Chapter Four: Basic Training

Gin realizes that Arthas and Dante need some much needed training before they can enter the army.

            “And then I told him that he better back off before he got hurt. Well, apparently where he comes from that’s an invitation to challenge me to a duel. So he took up a wooden training sword, threw me one, and came to attack me. Well, as you may have a guessed, the fight didn’t last long. One quick swing to his chest and he fell down pretty hard. And that was that, He hobbled off back to his horse and rode off. That’ll teach him to say my hat was ugly.” Arthas had been going off on one of his “I’m way too cool” speeches ever since they got off the bridge and Gin mentioned something about a fight he got in at the bridge. If Dante counted correctly this was his fourth story.
    “Yes Arthas, you are the epitome of warriors…” Gin said sarcastically as he tilted his head and sighed. Arthas shot him a look that could pierce chainmail. “But to be honest, you have little to no experience with actual combat or with your new sword.” Arthas couldn’t argue the last part.
            “Yea, your right I suppose, when we make camp I’ll set up some dummies and practice a bit.” Arthas said. Gin shook his head.
            “Just doing forms on dummies won’t prepare you for battle. Soldiers like you would get killed in a week, your all style, no substance.” Gin explained. Arthas was getting redder and redder as Gin spoke. Dante just wondered why they couldn’t get along. “You BOTH need to practice with your swords, and so I think we should camp now, and start practicing by dueling.” Arthas looked shocked.
            “We still have a good three or four hours of travel before it even starts to get dark. We can’t just camp now!” Arthas yelled. Dante heard where Arthas was coming from. It would be a long enough trip as it is and they both want to get to the Army base and start their new lives. Gin headed his horse towards a small group of trees off the road.
            “The prodigy warrior afraid that he may be defeated in a duel?” Gin asked propping up one of his eyebrows. Dante shook his head, now Arthas would have to stop. His ego was much too big to say no to a challenge like that.
            “Me? Afraid? Of you?! Ha, I’ve never heard of something so ridiculous. Let’s go old man, I’ll teach you a thing or two about swordplay.” Arthas was spitting. He jumped off of his horse, strapped it to the tree, and started drawing out his sword.
            “That’s more like it. But, we don’t want any severed limbs; bring your swords here, both of you.” Gin told them. Arthas and Dante listened. Drew their swords and brought them over to where Gin was kneeling. Gin took off one of the bags from his horse and started rummaging through it. He finally pulled out what seemed to be a canteen. He popped off the cap and started pouring it over Arthas’ sword.
            “What are you putting on my sword?” Arthas asked skeptically. Gin raised his head. To look at Arthas as he started pouring the same liquid on Dante’s sword.

“This liquid is known as Carron Juice. It’s a juice from Carron root, and it acts like an instant wax. It’ll coat your weapons to make a dull coat over them so we don’t kill each other. We can wash it off later, but it’ll cushion every swing we make.” He started pouring it on his own small sword. Arthas ran his finger up and down the blade. It didn’t cut him in the slightest. When Dante felt his edge, it felt not just dull, but smooth.  

    “Alright now, let’s start with you Arthas. Mister all high and mighty, the strong warrior, let’s see what you got.” They walked over to the clearing behind the trees, and both held up their swords. Arthas’ sword was huge, and Gin’s was small, a arm-and-a-half like Dante’s, maybe even smaller. With Arthas’ strength and the size of that sword, Dante couldn’t help but think that Gin couldn’t stand a chance if he took one direct hit.

    “You sure about this, bard? I don’t think the dullness will help you with broken ribs, eh?” Arthas taunted. Gin had a similar build to Dante, and so Arthas already had experience fighting with that kind of fighter. As far as Dante knew Gin wasn’t the fighting type, so this could be bad.

