Ch.48: Frailty in Body, Defiant in Soul! Voss' Endless Journey Pt.2!
His parents worried that the trauma of that fateful encounter with the mad Slowbro would turn their son into a complete shut-in from the outside world. On the contrary, however, Voss never felt more alive. There was an energy in his eyes his parents never seen before in their son, brimming with a fiery passion that could only be matched by those skilled in a sacred craft.
To experience the forbidden practice, the paradox to his very experience, of battle.
Through much coaxing and pleading, Voss convinced his dad to take him to the village training grounds where the adult Electivire battled and honed his skills alongside fellow warriors. Voss would watch from behind the safety of the training grounds' gate, watching with interest.
Both Voss' dad and his training partner, an Aegislash, clashed and moved around the battlegrounds like skilled dancers entangled in a deadly waltz, or at least as Voss envisioned it. His father used a sturdy, wooden sword against the whole of Aegislash's body as the living sword spun and threw himself against the father's impeccable defense.
Voss could see the fire of competition in both their eyes, speeding up the flow of their combo strings. What was once standard swordplay turned into a flurry of strikes with the flair of a ribbon dancer. Fast footwork from Voss' dad as he pivoted off his heel, weaving through close swings of the Aegislash, and delivering a walloping return that was instantly countered.
There was battle, and then there was art. To be remembered in history, one must put on a show. Art and discipline, the perfect combination of battle that Voss couldn't get enough of. The longer he watched, the more he thought back to the Slowbro on that day.
The tense standoff.
The silent exchange of wit before the battle.
And, best of all, the warmth of the enemy's spilt blood splashed across Voss' face. He could still remember the sensation. His veins burned with excitement. The young Elekid dug his claws into the posts, shivering for a taste of the action.
After an hour of continuous clashing, Voss' dad and the Aegislash finally yielded. His dad's fur was matted with sweat, hairs covering over his eyes. He parted the hairs and slicked his fur back before bellowing a hearty laugh. "That was quite the workout! Excellent form, Baldwin."
The Aegislash, Baldwin, sighed, then slid his shield back on. "I say the same to you, Edmund. Your technique has improved significantly."
"HA! Just wait until you hear how I conquered the mountain bandits the other week. I gave them the show of a lifetime that they begged for mercy." Edmund rubbed his knuckles against his chest plate. "Naturally, I took their pitiful cries as a sign of surrender, though I was well-prepared to execute them. I was just in a good mood that day."
Baldwin closed his eye. "How fortunate of them." He glanced over at Voss, who was hanging over the fence. "Your son certainly seems content with our practice."
Edmund laughed, then approached his son. "What'd you think, Voss? Is your old man brilliant or what?"
Voss nodded eagerly. "Amazing! I want to be able to fight like that."
Edmund laughed while awkwardly scratching his cheek. "I don't know, kiddo. I was all for you wanting to see me in action, but I couldn't ask you to take up sword training." He smacked his wooden sword down on the fence with a hard slap. "These things hit hard, but the worst someone will get is bruises. You, however? Well…"
Voss frowned. "I'm not frail. I can handle it."
Edmund frowned. "I'm sure if you set your mind to it, you can, but this just isn't the kind of thing for a frail kid like you. All it takes is one strong hit and, well, I can't imagine the pain that would cause. A nick to the skin is the difference between excessive bleeding and amputation. I wouldn't allow you to go through that."
Voss glared. He pushed down on the fence and lifted himself to meet his father's gaze. "I can handle it."
"Voss…"
"I'll train super hard. I'll become so strong that no one will be able to land a hit on me."
Edmund sighed and shook his head. "Voss, that's far too ambitious of a goal. The risks are too great." He smiled apologetically. "You would have a good future as a healer, though. The world needs great healers just as much as they need warriors."
Voss' glare tightened. "I want this, Dad. I want to experience the thrill of battle. I don't want to live my whole life surrounded by pillows. I want to taste that thrill again."
"Again?" Edmund mumbled. He turned around when he heard Baldwin laughing in response. "What's so funny?"
The living sword floated over to them. "It sounds like Voss got a little more than a scare after his brush with death. He's your kid, Edmund. That incident awakened a beast inside him. You know you can't suppress that hunger. It's not healthy."
Edmund frowned in understanding, then sighed. "I should've figured after your mother told me you were covered in blood." He shook his head, then glared down at Voss. "You seriously want this?"
Voss nodded. "Absolutely."
"You understand the risk you're putting to your body, right? You will be free to quit at any time."
Voss shook his head. "I can handle it."
Edmund frowned hard at his son's defiance, causing Baldwin to laugh. "I like this kid." He hooked his cloth arm around Edmund. "Tell you what. Since I couldn't bear the thought of a father putting himself through needless turmoil, let me handle his training. I'll mold him into an unstoppable beast."
"I still don't know," Edmund muttered.
A glint of pride flashed in Baldwin's single eye. "Trust me. There's a beast in that kid that needs to be tamed. I say we give him the thrill he desires."
Edmund frowned between the Aegislash and his son, both staring back with hopeful gazes. Edmund caved in under their stares with a deep sigh. "Your mother's going to kill me when I tell her about this."
"Watch your back!"
The fifteen-year-old Electabuzz turned on his heel and stopped Baldwin's slash. The force knocked Voss off his feet and threw him across the battleground. With quick timing, he caught the ground with his fingers and landed himself back onto his feet. Voss panted with deep breaths, then straightened his stance, gripping his sword between both hands.
Baldwin floated in the center of the battleground. The aged sword, who showed patches of rust over his body, laughed to himself. "Good block. And you didn't break anything this time."
Contrary to what healers originally believed, Voss was able to overcome his frailty over time. Though he still battled with fatal injuries from the most minor of wounds, his strength thrived through years of training. His muscles grew, giving him the physique of a demigod. Most of his clothes ripped from flexing his muscles too hard. His bone strength improved a lot through experimental medicines, enough to where getting thwacked with a cane no longer splintered his bones.
