Fools dream of being the one to conquer the waters, but they are uncharted for good reason.
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Five out of six, only Lian himself absent from his little gang. Once, their appearance would have caused Jair to shrink in on himself, retreating from the necessity of confrontation. Later, they'd sparked anger and defiance, then eventually resignation and apathy.
Now, he felt only the desire to smash through this formerly insurmountable obstacle as quickly as possible so he could get on with what mattered.
Jair needed barely a glance to bring to mind the relevant details on each adversary. He’d fought them often enough to know their abilities better than they themselves by now.
Bren Tolo: barely even noble, far from competent as a mageblade. He’d only advance in the fourth year if at all. Follows Lian around because he doesn’t have any better prospects.
Strengths: physical size and speed, magically enhanced spell-gauntlets. Weaknesses: low intelligence and poor social standing, no soulspell yet.
One drawback of using item constructs for casting spells was that you ended up creating mini pathways through their use, micro-imprints that most mages never even noticed. But there was a good reason the academy forbade the use of construct equipment before classing, as Mageblade was one of the most stringent classes to obtain. Bren's secret use of his spell gloves hadn't necessarily crippled his potential entirely, but it definitely contributed to his slower progress and would lock him out of the Mageblade class entirely if he didn't stop.
Still, even without a soulspell, Bren would be the biggest threat. Jair needed to take him out of the picture as quickly as possible. He’d ended up crushed by those enhanced fists too many times to take him lightly.
Eria Yles: fourth daughter of a secondary branch of House Yles, advanced in the same initiation as Ran. Power-hungry and backstabbing. Used Lian as an excuse, really only cared about wielding dominance over others.
Strengths: intelligence, high magical potential. Weaknesses: socially insignificant outside her immediate sphere of influence, emotionally volatile.
Soulspell: Enhance, empowering any spell she cast or chose to amplify.
Eria tended to increase the impact power of Bren’s spellgloves, but wasn’t shy about empowering the others if she had the chance. Probably wouldn’t have more than one or two yet at this point, and wasn’t much of a threat in and of herself. One of the more annoying members of the gang, but she could safely be left for last.
Zyn Cabas: nobody from nowhere, could have made something of himself if he put more effort into improving and less into sucking up to the loudest idiot he could find, but no. Above average intelligence for this crew, but no common sense to go with it. Strengths: soulspell well suited for fighting, sometimes. Weaknesses: dependent personality preventing him from ever fulfilling his true potential.
Soulspell: Body Augmentation, but a randomized type that could do anything from giving him claws to a full on battle golem form. And not randomized in the ‘depends on circumstances and can be predicted by time looping’ way, but truly ‘no idea what you’re going to get even in identical situations’ type.
After Bren, Zyn would be the next highest potential threat. At least the person Jair would need to keep the closest eye on. He might not have attuned to his soulspell strongly enough to manifest it yet. Jair hadn’t actually fought him day 1 before, but he couldn’t assume anything.
Was there a way to solve this encounter without resorting to violence? Perhaps. But he didn't have the patience to search for it right now.
After trying basically everything he could to convince them to leave him alone, he'd eventually concluded that the only thing they'd ever respect was simply overpowering them at their own game.
The aim of coming back this far was to save Ran. The life or death of these five meant almost nothing to Jair. Particularly not today.
Atrek Nokier: third son of a minor family. He had no ambitions, no aims beyond simple cruelty. He did what his family demanded, attending the Institute and performing at the baseline required of him. Unlike most of the others in Lian’s gang he cared nothing for Lian’s social status, only the fact that allying with him gave him a direction and excuse for his sadism.
Strengths: speed, focus, high pain tolerance and hard to distract. Weaknesses: prefers toying with people than actually finishing things, providing far more opportunities to counter.
Soulspell: Hasten, allowing a brief burst of highly increased speed, or a longer lasting smaller boost. Currently at a very low level, enough for a quick lunge but nothing Jair couldn’t handle. Atrek wouldn’t be jumping in at the start, leaving the boring job of beating Jair into submission to the others before he got in on the fun part.
Jair didn’t plan to give him the opportunity this time. Which was harder than it sounded. Even as a time traveler with intimate knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses he couldn't physically overwhelm this many without access to his spells.
Finally, the easiest to deal with. Korin Rhebina: fringe cousin of the discordant and scattered Rhebina clan, she never amounted to much and beyond her minor impact on Jair’s time at the Institute he couldn’t think of anything in the future she was involved in worth noting. Strengths: decently average or above in all respects. Weaknesses: a soulspell that to Jair’s knowledge never actually manifested itself, and…
“How’s Merin doing these days?” Jair turned to Korin, ignoring the rest entirely for the moment. “Still enjoying his good standing with the Order, I trust?”
Korin stopped dead still. Her face twitched, then she took two quick steps closer, lowering her voice threateningly. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"I mean a particular Order member whose past history may or may not conflict dangerously with his current position." Jair restrained his desire to grin. This wasn't something he'd done often in the past, but it tended to be satisfying when the circumstances aligned.
