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(ShidenâIssen - Heavenly Strike)
Shizuka was up bright and early, as he usually was, but had something on his mind since yesterday. He was thinking of the strange stance that Alice had taken whilst attacking their high orc comrade. Speaking of him, Gringor seemed to have adopted a somewhat similar stance as he braced for it. Then there was the phrase she uttered during the motion:
Heavenly Strike. That quest shown to them by Takeshi stuck out more than the others, not to mention that both mamono ultimately failed in their attempts. It should be obvious to anyone that the students of this style were a far cry from the boorish Varjan marauders and native bandit forces they've been fighting up to this point.
They were, in his eyes, actual warriors whose discipline and minds were as sharp as the blades they wielded. In fact, Shizuka felt that they and himself were birds of a feather. Some of his allies, he felt, relied too heavily on the physical advantages their genetics grant them. That, or they let their arrogance take control over their judgment. Indeed, if success on this mission is to be achieved, Shizuka needed to step in.
Plus, it's only right that he'd take responsibility for those he's in charge of. He formally apologized to Takeshi for yesterday's fiasco, and the other two involved could stand to be reigned in a bit.
He eventually found his way over to both Alice and Gringor. His face was calm, but stern.
"Would the two of you come with me for a moment? I understand that both of you have had issues with the students of the Shiden'Issen technique? It is obvious that you want retribution, but I fear that events may repeat where you both currently stand.â He said, his hand resting on his blade.
"Fortunately, I believe I can be of help.""
Revenge?" Alice tilted her head, so she could keep her face hidden under her hat. It had simply grown back overnight, as if she'd never put it on Gringor's head. "
I don't want revenge... I just want favour with the people..." she mattered, though she stammered and stumbled over much of it. "
That's all I need... for now..."
âOh, she says that, but will she actually mean it later?âComing in for a landing was Kerry, also awake early. The conversations from last night gave the hornet some food for thought. This âHeavenly Strikeâ quest had bounced back not one, but two members of this taskforce, clearly indicating that this particular endeavor was no walk in the park. Additionally, there was that odd stance Alice took when she tried to attack Gringor. Did the mad hatter learn that from the quest she undertook? Could Kerry learn that move as well? And perhaps, make it her own? Needless to say, such questions had left the insectoid mamono curiousâŚ.and motivated.
âYâall donât mind if I join in, do you? Obviously, this quest is challenging since it made both Gringor and Alice retreat, so why not go at it as a group?â, Kerry asked as she warmed herself up, using Dusk as a stretching pole.
âThis âHeavenly Strikeâ technique sounds intriguing to learn as well. Anything we can gain and learn would go a long way in fighting off the Varjans, yeah?âAlice bristled, as Kerry made her bid to stake a claim in the upcoming events. It wasn't that she didn't want the Hornet to join, but her statement was unpleasant, and her personality was coming off as abrasive.
Also, bugs were just annoying.
"
I didn't retreat," Alice say, tersely, as her temper spiked, and eroded the softness in her tone, "
I defeated three in armed combat, hauled their bodies back here, and assimilated their prized technique in the same encounter. I won my fights," she looked at Gringor, "
The Orc cannot make the same claim, so you would do well to end the comparisons there."
As fast as her temper rose, it lowered back, "
I mean, because, it's really annoying when people make assumptions, you know..."
In a similar spirit to Kerry, the similarly-insect-winged-but-not-quite-specifically-a-bug-type-mamono Liliana would hum, thinking back to the fight in the temple the two hot-headed task force members had engaged in. Alice striking from above, and Gringor poised to strike from belowâŚ
The entire time, Liliana had felt like if sheâd properly gotten between the two, sheâd have died. There was something offputting about those strikes they were preparing. Not to mention, the recent clash against Keith had made her realize that her own swordsmanship wasâŚlacking, to put it politely. Fairies werenât known to be warriors or anything, so she imagined it was only to be expected butâŚ
âŚButâŚ
âŚIt sucked!
Flopping out of the little flower that sheâd spent the night sleeping inside of. Brushing off tiny bits of pollen and straightening her pink mane, the fairy would roll her sleeves up and storm off to find Shizuka, wanting his help to become a better swordsman. Flapping right on up, she was about to ask for his tutorship before overhearing that he would help Alice and Gringor whichâŚfirst off, unfair, they were already crazy strong! And had a secret technique! ButâŚthat wouldnât deter her, even as Kerry came in to doâŚsomething. What, was this a training camp and she just wasnât invited? Puffing her cheeks up, Liliana would float right in the middle of the four and say:
âIf thereâs training going on, I want in! I gotta be a lot stronger to protect people like my Queen wants me to soâŚShizuka, please, teach me how to do super cool sword stuff like you do!âUpon seeing Lilianaâs declaration of wanting to join, a snicker escaped from Kerryâs lips as she suppressed a laugh. Not because the thought of the fairy training with them was an absurd idea, but becauseâŚ..well, the way she presented herself as she made her statement was hilariously adorable.
âHehâŚwell, would you look at this now? Your class of two suddenly became a class of four, Shizuka. Maybe you should open a dojo someday.â, she joked at the taskforce leader before sobering up and turning her attention back to the mad hatter.
âOkay, Alice. So you say that you took down three goons andâŚâassimilatedâ the technique from them? Alright, cool. So why is the quest still on the board? You make it sound like you had the situation well in hand and wouldâve finished the job by yourself, with their own move no less. Yet, here you areâŚ.making excuses. What happened? Gringorâs obvious: He got his ass kicked. But what about you? Ran out of steam?âIt would become clear to everyone present that Kerry was not gonna sugarcoat this with Alice.
Alice tilted her head. "
Excuses? Understandably, the buzzing of your wings makes you hard of hearing, so Iâll have to spell it out for you," she says, dryly, "
The only person making excuses here is you for me, it seems. I never made an excuse, nor did I give a reason as to why my pursuit ended prematurely." Alice shifted her stance, and crossed her arms. "
Even if I had, I wouldnât give them to someone like you. Your opinion of me and my actions is wholly insignificant," she says, bitingly. "
My supposed retreat does not shame me, and you cannot bring me to feel something so beneath me."
â
You know why you canât,â Alice asks, â
Because, I didnât retreat. I won my fight, 3-to-1, at a disadvantage for a duelist like me. My forte is single combat, 1-v-1, and nothing more. I didnât retreat, because my fight ended, and I returned to Shizuyama dragging three bodies behind me, and information.â Alice narrowed her eyes. â
To retreat is to survive. To retreat is to live to fight another day. Retreat is not necessary when your battle is won,â she says, â
But, I, alone, cannot win a war, so I returned to seek the aid of this taskforce that includes you, and your ignorance to my situation.â
â
So, what you can do, moving forward, is not speak on things you donât know,,â Alice says, â
Making baseless accusations and false assumptions is a poor reflection of this ensemble you represent,â Alice cut her eyes sharply at Kerry, â
If anything, it only reinforces my desire to utilize your carapace as a shield, so I mightnât dull my axe upon my enemies blades.â
Gringor woked up early, wounds healed as if it was never there.
If anything, he seemed to be in better shape even.
Still, thoughts of the fight continued ferociously in his mind. Grapples, strikes, feints, and head butt or biting.
None of it worked, the fight never really concluded in his favor.
Slapping his neck, Gringor stomped forward and found somewhere quiet for now. There, he continued to swing his axe, slashing imaginary opponent again and again until he worked a sweat. It did little to calm him down but at least his mind was wide awake now.
A quick rinse and heading for breakfast, he was interrupted when his underboss came.
On and on, the conversation went with the mad boi, then the bee and fairy. While his eyes twitched at the mention of his ass getting kicked, Gringor ignored that and the thought that the Mad Boi won.
No, the most important thing was how would HE win.
So with that, he turned to Shizuka. âSo how help? Gringor donât mind if you distract them.â
âGringor will go in and bash their head while you do.â
Like the monk said. You donât catch a fish by out swimming them or out running the rabbit.
You catch them by bashing their noggin in.
So thatâs what Gringor will do.
"
Ah." Io's thoughts broke the otherwise complete silence of Io's inner sanctum. The shifting gylphs, written in Io's personal ancient language, weaved the various constraints, contingencies, and enhancements that she would need for an efficient training grounds spell. Her mind reviewed it all in a single instant, unfettered by physical senses. It was now complete, with that last revision. Now the only thing that remained was transcribing the spells.
Io's eyes opened, taking in the subtle light that hinted at dawn's coming. She had spent the majority of the night away from her physical form, tinkering with the spells she promised she'd create for the Task Force. It was a pleasant diversion, to have such a small time to create an effective spell - she could have spent days optimizing it all, but a single night was an interesting constraint. The dawn light slowly creeped into the sky as she transcribed the spells.
The sun had pushed out the nighttime sky entirely by the time Io had finished, and the others of the Task Force were stirring. She stood, neatly rolling up the scrolls she had penned. She took in her surroundings for the first time in hours: The morning dew on her skin, gentle breeze stirring the air, and the soft light of the morning sun... She didn't care for it one bit. She would have to see if she could meditate somewhere more cozy, like a dry cellar with no air flow, in the future.
The Task Force members wasted no time in starting an argument early. Admittedly, there were some fair points in the argument, but Io wasn't going to join in on any side. At least Liliana was showing initiative in wanting to learn.
"
On the topic of training." Io cut in, holding her newly created scrolls. "
I have the training grounds spells ready." Io figured even if they didn't remember her promise to create them, they'd have a use for them now.
"Alright, that's enough you two, wait til the training actually starts before you go at each other's throats." Said their instructor, getting between them and giving them both a stern look. It was reminiscent of the scene from the other day, the only difference was the bickerers.
"Kerry-san, there's no need to keep trying Alice-san. She should be commended in the fact that she defeated three of those warriors by herself, and was even able to bring them back as prisoners." He continued, giving a quick look at the hatter.
"She's also already acknowledged that she can't do this on her own, making the wise decision to come back and regroup as a team. Kerry-san, you're a skilled warrior, but it's likely that you would've been in a similar situation if you had undertaken it."Walking from in between them, Shizuka went over to Io, who had appeared and presented the scrolls she prepared for their training grounds. Inspecting them for a moment, he had to admit he was impressed by the level of magic and craft that went into their making. Just what you'd expect from a lich.
"Thanks, Io-san. Strong work, I believe you may have spent all night making these." He said. His attention turned to Liliana, who came buzzing up so suddenly he was almost caught off guard. Almost. She started pleading that she wanted to get stronger in order to protect those around her.
Goodness, saying words like that to the ronin was almost unfair.
"It's alright Liliana, I'm more than happy to assist you all. Especially since getting stronger and defending this island is what we're here for." He reassured her. He then turned to Gringor, who offered his "assistance", he supposed one would call it.
"...We'll save the 'head-bashing' for later. How about right now we start with the basics?"Breaking away from the group, he walked until he was in front of them. Then, he began again.
"Alright, I believe it's time we got this started." He said, brandishing the scroll. Unwrapping it, he channeled the energy from within and began activating it. The magic circle in the center of the scroll began to glow a purple light. The circle projected itself from the parchment until it began big enough to engulf the entire group. Soon, space and time began to distort around them, the color of their outside surroundings inverting and contorting. Soon, they were all confined to a hazy space, completely separate from the outside world. The actual dimensions of this new space couldn't be ascertained with a mere glance, and it may have been possible that it stretched out for quite a long ways. After the spell finished, the scroll dissipated within a pale flame. He then turned back to the group.
"I must say, this will have been the first time I've trained mamono. I'm quite curious how this will turn out, and hopefully you'll gain much from learning from a human." He then turned to Alice.
