Chapter 28: Final Preparations
The soles of my feet shuffled about the pavement as I ducked and weaved through a barrage of punches aimed at me, occasionally having a couple of them grazing my raised forearms.
When I got close enough, I ducked under one of the her many strikes and countered with a body blow to my opponent's open side; her forearm swiftly came down and blocked my strike from reaching her body.
But I was not done, as with her head now fully exposed, I took the chance to throw a straight aimed right for it.
And when the brunette raised her arms up to block it, I dropped the feint and went low, taking a deep breath as I got in close; energy flowing from the technique before I released it in a rising upper through the gap of her guard and into her exposed chin.
"Sike!"
"Puoh!?"
At least, that was what supposed to happen, if Lunoire hadn't backstepped just as I threw the strike, causing me to whiff it and leaving me fully exposed for her to take advantage of, which she did by landing a fast body blow into my gut.
Pain shot throughout my body from the unexpected strike, forcing me down onto my knees coughing and gasping as I struggled to get air back into my lungs.
My sparring partner and mentor walked up to me and reached out her hand, "Nice feint, but your follow up need more work."
I grabbed her hand and was pulled back onto my feet, "I will definitely work on that."
"Still, you've got pretty close. You really have improved a lot."
"I still couldn't land a proper hit, though…"
It had been several days since my first morning training with the waitress, and the many sessions with her had truly paid off in the end.
After she had fixed my sloppy forms and moves, as well as showing me some proper footwork, she had me spar with her every morning since so that each of her adjustments would stick while had me better familiarise myself with how to fight against another person.
She also gave me some tips on how to bait the opponent to strike so you could counter back, how to throw convincing feints to trick them, and many different ways to deal devastating blows with minimum effort.
Suffice to say, I managed to keep on even grounds with her during the last couple sparring matches, which was a huge improvement from the humbling one from our initial encounter.
I even worked the breathing technique into my strikes whenever possible, though none of them had successfully land, much to my chagrin.
"Well, today's the end of our training together." Lunoire noted with a sigh, "I've got to admit, I was starting to enjoy these little morning sessions with you."
"Same here." I nodded, before bowing to her, "Thank you for your guidance thus far."
"Whoa, whoa! No need for all that formalities!"
"I was told it is only right to give my thanks to you for all you had done."
The brunette groaned, "It just feels weird to be thanked like this…"
"Nya? What's this?" Chloe leaned out of the window with a cheeky grin behind her hand, "Lunoire is being shy, nya? How adorable, nya~!"
"Shut it, you!" Lunoire growled, "Aren't supposed to be helping the morning preparations?"
"Nya is just taking a break, nya."
She let out a sigh in annoyance before turning to me, "Tomorrow is the big day, huh?"
I nodded, "Yeah; d-day, as Lady Hecate calls it."
I would admit that I was nervous and worried about the upcoming War Game, worried that all the improvements and growth I had gone through wouldn't be enough to deal with that Enoch bastard, that our Familia would lose to them.
But at the same time, I was excited at the prospect of testing my skills against him once more, possibly taking him down his high horse.
And make him and his patron god regret messing with us.
"You looked confident, at least." Lunoire noted, "Well, if you didn't win after training with me, I would be greatly disappointed."
I slammed my fist into my palm, "I won't. I would not let that bastard win."
"You should not underestimate that Enoch guy too much, nya." Chloe told me, "Nya heard that he is already on the edge of becoming Level 3, nya. Compared to a rookie like you…?"
"Even so, I don't intend to lose to him." I stated with a growl, "Not with my Familia's future at stake…"
"…you have determination, I'll give you that." The brunette noted as she raising her fists, "Right, I think I've still got time for one last sparring match. What say you, Dae?"
I nodded as I got into my combat stance, "Always. Just say when."
Without another word, we rushed at each other and threw our respective fists at each other in barrages of many punches once more.
"Alright, stop!"
