The outdoor pit was visited by sunshine and clear skies as the new trainer stood quietly in the center of the arena. It reminded him a lot of his training facility that was recently constructed outside the bounds of Imythess civilization, but he knew he would not be practicing those particular skills this day. While the sky was clear and the wind was nonexistant, Sargoth's hair and flowing cloth was ruffled by a force that seemed to only surround him. He stared directly into the entryway, showing very clearly the lightning that seemed to flash within his eyes.

He stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back, with no weapon in sight. He had arranged a weapons rack near the back end of the pit full of training weapons for the new students, so he did not feel the need to keep himself armed for the time being. He was not nervous about his first day teaching only because he had sparred so many times before. Sargoth realized that he was doing this job without pay for awhile now and it was simply a bonus to receive a wage for it.

The lone guardian remained alone and solitary, statuesque in the arena, awaiting a student if one ever decided to come.

Astra walked nervously into the Outdoor Arena of the Academy of Arms. She had not been in a public place in the daylight for nearly a month. She had spent her time hiding out during the daylight hours and shifting through the shadows after twilight. She knew at that time assassins were hot on her trail and probably still were, but she needed to take this one risk.

Astra had learned all that she could while being a captive of The Game of Houses. She learned all the survival skills that she could, but no matter how much you read about the forms of fighting if did not help you when you needed to defend your life. She had always known this to be true, and her beliefs were only strengthened when she was nearly killed mere days before she made her motion at The Court that forever changed the fate of Talas.

Astra walked slowly, her eyes shifting nonstop. She was ready to bolt at the slightest sign of trouble. She wore tight black pants and a sleeveless black top. She also had donned a black cloak and the hood was up, and a black veil covered her face.

She knew that it if anyone was looking for her and had a description, if she did not hide herself she would be recognized on the spot. Not many people had lavender eyes and silver-white hair.

Part way into the Arena she stopped. She studied the figure standing in the middle of the Arena. The veil may have stopped her from being stabbed, but it hindered her vision and she could not make out details. The muscular figure did look oddly familiar though.

Unsure whether to speak or not, she stood in silence, her anxiety running high.

Sargoth was happily accepting of his first student, who just had happened to show up exactly on time. He had begun his lesson earlier than scheduled out of a lack of tasks to complete that morning. He scanned the figure who moved into the arena; whoever it was, he or she was decked entirely in black, making Sargoth slightly suspicious. He decided that he would allow his apparent student to retain the odd attire so long as it did not hinder any movements.

"Greetings," Sargoth said to initiate the conversation. "Welcome to the Acadamy of Arms if you are new. You have stepped into a scheduled training session for weaponry. I am Sargoth, the weapons master who will be instructing today. Are you a student, or perhaps you took the wrong turn?"

Sargoth shifted his stance to be a little more relaxed, wondering if his stature had made his student uncomfortable. Out of curiosity, he wondered what weapon the student would request to train with. His initial judgement said that his student would prefer a shortsword or dagger, just by her isolationist ensemble. He really wish he could have told whether he was addressing a man or woman beneath the black coverings.

Astra smiled greatly when she heard the man announce himself as Sargoth, though her smile could not be seen under the black covering of the veil. Her body relaxed slightly and her nerves settled a touch.

"I knew that he could not have perished in that fire. He seemed a warrior that held many victories and I suspected that blaze could have not harmed him." Astra thought happily and thankfully.

Astra spoke softly to Sargoth, "I have not taken a wrong turn. I am happy to come across you again my Lord Sargoth. I never had a chance to thank you for saving me from a horrible fate at the end of an assassin's claw. I tried to seek you out in the flames, but I was dragged away by the Queen's Guards who would not listen to my pleas. I thank you once again, but I know my thanks will never be enough for what you have given me, my life."

After glancing over her shoulders to make sure no one had followed her into the Outdoor Arena Astra removed the veil and pulled back her hood, revealing herself. She then realized something, "I played the part of a dull-witted lady at our encounter. Perhaps, he still thinks of me as such."

After removing her disguise and pausing for a few moments of thought, she continued, "I apologize for the act that I put on when we met. I was not who I seemed to be. The Game of Houses makes one take seemingly silly actions, but if it is not played one will be surely dealt death."

Astra stood, waiting for Sargoth response. Would he now send her away, knowing she was a Lady of the Royal Court? "The key word is "was". I no longer am, and never wished to be." Astra thought bitterly.

Sargoth smiled wide as he recognized the voice coming from the black attire. Soon, she had revealed herself to him so he could verify that it was indeed the same girl. He gave her a slight bow as he greeted her more personally, "M'lady Selena, good to see you again. I see you have managed to keep yourself out of trouble since our last visit."

