Alt analyzed the two knights statistics, and began to consider the best way to train them.
Arctus:
Strength: 3.4
Agility/Perception: 2.3
Vitality/Defense: 3.1
Primary Element: Water
Water Magic Control: 15%
Mana: 150
Health: 310
Sylvester:
Strength: 3.7
Agility/Perception: 3.2
Vitality/Defense: 2.9
Primary Element: Air
Air Magic Control: 13%
Mana:130
Health:290
Alt determined that these knights were only capable of mastering a single elemental area of magic.
This was quite ordinary, and was not necessarily a bad thing. While these knights were unable to master magic that required combinations of different elements, this could be seen as an upper hand for Dubs.
Dubs did not want any of his subordinates to become stronger than he was, and so keeping them limited to only a few elemental schools was one way to achieve this.
Along with this, these knights who did not have the training aptitude that Dubs had would be able to focus completely on a single magic type.
It was a situation where rather than becoming a jack of all trades, they would become a master of one.
Alt began with a fighting stance.
"Alright boys... both of you come at me at once... feel free to use any tactics or magic you want, I am merely going to measure your abilities.", Alt sinisterly stated.
Of course, there was no need to actually test their abilities, since Alt knew exactly their level by a simple glance, and where he should go forth with their training.
Alt was doing this to show these two the dispairity in their strength compared to his own, and to encourage them to work to approach the level he was on.
The two assumed fighting stances, and Sylvester charged at Alt while Arctus stayed behind.
"Naive!", Alt whispered. "If you think you can beat me with a halfassed tactic such as splitting up the labor between physical fighting and magic attacks, then you're dead wrong!"
Arctus began to wave his hands and chant, and a tidal wave began to form behind him.
Sylvester swerved back and forth, swiftly flipping his sword from stance to stance, preparing to attack.
Sylvester jumped to the side to make way for the water spell that Arctus had prepared, but Alt merely sighed.
Alt cut off Slyvester's path before he could dodge, and with a swift hand to the back of the neck, knocked Sylvester unconscious.
Arctus had finished his chant, but was clearly shocked by this. He stumbled to cast the spell, and finally got the words out.
"[Tidal wave]!"
The water that had gathered behind Arctus burst forth, cresting over Arctus, aimed at Alt. Alt moved in front of Sylvester to block the attack, with a disappointed look.
"Are you trying to kill your own comrade in battle? What if I was an enemy who didn't care about his life, and used him as a shield!?"
Alt blocked the tidal wave and the water evaporated as soon as it touched the earthen form that he had taken on.
"What!? Water spells should at least wet the ground of an earthen form... to think my spell evaporated before it even affected you...", Arctus exclaimed, perplexed.
"Duke Alt, If I was fighting an enemy who was willing to lose their pride as a warrior, only then would they perform the shameless act of using an unconscious enemy as a human shield!"
Alt facepalmed. "And what makes you think that the enemies you face will be honor filled warriors? From here on out, everyone you face will be tje scum of the earth- the lowest of the low- those who will use any and every dirty tactic to win. That is what we are fighting against."