Thors Officer School, ToCS1 Outside the Fairy Tale
A/N: The only Kiseki-canon unit for weight is torim, which is one metric ton, so I needed to invent another name for a metric kilogram. I call it nalim. If anybody can think of a better name, feel free to post suggestions. And if there actually is a canon unit for a metric kilogram, give me a holler and I'll correct it. This is Kiseki-lore with thousands of little lore bits hidden in NPC dialogue after all.
Edit: Since Cold Steel 3, there's the canon unit curim for one metric kilogram, so nalim will be corrected. I still need a metric unit for gram though, so nalim will be that until canon contradicts me again.
This chapter finally allows me to put to paper one of my favorite things in written fiction: Physical violence. And whose perspective is more fitting than Class VII's resident female sword nut? I also wrote a somewhat long note at the end of the chapter about German Historical Fencing. If anybody is curious why I reduced Laura's blade size from Cloud Strife Buster Sword proportions to something resembling a realistic blade, feel free to read my reasoning at the bottom.
Apex85: Yeah, Rean's master will dual wield - if he feels like it. I will in fact dedicate a whole Form to dual wielding because I love creating head canon.
rikotch: Thanks for your praise. I don't know whether I'll be able to give you nice Sara-Neithardt banter as often as you would like, but I put both together for a reason, or several ;)
Blue Bragon: Ah, Giliath Osborne. He's indeed one interesting villain. I totally agree with your opinion that the man should have stayed as the kind of antagonist who couldn't be beaten with a sword or gun. I feel the Trails world is consistent and rich enough to give such an enemy ample room to be challenging.
My initial draft of Elliot was that his attendance at Thors was just more of the same misery like canon, only far more bitter, because Papa Craig forced his son into a military institution twice. And both times against his will. It ended up too angsty for my taste, because this is still Kiseki and Olaf is such a silly dad. I'm glad you like my revised version.
Chapter 5 – Dungeon Crawling
Blue dyed leather gloves, metallic vambraces, greaves as well as a long-coat bearing the colors of her family crest. The attire almost reached her knees with sewn-in steel plates at the bottom part to reinforce it. The coat basically served as an armored battle skirt, though she opted not to button it up, partially revealing the distinctive red jacket. She examined the armor parts one last time, making sure everything was properly attached, her mood rising along her battle readiness. She was glad they had to change out of the restrictive, ceremonial uniform dress. It was aesthetically pleasing she guessed, despite the severe cut, but she usually didn't wear something this feminine. For an instant, she grimaced, her mind wandering to the few occasions when she couldn't avoid donning the kind of festive dress coveted by proper daughters of high breeding: a wide billowing skirt made of artistically sewn brocade, which was overlain on a wooden scaffold, a punishingly tight bodice with lavish embroidery, only made wearable by the crushing corset underneath; at least the cursed attire was long sleeved, hiding her arms and overly broad shoulders. If she was forced into this kind of fashionable death trap - damn her father's honeyed tongue - she would at least make it look good.
Sometimes she wondered about other young noblewomen her age. Did they really like clothing this restrictive? Something that amounted to a wearable cage, molding body and posture to such a degree it could as well be called crippling? She couldn't help but wonder whether this part of traditional culture wasn't reflective of the insular mindset many noble families still clung to when it came to the role of females: the demure, obedient wife, following the patriarch's words and whimsies without question, her most important role in life being the bearer of children, preferably male.
Didn't Saint Sandlot conclusively show over 250 years ago how woman could be so much more, that they could become every man's equal if society just gave them the chance? Good thing her father couldn't care less about convention and allowed her to pursue her passions, nurturing her in accordance to her suitability and interests.
She pulled out the half-sheath Klaus gave her for her 18th birthday, though it would be more appropriate to call it a third-sheath. She fixed it on her torso, one strap going diagonally across her upper body, the other strap firmed horizontally. She fiddled with the buckles, for she wasn't used to the equipment yet. The partial sheath was quite an ingenious piece of engineering: It was inlaid with ferromagnetic plating, with the outer side collapsible. The hinge mechanism was connected to the belt buckle at her front, allowing her to fold the sheath 'open' like the pages of a book - all with a single press of the button.
She knelt down and opened her sword case, the pronounced smell of teak wood tickling her nostrils. The clasp made of brass opened without trouble, revealing the blade entrusted to her as a swordswoman of the Arseid School who reached the intermediate level. She grabbed the weapon single handed, a bolt of energy coursing through her arm, her whole body tingling with anticipation. How did the female instructor call their next task? An orienteering exercise? Strange wording aside, there was apparently monster slaying involved - a perfect opportunity to break in the new blade.
The weapon was a Zweihaender, custom fitted. 1,73 arge from pommel to tip, weight 3,87 curim, blade width at the rain guard: 6,2 rege. The lenticular cross-section contained a double fuller, the cavities filled with Sapphirl threaded cobalt, welded against the steel. The cross guard was straight, also forged from solid steel with an active Amberl gem in the middle, while the grip was wrapped in cured Sharkodil skin. The round pommel at the end served as a counter-weight, made of a modern high density iridium-iron alloy.
Laura put her other hand on the handle, twirling the sword once, listening to the sound of the weapon cutting air, marveling at the exquisite balance. She smiled contently. Using high density metal on the pommel to compensate for a heavy blade section was an old trick, though prior to the Orbal Revolution, the most commonly used material for this purpose were lead alloys, which carried the ugly side effect of metal poisoning. Luckily, she didn't need to worry about this particular problem.
She pressed the button for the mechanism to flip open her sheath. Her blade described a lazy arc, coming to rest at her back, the weapon latching to the magnetic plating. She bend her right arm further, pressing down the opened sheath, sandwiching the blade in-between. Laura nodded to herself. Perfect.
The Arseid swordswoman breathed in deeply, calming herself. There was still one last piece of equipment she needed to deal with. She glanced down at the combat orbment which was supposedly a core aspect of the experimental class she was assigned to. The All Round Communication & Utility System, instructor Sara Valestein called it, a fifth generation combat orbment despite fourth generation still considered bleeding edge in official cycles. It was another worrying indication how the technological arms race was going out of control. Well, this way she was provided a perfectly logical explanation as to why major Neidhardt was so insistent on the non-disclosure contracts. That and the Ancient Ruin of course. Rean Schwarzer already pointed out this excavation wasn't strictly legal. She didn't know much about international politics, but it was clear the Church would look unfavorably on the military's action if they ever found out, though as a prospective member of said military there wasn't much she could do here.
She opened the panel of the ARCUS, coming face to face with the orbment setup. It was mostly empty except for the piece of burning fire in the middle. She felt her gaze inextricably drawn to the red Master Quartz, something she had never used until now, for the military academies only equipped their students with cheap second generation orbments which were still more than sufficient to turn an average fighter into a formidable foe. Laura started her combat breathing rhythm, picturing the currents and the rapids of water, the gentle waves lapping at the shore, the beauty of reflected sun light on Lake Ebel. Her inner energy coursed through her, making it easy to establish the spiritual link towards the Quartz. The connection snapped shut immediately and the familiar sensation of almost-knowing welled up inside her mind. She smiled. BRAVE. The fiery piece of crimson power embodied a pretty straightforward concept. She snapped the panel shut again, satisfied with the persisting spiritual connection. The rest would sort itself out. The knowledge of the Ancients encapsulated in the Quartz and brought forth through the orbments were instinctual, subliminal, lurking in the vast sea of the unconscious until they were needed. As a follower of the sword, she was well aware there was no use to overthink the issue.
She put the ARCUS into her orbment pouch and turned around. Her fellow cadets were all in various states of preparation, but it was just in her nature to focus on the sword fighters first. Jusis Albarea was a familiar sight, an acquaintance from Lokis who like her had been incessantly haunted by the academy's fencing club. Both of them turned down the club captain's invitation time after time until it became a little bit of a personal joke between them. Sadly, their relationship never went beyond friendly acquaintance, though she was pleasantly surprised to find out the young man strictly adhered to noblesse oblige underneath his stiff propriety. Shortly before graduation, she even convinced him to a friendly bout away from prying eyes, both of them aware the rumor-mill would have exploded if people saw them like that, making untoward assumptions to fuel their hunger for gossip.