That said, he was far from invulnerable. Underneath his armor, he wore layers of bandages with some wrapped around his mouth. That was due to a cheap shot to the jaw one training session the week prior. Edmund and Voss' mother nearly flattened Baldwin when they discovered that.
Voss shifted his weight onto his right foot while sizing up Baldwin. He straightened his grip, took a deep breath, then launched himself forward with a howling cry.
Baldwin dodged through Voss' swings effortlessly despite his age, then struck Voss in the midsection. The thick armor reduced the impact for Voss' sake, but not enough to leave the Electabuzz unharmed. It felt like someone swung a bat into his liver and stomach during open surgery.
Voss staggered back and dropped to one knee, eyes bulging wide as he coughed blood through his bandages. He saw Baldwin's shadow descending on him and dodged a second strike.
"You can't keep dodging forever, kid," Baldwin said after prying himself out of the ground. "You need to unleash the beast inside you. Become the embodiment of victory itself."
Voss panted heavily, wiping his hand across his bloodied gauze, and asked, "Is that the secret to success?"
"You want to fight to your heart's content? The only thing that matters in battle is the thrill. We serve and protect the innocent, but we thrive on battle. You must dig deep into yourself and unleash the beast of victory. Fighting and fighting until you break, then keep fighting as you're torn asunder! You must keep fighting even if your arms are torn from your body. The secret to victory is finding the will to live and fight."
Voss glared. "Live…and fight?"
"Your father and I live to battle. Bloodshed and victory are the joys of this career. We get paid to execute the scum of the earth. We live for this kind of torment. The best part of the thrill is finding that moment where you achieve peak victory, the point where your life is on the line. It's the ultimate high every warrior must experience once in their lifetime, for it may be their last."
As he listened, Voss' blood pumped with nervous excitement. The aches in his body dulled, making room for the fire flaring up in his eyes. The pathway to victory paved itself ahead. An arduous journey to seek the ultimate thrill of battle. He fantasized what that feeling was like. Was it similar to the day he first tasted blood? Or was it something so much more?
Voss wouldn't rest until he got a taste of the bloodshed.
A smirk curled wide beneath his bandages. "Show me the way, Master Baldwin!"
Baldwin laughed, then raised his sword body. "Let's break you piece-by-piece, kid!"
"RAAAAHHH!" Voss charged headlong and slammed his sword across Baldwin.
The Aegislash laughed excitedly as he matched the force of Voss' swing. The air crackled in their collision, a show of their amazing power, but Baldwin overcame Voss' strength and slammed across his chest plate. Voss flew across the battleground, landing on his arm awkwardly before ramming into the fence.
"Is that all you got?!" Baldwin yelled. "I thought you wanted to win!"
Voss pushed himself up. His right arm dangled limply, but Voss ignored it as he took his sword in his left. "I will win!"
"Then come at me with everything you got! Become the beast!"
Voss stomped down, then flew across the battlegrounds with a screaming battle cry. No matter how many times he got knocked down, no matter how many bones he broke, no matter how close to death he got…
Voss won't rest until he experienced the ultimate thrill of battle.
Black flames exploded across the ruined village during the clash between Voss and Travis. The force of Travis' blades parted the flames around him, but their intense heat slammed against his body and burned his skin. The ground cracked under his feet as Voss' superior weight and power pushed down on the Shiftry's body.
Feeling his stamina waver, Travis slipped out of the stalemate and avoided Voss' strike. The ground split up with a geyser of flame shooting from the fissure. Travis jumped out of the way of the expanding fissure. The flames came close to searing the tip of his pointed nose.
Flames swirled around Voss' arm, shooting out from his sword and extending into a long inferno saber. Voss swung his arm and slashed the ground, erupting it with a wave of black flame.
Travis roared and sliced through the flames. The flames parted against his strike, bursting into the sky as the force of the flames pushed against his swords. Travis tightened his grip, spun on his heel, and caught the flames around his sword. Arcing the flames around his body, he slingshot them back at Voss.
Voss shot his palm out and struck the flames, instantly extinguishing them. From the spoke, Travis lunged at the armored Electivire and sliced multiple times across the chest plate. The force slamming against Voss nearly knocked him over, but he plunged his tails into the ground to catch himself. He increased the intensity of his flames and slashed at Travis again.
Travis blocked with his swords, then went flying high into the sky. He shook the flames from his swords, then crossed them. Magic radiated across the transparent blades. "Howling Crescent Wave!" He slashed with such force that the magic flew off his blades, slicing through the air.
"Fallen Hell Blaze!" Voss met the attack with his own projectile slash.
The two attacks clashed in the air, detonating shockwaves across the village. Travis flew along the shockwaves and glided back to the ground before charging headlong into Voss again. "Moonlight Illusion Dance!" Magic erupted from the swords as his pace quickened.
Voss swung his sword once Travis was in range and slashed through him. Travis' form faded with the wind as Voss' sword passed through afterimage. Two slashes struck down on his unguarded back and knocked him forward. Voss spun and cut through Travis in retaliation, but struck yet another afterimage.
So fast, Voss commented.
Travis rapidly dashed around Voss, flickering in and out of sight with at least eight afterimages appearing at a time. Left and right, Voss' armor was dealt with the continuous peppering of attacks. Travis' movements were so nimble and swift that Voss couldn't detect the rhythm of his dodges. A deliberate, random pattern of movements that meant guessing an exact location was all but simple.
Voss spun his sword, then plunged it into the ground. "Fallen Memorable Tribute!" The ground exploded under Voss, unleashing waves of shadow spikes around him.
The spikes pierced through Travis' afterimages before striking the Shiftry dead center in the chest plate. Though the plating protected him, an ugly crack ripped open across the metal with searing black smoke hissing from the impact point. Travis touched the ground and skipped back in a single long jump as more shadow spikes hunted him down.
Travis stopped an inch shy of hitting a hut, then jumped. The spikes grazed across his foot before skewering the hut's walls. Travis tossed his sword up, then struck the hilt with a bicycle kick, sending it flying across the row of spikes and landing a direct hit on Voss' face plate.
