Episode Eleven
Manipulating the Wavelength, Am I a Prisoner or a Lab-Rat?
A sound Soul
dwells within a sound Mind
and a sound Body
Vyse stood in the infirmary alone with Tsarevich. He was still asleep and had not regained consciousness once since their fight with Liir. Tsubaki said that he was in some sort of coma and even though his body had almost completely healed, his mind and soul might take a while to recover.
"How long?" Vyse had asked.
"There's no telling. It could be days, weeks, or even years," she had replied sadly. Vyse only shook his head. He visited Tsarevich daily now. He liked to go during lunch so that he could have his privacy. He was able to be completely honest with the Meister because he knew he couldn't hear them.
"I'm sure you're wondering by now why I am so determined to avenge my sister's death and why I blame Black Star and Tsubaki for what happened. It happened so long ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday.
"I was not born in the village that I live in now. My family lives in a smaller village north of the Scroll Clan's headquarters. When the Kishin awoke, many of us turned to the Scroll Assassins to protect us. There were so few Meisters and Weapons in our clan back then that we could not hope to protect our village, so we turned to the only place we could: the DWMA.
"Lord Death was generous enough to station some Weapons and Meisters at various villages within our clan. Black Star and Tsubaki were one of those assigned to my village. During this time, Arachnophobia had mobilized and the battle to defeat the Kishin had begun. All of the Meisters and Weapons assigned to protect us were there—except for Black Star and Tsubaki.
"They were too busy helping to destroy the Kishin to take care of lowly peasants in a remote village. When Arachnophobia arrived it was slaughter. The Weapons and Meisters stood their ground, but were overwhelmed. In one of their dying breaths, they yelled the call for retreat. The few assassins in our clan stood to fight until the bitter end. My father was among those.
"Even after we ran their troops hunted us down, killing the rest of us off for sport, my mother and I made it, but Vera did not. I watched her die in my arms. I had to see the look of terror in her eyes as she passed on. So many people tell me that I should be grateful for what they did—defeating Ashura and all, but I'm not. Black Star and Tsubaki possessed the power to protect our village and that was where they were supposed to be.
"But they weren't! He was too busy catering to his own inflated ego to be bothered to help those in need. Now that I have grown, I possess the power necessary to avenge them. I have already hunted down the members of Arachnophobia who were present that day. Only two people who were responsible for her death are still at large. I will not rest until they answer for what they did. I know that if you could hear me or understand me you would disapprove. You would tell me that it's not their fault. Or mine. It was Arachnophobia's and they have already been brought to justice. That's good enough for most of the survivors of our village…but not for me.
"Maybe some day you will understand. I hope that you wake up soon. It's lonely here without you. Hammer and Nail are good company, but…well you know how they can be," Vyse said with a chuckle. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders now that he finally said what was on his mind out loud. He looked around to make sure that no one had been around to listen. It would be bad to blow his cover to anyone besides Professor Aurion. He had a feeling that others were privy to what he was up to anyway.
Oh well. None of that matters. The only thing that matters is that I remember why I am here and I carry out my mission.
Hammer stepped out from his bedroom and into the dorm living room stretching and yawning. He was still in his boxers, hair a tangled mess. Nail was at the TV playing another video game. He had probably stayed up all night playing it. Hammer rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and was disappointed, although not surprised, to find that it was empty. Tsarevich had always taken care of housekeeping things like that when he was awake.
I wonder how he's doing. I haven't been to see him in a while.
"Hey, Nail! I'm going to cafeteria. Do you want anything?" Hammer asked. He turned around, his eyes red and bloodshot. His face was twisted into an expression of mad hysteria. His left eye was visible twitching from where Hammer could see him.
"Don't talk to me right now! Can't you see that I've almost completed Dungeon Raider in a single run? That's never been done before!" he snapped and turned back to his game. The only noise was from the video game and the furious clicking of buttons underneath Nail's flailing thumbs.