The fight was telling to say the least. She was of course not so blasé to confront him about the findings she gathered through the clashing of their blades. They simply weren't close enough, so it would have been an invasion of his personal space, especially because said space was the sanctity of his mind. Now though, when fate had decreed to throw them in the same group, omitting the issue of his court fencing and the emotional turmoil it implied didn't feel palatable anymore.
She was going to keep an eye on him. They may not be friends, but Jusis was far from the kind of person she disliked. He was also a known quantity, a piece of comfortable familiarity in this highly irregular situation she found herself in.
Her gaze went to the other swordsman of this so called Class VII and she felt her eyes narrowing, her breath quickening. The sword he carried was a thing of sheer, utter beauty: the slight curvature, the lacquered sheath, the cross-binding of the grip, the fin-shaped protrusion at the guard as well as the red tassel fastened at the bottom of the handle. It felt like there was a wholly different kind of cultural sensibility guiding the resulting aesthetic, but she could certainly appreciate it.
She caught herself almost licking her lips, the anticipation of watching the eastern tachi in action warring with her curiosity of whether the black haired young man was a follower of that particular style. Laura thought it probable. She was knowledgeable enough about eastern culture to understand their martial arts schools - though sect was the more appropriate term - were highly insular and horded their techniques jealously. Even for a native, gaining entry into those circles was fraught with difficulties and came with lifelong obligations and oaths. An Erebonian learning from them was unthinkable. That only left the legendary Hermit, the man who went against eastern orthodoxy in combining the accumulated secrets of no less than eight martial-arts sects, followed by the temerity of teaching the resulting system to Westerners. The fact he survived the backlash of his actions was proof enough of the man's resourcefulness and strength, but according to father, the Sword Hermit treated the whole affair as something of a joke.
There was of course the possibility the sword was just an affectation, a son of aristocracy showing off his wealth by brandishing an exotic weapon he knew nothing about, treating the sword as a mere prop to impress his fellows. No, it didn't fit. Rean Schwarzer claimed to be adopted, which told her volumes about what kind of man Baron Schwarzer was. Her fellow cadet was also willing to carry the weapon into a den of monsters and the way he was handling the blade - the smoothness of the sheathing motion, the easy way the weight of the weapon rested on his hips.
She smiled. There was probably no reason to worry.
Laura went to the center of the room to join the cluster of cadets who were already finished with their preparations. There was no instructor in sight - intentional surely - and though they hadn't entered the obstacle course yet, she was sure the evaluation for each and every one of them had already started. The success or failure of their group cooperation was certainly a crucial part for Thors to judge their worthiness. She wondered a moment if the staff had monitoring devices placed here; she heard from father how modern fortresses utilized them, but a moment later she thought it irrelevant. Monitoring devices or not, it was common practice in officer schools to have cadets write assessments among themselves. They were going to be each others most intimate and perhaps harshest critics.
"If I may be so forward, I think it prudent for all of us to decide on how we proceed with this orientation," Laura said, catching the attention of all cadets present. "I admit I'm not exactly familiar with Ancient Ruins and what to expect inside them, but by pooling our expertise we are sure to reach a satisfactory solution." She gave Rean an obvious look.
The black-haired youth scratched his head. "This is my first Ancient Ruin too, you know?" But when he saw Alisa's narrowed eyes, he hastily added: "I do have second-hand knowledge about what to keep in mind during an exploration."
Jusis quirked an eyebrow. "Second-hand knowledge?"
"Yeah, one of my electives at Baldurs was archeology."
The Albarea heir folded his arms. "What a peculiar choice for someone aiming to become a military officer."
The adopted noble smiled sheepishly. "I was always interested in history. I thought it was a nice addition."
"So what is there to take heed of?" Laura interjected to steer the conversation back on track.
He took out some colored chalk as answer. "We will use these to mark our way through the place. Depending on the size of the ruin as well as its former function, it can end up being a literal maze. Sometimes there are floor plans or directions, though they are usually hidden inside storage mediums in digital form. More often than not, explorers don't have the necessary tools to access the information and even if we find a floor map in analog form, carved or painted on the walls, we probably won't be able to make much sense out of it... except if someone present happens to read an Ancient language or two? Middle Zemurian Futark is pretty common or perhaps Lower Erebosian Cuneiform?"
Silence was his only answer.
The black haired swordsman nodded. "Okay. That's navigation covered. The second barrier are autonomous security measures." He stroked his chin. "Simply consider them traps. It can be something as mundane as a self-fortifying door, but we can also end up in a sealed room flooded by toxic gas or alert mechanical monstrosities. They are called archaisms in archaeologic circles and this segues right into the third barrier: Monsters. As we all know, refined Septium attracts monsters and Ancient Technology required ridiculous amounts to function. As such, the older the ruin the longer it served as a feeding ground. This is usually a good thing, because the monsters basically destroy the energy source on which the security measures depend. On the other hand, Septium found in Ancient Ruins is often of particularly high purity which exacerbates the mutations in monsters."
"Are you serious?" Machias Regnitz stammered. Laura saw how the bespectacled girl, Emma was her name, became as pale as a sheet. Even the Reinford Heiress and general Craig's son looked clearly uncomfortable.
Rean raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. "Just to be clear, what I described is the worst case scenario. There's every possibility the instructors have already defused the biggest dangers."
Laura hummed lightly. "But we don't know this for sure, do we? I even dare say this is part of the challenge."
Jusis scoffed. "If I were to gauge that...flippant instructor, I can very much picture her trying to make our life difficult."
"You bet," the silver haired girl chimed in for the first time. Laura narrowed her eyes. Out of all the cadets, she was the sole person who put her on edge, though she couldn't quite grasp the reason. "I can scout," she added in a deadpan voice.
"Absolutely not!" Machias Regnitz burst out. "This is far too dangerous. We should stick together."
"And getting caught up in a trap all at once." She retorted dryly. She looked at the bespectacled male with her trademark apathetic expression, but she still somehow conveyed the impression as if she was dealing with a particularly dim-witted child.
"You did hear all the dangers Rean just listed?" Laura interjected.
The silver haired girl rolled her eyes. "If that's all, I'm going."
"Wait!" Rean called out.
The small girl turned around. "Yeah?"
He threw two pieces of chalk at her. She caught them without trouble.
"Use a green circle as a sign for whichever direction you are going at an intersection. If it turns out to be a dead-end, paint a red cross on top once you return to the intersection. If you encounter a trap and disarm it, use a green exclamation mark. If it's still active, a red exclamation mark."
"Sounds reasonable."
"And if you get into trouble, don't hesitate to alert us over the ARCUS," the black-haired swordsman added. "They have a call-to-call function according to instructor Valestein."
She nodded curtly. "I know. My old orbment had one, too." She made a victory sign. "See you and don't lag behind too much."
Her body was illuminated by a rainbow shimmer that turned her entire outline transparent. Another shimmer went across her body leaving nothing in its wake.
"Did she just turn invisible?" Alisa said nonplussed.
"What happened just now?" Machias murmured.
Jusis folded his arms. "I think there's a Quartz called 'Cloak' which allows the user to completely blend in with the surrounding. It's rare and prohibitively expensive to synthesize."
Alisa shook her head. "But this doesn't make any sense. We were only given cheap and basic Quartz for our ARCUS units. How did she just whip out something like this?"
Laura shrugged. "Perhaps it's a function of her Master Quartz. If I were to hazard a guess, we all have different ones tailored to our individual combat leanings."
"Well, perhaps this is the reason she volunteered to scout," Rean added. "If the instructors deemed it appropriate to give her such a powerful tool, the only thing we can do is trust her to do her job." He turned towards all of them and balled a single fist. "I think we should concentrate on what the rest of us can do. Is there anyone who took an elective in squad tactics?"