    “Enough talk, come at me.” Gin ordered. Arthas didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as the word “me” left Gin’s lip, Arthas was off running at full speeds towards Gin like a bull towards red. He lifted the sword high above his head going for a horizontal cut. Gin didn’t move. Finally Arthas had reached Gin, and started his swing. The slash may have been meant for a side rib shot, but with Arthas’ height, it was aimed more around Gin’s shoulders. In a lightning quick movement, Gin swung his sword from his left side so he held it straight down, hilt in the air, with his left hand, flat side out, and bracing it with his right arm. The large b*****d sword’s diabolic swing made contact with the small sword Gin was holding. There was a large ringing sound, and the swing that would have surely broken Gin’s ribs stopped dead in its tracks as it fell into Gin’s defense.

    “What is this?” Arthas demanded. Gin simply smiled.

    “Well, I guess you can’t just rely on your brute strength to get everything done now, eh?” Gin pushed off with his right hand, lifting the sword and sending Arthas back.

    “Are you sure this liquid you put on isn’t to reduce the strength of my blow, you tricky bard?” Arthas smirked. Gin smiled, and within half a second had closed the six-foot gap between them. Gin didn’t give Arthas time to react when he swung around the small sword and smacked him right in the temple of his head. Arthas grabbed his head, about to scream, when he realized it wasn’t cut. “D****t man! That hurt!” Arthas yelled.

     “You asked me if the blows were softened. Do you think so now?” Gin asked. Arthas scowled at the bard, and raised his sword up once again, getting ready for another attack. He charged at Gin once more getting ready for quicker, relentless attacks.

    However, quick for Arthas really wasn’t that quick at all. Gin parried each hit with the tip of his sword, one handed. He was only defending. Was he being forced back by Arthas’ sword? Was he waiting and reading all of Arthas’ moves to know how he fights? No, Dante knew something was different.

    Gin was right-handed. He was wielding his sword in his left, and he was deflecting the sword with one hand. He was toying with Arthas, and from his face, Dante could tell that Arthas was just starting to realize this too, which only meant bad news. Arthas would start getting desperate until he made horrible mistake and the fight would be over.

    Speak of the devil. Arthas made a desperate two handed blind swing at Gin’s feet, and Gin simply smiled. What happened next and was almost too quick for Dante to follow. Gin stabbed at the long space Arthas’ sword, pinning it deep into the ground, stopping it in its tracks, but Arthas’ hands kept going, which only ripped them off and left his whole body exposed. Gin swiftly threw his leg up and kicked Arthas so hard in the face, he was lifted off his face and flew back a few feet. Dante couldn’t believe that a bard like Gin could not only beat Arthas in a duel, but toy with him and finish him by lifting him off his feet with a kick. It was unbelievable.

   Arthas propped himself up on one elbow and felt his nose. It was bleeding, but it wasn’t broken. Well, not badly broken anyways.

   “What the hell was that?” Arthas demanded. Gin walked over and stamped his foot onto Arthas’ chest, pushing him back down to the ground.

    “The mighty warrior has fallen. Listen kid, you need to get out of this delusion that you are some sort of elite swordsman. You wouldn’t last a day in war. And one more thing, stop calling me old man. I went out of my way, and out of the kindness of my heart, decided to follow you guys and help you get to your destination safely. I don’t need you to disrespect me. Have some class will you?” Gin pressured on Arthas’ chest for a quick second and lifted off and walked away. Arthas laid on the ground, defeated. “Dante, come here, your next.” Gin called. Dante froze for a second, but got up none-the-less.

    Dante already had a large advantage over Arthas. He had been able to see how Gin fought, and he basically knew his body type seeing as they had the same build. However it would be hard to fight him without knowing anything about his style.

    “You ready?” Gin asked. Dante nodded his head. Arthas had just gotten up and moved over to where Dante was sitting and sat, massaging his head and cleaning up the blood with a rag cloth. “Attack me; I want to see what you can do.”

    “Alright, let’s go.” Dante charged at him, the sword he held felt so light compared to anything he had ever used before. It felt as though it was an extension of his arm, how there wasn’t even sword; it was a part of him. His grip fell perfectly in place with the dragons making the grip connect perfectly with his hand. The only problem was the same thing that was so great about the sword: Dante didn’t know how to fight with this kind of sword.

