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<01/17/1972 – 10:40 | Tilsit Port, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>
The brightness on the beach of Tilsit Port doubled in the next two hours. Since the sun was now directly overhead just past noon, the white sand was able to reflect much more light. Jane stretched out her arms some more. She just got through swimming with Danny and Taylor for those two hours, splashing them at every chance, and now she was drying off on her towel, placed on the soft sand. Jane could feel the powerful beams of sunlight heating her body up fast just after leaving the water, but it wasn't enough heat to dry off completely. The random breezes of wind which used to feel calming and blissful gave Jane the chills, contradicting the sun's rays entirely. Though Jane felt relaxed now, she already missed that feeling she had a moment ago. How long has it been since she was able to splash around in the sea like a small child?
"If I stay in longer, I'll turn into a prune."
Jane recognized the voice of Taylor, approaching closely just in front of her. Danny was with her too, walking in the sand with their grain covered feet. It seemed like they were still having fun, and wanted to find Jane just to catch up with everything. She simply waited, knowing that they already spotted her. Jane never before remembered feeling so relaxed in her life. All of that swimming really had a way of making her muscles sore and exhausted. It was a surprise too, since Jane trains all the time with her combat style.
Danny had long since gotten much more used to the beach, but was tired from swimming around for nearly two hours. The ocean still has some small fish past the shore line, totally unexpected for a place that has magical creatures such as wild Cran. At least the fish here don't use Thunderbolt on anybody. Danny and Taylor caught up with Jane, who was drying off the old fashion way. "Yo!" he called.
"What's up Jane?" Taylor asked. They both stopped after hovering over her friend. Taylor began stepping her feet slowly in place. The sand was really hot on her feet after being warmed up for so long today, and her shoes were back in storage. The only cold touch was the air, though the sun negated those effects.
With one final stretch, Jane stood up tall. "You two have enough fun yet? There's still a lot to do here. I want to check out the local library. Plus there are a lot of places where we could eat."
"They sell ice cream around here I think," Danny informed. He didn't care what it was. Danny held his stomach in pure hunger waiting around.
"Sure thing," Jane agreed. "And after we eat, maybe we can all find some lucky challengers." Danny and Taylor had new expressions on their faces. They were looking forward to having a battle here on the beach. Even if they had to wait for tomorrow, Jane was still willing to make an exception for herself despite her previous setbacks.
"I hope by challenger, you mean someone to take part in a Leray match."
Jane and her friends were looking around. Someone else was talking to them right now, a woman whose voice pierced through the volume of the area. Jane finally caught her eye, standing behind Danny and Taylor. Jane's facial movements gave her friends enough of a hint to turn around to face the woman who just spoke to her.
Danny didn't know this person, though perhaps Jane could have. Another interesting character, some young looking blond hair female wearing a strange outfit, certainly a dress sphere. Only appearing to be about 19 years old, this woman had something to say to Jane regarding a Leray match.
"The name's Haley. I'm a new wielder from Bae-Mheden Town. Who did you say your name was?" Haley pointed directly towards Jane. She suspected that all three of them were worthy challengers, but the girl with green eyes asked first.
Jane was a little dumbstruck. She didn't recall saying anything to Haley, not even about her name, and they have never once crossed eyes. As far as she could tell, Haley was a Leray wielder, seeking a challenge by the sound of it. She must have been eaves dropping on her last statement. Jane pointed to herself, immediately overcoming the awkwardness from not knowing who Haley was. "I'm Jane. These are my friends Danny and Taylor," she introduced.
Haley started, "Okay Jane. It's like this." She pointed directly to Jane to emphasize her request. "I challenge you to a battle, right here and now."
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Chapter Theme Shift: Heartbreak One ~ Ace Combat 5 OST
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"Wha? Now?!" Jane still didn't expect Haley's impatience to have a match. "Hold on a second. We haven't eaten just yet. And I still have to change out of this swimsuit before we battle." Swimsuits aren't usually protected in the same way dress spheres or battle outfits are. At the very least, their protection level auras are much lower than a standard dress sphere. Therefore, they aren't appropriate to wear into combat. Her proposal was too sudden. "I don't even know if I want to battle you, see?"
Haley nodded left and right, explaining her exact situation with them. "Look, it's not an impossible task. I just graduated from Vercia training academy."
"Vercia training academy?" Danny interrupted.
Haley didn't seem happy about them not knowing about the place. It means she now has to explain even more before battling. "It's a private training facility near Monoc Port. That's where I live. I've come down to Gulop to challenge as many people as I can. But, I've only battled twice before, so I'm still sort of a rookie at these things."
It's hard enough trying to learn the local geography of a location nobody has ever heard of. Danny knew that the girl's hometown was odd enough in its name, but she must live near Monoc Port, the first place one would reach if using the seas from Tilsit Port.
Jane slowly smirked in response to this bit of news. She had been reluctant to battle anybody else soon due to her weakened condition. However, if her opponent turns out to be a total rookie, then there is no way she could lose, especially after buying that upgraded mercenary outfit. Jane separated those thoughts from her dialogue. "I get it. You're new, so you're just anxious to battle everyone."
"That's right!" Haley pointed toward Jane again. "I heard you talk about finding challengers. Well here I am. It's a formal offer. What do you say?"
For that moment, Haley remained patient and quiet. Jane still didn't like being rushed into decisions, but felt the difference in the situation. Haley just stood there, making her offer all the more serious. A battle, here and now... Jane knew she was going to be hungry during and after the battle, but Haley is also a rookie as well, and with the lack of credits on hand, anybody will do today. "Fine. I still have to change, but you and I will battle right here."
"It's a deal then," Haley closed.
Danny tilted his head slightly. Jane didn't sound like she was as confident as before. While that may be a good thing for her mental health, she doesn't have to force herself to stress about these things. Doesn't Jane realize that she could simply just decline and say "not right now?" So what if it puts a strike on her card? Battling to win or lose three times in a row removes that same strike. She's always rushing into things... Then again, Haley is the impatient one this time. Something about her just isn't right. Her very presence put him at unease, though without any understanding as to why.
