It was March of the year 1208. After that first month of pure craziness following that fateful day life had somewhat returned to normal for Rean Schwarzer for the next two. While his intentions of leaving the academy were well-known at that point, he didn't let that distract him from performing his duties as an instructor to the best of his abilities. Especially now with graduation only a few days away.
It helped a lot that he had practically acquired an assistant to help with his duties. She claimed that she merely had more free time as more and more junior bracers were getting promoted to senior, but Rean suspected that Fie was just getting antsy as the date of him joining the Bracer Guild drew ever closer. Not that he could blame her, as he had been mentally counting down the days himself.
Currently Rean was alone in his classroom grading papers. Finals had just concluded and as the history instructor his workload was vast indeed. Thankfully he was almost finished and happy that most of the students did very well, especially the second year students from Class VII. He brightened as he sensed a familiar presence enter the room.
"Whatcha up to?" He looked up to see the grinning face of his true partner looking down at him, hands clasped behind her back as she leaned over his desk. Before he could say anything the girl used her superior dexterity to snatch one of the tests from the completed pile and give it a brief glance over. "History? Boring."
Rean rolled his eyes, "You do know that I am a history instructor, right? And I am surprised you still think history is so boring after we fought half of the answers on that test." That wasn't a lie either as the girl could clearly see names like Emperor Dreichels and Lianne Sandlot on the exam.
"I suppose..." she conceded the point with a nod, "I still think history should stay in the books. Nobody wants to be stuck dealing with a zombie Ashen Chevalier in a few hundred years."
"I feel sorry for that person because I have no intention of losing, zombie or otherwise." Rean boasted, playing along. "I will be finished here in just a few minutes if you want to wait." The girl took that as her cue to move away and plop her butt on one of the student desks.
"How come you never teach me anything In-struc-tor Rean." The way she drew out his title sent a shiver down his spine and he glanced up at the girl to see her salacious grin. It didn't help that she was sitting in such a position to give him a perfect view up her skirt, which he knew was intentional.
"You need to stop spending so much time with Vivi. She is corrupting you" He muttered with a red face.
"Only when I am around you. She always told me that you had the best reactions to her teasing." Fie replied.
Rean knew that this was a battle he could not win, so he backtracked to her previous words. "I could teach you something, but I doubt you want a history lesson." The girl blanched at the idea. He knew the girl was mentally reliving her days in Instructor Thomas's class and those long lectures that very few people managed to follow. He wanted to believe that his lectures were better, and he hoped that Fie had enough faith in him to believe that also.
"Oh." He muttered as he had an epiphany. "I could teach you how to pilot a Panzer Soldat if you wanted?" Technically letting someone who wasn't a student or member of the faculty pilot an academy machine was against literally every rule the school had about Soldats, but after spending almost two years working at this school Rean understood one important detail: Principal Le Guin didn't care at all. As long as it didn't interfere with the lessons and didn't put anyone at physical risk she would absolutely turn a blind eye. Head Instructor Michael would have been livid, but he had left to return to the RMP for a few days and wouldn't be back for a while. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt anybody.
Fie blinked in interest at that suggestion. She had only made that statement to tease Rean, but his idea was very tempting indeed. It had always bothered her that she had been unable to directly assist Rean while he was piloting a Divine Knight. Valimar might be gone now, but Rean was still considered an elite Soldat pilot and the chances of him being asked to pilot one in the future weren't zero.
Plus she always thought Panzer Soldats were cool as long as they weren't trying to kill her and her friends.
"Sure. Fighting in giant robots isn't usually my idea of a hot date, but it might be fun." She tried to mask her excitement at the idea with an air of nonchalance, but the amused glint in Rean's eyes told her that he read her true thoughts.
It took a few minutes for Rean to finish grading exams, but before long they were on their way to the Branch Academy hangar. The field was completely empty as clubs had ceased their activity for the rest of the school year. The hangar was locked, but being the instructor in charge of Soldat combat Rean possessed a key and the pair made their way in.
"Normally I would recommend the Drakkhen II for anyone starting out, as it is the most balanced machine and the simplest to use, but it is obvious that the Kestrel β would suit you the best. It is one of the more difficult ones to pilot, but if anyone can understand speed it is you."