Hammer raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Nail was hard to motivate, but the good thing about him was that once he started on a mission he didn't quit until it was finished.
If only he were like that about making me a Death Weapon—we'd be retired in just a few weeks.
"Hey, you might want to put some eye drops in your eyes and pause that for a while. You're not looking too good," Hammer said.
"Not now, Hammer! I'm so close, damn it!" he exclaimed.
"You're hopeless," Hammer said with a sigh. He went back into his room and pulled on some clothes, capping his head with a hat to cover his unwashed, unkempt hair. He ran his fingers through it before he did, realizing that he was about due for a haircut. He shrugged again and made his way to the cafeteria, expecting it to be full and lively, although nothing like what was going on.
"Take it back, you bitch!" Sky screamed at the top of her lungs. She was looking directly at an angry Ayame. Both were standing atop the lunch tables pointing and stamping their feet at each other.
"How dare you call me a bitch! I should kick your ass for that!" Ayame shot back. Their Meister partners were looking up at them wearing expressions of horrified embarrassment.
The fight was on. Soon the two girls were entangled in a bout filled with pushing, scratching, hair-pulling and clothes-ripping—glorious clothes-ripping.
"That was a new skirt!" Sky complained. She stood in her small teal cotton panties and grabbed hold of Ayame's shirt, ripping it open so the buttons fell onto the table with beautiful tapping sounds. Her efforts exposed Ayame's plump, shapely breasts underneath and red, lacy bra.
"Boobies…" was all that Hammer could manage. The other boys in the class stood staring, exclaiming different things before someone broke up the silence.
"Cat fight!"
Hammer's nose erupted with blood and he passed out with the happiest images he had ever beheld still fresh in his mind.
Merios, Stein and Marie stood together in the observation room. They were looking at Liir who had completely recovered from his wounds. It was no surprise at how quickly he had recovered. He was a Weapon and a Warlock. The only thing keep him in the room was that it was filled with a special kind of radiation that prevented his magic and transformation. It was a temporary fix as prolonged exposure to the radiation was said to cause health complications, but he should be okay over short-term.
"What do you make of it, Merios?" Stein asked. Merios stepped closer to the glass and studied their specimen with genuine intrigue.
"He's not like anyone I've ever met. He's certainly hard to read. It's obvious that he has the potential for evil, being raised in a Witch coven, but he's a Weapon too so his path is somewhat unclear to me," Merios explained.
"I was talking about methods to get him to talk. Try not to let your mind wander," Stein said, turning the bolt in his head.
"You're one to talk," Merios shot back. Stein chuckled but then returned to what he was saying.
"We don't condone torture, and the truth serum isn't going to work on him," Stein pointed out.
"Don't you think the anti-magic radiation is enough to make it work?" Merios asked.
"No way. Not with him. His magic is powerful, deep-seeded and bonded with his very soul. He may not be able to cast spells that affect others, but he'd just laugh the serum off," Stein said.
"What do you suggest, then? We have to find out what Chandra is planning to do with the Alchemizer," Merios said.
"I know. We can find their coven with Azuha's help, but there is no way to know what we're walking into. You know Witches as well as I do. The first part of this was a trap. All of this could be a deliberate attempt to draw more Weapons and Meisters away from the DWMA," he said, pondering aloud and turning the bolt in his head again.
"That's a lot of speculation," Merios pointed out.
"But it's still a possibility that we need to prepare for. I would really like to get past the interrogation process and on with the experimentation process," Stein admitted. His fist clenched and traces of a smile of madness appeared on his face. Marie was at his side at once.
"Franken—remember why we are here. We are here to help Lord Death with understanding the Witchblade," she said simply. His hands stopped shaking, his hand went back to the bolt in his head, he gave it a few clicking turns and seemed to come back to normal.
"You're right. I'm going to step outside for a smoke," he said nervously and stepped out of the observation room suddenly.