Laura raised her hand with a bemused expression.
He chuckled and bowed slightly. "In that case, Lady Arseid, I leave the floor to you."
She quirked an eyebrow. Polite, handsome, smart and probably an accomplished swordsman? He was certainly piquing her interest. "Thank you for the courtesy, though you can call me Laura like everybody else." She smiled around. "We are going to be equals in this class. Now, about how we should organize our combat formation...
The actual ruins didn't quite fulfill Laura's expectations. She was not the most bookish type. Beside the required coursework she sometimes indulged in light reading, but even then it was mostly what could only be charitably called action-thriller novels. While she didn't mind the occasional dash of a romantic sub-plot, the substantial part of the story should be filled with adventure, intrigue and fighting.
Carnelia came to mind as one of her favorite series. But whatever the story; Ancient Ruins, Lost Technology or Artifacts were often utilized as set-pieces, the conflict around them exploited to drive the plot forward. As a result, she always carried the impression that a facility of the Ancients would look like the interiors of modern buildings, only even more modern. She remembered a word the Imperial Chronicle used to describe Crossbell: Futuristic.
The site beneath Thors' old schoolhouse looked nothing like her imagination. A stark reminder how fiction often came short of reality.
The walls of the place was made of finely chiseled stone - smooth, polished, in pristine condition. There was a weight of age and mystique about the place that was palpable, despite the lack of decay, as if everything had been frozen in time.
Their group moved in a classic spear-formation. Rean, Gaius and her made up the tip as the dedicated melee fighters. Alisa and Machias as the ranged attackers were the shaft. Emma and Elliot made up the tail end with Jusis as the rearguard. As Rean suspected, the place turned out to be a maze, but monster encounters were few until now. The only kind of creature barring their way looked like an oversized golden beetle, their carapace thick enough to withstand bladed weapons and even thrusts. Jusis, Alisa and Elliot were the first to respond with fire Arts, which proved to be effective and soon enough, Emma also joined in with surprisingly potent casting. When Laura cautioned them to conserve their orbment energy, the Reinford Heiress claimed she could use her engineering skills to disassemble the orbal lighting on the walls and leech off their energy to charge the ARCUS units. Rean added his vote of confidence by saying he already saw her perform the feat reliably. After the proclamation, the Arts users became far more generous in their castings.
Their little scout was also doing a splendid job. The Arseid swordswoman had pegged her from the beginning as a speedster type and she proved it by constantly staying ahead of them despite the detours she no doubt had to take. Her chalk markings turned into quite a familiar sight, along with the occasional monster corpse. Three green exclamation marks followed by dismembered mechanisms and sprung traps proved she was proficient when it came to disarming them.
Laura was sure the silver-haired girl's expertise also included the aggressive application of traps.
They met their first major skirmish after about an hour into their exploration. Luckily, they had advance warning, for their scout wrote 'monster nest' in blazing letters at a twofold intersection. Soon enough, they arrived at the infestation site, a cavernous hall with a seemingly endless honeycombed ceiling. Strange chimeras, a cross-breed of an overweight feline with bat wings, flapped around clumsily, going in and out of what seemed to be the countless entrances of some tunnel system.
They immediately retreated, before any of the creatures became alert.
"This is bad," Rean murmured.
Gaius nodded. "Indeed. There is no way to know how many of them lurk inside these tunnels."
"And they just have to possess flight and have the height advantage," Machias groused.
Alisa sighed. "I so envy our little scout's cloaking Quartz right now."
Laura clapped her hands twice to raise everyone's attention. "This is admittedly quite a challenge," she looked everyone on her team in the eye, "so what we need are options. I think I speak for everybody that we ought to avoid a fight in a fixed position."
"I think we should just try to cross the hall as fast as possible," Elliot Craig chimed in.
Laura felt a slight tinge of disappointment. She thought the son of such a highly decorated officer would show more of a warrior's spirit. She saw him fidgeting, his grip on the Orbal Staff unnecessarily firm. Perhaps it was just the nervousness getting to him?
"I agree we can't linger in the hall," she focused her gaze on him, "but there's every possibility we will be attacked by an overwhelming horde no matter how fast we try to move as a group." She folded her arms. "We are only as fast as our slowest member. Surely there's more to your suggestion than just running?"
To her surprise, the orange-haired youth straightened himself. Suddenly, his stance and demeanor seemed much firmer. Not quite steel, but certainly far from flimsy. His movements were still jittery, but now it seemed more a result of too much energy he didn't quite manage to discharge. She could all but see how his mind began churning.
"Could anyone lend me a class 3 Esmelas Quartz? Mine has been taken away alongside my old combat orbment."
Gaius stepped forward and handed him one without hesitation. "Will this Evade do?"
The orange haired youth nodded vigorously. "Yeah, this is perfect."
"You have a plan, Elliot?" Machias stated.
"Yes, and I'll probably need additional help." He removed the casing on his Orbal Staff. "Anyone proficient with Quartz-circuit wiring?"
"Yes," Alisa and Jusis piped up at the same time. The Albarea heir nodded graciously. "Ladies first."
The Reinford heiress rolled her eyes in good humor. "A word of warning, I'm no expert. Don't expect me to do technological wizardry or anything."
"Can you short-circuit?"
Alisa put her hands on her hips. "Yes, but why in the name of Aidios would you want to do that?"
"I think we might need an Arts overcharge."
"And pray tell, what kind of amplified Art is worth ruining your weapon for?" Jusis inquired.
The orange-haired youth scratched his head. "A massive sonic boom. I mean, these flying felines have ears right? They might be mutated, but according to basic monster lore, they retain the anatomy of their core species or something along those lines. In other words, their vestibular organ is also located in their ear canal. If their sense of balance is disrupted, I doubt they'll be able to fly around."
Alisa gesticulated wildly. "Slow down a second. What do you mean sonic boom? I have never heard of an Art like this!"
Elliot slumped his shoulders. "Well, I'm the one who kinda developed sonic arts." He spoke in an almost questioning voice, as if he didn't quite believe his own accomplishment. "I had tons of help though."
"Remarkable," Laura smiled, making him blush, "and I agree with your reasoning about how focused noise might affect these creatures."
"Seconded", Rean piped up.
"But isn't it also dangerous for the rest of us?" Emma pointed out. "Your overcharged attack is going to have a wide area effect and even if you direct it away from us initially, some of the sonic waves will be reflected back like an echo."
"Right, I forgot. Ear protection for all. With high energy noise, it's kind of difficult to avoid friendly fire," Elliot chuckled mirthlessly. "I really hope we can cross the hall without resorting to my Art."
Alisa was the first to go for a solution. She dug out a hard cushion from her tool box, calling it a little comfort when repairing machinery while laying face up. She told the rest of them to salvage the stuffing. Laura had to admire her fellow cadet's quick thinking. She knew from her science classes how porous materials made for good sound insulation, but translating knowledge into constructive action this fast? She was indeed among capable individuals.
Gaius volunteered to brutalize the cushion with his hunting knife, carving uniform portions into improvised earplugs. Meanwhile the Reinford Heiress helped Elliot rig his Orbal Staff for the planned sacrificial attack.
She shrugged mentally. If the only sacrifice was his weapon, the prize was indeed small. Even a sword, no matter how mighty or pristine, was just a tool in the end. Tools could be repaired or reforged. If everything else failed, arranging a replacement was also feasible.
The same couldn't be said about human lives.
She saw Jusis working on one of the ARCUS units with Emma standing close beside him. Curiosity took over and she stepped towards them to watch the Albarea heir fiddle with a screwdriver, his face set in a stony expression. The back-cover of the combat orbment was removed revealing the interior. All Laura could perceive was a web of wiring and processors. Gone were the familiar cogs and gears of the previous models, though on closer inspection she could still make out a few of them.
"Are you trying to synchronize Quartz across an orbment line?"
