The weapons training yard looked like a county renaissance fair.

  Canvas stretched overhead, held up on thick posts and sagging slightly in the middle from last night’s rain. A chest high fence ran around the perimeter and a wall that ran about a quarter of the way around one side was hung with racks of blunt wooden swords, spears, polearms and a variety of other weapons that gleamed dully in the morning light. The packed-dirt floor was stamped with footprints and boot scuffs and the air smelled of oil and dust.

  As they approached, a crow on a branch made Mel jump with a loud CAW.

  “Creepy,” Mel said.

  “He’s just saying good morning,” explained Danny. “3 or more means ‘go away’.” Mel just stared up at the crow as they passed underneath his perch.

  Alex lined up with the others, trying not to yawn. Both Class A and B were here, with the exception of Sarah who already had weapons training.

  Alex glanced across the yard at Class B who had chosen to set up opposite of his team. It felt a little like a standoff at the old corral the way Conner was staring over at Class A.

  Almost as imposing as Jay, Connor stood at the head of the line, his body at an angle like he was ready to defend his team from Class A if they tried anything. Next to him was Victor, their monk, tall and shaven-headed, hands loosely clasped as though in prayer but eyes tracking every movement. Alex couldn’t tell if it was a natural pose or something he was practicing for his new role.

  Ethan came next, lean and dark-eyed, his expression somewhere between curiosity and calculation, Alex still didn’t know him all that well. Beside him stood Emilie, all perfect posture and practiced smile – the sort that had already conquered a thousand selfies. Not really Alex’s favourite type of person. Her braid gleamed gold in the light, and she looked down the line of Class A like a queen surveying rival nobles.

  Beside her, lounged Madison, Class B’s bard – if every team got one, the producers had a type. She was barefoot despite the dirt, humming under her breath, tapping rhythms on the haft of her practice staff. She looked a lot like Mel, but with half the energy.

  And at the end stood Brandon, the other mage. Shorter than Alex, round-shouldered, eyes flickering with quiet intensity. His hands twitched constantly. He looked nervous, but not in a shy way; more like he felt awkward just standing out in the daylight.

  Alex wondered if this was going to be a team vs. team type training. He covered a big yawn with his hand. If you had told him a month ago that he would be standing around at the crack of dawn, waiting to learn how to use a sword… Well, he wouldn’t have believed it, that’s for sure.

  He stifled another yawn and shook his head in a failed attempt to clear the fuzziness. He’d barely finished breakfast before the alert had blinked across his HUD:

  >>> MANDATORY: BASIC WEAPONS TRAINING (Instructor: Sir William the Bold).

  He was expecting a soldier, maybe an ex-mercenary type, but had to suppress a laugh when a man in half-plate armor and a grin that could power a small city stepped under the canvas and pranced in between the two groups of students with a flourish of his longsword.

  “Good morrow, brave souls!” the instructor bellowed as he lunged with his sword across the packed dirt. The armor clanked enthusiastically with every step. “Welcome, one and all, to the Dance of Steel!”

  Beside Alex, Rae rolled her eyes and muttered, “Oh, save us.”

  The man planted his blunted longsword in the dirt like it was Excalibur, and leaned on it. “I am Sir William the Bold – Back on…” He looked around the ring to make sure there was nobody around, “EARTH,” he hissed a little too loudly, “I am Bill Blachley, previously curator emeritus, Royal Ontario Museum. You may call me either, so long as it’s proceeded by ‘sir.’”

  A few people laughed. Alex couldn’t tell if he was serious.

  “Now!” he continued, sweeping an arm grandly. “In this humble arena you shall learn the core foundations of armed combat as taught by the greats of Europe – fine footwork, strong guards, and the noble arc of the swing! The true art of battle is not about violence, but rhythm!” He drew the word out like he was orchestrating a musical.

  “As the great master Talhoffer once wrote – or perhaps it was Aragorn: ‘He who hesitates before the thrust hath already fallen!’”

  Connor snorted audibly. “This guy for real?”

