One and all, the knights of the Royal Guard who protected the Arsenal Workshop and its secrets were all serious, generally no-nonsense, dutiful people when on duty. They didn't get bored or lax even after hours of keeping watch, they stayed at their posts even through the fiercest storm—thank goodness for waterproofing and warm padding—they took their training with the new weapons with very seriously, took turns paying for beer, and were generally humble in an understatedly proud way.

They'd also heard the stories about their fellow knight whose estate they were enjoying the hospitality of—literally. They got cookies—and while many were horribly disjointed or clearly exaggerated, they were among the few who believed the stories about how high she could jump or how she could summon the fog to bar the way to and from her. They've never seen it, but at this point they figured the story had basis in truth, and were just waiting to see it happen and hoped they weren't the ones getting trapped.

Off-duty, they were… well, people. Dame Selestia and Sir James would sigh morosely about missing their respective wives, Sir Mark would tell the most terrible jokes, and most people enjoyed watching the newbie struggle through the uphill path with its occasional rolling boulders of learning to be a knight. She was like their mascot, because generally you didn't keep a duke's daughter as a pet. Even if she had the bright, radiant, perpetually happy disposition of a puppy, before it grew up, turned into a dog and became a knight's worst, most ancient enemy. As hated as cliffs and the never-to-be-sufficiently-damned railless stairs, balconies and walkways of mythic architecture were, at least they stayed in one place! Dogs followed you around and were always too damned short to swing at properly!

In this, the newbie was a natural knight. It seemed dogs attacked her on sight, meaning that in her Dark Soul, she had always been enemies with them!

Everyone was generally fond of the newbie. She has hard working, she was always optimistic, she never let her training really get her down despite her exasperation at having to learn how to parry with a shield—that was familiar, though her insistence that parrying with a sword was superior was a little weird—she stood her turns at camp chores without complaint (very rare among newbies), and she was the only one who knew how to make this strange confection called Ice-Cream that she was always willing to share.

So it was with good spirits and pure hearts that when Lady Campbell asked for volunteers who wielded things besides swords to spar with her squire so she could get a feel for fighting opponents with those weapons, many people were willing to give up their off-shift to agree. They'd all had been squires at some point or another, and some had taught squires themselves, while the rest were thinking about it. It was like when someone in a circle of friends had a baby and suddenly everyone started thinking maybe they wanted to have a baby too. Absent having their own baby—er, squire, they were perfectly willing to play with someone else's.

Also, it was finally their turn to be an impressive, experienced knight showing off their git gud to the newbie and maybe teach her a thing or two. Of course, they wouldn't be strict as Lady Campbell, oh no, not at all. Like the uncle that showed up to have fun with the kids and leave the actual raising to the parents, they were there to essentially play.

Many were also regretting having decided to git gud using some form of sword or short sword, since Lady Campbell want her squire to face other forms of weapons, but such was life.

That morning, Dame Anemone Temple bowed to the newbie as they faced each other to spar, her stupidly long ultra greatsword in her hands. As with many knights, it was a bespoke, distinctive weapon, with most of its mass devoted to length. It was longer than most spears, with a long and counterweighed grip and pommel for balance. She held it upright, as it was easiest to balance it at rest that way, with one hand on the grip and one hand on the blade, unlike the usual stance of resting it on one's shoulder.

Squire Katarina Claes bowed, back, wearing her new armor. It was mostly hardened leather, with faulds, a cuirass she was supposed to learn how to maintain, rerebraces, and gauntlets. While light, it was significantly heavier than most clothes, and was meant to get her used to moving in slowly increasing weights of armor True armor would come later. Currently, it was simple, undecorated steel and leather suitable for wearing to a party, and topped with a large, onion-like white helm, of a classical style. Though her face was not visible, it was clear she resented being told to carry a shield—and more importantly, to use it—from how the shield hung on her arm like a dead weight. Well, one way or another, she'd learn. Either she'd come to use it, or she wouldn't.

Maria stood between them, nodded, and gave the traditional signal to begin sparring. "You are being invaded," she said, and stepped aside.

She did not start smiling with pride when Katarina's very first move was to start leaping back immediately. Moving away was only common sense after all, and she wasn't happy that her squire (!-!-!-!-!) was able to perfectly backstep without stumbling. No, not at all.

The backstep was also needful because Dame Temple had come out swinging her ultra greatsword in wide, sweeping arcs, its greater length compared to most of its kind necessitating more than one backstep to get out of range. Normally, she would have fought differently, using her wind magic to make her weapon move around like a much smaller sword, but she had obliged Maria's request not to. Despite this limitation, it was clear she had mastered the use of her weapon's basics, managing her swings to conserve her stamina, even raising up her sword point-up to bait Katarina into attacking the seeming opening.

Normally, the Claes daughter was perfectly content to just sit back and wait, but today she'd been ordered to attack as well, and so she reluctantly shuffled forward, her sword held in both hands, shield a weight on her arm. At least she wasn't parrying behind her shield passively, was the shared thought of many.

Dame Temple allowed her to get close, then swung. The swing was clearly slower to the other knights, and a keen eye would notice that it was the flat that was leading, not the edge. Maria maintained her dignity as Katarina threw herself in a perfect roll that just barely managed to get her under the swing.

