Conjuration

Ugh, I hate the summer rush.

Waking up to the RING-RING-RING-RING hammer on bell sound of Dads alarm was familiar.

Pulling my earplugs out and and hearing the snap-hiss of razor edged steel on razor edged steel, however; most certainly wasn't… had Zelda and Ganondorf's argument really escalated that far?

Hauling myself out of bed, again, I ignored the lingering pains in my body, again; and grabbing one edge of the curtain that was my door. Pulling it aside, I looked out on the main area of the warehouse to see a blur of yellow, blue, pink, tan and whirling steel blur slam into a short haired man wearing jeans and a simple dark grey shirt with a ringing clang of steel hitting steel.

Oh no, that definitely wasn't Ganondorf; he'd made his distaste of most modern clothing known the first time Zelda and I had tried to buy him something so she wouldn't have to use her illusions on him. And I thought it would have been the princess that had expensive tastes.

One quick scan of the room later however showed him sprawled out on his throne, head slowly turning as he tracked the fight.

I flicked my eyes back to Zelda and her combatant; I examining him as he fended off The Princess's pair of cutlasses, noting how his shirt clung to his very well built physique. A little too well, in some place in fact; and focusing on him I noticed the numerous little cuts on his shirt, the darkened sections of cloth around them and dark wetness he was dripping onto the concrete floor. Cuts.

And as I watched, Zelda thrust one of her blades out; sneaking the silver length of razor sharp steel through his guard to slice a thin line in his side which immediately welled up red and darkened a patch of his shirt..

Sucking in a hissing breath through tightly clenched teeth, the man brought his one sword up to bash away Zelda's own before flinched away and skipping a few feet back. It wasn't enough to get out of her range, however; as before he could get too far away a long leg snapped out.

Either not expecting it, or perhaps simply not prepared for it, the surprise attack caught the man square in the chest. And letting out a wheeze as all the air in his lungs was forced out, he flew back from the force of the kick before coming to an abrupt stop as he slammed into the large wood table Ganondorf's minions had scrounged up from somewhere. Scattering the roughly hewn wood chairs that surrounded the conference table sized piece of furniture.

I reflexively cringed away while feeling a bit of pity for them man, Zelda's kicks were never what someone sparing with her would call… gentle; even when she didn't have her boots on. Although at least he'd been moving backwards already, which would have mitigated the blow somewhat, but adding in his hitting his the table like that…

Well I could certainly feel for him.

Walking a bit closer, I was able to see the man in greater detail and recognized him from when I'd woken up the first time... Uber, Ganondorf had captured him along with his tinker counterpart. Leet The back of my neck warmed a little as I remembered his muffled cries of help, along with Leets actual shouts, before I'd gone back to bed.

I watched as Uber tried to rise- and he did, albeit shakily and with the help of the cutlass he was using as a cane -but ultimately he just fell back to the floor in a heap; the weapon falling from his hand. Had he escaped?

...No, that didn't make sense. If he had escaped the chances that he'd actually liberated Zelda of one of her blades was astronomical.

And glancing around the large room I saw Leet, set up at a large folding table that was pushed up against the stacks of wooden crates; his back turned to the rest of the room.

He wasn't bound any longer and didn't look to concerned and he wasn't harassed by a white body suited Technoblin as it ran up and set something large and silvery down next to him. So that meant they probably hadn't 'escaped' their bindings… they'd been freed then?

I looked back to Zelda, I walked up to her until I was a few feet behind her as she sheathed her swords before bending to pick up her fallen blade. And as she slid that one home she put grabbed at her trapezius, cracked her neck and slowly rotated that arm's shoulder, "So… what's this all about."

Perking up, The Princess looked over her shoulder to me. "Ah, there is no need to concern yourself Taylor. We have reached a suitable arrangement," with her free hand she gestured to Uber's prone form, "this was simply my evaluation of your new Chevaliers claimed abilities."

...My Chevalier? Well that was news to me. "And, uh… how'd he do?"

Reaching out she placed a hand on Uber's shoulder and after chanting for several seconds a white aura enveloped the man before sinking into him. A spell of healing. "He was… surprisingly proficient."

She twisted her back, making it emit several loud pops as her muscles loosened up. "For now however, you would do well to put that out of your mind."

Reaching over Uber to the table, she picked up two raw lengths of wood. Then she closed her eyes, and after a few seconds of whispering they began to glow bright before taking on the shape of a simple, double edged hand-and-a-half sword.

"For now that you are awake it is your turn."

Then she threw one of the swords to me, before it could hit me though I took a step to the right and caught the newly transformed practice sword by its grip; and in the next moment I slid my left foot back, giving me a better footing as I swung my blade up to parry a downward slash from Zelda.

And here we go again.

+X+X+X+X+

I rapidly blinked away the stinging beads of sweat running off my forehead and into my eyes.

