Coins fell from the table, the clink of metal echoing in the small room as the wild looking man sat comfortably on a chair, crossed legs resting on the pile of coins. Erik had done this to many others before, but this was the first time someone had done it to him.
"Excuse me." growled the man, chewing on a piece of tobacco. He spat at the corner in disgust. "Could you move this pile of crap? It's in the way."
Erik punched a nearby wall, only temporarily relieving some of his stress. The stupid referee had refused to listen, no matter how much money Erik had placed in front of him. Since when were there so many frustrating people in this world? First Kanae, and now this man. Didn't anyone understand the worth of money anymore?
"You think my honor is worth only this much? I didn't think you were such a cheap man."
Erik blasted a table, reducing it to ruble. He'd show him. He'd show all of them. He wasn't someone you could ignore. Soon everyone would know his name and he'd get the recognition he deserved.
One of his companions walked up to him cautiously, obviously worried they'd end up like the table.
"What do you want?" said Erik, forcing himself to calm down. It wouldn't be a good idea to waste his energy.
"It's almost time to start." said the man.
Erik smirked. "Good. I was getting tired of waiting."
He grabbed his sword, walking down the corridors towards the entrance of the arena. A couple of his loyal dogs fell into step behind him, a respectful distance, to indicate his rank was above them. This was how it should be. Everyone knowing their place and bending to his whims. This was the respect he deserved.
He reached the entrance, stopping under the arch that faced the inside of the arena. He was told to wait until the contestants were called, he did so, running a thumb over the hilt of his sword. He couldn't help the smiling, imagining his victory. This time, Kanae would admit defeat. This time she would look in his direction and acknowledge his greatness.
The crowd outside roared in response to something in the arena, most likely the commentator had started. Sure enough, the attendant indicated for him to walk forward a minute later. He did so, smirking as he strode into the sunlight. The other eight contestants were walking out as well, the crowd cheering and applauding. He spotted Kanae immediately, still dressed in that suffocating garb and carrying her usual spear. He had to admit, he was a bit surprised she had even come. Usually she'd have slunk away, not daring to face him head on.
He couldn't stop himself giving a short laugh. Oh, how great this was going to be. To watch her fail because of him. And she would fail. Three of the other contestants had been bought out by him, further adding to his advantage. He might not have the judge on his side, but he'd be fine. There was no way she could take on four of them at once, cloak or no cloak. She wasn't that skilled.
The nine contestants reached the raised platform. An announcer stood in the center of the arena, explaining the rules. Erik tuned him out and walked towards Kanae nonchalantly. As he approached, she glanced sideways at him, then looked away.
"Well, this is a surprise." said Erik, "I thought for sure you'd back out. Perhaps that concubine's smooth tongue made you think you could win." He gave a shrug, expression turning into a sympathetic frown. "You really are too gullible. You'll get taken advantage of if you keep believing anything people tell you."
Kanae didn't answer. Instead she turned her back to Erik and moving away. The gesture made his anger flare immediately.
"So you're ignoring me now?" he said. "Getting all high and mighty now you've got a fancy looking friend? There's no way that woman was worth what she was wearing." The cloaked figure tensed, and Erik knew he had hit a sore spot. He poked at it, savoring the visible tension in her form with every word he spoke. "That woman was probably lying. She's probably just your regular cheep whore, pretending like she's worth something to grab the attention of someone with money. That's just the kind of person a filthy rat like you would associate with. Though I will admit, her figure wasn't bad, lots of cushion in the back." He smiled lewdly "Perhaps once I win here I'll give her a night she won't forget as a reward to convincing you to come out here."
Erik could practically feel the anger emanating from the woman. He smirked wider. Kanae was always easier to fight once you got her riled up. This was going to be a piece of cake. The two of them stood for a moment, Erik grinning at the form of Kanae, head down and not responding.
"Contestants, to your places." the announcer was saying. Erik obliged. He let his eyes drift, taking in the contestants. He immediately recognized three of them, having went to them personally to extend the invitation to join his side. One axe, one spear, and one sword/shield combo. Kanae didn't stand a chance. Yet as his gaze traveled to the other contestants, he frowned. Where was Shin Hizuri? He had been looking forward to smashing that flamboyant prick almost as much as smashing Kanae. He vaguely recognized three other contestants, but had no idea who the last one was. They held a spear, dressed in a trench coat and head wrapped in a scarf so that only the eyes showed. Was that Shin? Why would he wear that stupid outfit?
"Oi." said Erik, calling to the judge. "Who is that over there. Is that Lord Hizuri or someone else?"
"All the contestants are accounted for." said the judge. "They are allowed to use substitutes if they are given permission to do so."
So the royal ran away? Thought Erik. Well that was one part of his plan he hadn't expected to happen, though it shouldn't have surprised him. Shin was known to be fickle. It worked for him just fine. The man was a good fighter and would probably have given him trouble.
"Contestants ready." said the announcer. Everyone assumed their stance, preparing for the fight. Erik did so as well, preparing his spells.
