Chapter 124: 122 Duel: Experience

"Elevial Stri Sanna Di Rei?! Elevial Stri Sanna Di Rei!?"

Unlike the others in his squad, Sanna had little issue mingling with those around him. He had no trauma, he didn't feel uncomfortable interacting with them, and he wasn't subject to discrimination because of his choice in combat style. There were questions from his peers, but that was to be expected. Split sorcery was something of a cryptic field, difficult to understand and even harder to become proficient in, even to those proficient with split.

In the end, the biggest factor that determined the attitude of Sanna's peers was that Split Sorcerers were incredibly desirable individuals. Unlike the oaf he suffered with, Sanna's method of combat required a baseline of innate talent that was simply impossible for the vast majority of nobles to demonstrate. Unlike Wall, Sanna's way of fighting could be seen as noble.

"My apologies gentlemen, but it appears it is my time to go. I wish you all the best of luck in your coming battle."

"Naturally that sentiment extends to you as well, sir Battle Mage."

"We consider it an honor to be of assistance in your quest." Sanna kept a straight face, but inside he was scowling. Their suggestions weren't even remotely viable, though perhaps that was to be expected from those ill-versed in the ways of Split Sorcery. Still, it payed to listen to the drivel of the ignorant on the off chance that one of their suggestions was something that could work and he hadn't thought of before.

"Once again, calling for Elevial Stri Sanna Di Rei!"

"Please excuse me." Sanna courteously navigated the crowd on his way out of the armory. "Here sir!"

Sanna sank into thought as he walked down the hallway, escorted by the armory's enforcer. He may have been referring to those without knowledge of Split Sorcery as ignorant drivel, but in truth there was one person who's suggestions had been . . . interesting? Was that the right way to put it?

See, Sanna was unable to join an army not because nobody would take him, in fact there were a few offers, his concern was that there wouldn't be anyone who could put him to use. If he felt his commanding officer wouldn't be a good fit or just wanted to make a connection with him, he made up some excuse about how their style of command would be completely at odds with how he fought, excusing himself on the grounds of not wishing to take away opportunity from others.

This, unfortunately, left him the the unfortunate position of not actually having an army by the time all of the spots had filled up. He wasn't unaware that it was his fault, but he did feel a bit some despair that nobody met his specifications to begin with. Unlike his comrades though, he wasn't at risk of not being able to attend just because he couldn't get into an army, there were many departments in the Split Academy who wanted him, some were even offering a teaching position. The Elevial Dynasty was renowned for their ability to utilize Split Arts after all, and he was a particularly talented Elevial at that.

But Sanna didn't want to do that. To him, stagnation meant failure. Sure he had achieved great things for someone his age, but others had already accomplished everything he had done. He wanted to do something new. Sanna wanted to be something greater than just another Split Sorcerer, he wanted his name etched in the annals of history, even if it forgot him.

To that end he needed to do something nobody else would try, dueling only using split arts. The only place he could do so safely was the Sanctum's battle academy, so he was relieved to find he had been given an opportunity to join a provisional squad.

There he had met Donovan, a man he at first dismissed as one of the ignorant drivel he had avoided before, only to find that his 'ignorant drivel' was a result of him never having been exposed to such arts before. He had only seen Sanna use his arts one time, the mockery that his duel with Titanyana, but he had already suggested a few really good ideas to Sanna. If he had to take a guess, there were probably more thoughts floating around in that head of Donovan's, unable to come to fruition because he simply did not have a good enough grasp on the core concepts yet.

Sanna couldn't imagine what he might have in mind for the others. If he could piece together a better usage of split arts than the split sorcerer, then what sort of tactics might he weave with their disparate combat characteristics in a squad fight? Sanna shivered at the thought, he was going to be in for a bumpy ride regardless of if Don could pull it off.

"Good afternoon to you, sir enforcer."

"Good afternoon to you as well. Please take your place in the black ring."

