The three walked over to listen in on the commotion.
Ahead, standing outside the fields, was a large number of beings shouting and holding up large signs. Some had wild red hair and big eyes, wearing brown cloaks with iron trinkets while banging stick-like metal instruments together in a rhythm. Many were blond-haired with dresses or semi-translucent outfits in shades of light and dark green, accenting the faint glow of their skin. Their appearance contrasted with the large, dark-colored words on their signs, which even from a distance was visible to the trio.
Protection for non-Anima citizens!
We are subjects too!
Rights for Elarrians!
Yells echoed the slogans in chants:
“No rights, no ruler!”
We should matter to Malgus!”
“Elarrians above Anima!”
As the volume of the crowd swelled, they jostled and surged forwards. They seemed about to charge straight at the student pairs that had gathered on the fields. However, there was also a thin line of figures in dark red and black uniforms blocking their path. These ones had hands on spears and sheathed weapons. They gazed dispassionately at the crowd. Though they stood still, their presence was intimidating enough that the crowd stopped about ten paces before the line, like a wave lapping against an invisible rock wall.
“That explains where the enforcers went,” Remnant muttered.
Anima and human students had also gathered together in the middle of the field. Curious, eyes wide, sympathetic, or with annoyed huffs and sighs, they peered at the Elarrians with their signs with a wide range of reactions.
“What’s going on? I hope they don’t lose it.”
“Wow, I haven't seen so many Elarrians in one place. It must be that wolf attack in the news.”
“I feel bad for them. Some of them must’ve traveled far to get here.”
“Oh, come on. Do they really need to protest at school? I can’t imagine how bad it is at the Palace.”
“It kind of makes sense, protesting at a famous school like the Academy. A lot of future Heroes come out of here.”
“Hopefully us in a few years, ha ha! Probably riling up adventurers to wake us up.”
“Ugh! I’m in the middle of my break! Can’t they shut up?”
Through the chatting, someone strode towards the protesters and called out. “You heard me! Let me say that again. I, as an adventurer and student leader, pledge to protect all of you from these evildoers! I’m going to save the world, and I’ll prove it to everyone!”
The stranger spoke so loudly, with such an assured bearing and confidence, that the protesters focused their attention on him. Slowly, their chanting petered out. They began to murmur among themselves, their eyes growing wide with recognition or curiosity.
He then turned and addressed the Anima-human pairs on the field.
The speaker was a young man, maybe a little older than Enrique. The stranger swaggered forwards to the audience in a stunning dark blue cape. He raised a gloved hand, the sun shining on his lightly armored, stylish outfit with an “X” chest design and matching polished boots. Behind his back was an enormous silver-bladed, gold-hilted sword almost as tall and wide as himself. His smile was turned up in almost a smirk and had a self-confidence to it, like his dark eyes framed by swept black hair.
“No need to be afraid. After all, I’m here.”
“Oh my goodness, it’s Rick Walsh!” a young woman with small sheep horns cheered.
Another Anima with tiger ears gasped. “No. Way. Isn’t he the adventurer everyone says is going to be the next Hero? He’s flying up the ranks in record time!”
“Rick! Rick! Rick!” The crowd of Anima and partners waved their hands, faces lighting up.
Rick waved at the excited crowd. “I’m sure you’ve all heard of my reputation. If you haven’t, a small example should suffice. I defended the entire city of Cambri all by myself. Zero casualties. It’s as big as the city next door, what’s-it’s-name…Lavish? Oh, Larush. But for me, Cambri was all in a day’s work.”
A young blonde girl with small pointy red horns was now standing at his side. She reached over and clutched Rick with the overly long sleeves of her fluffy pink jacket, her green eyes filled with admiration. “Oh my stars! You’re the best partner everrr. Have I told you that? I’ve told you that, right?”
The female Anima was carrying a massive tan-colored backpack. It was unzipped on her back and filled to the brim with colorful stuffed toys. It jostled and shook as she bounced in place with excitement, her long, slender red tail waving around. A small stuffed blue rabbit fell out onto the ground, but she didn’t even notice.
Sven made a motion with his hand to the other two. “Is that…could that have what we’re looking for?”
Alicia nodded, her eyes suddenly laser-focused on the shifting backpack.
Rick noticed the fallen toy out of the corner of his eye. He reached down and picked it up. “Charlotte, you dropped another one.”
She clutched the offered rabbit and giggled. “Tee-hee! It’s no problem! I can always order another one from Felice. Thanks anyways.”
Some of the girls in the crowd sighed. “Awwww.”
“He’s so kind to Charlotte,” one of them murmured.
Rick turned his attention to them again. “If you will give me your support, I can completely destroy all our enemies.”
He unstrapped his big sword and held it up for all to see. “This is Godslayer. It’s made of the hardest materials and imbued with a complex gravi-crush spell that can flatten just about anything. If you join me, you’ll be under my blade’s protection. Guys? You follow my lead, and I’ll make us the most respected and powerful team in the world. Girls? All you have to do is join my harem.”
Enrique’s mouth dropped open. He thought he’d misheard. “Huh?”
There was murmuring in the crowd. To his shock, some were laughing or talking excitedly among themselves.
“Oh! Me! Me!” one brown-eared cat girl cried.
“Don’t let a teacher hear you say that!” one young boy called out, laughing, his dog-eared partner grinning.
Rick scoffed. “Ha! We won’t let anyone get in the way of our love. If any Anima or human female wants me, there’s nothing wrong with us having them. Right, Charlotte?”
Charlotte nodded while continuing to fawn over him. “Uh-huh! You’re so great! You tell them! No one can tell Rick what he should do.” A stuffed green snake dislodged and plopped halfway out the backpack as she spoke.
One of the older female students stammered, “It’s taboo though. People love to joke about it but Anima-human relationships are controversial enough as is. You’re not worried about going against tradition? I mean, even if I were in one I wouldn’t want it public.”
A friend beside her fidgeted, her face going red. “And you want more than one? That’s wild.”