"Hueah…"
A shaky gasp left my lips as I skidded to a stop atop the grass, before collapsing onto my butt when my knees buckled from the sheer exhaustion of my current training.
My leg muscles burning from the intense use while my lungs burn from overextending themselves; a familiar strain from using Shundo back to back nonstop for the entire morning, an act to have it engrave into my muscle memory.
Jirou walked up to me, "You're making great progress with Shundo."
I let out a gasp in response, "You…Yo-You think so…?"
He nodded, "There are still some kinks, but nothing experience can't fix. And you got the breathing technique down with no issues. All that is left for you to do is to keep practicing."
"I see… thank you, Jirou."
"No problem. Now, take a quick break before we start again."
I let my body relax as I dropped onto my back, taking deep breaths to calm my pounding heart as I let my burning muscles rest, while I looked up the orange evening sky as my mind went back to my progress over the past week.
Gone were my early clumsy efforts of slipping or tripping over myself when moving out of the technique, and replaced with a smooth effortless transition out of it each time.
Though I still have some trouble with linking several of them together back to back without some delay in between breaths, something that Jirou demonstrated to me once by literally blinking multiple times around the backyard.
And using it continuously, like how he had been retraining himself to do so, was still current beyond what I could do with the breathing technique, not without a lack of trying.
Still, if it was just to close the gap, I was more than capable of doing so.
"Here you are, Dae."
"Oh, thanks Kaede."
I gratefully accepted the Hume Bunny from the renard and took a much needed sip to quench my thirst, a sigh escaping me when my dry throat was finally been moistened.
She then sat down next to me, "Tomorrow is the big day."
I nodded, "Yeah."
"And our fates will be determined by whoever wins tomorrow…"
"…Are you okay?"
Kaede shook her head, "To be honest… I'm terrified. If you guys lose, then… then Momiji, Coco, and myself would have to go back to the Soma Familia… and after what they tried to do to Coco…"
I placed my hand on her shaking shoulders, "Then we won't lose. We'll beat those bastards."
"Ho-How can you be so sure?"
"…I don't."
Her confused looks followed my eyes as I glanced over to the others that were training alongside me, all of them having improved just as much as me over the past week.
"Hah! Hyah!"
"Good, good! That's the way!"
On one end of the backyard, Tetra thrusted her wooden staff at Jeanne, our captain tilting her head and letting the attack whiffed past her, before being forced to block with her own when the young amazon followed up with another fast thrust.
When they first started, Tetra was basically swinging her staff around akin to a club than an actual staff, with wide swings that anyone was able to dodge or parry away, and leaving her wide opened for to be countered.
Now, while not to the same mastery as Jeanne, she was more controlled in her attacks, focusing more on thrusting like a spear instead of swinging it about, though her movements were still somewhat clumsy.
But considering the kind of staff she wielded, it was more than enough.
"Hrgk!"
"Hah!"
Blades were parried away as Kyumaru exchanged blades with Drake, sparks flew around them as their blades clashing with each other again and again, neither of them looking to be pushing the other back.
After Emma helped him familiarised himself with his old weapon again, Drake decided to make full use of the remaining days leading up to the War Game to improve his technique with it, which Kyumaru was more than happy to assist him in.
Though it was hard to tell, the renard did appeared to have a harder time keeping up with Drake as the days went on, which meant that he was definitely getting better.
And speaking of Emma…
"Faster! You have to be faster than this!"
"Y-Yes!"
Two leaf-shaped blades swung about as Emma chased after Lisa, the deceptively nimble pallum jumped and leapt about and around her sword strikes, using her sickles to block any that came close.
Lisa took over Drake in helping train our newbie, making full use of her small stature to effectively forced Emma to swing faster and moved quicker to try and land one good hit on her.
And so far, Emma had gotten to the point that Lisa had to block every so often, but she had yet to land a single scratch on the pallum's body.
She did came close when the tip of her blade nearly scratched the cloth around Lisa's bust.