"Alice-san, let's have you start things off. We can't train everyone on the Heavenly Strike technique if they don't know what it looks like. Would you be kind enough to demonstrate it for us? On me, of course."He made sure to stand in a spot in front of the rest of the group to where he and Alice's demonstration could be best seen amongst them.
"Well then, don't worry about holding back, show me what you've got!"Alice turned her attention away from the gnat, and onto the human. Another one above her, as far as this settlement went. It was frustrating, but... well, he had praised her, and admonished the gnat.
"
Very well," she says, her voice softening a bit, but maintaining its harder-than-normal tone. Pulling Carroll out of her coat, she would take him in her left hand, and draw into the proper stance - at least, as she knew it from her encounter with the Varjan bandits. "
Fulgur Axe! Heavenly Strike!"
Stepping forward, as if casting Eruption, Alice would vanish with the spark of a lightning bolt, and slash at Shizuka; though, her step was nowhere near as smooth as what Takeshi had witnessed, nor was her swing as fluid as the force it emulated.
It almost seemed like she was taking it easy on Shizuka.
Shizuka watched intently as Alice prepared the attack. He took mental notes of everything: the stance, breathing, even the most subtle changes in her chi state. She suddenly vanished with the flash of a lightning bolt, then appeared behind the swordsman almost as quickly. The air around them crackled with electricity for a bit after the strike.
Shizuka, however, didn't move a muscle from where he originally stood. In fact, he didn't even seem to flinch. He instead seemed to be pondering to himself for a moment.
"Hmm, I see. The form was a bit off and the stroke didn't flow as one would think, but that's to be expected. Still, something doesn't feel right." He then turned to Alice.
"Alice, have your injuries still not fully healed yet?""
I'm fine. I heal quickly," Alice says, "
That's not the problem. That's just the best I can do with my left hand," she says, "
I'm right hand dominant, but the deal I made with your young Lord's Lady is that I will fight with my left."
In short, she was battling with a handicap.
Alice walked back to start, and retook the stance. "
I can try again, but without permission, this isn't going to be all that good..."
"Hmm?" Shizuka could only respond to Alice's explanation with perplexity. He should've expected that someone like Alice heals quite quickly, but the latter portion of it...
"I'm not sure why you need permission to use your stronger arm, but if it will suffice you my permission to use it. We won't get anywhere like this. Now, come at me again, no handicaps this time.""
Does that count," Alice asks, curious. "
Lord Takeshi is under Lady Kyoko... Master Shizuka is under Lord Takeshi..." she pursed her lips, "
Hierarchically, yes," was the conclusion.
"
Very well..." Alice says, switching Carroll from her left hand to her right.
"
Yes, yes... I'm no fool... but, I hunger for a true challenge..." Carroll says, awakening, as he transformed, "
To do battle with a human that fights like you... the wizened, flowing nature of a dragon..." he cackled, as his hinged jaw flapped accordingly, and leaking liquid flame. "
Swing, Alice! Test his mettle!"
"
Don't tell me to do what I intend to do!" Alice says, as she grew to her natural height, her Demon Energy flaring around her once again. "
Just remember," she drew back, "
You gave me permission."
"Fulgur Axe! Heavenly Strike!"
This time, there was no step forward - Alice was just in front of Shizuka, and afterimage in her place, as if she were moving in slowed time. Her swing was complete as soon as she was before him, even though the afterimage was catching up.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice, after all.
"Oh?" Shizuka let out, rather intrigued by Alice's growth in height. For some reason he never really thought about it, but Alice was quite tall. Taller than any average human, she towered over him. Even more impressive that someone of that size could move with such speed. An untrained eye could only see the afterimage as the actual Alice, still charging at him. Someone as seasoned as the ronin, however, saw the movements clear as day.
This time Alice may have been able to see it, as fast she moved, Shizuka was able to phase just out of range of the second strike, even though it was from a different angle. Afterwards, again, she appeared behind Shizuka. This time, however, Shizuka's stance was slightly more to the right than it was at the start.
"Now that was much better. Going off this, it's understandable how you two had so much trouble. I'm further impressed that you were able to perform to such a degree with a different weapon than was intended." He said, walking toward the nine-foot woman.
"However, it, of course, is still incomplete. You're much too aggressive, and that makes you all the more predictable. I'm certain your opponents are able to read the flow of one's chi, making it easier to respond to your movements accordingly." He looked up at her, arms crossed.
"Also, it seems that technique relies solely on speed to catch an opponent off guard. You did well to attack me from a different angle, but it doesn't help much if your opponent can read your body and is fast enough to deal with the swiftness of the move." Shizuka's sternness then melted away for a moment, revealing a warm smile.
"But, I'm sure you'll have no problem improving upon that. As a mamono, reading a person's chi should come as second nature. And your speed is already impressive. I'd say you're about...four or five steps below Shinsoku. Something to be proud of."Alice tilted her head, "
I could be faster, then? How curious..." The aura settled, as Alice shrank back to her petite normal. "
I don't know anything about reading chi, or whatever," she says, "
but I will gladly learn how to execute my swings faster, and therefore, my spells."
"Indeed, you can. Oh! I almost forgot to mention another danger with that technique. You move forward during that move with such speed that you can barely account for what's going on around you, leaving you open to counter attack. The two times you came at me, I could've easily countered and cut you. That's why reading the chi of your opponent is so important, spatial awareness is key. You probably better know chi as mana from your lands. It's like you can feel the mana of a potential mate, just equate that to battle and you'll get the hang of it.âHe then turned to the rest of the group.
"How many of you could follow Alice'-san's movements while performing the technique? Also~ I'll give you bonus points if any of you could follow my movements, including you Alice-san. Aren't you curious why I'm unfazed even though you came at me full force?""
My forte is dueling," Alice says, "
My bread and butter is parry and respond. If I couldn't recognize another parry, I would be incompetent," she says, "
Though, your footwork is off-balancing - microsteps. I use the same ones in my Eruption Spell, but... I'm not as refined. I couldn't parry you with Rainbow, unless I tripped you first."
"You'll come to find that using as little movement as possible to dodge and parry is a crucial skill that can open up endless possibilities. An overexertion of said movement can ruin your stamina and help your opponent learn what to expect. Making it irregular and sudden also helps."This time he addressed the other mamono present.
"Kerry-san, you were watching and listening I hope? Would you care to try the technique on me next?"Alice crossed her arms, and settled her aura completely; it would seem, the two dominant personalities went to rest, as her posture shrank back.
"
Y-Yes, sir..." Alice, proper, stammered, and hurried out of his sphere of influence.
Kerry, biting her tongue as Shizuka got her to back off of Alice, sat back and watched as Alice performed the Heavenly Strike techniqueâŚ.and she was glad she was actually paying attention.
âHoly crapâŚ.â, whispered the hornet, wide-eyed in surprise from the demonstration. Thanks to years of using wind magic to reach incredible speeds as well as her fly-like instincts, Kerry was able to follow both times Alice used the technique, once with her left hand and again with her right hand. As Shizuka gave his critique, Kerry began to contemplate. Simply put, the move is an insane gap closer. It plays on one moving so fast that itâs almost akin to teleporting and leaving the opponent so shocked that you closed the distance so abruptly that, if they lack the reflexes, they wonât be able to react. With this in mind, Kerry can already tell how differently things will play out when she uses it. One, the move seemed to be designed primarily for swords, specifically katanas. Alice pulled it off with an axe, but Kerry used spears. She canât use a slash, itâd be too telegraphed, so sheâll have to use a thrust. But then there was the angle to thrust from. Canât be from the front, thatâd be way too obvious, so sheâll have to look for an approach that wonât be as predictable. Secondly, Kerry would be using a move she just learned from watching someone else perform it, so the odds of her messing it up wereâŚ.high.
Well, you gotta go through a few wrongs to get that one right., Kerry thought to herself as Shizuka called her up next. As the insectoid mamono took her place, an idea formed in her mind.
âYeah, Iâll give it a shot. Though, fair warning: donât expect me to get this right on the first try.â, Kerry responded, Dusk held tightly in her grip as got into a stanceâŚ..though, not like the one Alice was in. No, she crouched low. Very low. So low that her chest almost touched the ground as her stance made her look like she was about to run full speed ahead.
âWind Art:âŚ.âAir currents swirled around the hornet rapidly as she channeled her mana.
â.....Heavenly Strike!âTo an uninitiated eye, it wouldâve been way too fast to even process what just happened. Otherwise, they wouldâve seen Kerry being there one moment. Then simply gone the next. And then in that same moment, they would see Kerry diving at Shizuka, spear firstâŚ.
from above."Oh, wind magic? Interesting. " Shizuka mused, as air began to rapidly flow around the hornet. Not too dissimilar to Alice, Kerry took a stance and then vanished from view. The swordsman's attention was then attracted upward.
"Above?" He said, just as Kerry was diving at him. What followed was a large cloud of dust erupting from the hornet's impact, a bit of debris along with it. As the dust settled, the group would see Kerry with her lance impaled into the ground. Along with Shizuka standing further to the side.
"My, quite the performance that was." Shizuka said, smiling at the mamono.
"In addition, adding magic and a new angle to the technique showed everyone the next point of the attack I was going to iterate." He turned to the others.
"Simply copying the technique as is won't be quite enough to use it in battle, especially against students of said school. Recall that they've been formally trained in the art for perhaps years, and therefore know its strengths along with its weaknesses. Kerry-san, knowing that along with the fact she's using a weapon that wasn't intended for the style, put her own unique spin on it to compensate. That's what I'd like to see from all of you during training.""Now then, Kerry-san, it was a good call to attack from above. It's an awkward angle to dodge. But like I said with Alice-san, some opponents have various ways to counter and maneuver around it - like me. Take cues from Alice-san and remember to not attack from the same angle. Otherwise, impressive work. "He then turned to their Fae comrade.
"Alright, Liliana-san, would you care to try it out next?"âYes!â Liliana responded, quickly raising her hand and growing to full size.
âI donât know what this heavenly strike thing everyone keeps doing is, butâŚI think I have an idea for my own!â She said, puffing her chest out and holding her sword over her shoulder.
" I see. You've got me curious, let's see what's up your sleeve." Replied the swordsman. Now in the fray stood him and Liliana. He wondered what the sprite had in mind for a technique, already being acclaimed with her spell-casting made him all the more curious.
"Alright, like I mentioned to the first two - don't hold back. Come at me like you life depends on it!" He exclaimed to his comrade. While he didn't adopt a stance, the perfect balance of his chi flow confirmed he was more than ready.
Liliana nodded, before holding her sword, aglow with the wild magic latent within it. Whereas normally she'd just point it and cast the spell, this time she was charging at Shizuka with her sword held in both hands.
âHere we goooo! Elysium Strike:â she started, suddenly shrinking in size in her approach.
Now a much smaller and faster target, she really was fighting at her best as she unleashed a multitude of slashes and stabs. The magic building within it seemed to be contained for the moment...but Shizuka could tell this attack was hazardous for the fairy to use. If the spell wasn't released eventually, it might release...rather explosively. Or it might turn her into a holstaur. Who knew, given how often the cows showed up.
âQueen's Blade!â she called out, attempting to go for one finishing stab in her small state.
âAlso why is shouting attack names so fun!?â"...?!" Shizuka certainly wasn't expecting the fae to just wildly swing at him, all the while imbuing her blade with chi. Shizuka dodged each of the slashes and stabbing motions without much difficulty, but he was forced to move from his initial spot due to the onslaught of attacks.
However, this was a problem...
Based on what heâd seen from Liliana, her magic compared to contemporary spell-casting is quite...random, for lack of a better word. She doesn't seem to be able to directly control it, as with the bovines she's summoned in the past. Combined that with how she's just wildly swinging now, it could only spell disaster. That, along with the fact that this wonton-hail mary method of attack was just plain reckless...
