There were sword, maces, long coils of chain, daggers and many types of clubs. There was also armor, pieces of it hanging here and there between the weapons. The floor was covered with what looked like canvas mats. A path led between the mats from the doors a long way to the front of the room.
Waiting for them there was a tiny woman wearing a long, silk gown. It was covered in odd markings and symbols and was a vibrant yellow. Justin was startled to see that she was in a wheelchair. She was the first person he had seen here with any physical problems. The woman looked fairly old. He guessed that she was in her sixties, at least. He relaxed a bit. Compared to some of the other adults, this lady looked more like someone's grandmother,
The boys made their way across the room and stood scattered in front of the woman. Once they had stopped shuffling and had settled down a bit, the lady cleared her throat.
“My name is Jennifer Takomo. You may called me Miss Takomo or Miss. By the time we become better acquainted, some of you may want to call me Sir, or assorted other names.” She scanned the faces in front of her. She wasn't smiling. “Don't.” She clasped her hands on her lap, “I am your martial arts teacher.”
There was a whisper of noise as the boys absorbed this fact and then the room became quiet. “Now, when I say martial arts, I mean the art of combat, not necessarily specific types of fighting like Karate or Kung Fu. For those of you who wish to learn,” she emphasized these last words, “I can teach you to defend yourself against one attacker or a dozen. I can teach you to protect your friends. And I can and will teach you to kill.”
Justin swallowed noisily. Kill? He looked around at the other boys. Aaron looked at him and his face was as pale as Justin felt his own was.
One of the larger boys spoke up. “Kill, Miss? But, we're just kids. Why should we...”
Miss Takomo interrupted. “You know quite well why, Mister Sanders. Yes, I know all your names.” She looked over the class and seemed to catch everyone's eye, including Justin's. “All of you must know by now that you have enemies. Enemies who will use every means they can to eliminate you.” Her eyes softened for a moment as she looked at them. “I am sorry to be so blunt, but you must understand. This is not a game. I know some of you have already lost friends or family to these...monsters. The rest of you may end up in the same boat.” Now she was frowning again. “How would you feel if a loved one was attacked and you could do nothing? How much worse would you feel knowing that you might have been able to help, if you had taken the time and made the effort to learn how? Hmm?”
Justin felt a stab of pain and regret. If only he had been able to fight. Maybe Wilson would still be alive. He looked at Aaron. What if someone attacked my new friend?
He felt a rush of determination flood though him. Not again, he thought. I won't stand by again and see someone I care for get hurt. He looked back at Miss Takomo and found that she was staring at him. She didn't say anything but somehow she seemed to know what he was thinking and nodded once. Then she looked at the group and Justin saw that small nod repeated again and again.
“Yes, I see you begin to understand. Good. Now, please have a seat on the floor and get comfortable. I want to discuss both your weaknesses and your strengths.”
The group sat down on the mats and watched her intently. “Now,” Miss Takomo said, “I have no doubt that each of you knows by now that you can not be easily hurt physically, yes?”
Most of the group nodded. “Yes. So, having learned that and being young,” she smiled slightly, “may have engendered a certain, shall we say, feeling of invincibility. Don't let it.” She looked sharply as one of the teens chuckled.
“Yes, Mr. Ryson? Something is funny?'
“Um, no Miss. It's just that, well, I fell out a second story window a few months ago and didn't get a scratch.”
Her look was scornful. “Yes, yes, very impressive, I'm sure. Perhaps you should leave us and go and train for a career in falling out of buildings.”
Ryson blushed and ducked his head.
“I don't want to sound too harsh. But I don't want you to have an over-inflated belief in your own safety or invincibility.” She looked them over critically. “According to my research, which I believe is credible, when you reach your twenties and beyond, you will be much, much tougher than you are now. And at the same time, more vulnerable.”
Justin was puzzled and it must have shown on his face, because the teacher looked at him sharply.
“Mr. McLeod, how much do you weigh?”