"Right." Fie replied as she looked up at the Soldat. She had seen Musse piloting it many times before and also remembered witnessing Rean's struggles against Scarlet during the Civil War. It definitely seemed like the right choice for her.
Under careful supervision from Rean, Fie made her way into the cockpit of the machine. There her lover briefly explained the basic functions and startup procedure. He knew his partner was more of a hands-on learner, so he kept his explanations brief and focused only on the most critical aspects. Fie managed to follow his instructions successfully and the machine rumbled as it came to life. Rean departed to get into his own machine, the Drakkhen II.
Taking slow tentative steps she slowly moved the 7 arge tall humanoid weapon out of the hangar. With growing confidence she walked the machine around the field before breaking into a light run. Rean had arrived in his own Soldat by the time she finished her lap.
With his assistance she went through a series of exercises designed to familiarize a new pilot with the machine. Simple things like carrying objects, jumping, and backpedaling all proved to be somewhat complex actions in a Soldat. Still, overall Fie didn't find the controls to be that complicated, and outside of some of the advanced acrobatic moves she used she felt like she could control the machine at a fairly decent level.
Rean seemed to think so too as shortly after he suggested a spar. The pair made their way back into the hangar where all the Soldat weapons were stored. It was there that she realized there was a problem.
"Yeah, sorry. If you were a student they would have crafted a pair of gunblades for you, but as it is you will have to use something else." She observed the Drakkhen reaching down to grasp a simple long sword "I won't be using my tachi either, so just pick what feels the most comfortable for you. I would probably recommend Kurt's dual blades."
Fie grudgingly agreed with his assessment. Juna's tonfa held some appeal to the girl for their gunner capabilities, but the fact that Fie had absolutely no knowledge of those weapons meant it wasn't viable. Taking a few practice swings of the Vander blades she decided that they felt comfortable enough to use, even as she mentally made adjustments to compensate for their differences from her usual weapons.
So there they stood, on opposite sides of the field as they prepared for the battle. The Kestrel was in Fie's ready stance, but slightly modified due to her using weapons with no ranged options. Meanwhile Rean in his Drakkhen looked entirely too relaxed for Fie's liking.
"You can attack whenever you are ready." Rean said in a bored voice. Fie narrowed here eyes in annoyance as she realized that he wasn't taking her seriously at all! Sure he might be more experienced in these machines, but most of that was in a Divine Knight and not a Panzer Soldat. Plus without his tachi he would be unable to use most of his Eight Leaves One Blade sword techniques.
In a normal spar on foot the two were pretty even as long as Rean wasn't utilizing Spirit Unification. Fie' superior speed and firepower were matched by Rean's ability to effectively utilize all the stances of the Eight Leaves style of swordsmanship. When she won it was usually because she was fast enough to evade his strikes and land a devastating counter on him while he was open, or by successfully utilizing her tools of the trade. His victories generally came from the overwhelming strength of his sword technique breaking through her guard or him catching her off guard by shifting to another stance unexpectedly.
In this battle she still had her speed and he was without his usual sword techniques. She knew that even if she couldn't win she would at least land a good hit or two on him. Her ire only grew as the Ashen Chevalier let out a very audible yawn from his position.
"Fine, if that is how you want to do this." She growled out before launching her attack.
Fie grunted in pain and annoyance as he Kestrel collapsed to the ground yet again. They had clashed multiple times and each and every encounter had ended with her being soundly defeated. Worst of all was the fact that she completely failed in her vow to land a hit on Rean.
"How...?" She panted as she slowly dragged her machine to it's feet.
"Fie, you have been piloting that Soldat for a single day. I have been using mine for over three years now." Rean answered the unfinished question, privately taking joy in the fact that he was able to take one of the most painful experiences of his Thor's life and turn it around like that.
"Grr..." The defeated girl poked the victor with the tip of her sword. "Mark my words Rean Schwarzer. One of these days it will be you on your ass and I will be the one standing smugly over you."
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say Fie." C'mon, we need to put these things away." He turned his machine towards the hangar without giving her a second glance, further increasing her burning desire for vengeance. With a huff she pushed her Soldat into a trot behind him.
A few minutes later the pair found themselves back on their own two feet as they exited the hangar together. Rean was feeling pleased with how that had turned out. Fie on the other hand...