The signal sounded and Erik immediately went for the person beside him. It was one of the stray fighters, a large man with a hammer. It took little effort for Erik to take the man out. He'd been lucky to come this far. The man was skilled, but not worthy to stand on the same stage as one such as himself.
"Contestant 8 out!" cried the announcer, as the man with the hammer slumped away, being ushered off the stage. The crowd cheered, recognizing Erik as the first person to get someone out. He smirked, turning to the other fights in the arena.
He spotted Kanae, fighting two of his hired help. They were doing well, considering they were still sub-par warriors. The other four were in combat. One of his hired help, a youth with short hair, was having probables with another fighter. Erik couldn't help a sigh of disgust when he noticed his ally get hit. What a waste of money.
He quickly approached, noticing his ally's face brighten in relief as he approached. The youth parried an attack, pushing back to come closer to Erik
"Good timing Sir." he said, breathing heavily. "Let's take him together."
Erik snorted. He swung his sword quirky, halting the blade to rest against his companions neck. The man didn't have time to react, his eyes widening in fear.
"Sir?" he said weakly.
"Dead." said Erik smoothly. "You're out. I don't need useless baggage like you."
The youth's eyes widened in realization, then turned to anger.
"If you're going to blame anyone, blame yourself." said Erik. "You're weak. Anyone that's not useful is not allowed on my team."
The announced called that number 7 had been defeated and the youth stomped off the stage. Erik let out a sigh. Seriously, why was it so hard to find anyone decent around here?
Speaking of fighters, he should probably go help his companions before-
Erik barely sensed the attack in time. He threw up a hasty arcane shield, diving sideways in an attempt to avoid the attack. He felt a strong pressure as the weapons collided with his shield, weakening it considerably. He skidded across the stone, turning to see who had attacked him.
Kanae stood before him, withdrawing her spear from her attack. Erik couldn't help a weak chuckle. Kanae had actually dared to attack him while his back was turned? Didn't she know better than that?
Erik spotted his other two companions some feet away. They were running towards them, apparently having been left behind by Kanae as she attacked him.
"That was bold of you." said Erik, dusting himself off. "To come and attack me first. If I had known you were so eager I would have come to you first. Forgive me for paying attention to others before coming to you."
Kanae didn't respond, instead shifting her stance. She held the spear to her side, tip pointed down towards Erik. He bristled in irritation, why wasn't this girl responding like she normally did at his taunts?
Kanae charged, and Erik brought his sword up to parry. What he didn't expect was to be hailed on by several different complex spells. He replied in kind, parrying both magic and spear with his sword. Since when had Kanae learned those types of magic?
His two other allies finally caught up, managing to distract Kanae enough to give Erik room to breathe. He gripped his sword tight, reforming the arcane shield that protected him. Once his preparations were complete, he joined his companions, attempting to find an opening. But it was no use. There seemed to be shields everywhere. Kanae rebuffed their attacks with spear and magic, swirling the two around her in a whirl. She didn't have enough time to attack, but her defense wasn't breaking either.
Erik growled. Something wasn't right. Kanae was good with a spear, but since when could she use magic like this, why wasn't she responding to any of his taunts and... was that a sword strapped to her hip under the cloak? What was she planning on doing with that?"
A cry made Erik look behind him. He managed to glimpse the axe wielder being thrown off the stage. The perpetrator stood a few yards from Erik, head covered in a scarf and holding a spear.
It was that variant fighter, the one Shin had substituted in. With a jolt, Erik realized that him, his other ally, Kanae, and the variant were the only ones left, all the other contestants apparently taken care of. Where had this fighter come from?
At that moment, the fighter spoke, but the voice that issued from them wasn't what Erik had expected. Instead of a man's voice, it was a woman's, and one he was familiar with.
"I think it's time to stop this charade, don't you think?" said the woman.
There was a thud, and Erik turned in time to see his last companion, hunched over from a blow that had winded him. The referee announced their defeat.
Kanae – no... The figure wearing her cloak and wielding her spear turned to them, giving a low chuckle. They spoke, confirming Erik's fears.
"I must say, it was fun while it lasted." said a male voice. "You weren't kidding when you said he had it out for you. He's a complete stalker."
The figure reached up, pulling down the hood and revealing a head of short black hair and thick eyebrows. Shin Hizuri grinned boyishly. To his side, the shorter spear wielder pulled off her hood as well. Kanae glared at Erik in disguise.
Erik was speechless. How had Kanae been able to orchestrate this with a Hizuri? They had swapped to fool him! How had this happened?
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
"Wow!" said shin a look of playful surprise on his face, "He's speechless, I was starting to think that was impossible!"
"She- can't be here." he managed to sputter, waving his arm towards Kanae. He looked at the judge, hoping against hope that they wouldn't be there. But no, it was that wild man refereeing the match. The one that refused his money.
"There is no law that says a woman can't fight in this battle." said the referee smoothly. "Please continue."
Are you serious? Thought Erik, again, wondering how this had happened to him! Him! He was Erik Koenji for crying out loud. He always got what he wanted.
"I think we broke him." said Shin, leaning towards Kanae. "Oh well, make sure to thrash him properly. If you hadn't already claimed him, I'd have beaten him half to death at the beginning of the match."