Justin was caught off guard by the question. “Um, I think I was around one twenty a couple of months ago, Miss.”
She nodded. “At your height, about five-five or so? Yes, well that is an average weight. If you stay at your present height, Mr. McLeod, by the time you are twenty or so, you will weigh around five hundred pounds.”
Justin stared at her in shock. He was going to get fat? He tried to picture himself that big and just had an image of a beach ball with his head sticking out the top. Several others in the class laughed. Benson was almost howling.
“What is funny, Mr. Benson?” Miss Takomo asked coldly.
He shut up at once. “Er, well, I just thought...”
“And you are about five-ten, yes? At twenty you will weight in at about six hundred and fifty pounds.”
Others in the class laughed now as Benson's mouth dropped open.
“No way!” he said loudly. “I'll never get that fat!”
Miss Takomo looked puzzled. “Who said you would be fat?”
Justin spoke up. “But Miss, you said...”
“I told you what you would weigh, Mr. McLeod. Physically you will look very much the way you do now.” Most of the class still looked confused and the woman snorted with exasperation. “Didn't any of you listen when Mr. Fitzgerald explained what Titans are and how they are different? Your bodies are denser, your molecules more tightly packed. Not so much now, in early adolescence but it will develop slowly throughout your teenage years. You will get the occasional growth spurt as well. You'll recognize these by the fact that you will be hungry all the time.” Some of the boys laughed and she smiled briefly. “Hungrier then. But that is why you will be so heavy. A dense body is a heavy body. That is what makes it so hard for you to be hurt by physical damage.”
Miss Takomo moved her wheelchair slightly. “So that is the benefit of a dense structure. Now, who can think of a danger in being so heavy?”
Justin looked at Aaron, who shrugged. Gerry looked as puzzled as Justin felt but when he looked at Norm, he could see his lips moving silently as he tried to work it out. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he raised his hand.
“Yes, Mr. Holden?”
“Water,” he said and Miss Takomo nodded with a smile.
“Excellent, Mr. Holden. That is one of the biggest dangers. Water.”
Justin looked at Norm, then at the teacher. He was completely mystified as to what they were talking about. When he looked at the others, he could tell that they seemed to be as well. Miss Takomo noticed their expressions and shook her head.
“You don't understand, do you?” There was no reply. “Think about it, gentlemen. If you weighed six hundred pounds, what would happen if you fell into deep water?”
Justin stared. Of course, he thought. You would sink like a stone.
“Yes, I see you begin to understand,” Miss Takomo said. “A Titan's greatest vulnerability is water. Or I should say, a lack of oxygen. The method used in ancient times to kill your ancestors was very often drowning. It is not a concern right now, but never, never allow yourself to be caught by an enemy near deep water. And any other method of asphyxiation is a danger as well.”
She rolled her chair toward the nearest wall, where several of the bronze weapons were hanging. “However, that is not the only weakness that Titans have.” She indicated the weapons on the wall. “I'm sure you've all noticed my collection by now.” She spun her chair to face them. “What do you think of them?”
“Aren't they just for display
purposes?” Benson said doubtfully. “I mean, they're not much use, are they?”
“And why do you say that?” Miss Takomo asked.
“Well, bronze is a fairly soft metal, I think. Can't last very long, can it, if you were fighting with it.”
Now the teacher looked puzzled. “Bronze? What makes you think this is bronze, Mr. Benson?”
“Well, the color. Like the Sentries. I suppose it's pretty but kind of useless.” He sounded disdainful.
“Ah, I see your confusion. Yes, bronze would be of limited use, I suppose. Although historically bronze was used in weapons for centuries. However, these weapons, like the Sentries, are not made of bronze.”
She reached up and lifted a short sword from the wall. She held it across her lap and stroked it for a moment. Almost like you would stroke a pet, Justin thought.