  Alex couldn’t hide a smile. He understood why others may find this irritating, but it was hard for him to not to enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. The man was a walking anachronism. Under the canopy, with its faded red fabric and dust motes swirling through sunbeams, the whole setup felt like a medieval circus or giant LARP event.

  Sir William clapped his gauntlets together. “To the racks! Choose a partner, choose a practice weapon, and, for the love of Saint Galahad’s shin guards, do not impale anyone. Dull or not, these things still have points that can hurt.”

  They scattered for the weapon racks. Alex took a moment just to examine the options, running his hand across the cold morning steel of swords and maces, and the warm wood of staves and spears. Everything was all neatly labeled - Sir Bill’s work, Alex assumed. He picked up a longsword; the balance felt wrong in his hands. It was heavy and heavier at the hilt than he expected.

  As he held up the sword in front of him in what he thought might be a good stance based on all the media he had consumed in his life, his HUD flashed a small icon that looked like a book, at the edge of his vision. When he opened it an overlay appeared in the air in front of him, ghostly white lines tracing the angles of a proper guard position, annotated like a digital textbook.

  He turned the sword experimentally. The lines moved with him.

  Huh, that’s pretty cool, he thought.

  Across the ring, Connor had already grabbed a similar sword and was spinning it in neat circles, showing off. Jay stood next to him, relaxed and unconcerned, holding a very long sword that looked almost normal in his hands. Beside them Victor stood with a short sword, watching while Melissa tried to untangle a chain from a pail of flails.

  Sir William strutted through the group, inspecting grips. “Excellent! Fine choice, young ranger,” he told Danny. “Ah, and a mace for you? A fine choice. Stout, simple, and potentially brutal! You, bard – please stop pointing that spear at your friend’s face. Wait until the practice begins at least!”

  He reached Alex and beamed. “And you! The wizard of Class A, yes? Splendid choice, the longsword – symbol of honor, versatility, balance! But I would recommend something a little different.” Sir Bill took the sword from Alex and exchanged it with a slightly shorter version.

  “The hand and a half sword. Can be used with two hands for extra power, but much easier to wield with one hand. A better side weapon for one who also carries a staff, yes? Yes.” He nodded and watched as Alex held up the new weapon.

  Alex lifted the sword in front of him and noticed the same blinking icon on his HUD as before. He opened it up and saw there was a one and two handed option. He chose two handed for now since he didn’t have a staff yet and didn’t know if he was strong enough yet to manage this one-handed for very long. A ghostly white overlay appeared in front of him again and he moved his body to match the outline.

  “Very Nice!” Sir William declared. “You have the bearing of a swordsman. I can see it. Posture! Grace! You stand like a scholar of the blade.”

  Alex tried not to look self-conscious as half the class turned toward him. Connor was scowling of course.

  “Alright, noble warriors!” Sir William called. “The first lesson – stance! Look at young Alex’s demonstration here. I want you all to find your stances and hold it for as long as you can. Train your muscles, train your mind. This is your ‘home’ position and that’s how it has to feel. You will find guidance in your HUDs. The soul of swordplay rests in your feet and your positioning. A knight’s valor begins in his heels!”

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  He demonstrated a stance with his sword: one foot forward, knees bent, blade angled across his body. “Observe! Balance between left and right, front and back. Knees bent slightly to enable movement in any direction. Imagine the wind of destiny pressing against your shield!”

  Brandon, who was walking back from the rack after exchanging his long sword for another hand and a half sword, muttered, “None of us even have a shield.”

  Sir Bill continued to demonstrate and offer corrections by pointing his sword at people as he talked. “Now mirror me! Feet apart – wider! Wider! Too wide, that’s a split – ah, excellent! Feel the harmony!”

  Alex followed along for a time, watching his HUD overlay the actions, lines shifting to match the instructor’s form. It wasn’t complicated, really. Looking through the instructions in his HUD it seemed like there weren’t many different positions to learn. It was just a matter of practice and muscle training, and the ANIP was supposed to help with that part.

  He opened up his stance, weight evenly distributed, sword angled just so – tried to find the balance. The digital ghost traced his movement in white, then pulsed green when he matched the model exactly.

  Pretty simple really, he thought. He stood straight and then tried to quickly move back into the position again.