A spark of blue flashed in Voss' eyes, causing him to cover his eyes in annoyance. "Grr."
Travis landed on the spikes before they faded, then launched toward Voss in a single jump. He caught his falling sword from the air, then delivered a twin downward slash on Voss' arm.
One of Voss' tails whipped around and caught one sword before Travis could pull it away. The tail coiled tightly around the blade before shattering it like glass. Travis jumped back before the second tail could crush his other sword.
Voss pulled his hand from his eyes, blinking the blurriness out, then stepped on the fading particles of shattered magic. "Two broken. Seven more to go."
Travis huffed, then replaced the hilt for a new one. "What wars have you experience to make that armor unbreakable?"
"Wars?" Voss ignited his sword, then flashed a red-eyed glare at the Shiftry. "No need for such gratuitous comments. Such paltry acts of violence are hardly fit to be praised as wars. Not even honored to be granted the title of battle."
Travis glared back. "Do you crave blood, monster?"
"Do you not?"
"What era of malevolence did you crawl from, ancient one?" Travis rushed with blinding speed, opting for an erratic, spinning rush down.
Voss blocked Travis' first strike in a hail of sparks, but Travis catapulted over him with his buzzsaw-like movements and delivered a myriad of slashes to the back in the time it took him to land. Voss turned and slashed the ground with a black inferno, but Travis spun his swords and parted the flames like two giant fans.
Annoyed, Voss switched to a reverse grip as black sparks cracked off the blade. "Hell's Fallen Judgment!"
Travis crossed his swords defensively before taking a blank point explosion to the body. The ground ripped opened underneath Travis as he went flying across the village, flying over burnt corpses and smoldering earth before crashing through a hut.
Voss wound his arm back, then released a massive wave of shadow fire across the earth. "Fallen Hellfire!"
Travis picked himself off a decaying dining table, then looked outside as the flaming wave came barreling at him. Thinking fast, he ran to the right of the hut and slashed open an exit for himself. He jumped out of the hut before it was engulfed in a searing black inferno.
Travis had no time to breathe, though, before being blindsided by Voss. Travis barely managed to block Voss' strike, but the strain on both his swords caused them to shatter instantly. Voss bashed his flaming sword across Travis' chest plate and threw him into the trees.
Travis reoriented himself and landed against the tree by his soles. He quickly detached his chest plate as black flames engulfed it, then safely tossed it away from the forest, splashing and extinguishing in a muddy puddle.
Lightning boomed over the village, masking the demonic hissing of Voss' flaming sword as raindrops evaporated on contact. "Five left."
Travis glared, then calmly sheathed both used hilts. Not much longer. I haven't used the Ninth in forever. At this rate, it may be my only hope of piercing that armor. I just need to be patient. I can't make any sloppy mistakes from here on out. Strike to kill.
Travis took a deep breath, then plucked three hilts from his scabbard, throwing them into the air. "Moonlight Beast Style!"
Travis rushed Voss as the hilts descended from the sky. With a mighty leap, Travis caught the hilts, two in hand and one clenched between his teeth, and summoned their blades. He came down on Voss and struck with a triple slash attack.
Voss blocked with his arm, feeling the force slamming down on his body and sinking his feet into the ground. He ignited his sword and swung back, to which Travis catapulted himself over Voss with his swords, dodging the fiery slash.
"Howling Crescent Tsunami!" Travis spun through the air and unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of projectile slashes down on Voss.
Voss crossed his arms and tanked the incoming attacks. Though the slashes pinged off his armor, the ground was sliced up into a sea of gravel. A cavernous pit opened up under Voss as the ground sank out from under his feet. Voss fled the sinking earth before it swallowed him whole.
Travis landed on solid ground, then continued his stream of slashes against Voss. Voss took his sword in both hands and faced the barrage with a flurry of counterattacks, obliterating the attacks with a combination of precision and brute force.
"Your attacks…will not pierce!" Voss tightened his grip, poured his strength through his arms, and swung his sword into the endless stream. "Fallen Black Wynd!" He slashed and unleashed a hurricane of black winds through the slash stream, drilling its way toward Travis.
Travis stopped firing and crossed all three swords together. He braced his stance right as the whirlwind slammed into him. The rushing, light-absorbing winds hammered against his body while the sheer might of his strength and blades kept the winds from advancing further. The ground tore up behind and flew off into the sky. A shower of dust rained upon the battlefield mixed with the heavy rainfall.
As the winds ended, Travis braced his stance again and tanked a hammering punch from Voss. Travis' swords groaned against the punch, but distributed enough of the force to keep themselves from snapping. Travis slammed his right foot through the ground, keeping himself anchored in place, and flexed his muscles. He pushed back and repelled Voss' fist, briefly knocking the Electivire off balance.
"Dance of the Moonlight Goddess: First Step!" Travis' swords flared with magical power, hissing from the excessive expulsion of internal magic. Its sound resembled that of Voss' flames. Travis flexed his leg muscles, then launched himself into Voss, delivering a three-slash strike to the chest.
The armor remained unharmed, but the power behind Travis' charge took Voss off guard. Travis pushed with his swords and launched Voss across the village. Voss braced himself before hitting the muddied earth, digging a trench behind him as he slid through a decrepit hut, taking it down on top of him.
Travis sprang off the ground with one foot and flew to the crash site. "Second Step!" He spun the swords in his hands, then spun himself into a tight corkscrew. The magic of the swords wrapped around Travis into a spiral formation. Travis crashed into the ruined hut and shred everything around him into sawdust. Nothing of the hut caught inside his corkscrew came out whole.
Voss barely managed to block Travis' attack with his arm. The drilling formation grinded against the arm, crackling with sparks of blue and purple magic between them. Voss reached through the whirlwind of magic to grab Travis, but the attack suddenly vanished before his eyes, including the attacker inside.
"Final Step!"
Voss looked up and saw Travis flying high above the ruins. He reared back all three blades, then swung them down. Their combined magic released a massive energy slash, slamming down on Voss with the force of a meteor. The ground depressed and crumbled under the immense pressure, cracks shooting out over the surface with a bleeding scar of magic digging through.