“I'm sure some of you have heard of a metal called titanium? Yes. Well, whoever first created titanium probably used the word titan in the name to give it a sense of power and strength. But this,” she held the sword point up, “is real titanium. It is a metal created by the original Titans.” Miss Takomo rolled her chair back to the front of the room. Then she turned the sword so that it pointed straight down, leaned forward and with very little effort, thrust the sword several inches into the stone floor. She let go of the hilt and the sword stood there, quivering slightly.
Justin stared at the sword in amazement. He glanced at Aaron and saw that he looking wide-eyed at the sword. Many of the other boys had gasped and were now talking excitedly amongst themselves.
Miss Takomo cleared her throat loudly and the class quieted down and looked at her. “This metal is stronger than steel, harder than diamond and lighter than almost any metal known to the human race. You there.” she pointed to the nearest boy, who happened to be Norm, “come and pull this out for me please.”
Justin watched as Norm blushed and slowly walked forward. He glanced at Miss Takomo, who nodded encouragingly, then he reached down, grabbed the sword hilt and pulled up sharply.
Norm staggered back as the sword slipped easily out of the rock. Several of the boys laughed as Norm blushed even redder, but he was staring at the sword. He lifted it and waggled it around a few times.
“Wow. It doesn't weigh anything!” he said in awe.
“Exactly, Mr. Holden. Now, hand it to the class and let everyone get a feel for it.”
Norm reluctantly passed the sword to Gerry, who also stared at it in disbelief as he accepted it. As each teen took the sword in turn, Miss Takomo continued speaking.
“Please handle the sword carefully. Titanium is one of the few metals that will harm a Titan if used as a weapon.”
Benson, who had been brandishing the sword and showing off to his friends, suddenly became a lot more careful and handed it off to the closest person as if it had turned into a hand grenade.
“Wise, Mr. Benson. Now that I've mentioned some of your weaknesses, allow me to expand on your strengths.” Miss Takomo turned her chair and moved to the blackboard. She shoved the bottom of the board and it flipped over to reveal several lines of writing.
“As you can see, I have listed what I consider to be the edge that Titans have over regular humans. First, some of you may have noticed that you haven't gotten sick lately with a cold or the flu, yes?” There were several nods. “Well, as you mature, this immunity will expand. As adults, you will be impervious to disease as well as poison. Again, this is because of a Titan's dense structure. And, although it is difficult to harm a Titan with mundane weapons, you can still be hurt by such things as edged and piercing weapons used with extreme force, such as high-powered, armor-piercing bullets.” She smiled grimly. “You are not super men, so please bear that in mind at all times.”
As she turned back to the board, Aaron leaned over to Justin. “We may not be Superman,” he whispered, “but it sounds pretty darned close!” He and Justin exchanged grins.
“Now, this next bit of information will not really matter yet, but one day when you are out in the world, it might save your lives.” Miss Takomo turned from the blackboard and looked out over the group. “If you are indeed injured, you will heal quickly. Very quickly. An injury that might take days or weeks to heal in a normal human will only take a few hours for you. But,” she held up a finger imperiously, “never allow yourself to be taken to a hospital. Never let a doctor examine you. Never allow yourselves to be x-rayed or give a blood sample.”
“But why, Miss?” Gerry asked.
“Well, for one thing, an x-ray will come back blank. A needle used to take a blood sample will break. A doctor examining you will no doubt notice your extraordinary body size to weight ratio. In other words, you will be exposed as different. And different can mean dangerous to some people. They might call in the authorities and that could lead to your capture. And I don't need to tell you what would result from that.”
Justin guessed that the resulting silence meant that, like him, the other guys were remembering Mr. Fitzgerald's warnings. Apparently Miss Takomo thought so too.
“Very well then. As this is our first class together, there will be no actual training today. You may ask me some questions though, as long as they pertain to self defense.”
Several hands went up.
“Yes, Mr. Woodward? Stand please.”
A small dark boy with big eyes stood up and looked shyly at Miss Takomo. “I wondered, Miss, if we would be any, well any stronger as we get older.”