"He's never been the same since that day, has he?" Merios asked. Marie looked at him as if he had said words that dug up old wounds. He didn't know Stein's partner very well, but he heard that she played an integral part in rescuing Stein from the clutches of an evil Witch named Medusa.
"None of us have," she said simply.
"What do you think we should do?" Merios asked. Marie looked up at him with a look of surprise on her face.
"What? You're asking me? Oh I'm not a scientist or a doctor or anything? I wouldn't know anything about this," she protested.
"Sometimes we scientists are a little too analytical for our own good. What do you think is the best approach?" Merios asked.
"It's not something that I condone because I despise manipulative behavior like this, but the solution is simple," she replied. Merios raised an eyebrow. He and Stein were the brilliant minds here, not her; she said so herself. He was eager to see what her simple solution was.
"Well?" he asked.
"You're never going to make him talk. Truth serum and anti-magic radiation is only going to make him distrust you more. You have to get him to talk willingly, of course," she replied.
"How do you propose we do that?" Merios was trying not to sound condescending, but he felt the notes of his tone change ever so slightly. Marie shot him a dirty look and he flushed with embarrassment. He hadn't meant to offend the lady. Getting on the bad side of a Death Weapon was a bad idea.
"You have to get him to trust you," Marie said, "I'm going to go check on Franken."
Merios was dumbfounded. It involved lies, deceit, and manipulation just like she had implied, but the solution was sound. If he could somehow get Liir to trust him, then perhaps they could get him to talk willingly. That was more easily said than done, though. Who could the Witchblade possibly come to trust after being attacked, nearly killed and held captive?
Still, Marie had given him plenty to ponder for the time being. When Stein returned he would run the idea past him and see if he had any suggestions.
"Looks like the infirmary is pretty full today, eh?" Hammer said to Tsubaki. Suddenly he noticed the shape of her breast beneath her tight clothing and he could feel a steady flow of blood began to spout from his nose.
"So many nosebleeds in one day! It must have something to do with this dry weather we've been having lately," she said, bending over to pick up a clipboard from the floor. When she bent over and Hammer got a clear view of her behind—he fainted.
Liir sat in the chair and waited. He had been waiting for a long time. They had taken the liberty of treating his wounds and saving his life only to lock him up in a stainless steel cell that somehow prevented him from using his magic or transforming.
Clever, he thought to himself, but not enough. They could only hold him for so long. Eventually, Chandra and the other Witches of the coven would come and rescue him. He was the Witchblade after all.
Do you really believe that? You heard from her own mouth: the only thing that matters is the magic tool. I wonder what she's planning with it.
There was probably a good reason why he was not privy to Chandra's plans. If they had some way of making him talk, being completely ignorant was the only way to ensure that he could be captured and not talk. It also meant that they could leave him there for a while without worry.
Suddenly a door opened and one of the professors stepped in—not the one with a bolt in his head. He was dressed in his usual black attire, but wore a white lab coat over it now. He walked in calmly and collectively and sat down at the stainless steel table, in front of the one-way mirror. Behind it the other professor and probably more people stood watching, waiting and listening to see what happened next.
"Good morning, Liir," the professor said. Liir just looked at him. Was he expecting some sort of polite greeting? This was going to be an interesting conversation, he could tell. There was no reason not to have a little fun while he wasn't going anywhere else.
"Good morning, Professor," Liir replied.
"Merios. You can call me Merios," he said.
"Fine. Good morning, Merios," Liir said again.
"Do you know why you are here?" Merios asked. Liir thought about it. There were a lot of reasons that he could thing of but he decided that if he pretended that he thought the question was rhetorical that Merios would fill in the blanks for him.
"Why is Chandra collecting magic tools?" Merios asked. Liir chuckled and remained silent.
"You're going to be here for a long time," Merios added.
"Only until the coven mobilizes and comes to the academy to bust me out of here. This stainless steel prison of your can only hold me for so long," Liir pointed out.
