Donovan and Charlotte trail down the stairs, Liv only a step behind. When Anthony said they were starting “early” every day, he meant before the sun even rose early, and it had been that way for most of the week. Everything turned up to eleven: more dodging, more sensing, and far more sparring than she would’ve ever guessed herself capable of.

  Now dawning on the fourth day, Liv found she could dodge seven of the bolts at a time– all the way up to ten if she slowed her perception to a crawl. She could also anticipate when he was going to throw them with a higher level of accuracy by correctly assessing the specific noise his weapon made when preparing to fire.

  As for the dueling, Liv found herself grasping the abilities of her allies far better. Charlotte, for all her finesse, couldn’t command the wind to do two things at once. Donovan could create just about anything, but it was never awfully complex, and he had to absorb quite a bit of material to do so. Strangely, Donovan didn’t use his ability that much while fighting, opting to kick and block.

  Liv rolls her shoulder, a yawn escaping her mouth. It was exhausting work, but it was nothing compared to the tunnels she used to dig. Walking, moving, punching, and all that was stuff she was used to doing for hours on end. That alongside walking up and down these damn stairs everyday built her endurance up to a monumental height. Donovan and Charlotte didn’t have that luxury.

  Black circles extend from their eyes, their postures drooping like sunken leaves burdened by water. Charlotte’s armor is barely strapped on correctly, her blade slung over her shoulder instead of its usual careful placing near her hip. Donovan’s shirt lay backwards on his torso, his mouth opened in a silent yawn. They’d usually be bickering by now… But Liv supposed they didn’t have the energy for it.

  It takes longer than usual to finally arrive at the combat halls, mostly on the bumbling zombies that walk in front of Liv. Once they open the doors, however, they’re greeted by more people than just Anthony.

  Another group.

  The four of them stand at the end of the room, close enough to be denominated as a group but far enough to make the connection strenuous. The largest of the bunch appeared to be the eldest, looking to be near forty with overalls and a white undershirt. He wore a thick beard, though none of that hair seemed to reach his head, nor did it reach the upper lip of his sun kissed skin.

  Immediately to his left is a far younger female. A stark white torrent of hair flows down to just below her shoulders, a stark contrast to her ebony skin. She’s thin, though a considerable amount of muscle is visible underneath her modest black dress.

  The third was another female, though that was the only similarity between the two. She’s the only one speaking, her voice booming across the space like a speaker. Blonde hair streams from her head, tied into a tight ponytail. Scars run up the expanse of her exposed arms, though that seems to be the only place on her light skin.

  The final member of the group is the one that immediately catches Liv’s eye. He looked the same, his white robes draped heavy across his body. His hand palms his katana’s hilt. He still looked a bit weak to Liv, but the sound of his Synth quickly changed her assessment.

  Arata Hyoudou, ranked second among her generation, stood before Liv.

  Anthony treks over to the group, waving his hand before he gets anywhere close.

  “Morning, everyone.” He says, stopping a few feet before them. “How’re you all feeling?”

  “Exhausted.” Donovan murmurs.

  “I’ve been far better.” Charlotte yawns, stretching her arms over her head. Liv has no response, her eyes locked on her supposed better. His own eye creaks open, his head raising to stare back. It's at this moment that Charlotte and Donovan notice the other team, and that the other team notices them.

  “I guess you three have already noticed today’s training.” Anthony says, his thumb jutting toward the now approaching group. Charlotte immediately reaches down to grip Pierre, all her exhaustion forgotten. Donovan seems less excited, his hands rubbing at his eyes all while he squints.

  “You’re joking, right?” Donovan mutters.

  “Not even a bit.” Anthony responds.

  Liv continues to stare openly at Arata as he approaches, his eyes locked on her in kind. She only manages to tear her eyes away long enough to take in Anthony’s words, her eyebrows furrowing.

  “What’re we doin’?”

  Anthony shakes his head, a sigh escaping his lips.

  “Well, Liv.” He starts, looking to the other group, each only a step away now. “You’ve all already gotten the hang of fighting each other, and dodging bolts isn’t going to help you all that much any more, so I figured a change would be good for your general growth. I asked around for someone to help me with some training, and Arata responded.”

  Liv cocks her head, her arms crossing over her chest. Training was a broad spectrum, especially when Synth Weapons varied so much in ability. She doesn’t need to speculate on the type for long as Anthony takes a step back, his hands falling to his pockets.

  “My plan for today is to pair you up and see how you do against an opponent you’ve never fought before.”

  As soon as the proclamation is complete, Charlotte bounds forward, her blade singing from its sheathe. Her hands shudder with excitement, her smile stretching across her face.

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  “I shall fight Arata!” She all but shouts, her blade already poised to begin battle. Arata simply stares back, his thumb hooking on the guard of his katana.

  “While your eagerness is appreciated.” He starts. “I am here to fight them.”

  His arm raises, his pointer extending to point to something behind her. Charlotte whips her head around, her heart still thrumming with the promise of combat. What greets her is Liv, her eyes as wide as Charlotte’s. Charlotte struggles to speak, caught between her societal training and her desire for combat. In the end, her teachings win out, her sword slowly slotting back into its sheathe.

  “I see.” She says plainly, her expression tightly controlled. “My apologies then.”

  “You’re fine.” Arata responds just as plainly, though he needs no control to keep his expression plain.

  Donovan sneakily pats Charlotte on the back as she rejoins the team's unit, trying his hardest to hide the gesture from Arata’s crew. Charlotte shoots him a glance. He gives her one as supportive as he can without giving the charade up. She turns her eyes back forward, her lips twitching ever so slightly upward.