“Good question,” she said as the boy sat down quickly. “The answer is, not really.”
There were a few groans of disappointment.
“As I said, you are not super men. Yes, you will be somewhat stronger than an average human for your size, but that is not your main advantage.”
Benson raised his hand.
“Mr. Benson?”
“Then what is our main advantage, Miss?”
“It is your ability to endure, Mr. Benson.” He looked as confused as Justin felt at the answer. “Think about it, gentlemen,” the lady continued. “While you may have seen long drawn-out fighting in movies, a real battle is usually a very short affair. A human, no matter how strong, simply can't sustain the energy for a long fight. They wear out. You will, one day, be able to simply absorb anything they throw at you and eventually win the battle by waiting them out.”
There were a few more questions and then Miss Takomo dismissed the class. As they were following Jonathon, who had met them outside the classroom, Justin couldn't help grinning.
“What's so funny, Justin?” Norm asked as he saw Justin's expression.
“Oh, I was just thinking about this guy Chris back at school,” he said. “I can see him spending ten minutes trying to kick my butt and then finally falling over from exhaustion.”
His three friends laughed.
“Yeah, I may not be a fighter, but I think I could manage to stand in one spot until someone got tired of trying to beat me up,” Norm said smiling.
They continued to joke around about the new Titan fighting style, which Gerry named the 'kick my ass til you fall down' art of combat. Meanwhile, Jonathon led them out into the courtyard and through yet another doorway to their next class.
Chapter 14
They entered a much different room for their runic studies class. It was small compared to most of the other areas they had seen and here there were actual desks with two chairs at each one and paper and pencils on each desk. The girls had already arrived and found seats. Denise, whom he had talked to earlier, smiled at Justin and Aaron as they walked in.
A tall young man, with very thin red hair and a sallow complexion stood at a blackboard at the front of the room, waiting for them.
Once everyone was seated, Justin and Aaron sat together, as did Gerry and Norm, the man looked over the class and smiled weakly.
“Good morning. My name is Hunter. Marcus Hunter.” He hesitated then looked down at the floor. “I am a last minute replacement for your original teacher.” He loo
ked back out over the room and seemed to catch each of their eyes for a moment. “Her name was Virginia Mathers. She and I were good friends.” He cleared his throat and seemed to be having trouble speaking. “She...was killed, along with those under her protection, two days ago while trying to get to Sanctuary.”
There was a shocked stillness in the room, then it seemed everyone began to whisper to their neighbors. Justin looked at Aaron, who just shook his head, speechless.
“Please, give me your attention,” Mr. Hunter said. The room grew quiet. “I'm sorry to burden you with such news, but I thought you should know why I'm going to seem a little...unpolished when teaching you.” He tried to smile. “Out in the world, I'm actually a researcher; more used to learning than teaching. But I will do my best. I hope you will be patient with me.”
He turned abruptly to the blackboard behind him. “To begin, I want to explain what this class is all about. Then we will get into the history of the subject.”
He was writing on the board as he spoke, Justin spelled out the words as Mr. Hunter wrote them down. Runes And The Use of Power.
Aaron leaned over and whispered in Justin's ear. “Runes? What runes? Like the ones on the Arena game?”
“You remember the symbols on those round stones outside the doors? And on that rock you were given before you fell into the water and arrived here?” he muttered. Aaron nodded. “I'm pretty sure those are runes too.”
A look of comprehension dawned on Aaron's face.
“Now, runes were and are the basis of the Titan's power,” Mr. Hunter continued. “With them, they could manipulate energy, focus it and release that energy in specific ways. For example,” he pointed to the iron baskets hanging from the ceiling and lighting the room,” in those holders are small stacks of stones, each inscribed with the rune for light. This entire complex is heated, lit, supplied with air and water and so on, using runes.”
“Sir?” One of the girls, Justin thought her name was Tanya, was holding up her hand.
“Yes?”
“How long do these runes last? I mean, this place seems so old. Do they have to be...recharged once in a while?”
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