As Rick put the sword back, he waved the worry aside with a dismissive gesture. “I don’t have time to bother with such discrimination. Anyways, who’s going to be dumb enough to fuss over that if I save the kingdom?”
There were those who seemed thoughtful, discussing the matter with frank seriousness. “Hm…it could be a good deal, if we’re being practical. He is strong.”
“What’s the worst that can happen? He’s one guy. We could report him if he goes too far. I bet that Charlotte will keep him occupied in his downtime.”
“That guy’s kinda weird, but that’s Originals for you. He’s on our side. He’s already shown he can fight. Wiped out whole piles of monsters too. I’ve seen videos.”
The enthusiastic ones screamed. “Aah! Let’s join!”
Meanwhile, Sven was raising his eyebrows and Enrique was checking out a profile that had popped up from his communicator. It was of the horned girl with the pink jacket and bulging backpack.
Charlotte Evergreen
Registered Anima
“Role”.
Roles: Adventurer. Student. Business tycoon inheritor. Social media influencer.
Partner: Rick Walsh
Rank: 9,000
“9000?” His eyes widened.
Sven’s expression told him he overheard but didn’t understand.
“That’s a lot higher than it sounds,” Enrique murmured to the other two. “Vi was 130,558. If I remember, Morgan was around 80,000. They’re over 120,000 ranks above me.”
“Stats”.
Abilities: Shared Attraction, Stat Boost, Stat Share, Earth Manipulation, Gigantimax, Extra Storage, Puppetry.
Intelligence: 5, Attack: 8, Defense: 4, Speed: 6, Agility: 6, Magical Attack: 8, Magical Defense: 6
That first ability. Shared Attraction? I only have a name to go off of, but... He tapped on the text.
Shared Attraction: Heightened positive feelings and energy boost on surrounding beings due to the user’s mutual attraction towards someone.
Could that be why some of them are acting weird? Enrique’s face darkened as he watched Rick stride forward to the adoring crowd. They reached out their hands, trying to touch or talk to him. Charlotte clung to his arm, smiling.
“Who are these clowns?” Enrique muttered.
He didn’t think anyone could hear him above the noise, but Rick suddenly swiveled his head in the teen’s direction. The adventurer smirked, an expression that didn’t quite reach his cold eyes.
Those eyes then wandered past him and saw Alicia. The smile widened. He strode in the direction of the trio.
“My, my, what do we have here? Are you a transfer? Haven’t seen you around school. Would you like to join me?” His eyes roved over the cat girl’s body.
Alicia had a completely neutral, I-don’t-give-a-f*** expression. “No. What’s a harem?”
Rick quirked an eyebrow. He chuckled. “You’re funny. It’s a very exclusive…club. With benefits.”
Enrique tensed as Rick reached out a hand to pat Alicia on the head. The cat girl immediately swiped a hand out to claw his face.
In a blur of motion, the adventurer caught her wrist before her fingers could reach their target.
Alicia’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. …He’s fast.
“Oh? My bad. I thought you looked cute. You won’t hold that against me, I hope?” Rick continued to smile however.
Another arm, strong and muscular, reached out and grabbed Rick’s. Sven spoke quietly but firmly. “Let her go.”
The adventurer turned his head. “Relax. What’s the big deal?”
Enrique shouted angrily, “Don’t touch her!”
Nearby, Rick’s partner with the backpack cried out. “You let go of Rick, you meanie!”
Rick ignored Enrique and talked to Sven in a casual tone. “You’re her partner, aren’t you? I get it. You want to be one of those protective types. I’m like that too.”
The adventurer tightened his grip on Alicia, then leaned a smidge closer to her face. “Listen. I’m not going to force you to do anything. I’m just saying. For your own benefit, you might try thinking about yourself and the other students sometime. I can help. I have the strength and the skill. I’m not asking for much in return.”
He flashed a grin. “Everyone has something they want coming here. Me? I only want the companionship of some pretty girls. Nothing serious. My whole life has prepared me for this. I’ve been a streamer, top-ranked competitively on loads of RPGs, experimented with the most cutting-edge multiplayer tech in my country. I’ve led team sports and done martial arts too, which makes me more than perfect as a future Hero. After my services, isn’t it only fair for my desires to be fulfilled too?”
Alicia made no reaction. She already realized he was not merely bluffing. She also didn’t understand half of what he said.
Remnant made a small noise resembling a disgusted growl. “An insult to true gamers everywhere.”
Then Rick turned to Sven. “Think about it. This whole world is ours for the taking. We only need to be ruthless and honest about our needs. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard these kinds of stories before? We go in, we level up, we get what we want. All the NPCs are there to help us in this game. I could set up a mutually beneficial deal with your partner if you’ll allow it.”
“Anything that gets in our way, we wipe out. Boom. Clean sweep, no mercy. We can be unstoppable. My abilities and knowledge handed to you, for a little of her time. Sharing is caring, right?”
Charlotte piped up behind them, “You need to join Rick! My partner can get scary but he’s a good guy. You’ll get used to us, don’t worry! We’ll make a great team, maybe start a supreme League soon. He’s so cool!”
The adventurer nudged Sven with an elbow in a friendly way. He loosened his grip and watched Sven’s impassive face for a reaction. Then he casually patted Alicia on the head. “Think about it,” he repeated, and turned to grin at Charlotte.
At this point Enrique decided to introduce his fist to Rick’s face.
Before the punch could connect, Rick threw up his arms and blocked, skidding backwards on the grass. His eyes veered towards the boy. “Oh? What’s your problem?”
Enrique’s red aura surrounded his body. “I don’t know who you are, but stay away from my…friend.”
“We’re not—” Alicia started.
“Frenemy,” Enrique corrected for her.
The adventurer said nothing but cracked his knuckles. A thrill of fear went through Enrique. He didn’t want to show, but the punch had felt like hitting a solid brick wall. His arm throbbed.
Rick spoke loudly as if he was talking with a megaphone. “Hey. I didn’t do anything. Is everyone seeing this?”