"That's right. I'll be back in five." Jane gave a last look at Danny and Taylor. They were a bit surprised at what was going on, but they didn't protest to the early battle either. Jane then turned around, heading for the store in order to use their changing room.
Taylor looked around more, then stared at Haley. She was such a strange person to challenge Jane like this, but it was probably for the best. Jane lost her confidence twice in a row now, and this fight might be all she needs to recover. Even now, Jane sounded very confident in her choice, just before heading back to the store. "So you're challenging Jane?"
"Weren't you paying attention?" Haley snapped. "I won my first battle, and lost the last fight. But Jane will be my next victory today."
Danny instinctively warned Jane's opponent about underestimating someone like Jane. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." It's as if Haley and Jane have swapped places, if he were to assume Haley was nervous at first to battle anybody. She's the one being too confident now, but Jane has just lost three battles in a row. While that may blemish her very faith in herself, it also means she'll make less mistakes. "Let's just say that I'm putting my money on Jane today, and I don't say that just because she and I are good friends."
Haley ignored his comment. She didn't need to ask whether or not Jane was new or old to battling. Jane's unwillingness to back down said it all. Jane won't be that tough. Haley began backing up a bit, establishing the future perimeter in her mind as they decide to battle in the sand. "I didn't ask who you idolize."
Such a temper with this one! Danny held his tongue further, his head filled with a new motivation. It was only now that Danny wanted Jane to destroy her next opponent using any extremity.
Taylor growled under her breath. Haley is so rude! Just who does she think she is? I hope Jane mops the floor with this one.
"So where exactly is Monoc Port anyway?"
Haley had to overcome the shock to realize that Danny was just making small talk, but she opened her mouth long enough to denounce him. "You don't know where Monoc Port is? It's the only other port that accepts ships from Tilsit. Man! If you didn't know that, Jane should be easy."
Good! Taylor thought quietly. Underestimate her, and you'll fall flat on your face. "Danny? We're staying right here to watch Jane's battle."
"But—" Danny looked at Taylor curiously. He still wanted something to eat first. It might as well be pointless to try and vouch for food, seeing as Taylor wasn't missing this match for the world. "I thought that was the plan originally."
"With your stomach, it's hard to tell," Taylor muttered.
Danny squinted at her remark, but dismissed her after. Even if he was getting winded, Danny knew exactly where access to an easy MRE is, right over his back inside of a pouch. Taylor was suddenly brightening up to this match. Danny didn't find it all that exciting since Haley is a rookie anyway, but if there is any time to get hyped up for a good battle, it's right now. Of all the people Jane could face, this blonde has no honor.
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Jane made her appearance again, this time wearing her awesome new mercenary outfit designed for tough battles. She witnessed that Haley was ready to take her on. Danny and Taylor were a bit further behind her, prepared to watch the entire scene. Jane continued stepping forward until she and Haley were only twenty meters apart, then stopped her feet into the sand. The mercenary outfit naturally came with some new shoes, so Jane didn't need to worry about burning her feet in the hot baking grains. Haley however wasn't wearing any shoes or sandals. Didn't all that heat below her scorch her feet?
"You look ready now Jane," Haley projected. "May we get started?"
Jane felt she was ready as well. This time the fight should go her way, after knowing more abilities than Haley should. Their very conversation was already attracting a few people passing by, turning heads this way. Jane nodded for herself, then stared straight into Haley's eyes. "I'm ready!" she cried. "We'll have the bet set at 250 credits."
Haley was a bit surprised at how low the bet was, but it was Jane's choice after all. "Two hundred fifty? That's pretty basic. You're choice though. I'm ready too, so let the battle begin!"
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This time, the holographic text to determine the bet appeared and faded before the Siriean dome took shape. Forming from the ground precisely out of nowhere, the magical dome shield began to surround both Jane and Haley, nearly capturing Danny and Taylor by mistake. The dome spread out far and wide, making plenty of room for battling.
In all unlikelihood, Jane never battled like this before. The environment under her feet was different, making it harder to balance. If she were to fall down, her face and even her eyes could get covered in sand. That was sure to become a possible strategy this time. Even so, Haley said she was a rookie at this sort of thing. Jane knew it too, just by the looks of her stance.
Taylor knew that the battle officially began with the start of that shield forming, but while things were heating up, some things needed to stay the same. "I'll cheer for her," Taylor promised. She then cuffed her hands around her mouth, amplifying her voice towards the shield. "Go Jane! Win this one for all of us!"
Jane could barely hear Taylor's hollers. Dome shields for battle block out a portion of the sound just outside of it, so Taylor knew she had to yell towards Jane to be heard. But Taylor was right too. Jane knew she needed to win this, even if she was still suffering from debilitating ailment effects. To further establish her readiness, Jane initialized her energy scope above her, just as Haley did.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/02dvNLgy/S2-Jane-N-000.png]image [https://i.postimg.cc/0QtXz0kj/S2-Haley-N-000.png]
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Chapter Theme Shift: Title: Re.Trauma ~ Tutti Sound
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"I'll go first," Haley announced. "Don't disappoint me Jane."
Jane readied herself for the first attack. Haley was about to try something, and now was the time to remain wary, but as Jane waited, Haley's hands began glowing in a way that did not symbolize a direct attack spell. Instead, Haley shouted a familiar Leray ability, shoving her hands into the ground afterwards. "Doom Shield!" After hitting the ground, a bright blue colored aura spanned outward, past their feet until it slammed into the dome shield itself. The same effects as before triggered associated with the ability known as Doom Shield. The Siriean dome became much less phased out, turning a darker color than it normally was. The shield phased to become transparent again, but with a different kind of look.