Erik's face drained of color. The royal grimaced, his next words still full of light and cheer, but there was a clear undertone of a anger.
"That whore you were talking about earlier."said Shin, still smiling. "She's my cousin's concubine, and as dear to me as a sister. If I hear so much as hear one word from you about her, I will make you wish you'd been chewed up and swallowed by a sand worm. Is that clear?"
Erik swallowed hard. Beads of sweat ran down his face. The man was serious. How had Erik not realized who that concubine was? That necklace she'd been wearing had looked familiar. She had been the prince's concubine the whole time!
Erik felt sick, nodding while trying to keep some dignity.
"Glad we reached an understanding." said Shin, his smile no longer reaching his eyes.
Shin handed Kanae her spear, and whispered something to her. The woman nodded, eyes locking onto Erik's as she smirked.
Kanae completely removed her head warp and stepped towards him. She leveled her spear at Erik, tip pointing directly at his heart. "Let's settle this, once and for all."
Kanae watched the two giggling woman from the corner of her eye. It was almost a week since the first attack and the two women had become fast friends, after Kyoko had saved the woman's life. The company had adopted her as well, the woman's husband especially. He'd offered her food and water as thanks. Kyoko had taken it in her stride and now she almost never left the wife's, Toshiko's, side. Toshiko seemed like a normal person, but Kanae wasn't too sure.
Since the first attack, there had been a few more typical attacks, bandits and thieves, but the tamed sand monsters were... unusual, and hard to beat. They were lucky Kyoko patched everyone up after each battle. Kanae had to admit, she was skilled.
Kanate drummed her finger against her spear, thinking. No matter how she thought about it, these attacks weren't normal. There had to be a reason they were being targeted like this, and Kanae was almost certain it had to do with Toshiko. The thieves tended to go for her more than the rest of the group. During the last two attacks, Kanae had spent the whole time guarding her.
Kyoko spotted Kanae, and waved happily at her, Kanae ignored it, letting out a breath of annoyance. It was getting dark, and the group was starting to get ready for sleep. Quietly Kanae stationed herself close to the wife's tent where she and Kyoko had just entered for the evening. Despite the girl's help, Kanae wasn't sure Kyoko was trustworthy. There was probably a spy in their group, sending the thieves information about their party and Kyoko was Kanae's prime suspect at the moment. Who ever heard of a female physician? Was it possible she had set this up in order to get close to the wife? What was Toshiko hiding?
Someone approached.
Kanae watched their progress, not moving from where she sat. The man was one of Toshiko's brother, Hachiro, a large man with a flat nose.
"You've been following my sister." he said.
It was a statement, not a question.
"What about it?" said Kanae.
"I want to know your intention."
"Just doing my job. There's nothing more to look into."
He studied her, and Kanae had to resist rolling her eyes. It was only a matter of time before everyone noticed her attentiveness towards the two girls, and by extension realize that Toshiko was the main target of the attacks. Hopefully the group didn't end up splitting due to it. That would make surviving much harder.
"Your sister is being targeted." said Kanae, slowly enough for the blimp to understand. "Don't tell anyone else unless you want to cause a fuss. I'll take care of her."
He blinked a few times, his slow mind processing what she had said. Eventually he nodded, turning to walk away. Kanae glanced back at the tents, intending to continue her watch.
The whistle of wind was the only warning Kanae had. She dove sideways, rolling on the ground as she felt the side of her cheek sting. Raising a hand to her face, she felt a thin scratch, the blood already starting to trail down her cheek.
"So you're the one that's betrayed us." said Kanae softly.
Hachiro shifted in his stance, raising the crude saber in his grasp. He didn't appear angry, just irritated.
"It would have been easier If you had just died right there." he said. "It's already annoying enough as it is to have to you guarding her all the time."
Kanae slowly furled and unfurled her fingers, getting ready for a fight. Her spear was propped against the rock she had been sitting against, having rolled away too fast for her to grab it. She had a few knives on her person, but she didn't want to take her chance of fighting with just them. She had no idea what Hachiro was capable of.
"Aren't you family?" said Kanae smoothly. "Don't you care about her?"
The man didn't answer, instead he attacked.
Kanae charged as well. Inwardly she enhanced her speed and strength with magic. The man swung at her, but she quickly formed an arcane shield just strong enough to resist the attack. His saber shattered the shield, but it was enough. Kanae snatched the spear from the ground, quickly swinging it around to block his next attack. She took a step forward, sending a push with her pulse magic to make him lose balance. Now exposed, she struck, slicing a deep wound into his chest.
Hachiro let out a loud scream, clutching at his chest in pain. Kanae's heart was beating loudly, but she didn't have time to recuperate.
Instantly people were coming out of their tents, swarming to the source of the noise, freighted faces, worried there was another attack.. Kanae gripped her weapon tightly as she took in the people that started to surround the two of them. A few of her fellow mercenaries were looking at her with dark eyes. It was obvious what they were thinking. This... was not going to end well.
"Brother!" someone cried from the group. Hachiro's brother in law came running, sliding in front of the dying man. "Pull yourself together. Say something."