It was honestly a bit annoying, since Liliana was such a small target. It honestly could work to her advantage if she learns how to utilize it properly. But he'd go over that later.
"SuichĹŤ" He uttered. Liliana would suddenly find the swordsman spinning around, creating a medium column of water around him, smaller than the one he generated at the shipyard. Not only would it parry the barrage of strikes she delivered, but also knock the blade out of her hand. It landed off to the side, sticking into the ground. Now that it was out of her hands, the magic imbued in it dissipated.
Satisfied that an unwanted outcome was averted, Shizuka stopped his attack and looked at Liliana with a comically annoyed squint.
"Liliana-san, where do I begin with that? Firstly, just blindly charging in with reckless abandon is often a death sentence. Secondly, your magic is too unpredictable to wield in such a direct manner. Nevermind the fact that your chi control was almost non-existent. You'll wear yourself off before you even get a chance to land a single blow on the enemy."Liliana would watch as her blade got deflected, noting Shizuka's annoyance. Immediately she'd sit down, prepared for a lecture.
âH-Hey, it wasn't reckless abandon! I just...thought that since everyone didn't win with one super big strike, I'd do a lot of little ones,â the fairy admitted, reaching over for her sword and sheathing it on her back.
Still...she was painfully aware that she'd done the worst out of everyone. ...She didn't understand. Back in the forest, she was the sixth strongest knight so...
Were fairies just...bad at fighting?
Thinking back on it, beyond chasing off bandits and beating up some unruly visitors to the forest, she hadn't actually done much fighting outside of sparring and...yeah, it was mostly flailing swords and letting magic do the work.
Once Shizuka finished his lecture, Liliana would stand up and pump her hands up and down before her.
âCan I try again? I don't think I got even remotely close to that Heavenly Strike thing.â"Quantity doesn't always equate to quality, Liliana-san." He responded.
"Though it barely counts, I suppose you get points for being the first one to make me use an attack..."Sighing, he got back into position, sheathing his blade.
"Truthfully, you have a staggering amount of latent power residing within. The important thing is that you put it to proper use." He stood solemnly, arms crossed.
"That's why chi control is crucial for this session, and it's the main way you'll get stronger. In this next bout, I want you to focus on performing the base technique. In addition, focus on the flow of chi from both me and you. If your flow is too strong, your magic will literally blow up in your face. If too little, your attack will reach nothing. You must find the balance in your chi, and feeling mine will allow you to make the best response. Now, again! "With his directive, he awaited Liliana's next strike.
"Oh, on a side note, I noticed you were talking about shouting attack names earlier? There's actually cultural relevance behind that intent. They say that doing such things helps release energy to strengthen the technique, in addition to making your opponent waver. In olden times, some say opponents did so in order to help their sword schools gain notoriety. But, that's a story for another time."Liliana would nod with every other word, mind kind of blanking out some words after being told she has a "staggering amount" of latent power.
âGot it, control chi, scream attack names,â the fairy said before taking a few steps back and holding her sword at the ready.
âFocus...focus...focus...â Liliana thought, eyes narrowing as she took in Shizuka's stance, then closed her eyes. Her posture relaxed a bit, her grip tightened, and a thin stream of "chi" started running through her blade. Slowly feeding power into her sword, Liliana would keep her eyes closed and then...
Started snoring. In spite of being suddenly asleep though, her stance shifted and she would lower her blade to the ground, a stream of magic leaking free of it that rocketed the fairy forward. Her wings would fold in slightly for maximum speed, drifting along the ground with her blade skidding across the ground, causing flowers to grow and blossom across the dirt.
âGaia Hazard...â Liliana mouthed, before finally going in for a strike with explosive force, eyes opening up as her magical energy surged, the Whimsy Blade gaining a pale green glow.
âHeavenly Strike,â the fairy shouted, before going for a powerful thrust charged with a steady stream of chi behind it.
Instead of regulating the force in a way she didn't know, she'd let the sword guide itself, bringing blooming flowers into the world with its power instead of blowing up with it. This made the fairy's prior pathetic thrust rather powerful, focused, and swift even managing to somehow cause a peony to bloom where it would meet Shizuka's sword.
"Hey! You're nodding an awful lot, are you even listening to me??" Said an annoyed Shizuka. The response he got was Liliana preparing another strike to charge at the swordsman with. But, this time it was a bit different.
She was channeling her chi more methodically; not longer did it flow like a rushing canal that kicked up water everywhere, but more like a steady river with a clear path.
Hmph. It seemed she was listening after all.
Declaring her attack, suddenly left in her tracks were a multitude of flowers. The ground bloomed with flora. Now she had the right idea, applying her own natural style whilst still staying true to the technique. To honor her efforts, he would allow their swords to clash.
A clank of metal echoed throughout the training space as Liliana's blade met with Shizuka's. A fuchsia peony bloomed right where their swords parried one another, and pollen flowed around them from the impact.
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Shizuka nodded in approval.
"Now that was a marvelous display, Liliana-san. I knew you had it within you." Letting up on the clash, Shizuka held his sword to the side, the flower bud still on it. As Shizuka ran a blue energy along his blade, the flower soon lost its color and took on an icy crystalized form. It then dissipated into little specs of frozen shards.
"Never forget the feeling you had during that attack. You've taken your first step toward mastery. Through repetition you will achieve mastery, and soon chi balance will be second nature. Well done, Liliana-san" He said, sheathing his blade again.
"I think that's enough for now, return back to the group."He then turned to Gringor, the High Orc who along with Alice, was the one who also saw the technique first hand. But, there was a reason he wanted Gringor to be the last to step up.
"Alright Gringor-san, I hope you were watching everyone else this whole time. It's now your turn. Step forward and show me what you can do!" He said, beckoning him with a warrior's gesture.
Liliana would proudly hold her sword up after making a single good attack, saying:
âI'm gonna make SO many cool attack names now! Thanks for the practice and lessons Shizuka. Next time, I promise I'll be able to channel that chi thingie properly without falling asleep next time.âGringor cracked his neck after the other three demonstrations with no further words needed, shoulders rolling as he held his axe with both arms and in the same stance that he took against Alice before their aborted fight. Axe rested over his shoulder, readied for a downward strike as he leaned forward.
No subtlety was needed as it was a stance for charging forward.
Contrary to everyone's expectation, Gringor didn't charge, not even lifting his feet but sliding forward carefully to not lose his center of gravity. Gringor breath was level, his eyes at their sharpest, and pheromones at its lowest. Even his grip on his long war axe was loose though he compacted his body stance to limit the areas that can be struck for a fatal blow.
Yet to Shizuka, he can feel the silent pressure that Gringor was leveling toward the former. Like a tiger crouching and crawling forward slowly before it pounced on its prey in a heartbeat.
While one has defeated its users, others making their own, or letting their power flow.
He was the only one to truly experience it with his body, painfully and repeatedly.
Gringor didn't want to just learn the Heavenly Strike, no no, that would simply be not enough for him.
He wanted to break the technique itself.
Hence, he advances closer and closer with no fear of Shizuka. Waiting for the moment to get in range or the moment Shizuka struck back.
She really needs to be reprimanded for falling asleep... Shizuka silently spat a swear: napping when attempting to focus was unacceptable during training. But there'd be time for that later, right now he had to focus.
Shizuka immediately felt the difference in Gringor's stride. Out of all of their chi he felt, his perhaps, was the most sharpened and steady. Leagues beyond the, quite frankly, boorish and raging energy that he's emanated up till this point. Furthermore, his muscles were now relaxed, his pace short and steady, and his breathing completely relaxed.
Color me impressed. Silently said Shizuka, smiling at the high orc's stance.
Technically speaking, Gringor was the one who had the most exposure to the technique. Quite literally, in fact, having been slashed with the several times. Shizuka guessed that during his alone time, Gringor had mentally trained since his retreat. Visualizing the technique, shadow boxing the student he had prior faced, and remembering all other aspects he got a grasp of.
As a follower of the sword, all Shizuka could do was silently commend the efforts of his monster comrade. And honor him by meeting him head on.
In Alice's case, perfect replication won't achieve mastery. With Kerry, it was important to compensate for weapon differences. For Liliana, she desperately needed to learn chi control - along with a couple of other things...
Thankfully, Gringor seemed to have paid attention to the previous demonstrations provided by his comrades. He possibly understood all that on his own anyway. He had him go last, as he felt it would be best for him to learn all of these aspects before trying again. He also felt that was the one who had the roughest form of fighting among the bunch. It seemed he didn't have to worry about that.
Shizuka could tell that he was waiting for him to make the first move. He even understood that it was mainly a counterattack! Shizuka was curious to see how much he was able to sharpen his instincts.
"You won't move? Then I will come to you, ready yourself!" He declared.
Hopefully Gringor's instincts allowed him to see that Shizuka was already in his face; his sword was about to make contact with his body. How would the high orc respond to the charge?
Gringor barely flinched at Shizuka's declaration, more so when he moved. Blurring before appearing right in front of him.
His side that was slashed repeatedly yesterday throbbed in response.
This feeling, the moment.
It was the same, just slower.
Gringor didn't even hesitate as he struck back.
Letting everything explode from within, his muscles went from total relaxation to action as it carried his will. A voiceless howl came as Gringor's face went from near expressionless into one befitting a demon.
He cannot replicate the steps, not in such a short period. He can however replicate the speed, but only for a short burst. Thus he had to pick his moment.
What was the shortest path to a destination?
A straight line.
Coming straight toward Shizuka's head was the end of Gringor's axe demonic metal pommel that had his entire speed and body weight put behind, combined with all of his ferocity and strength.
Should Shizuka somehow dodge or block that, Gringor would use the speed from the initial thrust and let the momentum flow into a crushing blow. A simple thrust-and-cut attack that was taught to the regular and High Orcs.
Already meeting Gringor head on, Shizuka felt the air tense up around the high orc. Feeling it hit his face, the contraction of Gringor's muscles generated a small squall of such force that one would think it was made by magic. He took note of his foe's demonic expression; normally it wasn't a good idea to were such a strong expression as it made you easier to predict. But, it was so instant that it almost made up for it - quite impressive. As the swordsman's blade drew closer to the high orc's flesh, his opponent instantly responded with a thrust of his own. Despite the impressive speed of the attack, Shizuka was able to phase just out of its path and continue his slash.
Or so he thought.
Instead of it leaving him open, Gringor's whiff was actually a lead in to what could only be described as a brilliant counterattack. The momentum generated from the initial thrust was used to bring the other end of the axe crashing down on Shizuka. Because it was a counter move, it gave the swordsman almost no time to react. Gringor's response was nothing less than perfect. It seemed that Kannazuki would take a hit for the first time during this training! However...
"UryĹŤ SuichĹŤ â Senki"Much like the high orc, the motion from Shizuka's dodge allowed him to instantly flow into another technique. He whirled in a drilling motion, the spin generating a channel of water around him. Instead of being crushed by the massive halberd, the swordsman's blade met with it. The clank from the clash of the weapons was so loud the sound reverberated throughout the entire training space. The ground under them had cracked and erupted with debris and the force generated made a gust that blew a combination of debris, water, and wind on all the others, including Io.
As the smoke cleared, the mamono and the ronin were currently in a warrior's embrace. The grating metal of their weapons created small sparks that flew around them. Eventually, Shizuka motioned for them to let up, feeling satisfied with the exchange.
"Gringor-san, I must give credit where credit is due. While that exchange lasted only an instant, it was nothing short of admirable. From your body, there was not a single instance of wasted movement. Everything you did was purposeful and methodical, and the balance of chi was nothing short of an expert!" He praised, sheathing his blade.