Jusis sighed. "Emphasis on 'try'." He put the cover back and handed the ARCUS to Emma. "My apologies, Lady Millstein, but it seems my idea was overly hasty. Configuring the circuits on this beast of a contraption is beyond me."
"It's okay. I was the one to come forward in the first place."
Laura smiled. "I have noted your casting is particularly powerful." She tilted her head. "May I call you Emma?"
She laughed shyly. "Oh of course. Well, I read that combat orbments could draw out more powerful Arts when several Quartz were pooled together, but I didn't realize the actual process was so difficult."
"If it were the old models, I could do it in minutes." Jusis huffed." Of course, they just had to provide us with prototype orbment models, whom nobody knows how to properly use, as if this ridiculous 'obstacle course' isn't already trying enough."
"But perhaps that's the point," Rean said.
"Oh?" Jusis quirked an eyebrow. "How so?"
The black haired swordsman gestured around them. "Look at us, people from different social classes and different backgrounds using our different specializations to work towards a single goal. Giving us unfamiliar orbments puts us outside our comfort zones, which kind of reflects this whole mixed class setting, don't you think?"
Laura and Jusis both nodded slowly. "Putting it like that, this whole orienteering exercise suddenly sounds much more meaningful than I initially thought."
"I'm loathe to admit it, but perhaps that bumbling woman does possess a speck of sense."
Emma chuckled. "There is this nice saying: necessity is the mother of inventions. With limited resources, we are forced to become creative."
The Albarea heir nodded. "True words. Though we still need a contingency in case Elliot Craig's Orbal Staff stunt blows up in our faces. I've hoped we could synthesize a wide area fire art, but with the ARCUS models being obstinate...," he trailed off delicately.
"I will be the contingency," Laura announced.
The others present looked at her in wonder. Only Rean seemed amused. "A secret technique of the Arseid School?"
Laura flipped her lone hairlock. "Not exactly secret, but difficult to perform. If I use it, I will be exhausted for a while, so you and Gaius will have to do vanguard duty on your own."
He gripped the sheath of his tachi. "Noted."
"We are ready!" Alisa cried out. Their group turned to the Reinford Heiress.
"Guess it's show time," Rean murmured.
Their group sneaked back to the cavern. Their hand-sign coordination was a little stiff, but serviceable. The creatures were still fluttering around in their overhead tunnel system, but right now they were ignored. All cadets looked at each other and nodded.
Then, they started to run.
The cavernous hall was almost two hundred arge wide, a distance Laura could dash across in about fifteen seconds if she really pushed herself. But as she stated, they were only as fast as their slowest member. Like her background suggested, Emma had the biggest problem keeping up and soon enough, the movements of the flying chimeras became erratic.
Even expecting the worst, the sheer deluge of monsters pouring out of the tunnels was completely, utterly unreal. A dark, wobbly cloud of bodies bore down on them. Elliot raised his staff and activated the emergency Art without hesitation.
Even with their earplugs, Laura heard the sound, a high pitched, stinging sensation driving needles into the inside of her ear, the pain shooting down the sides of her face. The Orbal Staff was spewing out smoke and sparks. She raised her head and looked up: the flying felines plummeted down like stones, their falling bodies landing with continuous smacks which she didn't hear but could feel through the vibration on the ground.
They still ran, their gazes glued to the ceiling. Their Arts users conjured gusts of wind to steer the falling bodies away from them. When they finally reached the other end, Emma collapsed on her knees, her breathing rhythm completely out of sync.
Laura immediately turned back, sword drawn, ready to defend her comrades. There was no guarantee they were going to end up in the same class. They might not be friends yet, but they had each others backs until now and by her honor, she would do her utmost to return the favor.
Looking at the mass of creatures and their condition, there probably wasn't any reason to worry. Most of them laid motionless on the ground. She saw bend limbs and smashed skulls. Most of the flying felines were bleeding through their ears. There were some occasional convulsions, but even the handful monsters that were not completely incapacitated made no sign of going after their group. They were instead clawing and biting at each other. Did the pain drove them insane?
She removed her earplugs. Like the flip of a switch, inhuman wails and cries assaulted her ears, the sheer amount of suffering squeezing her like a vice. Was this the reason Elliot Craig seemed reluctant on using the very Art he innovated?
Another piercing shriek resonated through the room.
"There's still more coming!" Elliot shouted.
Another swarm descended upon them, the specimens bigger than the ones in the first gargantuan wave, although they were much smaller in number. There was movement at the corner of her right side. Moments later, a couple of sentient rocks literally detached themselves from the wall.
Laura took Emma's arm and pulled her up roughly. "We need to get deeper into the passage! Funnel them so we deal with less enemies."
They moved about fifteen arge further, before Laura raised her left arm in a fist, a signal for all to hold.
The horde of monsters advanced on them like an ominous flood, mostly winged chimeras with some sentient rocks mixed in between. She glanced to Gaius and Rean, a single nod sufficient to confirm their formation. The weapon of all frontliners were long range, so keeping out of each others way was the best they could hope for in this first major fight. Laura readied her Zweihaender, a single pulse of inner energy flowing into the Amberl gem, applying a protection against wear and tear on her blade. The only thing the monsters had going for them were numbers. An application of mundane sword skills should be all she needed. She grinned wolfishly.
Life favored the bold. The swordswoman charged forward greeting a forward straggler with a downward diagonal slash. The weapon cleaved through the monster like butter, the creature breaking apart in a burst of pink blood and gore. She zigzagged away from the carcass, confronting a triplet of the felines charging at her. Laura lowered her stance, rotated her hips sideways and placed her massive blade behind her head.
Zorn stance.
She decapitated three felines in a single horizontal slash. Laura then released her left hand midway through the slash, pulling her own body along the momentum of her sword to add extra speed to a ninety degree turn. With the force bled out to about a half, she let her weapon twirl downward and up on her main hand until it came to rest in high guard with her facing the next monster straight on.
A vicious downward slash, cutting apart her foe from top to bottom, but she was too slow on her return, the next batch of monsters already upon her.
The most important rules when fighting against numerical superiority: never let the enemies surround you, always take care of the footwork and never, ever relinquish the initiative.
She raised her left arm to intercept the flying feline, the creature too close to effectively fight with her long blade. The moment the monster bit down on her vambrace, she dashed sharply to her right side to gain distance from the two monsters on the tail of the one attacking her forearm, until she came face to face with the wall. Laura pumped force into her legs, adding another burst of speed to her dash as she slammed her left arm against the solid surface - and the creature alongside it.
She heard the breaking of bones, saw the blood fan out from behind the head of the monster like the splash of a ripe tomato bursting, felt her armored forearm dig into the open mouth of the creature, forcefully dislodging its jaw bones.
She dragged her arm out, turning her body a hundred-eighty degrees by merely rotating her hips and shifting her stance. A short assessment. There were some stragglers among the monsters who made it through their melee front line, but Jusis and the other shooters were more than sufficient to finish them off. Trusting her allies to handle themselves Laura continued to do her own job: making sure the amount of monsters breaking through their front line remained a mere trickle.
Another two felines were upon her, with an additional flying monster charging towards Gaius' unprotected flank. She narrowed her eyes, realizing that every fraction of a second counted. A lightning fast thrust, her muscles burning as she utilized the power of her Master Quartz for the first time, the blade entering the first feline with such force the tip protruded out of its back. The creature uttered a pitiful wail of pain, but Laura was already moving at full speed, carrying the skewered monster on her sword like a deranged shish kebap. While in motion, she performed a downward slash with a ninety degree twist, throwing the monster off her blade, pitching its dying body against the other feline mid-flight.
A surprised squeak told her she struck true, but she was already moving past them, her body gaining even more momentum, until she fell into a sliding step, gliding the last few arge along the ground, her blade positioned like a jousting lance.