I would have tried to wipe it away but that wasn't exactly an option at the moment.

The bones in my arms were creaking, the muscles in my legs were burning and the goose egg growing out of my head was stinging something fierce.

Growling low in my throat I parried a thrust by The Princes- no, correction Pirate Princess. God knows she embodied it well enough.

Then she moved and as my eyes went wide in panic I jumped back, barely avoiding the length of wood lancing through the air toward my stomach.

Batting the overextended blade aside, I deftly turned my own practice blade downward before sweeping it up in a backhand slash.

Smiling, my teacher simply simply swayed in place, weaving around the blade before stepping into my open guard with an impossible grace.

Her smile became a toothy grin and the blond woman balled her hand into a tight fist; rearing it back before jabbing it forward lightning quick and smashing me in the upper jaw with a solid left hook.

Sink or Swim teaching technique my ass, I wouldn't have been surprised if she just wanted to impart the same kind of suffering that her own teacher had subjected her to. She was just enjoying this far more than she should have been.

Doing my best to ignore the stinging pain in my jaw I turned with the force of the blow, spinning; and as I did I realized we were now alongside the table I reached out, snagging one of the chairs and threw it at Zelda when I finished coming about.

The wooden chair smashed into her and now it was my turn to grin. I felt like I'd fallen down a very long set of stairs, my blood was pumping, I could hear my heart pounding out a drumbeat in my ears and I pushed my newly created opening for all it was worth.

Lunging forward in a crude tackle I smashed into Zelda's midsection; and as we rolled to a stop I straddled her stomach and returned her punch with one of my own. Unfortunately she shifted her head at the last second though, and I only managed to get her on the cheek, right under one of her blue eyes.

Pulling back, I tried for a quick follow up but Zelda suddenly bucked beneath me, raising me up and off her. The the double jackhammers to my chest put an immediate stop to any attempt at regaining my hold on her.

Throwing me off my feet, I flew back a good ways before I hit the concrete floor- hard -and I rolled a fair distance before stopping.

Slowly, but as quickly as I could, I rolled onto my stomach and forced myself to rise; the pain in my chest was radiating nearly through the whole of my torso but I shoved it all to the back of my mind in favor of focusing on Zelda.

Just a few feet away, but far enough that I couldn't reach her, she stood; one hand on her hip the other on the pommel of her wooden sword, the tip of which was casually against the floor.

She smirked, and seeing it only made me narrow my eyes at her which in turn made her smirk shift into a grin. "You're learning quickly, excellent." Taking her hand off her hip she held up a single finger, 'Your environment is just another of the weapons you may use when fighting a foe stronger than yourself,' That is was Impa told me and it took me much longer to learn that lesson."

She huffed a little laugh and shook her head, "And that was even with her training me for quite some time before I decided to try hitting her with a chair."

Then she winked and smiled before curling her finger into a hook, "And yarg, ye be learnin ta fight like a real pirate matey."

Put off guard but her sudden shift in attitude and stereotype pirate impersonation I could only blink dumbly at her and my sword dipped to the floor.

Then without any warning she lunged forward, her sword up and stabbing through the air to jab me in the belly.

My heartbeat suddenly thundering in my ears; I again, for what must have been the umpteenth time since the sparring session had begun, was barely able to bring my own blade up in time to bash the surprise attack away before it could connect and parry the follow up slash.

I cursed to myself, sloppy, too sloppy. Any edge on my side that I'd had was now gone and I was barely able to keep up as she drove me back.

Parry again, push, disengage, thrust, block kick with raised leg- off balance, I couldn't get out of the way and the wooden length of Zelda's sword and she rapped the back of my hand.

Hissing in pain, I jumped back to try and give myself a bit of room but Zelda immediately followed; giving me no respite and as she forced me back against the wall to my room I began to grow desperate, and angry.

This had gone on for far longer than it had during any of our previous spars.

But she- I paired and kicked out, trying to trip her up but it just earned me another hit; this time to the thigh.

Just wouldnt- I paried and as I put force onto the blade she let off and spun, and suddenly the heel of her foot was digging into my suspected was my kidney; needless to say it hurt, but if anything it got me away from the wall and I was now stumbling back the way we'd come.

Let up- I stumbled back, hobbled and gasping, but I still managed to bring my sword up as the beat of my heart blocked out all sound swung; my wooden blade dashing through Zelda's in a resounding crack of splintering wood.

My mouth opening surprise I moved to follow up even as Zelda dropped the now useless implement, her now free hand darted toward her waist. And just as I made my follow up swing there was hiss of steel and a flash of silver, and suddenly my wooden sword was two feet shorter.

Stumbling forward I could only blink in surprise.

"What-" And then I froze as I felt the razor edge of Zelda's cutlass along my jawline, right under my ear.

