Chapter 49: Bruises
Irwin almost stumbled as he registered what Hutch had said.
A muted shout of joy came from the side, and he looked up to see the much sturdier Sebastian grin at him. Because of his afternoon smithing, he'd not really mingled a lot with the other youths, but he'd heard that Sebastian was always hitting harder than he should. Most of the others preferred not tangling with him.
You are kidding me, Irwin thought.
"Move!"
Hutch's shout made him flinch, and he slowly moved towards the shelf lined with Grappling Gauntlets. He'd worn them one day during a simple introduction in the morning, but the rest of the training had been in the afternoon. He remembered Hutch had been annoyed when he left, though, at that point, he'd been so tired he'd barely noticed. Was this some form of punishment?
Irwin took a pair that looked like all the others and put them on. As he walked back, he looked at the thick leather gauntlets with wooden plates on the back to block bladed training weapons and narrower strips on the palm area.
Why do they even call them Grappling Gauntlets? He thought as he made his way to the center of the training area.
Daubutim was looking at him, a tiny bit of worry in his eyes, while the other youths seemed mostly relieved they didn't have to spar with Sebastian.
"Alright," Hutch said, turning to Irwin. "I remember you didn't have the time to stay for the full introduction of the gloves, so I'll give you a bit of information now. Normally these gloves are used to battle demons with weapons, and they are the choice weapon for an assortment of portal types, especially Nyzir."
Irwin shrugged when Hutch stared at him intently.
"You don't know them, alright. They are demons that roam the portal worlds without light and have sharp spikes on their hands and parts of their body. Due to the darkness and the narrow passages they live in, it's hard swinging anything but a dagger around. In there, you will need to wear these gauntlets constantly! Now! Good luck, and don't worry about injuries! Lilinethe will heal them for you," Hutch said as he backed up.
A grunt came from the woman behind him.