Charlotte cried to the astonished and confused crowd. “Those two are jerksss! All Rick wanted was to help a cute cat girl and they’re trying to grab and hit him.”
The adventurer shifted his stance and held up a fist towards Enrique. “I’m going to go easy on you. If you get in my way, I’ll have no choice but to knock you out. Leave while you can.”
This guy! Enrique’s eyes narrowed. “You’re acting like you’re the victim here. Apologize to Alicia! You creep!”
“Creep? How dare you. Are you that close-minded to others’ perspectives that you want to inflict violence on your fellow student?”
The expressions of uncertainty written on the crowd’s faces was enough to make him snap.
“That does it! You slimy f***er!” Enrique charged forwards.
Rick moved the fist forwards a tiny amount. A massive purple aura burst out from the adventurer. Immense pressure suddenly slammed into the ground around him, sending Enrique lurching awkwardly as he hurled a fireball in Rick’s direction. Rick’s mouth turned up in a hint of a condescending smile. He moved lazily forwards to strike, weaving around the fireball with practiced ease.
A familiar figure walked behind the adventurer and tapped his shoulder. “Excuse me. Please don’t hurt my partner.”
Rick, surprised, whirled around and threw his fist out in a punch. The stranger dodged as a vortex of wind flew from the fist, tearing through the air in a straight line and rocking the area with a thunderous boom. The crowd stumbled and cried out.
“Vi!” Enrique shouted.
Vi’s voice came quietly from his communicator. “Start the link. You’re going to be on your own now. This isn’t going to end well for me.”
----------------------------------------
Rick’s face turned up in a small smile. “Oh? You’re not too shabby.”
“Let’s not fight.” Vi put her hands up in surrender.
Enrique’s eyes flickered to her waist. Alarm shot through him like an electric shock. She didn’t have her sword, or any of her guns, or even a pouch.
She’s not carrying any weapons? Why?
Rick’s eyes widened as he recognized the newcomer. “You’re the Anima from the escort earlier.”
The Elarrian protesters shouted and called out from outside the fields, growing agitated and moving closer once more towards the school.
“That’s her!”
“How dare she show her face to us!”
“You murderer! My family was there! Don’t you have anything to say?”
Surrounding Rick and the others, the crowd of students murmured to one another.
“Definitely looks like it,” one of them said, and Enrique glimpsed an article from a social app. Somehow, a partial picture of her had been taken in darkness, but the features were visible enough. The title screamed, Elarrian Massacre! Highborn murdered during escort!
The fox woman turned to the protesters. “I’m very sorry,” she said to them, but her voice was drowned over the roar of the crowd.
Vi quickly made her way to Enrique, Alicia, and Sven, keeping her eyes on the adventurer. She used her tails to block Enrique from view as he awkwardly tried turn to the pages of the book. “Enrique, I’ll distract him. Get the item, hide from it, and follow it. Listen. Tengo un papel dentro de mi bolsa. Lo entiendes? Mantenerse seguro.”
“Uh…si.” He hastily began casting, caught off guard by the sudden language shift.
“Oh, and Sven, I have something important to tell you too. Goyang-ineun agi uyuleul joh-ahabnida. Naengjang-go-e deo manh-eun eumsig-i issseubnida.”
“That—what—I suppose that’s good to know.” Sven was as wildly taken aback as Enrique, but he was adjusting himself to this sort of thing.
Alicia was looking from Enrique to Sven to Vi and back to Enrique. “What’s she telling you?”
Rick interrupted them by shouting loudly to the audience as he faced Vi. He had a slight smile on his face. “I hear it! The will of the people. I’ve been too busy to take in much news, but frankly, I’m as disgusted as you all are. You want justice? I’ll give it to you. Whatever it takes! I’m going to punish this traitor with everything I have.”
The yells of the Elarrians grew from aggrieved to energetic and supportive. “Yes! Do it! Make her pay!”
The Anima-human pairs were also infected with excitement. “Yeah! Let’s see it! I want to see Rick fight!”
Rick’s purple aura glowed around him as he launched himself at Vi. She wrapped her tails around Enrique, covering him completely as the link flared to life. The adventurer struck a series of blazing-fast strikes with his fists. Each attack pummeled Vi in the chest and she stumbled back.
He’s playing around. Wants to see what I can do. Making a spectacle. Still hurts, though.
The protesters cheered. “Get her!” They waved their signs furiously.
Rick followed up with a blur of movement, a flying elbow at her side, then a combo of punches and kicks. Vi was sent hurtling to the side and smashed into the grass, sending a cloud of dirt sky-high.
She got up. Her chest throbbed. “I don’t want to fight you. Please stop.”
Rick scoffed. He unstrapped the enormous sword from his back. The metal glinted in the sunlight. “It’s too late for that now. I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done.”
He turned to his partner watching from the sidelines. A menacing glint had appeared in his eyes. “You know what to do, Charlotte. Let’s bury her into the ground.”
“Yesss! Rick’s the best! Stat Share! Stat Boost!” The girl jumped up and down, her heavy backpack bouncing in step as she glowed with a pink aura. A series of red wisps like mist flowed from her body to Rick’s, followed by green ones.
“Let’s do this!” The adventurer whirled his sword around in arcs at his sides as he rushed forth, heaving the giant weapon with two hands like it weighed nothing. He moved so fast he was barely visible to the onlookers. “Gravi-Crush Slash!”
The blade, a mass of razor-sharp steel carried forwards with inhuman momentum, smashed against Vi with the explosive force of a landmine. She was sent flying backwards and then rammed into the field with such an impact the earth blew open underneath her. The ground trembled, gusts of wind and a blast of purple light filling the air.
The adventurer twirled his weapon around in a ready stance and heaved his sword over his shoulder. He gazed at Vi lying on the ground. She moved weakly, struggling to even get off the dirt.
“Hmph. How pathetic. She’s not even worthy of touching my Godslayer.”
Charlotte hopped towards him. Another stuffed animal flopped out of her backpack onto the dirt. “Oh my elements, you’re amazing!” The adventurer grinned and put an arm around her, then turned to the throngs of students and protesters. He gave them a confident smile.
