Disclaimer: I still don't own virtually anything remotely related to Shining Force.
Two Years Later - Chapter One
The hour of the battle had arrived. I was waiting on my opponent to show up. I stood in the position appointed to me by Queen Anri, who sat on a throne at a safe distance from the fight. She was dressed in full royal regalia. At her side was Nova, showing no emotion. A local friar stood behind him, prepared to administer the proper revival ritual to the loser of the battle. I could feel beads of sweat running down my nose and lips in the sweltering heat.
I hope Ken will have the same problem, I thought to myself. My sword hand began to twitch with anticipation.
At last, and with no introduction, Ken trotted himself onto the field. The sun's reflection off his helmet blinded me for a second, but when I regained my sight I noticed his entire body fully-clad in armor. It was also hard to ignore the aura his weapon emitted; the Valkyrie certainly was an awesome sight to behold. A weapon that size will be simple to avoid, I thought. I looked for parts of his bodies his armor didn't cover. I found two - between his torso and horse legs, and the joints of his hind legs - but even those would be hard to hit with my blade. His legs from the knee down, however, were unguarded. At least tiring him out should be easy.
"It's been a while," Ken called to me. I nodded in agreement before he added, "I've learned a lot since we last saw each other fight."
"Likewise," I responded. He did seem a lot older than when I knew him years ago. "It will be quite a chore for the friar to piece you back together once I'm done." Ken simply laughed, but the friar shifted uneasily.
Anri stood. "The rules of this duel are simple. It is a fight to the death, and the use of spells or items would mean immediate disqualification. To the victor goes the chance to duel the fabled Knight of Guardiana," she declared. "You may now begin."
Ken made the first move. He launched himself at me, positioning his weapon with the intent of impaling me.
He's much faster than I anticipated, I thought. Still, he was no match for my speed. I evaded the tip of his spear and rolled underneath him, noticing a line of unguarded belly between his armor. He stopped and turned to face me as I drew my Doom Blade. Ken pulled his weapon back to throw it. Surely he didn't expect to hit me with it, but he threw the Valkyrie at me anyway. Had I been anyone other than myself, I may not have been able to dodge it at that close range. But I am me, so I jumped to dodge the spear and counterattack in the same move.
I raised my sword above my head and brought it down towards Ken's head on my descent. Words could not express my surprise when he grabbed my blade with his gauntlet-covered palms. I nearly faltered, but my grip on my sword was as good as his. With a grunt, he flung both me and my sword to the side.
Though I landed on my feet, I was dazed for a second by a combination of his show of brute force and the dirt cloud I caused upon landing. He really has gotten stronger, I thought. I launched myself at him again, though this time my target was the spot where his human torso ended and his horse body began. I barely noticed he had grabbed his weapon again before swung it at me in a broad arc, squarely hitting me in my ribs as well as flinging me aside. The sickening crack I heard upon impact didn't sound too promising either.
I again kicked up a dirt cloud as I skidded across the ground. This time, however, it was to my advantage. I quickly circled Ken as he wheeled around to face where I had landed, only to find I was not there. Instead, he was surprised to find me hacking off a piece of armor near his hind quarters. With a slash across his exposed back leg, I retreated out of range of another broad stroke from the Valkyrie. Ken faltered for a moment before his weapon began glowing. I stared in shock as the wound closed itself in front of my eyes.
Damnit, I thought. I kinda figured holy weapons wouldn't count as items. I had no more time to reflect as Ken thrust his weapon at me again. I dodged to the side and went for the weak spot south of his torso again. I slashed across the line of exposed skin, then leaped towards Ken's rear to chop off another piece of armor and create another gash in his leg, this one much deeper than the last.
Ken groaned in pain as his back leg buckled. He tried circling to hit me with the side of his spear again, but he faltered. The Valkyrie began to glow again, but only as soon as I slid underneath Ken to slice across his scarcely-exposed underbelly with my sword. I stood up in front of Ken as he searched the ground, presumably for me. He finally noticed me, right before I hopped on his back and sliced between his torso and legs - from the opposite side this time. I allowed the momentum from my swing to spin myself around for another, much deeper, slash that separated Ken's body into two parts: his human body and horse legs.
"Guh…" was all Ken managed to say before his torso hit the ground.
"Well then," I commentated once I was back on solid ground. "Who's next?" My broken ribs made themselves apparent as a sharp pain in my side as I breathed heavily. I'd had my share of broken bones in training, so I was able to mostly ignore them for the moment.
"Bravo! Good show!" Anri stood, applauding as Ken's broken body was dragged off the battlefield. "I haven't witnessed a fight like that in a good many years. You've earned yourself the right to battle the Knight of Guardiana." I nodded in acknowledgement.
"But first," I asked, "could I get some medical attention?" Anri nodded and sent the friar to mend my bones.
Moments after I was completely healed, Anri stood less than ten paces across from me, approximately Ken's starting position for the previous battle.
"So where's the Knight?" I asked. Anri giggled. "Did I say something funny?"
"I don't like that nickname," Anri started. "I prefer the other name people call her."
"So what's the other one?" I inquired. Did she say the Knight was female?
"I prefer," Anri started, and unclasped her robe. "the Warrior Queen." Her robe fell, revealing the black armor that encased her body, as well as a sheathed sword on her hip. A nameless attendant retrieved the robe and handed her a staff. It had an aura similar to the Valkyrie's. Anri batted her hair behind her whileI half-smiled and laughed.
Either this will be easy, I thought to myself, or I'm going to die a horrible death this day.