Midnight, The Aeroblade

The fight between Jacky and Ace's pet, Vivi, had been incredibly short. It had only lasted maybe five minutes, with the fight consisting of mainly talking. Needless to say the crowd was rather livid, and the Announcer was calming them down for an actual fight between Jordan and myself. Cheshire had been watching Ace's every move, while I was tasked to tell him everything I could about the monster. Finally with a sigh, Cheshire sat back. "You know? I'd probably be more upset if I didn't think Jacky actually tried there."

I nodded my head, the high pitch of the sound still making my ears twitch. I could only imagine how much worse it had to have been inside the Arena itself. "I am honestly just happy the barrier prevents anything from causing harm to the audience."

Cheshire looked at me with a smug look, "That's great and all, but you're up next. Tell me what you can about the creature."

I nodded, "Ace certainly lied about it being a berserker type. Unless they have exceptional control even in their enraged states. There are a few monsters that can enter something like a trance. Regardless, the thing has an incredibly high pain threshold, and a way to overcome illusions or pain outright, even with Jacky's talent. When she fell to her knees she didn't enter her trance, or become enraged, despite being put in a crippling amount of pain. As if waiting for the order from Ace."

Levi looked at me, "Then why would Ace lie about that? I don't see the point."

Cheshire grinned, "Why does anyone lie?" He turned to Levi, who wasn't willing to provide the answer. Cheshire just stretched, for a few seconds before continuing. "There is something to gain from suggesting that Ace's pet can enter a berserker rage. The fact that he can control it while it's in such a state? The idea that pain means nothing to its race? Even, the most likely of all, to hide something important"

Cheshire gestured to me to continue my analysis. "It can probably do magic, and the most likely is mind magic. The white plates on it's arms and legs are chitin, meaning they are a bug race. Which means that they are strong enough for Nameless to want to align himself and learn from them. I doubt it can just hypnotize people, so it is probably a minor magic user. Likely a telepath, empath, or a new kind of entomancer that connects with bugs. Given that she carries one around."

Levi smiled at me, "How did you learn so much about it, just from seeing it fight so little?"

I smiled a little back at her, "It's because we saw her fight so little, that I can be sure. She likely overcame Jacky's illusions by hypnotizing herself, which is how a lot of their type practices, or she just transferred the feelings to a bug she was connected to. It would explain why they keep the thing close to her, as well as how all those bugs can do magic if guided. As for her physical features, that's a bit harder, but I feel my previous statement stands. She's able to stomp the ground hard enough to make tremors, and lift Jacky up like he's a child."

"Who's a child?" The man in question came in, with a small smirk. "Sorry I couldn't actually last longer." He rubbed his shoulders, where he was likely bruised.

Cheshire spun towards him, "Don't be!" He gestured to an empty spot between Levi and myself. "We were discussing what we could about the mystery creature. Midnight says it's a bug, strong as a fiend, and can do mind magic that controls bugs."

Jacky raised a brow, looking at me. He sat down with a sigh, "I suppose that would make a bit more sense than it controlling itself while berserk."

I nodded with Levi, before continuing. "Anyway, it didn't just rush Jacky at the start. Which means it's used to hunting with others, or just using expendable bugs. The monster itself has little to no experience with simply fighting on its own. At least considering it gave you time to set up your illusions and almost lost to them."

Jacky stroked his chin, "That's fair, and if it can control the bugs, then there have to be more of them out there being led by their leader."

We all nodded in agreement, concluding that one of these creatures couldn't possibly control all the bugs Cheshire said he saw. Let alone the army that was supposed to come tomorrow. Cheshire tilted his head in the way he usually did when considering something. "What if the bugs are their kids or something?" He gave everyone a wide grin.

The disbelief finally settled on me, asking the same question of whether that was possible or not. I looked down, contemplating it, "There are a few monster races in the black sands that have entirely different offspring to what they are born as. Given how dangerous the Underneath is, it is possible that they have a caste system of sorts. As beetles they would eat less, and if the 'leaders' of their tribe were to perish then new individuals could rise. The creature is smart enough to listen to her master, and considers that the best course of survival or growing stronger at least."

Cheshire let out a small laugh, "So a ruling class monster similar to the vampires, harpies, and other stuff. The blue ones control mind magic, while the red ones can use fire. Which means Ace totally is probably more attached to his pet than he should be."

I shook my head, "That isn't too uncommon among tamers, or soldiers that are risking their lives with only their companion to keep them company. What are you thinking exactly?"

Cheshire grinned, "Well, Ace is keeping one particular bug close to his pet at all times. The more I think about his deal with a clear head the better it sounds. The issue is that we don't have anything they stand to lose if they break their part. I'm going to negotiate with them, and take a certain bug under our protection. If they are reluctant, it starts to make our theories look a bit more realistic. If they just hand it over to me, then they might be two completely different monsters that adapted to work together. Either way we know more, and we really need something to go on if we're considering their offers."