Sargoth made the joking comment as he made sure there were no visible scars left from the battle or any ensuing. He had no idea what had transpired between that encounter and this, so he did not want to stir up any bad memories.

"I must admit that I feel our meeting at the library was more suiting than this current atmosphere, but I did not force you here, so I will not dwell on the oddity. You have no need to thank me, either, my lady. My good deed was cut short when I was unable to find you in the blaze. I was only able to find Angredon in his curious state, and even if he did know where you were, I doubt he would have fit through the doorways at the time."

Sargoth rethought his assumptions about what he thought his student might want to learn that day. He stuck by his decision that a shortsword was most likely going to be requested. It did not matter in the end, but Sargoth was attempting to get better at judging people.

He continued, "Well, Selena, it seems you are in my territory now. You would not be here if you had no will to train, so I suppose I must ask you to go to the weapon rack in the back of the arena and collect your equipment. Something tells me you are planning to get in trouble again so we had better get your skills up right away." Sargoth enjoyed his comedy, he had hoped the comment would break his student out of her shell so he could speak with her more casually. It made training a lot more interesting and much more productive.

*Being Weapons Master for a while already, it was Kore's duty to make sure that the new ones did a good job teaching their pupils. He wouldn't interfere, but he'd make sure his presence was known and that the teacher knew that their performance would be graded. He walked up to where Sargoth and Selena and stopped a few feet away from them and nodded at Sargoth* I don't mean to interrupt your session, but I just wanted to let you know that for the duration of her mentoring, you will be watched and graded based on your performance as a fighter and a teacher. I'll be sitting over on the sidelines ok? *he then walked closer to Sargoth and patted him on the shoulder* Welcome to the acadamy, we can always use new muscle like yourself

Astra smiled warmly up at Sargoth, it was slightly comforting to see a familiar, welcoming face. She laughed in spite of herself when he mentioned that is seemed as if she had stayed out of trouble. "If only he knew. I doubt The Court would agree with him." Astra thought amusingly.

Astra replied softly and warmly, "Please Sargoth, call me Astra. I am a Royal Noble no longer. I am happy you and Angredon made it out safely without harm. Even though you deny my thanks is necessary, you have it always." Astra wondered if the news of Talas had reached this far. It seemed rumors spread faster than any person on a horse could travel, which never ceased to amaze her. She had stayed at various taverns, most dirty and old that were extremely over priced, and at every single one she had heard whispers of the calamity at The Court of Talas. The variations of the truth astounded her. A red fiery dragon with a maiden on the back threatened The Court until they agreed to hand over power to their Queen, a woman engulfed in fire burnt down half the The Great Hall scaring the nobles and they suddenly surrender power to their Queen. All hit some truth, but never were completely what happened.

"I myself still cannot believe what truly happened. The God of Fire standing behind my motion invoking Supreme Authority to the Queen." Astra thought. The memory of Bahamut flying marvelously to the top of the Hall was still freshly imprinted in her mind, and probably always would be."The rumors also say the hungry and cold are being fed and taken care of. Also, that trade is resuming between the outer regions. I could not have hoped for more."

So consumed in thought Astra did not even notice the other man approach. When she heard him speak she backed up a few steps, suddenly vary wary. She was not very trusting of anyone since she bolted from the city.

She tilted her head to the side curiously after listening to the stranger's words. "I would hardly call Sargoth "muscle" for he is far more than that. I have seen him fight and it is like he is dancing elegantly with death itself. I guess there are different customs, in different lands. I did not come here to be graded though, I have never held a weapon in self defense in my life. I would not want to let my ignorance affect Sargoth in any way."

"I am not sure about being graded. I know nothing of self defense. I guess you already possess that knowledge Sargoth." Astra said, voicing her concerns. "I do not plan to got defeat an army single handedly, I merely want instruction on how to use these." Lifting her pant leg she revealed two throwing knives and an elvish dagger.

"Greetings Kore, welcome to my training session. I understand that you must evaluate my performance but unless you wish to be taught as a normal student I suggest you watch from the side benches," Sargoth joked with the fellow weapons master as he motioned to the side of the circle. He remembered Astra being jumpy and could notice her sudden shift in posture as Kore snuck into the conversation.

"Astra it is then," he stated matter of fact as he turned his attention back to his student. "Do not be worried about your skill level, if you are a novice like you say, you can only improve. Grades are based on improvement, not performance."

Sargoth moved closer to Astra as he caught sight of the weapons she was referring to. He was almost correct of his assumption, and he smiled inwardly at his good fortune. It really was a matter of luck rather than some supreme knowledge; his only hints came from the attitude of the fighter.