"Very well sir." Don said to be polite, he was going to be polite. "Might I ask what your name is, sir?" He was addressing his opponent, a well built man wielding a sword and dagger. He wasn't small by any means, but the way he carried himself very much reminded him of his most embarrassing defeat to date, Titanyana. He wasn't yet at the point of being able to determine someone's combat style by their body type and the weapon they used, but he had to guess that this man was also very agile.

If that was the case Sanna was in for a tough fight, and he knew it.

"Hm? My name? You may call me Hendqil." Evidently asking for your opponent's name was not common practice. Hendqil seemed caught off guard by Sanna's asking.

"In that case, Sir Hendqil, you may call me Sanna. I shan't bore you with my full name." Sanna gave a polite bow, staff in hand. he might not be the best at combat yet, but he could absolutely dominate the courtesy game. Hendqil awkwardly returned a nod, very confused all of the sudden.

"All ready?"

"Ready."

"I believe myself sufficiently prepared."

"Very well then. . . " Even the enforcer was finding it kind of weird now. "Keep your extremities inside the ring . . . good. Now, prepare to fight on my mark. Three, two, one, GO!"

The fight did not start the same as his duel with Titanyana, Hendqil being permitted to charge and all, however Sanna's opening move wasn't the same as before either. Those burning strands of split were powerful, indeed they could be lethal should they wrap around a limb, but they were slow. Lethal didn't mean anything if it didn't make contact, a lesson from Donovan that Sanna took to heart. The man who swung their sword a thousand times and hit one did the same amount of damage as a man who only swung his sword once and hit, only the first man was now a thousand swings more exhausted.

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For Sanna, someone who couldn't 'swing his sword' very many times to begin with, understanding this concept meant more than anything. His big takeaway for dealing with faster opponents is that he shouldn't try to launch slow moving or easily dodged attacks against agile enemies, it was simply a waste of Split.

Therefore his first move was a powerful one, but also one that couldn't be easily dodged from that range. There was only one art in his arsenal that fit the bill, something his opponent couldn't see coming but could still be used from range.

A thin earthen spike sprouted from the ground mere feet in front of Hendqil, whose eyes went wide in shock as he dove to the side.

"Tch, I still don't have the timing right." Sanna cursed himself for his inexperience, he had incorrectly judged Hendqil's closing speed and the rate at which the spike grew. This had given Hendqil time to dodge, something he almost certainly would have been unable to do if Sanna hadn't screwed up. Fortunately he had been early rather than late, and had therefore preserved some of the distance between him and Hendqil.

That range was the best indicator of how long he had left to live, a fact that Donovan had taken quite some time to explain to him. He hadn't truly understood it at the time, but he had absolutely no way to defend himself. At least he didn't yet, he was working on something to remedy that. His staff, wooden, would be easily cut through when slashed, and he didn't fancy his chances of blocking a stab with it. That meant that, at the moment, his only defense was the distance between his body and his opponent's weapon.

To that end, Donovan suggested using only spells in ways that would preserve or extend the range between him and his opponent unless he was certain it would kill. Therefore, before Hendqil could once again build up speed Sanna needed to interrupt him, and a row of ice arrows promised to force him to change course. Twirling his staff before him, Sanna sent the icicles out toward his assailant before preparing his next attack. 

This was another thing that Donovan had suggested, he called it a combo. Sanna had similar ideas before, he just didn't know how to go about it. Apparently it was more akin to steps, responding to your opponents movements with a move that best counters what they have just done to escape your last attack. It was a chain of pressure that promised to keep Sanna's opponent on the defensive until he either died or Sanna screwed up, both of which were possible given Sanna's inexperience.

See, Donovan could suggest something like a combo, but he couldn't give any advice on how to actually accomplish it. He knew little about performing the arts himself, so he didn't know how they would flow together. This was something Sanna was going to have to piece together himself, which he was okay with. He wanted to develop this combat style himself, help and inspiration was desirable, but the glory should ultimately go to him. He needed to work to achieve that.

