CBT-101 Basic Combat Training

Fatima was actually a little nervous when she walked in the door. She hadn't exactly kept up with her combat training since she'd been here. It had only been a month or so, so it's not like she was out of shape, it was just that she hadn't trained since her family was killed. Being out of practice was not the reason the young horseman was glancing around unsurely at the classroom, though. The cult's methods had been intense even to start and downright brutal as she got older. Although, Fatima had preferred the combat training to the general power training; at least her need to be stealthy with her weapons meant she rarely lost limbs while fighting.

Another thing that made her uneasy was the size of the professor. Although she was as tall as he was, or nearly so, she was not exactly suited for combat in the traditional sense. Not that that really mattered in her case, though she was somewhat fragile and prone to getting hurt in close-up fighting, it's not like anyone here could do her any permanent damage. But she hoped she'd get to train with her own weapons eventually, the horseman really had no idea how to use anything else.

She took off her coat and sweater when the teacher asked and hung them up on the hooks, trying not to shiver at the sudden chill. She was always so bundled up when it was winter because her body seemed to be sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Then she lined back up and sighed. Looked like the horseman would have to introduce herself first.

"My name is Fatima," she said before looking at the professor, uncertain if they were supposed to introduce themselves with more than names. She had deliberately left off her last name and hoped he didn't call her on it. That was her fake parent's name, the cult's name for her, and she wasn't sure she really wanted to use it anymore.

Hunched over in the corner, a small, ashen-red scaled creature shook and shivered heavily trying to get himself warm. His earrings jingled pleasantly together from his shivering, so at least he wasn't annoyed or bored. The cool room was a little too much for what he was used to, and even more so he was full of full of resentment. Combat training, on his first day here? Too much! This was not what Crispin had hoped for. He wanted to study magic, to research history, to know more of his kin!

Besides that, once he found his true power, he wouldn't need to know how to fight. He would just rip his enemies limb from limb or cook them with unquenchable fire!

Then the door opened and professor stepped inside. Crispin stopped being able to shiver- he was instead shook by awe and a tinge of terror. "He could crush me with one hand," Crispin thought to himself. Then the professor barked his orders and before he could even think to react he found himself hanging up his coat and standing in line.

"My name is Crispin de Groodt," he started, trying but failing to hide the terror in his tiny voice.

"I've never fought a day in my life." He paused for a moment, thinking to say something else, but instead just looked down from the professor and muttered, "Why am I even here...?"

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{tbody}
{tr}
{td=colspan:3|center}Victor Castleton{/td}
{/tr}
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{td}Initial Entropy: 100%{/td}
{td}Mood: Calm{/td}
{td}Outfit: Uniform{/td}
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[/xtable]

The class was quite varied, Victor thought. There was a Reptilian guy, Famine itself, as well as a Chronokinesist (Time psychic).

Victor hung up his jacket, on a hook, far from the others. He wasn't removing his vest or shirt, even if the Professor had done so. He had to keep his dignity, and a deathly pale, thin body wouldn't help.

Since the New years eve Party that had quickly escalated into a Hostage situation, He had felt useless without his power. To have it taken away so easily... He had to learn how to fight.

To be honest, He actually sympathized with the red reptile. he had never been in a fight before either. Victor was quite nervous, were Tests a brawl?

The professor, the giant he had seen fishing, didn't help to ease Victor concern. He had to duck into the door, for heaven's sake! It was like the Terminator mixed with a mountain.

At least he didn't have to speak first. Fatima did that, as did Crispin, the Red Reptile. So he took a deep breath, released it, and spoke. "I am Victor Castleton, Sir."

Fatima smiled, kind of relieved the professor hadn't really said much of anything. While the introductions were going on she glanced around curiously, both trying to get a measure the people she would be sparring and looking out for anyone she knew. She was also kinda checking out for anyone that would affect her aura too strongly. She hoped everyone had eaten. Getting hungry while trying to train just would not be fair.

She did recognise the Victor guy from the New Year's Party. He was the one she had tried to embarrass by pretending to do naughty things with Fitz. Of course, now she actually was doing those naughty things with a lot of people. She wondered how many people knew that. It didn't bother her - she had needs - but she found it a little amusing to think about. She didn't recognise the little lizardy thing wearing the earrings, Crispin, he said his name was. He was just - so tiny and cute. But wearing earrings to a combat training class seemed a little dumb to her. So it looked like she wasn't the weakest one here after all. It would be interesting to see how everyone stacked up against each other.