"Who told you that?" Korin hissed. "What do you want?"
"I want you to leave me alone, just for tonight. If after today you still want to come after me, I won't hold it against your brother. But today, I have more important things to do than deal with you."
Korin flinched, grimaced, and looked around at the rest of the gang. Lian wasn’t present to establish his own dominance, and she and Eria never got along anyway. The boys present were all idiots.
Her tense shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. One night. But if you ever try to use this against me again, I will kill you."
"Don't worry, I'd rather you don't become a murderer too."
The casual revelation of his deep knowledge of her tangled family was enough to send her backing off, physically stumbling away. In another few years, she’d be an unshakeable assassin who’d kill for less, but right now she was still a student initiate.
"Oy, Korin?" Eria called. "What're you doing? We can’t let him get away!"
"No need to worry, Madame Eria," Jair interrupted, turning to face her. "I've no intention of running. Miss Rhebina is not necessary to this conversation any longer." He stepped forward, placing himself directly between Eria and Bren.
Bren looked behind him at Eria, then back at Jair, confusion on his face. Zyn and Atrek tightened the circle, shifting to cover the gap Korin’s departure left.
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“Sounds to me like someone needs to put you back in your place.” Eria waved Bren forward. “If you wouldn’t mind teaching this upstart a lesson?”
Jair turned to Bren and raised his hands, one held forward in readiness, the other raised to his forehead. “I’m going to warn you right now, if this is what you want to do, it's not going to end well for you."
Bren wasn’t the sort to back off for any reason, though, and predictably lunged forward.
“Soulblade, manifest.”
Maelstrom appeared between them, aimed directly at Bren’s chest, and the larger boy was moving too fast to avoid it. Maelstrom’s tip wasn’t as sharp as it could have been, its blade misshapen, but the momentum of Bren’s lunge was enough to pierce through his layered robes.
Bren didn’t slow his rush, despite being slightly impaled. Jair let go of Maelstrom’s hilt so the weight of Bren’s rush wouldn’t snap his wrist, throwing himself to the side in the same motion. Zyn was waiting. Cackling, the boy grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back, dragging Jair to a stop.
Bren snarled and tore Maelstrom out of his chest, hurling the blade away into the sand away from the path. He turned back to Jair, rage in his eyes.
Eria crossed her arms and smirked, stepping forward now the danger seemed to have passed. "Oooh, someone thinks he's all special now he can sparkle his shiny sword? Well, how special are you now, huh?"
He'd heard almost the exact same words from her or Lian a thousand times in the past, always followed up by them proving quite tangibly that he was physically inferior.
Zyn grabbed for Jair’s other arm to hold him still, but Jair moved with him and kept just out of reach. Zyn settled for wrapping his forearm around Jair’s throat instead, other hand still pinning Jair’s arm between them.
“Last warning. Let me go and walk away if–”
Zyn flexed his arm and shifted his hold, choking off Jair’s voice.
Recall.
For this, he didn’t need to speak aloud. Maelstrom responded instantly. In a flash of silver it vanished from where it lay and reappeared in his free hand.
Bren didn’t have time to even be surprised. The blade came up as he closed the last distance, momentum driving it straight through his jugular.
Jair jerked the blade up once, then yanked it free.
Bren wouldn’t be stopped so easily, even if the attack would be fatal without immediate treatment he still had enough time to do serious damage.
Jair ducked and kicked out to disrupt Zyn's balance, slamming both feet into one of Zyn's legs while simultaneously allowing his body to become dead weight. The boy holding him wasn't prepared. The two of them fell below Bren’s swung sparking fist. The larger boy stumbled at the unexpected lack of resistance, tripped over the tangled duo, and fell.
Jair twisted his arm free of Zyn's grip, but the arm around his throat remained.
Bren toppled past them, slamming one fist into the ground to catch himself. Orange light sparked as his enhanced spell gloves flared and ignited against the stone pathway.
Jair's vision was starting to go hazy from lack of air, but he still had time.
Recall.
Maelstrom vanished from his hand and reappeared in the same instant, now aimed backwards instead of forward. Jair had fought with his soulsword for years, the tricks coming naturally to him.
Before anyone could react he slammed Maelstrom in his reverse grip behind himself into Zyn's stomach. The boy reflexively released Jair and stumbled back.
He would probably survive it, but it would be very distracting. Zyn hadn't transformed even now, so he probably hadn't attuned his soulspell yet at this point. Good. That made things easier.
Jair switched Maelstrom back to his main hand now he was unrestrained. He rolled aside out of reach and swiped a slash along the back of Bren's leg as he charged past, then flipped back to his feet.
"You should get your friends to the healer before it's too late," Jair told them, but his ragged breathing belied the attempt at a casual tone. Much less intimidating when gasping for air. This body had yet to acclimate to his proper capabilities.
