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"Today, we'll do sparring." Mr. Eden started today's class with this.
"Choose a partner and practice the combat techniques I taught you. A little bit of pain and small injuries are fine, anything beyond that is not. Anybody who violates this will be written up for disciplinary measures."
"Do not that I'm only allowing you to spar with your preffered partners for now. In the future, we will start randomizing partners so that none of you will develop bad habits."
"Also, remember that this sparring should be educational. Constructive criticisms are encouraged. No hard feelings. You are all Warriors, fighting is in your flesh and blood, but I don't want to raise crazed murderers or psychopathic criminals. I'll kill you myself if I had to if you go that far."
"If there are no questions, you may begin choosing a partner now and start sparring."
With that, the young warriors began approaching each other to start the sparring session.
TJ and Sieg looked at each other and nodded. There wasn't much talk needed between them. TJ tilted his head, gesturing the big oaf to follow him to a spot where they can spar.
Unbeknownst to TJ, Sieg was actually grateful for TJ's initiative. He was initally worried that he'd have no partner. His peers were generally intimidated of him due to his size, it's something he had to deal with since he was a child. Fortunately, TJ didn't shun him because of that.
"Here?" Sieg asked after they arrived a relatively inauspicious spot in the camp.
TJ nodded and said: "We won't be disturbed here, I suppose. I could be wrong though. Anyway, we have shade so that's a plus."
"True." Sieg droned.
Then, without any further ado, he dropped into a stance and released his fighting intent.
Due to his height and size, Sieg looked extra intimidating than usual. The thick muscles on his arms and legs tensed up, and is eyes were laser-focused on TJ as if ready for any abrupt movement.
TJ did the same, but due to the size difference, he didn't look as scary or as intimidating as Sieg.
"No hard feelings." TJ stated, just to remind Sieg and himself.
"No hard feelings." Sieg nodded in agreement.
Then, without any flair or fanfare, TJ kicked his leg and charged.
'Fast!' Sieg was shocked.
He wasn't expecting this burst of speed from his friend. TJ immediately breached the distance between them, catching Sieg off-guard with his speed.
In his panic, Sieg threw a hasty punch. It didn't have much force, it's mainly to scare away TJ so that he could adapt, but expectedly, it was ineffective.
TJ caught his fist and swerved it to the side, preventing it from harming him. Then, he cocked back his fist and landed his own punch to Sieg's burly body.
His fist made contact with Sieg's sturdy chest. The big guy winced in pain before retaliating with another punch, this time it had more force and strength.
TJ caught it again, but this time, he was forced back. As expected, Sieg hits hard. TJ immediately felt his hands getting numb because of the impact. Sieg's size and musculature was truly making a difference here.
But TJ wasn't down for the count. He bounced back and closed the distance once more, this time though, Sieg was ready for him.
He waited until TJ got close enough before throwing a punch and another one for good measure.
TJ dodged the first punch and punched the second one away by hitting the back of Sieg's fist. Then, he raised his knee towards Sieg's ribs, causing the big guy to let out a pained gasp.
He didn't look good. A flash of frustration appeared on his eyes for a moment before Sieg attack. This time, he took the initiative. TJ saw him rearing for a punch and planned to respond to it.
Then, he noticed that it was awkward and guessed that it was a feint. He saw Sieg's other hand gathering momentum with the movement so he prepared for it, and as he expected, Sieg indeed tried a feint.
"Damn! Was it that obvious?" Sieg asked, pausing for a bit.
"Kind of." TJ replied after thinking for a bit. "Don't exagerrate too much, next time."
"Noted." Sieg nodded and they returned to the spar.
Unbeknownst to the two, Mr. Eden was paying close attention to them. Because unlike the other children here, only these two were treating his instructions seriously.
Some would say that he's exagerrating but he really wasn't. Mr. Eden had taught many batches of young warriors before. And it's because of his tenure and experience that he could guess the intentions of his students at the first glance.
He already taught them how to punch and kick better. He also taught them how to take a hit and/or to evade them. And although this was just the bacis of the basics, bland and boring, it's still a necessary part of the curriculum, that's why it's included in every single Novice Camps.
Kids will be kids. The bland and boring basics was nowhere near enough to settle them down. They'd always lean to the explosive and cool kinds of combat arts to satisfy their curiosity.
And this was why some of this group aren't as enthusiastic. Well, either that or they just see this pocess entirely unncessary.
It's childish behavior, one that they'd definiely regret later.
Of course, there were also those who came from respectable backgrounds. These children didn't need to practice here anymore since they're already done with this.
Mr. Eden didn't say didn't anything about this. He just let everybody be in their own worlds. So long as they pass the pratical exams, it's all good.
The only real people who's taking him seriously was TJ and Sieg, and they probably didn't mean it either.
The spot they chose to spar was indeed a bit far from where the rest sparred. But even though Mr. Eden wasn't close enough to see them, he could see them.
'That's huge kid is simply born to be a warrior. With that physique of his, he could be a great front-liner. He could be a tank, or an agressor.'
'As for the smaller one...'
Mr. Eden paused that thought for a bit. In his eyes, TJ was unremarkable so far.
Sure, in this spar, he seems to be winning, but that doesn't really man anything in the long run. The kid's spirit didn't burn as fiercely or as agressively as his sparring partner. He is calm and had really good instincts, though.
'...maybe an assassin, or a scout. He's quick enough to pass for either.'
'Well, I'm stereotyping here. In the end, I could only make judgements like this based on what I see from them so far.'
'Besides, kids nowadays have their own ideas about their future. I, too, back in the day, was the same.'
That's why Mr. Eden didn't plan on telling them anything for now. He's here as a guide. He could point them in a direction they wanted to go, but how to get there was actually up to them.
It's too early to see if these two really have what it takes, so Mr. Eden will continue observing for now.
Back to those two...
By now, TJ and Sieg have exchanged blows numerous times. By now, both of them are sporting bruises, grazes, and dirt on their bodies.
Sieg hits hard because of his size and muscular body. He's also a sponge to damage because of his physique.
On the other hand, Sieg was lithe and flexible. His technique was also better than Sieg. What's even more surprising is that he was improving at a visible pace along their spar.
Sieg barely hits him at this point, and even if it does, the result was a trade, with Sieg being at a disadvantage.
"Alright, time-out! Ow!" Sieg signalled for a pause and braced his sides. He then hurtfully glared at TJ and asked:
"What did my ribs ever do to you, huh? Why do you always target me here?"
"Because you're too tale for me, I can't reach your face." TJ blandly replied.
"You're mean." Sieg pouted before sitting down.
TJ shook his head before taking out bottles of water, passing one to him. Sieg muttered his thanks and with a squeeze, he emptied the contents of the bottle, destroying the bottle at the same time.
Sieg then took out protien bars and shared it with TJ, too.
"Man, having an inventory sure is nice." Sieg sighed as he munched on this protien bar.
TJ sagely nodded at that. Indeed, having an inventory sure was convenient.
The 'Inventory' is a persinal storage space which everybody gets upon their awakening. The higher one's professional rank is, the larger it's size. The inventory negates weight altogether, making it incredibly convenient for use.
As the rest, TJ noticed that the bruises on Sieg's body was starting to fade. He didn't react noticeably to this, but he did wonder if this was the effect of Sieg's boon.
If it is, then it wouldn't be surprising at all. Sieg had an abnormal physique even before the awakening, after all.
But of course, TJ wouldn't ask him to reveal this because that's just rude in so many levels. It could even be illegal, too.