"Counter!"
"Grgk! Good, that's the way!"
Garos was sent skidding back from the impact by Tris's Skill, the former quicky regain his bearings before charging back at her and swinging his sword into her, her shield glowing ever brighter with each blow she blocked or letting it slide off.
That was what Garos had Tris do for the past week; our vice-captain had her focused on mastering her 'Counter Aegis' Skill, which included finding ways for her to better collect charge for it without taking the full brunt of an attack.
Which led to her basically learning from him how to redirect attacks with her shield, which she now was managing to gather charge from it; though it wasn't as much as when she took an attack head on.
But it was definitely in the right direction.
I then turned to Kaede, "But I have faith that what training we had done, what improvements we had achieved, it will be enough for us to snatch that victory."
"Dae…" Kaede let out a chuckle, "I understand. I'll have faith in your victory."
"Hey! Familia meeting, now!"
The voice of our goddess rang out from the manor, Hecate sticking her head out of the backdoor while shaking an envelope in her hand, and looking rather irritated.
After gathering all of us, Momiji and her friends included, in the main hall, Hecate explained to us what was in the letter that had her so riled up.
Jeanne raised an eyebrow before repeating our patron goddess's words, "An… opening ceremony?"
"Indeed…" Hecate groaned, her hand falling upon her face with great theatrics as she tossed the envelope and the letter within onto the table, "Aeshima requested for it at the last minute, and it was just approved moments ago."
"Seriously…? He wants one now…?" Drake groaned.
"Is he doing this just to spite us even more?" I asked with a sigh, "Because it is working."
"What does this ceremony consists of?" Tris asked.
Garos picked up the letter and skimmed through it before telling us, "It says here that the entire Familia is to gather at the Colosseum at dawn and present themselves to the audience. That's pretty much it."
"So, just be pretty for everyone?" Emma asked.
Our vice-captain glanced at the letter for a moment, "Well, it is suggested that we should also show off our Familia's sigil, on a banner flag if we have any."
"That's rather showy." Lisa noted, "Why would he wants that?"
"He probably just wants to show off his best works before the War Game actually starts." Hecate pointed out, "Like a breeder showing off the best dogs on a show."
"Yikes, to both."
"Do we have a banner?" Kyumaru asked, "Or even a Familia Sigil?"
"Yeah, we do for both." Jirou noted, "Though it is been years since we took it out. Is it still intact?"
Jeanne pondered for a moment, "I…I think so… It should still be in my office."
"Then that part is settled. Anything else?"
Garos looked at the letter one more time, before shaking his head, "Nope, that's all that is written here."
Jirou nodded, "Then there we have it. Just be at the Colosseum before dawn."
"In that case, we should probably have our dinner and turn in early." Lisa pointed out, "We have an early morning, and you guys need to be in tip-top condition for the War Games."
"Ah, and remember to come to my room after dinner for your Falna update!" Hecate told us, "Let's put all that excelia to good use!"
"What about you three?" Kyumaru asked Kaede and the others, "Unless you want stay here tomorrow…"
"We've managed to acquired some tickets to the Colosseum." Momiji told him, "Cost us almost half our acquired savings too…"
"We can easily make it back with the betting pool tomorrow." Kaede assured her before turning to us, "We all will be there cheering you all on tomorrow."
"Ye-Yeah…!" Coco nodded timidly, "It's the le-least we can d-do after all you have do-done…"
"Thank you for your words of encouragement." Tris noted with a smile, "We will be sure to win tomorrow."
"Yeah, we will!" Tetra cried out, "I don't want to be under that Aeshima guy!"
"Same here." Drake nodded.
Jeanne clapped her hands loudly for us to hear, "Right! Then this meeting is now adjourned! Lisa, do you mind helping me in the kitchen?"
The pallum rubbed her hands together gleefully, "Oh, are we making that?"
"Just bought all the ingredients this morning."
"Oh, yes! Let's do this!"
