Chapter Eleven
Aria,
I know things were… tense the last time we talked. I hope you can forgive me, because the thought of you being angry at me hurts more than anything else. You know, I used to think it was weird how other siblings could ever fight if they really loved each other. Now I realize they fight because they love each other, and they care too much about each other not to try and convince them of something. I hope that we can get past this.
Anyway, my time so far in the Rune Guard has been… well, busy, I guess. Creatures of the Void have been popping out all over Ionia lately, although most of it is concentrated in Occupied Ionia. My mentor tells me that it's because the negative energy generated by emotions of the oppressed make it easier for them to open portals and come on in. It isn't just here though, because apparently most of Valoran is having the same problem. They don't even necessarily do any damage. They just pop in and then leave. Strange, right? I wonder what they want.
So what I've mostly been doing is chasing down sightings and possible leads. I've only found one actual Voidborn so far, and it was pretty low level apparently. It only took a two person attack team to take it out, and I even got the killing shot when it tried to run away by my position. The others tried to treat me to some Sake afterward, but I declined.
I hope things are going well at the academy. I probably won't have time to write for awhile, as they are having me chase down some leads on a cult of some sort. Apparently someone's been going around murdering groups of people and using them as ritual sacrifices to open portals and invite Voidborn in. They just assigned me to the case, but it seems like it's really big. I don't understand why anyone would want to invite them in, but my mentor says it's far too common. I guess it should makes sense if you consider some people outright worship them, like that League champion Malzahar. Still, it's just wrong.
That's all I have for now. If you want to write to me, send a letter to the Rune Guard embassy in the city, and they will deliver it to me. I might not write back after each letter, but I'll try. I love you, sis.
Always Beside You,
Akira
I put the letter back in the desk drawer when I'm done reading it and continue pacing back and forth across my room. Akira's words ring through my mind, bringing haunting pain with each second I try to think on them.
He abandoned me. Willingly. And now he's off fighting actual Voidborn, the one thing he said wouldn't happen. He's my brother, but how am I supposed to trust him anymore? He writes casually like nothing has happened between the two of us, but so much has changed. He ran away, Zane is off doing who knows what, and I'm… I'm…
I let out a shaky breath, sitting down on my bed and laying my face in my hands. I just need to breathe. In, and out. I wince as the breaths go down my sore throat, but I force myself to ignore the pain. In, and out.
I slowly calm myself down, and then I let my hands drop, staring at the floor. Sadon told us today that we would be having two more duels again, both today and tomorrow. With three points, there is the very real possibility that I could lose everything. I can't afford to have my attention split between my family and myself right now.
I go back over Akira's letter in my mind one more time. He's fighting Voidborn, they've started popping up a lot more recently, and he's been assigned to a case. That's all he said. There's no reason to be upset. I can focus on our relationship later, when I'm not about to be beaten up.
The issue fades from my mind, and I let the duels take over. I'm sure that right now the nobles are off planning their next move. Actually, that's probably what everyone is doing right now. Yesterday was… intense. Everyone looked slightly haunted today, which, I suppose, is to be expected considering they either felt like they died or killed someone.
I don't quite understand why they were so upset today. I mean, they saw plenty of death in Noxus, so why is this different? Is it because they actually had to kill or be killed? Was it that much of a different sensation, even though they knew deep down that it wasn't real?
No, that's not it at all, I realize suddenly as I lightly brush a few black hairs from my eyes. They were so shaken by it because it was senseless. They have no reason to be killing each other. No matter what reason they try to come up with, it doesn't justify killing someone just to train. Even if it was one of us versus one of the nobles, they don't truly hate each other. Deep down, they're just fellow students, competing for the same thing. They can't justify ending another's life just because of that. Well, most of them, anyway.
That's must be where we're different. I used to think like that, telling myself that no matter what the Noxians did, we didn't truly hate each other. Now, I'm less ignorant. I know better. They do hate Ionians, and maybe… maybe I hate them.
I shake my head, shoving away the thoughts. I need to focus on the duels. Right, The duels.
Basically, I can't continue fighting like I have been. Fair, one on one fights just aren't an option anymore. Jackson showed me that. This is a battle of attrition, and when it's four on one, I'm not exactly liking my odds.
So, if I can't fight fair, then what do I do? Well, I should be able to beat people in the weapon duels by skill alone judging by the information I was able to prod from Alex. The only competition I have is Seth and, of course, Jackson. Other than those two, I should be able to beat them as long as I'm careful.
That leaves the hand to hand duels. If I'm focusing my energy on beating them in weapon duels, than my hand to hand is going to suffer. So that means I can't fight fair if I want to be able to win. Theoretically, this shouldn't be a problem because for every point I lose in those duels I'll get back in weapon duels.
The problem with that line of thought is it means I'm still getting beat up on a regular basis. Losing last time was… bad. Very, very bad, evidence being the amount of anxiety and fear I have just waiting to duel again. If I keep losing my hand to hand duels, it's going to throw me off mentally, and then anything could happen. One tiny mistake in foot placement, one mistimed swing, one wrong blink of my eyes, and I could end up losing my weapons duel.
So what do I do?
Silence haunts my room as I stare at my feet. They have me cornered. They might not be able to destroy me individually, but together, they're slowly chipping away at me. I know I'm getting close to my breaking point. They just hate me too much. It fuels them, and gives them strength to keep on fighting me no matter how many time I push them down. It's their greatest strength…
I blink my eyes slowly, moving my head to look at the closet door. I slowly stand up and open the close door, heading over to the workout uniforms as an idea begins to form in my mind.
What if I could turn their greatest strength into their greatest weakness? What if I could use their hate against them? What does that leave them with?
I feel a flutter in my heart as a plan begins to develop. It's not smart, and there's a good chance it won't even work, but it's what I have. If they're so eager to find reasons to hate me, then maybe I should help them.
I slip out of my uniform and put on the workout clothes including the dark jacket. I walk out to my room, and head out to the arena after I check the time. I'll be a few minutes early, but that's probably a good thing. It'll give me time to get used to the crowd.
Besides, if this is going to work, I'm going to need to plan out my moves to the exact step.
I can do this. This plan will work. It has to.
This is a terrible, terrible idea, and there's no way it's going to work.