Travis glared through the intense light of the explosion as he hovered through the air, carried aloft by the pressure. "Did even that not rend the monster of his protective shell?"
Travis' eyes widened as a purple light pierced through his attack, obliterating it from existence. A flaming slash shot from the ground and came barreling toward Travis. Clutching his swords, he slammed them into the flaming tear and growled as its raging heat seared his face. The strain on his swords hissed with cracks forming across the length.
Travis tilted his body back and, right before the fire slash shattered his swords, used the push force to throw himself away from the burning ground. He glided into a smooth landing, then took a moment to catch his breath. Through the flames, he saw Voss bursting from the darkness and charging him like a demonic bull.
Travis sheathed the hilts away and spat the unbroken sword in his mouth into his hand. He gripped it between both hands, then slashed at Voss, who met with a sword strike as well. Crackles of magic exploded around them. Voss' greater weight crushed down on Travis, who couldn't acquire his footing on the muddied ground.
Travis' foot slipped out from under him, leaving him open to a plunging stab to the chest. Travis raised his sword in front of his chest and blocked the stab as it shoved him into the mud. Travis watched the energy blade bend with the weight of Voss' sword. Cracks rapidly appeared over the blade.
"Die," Voss growled.
Travis' arms flared in pain to hold back Voss' monstrous strength. If he removed at least one of his hands off the sword, Voss would kill him. However, if he did nothing, he would still die. With no chest plate to at least soak up the damage, he was in an unfavorable position.
Travis bared his teeth snarling like an animal. "I shall not die here!"
Thinking fast, Travis dug his foot under the mud and kicked it into Voss' face plate. Regardless if it blocked anything from entering, it obscured his vision.
"Did you really think that was going to accomplish something?" Voss asked, pressing down harder on Travis' sword. The sword was close to shattering.
Travis took a deep breath. This is going to suck. He clenched his eyes shut, then tilted his sword to his left. Voss' blade glided off the face of the shattering blade, redirecting his stab through Travis' shoulder. Travis howled in agony as flames jettisoned from the wound.
Voss wiped the mud off his face plate and glared in astonishment. "You're mad. Taking on my flames like this?"
With his arms free to move, Travis whipped out the eighth sword and bashed it across Voss' hand, knocking his sword out of his grip. Travis flipped off the ground, bit down on his energy sword, and pulled Voss' sword from his shoulder. He screamed through his blade and collapsed onto his knees.
Travis' armor burned off his left shoulder, revealing the ugly black scar with purple embers lingering on the surface. It hurt to move, even with rainwater pelting down on it. The pain and fiery nature extended and multiplied, enough to make a man pass out. Without a magic aura of his own, Travis had to succumb to the full fury of the flames.
"This will not…be my grave!" Travis picked up both his and Voss' swords and charged at the unarmed Electivire.
Voss huffed. "Stubborn fool." He clenched his fists so tightly that sparks shot off the grating metal, then launched a straight punch at the approaching Shiftry.
Travis roared and slammed the swords against Voss' fist. Travis' swing was nowhere near as powerful with his shoulder injury, easily allowing Voss to overpower the attack. His fist shot through both swords and nailed Travis square in the face, bending his pointed nose.
"Perish into nothingness." Voss snatched his sword from the air, then finished it with a flaming slash. "Hell's Fallen Judgment!"
A concentration explosion erupted in Travis' face, shattering his energy sword and blasting him into a tree. The impact cracked the base of the tree and sent it toppling down on the downed Shiftry.
A crack of lightning shot from the sky, and thunder rumbled in a moment of stillness. The flames of darkness burned away the light and spread across the village, hissing endlessly to the rainfall. The ground beneath the fallen tree remained still and silent, burying the body beneath as the smoke faded into the air.
Voss' sword steamed after finishing its attack. Voss took a deep breath, then sheathed his weapon. "Travis Blight. You were a worthy opponent. Of all the men I've slain in the last five hundred years, I deem you worthy of my top ten greatest challenges. I shall remember your name fondly." With that, Voss turned and started for the village exit.
He stopped to take in the sight of the village. A pang of guilt came over him at the hideous mess they've made in their conflict. Buildings ruptured, lands burnt to a crisp, and fires waging against the torrential rains. Voss purposely made sure to spare the village archives and the cemetery, the only pieces of land that shouldn't be destroyed.
Voss closed his eyes and sighed. "Why am I like this? Will I ever find a meaning to live ever again? What is the purpose of all this struggling? Why?"
"…Why indeed?"
Voss opened his eyes and glared. "You're alive still?" He looked over his shoulder to the fallen tree. "For one who doesn't wield his own magic, you're incredible."
Drenched in mud and smoldering burns, Travis Blight continued to stand without fail. His armor was completely incinerated off his body, as well as the clothes beneath, with only his torn pants remaining. His body was covered in scars and burns, the former of which not inflicted from their battle. Travis' nose was bent and crooked with blood dripping to his chin. His shoulder injury was worsened by the explosion, blackened to a crisp.
Travis gripped his shoulder, taking deep, ragged breaths. "You're cold. Calculating. Perfect. You trained yourself to be unstoppable, didn't you? You've become the perfect weapon. An unkillable monster who hungers for bloodshed."
Voss huffed as he reached for his scabbard. "You will never understand my torment."
"You said…something about five hundred years, right? That's how long you've been on this earth?" Travis' head drooped forward, hair dangling over his face, and laughed quietly. "You never found a reason to fight. You were tempted by the rush of battle, but now you're seeking a high you'll never achieve. A desperate last wish. That's why you have that armor. It's a test, isn't it? You stole that armor so that someone worthy would be able to kill you. An unstoppable force capable of shattering the immoveable object."
Voss' glare deepened. "What else is there? Fighting has become too easy. No one can offer me the challenge I seek. I'm surrounded by nothing but uselessness. What's the point in all this fighting and serving the innocent when there's simply no joy? No challenge?"
Travis glared back. "You're obsessed."