All jovialness was gone from her, her face was blank, her eyes boring into mine and holding my gaze; assessing me… just as she had when she'd first appeared.

Then she smiled, "Very good," the sword left my throat and without even looking away she raised it up with its tip to the ground and re-sheathed it behind her back. "It was about time you broke through. Now we may move on and start your real training. Then we shall make some real progress."

A slow, quiet clapping echoed through the expansive room, and the new stimuli made my focus shift away from fighting. I looked to it, expecting to see Ganondorf; but instead it was Uber, sitting on the edge of the table and looking much better than he had been when I'd first woken up.

"That was good fight. And you were right, she's good, and definitely in the level two brute range- if only just." He cocked his head, "The tunnel vision however will definitely be a problem."

I rocked back a little, and it only partially had to do from surprise that he had been evaluating me. I was getting… heavy. And HOT.

Zelda hummed, "Indeed, I have something in mind for that however and we shall be addressing it soon enough."

Blinking, I looked to Zelda swaying a little as I did so and then I was falling forward; the concrete floor rising up to meet me.

Fortunately, The Princess caught me; and dragging me over to the table she set me down into a chair.

Limp, I practically poured onto the seat; my legs stretched out in front of me, my arms hanging loose at my sides and my head rolling back to stare at the ceiling. I was like a marionette with its strings cut and it was only after Zelda put her hand to my forehead and chanted a Healing Spell did I regain any form of motor control.

Although in doing so it also made it apparent just how battered and damaged my body was. I felt the cool, soothing balm like effect of the healing magic everywhere; from the tips of my ears to my toes.

Then the cool balm sensation faded and everything began radiating a dull ache; I couldn't feel anything that felt 'normal.'

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I ended up just laying there for a bit, letting the healing magic do its work with the least amount of resistance possible and just watched Zelda and Uber- or Jeff, as he'd introduced himself as -talk. Training and what he would be doing were two of the main topics, however; a good portion of it went over my head and it just became so much background noise until Leet came up and tapped Jeff on the shoulder.

He hadn't introduced himself yet, but then again he'd been working on the other side of the room and I wasn't really feeling like getting up.

One word, or rather one name, that he said changed that though. Bakuda.

That one name stood out from what he was saying like a beacon; I forced myself to sit up and I listened in on the conversation.

"And you're saying much of the city's criminals will be at this meeting?" Zelda interjected.

Leet shifted his attention to The Princess and nodded, "Yeah. Now normally, Uber and I tend not to go to these things and try to lay low when someone stirs the pot like that crazy bitch has, but since were working for you now…"

Trailing off he shrugged, "I'll say this though to clarify, for this kind of meeting it's not just going to be the gangs. Sure, it's pretty much a given that they'll be there in order to save face- but I'd put money down that at least a few Independents and Rogues will be there as well. I wouldn't necessarily count on any Protectorate capes showing, but New Wave will definitely be there.

Looking uncomfortable for a moment the Tinker slowly shook his head, uncertain. "I'm still gathering info and it's unconfirmed, but the bomb Bakuda set off at the clinic, word is that their healer, Panacea, was there at the time."

He absently waved a hand, "As of now it's hearsay, but If there is any truth to it I can guarantee you that New Wave is probably going critical right now. They'll be out for blood."

Zelda was quiet for a moment, drumming her fingers on the table before she frowned and shook her head. "I don't know, there are too many variables. We've kept out of the public eye," she snapped a glare at Ganondorf, who was sitting on his throne and staring into nothingness, "or at least some of us have."

Golden eyes slowly turning toward The Princess, Ganondorf smiled. "The feral dog shouldn't have attempted to bite me," He rumbled. "What was it that you expected would happen."

Letting out an angry sigh Zelda just shook her head and looked back to leet. "You said things were supposed to be neutral but I'm still not-"

"I want to go," I interjected.

I could see where she was going, what her answer was going to be, and she was right; staying out of the public eye and Cape scene until we were completely ready was the smart idea. But that didn't mean it was what I wanted to do.

My hands slowly clenched into fists as the rage I felt far that bitch came bubbling up to the surface.

Zelda looked to me, her eyes softening; not in pity, but sympathy. "Taylor, you don't need to." Next to her, Leet and Jeff shared a look before looking at me. I ignored them though, they could find out later. Right then, all my attention was on Zelda.

"No I don't," I conceded, "but if I can do anything to take her down then so be it. If I- if I don't do-" I choked, and my eyes burned as I swallowed a lump in my throat and pushed everything back.

"After all she's done- No, if had the chance to have done something and hadn't, I know I would regret it."

Ganondorf was notably quiet, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing up but I kept my eyes on Zelda. Just as her's were on me, considering, evaluating, assessing.

After a minute of tense silence she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. "Very well."