Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Swordsmen Thief. Enjoy the 3100-word chapter. I do not own any rights to Fairy Tale, Hiro Mashima, Kodansha, and a few others that I may write about.
Clell could only ponder what was going through for Erza's mind. He knew the woman focused on their mission unlike the rest of their group. It wasn't like he had been on many missions like this before. She couldn't exactly blame him for not having the proper training to do something like this considering he had NEVER been on this type of assignment.
"I think we should train tomorrow," Clell said as he turned to look at the others. "Second? I keep getting weird thoughts running through my head. It's odd, I feel like I've been here before, but I can't tell WHY." Clell stated, rubbing at his temples with exhaustion.
Erza was silent, but she understood that there were far more important things to focus on at the time. Still? She was curious why Clell had so many memories of this place… Had he been here before? Did he have some connection?
"Yes, you mentioned them before," Erza said as she turned to Clell who blinked in surprise at these thoughts. "How vivid are these memories or visions? Do you see something you can recall from other times or such? Erza questioned which got Clell to hum a moment later.
"Well, not exactly as you can tell, Erza," Clell stated in response as he sighed and shook his head. "Bits and pieces here and there, I don't know WHAT is going through my head currently. All I know? Whatever it is? It's something I FEEL like I should remember, but I don't. It seems to fade in and out at the end of the day." Clell said while rubbing at his temples as he tried to recall something from these thoughts.
It made Erza interested. If there was something he could recall? Then it could help them at the end of the day. She just needed time to help him locate what it was and they could use that as fuel for a response…. Anything was better than constantly wandering the ruins without knowing what pitfalls had come down to the next ambush.
"Talk to me when it comes down to it?" Erza asked as Clell hummed nodded which got a hum from the thief. "We need things to try and guide us to the next problem," Erza stated before Clell nodded, his eyes narrowing once more.
"I'll try to think of it next, Erza. I'm still picking through it." Clell said while he spun his knives. "You know I'm still used to this adventuring stuff, right? There's not a lot I can do about gaps in my memory or such. It isn't like I've been through this before." Clell added before Erza nodded.
A crack of thunder split the sky. The convoy turned to look up at the sky, an omen which he could only hope didn't signal death for them once more.
"I'm going to lose it if those soldiers come back," Clell said while returning his weapons to their holsters. "You know they're probably following us currently. I don't know what we're going to do at the moment. They have the numbers and I don't know how well we can hold out against their numbers." Clell said while brushing off his jacket.
Erza sighed, there wasn't much she could do to try and take their forces down. The more you pushed against them? The more they'd push back. There was nothing that could be done to remedy that besides get to the capital and state their case.
"There's something off about all of this," Erza stated to which Clell shrugged to himself.
"Maybe, but how can you tell?" Clell asked while he crossed his arms. "Plenty of people want Fairy Tail dead. We don't know what they're after or what they're doing. These soldiers are far more organized than what we're used to." Clell said before he sighed to himself.
'Then what they are used to. I'm a reformed thief who had his friends die because he screwed up messed with the wrong people. He shook his head while he nodded to himself. This was starting to become ridiculous when he thought about it. However? Clell was aware that the guild handled far more insane things than simply him.
He looked at Erza who seemed far more annoyed at the moment. He couldn't blame the woman when it came down to it. This assignment was becoming rather insane at the end of the day.
"How many days do you think it will take us to find the capital?" Erza heard from Clell as he relaxed his stance. "I say 2-3 days or such. We've had to have gotten closer considering the number of soldiers they've sent to try and kill us." Clell added before he shook his head.
"Perhaps, but I don't know what they plan to do when we arrive at the capital," Erza responded while Clell nodded and started to look around. "They will not assume the best of us. the bandits who ambushed us? They might assume we are with them. That we intend to rob or attack them and are using this as a diversion at the end of the day." Erza said to which Clell was silent.
"Is it that simple?" Clell asked before he started to shake his head. "If it was that easy? Then they would have sent their troops alongside the paths. No type of standing army would be so underequipped for this sort of thing." Clell stated to himself at the moment.
"Do we not know how this is happening?" Erza asked to which Clell nodded to himself. "Then again? I don't think I'd like to know what this mission even is. The kingdom slapped this together." Erza asked while she started to dust off her armor.