"Don't get near him." said Kanae quickly, taking a step forward. She noticed a mercenary shift behind her and she stopped, knowing that getting closer was a bad idea. How the heck did she get herself into this situation?
"She... attacked me." said Hachiro, pointing a shaking finger at Kanae. The whole group was now staring at her, their expressions dark as their fears were confirmed.
"Wait." said Kanae. "That's not what happened. Let me explain."
But she wasn't given that option. The brother in law started screaming at Kanae, the stream of curses and accusations making Kanae's ears ring. Her own words fell on deaf ears as she tried to defend herself. No one was listening to her.
"Someone get Kyoko." said the brother, "and the rest of you deal with this one."
Kanae's hands started to sweat. She was completely surrounded, none of her fellow comrades were looking at her with anything close to mercy. They had never fully trusted her in the first place due to her gender. No one was going to stand up for her.
Kanae shifted her stance, holding her spear out in front of her, steadying her heart. She would not die easily.
The crowd melted, all that existed was the man in front of her, face ruddy and hair disheveled. He looked like a kid on the verge of a tearful tantrum.
Kanae began to weave spells around her, preparing to attack. Erik was still too angry and shocked at getting tricked to fully recover. Not waiting for him to prepare, Kanae surged forward.
He parried the attack, bringing his sword up to meet her spear, but Kanae didn't stop there. She activated one of her spells, Shadow Step, her form blurring for a moment as she thrust her spear again in half the time. Erik cursed, increasing his own speed with a spell as he blocked. Kanae recognized it. The spell was called Sugar Rush. It had better boosting properties than her Shadow Step, but it had a short duration and a side effect that slowed the caster for a period of time after use. Kanae had to suppress a smile.
Perfect. Erik usually only used the spell as a final back up. The fact that he had used it so soon told her he was more shaken up than he appeared.
Keeping her Shadow Step active, she continued to attack. Erik was faster than Kanae thanks to his spell, and the tide of the battle quickly turned. Kanae was on the defensive now spear whirling between her hands as she blocked and deflected his attacks. Feet scraped against the stone as she slid between stances, too focused on not getting hit to counter attack.
She only had to hold out for a few more seconds, then his spell would expire and-
Kanae's spear was knocked sideways, creating an opening for Erik to attack. Kanae's eyes widened, recognizing she was in trouble. Thinking quickly, she prepared her arcane shield to take the attack, hoping it would hold out against his sword. At the same time, she swung at Erik's side.
A white flash blinded Kanae for a moment, making it impossible for her to see. She blinked quickly, trying to rid the spots from her vision. When they did, she realized Erik was gone. He had moved, appearing on the other side as he sword aimed for her completely exposed side. Her shield and spear were in the wrong spot. She twirled the spear in her hand to knock aside his attack, but she knew it would be too late. Erik was aiming for her heart.
A foot away, Erik faltered. The Sugar Rush spell had ended. He was now suffering from half his normal speed. The blade was two inches from her heart when the shaft of her spear connected his with his arm. The sword tip ran into Kanae's shoulder instead, knocking her back. Erik continued his momentum, boosting his speed with a normal spell and pulse push to create some distance between him and Kanae.
Kanae took a huge breath, shaking the last of the stunning spell from her mind. That had been way too close. She was lucky Sugar Rush had ended when it did.
"Hit. On both sides." called the referee, his voice floating to Kanae as if from a haze. They were tied.
"I do think you've improved since I last saw you." said Erik, speaking through large breaths. He opened his mouth to continue talking, but Kanae didn't let him finish. She knew he was stalling, trying to talk until the side effect of his spell wore off, but she wasn't going to let him. Her own Shadow Step had been deactivated, she was using a normal boosting spell to attack. There wasn't much left of her Shadow Step left, and she wanted to keep it in case of an emergency.
Twice Kanae hit Erik's shield, each blow weakening it further. He was being pushed back. Desperate, Erik backed off, creating some distance between them. He made a sweeping motion with his hand, dozens of pulse shots forming as they shot towards her. Kanae blocked them deftly with a whirl of her spear, a deflection spell woven into the blade. Shots ricocheted through the air as they were batted aside.
Kanae couldn't help the smirk on her lips as she walked forward, blocking the spells. Adrenaline was coursing through her, pumping life into her body. She felt rather then saw the magic sent towards her. Her spear was an extension of her soul. It was unnecessary to watch the shots being blocked. She knew her own soul. She knew the flow of magic. He didn't stand a chance.
Kanae felt the side effect wear off of Erik. He tried to hide it, keeping the appearance of his reduced speed. He was trying to lure her in.
Alright Erik. Thought Kanae Let's see what you've got.
Kanae charged.
She expected his sudden increase in speed. She expected the flash spell, half formed as he directed it to Kanae's eyes. What Erik didn't expect was the quick shot of magic that quickly tore through his spell, destroying it before it could fully form. Nor did he see the trap Kanae had set for him earlier.
The ground on his right lit up, a silver chain appearing in the center of the magic circle. She further boosted the spell with her leftover Shadow Step. The chain, now too fast for the unaided eye to follow, shot from the ground towards Erik. It burst through his shield, wrapping around his wrist.