Those thoughts cycle through my mind as I stand in front of the arena, waiting for Sadon to stop pacing back and forth in front of us and begin the duels. The crowd is as big as last time, and I can only imagine how hot it is in the crowded stands with the bright sun and high humidity. A drop of sweat works its way down my nose as Sadon stops, giving us a curt nod.
"Yesterday was, once again, quite impressive," he says, his teeth flashing in the burning light. "I expect the same level of skill to be shown again today. Now, begin the challenges."
I hold my breath as everything seems to slow down. This is the most important part of my plan. If they stick to the same plan they had last time, to get me randomly fighting Jackson or someone else who can beat me, my plan will fail epicly.
The thing is, I don't think they're going to do that. The gambit last time only worked so well because they used magic to ensure I would face Jackson, and they've got to realize that affecting the dice roll twice in a row gives them a higher chance of being caught. Not only that, but they have something more important to do than just get me kicked out. They have something that time and time again Noxians have proven they're willing to die for. They have pride.
And I'm willing to bet, between their hate and pride, they're going to change their plan.
The problem is, I'm making two major assumptions. First, I'm assuming Sadon wasn't the one who affected the dice role, and that he'd care if it was affected. Even though he just likes seeing fights, he also has shown to hate it when people don't follow his orders, so it could go either way on that one. The second major assumption is that every single interaction I've ever observed of Noxians and every thought I have about them has to be true. If they really are prideful, cruel monsters who only care about themselves, the first part of my plan will work.
It all comes down to right now, so I hold my breath, barely daring to keep my eyes open as Sadon takes his step back, opening up the challenges.
"I challenge Aria," I hear Jackson say, and I slowly look at him, my eyes widening.
I fight to keep myself from smiling as I feign my surprise. It worked. I was right, and I knew they'd have Jackson challenge me first to get rid of one of my declines. So far, so good.
"Decline," I say, my sore throat giving a slight rasp to my already quiet voice.
Cody steps forward next, and I feel a surge of victory rush through me as looks at me with his spiteful eyes.
"I challenge her," Cody says, pointing at me instead of saying my name.
"Decline," I say once again, not daring to look at who I hope challenges me next.
"I challenge Aria," Elizabeth says offhandedly with her cultured accent, looking at me with a bored expression.
I don't bother keeping the small smile off my face now. It worked. I knew it would. It wasn't that hard to figure out, actually. I just had to force myself to think like them for a moment. The person who had the most pull among them was obviously Elizabeth, judging by the conversation she had with me in the bathroom, anyway. So if I was Elizabeth, what plan would I propose to take down and Ionian who had just humiliated me in a duel?
The answer was simple. I would get two people to challenge her first, two people who she would be too scared to face. So I would send Jackson, who had previously beaten her, and Cody, who was way too unstable for anyone to ever want to face. That would leave me with one decline.
It was ingenious, really. If I only had one decline left, and I truly didn't want to have to face Cody, I would be forced to accept whoever challenged me next to preserve my decline for the next day. That means, I would be forced to accept Elizabeth's challenge and face her, giving her the opportunity to regain her lost pride from the last fight.
"I accept," I say casually, already walking to the arena.
Unfortunately for her, I figured out her plan.
She seems to hesitate for a moment at my confidence, but then she's unzipping her jacket and tossing it angrily to Edward, stepping after me angrily. She was expecting me to be scared, to not expect their sudden shift in tactics, but now that I'm not, she's worried.
She should be.
I take my place on the far side of the arena, and I feel the invisible wall go up around us as the crowd starts cheering loud enough to almost drown out Sadon's countdown.
I take another deep breath as I feel my heart pounding in my chest. Alright, step two. Now I have to win the fight. Easy enough, right?
Elizabeth raises her arms so her fist are level with the top of her head, and her eyes are staring from between her forearms. It's the same exact stance she was in in our last hand to hand duel, the one where she beat me in seconds after she got serious.
I swallow. This may have been a bad idea after all.
"Seven," I hear Sadon shout, and I shake the doubt away.
I just need to focus on the plan, no time for doubts. Alright then, step two. I need to make her absolutely furious at me. If I don't, than everything else falls apart. The one time I saw my brother fight someone using the same stance Elizabeth is in, he had only won by goading them into an opening. After he got them angry, the duel lasted all of two seconds. I'm not nearly as good as Zane at fighting, so if I want to have any hope at beating her, I'm going to need to copy that situation exactly.
No pressure. I just need to make zero mistakes and be able to replicate one of his attacks with the exact same speed. No, I shouldn't overthink it. Just one step at a time. Focus on making her angry.
I don't get into my martial arts stance. Instead I put my hand on my hip and smile lazily at her, trying to look as arrogant as possible. Well, as Noxian as possible, really. I see her eyes tighten at me, but I know it's not enough. I need to go further.
"Crowd's pretty excited, don't you think," I say, gesturing to them with my free hand.
"Yeah," she says coldly. "I guess they remember what happened last time I fought you in this arena."
I force myself to laugh scornfully at her words instead of shivering in fear, and her mouth curls up in anger.
"Yeah, well, I wonder if they would be so excited if they knew what happened yesterday, between you and me," I say, looking at her playfully.
Something ugly sparks in her eyes, and I can literally see her muscles tense up in anger. Sadon's count reaches zero, but she doesn't move as she tries to slowly calm herself down. I don't give her the chance. I slowly start walking diagonally towards my right at her, going towards the edge of the arena, and she matches my move by walking to the same side, her arms still raised in preparation. The distance close between us as we both reach the edge, and I look out over the spectators calmly.
"To be fair though, I guess you were right," I say as I lightly touch my fingers to the barrier. "You did say you wouldn't lose as fast as your brother did."
"Shut up," she growls from between clenched teeth.
"You lost even faster," I finish, smiling at her.
Her eyes burn, and I see her foot twitch as she almost comes at me. I feel disgusted with myself at what I'm doing, but it's the only way. I know they've done worse, but it doesn't really justify me humiliating her like this… does it? Either way, it's too late to turn back now.
"I wonder, did you cry?" I ask, pouting mockingly at her. "I bet that just made your makeup smear everywhere, didn't it? That must have been embarrassing."
Her face glows red, and I see her start shaking in pure rage. Just a little more.
"Don't worry, I'm sure no one could tell," I say, folding my arms and looking at her smugly. "I mean, the way you smear makeup all over your face, it probably didn't look too different afterwards, did it?"
