Their blades collided like falling stars , Their mutual strength Cratering the ground beneath their feet as they tried to overwhelm eachother.
An overhead downward slice parted the air around his Nagamaki as it struck the defending short sword .
He looked at the surprised look on his teammates face as her arms rattled , Her other hand flying to the hilt of her blade to assist in holding the blade lock .
" I told you not to hold back " The monotone voice of her team leader spoke as she noticed the complete lack of effort he was using to push his blade closer to her face , Yet her arms were shaking as his blade crept down closer to her face .
" I SAID SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO " Erdine roared as he raised his long bladed katana and brought it down apon her arms .
In a split second decision , Pyrrha leapt back as the blade sailed by her head and planted itself in the ground , Sending chunks of dirt and stone into the air as the blade sunk into the earth.
' such tremendous physical strength ' Pyrrha thought as she brandished her shield in her left hand and shifts her weapon into its javelin form in her left.
' Let's see what you've got leader ' Pyrrha thought as she planted her foot into the ground before blasting forward with her javelin held back and ready to stab forward , Her shield held aloft infront of her.
Leaping forward ,Erdine held his Nagamaki low , Prepared to meet pyrrha in the middle .
As her opponent neared , Testing him , She thrust her blade forward towards his chest .
Yet as her blade was about to pierce his right pectoral , Erdine contorted and dropped low , Dropping his knees to the ground as he leaned back and slid under pyrrha's legs before sprinting up and swinging his leg around , Striking her in the side of the head with his foot .
He landed softly as she rolled across the ground , Yet Erdine stood still and allowed the tip of his blade to rest half a centimetre above the ground , Watching as the redhead drew herself onto her elbows and slowly dragged herself to her feet.
" Pyrrha , So long as you don't take this seriously, You will never so much as land a strike on me " Erdine spoke evenly as he gave the girl a pitying look .
" Alright ... alright I get it " pyrrha mumbled for a second as she grabbed her weapons once more .
' Let's take this seriously ' She thought as she planted her right foot in the ground before springing forward out of nowhere .
hurtling forward several times faster than before , she Hurled her shield at him , She used it as a distraction to spring forward with her javelin held in both hands .
Stabbing forward Pyrrha watched Erdine catch her shield by the rim before flinging it to the side before he brought his Nagakiba into his grip .
Sweeping horizontally , Pyrrha's strike was diverted horizontally by Erdine whom flicked his wrist and slashed at her leg .
Dodging around , Pyrrha rounded on Erdine as she swept her leg at his abdomen .
Catching her leg in the crook of his elbow , Swivelling on his right foot as he hurled her around before he loosened his grip and let her fly at a nearby tree.
He wasted no time as he sprinted at her , Pyrrha herself landed on the tree with her feet , Using it as a springboard to change her javelin into its short sword.
" LETS GO PYRRHA " Erdine felt his heartbeat quicken As his excitement began to pick up .
As they collided , He swept right , Followed by a leftward sweep to her stomach followed through by a thrust at her stomach .
She blocked and diverted the swings and swipes before dodging out of the way of his thrust .
' This is it ' Pyrrha smiled slightly as she twirled her short sword around and slashed at Erdine's neck whom leant back all the way , Planting his arm behind him as he backflipped and kicked pyrrha in the chin with his boot before landing on his feet a couple metres away .
' REAL BATTLE ' Erdine's eyes widened in near madness as his entire body bulged , Excitement roared through his body as he felt a beating in his ears ' finally , I'VE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS '
The change was noticed by everyone present as Erdine slouched forward , Leaning at a seventy degree angle as His Nagakiba vanished to be replaced by a silver looking shorter katana.
An oppressive heat began to drop apon their shoulders and bodies as pyrrha launched at Erdine .
Erdine disappeared in a flash as he collided with pyrrha , The knight defending whilst using her semblance to drag her shield towards them from behind .
' BLOODHOUND STEP ' Erdine roared internally as he grabbed his blade with both hands , The Moonveil fitting perfectly in his hand as he pointed his blade at her stomach .
Blitzing towards her , He was pleasantly surprised as she managed to dodge it , Noticing the twitch of her fingers , Erdine heard the whistling of her shield from behind .
' Good ... GOOD ... SWORD DANCE ' Erdine cried internally as he slashed , Pyrrha blocking the first as he circled , Now doing a one eighty as he slashed the shield behind him sending it flinging away before he rounded back and made a horizontal slash as pyrrha's chest .