"You're still pouting." He pointed out.
"I am not pouting. This is my angry face." She retorted.
"Sorry Fie, I have seen your angry face before. Right now you just look like a cute kitten that got her toy taken away."
"At least you know I'm cute."
"You are always cute." He stated matter-of-factly.
Her 'anger' faded away at that comment, "You are lucky you are such a smooth talker." The way he could say things like that without hesitation was dangerous!
"I have been told it is one of my better traits." Rean replied. "But in all seriousness, you did really well today. Pretty sure you would have creamed most of the first year students and they have been practicing in those things for a year now."
He might have said more, but the pair stopped as they sensed a powerful presence approaching them. They watched with wary eyes as a very familiar and very intimidating figure closed in on them. It was none other than Principal Aurelia Le Guin.
"Principal Le Guin." Rean greeted with respect. Fie remained silent at his side, but nodded in greeting.
"Schwarzer, Claussell. I trust your training session went well?"
Had Rean miscalculated when he assumed that there would be no problems? Still, not like he could take it back at this point."It did." He finally replied. "Why, is there a problem?"
"Not at all." Stated the Golden Rakshasa. "However, seeing the two of you here reminds me of that promise you made to me all those months ago. One that has thus far gone unfulfilled."
"Also, I will not let you resign from your position until I get one final duel with you. Bring Claussell along to make it more interesting."
Oh, right. With all the chaos that had gone on at that time he had completely forgotten about it. This was slightly awkward for the normally organized Instructor, but nothing he couldn't rectify...
"What promise is this?" Fie asked, finally entering the conversation. It was at that moment that Rean realized that he had never told her what he had committed them too.
"I might have agreed to a spar between her and us." He said weakly. It took a second for Fie to comprehend his words, but eventually she did and she was not amused at all. 'Now that is her angry face.' A fearful part of his brain noted.
"Is there a problem?" Aurelia asked with the tiniest hint of a smirk as she clearly found their interaction to be amusing.
"Not at all." Fie finally replied after turning her baleful glare from Rean. "I just wish a certain idiot had informed me of this ahead of time."
"Understandable. How does tomorrow sound? The students might enjoy a nice demonstration now that finals are over. I can even place a request for you to the Guild."
"Sure, that sounds fine." In all actuality Fie wasn't truly mad about this. Annoyed that her boyfriend had forgotten to mention it? Yup. Absolutely dreading the imminent bruises and cuts? For sure. But angry? Not at all.
While neither of them were battle maniacs like Bloody Shirley, Fie enjoyed fighting against strong opponents and she knew that Rean did too. A chance to fight together against one of the strongest people in Erebonia wasn't something she was going to pass up. She knew their odds of victory were around zero percent, but she wanted to at least force the Golden Rakshasa to go all out.
Rean remained silent as the conversation occurred without him. He did feel bad about forgetting to inform his lover, but he knew she wasn't truly mad about it. He suspected she would take advantage of the situation to force him to pay for an overly expensive dinner or something along those lines, but that was a price he was willing to pay for his mistake.
"Excellent. I look forward to seeing the two of you at noon tomorrow. Make sure you are fully prepared because I haven't been in a good fight in a while so I might forget to hold back." The pair shared a dubious look at that ominous comment. "Oh, and you two are free to use my Soldats whenever you want, just be prepared to train students when you do so. I have new Instructors arriving next year, but none of them have your combat experience. With that, I wish you both a good evening." With her statement finished the Principal turned around and made her way back to the school.
"You know we are totally screwed, right?" Fie questioned after the intimidating woman had left. " Oh well, whatever. If we are going to die I at least want a good final dinner. After that I want a cake from the bakery. Oh and maybe some good bread that I can have for breakfast tomorrow. You are paying, of course."
"I expected as much." The Schwarzer admitted. "I really am sorry that I forgot to mention it. With everything that went on that day it just slipped my mind."
"Nah, it's cool. Caught me off guard, but I want to see how far we have come. Plus I love fighting alongside you."
"Just a few more days and we will truly get to be together." Rean held out his hand to his partner, "Now let's go get that dinner you wanted."
Fie giggled as she placed her hand in his and together they departed.