Her second thrust caught the sneaking monster right in the back, securing her fellow cadet's flank. Another burst of strength drawn from her orbment as she carried the monster in an upward arc, performing the same maneuver again as she threw another dying carcass at the same feline that already suffered the indignity of getting a companion chucked against its face. This time, Laura saw no reason to prolong its humiliation, using the second the monster was distracted to split it open with another rote downward slash.
There was a lull in the fight she used to look around: Rean was still dealing with his own share of monsters, dancing around their attacks with intricate footwork, dispatching them with efficient ease. Gaius was struggling a little. Due to the superior reach of his spear, he was placed in the middle of the front causing him to face the highest numbers of enemies.
Well, there was no reason to stay idle when a companion was in trouble. She walked towards her fellow cadet, carefully choosing her next target.
There, a sentient rock which continued to harass him. She stepped forward forcefully, slamming her armored leg against the monster to provoke its attention. The cluster of rock turned its front towards her - a mistake. Laura crouched down heavily, her forward leg almost parallel to the ground, her torso on the same level as the monster. She changed her grip on the sword, her left hand closing on the strong of the blade, holding her Zweihaender like an impromptu spear. She performed a precise thrust guided by her half-swording, the tip of her blade burying itself in the small unprotected face of the sentient rock. Laura drew another burst of strength from her orbment, using sheer arm strength to push the weapon deeper. She released the hold of her left hand on the blade, returning to a conventional grip again. Then she performed a full three-hundred-sixty degree twist, aggravating the wound further, her stance and footwork already flowing into another routine as she turned her back towards her slain foe, pulling her sword out in the same motion. A small fountain of black ichor spurt out, but she was moving again, her sword held in a dragging motion as she intercepted another two felines.
Her upward slash caught one monster dead on while cutting off the wing of the second, causing the wounded monster to careen against the ground in a spiraling dive. She didn't deem the downed foe a second glance. Gaius was going to finish it easily with his pressure lessened. She felt another pang of alarm and turned her attention to Jusis, seeing an exceptionally big specimen threatening his flank, its skin smoking from fire arts, but still going strong. Laura didn't hesitate and threw her Zweihaender full force, the blade describing a lazy arc until it buried itself sideways in the monster's neck, the kinetic force of her thrown weapon flinging it to the ground screaming. Laura felt herself relaxing followed by a strange echo of the same emotion.
She shook her head to dispel the weird sensation, searching for another enemy, but the front was almost devoid of foes now, except for two lone felines diving headlong at Gaius and herself. Laura sidestepped the attack and raised her arms in a classic boxing guard. A firm step-in followed by an one-two combination as she rammed the armored backsides of her fists at the creature, stunning it enough for it to fall to the ground. She didn't relent, kicking the downed monster upwards until it was level with her face before striking it with her right elbow in a savage side-swipe, completely ruining its delicate wing and sending it tumbling down again.
Seconds later, it was finished off by a simple thrust of Rean's tachi.
Laura straightened herself and tapped against her forehead. She felt slightly warm, her skin damp with some sweat, but all in all the fight right now rated as a mere warm-up. Well, who knew how long the maze was going to continue? She needed to pace herself and conserve her strength.
The cadets gathered around each other, the tension in the air replaced by the euphoria of a well earned victory.
"That was one hell of situation," Elliot exhaled, his voice still reverberating with worry.
Machias chuckled weakly. "Agreed, Elliot. I can't remember ever encountering such a swarm, even during the occasional stints into Heimdallr's catacombs. I mean seriously, how many were there? Hundreds?"
Alisa sighed. "Yeah, sounds about right. The instructors weren't joking when they told us to stay together. I hope Fie is okay. This place is downright nasty."
"I think she'll be alright," Rean said.
"Yeah," Elliot said. "She seems strangely capable, like nothing ever fazes her."
"Speaking of people fazed by nothing," Jusis spoke up, "here's your sword." He returned her weapon, clearly relieved to be free of the burden. His expression was carefully guarded, until it broke into a small smile. "I suppose I should thank you for your assistance, though I remain puzzled how you can lug around a piece of steel as heavy as this, let alone use it to properly fence."
She smiled softly. "Lots of practice... and long swims in Lake Ebel." She furrowed her brows, thinking back to the recent revelation that her physical strength wasn't entirely natural. She then turned to Emma and bowed slightly. "I apologize for my rough handling, but time was of the essence."
The bespectacled girl shook her head in embarrassment. "Not at all. It was my inadequacy which forced us into the situation in the first place. If I were only faster and had more stamina."
Machias cleared his throat. "You have nothing to apologize for. I think each of us was carefully chosen to cover as many specialties as possible. Nobody can be good at everything, so we shouldn't hesitate to accept each others help to cover our weaknesses."
"Well spoken", Gaius laughed pleasantly. "I also have to thank you for your timely interventions," he told Laura, a soft smile gracing his face, "and you have my admiration. Since coming to Erebonia, I've never seen someone fight the way you do, forceful, domineering and very powerful. It's quite different from Court Fencing, like a style born on the battlefield."
She smiled back. "Thank you for your kind words. I'm a follower of the Arseid style of swordsmanship. My father, the Viscount, is the current master of the school. Along with the Vander style, it's one of the most influential historical fighting systems in Erebonia, forged in the middle of the War of the Lions." She couldn't help but inject a little pride into her voice.
Her fellow cadet chuckled. "I see. Another example of how the Empire keeps its knightly traditions alive."
"I admit I was doubtful in the beginning," Machias chimed in, "seeing a girl like you strapping on a blade like that, but you certainly proved me wrong with your display. I think you killed almost a third of the monsters by yourself."
"If we discount the horde dispatched by Elliot's sonic Art. On the other hand, is it so surprising to see a woman fend for herself against monsters?"
"Well, it's unconventional..." he began to stutter as he felt the disapproving gaze of Alisa upon him and even Emma was narrowing her eyes. "Okay, I ran into this one. Perhaps I should be careful not to run my mouth."
Jusis scoffed. "Considering how you're continuing to do exactly that since entering this... schoolhouse, it would be prudent of you to watch your tongue for a change."
The son of governor Regnitz whirled around. "And who asked you for your opinion? I don't think you have any reason to preach from your high horse, considering you're a mere back-up fighter who needed to be saved by a woman."
Jusis shook his head and raised his shoulders in an elegant shrug, timed for maximum aggravation. "And you still continue to spew your chauvinism without noticing. Is that supposed to be a shining example of your progressive political attitude?"
"I would like to ask your lordship", Machias started in a voice dripping with venom, "to hold your damn mouth! A social relic like you is the last person on Zemuria to have any right to educate me on chauvinism. The disgusting mating rituals your ilk practices are an absolute affront with all the unspoken rules enforced like biting shackles on the women, especially if they have the gall to marry outside their station."
Laura sighed and took out a rough cloth from her utility bag. She raised her voice, lacing it with a sliver of killing intent. "I would ask you gentlemen to cease your verbal sparring." Both of them froze. When she was sure she had their attention, she slowly wiped her blade, cleaning off the blood and gore. "I understand both of you feel slighted by the other," she narrowed her eyes, going for another wipe, "and I'm certainly the last person willing to prevent you from getting satisfaction from the other. But right now, we are in the middle of a monster-infested ruin. Whatever grief the both of you have, vent your emotions and antipathy when we are out of here." Another wipe. Her perfectly polite voice gained a further edge. "I'm even willing to play referee for your duel, so I would kindly suggest you hold your horses until then."
It was not a suggestion.
Jusis sighed. "I guess what you say has merit, Laura. Let's call it a truce until we are out of this place."
Machias scowled. "I'm not entering any kind of truce, but as long as you stay off my back, I'm willing to ignore you."
"How magnanimous of you," the Albarea heir countered sardonically.
"Stop it!" Alisa snapped. "We don't need a truce! Just don't shoot each others back and drag the rest of us down with you. Can you do that?"
Both of them looked at the blond, then back at Laura whose blade was still resting in her hands.
Finally, they relented, the duo turning sharply from each other.
Laura sheathed her sword and walked to the front of their group. "Shall we?"