As they swiftly left for the kitchen, Emma gave me a concerned look which had me chuckling, "Right, this is your first time dealing with this. Don't worry, they aren't as bad in the kitchen as Lady Hecate."
"Ah, I guess that's true…"
"Hey, I resent that!"
Hecate let out a tired sigh after the fourth member of her Familia to come to her office for an update closed the door behind him; she could see a big smile on Drake's face when she handed him her status sheet.
Once she was alone with her thoughts for a moment, she looked through the sheets that she had just updated:
…
{Emma}
Lv: 1
STR: H177 - H181
END: I095 - H102
AGI: G215 - G220
DEX: G297 - F305
MAG: I000 - I000
{Magic}
-[None]-
{Skills}
[Rein Amur: Causes a Rhapsodia among those of the same Falna
…
{Tris}
Lv: 1
STR: G283 - G287
END: F335 - F380
AGI: H109 - H112
DEX: I097 - H101
MAG: I000 - I000
{Magic}
-[None]-
{Skills}
[Artel Assist: When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, the skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.
[Counter Aegis: Stores physical energy from attack and releases it at will.
…
{Tetra}
Lv: 2
STR: H100 - H110
END: H120 - H145
AGI: H164 - G205
DEX: H174 - G215
MAG: D520 - D550
{Magic}
[Ignitis Lumine: Wide bombardment elemental magic spell
The bright light that luminates the skies, hear my voice; rain down your fires upon my enemies. Be burnt to ashes and return to dust; be judged by the flaming skies. Fear it! For it will be! The ground will be scorched and reborn;
Ignitis Lumine!
[Terra Evlogia: Earth enchantment spell; raises endurance and strength stats.
May the shroud of the land protect thee;
Terra Evlogia!
{Skills}
-[None]-
{Development Abilities}
[Mage: G - H
…
{Drake}
Lv: 2
STR: G285 - F301
END: H111 - H135
AGI: G268 - G279
DEX: E467 - D500
MAG: H101 - H121
{Magic}
[Healing Soul: Heals caster's injuries.
May my body be cleansed, be rejuvenated;
Healing Soul.
{Skills}
[True Hunt: A true marksman shoots not just with his eyes; increases overall stats when using a bow.
[Relentless Fighter: A warrior's true enemy is hesitation; increases strength with each consecutive strike.
{Development Abilities}
[Abnormal Resistance: H
…
She was very pleased that their training had paid off in more ways than one; the execilia gained within this week couldn't even compare to the times they went to the Dungeon, but it was just enough for a couple of them to raise the rank of at least one of their stats.
And that was not counting the two that went on the expedition, and overcame the trial the goddess had foreseen awaiting them; it was a shame that neither of them had gained any Skills or Spells from the experience, but the excelia earned was more than enough to cover it.
At where they now stand, Drake and Tetra were only one major update away from a Level Up; and thanks in part to her Skill, Emma was already approaching that territory as well.
Of course, Tris was slowly coming along as well; Hecate could see her reaching Level 2 within the next few months if she kept up this pace, though Emma might over take her with her Skill.
'At this rate, there wouldn't be any Low Class Adventurers in the Familia by the end of the year.'
Knock*Knock*
"Come in."
"Please excuse me."
The door opened and in walked the rookie of the year, Dae heading straight for the chair and removed her top to reveal her bare back to her without another word.
More than amused at her rather blunt actions that spoke of anxiousness and excitement, Hecate flicked the tip of her knife on her thumb and allowed her divine blood drip onto the half-elf's back.
Numbers flew by in her mind's eye as the goddess got to work adjusting the acquired execilia to their rightful place, her eyes widening at the amount of excelia the rookie had earned through her trials in the Water Capital.
'That expedition truly was the push they needed…'
Once she was done sorting, she slapped the parchment on Dae's back before handing it over for her to read; the goddess grinning widely when she saw the jaws of the half-elf dropped in astonishment over what was written down in her Falna.
