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After his first experience on the training field, Oliver was not eager to return. It was a scary place. He felt like the geek of the class daring to set foot on the field with the highschool football team, daring to put himself where he didn't belong and get beaten up for his audacity.

But Jökul had been more vocal as of late, impatient rumbles and irritated sighs, reminding his master that he was not a mere trinket. The large switch axe was made for fighting. It wanted to fight.

Oliver couldn't just sit around in his room being nervous when Jökul was telling him to go out. So he had somehow gotten himself to the training field again, and hovered around the edge with the piscivore tooth necklace clutched tightly in one hand. It's long and slightly serrated edge dug into his fingers, it's temperature slightly cold to the touch regardless of how long he held it.

He just couldn't gather enough courage to step out and summon the weapon.

Oliver had already learned that running away from hunters didn't work. And it was almost all he could do to keep himself from turning on his heels as the pink-haired guy approached.

But wasn't he one of Ian's friends? They hadn't had a formal introduction, but he had seen the two together once or twice and they seemed very comfortable together. It had to mean this hunter wasn't too bad, his smile was bright and didn't seem malicious at all, not like when Finn got a real big smile. That was one hunter Oliver probably should have avoided, but a friend of Ian couldn't be that scary... right?

"Ah, um... N-not me," he replied, fidgeting and glancing downwards. The duck boots were the last thing he expected to see, and they threw him off guard for a minute. Perhaps it was all for the best, as Oliver was able to stammer out a better explanation. "I-it's, ah... Him..." He loosened his grip on the long tooth to let the hunter see. "H-he is... restless."

Oliver jumped slightly at the sudden contact, but the friendly smiles and light tone slowly settled his perpetually frayed nerves. Strikingly pale hazel eyes finally darted up for a quick glance at the pink-haired hunter's face. "Y-yes," the kid stammered quietly, and his eyes turned back down to the tooth in his hand.

In an instant it shifted, and then he was holding a large axe, the presence of which seemed quite disproportionate to the young, timid hunter. A ranged weapon like a bow would have suited him, or a dagger perhaps, but fate had decided to pair him with a weapon that looked like it had been crafted out of parts from the giant beast itself. But at least Oliver seemed able to carry it.

"Jökul, he's an axe... but... s-sometimes a sword?" The trainee looked nervous, his fingers running along the spine-like handle.

Jökul seemed to appreciate the flattery, judging from the gentle rumbling in the back of Oliver's mind. The weapon rarely spoke with him, but more often he could infer it's feelings from the quality of it's sounds. Apparently some weapons were just like that, they really did have their own personality. Like having a second person in your head. Oliver was just lucky Jökul didn't give him a hard time.

"Ah, O-Oliver," he stammered by way of introduction, shifting the large weapon to rest against his shoulder and free up a hand. His hand was cold and his grip was weak, but it was a step above flinching away from Shiloh's movements.

He quickly glanced away. "I-I, ah... I'm n-not very good yet," the kid stammered, but he didn't exactly say no. He still wasn't sure if he was allowed to say no to hunters who clearly outranked him.

For a brief second Oliver did manage to raise his eyes above the weapon in his hands, his curiosity pushing him towards a tiny glance at Shiloh and the chained weapon, Haruko. Sometimes the kid was amazed at the diversity of weapons he had seen since waking up, it was more than any videogame he had ever played.

Oliver's automatic reaction was to pull back even before the poke touched him, but a poke was just a poke. Not like he was being attacked or anything. Yet. He rubbed at the spot gently.

"Ah, n-nobody w-will get hurt?" He stammered quietly, his mind slowly going over all the ifs and buts. This was Ian's friend, and he seemed really nice. And if it were like teaching, Oliver had spent pretty much his whole life in school being taught. So in a way, it was less scary.

FInally he nodded, a more determined expression on his face. The frightened rabbit-like nervousness hadn't gone away, but Oliver really wanted to learn. Figuring out how to fight might possibly be his only way to stay alive on the island.

Oliver still looked like there was a trace of anxiety, but he took a firmer grip on the axe handle. His heart was beating so fast, and his palms felt moist. If Shiloh looked close he might have seen Oliver's nervous shaking.

But Jökul felt solid enough, cool to the touch. Oliver let both hands slide to the end of the handle as the axe swung both backwards and away from his body, gathering enough momentum to bring it over his head for a mighty downwards swing. Yet at the last minute, the kid jerked himself backwards and the axe completely missed his target.

"Ah, s-sorry," he squeaked, it was still really hard for him to actually attack someone. He knew how sharp Jökul's blade was, and couldn't go through with the swing.


Damage: 0

Oliver barely had time to squeak. The axe was too far into it's swing to bring up as a guard and the heavy dog-head weight struck him on his shoulder, knocking him right to the ground. The pain radiated down his arm. But oddly enough, it was easily tolerable, almost muted. The kid couldn't describe it exactly, but it must have been Jökul and his FEAR shield protecting him.

"I-I'm okay," he said, but even as Shiloh approached out of worry he reminded himself they were sparring. Oliver scrambled to his feet and swung the axe again, this time forming a sideways arc like a baseball player aiming for a home run.

Damage: 7
HP: 31/40

Oliver didn’t sound like he was okay, but the resounding swing from his axe suggested what he said was true, slashing in a wide arc straight into Shiloh. Shiloh, meanwhile, had been caught off-guard this time, having not quite realized that Oliver’s weapon was, indeed, an axe, smaller, for sure, but still fearsome, still the same swiping action coming towards him.

Just the thought of it made his chest ache.

“Good one,” he groaned, sliding back on his feet, but he forced a smile, and lunged forward, using the momentum to throw Haruko again.

HP: 43/50
DMG: 8