As expected, Fie found a request from the Branch Academy waiting for her at the Guild the next morning. As usual Sara and Toval were both there because apparently they were a pair of old hags who liked to sit around and gossip whenever something interesting happens. There were very curious about the request. Sara kindly informed the younger girl that she would put something nice on her tombstone after hearing Fie's explanation. Toval tried to be supportive, but struggled as repressed memories of his time being stuck fighting alongside Aurelia and two other total monsters surfaced.
After receiving zero help from her useless seniors the B-Rank Bracer departed for the increasingly familiar setting of Leeves and the Thor's Branch Academy. A brief meeting with the Principal let her know that the demonstration would be occurring a bit later, but she was free to hang out in Rean's classroom until that time as it was an extended homeroom for the second year students as they prepared for graduation.
Reaching Rean's class was easy and Fie contemplated doing the polite thing and knocking. She quickly discarded that idea as being lame and instead slammed the door with as much force as she dared use since breaking it would come out of her pocket. The shocked look on the student's faces was amusing, but she was slightly annoyed that Rean must have sensed her coming as he merely showed amusement on his face.
"Hi Fie." He simply said as he watched the students attempt to get over their shock.
"Wh-what are you doing here?!" Juna exclaimed as she got over her shock.
"Did she tell you to wait here until 'it' started?" Rean asked, ignoring his student. Fie deduced from his words that the students were in the dark about the impending fight and wanted to keep the surprise intact.
"Yup." Seeing the questioning looks on the five students she decided to change the subject. "So graduation is in two days, huh? You guys know what are doing after?"
"Yeah!" Of course the exuberant Juna would be the first to reply. "Lloyd already told me that there is a spot waiting for me in the SSS once I get back to Crossbell!" That wasn't a surprise. For as long as anyone had known the girl, being a member of the Special Support Section had always been her greatest aspiration. Fie was happy for the girl getting to live out her dream.
"I thought I was going to be Prince Cedric's bodyguard, but you know how that turned out. For now I plan on assisting at the Vander school, but I would like to track down Cedric some day." Kurt's answer wasn't nearly as optimistic, but still no less surprising.
"Well the rumor is that he ended up joining Ouroboros, so your best bet would be to join the Bracer Guild." Normally Fie wouldn't bother with the recruitment campaign as that was Toval's thing, but in this situation it worked cause her words were definitely true. Anything related to the Society was considered top priority for the guild.
"It is something I have thought about. I at least wish to reach mastery level first, but it is something I will consider when the time comes." Fie nodded her head accepting that that was the best she would get for now.
"I already told Schwarzer that I have no interest in telling you guys my plans." Ash, as expected, had to make things difficult.
"That's fine, as long as you aren't planning on shooting any Emperors or starting any more wars." Of course Fie knew how to evade and counterattack. The way Ash sputtered and failed to retort informed her that she struck a critical blow.
"It is finally time for me to go to Ordis and take up my role as Duchess. I would be willing to give it all up if you were only to ask Instructor." Musse knew that such a simple flirt wouldn't affect Instructor Rean after two years, but Fie had yet to build up an immunity and was in the process of trying to immolate the Duchess with her nonexistent mind powers. Musse just giggled at that reaction.
A hesitant Altina was the last to speak up, "I... am unsure what I wish to do. Originally I planned on returning to the Intelligence Division, but now I am not sure. I have learned so much these last two years, but there remains so much for me to experience. I... I want to keep experiencing life."
Fie stopped trying to combust Musse and was now staring in awe at the younger girl. She was almost a completely different person from the emotionless doll they fought against during the Civil War. She noticed the man most responsible for the change approach the girl.
"I am so proud of you Altina." Rean stated as he started to gently pat the girl's head. Fie felt some jealously that someone else was getting her head pats, but quashed that feeling as she felt Altina deserved it. "You have grown up so much. If you didn't already have a sister I would have already adopted you into the Schwarzer family. I still might." He admitted.
"Oh no," Fie gasped in mock shock, "the guy with the sister complex has set his sights on a new target."
"Oh! Maybe it is Altina I need to beat, not Fie." Musse teased. Cue Sylphid glare. "But if you ever want to experience all of Ordis without the threat of war I would be glad to assist." She told her classmate with a more serious tone.
