Well, the last Chapter has been left off at a pretty evil cliffhanger but I couldn't fit the entire battle in a single Chapter, so today you'll receive the second half of Jessica Layna vs 'Second-in-command' Swordfighter Yorc!
Sietta: "Meh, considering that we only saw the first half I expect a rather flashy end!"
Uhm, nothing personal Sietta, but I'd like to write the story how I see it fit, alright?
Sietta: "Yeah, I understand and I won't judge you for it or anything but…I just wish that something awesome would happen here…"
*Spectates the game of chess between 'G' and Lucifer with Sietta*
Okay, I must admit that it looks pretty-
'G' & Lucifer: "No talking from the side-lines (please)."
Sietta: *Sigh* "Okay, fine! First I'd like to know why both of you aren't talking while playing!"
Lucifer: *Gives a side-glance to both of us* "You wouldn't understand the importance of this game anyways, Miss. And you Mister certainly don't understand that two great minds don't need verbal responses to communicate with one another, isn't that right Garrison~?"
'G': "He is…right. So please, stop interfering before I have to throw both of you out."
Sietta: "Alright, we'll stay put! Just-!" *Eyes open wide, before becoming a glare* "What. Did you. Just. Call me?"
'OH CRAP! I NEED TO DEFUSE THIS REALLY FAST!' Wait, Sietta! *Puts arm around her shoulders* We don't n-need to act like that now, right? Didn't you just said that we'll not cause any trouble to those two?
Sietta: *Glares for a few seconds before sighing* "Alright, fine…but if he calls me that again, then…"
*Yelps* Alright! Alright! I think he got the message! Let's just do something else and enjoy the day, w-what do you say?
Sietta: "…Fine. Just don't expect me to behave like a 'proper' lady!" *Walks towards the 'exit' (?)"
Don't worry, I don't! *Turns around to look at 'G'* *Mouths to him* …you owe me for that one. *Runs after Sietta*
Lucifer: *Chuckles* "My, what an impulsive individual. She reminds me of a certain colleague of yours, doesn't she?"
'G': "…As much as I'd like to question you about your knowledge of Hana, I agree with you there. Now…"
*Stares at the audience*
'G': "MrFiretank does not own 'Fairy Tail' or its characters. As stated before, he only owns his OCs (Us) and his story 'Daylight's End'. That'll be all, right…Lucifer?"
Lucifer: "Didn't MrFiretank always say something along the lines of 'rolling the next Chapter'?"
'G': "Yes, that. Now, if you may leave us in privacy…" *Grabs cord out of nowhere*
Lucifer: "Until our next…meeting~." *Curtain closes*
…
CHAPTER 7 – BEGINNING BEYOND DOUBT
(For more Intensity, play from 'Two Steps From Hell – To Glory')
'I've certainly underestimated this girl…' Yorc tried to strike at her again with a stabbing attack, only to get his attack deflected sideways by Jessica, who is looking more determined and focused now. He pulled away when she prepared a counter-attack, but kept his nerves at ease.
'She may not have had real combat experience before, but…' This time the girl actually rushed at him, which left him with a raised eyebrow as he blocked the frontal swing of hers. He managed to keep her in a lock between his now damaged 'practice sword' and her own weapon. It looked like a sword of great weight, so he was unsure of the girl's decision to swing it with only one hand.
"Don't think I'm done just yet!" During the lock, the girl disappeared before him, and then tried to slash at him from behind, but he felt her presence and didn't only block it, but Yorc also managed to fling the girl back by taking his stick with both hands and then pushed it away from his body to shove her away.
'Her determination is admirable, even when she knows that I'm much more skilled than her…' Jessica recovered fast and now stood back firmly on her feet, sword angled evenly before her with one hand. She was starting to lose stamina, as she was breathing slightly heavier now.
'Her creativity makes her much more dangerous in this fight. And she seems to possess a sharp intellect, which only adds up to her own strength…' She seemed to think of something as she lowered her sword before charging at him again, but this time her sword was pulled back for a strong vertical swing.
"I am not weak, and I'll prove it to everybody to help them!" Instead of charging further, she jumped mid-dash and changed her sword's position above her head. Quickly he had set up his own block but was surprised when she changed her stance again.
'Crap! This...is bad!' Before she even brought down her sword, she actually landed before him and crouched while charging a rotational slash. Yorc's own fighting weapon was still above his head when realizing his mistake, so he did a quick jump away from her sword's range.