"Do you really believe that? Do you think that you're so valuable that they would risk an open attack on the Academy itself?" Merios asked.
"I'm a Witchblade—the only one of my kind. They'll come," Liir repeated.
"I think that the only reason you can say that securely is that you had magic tools on you when we apprehended you. That was a failsafe to make sure that they didn't abandon you right?" Merios said. Liir raised his eyebrows in surprise. Merios was pretty good at figuring things out.
"The expression on your face tells me enough. It's a good thing you didn't feel like you could trust your coven enough to come and rescue you anyway. I'm sure those tools are necessary for using the ones that Chandra has possession of right. You put the ball in your court and made yourself needed, right?" Merios asked.
"You're pretty smart, Merios," Liir observed.
"It must be hard for you to belong to a community that would toss you aside as soon as you're no long useful to them," Merios said. Liir wanted to get angry, but he was the kind of person who kept his cool no matter what.
"It's harder to belong to a group of people that are oppressed and hunted for their souls," he shot back.
"Oppressed?" Merios asked.
"Yes. The DWMA has been hunting Witches for hundreds of years. We can't live in the open or enjoy freedom and safety. At the first sign of a Witch, your Reaper sends out Meisters to hunt us down and feed our souls to their Weapons. If that's not oppression than I would be curious to hear your definition of the word," Liir countered.
"But you're also a Weapon. It must be very lonely to be stuck in the middle of two worlds and no place to call home and belong to," Merios said. He was getting under Liir's skin. It was as if he was looking into his mind and probing at his weaknesses and insecurities. He wouldn't fall victim to this. He wouldn't give this Meister the satisfaction.
"We're all alone in this world, Merios; I'm doing what is best for me to survive," Liir replied.
"What do you think is going to happen now?" Merios asked.
"I'm not going to waste time on speculation. You tell me," Liir shot back.
"I'm curious to hear what you think we're going to do with you. You're held captive by your greatest enemies—your oppressors—with no where to go and nothing to do. You're completely at our mercy," Merios repeated.
"Mercy, eh? You're funny, Merios if you call this imprisonment mercy. But I suppose since I've nowhere to go and nothing to do I might as well entertain your silly questions.
"If you wanted me dead, I would be. I've ruled that possibility out. You're interrogating me for information to see if you can find out what Chandra's planning. Rest assured that is a big waste of everyone's time. Still, persistent as you are, I'm sure that you'll be coming here to bother me daily with the same questions asked in a different way hoping that I'll somehow give you a bit of information that will help you," Liir replied.
"You're pretty smart, Liir," Merios said, mimicking Liir from earlier. Liir only rolled his eyes. This stay was going to be far more boring than he could ever imagine.
"Continue," Merios said after a moment of silence.
"I can't possibly imagine why else I'm here or what good I could be of you. Wait! The magic tools! That's right! I keep forgetting that the Reaper and Chandra are fighting over control of these things. I guess you'll ask me what the tools are, what they do, how to use them and whatnot. Another wasted effort. I just held onto a couple that Chandra seemed particularly excited about. I haven't the slightest idea what they do," Liir replied.
"I believe you," Merios said simply.
"Then I'm of no use to you, right? If I can't give you information about Chandra, what she's planning, the magic tools, or what they do, than why am I still alive?" Liir asked.
"We're not going to kill you just because you can't help us with the information that you've gone over. While I believe that you think you can't help us that has yet to be determined. You're here for another reason too," Merios said.
"I'm dying to hear this," Liir murmured.
"You're a Witchblade. Your soul is the perfect harmony of Witch and Weapon. There have been people trying for generations to create a soul like yours and now you're the only one," Merios explained.
"So I'm a science experiment to you," Liir pointed out.
"If you think that we're going to probe you and dissect you, you're wrong. You can relax. That's not the way that we operate," Merios pointed out.
