Disclaimer: This is chapter 13 for heavens sake! Do you REALLY need one?
"Hello Swordmistress Watsuki." Himura said calmly as Will stepped out of the portal. "I take it you have completed your training with the other swordmasters."
"Yes." Will replied calmly as she drew her blade.
"You have become more powerful than you were." Himura continued and Will nodded once more.
"Indeed I have." Will replied calmly. "I have passed their tests." Himura drew his blade.
"Then all that is left is for you to defeat me then." Himura continued calmly. "This one would prefer not to have to fight."
"So would this one." Will replied in a slightly sarcastic voice. "But I don't suppose you would just let me take the heart and be done with."
Himura chuckled. "I'm afraid not, my dear Will. You still have to defeat me."
"I knew you would just HAVE to say that," Will growled. Her sword settled into a basic stance, her feet standing one behind the other and her sword at a forty-five degree angle to the ground. She stared at him intently and he stared back with equal intent. The very air itself seemed to crackle with tension as the two fighters waited for an opening to exploit.
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The port of Heatherfield was in chaos as Orube's ship docked. Wild rumours about Nerissa and her armies circulated the docks and as the ship landed, refugees, determined to get away before Nerissa finished seizing control of Meridian, immediately crowded it. People from places loyal to Queen Elyon and Prince Phobos alike were desperately scared of the possible treatment they might receive.
None of this concerned Orube, who used the chaos to slip off of the ship unnoticed. Although her pack was small (barely large enough to fit a handful of roots and berries) her nun chucks were attached to her belt and that was all she needed. She grimaced mentally as she landed in a cat-like manner. If it was this chaotic when she arrived, then the chances of her being able to get a ship back were small. Then a small, grim smile graced her features. Unless Orube was very much mistaken, she probably wouldn't live long enough to worry about a return journey.
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Will breathed in deeply and pulled in all of her chi, exactly the way Hay Lin had taught her. Himura cocked his head slightly, puzzled by her sudden disappearing chi and in that moment, Will detected an opening. It was small, barely a seconds worth, but it was there. Slamming her fist onto the ground with a two-layers punch, the ground shuddered and Himura was thrown slightly off-balance. Before he could recover, Will leapt forward with a fast downward swing. As Himura parried the blow, he stumbled and fell onto his backside. Sensing victory, Will moved in to deliver the final strike, bringing her sakabato down.
It never connected. As Will's sword came down, Himura's legs shot up unexpectedly and his sword parried her downward strike, while his feet used her momentum to throw her other him. She slammed into the ground a few metres away and rolled to her feet. A stream of blood trickled from her lip and Will licked it. This was not going to be easy.
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"Halt, who goes there?" a young Lieutenant of the Royal Guard demanded as Nerissa and her company arrived at the Royal Palace. Nerissa drew her sword and the blade glowed in the low light.
"It is your new ruler, Queen Nerissa!" she called out and there was a confused murmuring on the wall. On one side, the Royal Guard were sworn to be loyal to the true leader of Meridian. To many, this was Queen Elyon. On the other side, the Sword of Candracar was supposed to select Meridian's true leader in times of uncertainty. And with Queen Elyon trapped inside the blade and Prince Phobos dead, it could be argued that Nerissa was indeed the legitimate ruler of Meridian. In the end, it was a single act of nervousness that proved to be the deciding factor.
One young soldier, an archer, released his arrow. The arrow flew past Nerissa and clattered well beyond her and her company.
"Destroy them!" Nerissa bellowed angrily as she leapt forward, sword flashing.
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Orube's horse snorted and whinnied as she pushed it harder and harder, but Orube ignored the animal's protests. In her head, she could hear her old teacher reprimanding her and Orube wiped away a tear. Grief and mercy were luxuries that she could not afford right now. She had failed in her purpose of protecting the stone, but she was determined not to fail this. She simply couldn't afford to, she would not have her mentor and closest thing to a parent she had, have died in vain!
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Himura and Will both leapt forward at the same time, blades swinging so fast that they were little more than a blur. Leaping back, both fighters assessed one another with apprising looks, both breathing very hard.
"You have improved considerably, Swordmistress Watsuki." Himura said through shallow breaths.
"I've had some good teachers," Will countered, before throw her chi at him. As he countered it, she leapt forward with a downward strike that narrowly missed Himura's shoulder. Himura's counterstroke was so close to Will's head that it almost hit the top of her head.
Will used her downward momentum to do another two-layers punch into the ground and spun her blade upwards with a twist and felt a reassuring shudder as her blade glanced off of Himura's elbow. As he twisted slightly with a grimace, Will turned her blade and swung it at his chest. He parried and using the same twist she had used on Irma, she punched forward into his gut and sent him flying back.
He landed hard and Will leapt forward. As he raised his blade to parry, Will threw her chi at him once more and for a fraction of a second, he was disorientated. Spinning her blade in her hand, she caught Himura across the legs and then up under his guard to his chest. With a grimace of pain, Himura smiled.