The guardian smiled at Astra quickly and then continued, "Astra, please pick which of the weapons you would like to begin with, either your dagger or the throwing knives. If you are interested in learning self defense directly, you will not need to fetch a practice dagger, so wield your choice and let me see how you hold it."

*As both Sargoth and Astra took their positions, Kore felt that what he had to say was already said, so, with his gradebook, he sat over on the sidelines, watching as the training session begin. With a sigh, he made sure he was able to see every aspect of the fight, just to make sure, he whispered and incantation and snapped his fingers. Moments later Penalia came fluttering towards him.*

Hey Kore, hows it going?Everythings alright Penny, just want you to help me out watching this fight. The guy over there may be a guardian, but he needs an evaluation, so I want you to get an aerial view. Not a problem boss, as long as I can swoon over him afterwards *Kore sighed* Sure, you can swoon over him, but just make sure you don't mess anything up, alright?* Penalia laughed and fluttered up in the air, circling around the two in the middle.

Astra relaxed when she heard the words exchanged between Sargoth and Kore. She had been known to be a very jumpy and flighty girl, but after the life she had been subjected to in Talas it was no surprise. Astra had no real friends and a family she wished wasn't hers. The only person to watch her back was herself and that was why she was here. When she was a part of The Game of Houses a good tongue lashing would send any noble running if you were articulate enough, but she doubted that an assassin would run after a heated argument, that was if you even got to speak one word before discovering a dagger in your back.

"Come to think of it." Astra thought to herself, "The only time that I was ever helped in anyway was when Sargoth saved my life. It seems fitting he is the one to teach me how to protect myself."

Astra studied the throwing daggers strapped to her ankle for a few moments. Even though The Game of Houses was vicious she never believed that she would have to come to this. "Fate flows as it must and we are all caught in the current. All one can do is reach out for a branch or sturdy rock and hope one has a tight grip."

Glancing over to where Kore was sitting a brief wave of anxiety ran through her body, she truly did not want her performance to reflect in anyway on Sargoth. After taking a deep breath Astra reached down, wrapping her fingers around the hilt of one of her throwing daggers. Slowly she drew it out of its covering and tilted her head and examined the knife. It felt cold in her hands. "Death is cold..." Astra thought solemnly.

Tilting her head upward so she could look straight into Sargoth's eyes she asked, "Is this the proper way to hold a throwing dagger?" Astra's own lavender eyes were a strange mix of emotions, grim determination to do what she must mixed with a sadness of knowing she could very likely take someone's life in the future.

Sargoth watched as Astra reached down to slowly wield her weapon. She seemed more interested in the blade's appearance than how to cut iwth it. He immediately determined that his student was not lying; it really was her first time trying to properly use the daggers in her boot. He remembered the fire in the library and was brought to the conclusion that she had defended herself between that encounter and the current with her magical talents alone. He would try to broaden her talents just in case she needed a more direct means of defense.

He could see the glint of sunlight off the side of the throwing dagger, a sign that it was not vertical. It was close to the proper angle, but fundamentally flawed. Only practice would improve her form; however, for the first attempt, it was very good. There was an example to be made.

"Very good, Astra," Sargoth complimented. He wondered how she would react to his next demand. "Now throw it at my chest."

Sadly, he had trust in both her and her inability to use a throwing dagger. It was not supposed to be a way to invoke fear directly, but he decided it would be easier to get it out of the way now before he set up the target bail. Hopefully this would instill a further desire to train after she realized there was more skill involved than easily apparent to onlookers.

Astra gasped and her eyes grew wide after hearing Sargoth's demand. She glanced at the knife, then at Kore and back at Sargoth. She thought nervously, "He wants me to what? Did I hear correctly? He wishes me to throw this knife at his chest."

Rubbing the finger along the hilt of the long dagger she stood silently for a few moments, deep in thought. "He must be mad, that's the only answer I can conceive. He knows my combat abilities. Even if I did follow his command I could end up hitting Kore, or a bird may drop from the sky. That is all and well if he wants fowl for midday meal, but I doubt that is why he is requesting this of me."

Lowering her head slightly she replied, "I'm sorry I cannot. I do not know why you ask me this, but I cannot."

Not knowing if she had failed some sort of test, she waited for a response. She tried not to show her anxiety on her face, but she realized she was curling and uncurling her toes in her boots. Something she did when she was worrying as a small child. She knew that they could not of notice this, but she still felt abashed and immediately ceased.

"I see," Sargoth said in a neutral tone. He seemed to randomly move his hands a little while he stood in silence directly after his reply. "Very well, we will discuss this later. Please try throwing the dagger at the bail behind me."