"Then what are you going to do?" Liir asked.
"We want you to help us understand you," Merios replied. Liir rolled his eyes. It was getting deep in the room, piling up by the minute.
"How do you propose you do that?" Liir asked.
"We'll start with a few basic questions. What manifested first? Was it your ability to use Witch magic or your ability to transform into a Weapon?" Merios asked. Liir was silent for a moment. He wasn't keen on answering any questions about himself, but since he did not see how it would endanger anyone from the coven he thought he might play along.
Why are you worried what happens to them anyway. This professor is probably right. Chandra will probably abandon you just like your parents did. Then again, she can't use the magic tools without the ones you had with you. Either way, you'll be playing a waiting game. Chandra would disapprove at giving them any information about himself, but she wasn't here and he didn't care.
"I was able to Witch magic first. I had formal training to learn to use Witch magic. It was about a year after I started practicing magic before I learned that I could transform into a Weapon," Liir explained.
"How old were you?" Merios asked.
"Seven," Liir replied automatically.
"Such a young age for Weapon abilities to manifest—and awfully young for a Warlock to develop magical powers," Merios observed.
"What do you know of magical powers, Meister?" Liir asked.
"More than you would think," Merios replied with a smirk. Liir crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. He was starting to get bored with this conversation.
"Has anyone ever tried to wield you?" Merios asked.
"No…well yes they've tried but none have been able to," Liir answered.
"I don't suppose that your coven has access to too many Meisters," Merios said. Liir knew what he was doing: he was probing for information to find out if their were any Witch-Meisters in their coven.
"You could say that," Liir said with a nod.
"Do you know why Weapons were created in the first place, Liir?"
"Weapons enhance the power of their Meister," Liir replied.
"Correct," Merios said.
"So I'm sure that the Reaper made them so he and his minions could have an easier time killing Witches," Liir said.
"Incorrect. The first demon Weapon was created by the Witch Arachnae. She murdered one of her own Witches, and melded the soul to a Weapon and to a human. The result: demon weapons. She created several more and over the course of hundreds of years the Weapon blood was passed on through the generations.
"The first people to partner as Weapon and Meisters were the Eight Powerful Warriors that Lord Death used to keep as his personal bodyguard. Among which were Ashura and his Weapon partner Vajra. I think we all know how that turned out," Merios said.
"Sounds like Arachnae was planning to use something to counter the Reaper and it backfired on her. He ended up using the Weapons she created to arm the Meisters born to fight her with," Liir observed. He had never really heard the history of Meisters and Weapons growing up in the coven. He just knew how the world existed now.
"That's a fairly accurate statement I suppose. While Demon Weapons may have been created with an entirely different purpose in mind, it became clear quite quickly that their true potential was realized when paired with a Meister. Demon Weapons had the ability to amplify the power of a Meister's soul wavelength," Merios explained.
"I know that. Spare me the lesson, Merios," Liir snapped.
"Have you ever wondered what you could accomplished if you were paired with a Meister?" Merios asked.
"I'm a Warlock. That's not really something that's possible. A Meister would be more likely to try to kill me and feed my soul to another Weapon than to partner with me," Liir shot back.
"I can understand your distrust, but I had asked you why else you were here and now we're finally coming to that," Merios explained.
"Go on; I'm listening," Liir said.
"I think that you were what Arachnae had in mind when she created the first Demon Weapon. A Witch with powers to transform into a Weapon—a powerful warrior that would be used as a guardian for her and other Witches."
"I don't think she envisioned the limitless potential that a Meister and Weapon working together would unlock. Bringing it up to now, I cannot help but to wonder the potential of the Meister who could wield a Witchblade," Merios explained.
"It's a never-ending quest for power, I see. Everyone wants the power to destroy because that ultimately decides who is on the top of the totem pole, doesn't it? I have no need of a Meister. Aside from being a Witch, I am an autonomous Weapon as you know," Liir said, planning to scoff at the ideas that Merios was no doubt about to hurl his way.