"Missions aren't as cut and dry as you think," Clell stated, tenting his fingers behind his head as he did so. "I should know that. I've planned similar missions in the past. Things aren't that simple." Clell said as he sighed to himself.
"Being a thief doesn't make you a horrible person, you know," Erza stated while she started to think. "I had to deal with similar circumstances before this sort of thing," Erza added before Clell added to herself.
"Maybe, but it isn't the funniest job," Clell stated, putting his hands behind his back. "I used to have weird sort of jobs in the past. It wasn't that hard to pull them off at the end of the day." Clell added before his friend shook her head.
"If that's the case? Then why let yourself get caught like this?" Erza asked. "I know how skilled a thief could be. They don't let someone catch them this easy and throw them in jail." Erza added to her friend.
"I wanted to do something better," Clell responded, crossing his arms. "I'm a thief. I know what I am and I don't intend to be that way." Erza heard from him as he sighed to himself and crossed his arms.
"Hmm," Clell stated while he frowned to himself. "There's plenty of issues with the plans if something goes wrong. The number of soldiers that we ran into? It's far more than it seems normal. I'm sure a report to their commander already exists which tells them a lot about us" Clell stated while he leaned on a nearby rock.
He leaned on the wall behind him and slowly slid down towards the ground. It was then he heard the sounds of blades and gazed up to see Erza had drawn one of her blades which she held near the nape of his neck. He said nothing as he rolled his eyes and drew his knives.
'She didn't honestly have considered a battle here and now. Can she?' Clell seemed to think to himself before he sighed as he realized the woman was probably considering that she had drawn her blades and pointed them towards him.
Clell stated while he frowned to himself as he raised his temples before he shook his head. He was well aware of what to do next as he cleared his throat before he sighed to himself and frowned to himself before he raised his eyebrow towards her.
Still? If she wanted to battle him at the end of the day? He frowned to himself while she was honestly rather caught off guard.
He greeted her first strike with his blade which seemed to surprise her that he had greeted her with the violence she expected of him at the moment. it seemed to also surprise her that he was willing to greet her at the moment in combat at such a level. It helped that both were similarly equal in a skill when it came to combat.
"This was rather interesting," Erza stated to which her friend started to circle her.
"How many times have I almost been killed in combat since you plan on doing that?" Clell stated to which he frowned to himself as he sighed.
He frowned with a small sigh of reservation at the moment. he was not going to simply get off easy with this and he knew it. why she insisted on attacking him in this manner was something he'd probably ask at a later date. It helped that she seemed to be resigned to it and he had time to prepare for it when she did decide to attack him in the way she did.
It also helped that she was not subtle as to HOW she had managed such a task.
She charged after the thief who weaved in and out of the trees as he went. He was not a match for her strength in a direct fight which he was well aware of. She was also not as fast as him when it came to speed. He flung himself around a tree and managed a kick which threw her off and towards the other side of the forest and allowed him to retreat while he did so.
Erza went right after him with a smile before Clell leaped away from one of her swings and into the branches. He wasn't about to make it any easier for her when they battled. He also wasn't a fool, nor was he willing to let her throw him off with another trick as he rolled his eyes.
'Damn her for making this harder than before.' Clell stated mentally while he sighed to himself and waited for her next attack.
She seemed to throw herself towards him with a few slashes which almost seemed to cut him to pieces. He smiled before he looked at her with a throw of a branch to distract her. It allowed him to leap to another branch.
"Not to be ride? But I kind of plan on not dying or being stabbed when it comes to this sort of practice." Clell said while he perched on a branch and looked at her with interest.
"This isn't going to end the way it did last time," Erza stated before she rolled her eyes.
"The last time ended with me almost being killed and being almost with a broken arm if I'm right about it," Clell said while he leaped to another branch. "Not honestly happy to see history come through on that.' Clell added before he rolled his eyes to himself.
He frowned and seemed to clutch at his other arm in a mock referral to what had happened before. If it was so much similar to that battle? He'd honestly rather try and keep some form of distance before either one of them came to blows.
"We aren't going to improve if there's no conflict that forces either of us to," Erza said before she followed him to said branch. "Besides? If I wanted the death of a comrade? I'd try a lot harder when it comes down to it. I don't simply leave small details such as that to chance." Erza added before she frowned.
He said nothing while he cleared his throat and seemed to mentally be preparing himself for battle. The look in his eyes told her that he was slowly preparing for another round of combat when it came down to it.