"I'm desperate for someone to give me a reason to care again, even if I must die for my answers."
Travis paused a moment to breathe, his breaths choked and hoarse, then clutched his burning shoulder. "If it is death you seek, I'll send you to Hell myself." He clenched down and snapped his shoulder back into place. Travis bit back a scream as the burns flared up. He sighed with a shudder, then moved his aching shoulder. "One last shot of adrenaline is all I need."
Voss turned away and scoffed. "Your pitiful blades have failed to penetrate my armor, and you're down to your last saber. Tell me, what will make this final act your grandest?"
Travis reached around and grabbed the peak hilt of his nine-sword scabbard. "Let me share with you the ultimate power of the Nine Scholars. I haven't had to use this blade in ages. You are truly a dangerous opponent for me to utilize its unstoppable power."
Travis plucked the hilt from its scabbard, then gently swung it down to his side. With a flick of his wrist, the energy blade ignited to life with a graceful chime that pierced over the heavy rainfall and growling thunder.
Voss turned back out of curiosity, then eyed the blade upon noticing something staggeringly unusual about it.
Unlike the previous eight, this blade was opaque in its glow, which radiated a heavenly blue. A light on par with the descent of the gods. Its very aura resembled something similar to a previous foe, that of Gwyn Belladonna. An enrichening, neon blue with a unique, crystalline aura no mortal would dream of possessing in their lifetime. It was an imitation to that of Belladonna's, but a stunning imitation, nonetheless.
Something in how Travis guided the blade showed the immense weight it held compared to the previous blades. Its light could pierce through the abyss itself, a guiding beacon that ripped asunder the most oppressive of darkness. Was this pure power Voss sensed, untapped magic, or something else entirely?
Voss, being the tentative sort he was, kept one hand on his scabbard, ready to draw at a moment's notice. "What is that weapon?"
Travis steadied his breathing, then gripped the weapon between both hands. "This is the Ninth Scholar. Though, most know it by its true name: the Enlightened One. All those attacks I've dealt to you weren't just meant to cut you down. My eight blades studied your armor, your weapon, and your magic. It studied everything to utilize a latent magic stored within this scabbard capable of registering and adapting data into power. What I hold is the only weapon in Mysto that can slay any beast."
Voss glared, then hardened his stance. He gripped the hilt of his sheathed sword and said, "You speak grandly of your weapon, as did many others I've slain. What makes your sword any different?"
Travis closed his eyes, then took one final breath. "Why explain…when I can just demonstrate?" Travis bent his knees, reared his sword back, then lunged at lightning speed.
Voss reacted immediately and slashed at Travis. Travis guided his sword and deflected Voss' strike effortlessly before swinging toward his chest. Voss would've let the weapon hit unprovoked, but the close proximity of the radiant weapon triggered something in his mind. Something that dulled over time.
Imminent danger.
He raised his arm instead and blocked the strike. A crackling flash blinded his eyes and swallowed the immediate area in burning light. Travis seemed unprovoked by the light and pushed his strength through the swing. The force threw Voss back a short distance, landing on his feet and sliding across the slick earth.
Voss straightened his posture and prepared a counterattack, but halted a moment to look at his arm. His eyes widened in shock at the unfamiliar blemish scarred through the armor. A nasty gash of torn metal, along with a thin stream of blood and yellow fur poking out from the tear.
"Wha…What is this?"
Voss trembled, as uncharacteristic that sounded to him. It'd be one thing if his fellow heralds or especially the Shadow King pierced through the unbreakable armor, but damage inflicted by a mortal? To cut through the Immuto Armor as effortlessly as warm butter?
"Do you understand now, monster?" Voss looked up just as Travis charged at him again, brandishing his sword high. "You stand upon your own grave!"
Voss dodged a swipe that grazed across his chest plate, then leaped across the village with Travis in hot pursuit. Magic radiated off of Travis' blade. With a strong swing, he released a crescent blade of magic after Voss.
Voss gripped his sword and ignited it. "Fallen Hell Blaze!" He bashed into the projectile slash, trying to destroy it, but the attack overpowered him and sent his sword flying out of his hands. Voss landed on the ground and chased after his falling sword.
"No, you don't!"
Voss gasped in pain as Travis slid past his legs and slashed through the armor. Blood sprayed from his thighs, and his leg muscles collapsed. Voss toppled into the ground, splashing mud onto his armor.
Travis caught the ground, then darted back for Voss. "This is for everyone you killed!" He jumped high, aimed his sword down, and dove for Voss' head.
Voss jerked his body up and punched the ground, splitting it open with a geyser of black flames. Travis stopped his dive attack and slashed the air, creating a pressure wave that diverted the flames away from him. Voss flew from the flames and grabbed his sword off the ground before spinning around and firing a Fallen Hell Blaze at the airborne Shiftry.
Travis saw the attack coming and slashed through the middle, obliterating it instantly. He landed in the flaming ground, ignoring the searing pain to his feet, and dashed at Voss again. He tilted his sword down and dragged it through the earth, carving a fissure behind him.
Voss reversed his grip and plunged his sword down. "Fallen Memorable Tribute!" A pathway of dark spikes shot out of the ground and raced toward Travis.
Travis sneered at the oncoming spikes and gripped his sword tighter. "That won't work!" He spun like a top and mowed through the spikes without slowing down. He reached Voss and slashed across the chest plate, ripping it open with blood shooting out.
"GAH!" Voss stumbled back and covered his bleeding chest. His darkness wrapped around his wounds and attempted to stave off the heavy bleeding. Voss' eye twitched in disbelief. "My own armor. Brought down this low."
Travis spun his sword in his hand, then slashed Voss again, throwing the Electivire onto his back. "That armor takes about a day to self-repair itself. It won't save you this time." He kicked off the ground and went at Voss in a buzzsaw formation.
Voss rolled back and flipped off his hands, narrowly avoiding Travis' attack. "Though my body is weak, yours is paper thin compared to my strength. Hell's Fallen Judgment!" His sword radiated with heat, then he fired a close range explosion into Travis.
