Benedict stood before us and explained the humble staff to us. He told us how this common device can be improvised most anywhere. Had I not done just this? The bloody staff I held in my hands now was a flag pole less that two hours ago. Benedict showed us several of what he call basic moves. I tried to duplicate them as we drilled. I was able to get the hang of the moves, but I could not execute them as smoothly or as quickly as Benedict. This made me doubt the effectiveness of the moves. My blocks would arrive late, and surprise moves would could be anticipated. These maneuvers would require more practice before I could really use them. Next came the one-on-one match ups to test what we had learned.

• Locke vs. Merlin
  Locke simply overpowered Merlin. Merlin used much more solid technique than I had expected and still he was no match for Locke. Locke calmly grappled, first Merlin's weapon, and then Merlin himself. Locke was like a titan.
• Jessica vs. Rebecca
  I had thought Locke to be impressive, but Jessica's skill with her weapon was even more impressive. She handled Rebecca as easily as Locke had handled Merlin.
• Simon vs. Konstantin
  Connie caused me a great deal of trouble with his unorthidoxed brawling style, but he was not a well disiplined fighter and his mistakes cost him the victory. I doubted either of us could have beaten Merlin or Rebecca. Benedict could only shake his head at our unruly scrap.