"So different you are from the roughneck, short-fuse high orc I met back in Akamagaseki. You've only been here for roughly a week, yet it seems you've changed so much. I noticed that your breathing and concentration was far more advanced than what I anticipated. I imagine you were practicing and meditating when no one was looking, no? Very admirable!" Perhaps due to the little bit of pheromones that Gringor naturally emanated, Shizuka seemed to have enjoyed the clash more than he realized.
"You were able to make up for the speed difference using a simple, but effective maneuver. And thus, forced me to use a rather advanced technique in my repertoire."Realizing he was dragging on, he quickly gathered him and cleared his throat.
"My apologies. Needless to say, you've passed with flying colors. Although, we can go for another round if you'd like. Repetition is key, as I've told the oth-" Abruptly stopping his sentence, he turned to the mamono present in the grounds - noticing them damping with bits of water and dirt. Shizuka's expression immediately changed to one of embarrassment, and a large sweatdrop appeared on his head.
"Oh-oh my... Gringor-san's attack was quite powerful, so I couldn't hold back. But, it seems I've made quite the mess as a result. I, uh, do hope you all can forgive me. Ehehe..." He nervously said, rubbing the back of his head.
"
Of course, he passed," Alice says, as waters and debris dripped off her [Shatter]; Carroll planted firmly, as her tone toughened, "
All he does is hit things. Even a brick-brain like him couldnât fail. Honestly, an Orc failing at something martial would be more surprising," she rolled her eyes, "
Fight, fight, fight, thatâs all Orcs know. Highborn and Lowborn." Alice hefted Carroll, and spun him around. "
Personally, that was pathetic in my opinion," she says. "
Actually, no. Pathetic is nice. That was cowardly. At least, the bee and the gnat had the bravery to test themselves against you, Master."
"
Neither of them is particularly screaming, âI work out my insecurities by lifting heavy things,â but at least they didnât stand still and wait for their opponent to move, " Alice scoffed, before she smirked, "
But, what can you expect from a cowardly species of reckless conquers brimming with commonless sense? You might call yourself Highborn, but you fight like the Lowborn you came from."
Huffing, Alice would turn her back on Gringor and Shizuka - partially because it was disrespectful as hell, and partially because she couldnât hold back the twisted fusion of her shit-eating grin and fearful tremors, as her Humanity and her Mamono halves duked it out, before she could strap her normal, placid expression on, and the Mamono won out.
Carroll on the other hand, or rather, in her other hand, was laughing his metaphorical ass off. "
How utterly reckless! Such a chaotic storm!" he was loving it, "
If only you could behave so brazenly on the regular!"
Alice whined, as she kicked a rock, and just mumbled to herself.
âBy Liltihâs tits, Alice. What crawled up in your dress and died inside your ass? I know Gringor being the first to actually pass is surprising, but itâs a bad look on your part to be such a sore bitch about it. Guess itâs too much to ask you to be professional and give credit where itâs due.â, spat Kerry as, with Mort and a bit of her wind magic, literally fanned herself dry.
Still, that was incredible. It was more than replication, more than making it his own and more than letting the power flow through him. By the way he reacted, itâs almost as if he was on the receiving end of the technique multipleâŚ.timesâŚâŚ!âOh you insane, crafty maniac.â, the hornet spoke to the high orc.
âYou let yourself get hit by the move so many times that not only did you learn it, you came up with a way to beat it, didnât you?âAlice's expression twitched into a grim snarl, as Kerry came to Gringor's defense. A second infraction. A second strike. Her patience had worn thin with the bug - it was insulting enough that the Orc had done better than her, yet...
...
...
...why did this outcome annoy her?
Gringor was beneath her radar, her gaze was turned to higher prospects, and better ends. Shizuka was a much more desirable husband, but she'd done little to impress him in their exchange of blows.
Sure, he'd spoken appreciably of her demonstration, and yes, he'd chosen her to demonstrate in the first place, but he admired Gringor's showing more than hers.
She wasn't annoyed.
She was jealous.
Jealous that she wasn't up to snuff.
Jealous that she didn't impress the right way.
Jealous that Shizuka didn't... try.
...he didn't even consider her a challenge enough to let loose.
Alice looked back; tearing swelling in her eyes, before she turned, and started to depart.
Maybe, she wasn't up for the task, after all...
Io lingered around as the training occurred for many reasons - to make sure the training grounds spell was stable, to see what her task force members were capable of, and to 'study' certain task force members in particular. Her expectations were exceeded in all categories.
She of course never walked the path of the warrior, so some of the subtleties of the training were lost on her. Despite that, the arcane realm was often ruled by long stretches of deliberation broken by instant flashes of action: She saw enough to be surprised, most of all by the human. She had underestimated what he was capable of. And the two men clashing so vigorously, even though it was just for a brief moment... Io knew she made the right choice, setting these training grounds up.
Io paid no heed to her robes becoming doused from Gringor and Shizuka's fight, perhaps because they were already damp (from sitting amidst the morning dew, of course). It brought little discomfort to the lich, who turned her attention to a secondary regenerative function of her training grounds. Io had spent a good amount of time tinkering with the magical solution to heal - worth a lecture in its own right, once she returned to an academic setting. It could trigger automatically once sparring stopped for long enough, but she also let some keywords in her ancient language trigger it as minor contingency. It was more for her sake of wanting a contingency than any needed function, but such was the unlife of a lich.
After whispering one such keyword to herself, the healing aura triggered. It manifested itself as a simple spell circle around each person within the training grounds, glowing gently as it cast an appropriate spell of healing upon them. "
The training grounds seem to be working well." Io said, more thinking aloud than directly addressing anyone. "
Though I suspect some of you could exceed its bounds in strength, if you were determined to break it. I will need to refine some aspects of it." It was an awkward compliment, but it was the best Io could manage.
Gringor arms felt the shock travelled down his bones, teeth gnashed hard as he pushed his weapon down as hard as he can.
Yet it remained in place as his and Shizuka weapon held one another back. The thin sword of his stood impossibly against his war axe.
When Shizuka let up, Gringor was sorely tempted to continue but ultimately conceded the duel.
It was disgrace, that all of his efforts merely amounted to a draw.
âNot enough, still not enough.â Gringor muttered through it all as his blood boil and raged. âItâs still too slow.â
Though hearing the comments from the Alice, it had Gringor eyes narrowed as he glanced towards his weapon. Not really needing a high grasp of the Shizuyaman language to know he was being insulted.
The bee girl interfering on his behalf before he could explode allowed him some time to calm himself down as the Alice turned around to walk away.
While it was infuriating, Gringor is more than able to recognized faults. His own especially. One doesnât become Chieftan simply because he was born, it was a position earned.
âRunning away again, mad boi?â Gringor said provocatively to the Alice and cracked his neck.
âGringor agrees, too much waiting and too little fighting. Only one strike. Not fun. Hate it.â He admitted to everyone present. This style didnât suit him, and he only used it because he could swing it at the same speed once.
The true fight he enjoys was one that continued on, fury against fury, might versus might. A rain of blows and clashes until weapons break, then fist onto fist.
An all out fight with nothing held back.
Not thisâŚpusillanmity of a single blow. At most, itâs a opening gesture or appetizer for him.
âBut.â He snarled as he remembers his fights against the heavenly strike warriors, the edges of his vision going red.
âGringor hates losing even more.â
At that statement, his grip on his axe had his knuckles turned white enough to see veins. The weapon shaft leather uncomfortable squeeked and subjected under enough force to grind rocks to dust. âSo Gringor fightz with all he gotz even if donât like fighting that way, cause heâs the strongest and the strongest donât lose.â
âSo you gonna leave or you gonna stay to bash your problemz to prove you iz strong?â
He then turned to the Bee girl and pointed out. âAlso, no. Gringor wasnât that smart. Gringor simply wasâŚâ
The next word felt like pulling his teeth out of his mouth but he was committed, so might as well get it over. âOutnumbered, Gringor fought one and nearly bashed his noggin in. But other four stepped in.â
Alice wasn't listening to Gringor. The boorish opinions of the gravel-mouthed, brick-brain were less irritating than the buzzy, busy opinions of the oversized bee. But, at the moment, she was processing what Io had said - not for the language, but just for the word.
A single word had undone all the damage that Shizuka's assault had conferred upon the training ground.
But, how had she said it? Could she say it, as well? That was something to test; a serviceable distraction from what plagued her mind.
Alice would attempt the word that Io had spoken for her tongue was old, older than any she knew, but Io's was older still. However, her species was known best for assimilation - a single Matango was the precursor to a colony that could learn, assimilate, and grow from within.
Language was just another thing to assimilate.
Clumsily, Alice would repeat the word over and over, attempting to focus her Demon Energy and her Spirit Energy - unlike most Mamono, the Mad Hatter possessed an interesting ability, so to speak.
As a Mamono that was created from a Human, and moreover, one created by Wonderland, she had Spirit Energy and Demon Energy in equal measure. Under normal conditions, her Human side would have been completely suppressed until her Spirit Energy was converted into Demon Energy in full, and she was just another Matango in the underbrush. However, thanks to Carroll's inference causing the separation of the Mamono and the Human, those energies formed a stable and functional Yin-Yang that gave rise to the Queen of Diamonds.
Due to this separation, each personality could think and act for itself, or herself, rather, and therefore focus her energies independently of the other.
Shizuka would take immediate notice of her twin, yet rival energies were shaping towards what she understood as the Chi he spoke of, and more like the energy he felt from The Queen of Diamonds when he'd faced her before.
There was no part of her that would admit that she was just copying the states of being that Shizuka had praised in Liliana's unconscious state and Gringor's battle-ready state.
Hypocrisy be thy name, but Assimilation was her true nature.
Kerry gazed upon Alice, an eyebrow raised in intrigue. Due to her unique birth, the hornet had the ability to sense and detect various types of magical energy, to the point where she could differentiate said energies by color. Sensing Aliceâs energy wasnât what caught Kerry's attention. Rather, it was the fact that Alice had
two types of energies within her, each acting separately from the other in a single body. Connected yet independent.
Well, that explains the abrupt shifts in personality Iâve seen her have., Kerry thought to herself.
Guessing this is the next step in our training. Mana control. Oh, wait, what did locals call it again? Chi? Eh, same shit, different label.With that thought, the hornet proceeded to take her spears and plant them into the grounds at her sides. Next, she sat down, cross-legged with her hands on her knees, and closed her eyes before taking deep breaths. And thenâŚ
Just like her mother taught herâŚ
Find your centerâŚâŚClear your mindâŚ..BreathâŚ..RelaxâŚ..FeelâŚ.To any who would notice, currents of air gently swirled around Kerry, despite the fact that there was no wind to be had here in this dimensional space. They would also see that she was floating in midair, despite her wings remaining still.
Thatâs my girlâŚKerryâs lips curled into a small smile, feeling a bit reminiscent.
None of the girls seemed bothered when they were splashed by the dirt and water generated by Gringor and Shizukaâs clash. Good. He also felt a pleasant refresh as Ioâs healing did its work; it felt like having a warm breeze blow over him.
"Thanks, Io-san." He said.
He turned to Gringor for a moment, seeing that he was disappointed with the outcome of their clash. He would naturally presume that the high orc would want to continue the clash until a decisive victor could be determined. That, however, was not the point of the exercise. Although, Shizuka could tell that it meant a lot to him. To honor his upbringing and the culture of his kin, perhaps the swordsman would one day have an actual contest with him.
After the clash, Alice decided to yet again berate her comrade with the usual fare. It was honesty starting to get on Shizukaâs nerves at this point. Gringor turned and looked as though he was about to retort when Kerry quickly interjected, scolding the mold women for her attitude. Gringor then made a rebuttal as well, also surprisingly agreeing with some of her points. Both Alice and Gringor didnât seem to like the idea of battles being so full of deliberation and three dimensional chess, with a single instantaneous blow deciding the victor. Funny, despite their differences, they seemed to be a lot alike in some aspects.