Travis slashed down the middle and parted the explosion as it raced past him. He gasped as Voss' hand plunged through the explosion and grabbed his face, picking him off the ground and ramming him into the ground. Travis coughed blood as his vision blurred.
"Fallen Memorable Tribute!"
Travis heard Voss plunge his sword down, then felt the field of darkness opening up beneath him. Acting fast, Travis deactivated his sword and slammed the hilt against Voss' arm, then reenergized the blade. The sword stabbed through Voss' wrist, causing the electric ape to holler in pain and muddy his concentration for a split second. Travis flipped off the ground right as the spikes shot up.
"Howling Crescent Wave: Dark Moon!" Travis ripped the air apart with a devastating projectile slash glowing in the same intense aura as his sword.
Voss swallowed the pain in his wrist, then ducked under the slash attack. The mere breeze coming off the attack was enough to buff Voss' face plate. He straightened up right before Travis descended on him, aiming for the head. Voss dodged and bashed his arm across Travis' face.
"Stubborn warriors like you…" Voss growled. His fist ignited with shadow fire. He dug his knuckles deep against Travis' face, then drove him into the ground. The earth exploded open with shadow fire, evaporating the water in the mud and turning the ground smoldering black.
Travis' sword sliced through the darkness and cut across Voss' face plate. It ripped in two, revealing half of Voss' bleeding face. Voss gasped as Travis leapt out of the flames and slashed into Voss again, dealing a deep cut through the shoulder.
"AAAAAHHHH!" Voss jumped back and clutched his blood-spewing shoulder.
Travis landed, then slashed his sword down. The pressure waves blew the shadow fire off his torched body. His hair was ashen gray, his body was riddled with burns, and his leaf hands were barely whole. The shreds of clothes still hanging off his body held on by the toughest of threads.
"I told you earlier that we warriors fight for a reason." Travis clenched his teeth into a snarl. "I fight to protect the good people of this region, including my family!" He kicked off, gliding over the earth, and dealt another critical slash to Voss. "That's why I can't let you win!"
Voss growled through his own pain. "Is this your life? Is this the lengths you'll go to for this farce?"
"Even if my body turns to cinders!"
Travis dealt a downward slash to Voss' other shoulder, ripping the metal off and spraying blood across the ground. He went for another strike, but Voss dodged it by a hair. The pressure of the swing buffed against the armor, grazing it with scratches.
Blood poured profusely from Voss' injuries while his healing factor worked double time to mend the wounds. These were the worst injuries Voss had sustained in the last five hundred years. To think he was this close to death, he was practically flirting with it. A mortal without magic capable of pushing back against the Invincible Titan?
A smirk quivered on the corners of Voss' lips.
"We will burn together, then! Travis Blight!"
Voss stomped the ground and rushed down the Shiftry, tackling him with all his weight. The blow briefly staggered Travis, allowing Voss to deal a bone-crushing punch to the chest. The rain rippled from the shockwave, and blood splattered from Travis' haggard cough.
"Can you still fight?!" Voss grabbed Travis' head and smashed it into the ground. "Fight! Keep fighting! Never stop!"
Travis drove his sword through Voss' arm, then pushed the titan off. After pulling his sword free, Travis roared and ripped into Voss furiously, shredding off pieces of metal and painting the muddy ground red. Voss tried to grab his head again, but Travis sidestepped his grasp and slashed through the wrist.
Bandages of darkness squealed out and wrapped around Voss' body, trying in desperation to reign in the bleeding. Voss' excited rhythm aggravated the blood lost, and he kept fighting through his own pain.
"Fight me, Blight!" Voss ignited his sword and rushed Travis down. "Slay me like the monster I am!"
"I won't let you win!" Travis screamed, clashing against Voss' blade. His destructive blade shredded through Voss' and snapped half the blade off, allowing Travis to slice across the right side of Voss' face.
"Not good enough!" Undeterred, Voss took the broke sword and plunged it through Travis' left shoulder. "Bring me to death, Blight!"
Voss' sword ignited with flame, then he ripped it through Travis' shoulder. A geyser flame erupted from the left side of Travis' body. He screamed out in agony as the flames torched the inside of his arm, warping the bone and flesh, then devoured it until all that remained was the cinders.
Travis staggered back, screaming his head off clutching the burning area where his arm was. The flames instantly cauterized the grievous wound, but that only meant he would have to live through the torturous pain longer.
"Don't stop!" Travis snapped to attention when Voss charged him down, dragging his sword through the ground with a fissure of flame shooting out behind.
Travis tightly gripped his sword and dodged Voss' land-splitting attack, rupturing the land with a rising wall of black fire. Travis swallowed the unstoppable pain raving through his body and advanced with a thrusting attack.
"Moonlight Revolt!"
Like a beam of light, Travis thrusted his sword at ludicrous speeds and plunged it straight through Voss' chest. The blade shot out the other, drenched only in liquid shadow. The shadows worked overtime to keep Voss' body moving.
Travis bared his teeth, then flexed his muscles for his next attack. "Moonlight Revolt: Apocalypse!"
He repeated his last attack, this time with an endless barrage of stabbing motions that ripped into Voss' body. He punctured holes through the armor, tearing it down piece by piece with barely any scrap clinging to the electric ape's body. Voss was paralyzed in pain, but the growing smirk on his face betrayed the outlook.
"More. MORE!" Voss fought through his paralysis and hammered his fist down on Travis' skull. "Give me more!"
Travis nearly lost consciousness, his brain rattling inside his skull, but he fought through and retaliated with a lightning-fast slash to the face, slicing across Voss' eyes.
"Running out of steam?!" Voss immediately retaliated with another cracking punch across Travis' face, throwing the woodland spirit across the ground. "I thought you were strong!"
Travis growled animalistically and spun himself around, landing roughly on his feet. "New Moon Revenge!" He spung the sword into a reverse grip, then catapulted back at Voss with a monstrous scream.