Jacky and Levi both nodded in agreement, since their tribes needed the food. It was a very tempting offer, and we already knew they had a surplus of weapons that they stole from the Minotaur himself. I got up, walking towards the door. I stopped just before going out, "I need to fight the crusher. I'll do my best to tire him out for the next round, please let me know how the negotiations go."

I continued towards the next cell, facing in the other two cardinal directions as opposed to the previous times. The cell was stocked with equipment and some lesser potions to heal wounds and stop bleeding. I understood that I was going to fight someone who would keep me from using my magic, so I chose to keep the knives I had from the last fight. The hand I stabbed, twitched a little. A scar had formed over the wound, as the healers knitted everything back to how it should be. I made plans for getting it removed a week or two later. At least, assuming I wasn't going to die today.

The gate opened, as the Announcer spoke our names, and how impressive the Crusher's fight was. That this was my chance to redeem myself in the eyes of the crowd, as they cheered for a good fight. I sized Jordan up, watching as he sauntered to his spot. He carried himself with complete competence, oozing an air of self confidence. He was carrying two daggers as well, meaning this was going to be a very close and bloody fight.

I stepped into my spot, taking a deep breath and gripping my daggers more. I needed to draw this fight out, and try to win if I can. Our eyes met right as the gong sounded. I sent a blade of air towards him immediately, which he stopped by nullifying magic. He was only hit with a gust of wind, and lunged towards me. I stepped back, our daggers clashing while he dared me to try taking stabs at him.

He used his strength and mass to push me back, but I was taller than him, my legs longer, allowing me to maneuver and keep him from pinning me towards a wall. Jordan was a skilled man, as all nullifiers were. They relied on being physically superior to their opponents, in order to make the most of the advantage their magic would give them. It was a shame that my tribe required every warrior to be on equal grounds with those warriors. If you were weak in the black desert, you would be swallowed up without mercy.

Jordan's feints and jabs were proof of his skill, as we continued to trade blows, only our daggers scraping against each other. The man's face became more neutral as we fought. The seconds ticking by as we danced in a circle in the center of the Arena. His fighting style direct and full of fake openings that worked to disguise any real ones. Mine more subtle as I only focused on defense for the moment.

Both of us were starting to sweat, as we continued our dance of blades. I would attempt to send blades of air at him, only for him to stop them. The crowd had fallen silent, as they watched us continue our fight, the rhythm remaining unbroken. Seconds turned into minutes as the only sound that could be heard was the scraping of steel. Jordan would flex his muscles, trailing his blade down the length of mine, attempting to see if I would yield to his strength. I merely twisted my blade slightly to redirect his test into the air between us. My other blade feinting for the wrist, and circling back to try striking the back of his defending hand.

He pulled back, arcing the same hand I struck towards in a semicircle, before lunging. I took a few steps back, stepping to the side and avoiding the strike. Another twirl as he brought his daggers swiftly towards my shoulders. I would meet his daggers with my own to use the momentum to jump back as we both reset our stances and continued. He was the one making the aggressive moves, as I replied in kind. He finally started to smile as if content. It probably wasn't often that he'd have someone push him to try more moves. To expand his knowledge on knife fighting.

Step forward, parry, slash, feint, step back, dodge, parry, jab, crescent arc, aeroblade turning into a gust. We continued, the man not missing a single step and only using his magic to stop mine when I acted. The strain too much to constantly keep it active for either of us. I couldn't afford to take my eyes off him for a second, the world falling down around us while it was merely the two of us locked in our struggle. Both of us teetering on the edge, both of us waiting for the other to make a single mistake, a fatal error.

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Unfortunately I was the first one to falter. My scarred hand twitched, the fingers loosening their grip just as Jordan's blade connected. The force disarming me as the blade was sent flying towards the wall. There was no hesitation from either of us, as Jordan jumped forward both blades coming towards me. I couldn't block both with only one knife. Still, I hailed from Dark Fell a place where death was just another fact of life. I turned my body so the lower blade would graze my hip, and used my traitorous hand to catch the upper one in my palm.

The curved dagger slide through the flesh of my hand, as I gripped the hilt. The lower blade trailed across my hip, while Jordan's eyes widened slightly. My single dagger trailed up his side, carving off a piece of the muscle surrounding his pit. His grip faltered and I was able to rend my hand away from his, the dagger still stuck inside. We both pulled back, while he confirmed the wound with his arm hanging limply by his side. Trying to squeeze it to let as little blood flow as possible.

I tossed my dagger into the air, tearing his out of my hand and throwing it to the side. I caught the one I tossed, as Jordan looked me over with an appraising look, letting out a low whistle. The audience gasped once, then a second time as we went back to our duel. Neither of us backing down, the blood slowly draining from us. We refused to yield, not giving the other a second to dress their wounds. My blood was weeping out of my hand, and the cut on my waist was seeping. Jordan's blood was trailing down the long cut soaking his waist with the mixture of sweat and blood.