Erik cursed, panicked. There wasn't enough time for him to dispel the chain. Kanae was on top of him. In a last wild attempt, Erik shot blasts of random magic at Kanae. She grimaced, the berserk magic making her slow down. All the spells the contestants had been using weren't likely to harm you unless you were stupid, but the spells Erik had just cast were half formed and sloppy, possibly hurting the attacker due to it's unstable nature. For Kanae, this was more of the type of fighting she was used to.
She charged through blasts of magic and swung her spear, the end colliding with Erick chest. The man let out a grunt as he was pushed backward, falling to the ground.
"Critical hit on number 3." said the referee. "And hit on number 2. Contestant number 3 is out!"
The crowd exploded, the sound pulling Kanae back into the arena. She took a step backward, winded by the tumult. At the same time, she felt a stinging on her arm. One of the spells she had charged through must have nicked her. That was probably where the last hit had come from.
Despite the pain, she couldn't help the delight seeping through her. She had done it. She'd fought on even terms against Erik and won. Finally, after years of taking his taunting and stupid bullying, she had fought back and won. If Kanae was the smiling type, she'd be grinning from ear to ear.
Erik stumbled to his feet, anger evident in his every moment.
"I won't stand for this." he said, taking a step towards Kanae. He pointed a finger towards Kanae who just watched him calmly, her face impassive. Nothing he could say would get to her now. She'd beaten him.
"How could I have lost to a low life like you?" spat Erik. "You're a third rate fighter with no money. You shouldn't even be here. Doesn't this competition have standards? If-"
Erik was silenced by a hand on his shoulder.
"Give it up." Shin chuckled, shaking his head at Erik while restraining him. "You'll lose even more credibility if you act like this. Accept it like a man and walk away."
Erik looked like he wouldn't listen for a moment. His eyes darted quickly between Kanae and Shin before he shrugged off Shin's hand and stomped off the stage.
The crowd was still deafening. The announcer was talking excitedly about the two finalists. Kanae thought she heard something about "friends turned into foes" in this last "heated" exchange.
Kanae wanted to roll her eyes. How ridiculous. She and Shin weren't really friends. They were just allies in a plan schemed by their over imaginative mutual friend. Shin had been eager to help after Kyoko had explained everything. Kanae had refused the plan at first, convinced of it's stupidity. Yet somehow it had all worked out.
"What a tragic event." said Shin, addressing Kanae fanned sadness in his eyes. "Friends, now turned foe."
Kanae gave him a flat look.
"I will honor my part of the agreement." said Kanae. "For your help, I will let you win and surrender here."
Shin frowned. "When did I ever say that? I said that in exchange for my help you would help me."
"Isn't that what you meant?"
"Not at all."
Kanae was confused. What did he mean by wanting Kanae's help if not to win this competition? Shin must have noticed her confusion because he chuckled.
"For now, let's have a good fun deathmatch. How does that sound? If you hit me once, I'll call quits since you've only got one more strike before you're out."
Kanae blinked, then smirked. First, she got to defeat that pain in her side Eric, and now she was going to have the chance to fight against one of the highest ranked fighters in the kingdom? It sounded like her birthday had come early.
"Then let's start" said Kanae.
Kanae knew idiots were abundant in this world, what she didn't expect was to be thankful for any of them. Kyoko stood between the mercenaries and Kanae, arms outstretched as if to block them.
"Stop this at once!" she yelled at them. "There's no way Kanae would hurt him without a reason."
"Step aside Kyoko." said a warrior. "Or else we will assume that you were in on this as well."
"I will not." she yelled back. "Not until you promise to calm down and stop acting irrationally."
The two continued to banter back and forth, the group hesitant to attack now that Kyoko was there. It wasn't due to the girls ability to fight, but she was friends with most of them, and useful to boot. Their argument was interrupted by a new voice.
"What happened?" it said, and Kanae recognized it as Toshiko's, the wife. She entered the group, her eyes falling on her injured brother.
"Hachiro"
"Don't!" yelled Kanae, sprinting towards the girl. What happened next was so quick that Kanae could barely keep up. At the same time Toshiko reached for Hachiro, Kyoko lunged for her as well, probably to pull her back. The injured man moved, but rather then moving towards Toshiko, he went for Kyoko with a speed that defied his injuries. Kanae's heart stopped, realizing that it wasn't Toshiko he had been after.
It was Kyoko.
Activating every speed spell Kanae knew, she sent a shock of pulse magic at Kyoko. The spell hit the girl just as Hachiro reached her, pushing Kyoko just enough so Hachiro's blade only grazed her head. Cloth and hair fell to the ground, but Kyoko was okay. Kanae lunged for Toshiko, her spear plunging straight into his stomach.
People screamed. Hands grabbed Kanae from behind, yanking her away from the man. He slumped to the ground, blood pooling around his body.
"Get off of me!" said Kanae, fighting her captors, but they had a tight grip on her. "Can't you see, he just attacked Kyoko. He's the one that betrayed us."
"That's not what it looked like to me." grunted one of the men that was holding her. "It looked like he was trying to defend his sister from Kyoko."