“Rick! Rick! Rick!” The crowd roared their approval.
“That’s a real adventurer! He’ll be a Hero for sure!” one of the students crowed.
Enrique, still nestled in Vi’s tails, was in a state of shock. He shook himself out of it and realized he was otherwise fine. It was a strange feeling, like being in the middle of a tornado but then being dropped off unscathed. He stuck a hand out and pulled himself from Vi, trembling. Sven had run over to them and Alicia had followed.
The man took Enrique’s hand. “Are you okay?”
“I–I’m fine–but Vi–” He broke off and turned to stare at his partner on the ground. She was barely moving, her eyes turning to look at him as if she didn’t want to let go of the sight.
Is this…is this really happening? He beat Vi like it was nothing. He tried to remember the last thing she’d said. “The item we came here for. We need to get it.”
Before Sven could reply, Rick finished waving to the crowd. He sauntered towards Alicia. “Sure you don’t want to change your mind? Think carefully, now. You don’t want to make me look bad.” The adventurer smiled coolly and raised an arm, as if expecting her to embrace him, as some women cheered or applauded.
Alicia glared, but the adventurer suddenly jumped to the side as the grass he’d been standing on imploded. A shower of soil and flickering fire erupted. The adventurer glanced over and noticed a small clod of dirt had landed on the sleeve of his polished outfit.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
The crowd murmured or booed as Enrique stood with his hand held out, shaking. “She said no. What part of that don’t you understand?”
The adventurer slowly brushed the dirt off. His purple aura darkened. Rick suddenly turned to face Enrique. “Now to deal with you.”
“Wha–?”
Before Enrique could even finish his sentence the adventurer had covered the distance between them, swinging his sword right at Enrique’s face.
Before Godslayer could reach him, a semi-transparent blue dome appeared around his body. Metal crashed against the defense with a deafening boom. A burst of purple light rattled the ground. Rick was sent skidding backwards.
“Huh? A barrier?” Rick’s eyes widened. “There’s no way you could do that.”
Nearby, Vi lurched back from her position in the dirt. She clutched her chest and winced. Slowly, she got up, a hand on her head. “Please. Don’t hurt him. You’ve already won.”
“Tsk.” Rick reared his sword back and rammed the blade against the barrier once more. The blue dome shuddered and Vi took a few steps back, as if she’d been the one hit. The adventurer’s eyes narrowed. His face grew hard and cold as he fixed his gaze on her. The menacing gleam in his eyes became furious. “Fine. I’ll beat you to a corpse to reach him.”
His aura flashed out of his body like rays of light. The adventure held out his weapon, which glowed with red runes appearing along the length of the blade, and a massive invisible weight suddenly bore onto the area around them. Cracks like spiderwebs formed in the dirt. The crowds of students and protesters were sent to their knees or even flat on their backs, crying out in surprise.
He turned towards the fox woman and smashed the sword against her so hard she flew all the way across the field and through the wall of a building, across multiple halls, and then through another wall out the other side. The adventurer immediately leaped after her.
Rick dashed towards the fox woman like a comet of green light. He appeared behind her in a flash and rammed Godslayer against her back, the blow emitting a terrible crack, sending her ricocheting through another part of the building and back onto the fields. She hit the ground and broke a huge crater into the dirt. A geyser of grass mixed with chunks of debris blew towards the sky.
----------------------------------------
Sven, slumping down like most of the others, felt some pressure leave him as Rick disappeared from view. He recognized the bloodlust. Sensed the raw anger at being slighted. This person’s serious. He’s going to kill Vi. Then he’ll come for Enrique. He looked up to see Charlotte still prancing in place, cheering in Rick’s direction. “Whoo! It’s serious Rick time. Rick is so bad!” The girl was still glowing with a pink aura, streams of red and green light flowing from her body and fading into the air.
The man snapped into action. He slammed a hand down and raised himself up. Sven emitted his green aura, straining hard, and summoned the air around him, pushing a torrent of wind and raw energy around his limbs like jet propellers until he staggered to his feet and towards the girl with the backpack.
Enrique found the blue dome still surrounding him, cutting out the pressure he saw most others fall to, despite not focusing on keeping his previous psychic link. He noticed Sven running at Charlotte as the other students and protesters began stirring on the ground. Alicia was also on her feet, looking surprisingly unsure on what she should do.
He charged together with Sven after the girl in pink, swiping an arm in a cutting motion like his hand was a knife. Charlotte’s eyes widened mid-jump. She spun to the side, revealing tiny feathered wings, dodging with unexpected agility as a furious explosion tore through the dust-filled air and ground below her.
“Oh my skies! Do you guys see this? These big meanies. They’re attacking me! Help!” The girl flailed her jacket sleeves at the closest adventurers she could see as they stood up.
“How dare you? Charlotte’s my favorite social media influencer!” one young boy mage cried. Several adventurer mages and their Anima rushed to intercept Sven and Enrique, drawing their weapons.
“Are you out of your mind? How can you believe her? Don’t you see what they’re doing to us?” Enrique demanded, as he drew his sword and fired orange beams at the backpack girl.
Another male mage yelled, “Charlotte didn’t do anything to you! It’s totally fair for her to help! You guys attacked her and Rick first!”
“My followers! Save me!” Charlotte wailed, her shoes tap-tapping the field to dodge.
“Shut up! You’re hurting my partner!” Enrique roared.
The boy mage who’d spoken threw up a shield around Charlotte and swiped a straight sword in Enrique’s direction. Enrique dodged the ensuing arc as another adventurer swung a large green scythe with jagged edges like a saw.
Sven darted forward, summoning waves of wind which sent their opponents lurching. He yanked the handle of the scythe, pulling its owner off-balance, and kneed him in the stomach. The man hurled the guy away and punched at two more adventurers, bringing them down with wind gusts from his fists. Seizing the brief opening, Enrique glowed with light and slashed the air.
One adventurer shouted to her friends, “Watch out!” The group dived away as the air near them blew up in an orange-red flash.
