Pip knew, with some clarity, that he was getting his ass handed to him the entire first day of training. Something which wasn't his instructor's fault since he was the one who'd insisted on sparing. Sparing which he'd made a mess of by just attacking like an idiot.

Rogue and thief were pretty similar in terms of abilities. He'd been better at things as a second level rogue than he had been a fourth level thief, but not much was outright new. The exception being sneak attacks, but he was apparently shit at those.

"You done?" his teacher asked. The elven man had been patient after a fashion.

"Y-Yeah," Pip managed. He was exhausted and laying in the dirt on the flat of his back where he'd last been knocked down.

"I heard about what happened, what Chris did. So I thought you might need to blow off some steam. Tomorrow though, we start the actual training," his teacher added.

"Well, that was the most recent thing," Pip grumbled to himself.

"Hm?" his teacher hummed questioningly. Pip started, not expecting to be heard. He'd forgotten that the long eared elf folk tended to have a large range.

"Just a lot has been going on," Pip said carefully.

"Don't worry too much about what 42 will ask of you. She's… honest, after a fashion," his teacher said, shrugging.

"After a fashion?" Pip asked, eyebrow shooting up.

"She won't ask more than she's said she will and will keep the deal," his teacher said. Looking a little uncomfortable. "Now go… sleep or whatever it is you do."

"Do you mean as a mortal or a human?" Pip asked. Mortal. He'd been called that quite a bit since finding out about the less than natural nature of most of the locals.

"Both, honestly. I knew of humans, but I'd never actually met one when I lived," his teacher said with another shrug.

"Rare, were we?" Pip asked, having to wonder where the man had lived for that to be true.

"Not as such, we just didn't mix much," his teacher replied. That seemed to be the end of his interest, or possibly patiences, because with that he started walking out of the arena.

"Finally too tired to keep your tantrum up?" Jarod called from the railing. He was eating an apple and looking smug.

"Wasn't a tantrum," Pip shot back.

"I suppose a tantrum would have been more dignified," Jarod conceded.

"Oh, fuck you," Pip said. He burned up more energy than he should have just sitting up. Every bit of him ached, but none of the damage was serious going by the fact no potions had appeared.

Jarod, being Jarod, helped him back to the boarding house despite him cursing at him. Pip wasn't a fan of the bath but being covered in dirt he yielded when led to it. He even managed not to complain about it. It was strange, having the option to be clean as often as he liked.

Even those who lived in a town rather than rough like him usually didn't go to the trouble of baths more than every other week or so. Though he couldn't help but wonder if free access to hot water wouldn't change that pretty quickly. The way it was soothing his aching body had him pretty well sold.

It was one of a number of things he'd found uncomfortably comfortable about the town even before he knew who'd made it. Veritable luxury had for the price a low end mercenary could afford. He should have realized it was a trap well before having it shoved in his face.

After the bath Pip ate a light dinner in his room and fell asleep quickly. In the morning he felt well enough and was at the training ground when he'd agreed to be.

"Pip," his teacher said.

"Sir," Pip replied. He was fairly certain the other man had offered a name, he just couldn't remember it for the life of him.

"I'm Balkas Thistle Phalanges," Balkas offered for what was definitely the second time. "Balkas will do, I'm not a sir."

"Yes- Balkas," Pip managed.

"We'll be doing drills now, Pip," Balkas replied flatly. Pip did as he was told for once and kept it up for several days. He wouldn't exactly call Balkas a great teacher, but the man would wait for him to pick up a skill to his satisfaction before moving on at least. It was just the sort of leaden resignation in his manner that kept Pip from feeling it was patience or good will.

On the fourth day Pip spent some of his rest period trying to work something out. The ability or trick Chris had used to fool him with during their fight. He wasn't arrogant enough to think Chris had needed it to win, he'd been badly outmatched and knew it. He'd just been too angry to care at the time. Now he wanted to be able to copy whatever it was. It would definitely be handy in a fight.

"What exactly are you doing?" Balkas asked after a while.

"That little bastard could do this smoky thing, made me think he was in one place when he was in another," Pip explained.

"It's a special assassin's ability, you won't be able to learn it yet," Balkas said flatly. "Everyone makes choices as they progress and you're still a rogue for the moment. Don't focus on things you won't have until you get high enough level to prestige."

"I should still train for it though," Pip countered.

"Once you've mastered the basics of your current class, yes. Until then, try and focus on our lessons rather than worrying about the future," Balkas said.