"You're a Warlock, but you're also a Weapon. You're never going to realized your true potential until you allow a Meister to wield you," Merios pointed out.
"Maybe. But maybe I'm not interested in realizing my true potential," Liir said.
"What are you interested in?" Merios asked.
"Staying alive," Liir replied.
"There's no way you could beat us in a fight! You're a Weapon without a Meister. We'd destroy you," Nail argued. He and Vyse were in a conversation that had turned into an argument. Nail had asked where Vyse had been when he came in at the end of lunch break. Vyse told him he was visiting Tsarevich. From there, Nail asked if the two of them would be partners when Tsarevich woke up and Vyse confirmed that they would and then followed up with: "But it's not like I need a Meister partner." From there, it had escalated into who would win in a fight: Vyse or Hammer and Nail.
"I think that you would find me much more a challenge than you think, Nail," Vyse said, rolling his eyes.
"You and Tsarevich never cease to amaze me. You're always trying to go it alone saying you don't need a partner," Nail complained.
"There's nothing wrong with preparing for a day when you might have to fight without a partner. You could probably serve to develop that yourself. Did you ever stop to think about what would happen if you and Hammer were separated in battle? Neither one of you would last more than a few seconds.
"I, on the other hand, am a force to be reckoned with all on my own," Vyse said.
"You want to test that theory?" Nail asked, standing up to face Vyse.
"Are you challenging me to a duel?" Vyse said, stepping closer. He had to look up at Nail being a full head-and-a-half shorter.
"Yes, it sure is! Meet me at the entrance of the Academy in an hour and bring your game face. Hammer and I are going to show you what you're missing," Nail said.
"This, I can't wait to see," Vyse said with a sneer.
An hour and fifteen minutes later…
"This is dumb. We can't have a proper duel if you don't have your Weapon partner," Vyse complained. They had been waiting on Hammer to show. Allegedly, Nail had found Hammer in the infirmary suffering from a massive nosebleed and he was supposed to show any minute now.
"He'll be here, alright. Just give him a few more minutes," Nail said.
"If he doesn't show, you and I are still going to fight," Vyse said. Nail gave him a look of shock and surprise. Fear—that's what Vyse saw. They both knew that Nail didn't stand a chance without Hammer.
"You see that expression on your face. That just proves my point: without your partner, there's not much you can do to me," Vyse jeered.
"I wouldn't be so cocky, Vyse. Don't underestimate me," Nail snapped. The fight was on. Vyse had heard enough and he had certainly waited long enough. He had been itching for a fight since they had captured the Witchblade. He had been told to take it easy but as an assassin, if he wasn't fighting every now and then he felt like he was going to waste.
He jumped in the air and tried to kick at Nail's head. He block with his left arm. Vyse dropped to the ground performing his signature sweep. Nail jumped over it and came down trying to punch Vyse. He easily sidestepped the blow and countered with one of his own, aiming deliberately for Nail's ribs. With his opponent doubled over he dealt him a knee to the solar plexus, knocking the wind from him. He jumped, twirled and kicked Nail in the back of the head, sending him sliding across the pavement before coming to a halt.
Vyse took great satisfaction in walking Nail slowly pick himself up off of the ground and take stance again. It was flawed and it was clear that he was unsure of himself. Vyse would prey on that weakness. He put his hand up and motioned for Nail to bring it on and his opponent charged.
He threw an all-too-obvious punch that Vyse easily dodged. He didn't even have to move his feet. With each painfully slow punch Vyse dodged, taking steps back or to the side only when necessary.
"You're so slow, Nail. I'm starting to get bored," Vyse taunted. Nail let out a roar and charged carelessly at Vyse trying to grab hold of him. He kept his arms outstretched, preventing Vyse from side-stepping. It didn't matter though; Vyse knocked his hands to the side and gave him a punch to the chest, sending him sprawling backwards. He jumped up and forward and dealt Nail another kick, this time squarely in the face.
