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"Me too," I promised just as Ghale rolled the first dice.
With everyone watching to see how this would work, our instructor picked the first person and his weapons. After that, he repeated the process to get the second and what she'd be using. Both students gathered their gear, and Ghale moved to draw a line through their names. Then they set up in the middle of the sand pit.
With a single word, the match was on. I didn't remember the girl's name, but she was a first-year, and impressively good. The guy she was against was a second-year, and didn't stand a chance. Sure, he was bigger, but he was just not as skilled as his opponent. It didn't take long before the larger man was lying flat on his back and slapping the ground to signal his loss.
"That's an excellent for you, and a fair for you," Ghale told them. "Next up!"
Once again, he rolled the dice, one by one. The first picked a group. The second made my eyes jump down to see my name. The third chose my weapons: paired swords. Well, that would work out nicely.
I moved to the rack of practice weapons while Ghale found my opponent. There wasn't a large selection, just two sets of the six options he had listed - in case we both were assigned the same thing. I selected the better pair of swords in time to see a guy walking toward me. Bram was his name. I didn't know him well, but he'd made an impression when he'd refused to spar with Nari in grappling on her first day.
"Good luck," I told him.
He actually laughed. "You still as good as you were in primary?"
"Better," I promised, heading onto the sand.
Bram picked up a rapier and dagger, then claimed the spot across from me. We didn't get a chance to assess each other. Ghale didn't make a scene. As soon as we were both standing still, he simply called out for us to engage.
I rushed in, hooked the back of Bram's ankle, smacked his arm before he could throw an attack, and aimed my other sword at his head as soon as the guy hit the ground. Bram pushed out a breath, then signaled his loss. For a moment, no one made a sound, so I turned to make sure Ghale was watching. He was, his eyes narrowed, and then he waved it away.
"He tripped."
"Yeah, on my leg," I shot back.
"Do it again," Ghale ordered.
I offered Bram a hand, then pulled him to his feet. He thanked me, and we split up, each moving back to our starting places. This time, the guy swung his weapons as he walked, testing them out. I knew I wouldn't get the chance to drop him like that again, but my friends wanted to see me show off, and I was more than willing to.
"Engage!" Ghale ordered.
Bram tried to spiral around me, but I didn't want to give him a chance. Slashing out with one arm, I moved to his off-hand side. He tried to block and spin at the same time. My own off-hand weapon intercepted his dagger, I spun around it, and then cracked him in the back of the head with my sword.
"Fuck!" Bram snapped, halting immediately. "I can't even get around you!"
"I can't judge that," Ghale huffed. "Did you throw the match, Bram? Were you paid, because this will go poorly on your grades?"
"I simply am not as fast as him, Priest Ghale," Bram said.
Ghale waved him off. "Go back to the rail. Talin, you're getting another partner. One you couldn't have bribed." And he rolled the dice again.
This time, it was Cermik, and he had a staff. I glanced over to the rail to find Wraythe and Anver talking intently, but couldn't tell what it was about. Finally, Cermik entered the ring and braced. Ghale immediately ordered us to fight.
A staff was harder because it gave the guy reach. That didn't mean it was impossible to beat, and weapons work was what I'd enjoyed most. It was probably why Zeal had made me a guardian. Hoping to drag this out long enough for Ghale to be satisfied, I moved around the other guardian, waiting for him to initiate, but I knew I had this. Anver said I should show off, and the more shocked Ghale seemed, the more I wanted to make sure I left a lasting impression.
Then Cermik thrust, aiming for my knee. Well, that was a bad mistake. I smacked the tip of the staff toward the ground, shoved my foot on it to keep it there, and then surged in. A cut across the waist, a smashing blow down on the guy's shoulder, and one last slash at his neck, my practice weapon stopping an inch from his throat, and I knew I'd made the point.
"I'm so defeated," Cermik admitted, offering his hand. "Well fought, Talin."
I accepted the grip, then turned back to Ghale. "I can keep doing this if you want, or are you going to make me change weapons next? I'm pretty weak with a two-handed sword, if that helps."
"No, you made your point," Ghale said. "Talin, you get an excellent. Cermik, a fair. Let's move on."
When I got back to the rail, Wraythe and Anver were struggling not to laugh. I took my spot on Anver's far side, and the guy flashed me a smile. Wraythe just had his fist pressed to his lips, but his eyes were sparkling.
"They didn't expect that," Anver said. "I think Ghale's ass just puckered."
"Good." We paused to watch the next batch spar.