“He’s using the dirt as a priming agent!” one cried, dousing the area in waves of water.
Enrique fired nonstop beams of red light at Charlotte, but the others’ shields and the girl’s speed kept getting in the way. She ran around in circles, dodging as he set raging fires and shot up the ground around her. Fury boiled within him.
The adventurers who had supported her scrambled away or retreated towards the safety of the larger student crowd, which had backed away to avoid being caught in the firefight. Still, the six or so who stayed were really, really getting in the way. A student with two knives and her partner with a sword and shield were slashing at Sven in fluid motions, moving in tandem, forcing the man to dance away.
Enrique barely dodged a red beam from someone with a bow and responded in kind, hitting the human mage’s shield, shattering it and sending her sprawling onto the grass. He then hurled a red arc at the pair attacking Sven, feeling a savage satisfaction as the two became distracted. They tried to block, reeling at the impact, but the one with the shield found it set aflame, causing him to drop it and promptly get kicked by Sven in the face. The cloaked man shoved out a hand and sent a twister of wind crashing into the other opponent.
Charlotte wailed, a sound which made Enrique grind his teeth and seethe. “Riiiiick! I’m in trouble!”
A gigantic purple beam soared out towards Enrique, but right before contact it was absorbed by a blue dome. Across the field, Rick kicked his boot hard on Vi’s chest as she lay on the ground. He turned towards his partner. The adventurer held out a hand and called out. “Fine, fine. Don’t interrupt. Reflection Bubble!”
A large transparent dome shuddered into being from the ground, expanding to cover Sven and the remaining fighters, sealing them away from Enrique and Charlotte.
“Sven!”
The man, undeterred, merely grabbed an adventurer by the shoulders. Sven threw the boy at the edge of the dome in one swift motion, his green cloak flapping in the wind. The unfortunate student smacked against the dome and slid down. At first, Enrique wasn’t sure it did anything at all. Then Sven tried to punch the dome with a gauntlet and to his surprise, he was sent sliding back.
“I’m trapped.” Sven frowned as Enrique jammed his sword against the dome, sending out white-colored sparks. “Don’t bother. I’ll handle this. Go after Charlotte.”
Remnant’s voice came low and urgent. “We don’t have much time. Enrique, I do have one trick up my sleeve, but I’ll be unable to communicate further once it happens. You’ve got to finish this yourself.”
“Just tell me,” Enrique growled.
“Overdrive. It’ll help you catch up to her. You need to learn it, fast. Then switch spells with Sven to take her off guard. Alicia needs to get involved too, or our chance gets way too slim. Hurry.”
“How–”
“Smoke her. Buy me three seconds, then go.”
Enrique plunged the sword into the ground and fire erupted like a miniature volcano. Charlotte let out a high-pitched scream, surrounding herself in a pink oval shield as she jumped away. Dirt and searing waves of flame slammed against it.
“Grab me. Brace yourself. Now!”
Enrique did as he was told, and suddenly white light flashed in his vision.
----------------------------------------
You have been granted privileged internal access. Advanced training Session has begun through Project R.
Finding possibility branches for interactivity.
3 branches auto-selected.
Generating sub-scenarios per branch.
Preparing sub-scenario 1/12.
Preparing sub-scenario 2/12.
Preparing sub-scenario 3/12…
12/12.
Warning. Restricted interactivity due to mana limits. Passive viewing is advised. Mana overuse will result in early termination.
Scene starting.
Decades ago.
Enrique was no longer himself. His skin was lighter instead of tanned, and he was taller, with a more lanky build. He was perspiring, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling underneath a black shirt with a white circular logo in the middle. He stood with a curved sword held with both hands, gripping the black hilt. His focus was on Vi, who faced him carrying a short wooden sword.
In an instant she closed in on him. The practice weapon bore down on his head. He brought his glistening silver blade up and the wood rammed against it, sending him skidding back.
“Don’t block. Attack while you defend. Deflect if you have to.”
His eyes widened as she vanished from view. Quickly, he turned around to glimpse her reappear and slash down again. He dodged and counterattacked, but even as the glowing blue blade sliced through the air he knew it had gone wrong. The arc was a tad wide and slow.
“Too open. Forty-five degree angle, no more. You’re dead now.” She whacked him on the chest. He sprawled onto the ground. The blade clattered out of his grip.
Vi approached. “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” She did indeed appear pained, though her eyes were serious.
“Yeah? You’re not the one on the floor,” he gasped out, wincing.
“Try again.”
He glanced at the sword beside him, gazing at his reflection in the silver metal. His face was worn out. Tired eyes. His hair was a mess. “No. I can’t. I’ve had enough for today.”
“You need to master your First Form before you can move on to Second Form. If you can’t do that, you’ll die in no time at all. Forget about Third Form. Get up.”
He stared at her. “You think I can keep fighting like this? Like some kind of superhuman? I told you, this isn’t what I signed up for.”
He staggered up, clutching the sword, hoping to rest in his room. “I plan. Outmaneuver. Move pieces on the 5-D chessboard. But exercise? Not my jam.”
Vi whacked him on the shoulder. The blow stung. He stumbled down on one knee. “Ow!”
He reached a hand out to clutch the shoulder. Vi whacked him on the exact same spot.
“Gah!”
She wasn’t smiling. “My people are under attack. There’s a war starting. This is serious. You could be the tide that changes the situation.”
“Tsk! I’ll do what I want. I’m not following anyone’s script, not even you or your king’s.”
Whack.
“Ugh!”
Whack.
“B***.”
Whack. “That’s me.”
He hit the floor again. The sword rolled away. He groaned. Spread out his arms as he regained his breath. “Look. I understand. This matters to you. Let’s accept we have different motivations, okay? I’m here to test myself, build up a nice skill tree, and have some fun while I’m at it. As long as our interests don’t conflict, we can work together. But you should respect the separation.”
She didn’t budge. “This isn’t a game! If you want to protect others, physical training is as important as mental.”
