Monica and Eric both reached their assigned training platform. They stepped onto the cool dark stone. The transparent energy barrier shimmered into existence around them sealing them off from the rest of the noisy training hall.
An awkward silence hung in the air between them. Monica looked at Eric her expression a complex mixture of her earlier burning anger and her new competitive fire. She was ready to fight. She needed to prove herself.
"Since you chose me to be on your team," she said her voice sharp and challenging
"I expect you to fight me with your full power. I want to see your real strength. Don't hold anything back like you did when we fought in the garden." She held a simple wooden practice sword in her hand its weight familiar and comfortable.
Eric also held a similar wooden sword which he had picked up from the weapon rack that materialized on the platform.