  Alex watched the training overlay and could see every micro-adjustment. A light nudge of his heel, a twist of the wrist. Perfect symmetry. He moved through the next steps, transitioning through a sequence of blocks and simple strikes. Each move was pretty simple on its own, but he struggled to transition cleanly from one to the next. The moment he tried to move, to flow through the sequence – step, pivot, guard – the lines snapped red. He overbalanced, leaned the wrong way, let his elbow drop, shifted his weight too far, let his sword dip. The HUD flashed red again and again.

  Sir William clapped delightedly beside Connor. “Exquisite! Behold this young man’s natural poise! Everyone, note how he – ah – yes, there’s a stumble, but no matter! Excellent recovery!”

  Connor’s sword sliced the air with crisp precision. His footwork wasn’t textbook, the overlay in Alex’s HUD flashed orange and red briefly a few times, but it was close and Connor made it look easy. He was fast, confident, and athletic. He swung once, twice, then landed a perfect guard stance with a smug half-grin.

  “Splendid power! Raw energy! Strong as a smith’s hammer! Perhaps a touch less flourish, but otherwise magnificent!”

  Connor nodded, the praise rolling off him like oil on water. Alex was impressed. Connor may be a jerk, but his natural athleticism was clearly an advantage here. Alex dropped into his stance again and swung through a quick sequence, trying, and mostly failing, to align his body with the overlay in front of him. The nanobots would help him figure this out, he just had to practice.

  “Now, partners!” Bill announced. “Every knight requires a worthy rival. Pair off and face your destiny. A light spar – nothing dangerous, do not be afraid, we are just learning the dance today!”

  Before Alex could move, Connor’s hand clapped his shoulder.

  “Wizard-boy,” he said, all mock cheer. “Let’s see what kind of ‘dance’ you’ve got.”

  “Uh, maybe we should…” Alex started, but Sir William was already nodding towards them.

  “Yes! A perfect match! The mind versus the muscle! A classic duel of archetypes. Proceed!”

  Alex sighed. Fantastic.

  They faced off in the center of the ring, because of course Connor was going to take the center of the ring. Connor’s stance was solid; Alex’s was textbook – literally, according to his HUD.

  “Ready?” Connor asked, lowering his sword.

  “Go easy,” Alex said quietly. “I’m not really any…”

  The strike came before he finished. A fast diagonal sweep that rattled up Alex’s arms as the blunted blades connected. He managed to block the first, barely, but stumbled backward.

  “Footwork, my lad!” Sir William called helpfully. “Always control the ground beneath you!”

  “Working on it!” Alex hissed, parrying another blow. His HUD flared red. His weight was wrong, his balance was wrong. He tried to correct according to the outline – too slow. Connor feinted, pivoted and caught him across the thigh hard enough that he dropped to the ground on one knee.

  Blunt or not, the impact burned.

  “Point!” Connor announced, stepping back.

  Bill nodded solemnly. “A vigorous blow!”

  Alex exhaled slowly and stood up, cheeks hot. “Let’s go.”

  They reset. Connor attacked more playfully this time, letting Alex get a few blocks in before sweeping his leg. Alex could see the positions he needed early enough, but just couldn’t make his body listen fast enough. He hit the dirt with a grunt after a blow to his shoulder when he was already off balance.

  Bill raised a hand. “And lo, he falls with grace! Excellent demonstration of humility in battle!”

  The class laughed good-naturedly, but Alex’s stomach clenched. Connor extended a hand to help him up. The smile was polite. The eyes weren’t.

  “Nice try, Wizard, maybe stick to your spells,” he said with a snicker.

  Alex took the hand and ignored the jibe. He stood, meeting Connor’s gaze.

  The next pair stepped in. Jay and Ethan sparred with easy rhythm; Melissa twirled a staff so poorly it nearly clipped Danny who was spectating. Sir William bounded between them all, shouting encouragement and historical trivia.

  “Excellent parry! That’s straight from Fiore dei Liberi’s 1409 treatise – very authentic!”

  By the end, everyone was sweating and bruised, Alex had sparred with Connor 5 times and Connor swept all 5 matches.