She cleared her throat before she hummed and raised her swords towards her. he said nothing before he shook his head and raised his daggers towards her.
"Are we honestly going to do this?" Clell asked while he frowned to himself. "Well. I guess I brought this on myself." Clell stated while he sighed to himself.
Erza threw herself forward while he cleared spun his blades and parried her first strike. He watched sparks fling themselves from their blades as he parried her other blade, locking both into combat once more. It had been a rather interesting battle and it wasn't even slightly done for either yet.
"We aren't going to fight for a long time, are we?" Erza heard before Clell kicked her backward.
She threw herself forward once more as both prepared for battle with the other. She launched her kick which seemed to throw him back a few feet. She followed p with another slash which he dodged and rolled his eyes before he locked blades with her once more before he was forced to retreat further into the trees.
He placed a hand on his stomach before she lunged forward with the power of someone who had been able to carve into metal. Both watched more sparks fly from their weapons as they both slashed at the other.
Clell managed to push her back before he flipped further into the tree and gazed at her with interest. He sighed before he realized that he was honestly going to need to give his all to this battle. It helped that he was well aware of how well this went if he didn't fall in battle.
"Is that all you are capable of?" Erza asked to which her friend sighed.
"No," Clell said before he rolled his eyes at her. "We honestly going all the way to fight the other? Nothing held back? I'm well aware of what you can do, you know." Clell asked while he cracked his fingers.
"Holding back means that you aren't taking the fight seriously enough," Erza said to which Clell nodded to himself. "We aren't going to hold back at all. It means we're be disrespecting the other at the end of the day." Erza stated to which she frowned to herself.
"Well then," Clell said while he rolled his blades in his hands before they started to engage the other in combat. "Let's do this," Clell stated with a smile that seemed to cross his face with interest as he did so.
The pair stared the other down before they started the duel in full. Both were ready to finish their fight once and for all when it changed to their thoughts. She smiled and nodded to Clell who responded in kind.
"Fine. Then one request." Clell said while he clenched the blades in his hands tighter. "No other equips. We fight for now? We're staying the way we are. I barely have any sort of control on my magic and if I do something insane?" Clell stated to which Erza nodded.
He steeled himself for any real pain that the fight involved when both clashed in speed and strength. The duo was rather interested in what to do next. They wanted this battle and they were eager in combat to show their skills and teeth to the other before the day was done and dusted.
Still? If they were to end this before the night was done? They'd be pleased in it when they slept for the night. Clell clasped his weapons in white knuckles which seemed to grow whiter as they waited for more combat with the other.
"This is going to be a rather long battle," Erza said to which her friend nodded towards her. "Don't ease up on combat with me before we end this battle," Erza stated with a smile towards her friend.
'This woman is both insane… And probably the only woman I think I'm going to be good friends with at the end of the day with my attitude. Still? If I'm not smart enough to fight her with skill rather than power? She's going to slice my head in about 2 different pieces before it's all said and done. Why the hell did I talk her into this.' Clell seemed to think before he slowly stepped forward.
Erza slowly stepped forwards towards her until they were an arm's length apart. They slammed their blades into the other while they glared into the other's eyes.
"How many soldiers do you think we need to deal with before we meet the ruler of this place?" Clell asked with a frown. "I'm almost wondering if they will try and kill us. We both did a lot of fighting and if they were anything like we expect? They might think those bandits were with our group." Clell added before he tried to slash at her once more.
She caught his arm and flipped him over her shoulder and into the ground with a pained grunt from him. He blinked before she tried to slam her left foot into his face as he dodged it by rolling and bringing up his arms to stop it from smashing his face.
"Ow," Clell said while he frowned to himself. "I didn't deserve that with all due respect," Clell stated while he spun managed to kick her backward. "Not cool," Clell stated while the woman smiled at him.
He rolled his eyes and rubbed at his bruised arms that ached with pain and annoyance.
"To be fair? I said nothing held back." Clell heard from Erza while she cleared her throat. "There are no rules in combat that can be broken," Erza said to which Clell only rolled his eyes and offered her his blades.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be a bit delayed at the time. The next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will be 900-6500 words and will be showing their battle at the second and will be a bit longer than this. The next chapter will be followed by a bit shorter chapter at the moment. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!