"I'm going to destroy you," she whispers, her voice barely audible even to me.
"How are you going to do that," I ask simply, tensing myself, "when you can't even keep yourself in one piece after a single sword swing?"
She rushes at me then, letting out a shout filled with her hate and embarrassment, and she shifts out of her stance to an all out charge. Panic rushes through me, and I quickly abandon my fake smile and calm as I rush back at her.
Two steps in, and we're almost in range. She pulls her right arm back to punch me with all her momentum, and with her speed and positioning, it looks like I have nowhere to dodge to because of the wall on my side. She thinks my only option is to try to block her attack, which would prove absolutely disastrous with the amount of force behind it, especially against my frailty.
She's wrong. I take a step towards her with my left leg, and then push off as hard as I can, angling myself slightly to my right. I reach out with my right foot and push as hard as I can on what appears to be empty air. My foot lands on the side of the, barrier and I push off, now coming at Elizabeth from the air in an improvised wall jump. I use the momentum from my wall jump to twist my right arm even faster at her, and my fist connects with her face in a jolting smack.
The force of the blow travels through my bones all the way up my arm, leaving my muscles screaming in protest, but Elizabeth ends up even worse off than me. Her head jerks violently as she spins away from me, and I land in a crouch at her side as she desperately tries to regain her balance and face me.
I put my arms out like I'm going to hug her and lunge forward at her. She regains her balance and starts turning her body around to face me, already readying a punch, but I don't give her the chance. I bring my hands together in a vicious clapping motion, hitting either side of her head with my cupped hands just as she is about to throw her punch. Pain blasts through my hands and fingers as I stumble away from her, reflexively closing my eyes to prepare for her punch.
It never comes, and I blink my eyes open, looking at Elizabeth from my awkward, last second defensive stance.
She stands with her arm halfway thrown into a punch, not moving a muscle. Her eyes peer at me curiously, looking foggy and unfocused. She tilts her head and opens her mouth as if to say something, but then her eyes roll back up into her head, and she falls to the ground like a ragdoll.
And just like that, the duel is over only seconds after the first punch was thrown.
I notice the silence, and I slowly look around at the crowd. Most have expressions of absolute surprise, but as I look at them, they start cheering, and the noise turns to a roar of approval. The duel may have ended quickly, but it had been quick, dirty, and brutal, just the things they wanted to see.
I feel bile in my mouth, and I walk briskly away from Elizabeth, stepping off the platform when the wall falls. I don't look at anyone as I retake my position in the line, staring at the ground. No one around me says anything, and I do my best not to fidget under their gazes.
Someone must eventually have woken up and brought Elizabeth back because Sadon steps forward, and I can hear the approval in his voice.
"So," he says lightly. "Who wants to go next?"
He gets the next duel started, and because no one issues a challenge, Jackson ends up dueling against Edward. I don't pay much attention to it because I know what I'll see. Jackson will slowly beat Edward, not because he's going easy on him, but because he wants to beat him in the least humiliating and painful way possible. They may be allies, friends even, but that's all the mercy they'll get from each other.
A feel a slight nudge against my right elbow, and I look up to see Alex standing next to me, with a smile on his face. Past him, I can see Molly and Xander both grinning widely at me while Seth and Devon give simple nods as they notice my glance.
"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Alex says, smiling for the first time all day.
I return a weak smile, not trusting my voice.
I did it. I won the fight quickly, simply, and without any real hassle on my part, just like I wanted. This was the type of win I needed, and with it, I can focus on my weapons duel like I originally planned. Elizabeth brought that on herself, and it's not like she and her friends don't deserve what I'm doing. They started the fight, and they were even the ones to start playing dirty, so it's not like what I did is unjustified. I did the right thing.
Still, I can't shake the slight sense of guilt at the edge of my heart. The move I used could outright kill someone if done correctly, or incorrectly, I suppose. But it was my only option. She even deserved my cruel words, and it's not like my taunts were solely to torment her. It was necessary for my plan to work, for me to survive.
I shouldn't feel guilty, and I don't. Mostly.
The duels go by slowly because they end up being fairly even fights. The only one that really makes my breath catch is Devon and Cody's, but Devon manages to hold on and tie the fight, just like every other time. Alex goes against Molly which ends in another tie, and Seth manages to pretend to be fighting all out while still making enough mistakes that Xander can take advantage of to stay in.
All in all, the only people who end up losing points are Elizabeth and Edward, something both of them look acutely aware of as we walk to the training room for our next duels. I ignore them the best I can, but their vengeful gazes make the back of my neck tingle.
We reach the training room, and once again we line up and wait for Dumont and Fairfax to get everything ready. I hold on to my katana tightly, trying my best to control my breathing as I think about what comes next.
"Begin the challenges," Fairfax says finally, and my eyes snap up to him.
"I challenge Aria," Jackson says, and I shiver.
They expect me once again to decline. That way, I will have no declines to use tomorrow. Once again though, I won't play into their hands.
"I accept," I murmur, wincing at how weak my voice sounds.
I get surprised looks from almost everyone in the room, but I ignore them as I lay down on the reclining chair and begin the summoning process. It feels more familiar now that I've done it for another day of practice, and it takes me even less time to create my shell and leave it waiting for me.
Jackson takes longer, and as I wait, my heartbeat slowly starts ramping up until my pulse is pounding in my head. Jackson is one of the few who I know for a fact is on even ground with me when it comes to weapons. One mistake in this fight, and I could go down. Just one mistake.
He finishes casting his spell, and after we both give our consent to Dumont, we're sent in. Once again, I feel the weird falling into water sensation as I "land" in my shell, and I instantly take a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, warm air of the battlefield.
Jackson stands across from me in the grassy clearing, wearing light black leather armor that fit tight across his muscled form. He wears no sleeves to give himself more mobility, and in his right hand he holds a glaive, a spear with a single-edged blade instead of a small tip. He gives it a few spins before he grabs it with his other hand too, facing me seriously.
I push my blade from its scabbard with my thumb, and draw it, facing him sideways with my right side in front. I wield my katana with two hands, my right one close to the guard on the hilt, and my left one at the very bottom. I take a few breaths and shake my muscles a few times to get used to the unconfining Ionian clothes I wear, and then I wait.
