The days went by as if they were mere hours to Bell. Weeks where he and Kojiro got to experience all that Roma had to offer. Well, not all. Places like the palace where the ruling class lived were obviously off limits. But everything else in the Forums? That was fair game. Unlike the market in Sekigahara, the Forums were a lot more varied in terms of products and culture. Food that ranged from simple bread to exotic cuisine one might only find in the Elven Forests or Dwarven territories. Not to mention the podiums where people could speak freely and let their opinions known, or even have heated debates. At times the debates got a bit too heated, Bell thought with a nervous chuckle. After all, it almost ended into a full blown riot if it weren't for the guards. Bell didn't think that people took 'fight debates' so seriously. Or that Rakia seemed to really dislike the Empire and their 'Radiance'.
Anyway, beyond the Forums there were two more places Welf showed them. The theatre and the amphitheatre. When asked why they both had 'theatre' in their name, the blacksmith came up short. Apparently they were named by Romulus who never really tended to explain what the words meant. All that mattered was that they were of "Roma" and left it at that. Nevertheless, strange names aside, the places were certainly an experience for the young man. The theatre was a massive closed space that lent itself to great auditory experiences. Which was needed to hear the performers in the center of the stage better, as they performed various acts. They actually did the story of "Argonaut". He still felt the tears from his laughter even back then. Sometimes they even performed with music, with the help of the building making it seem like they were playing right next to his ear.
Then there was the other performance area. If the theatre was purely for culture, the amphitheatre was for combat or general competition. A place where the blood of the participants and spectators would boil with excitement. Not only to watch duels like in the arena in the Far East but many other competitions too. Races between chariots, war simulations with board pieces, even sea battles were possible by flooding the entire arena. Bell's throat still hurt from the amount of cheering and shouting he did himself.
However, today they went further away. Beyond the Forums, Theatre and Amphitheatre. One of many buildings representing the might of Rakia. Honestly, Bell was looking forward to this the most. The barracks. The place where soldiers, no, warriors were molded. Skilled fighters fighting for their country. Once they passed security with a simple show of Romulus' coin, they entered the hallways into the open space. Bell gasped in awe at the sight. Individuals sparring with each other, weapon or no weapon, in the sand fields. Others being taught how to move weapons properly against strawmen. The very air itself felt... martial like. Honestly Bell was a bit intimidated, with those professionals training to become stronger. Focused, grim looks, scars forming from harsh exercises. But the moment they entered, with Welf in the front, the mood suddenly brightened up. Grins appeared, laughter sounded as they stopped what they were doing and approached the blacksmith.
"Welf!"
"Good to see ya, boy!"
"Playing guide, huh?"
Bell couldn't help but smile at the way Welf was being treated, his hair getting ruffled and him being held in a playful choke hold. He seemed to be on good terms with most people in the area. Local merchants, kids on the streets, workers, they all had a good laugh to share with the blacksmith. Honestly he couldn't imagine that he planned to leave. They seemed rather supportive.
"Alright, clear it up! Let's show our guests how it's done here!" The man in charge, a large burly bald man with scars all over his body crossed his arms with a loud voice. The trainees saluted and formed two lines in front of each other, shields in their arms.
"Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!" They chanted, grinning at each other ferociously. Then the leader slammed his foot on the ground with a snarl.
"Push!"
At once, the two lines slammed their shields against each other, grunting and growling as they did so. Bell covered his ears at the volume, but his eyes shone. That was so manly! The way everyone acted in unison as they moved on to marching and spear formations. The way they synced up their thrusts with each other, acting in tandem for the following line to succeed if they failed. While he always did prefer stories of individuals winning the day, there was something romantic about the many 'faceless' working together with each other. Bell frowned a bit. However what he didn't quite understand was how Rakia could 'defeat' Orario. The city of the dungeon surely had a lot more quality to offer he imagined and he heard stories of how Rakia was sort of a joke. He glanced at Kojiro who tried to hide a yawn and his mind wandered to the imposing figure that was Romulus.
