Breaking The Balance

Breaking The Balance - Preparation, Clashes and Skills

Since Jordan had woken up, it had been non-stop action in Martha's little house. Everyone was forced into a strict training regime by Mianite, forcing them to work together as a team to face various scenarios and learn what the best courses of action were. The training resulted in varying levels of success that really depended on whether someone felt like yelling at Wag that day or whether Caitlin voiced an opinion only for Tucker to turn on her instead. Though Caitlin could easily handle herself against Tucker, Wag clearly felt guilty to escape the firing line and would force Tucker's attentions back onto him instead.

Since he had been in his coma for so long, Jordan's strength and muscle mass had gone down massively. This meant that each of the training sessions took a larger toll on his already drained energy reserves, causing many an injury since Jordan refused to accept his limits and continued to push himself to the point of agony. Martha was not pleased with this behaviour but Mianite accepted it, subtly ensuring that the others covered Jordan's weak points in order to retain victory each time. The original heroes fought together like they were in the war, constantly aware and able to instinctively know what needed to be done next.

Fitting Wag, Martha and Mianite into this equation was the main issue. Although Mianite was a seasoned warrior, he tended to be too brash and rushed forward too early – allowing any fake enemy that had been conjured up to strike before his defences were in place. Martha was a remarkably good fighter, using a combination of magic and melee to eliminate groups of enemies effortlessly. However, she was too timid – she relied too much on obvious openings rather than taking risks, which meant that the enemies could predict her movements. Wag's magic made him a valuable asset and he acted mostly as a support to the team, providing healing spells and various boosts to those who needed them. This made him a huge target to the enemies and due to his... past transgressions, nobody really rushed to defend him.

Ianita and Caitlin spent most of the training sessions on the side, doing individual sparring to help catch Ianita up to speed with the rest of the team's combat experience. She was a fast learner and Caitlin was a surprisingly efficient teacher – not completely holding back her punches if they connected. Ianita didn't even seem to feel the punches when they hurt her, even if they did leave marks on her skin and the sound of contact often echoed across the training yard. She merely stopped, brushed herself down and nodded for Caitlin to repeat the move or to attempt to attack her again. Her defensive skills were phenomenal, her arms instinctually moving to block blows and to defend her vital organs. If Ianita truly got involved in the battle she'd be a valuable asset, even from a distance.

"Jordan, Tom! I need your help with something."

Jordan and Tom looked up to see Caitlin beckoning them over to the weapons rack, handing them a bow each and a quiver of arrows. Ianita was standing in the middle of the field about twenty metres away, her eyes closed and a look of focus unwavering on her face. Tom and Jordan looked between her and Caitlin, a quizzical look on their faces as they tried to figure out what was being asked of them.

"I need you to attempt to hit Ianita with those bows. I chose you two because I thought I'd start with the most amateur bowmen amongst you. Martha and Sonja are remarkable shots, I can't guarantee that Mianite won't cheat and Tucker is that competitive he might take it too far."

Tom cocked his head to the side, his voice challenging as he spoke:

"What about Wag?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes at Tom, flicking away his concerns with her hand as she picked up a rock and threw it towards Wag's head – a straight shot that looked like it would hurt a lot. However, the closer it got to Wag the slower it travelled until Wag turned around and caught it in his hand with a small smirk of triumph.