Dumont's voice begins counting, and neither of us move an inch as it slowly goes down. I stare at Jackson's glaive, forming my tactics quickly. Jackson has superior strength, endurance, and a longer reach than I do, but the length of my katana is enough to not seriously put me at a disadvantage reach wise, which just leaves his strength and endurance. I need to focus on parrying his attacks, using my speed to stay at the edge of his range.
The only problem is, if I underestimate the range of his glaive even once, I'll end up losing. Figuring out just how far someone can attack with a polearm type weapon isn't easy either, considering they can use sweeps and lunges to enhance their range further than one would expect. Against a swordsman with no experience handling or fighting against a polearm, it makes a perfect weapon.
"Zero," Dumont's voice echoes out, and the fight begins.
Jackson doesn't make the same mistake Elizabeth did by rushing forward without thinking. Instead, he simply chooses to advance with slow steps, closing the distance. I knew he wouldn't make the same mistake, which is why I drew right away, and I begin shuffling my steps toward him also. I make sure to keep my balance centered at all times, keeping my weight on the balls of my feet.
We end up reaching close to the center of the clearing at the same time, and we both stop. He doesn't make a single move, and I elect not to either. For awhile, it is completely silent as we face each other, waiting for any opening. Whatever happens next will be fast and violent, and in all likelihood, will determine the entire duel.
I stare at the monster who crushed my windpipe yesterday without a second thought, and I feel a flutter of fear in my belly. My throat feels dry, and I briefly wonder what ever made me think this fight would be any different from the last one. What if… what if…
What if this ends up even worse?
A slight, cool wind blows through the clearing, rustling the tree branches and blowing my loose martial arts clothes around me. One of my loose strands of hair that I kept out for style blows into my eye for a brief second, slightly obscuring my vision.
That's all it takes, and Jackson rushes towards me, spinning his glaive behind his back and into his left hand as he runs. He takes a quick lunge at me, the gleaming blade driving toward me.
I take one long step back, keeping my blade exactly in its ready position as the tip of his glaive drives towards me. I see at the last second he shifts his weight into the stab even more, going on to the tips of his toes to give his attack just a little more range.
His blade tip stops a few hair's breadth away from my stomach, and he retracts his spear in a sharp motion. He spins it so his right hand once again has dominant control and does an overhand swing with the glaive, attempting to cut me in two. I take a quick step to my right, once again dodging by the most minimal of margins, and then I instantly shift back to my original position just as he pull his glaive back. A half-second later, it stabs out into where I was standing a moment ago, and I see surprise flicker through his eyes.
He hadn't expected me to anticipate his attack, and I take the initiative to lash out a quick overhead slice at him. He doesn't have time to block with his glaive, so he twists his body violently away, and I see my katana's tip barely miss him as he spins away from me, pulling his glaive back into his normal position. I return my blade to my own and wait.
He frowns at me, and even though my heart is pounding, my mind feels surprisingly clear and calm, focused even. A sheen of sweat has developed on Jackson's face, which isn't surprising considering how fast and violent his attempted attacks were. I managed to get off easily, and my breaths are only slightly heavier than they were before.
He steps forward at me with a little nod, and renews his attack by launching a barrage of stabs at me, his glaive lashing out over and over at my body in motions too fast for my eye to follow. I don't try. Instead I let my instincts take over, moving in quick side steps whenever I feel a tingle or slight burst of panic.
Even with his reach and speed, my instincts and speed prove superior as I continue to sidestep and back away from his flurry of stabs. After a dozen or so, he tries to switch by suddenly slashing upward at my face while also lunging forward. I pull my head back a fraction of an inch, and the blade flashes by, leaving Jackson open with his glaive raised in the air.
I stab forward at him, performing a lunge of my own this time, but he barely manages to pull the butt end of his glaive towards his face as he also twists away, and my sword scrapes along the back length of the weapon. I spin to face him as a slash comes at my head, forcing me to drop to my knees as it sings over me.
I slash at him to force him back a step and give myself time to stand up again. As he steps back, I see him twist his body and swing his glaive in a complete circle around him with the circle ending at the top of my head. I don't bother trying to block against his momentum and strength like he wants me to. Instead, I duck slightly, stepping forward to him and launching a horizontal slash of my own at him.
I can feel the blade of his glaive touch the tips of a few stray hairs as it misses me, and the tip of my sword only scratches against his leather shirt as he uses the momentum from his slash to twist away. I don't let up though, and I deliver a flurry of three more quick slashes at him. He's forced to block and parry them with the shaft of his glaive, and each one comes with centimeters of cutting him. After my third attack, I step back from him quickly, retreating to a neutral distance that his spear can't reach me.
My breaths are heavy now, and I feel a single drop of sweat work it's way down my forehead. Jackson looks like he isn't in much better condition, but the determination in his eyes scares me. I force myself to take a deep breath, and then I let it out slowly as I strengthen the grip on my katana.
I can do this. I just need to stay focused. He's only a monster when it comes to hand to hand combat. Here, the battle is even, and I have a chance as long as I stay calm. I can do this.
He rushes in at me and renews the assault.
I don't even have time to register the majority of this one, and I don't think he does either. His stabs are lightning fast, and he aims for my legs to try and debilitate my greatest weakness. I counter by dodging in a graceful dance, always moving at the last possible second. I try to launch a few attacks of my own at him, but all of them are too shallow at the range we fight at, his leather armor negating any of the light scratches from the tip of my blade.
I dance out of range of his attack in time for him to jump into the air, spinning his entire body and glaive at me in a risky attack. I dive underneath him, twisting to slide on my back and slash upward as I go by.
His glaive misses cutting my throat by almost nothing.
My katana misses tearing his hamstrings by the same.
He lands and turns to face me as I roll up onto my feet, and I idly deflect a weak stab by him with my sword as I once again step backward out of range. Both of us are breathing heavy now, and he steps forward, testing me with a few more stabs and lunges of varying speeds and strengths. I dodge them all though, making sure not to lose my focus for even a second.
He stops eventually, his shoulders heaving with exertion as he looks me over. I'm not doing much better considering my arms are sore from swinging around my katana in such sharp, swift arcs, but I imagine he's in the same condition considering his much heavier glaive. I try to get my breathing back under control as fatigue bites into me, making my legs feel wobbly.