"I would just stay down if I were you, Nail. You're not going to beat me," Vyse pointed out. Nail growled and slammed his fists into the ground out of frustration. He picked himself up again and took stance.
"If Hammer were here it would be an entirely different story," Nail snapped, spitting blood on the ground. Vyse chuckled.
"Do you realize what you're saying? You're saying that unless the two of you are working together you wouldn't even have a chance of beating me," Vyse said.
"Shut up!" Nail roared charging again. Vyse took a different approach, stepping into the charge and using himself as a pivot to hip toss him. He was almost surprised to see Nail finally land on his feet and turn to counterattack. One again, he was hopelessly slow. Vyse took hold of his wrist and bent it behind his back. He kicked at the back of Nail's knees and brought him to them. He tried to put Nail in a submission hold but it was no good. In a feat of brute strength, Nail brought his arms forward, flinging Vyse over his head and across the courtyard.
"All that strength and nothing to show for it, Nail," Vyse said.
"Stop it! This was supposed to be a friendly duel and you're being an asshole!" Nail said, pointing his finger at Vyse. Vyse laughed mockingly.
"Aw…are your feelings hurt, Nail? I'm just stating the truth. You wanted to test what a Weapon could do on his own and this is it. You said I would never be as great as you because you had a Weapon partner, but I'm starting to think that even if Hammer were here you wouldn't stand a chance," Vyse said.
"Why are you being so mean?" Nail asked.
"Mean? You're being confronted with your own failure and you don't like it, Nail. Don't take it out on me," Vyse said, crossing his arms over his shoulder and turning his back on Nail.
"You bastard!" Nail rushed at him with his back turned Vyse turned and caught his punch in his hand and the second one that followed up.
"Attacking when my back is turned, eh? That's not very noble on you," Vyse said. Nail struggled his hands away and threw one punch. Dodged. Another punch. Miss. A third punch. Blocked. Vyse countered with a simple jab-jab-uppercut and finished with sideways kick to the chest.
"Listen here, Vyse. I'm sick of you walking around here all the time so cocky," Nail said.
"I can afford to be cocky because unlike you I have the skills to back up my attitude," Vyse replied simply.
"I can't imagine why Tsarevich would have wanted to pair with you. You're so full of yourself you don't even see it," Nail said.
"You're just mad because I beat you. What did you expect, Nail?" Vyse said.
"What your saying now?" Nail demanded.
"You skip class all the time. You never pay attention to the lessons. You're always playing video games. I bet the last time you worked out you found yourself unable to lift half of what you thought you could, got discouraged and gave up half way through it," Vyse said. Nail was speechless which meant that Vyse was striking an nerve and wasn't about to let up.
"You're lazy, Nail. You expect everything to be easy. Do you think I developed these skills overnight? No. It took years of focus and hard work to achieve what I have," Vyse said.
"There you go again patting yourself on the back. Pride is not very becoming, you know," Nail said.
"I am proud of what I've done with my life. My strength, speed, and skill I attained because I worked hard. Unless you buckle down and get serious about life, you're always going to find yourself outmatched," Vyse said.
"I don't need a lecture from you! You're not a teacher! You sound like the professor," Nail said.
"He's right too. He and Hammer just have a lot more patience with you than I do. Could you imagine how much better Hammer would be doing if he were paired with a Meister who applied himself? How long do you think that Hammer is going to let you hold him back before you find yourself all alone?" Vyse asked.
"Hey! You shut your mouth, Vyse and leave Nail alone!"
The both looked over and saw that Hammer was standing there in the doorway watching them. Vyse snickered. He supposed that now that Nail had something big and heavy to swing around like an idiot maybe they would have to go round two.
"Nail's a great Meister and he's trying harder than he ever has. So what he's not at your level yet? Give him some time and have faith in him like I do. He'll be a great Meister some day!" Hammer said.
