Zeul City: City Of Mavens

Today is the day that I'll choose my members. I'm thinking of getting Fourth since I know him and I'm confident with his skills, but the thing is, I don't know if he belongs to our house or not.

I went to the house registrar and asked if Fourth belongs to our house, but it turns out that he's not.

I don't have a choice but choose whoever my instincts chooses.

I went to the classroom for the Sword Mavens. I decided to choose them so I could just support them while they do the fighting, but I must choose those who are compatible with me.

I knocked at the door.

"Excuse me ma'am." I said

"Oh, are you Mr. Gideon?"she asked

"Yes ma'am. Can I sit-in in your class?" I asked.

"It would be my class' p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. Please come in."

I came in and sat at the back. There's around fifty students, all carrying different blades.

"Ahm Mr. Gideon. I know you don't have sword lessons but I will be having a long quiz today and the Headmistress said that you should be included in the quiz." the instructor said. I nodded.

"What bad luck. He's not a Blades Maven so he will surely fail." One student whispered.

"I know right. The lessons are hard, written lessons aren't essential for fighting though." The other student whispered back.

All whispers I heard was about how unlucky I am. I wonder if the Instructor 's lessons are really that bad.

"So now, let's have the oral quiz first. What Kind of sword is a Rapier?"

A blonde girl stood up. She looks like someone who knows a sword well.

"rapier is a long, narrow, rigid, nearly edgeless single-hand thrusting blade with a thick, tapering cross-section and very narrow and sharp point. There is no question rapiers vary in their shape, length, and width and especially in their hilt configuration. But rapiers are generally thin, light, fast, and well-balanced thrusting swords intended for unarmored single-combat." She answered.

"Very good Arthur. Who else?"

"The definition of the rapier as a form of Renaissance sword differs among various authorities on historical arms. The various historical terms for rapier referred to a slender cut-and-thrust sword capable of limited slashing and slicing blows and equally suited to military or civilian use. Eventually however, it came to mean exclusively a long and slender thrusting sword with virtually no edge.

Rapiers come in all shapes and sizes, and classifying them all as "rapiers" is not always easy. But what they all have in common is that they are decidedly slender and rigid blades designed for a thrusting style of swordplay."

"V-very good mister Gideon." Everyone looks shocked. Why would they be? That question is easy, I learned that when I was nine.

"What kind of blades do Rapiers have and how strong are these blades are?"

"Like any other sword, the variety of rapier blades is considerable, as all sorts of designs were being experimented with at the time. Rapier blades varied considerably in length, thickness, cross-sectional shape, and edge sharpness. Many of these rapiers are hard to completely distinguish from the varieties of military cut-and-thrust swords then in use. They ranged from flatter, tapering blades to thicker, narrower ones. But nearly all are rigid, quite narrow, and become thinner toward the point and, rather than flattening out, many actually become oval or round in cross-section at the last quarter or last fifth of their length. Their weight was concentrated in their hilts, thereby facilitating an agile point to make rapid long-reaching stabbing attacks.

Rapier blades are relatively thin but have thick cross-sections. Some rapier blades are of flat diamond shape capable of holding a shallow edge, while other cross-sections are thicker hexagonal, octagonal, or four-pointed star-shaped with virtually no sharp edges. These various cross-sections were all simply efforts by sword makers to produce a light and very stiff blade. Rapiers may have thick, squared off and blunt ricassos or be wide and entirely sharp at this portion.

A rapier blade is by no means fragile nor vulnerable to being easily broken or cut by other swords. The rapier can be quite sturdy and capable of parrying the cuts of heavier swords, but only with the thicker section of its blade or hilt and in a deflecting action to redirect the attacking point rather than a passive, rigid block. "

"E-excellent mister Gideon. Very well explained." Again, every looks like they've seen something unnatural.

After the oral exam , we've a quiz about strategic ways to survive on a situation while protecting a village against Harpies using a sword.

I scored 100/100 while the next one got 99/100. The rest got below 80. They all looked at me with such a surprising look in their face.

"Okay now, let's go to the field."

We went to the field and saw Arthur with another blonde girl. This girl looks familiar though.

"So once again, who will battle against Alice?" The instructor asked.

Five males stood up. All of them are bringing their scimitars. The girl Alice, which happens to be the same girl that Arthur was with stepped in and got her Arming Sword.

"As expected, who else?" The instructor asked.

Arthur stood up bringing her crusader's sword with her.

Arthur made the first move with a vertical slash but Alice blocked it and made a parry. Alice countered with a horizontal slash but Arthur dodged it, making Alice open for a split second. Arthur attacked with a side swing but that split second was enough for Alice to evade. Alice focused her energy on the sword and sliced a horizontal-vertical slash combo on the air.

"Sword Skill: Cross Slash" that finished Arthur off.

"Nice try again Arthur. So I think nobody else will try." The instructor said but I stepped in.

"Oh, it seems like Mr. Gideon will try."

I summoned a longsword.

"Hey, you know how to fight with sword?" Alice asked.

"Nah, just trying." I responded, I remembered Alice. She's the girl who talked to me at the enrollment, the one who shared her problem.

"Oh really? Okay, you make the first move." She said, then I'll gladly oblige.

"Sword Skill: Fire Vertical Slash" I attacked. That attack caught off her guard but she still managed to evade it.

"Hey, that's an advance sword skill." She pouted, oh right, they're all freshmen.

"Well then, Sword Skill: Blazing Vertical Slash" she attacked, I thought she doesn't have any elemental sword skill, but it seems like she does. Blazing Vertical Slash is a step ahead of Fire Vertical Slash.

"Sword Skill: Wind Cut" I countered her attack with a Gust of wind.

"Sword Skill: Fire Dance of the Blazing Cat" a cat dance is a fast attack. It is a 27 hit combo. She got some cool stuff up her sleeve.

"Sword Skill: Lion's Roar" Lion's Roar is a sword skill that doesn't use a sword. The sword's energy is transferred to the lungs which will emit same presence as a sword skill, it will stop the enemy's attack.

"Another advance skill, then try this Sword Skill-"

"Divine Rapier" I cut her off by attacking first. Divine Rapier is a skill that will knock weaker enemies off.

"Th-then we have a winner, Mr. Gideon!" The instructor announced.

"Woah the undefeated Alice is now defeated." Sone of them whispered.

I walked towards the instructor.

"So have you chosen two already?" She asked, I nodded.

"Arthur and Alice." I said, she smiled.

"Azrael, Arthur, Alice, welcome to the event." She said.

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