A loud 'sorry!' was the only warning Dame Temple had as Katarina, to gasps of shock, managed to connect with a kick! Even Maria was astonished to see her squire had managed to perform the most advanced technique in knighthood so perfectly, stunning her sparring partner long enough for her to administer a vertical swing that connected with Dame Temple's nose—

At which point Katarina started wailing how sorry she was about 'ruining Dame Anemone's beautiful face' as the knight stumbled back, shaking her unarmored head dizzily. Maria called the round, then rushed forward to inspect the damage—some bleeding and disorientation, to which she applied Light Magic in case there was a concussion—then moved on to getting her squire to calm down.

"Maybe she should wear a helmet?" Katarina suggested. "I don't want Dame Anemone to be unmarriable because of me!"

"She's already married, so that's not an issue," Maria told her.

Katarina paused. "Really?" she said.

Maria nodded.

Katarina visibly sighed in relief. "Okay then!" she said. "Um, next round?"

The next round, Katarina was actually able to parry the thrusting heavy attack Dame Temple used, then get in close enough to riposte. The move had clearly been set up on the latter knight's part for exactly that, but it was still good that Katarina had been able to recognize and seize upon a good opportunity to parry.

For the last round, Maria authorized the use of magic. It was slightly unfair for Katarina, since she barely had any, but she had to get used to facing knights with magic to their advantage.

With the new condition, Dame Temple's entire fighting style seemed to change like a beast pushed halfway to death. Wrapping her ultra greatsword in wind, she did a few experimental swings with one hand, the huge weapon handling like a light rapier a fraction of its size and leaving gusts of wind behind it. Even at rest, wind gusted downward to support its weight.

Katarina whimpered cutely. "Ah, this is still a spar, right?" she said nervously.

"Don't worry, newbie," Dame Temple said gently. "The wind around my blade means that even if I hit, the edge won't touch you, so you don't have to worry." She performed a flourish, which necessitated raising her sword hand all the way over her head.

"I'm really sorry for hitting you on the nose?" Katarina said.

"Apology accepted," Dame Temple said. "Shall we begin?"

"You are being invaded."

Katarina backstepped again, and didn't stop this time as Dame Temple swung her sword much more quickly, each swing leaving trailing winds that kicked up dust. Unlike before, however, she was moving quickly and lightly and she was using that to press the attack. When Katarina tried to roll past the swings, the winds sent her tumbling, her lightly armored form not having enough mass to keep moving in a straight line. She was so frazzled she forgot to conserve her stamina and stumbled, allowing Dame Temple to strike her with the flat of her ultra greatsword on the hip.

Maria called the round and had them reset.

Either Katarina was really frustrated or panicked, but she actually took off her shield and threw it at Dame Temple, who was admittedly surprised by the move, holding up her sword defensively to block the admittedly unsteady projectile. Katarina took the time to roll past her and once more tried to kick (!-!-!-!-!). However, she misjudge the distance and missed, and Dame Temple was able to dance forward and retaliate with her own kick, which did connect, causing Katarina to fall over. Dame Temple followed up with a leaping attack that made Katarina yelp in surprise as the blade stabbed into the dirt next to her head, the flat of the blade an inch from the side of Katarina's helmet.

Maria decided that counted and called the round. Dame Temple gently helped Katarina back to her feet. Besides that yelp, Katarina seemed fine, though she was a bit morose her kick hadn't worked.

They reset for one last round.

Once more, Katarina backstepped out of range as Dame Temple moved forward aggressively, her ultra greatsword swinging. However, on what would have been her last swing before drawing back to conserve her stamina—

"Earth Bump!"

A small pile of earth rose up under Dame Temple's heel, making her step unevenly and stumble forward. It wasn't a large stumble, merely a small one as she had to take a heartbeat to set her foot properly, but it was enough.

Katarina stepped forward, bent sideways to the right, and parried with her shield. Because she was bent, the sword was parried upwards, followed by a large, sweeping parry with her sword. The tip of the ultra greatsword slammed into the ground and Katarina immediately stepped on it to hold it in place.

Then her other foot came down on the blade, and she used that to step forward to Dame Temple, her sword swinging…!

Maria called the round.

"That was amazing!" Dame Anemone congratulated Katarina. "Your timing to unbalance me was perfect, and I've never seen anyone hold down my sword without needing another ultra greastsword before!"

"Ah hah," Katarina said bashfully. Her heart was beating hard, but at least she'd managed to survive! Not that she thought she was in any danger, but still! Fighting someone with such a big sword was scary! "I just used my training…?"

"Well, you've been paying very good attention to your training," Dame Anemone said. "I'll have to go even less easy on you next time we spar."

EH?! Less easy? Next time?-!

"Your next opponent is ready, my squire," Dame Campbell said.

Katarina gulped as Sir Maulle stepped forward with an easy smile that had a mild edge of excitement to it, his red-bladed twinblade in hand. Behind him, Dame Alicetaria with her lance, Sir Chris with his paired hammer and large axe, Sir Cavman with his very, very big club, and Sir Crow with his scythe stood waiting their turns to spar with her…

Windam
An ultra greatsword with a very narrow blade for its class, longer than most spears. Specially made for the Knight Anemone Temple by the twin smith sisters, it was designed to be used with Wind Magic and based on the a relic from the mythical land of Astora.

In an ancient story known to all who follow the path of knighthood, the Knight of Wind Magic rode a mighty steed of the wind on her journey to save the Light Magic Princess. She and her companions saved the land, but at what cost?

Skill: Charge
Hold sword at waist and charge at foe. Use strong attack while charging to extend the length of the charge.