  “Marvelous!” Sir William declared, chest heaving with enthusiasm. “You have all taken your first step upon the noble road! Remember – every bruise is a badge of valor; every dent, a story. Wear them proudly!”

  Connor leaned toward Alex. “Guess you’ll have a big story to share tonight at the Silver Gate then, huh?”

  Alex looked down at his scraped elbow, the shirt was torn and soaked with blood. He clenched his fist but didn’t reply. He felt like he was so close, but the gap between close and beating Connor was too big right now. He would practice until he got better. I will get better.

  Bill called for attention again, holding up his sword. “Each day you will try a new weapon. It is critical that you find your favored instrument of justice – the weapon that calls to your spirit! Until then, rest your bodies and nourish your souls!”

  He saluted the group, blade to chest, and marched off humming what sounded like the Game of Thrones theme.

  The students dispersed in clusters. Connor and a few others compared bruises. Connor said something that made everyone laugh as they looked over at Alex. Melissa offered Alex a sympathetic grin before following Jay and Danny towards the nearest cafeteria entrance.

  Alex stayed behind, crouching to wipe dust from the practice sword. The ANIP pinged softly at the edge of his vision:

  >>> [Agility +1.2%]

  >>> [Coordination Improved]

  He blinked at the readout. “Seriously?”

  Every clumsy swing, every fall – it had all counted for something at least. The system had tracked his attempts and learned from them. His body ached, but his mind hummed with energy.

  He straightened slowly, watching Connor laugh with his small fan club near the water barrels. He looked untouchable with that sword in his hand when they sparred – strong, smooth, every motion deliberate.

  Alex’s HUD dimmed to standby, but that faint blue overlay still hovered at the edge of his sight. Numbers meant progress. And progress meant anything was possible. He smiled.

  “Connor’s an ass,” he murmured. “But he’s the best one here with a sword right now. I’ll just have to learn from him as well as the HUD lesson and soon enough I’ll be just as good.”

  The system blinked again:

  >>> [Willpower +0.2%]

  He laughed softly. It was weird getting updates on his stats like this. It had been 24 hours since the nanobot injection and apparently they had their baseline and were now ‘improving the system’. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being ‘a system’, but he loved the updates. It was the perfect motivation for him to get stronger.

  By now everyone else had moved on, to lunch or elsewhere. Alex stood and positioned himself in form. He started through the first routine once more. I will master this.

  The canopy behind him rattled in the wind like applause.

  The decision to adopt local weapons, armor, and appearance protocols predates the entertainment initiative and was never aesthetic. It was defensive.

  Early encounters demonstrated that unfamiliar materials attracted disproportionate attention. Advanced composites resisted wear but provoked curiosity. Even mundane objects—synthetic fabrics, modern fasteners—were noticed, questioned and remembered. In a low-information environment, novelty propagates faster than rumor.

  More critically, we lacked a reliable model for local perception. How threat is assessed. How authority is inferred. How outsiders are categorized. Introducing visibly alien technology into an unknown social ecosystem risked accelerating response curves we could not predict or contain.

  The company doubled down on this decision once we realized the size of the continent we were on and how many tens of millions of locals exist in the surrounding kingdoms. We just aren’t ready to defend ourselves from such numbers, even with superior technology.

  But authenticity proved to be the best camouflage. By fitting in, we are just a frontier town between agnostic empires. Nobody is looking at us now.

  Operational Note — Cultural & Threat Assessment

  Early Earth-3 Integration Phase

  ─────────────?─────────────

  Dungeon Inc. // RECRUITING DIVISION

  ─────────────?─────────────

  Thanks for sticking with the story so far!!

  I am a new writer here on RR, so your reviews and ratings and especially follows mean a ton - please consider taking a moment to help if you like my story!

  In fact, I think I'm legally obliged to tell you to SMASH that follow button at the very least and don't forget to comment and let me know what you think!

  If you are another writer, message me here or on Discord (ColossalSoup) for shoutout exchanges, etc.

  ? ━━━? THE STORY CONTINUES… ?━━━ ?