'She certainly doesn't play around, she actually tries to go in for a killing blow!' Unfortunately he lost his footing for a second, which almost caused him to trip on the landing. He could hear the audience gasp again, and saw their shocked faces from the corner of his view, which variated for a few degrees on their own…mostly because Sierra and Lindheim managed to mask their own emotions.
'This Girl, whom I believed to be just like any beginner, has a mind as sharp as my sword, a heart made of gold and possesses such determination, that she faces me hit after hit without a trace of fear in her eyes…' Now pointing her sword again at Yorc, she kept silent this time, while sporting her own variation of a determined glare.
'She is truly a fighter…' He grinned inwards as he now let out a war-cry of his own while dashing at her with his full speed, which made his opponent lost his cool, if just for the fraction of a second.
'It's been so long that I had a true battle like this…alright. Time to take off the gloves.'
"And now, let's get serious!"
I was starting to feel lightly drowsy, due to me going all-out. And now that my adrenaline is wearing off, I can't properly focus anymore. This is bad! Also, now that Yorc takes the situation as a 'real' fight from now on, I could tell that I'd not have a pleasant time.
He dashed directly at me like the other times, but now he was way faster than before! He really goes all-out! I just managed to block his straight swing in time, but my arms are aching! And not forgetting that I have a really hard time holding this lock…
'Gkkk! He uses much more strength than before!' I had gotten a clue of his true power when he shoved me away in my attempt to hurt him before. That caused me to re-evaluate my former tactics. I could have tried to swing overhead before and used the momentum of my jump to knock him flat down. But-
"Don't stay too long on the defensive!" Dang it! He actually pushed me away twice now, and this time I staggered on my footing, which led me to myself flailing on my left foot while watching Yorc, who now dashed at me again!
'No no no no no NO! I can't channel my magic properly when my foot is supporting so much weight!' It was true, as of now, my magical flow became wild again as I lost focus, so I had to escape somehow on this one. If I was to get hit, then I'd probably brake a few of my bones from the sheer impact. But dodging was out of the question, since me flailing right now took away any chances of actually jumping without tumbling down to the ground! I only had one option left, and that was facing his brute strength head-on again! What can I do!? Hold on…think of something! Anything…!
*Gasp* 'Wait, I still have my second boot! When both of them contain some magical properties, then maybe I can counter him with whatever the other one can do!' I only had this one chance, so seeing as this was a do-or-die situation, I quickly forced whatever magic energy I had in my body left to flow down into my right leg, and I actually felt…something…as a response. Yet, by the time I think the channeling had finished (which was rather fast I might add, maybe just two seconds), I was still in the same position, and Yorc was already going for the swing!
"Now…counter THIS!" He was aiming for my shoulder, and if that hit connects, then I'm in for a world of pain…
Seeing as I couldn't proper use my sword fast enough to block or dodge his strike, I did the only logical thing that every panicking person would do…
(For more Intensity, switch to 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST - Stardust Crusaders')
…I kicked with my right foot, seeing as it was already in front of him…
"GAH!" …and not only did I manage to hit him back once…
…or twice…
…I suddenly seemed to kick him so fast, that a literal flurry of pure awesomeness was before my eyes. Every individual kick seemed to connect…with his torso, his arms, legs and even one square in his face, which not only caused…quite a bit of damage to him as I was finished (not enough for me to win the battle), but…fling him backwards…
…
…I…
…what…
…HOW…!?
On a small screen in an already filled bar, you could see men and women cheer at the transmission of Jessica fighting the now actually visibly hurt Yorc, who seemed to save himself from falling to the ground at the last second.
All the people visiting this place had some sort of white clothing on them, which seemed to come from every possible era of time. Some of them had a halo on them, while others had a pair of stunningly beautiful white wings on their back, and even less had both. This was a local bar that proved as a meeting place for all workers of heaven, regardless of their occupation. It was rumored that even the chairman of heaven came here from time to time, resulting in this place's publicity.
Sitting on a barstool was a woman with short, strawberry-blonde hair and a mug of beer in the air, as she was cheering for her 'Jessie'. She had watched the entire fight and even was aware of the situation in the 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern', but she had no doubts that the girl on-screen was capable of winning her fights. After all, she gave her the literal strength to do so.
"WOO HOO! COME ON JESSIE! CUT THIS NOOB INTO TINY PIECES!" Although there was quite a commotion going on, Hana was without a doubt the loudest entity in this place. The others didn't seem to mind it, as they always tolerated her and her antics. In the background, you could see two men (both sporting wings and medieval clothing) that were lost in conversation while watching the small screen in the front.