“Easy for you to say.” He sat up and scooted away as she towered over him, the tip of the curved wood pointing at his neck. “I, for one, refuse to engage in beating my head against an immovable brick wall. It’s pointless.”
“Do you think I got this strong by doing nothing? It’s hard work. You have to face that.”
“Waste of time. There are more productive ways forward.” He made a dismissive motion with a hand and attempted a weary grin.
Vi studied him in silence. “You’re afraid.”
“Ha!” He laughed, doing his level best to remain cool as she prodded his neck with the wooden weapon. “Me? Afraid? I’m merely not being an idiot. I’m not…afraid. I’m not. Of what, exactly?”
“You’re a glass cannon. You’ve spent so long being a natural that if someone hits you in the wrong place, you’ll shatter. You don’t want to know what it’s like to go all in on something that may or may not work out, and end up losing everything. That’s what you’re afraid of.”
He stared up into her eyes. He didn’t answer, but his mouth drew to a grim line. Defiant.
She continued. “That’s why you always, as you say, half-butt everything—”
“—Half-a**—”
“Half-butt everything, acting like you don’t care or you’re above all this work. You won’t fully commit to something out of your comfortable little domain. It’ll damage your worth, your pride, and your sense of self. You never give your all. That’s the difference between us. And that’s why…you’ll never be able to touch me.”
He felt it. The truth. The gap between him and this fox as she stood over him. He hated it. For one of the first times in his life, he was staring at an obstacle he couldn’t overcome. He finally confessed. “I…I can’t. It’s too hard. I don’t want to lose. Who likes losing?”
“You can do it. Believe in yourself. Even if you get knocked down, even if you get beaten over and over, you’re still fighting for something you want. Something you care about. That’s what real strength is.”
His eyes drew towards the discarded silver blade lying on the floor.
“Reach deep inside yourself. Find what matters most to you. Cling to that, don’t let it go, even if you feel you’re going to break apart. Show me what you’re made of.”
She hefted the wood back and swung at his face. “Pick up your sword…and fight!”
He plunged into the depths of his being. Recalled what he had learned.
Enrique who was not Enrique thought, show me what to do.
Sub-scenario 1. There was no visible change, but he felt a confirmation in his mind.
Channel the emotions of your soul.
The elements within and without.
Ice. Cold, unyielding, hard justice.
“Ice make!” He snatched up the sword and slammed his hand down. A semi-transparent sheet of blue-white ice covered the floor. With a blast of blue light, he slid backwards out of her reach.
Fire. Anger, rage, determination. Righteous fury, will.
“Overdrive!”
He concentrated hard, letting the fire in his spirit rise into a roaring blaze. His chest felt hot. Heat flowed from it through his veins, to his arms and legs, then his fingers and toes. His pupils flashed scarlet. He clenched his weapon and ran forward, heart pounding and blood pumping. His heartbeat increased dramatically as he moved, the world becoming a blur, his eyesight and hearing sharpening. A red aura and flames burst from his body as he glided towards her, his profile an indistinct flash like lightning. This time, I’ll reach you for sure!
He sped on a collision course with his opponent. Vi moved aside but he turned, intent to stay on target. He felt a great weight crushing down on him as he strained his muscles. The heat grew uncomfortably high and his heartbeat quickened even more. He forced himself on despite the effect and pushed through. He raised the hilt over his head.
Light. Purity, goodness, hope, the call to help others.
His sword swung in a perfect arc. The front of the silver blade gleamed with intense yellow light that sent starlight trailing behind it. The glittering sparks fell along the path of the sword, releasing a mana boost that made their surroundings glow.
“First Form: Angel’s Edge!”
The sword sailed towards Vi’s body—
Warning: Early termination.
Scene end.
----------------------------------------
Enrique’s eyes flew open. The world rushed back into view.
“Overdrive!”
Enrique’s pupils glowed scarlet and he blazed forwards, his body a red blur. His feet hit the grass like lightning as fiery energy surged through his very being, heat coursing from his pounding heart through his veins and blood. His heart beat faster, his vision sharpened even as his surroundings flew past, and his limbs moved at an electrifying pace. In a split second he had closed the gap to the girl with the backpack.
“Wha—?” Charlotte’s face froze in a comical, dumbstruck expression as Enrique swung his sword. A massive red arc smashed against her shield, shattering it and sending her skidding backwards while waving her arms. Enrique leaped to the side and slashed again, causing Charlotte to jump away and screech in fear. Around her debris exploded in fiery red.
“Gigantimax!” Charlotte screamed, grabbing a stuffed blue rabbit from her big backpack and holding it up to her face, cringing. The rabbit glowed pink and abruptly grew larger, tanking several red beams from her attacker as it became bigger than the horned girl herself.
“Aaaah!” Charlotte shut her eyes and yanked the giant rabbit around as Enrique summoned a hail of explosions while slashing at her with waves of flame. They battered the stuffed animal, causing it to shudder and receive several large punctures. White cotton and embers spilled from the toy’s chest and arms.
“Counter! Counter!” the girl wailed to her makeshift fluffy shield in high-pitched panic. Then the stuffed rabbit’s black eyes glowed—and they fired red beams.
“Of course it shoots lasers,” Enrique growled. He zigzagged around Charlotte, firing a nonstop assault of arcs as he dodged the red streams and sought an opening, literally running circles around her.
Enrique felt his body beginning to buckle, like a great weight was pressing down on his shoulders and limbs. His heartbeat quickened even more as he became uncomfortably aware of the hot blood flowing through his body. Thump, thump, thump. A tinge of worry shot through him. The strain. It’s too much. Come on! he shouted to himself internally.
I’m not giving up yet. He glanced at the white dome containing Sven and Charlotte’s followers. Sven? You there?
I can hear you, Sven confirmed.
Enrique swung his blade in the direction of the white dome trapping Sven, striking the barrier with a flash of scarlet-orange light. I’m going to try a transfer with you. Can you send a spell to me too? Let’s get you out of there.
Sven slammed a gauntlet against the dome, causing the ground beneath him to shudder, but it wouldn’t budge. A note of anger rose in his thoughts. Tsk! Let’s do it.