With the upwards slash , Pyrrha defended as her sword arm was knocked to the side , She watched with widened eyes as Erdine's blade , Currently above her , Descended , Using her speed , She managed to dodge to the left and made a grab to her shield .
As his blade connected to the dirt where pyrrha had previously been , Smirking as he tracked her with his eyes .
' She dodged it ... ' Erdine smirked as he changed back to his Nagakiba .
" You're strong pyrrha ... fast as well ... you're the opponent I've been looking for , Let's go all out shall we " Erdine bellowed as pyrrha fixed him with a small but happy nod ' Let's see just how much punishment you can take '
" LETS GO " Erdine screamed as he once more leapt , This time high into the air as he brought his blade down , His strikes becoming wild and untamed as pyrrha defended .
A slash at her chest was diverted and responded with a punch , Erdine caught the punch with his left hand before dragging her forward and kneeing the girl in the stomach .
She took the knee to the stomach However as she grunted and retorted by headbutting erdine on the nose.
The two proceeded to grab eachother , Pyrrha grabbing Erdine by his forearms whist she manipulated her weapons with her semblance , Sending them behind Erdine to stab him in the back .
Erdine grinned massively despite the blood pissing from his nose , Yet he grinned wider as pyrrha's blade descended apon his back .
Grabbing pyrrha by her waist , Much to her blooming shock , He rounded and dragged her into the path of her own weapon , Yet as it struck her , It bounced off and fell to the ground .
Noting her having no weapon , Erdine dispelled his blade and made a punch for her head which she ducked under before trying to sweep his legs out with a sweeping kick at his legs.
Jumping over the sweep , Erdine rotated like a corkscrew through the air as he kicked out at her stomach .
Rolling away from the kick , Pyrrha bounced to her feet and sent a left handed punch at his abdomen which was stopped against the palm of Erdine , Whom then curled his fingers around her wrist and used his grip to lift her from the ground and toss her upwards .
Now in the air , Erdine let her go and crouched down and prepared for an uppercut.
Descending , Pyrrha knew she had no chance of defended as his fist rocketed upwards , Instead chose to cross her arms infront of herself as the fist collided with her arms .
She could feel the bones in her arms rattle even as she was sent rumbling head over heels , The pain in her arms flared as she landed on said arms .
Slowly , Once more , She dragged herself onto her feet and gave a small smile at her opponent.
" Come on pyrrha , Let's end this , Your final attack followed by mine " Erdine reasoned as his Nagakiba appeared in his hand.
She pulled her short sword into her grip as it shifted to its javelin form .
' This is It then ... I've finally found him ... my challenge ' Pyrrha wheezed , Doing her best to appear unfaltering yet the pain racking her stomach and arms was a continuous beat of heat that caused her to wince .
' He's been holding back , This whole time , Even now , I haven't seen him struggle ' Pyrrha thought as she brandished her javelin in both hands ' No matter how this ends ... you're the one '
" COME AT ME PYRRHA GIVE ME ALL YOU HAVE " he held his arms to the side , The intensity of his eyes a roar as a flame began to peel from his right eye.
" YES " Pyrrha yelled in return as she began to sprint directly at Erdine , Holding her javelin at the waist as she sprinted .
Once she was almost apon him , His smirked and watched as she heaved her javelin , Hurling it forward with all her might , Dodging the javelin by jumping to the right , Erdine was intrigued as Pyrrha disappeared in a blur of speed .
Losing track of her , Erdine felt a piercing pain in his left arm as the javelin stabbed through his arm .
A look of shock appeared on pyrrha's face as she stared at the viscus blood beginning to stain her blade , Falling back in fright as Erdine gripped his own weapon.
" Its my turn pyrrha , I sincerely hope you are up to my expectations" Erdine created some distance between the two , The gash on his arm knitting itself together as the grip on his blade tightened .
" I told you when we first met that I mistook you for a woman named Malenia , Well let me tell you something about her ... She was without a doubt the most difficult opponent I have ever had the pleasure of fighting ... " Erdine pointed his blade at his teammate " Let me show you just what she taught me "
Crouching down , Erdine leapt upwards and stayed suspended in the air for a moment , His blade pointed back slightly in his curled arm .
What followed would be burned into the memories of his team members , As pyrrha prepared to defend herself after recovering from her shock , She held her weapon aloft .
The other members of team JNPER leant forward slightly as Erdine levitated for two solid seconds ... and then it happened .
" WATERFOWL DANCE " His blade vanished as he all but materialised beside pyrrha , His arm and body a blur as he began the opening salvo .
They couldn't tell how many strikes he performed , As several different after images appeared at once , The wind around them roared as he bounced .