Sargoth stepped aside to reveal a circular target with a black ink spot at its center. The rest of the circle was a taught animal skin dyed in white. It had a few noticeable cuts across its surface, but it was obvious that it was still fairly new. Sargoth nodded slowly as he motioned toward the target.

He continued his instructions, "Aim at the black spot."

She would throw the dagger, whether it was aimed at him or a bail.

Astra lifted her head, she was unsure what "We will discuss this later." meant but obviously she had disappointed him. She took a small breath as she examined the target. It was quite far away, but she did not want to disappoint him again. She was unsure why, but disappointing him made her feel absolutely awful. "Maybe it is because he is the only one to ever help you, besides Bahamut of course. Well, girl..." Astra scolded herself, "... you can do this. If you can face The Court you can learn to throw a knife. Stop being such a child."

Pushing all thought from her mind, she formed a void. There was only her, the knife and the black spot in the centre of the white backdrop. She drew her hand back, still concentrating immensely on the small black dot. The edges of everything around her seemed to grow crisper and her hands steadied. With one fluid motion of her arm and a flick of her wrist the knife spun forward toward the target.

It seemed an eternity the knife hung in the air, but the altered perception of reality collapsed when she heard the dull thud of her knife embedding into the target. There her knife was fixed, three inches from the ink dot.

"Congratulations. You have just armed an otherwise weaponless opponent for no more than a possible bruise," Sargoth stated bluntly.

The entire arena seemed to shift and warp until it looked entirely blurred. In a blink, everything became clear again, but was different. A greater illusion had just been removed from the arena, it had been undetected by either Kore or Astra. Sargoth was standing exactly where he had begun, a few paces in front of Astra. Her loosed dagger rested on the ground with no apparent effect on Sargoth's chest. He had weaved the spell so that her perception appeared different, but she was actually aiming at his closer body. She had still managed to let the dagger deflect off of him by striking him first with the hilt.

"You allowed the dagger to spin far too much for it to be effective at any distance. At least you were able to gain the experience of both a successful strike and a failed one at the same time. Your kindness has benefitted you this time, though it will prove fatal in real combat," Sargoth taught without explaining the specifics of what had just happened.

Sargoth moved swiftly as he swooped down an arm to pick up the dagger and shifted beside Astra. He held the dagger in front of her, as if he were aiming perpendicular to her. She could see how he held the dagger with the gap between his thumb and forefinger directly at the top of the blade.

"Please pay attention while I show you this," Sargoth began.

Astra felt light-headed and slightly nauseated while her surroundings seemed to stretch, compress and distort. After the strange phenomena pasted she felt weak in her knees and she glanced around with a peculiar and stunned expression on her face.

"What just happened? Did I hit the target, or did I hit Sargoth? Such strange magic, clearly Sargoth's doing. I am unsure what his trickery was proving, but it obviously holds some point that I must learn. I know I know nothing of combat so clearly that must not be the deeper lesson. I shall rethink this later, now I must pay attention." Astra thought.

She did not let Sargoth's criticism faze her this time, she took all of it in, learning as much as she could. She studied how he held the dagger, clearly seeing her own flaws. She had held the dagger to close to the blade and she had clutched it like an ore of a boat.

Astra then looked up at Sargoth as she responded quietly, with a respect in her voice of a pupil to mentor, "I am watching."

She then returned her attention to Sargoth's stance and the way he handled the long dagger.

"Good," Sargoth acknowledged. "You will now see the proper angle of release for your dagger; I expect you to mimic this motion after I have shown it to you."

He made sure Astra was watching his wrist as he began moving the dagger back and forth. He would bend his arm slightly and pull his wrist upward, toward in inside of his elbow, and then flick his arm and wrist forward so that they were straight and the wrist was tilted toward the ground. "You see, you released the dagger at his point," Sargoth instructed, showing her specifically the point where the blade of the dagger was pointing directly at the target. "This is not an arrow, it is much heavier with much less power behind its flight. You need to release the blade when it is pointing half way between straight up and directly at the target. This angle allows the dagger turn in the right direction and avoids excess twirling in the air. You want the sharp end heading toward the target as much as possible unless you want to increase the chance of the hilt hitting instead."

Sargoth turned and looked a few paces away on the ground. He was happy to find a tiny weed reaching up to the sunlight. He used his control plants spell to make it grow and roll in on itself to form a large, square panel that resembled a woodland bail. A large blue flower bloomed directly in the center of the structure. "This is a real target. Please show me what you learned from my example and try to strike the flower. The plant will not mind, I promise."

*Kore was quite impressed at how Sargoth taught--strict and to the point, not like himself who liked to maintain a relaxed atmosphere untill the pupil were to put themself to the test in a practice duel. He decided not to question Sargoth untill after he was done with his pupil.* He's good....better than I expected... He's done his research* He whispered to himself. With a quill he made notes and jotted down comments to remember for later.

