Avic held the wooden sword firmly in his right arm. His new conviction to become a Sicarius had given birth to this. He had many trials and temptations ahead. One of those trials would be to learn how to hold his ground in a battle. There was not a shadow of a doubt that the journey that was before him would be filled with pain and bloodshed. He'd have to prepare himself to accept both wins and losses. Amon's training would be the first step towards everything he wanted.
"Come now, Avic. Use that sword I gave you to attack me. Before I can train you, I must assess where your skills lie."
Avic then looked down at the wooden sword in his hands before looking back up at Amon.
"Where's your weapon, Old Geezer?"
"That's of no concern to you. On the battlefield, you must never underestimate your opponent, even if they have no visible weapons. Some may use tricks or traps to defeat you, others might have their weapons concealed, and a few might even be able to pummel you with the use of their fists alone. Underestimating your enemy is one of many sure ways to lose your life. That's your first lesson, Avic."
Avic nodded in acceptance of Amon's warning before grasping the hilt of the sword. Without warning, he then sprang towards Amon like a swift breeze. He swung the wooden sword with a powerful horizontal slash. However, just like in the fight with Bolton, Amon easily dodged the attack.
Avic hissed. He had to do better. In his fight with Bolton, he wasn't able to even land a single punch. But that only made sense. Both Bolton and Amon had experience as seasoned Sicarius. Compared to him who had never once gotten in a life-threatening fight, he was like a mere pebble challenging a boulder. If he aimed to win, he had to improvise.
Avic then took a powerful step forward, planting his foot on the ground. He then followed up with a quick swing of the sword towards Amon's neck. Once again, Amon easily dodged the attack. However, this time it was expected.
To Amon's surprise, Avic released the sword from his grasp, allowing it to spin out of control towards him. This forced Amon to duck, creating the perfect opportunity for Avic to strike. Quickly, Avic doubled his fist and came down with a raging punch, point-blank towards Amon's face.
This left Amon quite impressed as he had been forced into a tight spot. Regrettably for Avic, this was still not enough. A smirk wriggled itself across Amon's lips before he skillfully caught Avic's punch. Utilizing Avic's momentum, Amon flipped him upside down, causing him to crash painfully onto the floor with a thud.
"Ow! Damn it!" Cursed Avic, holding onto the back of his head in pain.
"That was quite an interesting move, Avic. Instead of trying to attack me directly, you sacrificed your sword to serve as a distraction so that you could land a hit on me. But don't you know you should take it easy on an old man?"
"You're the one that said I wasn't supposed to underestimate my enemy!"
Amon laughed, "Good. Despite your lazy attitude, you learn quickly."
"Yeah... But I still wasn't able to land a hit..."
Amon then moved over to Avic before helping him up.
"That's only because your attacks lack ambition."
"My attacks lack ambition? What does that mean?"
"It means that you're throwing your attacks around wildly. Instead of keeping your attacks under control, you just swing, hoping you'll hit your target. That makes it easy for a seasoned Sicarius like myself to dodge or even counter."
Avic then sighed before slumping himself on the floor.
"You're finished already?" Inquired Amon.
"No, I'm just tired..."
"You just swung the sword around a few times! How are you already tired?!"
"Beats me... Just how my body works."
"Sigh..."
"Maybe you're right though... Maybe my attacks do lack ambition. But you and Bolton are also pretty strong... On top of that, you have tons of combat experience. I believe that's the main reason I haven't been able to hit you..."
"You're wrong, Avic. Power and experience don't always determine the outcome of a fight. Under the correct circumstances, even a pebble can sink a warship. You must remember that."
"I guess... Though it's hard to see a pebble sinking a warship... That just sounds absurd, no matter how you look at it... But whatever you say, Old Geezer."
Avic then shifted his gaze over to Eliisabet who had been quietly watching him the entire time. For some reason, her face was shrouded with worry.
"Eliisabet? Is something wrong?" Asked Avic.
Eliisabet bit her lip and held her fists tightly before answering.
"Avic... I'm not trying to stop you from going after your dreams but... I don't think you should become a Sicarius!"
Avic's eyes broadened with shock, "Why's that..?"
"It's dangerous, Avic! There are tons of monsters, demons, and other dangerous entities out there! Many Sicarius die on the battlefield every day and I'm afraid you'll become one of them!"
Avic observed just how troubled Eliisabet was because of him. She was genuinely worried and that was only natural.
"Custos, what are your views on this?" He asked.
"Well, I do somewhat agree with her. I doubt you understand the extent of just how dangerous outside of a city wall can be. But at the same time, I believe that if you truly want to find the Three Vials Of Deus then you should. I'll support any decision you make."
Avic then quickly picked himself up before moving over to Eliisabet. Calmly, he rested his hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
"You worry too much. Trust me, I'll be fine. Once the Old Geezer over there teaches me everything that I need to know, I'll practically be a god! You'll see!"
"Avic, I hate to say that doesn't reassure me... You can't do much on your own. Even seasoned Sicarius travel in small groups for safety. A newbie like yourself going out there all alone will be disastrous!"
"I guess you do have a point there... Hmm... Oh, I know! Why don't you come with me?"
"Come with you..?"
"Yeah, why not? I was thinking that I would need a group anyway and I didn't know how I'd go about gathering people. But I just realized that I could have asked you all along."
Eliisabet's face grew with uncertainty as she pondered. It was evident that she wanted to accompany Avic but something was bothering her. However, after a few seconds of thinking, she gave her answer.
"Okay, I'll do it. I'll join you and become a Sicarius too..!"
Shock pierced Custos's heart like a knife as soon as he heard this. It was another unforeseen surprise for him. One of the last things he had expected was for Eliisabet to accept Avic's crazy offer.
"Pri- I mean, Eliisabet! Are you crazy?! There's no way that's happening!" Exclaimed Custos.
"Custos, I want to! And you should too. Avic will need the help on his journey! If we could accompany him then his journey will be a lot easier! We're all friends, aren't we?"
Custos then grabbed Eliisabet before dragging her over to a secluded corner. The two then began a heated debate, whispering to one another. After a few more seconds, they walked back over to Avic and Amon. Custos facepalmed as he approached them, shaking his head with distress. Eliisabet on the other hand had the look of a tigress in her eyes.
"It's final. We're coming with you, Avic!" Announced Eliisabet.
"Awesome! But why does Custos look like he's suffering from childhood trauma?"
"Don't worry about it..." He sighed. "I've come to accept that this is just my life now..."
"Damn... Your life must be pretty sad given the look on your face."
Suddenly, Amon began laughing, catching their attention. He then smiled at them with a competitive look in his eyes.
"If you all become Sicarius then who's going to help me out at the tavern? I need help too, you know. So let's make a deal. I'll train all of you to become Sicarius. However, if by the time your training is over and you haven't proved to me that you can handle yourselves outside the city wall, I won't let you leave. That goes for you too, Avic..!"