I just need to keep on lasting. As long as I stay focused, he'll make a mistake first, and then I'll be able to win. It feels like this fight has lasted forever even though I know it's only been a few minutes at most. Just how long is this stalemate going to last?
He jumps at me again, spinning his glaive at my head, and I duck, only for him to continue the motion and send it slashing at my stomach. I barely get my katana in the way, and the glaive smashes into and parries off my blade, jarring my arms from the sheer force. He reverses the slash once it's parried sending it at my left side now.
I slash downward as hard as I can and slash his glaive into the ground, trapping its edge between my sword and the grass. The motion brings me close to him though, and he slams his head into mine. Red flashes across my eyes as I desperately try to not stumble back. Instead, I crouch and run past him low to the ground, slashing out my sword as I go. I feel it bite into him briefly, and then I'm past, spinning to face him.
The stench of sweat and blood is in the air, and as I'm gasping for breath I touch my lip gently with my left hand. My fingers come back scarlet, and I lower my hand back to my sword, grasping it tightly.
Jackson on the other hand, faces me with his spear extended from his right side in a defensive manner. He's looking between me and the cut on his left belly, prodding it with his left hand. It looks like the leather stopped most of my sideswipe I attempted, but the cut still looks painful even if it is shallow.
We stare at each other, neither of us daring to move as we try to regain our breath and blink the sweat from our eyes. I tighten my grip on my sword and prepare to move.
"Hold," Dumont's voice suddenly calls out, startling the both of us. "It has been seven minutes now, and both of you have proven to be an even match. Would both of you be willing to call this a tie?"
I stare at Jackson in shock as I see him immediately nod his head in acceptance. I blink a few times and nod my own.
"Alright then. I will now return you to your bodies," Dumont says, just as I feel a tugging sensation.
My vision blurs as I feel a pull like I'm flying in the air and then out of water, and suddenly I'm laying down in the chair, back at the academy. My aches and pains from running and dueling come back to me, and I reflexively touch my finger to my lip, but it's not split. It almost feels like everything that happened was a dream…
I slowly straighten myself in the chair, getting ready to get up when I see Jackson standing in front of me, looking down at me. I look back at him, my heart in my throat for several tense seconds. Then he gives me a simple nod and walks away, leaning himself against a wall while pressing his hand to his stomach experimentally a few times.
I won. Well, I tied with Jackson, but I still count that as a win, especially considering he's a soldier through and through. My plan actually worked, and more than that, it looks like Jackson actually respected my strength.
A smile tugs at my lips as I stand up and walk over to my grinning allies. Of course he did, he's Noxian, after all. The one thing they know how to respect is strength. I've shown them time and time again that I'm strong enough to fight back, and now they're starting to realize it. More than that, I have four points, effectively making me safe from tomorrow, especially if I'm able to get another tie or win.
I walk on shaky legs back to my group, all grinning at me, and I smile back. I can do this. If it's all about strength, than I can do this. I'm stronger than they think.
I stay and watch the rest of the duels, but nothing especially interesting happens. The coolest fight to watch is Molly as she manages to tie against Xander's chainsword with a quarterstaff, but everything else ends as expected. Edward beats Cody, Elizabeth ties with Alex, and Seth ties with Devon. All in all, the weapon duels look very even, which proves good for me.
If I can tie with Jackson, arguably one of the best fighters here, than I know I can at least tie with everyone else. I've ruined their plan for now, and I can finally sleep easy tonight. I'll figure out tomorrow's plans when I get there, but for now, I think I'll just relax for once.
"Now that everyone is done with the run, I would like to say a few words," Alex says at the lunch table, his voice barely audible above the din of the room. "So, if you'll all just wait one second…"
He trails off as he hurries over to the chef's table and exchanges a few words with him. I look around at the other quizzically, but they look just as confused. A moment later though, Alex is hurrying back to our table with two glass bottles with colored liquid in them. He sets them in the middle of our table, smiling at us all.
"What's…?" I begin to ask, but a finger from Alex silences me.
"So, err, yeah, I had a little talk with the cook over there," He begins, looking over all of us seriously. "And, as it turns out, he had an extra bottle of Firewater and Clearspirit. I was worried about them going to waste, so I offered our services. Now, considering, ah, recent events and how well we've been doing, especially a certain someone who will remain unnamed…"
He looks at me with a wink, and I grin with the others.
"I thought today would be the perfect day to celebrate. So, not only do we have this, but also some cupcakes on the way. So please, dig in!"
He flourishes his hands with a little bow and waits expectantly. Molly looks around at the lot of us, all grinning, and she slowly raises her hand.
"Umm," she begins, her smile almost apologetic. "Two questions."
"Ask and ye shall receive," Alex says, swishing his blond hair over his shoulder extravagantly.
"First, do you have any glasses for these?" Molly asks, and Alex's eyes go wide.
"Right, just wait here a second," he says, rushing back towards the cook.
A moment later he's rushing back carrying six extravagant looking goblets in his arms, and he almost drops one as he reaches us. He slowly hands one out to everyone, and I take mine with a small nod and smile. He claps his hand and looks back at Molly.
"Question two?" he asks.
"What's Firewater and Clearspirit?" Molly asks, and about half the jaws at our table hit the floor.
"You-you've never…" Alex stutters shaking his head. "Oh man, are you in for a treat. Ehm, how to explain it. Firewater has a dark, rich taste that burns your throat and brings warmth to your whole body when you drink it, and Clearspirit has a light, soothing effect with a pure taste. It's sort of hard to explain, really, but you can always just try both. right?"
"They're not alcoholic though, right?" Molly asks seriously as she reaches for the Clearspirit bottle.
"I wish-I mean no, of course not. That would be irresponsible."
We laugh, and people start pouring the liquid into their goblets. I look at the refractions made by the glass on my goblet while I wait for Molly to finish pouring her Clearspirit, and then I take some of the same. I honestly like Firewater better, but considering I'm a little fatigued from my run, and my throat is still hurts, Clearspirit is probably better for me.
I take a small sip of the golden liquid, and it glides smoothly down my throat with a rich taste of some type of juice. The liquid seems to spread through my body, and after just one sip, I can feel alertness returning along with relaxation to my muscles. A second later, the cook comes by with a small trolley laden with cupcakes. They all look to be rich chocolate cupcakes with a smooth white icing on top. Only one looks different, and as he's handing them out, I realize that one is for me and I almost laugh. It has a dark blue frosting with purple swirls mixed in, the color of Ionia mixed with the color of my aura.