When the professor started talking about the weapons they could pick, Fatima frowned a little - nothing ranged then, it seemed. This was both a tiny bit frustrating but also a little exciting as well. Once they were allowed to head for the bag, Fatima did so eagerly. She was really curious what she would find.

What she did find was a little surprising, though she had a suspicion that whatever weapon she had pulled out would've been just as or more surprising. She had pulled out two knives, which she promptly brought back over to line, examining them curiously. She wondered how the bag knew how to pair them up with a weapon. Was that part of the magic or just a saying? She was just casually paying attention to the others getting their own weapons while she tried to figure out how to hold the knives properly.

[xtable=skin1|bcenter|518x15]
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{td=colspan:3|center}Victor Castleton{/td}
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{td}Initial Entropy: 100%{/td}
{td}Mood: Uncertain{/td}
{td}Outfit: Uniform{/td}
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[/xtable]

Though he didn't say anything, Victor knew that Professor Zera recognized him from the fishing incident. Hopefully, he didn't try to make him learn patience.

Speaking of which, he was trying to avoid eye contact with Fatima. She had said... some things that made him uncomfortable when they first met, thus he was staring at the Professor the entire time, barely acknowledging the woman that brought the bags, though Victor was interested in their contents.

His question was answered a moment later when the Professor explained the lesson. Inside the bags were a weapon that he could learn to use. Surprised at the sudden access to weaponry, he took a moment to walk over and barely left his spot when Fatima came back, holding two knives.

Leaving quickly before she could start a conversation, he looked in the bags, both of which were a complete mess. He ould see all manner of weapons, some he recognized, like swords and spears, but some he didn't, like the one with three blades, the middle longer than the other two.

After a moment of deliberation, he was stuck between a spear, and a weapon that he faintly remembered as a Dirk. The spear would increase his range, but the Dirk was short, fast and easy to conceal. He just felt drawn to it.

Unable to make up his mind, he just took both. He stood back in line, spear in his left hand, dirk in the right, then he switched them around, finding it more comfortable.

Jake stayed in the corner while the towering figure of the teacher explained about the weapons. He had learnt karate since he was five and attended a lesson every Thursday, back in England, though he had never really used weapons before. They occasionally brought out nunchucks to work with but Jake never got the hang of them - it required too much concentration.

After Victor pulled out his weapons, Jake made his way to the front. He had no skill in any of them so he picked one at random. From the bag, he drew a sword; a broadsword to be precise. He returned to his corner and waited for instructions on what to do next.

Aedan Drago stood quiely, back straight, coat already off, an air of military discipline surrounding him and unlike the others, he'd brought a weapon. A simple sword, but he was a natural with a blade, and he was trained, and trained well, but he knew he had more to learn hence his precense.


His glowing eyes looked over the others interested, he had never trained with others before. "My name is Aedan Drago," he said calmly in his smooth British accent. He set his own sword aside and found one similar among the charmed weapons, he tested the weight, did all the proper things to familiarize himself with it.

Looking around at all the students in the class, Crispin felt underwhelming. He was by far the smallest person here and there was no way he'd be able to fight any of them without getting the floor mopped with him.

Crispin saw a lady drag the bag in- assumedly another teacher at the school- and watched as the bag fell on the floor. WEAPONS? he thought to himself. I'm gonna die.

For some reason, he found it hard to trust that the students were entirely safe when it came to the weapons. He figured magic could do things like this, but he had no clue how far he could trust it.

The tiny kobold stepped forward to the bag, wondering what kind of weapon he could even use against the others. He'd used his claws once to defend himself, and though they made for terrible weapons, they did enough damage to frighten the jerk who held him up by the neck once in school.

He walked to the bag and had no clue what it would give him. He reached in and somehow drew out...

A knife.

Oh boy, thought the kobold sarcastically. Watch out everyone, I got a knife.

He grumbled at this, but grabbed the knife anyway, and rustled through the bag some more to look for something else, anything- but he couldn't find anything he could lift, let alone use.

He groaned quietly. "Teacher, this isn't a proper weapon, is it?" he asked Zera. He didn't get why this was happening. "Shouldn't I get a sword or spear, at least? I can't find one my size."