"Wow, that girl sure is a force to be reckoned with. What do you think…will she actually win this?" The right guy seemed optimistic, even though he started watching her for only the last minute or so.
"Hmmm…I say she won't. Loser buys the winner a beer?" The left guy wasn't like his friend. He had his doubts, after all, she was only a girl…and her opponent was a skilled warrior as well.
"Wait! I'm in! A whole round for the bar paid by you two if she wins this!" Hana, of course, overhearing their conversation decided to get herself a free drink from these two guys, after all, she believed wholeheartedly that Jessica would win!
"Well, what do you say Marsh? You want to bet with me against her?" The right guy watched his friend, although he knew the answer already…
"Me having a chance to finally win a bet against Hana of all workers up here!? Count me in Dre!" Both of them nodded at each other while resuming to watching both of the fighters go at it. Meanwhile, the whole bar was cheering from excitement while some of them rooted for their favored one.
"Come on girl! You can beat this guy with ease!"
"Yo, dude! Show that chick her place!"
"GO JESSIE! Make me and 'G' proud!"
No matter the outcome, they were all supporting this fight, plus they'd get free beer in both cases!
By now even a few of the village-watchers we're rooting for the challenger that appeared in Loeyur a few days ago and already won their respect.
"3 minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock, kid! Come on, hang in there!" Trecht was supposed to stay on neutral ground, but seeing somebody like Yorc having trouble in a fight proved as quite a show. He was already fond of the new mage (not like THAT! But as a good friend.) since their first meeting, but the last hours so far proved to him that she could give the skilled fighter a run for his money. 'Just a little bit more, kid! You pushed him on his last ropes!'
To say that Sietta and Lindheim had respect for the girl was now an understatement. They were both aware of the girl using magic, and they even informed themselves of her exact abilities, but…this was certainly new, and judging from the girl's expression, she was unaware of this as well. They knew that her boots had the capabilities for using Holder Magic in them, but they only heard about her 'short-ranged teleportation'-spell. To be able to use not only deal that much damaged with her leg (given her stature), but attacking so fast, that not even Sietta could keep up with them reasoned their feelings for this formidable mage.
Yorc had to hand it to his opponent. She caught him off-guard more times then he'd like to count, and now he was injured…to say that her techniques are not surprising would sound like an insult to his ears.
'That last attack got me good…and both of my arms had been close to breaking from the sheer pace!' It was true, his arms seemed fine from the outside, but they started to ache more than usual. Should she manage to hit him even a single time by this point…then he'd not be sure if he could keep fighting.
'I can't let her attack at such a velocity again…' Or else…he didn't want to imagine the outcome of such an injury…
Okay…I'm calm now…NO, I'm not!
I not only attacked him back but also figured out the other ability for my magical boots! And given its name 'Storm', it literally allowed me to unleash one onto Yorc, but consisting out of my own magic-amplified kicks!
'It seems like the spell amplified not only my speed and precision but also powered up my strength! And the best of all, my leg is not tired after that overkill, like I never actually used it there!' This…this is amazing! Not only have I unlocked both powers for my footwear, but I actually have a real winning chance!
Eyeing Yorc, I could see a small twitch from his body…his arm must have taken the most damage since most of my kicks met their mark on them. I could try to hit them again, then maybe I'd win to due him sustaining too much damage!
'Alright, just one more hit should do the trick!' But there was a slight problem. I caught Yorc off-guard so often, that he probably has a 'Plan B' for every move I could come up with by now. In order for me to get him one more time like that, I'd have to do a move so irrational, so weird and unorthodox, that he can't prepare a counter in any case…what would there be left? Hm…
If my sword had more range, then maybe I had more ideas…
…more…range…!
That's it!
'It's my only plan left in action…for a normal person, this would seem nuts…but…' I gave a small glance to Trecht who instantly got my message and checked the time left.
Seeing as his eyes went wide from shock and anticipation, I have not a lot of time left. Truth be told, my entire body seemed to ache by this point, and even standing became a difficult task at this point. In other words…
(For more Intensity, switch to 'Assassination Classroom Soundtrack – Nakama no Tame ni')
'…This will be my last attack.'
"You only got 1 minute and 7 seconds left, kid! Get a move on or you'll lose!" Perfect…I am in a tight spot now…I have barely any magic reserves OR stamina left, and the remaining time-limit could cost me this entire match. I waited a few seconds, maybe longer before I actually put my plan into reality.
