Speech = ``...´´
Thoughts = [... ]
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º-…Ruined village…-º
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``Lighter, Beta! You must hold your blade a little more lighter…., is not a club you are holding´´
Alpha advised, her words not wavering or stuttering even as she danced around Beta in their practice duel. Though perhaps to call it as such would have been a rather generous statement given the sight of the disparity at play.
Something that was clearer and clearer the more their blades clashed with one another.
Cold sharp blue eyes meeting between the sparks of blue and purple and the following gushes of wind blowing strongly back and forth the fearful and blinking ones of her friend. A fresh, regal face glaring back at the sweaty, disheveled mess of silver strands of hair getting in the way of Betas sight.
Yes, it was clear to see…. the difference in their swordsmanship was too different, too apart from each other to fully compete in fairness. At first she had thought that it was just a difference between adjusting to their new given powers, but...it seemed that was not at play. Yes, she could sense the familiar scent of her Lords power coming from her childhood friend, but….it was not coming as easily as it did for her.
Why? She did not know….though she could try to guess.
The only thing she knew was that for one this was a mere chore, while for the other it was an uphill life experience that may or may not be trauma inducing.
A scene that seemed to mirror a moment in time that had happened not that long ago in her mind, though instead of being the one taking the blows, she was the one giving them. Their roles clearly reversed.
Something prickled at her eyes, a small like sting...but it went away in the blink of an eye.
However that pertaining thought would not last for long as it was shoved away back into a neat corner in her mind as Alpha made the sword in her hand vanish from the arm wielding it, only for it to reappear in her other hand just as she started to pivot in her own feet, ready to meet the next slash from Beta. Her mind already seen forward into what her friend next move would be and preparing her body to counter it as best effective as she could.
Left, right, forward, backwards…, . the way her blade would be angled, the position her footwork would be. She could see them all the avenues of defense or attack Beta could and would try before they even happened as if they were reverberating ahead of time before her observant glare. An aspect that appeared more like a super sonar of sorts..rather than seeing the literal future in the making.
Though no less useful….because with this, she may never lose.
Only for a separate event throw a wrench into said plans as a loose pebble on the ground made Beta stumbled, her footwork gone as her body became unbalanced by the small little thing. Allowing for the blade that had been so stiff until them under the silver haired elfs hands to be sent flying off Betas hand once it collided with her own in the following strike.
Betas eyes widening at the sudden weightless sensation now taking hold in her once blade wielding hand now that it was devoid of the tool that it had been holding while also trying to follow its small silhouette before its brief flight and then immediate landing on the ground with a soft thud.
The slime that made part of it no longer controlled by its user now breaking apart and losing its sharp given form, ending in nothing but a black, inky puddle on the fresh soil.
..
..
..
``Now, that was too light..´´
With a small shake of her head, Alpha tilted her head towards her friend who was by now kneeling on the ground, huffing and puffing for air, clearly exhausted from the ordeal…taking this momentary reprieve for the heavenly respite that it was.
However her silver haired friend could not repress the worry and the sudden pang of shame to sprout in her own eyes when she finally rose her head to meet her gaze.
``S-sorry…, I-I...should have done better.´´
Alpha shook her head once more, this time with more vehemently. ``There is no need for apologies Beta, just be better…, want to try again?´´
``Y-yes! I will do…. my best!´´
``I know...´´
She said, giving her a weak nod before the expression in her face softened. If there was one thing she knew, is that neither Gamma or Beta were easily deterred for long in their pursues. And so, it was not long before they started anew after waiting for Beta to reshape her blade and take her original position across her own.
Like many times before..
Slowly, they started to circle around each other, their guard up, their eyes glaring not just their opponents, but everything around them. The air, the soil, the dust hovering around them, the faint sound their blades made as the breeze brushed against them, the crunching of the leafs behind their heels.
It could be thought counter productive to focus on different things instead of a given target, no? But, would it not be the same to ignore everything around them as-well? It was, for that very reason that awareness was what they were working on, rather than just raw prowess.