Yet the damage was undeniable , As Pyrrha's sword couldn't possibly defend , As her armour was shredded and her clothing torn , Gashes of blood appeared as her aura near instantly broke against the onslaught .
He stopped after the first barrage of waterfowl dance as Pyrrha dropped to her knees , Her clothing barely clinging to her body as her armour dropped to the ground .
Reigning in his bloodlust , Erdine sighed and dispelled his Nagakiba , Turning back to pyrrha who remained on the ground as she breathed deep rugged breaths .
" FEARLESS LEADER , THAT WAS AMAZING " Nora bellowed as she appeared at his side .
" That was ... " Ren began as he shivered slightly ' Terrifying '
" Might I ask you all head back to the dorm , I'm going to take pyrrha for a checkup " Erdine asked as he gently slung his hands under the woman and began to lift her up bridal style .
" YES FEARLESS LEADER , REN CAN MAKE US PANCAKES WHILE WE WAIT " Nora yelled out as she grabbed Ren and Juane by the hem of their shirts before sprinting towards the dormitories .
' Let's get you to the infirmary ' Erdine mused as he began a slow trek towards the school grounds , Taking care to avoid running into other students lest they see pyrrha in such a vulnerable state .
' She has potential ' The Greater Will mused out loud in Erdine's head as they entered one of the faculty buildings .
' Yes ... I hope in our next spar I can take it alittle more seriously ' Erdine thought ' I mean ... she has absolutely nothing on Malenia ... or even anywhere near radahn ... but she has potential '
' Then why don't you take her under your wing , Make her into either a worthy opponent or ... ' The Greater Will hinted as Erdine shrugged.
' You're just saying that because you're into redheads ' Erdine retorted as the greater will felt scandalised .
' Blasphemy , I have no idea of what you're talking about ' The Greater Will heatedly retorted .
' Radagon , Radahn ... actually let's just go with the entirety of the royal family and it's descendants ... don't act like you didn't have anything to do with how they turned out looking ' Erdine teased as they turned down a corridor , Some students gasping at the limo and unconscious form of pyrrha being carried by the larger teen .
' I will speak no more on this subject , It is beneath me ' The Greater Will closed off as Erdine chuckled , He didn't think many would get away with teasing an outer god .
' Oh yea ... sure ' Erdine nodded unconvincingly as he felt the budding annoyance of his lord.
' Hush vessel of mine ' The Greater Will huffed as they stepped into the sterile infirmary .
Phantom pain sent shivers down her body as she groaned , Her head propped up by a pillow as her eyes fluttered open .
" Where ... " Her eyes adjusted to the bright light , Causing her to wince at the pain in her retina .
Tilting her head to the side , she caught sight of her leader sitting in a chair at the side of her bed , Slowly turning the pages of a book .
Perking up at her voice , The book snapped shut in his left hand as he turned to face her .
" Hey there she is " Erdine fixed her with a small smile as he dragged his chair closer to the side of her bed. Placing the book in hand onto a stand " How are you feeling "
" Like I got hit by a bullhead " Pyrrha replied weakly as he fetched her a glass of water .
" I apologise for that , I got alittle too caught up in the fight , I didn't mean to cause such untoward damage unto you " Erdine hung his head as pyrrha sat up alittle bit straighter in her bed " I hope you can forgive me "
Memories of their clash fluttered into her mind , As she remembered the final attack , she shuddered at the phantom slashes that she felt again .
" There is nothing to be sorry for , It was a spectacular battle " Pyrrha soothed as she sat up , The hospital gown she was wearing hanging onto her as the sheet that was over her slid down .
" Well at the very least , Allow me to make it up to you " Erdine look at her as she slung her legs over the edge of the bed .
Thinking over the proposal for several seconds ,Pyrrha's eyes tracked the look on her captains face as a small blush began to creep up her cheeks as she diverted her attention from him and looked at what remained of her outfit and armour , An idea coming to mind .
" Well , I believe I may need to acquire some new armour and refashion my shield " Pyrrha nervously pointed out as she pointed to the pile of scraps that used to be her ensemble " Would it be too much to ask you to assist in the matter "
" Not at all , I would be more than happy to assist in your endeavour " Erdine smiled before slowly rising and offering the girl a hand .
" Let's get you outta here , This place makes me uncomfortable and it's going to be time for dinner soon " Graciously she accepted his hand allowing for him to gently ease her off the bed .
" What's for dinner " Pyrrha asked as she put weight on her legs , Shaking slightly but none the less managed to stand under her own weight.