"Same here Allie. Rean's creepy fetish aside I would love to show you Crossbell now that it has its independence." An excited Juna added.
"Right. I might not know where I will be, but I am always willing to accompany you." Kurt added his own piece.
Ash said nothing, but he did nod towards the Black Rabbit with a softer expression than usual on his face.
"Everyone... thank you." Altina finally replied with a tiny smile. "But I have no intention of being a part of your deranged fantasies Instructor Rean." The smile was gone, replaced with a flat expression, but those closest to her could spot the faintest trace of amusement on the face of the stoic girl.
"Geez, when did this become pick on Rean day." He complained. "I totally blame you, by the way." He told his amused lover.
"Speaking of batshit insane overprotective big brothers, where are those two crazy Jaegers of yours and why haven't they mauled Schwarzer yet?" Of course Ash had to get one final shot in.
Fie and Rean exchanged uneasy glances at his comment. "We aren't sure." Fie finally admitted. "Nobody has seen Zephyr in the past six months. We think they are currently in eastern Zemuria. Knowing those two I am sure they will turn up when we least want them to."
Nothing more could be said, however, as Rean's ARCUS rang. The Instructor picked it up and exchanged a few words that nobody could make out before hanging up. "Alright class, it seems that Principal Le Guin has prepared an unannounced demonstration for us at the Academy Fields." Nobody present missed the fact that Rean looked like he had swallowed a lemon or the unusually dour look on Fie's face.
As one the group made their way to the field, meeting up with the other classes along the way. Fie separated herself from the group to privately converse with her partner. "So do we have a plan for this?"
"I have learned that no plan survives contact with this enemy." Rean admitted, thinking back to his previous spars against the older woman. "I figure our best bet is just to do what we do best. She is too powerful to face head-on so we need to go fast and try to create openings for each other."
"Works for me." She confirmed as they arrived at their destination. While going in with no plan wasn't ideal, she couldn't find any fault in Rean's logic. Best to play to their strengths and hope for the best.
The principal addressed the group once everyone was there. "This has been a year of peace. While that is good news for Erebonia as a whole, it means you students haven't had many chances to witness a battle between skilled combatants, especially you first years. Thankfully, I have found a pair of warriors who agreed to duel me as demonstration for you all.
"I wonder who was crazy enough to agree to that?" Juna whispered to her friends.
"Bracer Claussell, Instructor Schwarzer, step forward." Fie exhaled as she stepped forward alongside her partner while trying to ignore the shocked and pitying looks sent their way from the students.
Fie drew her gunblades as she stepped into position. She had even brought her tools with her for this battle, but suspected that her flashbang and smoke grenades would prove next to useless against a foe like this. Out of the corner of her eye she spied Rean take a ready stance with one hand on his sheathed blade. She felt the familiar sensation of someone trying to link with her and accepted without hesitation. With the link established she started to feel Rean's instincts and her brain began to process the things that he was sensing.
"I see the two of you are ready?" The Golden Rakshasa asked rhetorically. "In that case... BEGIN!"
Fie started the battle with a quick barrage from her gunblades. Having the same idea, Rean started in the sixth form and launched a crimson slash at their shared enemy. Aurelia didn't seem phased by this immediate dual attack as she merely shifted her oversized blade and blocked both attacks with ease. The attacks did serve their purpose, however, as it gave the pair time to separate and move into a pincer formation.
Unwilling to let the pair dictate the pace of battle, the older woman launched forward in an assault on Rean. The swordsman shifted forms and used gale both to attack and more importantly to escape from her onslaught. The Rakshasa was able to block that attack before turning and swinging at an approaching Fie. The younger girl easily evaded, but her momentum was ruined and she was forced to backpedal away.
With their initial attack foiled, the pair both decided to launch a coordinated offensive. Fie was the first to reach her, but yet again forced to back off from the superior range of the greatsword. This was fine though as it gave Rean a chance to close the gap and strike with the first form. Le Guin blocked the attack, but even a powerhouse like her had to really brace herself to withstand the might of the Helix. This left her wide open for the ex-jaeger, who had been charging her guns in anticipation. In a surprise to the pair and to many of the onlookers, some of the shots actually landed home. The Principal grunted in pain at the impact, but seemed otherwise unhindered. Still, they had drawn first blood.