Could one man change so much? It seemed too unreal. Then again, he recalled Oryou and Ryoma. They seemed to have a great influence on the Far East as well. So lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize that the drills stopped already. Only when Welf shook his shoulder did he perk up. The commander sighed, causing Bell to blush a bit. Kojiro had no such shame, smiling innocently as if he did not appear bored at all.
"Hm, mayhaps we should change things up a bit." The commander brightened up and snapped his finger with a smirk. "Clear up two spots for us!"
The crowd suddenly cheered before making away, causing Bell to look around, flustered at what was happening. Before he could ask, Welf was pushing the two forward with a grin, until they were both in their individual little 'arena'.
"Want to test your might?"
Bell stiffened up as the crowd began to chant, wanting to see them fight. As he began to stammer, trying to figure out a way to talk his way out, Kojiro chuckled. He bowed to the commander, heat seemingly radiating from him as he barely contained his excitement.
"I appreciate the opportunity."
Well, now he could hardly reject this offer himself. And he would be lying if he didn't appreciate the opportunity himself. So even as he was nervous, he bowed down as well.
"T-thank you for having me!"
The crowd roared in excitement. As they did so, preparing everything like sparring weapons and the like, Kojiro put his hand on Bell's shoulder, winking at him.
"Using two blades is like fighting unarmed. The two arms must move in tandem or using two swords doesn't have much meaning."
Bell nodded a bit. Alright. A bit vague but it was better than nothing. Fortunately he and Haruhime did some minor sparring so he had some idea how to fight unarmed unlike before in the farm back then. Though he did wonder how his teacher knew he was going to try out dual wielding. Well, he supposed it was the natural conclusion given his new weapon set. Not that he would use the Daisho here. He might cause an incident if he accidentally cut open a soldier of Rakia, as unlikely as it was.
He tested the weight of the wooden swords in his hands. For some reason they seemed to glow with power, which made him wonder. Shaking his head and shelving the question he did some practice swings. It was a bit awkward, as they had two 'edges' unlike the blades he gained from the Far East. Still, he took a deep breath and widened his stance. For a moment he thought of holding them in a reverse grip, but he decided against it. With his right arm forward, both points aimed at his opponent, a white bearded wolf man.
"Call me Canus." The man laughed as he raised his shield and hit it with his wooden gladius a few times. "No worries, I'll be gentle, ha!"
"Remember, first one to be knocked out or first one to surrender loses. If I see too much blood, I'll stop this immediately." The referee gave both of them a pointed look. "Understand?"
"Yessir!"
"U-understood!"
"Alright." The man raised his hand before swinging it down. "Go!"
Neither attacked the other. Instead Canus began to lower his stance, slowly skirting over the ground as he began to circle around his opponent. Bell meanwhile began to jump on his toes, trying to relax as much as possible. Exhaling, he pushed himself off the ground. Blurring into motion, he swung his blades, from above and below, like jaws trying to bite into his opponent. But his weapons hit the enemy's shield and sword, causing him to bounce away. Bell grit his teeth as he felt the recoil in his arms. It was like hitting a boulder. Yet again he felt the difference between those who had a Falna and those that hadn't. Still, this didn't mean that Bell had absolutely no chance.
As he found his footing once more, he picked up speed, this time starting to weave around his opponent. Canus narrowed his eyes, spinning around and following Bell's movements. The young man bit his lip, his breathing growing heavy as he tried to find a weak spot but couldn't. In the end, he rushed in again, this time unleashing as many stabs as he could. He made sure not to put too much force in as he hammered against the shield. Because of that, he was ready when Canus swung his arm, trying to knock his blades away. However Bell pulled them back before that could happen and ducked under the sideways swing the soldier executed. Seeing an opening in his side, Bell cut at his stomach and leg.