They had been doing this for a while already…
Sadly, the results were not as promising as she thought they would be.
Perhaps she was too hasty? Was it needed to give them more time? It was a rather logical approach to the problem, in fact, there was a sense of progress in their abilities as the days passed, day turned into night and night into day.
But...it was not enough.
It was NOT nearly enough.
..
..
And it all came to…..her friends shyness. She fought down a groan at that reminder.
Beta was a quick thinker and not truly a pushover, but…..there had been a lot of things to fix and there was so much she could do in just less than a month.
º
º-….Not that long ago...-º
Hunting
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Clear skies, soft breezes with the flowers blooming and the birds singing. A promising day if one could say so to work or relax under the warm light of the sun.
Well…...about that.
``Beta, you will finish that rabbit over there, ok?´´
``Me...?´´
The perplexing look that Beta sent her way was….surprising, but not off putting. With a simple nod she continued.
``Yes...´´
``Eh... ok? Let me….let me get my bow and then I will-´´
Her friend started to say, the bow of slime already starting to manifest in her right hand...only for it to disappear when a different hand grabbed it, or in this case...lending something in the process.
Something small and slender. Something…..sharp, and by the looks of it, Beta seemed to recognize it long before she pulled her hand away.
``Lady Alpha?´´
``As much as I trust in your marksmanship, I am afraid that what I require of you may no need any use of it..´´
``No..?´´
``No, not this time. I think it will be better for you to use a knife..´´
``Eh!? But why….?´´
``In the future you may have to face things up close, I think that its better that you get used to such experiences as fast as possible´´
The confusion that had drawn in the young girls face started to turn into mild dread, even though….her eyes glinted with understanding.
``I mean, that makes sense, but..´´
``Now, I will make it easy today by holding it down...you only have to stab it, ok?´´
``But...that sounds mean.., cant we just...shoot it?´´
A sound idea, and rather practical given the distance between them and their target. However it would go against her goal for today, so it was not possible this time.
Alpha shook her head.
``In a life or death situation is them or you…., and you may not have the options that you have now, its just the way things are. Still...if you don't feel up to it, then there is nothing we can do´´
To be honest she was not in a hurry to get this done.., however, it would surely throw a wrench into her plans if Beta did not acclimate herself sooner or later to...this. Still, if she said no.…, then that would be the end of it. Especially since she was not yet willing to force her friend to go through something even, if by doing so would better her odds to survive this unforgiving world of theirs.
Even...if such dreadful thought got in her nerves more often than not.
``N-no! Please dont say that Alpha-sama. I-I will do it. I know I can..´´
``Are you sure? We can always try a different day..´´
``Yes, I...well, I only need to stab it? Right?´´
``Kill it more likely, but the way to it will be through stabbing this time around, so yes.., you only need to stab it.´´
``Ok, Beta...just breath in...and breath out´´
``Ok…..´´
``On my mark, alright?
….A few seconds later…..
``Eeeeeepk! Why? Why it squirms so much..!? Why is it not dead..!?´´
``Because you did not hit a vital point, you must hit it again..´´
``A-again?´´
Beta whimpered as terror flared in her eyes at the future prospect of more stabbing. A few minutes ago she would have gave her a mild scolding for that, now? Not so much as her eyes gazed at the end result of Betas first attempt.
A bloody mess through and through….and to top it the creature under her iron grasp was not doing anything to help it by contorting and kicking all the time.
In her mind nothing of the sort had played. Oh, if this was going so bad….she dreaded to think what Beta would react to the suggestion of skinning the animal afterwards.
``Yes, again…´´
``But-but its bleeding all over the place, cant we leave it at that..!?´´
``And leave it suffer? Beta, we are not butchers…, now, try to angle the tip of the blade so that it hits the neck this time, quick and clean...´´
``B-but-….´´
``There are no buts in the battlefield…, just breath in and breath out, slowly and steady, alright? You can do this..´´
Sadly, by the looks of it Beta was not all that convinced with the way her eyes switched her attention between her and the prey she was holding down. Well, the situation was not as good as she would have wanted it to be..