We acknowledged each other as masters in our field, looking for any chance to tilt the odds in our favor. I had no way of knowing how much time had passed. I felt my limbs getting weaker, as I came into this battle with less blood. As an elf; our blood could either take any kind of blood from any donor (provided they are a person), or we could only accept blood from other elves. I fell into the latter, meaning that once I was out of blood I would be hard pressed to recover.

My vision was starting to swim, which meant I had reached my limit. I used my still good arm to try and deflect the next attack, risking the cut on my arm to decisively end this. To my dismay Jordan spun forcing me to try and block his incoming attack from the side. He hit my blade with the flat of his, causing it to vibrate with enough force to make me drop it. He put his blade to my neck, panting, "Do you yield?"

It was bitter, and it hurt to lose, but I lowered my head making no movement to free myself. After a second I finally uttered, "Yes."

The crowd roared and cheered Jordan's name and title. Kobe allowed my life to be spared, and I was left wobbling and walking away. I couldn't spare the time to pick up my daggers. Thankfully Jacky came out to support me so I could walk back without falling. I felt completely drained, my eyelids feeling heavier by the second. I was led to the infirmary where my wounds were knit shut again. Sadly they didn't have any elf slaves with my type of blood. My vision faded to white, as I felt I might have overestimated the wounds and the amount I could afford to lose.

I felt a sharp pain, rousing me from my sleep. A slight burning sensation traveled over my body, while I suddenly felt the same hunger I had on those nights we could only hunt monsters. My eyes snapped open, as I heard an unfamiliar voice, "Oh good, it seems she's going to be fine." I blinked, as my vision cleared. I turned to see Ace and his pet standing beside me. The man himself was smiling at me. "Hey sleepy head, it's a good thing that we were here."

I sat up a little, looking around the room. We weren't in the infirmary anymore, but one of the side rooms meant for the slaves to sleep in. My stomach grumbled loudly, while Ace bit into some jerky. He offered me a piece, which I took and started eating. "What happened? Where are the others?"

A knock came at the door, Jacky's voice coming through it. "Hey? Are you done already? I thought that would take a lot longer."

Ace gave me a wink, "They decided to take a chance and let me heal you. To prove how useful we'll be as a partner." He sat a bowl of jerky down on the bed beside me. "Go ahead and eat, I have some more things to discuss with them. Vivi here will tend to you for now. Healing people 'burns' a lot of calories for them. At least you aren't dead though." He got up and walked away, laughing at his pun.

I started to reach for the bowl, eyeing the creature nervously. She put a hand over mine, before grabbing the entire bowl and bringing it closer to me. With a sigh I sat back, while she started to feed me. I guess their kind probably fed their offspring by hand. I ate a few pieces, unable to properly make out the conversation going on outside. Vivi pressed a glass of water to my lips, and I drank half of the cup before letting out a sigh. Honestly the monster gave off a creepy vibe that unsettled me. At least when it was this close and nursing me.

Then the unthinkable happened. Instead of chirping like usual, the monster quietly spoke in the language of one of our sister tribes. "Do you understand these words?"

My eyes went wide, as I turned to her, trying to see if she was speaking them or projecting them to me. I spoke back, but there were a few differences in our language based on how her words lacked a few syllables. "Yes, where did you learn those words? Are you using magic, is that how you communicate?"

She lifted her mask a little, and I saw her soft purple lips and pale white skin. Immediately I reached for her hand, pulling on it. The chitin didn't give, confirming that she was a monster. I saw her lips move, "No, dis is how we spoke." I corrected 'dis' to 'this,' which caused her to nod. I corrected her whenever we had a few differences as we would do when two tribes met. "What tribe did you hail from?"

"I come from the silent assassins, the walkers of shadow, and we are one with the night." She nodded, returning corrections to myself as we worked to establish what the words meant.

Vivi put her mask back down, "I see, the Ninja. My tribe is no more, blown with the sands carried on the wind. Shattered and broken, but not forgotten. We were the ones that built our houses from blackened bones, the whistlers of marrow, the seeping black blood of torched leather, and the howls of the wind." My eyes widened at her words.

"You hailed from that ruined town? The Soot Harvesters?" It was the same tribe Wyatt hailed from, one of the more successful ones that fell to the hordes the washed over the lands. Notorious for their foolish chief who was easy to anger, and downright sadistic.

Vivi gently nodded, "Your tribe came to us often, and we traded water for the things you would bring. How does your tribe fare?"