Pip had thought at first that Balkas didn't particularly like teaching because of his manner. That maybe he was just doing it to appease his mistress. That idea lasted until he'd seen the elven man among the other skeletons. He'd stayed just as plodding and expressionless among them. Like everything was a vaguely annoying chore he was resigned to.

"Alright, but I'm sick of drills. Can we spar or do something more hands-on?" Pip asked. He knew he'd fucked up on the first day but he'd behave this time. Particularly since he was painfully bored.

"Not until you've mastered the basics," Balkas said flatly.

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"You're shit at this," a familiar voice taunted. Like a fucking ghost Chris stepped around Pip, seemingly materializing from the shadows themselves.

"Fuck you," Pip said flatly.

"Wasn't talking to you, he's the shit one," Chris said, gesturing at Balkas himself.

"Teaching isn't my strong suite," Balkas agreed.

"Oh, no. You're probably doing fine at that. Drills and such are probably very teacher-y," Chris said cheerfully. "I meant at actually being an assassin."

Pip had been mid come back when the conversation initially shifted. Now he was left with a finger pointed and his mouth in a little o of surprise. He closed his mouth and took several steps back, not sure what the pair were going to do.

"Well, I'm sure your extensive experience gives you insight into such things," Balkas replied.

Balkas was visibly older in a kind of 'not actually old' way than Chris so that was probably an insult. Pip got himself well out of range but close enough to watch if the fight he was hoping for actually happened. He didn't like Chris and seeing him getting a whooping would be satisfying in the extreme.

"It does, you fight like a soldier, and that is shit for actual killing," Chris said, laughing. Pip almost said something but then realized he wasn't sure if Chris was right or not. Soldiers killed a lot of people after all, but that was usually in groups.

"I was military trained," Balkas replied flatly, the jib not seeming to land.

"Switch classes, you'll be happier for it," Chris said.

"That is none of your business," Balkas said, his usual even tone tainted with anger. It wasn't much, but the hint of emotion coming from him seemed like shouting in rage from someone else.

"Bet they called your lot something fancy. Gave you uniforms to wear and made you feel like you were really part of it all. Only you weren't, assasines don't get medals or awards," Chris sneered. "You get told where to go and who to kill and if you're lucky, you get to live a while longer. Maybe a pat on the head if your handlers a particularly sick fuck."

"You don't know anything about it," Balkas countered.

"What's there to know? Military, royal, guild, they all get treated the same," Chris said with a little snicker.

"You two going to fight or fuck?" an unfamiliar voice called. Pip turned to find a red haired human girl leaning against the barrier that surrounded the training area. She looked about the same age as Chris but was clearly from better stock.

"What would you rather see, love?" Chris asked, air humping as he sidled up to Balkas hip. He didn't make contact, Balkas shoved him back, but Pip reconsidered where he was standing. He got behind the arena barrier, just to be safe.

"You, on time for training, bastard," the girl replied, sounding bored.

"Well, you heard the lady," Chris said, doing a false curtsy. The moment he turned to go Balkas lashed out, plunging a sword through the mouthy boy. It pierced his chest cleanly, too cleanly. It seemed like he hadn't stuck a wine skin in himself this time.

"Why exactly is everyone bent on ruining my good shirts?" Chris asked, head turning around to an unnatural degree to look at Balkas.

The fight that followed definitely wasn't what Pip had been expecting. Balkas had his share of abilities and was good, but like Chris had said, he was more of a fighter than an assassin in actual combat. It was honestly strange to watch and if he hadn't seen the first neatly carried out execution strike he'd have assumed the man really was of a different class.

Balkas didn't get his sword back, Chris turned and being caught between ribs it was twisted from his hands. Balkas switched to a shorter blade while Chris drew out and tossed aside the sword. He was empty handed a moment when Balkas struck again, but then his daggers were glinting as they exchanged rapid blows.

"Tch, he's off balance. Chris'll have him quick," the girl complained. Her eyes were riveted on the fight when Pip looked over briefly.

"His footwork seems solid to me," Pip countered.

"Not that, Chris got in his head," she said.

Balkas did something, started walking but it left a seeming trail of vague after images of himself behind him. All of which swirled like smoke when Chris threw a handful of something out of a pouch. Iron shot by the sound they made hitting the barrier boards on the other side. That left only Balkas himself standing and Chris was on him in the next instance, grappling viciously.