"I personally feel the both of you could benefit from expanding your worldviews. The battlefield has more nuance than bruteforce and standoffish fist fights. You may quickly find yourself in a casket if you canât learn to adapt and sharpen your mind." He warned both of them. Although, it seemed Alice wasnât listening much. Instead, she seemed to be focused on something. He sensed the same chi swelling up inside of her as from before. In fact, even yesterday wasnât the first time he sensed it from her. The energies inside of her were competing for dominance, constantly at a perpetual rivalry. For this reason, he felt that Alice may have the most difficulties with this phase of the training. Due in part to her biology, her mind was at constant odds and would require extensive training to master. One force fought to obtain a zen state of mind, the other for a more fearsome state. Killing or murderous intent. Sakki, or Satsui, there were different names for this state of mind.
Kerry, on the other hand, seemed to be picking up on the concept rather quickly. She had already reached a zen state of mind, her chi at peace. She likely already had practice with the art, and he felt that she would have no trouble at all passing. Even Gringor was able to switch from a peaceful state to a ferocious one in the blink of an eye. The other one he was mainly worried about wasâŚ
He glanced over to Liliana. He hadnât forgotten that she initially fell asleep the first time she attempted to meditate. It was possible that she wasnât even paying attention during Gringorâs exercise. Sighing to himself, he would have to hope for the best for now.
Shizuka then walked over to Io for a moment.
âIo-san, there was something I wanted to ask you. You mentioned something about augmenting the training space? Would it be possible for you to produce phantom opponents for them to fight.â He inquired.
âI feel their training would go better if they had actual opponents to spar against, to further build upon the lessons theyâre currently learning. Opponents a little closer to their skill level I mean..âIo's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she continued to watch over their training. Alice... She was speaking nonsense to herself, but it was eerily close to Io's keyword. '
She picked up enough of it to get that close?' Io raised an eyebrow, but kept silent. She was missing some subtlety of pronunciation to trigger the spell, but wasn't bad for how little information she was going off of. It reminded Io of a faded, time-worn memory of her past: The verbal intonation of a clumsy child. It was rare for something that old to surface for Io.
She was unsure of how to process the development. Io enjoyed her dead language essentially being her own, but it wasn't like others knowing it would necessarily be to her detriment. Io had always imagined teaching a partner the language, of course... But that was a different, more intimate matter. For now, she would simply keep an eye - or ear - on Alice.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Shizuka. She had to ponder on the question for a moment, eventually responding, "
Hm. Shouldn't be difficult..." She closed her eyes, working through the process in her mind. "
...Except for skill level." She opened one eye. "
I am limited by my knowledge of physical fighting. Unless you only wish to fight mages."
She felt a surprising pang of guilt. Perhaps it was due to not being able to meet Shizuka's request - Shizuka, whose stock had risen considerably in Io's eyes with his most recent displays of ability. Or perhaps it was the admission that there was a realm of knowledge she had neglected. Io had planned on devoting time to that study in a few hundred years, but there were other priorities she had as well: The documentation of creatures that dwelled on the seafloor, for instance. There was much to learn on both fronts, and Io was unfortunately on the wrong side of her prioritization scheme at the moment.
Alice's mutterings cease abruptly, once Io spoke about fighting mages - she'd had interesting experiences against Mages. Most of her spell list was born from fighting the Mages of Summerheld, and controlling them with her spores to assimilate their knowledge, and refine them to her style.
"
So, don't use phantoms then," Alice says, turning her eyes to Io, "
Don't start overthinking things. You play to your strengths, unless you're a Lich without the talent of Resurrection," she says, ""
Just revive the Varjans that i dragged back here - I'll kill them for you, of course. Do that, shackle them to your will, and the program them to fit us as if they were still really."
"
That idea "nuanced" and "adaptive" enough for you, Shizuka," Alice asked, her tone sharpening, as she dropped the honorific, "
I can certainly expand my worldview. I could even establish a new kingdom here, if you like. Expand your worldview alongside mine..." she says, narrowing her eyes, "
I'd absolutely adore having a regiments of soldiers under your command, trained and disciplined to swing with such precision and force."
Alice shifted her stance, as her energies aligned, and settled into a harmonious balance with an undercurrent of irritation uniting them, but she smirked, "
Among other things..."
"
Unfortunately, I can't do anything about the brute force," Alice chuckled, as she hefted her transformed weapon, "
I happen to enjoy ruling with a standoffish iron fist, admittedly."
Carroll cackled, "
I forgot how much fun training could be! What's next on the agenda, big boy?"
âWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!â Liliana shouted, flying between Io and Alice and putting her hands up as she grew to full size.
âIf Io wants to train her magic, I can help!â the fairy said, before proudly hoisting her sword overhead. The very same sword that was âbad fucking newsâ in terms of fighting, considering that Lilianaâs spellcasting was as consistent as pudding made during an earthquake inside of a falling building made by a three year old. Still, she was feeling massively confident after spending the last several minutes of concentration in deep meditation (napping), and thinking about her chi control (dreaming about shooting lightning from her eyes), and felt ready to help Io with magic training (she was going to mess this up so bad.)
At hearing Carroll ask what's next however, Liliana would say:
âOh, and I can be your sparring partner too, Alice! I mean, Iâm not exactly the best fighter here butâŚI can do stuff.â Said stuff might also include getting swatted like a fly both magically and martially between the two women, butâŚeh, she was living her best life.
Hmph. Gringor spat to the side, what a waste of good words to the mad boi. Then again, what was he expecting, theyâre mad boi.
Looking to the current situation, it seems they need to make a new training regime with magic.
Those fancy things are beyond him, not really having the talent for it and his experience boiled to the Varjans more destructive shamans and shamaness in his tribe. Impressive and fancy but not to his taste.
Still, if it meant more fighting, then thatâll be all he needs.
Honestly, he rather fight against Shizuka since his style is the closest to those basket head warriors but it seems that wouldnât be the case.
Ah well, perhaps later.
âSo long itâs hard and tough,â Gringor commented as he cracked his neck, ready for the next stage of training.
âMake more as well, Basket head doesnât come alone but in packs.â He added after a moment of thought.
The two axe wielders had said their piece. Alice made a somewhat snide retort to Shizukaâs earlier advice, in the form of a suggestion. At least she and Carroll seemed to be more enthusiastic about the training now. Gringor, on the other hand, made a good point. The students fought together as a team, with coordinated attack patterns. His mamono compatriots would also have to learn to do that as well; that part of the training was what Shizuka was dreading the most, giving the members with personalities more on the strong sideâŚ
Shizuka was snapped out of his thoughts with Lilianaâs exclamation. She first made an offer to assist Io with training her magic, one that made the swordsman raise a brow at her. What Io needs is assistance with making training dummies that closely match the warriors Gringor and Alice fought previously. Liliana had never even laid eyes on those warriors, ignoring the fact that the volatile nature of her spell casting may make matters worse.
Shizuka had an idea pop in his head, finally. Hopefully, things would make things easier for her. If it was still out of her realm of power, though, heâd just have to make himself everyoneâs practice partner. He didnât mind doing it, as it certainly wouldnât be the first time heâd face off against several opponents at once. It would also be an excellent way for them to build coordination on the battlefield. Still, Shizukaâs style was still a little too advanced for them for it to be effective in training.
"Kerry-san, youâve already passed your chi reading training. Come on over and join us, if you would." He called out to his insectoid ally. Once everyone gathered round, he began again.
"Alright, so, as I expected, the results for chi control training were a bit divided. Kerry passed with flying colors. Alice, as well, was able to balance out the conflicting energies with her and have them work in unison. Most impressive.â Shizuka said, complimenting the mushroom woman.
âAs for everyone else howeverâŚ" His voice held with it a bit of disappointment.
"Meditation without action doesn't seem to come naturally to Gringor-san, and a certain sprite would rather spend their time sleeping instead of concentrating." He said sternly, gazing over at Liliana.
"So, I have something in mind that will knock out two birds with one stone."He then motioned over to Io.
"Io-san, I have a suggestion as well. Iâm not sure how much you were able to gauge, but perhaps you could conjure opponents whose battling is based off of my movements and swings." He then turned back at the group.
"At that point, youâll all work together and attack them as a team. That means in order to achieve victory, youâll all need to be in perfect sync and help each other out. That means you two especially." He stated, looking at the high orc and Alice.
"I believe having to apply it in the middle of a fight will further help you master chi reading.""Io-san, if you feel like you still canât make suitable phantoms for the exercise, then you all will simply team up to fight me in a 4v1 scenario." He said solemnly.
"If thatâd be the case, donât hesitate or hold back just because youâve got me outnumbered. You may just end up regretting it." Shizuka warned.
"In either case, remember that you canât always trust your vision, and must rely on your mindâs eye when necessary."Standing in front of them, already prepared for either outcome, he would wait for Ioâs response to see what route the next phase of training would go.
Hmmm, sounds like weâre finally getting into the fun part of the traini- wait, what?âWait, what?â, Kerry said exactly as she thought, her eyes shot open as her concentration broke. But instead of plopping back down to the ground, the wind that was levitating her gave a small burst, popping the hornet over to the group to stand with them.
âShizuka, did I really just hear you say that you are willing to take on four of us at once?âNow, Kerry was very much certain, for the short time that she has known them, that Alice and Gringor are strong fighters and can very much hold their own. Liliana wasâŚ..a wild card. The fairy
seemed like she can fight, but her randomness and, no sugarcoating here, piss poor battle tactics could be a detriment to anything team-related. And speaking of team-related, the insectoid girl wasnât sure on how that endeavor would turn out, as well. While herself and Liliana can play nice with othersâŚ..the same could not said for the mad hatter and high orc. So far, the interactions theyâve had has the two butting heads, with Aliceâs frequently condescending comments and Gringorâs willingness to oblige anyone who was looking for a fight. Combine that with Liliana being a literal loose cannon with her magic andâŚâŚ.
âŚâŚ
Can four disorganized mamono take on the leader of the taskforce?âI mean, Iâm down to give this âteamwork makes the dream workâ thing a shot, but thatâs just MY vote.â, Kerry responded to Shizuka before turning to the others.
âHow âbout it, guys? Take him on?â"
Teamwork? In what sense," Alice asks, "
Teams imply leaders. I refuse to bow to another's lead. If I am to fail, it shall be at mine own error," she says, "
Thou shall not bow to my word, nor shall the Orc. Foolish pride holds thee both in contempt of me. Such has been made clear from thine own venomous words, and," she looked at Gringor, "
thine barbarous acts unprompted."
Alice crossed her arms, "
Mayhap, the fairy would follow, but her skill is faulty and her talents are shallow." Alice walked over to Liliana, and plucked her blade out of her hands without effort, and remarked, "
However, there lies untempered something inside thee; a purpose yet discovered, and requiring guidance. Pray tell, fairy, you serve a Queen, do you not?"
"
If so, thou might serve me in her stead, not offense, but..." Alice paused, looking for the clever word, as a Mad Hatter ought do, "
...in a semblance of service rendered to her, through me. Respecting mine own queenhood would be little different than respecting her own, and thus, reignite thine own purpose in matters of combat in my presence? Such thoughts art fair to think, no?"
Pretty much the instant the Whimsy Blade left Lilianaâs person, it seemed to lose all of its luster. In fact, the lightly glowing green steel took on a texture similar to petrified wood. In all likelihood, the primal force of the wild didnât enjoy the touch of the Wonderland queen. And, Liliana didnât like that she was getting handsy with her entrusted blade.
âH-Hey, no touchie!â Liliana said, countering brute force with speed, diving after her blade in her shrunken state, before laying a hand on her blade. Reinvigorated, the dull green glow returned and the blade shrunk as she did, the little fairy zooming a few feet away and popping back up to full size.