" Whatever Ren manages to scrounge up I presume , Nora was saying something about pancakes I believe " Erdine spoke as he offered an arm to the girl , Said girl flushing as she slid her arm under his , Looping around as he began to gently guide her from the room.
Arriving at the door to their dormitory, Erdine opened the door with his right hand as pyrrha stood at his side .
" Feeling alright " Erdine asked as the redhead nodded coyly , The larger male pushing the door open as he ushered them both into the room.
" Much better " The loud noise of clattering rose from within the dorm as the door opened , Erdine stepping to the side as he allowed pyrrha to shuffle inside and make a quick stride towards the couch which she sat herself down with a huff and sagged into its surface.
" FEARLESS LEADER " Nora practically broke through the kitchen into the common room as she diligently held her hand up in a solute " WE HAVE PREPARED A MOST LUSCIOUS MEAL OF PANCAKES"
Juane shuffled into the room from the male section of the dorm , Smiling softly as Erdine gave a small acknowledgement to the vibrant orange haired girl who beamed and went back to assaulting Ren whom was in the kitchen finishing the plates .
" Are you alright Juane " Erdine asked as he noticed the teen rubbing his stomach where he had been punched earlier .
" I'll be fine , Can't get stronger if I can't take anything right " Juane waved off his worries as he took his place from the previous night .
" Fair enough " Erdine made his way into the kitchen and saw Ren slaving over the stove whilst Nora was hurriedly messing with the toppings , Sprinting from the kitchen and placing said toppings on the table for them to use .
" Hey Ren , How are you faring " Erdine asked as he went over to the fridge and dumped the milk he had stored in his inventory while waiting for pyrrha to wake into the fridge for them to use .
" I feel ... content " Ren spoke , The small sentence giving the leader a small smile as he gently pet Ren on the shoulder .
" I'm glad then , Oh ... also ... Ive got another team meeting to go over , A review of sorts " Erdine told the teen whom nodded and accepted his leaders words before fishing the last of the pancakes onto the series of plates .
" Need some help " Erdine approached as the young man accepted with a small nod , Handing to plates to his leader whilst he carried the last three .
" Thanks " Ren spoke as they left the kitchen and made their way through to the common room where Nora was seated on her claimed beanbag , Shaking excitedly in place as she watched with widening eyes as they approached.
Placing the plates down in a circle around the maple syrup and honey and jams at the centre of the table.
Shimmying across the couch , Pyrrha pet the spot next to her , Allowing for Erdine to sit on the couch beside her like the night before as Ren took his place at pyrrha's side .
" Alright ... dig in " Erdine announced as Nora pounced , Scooping up the maple syrup and dumping it onto her pancakes before taking her knife and fork and hurriedly assaulting the food .
The other three around him were more reserved as they took their time to fix their plates , Juane taking some honey , Pyrrha taking a small amount of strawberry jam and smearing it onto her pancakes .
Ren was slower to choose as he dabbled abit of butter atop the stack on his plate , Watching it melt with a small smile before using a much smaller amount of maple syrup than the girl at his side .
' So that's how we eat these things ' Erdine copied their methods of eating the pancakes , Cutting small chunks out of the stack as he dabbled a small blob off all the syrups and jams onto his plate , Dipping a small bite one at a time to taste the different flavours.
' Maple syrup ... I can see why Nora likes it so much ' Erdine mused as he squinted whilst focussing on his taste buds ' It's smooth but not free flowing ... it's more ... what's the word '
' Thicker ... ' The Greater Will offered .
' Thicker ... that's the word ... and by the ... you ... it's good ' Erdine then tried the honey followed by each of the jams .
He tried to keep his groans of ecstasy to himself , But failed to do so as Ren and pyrrha sent him curious but amused glances .
" Sorry it's just ... Ive never had pancakes before ... they're alot better than I thought they were " Erdine intoned as Nora froze before robotically turning to face him .
" How could you have never had pancakes " Juane asked , Beating Nora to the punch as she scowled and shoved an entire pancake into her mouth .
" I used to travel alot , I usually just eat whatever I hunt and make for the day or week . Never had time for these... pleasantries " Erdine answered as he satisfied their curiosity, Albeit , Just alittle .
" Then we're gonna get you to try all the best foods " Nora assured him as he gave her a small smile .
" I look forward to that " Erdine answered as he placed his empty plate onto the table .
" Now then ... Ive got some things to go over with you guys " Erdine coughed as he sat back , Juane looking to him whilst eating slowly whilst the others showed they were listening , Pyrrha herself gave him her sole attention as she placed her plate down .