Voss raised his broken sword to strike back, only to be bombarded with a horde of afterimages. Travis flickered around the battlefield, faster than ever. Dozens upon dozens of afterimages swarming Voss from all sides before avalanching down on him with an endless flurry of cuts that ripped into the ape's body. It was a monstrous display of power, like millions of Zubat descending upon their prey and hopelessly ripping them to pieces. Voss shouldn't even be conscious right now, yet he remained standing.
Voss' eyes traveled between the afterimages, following their erratic movements. The sharp increase of adrenaline brought on by his overworking healing factor enhanced his senses. Though he couldn't detect Travis, his sword radiated with such a potent magic that it could be easily pinpointed. The challenge was timing.
Fortunately, Voss found his mark and delivered a flesh-rupturing slash through Travis' other shoulder, severing the arm instantly and burning the wound with his flames.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Travis screamed out, roaring above the thunderous weather.
"HA!" Voss rocketed his arm into Travis and his sword, blasting them both across the mud where they bowled into a toppled hut. Voss stomped on Travis' severed arm and roared out to the sky. "Who else want some?!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
It wasn't over. Adrenaline ran high for both players dancing on Death's door. Out from the mud and debris, Travis burst back onto the field with his sword clamped tightly in his teeth. He panted with a beastly growl, eyes burning with an unstoppable fury.
Voss' lips twitched at the corners again. "Travis Blight…"
Travis propelled forward and twisted his body into a rampaging buzzsaw formation. The sword's aura radiated out into a blinding blade shape that resembled a killer pinwheel. "Infinite Moonlight Rebellion!"
Voss made no attempt to block, dodge, run, or retaliate. Instead, he dropped his sword and held his arms out as the light rapidly approached him. "End my five hundred years of suffering! Bring me that joy again!"
No resistance, no regrets. Voss took the entire attack head on as it shredded into his body, eviscerating him within the light. His entire silhouette washed out completely. From the outside perspective, those nearby would see the unmistakable sight of a star exploding inside the ruined village, engulfing all in its heavenly light.
Like a clap of thunder, the light came and went with a lingering brightness scattered through the atmosphere. For a moment, there was stillness. Absolute silence dominated the ruined village, a silence not even the raging flames or torrential rainfall could pierce. Not a single rustling leaf, creaking of wood, or booming of thunder could interrupt the universal silence.
The moment passed, and nature's sound returned.
One man remained standing amidst the carnage, and he barely stood on his two legs with the sword weakly clamped in his teeth.
Travis, with matted hair covering his face and dried wounds, stood hunched over in the mud. His breaths were hoarse, his vocal cords strained from the screaming, and muscles aching beyond normal limits. The burning wounds where his arms once were continued to eat away at his stamina, yet he persisted, numb to their pain.
Travis dropped the sword, then collapsed onto his knees. The sword's power persisted, capable of retaining the stored information for at least two more hours. A necessary mechanism in case fights became too troublesome, even for the ultimate blade.
Travis allowed himself a moment to rest, a break well-deserved. Though, he had doubts about surviving past this momentary respite. Lost of his arms with injuries bordering on fatal, what was a Shiftry to do? He was the last to survive, and he could barely keep his eyes open, let alone see straight.
Travis doubted he would make it in time to the next village before the worst of his injuries finally do him in. Without immediate medical attention, the only thing keeping him alive was sheer willpower. What was a man to do?
The only regret Travis had was the grief he'll undoubtedly bring to his family once news reaches them of his inevitable passing. Travis wondered if they would have won the war by the time they got the news. A somber message on a triumphant day, where Travis would be heralded as a hero to calm the souls of his grieving family.
The thought brought tears to Travis' eyes. Somehow, the idea of bringing that pain to his family hurt more than the injuries he sustained. An ache that stabbed through the pit of his soul. The most brutal laceration dealt to him in his longstanding career.
"Tillie. Hallie. Sonny." Travis bit his lip as tears streamed down his face. "I'm sorry if I made you cry. I just hope, I pray, that you live to see the end of this brutality. That's all…I could ever ask for."
Grief clouded his mind. He couldn't find the strength to rest anymore, so he started to his next course of action.
Travis shifted his legs until his soles touched the ground, then lifted himself back to his feet. He dug his foot under his sword, then kicked it into the air, perfectly catching it in his teeth. His stance was unstable, but he didn't falter to the ground.
With the last of his strength, he'll keep traveling until he saved every person he could. He'll dedicated his body, soul, and mind to defending the innocent from the evils brought upon Mysto. That is the oath he took as a warrior, and that is the oath he'll die by.
With a deep breath, Travis marched his way out of the village, taking slow and heavy steps through the deep mud. Whether he'll collapse in ten or ten thousand steps, it didn't matter to him. He'll never stop moving.
"…"
Never stop moving.
"…Haha…"
Never.
"Ha…haha…"
Travis stopped as thunder exploded over the sky. His eyes shrank to the size of pinpricks, radiating with horror. No. That's…impossible. Travis nervously turned his head, pleading it was a stress-induced hallucination.
"Hahaha…hahaha…"
Travis' eyes moved to the muddied earth as something moved beneath the surface, swimming to the top. A mound rose up, slow and deliberate, caked entirely in a veil of mud and blood. Travis instantly recognized the sinister red eyes piercing through the mud.
"No. No, no, no," Travis whispered in disbelief.
"Haha…haha…" The mud suddenly bent back and let loose the maniacal, joyous laugh that chilled Travis to the bone. "AAAAH—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Travis stumbled back, shivering in face of the monster rising up from the earth. Veiled in a thick curtain of mud, but Travis could see the damage of his final attack through the patches sliding off. Though darkness mended the injuries, some of the most grievous and gut churning were on display for Travis, and he dared not wish to describe them in fear of scarring them into his memory.
The point being, how was Voss still alive?!
The broken creature known as Voss ceased his insane, uncharacteristic laughter and turned his sights on the paralyzed Shiftry with glee flickering in his eyes. "Thank you."
Travis' eyes widened. "What?"
"Thank you, Travis Blight. You've killed me."
Chills surged through Travis again as he forced himself to take another step back. "W…What?"