Fortunately, Yorc seemed also on the edge of his power, so I had to act quickly now.
Instead of attacking with a pre-planned attack, I ran straight at him while holding my blade in front of me like in the common stance position, so he couldn't read my attack straight away. As I was close to the striking distance I switched the sword's position to behind my back while holding my right leg before me and did a little leap with the other one.
"30 Seconds, kid!"
Yorc seemed to have anticipated such a move, as he tried to jump away while holding his wooden stick above him. For anyone normal, this would be the end of the attack, but I had my plan unfolding perfectly this time...
'NOW!'
Instead of stopping right there, I did a move that no sane swordfighter would have expected…
With all my might I threw the only weapon I had straight at him…while he was mid-air and holding the weapon at the wrong angle!
And…
*Slash*
…*Thud* *Ka-Klang*…!
I…
...
I…did it…
...
I actually did it…
...
I…
"I'VE WON! YEAH! WOO HOO!"
Not everybody would have expected this outcome…nobody being part of the audience had said a word until Jessica Layna, the only mage outside of 'Full Blood' being here in Loeyur started to celebrate on the spot…and the reason for it?
Her opponent, Swordfighter Yorc wasn't standing on his feet anymore…when the girl threw her sword and surprised everyone, her enemy couldn't manage to block this weird attack in time. That caused him to get injured from her sword's blade on the right arm that didn't look too good to others.
But what was the bigger shock was the result of the attack. He couldn't manage to land properly, since in a last resort attempt he tried to twist his upper body away from her sword, which ended in him falling on his back…and he stayed like that for a few more moments.
Sietta was stuttering, trying to formulate a proper sentence…and failing quite miserably.
"T-the w-winner of t-this f-fight is…M-Mage Jessica…"
Everyone at the 'Heaven Bar' cheered at the given result and broke out with screams of joy and happiness for the girl. They held their glasses up in the air and started partying for no whatever reason (But this is a bar we're talking about, so just enjoy your stay here!), and they all tuned in immediately.
"She did it!"
"Nice one!"
"And you know what that means!"
A few guests now looked at the pair in the back who had betted against the girl's win, and both of them sighed before putting on a small smile.
"Well, Dre…you want to do the honors?" He turned to his Friend Marsh, which just nodded before jumping onto their table and shouting out:
"FREE BEER FOR EVERYONE, OUR TREAT!"
The rest of the guests could have jumped from joy, and a few ones even did so. But surprisingly, one entity stayed more silent then the rest, while watching the screen where the girl was already done with her celebration and walked up to her opponent.
'Nicely done, Jessie. I knew you had it in you, but seeing you in action is just much more believable…'
Hana decided to let the girl have her privacy by jumping onto the bar itself while calling out to everyone else.
"Now, let's all party everybody!"
"YEAH!" / "CHEERS!" / "CELEBRATING-PARTY!"
(Stop playing 'Assassination Classroom Soundtrack – Nakama no Tame ni' if you've played it)
Lindheim couldn't believe his own eyes right now, the female mage that he only knew personally since yesterday just achieved a huge feat by not only winning, but by also injuring Yorc that heavily...
He managed to snap out of his shock as the first person, as he decided to congratulate both of them for their respective commitment to this battle. Lindheim just arrived in the middle of the room when Jessica did the same. They both gave a silent stare at each other, before she cracked a lob-sided smile as they looked at Yorc, who had his eyes closed while lying on the ground.
They both extended a hand to the injured man, and when Yorc felt their presence get closer he opened his eyes and rose an eyebrow while silently taking their help.
When he got back to both of his feet, everyone looked towards Lindheim as he spoke up.
"My child…I think I'd speak for everyone present here when I say that this battle was truly a sight to admire. You've both showed great will-power and strength respectively…but it seems that you have had the upper hand in this result."
A few of them started clapping as they cheered for the winner, while Jessica had a slight blush on her face forming. She tried to hide it by turning away…only to slip and start falling towards the ground…
'Oh man, I forgot that I'm literally drained out!' When I was falling from my own stupidity, I got caught by a strong hand mid-way, and I turned my head to see Yorc who gave me a small smile.
"I look forward to fighting along-side you…Jessica." Yep, so say that my blush didn't get worse at the moment is an understatement. Luckily I got saved by an angel in the form of a ponytail-redhead.