Luckily enough, that did not hold her for too long.
``F-fine! Please Mr rabbit don't hold it against me!´´
Beta sputtered, lowering her head in the apology, closing her eyes before she rose her arms over her head, the edge of steel glinting for a moment before it was brought down and-
THUNCK...!
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
``Beta,´´
``Yes?´´
``Can you open your eyes..´´
``E-rgh, yes?
``Good, because you stabbed my hand..´´
``Soooorryyyyyyyyy…...!´´
``Ugh, this is going to take…..a little more than I previously thought...´´
º-….Back to the present...-º
The memory of that moment was just one among many other strange moments brought forward thanks to Betas shyness and still kind heart that had led to a few hours of mild pain coursing through her hand.
And that was without adding to it the sessions with Gamma. Those were another can of worms in their own level.
Alpha closed her eyes, taking a second to breath in….and the next to dash forward, almost becoming a blur of golden light under the glinting light of the sun streaming down from its throne on the now strangely clear skies.
Meeting Beta even before she reached all the way across their delimited arena, though with a lot less strength, or at least….not as much courage as she should have. However this time she felt that the blade in which Beta was hiding behind was this time rightfully held with the right amount of effort to keep it in balance.
That was good, however, that would not matter much now in their present positions in mid air as she was shoved away, the difference of their force on impact once more making itself present. Giving way for a brief yelp of surprise escaping from Betas lips, though if one expected her to fall on her back they would be for a disappointment as the girl contorted mid air and landed as gracefully as she could on the ground with the way her legs wobbled at the sudden touch with the ground.
Very good…, very good indeed. However, she would need to do much more than that if she wanted to surprise her. And with that thought she pushed forward, not even allowing for her feet to fully touch the ground before she was once again dashing towards her target.
Beta did not seem to grow dishearten at the way the meters separating them decreased in a heartbeat, though her nervousness grew all the more as she grabbed the handle of her blade a little more tightly.
The wind blowing against her face as the world turned into a dim tunnel of light and blurry forms at her given pace, the sword in her hand whistling as it cut through the air... and yet her eyes barely narrowed as they focused on beta on her entirety.
A strange sensation pocking at her, of wrongness, of danger….but so minimal that it went by unheeded.
However, at the last second Betas resolved faltered as she tried to roll out of the way, barely managing to pull the maneuver in time by a hair as Alpha left a massive gash on the ground where the girl had just been.
..
..
Dodging was fine and all.., but she would not deny she would have wanted THAT to be the case. Perhaps it was for that reason that instead of going after her before her blade had even touched the ground..that she tilted her head to follow where Beta was standing. The shock-wave of her attack seemingly not having thrown her away that far...
What was that? A faint? A tactical retreat..? Or was it something far more elaborate? It did not seem to be the case with the sheepish look plastered in Betas face, or perhaps it had to do with the way she was slowly walking backwards.
Alpha could not made heads of it.
``Beta, what are you doing..?´´
``I-I..repositioning?´´
``Repositionin-´´ She could not even finish the sentence as the desire to shook her head in disapproval overpowered her, prompting to raise a hand to rub her forehead and sigh loudly.
[For gods sake, this girl….]
She would have believed her if she at least had put some more confidence to it, even if it was just. Just a little bit. This lack of self esteem was more serious than she had thought it was, especially when it prompted such ridiculous excuses. After all, what was even the purpose of saying that when it clearly looked the opposite thi-
PAIN.
Pain echoed in Alphas skull. Like a drill that was making its way through the bone even if nothing of the sort was actually happening. No.., not an attack….a warning. One that was blaring louder and louder inside the confines of her mind.
Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as seconds turned into minutes, yet her mind could not have been more awoken. Why? What could be the reason for her blood to pump loud and rapid inside her veins? For her heart to throb painfully and slowly for a second?
Before she could even blink one more time or formulate another thought her body moved.