"You really shouldn't have done that," Eria snarled, raising two fingers to her forehead. "I thought this would be more fun, but now you've gone and ruined the mood."
Her soulsword appeared without fanfare. One moment her hand was empty, the next it held her sword.
So far, despite their violent pummeling, they hadn't actually drawn blades on him before now. Eria’s action seemed to have been some signal, because the next moment Zyn and Atrek held their swords as well.
Zyn swiped at Jair's leg, one arm clenched across his stomach, the other gripping his sword. Atrek stalked closer, looking entirely too pleased with the fact that he was now allowed to stab the irritant.
Jair grimaced. As much as he wanted to take down all four of them to prove he’d truly surpassed them all, he was still severely outnumbered and his day 1 muscles already screamed at him in protest at their mistreatment. If he couldn’t finish this soon, he’d be forced to flee.
Atrek surged in closer, tapping his soulspell to take Jair off guard.
Hah. Nice try.
Jair spun. Maelstrom flicked up in a rapid arc, Atrek’s enhanced speed slamming him onto the blade so fast and hard it ran all the way through and out his back. The impact threw them both to the ground, Atrek landing atop Jair.
Recall.
Jair summoned Maelstrom to his free hand, removing the object holding them together, even as he rolled and flipped them over, taking full advantage before Atrek reacclimated.
Atrek grabbed at his arm, a split second too late. Jair was already jumping to his feet, whirling to meet Eria’s silent slash on his upraised sword.
She snarled and attacked again, faster, slashing and stabbing in what was clearly a trained and practiced sequence.
It wasn’t enough. Jair still had the advantage of flexibility. Switching his sword from one hand to the other in an instant wasn’t something she’d ever trained to deal with.
Jair evaded her attack sequence, blocking her sword with an upraised arm and lunging with the other, driving Maelstrom under her guard and into her chest.
“I gave you every chance to back off. Consider this your final warning. Leave me alone.”
He dove to the ground, leaving Maelstrom where it was for the moment, just in time to escape Atrek’s followup attack.
Atrek didn’t run into Eria, having more control over his movements than Bren had.
Zyn was back on his feet by now, red covering the white fabric over his stomach and one arm where he continued to hold the wound, looking a bit unsteady but thoroughly furious.
Bren had finally collapsed, half in the bushes, choking weakly as blood stained the front of his own robes. No longer a threat.
Recall.
Maelstrom vanished from Eria, reappearing in Jair’s hand as he rushed the unsteady Zyn. He didn’t even need to use his switching tricks this time, his opponent unable to properly defend with only one hand. He locked swords, kicked Zyn in the stomach to take full advantage of his injury, then slammed Maelstrom’s hilt down on his head hard.
Dizzied, Zyn stumbled back, his sword dropping to the pathway with a clatter.
A second kick sent him to the ground, and this time he wouldn’t be getting up soon.
Eria had run away. Unsurprising. Of all of them, she was the most classic bully. She liked the feeling of power, not the feeling of an even fight.
Atrek, by contrast, only seemed happier to have Jair all to himself. He charged in. Jair didn’t need enhanced speed or reflexes to evade, now it was just one on one. His perception of minute movements was sufficient to betray Atrek’s every move before he made it.
Just enough to stay one step ahead of him.
“You really should do something about your friends, though.”
Atrek, being Atrek, didn’t so much as blink. “Friends is a strong word.”
He lunged. Jair blocked and retaliated with a vertical slash.
“Well, if you don’t, there’ll be a lot of paperwork involved.” Jair mentally cursed his low stamina. The inability to carry on a conversation during a simple fight without sounding like he’d just finished running the length of the continent was embarrassing.
Atrek deflected the slash, sliding his sword along to lock the blades. Jair ducked aside and switched hands, but Atrek had seen the trick before and the flash of light warned him of the incoming attack. In a burst of speed he darted back, disengaging. Jair tossed the sword back to his main hand as they stood, sizing each other up.
Neither would back down. Atrek didn’t care about his own bleeding arm, the minor pain insufficient to deter him.
“Really should walk away,” Jair offered one last out, flipping Maelstrom around to hold by the deformed blade.
Atrek sneered and lunged. Jair ducked and swung in an underhand arc with all his remaining strength, slamming Maelstrom’s hilt through the layers of robes and directly into Atrek’s crotch.
Ignore that.
Atrek may be able to brush off a lot, but some things no man could ignore. He doubled over, gasping.
“I’ll have to finish our dance another time,” Jair told him, returning Maelstrom to his soul in a silver flash. “I have other plans for the evening and I need to get ready.”
Perhaps not the most diplomatic solution, but he really was out of patience. He still had one more fight to take care of tonight, which should keep everyone out of his hair for at least the rest of the week. Any future retribution, he didn’t care. As long as they left him alone long enough to figure out the dragon thing, he could deal with it when the time came.
Leaving the trio to their injuries, he hopped up the steps and into his apartment.
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