"Yo!" A deadpan voice chimed right beside them. Almost everybody jumped at the sudden intruder who turned out to be a white-haired girl with an emotionless expression, uncloaking right before their eyes, her right hand splayed in a victory sign again. Laura had do admit that their chosen scout exuded a certain... what was the word - dorky and disarming charm, which was good, because her hand had already drawn her weapon halfway.
"You made it all," she said.
"You could say that," Rean remarked.
"I've reached the end. We are about two-third finished."
A collective sigh of relief went through their group.
"I can't wait to get out of this place," Alisa said, followed by several nods of agreement.
"There's a problem though."
Laura folded her arms. Of course there was a problem. "Is it some kind of overwhelmingly strong monster with special abilities, guarding the very end of this maze?"
The silver-haired girl's eyes opened slightly. "Yep."
How surprising. Sometimes reality did conform to fiction.
As fortune would have it, Fie gave them a pretty clear description of the monster. Unfortunately, said description depicted a monster straight out of mythic legends. A creature from the middle ages - a Gargoyle.
The last stretch didn't pose any problems with Fie's fighting strength added to the mix. They discussed tactics on the way and came up with two plans courtesy of Emma and Rean.
They then made a short stop in front of the final room with Alisa disassembling the lighting to charge their ARCUS units.
Their primary plan depended on Arts after all.
"You know guys, I feel kinda bad gutting these lights," the Reinford Heiress admitted. "It feels like vandalism."
"I'm with you," Machias agreed. "Think about all the chalk drawings defacing the pristine walls of a hidden historical site like this."
Rean shrugged. "There's a reason archeologists prefer chalk - it's erasable. Besides, would you have rather traversed the whole maze without Fie's directions?"
The green-haired youth pushed up the bridge of his glasses. "No. I don't think so."
"Last orbment fully charged," Alisa spoke. She handed it to Rean. Laura saw how both their gazes lingered on each other, before they quickly turned their heads. The swordswoman narrowed her eyes. Had they been this awkward around each other the whole time?
No matter. They had a mythic monster to kill.
The final hall turned out to be smaller than expected, with two sets of stairs leading to the exit and the iron wrought chandelier at the ceiling.
The silver-haired girl's scouting work was as impeccable as expected. The creature prowling the room looked like a bat with the torso of a colossal, muscular human. Claws adorned its fore- and hindlegs, formed like metallic sickles and probably just as lethal. Its most distinguishing characteristic was its skin which seemed to be made entirely of rock. Or were the legends true and the Gargoyle was indeed an animated statue? It was stalking to and fro, its massive presence giving the room a claustrophobic feeling, but as their group fanned out around their target, it leisurely turned around, its entire body coiled like a spring, the tension of its muscles clearly visible. The rock it was made of looked uncannily alive.
Laura grasped for the connection between herself and the combat orbment. Her body lit up in concert with the others, their synchronization surprisingly accurate, just as the Gargoyle opened its maw and unleashed a bloodcurdling howl.
Five of them unleashed their fire Arts, dousing the creature in flames. It barreled through their sustained attacks, swiping at their most agile member. Fie back-flipped lazily and as the Gargoyle pursued her further, trying to corner her against a wall, she simply scaled it while back flipping in a smooth motion like gravity didn't matter to her, using the vertical surface as a springboard to fly over the creature while firing her Arts.
The creature turned around, still howling. It gave off sparks like an active forge, runnels of glowing rock crisscrossing its body.
"Now!" Emma cried. The other four unleashed volleys of water Arts, the cooling liquid turning to steam. Laura concentrated again, for the water called forth by Arts didn't persist for long, so their last step had to be timed tightly. Fie continued to dance around the monster, her skillful evasion almost mocking, as barrages of water continued to soak the creature.
Emma cried out her signal again, her own Orbal Staff aglow as the reserve members cast again. It was a simple freezing art, nothing offensive, a concerted effort to change the temperature around the creature to sudden sub-zero levels, causing the water the Gargoyle was soaked with to flash freeze.
The creature ceased its movements for a second, until the ice vanished, but the damage was done, cracks and fissures appearing all over its rocky body.
"It's working," Emma cried out.
Laura grinned. Working indeed. The way her fellow cadets applied scientific knowledge in actual combat was a true inspiration, for they just imitated the mechanism of rock erosion on an extremely short time scale. Use strong sustained heat to make the stone expand, opening micro-fractures everywhere due to the rock's rigid consistency. Soak the creature in water and let the liquid permeate into the small cracks and then flash freeze everything. With water having the unique property of expanding its volume when becoming solid the micro-fractures suddenly turned into significant cracks.
Sometimes, problems could be solved far more elegantly without a sword.
As the Gargoyle stomped forward, its maw snapping, flecks of rock were chipping away constantly. Laura raised her ARCUS and cast another fire Art, her comrades following her example. Another round of heating, soaking and freezing later, the monster collapsed with chunks of rock instead of chips flaking off its massive frame.
"Did we beat it?" Elliot asked tentatively.
Laura drew her sword. "I don't think so."
She felt it before any visible phenomena: dark, sickly waves of miasma pouring out of the monster, roiling along its body. The rock seemed to melt, becoming like plasticine. The skin changed hue, turning from grey to gold as the fissures they caused simply closed by themselves.
"No way!" Machias cried.
"Truly a monster of myth." Gaius readied his spear.
Laura looked up to the big, iron chandelier. Then she turned to Rean and Fie. They nodded to each other. It was time for Plan B. The black-haired swordsman ran towards the stairs, while Fie dashed straight to their foe. One daring jump and she was crouching on its head. Split seconds later, the creature let out another howl, but Fie didn't idle, unloading a twin barrage of bullets straight into the creature's eyes. The sounds uttered by the monster until now were merely bloodcurdling, but the roar of concentrated pain and rage was earth-shattering. Laura winced from the pain in her ears as the transformed Gargoyle went into a frenzy, thrashing around like an oversized berserker from hell. Fie was of course out of range, stopping right beside her.
"Your turn."
She could swear there was the ghost of a teasing smirk on her face.
Cheeky girl, aggravating the monster more than necessary. The swordswoman slowly lowered her blade, walking towards the raging foe, watching as runnels of quicksilver liquid poured out of its ruined eyes. She forced herself to breathe calmly, loosening every muscle she could sense. She conjured the sensation of her swimming trips in Lake Ebel, the push and pull that laid at the core of every swimming technique.
The flying felines were crushed by her overwhelming strength, but now the roles were reversed, with her being the ant prowling in front the lion.
Use the strong to defeat the weak. Use the weak to defeat the strong.
The first slash of her blade was impossibly gentle, the edge of her weapon kissing the snout of the golden monstrosity. It turned around violently, trying to rip off her head, but she moved into a low crouch, the massive arm missing her completely. Laura righted her sword again, resting the flat of her blade on the outstretched arm of the Gargoyle like the caress of a lover. Again, the monster tried to reach her and again Laura simply went with its motion, staying in its ever-changing blind spot, her blade never cutting, never harming, never wounding, but always in contact with the body of her foe. She almost stumbled once or twice, when it changed its mode of attack to include wing slaps and tail swipes, but the others interjected with either cover fire or a spear thrust, allowing her to go back to her sword-sensing. She grew more comfortable the longer she continued the deadly dance, flowing around like water, substantial enough to be felt, but too slippery to be grasped.
Bit by bit, Laura steered the monster towards the center of the room, her mind empty and full at the same time, her body filled with an overflowing sense of purpose and direction. Once they reached the center, she changed the rhythm of her baiting, pinning the monster in place through gentle provocation. When the chandelier dropped onto the monster with Rean jumping from the iron construct at the last second, she lost her connection to her foe, the almost meditative state of her being lost alongside, for this time, several hundred curim of metal were doing the job of pinning the Gargoyle to the ground.
She shook herself free from her trance only to see the monstrosity struggling, its rage giving it unfathomable strength as it tried to pry itself free from the chandelier. It didn't come far, because a fire art detonated against it.