"Agh! She's starting out with Doom Shield?"
Danny noted Taylor's concern. Another Doom Shield means that neither Haley nor Jane can call it quits in the middle of the battle. How many people know Doom Shield anyway? Every opponent Jane faces seems to keep utilizing that specific strategy. "Don't worry," he reassured. "There might be a Doom Shield, but giving up early is the same thing as losing. Do you really think this will dissuade Jane right now?"
Taylor didn't expect Danny to be so engaged in the battle this time. He usually has his pocket book out to check out any new spells somebody uses, but right now, his hazel eyes are intensified on the battle itself. He was right too. Jane isn't going to get upset over something as useless as a Doom Shield.
"Why that skill?" Jane shouted towards her opponent. If Haley was going to go first, why waste those tactics? Whether or not it is useful, why do all of her opponents keep using that spell? Is Doom Shield really this popular?
Haley smiled in her confidence in all of the choices she was currently making. "I hate it when people quit before it's over. I know that affects me too, so let's give it our all."
Jane growled, knowing Haley was right. Neither side will be backing down today, no matter how good Jane fights. It's almost like before.
"Rumbling Bellow!"
Jane winced after hearing Haley sound another Leray spell. It wasn't officially her turn to go again like that, but with all of this talking, it might not have mattered in the end. Jane tried to prepare herself for a good dodging technique, but as soon as Haley launched her spell, there was nothing past that. Jane couldn't see anything significant happening, other than a slight bulge in the ground near Haley that remained motionless. All until...
Taylor couldn't believe it. Even though there was nothing to indicate where the attack was coming from or how soon it was to take effect, the ground below Jane suddenly shot high up, forming a tall pillar and shooting Jane's body into the air. Jane flew up at least twenty feet unexpectedly. The attack that shot out of the ground like that happened so fast, it could not have been foreseen. It resembled a sneakier, more powerful version of Earth Glave. "Jane!" Taylor yelled.
Danny was fumbling for his pocket book, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Jane. She was fine after taking the brute impact, but would she land on the ground okay? Jane came crashing down on her back, unable to balance herself in the air after being slammed with an uplifting pillar. Jane took falling damage even though the sand broke her fall. After taking notice of Jane's HP loss on her energy scope, Danny quickly tried to find that specific spell. It took him a long amount of time, but at last he located the skill's name and read the description aloud. "Rumbling Bellow. It's an attack that—"
"Now isn't the time for that!" Taylor interrupted. She already saw it for herself. There wasn't a use for an explanation right now. "I'll ask when I need to."
image [https://i.postimg.cc/52RR93tt/S2-Jane-N-019.png]
Jane rubbed the back of her head, carefully getting back up. Haley was stationary far in front of her, but the pain was making it hard for Jane to focus. Hitting the ground like that hurt more than being slammed upward by that hidden underground pillar attack, but at least now it was her turn to try something. After getting ready and charging her MP into her right hand, Jane unleashed her attack after announcing the name. "Flashpoint!"
Jane leaped into the air, after which her entire body became a blur and disappeared. Jane reappeared right where Haley was standing, knocking Haley backwards at least five meters. That attack happened so fast in the perspective of others, Jane was practically invisible prior to landing her punch. Flashpoint is a battle skill that first infuses the fist with additional magical energy. Then the person fly's towards their target at the speed of light, putting all of that momentum into a single punch assisted by a completely invisible aura. That's why Jane disappeared momentarily. She leaped towards Haley too quickly to be tracked, and gave her a really powerful punch to the chest. Damage is doubled if she can hit the target in the face, but that's harder to aim for.
Haley was powerless to avoid the effects of the powerful Flashpoint punch, and the pain in her chest caused by the blunt type damage was lasting. Her HP dropped a good amount as well, and this marked the very beginning of a serious battle. Jane really isn't that bad for a new wielder.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/j2LgPn2X/S2-Haley-N-001.png]
Haley got back up with a bit of a struggle, and their HP levels were tied with each other. This was sort of what Haley wanted in a battle, and it would work well for her training. "Not a bad punch," Haley commended. "But if you want to get all physical, try out my Runyden Strike!" Haley rushed in towards Jane in a full sprint. Jane was given plenty of time to prepare for whatever kind of attack this was, but Jane had never heard of Runyden Strike before.
Jane made an attempt to block, but Haley was really close to Jane now, after which she pulled out two daggers and began slicing at Jane's arms and chest. Despite the instant pain of being slashed, Jane quickly got over it and fought back. Haley's attack was a combination, much like the way Jane fights up close. Haley continued slashing with her daggers, but Jane was now kicking them away each time. Haley still managed to transition into a few punches and kicks that Jane failed to block, but Jane did manage to duck and dodge half of those hits. While Haley was still trying to rack up the damage points, Jane finally got her chance, kicking Haley backwards. Her feet slid in the rough sand while Haley struggled to keep her balance, nearly tripping over her own legs.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/6Q418v7f/S2-Jane-N-020.png]
Jane and Haley both had sand all over them right now, much more in their hair, though they tried their best to ignore the mess. "I'll show you a real combination!" Jane retaliated by pulling out her own daggers. Haley didn't seem to notice them earlier, and her sudden movements took Haley by surprise. Now Jane was the one unleashing a combination of physical attacks, punching, kicking, and slicing all in wonderful transitions that could not be foreseen. Haley tried to block and dodge the attacks much like Jane had, but even in doing so, Jane was faster, not allowing Haley to counterattack in the middle. Jane dodged attacks simply by moving at random with her synchronized style. She wasn't even expecting Haley to try and fight back like this, but it wasn't working against Jane either. Haley continued to take hit after hit, and the dagger slices caused most of the HP to dive down. Finally finishing her combo, Jane jumped up, landing her feet on Haley's waist. Jane used Haley's body to kick off even higher into the air, performing a perfectly landed backflip which got her out of the immediate strike range of Haley's weapons. After landing, Jane backed away with grace.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/cC2Dm18N/S2-Haley-N-002.png]
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Haley knew she was in trouble. Jane fights even better than her at close range. Jane was still close enough for one spell in particular. Haley charged up her MP energy, releasing it after quickly chanting the name of another ability. "Shadow Mace!" In the same instance, Haley disappeared into a dark cloud of black mist.
