After the warm-up, I considered my options. I'm a good fighter, but, admittedly, Jack is right. I always try to win with the least possible effort — so I always use all weapons available to me. But for the training, I had to remove even my shoes. The reinforced tip, heavy boots I always wore, were practical for daily use and could survive both a fight and even being stepped on by a horse. And were great in the lab, too, where I frequently handled corrosive chemicals. And while I respected safety procedures, some of my classmates… didn't.
Without weapons and tricks, Jack had an advantage. He wasn't stronger than me, that's true. But he had more experience in this kind of fight, and he was familiar with this place. And he was taller than I was. Now, sometimes tall people are more awkward, a