  “You could stand to be kinder.” The white haired woman beside Arata pipes up, her hands clasped just below her sternum.

  “Who cares?” The blonde woman responds, her hand lightly smacking against her own forehead. “We aren’t here to baby them, we’re here to train.”

  “That isn’t a reason to be unkind.” The white haired woman chastises, her eyes turning to her blonde cohort. The target of her words grunts, dramatically rolling their eyes as they do so.

  “Brats.” The bald man behind them speaks up, the ire of both women turning to him. He prepares to meet them in kind, only stopping once Arata shoots them all a glance.

  Liv looks on with more than a bit of interest. Their dynamic was quite a bit different from her own, or Florence’s for that matter. Her own team bickered quite a bit, a ways more than Florence’s for sure. Arata’s took it to the next level, a level of seriousness seeping into their words. She didn’t know if Arata noticed that or not.

  Anthony rubs the back of his head as the awkward moment passes, his voice cutting through the newfound silence.

  “I already ran through the matchups with Arata the day before. I should’ve made that clear before.” He chuckles softly, none joining his tentative chorus. He clears his throat afterward, continuing with some of the wind taken from his sails. “You’re paired up based on what you need to work on. Liv is, obviously, with Arata.”

  Arata shoots Liv another look, her eyes turning back to stare at him. His eyes narrow once more, the corners of his lips twitching imperceptively.

  “Charlotte’s with Lana, and Donovan’s with Eden.”

  Charlotte cocks her brows, turning her gaze to the white haired woman. She stares back, a similar expression painting her expression. A flicker of recognition flashes in Charlotte’s mind. She didn’t know Arata chose them... Donovan locks eyes with the blonde, a nervous bead of sweat trailing down his face as she shoots him a wolfish grin.

  “Yer not participatin’?” Liv questions, her arms crossing over her chest.

  “I need all the energy I can to heal you guys if need be.” Anthony responds, his thumb jabbing toward the final member standing stoic on his own. “And Kaden isn’t much of a fighter. We don’t really gain a lot from fighting. That leads me to the rules, though. First,” He starts, three fingers raising, counted off one by one. “You’ll be fighting one on one. That really isn’t a rule though, more-so a statement. The next rule is simple: don’t deplete your weapon no matter what. If you do, you’re staying to train for the rest of the day.”

  A shudder goes through Liv’s team. Strangely enough, a similar one goes through Arata’s.

  “The final rule is the most important. It’s-.” Anthony stops, his voice stopping as another overtakes it.

  “You must explain your weapons ability.” Arata says, his hand hooked on his blade. A murmur doesn’t exactly grasp the six uninformed, but their surprised and confused looks are just a step under. Anthony slowly nods, his now squinting eyes turned toward Arata.

  “...Yes, that's the final rule.” He says, muttering about how he wanted to finish under his breath. Arata doesn’t waver, remaining completely stoic. “So… Who wants first.”

  “I’ll go for a spin with the pretty boy here.” Eden pipes up, her hands falling to the belt slung around her waist. A small sheathe sits there, only half the size of her forearm. She still wears that wolfish smile, her glinting eyes turned to Donovan.

  “I have no qualms with this outcome.” Arata says. “In fact, I would prefer to go last.”

  “I don’t mind that I ‘spose.” Liv shrugs. She didn’t mind waiting a bit. It might actually be fun to be on the spectating end of one of their fights instead of receiving.

  “I’ll wait as long as my enemy is willing to wait.” Lana remarks, her soft eyes turning to Charlotte.

  Donovan tugs at his collar, looking at Charlotte with a pleading gaze. She shoots him a glance, a small smirk spreading across her face. She wanted to go first… But messing with Donovan was too good to mess up.

  “Second up is fine with me.” Charlotte says cordially, barely suppressing a further smile as Donovan’s expression morphs to horror. She rubs him on the shoulder, a “good luck” escaping her lips.

  “I guess that's that.” Anthony says, his eyes wandering to the side of the room. “Everyone but those two, come with me.”

  The rest of the group trails away from the two combatants, taking up their respective spots in the corner. Liv tilts her head, a bit of worry knotting up in her gut. Wasn’t this a bit too close to the action? She wasn’t worried about Donovan, she supposed– his weapon wasn’t very destructive. What would happen when she fought, though? She couldn’t really control the bits of concrete shrapnel she sent flying with each explosion. She could, of course, attempt to defeat Arata without explosions… But that seemed like a very poor idea.

  Her worries are quickly extinguished as the bald man known as Kaden shrugs his weapon from his back, a large tower shield that barely peeks over his wide back. He slams the butt of it down to the floor, a transparent dome forming around them. It was large enough to house them, though she couldn’t say she had a lot of movement.

  Her curiosity overtakes her, her knuckle testing the integrity of the barrier. The sound that reverberates shakes her forearm, a sound akin to a drum cascading from the point of contact. She whistles in amazement. She didn’t know for sure, but she theorized it could withstand an explosion from her pretty damn well.

  “Hey.” Kaden calls, his voice cutting through her testing. She quickly whips her head around, her eyes wide as a kid caught with their hand in a cookie jar. “Don’t hit the barrier from the inside.”

  “Sorry.” Liv apologizes, her hands hooking together behind her hands. She quickly steps away from the barrier. She didn’t trust herself to not punch it again if she got the chance…

  Donovan and Eden walk to their own respective sides of the room, each of their weapons sliding to focus. Eden’s weapon appeared to be a long machete, its point gleaming wickedly in the light. Liv could feel the Synth wafting off it, but she couldn’t really deduce what it was at first glance. The barrier muddled the Synth Signatures too much to hear anything crystal clear. Not like it’d be long before they found out. They were already preparing themselves for combat.