    Gin hadn’t really budged by the time Dante reached him. Dante threw a quick stab at the bard at a speed that even surprised Dante. Gin was able to deflect and counter with a side slash. Dante however still had all the momentum of the run-and-stab left, and placed his left hand on Gin’s shoulder. Without even thinking, instinct took over him and he threw himself in a flip over Gin. Gins slash easily missed, and everyone’s face turned into the same, dumbfounded expression. However, the fight was still going on. Before Dante had landed he had already brought back his sword for another stab. Gin, however, was faster, and whipped around and slammed the flat end of the blade into Dante’s head slamming him to the side. With catlike reflexes, Dante quickly jumped back up and steadied himself, ready for another attack.

    Dante didn’t know what was making him so quick. A light sword helps with fighting but it doesn’t help with flipping over an opponent. He felt a rush through his body, almost like adrenaline. It felt like there was another liquid flowing through his veins besides blood, something that strengthened his muscles and improved his vision. It felt good.

    Gin flipped his sword from his left hand to his right and smiled at him. Now they both were serious. Gin charged at Dante, but a second before he reached him, Dante kneeled and thrust out his sword making a pike like stab, but Gin had a longer reach than Dante had previously thought. Both hits connected, except Gin was able to roll around the hit so it only skinned his side. The spin gave Gins sword momentum, and in an instant the blade whipped into Dante’s back with enough force to send him skidding across the dirt. The feeling died. Gin threw his sword into the ground, and crossed his arms.

    “Neither of you did bad, but neither of you did well. You both have to train hard with your new weapons if you want to use them well. You both have a lot of work, including wrapping your head around a warrior’s mentality. Brains are just as important as brawn in fighting, regardless of what you may think. I will help you both become better fighters.” Gin drew his sword out of the ground and returned it to its sheath.

    “Why? Why would you help us become better soldiers? I thought you hated military dogs.” Dante said, voice monotone as Arthas slowly trudged over. His face was somewhat clean now, and he had to small pieces of cloth stuck in his nose to keep it from bleeding. His moans were nasally, but Dante was sure it wasn’t broken.

    “It is because of how you two boys were talking, especially you Dante, at the party. It is true; I have problems with how the army is being run, and how it is full of corrupt army dogs. I call them dogs because they are nothing more than such. They abuse the title of soldier for selfish purposes or they just like to hurt people, and the officials and generals just let it happen, with little to no punishment. I cannot stand a man who is given a great power and abuses it for selfish gain.

    “That’s why I am training you two. I want you two to be the paladins that give the armies a good name. I want you to change the world, and I want you to be better than any other. If you two rise to the top, than you can change the world, and that’s what I’m training you for.” Gin said. Dante wasn’t sure how he felt. This man had suck high expectations for them, and they didn’t even think about going higher up than a normal soldier.

     “You really think we can?” Arthas spoke up. He didn’t have his normal egotistical tone. It was sincere, and respectful. Dante wondered whether it was being humiliated by Gin in a fight that did it or whether it was hearing Gin say that he expected him to be great. Either way, Arthas had a different light about him with Gin.

    Dante’s hand was killing him. He slowly slipped off the black ring that Gin had given him off his finger, and threw it in his pocket. The tension in his hand went away, and he felt more relaxed.

    “I know you can, but it won’t be easy. You won’t be able to slack off one minute, it will all be very tough training. I know you have the ability to handle it; it’s a matter of if you are willing to handle it.” Gin told them.

    “I will. I will get stronger…” Arthas said, and with a wicked smile looked back up at Gin wiping his nose saying, “And I’ll repay the little favor you gave me.”

    Gin smiled back at him. Arthas stood up, and so did Dante. Their weapons ready in hand. Gin withdrew his, looked towards them both and said “Let’s have one more battle, right now, the last of the day, both of you versus me? How does that sound?” Gin proposed. Neither Dante nor Arthas refused. They were in fact eager to get a second chance now that they were prepared for what kind of fight Gin was going to have in store. “Well then, I will officially be using my right hand the whole time. You know what to expect, so you both should do somewhat better. Remember, think like a warrior. Think that it’s either your life or theirs, which in a fight, it will be. Move like a flow, wrap your head around that mentality and you will do much better. Now, come at me” Gin ordered, withdrawing his sword from its sheathe.