{Dae}
Lv: 2
STR: F312 - F370
END: H104 - H188
AGI: G295 - F396
DEX: G298 - E405
MAG: F300 - D512
{Magic}
[Electro: Enchantment magic that imbues lightning.
Strike, and break free;
Electro!
[Piercing Thunder: Fire a piercing lightning bolt at the target. Can change to homing with second phase
Lighting sprites, reach my target, (chase them down,) and pierce through it;
Piercing Thunder!
{Skills}
[A Dreamers' Duet: One carries the dreams of two; doubles the experience gained per action.
{Development Abilities}
[Hunter: I
"This…This is much is…"
"Considering what you have been through, I think it is a fair reward."
Hecate honestly wasn't sure if the boost in excelia was due to her Skill, or because it was Dae herself; the half-elf was just the special existence as the Sword Princess herself.
Either way, the amount from both her training and the many trials she had faced during the expedition had accumulated into quite the tidy sum total, especially since it had only been a few months since the rookie reached Level 2.
'Then again, she did have quite the adventure down in the Water Capital…'
Still, with her magic, which was already her most advanced stat, in the D ranks, Dae was only an awe-inspiring feat away from breaking yet another Record.
And with what she saw in the stars regarding the half-elf's fate, it was a near-certainty that tomorrow would be the major turning point in her destiny where she would achieve said feat tomorrow.
"Now, off to your room now." Hecate told Dae as she patted her on the back, "We have an early start tomorrow, if you recall."
"Ri-Right…" The half-elf nodded before leaving the goddess's office behind.
Now left alone with her thoughts, she walked up to the bookshelves on the side of her office, each shelf containing rows of books and various little memorabilia that she had amassed since the Familia's founding.
Her eyes immediately went to the two items she had meticulously placed right at in the middle of the shelf, where she could easily see them just by standing right in front of the shelves.
A short sword with only a stump of its broken blade, and small badge with a sigil carved into its surface, a sigil that would later become the sigil of her Familia.
Her fingers gently glided along the rugged and frayed wrapping around the hilt, as the many memories of its late owner played through the goddess's mind, each more vivid than the last.
"I bet you never think this will happen, Jason…"
For any of the divine that descended down onto Genkai, the first mortal that they blessed with their blood held a special connection to them unlike any other that came after. It was no exception to Hecate, either.
She could still remember the day she chose him as her first kin of how the light within the eyes of the exiled noble was rekindled by her blessing as he declared his goals and dreams to her and swore to make them a reality.
And the day she felt that connection cruelly severed with his untimely death, one that she had long foreseen, but she couldn't find it within herself change; a regret that she would find herself carrying for the rest of her eternal life.
'For the first time since your death, the Familia had started to move forward… and tomorrow, we're about to take another step towards the destiny I had foreseen… that you wished for…'
This is-was a dream.
The swordsman was down on his knees panting, his hands gripping tightly on his sword with his armor mostly shattered with only the gauntlets and boots remained on his battered body.
All around him were the many soldiers and knights he had led to their demise, their many bodies littering the maimed ground with almost all of them missing any kind of body part that hadn't been torn off or eaten.
His fellow Spirit wielders didn't make it either, their ornate armor and Spirit Weapons were nothing but shards of useless metal among the many broken swords, their bodies being among the only handful of them that were somewhat intact.
However, their deaths had not been for naught, for twice as many Monster bodies laid together with them atop each other, the ashes of many others mixing with the blood-soaked soil.
The once unstoppable army had been thoroughly crippled, with only a third of it were left after the long battle; but it wouldn't be long for the Hole to birth more to take their place, and the army would be as strong as it was before.
But for the swordsman and his fellows, the time they had bought with their lives was worth the sacrifice.
And yet, he couldn't find himself to be truly happy about it; for he had yet to slay the one Monster that mattered the most, the giant skeleton that was leading it all.