"That's not what happened." growled Kanae. "Are your eyes just for show or are you truly blind? you-"
A dark chill spread across Kanae, making all her hairs stand on end. Her irritation vanished as terror replaced it. Her captors felt it as well, their body's stiffening. It was as if a cold blanket of ice had settled over Kanae's heart. It made her want to scream and weep all at once. Such a strong aura of darkness. What was causing it...?
Hachiro's body was moving.
It was twisting, raising itself from the ground as it's limbs contorted. Skin bubbled and burst, releasing gray puffs of smoke as it hardened into dark jagged slabs of stone. The skin on the face dissolved away, revealing a dark and blocky skull underneath, a jagged silver rune embedded into it's forehead. The pool of blood at it's feet had turned grainy black. The old flesh turned to sand, dripping from it's body onto the ground.
"Stone Colossus " Kanae breathed, her mind unable to comprehend what she was seeing. These monsters were suppose to have been extinct, buried forever in the tomb of their masters. This couldn't be happening.
Eyes like two unending circles of darkness locked on Kanae's. It stared at her for a moment. Then it opened it's mouth.
The creature let out a loud inhuman scream, making everyone clap their hands over their ears. Sending, if it were possible even more waves of fear coursing through Kanae's body. She could hardly move. The howl seemed to tear at her very essence.
Then it stopped, the residual scream still ringing in her ears.
Slowly, the creature stepped forward, charred feet leaving pools of black sand as it walked towards Kyoko.
Kanae pivoted, shifting her weight quickly between her feet in an attempt to keep up with the barrage of magic she was being hailed with. Forget Shin's combat abilities, the man was a genius magician. The spells he was sending at Kanae were complex, one's that even Kanae wouldn't be able to reproduce without some practice. If that wasn't enough, his combat abilities were pushing her back as well.
Kanae growled, batting away another spell, before lunging for him again. He raised his sword to parry the attack. Activating another speed spell, she sent three quick attacks his way, her spear slicing through the ground as she did so. He tried to press her back, but hesitated when he realized she had tampered with his footing.
During their whole fight, Shin had been smiling, appearing as if he was enjoying himself. Kanae herself was amazed at his adaptability and insight. Most people had the problem of not letting themselves be flexible when it came to combat. Yet Shin had proved himself to be both talented, and ingenious. He had obviously seen combat.
Shin's smile grew even wider as he stepped onto to uneven ground, a spell keeping his feet steady.
Another spell lit up on Kanae's right, and she barely dodged it, rolling to the side before it could freeze her. Shin followed her movements, knowing that she'd doge that way. Desperate, Kanae sent four pulse shots towards him, which he dodged easily, their trajectory flying wild. Or at least, that's what she wanted him to think.
The shots made contact with a barrier midair, bouncing back towards their original target. Shin was forced to give up his attack in favor of blocking the shots, his shield already on the verge of breaking.
Kanae recovered form her roll, turning back to attack, but finding herself barred again by Shin's magic. Slowly but surely, she was being pushed back, yet Kanae couldn't help the glee she felt. The high of battle was getting to her. The thrill of the moment heating her whole body as she fought neck and neck against Shin.
She could do this. She still had one trick up her sleeve. All she had to do was get him in just the right spot...
Kanae shook herself from her shock, her limbs still feeling heavy from fear. Slowly, she managed to make her way to Kyoko, positioning herself between Kyoko and the demon. The thing paused, it's gaze once again on Kanae. That paralyzing fear clutched Kanae again, making it hard for her to move There was no way she could beat this thing. She was going to be killed.
A hard slap on her back made Kanae jump. She glanced behind her to see Kyoko, fear and concern on her face.
"Protect your mind." she said. "Don't let it trap you."
Kanae blinked.
'Protect my mind?...'
Of course. Demons used mental attacks to weaken their opponent. How could she had forgotten? Kanae noticed that Kyoko's lip was bleeding. The girl had probably bitten her lip to wake herself from the creatures presence.
Giving herself a shake, Kanae quickly wove a magical barrier around her mind, blocking the monsters dark magic from her soul. The effect was immediate, her body relaxing and finally listening to what she was saying. It happened not a moment too late.
The demon raised an arm towards Kanae and it shot forward a mixture of sand and black stone like a lance. Kanae threw up a shield, grabbing Kyoko by the middle and throwing them sideways. The shield shattered, but gave them enough time to dodge the attack.
"Run!" yelled Kanae, half throwing Kyoko from her. "Everyone, come to your senses and get out of here!"
Kanae's voice did it. Several people jolted, broken from the fiends hold. People started running, screaming and dragging their friends along. The thing barely seemed to notice the sudden chaos, slowly retracting it's arm.
Kyoko hadn't moved. She was staring at Kanae, eyebrows knit in worry.
"Mo! Didn't you hear me?!'" growled Kanae. "Get out of here now!"
"But.."
"GO!"
Kyoko hesitated for one more moment, then took off running in the other direction.
Kanae returned to facing the beast. Her fellow warriors had recovered, a few of them attempting to damage it. Despite their best effort, none or their attacks were landing. Blades ricocheted off the tough skin, not even denting the thing.