" Shoot " Nora spoke before shoving another pancake into her mouth.
" Okay , First things first ... Schedules " He pulled out a small note book from his inventory and opened it .
" Meal plans , Every week night , A member of the team will make dinner for the rest of us , What you make is entirely your choice , But you will be acquiring the ingredients during the previous week's shopping . Mondays will be handled by myself . Tuesday's pyrrha . Wednesdays are Ren's , Thursdays are juanes and Friday's are handed by Nora " Erdine began as he crossed out a bullet point on the page before him .
" On the weekends , Saturdays will be handed by yourself by making a meal for yourself and yourself only . Sundays however we will be taking the team out to Vale for a team night out for dinner and bonding " Erdine looked up from the pad as he judged their reactions " Is that acceptable for you "
" I don't see a problem with it " Ren agreed alongside a nod from Nora .
" I like this idea " Pyrrha smiled as juane looked unsure but accepted none the less .
" Great ...next order of business" Erdine looked at the pad " Daily routines "
" What you do before eight thirty in the morning is up to each of you but you are expected by the faculty to be ready and dressed for classes by nine am where said classes begin . Classes will typically go through to three of four pm " Erdine began as they all listened .
" After classes , at three thirty or four thirty depending the end of the class day , We will all head to the initiation cliffs where he will conduct training daily for a total of three hours until seven or eight pm . After that , We will return to the dorms cook our meals and complete our assigned studies . The rest of the night is up to you at your leisure but the basic requirements of sleep should be upheld , However whatever sleep you feel you need is fine with me " Erdine gave Nora a small nod as she beamed .
" That should be all for now , What I've seen during our spars earlier has allowed me some insights of what I need to do to improve apon your abilities " Erdine flipped a page in his notebook as he turned to Nora .
" Nora ... You're strong and fast while having a decent pool of aura , And from what I can guess your semblance increases this further . However from what I've seen , You lack awareness in certain situations and your perception , And you need to take time on deciding your course of action as hasty actions often lead to mistakes " Erdine listed off as Nora nodded along and listened intently " I'll be tailoring a training regime for you to go through that will approve apon these , The same as I will be doing for everyone else "
" Ren " Lie Ren sat up alittle straighter as he was turned to " You have good perception and acceptable hand to hand capabilities and have a high control over your aura . However you lack overall speed and defence , When pressured you seem to fall into a defence and make hasty decisions just like Nora "
Ren took his observations with dignity as Erdine gave the young man a smile " We will be working on improving your repertoire of abilities and your body "
" Thank you , I shall accept whatever training regime you hand me " Ren accepted as Erdine nodded and turned to Juane .
" Juane " The boy slumped as he prepared for the bad news " We have a great deal to work on for you , You lack defence and reflexes and attack potency , You appear to act before thinking and are quick to pressure "
The boy seemed downcast but was surprised by what followed .
" However ... you have heart , You're brave and don't back down in the face of defeat , You have the drive that is needed to close the gap between yourself and your teammates , I will make you the warrior I know you can be " Juane looked shocked but none the less thankful at the words , The awe of the acceptance of the man before him clear as day .
" I'll do my best not to disappoint you " Juane resolved himself and accepted the kind smile offered .
" Pyrrha " The girl looked completely engrossed at what was bout to come out of his mouth.
" You're strong ... fast , Have a great control of your semblance and great defence , You have a decent Moveset , Great perception and the reflexes to act apon them " The girl looked to accept his words with a small smile , Yet was pleasantly surprised about what followed .
" However , You lack foresight and diversity , You fall back into the same moves , You may toss up the Moveset into different segments , But at the end of the day it is the same set of moves through and through and that makes you predictable when you run out of new moves to try and you repeat . You also tend to hold back too much , If you give your opponent a fair opportunity ... then that comes at a detriment for yourself in the long run . Your greatest weakness ... is your mind " Erdine listed off as he saw a twinkle in the girls eye as he spoke " We'll be working on expanding your abilities , Giving you a larger Moveset , New weapons to master , New things to try with your aura "
" And this goes for everyone , We'll be working on your bodies , On your mind , Your thinking . I'm going to make you the monsters humanity needs in this war " Erdine looked at each and everyone of them before him , The looks on their faces as they resolved themselves to his training.
' I'm going to make you all the strongest things to walk the world one way or another '
CHAPTER COMPLETE
LEAVE A REVIEW OF YOUR THOUGHTS , AS THEY ALWAYS INTEREST ME .
NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE OUT BY SATURDAY OR SUNDAY AT THE LATEST