"Thank you," I say, smiling at him, and he nods back, walking away with a little skip in his step.
I take a bite of the cupcake after another sip of Clearspirit and am instantly impressed. The chocolate is soft and rich but not dry, and the sugary frosting helps lessen the strength of the chocolate's taste just enough to make both flavors compliment each other. After I finish my cupcake, I slowly stand up, looking at everyone with my cup raised.
"I would like to propose a toast," I say, looking at Alex with a grin. "To Alex, for planning this surprise for us, and also for his always eloquent speeches."
A few people laugh including Alex as they stand up, and we clink glasses together. I have to reach far over to get Alex's, and I make sure to clink his with enthusiasm, which he returns. I sit back down again, drink the Clearspirit and talk with the others. All the while, I can feel the hateful gazes of the nobles on us.
All the while, I just don't care.
Eventually, lunch ends, and we go down to the training room to practice making shells. Most of us have it after two straight days of practice, but apparently Dumont wants to make sure we can do it over and over again without getting tired, which seems fair enough considering how many times shells get resummoned in a league match.
I start creating shells over and over again until eventually my mind wanders. I wonder what the spell is like to transfer consciousnesses to a shell. Logically, it actually shouldn't be that hard. In fact, I bet someone could create a shell and transfer their own consciousness by themselves. So is that the next step, then? Learning how to do that?
I frown as something feels off when I reach out to my magic. I try reaching out again, but it feels far away and staticy. I concentrate harder, and I can barely reach it. As I begin forming the shell, the magic snaps away from my concentration, and I'm left gasping for breath.
My body feels hot and weak, enough that my legs shake at me just trying to keep standing. I wipe away some sweat from my head and blink in surprise at how hot my head feels. As I'm feeling my forehead again, someone knocks on the door.
"It's time to move to weapons training," I hear Fairfax say through the door.
I slowly walk towards it, my steps shaky and slow, and I open the door up, walking to the main training room with the dummies and weapons. Everyone else is already there, some talking while others actually practice with some of the wooden weapons. Fairfax is no where to be seen, so I slowly make my way over to my group, who listen to Xander tell some sort of story.
"Woah, Aria," Alex says, interrupting Xander. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"What?" I ask weakly, my body feeling like it's on fire. "Do I really look that bad?"
"Yeah, you do," Alex says, worry in his voice. "Look, I'm going to go get the doctor guy down here, I'll be right back."
I frown as he starts walking briskly towards the door. Do I really look that bad? I mean, sure I feel absolutely horrible, but how bad do I look to warrant him getting the doctor right away? I'm sure it's nothing, and he's just overreacting. It'll pass.
I open my mouth to say those exact words when suddenly my vision darkens as my stomach screams in absolute agony. I double over as it starts churning violently around, throwing a hand over my mouth. The air feels a thousand degrees warmer, like I'm standing in the center of the sun, and my body shakes with wracking, nauseating pain from my stomach.
My allies are crowded around me where I lay doubled over, groaning in pain, and I see that Alex broke into a full out sprint the second I fell to my knees. I push myself to my feet as my stomach starts churning once again, and I sprint towards the bathroom, praying that my wobbly knees can sustain me long enough.
As I pass by the nobles, my eyes land briefly on Elizabeth and Edward. Elizabeth smiles cruelly at me while Edward's shoulders shake with laughter. Then I'm out of door, and they disappear from sight.
I manage to make it to the toilet before I lose my lunch, but only barely. I heave up the entirety of my lunch for what seems like forever, and then I'm left gasping, leaning against the wall with a burning throat and aching stomach. My eyes are watery, and I still feel way too warm, but throwing up seems to have helped me somewhat.
I hear a noise and I look up to see Molly standing in the entrance to the stall, looking at me with worried eyes. When she sees me, she clenches her fists and purses her lips tight walks away. A moment later, she returns with two damp rags. She dabs at my mouth with one and then puts the other on my head.
I try to smile at her, but everything feels heavy and far away. She just gives a sympathetic smile back and sits down next to me.
"You really don't have to stay-" I begin, only to have my stomach start churning again.
I vomit into the toilet again, violent enough that my stomach muscles hurt. Molly says nothing and just keeps on cleaning my mouth. My eyes get blurry from the fatigue, pain, and heat, and I only vaguely register Molly leaving for a moment and coming back with the head rag cool and damp again.
"Alex says the doctor won't give him anything to help you," Molly says quietly, her voice surprisingly calm. "He says as long as it's just a normal sickness, part of your training is fighting through it."
I vomit once again, mostly just dry heave really, but it still hurts. A lot. I slowly look at Molly as she dabs at my mouth. I open my mouth to speak, but she shushes me, looking at me compassionately.
"We all know one of the nobles poisoned your food today, but we can't prove anything. Hopefully though, we can get you an exempt from the duels today. Alex is talking to Dumont right now."
I let out a groan and nod blearily, letting my eyes close shut as more waves of pain and fire rack my body. Of course they did it. I should have seen it coming. I should have known this wasn't about strength, and it never was. This is about winning, about proving a point.
Ionians are weak, and no matter what, Noxus will always win.
I shudder, and try my best to calm down my stomach. It's useless though, and I end up vomiting randomly throughout the hours. Molly stays with me the whole time, dabbing my mouth and refreshing the rag on my forehead as I groan and shift about.
There's a loud knock on one of the walls, and I see Molly get up and leave, appearing back a moment later. She looks pale and angry, her hands shaking. She gives me a weak smile and puts a hand on my back and arm.
"It's time," she says softly. "Come on, lets go."
She helps me up and puts my arm around her shoulder. I try to protest as she helps me out, but my legs are too weak to walk on without her help, so I let her half carry me out. We stop at my room, where I change into my workout uniform by myself. Then I step back out, where Molly helps me walk again. The stairs prove trickier, but we manage with a few breaks. Then we're outside, the sun blindingly bright in my hazy vision.
I stumble over with Molly to the arena and the crowd. Everyone else is already there, waiting for us, and we take our place in line without a word as Sadon watches us calmly. He walks over and grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. My eyes are blurry, adding a hazy harshness to his young but vicious features, especially the metal studs. The feeling of his fingers on my chin disgust me, and I almost vomit again. I force myself not to though, and he lets go a second later with a small snort.