"You have bested this one and have earned this sword," he said with a gentle smile. He stood up and bowed. Will returned the bow and he took off his sword. "Use this power responsibly, it is a dangerous responsibility."
"I will," Will said as she took the sword.
"Then I believe, Swordmistress Watsuki, it is time for you to return to the real world." And with a click of his fingers, the world around them dissolved.
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Nerissa wiped her sword and looked at the dead bodies lying around her. The battle, if you could call it that, had been short.
"You two!" Nerissa yelled at a couple of shocked-looking servants. "Get someone to clean up this mess! I want it ready for my coronation!"
"Yes miss!" one of the servant girls said in a high, scared voice. Nerissa allowed herself a small smile as the servants began scurrying around and an air of fear pervaded the palace. Fear was good. Fear kept people down, kept them in their place. And it kept them from getting any stupid ideas.
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Orube's horse collapsed as she reached the city gates. As the animal lay there, Orube put her hands on the creature's head and massaged it. Slowly the horse's breathing returned to normal and it sat up.
"Rest easy, you have played your part," Orube said as she stroked the horse's head. The horse snorted, as if to say, "Do I LOOK stupid enough to let you ride me again?"
"I don't blame you my friend, you have good cause to be angry," Orube said soothingly. "Now go."
The horse snorted once more and trotted off, clearly determined to get away from this madwoman. Orube gave a grim chuckle.
"I'm pretty sure that I'm crazy as well," she chuckled, but her laugh had no warmth to it. She looked up at the city and gave her weapon a reassuring grip. Taking in a deep breath, she walked in through the city gates.
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Above Hay Lin's bed, there was a sudden rush of air, virtually gale force strength, but instead of disturbing any other part of the room, it merely blew over Hay Lin's body, ruffling her bed sheets. Caleb and the other healers in the infirmary barely noticed a thing, until Hay Lin opened her eyes and said one word.
"Oh."
Caleb's head spun around so fast that he felt his neck click.
"You're awake!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah. And I seem to be healed," she said as she stood up and pulled the bandages off of her to reveal skin that wasn't even scarred. She stared, engrossed by the sight of her scar less, unmarked stomach. She had SEEN her guts sliced open and it should have left extensive scaring.
"Umm…Hay Lin…" Caleb started.
"What is it?" she asked as she continued to stare at her stomach.
"You're standing there naked," Caleb pointed out and Hay Lin suddenly pulled the bed sheets over her body with a shriek and she blushed hard.
"It's a shame you had to say anything at all," one of the male healers commented to Caleb with a smirk. "I was enjoying the show."
"I bet you were you old leech," another male healer said with a smirk. Caleb glared at them both and fingered his staff threateningly. The two healers quickly disappeared and were soon replaced a couple of giggling young women healers.
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If there was one thing that made Meridian's capital such an unpleasant place, Orube thought to herself, it was the gods-forsaken SMELL of the city. Unlike Heatherfield, there was no sea air to cover the smells made by a busy city, nor was there a backwash cleaning the sewage from the more fragrant parts. Open sewage and unwashed bodies made the slums smell positively evil.
"If I never have to come to this gods-forsaken city again, I will die a happy woman," Orube muttered under her breath. Then she gave a bitter chuckle. She knew the odds and if she made it out of the palace alive, then it would be a miracle. But, Orube thought with grim humour, at least I won't ever have to visit this city again.
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Hay Lin was getting dressed when the ground opened up and swallowed Cornelia without a trace. This was noticed though and everyone in the room stared in disbelief.
"What the…" Caleb started, but the ground exploding and throwing Cornelia out coughing and spluttering and covered in dirt suddenly interrupted him.
"I am so very BADLY in need of a shower!" Cornelia exclaimed and she was sure that she could hear Sagara Sanosuke laughing at her expense.
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Orube was able to scale the castle walls with relative ease, her fingers and feet finding holds where few others could. Just before Orube could throw herself up onto the top of the outer wall, footsteps echoed as someone walked down the pathway. Flattening herself against the side of the wall she was climbing, Orube heard a couple of voices.
"I can't believe that b%$#&! She walks in as if she owns the place-" one of the two girls ranted.
"She does," the other pointed out.
"She's just a swordmistress!" the first one continued. "It's not like she's even in line for the throne!"
"She also killed the entire Royal Guard. Do you really want to fight her?" her friend asked. "Do you really think you could succeed where they failed? And keep your voice down, if she finds out what you're saying, she could kill you as well."
"Pfft. As if anyone is going to hear us up here," the first girl continued. "We're all alone up here."
"You don't know that! What if one of her freaky soldiers is up here?" her friend said, whom Orube had decided to dub 'Idiot Two'.
"They're too busy scaring the innocent townsfolk down there," the first girls countered. Orube decided to dub her 'Idiot One'.
"If you say so," Idiot Two said doubtfully. "We'd better get inside."
"Yeah, we don't want Mistress Luvia to have another reason to shout at us," Idiot One said in agreement and the two girls disappeared inside. With a sigh of relief, Orube flipped over the wall and flexed her arms.