The general who brought the Northern War to a close seemed to take offense to that slight. As the two lovers advanced for another attack she launched herself in the air and focused her energy into the blade. Knowing what was coming her opponents made to distance themselves from her, with Fie leaving a flashbang behind.
"Prismatic Tetra Blade!" As the sword hit the ground all of the stored energy was released, creating an explosion of color and energy that was released in all directions. Having anticipated the pair's retreat and being seemingly unaffected by the grenade, Aurelia immediately followed up by launching a beam of energy from her sword towards Rean. Being in no position to evade after having just evaded the previous attack, the Divine Blade was forced to block. While successful, the force of the blow was such that he was sent flying.
With her partner temporarily out of the fight Fie found herself standing alone against the Rakshasa's insane offense. Any thought of counterattacking was instantly dashed from her mind as it took every piece of experience and skill she had learned to survive the onslaught. Despite it being just a friendly duel, facing an opponent who could swing a greatsword like Rean swings his tachi while having more might behind her strikes than Laura does was absolutely terrifying.
Fie stumbled slightly while dodging an overhand chop. Against most opponents that opening would be too small to capitalize on, but Fie knew that Aurelia Le Guin was not most opponents. In desperation she raised her blades in a futile attempt to guard the imminent blow. Luckily for her, that blow never landed as her beloved finally returned to the fight with a Gale at the last instant.
Aurelia would readily admit to being impressed by the coordination of the two. When one evaded the other attacked. When one attempted to suppress her at range the other closed the gap to exploit any potential openings. Never once did the pair get in the way of the other, which was a common occurrence when multiple warriors faced off against one superior foe. Any openings she was able to create were quickly closed by the immense speed that the pair possessed.
This was further proven when she managed to isolate Fie again. A quick slash at the girl was evaded when she leapt into the air and over her. The Principal wondered why she would leave herself that open, and was about to capitalize on such a foolhardy move, but was stopped when the Instructor fired an arc of energy from his sword that delayed her attack just long enough for the Bracer to land behind her. Instinctively Aurelia spun around and blocked the slash aimed towards her back, but was unprepared for the youngest Divine Blade to quickly close the gap with the very first technique he ever learned: The Autumn Leaf Cutter. She blocked the worst of it, but ended up taking shallow hits to her limbs.
With cuts covering her limbs and a nasty mark from where Fie shot her, it was clear that Aurelia had taken more damage in this battle. Despite that, it was obvious that none of the damage had impeded her in any way and her breathing was almost perfectly level. In comparison the pair opposing her had taken a lot less damage, but despite the duel having only taken a few minutes it was clear that fighting at such a high level was starting to take its toll on them.
"This has been a most impressive performance." She praised. "Allow me to reward your efforts with my strongest attack." As she said that she was covered in a golden aura. A sense of dread filled the two as they prepared to endure the imminent destruction as best as possible.
Three swings of her blade created three arcs of energy that flew towards the duo, causing them to split up. She followed that with a lunging attack of her own. Once she reached the previous position of Fie and Rean she leapt into the air and concentrated all of her might into her blade. With a cry of "Rakshasa Onslaught!" she crashed into the ground. The ensuing explosion was followed up by a myriad of blades that sprouted from the ground towards her opponents.
Rean and Fie deserved credit for evading the attack as well as they did, but against such a craft there was no way to remain unscathed. Between the force of the attack and the storm of blades that followed, both had taken significant damage and were cut in multiple places. Rean endured the attack better and was still on his feet, but only just.
Fie meanwhile was on the ground. She was always one to focus on evasion and thus wasn't as built to endure the attack like Rean was. Fortunately for her the Golden Rakshasa decided that she wasn't currently a threat and had instead focused her efforts on bringing down the Schwarzer heir. Mustering what little energy she had remaining, the girl pulled herself to her feet while ignoring the protests of her body.
Sure this was just a friendly spar, but all too often in the past had Rean been forced to fight the enemy alone while she and the rest of her friends were forced to watch. She absolutely refused to allow that to happen ever again. They would stand together and they would fight together. They might not win, but she would be damned sure that they would at least lose together.
