Jon was so excited that he summoned Gungnir, that he howled at the top of his lungs. He poked the spear a few times at a tree and every time, it would cut through the wood like it was flesh. Jon threw the spear at the nearest tree and almost missed. The spear just barely hit the side of the tree and blew off a surprising chunk of wood, sending splinters in every direction.
As soon as the spear landed in the ground, it disappeared. Jon realized that he would have to keep summoning the spear every time after it left his hands. With his understanding of energy, it was easy to recognize that the spear needed a constant connection to a direct energy source grounded in the physical realm to continue to exist in this plane.
Seeking more combat knowledge, Jon returned to the town after a day of resting. Jon approached master Gu, and asked to train with spears. Instead of fighting him, Gu proceeded to instruct him on his stances and footwork. By the end of the day, Jon was barely standing, because Gu was his own personal Drill Sergeant. Gu made Jon stay in a sitting position with his back against a wall and his spear straight out, teaching him to work his whole body for combat. Not to mention all the running and footwork drills he was put through, Jon wanted to drop where he stood.
After paying combat master Gu, Jon walked home. His father looked at him and smiled, knowing his son was putting in so much work to better himself. It would be a fun first Winter raid with his son. Raska shuddered to think of the damage the two would cause to their enemies this Winter.
Jon got some stew from a big cooking pot over the fire. The fragrant, savory brown liquid was full of fresh vegetables and some kind of rich meat. Jon enjoyed every drop of the delicious meal, pounded a full horn of ale and passed out in his bed.
Waking the next morning, Jon was incredibly sore across his whole body from the intense workout session the previous day. Pounding a other horn of ale, Jon left the home to go back into town, sore or not, he was determined to learn how to properly fight with a spear.
Jon was delighted to find the old combat master in the same place he was always in, he wondered if Gu actually slept there. Gu was sharpening his weapons all day, every day in this spot, watching the people pass by. Jon called to him and looking up from his dagger, Gu almost looked confused. "Back for more so soon, brother? Do you enjoy the pain, or do you like the way I look?" Joked the old man.
Actually, it was what was inside Gu's head that interested Jon. Gu had decades of fighting experience where Jon had only really fought a single creature and now had 3 parallel scars going up the middle of his face, towards his ear. Knowing the pain he had felt, Gu never acknowledged the scar on Jon's face.
As the two trained together, Jon learned so much in the next few months. His physique was leaner, but he was undoubtedly stronger, and he was sure he had even put on some weight. Jon fought with Gu every day, and every day he learned something new. Having no new information to teach to Jon, master Gu decided that they would spar, and he would not hold back anymore. Upon hearing this, Jon became anxious as he remembered the welts and bruises left on him during the sword skill lessons he took earlier that year.
Inside the sparring ring, Gu was like lightning, his spear almost a blur as he weilded it with a single hand, swinging it overhead, the only thing Jon could do was try to use his spear to block the blow, or dodge and try to stab at him. Jon wanted to test the old man, so he only blocked the blow, as he turned his spear to block, suddenly the spear was pulled in and missed his spear by a hair.
SLAP!
The blunt, wooden spear head hit Jon square in the chest hard. He would have been impaled if it were a real spear, even if he were transformed into a bear.
Feeling hot in his face, Jon was a little embarrassed. He underestimated his opponent and paid the price. Even though his opponent was old, and slower than himself, he had literal decades more experience than Jon, a green 16 year old who had never been in a battle before.
Jon acknowledged his superior and returned to sparring position. As soon as they were ready they began to spar again. Taking a more aggressive approach, Jon wanted to pressure his opponent, and put him on the back foot. Jon poked his spear at Gu, who just dodged the pokes and smiled at Jon. Jon did not get agitated however and maintained his stance onslaught.
Gu eventually got tired of this and stepped to the side, out of the way of Jon's stab, and then directly towards him. Jon took a few sliding steps backwards very quickly and pulled his spear into his body, putting the point back on line with his opponent. Taking advantage of this, Jon tucked the spear under his armpit, held tight and stepped towards Gu.
Having gotten the reaction he wanted and having seen this before, Gu swung his spear into the side of Jon's spear and knocked the point down to one side and into the ground. In a very smooth stroke, Gu slashed his spear at Jon. Seeing this happening, Jon attempted to move out of the way, however he did not anticipate this move and was struck on the meat of his hand. The spear was blunted, but still wooden and harder than his normal skin. The sheer force of the swing actually tore open Jon's skin. The tear was not that deep, but became swollen and bruised almost instantly.
"My, you must need more footwork training and for the sake of the Gods, please use your head when you fight. Remember, it is like a game of chess. Strategy first, then execution, boy! Now go bandage that hand and get back here before I have you hold your spear out and sit in the invisible chair again!" Gu was slightly irritated, Jon was fast and strong, but while he learned fast, Jon lacked the experience to anticipate an opponents moves. It was his job to teach him, but he had hoped that Jon would be better with his strategies.
Jon quickly rinsed the wound under cold water and wrapped a cloth bandage around his hand. Without hesitation, and with fear in his heart, Jon hurried back to the training area. Master Gu worked Jon over for hours, even past dusk. Jon would learn a lesson from this that he would not forget for his entire lifetime.
By the time Jon got home, it was late at night and his father was the only one awake. Raska was sitting at the table alone in the open family room drinking from a horn of ale, obviously waiting for Jon. Seeing his son enter the home, Raska quickly got up and made a bowl of stew for his son.
"How is your training going, it has been months and I have barely seen you. Lately you are either taking lessons from Gu, or passed out from exhaustion." As he finished his sentence, Raska put the bowl of stew in front of Jon and grabbed the pitcher of ale from the ground next to him. He poured Jon a horn of ale and sat down across from him.
Jon hungrily eyed the food and his father told him to eat first, then talk. "I have learned a lot of tricks from Gu. He has been helping me to strengthen my body, working on footwork and making me a smarter fighter." Jon said this last part while pointing to his own head with his injured hand.
"Well what happened there?" asked his dad calmly. Jon recounted the story to his father and they both laughed. Jon was making good progress as Raska had personally seen master Gu kill many men using the footwork and spear technique he had used on his son. He was impressed by the wound, because many men do not have the chance to evade the strike at all.
After talking together for a few hours, and finishing 2 pitchers of ale, Jon staggered back to his bed. Drunk and tired, he slept deeply.