He also watched Astra. She seemed inexperienced with her throwing knife, which made him glad that she decided to come to this fine establishment. But if she were to be using distance to her advantage, theres the chance that so will others. Kore decided that he would either help Astra in improving her long range defense, or bring it to Sargoth's attention and allow him to do it. He noticed Penalia circling above, sighing as she looked at Sargoth*

Astra nodded, and then reach to her ankle and drew the other throwing dagger that was sheathed there. She gripped the dagger as Sargoth had demonstrated, with her thumb and forefinger. She practiced mimicking the motions that Sargoth had shown her. Inwardly Astra was smiling at Sargoth's comment, but did not let the expression appear on her face. "The flower will not mind... Quite amusing. I cannot help at being appalled to throwing a weapon at something that breathes. Never in all my life did I think I would even consider taking life, but this is my fate, my branch. I must hold on to it or be swept away."

After a minute or so, she did not feel so awkward with the strange hold and release, but she did not feel comfortable either. "Well, I have rehearsed long enough. Let us see what I can do."

Clearing her mind once again, she focused on the blue flower on the red canvas. She bent her arm slightly toward her elbow as Sargoth had done. She then flicked her arm and wrist and released the weapon. She grimaced slightly, the angle of her release was slightly off but she hoped that it would no affect her aim too much.

Although, she was pleased to see that the dagger's path was true, it did not spin as it had in her first attempt. The blade embedded itself in the blue flower but was not centered. She stood, gazing at Sargoth intently with her lavender eyes, waiting for his assessment and any further instruction.

Sargoth showed no immediate reaction as he watched Astra warm up and release, using the tactics he had just explained to her. He slowly looked toward the target to evaluate the hit. Unexpectedly, as if it seemed like he was dissapointed and was about to go into another lecture, he returned his gaze to Astra and gave her a warm smile, "Astounding."

Sargoth nodded slowly as he moved closer to the flower to retrieve the throwing dagger. He now had both of her weapons, but he knew they had brought her somewhere better than she where was to begin with. He withdrew the blade and watched as the flower healed itself. He removed the flower from the target and in its place a smaller bud grew outward. His pace was modest as he returned to his student and handed her the still blooming flower with a comment, "You have struck your target, and as combat goes, you keep the spoils."

He had never initially planned to give her a lesson in the etiquette of combat or war, even the antiquated versions, but it simply seemed right. It was sometimes tradition, among at least a few cultures, to keep any items left from an honorable kill. This occured after a proper burial, but Sargoth knew the flower still did not mind. In a continuation of his offerings, he gave her another smile and handed her one of her throwing daggers back.

"Excellent job, Astra. You have shown more improvement than I would have otherwise expected of anyone. Do realize that you need more practice to be able to throw under pressure, but for now, you show promise. Now, throw the dagger at the bulb that has grown in place of the flower. It's smaller and harder to see, but if you can get a dagger to at least touch its side, we can move on for the day," Sargoth instructed, giving her a little more motivation to accomplish her task.

A small smile took Astra's lips as she listened to Sargoth's compliments. She was proud of the improvements she had made after only this one short lesson, but she knew clearly that she had not even scratched the surface of how to properly handle a throwing dagger when only using a target, let alone when a party of cutthroats were after her purse or another assassin was trying to earn the bounty that was surely on her head. She still had no idea how to handle the elvish dagger still strapped underneath the black cloth of her pant leg.

Despite these very real thoughts of imposing threats she still let herself feel the happiness of improvement. It was pleasing to hear Sargoth approve of her success and achievement. "If I always think of what may be coming, I could turn into that elderly ex-soldier had seen once in a tavern. Sitting alone in the corner of the room muttering to himself of coming enemies and constantly glancing over his shoulder. When I tried to approach him he threw his spoon at me!"

She took the blossoming flower from Sargoth's hand and studied it for a few moments. It was unlike any flower she had ever seen. She was unsure of what to do with the flower, she had no where to put it and did not want to just carelessly throw it on the ground. Reaching back she pulled her silver braid forward and weaved it so it was knotted into the end. She flicked the braid behind her and then took her two throwing daggers. She felt ridiculous with the blossom in her hair but tried to ignore the emotion.

She sheathed one of the daggers and then concentrated on the target before her. It was a tiny bud compared to the last. She tried not to think of the difficulty, but only of the task. When her void was formed once more she drew her arm back slowly, all of her attention on the small target. With one fluid motion she flicked her arm and wrist, releasing at what she believed to be the proper angle. She then glanced anxiously at the plant, to see the outcome of her throw.