While still standing, the massive Monster had suffered many injuries that would be fatal to any mortal; one of its arms had been cleaved off, its jaw was missing, and its body had countless fractures where it had been struck by the swordsman's lightning magic.
Its head turned towards him, the empty eye sockets staring deep into his own as it raised its massive sword over its head for a powerful downward strike, an attack that would end the swordsman and the empty city behind him.
He knew right there and then that this was his last and only chance to take it down with him; that if he failed to end it, the Monster would went on to devastate other towns, and possibly his family.
He had to take it down, even if it costs his life to do so.
"Was this how it felt for you back then, Albert…?"
The swordsman shakily got back onto his feet and raised the Spirit Sword Indra; his grip tightening around its hilt as lightning erupted from its blade till a pillar of electricity shot up into the sky like a geyser.
The blade began to crack from the excess use of its innate abilities, but it held on as its wielder readied himself for what would no doubt be their final attack, just as the giant skeleton swung down its sword
Responding in kind, he took a step forward, and swung his own sword as well, lightning burst forth in a massive blast of crackling light that clashed against the Monster's sword, as more cracks quickly grew along its blade.
Soon enough, the blade shattered, and the world turned into a brilliant white as all became silent except for a singular voice.
"Your story will not be forgotten."
My eyes slowly opened as I found myself groggily waking up from my deep slumber, the sky outside my window still somewhat dark with small slitters of sunlight pushing over the city walls.
The wetness of my cheeks had informed me that I had shed tears in my sleep, which I proceeded to wipe off my face as I tried to process what just happened.
I hadn't had a dream about that mysterious swordsman since we returned from the expedition, so I had assumed that the last one was the end of it all; yet here I was, witnessing the final moments of his life.
There was a sense of regret in my heart when I saw the final scene of him getting swallowed up that blinding light, yet I could feel his satisfaction even as his life came to an end.
And that voice in the end; I had definitely heard it somewhere before quite recently, but I couldn't for the love of me recall when.
'Just who are you…?'
Knock*Knock*
"Dae, are you awake yet?" Jeanne called out, "It's almost time to go."
"Ri-Right! Coming!"
All thoughts about my dream were pushed to the back of my mind as I quickly changed out of my sleepwear and into my usual attire, my replacement blue cropped jacket left opened.
After securing my gauntlets in place, I headed out of my room and nearly crashed into anxious Emma, the girl barely managing to stop herself from slamming into me in a panic.
"Sorry, Dae!" She quickly apologized.
"It's okay." I told her as we quickly made our way towards the main hall.
"Nervous?"
"Terrified. We'll be going up against people like that Enoch, right? And You saw how strong he is."
I nodded, "I did. But I'm stronger than when I last face him. And so is you and Tris."
Emma let out a shaky sigh, "I-I know, but even then… what if it isn't enough?"
"It will be enough!"
We were nearly toppled over when Tris ran up and nearly shove into us, her arm around Emma's shoulder as she gave her a wide grin.
"After all our training, we will definitely knock that bastard Enoch off his high horse!" She told us, "If not, we can at least drag him down!"
"What's the difference?" I asked.
"…not much, I guess."
"Pff!"
Emma let out a giggle, "Thanks, I needed that."
Tris grinned widely, "Always happy to help! Now, let's hurry! Everyone else is waiting for us!"
""Right!""
…
To be continued…
The calm before the storm. I'm surprised how many times I had used this proverb to describe the buildup to a major arc…
So, the next chapter the start of the War Game! I hope you guys are prepared for what's coming next! Because it would be nothing but fight scenes till the end of this arc!
Now, the Falna updates… I hope you people aren't too upset with their growth, especially with Dae's absurdly large growth compared to the others.
Emma's is mostly due to her Skill, so is Dae plus nearly dying to an Amphisbeana would raise your stats by a lot.
I'll provide the Falna charts for the rest of the Familia in due, so until then…
With that, I thank you all for reading this!