âThis sword is very importantâŚeven more important than my life! SoâŚplease, donât go touching it without asking in the future,â the fairy said, pressing her cheek against the flat of the blade while hugging it protectively.
âAlso umâŚI donâtâŚthink thatâs how being a knight works? Oh, but I do need to follow the laws of Shiv-alleyâŚcelery? Chivalry, that was it,â the fairy said before kneeling and bowing her head.
âI serve Queen Titania, Fairy Queen of the Oldest Woods, Lady Alice. A pleasure to formally umâŚformallyâŚsayâŚhi?â Liliana said, clearly struggling a bit with the knightly tongue.
âOh, but umâŚI donât feel right about going four-on-one against Shizuka! Even if heâs crazy strong, that would desmirkâŚunbirchâŚumâŚbesmirch! Besmirch our honor as warriors!ââŚLiliana had gone from fairly confident to floundering, not really realizing that Alice was royalty, and was desperately trying to remember her courses on chivalry, court manners, and all the other things literally any fairy threw out of their brain the moment they picked up a cool stick.
âNormally, I would agree with you there, Lili. But, in case you werenât awareâŚ..weâre training. Bettering ourselves for the conflicts that will come, especially now. Is itâŚ.erâŚ.dishonorable to become stronger? Besides, Shizuka gave us permission. Heâs certainly okay with it, no?â, responded Kerry to the fairy before turning to Alice.
âAlso, teamwork is not about one bowing to another. Itâs aboutâŚ..putting aside our differences and issues to work toward achieving a common goal. And one of the ways reaching that goal can be made easier is ifâŚâŚwell, is if we start respecting each other.âKerry had to resist rolling her eyes when she said that.
Gods, here I am, spitting out this shit. I feel like my dad.Alice looked at Liliana, as she possessively reclaimed her sword, and hugged the steel with all the charm of a little girl and her teddy bear. She was so defenseless, so innocent, so stupid, and so, so... "
...cute!!!" Alice squealed, as a whole lotta Matango suddenly scooped the not-alotta Fairy, and hugged her like she was nothing more than a purse puppy. Surged to her full height, Alice was shaking the immediate ground, as she stamped around with Liliana in her arms. "
Thou art positively adorable! Charming! Cute!" the standoffish Queen of Diamonds exclaimed, as she squished Liliana into giant woman titty, and enjoyed the true power of fairies: cuteness.
However, Kerry, not a Fairy, very annoying, and hella uncute, had to spoil her moment by talking, and... unfortunately...
...making a modicum of sense.
"
Thou makes a fair amount of sense," Alice says, looking down on Kerry with a grim expression, as if admitting that was poisoning her soul, "
Mayhap, enough sense to have a point. Equality is the firmest foundation of a proper kingdom. Though I am loath to admit, mine own strength would place nary a scratch upon the target intended. Teamwork..."
Alice grit her teeth, and tipped her hat forward to hide her face, as if she didn't want to be SEEN admitting this, "
...is agreeable."
âHAGYABUWAHA!?â Liliana choked out as she was grabbed and hugged by a WHOLE LOTTA WOMAN. Thankfully, Alice wasnât hugging her hard enough to shatter the fairyâs delicate bones butâŚwow! This was definitely not very knightly!
âN-NnâŚp-please let me down Lady Alice,â Liliana pleaded.
âI umâŚbepeachâŚdespeechâŚbeseech you! M-My wings are going to get all crinkledâŚâ the fairy said, not wanting to sound ungrateful for being called cute by a Queen.
Meanwhile, Carroll would get the distinct impression the Whimsy Blade was glowering at him somehow. As in, in a:
âyou wanna go, punk!?â sort of way.
â......Iâm getting the distinct feeling that you didnât want to agree with me there.â, the hornet spoke with narrowed eyes at the mad hatter.
âBut, thatâs beside the point. You get it, right? Respect goes both ways in all directions and it will certainly make things go more smoothly, very much including kicking Varjan ass. I mean, liking someone as well respecting them goesâŚwell, not technically hand in hand. You donât have to like me to respect me. Hell, I know you donât like Gringor but you do respect him at leastâŚ..right?âAlice snickered, with a tiny, "
...pff.." as she swayed with Liliana. Respecting Gringor. Right. That was happening. Y'know, when she needed, like, a blood transfusion, and he was her literal last choice. Did he even bleed compatible blood? Her blood was mostly chlorophyll - photosynthesis for life (literally) - so... probably not. Maybe she could cast a spell, though? Did she know a spell for that?
Oh! Maybe, Io?
Carrying Liliana, Alice would stoop over, all but mooning Shizuka, and bring herself to Io's eye-level, and asked: "
Canst thou transmute blood types across species with thine magic? Pray, on the odds that we need it, and... ... ... ...no, that is all to my query."
Yes, she was ignoring Kerry's question.
She wasn't giving her TWO victories in a row...
Meanwhile, Carroll was "glaring" back at the Whimsy Blade, and making phantasmal, "C'mon, buddy!" gestures.
Seeing as, at this point Liliana was basically being treated like a fanny-pouch-fairy, she didnât have much to do while she was basically ignored and left to dangle in Aliceâs grasp.
Her sword however, could almost visibly be seen with a vein popping out, the blade hurriedly leaving Lilianaâs hand to swipe at its demonic fellow weapon, ironically causing the would-be booty shot to be obscured by a HELLISH RAIN OF STEEL occurring just behind Alice and Liliana, neither aware that the two weapons were fighting to the death with only Shizuka and Kerry to watch them.
âErmâŚLady Alice? Arenât you wearing a dress? S-Should you really be bending over so far?â the fairy said, utilizing all 2 of her IQ to remind Alice that she was huge, and her clothes were barely able to hide her body.
Holy shit, what is going on with Liliâs sword and Aliceâs axe!? Itâs like a blood feud erupted between the two within a span of a few seconds!, thought Kerry as she witnessed a fight between two sentient weapons break out, with their wielders unaware. This only made her appreciate her weapons not having a mind of their own. Although, seeing this spectacle gave rise to another potential hurdle to Shizukaâs proposal for teamwork. Alice and Liliana may play nice with each other, but their
weapons certainly didnât. On a battlefield, the demonic axe and sacred blade would sooner attack each other than any potential enemy.
ThatâŚ..would cause problems.
âAlice, does your weapon have beef with Liliâs sword?, Kerry asked.
Alice stood up, ending her booty-ful reign that was disrupted by the "sword fight". Looking back, she noticed, "
Carroll, what the hell?"
"
Yeah?" asked the vorpal axe, as it crashed with the sword.
âBad sword! No fighting friendâs weapons!â Liliana said, tutting a finger at her Whimsy Blade before it seemed to calm down, trotted towards Lilianaâs handâŚthen, proceeded to immediately summon a cow directly atop Carroll before strolling back over to Lilianaâs waiting arms.
â...Youâre very rude for a sword,â she scolded, while the Whimsy Blade gave Carroll a âhow-the-hell-do-you-describe-a-sword-lookingâ glare that said theyâd finish this later.
As the cow fell, Carroll's jaw would creak and open; a gout of crimson flame expelled, and incinerated the bovine bomb before bombastically banging and bumping him. Cackling, Carroll seemed amused - he didn't notice the Cowarimi no Jutsu take effect, but whatever, a win was a win.
"
We'll call this a draw," Carroll says, before floating back to Alice. "
Back to business, eh? The Busy Bee makes a valid point, regardless. Respect. Disrespect. Doesn't matter, overall. What does? Taking down that pompous asshole with the sword before that muscle brain with the inferior axe does it solo. If teamwork accomplishes that, so be it," he states, "
That said, your weapon is ranged, Busy Bee. So, what's your answer for close range combat? You have two axes - one that sucks, and one that's amazing - and an okay enough sword, I guess. How are you going to fight smoothly with that spear?"
A angry vein popped up on the back of Kerryâs head as she gave a twitchy smile.
I swear to Lilithâs tits, if someone mislabels me as a fucking bee one more time, I am taking Mort and carving off someoneâs asscheek!âAnywhoâŚâ, she spoke with gritted teeth of barely restrained indignant fury before simmering down.
âDonât be so quick to call Shizuka pompous, oh war crime given form. Cocky for sure, but not pompous. His skills will tell whether or not he is as you say. Also, donât you worry about me. Even without my spears, my punches and kicks lay any prick flat on their ass. The wind magic is also a big help, too. And hey, Gringorâs methods haveâŚâŚmerit. He makes for a hell of a distraction and he certainly cannot be ignored during the heat of battle. Ainât that right, high orc?âGringor watched the entire conversation from the sides, arms crossed and occasional eye twitch at the Alice words but said nothing.
Though when he was finally addressed by Kerry, Gringor gave his flat assessment on the matter.
"We is not going to win."
Gringor stretched his back before handling his axe with both hands.
"So dont get in my ways, and I dont get in yours."
They barely know each other, and this wasn't his tribe. Forcing any sort of coordinated attack is just asking for failure.
That wasn't his style anyways.
Better to just attack, and let others just adapt to him.
"So boss, ready? Or you want to let shaman make spells first?" He gestured to Shizuka and then to Io.
The hornet facepalmed at Gringorâs words, her hand sliding down her face before giving the high orc the deadliest of deadpanned looks.
âGood talk, Grin. Way to motivate the team. Thanks for the vote of confidence.â, Kerry replied, not holding back on the sarcasmâŚ..though, she did begin to wonder if he even knew what that was. Sighing, she turned to the lich.
âYo, Io? You might wanna pay real close attention and take notes on whatâs about to happen. You might not be the type to get up close and personal with your enemies, but it would definitely help you understand how such fights play out, especially this one. Whether we kick Shizukaâs ass or he kicks ours, either way youâre gonna learn something.âKerry then turned to Shizuka.
âWell, oh leader of ours. You ready for this?âAlice rolled her eyes; mostly at Gringor, partially at Kerry. It wasn't like she didn't expect the High Orc to use his limited brainpower to fundamentally misunderstand...
everything... and jump to the end of the line on the Combat Express. It wasn't like she didn't expect to see Kerry agree that combat was a viable opening for this training session, and board the Combat Express. In truth, most Mamono were a eusocial species - pack animals, led in a hierarchical caste system.
In his tribe, Gringor was likely a high ranking member. In her hive, Kerry was likely quite valuable. In all honesty, Alice came from a position of leadership in a eusocial species, as well, so she understood that innate desire to control when your numbers were better than your opposition, and 4-to-1...
...there was a part of her that was confident they could fell Shizuka in combat.
If they had a few years of non-stop fighting, and relied on his Human body to, eventually, fail him.
"
I refuse," Alice says. "
I refuse, on three grounds. First, Shizuka is not mine enemy. If he were to be, I wouldst allow none but I to assail him in combat. Such is the honourable path," she says, she ticking up one finger, "
Second, Carroll raised a fair question, and it was one thou prejudged and misunderstood. Thou were asked how would fair thee in combat with close quarters allies. Thine answer was rhetoric and roundabout. Should we be wary of a wayward stab in the back from thee? Shouldst thou not be considerate that a hazardly drawn back axe may hit thee by accident?" Alice ticked up her second finger, "
Third, hast thou stop to consider the talents and ability of thine own allies? Thou speaks of teamwork, yet know nothing of mine own character, nor do I known any of yours. Dost Gringor know any of Liliana's abilities, and her in return? All that we know are mere scraps fallen from dinner table, which we hound like ravenous dogs and believe to be meals."