Sargoth was nodding slowly before Astra had finished determining where the dagger had landed. He tracked its flight and watched as it impacted near the center of the target, causing the booming flower to bounce away. He saw a tiny, rounded sliver drop off to the ground, acknowledging that the seed had been hit by the impact. He was more impressed at this moment than he could remember being. Even he did not pick up on the throwing dagger until after months of training. With a kind face he turned to Astra, saying, "Congratulations again, Astra. I believe you have reached a point where you can train on your own with the weapon, though you are free to seek further guidance if you feel the need. I leave it up to you: shall we continue for longer or would you like to progress? I would like to show you how to defend against the weapon that you are now training with before I move on to your dagger. What would you like to do?"

Sargoth began walking toward the target again while he waited for her to consider his offer. He moved to the severed bud and allowed it to regrow as he fingered the throwing dagger. He would have her defending herself yet.

Idly, he looked up to Kore, who was still watching his progress. He gave an expressionless look before returning his gaze to Astra.

Astra watched unbelieving as the small blossom drifted to the ground of the outdoor arena, leaving her knife embedded in the square panel of the plant. Her head did not swell with arrogance as some might have let happen after being successful so quickly, she merely felt a deep pleasure at being a fraction closer to her goal.

She smiled softly, beaming at Sargoth's congratulations, while her lavender eyes sparkled questioningly, "What do I wish to do? That is a very good question. I have been running for nearly a month from assassins I am not completely sure are on my heels. Though, I do not doubt that there is a price on my head, I may have lost all of my followers."

She rubbed her hands together, thinking deeply about what she was to do next. It was more than just a question of if she wished to train further with her throwing dagger, it was a question of what direction she wanted her life to head in. Her plans had been carried out in Talas, and she was no longer a Lady, and she was free to do as she wished.

She looked at Kore and then Sargoth as she spoke, "I request to become a full time pupil in The Academy of Arms. That is if there is an opening, and you will have me."

She waited for a response from either of the two men. On her journey towards this place she had heard that some students stayed here and learned the art of fighting from dawn until twilight. She felt that fate had thrown her where she was supposed to be, she was certain there was much she needed to learn here.

((My apologies, I've been involved in a thread averaging 900 words per post, so it's eaten up some time ;)))

Sargoth was surprised to hear the request come from Astra's lips; he rarely heard of new students entering the Academy of Arms by their own will, never mind at her age. Most of the new enrollees were brought to the Academy at a young age to train as guards and knights; those not predestined towards combat usually only entered the facility to train without official ties to the school. While he did not expect this outcome, he also did not have any qualms about his response. "Of course you may become a full-time student of the Academy of Arms. We would be lucky to have you, and this would be the best way for you to learn self-defense. Your dedication to your new skills is amazing and I am quite certain the headmaster would be pleased to speak with you himself about your wonderful choice. I suspect you will do quite well here, especially given your inherent talent for daggers."

Sargoth looked up to Kore and nodded his head with a slight smile. He was very proud of Astra. She was showing herself to be someone entirely different than the mere girl he had met in the library. She was now confident, if wary, strong and honorable. He was overjoyed that she had picked his class so that he could witness this evolution.

He continued to keep his smile across his face as he spoke some more, bringing the pair back to the session at hand, "Well, I suppose since you will be given plenty of time to practice later, you will want to move on to the next stage of your weapons training?"

*As Kore observed both Sargoth and Astra, he realized two things: Sargoth needn't an evaluation any further for his skill as a teacher are beyond what a normal beginning teacher would have. And Astra looked to Kore like she had a lot of potential, so in the future, Kore would hope to teach her a lesson or two.

Kore's limbs grew weary while being in rest, so he rose slowly to his feet to see Sargoth looking at him with a slight smile. Kore tilted his head to the side and applauded some before they continued their second lesson.* Astra, you're making progress far faster than most of the older members in this acadamy. And Sargoth, excellent form, style, and way of teaching. I hope you'll be around next month so you can continue to offer us at the acadamy your services.