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Taranee's bed burst into flames so fast that within minutes it was a blazing inferno.
"What the…" Caleb exclaimed in shock as he stared in disbelief. He put his hand forward and didn't feel any heat coming from the fire at all. As the fire died out, Taranee lay there untouched by the fire, which had destroyed most of the bed. She opened her eyes and sat up, running her hands over her chest in disbelief.
"I should be dead. Why am I not dead?" she murmured as a couple of healers pulled a sheet around her to cover her nudity.
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Orube pulled on a set of maid's clothes she found in a storage closet. The trouble was that they were clearly designed for a much bigger person and as a result the sleeves trailed over her hands and the skirt made it look as though she had virtually no legs at all. If it came to a fight, Orube thought to herself, I'd better just strip off and fight naked! She giggled slightly at the thought, before giving herself a mental shake. With a resigned sigh, she set off to search for Nerissa.
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A storm cloud embraced the bed Irma was in and rain fell upwards from it to the ceiling. As the cloud receded, a dripping wet Irma stood there looking annoyed. Unlike the others, the water clothed her as well, wearing a pair of long blue silk trousers and a white blouse.
"You didn't have to soak me!" she yelled angrily at the ceiling. The ceiling, to nobody's surprise, stayed silent.
"Swordmistress Lair, you do know that you're talking to air, don't you?" Caleb asked and Irma glared at him.
"I'd ask whether she hit her head, but that would suggest that it wasn't damaged to begin with," Cornelia said with a snicker as she stepped back into the room, freshly cleaned and dressed. Irma switched her glare to Cornelia and gave her a one-fingered salute. Cornelia merely tutted and Caleb rolled his eyes.
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With as comfortable and inconspicuous a manner as possible, Orube walked into the throne room. Although her head remained still and facing forwards, her eyes were constantly scanning the room.
The sword of Candracar was sitting beside a disinterested Nerissa, who appeared to be sleeping in the throne. Grabbing a brush, Orube began sweeping in Nerissa's direction, keeping her eyes facing downwards.
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Will opened her eyes and yawned.
"Well that was anticlimactic," Irma commented sardonically. "Where's your flashy entrance?"
"Flashy?" Will asked confused as she shook her head slightly to clear it of the fog she was feeling.
"You know, the big show of magic that announces your return to the world of the living," Irma continued, waving her arms.
"I don't know. Maybe I simply didn't need it?" Will suggested weakly, her mind still feeling a little groggy.
"You should be thankful it wasn't like mine," Cornelia grumbled. "I've washed my hair SIX times and it STILL doesn't feel clean!"
"Yeah, you missed a spot," Irma said laconically and Cornelia glared.
"Yeah, thanks for that water-brain!" she snapped and Will rolled her eyes as the two girls walked off bickering. Taranee caught her eye and Will was forced to contain her laughter with some difficulty.
"It's good to see you back Will," Taranee said as she hugged her old friend.
"It's good to be back. Now all we have to do is hammer Nerissa!" Will said angrily and Taranee smiled. It was good to see her friend's old fighting spirit back.
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Orube closed on the sword, sweeping the floor as she went along. Closer and closer she got, until she was so close that she could virtually read the inscriptions on the swords hilt. Moving her hand from the broom, she slowly reached out, her hand mere inches from the Stone of Zamballa. In a few seconds, she would have what she had travelled all the way to Meridian for.
Shing! Nerissa's hand grabbed the hilt of the Sword of Candracar just moments before Orube could grab the stone. Orube barely had time to try and block Nerissa's cutting blow with the broom when the sword sliced through the handle and onto her neck, decapitating her in a single move.
"How dare you try to steal from me!" Nerissa hissed at the now headless corpse of Orube that was spewing blood all over her. She turned to face two servant girls that were standing there on the other side of the room. "You two, get this mess cleaned up!"
The two girls nodded, their faces pale. One of them, a young girl with pale blond hair and blue eyes vomited on the spot and Nerissa swung her sword so close to the girl's head that the blade severed a hair from the girl's head.
"Toughen up girl! There will be many more deaths before this kingdom is ready for what I have planned!" Nerissa said. The girl nodded and the two girls set about cleaning away Orube's still bleeding corpse.
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"We need to leave. Now," Will growled as she tied her new sword to her waist. Another mystery that puzzled the healers at the temple was the appearance of swords at the bedsides of each of the girls, each one relevant to their style.
"We don't even know how you were healed!" Caleb protested. "How do we know that your wounds won't re-open?"
"They won't," Taranee said with quiet certainty, her new double-ended sword strapped to her back.
"Caleb, we're going, with or without you," Cornelia added, giving him a firm look in the eye.
"But…"
"No buts. We're going and that's final," Will finished. She turned to face the others. "Is everyone ready?"
As they all replied yes, there was a sudden flash of purple, green, red, blue and white and the five girls disappeared.
"Make sure you make it back Will. Make sure you do," Caleb growled at the now empty room.
AN: Urgh. I'm not entirely happy with the fight between Will and Himura, but I don't think it's terrible either. What do you guys think?