It wasn't until the dining hall was half empty that Cutlery realized she didn't need permission to leave. Standing immediately upon this realization, Cutlery returned her plate. It was exciting to do as she pleased. Despite the freedom, she did the training she would have been doing downstairs. All the seconds congregated in the gym after a few hours. People like Angela came in with papers and equipment. Others carried written studies they had already been working on.
Everyone started stretching and working on their own. Friends helped each other, talked, and relaxed. Cutlery began to realize she liked doing things of her own will. The soldiers telling her to stretch had been annoying. Tall holding her by her ankles because she asked was fun.
The missing component of self-training was motive. Thus Cutlery figured out why so many people did partner exercise. The competition had replaced mentorship. So she stepped into the pit. She asked Holly to join her. She liked the excitement of fighting spellcasters more than the brute fest other physical types created.
They both geared up with their usuals. Holly's complete set included a stringed instrument of some kind and a rapier. Cutlery also liked the small swords' lightweight. They used a small chalk circle for their boundary.
Notes flicked the air as Holly tuned. Cutlery pulled her blade and tightened her belts. She had a few extras across her chest to hold throwing knives. A final chord strummed from Holly and she nodded. Cutlery jumped towards Holly. A melody ricocheted into her head. Her vision blurred and her thoughts lanced across themselves. She blinked at Holly. What a wonderful person.
She was so kind, and helpful, she wanted only the best for her. Holly asked her to leave the chalk circle and she did.
"Point to Holly!" Savvy yelled as she stretched on the benches. Cutlery blinked. Her mind cleared from a fog she hadn't even noticed.
"What was that!" Cutlery spun and asked.
"My music. And magic, but mostly my music." Holly said with a tiny smirk. Cutlery looked at her instrument again. It seemed normal. Huh. Exiting the circle was a loss. Even stepping out gave a half-point. Getting both feet standing on the sand fully outside the chalk circle meant an instant loss. Cutlery sighed and walked back in. They tried again.
This time Cutlery focused hard and slowly came forward. Then she was standing outside the circle again. The fading waves of a tune still remained in the arena. Savvy lost her mind laughing as Cutlery's face scrunched up again. She looked around and many others were giggling. Tall shared Cutleries confused expression though. Good ol' Tall. Cutlery sighed and stood straight. Turning about she stepped back into the circle and looked at Holly.
Holly informed her at the start of her third match that she couldn't use that same spell.
"Why not?" Cutlery asked.
"Outta juice," Holly responded. Cutlery looked at her. She didn't appear to be lying. So at the start of the match, she dashed in full of excitement for a real fight. A familiar tune started up. She was outside the circle again.
"FUCK! YOU LIAR!" Cutlery yelled. A dozen seconds burst out laughing. Holly gave a full smile.
"Now I am really out!" She said. Cutlery soughed and started the fourth match. 0-3 was about to become 1-3. This time Holly pulled her sword and the two exchanged hits. Cutlery's technique was much better but not by much. Cutlery managed to win with only a single cut. Her blade pointed at Holly's eye.
"Finally." Cutlery said with a sigh. She lowered her blade and walked with Holly to the infirmary. Holly seemed to take her wounds well. Cutlery's thoughts wandered as they walked in silence. So magic wasn't all just bolts of hurting things. Interesting. She would have to keep up the mental training. She sighed at the thought. a lot of sighing to do. What also worried her was the fact that she didn't get three rounds to shrug off on the battlefield. What if Holly has simply asked her to turn around and then stabbed her?
For now, she would keep at it. It could be weeks before she could beat Fish and Gill, but it would be more fun first sliver floor. Hopefully, Rega would get up here soon. Cutlery dove head first into more training matches.
-
Holly was in an out of the infirmary quickly. Other second-slivers were learning healing spells inside. Holly didn't even have to wait. Healers in training pounced on her as she entered, and then her wounds were gone within a few seconds.
"Lose a limb next time, that's good training." A bulky man said. Holly nodded somberly. They went back to the arena. Everyone had finished stretching and all four chalk circles were occupied. Over half of the room was sparring. Two on two's were the most popular.
Cutlery was certain there weren't more than forty people who lived on this floor. Were there third slivers, fourth, what was the maximum? The first slivers had about fifty total members when Cutlery was there. Theoretically, there should only be two dozen-thirds slivers. The number probably only went down as the sliver count went up. Meaning if she made it to be a fourth or fifth sliver she would be rather important. She wondered how many Haze had. They might also stop giving slivers at a point, or just stockpile fifth slivers. All theory, she was curious what their goal was though.
Creating this many super soldiers would make them quite powerful. Back in the city, Cutlery knew that a mere four guards without any slivers could protect an entire market from crime. An army of a thousand guards kept the entire city calm. What could an army of slivered soldiers do? Slowly Cutlery realized she had been doing push up very slowly for a full minute. Her mind wandered focused back in on the arena around her.
