At the spearmanship classes Ezra had been observing more then practicing as she wanted to see how the other students fought before stepping into this new form of fighting. Professor Levesque had been in charge of the spearmanship classes. He didn't use the spear as his choice of weapon as he wasn't a close combat fighter, but he had learnt every discipline he came across just in case he was in a situation that required him to fight with a weapon.
He had given the students a demonstration on how to wield a spear and showed some basic movements that everyone one could complete. He had said something that kept repeating in Ezra's head, 'There is no one way to use a spear. It is the most adaptable weapon available, and anyone can get the basics down.'
'What you must know is that you have to come up with your own way of fighting as there are flaws to every known fighting style. You must come up with a way to fight that suits you and only you because if someone can learn your way of fighting they can easily defeat you.' These words had got Ezra and all the students thinking that this class was impossible as it was hard enough to learn a new way to fight that existed and now they had to come up with something completely new.
She sat on the side lines for the first two days before attempting to fight anyone. She had done so not only to figure out a way to fight but also because her family's reputation was on the line. The Fugita family was well known to have had brilliant mages and fighters that hardly lost, and it was only when they faced the best that they suffered defeat. By losing at school even if it was just practice, word would spread around, and her family would lose a lot of face.
Ezra had taken this into consideration and ignored Professor Levesque's attempts to get her to participate before she believed she was ready. Professor Levesque understood the position she was in but still made an attempt to get her to make mistakes show she would understand that feeling and not be struck by it at a fatal moment. He wanted her to understand that you can keep moving forward even if you fail.
Professor Levesque had a motto that he lived by and told the students before they started to practice, "If you fail 100 times, you did not fail. You just found a 100 ways that don't work." Most of the students didn't understand his words but still became motivated. Ezra understood them but chose to ignore them as his words were insignificant compared to her family's reputation.
When Ezra joined in on the third day, Professor Levesque decided to watch and see what she had come up with over the last two days. The two opponents gave a little bow before tapping the tips of their spears together and stepping back to begin. The students were using spears that had a blunt, wooden tip as the school did not want anyone to get injured. If a student mistakenly moved their spear in the wrong direction it could be fatal for their opponent.
That was why they used the wooden tips, to diminish the chances of any accidents happening. The higher grades used proper weapons because they would use them in the coming years and needed to know the difference in weight and reach of their weapons and also to understand how dangerous the use of such weapons was. The school wanted the students to understand that if they used these weapons, the person on the other end wouldn't be left unscathed.
Ezra stepped back and took the basic stance that the professor had shown to the students on the first day. 'It doesn't seem like she has been able to come up with anything new while sitting these past few days.' He thought to himself, but then Ezra shifted her feet wider and further back then the basic stance. 'She seems to be trying to give herself more time to react and making it easier to step back but what is she going to do if she slips or falls off balance?'
The answer to the professor's question came seconds later when her opponent charged in to close the gap and have a chance to get on the offensive. 'That wasn't too smart. If you close the gap that much your opponent can react to it and attack while you try and decrease your own momentum.' The professor side as what he was thinking came into reality.
Ezra side stepped her opponent and got behind her, while raising her arm with the spear above her head. Instead of striking at her opponents back Ezra used her left leg to trip her opponent and make her fall on her face. Her opponent took in a mouthful of sand and dust and started spitting it out while trying to clear the sand from her eyes. Ezra came up behind her opponent and placed her foot on her back while pointing the tip of the blade against the back of the girl's neck
'Quite a smart move for a beginner. She decided to blind her opponent instead of fighting her head on. It's a smart way to beat weaker individual but what are you going to do against someone stronger and faster then you because you won't be able to do that.' Ezra understood what the professor was saying and had already begun to think ahead.
The only reason Ezra had chosen such a tactic was because Professor Levesque had said that everyone needed at least one win before the end of the week to get into the spearmanship classes for the rest of their schooling career. What it was supposed to do was separate the talented from the untalented and get those who were serious about the fighting style into a more serious environment where they could learn and develop their innate ability.
Ezra decided that a win was a win and that she was going to take the easy route to those classes instead of wasting her time sweating and getting tired like the rest of the class. She went back to where she had been sitting the previous days and began thinking about her own fighting style again. She wanted to incorporate her speed as the main aspect of the fighting style as she wasn't very muscular, and strength was not her forte.
She realised how much work was going to have to go into this type of fighting but also saw the bonuses of having a fighting ability that little exceled at. Spearmanship would not only give her reach over other opponents but and advantage in defense as well. Professor Levesque ended the lesson by calling the students together, "Attention everyone, I am going to put a roster up tomorrow which will have the names of everyone that has won this week."
"If your name is not on the list you have a final chance tomorrow and if you still don't make it then you will not be able to be taught spearmanship at this school. Everyone dismissed." There was some worry on the faces on the students but also some that lit up with hope. Ezra didn't care for the others, so she left after the class and returned to her dorm.