"Where have you been, Hammer? You're late! We were supposed to fight him together," Nail complained.
"Oh, please! Like you've never bailed on me," Hammer shot back. Then gargantuan pink hearts appeared in his eyes as he began to float in the air on a proverbial cloud.
"I was busy watching the most beautiful display of a girl fight ever!" Hammer exclaimed. Both Vyse and Nail let out sighs of frustration.
"Well, that doesn't matter. You're here now so transform and help me kick this guy's ass," Nail said. Hammer smiled, and did as instructed. Nail gave him a twirl, brandishing him cockily and looked at Vyse.
"You realize that this isn't going to make a bit of difference just because—whoa!" He had to stop saying what he was about to say because Nail was swinging Hammer at him like a madman. He wasn't holding back either. He was swinging axe-head first and with all the strength he possessed.
His fighting style improves dramatically when he is wielding his Weapon. He's obviously had a lot of practice fighting like this. I'll have to stay on my toes.
Nail had him on the run. He was leaving huge cracks in the courtyard pavement where Hammer's axe-head or hammer-head crashed to the ground where Vyse had been a moment before. Vyse tried to get in close for an attack, but Nail would sometimes use Hammer as a staff to vault Vyse away from him. It was a good strategy, but not good enough.
Vyse approached, quick as lighting and silent as a whisper, coming head-on towards his opponent. As he planned, he slipped past his defense, ended up behind him and jumped in the air to deal him another crippling kick. To his surprise, Nail blocked the kick with his free hand, only to turn, pivot, spin and swing Hammer through the air. Vyse had just enough time to keep from getting his head lopped off.
If you want to play that way, then fine. The gloves are coming off!
Vyse transformed his hands into katars and began a relentless assault. Fast as he was, Nail was proficient at using Hammer as a shield from attacks. He took the opportunity to strike back with small, short swings here in there trying to throw Vyse off balance, but for the most part, Vyse had him against the ropes.
A surprise attack from Nail hit Vyse in the chin. He thrust Hammer forward holding him horizontally, hitting Vyse in the chin, sending him stumbling back for just a moment. Nail used Hammer as a pole vault of sorts and kicked Vyse squarely in the chest. Even prepared for it, the strength of the blow knocked him off balance. Nail swung Hammer in a wide, horizontal arc that Vyse jumped just out of range from.
He saw Nail coming down for a downward vertical strike and did what most people wouldn't: advance. He cleared the end of the axe-head, grabbed hold of the handle and jumped high above Nail's head. He kicked once, twice, three times and all were blocked with Nail's free hand. On the third he grasped Vyse by the ankle and swung him around and downwards, plummeting him to the ground.
Vyse rolled out of the way and missed on hit. He didn't even look but kept rolling, this time in a different direction, hoping to keep from getting clobbered. A third and fourth time a resounding boom rattled Vyse's teeth as he narrowly escaped the attacks.
When he finally stood to his feet and looked at his opponent it appeared they were at another standstill. With his Weapon, Vyse was not going to be able to get close enough to strike a blow, and yet he was still to fast to get hit from the Weapon-Meister pair.
"You ready to take back what you said?" Nail demanded.
"You're a formidable opponent when you have you're Weapon. There is no arguing that, but this contest isn't over," Vyse said. He was just about to strike again when Tsubaki appeared at the entrance of the Academy.
"There you are! I've been looking all over for the three of you!" she said. They all looked at her with blank stares on their faces. What would Tsubaki want with the three of them?
"If this is about not having a teacher to supervise the duel—we were just practicing. Right, Vyse!" Nail said, his face smiling it's cheesiest.
"Oh…yeah!" Vyse said throwing his arm around Nail, "Just a friendly little practice. We were trying to kill each other or anything."
"That's not why I'm here. There's something wrong with Tsarevich. You need to come quick. He might not make it through the night."