Enrique concentrated on his link with Sven as he resumed attacking Charlotte.
Sven suddenly felt heat in his chest. The sensation flowed outwards from his limbs and spread to hands and his feet, filling him with throbbing energy. His body’s green aura intensified to match. What the…when did you learn that? What is this?
Meanwhile, despite all her whining and screaming Charlotte had the presence of mind to combat Enrique’s flames. She held out a hand, the other still clutching the bashed giant rabbit in front of her body as a makeshift shield. Waves of water launched from her sides in an aqua ring, dousing fire into mist.
An explosion rocked the ground near her, assailing her newly formed pink shield with particles of dirt and ember. She hastily summoned a jet of water in front of her hand and sprayed it pell-mell in the air, dodging as she disrupted Enrique’s repeated assaults.
The girl with the oversized backpack continued to glow with red and green light, wispy mana flowing outwards as she used her ability.
Frustration and worry welled up inside Enrique. The next explosions and red arcs grew larger and more fierce, tearing the field asunder in gaping holes even as water splashed against them. You worthless dumba**! You’re going to get Vi killed!
He called Sven. Can’t explain now. Use it!
Sven brought back his fist. As he summoned the wind around him, this time the element took on visible color. Swirling green wisps formed around his clenched metal gauntlet like a miniature whirlwind. He swung it against the dome and the air echoed with a noise like a cannon blast.
As the burning power within Enrique seeped away, he lurched back. Charlotte hurled tides of water around, growing excited as waves melted fire and his indistinct form came into view. “Haha! I’ve got you now!” He blocked with his sword and a wall of flame, rapidly losing momentum.
“Alicia!” Enrique called out in desperation. He chanced a glance back, sliding on the dirt from the force of the waves. Droplets splashed against his cloak like hailstones.
The cat girl was…walking away?
Alicia had turned from the fighting, making her way towards the crowd of Anima and humans who had backed out of the chaotic battle underway.
“I’m leaving.” Just walk away. This doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s to your advantage.
She repeated that to herself. Walk away. It’s for your own good. Maybe she could escape to find the other assassins while everyone was distracted. She could even take credit for killing Azurelane. She imagined Master would find deep pleasure in that. That was technically her fault, right? It was good if she didn’t make it.
Somehow it didn’t feel right.
“What are you doing?” Enrique shouted, fury in his voice.
“They’re too strong. It’s your fault they’re fighting you.”
Enrique summoned another wall of flame as water smashed against it, dousing it entirely into harmless smoke. “We’re doing this for you!”
For…me?
Alicia stopped mid-step. She turned back to survey the scene. Enrique in his red aura, struggling to reach the girl with the backpack. Sven, punching the white barrier trapping him. Across a field, Vi making a quiet whimper of pain as Rick brought his sword down against her body.
Sven met her eyes. His expression wasn’t angry, but pleading. Sympathetic, even. “Alicia. Please. I don’t know much, but I know this is hard for you. We can do this.”
“I…” She remembered what Vi had promised. Maybe the fox knew the truth, about Master, or maybe she had simply been promising to free her from the gang’s assumed control over the cat girl.
Maybe, maybe there was another life out there for her. One that didn’t leave her cold and empty inside.
“I don’t care,” she started to say, and then aimed a hand at the white dome. A massive black beam blew out against the shield, pummeling it. Cracks appeared like spiderwebs. It shuddered. Sven pressed his fist hard against it, his green aura manifesting brighter and brighter as his body went into overdrive. He let out a shout. Then it broke with a noise like shattering mirrors.
A red laser screamed past Enrique’s head, making him flinch. The girl seized the opening and lifted her giant blue rabbit towards his face.
A green-cloaked blur dashed to her side, swinging a fist. Charlotte’s eyes widened and, as if in slow-motion, turned her toy to face it instead. Sven ducked and a fist landed squarely on the rabbit’s chest.
“Wind…Cannon!”
A beam of raw energy hit the fields and the girl was sent flying backwards. A hole tore through the stuffed rabbit and Charlotte wailed as she was buffeted by wind from the shockwave. She landed on her butt and skidded across a crater. “Aaah! My rabbit! How can you do this to someone cute and innocent like me?”
The horned girl reached in her backpack and pulled out another stuffed animal, this one a green snake poking out the bag. She spun it around as she faced Sven, whose aura began to flicker and dim. “Ha! You’re all out of breath! Now it’s my turn! Gigantimax!”
Sven, breathing hard, tried to summon a gust of wind at Charlotte, but the snake grew larger and the air was merely thrown around the whirling stuffed toy.
“Rick taught me this!” Charlotte exclaimed. “It’s my super deflection move! Your attacks won’t ever—”
“Oh, shut up.” Sven wearily held up a hand and a hail of miniature fireballs shot out.
“What the—?” Charlotte gasped as she sensed Enrique rush from behind, a flash of orange, swinging his blade which was suddenly surrounded with a whirling green twister.
“Wind Cannon!”
“Huh? Again?” She was barely able to turn in time for the impact to hit her backpack. She was launched forwards and covered her arms as fire pelted her snake, her green and red aura, and the sleeves of her jacket. “Aaaaiyii!”
Charlotte wrapped the snake around herself in time for Sven to burst forwards, straining with green light, hurling a windstorm against the stuffed animal. She reeled back as Enrique threw out a scarlet rope of energy at her back, snagging her backpack and yanking it. She thrust out a hand in his direction as fire snaked up the rope, breaking the energy with an outpour of water and pink light.
Enrique swiped a hand and gusts of wind pushed her towards Sven, who sent out a stream of fire. The two traded spells again, fire flying out of Enrique, who blurred around Charlotte, then as he slowed wind blew from Sven, the man gaining speed even as Enrique slowed to catch his breath and have pressure ease off him. They closed in, circling her in stops and starts, pelting fire and wind and explosions across the field. Charlotte wailed, spinning and dodging as she tried to keep up. The snake rattled and fell partway off her body.