A gloved hand springing forward without thought or command, fingers clad in black slime stretching forward as if to claw the air itself with ravenous intent…. only for it to end up closing around something small, slender that had been about to pounce on her chest from the right.
Her eyes surprise only seemed to grow when she realized what it was that now dangled in her grasp.
And arrow…
Black like the night itself and sharp enough to cause harm. The magic wrapped around it speaking for itself as its true nature as part of the slime Beta used, there was no doubt about it, specially with the way the shaft cracked into smaller, slimy splinters under her grasp.
But if that was the case, then how did she do that when she was looking at her? In fact, she was not wielding a-….
..
..
Oh, how had she not see that? She almost wanted to slap at herself….
A sobering thought to cross her mind as the mystery was unraveled with the only option left for it to make sense….And just in time for her body to react at the sound of a bowstring been pulled back away from where her point of focus was directed through her eyes. Yet, unlike before... her blade was already slicing through the air ahead of her when the sound of a release reached her ears.
Which tingled in amusement when that familiar echo of solidified slime being sliced in half by it made its way through the air. Followed by a loud thud when the rest of its shattered form fell all over the place behind her.
``I must say….that now I am surprised...´´
Alpha said, closing her eyes briefly..only for the blue of their shade vanish and be left behind with a blood red hue that pierced through air, flesh and bone. For once awe tainting the blond elfs voice as she directed her attention to the real Beta who had been standing on her right, just on a particular blind spot.
The girl more shocked than fretting at been discovered after her failed attempt. A terrible mistake when in combat no doubt about that, however, no chastisement would slip through her lips, no works of encouragement. No, nothing.
Alpha was still too caught on the moment to try. Her eyes closing to a half lid with a silent understanding, a small pang of pride hitting at her chest as she came to vividly imagine the steps Beta had taken to get so far.
Flawed as she was….perhaps she was more clever than she had given her credit for.
``I was not aware that you possessed an ability like that. When did you learned to do any of this..?´´
It surely could not have been that long, she would have definitely noticed if that was the case...or perhaps Beta was far more stealthy than she had previously thought.
``How..how on the goddess name did you manage to stop an arrow fired at nearly point blank range? ´´
``Beta?´´
``And with your hand no less..!? How is even that possible!?´´
``Beta…´´
``I mean, it should be impossible to dodge in time, let alone react to it before its even fired, in fact I reinforced with magic to make it even fast-!´´
``Beta..!´´
Alpha called her out, finally snapping the silver haired girl from her tirade. Making her reel back from the sudden volume of her voice.
``Eh..? Ah! Y-yes..., sorry...I-I lost track of things again, didn't I..?´´
``Yes..´´
``Sorry…´´
``Dont be sorry, be better…´´
``R-right, so-I mean, yes... you are right´´
They really were going to have to talk about this later on….weren't they? Well, time to time, they were still making baby steps..
``So, what I was saying..´´
``A…, well, you see...´´
``Yes…?´´
``A few days ago…. Actually´´
..
..
Alright, now THAT was something. Even though Alpha had expected an answer of said nature, she could not yet help but blink at the news. Would wonders never cease.?
``I...wanted to keep it a secret, so that one of these duels I could have the edge. Keep the element of surprise until then..and win if possible.´´
..
..
``It didnt work, even though I was using it all the time….´´
Taking a double take on where Betas now dissipated mirage had been to where she was now, calculating in her mind the distance and wondering when she had the time to pull such a move.
As far as she was aware, there had not been a moment. Unless….
..
..
A broad smirk warped around her lips. [Huh…, now that is a nick trick..]
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A/N
Kerbrerosthe: I almost thought you were burning me with the sass until you finish it XD. Yeah, the production has not been as much as you would have expected, but there is no time to make 32 chapters, two per week in just four months. In my current situation, is not possible, let alone feasible.
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Still, dont fret….I have already a few packed and ready while others are about to be finished.
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Another reason that has not allowed me to post any more chapters was a bug that kept me out from accesing my Doc manager (my own cloud in the site where the documents posted can be transformed into chapters).
See you next time :)