And about the headmaster, don't worry about not qualifying. After both I and Sargoth testify to your skill and ability to learn--I'm sure there'll be no problems getting you in.*He then moved over to the two of them and nodded to Sargoth, then to Astra.* I was wondering if maybe I can suggest the next topic for your training--Defending against more than one person. How it will work is that you will first be the attacker, first attacking me with Sargoth, then the two of us will attack him so you can get a taste of how to defend yourself properly. Followed by a verbal explanation, followed by a demonstration of what you have learned by defending against me and Sargoth. How does that seem? Oh and Sargoth if you wish to continue your training one-on-one, don't hesitate to let me know. I was just growing bored of sitting and grading- I never really was the quill and paper kind of guy. *He cracked a smile and looked at the both of them, waiting for their response*

Astra’s smile grew wider and she was thrilled with Kore’s and Sargoth’s praise and assurances that she would be accepted by the Headmaster. She nodded graciously to each of the Weapon Masters as she spoke, “Thank you so very much! I am very thankful and honoured that you have so much confidence in my potential. You have my word that I will exert my full concentration and effort at all times.” Astra had to restrain herself from curtsying to both of the men before her. Not only did it seem that the etiquette of a Lady was drilled more deeply into Astra that she would have liked, it would also have made her feel a fool.


She also knew that if she did curtsy, which was the proper way to show extreme gratitude in The Court, she would be contradicting what she had told Sargoth about not being a Lady any longer and would most likely arouse suspicions of her origin in Kore’s mind. “I am not a Lady any longer and do not wish to be!” Astra though fiercely as if trying to force all the etiquette and procedure that she had been taught in her sixteen years of life out of her being.

Turning her mind to other matters, she thought curiously, “I wonder who the Headmaster is? I do hope that I get a chance to meet him. He must amazingly skilled in the art of fighting to be the Headmaster of this superb Academy.”

Returning her consciousness to the current lesson she responded to both Sargoth and Kore, her voice filled with great respect “Yes, I suppose I will have much time to practice the skills you have just given me. It is entirely in your hands what and how you both wish to teach me next. Obviously, you know best.” Smiling warmly, she waited for the two Weapons Masters to decide amongst themselves what the next step should be.

Sargoth nodded to Astra as he responded, "You are welcome Astra. Luckily, it is simple truth, so your thanks are not ill placed. I am sure you will show your best when training in the Academy and in the rest of this land."

Sargoth considered Kore's plan for an additional moment while he eyed the other trianing master and the student. He was not entirely pleased with placing Astra in true combat at this moment, especially since he seemed to be interested in melee and the basic dagger had not been taught yet. Sargoth read the sly smile across Kore's face and figured that Astra was up for just about anything, so he made a decision.

Sargoth moved inward so that the three were in a moderately spaced group and he held out his right hand, palm up. In moments, light seemed to warp around Sargoth's arm and a lethal looking dagger, made from an unknown and colorful material, materialized with the point directed toward Astra. Sargoth clenched his fingers around the hilt of the blade while his left hand remained idle at his side, still containing Astra's throwing dagger. Sargoth swept his hand up and rotated his dagger as he pretended to examine it during his following lesson.

"You must realize, Astra, that a dagger is unlike any other bladed weapon. Swords, halberds, axes, and others may be operated by the unskilled by powerful. While their effectiveness increases as the wielder gains knowledge in the art of the weapon, there is still an initial grace of their range and basic attacks. The dagger, contrarily, is a weapon which will almost help an enemy rather than harm them if it is not used with enough practice. It is comparatively tiny, forcing you to enter near hand to hand range for any effectiveness. You will be at a disadvantage to almost any other weapon in that regard. However, once you understand that a dagger is more a paintbrush than a weapon, your deadly art will be able to break the defenses of most anyone."

Sargoth flipped the dagger around in his hand, cutting neutrally in the air between the group of three. A few of his strikes were so fast that the air seemed to whistle in protest. "As such, I will allow this mock combat to continue at your final consent, if only for a taste rather than a true lesson. I shall use a dagger in order to facilitate a better understanding of the grace that a user must dedicate himself to in order to master this weapon."

Sargoth stopped moving the dagger in his right hand and let his arm rest against his side. He remembered the throwing dagger at his left and brought it up, hilt out, to give it back to Astra.

Astra stood, her arms hanging loosely to her sides as she listened intently on every word Sargoth spoke. Before she had even ventured to The Academy she knew that she would not be effective with a heavy sword or axe. She was fairly short, only stand five feet three inches and she her build was hardly muscular. Sargoth towered over Astra, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder. She had not been aware of that fact until now and for in an instant she was in awe at his massive size. She knew her strengths and they were she was very quick and agile. Knowing she must rely on her strengths, that was why she had picked the dagger. Although, she did wish to improve her weaknesses, but then again what could one do about their height? “Maybe if I hung upside down for a while gravity would aid me.” Astra mused. She would not admit it to anyone but her height was a sore spot.

As he moved on to explained that the skills of the dagger were not mere skills but an art, she flashed back to when Sargoth and herself were in the Talas Library. She recalled his movements and posture, it was truly like a dance, a dangerous dance. It was more than learning and following procedures and remembering angles, one could do only that but they could never excel, it was a feeling, an attitude.