    “Ready little brother?” Arthas asked Dante.

    “Ready? I did better than you last time, maybe I should be asking if you’re ready.” Dante joked. Arthas chuckled and they both readied their weapons. They both went off at once. Arthas slowed down just before they reached Gin, giving Dante the opening attack. The golden blade whipped from Dante’s side to Gin’s right side in less than a second, causing him to quickly guard, leaving his left side open. Arthas flew in from the side with a devastating slash that would easily sever Gin in two. Gin moved swiftly, throwing Dante away with a kick to the chest and at the same time, spinning his body out of the way of Arthas’ slash.

    With one hand out, Dante caught himself off the fall, and threw himself back on his feet in a swift back flip. It was a good maneuver, but it wasn’t like before. He didn’t feel the intoxicating power that he felt the first time. He readied himself once more for the fight, and was trying to bring back the feeling he once had, but to no avail.

    Arthas didn’t wait for Dante to catch up, and with an animal like ferocity, threw himself at Gin, holding the b*****d sword in one hand. With swift swings and balancing himself with the other hand, he was able to make smoother attacks and he looked like five times the fighter he was in the first fight. He spun and slashed with such fluid motion it looked like instinct had totally taken over and he was a war machine. Now that he wasn’t fighting with a huge ego weighing down on his shoulders, he was fighting well.

            Dante started dashing towards the fight, wanting to see how good he could be. There was a rivalry between them now, Arthas and Dante with Gin. They felt the need to prove themselves worthy of Gins praise. They had to. It felt almost dishonorable not to.

    “That’s it guys, this is good. Keep up this style; it’s just what you need. No fight was won on the defensive; you must be offensive to win.” Gin kept throwing out little educational sayings like that trough out the fight. Dante knew it was to make them better, but it almost seemed like an insult that he was able to repel them both and give constructive criticism and not even break a sweat. At the same time, however, this pushed them both even harder. They adapted to what Gin was saying and kept getting more and more in to it.

    That’s when Dante made a daring move. He quickly dove under one of Arthas’ horizontal swings and stabbed at Gin. Gin flew into a back flip, initially dodging the swing from Arthas’ and Dante’s swords, and at the same time, kicking Dante in the stomach hard enough to throw him into Arthas. They both fell over and Gin laughed.

     “Nice try, but not good enough. Keep trying.” Gin yelled. They both got up, and charged once again. But Gin didn’t give them the same opportunity this time, and went on the offensive this time. As he ran, he threw his sword like a dart between the two boys, making them jump out of the way of each other. Now they were two separate forces, which was a huge disadvantage, but now Gin was unarmed. What was he thinking?

    Gin ran for Arthas first. He crouched so his head was level with his waist. Arthas flung his sword down at him, but Gin sidestepped it, with little effort. With a quick springing jump, Gin launched himself up and landed a left-handed punch right into Arthas stomach, lifting him a couple inches off the ground, and then followed up with a right-handed punch to the same spot in his stomach straight on this time, sending him to the ground.

    Dante appeared behind him in an instant, a swung down with a superhuman force, but Gin was able to dodge, but barely. Dante followed Gins example and threw a punch with his left hand, but this was a bad idea. It missed because Gin was still in the middle of his dodge, and that threw Dante all off balance. Gin took the opportunity to attack.

    Gin threw up his knee, bending Dante over it like a wet towel and knocking every ounce of air Dante had in his system. Gin dropped his knee and grabbed Dante by the back of his shirt as he gasped for air.

   “Bad move.” Gin stated, and then threw him into Arthas, who was on his hands and knees trying to get up. They both fell over, and Gin just laughed. They both lay there defeated, gasping for breath and muttering curses under their breath.

   “I don’t know about you guys, but I know I am going to have one hell of a time.” Gin said, smiling.