"Be careful" said Kanae. "You're just going to make it mad. You have to-"
Her call was cut off as the monster moved. It's body once again extended, impaling two of the closest fighters. Kanae rushed forward, enhancing her spear's cutting abilities as she did. She sliced at the arm, aiming for one of the red cracks in the skin. It went through, feeling like a mixture of sand and flesh as she severed the limb. The creature roared, taking a heavy step backward. Kanae's companions fell to the ground, the left over remains of the fiend in their chest melting away into dust.
The stone colossus now turned it's attention to Kanae again, eyes smoldering in anger.
'Great, now I've got it's attention.' thought Kanae. "Aim for the cracks" she said out loud. "That's where it's weakest."
One of her companions complied, rushing forward to attack. Suddenly, he stopped, his feet sinking into the sand.
"What the-"
The creature was done playing nice. Kanae felt dozens of dark spells being shot out from it's feet, one of them going for Kanae. She tried to avoid it, but it was too fast. The sand below her began to swirl, causing Kanae's feet to sink into the sand. Panicking, She struggled, trying it make a platform of magic to step on to get out of the pit, but the sand seemed to swallow her spell, dissolving any magic it made contact with.
"Damn it!" yelled Kanae, trying to slice at the sand with her spear. Not that it would do any good, but she was desperate at this point.
The demon was getting closer, it's intention clear: It was going to kill Kanae first.
Pure terror filled Kanae. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. There was no way out of this. She was going to die. Her master would be so disappointed...
A cascade of water doused the sand fiend. It froze, body creaking as it turned to the perpetrator. Kanae's heart sank.
Kyoko stood ten feet away, her hand outstretched with her water flask gripped tightly in her hand. She'd channeled the water from her bottle to attack the colossus. It was both very brave and very stupid.
"What are you doing!" yelled Kanae, "Get out of here!"
It was too late. The monster was paying attention to Kyoko now. It turned, it's heavy body inching towards Kyoko. Rather than running, Kyoko shot even more water towards the fiend. It seemed to be slowing it down.
'That's it! Water!' Thought Kanae. Water was the thing's weakness. The creatures was groaning, trying to catch up with Kyoko who was backing up, still dousing it in water. It looked almost comical. Yet even as Kanae watched, the thing stopped completely, a new spells forming around it. Kanae continued to struggle with her footing, the sand now up to her thighs. At the same time, she watched the spell form around the beast, it's body becoming harder, bright red lines like lava running up cracks in the black armor. It was changing again. The rune on it's forehead was lighting up, most of the magic gathering there.
An idea struck Kanae.
"Kyoko, send me some water!" she yelled.
Kyoko obliged, sending a stream of water towards Kanae. The spear wielder deftly grabbed it with her magic, twirling the stream around the end of her spear. Her legs were completely swallowed by the sand. Kanae squoze her eyes shut, concentrating, trying to remember the spell she had just seen the fiend use. The spell used to create a pit of sand that destroyed spells before they could completely form.
Her mind, her blessed photographic mind, remembered it, catching the way the magic had formed when the fiend had cast it. It was complex, one of the most complex spells Kanae had ever attempted to do without a circle, and she didn't even know if it would work with water, but she was running out of options.
Opening her eyes, Kanae began channeling at the end of her spear. She raised it over her head, enforcing it with several spells meant to pierce. The sand was to her chest now.
"Eat this you over sized dust mite!" yelled Kanae, throwing her spear. It shot from her, propelled by magic.
The spear struck the monster right in the center of it's forehead.
The stone colossus froze, the magic that had been swirling around it, halted. Then it began melting, the hard rock dissolving as dark pools of sand sank into the ground and disappeared.
The thing was dead.
The sand pit around Kanae stopped swirling, sand up to her arm pits.
Kanae gave a huge sigh, letting her forehead plop forward to rest against the sand. Sounds reached her ears, but she didn't pay attention to them.
That... had been way too close.
There!
Kanae sent a wave of magic at Shin's feet, the complex spell forming around him The ground melted into sand, the pit swirling as it started to swallow him. Shin jerked in surprise, his feet already stuck inside the sand. The strands of magic he tried to send to his feet dissipated as it hit the pit, unable to form a spell for him to step out of.
Kanae charged, sending several pulses at him for good measure. Even Shin wouldn't be able to block this. He couldn't dodge.
Or at least, he shouldn't' have been able to.
Suddenly, Shin shot up from the pit so fast that Kanae's eyes couldn't follow him. The next second, she was on her back, staring up at the sky.
Kanae blinked, not sure what had happened. Her head felt a little fuzzy and it was pounding slightly. Dimly she was aware of the sounds of hundreds of people making noise around her. Judging by the volume of those cries, Shin had done something to win the match.
Sure enough, Shin's head popped into view a second later. He gave her an apologetic smile.
"Sorry." he said. "I didn't mean to make you hit your head. Are you alright?"
"Yeah."
Kanae took his outstretched hand, letting him help her to her feet. She stumbled a little, but managed to stay upright without leaning on him.