Sparring had been very fun. Cutlery dove back into it. She worked with just Tall and Angela at a first, but then expanded to Holly and Savannah. Fighting with Savannah was quite fun since they had similar styles, rush in, stab a lot, and move fancy-like. After learning that, she wanted to try fighting all sorts of people. Different allies were also fun. Lunch rolled around and she cozied up to some of the other seconds at a new table.
She was fighting alongside people who could heal, shoot slime, bypass attacks, throw her, and more. As dinner got close they cleared the chalk circles and allowed the top competitors to do four-on-fours. Four people were chosen for quests by Haze. Practicing in the same group size made a success out there a little more likely. The first match was prepared.
One team was Fish, Gill, and two girls Cutlery hadn't met. The other was a group that had a pair she had worked with that day. The pair were known as Astree and Lopulp. They both wore heavy armor, and giant shields, and wielded long swords. Their huge weapon reach and defense let them shove people around pretty easily. They were backed up by what Fish had told her were 'boom mages.'
Like the mage she had killed to get up here, they spammed heavy damage spells. Their slivers didn't lend them much physically, but mentally they were awesome. Fish explained they could,
"Calculate, execute, and adjust the laws of the arcane in a split second." Hitting them was easy, but not if two giant walls covered them. So this would be fun to watch.
The crowd did an odd cheer. A rumble of feet on the floor and then a booming clap. Some sort of rhythm went with it that she didn't quite detect yet. The groups charged each other and flashes of light arced through the space between them. Cutlery's eyes went wide, this was real slivered combat.
-
Gill loosed an arrow that intersected with a bolt of electricity and a fast-moving ice hand. Fish darted forward, staying low. Their teammates split up as well. One girl stayed by Gill and the other moved behind Fish. Astree and Lopulp raised their shields and moved forward. As Fish came towards the shield wall the woman behind him raised her hands. Astree raised his sword to swing at Fish. A puff of smoke snapped into the image of Fish next to him. Cutlery blinked.
The woman moved her hands and the image darted between the Swordsmen. Astree fell for it and looked away. Fish noticed. He pushed to the side and dodged one sword. Astree looked back but Fish jumped to the side. He remained just at the edge of his vision. Orbiting about the huge man Fish began to move for the boom mages in the back. A spell nearly hit Gill on the other side of the arena. A shimmering barrier of golden fractal pieces blocked it. He closed one eye to aim as sparks glittered in the air around him. He had perfect faith in his partner.
He let out another arrow and it cracked against the helmet of Lopulp. Lopulp hadn't fallen for the illusion, but an arrow in the side of the head halted his pursuit of Fish. Astree finally turned fast enough and raised his sword at Fish. Fish brought up his blade to jab at a mage. The mages lowered their hands at him.
Gills's protector started to run forward. Gill notched another arrow. Lopulps blade fell towards Fish. Fish spun in the air but the blade caught his leg with a spray of red. His blade still landed on a mage. The illusionist raised her hands again and this time Astree froze. Cutlery stood up to see what she had done. Astree screamed and started swinging wildly around himself like a bat was attacking his head. Fish stood to continue his assault but two spells charged and fired at him from point blank.
A shimmering barricade of yellow fractal pieces slipped between the shield wall and in front of Fish. Gill protector had flung it from the middle of the arena. The boom mage's hands detonated with spells. He brought up his blade and turned sideways. One spell rocketed by him and the other slammed ricochet off the flying golden safeguard.
The protection cracked and fell away. Fish jabbed at the mages again, one yelping as they were stabbed. Lopulp was pummeled by even more arrows, only one stuck into him through his armor.
Twelve more seconds went by. Then the boom mages fell and the battle turned. Fish was wounded from being targeted by everything but his partners protected him well. After another eighteen seconds, Astree and Lopulp went down to their knees and surrendered, riddled with wounds. They had been tanks but their one-handed huge swords were too slow to win the fight.
The crowd cheered and congratulated the winners. Adrenaline had leaped from the competitors to the crowd. Cracks in the arena floor from blows and spells, even small craters from heavy steps remained. This was a fight between slivers. Something powerful, unstoppable, and divine. As the two teams shook hands, the standing six carried the two boom mages out of the arena. Cutlery's group had no matches. They watched and learned. Tall's leg bounced with energy the whole evening.
After another three fights dinner rolled around. Everyone left chatting about the battles. Cutlery joined them, she felt like she was one of them now. Even just watching felt like a blood pact between street rats. Something special and sacred had to be earned. Tomorrow she would get in a match. She would prove in her training she was ready. The third sliver would be hers in a week, she knew it.