This time, every single member of Class VII unloaded sustained heat on the dying beast. Laura herself had activated her ARCUS without realizing at first, but as she saw the blackened iron starting to smoulder, it became clear fire was the way to go. As the red hot metal scorched even deeper into the monster, the pain and wounds finally became too much and the monster collapsed a second time.
It didn't rise again.
They heard someone applauding.
"Well done, cadets!" Laura looked up and there they were, Major Neithardt and Instructor Valestein standing at the top of the balustrade. The fuchsia haired woman looked like the canary that ate the cream. She went down the stairs while humming contently.
"You guys kick a lot of ass," a flippant voice called out. Their group looked to the door they came from, just to catch the moment when a cadet in green uniform de-cloaked himself. He was tall and well trained. Laura couldn't really gauge his strength in fact. His wild hair was white and only barely tamed by a bandana, but what was most striking was his bearing: a cocksureness which towed the line between confidence and arrogance, similar to the sons of nobles who tried to woo her during social gatherings, but less refined, more wild and raw. His walk was one part the swaggering of an overeager fool and one part the balanced steps of a seasoned warrior.
All in all, he was a study in contrasts.
"Wait, Crow?" To exactly no ones surprise Elliot was again the one acquainted with someone from Thors.
"Heya, big E! How are you doing?" Both shook Hands, though Laura watched with some bemusement how the orange-haired youth held himself back from hugging the other cadet outright.
"Why are you here? Are you also a part of this class program?" Elliot asked.
"Nah, I'm not wearing one of your snazzy, red jackets, am I?"
"You were our back-up in case something went wrong, weren't you?" Rean asked.
The white-haired cadet shrugged. "Guilty as charged, Mr smarty-pant. And congratulations on beating the obstacle course."
"Oh, I wouldn't say they've beaten it quite yet," instructor Valestein interjected.
All cadets looked at her askance. The white-haired youth was the first to react. "You've got to be kidding me!"
Fie drew her weapons and adopted her combat stance.
Instructor Valestein chuckled. "You both know me so well. Now Crow, this is Class VII's orienteering exercise, so stay out of it. You know the drill, right?"
"Yeah, yeah!" He walked up the stairs. "If you get seriously hurt or killed in the ensuing fight, I'm to serve as a witness that it happened with your full consent and that no blame is to befall the cadets." He shook his head. "Shouldn't you get yourself a boyfriend to work off your sadistic tendencies, Sara?"
"Crow, do you want a repeat of the Sara Special Exercise No. 3? If you continue to run your mouth, I might let you do it again."
He froze in his tracks. "No, I'm good."
The fuchsia-haired woman unholstered a vicious looking pistol, something which wasn't standard issue for sure.
"Wait, why do we suddenly have to fight you, instructor?" Machias complained. Several others were also voicing their discontent.
"Do you think it's unfair?" Instructor Valestein asked.
Laura stepped forward. "With all due respect, this obstacle course has been challenging enough. Some among us are exhausted. Cadet Craig here has sacrificed his weapon and I think observer... Crow can easily confirm we've all demonstrated our merit while traversing it."
"Oh, he already did. ARCUS are convenient like that." She raised her firearm and disengaged the safety. "But you, Ms Arseid, are still thinking about the issue like it's some kind of exam." She pointed the barrel straight at their group her body lighting up with Epstein-Kowalski radiation, except it was purple?
"It's not. The coursework for Class VII is special. This situation is supposed to be unfair, because you're bound to encounter the same kind of unfairness if you decide to take the plunge. I'm not forcing you to face me. Each and every one of you is free to go up the stairs and leave the building. But if you do that, you aren't welcome in my class anymore."
"And what if we lose?" Jusis asked.
Instructor Valestein grinned. "You're supposed to lose."
The Albarea heir quirked an eyebrow. "We are allowed to come at you together, right?"
"I strongly suggest you do," her voice rang out with flawless confidence.
Rean drew his tachi. "Well, instructor, if this is what it takes to earn your approval."
"Wait, wait. We have just finished a monster extermination," Elliot spoke up. "Some of us are carrying live ammunition. This is dangerous!"
"Good. Come at me with everything you have. Your martial-arts techniques, your weapons, your Arts. Leave nothing out. The guys up there ensure you won't suffer any consequences, if you land a lucky shot." She winked.
Laura and Jusis also drew their swords and the others followed with some hesitation.
"This is crazy," Alisa murmured.
"And very unconventional," Gaius mused. He sounded nervous.
The fuchsia-haired woman raised her empty hand and made a come-hither gesture.
They spread out, seeking to surround her. Their movement wasn't quite synchronized, but this was still the first time they attempted to work in a team. Laura lowered her sword to the side, with the tip pointing back.
Nebenhut.
Alisa, Fie and Machias opened fire, arrow, rifle and pistol rounds flying at her. She dodged the rounds with small sways of her body and shot Alisa's arrow down with her own pistol. Then she went to the offensive.
The ensuing skirmish could only be described as a slaughter. A bloodless one. The instructor wasn't fighting to kill, which bode ill for her true strength. Jusis was the first to engage her in melee. She didn't even bother to draw the sword she was carrying, stepped inside his guard with a burst of speed and shot him point-blank, resulting in the Albarea heir collapsing with convulsions all over his body. Gaius and Rean tried to overwhelm her in a pincer attack, while the ranged fighters continued their barrage. Two streams of water Arts were added to the mix, courtesy of Elliot and Emma. Laura began to move, covering another vector of attack. Again, instructor Valestein dodged the projectiles with insulting ease and charged at Gaius who answered with a mighty thrust, his spear coated in green-tinged turbulence. The frightening woman side-stepped the attack so fast as if she teleported, the aggressive winds circulating around the spear shaft completely ignoring her. She then gripped the shaft with her free hand, raised the Nord Warrior up, until his feet left the ground and threw him straight into the course of the water streams.
The water arts hit him mid-air and threw him in an arc, but Laura tuned out the image and concentrated on her assault. The first upward strike was again dodged. Rean continued with a quick-draw slash, but the woman ducked down until she was crouching on the ground like a snake, thus Rean's second attack with his sheath also missed. Laura herself shifted her stance and stabbed diagonally down, cautious enough not to change her grip for a straight vertical attack.
The woman subverted expectations again, raising her whole body from a completely prone position to a one-half arge jump with forward flip. Before Laura had any time to marvel at this feat of acrobatics, she felt a massive weight stomp down on the strong of her blade, completely disrupting her footing.
Did she just...
Another irresistible tug on her blade, further destroying her footing. Laura turned around desperately, completely losing her balance in the process. She only had enough presence of mind to raise her arms. To protect her vitals.
She expected more force as the bullet impacted with her vambrace, but then she lost all control as fiery needles coursed through her limbs, piercing shivers robbing her of any autonomy. She snapped for air, but it was like breathing while underwater. She felt herself smack to the ground, convulsions racking every part of her body, as she floundered like a fish on dry land.
Shame filled her, her helplessness more painful than whatever the cursed instructor inflicted upon her. She tried to clench her fists, but her body still refused to obey.
What manner of fighting style was that? She saw no rhyme nor reason, no system nor rule which governed the woman's actions. The way she did combat was utterly haphazard as if she was making up things on the fly the whole time.
Breathing became easier. She tried to move her right arm, only to be rewarded with another wave of pricking needles setting her on fire from the inside, followed by ice-cold numbness. She clenched her teeth and summoned her willpower.
She stood up in increments, dividing a movement she took for granted into small subsets. Each little step elicited another burst of needles, but after some painful moments, she was finally standing upright again, her sword resting in her grip.
Instructor Valestein had drawn her sword now. Rean was disarmed, Gaius held his sides, Jusis was still convulsing. The ranged fighters and Arts users had surrendered. Only Fie was still in the fight, with both woman dancing around each other like two bloodthirsty carnivores, their sheer movement exuding menace and understated violence.