Jane tried to figure out what just happened, but before she knew it, Haley reappeared behind where Jane was standing, using a magically infused mace as a weapon. Haley swung upward, hitting Jane hard enough to launch her into the air once again. Jane felt the immediate bruising and stinging pain on her back, before falling down three feet and slamming into the ground once more. Haley long since backed away, keeping her distance after a devastating strike like that. Whatever skill she used allowed Haley to teleport behind Jane. She wanted to scream at her for trying such a sneaky spell, but Jane knew that a retaliation attack would work even better.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/9M3gZQZ5/S2-Jane-N-021.png]
Haley's mace was glowing with blue electrical sparks, all due to the magical build up infused into the temporary weapon, but it soon faded away back into the invisible glyphring. Shadow Mace is an attack that infuses non-elemental magical damage with heavy blunt damage, chaining a teleporting strike at the same time. Haley now understood that Jane might try something next, so she prepared herself to dodge.
Jane couldn't believe how fast her HP was falling down, even after a single hit from something like that. Shadow Mace should not cause this much damage. Jane shook it off, thinking of a better attack to try out at a good range. "Bulliton!" she yelled. Jane finished charging her MP levels in the process, though not much was needed for this next trick. Jane charged towards Haley, spawning spears in her hands dropping from the temporary yellow generation glyphrings. Jane threw the spears one at a time. Only two spawned so far, but when Jane threw them towards Haley at top speed, Haley knew enough about it to hold up her arms and block out the damage. So far, it seems to have worked, but Jane wasn't finished yet. She jumped high into the air, spawning another spear in the same instance. Jane put a lot more force and muscle into spiking down her last spear at Haley. The weapon traveled through the air and slammed into Haley. It flew through a crack between her arms, causing significant damage and piercing right through her attempts to block it out. Jane landed back on her feet, her small yet effective attack complete.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/66m1wcb1/S2-Haley-N-003.png]
Haley felt the sharp stabbing pain from the last spear on her arms and her chest. The spear itself faded with the end of the spell sequence, but the damage was already done. Haley decided to stick with the ranged attacks instead, since that's the way Jane wants it. "I'm through playing with you!" Haley's voice filled with rage, and Jane placed her hands on her hips, taunting Haley to do her absolute worst. Haley pulled out an item form her pocket. She had purchased this weapon from the store earlier. It's an expensive weapon to just use one time only, but the damage was extensive as well. "Hand Grenade!"
Jane didn't expect it, but Haley tossed a grenade towards her, active and live to detonate at any moment. According to what Taylor had told her earlier, this was the same attack that defeated her in Gross City. Jane wasn't going to let that happen again. She reacted quickly, running and diving far to the right. She had to put as much distance from that thing as possible, and sliding under her feet made that more difficult, as did the rough terrain of the sand.
All in a flash, the explosion happened so fast. Jane was facing the other way, and could only hear the device explode behind her, but it was powerful enough for Jane to feel the blast wave effect as well. Following the loud boom, mountains of sand flew into the air, raining down under the entire dome shield. Jane couldn't bear to look around with all of that sand raining down everywhere. It was leaving her open to an attack for sure.
Taylor couldn't believe it, but Jane was safe. She ran out of the kill zone of that grenade just in time, but what happened to the field was less than expected. It became hard to see inside of the dome, with a sandy fog distorting and darkening the view. Once enough of the dust cleared seconds later, it seemed that Haley was rubbing her eyes nervously, unable to attack or get a hold of herself. Jane however wasn't moving around that much either. She had sand in her eyes too it seemed, or maybe she was preventing the same from happening.
Jane dodged the entire hand grenade attack, and in doing so, there remained a long lasting silence. Jane wasn't attacked, but she could not do very much either, not until this eye sore faded away. For more than twenty seconds, the sand remained in the air, until the last of the floating grains sank beneath both of their faces. Jane quickly realized that Haley still had trouble seeing things. Jane was facing away from the blast of sand, so it wasn't as harsh for her. Now was the best time for a counterattack.
"Razor's Cross!" Jane pulled out her daggers, and a third dagger had been summoned in her right palm. Jane hardly consumed a shred of her MP to do this, and initiated her attack by throwing all three daggers towards Haley. They didn't hit her at the exact same time, but Haley still took all three of the dagger slices thrown into her skin. The force of it knocked her back a little, and she struggled with her eye sight even more trying to get the sand out. Jane figured that either one of them would fail to take environmental factors into account. Using explosives here was the worst idea, and evidently that would go for wind elemental magic too.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/7YJtLzpP/S2-Haley-N-004.png]
Haley must not have been expecting that sand of dust to be thrown everywhere. Forget your surroundings, and that could mean the end. Haley's eyes burned with the pain that wasn't letting go, but she forcefully opened them, only to realize that another attack was incoming.
Jane decided to spam her spells and skills over and over, hitting Haley while she was down. It wasn't her favorite style, but she had been at a disadvantage anyway. "Flying Guillotine!" Since the primary weapon of a person is returned to their person after being thrown, Jane had her daggers back and ready to use them again. She infused the magic into the blades needed to perform the special attack. Jane then threw her daggers at a special angle, allowing for them to spin sideways through the air. Shortly after leaving her hands, the daggers formed a completely flat red circle of light spanning outward, which slammed into Haley; there wasn't anything she could do about it at the time. The attack inflicted a combination of strikes; the circle of damage continued cutting Haley up and down every partial second it lasted, until it finally faded. The sensation of bruising and scaring resonated all throughout her body, but she still wanted to continue battling. The Flying Guillotine attack then reversed direction only to slash into Haley again while returning to Jane.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/T3875w6V/S2-Haley-N-005.png]
"Keep it up Jane!" Taylor cheered. She turned to Danny real quick, making sure he was paying close attention. "You see that? Jane just got to go twice in a row."
