioned the halberd within his hands.

”I’ll continue practicing here until you come back.”

Circuit nodded before turning away.

”Try not to injure yourself.”

”I killed a Night Panther.”

Riven reminded him.

”With a wooden sword.”

He added, as Circuit coughed without looking back.

However, the moment Circuit left the training field behind and Riven disappeared from view, the relatively composed expression upon Circuit’s face immediately collapsed.

’We’re fucked.’

Circuit thought.

Because unlike Riven, Circuit knew exactly what Gary Ironveil was capable of.

And unfortunately, he had witnessed it personally.

Several months ago, Circuit had accompanied his father towards one of the largest gatherings of Western nobles held within Ironveil territory, where numerous Barons, Viscounts and Counts governing beneath Duke Alaric Ironveil had assembled.

At the time, Circuit had known relatively little about Duke Ironveil’s third son beyond the reputation surrounding him.

Then he watched Gary fight.

Circuit’s footsteps gradually slowed as the memory returned.

The exhibition had taken place within one of House Ironveil’s private training courtyards, with dozens of visiting nobles watching from the surrounding stands while Gary faced one of his instructors.

Circuit could still remember how relaxed Gary had appeared.

He had carried a longsword within his right hand, while his instructor wielded a considerably shorter training blade opposite him.

”Begin.”

The command had barely been spoken before Gary moved.

Flame erupted across his sword.

Not uncontrolled fire pouring wildly from the blade, but a thin layer of concentrated Aether that followed the weapon perfectly as Gary lunged forward.

His instructor blocked.

CLANG!

Gary immediately changed direction.

His first attack had been a simple diagonal slash, yet instead of fighting against the resistance created by the block, Gary allowed his sword to slide across his instructor’s weapon before rotating his wrists and attacking from the opposite side.

His instructor stepped backwards.

Gary followed.

One step.

Two.

Three.

Every movement had looked practiced.

There had been no hesitation regarding where his feet needed to move or how his body needed to rotate behind each strike, as years of repetition allowed him to attack while concentrating upon considerably more important things.

Then his Light affinity appeared.

A sudden flash erupted from Gary’s left hand.

Circuit remembered blinking instinctively.

That single reaction would have been enough to lose the fight.

Gary’s instructor apparently knew what was coming and immediately turned his face aside, although even he lost sight of Gary for a fraction of a second.

Gary exploited it instantly.

He stepped towards the instructor’s blind side while simultaneously extinguishing the Flame surrounding his sword.

Circuit had initially wondered why.

Then the instructor counterattacked.

Gary blocked.

And Flame erupted again.

BOOM!

The sudden Aether discharge exploded between their weapons, forcing the instructor backwards while Gary remained prepared for the recoil.

The watching nobles had immediately begun applauding.

Yet Gary had not stopped.

He continued forward, using Light whenever he needed to disrupt his instructor’s vision and Flame whenever he wanted to increase the destructive force behind an exchange.

Neither affinity had been used independently.

That was what Circuit remembered most clearly.

Gary fought as though Flame and Light were simply additional limbs attached to his body.

His sword created pressure.

Flame punished blocks.

Light created openings.

And his footwork connected everything together.

Eventually, the instructor caught Gary with a strike across the shoulder and ended the exhibition, although nobody watching had mistaken the result for failure.

Gary had been sparring against a considerably older and more experienced Ascendant.

And he had still looked dangerous.

Circuit stopped walking.

For several uncomfortable seconds, he simply stood between the Argent dormitories and the main compound while comparing that memory with what he had witnessed minutes earlier.

Gary attacking relentlessly.

Riven wobbling after swinging his halberd.

Gary using Flame to punish defensive exchanges.

Riven knowing no defensive technique whatsoever.

Gary blinding opponents with Light before repositioning.

Riven possessing a Perfect Storm affinity and apparently knowing absolutely nothing useful to do with it.

Gary’s years of sword training.

Riven’s...

’Hit him with the pointy end.’

Circuit closed his eyes.

The comparison was depressing.

Even Riven’s slight physical advantage suddenly seemed absolutely useless when Circuit imagined him attempting to land a clean strike upon someone whose entire fighting style had been developed through years of professional instruction.

’How am I supposed to fix this in two days?’

Circuit wondered.

Teaching Riven enough conventional technique to match Gary was impossible.

Even if Circuit somehow obtained the finest halberd manual within the Imperial Academy during the next ten minutes, Riven could not compress years of weapon training into forty-eight hours.

Which meant matching Gary was the wrong approach entirely.

Circuit’s eyes slowly opened.

If Riven attempted to fight Gary like a conventional martial artist, Gary would destroy him.

If he attempted to exchange techniques, Gary would possess more.

If he attempted to compete through experience, Gary would possess more.

And if the battle became complicated, every additional decision would favor the person who had spent years learning how to make those decisions instinctively.

So Circuit needed the opposite.

A simple fight.

Something ugly.

Something where Gary’s technical superiority mattered as little as possible.

Circuit resumed walking, although considerably slower now.

He needed to change the very nature of this fight, and that too from the very start, because unless he could somehow do that, Riven Dawnriver was beyond screwed.