She raised her sword and gathered her inner energy. She pictured a tempest above Lake Ebel, the treacherous maelstroms which could spell doom for the careless. She breathed in and as she exhaled, blinding White extended from the tip of her Zweihaender, the whole blade engulfed in her purified spirit.
When she advanced, she saw the first surprise on the strange woman's face. Two shots rang out, but Laura batted them away with the spiritual extension of her blade. Whatever Valestein was using, metal was no protection. Fie used their enemies slight pause to launch a dashing attack fast enough to be invisible. The instructor still managed to dodge somehow, but part of her whipping ponytail was cut.
Laura moved into pincer position, performing three consecutive thrusts with her blade of light. Valestein dodged the first two attacks, but was forced to parry the third. Laura pressed her offensive, sticking her sword to Valestein's own, using her blade-sensing to control her movements. The instructor wasn't able to match her fencing, so she simply dropped her own sword, refusing to be drawn into a losing game. That split-second distraction was enough for Fie to land the first hit, a cut at her mid-section, though the instructor was still able to divert her twin muzzles to avoid having the silver-haired girl unleash a point-blank barrage.
She performed a diagonal downward slash which the woman somehow parried with her pistol, though her arm was visibly shaking afterward. The sound of a pin dropping. She retreated instinctively with Fie aborting her follow up attack to instead go for the thrown grenade with a sliding kick. The explosive flew towards the ceiling.
Don't look.
It wasn't so much words, but an indistinct feeling akin to instinct which told her to hold her gaze level and close her eyes for a second.
The blackness became red. A flashbang. She opened her eyes, colored stars disorienting her slightly, but Valestein wasn't able to capitalize on her own distraction, for Fie was engaged with her in extreme close quarters, their arms mere blurs as they ceaselessly pushed, struck and steered each other to prevent the barrel of their firearms to line up on their bodies. Occasional shots rang out, accompanied by last second dodges or deflections, but Laura saw no reason to let the stalemate continue.
Disrupt her footing.
With her sword raised, she drew energy from her orbment and did something which was sacrilege to the blade under normal circumstances - smashing it against solid rock. The coating of spirit energy protected the metal. The subsequent shockwave ate away at the ground, shooting straight for their enemy.
This time, she didn't find a counter. Her feet slipped away as the ground disintegrated from under her, her posture broken. Fie landed a vicious elbow strike straight against her face, the sound of a broken nasal bone ringing clear across the hall. But even in such a situation, the instructor kept her cool, using the impact of the strike to let herself fall on her back. She brought up her legs in the same movement and kicked the silver-haired girl away from her. She then swung her legs like a pendulum and used the motion-energy to haul herself upright again.
Just in time to face another thrust from Laura's sword.
Valestein side-stepped and disengaged. She pursued with Fie joining right behind her.
Three-dimensional pincer attack.
Were it mere words, Laura wouldn't have understood, but the mental image and body-feeling told her exactly what her partner meant. She pumped another burst of energy into her legs, held her extended blade like a jousting lance and charged. She felt tiny feet step on her shoulders, using her as a springboard.
Nowhere was it written that a pincer attack had to occur from the front and back. That was just the most conventional form. An attack from above and the ground could be just as effective. Laura saw her blade reach closer, hungry for blood, with Fie priming her gunblades for her own aerial assault.
She stumbled, her feet caught in something, her balance threatened. She looked down. Steel wires?
The wave of burning pain and shivering needles was a familiar sensation now, but the familiarity did nothing to lessen the shock, the agony consuming her until she lost consciousness.
The Arseid Style of Swordsmanship and German Historical Fencing: When looking at the bits of information about the Arseid Style (AS) in CS1 and CS2, there are some striking parallels with historical fencing styles from European Middle Ages. I'll first list all the facts I remember before I discuss the similarities with a certain real world 'Fechthandbuch' (Instruction book on fencing)
- The Arseid School is a branch style of Lianne Sandlot's fighting technique, utilized by the Lance Maiden's second in command.
- It saw usage during the War of the Lions. Looking at the statues in Legram, Dreichels' flashback seen through Rean's eyes during the Aqua Shrine side quest, as well as Duvalie's equipment, we can infer that both Arseid and Sandlot style could be used by persons wearing full plate armor. There's every possibility both styles display their true power when the pratitioner is fully armored.
- Given that the War of the Lions was fought way before the Orbal Revolution, it can also be inferred that the regular enemies encountered by Prince Dreichels' band were also equipped like the Eisenritter. Mounted combat was probably a mainstay during regular warfare. In other words, AS had to be effective when used against other armored and mounted opponents.
- The AS apparently doesn't care much in which weapon you train as long as it's a melee weapon as opposed to the Eight Leaves One Blade (Rean's whole Zemurian Tachi shtick). The four nondescript NPCs you get to beat up in the Arseid Dojo in CS1 and CS2 are an even split between spear and broadsword users while Klaus himself uses a sword I'd rather expect on a court fencer.
I'm not sure how popular they are, but there are so called HEMA-groups (Historical European Martial Arts) who try to recreate lost martial arts techniques by studying historical documents. They transcribe the text, discuss and interpret the pictures and then try to synthesize the information into a coherent fighting system. They of course also do sparring like any other respectable martial arts group.
Now, one of the most influential fencing documents in the HEMA community happens to be a German one - the 'Nürnberger Handschrift GNM 3227a' dated to the close of the 14th century. It covers a lot of topics, but the combat instruction is what's relevant, for it includes armored combat with the longsword (Harnischfechten), unarmored combat with the longsword (Blossfechten), mounted combat as well as wrestling with the sword (Ringen am Schwert). The instructions also branch out to other weapons like the short sword (Messer), sword and shield and even spear and mace fighting.
The parallels to the Arseid style are obvious, but what prodded me to dramatically reduce the blade-width of Laura's sword was a passage describing the longsword as the basic weapon from which the usage of other weapons are derived (I'm paraphrasing). This is somewhat counter-intuitive, because spears and clubs (a mace is just a fancier club) are historically older weapons and more primitive regarding technique and the manufacturing process.
And the way the longsword can teach one to use a spear or club? Well, if one hand is holding the grip and the other hand closes around the base (or strong) of the blade, the longsword turns into a makeshift spear. This half-swording was an integral part in Harnischfechten (against fully armored opponents), because it allowed sword-thrusts to be more accurate and back then, they beat enemies in plate armor by stabbing them in tiny vulnerable segments where two or more plates overlap like at the joints. The base of some longswords during the middle ages were actually left blunt to make the half-swording more comfortable. Such a segment is called a ricasso and there were even swords with a second set of a 'swordguard', basically two hooks protruding from either side of the blade right above the ricasso for catching a sliding blade even when the fighter was half-swording. Another advantage of half-swording was that it made slashing attacks at really close quarters feasible. While power is sacrificed, cutting an enemy who is bashing you with his fists with mere centimeters separating both opponents could be a worthwhile trade-off.
Of course, the mace or warhammer option is also possible by grabbing the blade with both hands and turning the swordguard into a makeshift blunt instrument, which was also effective against armored opponents. This technique was called Mordstreich (Murder slash) and yes, Laura will use it at some point. And for those of you wondering: wearing leather gloves is fully sufficient to avoid injury when wielding a sword this way. I watched a video where a HEMA enthusiast demonstrated it on live camera. (He also demonstrated the cutting power of the sword beforehand)
Zorn (German for wrath) stance: One of the stances described in the above mentioned combat manual. If my written passage isn't enough to give you a picture, simply look up Laura's S-Craft image from CS1. The way she holds her blade is pure Zorn stance, although her footwork is admittedly not quite fitting.
Nebenhut stance: Rean's default stance the moment he draws his tachi. Every Cold Steel player should have the sight burned into their memory. I haven't yet found out how the stance is called in Japanese, but the exact same version exists in European Longsword Fencing. So Laura gets to use it, too. In the end, there are only so many ways a longsword can be wielded, slightly curved or not.