The one good thing about the last attack on Haley was that it gave her enough time to finally clear her eyes. They still burned with a grainy after-pain, but Haley soon realized that Jane's sudden stance indicated yet another attack, and she wasn't the only one who noticed.
Danny had been paying close attention, more to the battle than the actual book of spells itself. He noticed that Jane was attacking in sequence for a third time, already forming a blue glyphring around her arm. "Jane's attacking again? Isn't it dangerous to stop letting up like that?"
"Lightning Strike!" Jane gave the spell all her might and determination, her MP reserves still relatively high.
"Quake!" Haley reacted with the perfect counter-skill, and sent the entire ground into an upheave. She could see that Jane was trying out a long range magical spell from there, but her Quake spell triggered first. In the same instant, Jane was knocked around, unleashing her attack in a panic.
Taylor couldn't believe what happened next, and Danny's concern was somehow intact. Haley just used Quake, affecting the rapid movement of the ground even past the barrier of the dome shield. Resulting in that, Jane's balance was disrupted. Instead of unleashing Lightning Strike on Haley, Jane's Lightning Strike ended by smashing into the top of the Siriean dome. The reaction caused the shield to darken and pulsate in the exact area that was hit, and Jane's lightning attack missed!
Haley impressed herself just now with the decision of her reaction. She didn't know ahead of time that Jane was going with Lightning Strike, an aggressive spell that never misses, but this was an exception. How wonderful to find a counter for that skill! The Quake lasted a little longer than the Lightning Strike. Luckily, it wasn't enough to push the sand up all the way to her face, only up to her knees. The quake faded shortly after, forcing the sand back to ground level. The Quake attack did little damage to Jane overall, but surprisingly, it had more effect on her health than it should have on most people.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Qtp4bZJB/S2-Jane-N-022.png]
Jane didn't think her Lightning Strike could be stopped, but she now saw there was a way to stop anything. At least Haley won't be able to spam Quake for the entire battle. It costs too much MP to invoke consecutively. Jane reacted with another haste-filled attempt to charge another spell. This one will give her more time to think at least. She pointed her arm towards Haley, releasing MP in the same instance. The bright blue glyphring formed as Jane announced the name of her elegant skill. "Ice Needles!" Jane's hand became the firing arc of a massive barrage of frozen ice shards shaved down into tiny little needles of ice. The attack deals ice-elemental piercing damage in the form of a barrage, and as expected, Haley wasn't capable of dodging the attack. All she could do was hold her arms up, bend her knees, and block out the damage as best she could, but it left a mark on her HP despite her attempts to block.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/vZWPrsYp/S2-Haley-N-006.png]
Haley felt the sharp sensation of needles all over her body, which quickly transformed into frozen prickly spots. It was like taking Needle Barrage and then freezing up all of the wounds inflicted. Ice Needles is a unique skill, but Haley knew of all people that it has a low damage potential. This reminded her of a powerful spell she had learned to pick up from her trainer at her private institution, a way to totally surprise people after dealing low level attacks. This was it, the moment she has been waiting for. Jane wasn't stupid enough to just spam more spells over and over. Haley had demonstrated just how bad of an idea that was. But it was good for her too, because she could not afford her next idea to be interrupted.
Jane didn't want to go into another attack again just to be hit in the process, but something was up. Haley was hunched down, hiding her hands behind her right hip. She was defiantly charging to use some sort of spell... But it was taking a lot longer than usual. Is she going to attack or just stand there? When should Jane dodge?
Haley realized that Jane didn't understand what was going on. Too bad for her. The MP it takes to charge this spell is a fortune for just one battle, hints the reason it was taking a long time to prepare the invocation, but the damage and power level are worth it. It took a few years before Haley had perfected this spell, so here it goes. "Mega-Flare!" Haley released the last bit of her energy after charging it for six seconds, throwing her hands towards the sky. They had been glowing white with bursts of Leray energy. Instead of using a direct attack, Haley's movements caused a massive white burst of light to form above the entire field. That is to say that the size of the artificial light was about the diameter of the battle field itself, one of the largest area attacks Haley or Jane had ever seen before. The light was about to unleash a powerful burst of magical energy, one that could not be avoided no matter what.
Jane backed up step by step, afraid of what was going on. This spell, it was incredibly massive by the estimated effective damage radius, but Jane noticed something other than that, the amount of MP that Haley had to drop prior to forming that spell. A bit of that energy was still dropping to make the attack cycle complete.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/43sW-wSnn/S2-Haley-N-007.png]
It cost 39% of Haley's MP, an attack that will be sure to end everything right here. Mega-Flare? Jane had not heard of that spell before. How did Haley know how to use something this powerful if she is only a rookie? Could she have lied about that prior to the battle? Jane instinctively covered her eyes after what happened next. The flash of light brighter than the sun engulfed everything inside of the entire dome shield. Jane could only see white, even with her eyes closed. Just as instantly, all of that light turned into heat, a forceful wind that flooded Jane's ears with a powerful high pitch noise while burning her skin and throwing her around in the same process. Jane didn't know what was happening anymore, but it hurt terribly all over.
Danny's jaw dropped simultaneously, along with the rest of the crowd of onlookers in total awe. The inside of the dome was replaced with a solid white color, impenetrable to the human eye.
"What battle spell was that?!" Taylor had never been so surprised in her entire life. Haley did all of that in one invocation? Is Jane even okay?