"Should have been on your guard for such things," he says, shaking his head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Ah well. There's a lesson in everything I guess. So, let us begin. Challenges, anyone?"
"I challenge Aria," Edward says, stepping forward.
I look at him from where I'm hunched over, slowly looking between him and Elizabeth. She smirks at me, and a sudden realization hits me. Her words earlier about her accepting the plan had been about this. She didn't say those things in the bathroom just to scare me. No, she meant it when she talked about their plan being absolutely brutal.
She tricked me into false security, and me winning only helped me play into their hands.
"I accept," I gasp out, stepping away from Molly's support.
"Aria…" Alex says, and I look at him. He looks away, hands clenched into fists. He was going to say "don't do it", but he knows I have no choice. If I decline, I end up facing Cody, who would be more than happy to take advantage of my current condition. I can see the anger in his eyes at being helpless though, and I try to give him a reassuring smile.
Then I turn, and walk into the arena. Edward makes me walk to the far end, which takes me forever on my weak legs. I get there eventually though, gasping for breath and sweating furiously. I turn and face Edward, trying to figure a way out of this as I lean on my knees for support.
There isn't one though, and I know it. They got me, and now I have to pay the price. I humiliated Edward by beating him, and now he wants his vengeance. I could play weak and give him what he wants to try and get this over with, but I'm not going to. I'm going to fight him to my last breath.
I don't realize Sadon's count is done until Edward starts walking arrogantly over to me, and I desperately try to stand up in my stance. He chuckles as he nears me, his hands still in his pockets. He takes step after step towards me, and I let him, still gasping for breath and trying to clear my hazy eyes with blinks.
He leans in towards me, closer than I thought he was.
"Got nothing to say now, do you? Where's your wit now?"
I move, putting all my speed into one blow. To me, it seems sickeningly fast, but it must be much slower to him, because he manages to lean away and almost avoid it completely. My hand clips the side of his face though in a slap, and then my momentum is too much for me, and I fall onto my hands and knees, gasping for breath.
I hear the crowd laugh as he touches his hand to his cheek, his eyes furious as his face blushes red.
"Oh, you're going to pay for that," he says, and then he kicks me.
It feels like a hammer slamming into my stomach, and my breath leaves me as I am lifted an inch into the air by his blow. I land on my side and back, rolling over to face the sky. The sun burns brightly overhead, blinding me until the shadow of a form obscures it.
It's Edward.
I can tell by the explosion of pain in my stomach that follows.
I let out a choked scream of pain as I roll away, getting on my hands and knees, trying to crawl away. A second later I'm forced to stop as the nausea from all my movement catches up to me, and I vomit on the arena, mostly just spit and bile. A second later a hand grabs me by my hair and forces me onto my shaky feet, painfully yanking me up.
I'm dragged a few steps and then thrown into the barrier, and I desperately try to stay standing as the world spins around me. Something grabs my face and forces me to look straight. A second later, I feel a fist strike me hard enough to add stars to my hazy nausea, and I fall to the ground.
I see something red on my nose, and then there's motion as I barely make out a foot coming towards my face. It hits me hard, pain spreading throughout my head, and I groan as I pull my arms around my head and curl into a defensive ball. A second later, a hailstorm begins, and blow after blow reigns into my body.
I lay there, and take it, crying silently in pain as I hear Edward rave at me between the kicks and punches. I don't bother trying to get up, and Edward seems content with that. He just keeps kicking me over and over and over again. And again. and again.
I squeeze my eyes shut as pain flood through my body time and time again, and I can already feel the bruises forming, screaming out in cruel agony. I take it though, shuddering under his blows as I desperately try to stay awake and not vomit again.
Eventually, a blessed end comes to the blows. I stay in my curled up ball, waiting for more to come as pain rings through my body. Something softly touches my shoulder, and I tense up at first until I realize that they're patting me softly. I slowly uncurl from my ball, blink the blurriness from my eyes and look up.
Edward smiles down on me with the sun behind his head, and then a shadow flies towards my head.
Everything bursts into red, and I let out a scream as he punches me in the face again and again. I try to make the pain stop, to slap away his fists, but he just keeps punching. Eventually I give up, too weak to move my arms as fever and pain burn my body. I just squeeze my eyes shut as the pain pounds me into oblivion.
Then, for awhile, everything is nice. I don't feel pain, or the fever. I just feel nothingness. The more I try to focus on that feeling though, the more it begins to slip away, leaving me with just the pain and heat. My entire body aches, especially my pounding head and face. I try to open my eyes, but they feel heavy. I dimly realize they're probably swollen shut, but I try to open them anyway.
It works eventually, but I almost wish I hadn't. The light sends spikes of pain into my brain, and I groan, slowly moving my body.
"Shh," Alex's voice says softly, and I see him crouched down next to me. "Molly's going to be right back, don't worry. Just wait a second more."
I slowly force myself to sit up, ignoring my screaming muscles, and I look at the arena.
Inside, Molly appears to be systematically destroying Elizabeth. Elizabeth continually tries to attack Molly, but every attack brings with it not one, but two counterattacks from Molly. Molly even manages to work in three every once and awhile, her arms blurring with speed, and I see anger flash in her eyes.
She isn't trying to win because she knows she probably can't, but she's making Elizabeth hurt. Her blows aren't debilitating, but they are painful, especially so many in the same exact spots.
Sadon puts a halt to a duel, and right as the field falls Molly jogs over to me. She bites her lip, saying nothing, but she sits down next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders. I lean in to her, blissfully taking some of the weight of myself. Sadon starts the next duel, but I don't really pay attention. My stomach starts churning again, and my fever burns hot in the sunlight.
"How bad?" I ask, my lips feeling clumsy. "How bad am I hurt? I can't tell with my fever."
"This is going to sound weird," Molly begins, looking my in the eye. "But you probably got more hurt in your duel with Jackson than this one."
"Really?" I ask, frowning at her, or, at least, I try to.
"Yeah," Molly nods seriously. "Jackson actually did some serious damage with his choke. Edward was too angry, too focused on revenge to actually do that much damage. It might have felt bad because you're sick, but he didn't do any more than give you a few bruises and a bloody nose. Sadon actually stopped it before it got too bad."