The man grunted, his knee buckling, even if he didn't feel much pain. Bell tried to follow up on that, aiming for the man's chin while his right arm aimed for the other knee. Unfortunately the man wasn't completely defenseless, as his own weapons returned to smash Bell. The young man barely backed up, the sword brushing against his hair. As he backed off, sweat starting to loosen his grip on his blades, Bell's eyes widened when Canus dashed after him. It took all Bell had to keep away from the man. But as expected, his speed was coming short, Canus arriving in his own range and starting to swing at Bell. His arms screamed as they tried to parry the attacks, doing their best to avoid damage. Yet it worked. Attacks that would knock him out for sure were diverted, to the ground or into the empty air. Still, as his lungs burned, Bell knew he needed to do something. Glancing at the ground, an idea came to him.
Ducking under yet another attack, he dug his two swords into the ground. Then with a heave, he threw as much sand up as he could. The attack closed Canus' eyes. As he backed off, not seeing Bell, the young man leaned forward. Then with a strong leap he dashed forward, reeling back his right arm for a stab.
His excitement gave away to horror when Canus opened his eyes, unfazed by the sand attack. With a glint, he reared back his arm with the sword. Bell grit his teeth, but focused on the blade. At his own speed, he might be able to hit first. But just as he thought that, a sharp pain flared up from his chin, as his head was forcibly moved with a snap. Seeing the ceiling for just an instance, darkness claimed him.
It was the first time that Bell was ever knocked out. It was not the same as passing out from exhaustion. It was not a slow insidious crawl of darkness. "…" did not describe it. Nor did "_" describe it. The complete nothingness, the cessation of any thoughts could not be described with words or letters. Only with the lack of it. From one moment to the other.
Naturally when he opened his eyes, Bell felt panic, his memories fuzzy. Then he looked around as he rose from his head. Wincing, he rubbed his jaw. It was then that the memories returned.
"You okay there?" A voice asked with concern. Turning his head, he saw Welf stare at him with worry. Reflexively Bell was about to say he was fine. But the words didn't come out. Instead he lowered his head, clenching his eyes shut.
"...I lost... " He muttered. Honestly he was expecting it. It should not have been something that should shake his core this much. But the hope of a chance, of overcoming the odds... Not being able to live up to it hurt more than he expected. The fact Welf nodded with a grim expression almost brought him to tears.
"Well, duh. That was still someone with a Falna, level one or not." He began to laugh before leaning forward on his seat. "But damn, you certainly made an impression!"
"Huh?" Bell looked up, unsure what he was talking about. Welf grinned widely, crossing his arms with a nod.
"Canus said that you scared him there!" As Bell blinked the blacksmith twirled his hand. "Especially the sand attack! Man himself admitted he kinda went overboard with that shield uppercut, but in that moment he considered you a real threat!" Standing up, he patted Bell on the shoulder. "Everyone knows you're gonna get far!"
The albino choked back a sob. He was not going to cry from this! Even if the compliments warmed his heart, he was a grown boy now! Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. Instead of crying, he couldn't help the giddy expression on his face as he scratched the back of his head. For some reason however, Welf's smile fell. When Bell tilted his head, the blacksmith sighed, crossing his arms.
"...are you sure that Kojiro has no Falna?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Well, he sure is a damn monster," Welf said bluntly, raising his hand. "He knocked out five people. Only reason not more ate the dust was because they were shaking in their boots!" He shook his head in disbelief. "Honestly, only a commanding officer might take him down, and they are level 2!"
"Ahahaha... "
Welf still shook his head when he left Bell alone. The albino wisely did not mention how Kojiro managed to take down a level 2 as well. Still, the memory made him sigh. Again the gap between Kojiro and him was revealed. He shouldn't be mad about it. But all he felt was frustration at how far away his teacher was. Bell covered his eyes with his hands, letting out a shivering breath. Hah. He still had a lot to learn.