"I felt it. I felt it again, after so long. The feeling that escaped my grasp for so long. That feeling I've obsessed over for hundreds of years. That obsession that sucked me into this monotonous cycle of misery. You killed that cycle, and I've been reborn."
Travis couldn't find the words to speak. He still couldn't wrap his mind around this creature breathing, much less talking.
"Though, I say that metaphorically. You've done a real number on my body, and my darkness can…can only mend so much." Voss staggered forward, dropping some of the mud caking his body and revealing some of his more gut-wrenching injuries. "If it were overtaxed, I would've died instantly."
Travis tried to run, tried to run and cleave Voss' head from his shoulders, but his body wouldn't allow him to advance. He could only retreat, and even that took a monumental effort.
"Still, you've touched this old soul, Travis Blight. To think there was a warrior in this time that I would grow to respect so deeply. I declare you…the strongest."
Voss lifted his hand, then plunged all five fingers through his chest. Travis' eyes widened as a dark haze emanated around Voss' body, resembling a flameless smoke aura. Travis felt something trembling within his sword, as if it sensed danger from the titan, too.
"I refuse to take your life like this. I admire you too much to allow such petty execution. Instead, I wish to show you the true essence of my obsession, the deepest roots of my fury. If warriors like you exist, that reignites my hope that there are those who can satisfy my quest for battle. You will be the first to witness…the beast once fallen from grace."
Travis gasped as black flames jettisoned from inside Voss' body, evaporating the mud off his body. The black flames exploded around Voss, highlighting the silhouette of Voss in the internal, purple core.
"Travis Blight, commit this grand moment to your memory. Experience my true power, unleashed to the world's strongest."
Voss dropped to all fours and let out a deathly howl. Shockwaves shot through the air with such force that the rain parted away from Voss and the entire village, briefly creating a dome of rainless air. Travis could only watch as the shadowy beast advanced toward him, heat rising dramatically by the second.
All Travis could see in those piercing red eyes…was pure, joyous bloodlust.
"Ascended Archfiend Chimera!"
Hours later…
Word of the attack spread around neighboring villages, and a traveling squadron of knights and medical magics immediately raced to the ruined village. They were horrified to discover the scarred land and destruction brought about the entire village.
Quickly, teams broke off to collect and assess the bodies for survivors. It, unfortunately, wasn't hard to determine that most, if not all, of the warriors were dead. Some from internal bleeding, others from grievous burns, and some from injuries that made the knights vomit on sight. Even a couple medical magicians were disgusted by the depravity.
They quickly deposited the dead into body bags and dragged them to the center of the village. A Slowbro knight took his helmet off, desperately in need of fresh air. He hunched over, holding his hand out to his fellow knights as they reached out to him. "I'm…I'm fine. I just need a moment."
"How horrible," a medical Butterfree noted as she hovered over the body bags. "Was this seriously done by one man? This seems so…excessive. What kind of monster is capable of such violence?"
"The kind that need to be executed swiftly," an Escavalier knight said, sharpening his lances against each other. "Such brutality will not go unpunished."
"We weren't hired to go after maniacs like this," Butterfree scolded. "Stopping small scuffles and protecting villages is our job, not hunting madmen on a killing rampage."
"He has a point, though," the Mr. Rime healer said as he squatted beside the bags. "This isn't something we should turn a blind eye to. We must look into it."
Butterfree shook her head. "Out of the question. Everyone died here. Do you honestly think we stand a better chance than—"
"Not everyone."
The knights and healers turned their attention to the odd one out of their group. Not a healer or knight in profession, but one who embodied those aspects from the home he came from, to use his talents to help those outside his kingdom.
The Trevenant priest, Hugo Lightborn.
"Father Hugo?" the Slowbro questioned.
Hugo was squat down, his hand hovering over a body and emitting a warm golden glow. "This one is alive."
The team rushed to his side, then gasped at the sight of the armless Shiftry laying unconscious in the mud. The state of his burns and injuries should've meant death, yet he was barely clinging on to every breath. A strong gust would be enough to do him in, yet he remained bound to life.
"H-He's alive!" Mr. Rime gasped.
"Yes, but barely," Hugo said. He finished his spell, then stood up. "He needs immediate medical attention, now."
The healers quickly dropped their bags and started prepping the area. "I'll clean the body, you prepare your Surgery Magic," Butterfree ordered.
Mr. Rime nodded, then clapped his hands together to start the ritual.
The knights stepped back and joined Hugo's side. "Incredible," Escavalier said. "The willpower on this man. I thought for sure this man would be executed like the rest. How did he survive this slaughter?"
"Perhaps a miracle by Arceus?" Slowbro proposed.
Hugo glared down at the half-alive Shiftry, then glared at the pathway leading to the village front gate. Searing hand and footprints were burned into the mud, a trail leading outside the village. Hugo reached down and touched one. The attack was hours ago, yet the marks still gave off heat, even with the rain.
"A miracle this was," Hugo admitted as he stood up. "But I don't believe Arceus was the one who spared this man's life."
"Huh? What makes you say…" Slowbro turned toward Hugo, then gasped as the priest started following the print trail. "Uh, Father? Where are you doing?"
"My job." Hugo spun his cross wheel staff, emitting a heavenly light from the cross wheel itself. "Make sure that man survives this day. His efforts will not be in vain."
"F-Father Hugo!" Escavalier exclaimed. "Forgive me, but are you insane? You're not actually going to track that beast down yourself, right?"
Hugo stopped for a moment, then looked up at the sky. "My children, there was a time I would think myself insane as well, to carry out these acts of vengeance in the name of Arceus. That is not my purpose as a priest. However, for the last many years, I've followed a new path. A path forced upon me that, though I shake my head and scold, I've come to admire for its innate heroism." He sighed, then continued on his path.
"But Father—"
"Do not try and stop me, my children. I've committed to this act. I'm taking the advice of an explosive friend of mine." Hugo rested his staff on his shoulders, then glared at the path ahead. "I'll never retreat, because the only direction I'll move…is forward."