Danny realized that the light needed more time before fading away to reveal all of the damage it must have done to Jane somehow. He glanced into his pocket book again, searching for the familiar name... It was Mega-Flare. That's what Haley chanted just before this hell happened. Danny found the entry, but couldn't believe it. It's a power-level-nine attack, almost one of the strongest spells available to use! It deals damage in the form obscuring white light, otherwise known as a full light screen attack. How did Haley know how to use such a spell?
Much after the burning pain that left Jane with the feeling that she had suffered contact burns in every location, the pain was soon replaced with a new feeling; a sense of exhaustion and dizziness. It was the same sensation that arrives when HP is reduced to a critical level. What was that attack? Jane didn't know, but she used her recovery time to check her energy scope, surprised at how much health and magic she still had available.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/WzT9YY55/S2-Jane-N-023.png]
Such a devastating attack! Jane didn't want to battle anymore. How could she face up to that? Even if Haley wasn't planning to use it again, it was over now; the tides were already against her again.
Haley saw that Jane was still standing. Well, more like kneeling in pain, but she still managed to stand up after all of that. "I have to hand it to you for surviving my Mega-Flare like that. I normally use that as a last resort and when my target's HP is below forty percent. But you've amazed me so far."
Jane's breathing turned heavy. She knew that she had taken a lot of damage, but there was something wrong with what Haley was saying. She had thought that Jane's endurance was a normal reaction, but Jane knew better. She has been training longer and harder than Haley ever has, despite the power in that awesome spell. "You're wrong," Jane struggled. "My endurance... It's lower than it should be."
"Don't sell yourself so short."
Jane clenched her teeth at those words. Haley didn't even believe her, and she was the one beating her in a battle right now. Why doesn't anybody get it? Why doesn't anybody understand that I can survive a Mega-Flare three time over? There's only one way to prove it to her. Jane got a new idea in mind, and stood up carefully to confirm to everybody watching that she wasn't going down without a fight. No time for hesitations. It seemed a lot like Haley was waiting for her next attack on purpose, but it didn't mean she was ready for it. "Knife Toss!" Jane threw both of her daggers at Haley without infusing any magic into them. Jane had a good reason for this, already charging up MP before watching the impact of her daggers.
Haley suffered a double hit from the Knife Toss attack, but even then, it barely scratched at her HP which wasn't surprising. Knife Toss has a low power level as no magical damage is involved.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/k5sfHvts/S2-Haley-N-008.png]
"Crimson Flare!" Jane wasn't done just yet. She had learned from her last battle about the magical effects of Crimson Flare. She let lose her attack through a large glyphring, forming three massive sized spheres. The spheres had the same color of a crimson orange, residing fire and flames inside. It's a sphere that deals fire elemental damage and non-elemental magic damage at the same time. The three spheres flew towards Haley each at their own angle, forming a triangular kind of shape as the attack got in closer. It's designed to make dodging tricky since there are three which must be avoided. Only one will hit the target if it works, but dodging one may land them in the path of the next.
The downside to a Crimson Flare attack of course is the unbelievable speed. Each projectile was so slow that despite the size and numbers, Haley simply walked out of the way of the middle sphere, and then stood still as the crevice between the other provided safety as the spheres floated on by.
Haley remained undamaged and unfazed. She then laughed in response. Jane must have thought that such a slow attack would be put to better use after distracting her with a Knife Toss attack. How young she still is! Haley didn't need to say anything else, so she continued attacking Jane with head on skills. This time, her hands began glowing without the aid of a glyphring. "Needle Barrage!" Haley fired a barrage wide spread of sharp edged needles. It's an attack that deals only physical pricing damage at a very low power level.
Jane saw the barrage of painful needles heading her way. Needle Barrage does almost zero damage. Haley wasn't planning to win it by HP just yet. Jane was tiring out from her drop in HP, and her opponent knew this. So adding more pain into the attacks was sure to dissuade Jane from continuing on. But this wasn't about winning, not anymore. Jane counterattacked, quickly releasing her MP energy into the next attack, and throwing her arms forward to unleash the power form it. "Shadow Wave!"
It was another one of Jane's famous Shadow Waves. Lots of people can use Shadow Wave, but only Jane can use hers in such a way where the power and potency are maximized. The wave formed bounded to the sand, and grew in height at a rapid pace. Jane instinctively hunched down to get lower in case the needles heading her way were aimed any higher than her own spell. At the time it seemed that the Shadow Wave and Needle Barrage were about to collide into each other, the balance of power immediately shifted. Every single needle got swallowed up or bounced back by the rushing Shadow Wave Jane unleashed, drilling through the ground in an adamant effort to slam into Haley head on. The attack worked beautifully in the end. Knocking back Haley's Needle Barrage, the Shadow Wave unexpectedly broke through and caught Haley in the grip, dealing both magical and slashing damage over increments of time.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/MTGdJf7S/S2-Haley-N-009.png]
Haley had some balancing issues after being hit with something so powerful, but it wasn't enough to stop her. Haley continued with the attacks, ignoring her pain and skipping the dialogue this time. "Wind Slash!" Haley jumped and spun at the same time, creating a magical wind which combined with her dagger transformed into a curved line of visible air. This air was in the form of a slash attack, created by wind itself and bound together by Leray magic. Jane couldn't dodge it in time because of how quickly it moved, but Haley ended up throwing two Wind Slashes at Jane in just one movement. Both of them slashed into Jane for damage. Even though the hits were not major, it made her even weaker than before.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/8c4Z2d3N/S2-Jane-N-024.png]
Jane wasn't about to stop though. Her sensation of feeling drained was only getting stronger by the seconds. "If I don't put everything I have into this, I'll never prove it. Tri-Attack!" Jane shouted the name long before forming her power. Tri-Attacks can vary in type and formation. It was enough to keep Haley pinned long enough to take the entire heat of the spell. The fire glyphring, ice glyphring, and electrical glyphring all formed a horizontal triangle above Haley's head before the attacks were launched. A Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, and a Thunderbolt, all striking Haley in a beautiful harmony of synchronization wrecked her defense. First the electrical attack hit her, keeping her in place until the Fire Bolt and Ice Bolt slammed into her as well.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/85nwpk4r/S2-Haley-N-010.png]
It was amazing how powerful the spell was. Haley knew she could still go on, but just barely. The draining sensation had all but been amplified after taking the damage, but now it is Jane's turn to take on another attack. Haley knew this was a full and dead serious match, and so she needed but the perfect counterattack for Jane's Tri-Attack. Haley already charged up her MP, unleashing it to create a powerful and brightly red colored glyphring in front of her. Though Jane was already prepared to dodge, she would not be able to after this. "Tri-Fire!" Haley launched three Fire Bolts consecutively. All of them traveled towards Jane on their own homing path.
