Chapter 905 Chapter 904: Learning Experience
"So... is there a reason we are both standing back here?"
I tapped the tip of my Khopesh against the rocky earth below rhythmically, itching to be joining the others in this fight against a horde of Undead monsters, only to find myself held back and told to stay my hand for now.
Despite not truly knowing or caring for the Head of the Beliali Clan, I wasn't stupid enough to ignore his words and advice - anyone who could be both the leader of a Demon Clan as well as a well respected member of the Knights of Cinder likely had some nuggets of advice that I could make great use of going forwards, but that didn't mean that I was loving the way he was going about giving me those nuggets.
Currently, while the others were embroiled in a close quarters frenzy against a large tribe of what used to be Goblins and their evolutions, fighting and killing freely with their weapons and magic, Leone and I were stuck standing far away, on the other side of the grotto left to watch as this battle unfolded in front of us.
"Ha! Chordeva and Lady Fenryas both claimed you had a wellspring of patience inside yourself, Miss Kat~! Were they wrong?"
"No, but you cannot blame me for wanting to be by the sides of those that I love when they are currently engaged in a fight against four separate Ogres, who are boosted by a Fiend's magics. Standing back and doing nothing is circumventing that patience..."
Chuckling, Belian nodded his head before waving his hand at the battle in front of us, saying "I know the four of you are accustomed to fighting, but I thought I'd take this chance to help you grow, you know? Give you something to think on and improve upon. Because when it is just the four of you, I don't think there is much advice I can offer, but when there is more than ten in your party, well... you're treading new waters, and I am not that confident you know how to swim in them just yet.
Call me old fashioned, but I want to test you before letting you do something on your own; experience is a great teacher, but blind experience is just as detrimental as never doing something. Bad habits and the inability to see what you did wrong can lead to death in this line of work.
Now, again, when it's just the four of you, I notice that you work... very similar to a spear. Humor me for a moment; Jahi is the spear tip - reliable, unstoppable, entirely focused on pressing forwards and making use of her larger frame and incredible strength to bully whatever is in front of her. Nothing wrong with that, especially not since she does it so damn well."
We all focused on the towering blue skinned Demoness who was shrouded in harsh gold light, the giant shield strapped to her left arm blocking the club of an Ogre and allowing her to swing her equally giant great sword diagonally up into the Ogre's chest, cleanly cleaving through its decaying flesh and shattering the Core inside, killing the monster instantly.
"Meanwhile, if Jahi is the tip of the spear, Anput is the rest of the spear blade; she is versatile, and can work in many different ways. She can act behind the tip fo the spear, she can attack on its sides, and she can move quickly and erratically. Where Jahi is singleminded and attacking with brute force, Anput works with velocity and the power she generates with that speed, attacking the weak points she can spot each time she pulls back. See? Disengaging with the enemy, taking a breath to look over the entire front line, then lunging back into a new location."
Leone and I nodded as we watched the tanned Jackalkin do just that; she leapt back and stood a few feet away from the monsters, scanning the enemies in front of her and shifting the metal rod in her hand from a simple longsword into a curved, single edged scimitar, allowing her to flow along the sides of the area that Jahi was standing in to cut and slash at whatever drew near.
"Now, if Jahi is the tip of the spear, and Anput is the rest of the spear head, what exactly are the two of you? Any ideas?"
Belian's half smirk was both grating and motivating as Leone and I exchanged a glance, unsure at first before the ashen haired Princess hesitantly asked "Would... Kat be the haft and I the heel..?"
"Elaborate."
Frowning, Leone narrowed her eyes at me before turning to observe both Jahi and Anput once more, taking a few seconds to gather her thoughts and formulate a response.
"Kat... 'controls' their movements, guiding them to where they would be the most effective and giving them either a push or a pull depending on the situation; she presses forwards and pushes Jahi deeper, and subsequently creates a new area for Anput to work with, or pulls back and resets the fight in a new area. She's just behind the two and fighting alongside them, yes, but she primarily is keeping her focus on the area around us all, whilst still being far enough back that she remains nearby me..?"
"Correct. In this 'formation' of yours, Kat does indeed act as the haft with how she keeps the tip and the blade controlled and gives them an idea on where to go. From what I've seen - and heard - she doesn't head deep unless she is required to be that far in, or if the threat is deescalated enough to warrant the formation dropping. Now, why are you the 'heel'?"
Leone blinked, pursing her lips as she tried to come up with the next answer, only to look towards me as I said "I would argue she is another 'blade' and not the heel. A double bladed spear of sorts, I guess. Jahi and Anput are almost purely physical attackers, whilst I have a mixture of abilities, though... I would like to believe I am coordinating everything as best I could, but... Anyways, Leone is another blade, but one made almost purely from magic instead. She can attack from afar, strike deep or cut across the front lines, she can balance us out with her support magic..."
"Correct again~! Yes, if it was just the four of you, the current situation would look something like this; Jahi would remain where she is, as would Anput, but Kat would be working opposite Anput, cleaning up after her or preparing an area for the Jackalkin to attack next, all while remaining 'free' to come to Leone's aid should she need it. A mage is an incredibly powerful 'blade', but also a fragile one; if they are pulled into the melee, it becomes a detriment as the 'blade shatters'. But..."
Seeing the smirk getting wider and wider on Belian's face, I sighed as I said "But we're not just a 'spear' anymore, right? Is that what you were getting at this entire time? That when it is just the four of us, this formation of ours is excellent, but it becomes a hinderance when we're with others?"
"Yes... and no. A spear can be short and thin, or long and wide, right? Different types for different fights. Learn how to shift yourself around and make the people you add to your party work in different spots. Satanya, for example; she is another 'haft', but also an excellent 'blade'. Depending on the situation, she can switch between being a pure attacker or being a commander. Make this influx of people work with you.
Like you've heard many times now, the world is changing slowly but surely, and some of these fights that you're going to be apart of are going to be larger than this. Or they'll be this size. You need to understand what you're working with, and how to make use of it as efficiently as possible. Jahi and Anput don't need to do much besides get stronger, faster and more resilient; you two, however, need to get a better understanding of how to make the most of those two, as well as any like them. With a proper formation, even a collection of dull, weak people can become an impressive 'weapon' to be wielded with devastating effect. That is what I was getting at. So tell me... how can you efficiently work with this group of warriors?"
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