She glanced at Kore momentarily with bright purple eyes, she then redirected her gaze to Sargoth’s outstretched hand that grasped the blade of her knife. She clasped the hilt in her hand with slender fingers taking her weapon.

She then replied softly, “I think that a mock combat will give me a feeling for what is to come. The only problem I can see is that I am ignorant in respect to the rules of engagement, also I have only just learned how to use my weapon offensively in a very minor way, and I have no idea how to defend or evade attacks directed at me. ”

A weak breeze stirred and a thin lock of rebellious silver hair fell free from her braid and proceeded to hinder her vision, absent-mindedly she pushed it behind her ear and in doing she became suddenly conscious of the flower at the end of her braid the feeling of ridiculousness returned. “Why am I so self conscious of that single, solitary flower? I have walked the streets my locks enlaced with gems, and in clothes that hinted at and revealed much more than I would have liked, but I never felt so insecure. I am just being a silly girl…”Astra scolded herself.

The noonday soon was beating down on The Outdoor Arena, and blue clouds drifted lazily across the blue sky. Astra forcefully returned her thoughts on the lesson and refused to let her mind wander again, she had promised, no she pledged an oath to put her full effort into every task and she had every intention of doing just that.

"Those were exactly part of my worries, Astra. It is good to know that you recognize your own limitations. I've seen many students too headstrong to know that they are ill prepared for a fight. I believe that you would learn little right now from a mock engagement, which is why I have decided to use a dagger as well if it is to continue. I believe, regardless of your knack for quick learning, you will wind up only developing a sense of what everything should look like from my actions rather than understanding them through your own. Combat is not a natural instinct that simply appears, but it is rather a culmination of training over several years," Sargoth explained. He was happy to see that there was some basis to his objection to the sparring match. At this point, though, he would leave the final say up to the other two with him. Astra was to remain at the Academy for a long time, apparently, and Kore seemed to be a fixture as well, so he figured little would change whether they fought now or waited. It was inevitable and it would be repeated until it was perfected.

"You two must agree on a final decision: whether we spar or not. I will teach the best I can in either situation. Take a moment for this, but while you do, I'd like you to grip your dagger, take a few steps back, and start getting used to how it feels when you move it around."

Overall, he would be more comfortable in the knowledge that he was progressing Astra's skill by continuing a normal session of basic training, but he also knew that Kore was itching for something to do. The situation would have been different if Astra was only going to be around for one or two lessons before leaving, but now that she had expressed interest in becoming a full time student, there was a little more slack. Full time students usually had less intense training, but it lasted so much longer. It was a method of instilling ease and comfort with fighting, which in itself seems a gruesome job. There was something to be said about a warrior with sword fighting ability and a swordsman with a complete ease at completing the dirty job of dealing death. While Sargoth did not want that particular scenario to befall the otherwise sweet Astra, it was her own choice and it would benefit her safety in the future.

*He took in everything that Sargoth and Astra said, realizing that a mock fight wouldn't be too good for a full time student.* Hmm....I like to see how eager you are to take on whatever is thrown at you, but Sargoth pointed out something very important. It would be better to watch and learn from Sargoth's techniques instead of using your own for now. Sargoth doesn't fear much, and his skill with a dagger is exceptional, so what you will do is hold that dagger, still in the way that you were taught, and watch me and Sargoth attack eachother. Now Sargoth, you cannot hold anything back, for she must see how a master of the dagger works defensively and offensively so she can make herself a visible goal. *He sighed though, twirling his sword in his hand* I'm just itching to do something...

Astra felt slightly relieved when it was decided that sparring would not take place yet. She was eager to learn but she still did not feel comfortable enough with her skills, her very small amount of skills at that.

Taking a few slow steps back, Astra kept her gaze upon Kore and Sargoth. She gripped her dagger as she had learnt but was unsure of exactly what she was supposed to do. Apparently they were going to spar with each other demonstrating the skills of the dagger, but Sargoth mentioned he wanted her to practice movement with the weapon.

Tilting her head ever so slightly with curiosity, she hoped that exactly what she was supposed to do would be clarified.

She was truly interested to see two weapon masters spar though. She still couldn’t believe that she had two of the most skilled fighters teaching her how to defend herself. She felt more honor and gratitude this day then she had in a very long time. She could only recall twice when she had felt similar to the way she was feeling now, when the Queen expressed that Astra’s loyalty had earned her a place among the few chosen to be her confidents and that she would trust Astra with her life and also when Bahamut, The God of Fire, expressed his wishes to help Astra to sway The Court to see reason.

The breeze stirred more strongly causing a few more stray silver hairs to fall before Astra’s eyes. She brushed them away as she waited for some sort of instruction from either of the two men.