"Well, that's something at least," I say sarcastically, closing my eyes as more nausea rolls through me.
The duels go by painfully slow, and I don't bother trying to keep track of who fights who or how they fight. My head feels too hot to think of anything else but how much pain I feel. Eventually though, Molly helps me to my feet, and then down to my room to grab my sword. Then we're off to the training room, and as we enter, I lay down on the chair with a groan.
Fairfax looks at me, his face completely blank. I just turn to Elizabeth, ignoring him.
"Let's just get this over with before I throw up again," I say, staring at her. "I accept."
She smiles lightly, giving me a petty wink, and walks over to her chair, also laying down. I notice she limps as she walks, and she holds her gut as she breathes shallowly.
"You look in more pain than I am," I mumble, receiving a sneer in reply.
I close my eyes and try to focus my concentration. It takes me a long time to block out the pain and the fever. When I do manage to concentrate, I see that I can't actually make my shell perfectly healthy, just like I suspected. Whatever they put in me is blocking my magic, almost completely stopping me from using it in the first place.
I grimace, and then get to work putting together my broken shell. I'll still feel sick like my actual body does, but I might still have a chance with my sword. Well, probably not, but I'll have to try.
I give Dumont a nod, and then I'm sent into my shell. The falling sensation instantly makes me nauseous, and I puke on the ground of the clearing right when I arrive. When I'm done, I stand up and draw my sword, facing Elizabeth.
She wears the same clothes as last time, twirling her twin blades in her hands as she smirks at me. I simply get into my stance, closing my eyes and concentrating as Dumont counts down.
He reaches zero, and I snap my eyes open, taking swift steps forward. Elizabeth once again rushes at me, juking left and right. I attempt a slash, trying to predict her moves, but I miss as she rushes by me, leaving a shallow cut on my arm. The cut burns sharply, and I grimace as I turn to face her, parrying a blade on the way.
I don't see the other blade until it's too late, and it cuts lightly into my side, leaving another burning line on me. I try to back up, but my body is weak and slow, and Elizabeth easily keeps up with me, occupying my sword with one of her own while she leaves paper cuts across my body with her other.
My fever blurs together with the pain, and I barely notice anything at all. Everything becomes a haze as I desperately try to block her attacks, but I honestly don't even care. I can't feel the damage she's doing, so why should I? I just have to get through this. Maybe it'll even seem fast.
It continues forever, slash after slash, until I finally fall to my knees, gasping in pain as tears come to my eyes. Luckily for me, my fevered mind actually makes everything feel hazy, and as I look down at myself, I realize I don't even feel half the burning cuts on my body. Blood soaks the entirety of my clothes even if I can't feel the cuts, and I look up to Elizabeth as she presses a blade to my throat.
"I concede," I say quickly, and she stops her blade, hesitation flickering through her eyes.
She wants to cut me, to kill me, but she also know that she would be punished for doing it now. She lowers her blade with a frustrated sigh, and the next thing I know I'm being pulled back into my actual body. I'm ready for it this time, and I roll feebly from the chair onto the floor and immediately vomit into the bucket placed next to the chair.
I slowly stand up and walk away, not looking back. I manage to get to my room and put my sword on my bed before I feel sick again. I groan and head back out towards the bathroom, my body still feverishly hot and my mind hazy. Molly's waiting for me when I exit my room, and I realize she must have dueled and then left to help me right after. I try to say thanks, but my stomach takes priority suddenly as it shifts around.
Molly gets me to the bathroom where I slump against the wall for one of the stalls after I'm done vomiting for the thousandth time. I don't even know if anything even comes out anymore. Judging by the ache of my stomach muscles and throat, I don't think it matters.
Molly stays with me, but neither of us say anything. I just sit there, closing my eyes and fading away briefly until I need to vomit again. Molly wipes away at my mouth after each time, and every once and awhile changing the wet cloth on my head. I must keep on falling asleep, because the temperature of the cloth continually changes whenever I open my eyes.
Eventually I hear footsteps, and I look up to see Xander standing in the entrance with a tray of bread and small cup of water. He looks shaky and pale. I wonder if he lost his duel, or if winning just made him feel that bad.
He sets down the tray by Molly and I, looking at her.
"How is she?" Xander asks her quietly.
"She's… hanging in there," she says with a sad smile, looking back at Xander.
"Hey… Xander," I say weakly, and he looks at me with concern.
"What is it?" he asks, his wide green eyes looking at me softly.
"This… this is the girl's bathroom. I don't… I don't think you're supposed to be in here."
He blinks, and then looks at Molly, who looks at him, then me, and then back to him. Then they both start laughing, and I can't help but smile, closing my eyes to the nice sound.
"Come on, you need to eat and drink something," Molly says, giving me some of the bread.
I take it and start nibbling on it. It's dry and almost stale tasting, but it doesn't upset my stomach anymore than it already is. I take a small sip of the water next, spilling some of it between my shaky hands. It's lukewarm, but it tastes better than the bile in my mouth. I slowly set it down.
"I'm going to stay with her tonight," Molly says, looking at Xander.
"No, you're not," I say quietly, giving her a serious look.
"Someone needs to for when that bread and water comes back up," she says back, and I wince.
"Thank you…" I say softly, groaning as another wave of pain rolls through my stomach.
"Alright, I'll leave you two to it then," Xander says sadly, his voice wobbling slightly. "If you need anything, just come get me."
He leaves, walking quickly away. I focus on trying to chew on some more bread, but a second later I vomit again, losing any progress I made.
Molly simply presses the cup of water to my lips, and I take a small, thankful sip before I close my eyes and lean my head back against the wall.
They got me. I thought I beat the Noxians for once in my life, but I was wrong. I was careless and stupid, and they got me. Someone betrayed me by poisoning my food, using what little leniency I gave them against me. I shouldn't have grown complacent like that. I shouldn't have trusted anyone for that matter.
I won't make the same mistake again. No, now that I know just how dirty they are willing to play, I can fight back. I'll fight them for keeps. No more playing around. No more friendly Ionian girl. No more letting them take what they want, just fighting them with every step.
I wince as I feel the urge to throw up again, my stomach churning painfully. Exhaustion covers me like a blanket after vomiting so many times, but the fever and nausea make it almost impossible to sleep.
It's going to be a long night.