Jane couldn't do anything, despite how close she was to knocking Haley down! Tri-Fire can't be dodged because there are three Fire Bolts instead of one, all homing and all striking at slightly different rates too. All she could do was block and try to stay alive; perhaps this was it.
Haley watched as all three Fire Bolts slammed into Jane, exploding in an immerse of fire. Jane suddenly collapsed to her hands and knees in the sand. She was breathing heavily, her senses darkened and distorted, but it wasn't over yet. Jane wasn't totally out of it.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/CMsrnYKX/S2-Jane-N-025.png]
Jane could tell that Haley was at least suffering the same amount. Her energy scope was at a critical level too. Haley used almost all of her MP on that Tri-Fire spell, already with low health. She tried to hide it, but Haley was breathing as heavily as Jane was, totally wiped from battling so much. Jane stood up, her legs wobbly with exertion. "Magical Blitz." Jane didn't even have it in her to scream or yell anymore. The fight was almost over. If she won right here and now, it would be a miracle. Even if this fails to work, it will at least show everyone the truth of things.
Haley didn't want to, but she managed to jump out of the way of the oncoming blue energy balls from the associated Magical Blitz attack. Jane was simply throwing them at Haley, but they weren't fast enough for her. Haley ended up dodging all three of them shortly after, their speed easy to see and predictable in pattern. Jane had given up right there. "Alright," Haley whispered. "I'll get my win yet. With Runyden Strike!"
Jane expected Haley to charge at her, getting close once again. Whatever Runyden Strike is, it doesn't have to be the same each time, because this time Haley threw her daggers at Jane, much like the skill Knife Toss. Jane closed her eyes, not wanting to witness the end. If she were still standing straight, it may have been possible to jump out of the way, but right now, all she felt like doing was sinking down further, letting her body have its way with losing consciousness.
Taylor watched in horror as the last toss of Haley's daggers pushed back Jane to collapse on her back. Jane suddenly stopped struggling, and her energy scope had reported the worst of her fears.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/15RCpTnt/S2-Jane-N-026.png]
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Chapter Theme Shift: Millenium Watchmaker ~ Valentin Wiest [Fragments of Ledgends ~ Volume II]
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Just like that, the Siriean dome collapsed, fading out and allowing everyone back in. Haley struggled just to stand up. The battle wore her out completely, but she had plenty of healing orbs on hand. She pulled one out right now to use it, but kept in the surprise and exciting thrill the experience gave her. That match was a really close call!
Taylor and Danny did their usual thing, rushing towards Jane to try and help her. She was going to be unconscious again for a good fifteen minutes or so. Danny remained prepared to give Jane a healing orb to use, but first, she must wake up. "Dammit Jane!" Danny cursed. "Not again."
"Again?" Haley hovered by Danny and Taylor, already fully recovered thanks to the quick effects of healing orbs. Her MP was still far down, but it would return shortly enough. Defeat haunted the expressions of Jane's friends, which seemed a bit unusual for a normal Leray match. Did they really care that much about winning? "How many times can someone lose if they're supposed to be a Leray wielder anyway? Jane was easy enough work."
Taylor felt so angry, sympathetically that Jane lost again, and to someone like Haley of all people. "Four times in a row. You didn't have to be so rude!" she shouted, getting up in Haley's personal space.
"Me? Rude?" Haley pointed to herself in confusion. What the hell is her problem? "I won the match fair and square! I wasn't going to just stand there and let my opponent win."
Taylor didn't let up on arguing with Haley, letting all of her anger out at once. It just wasn't fair. Jane really tried her absolute hardest this time. There is no way she should have lost to this snob! "You— you, you did that thing! That, Mega-Flare! People who just graduate don't learn power-level-nine spells. You shouldn't lie about being a rookie if you wanted to challenge Jane! Or me!"
Danny sensed where this was going. If he left it up to Taylor and Haley to yell at each other, it would go on for a whole hour, and likely end in a ruthless Leray battle not meant for the eyes. People were not all leaving just yet either, curious about the sudden argument, but he also understood exactly why Taylor was so upset as well. It makes more sense now. He stood up, getting between the two. "Stop it both of you! Haley? Take your credits and leave us."
"But?" Taylor protested.
"And Taylor?" Danny turned around. "Shut up!"
Taylor grumbled, staring at Danny's expression. He was suddenly acting differently. Protective of Haley perhaps? Why is he letting her have her way? Haley gave them a strange look, and then walked away backwards with a frightened look mixed with confusion on her face.
Danny didn't need to confirm that Haley was now out of their personal space to know about it. "Focus on Jane. You know how she gets when she loses a battle."
Taylor realized that he was right about this. Jane was more important than getting back at Haley, but still, Haley didn't have to win. In the end, they were both tied neck and neck. Jane would have won; she should have won the match, but Haley just had to dodge that last Magical Blitz attack. At last, something really did feel wrong about the whole picture. "She should have won. Jane didn't mess up this time, not a single mistake. And besides, that wasn't just any battle."