“Aah! So annoying! Stay still!” she cried, throwing her hands up towards the sky. Water flew out every which way, smashing into the ground, deflecting explosions, and dousing flames. She leaped in the air, her little wings flapping as she sought to maneuver out of their reach.
We need to trap her! Sven exclaimed.
Keep going! I’ve got an idea!
Enrique circled around Charlotte with Sven, trying to land a hit at some exposed part of her body. The girl summoned a shield and flung her snake around to absorb explosions, violent wind blasts, and embers. The two moved faster and faster. Enrique summoned whatever strength he had left, feeling energy pouring through his body as his body struggled against waves of magical pressure. The blood in his veins roared. He was afraid his heart was going to burst. He felt Sven do the same. They nodded at each other.
As searing heat and wind combined into a circle of roaring flames, rising high, Enrique shouted, “Flame Tornado!”
Sven called out. “Alicia, now!”
Alicia raced forwards, activating her invisibility as the girl with the backpack flailed in panic. Waves of orange-red fire rushed around Charlotte as the beginnings of a massive twister, leaving only two small gaps of empty space between them. Alicia jumped through one and landed behind the girl. She snuck behind Charlotte, peeking at her partly-open backpack.
Sitting near the top with the other toys was a stuffed brown teddy bear.
Alicia snatched the bear as wind howled around them. Charlotte, looking this way and that at the walls of flame, turned, but the cat girl dived through an empty space in time for the tornado to form completely.
“My toys are blowing away!” Charlotte whined, and then, with a high-pitched “Aaaah!”, she was lifted off the ground by the wind and shoved straight towards the flames.
“Hot! Too hot!” She protected herself in a pink bubble, but the red and green wisps coming from her ability had vanished, as did the glow of her aura as she whirled around and around.
“Eeeek!” Charlotte was spun at dizzying speed around the fiery vortex.
“This is our chance! We need to stop Rick!” Enrique shouted to Sven. The crowd of students and protesters standing farther off somehow weren’t paying attention to the giant tornado tearing through the grass. They gazed with wide eyes at another scene at the edge of the fields.
----------------------------------------
Rick didn’t stop. He raised his sword again. “This is only a taste of my power! First Form: Titanfall!” The blade flooded with black light and then rammed down on her body, unleashing a wave of dark energy that widened the crater around him and carved a jagged line in front of it. She crashed deeper into the ground. Blood poured from her chest.
The human and Anima crowd gasped.
“He’s already mastered his First Form? That’s insane!”
Some, like a girl mage, were getting uneasy. “Titanfall? Isn’t that going too far? The mana drain alone can kill you. Is she…is she dead?”
The adventurer delivered a powerful kick and thrashed Vi with his weapon, smashing it repeatedly at her face. Bam. Bam. Bam. “Ha! Is that all? How sad. From what I’d heard, I was expecting more.”
There was an attempt to block her face and use a thin defensive aura, but the fox woman let out soft cries of pain.
Godslayer continued its brutal, relentless assault. The field where the adventurer stood cracked in half. People screamed. Nearby classrooms shuddered. “Gravity Crusher Times Three!”
She tried to speak, her voice barely audible from her battered position. “Can’t—won’t fight you. Your partner is—Anima. You’re—ah!—part of kingdom. Aah! My kingdom. Will never hurt you.”
“What kind of nonsense are you blabbering? Shut up.” The sword smashed against her legs as Rick tried to use the agony to open up her head as a target. The blade was intent on breaking her skull open or mashing her face beyond recognition, whichever came first.
“Get out of my way. Ashura’s Wrath!” There was a rumbling sound and the crowd cried out. A solid purple arc soared out from the blade, accompanied by a swirling twister of wind. At the impact of both, she was sent unceremoniously flying out of the ground, body spinning around, and rolled onto the grass.
“Vi!” Enrique ran to her side. He felt Vi weakly grasp him with her tails, pulling him down and shielding him as Rick stormed towards them.
She spoke in a voice filled with pain. “Please…don’t be sad…just take care of yourself. Be happy. That’s all I ever wanted...for everyone.”
She went limp.
“Vi! Vi!” Enrique’s heart beat wildly as raw panic and horror overtook him. “No–don’t go–”
A foot stomped down in front of him and Rick stood above the two, holding his sword aloft like an executioner bearing down on a criminal’s neck. His aura was ablaze like a dark fire and stretching out to cover the entire area around them.
“Die! Die! Die!” The adventurer unleashed a barrage of slashes, bashing her repeatedly left and right with the massive sword. The blows echoed like sonic booms, indiscriminately striking her head, her chest, her limbs and sides. She slammed this way and that, thrown around like a rag doll from the force of the strikes. Blood trickled onto the ground in a small puddle.
“Stop! Enough!” Enrique shouted, rolled around and hurled every which way, cushioned by her tails. He fought back an urge to break into tears as his partner’s body was flung through the air without any care at all.
The sword collided once more. Enrique thought he heard bones break.
Barrier release.
The blast was so loud Enrique thought he’d go deaf. It was like twenty explosions going off at once. Walls shook. Glass shattered. Clouds in the sky tore apart. The very foundations of the school quaked. White light filled the fields and Rick was hurled off of his feet.
When the light cleared, Enrique felt the tails loosen and drop onto the ground. He stared at Vi’s face, her eyes closed, her bleeding body splayed and unmoving.
Sven hurried over, stumbling and huffing, Alicia carrying a toy stuffed bear beside him.
“Vi…” Enrique found himself kneeling, unable to stand.
“Here.” Sven bent down and wrapped his cloak around the fox woman, staunching the flow of blood. He put his arms around her, scooping her up to carry her. Normally not a good idea, but they didn’t have much choice. His face was grim. “Enrique, we need to get out of here.”
The man chanced a glance towards Rick. He appeared to be knocked out cold.
“But—”
“We need to keep going. Finish what we came for.”
Sven strode off. The boy caught up to walk by his side, but only to gaze at the body he held.
Enrique reached out and took her hand, shaking.