"
In short, for the brainlets here," Carroll says, "
Perhaps, we should get to know each other first. Names. Birthdays. Tragic backstories. All that mushy shit that teammates should know about each other," he says, "
Or, at the very least, what the hell can you ACTUALLY do? All we've witnessed is you fly as fast as you run your mouth and make assumptions as sharp at your spearhead. All the High Orc does is ignore anything that requires a moderately average IQ, mush anything complex into a problem he can punch, and mouth off like he's invincible. And, the Fairy comes off as useful as a thumbtack that gives you splinters when you push it into a piece of soggy parchment."
"
Fact of the matter is, you wanna be teammates all of a sudden just to have even the barest chance to fight pretty boy over there, and you don't know shit about what Alice or I can do, and we don't know you from a hill of bean," Carroll says.
"
My suggestion," Alice says, "
Miss Io fixes us a nice little kitchen, and I'll make us a spot of lunch and a cuppa, and we'll get to know each other before we march into battle," she says, looking to Io, as she asked the silent caster, "
Sound reasonable?"
Shizuka's request did give Io cause for some introspection. She could likely take some time to go over what she had seen, and at the very least recreate the operative elements for study. She already had plenty of component spells to recreate the strikes, though they may be different in underlying origin, they would be the same in end result... Ideally. There were magical forces at work with some of the other task force members that could muddle that mixture, though perhaps in a novel fashion that could lead to further breakthroughs.
The arguments and folly between the other task force members had continued, as it seemed to do without fail. Io had technically heard it all in the same sense that she experienced the outside world while visiting her phylactery in her laboratory, which is to say that it was a distant and entirely ignorable sensation. She had become too absorbed in the study, it seemed. She returned to her senses just as she was being directly addressed. Io hoped that she hadn't missed too many direct questions - seconds and minutes had become hard to differentiate in the time she spent in her thoughts.
Io blinked, the sensation of fully returning to her body mixing with the confusion related to Alice's question. "
A kitchen...?" Io hadn't considered the need for a kitchen within the training grounds. "
It may not be wise to eat inside this place." Corners had to be cut when it came to creating it within the time frame required, and allowing for eating was not something that was high on priority. Really, eating inside the area would be fine in theory, but returning to the real world would be the issue. That, and the indiscriminate healing auras... "
It would be..." Io paused for perhaps too long to find the right words. "
Less than lethal. More than unpleasant." Io wanted to see the effects, truth be told, but that would need to be done on
disposable test subjects. "
Water should be permissible, however."
Io at the very least could conjure up a spartan table arrangement with cups. She did not have the eye for elegance that may suit the others, but at the very least it would hold weight. Given that it was strung togehter using odd pieces of spells that she had used to create the greater training grounds, it was a wonder she could manage this much. Her mind could only hold so many unique spells at a time. "
You may pretend it is tea, if you wish." Io tinted the water within the cups to match the color of a lightly steeped black tea, though in the end they were still filled with water. "
If this is not suitable for... 'a cuppa,' I believe I can make a simulacrum of Shizuka, though it will not adapt as the real item would." Io omitted that it may not be as powerful as the swordsman either: That was not due to her own abilities lacking, but rather there being unknowns about what his "top end" was from Io's point of view.
"
My undead darling, play-pretend is what I am most marvelous at," Alice says, as she hefted Carroll. "
Shall we take to tea, dear Carroll?"
"
Maddeningly, we shall," Carroll cackled.
Alice would hack at the ground three times, casting [Shatter] each time, before casting [Zephyr], and ejecting a sliced up shape of the three earth shields into the air, and ending with [Eruption] to kiln the bowl in midair, before catching it with her foot. Humming, as she took the bowl in hand, she winced, "
My, my, hot..." and set the bowl on the table. "
Let's see, let's see," Alice poured the cups into the pot, and frowned, as she lifted Carroll to generate more water from his "mouth" and fill the pot. Setting it on his blade, she would take off her hat, and retrieve a pouch; sprinkling "dried leaves" into the liquid as it heated up.
After a few minutes, she'd have a highly aromatic pot of mushroom tea; the smell was heavy, yet comforting, like the feeling of returning home after a long stay away. It was captivating and alluring, beckoning its enjoyment, as if saying, "
Drink me."
Skillfully, she would pour each cup anew, and turned,
"
Wonderland Nightcap. Shall we have a tea party?"
A scorching rebuttal was on the very tip of her tongue, but Kerry managed to hold it back for now.
Because Carroll, for as much of dickhead as he is, and Alice did have a point. Maybe she was pushing this teamwork exercise at a pace everyone else is uncomfortable with. Mere minutes ago, the concept of respect was being discussed and here she was, doing the opposite by not respecting the wishes of others. So perhaps, it would do Kerry some good if she tried being
just a tad more considerate.
Sighing, Kerry turned to Alice to join in on the âtea partyâ, but before that happenedâŚ.
âThree thingsâŚâ, Kerry began, not at Alice but at Carroll.
âOne: Youâre a rude prick. Two: Damn right, I talk and Iâm not stoppinâ anytime soon. And three: You really expect me to believe that you believe even half the shit you just spat out when, not even ten seconds ago, you got into a fight with a sentient weapon that looked cooler than you! Practice what you fucking preach, you glorified gardening tool! Otherwise, stop talking!âTaking a deep breath to calm herself from her small tirade, the hornet took up one of the cups Alice offered, sniffing the drink a bit.
âWonderland Nightcap, you said?â, she spoke before taking a sip.
âI donât know a whole lot about Wonderland, but ainât that usually an aphrodisiac drug when straight up eaten?âCarroll chuckled, "
Rude? My, my, that's the nicest thing I've been called. Tragic. Normally, people are more inventive when they tell me off. Disappointing, honestly, but let's break down your third point, as your second point is a worthless admittance to a character trait and flaw going hand-in-hand."
"
I don't speak in half-truths, and I don't sugarcoat my thoughts. I have no reason to, nor desire to concern myself with the feelings of anyone expect my Alice," Carroll says, "
but, let's pretend I do care, little Hornet. Did you see me strike at the Fairy's sword first? Did you? No. You simply saw a fight that I was in, and why, because you don't like Alice or I, but you do like Liliana. Why? Don't care. I don't have to, because I don't need your approval or affection."
Carroll shifted his vision; glowing eye focusing on Liliana's sentient blade. "
In reality, that sword attacked me, because it issued me a challenge, and I returned with a, more or less, dismissive smirk. I don't care about its feelings, and it's not a matter of being "cooler" - how pathetic would I be, if I allowed such petty shit to drive me. I have far higher ambitions that being seen as "cool", little Hornet."
"
Of course, your prejudice has warped the events to suit what you want, so you can be justified in your statements," Carroll says. "
To you, I might be a glorified garden tool, but that's fine with me, because I have an inherent purpose that way. And, that's better than being an ignorant, little motormouth that thinks she knows more than she does about someone, and turns a blind eye to the truth, if it doesn't suit her world view."
"
Are we done trading snarky insults, now? Because I have centuries of experience. I can do this forever."
âOkay, so youâre saying youâre honest and see no point in telling a lie. Iâll humor you and let myself believe that.â, Kerry replied, taking another sip.
âYou say that Lilianaâs sword was the one that taunted first and you merely responded in kind. Alright, hereâs my thing: Why even respond? Why not be the âbetterâ weapon and just ignore it? It may have threw the first stone, but you threw it back, regardless of how small your reaction was, and the fight broke out. Claim self defense all you want, but the both of you are still at fault, more so you because you had the option of stopping the fight before it even started. But you didnât. Why?â"
Why do you care," Carroll asks. "
Why don't you ask Liliana these questions? Why don't you judge both sides equally? Why are you acting like this affects you? And, most importantly of all, can you even see how childish you are acting?"
"
You are picking a fight, looking for flaws, and conflating everything you hear and are told, so you can get the last word in," Carroll huffed. "
And, for what? You want me to apologize? I'm sorry, then. Apply that to whatever you are so hurt about. Though, I don't recall doing anything to you..."
Gringor eyes twitched at this development, already theyâre wasting a good chance to actually fight someone strong.
But now, now they have to take the long way and talk?
The best way to know each other was to fight! Combat was honest and tells more than any words.
It was testing his patience, no, at this point, it was hardly testing his patience anymore. Reaching the point where he was just beyond caring anymore.
His body shook, and face reddened before throwing his head back for a laugh as he gripped his hair tightly.
He laughed, and laughed.
Thatâs right.
They donât care and just do whatever they want.
He canât crack their head in like he can with his tribe since Underboss Shizuka and Takeshi forbids it, nor can he just leave since the biggest fight he known is right here.
So what else can he do at this frustrating scenario but laugh?
As his mirth died down, it felt liberating.
If everyone do what they want, then why shouldnât he do the same?
âParty? With no brew, spit or music? Sad.â
Moving towards the table and not even taking a seat, Gringor snatched one of the bowls laid out, opened his mouth, poured the liquid content straight down. Not even bothering to gulp it down but let it slide right into the stomach.
Once done, he flung the bowl to the sides haphazardly. Uncaring if it breaks or not.
The hot water and tea tingled his throat but that was nothing compared to his homeland strongest brews.
âGringor, 19 seasons old, under the year of the pig, hour of the dragon.â Gringor said as he wiped his mouth with his arm.
His feet planted onto an empty seat as he looked at his present company down condescendingly and knowingly. âChampion of Ironhide Tribe, strongest of them! Lead tribe, bash many other tribe noggin in, all under mine.â
âFought Tigers, fire rats, and also lizard Mamono. Bashed them all.â Gringor waved his free hand dramatically before deflating as he reached the end of his story. âThen got bored, wanted to see world, so left tribe.â
He turned his eyes, not to Alice, but rather, the talking axe currently arguing with the hornet. âEnough? Or both Mad boi and talking axe want I to keep yapping?â
âOi, Underboss Shizuka! You fought good, what scrap you in before this?!â He then swapped his attention and hollered out to Shizuka, the one person in this entire place that he can actually stand and held far more respect that the band of misfits here.
Many things played out in the scene before the ronin.
Some of the taskforce members still butt heads with one another, expected at this point. And even the sentient weapons they wielded decided to join in. However, the next suggestion even surprised the seasoned warrior. Alice had proposed that they could obtain no ground if they charged in together as they were now. It was as she and Carroll said: they were all strangers to one another. They have little to no insight into each otherâs combat capabilities and tendencies. Some of them havenât even fought together enough in order to trust one another. While some things could only be learned in the heat of battle, sometimes it was the moments before the fight that were the most important.
"Alice-san, and Carroll-san, thatâs actually a good idea. Among us are members that joined in the thick of our operation here and havenât really gotten a chance to introduce themselves as proper members of the group." Shizuka said, looking over the group.
"I believe this would be good for everyone, even me."He looked on as Io put her magic to work and created a makeshift dining table, making cups of water for everyone as well. Alice and Carroll then went to work and made tea proper. Well, her own mamono version of it: Mushroom tea.
"...Oh. Uh, thank you Alice-san. It, uh, looks greatâŚ!" He said sheepishly.
He could lie to himself. Seeing refreshments prepared by another monster gave him some less thanâŚpleasant memories. He couldnât help but feel wary. At the same time, itâd be rude and unbecoming given the current circumstances.
He listened intently as Carroll and Kerry hashed out their dispute, deciding not to get involved. It pleased him that members were getting better at handling issues among their ranks, without his intervention especially. Gringor was the first to properly introduce himself, after making a hearty laugh that made him raise a brow. However, he couldnât help but join in with a small chuckle. Now that he thought about it. He hasnât had a chance to just relax and speak among everyone like this since he got here.
"I see, well youâve certainly proven your skills on the battlefield. I had mentioned expanding horizons before, but I shouldâve guessed that anyone here has already taken that step." He replied to the high orcâs short, but concise tale.
Gringor, being the blunt chap he is, cut to the point and straightly asked Shizuka about his past. Mainly about what sorts of conflicts he participated in. Well, responding was only fair.