A knife pommel to the forehead ended the match with a sickening crack. The illusion dropped away, revealing the skeleton underneath as the bones seemed to crack and crumble radiating outward from the shattered seal.

"Ha, fucker," Chris said, pleased with his victory.

"I thought Balkas would… do better than that," Pip offered tentatively. It wasn't like the man hadn't put up a fight. Still, instinct and class abilities combined to give Pip a feeling that it hadn't been the best the man could do.

"Like I said, he was off balance. Chris rattled him, then he didn't recover from his mistake with that first attack," the girl said.

"What mistake?" Pip asked, confused. It had seemed like a pretty much perfect strike to him.

"That's how you kill a mortal like us, not a skeleton," she said, pointing at the last of the bones as they faded in violet light.

"Wait, so you're not one of the dungeon creatures?" Pip asked, surprised. She's seemed comfortable calling out to Chris so he'd just assumed.

"Hey, I don't think you were this curious about me. Should I be offended?" Chris asked, suddenly looming over the top of the barrier with his face in Pips. Pip stumbled back and landed on his ass.

"What do I need to know about a rude bastard that you didn't already show me?" Pip asked, temper getting the better of him. "But is Balkas dead?"

Pip realized he was probably asking about Balkas a little late. Knowing the man was a skeleton had left him a bit indifferent to the idea of injury and his rather dramatic fiery disintegration had been more interesting than alarming. That didn't mean he actually wanted the elven man gone though.

"What? Yeah, obviously. Skeletons don't typically walking around without the meat if the whole person is alive," Chris said, looking confused.

"I meant as a skeleton, that seemed… kind of final," Pip clarified. Much as he didn't like Chris he did what to know what happened.

"Oh, that. He'll be fine in a couple of hours, we respawn," Chris explained.

"But can't keep fucking time apprently," the girl growled. "I'll be in the training hall."

With that the girl turned and started storming off. Pip watched her go for a moment, fully expecting Chris to say something rude. Instead he found the youngman scrambling over the barrier and landing in a heap in his haste to chase after her.

"Andrea! Hold on, I'm- Come on!" Chris called after Andrea as he chased after her. She kept a surprisingly long lead on him despite his desperation.

"That is the weirdest thing I've seen all day," Pip muttered.

"What would that be?" someone asked. Pip looked up to find Henry standing next to him, extending a hand up.

"Chris acting like an actual man instead of a fucking goblin," Pip admitted. Henry just laughed at that, pulling him to his feet easily.

"She is one of his few redeeming q-qualities," Henry offered. Pip dusted himself off, joining in on Henry's laughter.

"He's got more than one?" Pip asked, not believing it.

"He's fond of dogs," Henry said. Pip laughed harder at that.

"So, uh… you saw all of that then?" Pip asked, curious what Henry had thought of the fight.

"Yes, which is why I came. Balkas is the type to… an-antagonize Chris, intentionally and otherwise," Henry explained. "I'd hoped to prevent a disruption to your training today, but you will be assigned a new t-teacher."

"Because of Chris?" Pip asked, surprised.

"Because Balkas prestiged from fighter to assassin, not rouge. A-assigning him to you was an oversight on my part," Henry clarified.

"Oh, I was wondering about that. Chris got a problem with soldiers?" Pip asked. Nobody else had said anything about him but it seemed like Henry knew him pretty well.

"Not as such. He takes issue with delusions of nobility, not one's method of killing," Henry explained.

"Oh, well… Fair," Pip said after a moment's thought. He couldn't say he thought much of people who thought killing was more than it was either. Not that head heard Balkas say anything like that. Even if he had, he was going to weigh in on a personal grievance anyway. He was curious, but he'd judge Balkas based on what he knew.

"He'll be alright though, Balkas?" Pip asked.

"Save for his ego, he will be fine," Henry assured him. "Did you have any other questions?"

"So, most classes can become assassins, but I should only learn from a rogue?" Pip asked, wanting to clarify that point.

"If you were closer to prestiging, it wouldn't matter. As things stand you'd benefit from more focus on your current class. Balkas knows the basics, he had a level of rogue in life, but he won't be able to handle in depth training," Henry offered.

"Ah, well… that makes sense," Pip conceded. He didn't really care that much who taught him, but he'd started to feel a bit comfortable with Balkas. Still, he'd put up with feeling awkward for a few days if it meant getting stronger than he would have otherwise. "I'll look forward to my new teacher, so long as it isn't Chris."

"Pip, I would never do something that cruel," Henry said earnestly.

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