I pursed my lips, looking away. "Since the hordes struck most of the towns, many have been struggling. The elders speak of how everything was as it had been in their youth. That the monsters are more plentiful and more aggressive these years. They do not fault us for struggling, and guide us. Many tribes have died, only to be absorbed by the survivors. Without the towns and their water, many of our kind are sent on pilgrimages into Eclipse. Many hope that the king will aid in some way, but others grow restless."

Vivi put her hands together, "What tasks were required of you, what have you done before your pilgrimage?"

I swallowed hard, unable to look at the masked creature. Her kind might well be our fate if we can no longer fight off the monsters. I shook my head, "I need you to tell me what happened to you, what are you now?"

Vivi's voice went lower, making it clear that she still had pride. "I cannot tell you everything, and I will not tell you the truth on some things. Before you continue, swear on your tribe's name that you will not utter a word to another. In return I shall give you my word that I will not harm you, or your tribe in any way unless it is defense. Swear upon your name, and tribe, and I shall swear upon my own."

There was the risk that all of this was a lie, she even admitted to not telling me the entire truth even if I agreed. Still... if I agreed, and if it was possible for my tribe to survive as monsters. We might need the information she has, she seems stable enough at least. I lowered my head, "What can you offer my tribe? I need to know before I agree."

She hesitated for a moment, considering what I said. "I can offer you the town, the words to pacify the golem, and the knowledge to purify the water of the tainted spring we had hidden. If that is not suitable, then I am in a position to offer you food, and equipment to take back to your tribe."

My eyes went wide at this, as I looked at her. We knew there were springs hidden beneath the town, but we didn't know where. Not to mention the fact that fiends and fiendlings inhabited the ruined town itself. We'd have to mobilize the entire tribe and slowly kill the population, but that was worth it for the tainted spring and how to purify it. The luxury of accessible water was what truly allowed towns and the tribes that found such to flourish. How does she know how to purify the spring's water? I looked right at her, struggling for a reason to figure out she was lying. I found it soon enough, "You don't have the right to divulge such secrets, or give away the remains of that town."

She tilted her head, "I have every right to do exactly that. Our tribe fell to the hubris of our chief. Our people forced to flee for their lives across the desert, while many of the elders died. There were two groups of survivors, one carrying only what they managed to grab, and the other with carts and Wyatt himself. We were sacrificed, so that none could contest the rule of Wyatt and his heritage."

I narrowed my eyes at her, sitting up, "Exactly. The only one that could contest Wyatt, is someone I knew personally. Someone that Wyatt himself knows is dead, despite not even having a body to mourn." I talked to the man personally when I first came here, before finding myself in the Underground. He told me the fate of those that made it with him to this city. The creature before me had to be lying.

She leaned forward, "I see that you have met him, but you say you knew his sister personally? Half sister if you would prefer, but do go on. I promise I can tell you more than enough to convince you. We are starting to run out of time as well. The others will enter the room soon."

I kept my voice hushed, "I knew his sister, and the man himself. I am fifty years older than the girl. When our tribe came to negotiate for water, I was tasked with watching over the two. I was too young to do much else, and the goal was to become friends with the future leader of the tribe. Especially if the girl showed her true color."

Vivi sat silent for a moment, "Is your name Nina by chance? Also you're a jerk for saying I'd kill the chief."

I blinked, "Alice?" She nodded with her arms crossed. "Wyatt said you were likely dead, but that he'd keep searching for you, even if it was just your bones. What happened?" The fight in my voice faded, as I felt a prodding at the back of my mind.

"Remember, you can't speak a word to anyone else about what I'm going to tell you. Accept the link so we can talk to each other quietly. Ace is giving your group one of my officers and I plan on using them to protect a child I'll be having in the future." I accepted the link, shuddering at the sensation of how powerful her mind is.

|"I swear on my name, and the honor of my tribe to not tell a soul, unless it would harm those I care for."| We both nodded one last time as the door opened.

Ace was being pushed aside by Jacky, as he looked at both of us. He smiled a little, letting out a sigh of relief as Cheshire teleported in. "Oh good! You're not a charred corpse." Cheshire hugged me, not even watching Alice. He whispered in my ear, "We got their kid, and negotiations are going well. Did you find anything new about the monster?"

I twitched a little, before nodding. "I'll tell you when Ace isn't around." I had to quietly focus while Alice explained what happened to her, and the long story of how she ended up like this.

Cheshire pulled away, with a grin. "Well Ace, it certainly seems you held up your part of the deal. We'll keep your daughter safe, even if the worst is to happen. Still going to fight you when the round comes."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Also good job on your match, I guess the last one's about to go down. Come along Vivi." Alice got up, following the man back to where they needed to be. I could already feel the headache coming on, while I had to explain what I learned about Vivi, while running what I was telling them by Alice.

Thankfully Cheshire decided to have Jacky and myself take care of her officer/daughter. We just needed to keep it at the warehouse, and prepare for whatever was going to happen tomorrow.