"Alright, let's get you two to the infirmary so you can rest up! Tomorrow we have a big deal ahead of us, so don't waste any time, or else I'll watch over you!" Some of the village-watchers were pailing while others gave me a silent motion of their hand over their neck, as if they've spoken from experience…
...I don't know if I should feel reassured or disturbed by that…
"Well then you two, let's get a move on, and here kid!" Wait, since when was I hanging from Trecht's shoulder? What are you doing to me!? 'Let me go, or else I'll die from embarrassment!'
I tried to give a silent plea for help towards the probably only sane person in my sight, that one being Lindheim who followed us out of the conference hall…only to get a small chuckle from him while I was shocked at the old man's reaction.
'He's actually enjoying my situation!? What!?'
I just tried to struggle my way out of his grip, but I failed miserably and gave up while letting my demise walk away with me…
"We both know that you're physically done for, kid. So, time for you to go to bed!" …
...Okay, screw silence.
"Help, ANYONE, PLEASE!"
And we then walked out of the hall while I gave loud cries out of embarrassment.
Yorc stood on the same spot as the last 2 minutes, while he watched the kid get carried away by the local brewer. He still wasn't sure if this battle was actually real, of if this was his hopes becoming reality.
'That girl...I'm sure she will achieve more victories like this one in the future...maybe I can challange her one day again?'
"That girl really did a number on ya, huh Yorc?" His boss and partner Sietta just walked up to him while having a melancholic smile on her face. He gave a small nod before he let her continue speaking.
"We both knew that the day would come where you'd lose eventually to someone…but that a girlie wimp like her would do that…truly a shock to all of us!" Yorc wanted to argue with her, and say that she wasn't as weak as she looked before the fight, but she had a bigger question on her mind…
"So why…?" Yorc gave her a look that asked for more details, so she complied.
"We both know that you're stronger than me. Heck, you even trained me and taught me everything I know about combat! You even become bored when we actually spar with one another! And don't give me any excuses, I saw that look on your face. You've had real fun in this battle for a long time. So…why are you still letting me lead those pea-brains?" Her eyes closed in distraught while she was focusing for…something. You could even see tears in the corner of her eyes rising to the surface...
He was thinking for a few moments...gathering his thoughts, before speaking up.
"You lead with leadership…not with power…" He walked towards the door that leads to the main corridor of the town hall, but stopped mid-way to glance at his boss who was left shell-shocked at his exclamation, and he spoke up one last time before going outside of conference hall, that was supposed to be cleaned up by rest of the village-watchers by the end this day.
"…and you're far better in this than me anyways."
Sietta saw her closest companion walk outside and still stared at the wooden door in thought.
"Leadership…Power…" She then chucked silently with the same sad smile on her face while looking on the ground. 'You sure have the best advice for everyone prepared…Yorcin…'
"Uhm, Miss Sietta? Should we clean up the hall now?" The leader turned around, only to see her men staring at her…before pailing all at once when they realized what their speaker just said.
"...Can you repeat…what you just said, men?" The deadly aura that appeared outside her was enough to left the man quivering in their boots. One courageous soul tried to speak up…
"We-we're s-sorry for-"…Only to receive the other end of her favorite trident in his face, seeing as he committed the mistake.
"Clean up this mess in 20 minutes or else I'll have your head on a pike, CAPICHE!?"
"YES! RIGHT AWAY MISS- I MEAN MA'AM-I MEAN-"
"SHUT UP ALREADY OR YOU CAN ALL TAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS IN THE INFANTRY!"
"AAAHHHHH! WE'RE SORRY!"
(To be continued…)
(Fire Me): And that Ladies and Gentlemen is why you never anger a woman like that!
Hana: "I still can't comprehend why she gets so mad about such a thing." *Chuckles* "For me, that'd me more hilarious that angering!"
Okay, I can understand why…I mean, you and 'Miss' in one proper sentence would sound weird.
Hana: "Well, 'G' is the only person who does that, so you're right! Anyways, how was watching him play that board-game for kids?"
…You're lucky he didn't hear that. Also, a bit boring, if not intense for the two of them- hold on! How do you know that Lucifer is in his office and that they're playing chess!?
Hana: "I may or may not have gathered certain tools to inform myself around him~!"
You put spy cameras all across his office, didn't you…?
Hana: *Grins* "Yep!"
...Alright then, and with this latest sensation, I wish all of you lovely readers a good day, and until next time…
The Sir's out!