Sounds of metal clanking and crashing against each other resounded in a clearing inside a forest. The animals inside the forest's center strayed far away from the two monsters that constantly clashed against one another.
One was a grown man who was like a barbarian wearing nothing but a pair of pants made from the hide of a goji. The other was similar to the man. He wore a pair of pants made from a rucker.
The two monsters would fight at all times of the day and night. Each clash was filled with unfiltered shouts and roars. The animals thought the young monster was challenging the bigger one for supremacy. A few of them once watched as the young monster got beaten to the ground, only to get up to rechallenge the older one.
Vincent did not feel the same as the animals that watched him. He would scoff at them if he knew what the animals thought about him. Who would want to get beaten every day?
Vincent concentrated on Horton, who was swinging axes at him. Vincent met his swings with either his spear, tonfas, or axes. Horton had told him not to use the staff since he had comprehended intent.
He asked Horton the reason behind his order. He felt dissatisfied as he had worked hard to learn intent; he was even almost kidnapped to comprehend it. Horton gave him an answer, leaving him with more questions than answers.
"Your goal is not to learn the halberd but master it. There are seven stages to master the halberd. Four are straightforward."
Horton squatted and grabbed a stick. He drew the tattooed symbol on his back, which was on the training suit.
"There is the staff, spear, hammer, and axe. They are combined to create the halberd. The last three are the body, mind, and spirit. We all started practicing with the staff first. The weapon we learned next differed for each of us. I learned the way of the hammer next."
Vincent paid rampant attention to Horton as he explained the halberd. "Tyre teaches you about the body aspect of the halberd because after he went through the awakening, he awakened a talent related to the body." Horton went silent as he stared at the symbol in the dirt.
Vincent looked at the symbol as well and got a weird feeling. Horton erased the symbol and stood up. "I will give Jekel an earful for not having taught you this. Simply put, focusing only on the staff would do you more harm than good, so don't use it." Vincent rolled his eyes and stood up.
When Horton went for a high kick, Vincent's mind returned to the present. He ducked under it and spun around. He aimed his axe in his left hand at Horton's neck. With balance, a man for his size shouldn't have.
Horton used the same leg he kicked with and pulled it back. Vincent was hit in the back of the head and rolled forward. He aimed at Horton's achilles heel.
Horton spun his foot and kicked Vincent in his face. Vincent put his left arm up and was launched five feet away. Horton was still standing on one foot, looking at Vincent with a smirk. Vincent realized Horton had used the same martial arts he learned from Simon on him.
Vincent stood up and wiped away the blood from his face. He concentrated, and drops of water started forming around him. He then used his temperature control and froze them.
He made the gesture of shooting a gun, and they shot out. Horton calmly broke the ice bullets and prepared for Vincent's assault.
Vincent created more water around him as he charged at Horton. The water coiled around him like a ribbon.
He clashed with him and used the water to confuse him. Horton was reacting to his tricks with ease. Vincent's goal wasn't to beat him. His goal was for Horton to move out of the circle at his feet.
The water by his feet soaked into the ground beneath him. Vincent conjured lightning around his axes to keep Horton focused on him. "Kid, you must do better than using a little water and lightning."
Horton was as relaxed as he could be. Vincent gritted his teeth and made the pressure of the water higher. Horton rugged his feet into the ground and pushed back.
Vincent froze the water beneath the earth, suddenly adding fire to his attacks. He learned what could happen by combining the elements without knowing the proper ratio.
The lightning and fire reacted with each other and produced an explosion. Vincent was thrown away by it. He sat up and looked anxiously at the center of the circle.
Horton was unscathed from the explosion. That didn't matter to Vincent. What mattered was that Horton was out of the circle. The disbelief on his face made Vincent laugh with a sense of accomplishment.
Horton looked at the ground and saw that it was wet and frozen. He looked at Vincent and felt pride. 'You are ready as you can be.'
Horton, with a smile on his face, gave Vincent good news. "Congratulations. As a result of this, I approve that your training is completed."
Vincent yelled a victorious howl into the night air. The animals around heard it and howled with him. Vincent packed everything and changed his clothes. Horton didn't bother changing and stayed the way he was. He teleported them back to Vincent's home.
"I look forward to seeing you after your awakening, kid." He patted Vincent on his back and teleported away again.
Vincent unfurled his wings and flew to the front door. He flew slowly, enjoying the night breeze. He landed and entered.