Order #4: Clash of Wills
Asuna (small)'s POV: Pulling away from Negi, I turned and ran from him crying. I didn't get too far before a pair of strong hands snatched me out of the air and dragged me back. "Let me go!" I screamed squirming in an attempt to get away. " You're not going anywhere! Don't you know that you have nowhere to go? You'll get lost!" My captor the woman called Lyn that had slapped Nagi shouted.
"I don't care! You -- You don't understand! You'll get hurt, you'll die or leave me!" I cried. "People always suffer if they try to help me! Just look at what happened to Nagi!" I shouted pointing at his abandoned staff of knotted hawthorn. Negi rushed forward and grasped my shoulders forcing my face up to look him in the eye. "Nothing's going to happen to us! And nothing going to happen to you either Asuna-san! We're here to help you!"
"B -- But that's what they always say then they get hurt." I choked out through a sob staring at the ground.
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Negi's POV: I tried to reassure Asuna that things were different now, but she pulled away, kicked me in the shins and hit Lyn in the eye with Nagi's staff, before running of down the road, while we sat dazed and none the wiser. Picking myself up I saw that Asuna was again pounding away on the same mountain pass, looking farther down the pass; I noticed a black and red thing farther down. Tugging on Lyn's dress sleeve I pointed it out.
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Lyn's POV: Following Negi's finger I gasped in shock as I saw a large group of Armored demons, stronger ones than what was sent out waiting up ahead of Asuna. "Damn it!" I cursed before grabbing Negi by the scruff of the neck and carrying him down the trail after Asuna.
Despite my best efforts I was still to far away to get over Asuna's head start. Ahead Asuna screamed in terror as she noticed the demons that were approaching, and tried to turn and run, but she was caught before she even started. "Adeat!" I intoned, drawing the Ensis Expulsum to its full nine-foot length. In desperation I hurled the blade at the closest demon and let out a small leer as it cleaved straight through the beast.
The demons stopped and glared angrily at me as their comrade crumbed to ash before them, before the group split in half, with half flying toward me and Negi and the other encircling Asuna. Grinning, I let Negi down, then immediately began to morph to my guardian form.
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Guardian Lyn's POV: Without a word I rushed forward "Adeat" again my blade-that-banishes-all appeared in my grasp. Swinging it around and into a vertical slash it meets a demon's sword, but cuts through the inferior weapon – toy more like it, before biting deep into the demon's shoulder. Withdrawing my blade I riposte to the right and cleave open the brute's face.
Whirling onto another beast I batted the demon's club out of the way and ran him through before skewering another demon with a reverse lunge-thrust. Another demon dived at me, only to be beaten back by a barrage of magic arrows. "Tirips ni eht tfel, cigam ni eht thgir. Go Energy Burst!" Bolts of white energy rained down on the remaining demons boiling the flesh and crushing them with sheer force of magic.
Redirecting the remaining bolts of energy toward the remaining demons encircling Asuna, three are struck down, before the rest fly at me to attack. All except one. That one grabbed Asuna around the throat and flew off quickly followed by Negi. "Tirips ni eht tfel, gnithgil ni eht thgir. Go Nova!" A massive wave of electrically charged energy expanded outward forming a ring that cut through each demon electrocuting them each. Turning towards the horizon I take wing and swoop down after the demon and Negi.
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Negi's POV: Swooping down, I raised my hand a began to cast ""Rastel Maskil Magister! Septum phasmatis lux lucis, eo per idem eadem idem semita!" Seven arrows made entirely out of light magic, flared from my hand and spiraled after the demon that I was pursuing. The demon flickered out of existence, then reappeared in front of me, "Shundo!" I thought as I tried to swerve around the demon's sword, it clipped me on the shoulder and knocked me onto the ground.
Dazed and partially blinded from the pain in my shoulder, where the sword had struck me, I looked up at the demon, who towered over me sword raised in preparation to finish me off. " I'm sorry girls…Lyn…and…you Asuna, for failing to save you…just because I was too weak to do anything… and if I am to die this day…send the news of my passing to my sister Nekane, in Wales…now goodbye." As the demon's sword came down, I closed my eyes and readied myself for the inevitable blow that was to come.
*CLANG* Opening my eyes, I saw Lyn in her "Guardian" form standing over me, sword raised against the demon's strike. With one swift move, she riposted around and cleaved the foul beast in half along the middle. Turning back to me she resumed her human form and preceded to pick both Asuna and me up and brought us back to the campsite.
When we returned she sent me and Asuna off to get some rest in the tent off to the left, which was the larger of the two, while she took the smaller of the two on the right for herself. I fell asleep with Asuna curled up against my chest.