Of course determination can only get you so far when your body is as battered as hers was. Knowing that she couldn't rely on her speed at this point she instead opted for a different approach. It wasn't easy in her exhausted state, but the girl was able to still her breathing, suppress her remaining energy, and silence her footsteps. As quickly as she dared risk she made her way to where the final clash was occurring.
Rean meanwhile was struggling mightily. At his best he could hold off his boss for some time, but he wasn't even remotely close to being at his best after that last attack. He was barely able to evade or deflect her attacks and knew that very soon he would be defeated.
He was just about to accept that defeat when he felt a foreign feeling through his combat link: It was Fie. He could feel her determination to continue. He embraced her emotions and let her blazing spirit reinforce his own, drawing strength from their bond.
With renewed strength Rean was able to more effectively resist Aurelia's unstoppable assault. He knew his second wind wouldn't last forever, but he just had to hang on until Fie was ready. He was determined to not let his most precious person down. Evade, deflect, evade, evade, block. He could barely feel his arms at that point, but what he could feel was Fie's presence as she inched closer and closer.
Eventually Rean knew that the moment had arrived and that Fie was just waiting for her opening. Despite her being only a few arge away in an open field he could not sense the girl at all. Only through his link did he know she was there. Evading another swing he decided to give Fie the opening by doing something completely insane: He attacked with everything he had left.
While he would have loved to use one of his most powerful attacks, he knew he wouldn't be given time for it, instead opting for his favorite attack as a student. Focusing his remaining energy to his sword he felt a familiar sensation as azure flames coated the blade. Giving a yell he swung with all of his remaining might. Not expecting such a reckless attack Aurelia had no choice but to parry it.
Despite her superior strength, it took the Golden Rakshasa a few seconds to overcome an attack with that much power. Once she did, however, she wasted no time in punishing the Chevalier with the flat end of her sword, sending him to the ground and knocking him out of the fight.
It was only at that moment that she sensed the danger she was in. She spun around as quickly as she could to attack the girl behind her, but was unable to evade the sneak attack.. She felt the agonizing sensation as the twin blades of Sylphid cut into her back.
Despite that, however, the momentum of her spin was not to be stopped. Fie, having expended what remained of her strength in that final attack, had no answer for the blade rapidly approaching her. Luckily Aurelia was able to shift her blade so only the flat end hit the defenseless girl, sending her flying and signifying an end to the bout.
"Excellently done!" She proclaimed with all honesty as she collapsed to her knees. "The two of you truly exhibit the spirit of Thors and I am looking forward to our next bout." The only response from her opponents were groans as they slowly attempted to pull themselves off the ground.
Rising to her feet the Principal of Thor's Branch Campus turned to her students. Her final injury clearly was taking a toll as she needed to use her sword to remain upright. "I want you all to understand. Although I technically prevailed in this duel in a real battle this would be a draw, as that last attack would have cut my spinal cord and left me crippled or dead." What went unsaid was the fact that in a real battle Rean and Fie would have met their ends at the blade of her sword and not the flat end. "I underestimated the resolve of my foes and paid dearly for it."
"We may be in a time of peace, but peace never truly lasts. You all need to look deep within yourself and understand the depths of your own resolve. Never underestimate an opponent, but know when the situation requires you to show restraint and when you need to go all out. Many of you have futures that lie away from the battlefield, but these lessons still apply..."
The speech continued, but neither Fie nor Rean had any interest in listening to it as they were both battered and bruised beyond belief. Thankfully Linde had arrived to provide medical attention using both healing arts and old fashioned first aid. The two sat next to each other in silence as the nurse worked. With the worst of their injuries patched up the pink haired girl left to treat the Principal.
"You have the worst ideas for a date." Fie complained to break the silence.
"I would like to deny that, but given how much pain I am in you are probably right."
"Still.. this wasn't the worst day ever." She admitted. While they didn't win the duel, the fact that they fought one of the strongest people they knew to an effective draw was more than either had dared to hope for.
"Hey Fie?" Rean asked after a brief hesitation.
"Hmm?" Fie turned her head towards Rean to hear what he had to say, but was instead surprised by the feeling of his lips on hers. It was a brief kiss, and in all actuality it kinda sucked because it left both tasting blood, but it was a kiss that conveyed his feelings towards her. It also carried an unspoken promise. That they would continue to grow together and that together they would overcome any obstacle set before them.
