Chapter 344 Unwelcome Company (1/2)

Arran spent several hours testing out his neeapons, getting a feel for each as he faht and balance

The giant sas easily his favorite Although using the massive hunk of sharpened steel was very different froh si it felt natural

It was slower to strike and harder to control, but Arran had enough strength for that to only be a slight obstacle And while trulyit would be a matter of months or even years, he already knew that it would eventually prove its worth

He found the poleaxe to his liking, too With a head that featured a razor-sharp axe blade and a curved hook, as well as a sharp spike on its end, it was a vicious thing,it

From the captain's manuscripts, Arran knew that weapons like these were intended to be used against armored opponents, and he could easily see why

The hook would be perfect for catching on ene theh to penetrate the siant sould easily defeat arh to crush whatever it didn't cut But where the sould need space to be swung to full effect, the poleaxe would be useful even within dense battle ranks

It was a soldiers' weapon through and through, designed for the battlefield rather than single combat And even if Arran still did not know the captain's plans, he had little doubt that the man planned to lead theiant sword and the poleaxe immediately felt natural in Arran's hands, the staff was a different matter

It was a si and shod with steel tips on both ends And while its heft was enough to deliver staggeringly powerful blows, it would not look out of place in the hands of a traveler, either

That was the reason Arran had chosen the weapon While swords and the like were effective, they drew attention Even the sih to mark someone as a warrior in the eyes of the world

But a staff? That was so even far and a staff in his hand, few people would so lance if he passed them on the road And those feho did look his ould see nothing worth reh he kne useful a tool it would be, the weapon felt aard in Arran's hands It was as if he was a boy swinging a stick and pretending it was a sword, like he had done so many times in his childhood

But if the staff felt aard in his hand, the spear was even worse

Arran had next to no experience wielding spears, and although the one Captain Kaleesh had arranged for him was expertly crafted, he soon discovered that the weapon holly unsuited for hith and ferocity Yet the spear, he found, required patience and finesse And neither of those were things that caainst Gar and Lasha confiriant sword, and match them — more or less — with the poleaxe and staff, he did not win a single exchange with the spear

While the reach it provided even that of the giant sword, both Gar and Lasha easily had the skill to get past the spear's sharp end And when that happened, the exchange was all but lost

Arran struggled with the weapon for so as he failed to achieve any quick results But before he could give up, Captain Kaleesh — who had been watching his struggles with a,” the captain said ”Spears are best used in reat effect What you learn noill be useful in the future”

At this, Arran could not help but sigh Not just because itwith the weapon, but also because he recognized how dangerous a line of ht-foot spears would be nearly i struck And from the captain's manuscripts, Arran already knew that behind the line of spears would be a group of archers

He continued his training until nightfall, sparring against Gar and Lasha severaldifferent tactics as he slowly grew an to fall, he thanked his sparring partners for their help, then retired to his quarters to study the For was, it was by no , his efforts started anew

Over the weeks that followed, Arran did little but eat, sleep, study, and train Each day he would ell before dawn and only retire well after ht, his only rest in between the brief breaks he took to eat

He studied the captain'suntil his mind could absorb no , either sparring and practicing with his group ofhis neeapons by hiht fell, he would study the For until exhaustion overtook hi Shadoeapon change its for it into his neeapons' shapes and back again

Much as Arran had hoped, the weapon learned quickly Soon, it ed to assume the fah to be useful in battle

Arran's own progress was rapid, as well