"Good match." said Shin, tightening the grip he still had on her hand. Kanae looked down at it, her mind finally catching up to what happened. Shin had won. He had gotten out of her trap. She'd lost.
She glowered, returning the firm handshake.
"You were going easy on me the whole time weren't you?" she said. "I can't stand it when people look down on me."
"Naw, I was going all out" said Shin with a shrug. "But if I did unintentionally hold back, can you blame me? I wouldn't want to be labeled as the man whole bullied such a beautiful woman in the finals. I have to think of my reputation!"
Kanae snorted, trying to remove her hand, but Shin held on.
"Though, that last attack was quite unique. Where did you learn such a skill? I've seen it before, but not from humans."
Kanae's eyes narrowed. He was still smiling, his demeanor lighthearted despite the not so innocent words he spoke. He must have fought them before.
Kanae pinched the back of Shin hand, making the man cry out and finally remove it.
"Don't worry." said Kanae casually, picking her spear and resting it on her shoulder. "Me and Kyoko were attacked by a stone colossus on the way to the capital. I just imitated what I saw. I'm not a dark caster if that's what you're worried about."
Shin rubbed the back of his hand. "You mean you learned the spell just by seeing it used against you?"
Kanae nodded
"Incredible." said Shin, looking delighted. "So you really are a copycat aren't you?"
Perplexed by his reply, Kanae was about to ask what he was talking about when the referee interrupted their conversation. Kanae hadn't been paying attention to what he was saying, but apparently he had been going over the whole fight. He had just jumped down from his raised seating and now held Shin's arm up high, announcing the man's victory. People cheered, Shin grinned, and Kanae scowled at being interrupted. This was exactly why Kanae didn't like competitions like this. Too much fuss over everything.
Yet she couldn't help a small smile. Yes, she had lost, but that didn't matter. On the whole, that had been a fight worth remembering
"Are you going to be alright?" asked Kanae,
"Of course!" said Kyoko, holding up both fists and smiling. "We lived through a stone colossus. I'm sure the capital can't be that much worse."
Kanae gave a sigh, wondering how she had managed to get so worked up over this girl. Their group had made it to the capital, despite all the crazy attacks, which had blessedly stopped after they killed the colossus. Why it had all happened? She'd tried asking Kyoko, but the girl had been just as confused as her. In the end, the mystery had been left unsolved.
Kanae examined Kyoko, genuinely concerned for the girl. That had been quite the traumatic experience. She wouldn't be surprised if Kyoko had nightmares, yet the girl seemed to be taking it well. Her hair was short now since the fiend had taken off half of it. She had borrowed Kanae's dagger to cut the rest. Kyoko reached up, fiddling with the ends of her hair. Obviously she had noticed Kanae's scrutiny.
"I like it better this way." said Kyoko, eyes tuning thoughtful as she examined the ends ."I feel like I'm starting over. Like a huge weight has been taken off me."
"Make sure to come visit me the next time you're in town!" said Kyoko, now grabbing Kanae's hands and peering up at her. "Please Moko-san! I'm going to miss you like crazy until you come back and see me! You are my first best female friend after all!"
"Mo, let go." said Kanae, pulling her hands out of Kyoko's grip. The girl had become even more clinging the last few days. It almost annoyed Kanae how close they had gotten.
Almost.
"Fine, I'll come see you, just stop giving me such a disgusting look." said Kanae. Kyoko's face had become a sickening display of sparkles and fairies. "And who said that we're friends?"
Kyoko squealed, giving Kanae the first of many bone breaking hugs.
Thanks for reading!
Yes, Erik=Erika. The PrinceLady explained quite wonderfully why I gender swapped this character in their comment for the previous chapter.
Several people: So you think Kanae is going to end up being a guard in the palace/guard Kyoko? It's a good guess. We shall have to see what happens... I don't believe in spoilers! XD
Guest : "The new chapter is boring. Do make the next one interesting." O.o Yes I know there's still no Kuon/Kyoko stuffs. But don't worry, those two will not stay out of the limelight for long.
Natsu Heel : "Will we see Kyoko fighting at some point?"Kinda not relaly. She doesn't know how to fight, besides using sporadic magic to defend herself like we just saw. There will be a lot more fights in the future, but Kyoko is not the main focus of those battles. She is awesome in other ways.
I have a huge container of flavor blasted goldfish in my room. I tilted the box to get some crackers and an oreo cookie fell out... I forgot I put that in there...
Imouto left me to go to college. Nuuuuuuu! She must not love me anymore! D:
Thanks for reading!
-Blushweaver
I have indeed left blushweaver-sama to go to collage. Also, I wanted her to write the beginning of the chapter from Shin's perspective. I can just see him when Kyoko introduced the plan, eyes sparkling. "Does this mean I get to cross dress!" "Can I wear a wig?" "will I stuff my shirt?" "If I was a girl I would have a nice rack." No wonder Kanae didn't want to go with this plan at first. Lol. Also I wanted the announcer to yell "FIRST BLOOD!" when Eric took out the first person, but it wasn't left up to me. Hope you liked the chapter!
-Imouto