Work that he just hadn't gotten the chance to put in yet.

Donovan's training sessions were helpful, Sanna's body felt very light as he backed up to make space, his staff almost weightless in his hands, but they left him in a state that was ill-suited to performing spells.

A ball of flames left the tip of Sanna's staff, lumbering towards a rolling Hendqil. The man may have been on the ground, but he was still responsive. The distance between them had also shortened greatly, not a good sign. Before the ball of fire reached it's destination, Sanna was summoning another earthen spear in the direction he thought Hendqil might escape to. This was a form of pre-emptive attack that Donovan suggested, covering a wider area with a slew of attacks that had different speeds. Hopefully they would make a kind of wall of damage that his opponent had no choice to take head on should his opponent misstep.

Unfortunately it looked like Hendqil had decided to go the other way around the fireball, not great news but Sanna was certainly gaining something from this. It did look like he was being more cautious now, still approaching but taking a more circular route. Sanna was getting flashbacks to when Titanyana ran circles around him. Now seemed like a good time to try another one of Donovan's suggestions though.

A plume of dense fire extended from his staff, dragging towards his opponent. Unlike when he fought Titanyana though, this projectile-like attack was rotating the opposite direction of Hendqil, promising to collide instead of how it would normally need to chase. Hendqil would have to make a decision here, and decide he did, jumping over the flamethrower's spout.

This was something Donovan had also warned him about though, a lesson he had in turn learned from Titanyana. An airborne enemy was easy to hit, they had a set trajectory with nothing to stop or slow themselves. Unfortunately Sanna was not yet at the point of being able to tell where exactly Hendqil would land yet, he simply didn't have enough experience, so he took an educated guess.

Or at least he would have if he didn't all of the sudden feel a very sharp pain in his chest suddenly, knocking the breath out of him and ruining his concentration. Looking down to investigate, he could see the hilt of a dagger protruding from his chest.

Before he could even recover his breath, he was back outside the red ring. The pain was gone, but there was a definite disconnect somewhere. There wasn't any pain, but he definitely felt like there should be. An incredibly odd sensation.

"Ah, so he threw his dagger did he?" Sanna could very clearly remember the dagger in his now very distant opponent's hand being firmly planted in his chest. Judging from the location, it had probably struck his heart.

"Are you okay? This is your first time, right?" The enforcer approached him carefully, wary of an outburst.

"Hm? First time? Oh, yes, that was my first time dying." Sanna remained polite despite his shock. "It is quite the odd sensation isn't it? Perhaps that might be because of the suddenness at which mine happened though. Perhaps if I had lost a limb first I might be screaming like the others. . ."

Sanna pondered it, much to the enforcer's bewilderment.

"Ah, sir Hendqil! I must say that was quite the throw, though I do wonder when you threw it. I'm afraid I didn't quite see the dagger until it was buried in my chest." Sanna stopped his opponent as he walked by, offering him a handshake.

Hendqil, obviously not expecting this sort of treatment, accepted it awkwardly. "I, uh, I threw it just as I jumped over the flames. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure if it would land."

"I see, I see." Sanna took a mental note of that detail. Obviously the flames had obscured his line of sight. That was something to think about when using it in the future. "Well, I must say it was a good match regardless. I feel I have learned quite a bit from this encounter, but would it be too much to ask what you think I could have done to improve?" He began to walk back to the armory with his recent adversary. "You see, it is my goal to become a Battle Mage, a class which to my knowledge does not have anybody I can ask for advice, so I am practically starting from scratch here. Any advice would be. . ."

Sanna described his plight to his foe, pestering him for anything he could do better in the future. Sanna was not at all dissuaded by this loss, in fact he hadn't expected to be able to win two fights anyways. He had accomplished his objective, he had confirmed that Donovan's proposed strategies were viable.

Now he just needed experience.