"I know that," Danny replied. Jane had finally finished relaxing here on the beach, having fun. She went and sacrificed that all to get her pride back, just so that she can lose again? Was Jane really this weak? Her attack power was spot on, normal under all circumstances - and perfectly Jane level standards. But then what about her defense, her endurance? She is supposed to have more of that than himself and Taylor combined. There is even a way to test this out, but it required more people, and Jane won't be interested in that for at least another day now.
Danny still didn't want to buy it, that Jane's actual endurance was somehow cut in half at the start of her journey. It didn't make sense because nothing happened in order to cause that. Even so, Jane was totally convinced. She probably will be more convinced after waking up to hear the bad news all over again... Still, something felt fishy about the entire sequence of this Leray match in comparison to others...
"What do we do now?" Taylor worried. Jane just laid there in the hot sand. Her mercenary outfit was all dusted up with the sand and the wind. She was breathing normally again, but still fast asleep. What will she say when Jane wakes up?
"All we can do," Danny explained. "We encourage her. Take her back home, train some more. If she can learn how to play things defensively, Jane will come out on top I think."
"I don't know..." Taylor wasn't so sure if Jane would agree to go back home, and some part of her didn't want that either. It's strange. If Jane were to wake up fine, and then get them all to travel to Junon, they would be that much closer to the airport. A nasty family reunion would then occur. But for some reason, Taylor didn't want to stay inside of Gulop for much longer. Unable to analyze her own feelings, Taylor focused on helping Jane again.
The abundant minutes passed until Jane finally woke again. Her eyes began burning, glazed by the bright hot sunlight overhead. It was still so sunny out, and so warm despite the speeding winds and breezes. After adjusting, she realized that her body was half sunk in sand. Danny and Taylor were hovered over her, and Danny was holding out a med kit orb for healing. That was all she needed to see to understand what had just happened. "Nugh!" Jane still felt all of the pains from that battle, her head was pounding right now. She couldn't remember what happened after throwing her Magical Blitz attack. Haley dodged it, and then she must have counterattacked somehow. Nobody must be able to remember a few seconds before passing out after waking back up. At least that much was normal.
Danny gripped Jane's hand, offering to help pull her up on her feet. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you the outcome this time."
Jane held her head in pain after standing straight again. These moments of passing out were giving her headaches lately. "No. You don't." Jane took the healing orb Danny was holding onto. While activating the orb, the crystal inside of it lit up brightly, causing Jane's entire body to glow with a white aura. This only lasted for a few seconds before the light and aura faded. The orb itself disappeared as well, completely healing Jane on the spot. Her energy scope naturally faded after passing out, but Jane didn't need to pull it up again to realize she was completely healed. Jane could feel much more energized than before, and she stood back up trying to dust off her outfit, but this was hardly an exciting moment.
"Uh, Jane?" Taylor held the most impatient expression. She didn't know exactly what to ask her, but Jane must have figured it out anyway.
"I'm fine."
Danny tilted his head towards Jane. "Really? You're fine? After..."
"Yes." Jane looked into their eyes. She couldn't possibly smile right now if she wanted to. It was no secret of course. She was far from happy or satisfied, but Jane now felt most determined to accomplish a new goal that she had not realized before. "I know what I have to do now."
"What you have to do?" Taylor repeated.
Jane looked at both of them again. "Danny? Give me one of your rations. You two can afford to eat out somewhere. I on the other hand just lost too many credits to get myself anything."
"Oh you don't have to be like that. I still have enough—"
Jane held her open palm in front of his face, cutting him off. "I'm not discussing it further. I'll have the ration and head off."
"Where are you going?" he demanded. Danny still reached in his bag to give Jane that bit of food, but he wanted to protest eating better than her just because she lost the battle.
Before speeding off, Jane at least gave them the basic location of where she will be. "I'll be in the Tilsit research institute. I want to read a few things before joining up again."
Taylor didn't understand this. Was Jane just shutting down what happened? Or did she really get better at taking a bad loss? "You mean today? Jane, what about—"
Jane held up her hand and snapped her fingers to stop Taylor mid-sentence too. "I'll be fine. And I'll be done by today of course. Go have some more fun on the beach. After I learn more about my condition, I'll know what to do about it." Jane turned around, leaving them both with some more questions she wasn't interested in answering. Losing that battle has taught Jane one thing; that she was right about her endurance condition. If those two are too dense to see that status conditions do exist, then they don't need to concern themselves with the research. If Jane can just find some sort of proof or evidence to present them, it will surely knock the confident look right off their faces. Haley was either no rookie, or she beat Jane unfairly. There is no way all of Jane's training was in vain.
Taylor didn't have the words to stop Jane. Jane simply continued walking along, refusing to finish cleaning herself up from all of that sand. Jane was heading towards the short yet wide building closer to the lighthouse. At least she wasn't leaving the entire beach. "Wha..." Jane was far out of range to be heard by Taylor's voice. But what did Jane mean? "Condition?"
Danny turned towards Taylor. Maybe Taylor didn't know about it after all. "Remember? Jane is convinced that her endurance is naturally lower than it should be in light of all her training and battling. She thinks that some lingering force has her endurance level down, even though we can't detect it."
"But," Taylor refused. "Jane can't still be serious about that."
Danny gave her an even sharper look, making Taylor focus more on him too. "After what I just witnessed, I'm starting to believe her. You ever notice how far her health goes down from smaller attacks like Fire Bolt, or Wind Slash? For you or me, it won't even go down that far, not that quickly anyway. For example, Wind Slash has a power level of two at most, but Jane's HP declined by five points per hit, which mathematically doesn't add up if Haley is a rookie. Heck, even if Jane's endurance was the same as mine or yours, it would still mean something is off. Don't forget that Jane used to train all of those months before either one of us set foot on this island, which would have naturally set up a larger initial defense level for her before you and I ever began to train in the first place. That has to count for something."
Taylor didn't understand it. What was he talking about? Why would Danny put so much thought into Jane's smaller excuse when she simply hates losing? "Maybe... If you say so."