"I appreciate the compliment." He started.
"My name is Kannazuki Shizuka, a human man born 28 years ago during this new Demon Lordâs reign." As he spoke, he took the smallest sip of Aliceâs tea he possibly could. He could still already feel a strange buzzâŚ
"While being born here in Zipangu, I was actually born on one of the mainland islands further west of Shizuyama. I started life as a little brat who stole for a living, only looking out for myself." He said with a small laugh.
"I was the kind of punk you wouldnât give a second glance. Upon a chance meeting, one of the people I tried to steal from just so happened to be the strongest swordsman youâll ever meet. " As he spoke, he started to trail off a bit, as if reminiscing.
"He took back the bag of coin I stole from him before I even realized it was out of my hands. He then lectured me and sent me on my way. That very same man saved my life from a group of murderous peddlers. His name was Shintaku Ame Kyuudai, and would become my father and master: I learned Teikoku Arashi from him, and he also gave me the chance to turn my life around." Shizuka was imploring his breathing techniques to impede the effects of Aliceâs brew.
"When I turned 18 and had become an expert in the style, he and I had a falling out. We got into a huge argument about how we viewed the world. I wanted to enlist in the army and help to usher in a new era and end the Shogunate. He felt that it went against the principles of Teikoku Arashi to involve myself in political disputes. Ultimately I left home and did as such, serving under a minor noble who went against the current rule." Shizukaâs tone became a tad bit somber, as if bad memories were on the rise.
"In the end, my side was victorious; I played a large role in it and earned the moniker Arashi no Hitokiri. But! It's one I no longer go by or care for, so just refer to me as Shizuka or Kannazuki." He decided against his better judgment and took another sip of the tea.
"At the end of the conflict, I left the regiment and went on a path of spiritual healing and to re-evaluate my life. At some point, Kyouko-sama happened upon me and told me of the struggles of the Shizuyaman people. And so, here I am. I am also doing this as I owe her a debt, and thatâs all Iâll say on the matter for now." He said, marking the end of his introduction.
"I apologize if that was wordier than you were anticipating Gringor-san. But, I am nothing if not thorough."He said that, but truthfully even at that point he still left out many key details about his past life.
"
My name is Alice."
"
My name is Alice."
"
Our name is Alice," says the centerpiece of the triumvirate, "
and we are the Queen of Diamonds."
Taking a sip of her tea, Alice looked up into the distance. "
I stopped counting my ages decades ago; time flows differently in Wonderland. If I had to guess... late hundreds? Early two-hundreds? It is unimportant. I donât remember much of the woman I was, or even the Mamono Iâve become, but I remember what Iâve done..." Alice smiled wistfully, "
I raised kingdoms across Wonderland under the tyrannical rule of the Queen of Hearts, and against the rivalry of mine own sisters: the Queen of Spades and Queen of Clubs. I traveled across the twisted landscape, picking up skills, and assimilating culture under my Pax Mycelia." Sighing, Alice looked into her tea. "
However, eventually, I found myself unable to build a thriving kingdom, and took mine leave to the Human Realm. Across the lands, I traveled, a nomad warrior queen; building my forces; my culture; my new Pax Mycelia."
"
For a time, my kingdom thrived amid the mountains of Summerheld, built around the Academy as my Keep. However, enemies grow from the victims of the innocent. And, mine enemies were vast - and determined," Alice says. "
Broken, my kingdom burned, as the mountains crumbled and my subjects scattered. I, however, would not flee. Squarely before my Keep, burning and falling down around me, I would face those that would march upon me."
Alice finished her cup, "
And, although my resolution was true, it did not fit her plans, I assume. So, here I stand, subservient to thine Lady, until I am free to rebuild and take my kingdom to the Last Tea Party..."
Setting her cup down, "
Havenât thought about such things in so long. Listening to an old lady ramble. Pray, someone else take the stage. Kerry? Liliana? Miss Io?"
As Alice wrapped up regaling her life story, Kerry would give Carroll one more look of doubt before breaking her gaze and sighing as she took another sip of her tea.
âFine, Iâll go next.â, Kerry began, feeling a wave relaxation gently wash over her.
âNameâs Kerry Maros. 27 years old, born on the 2nd month on the day of the Leaped Year. Hailed from the Old Continent, in the majestic greenery of the Verdanlands. 4th oldest daughter to an Echidna and an old tough-as-nails war veteran. Little sister to 3, older to 6âŚâŚand counting, last I checked. Growing up in the land of expansive forests, rolling hills and sweeping plains, you can imagine how life was there: mostly peaceful yet uneventful after the Great Change. When trouble didnât come in the form of lost Order war bands or rampaging Wyrms in heat, it usually came from the kids pulling pranks and causing mischief. I was one of those kids and was pretty good at it. Got into a lot of trouble for it, but hey, it was fun. As I got older, I became more curious as to what lay beyond the greens, the world outside my home. Heh, I still remember when I turned 18, I told my folks how I wanted to be a freelance mercenary and travel the world. Mom got worried that I wouldnât find a man due to me not staying in one place for long, but my old man got me. So, he taught me the art of the spear, mom taught me the magic and before I knew it, I was off into the world.â9 years later and I never regretted that decision. Iâve been as far south as the Great Badlands and as far north as the Frosted Steppes. Been as deep as the Xerzian Jungle to as high as the peaks of Won Ji Mountains. Deserts, rainforests, tundras, caves, highlands. Iâve been there and seen it, stood upon it. Had my share of fights and battles too, as expected from living a globe-flying life like mine. Only place I havenât been to yet is Zipangu, yet it was only by chance that I saw Kyoukoâs aid wanted poster on a message board outside a tavern that Iâd get as close to checking that off my bucket list as I could.âOne boat ride later andâŚ..well, here we are.â, Kerry finished her tale, downing the rest of her cup before addressing Io and Liliana.
âAlright, you two. Your turn. What story yâall got?âOnce the âcuppasâ were out and about, Liliana would shrink down out of Aliceâs grasp and flit over, tilting her head at the beverage. Seeing as fairies were part of the wilds, the most âout thereâ thing sheâd had in terms of drinks were simple juices sucked from fruits butâŚthis wasâŚwarm? Shroomy? Kind of steamy looking? Sheâd grow back to size and take a sip, before wincing and burning her tongue.
âOweeâŚâ she grumbled quietly, while everyone explained their life stories. It wasnât as if she wasnât listening, justâŚow! Tongue burn! This was worse than the time she made habanero juice.
Seeing as the fairy had lost interest in actually drinking her tea properly, she would instead shrink down and eagerly steep herself in the tea, suddenly taking a bath after shedding her dress and wearing nothing but an off-pink leotard that had been beneath her armored dress. Looking absolutely comfy at the moment, Liliana would hold her sword aloft and smile proudly.
âHeheâŚmy turn then! I was born in the Oldest Woods, the forest beneath the sleeping World Tree YagdaâŚygdobaâŚyagabababgabaâŚYagabadugana! Thatâs where my sword was made,â Liliana said, patting her sword lovingly while lowering it to let it be steeped in the tea with her, the makeshift onsen of tea just right for the two fae creatures.
âI know this might not be super common knowledge, but fairies like me are all born from flowers that catch a moonbeam on a new moon. So, one month out popped me from a Lily! Oh, and we all usually get our names based on the flower we pop out of. The Queen names us, and gives us a lifetask. Some of us get born as Dewdroppers, who water the flowers so more fairies can bloom in safe places, or Vinewinders, who set traps around the woods to keep people from wandering into the REALLY dangerous parts. ButâŚâ Liliana would be INCREDIBLY smug and turn her head up, letting out a light chuckle.
âSometimes, the Queen sees that a fairy has a lot of potential to grow powerful, and they get chosen as a Bladeflower! The personal guard of the Queenâs woods! Sometimes, even fairies with other lifetasks get picked too, like Rosebud, who was a Dewdropper who rose all the way to First Bladeflower.âStill high off of explaining how super cool she was, Liliana would hold her hands up proudly, wings twitching a bit as she shimmered with pride.
âIâm only the Sixth of the Thirteen Bladeflowers now, but I bet after I return from helping the task force, Iâll beâŚumâŚmaybe Fifth! The other Bladeflowers are crazy strong, but I was right in the middle of the ranks, so the Queen said I was perfect to help out here. She entrusted me with my sword, and off I went,â Liliana said, hugging the Whimsy Blade lovingly while patting the handle.
âAs for knowing everyoneâs strengths, Iâm super small and fast, so Iâm good at making Honorable Surprise Attacks! Oh, and with Whimsyâs powers, I can cast some powerful magic spells at randomâŚand sometimes cows.â Content with her explanation of her life story and all the rest of her personal details, Liliana would slowly sink in the tea until only her face and ears were above it, looking positively elated.
âThank you lady AliceâŚthis tea is greatâŚâ she droned, now just sort of floating, getting drunk off of the teaâs effects.
Io did not expect the troupe to turn to her, for some reason. She didn't have anything prepared, which was something of a distressing feeling for the lich. "
Ah." Truth be told, there were large sections of her memory that were sealed in order to better remember magic, only requiring visitation in specific circumstances. "
I had ended a hundred-year study of the depths of the Ydin before this engagement. Before that, I had consulted with an order in Sauva in secret for two hundred years - they had found innovative methods of spell division, though their magecraft was far too narrowly focused." Io took no care that she was using names from her ancient language to describe where she had been - names that would only likely confuse the others.
"
That is my recent story." Io took a moment to try and remember anything further back. "
The circumstances of my 'life' and ascension..." She thought it over as if she was trying to remember something wholly irrelevant- like what meal she had three nights before. "
Unimportant. But if I must share something..." Io held out her hands, and a simple glyph glowed in the air above them. She explained what it was: "
Io. Taken after the first person particle in my language." She considered it a convenience to be named that way as well as an assertion that she was the sole owner of the language.
Io felt like she may have shared too much, but she couldn't take it back now. She took a cup of tea and held it up to her mouth, as if she was sipping it. She did it to indicate she would not speak any more and not necessarily to partake in the tea party. She had little interest in drinking the tea, especially given its ingredients.
"
Fufufu..." Alice giggled at the antics of the Fairy Knight, the little Bladeflower. Unconcerned with the stories shared, even her own, Alice was glad that her primary motivation was met:
Everyone was relaxing.
Though this was not her kingdom, Alice was still a steadfast queen, and anyone she served with - or, in this case, for - were her subjects, like it or not. As such, she would use her talents to maintain a peaceful and pleased populace. If.... greasing the wheels, so to speak... was the best option, so be it.
Besides, a little social relaxant tea party was the Mad Hatter forte, after all.
"
It would seem, everyone has led quite the talented and eventful lives," Alice says, "
Unfortunately, talented and eventful lives don't make teamwork overnight, or over tea. To defeat someone as decorated as Shizuka, fighting as Mamono is not going to cut it," she says, "
Instead, we need fight as Humans against a Mamono clad in Human flesh."
Alice turned her eyes to the side, cutting Shizuka deep, and smiled. "
Mamono are strong, but Humans are stronger - adaptable, crafty, and most of all, born with none of the skills we, Mamono, take for granted," she says, "
What they have is earned, through trial and blood, error and time, and results in iron wills and steel resolves. Humans don't fight, because they want to by inherent nature or instilled purpose, but, because they must defy our nature and purpose."
"
After all, we outnumber them by a vast margin. Able to reproduce, populate, and strip lands of resources in a generation, if so inclined."
Alice stood up, and tossed Carroll towards Shizuka, "
Trade, bandit."
"
Oh, ho! How marvelously frabjous!" Carroll cackled. "
Don't worry your pretty head. I won't bite. I'm interested in this challenge, as well... My Alice is such a crafty one."
1x Laugh
