Later that dayJoshua walked through the arena, heading for the Frenzy Plant area. He knew the military guild didn't get along with Phoenix Wing but he saw no reason for him to not get along with fellow warriors, though it seemed he had gotten off on the wrong foot with them. Zander in particular had gotten rather miffed at him during the match, though that had never been his intention. So, he figured he might as well try to recify things.
The incoming member of Phoenix Wing went unnoticed, as far as the warrior guild's soldiers were concerned, for the most part of his short trip. Rather than exhibiting the general near-fanatic overflow of hype shown by a fair portion of the spectators, most of the men and women sat still and composed, waiting for the day's activities to continue, or speaking to one another in tones that among the hubbub of a colosseum crowd seemed far too soft. Not even the younger or newer members displayed any pronounced enthusiasm, instead showing to the world grim faces. Clear to be seen, fewer had come than the day before, no doubt out of disinterest for the way the Games appeared to be progressing. At the center of the top row were seated the guild's representatives in the Games: Zander, Indigo, Xyster, Demetri, Thor, and though she would not be living up to her title today, Hyun. Even General Sanders sat in the row beneath them, but the honor implicit in that message carried an ironic echo considering that what had begun as a fantastic magic competition had become for some a challenge to survive.
Near the edge of the bunch, a solitary face turned to watch Joshua approaching. It belonged to
Joakim Fortinbras, the strange-looking northerner with a surreal sense of humor and an annoyingly acute sense of temperature. In the span of an instant, Joakim recognized Joshua from his match yesterday with Zander and Xyster, noting with obvious alarm his guild affiliation. With the diminished stadium crowd, the remaining stands divided into entities that worryingly resembled battle-lines, and the act of moving toward Frenzy Plant's zone drew no small amount of attention. The northerner flew to his feet, grabbing his staff, and the soldiers immediately around him -Kilo, Arivaderci, and Ni Rensa- rose as well.
"Stop right there, Winger. What do you think you're doing here?"Joshua glanced around at the people that belong to Frenzy Plant as he journeyed through the halls. As to be expected of military folk, they were calm despite what was going on around then. Still, they didn't bother him so he didn't bother them. As he walked, Joshua Finally got what he was, sadly, expecting: negative attention. Sighing as he came to a stop infront of the soldiers and raised his hands.
"Take me to your leader?" He asked, half jokingly.
His attention still focused completely on Joshua, Joakim edged his staff in the direction of Cormorant Sanders, whose eye, drawn to the commotion, already looked on.
"Take yourself. And watch yourself. We know better than to let our guard down around you." Though Joakim's features were as cold as the tundra from which he hailed, his comrades beside him left him behind in terms of intimidation. The huge warrior Kilo, robbed of his gregariousness and happy-go-lucky nature by the intruder, looked every inch the massive brute. Arivaderci, meanwhile, merely frowned, but in her slitted, serpentine eyes boiled the vicious power of her naga curse, barely suppressed by her extreme sense of morality. One could easily imagine that, had she been half rattlesnake, the air would have been filled with the rattle's foreboding vibrations.
"You know you're all being an idiots right? If I had come here for a fight, I would've picked it by now. If i came here hoping to fight one of you, I would be armed. I am not. So take those metal poles out of you asses and relax." Joshua said before walking away and over to Sanders, eyeing the man cautiously."Why do I get the feeling you're not going to be entirely civil either?"
The general of Frenzy Plant held no kindly look today. He entwined his fingers, and retorted,
"Because, I imagine, you know that what your guild has been doing is despicable, and that people are going to answer incivility with incivility. Perhaps you're not fully seeing. Have you ever heard of the demon Jackal? A lesser-known monster from Fiore's past, to be sure, but a critical character nonetheless. He never carried a weapon, and yet, on a whim he leveled the entire Magic Council and killed everyone inside. Thus is the power of magic: to destroy without arms. That is why my soldiers and I treat you with caution." He leaned back in his seat, dark eyes fixated upon Joshua like an eagle's.
"So, why are you here?""Well, you seem to fancy yourself omnipotent, so why don't you tell me? Also, as for regards to my guild, I have to agree to some level. No ounce of restraint among most of them. But, don't let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch." Joshua said, sitting crosslegged in front of the general. Despite his words and hostility he looked rather relaxed and at ease.
Sanders shrugged, whatever unhappiness he might have felt after Joshua's stings concealed so well as to be nonexistent.
"Very well, I'll give it a try. For reasons of honor, whether your own or your guild's, you've realized the current relationship between Phoenix Wing and the other guilds cannot persist, like a lit fuse. You've come to us first to try and set things right, warrior to warrior, and take a degree of personal responsibility given your involvement today. I imagine it's because we're thought of as the most dangerous guild, which I can respect; we are, after all, practically a private army. But it may also be because you thought we'd be the most likely to engage in that historical act of armies, the peace treaty. It is true. Despite being a warrior I would be very happy to avoid war with any other guild. As a diplomatic envoy, though, your attitude could use adjustment. Have I hit the nail on the head?" These assumptions constituted the general's best guess, for though he spoke with confident rationality, he held no means of discernment beyond his eyes, his mind, and his experience.
Joshua listened patiently before smirking.
"
You're dangerous alright, though not in the way that you think. You lot seem to have little respect for the living... or the dead for that matter if you headless companion is anything testament to that. And I know one girl in my guild that probably would not be happy about that. No, from what I've seen, you lot respect only power. And that makes you dangerous on account that that very respect might be corrupted one day. Maybe not during your time, but another time. Otherwise, you're just a normal army. All armies can be beaten." He said. "
As for my involvement day, pray tell, what did I do that was so wrong? Are you talking about Zander's horse, because that's his fault, not mine."
A cutting look greeted these remarks. It seemed that Joshua embodied better than most Wingers the limited perspective and self-righteousness exhibited by Jamie on the first day. He inhaled deeply through his nose before replying.
"If that's all you think we are, and what we believe in, your eyes have yet to open. I have entertained your presence so far on the hopes that you might be a conduit through which our guilds bridge the gulf between us. However, you act only as a scalpel to deepen the cut. It matters not how much Phoenix Wing slanders us, debases us, or blames us. We can weather it all. Now please, fly away from here." Sanders waited to see if Joshua would echo the actions of his selfish, unreasonable guild master by refusing to leave when asked politely, instead using the opportunity to take parting shots at someone who did not wish to fight.
"One's eyes can be open but what they see and interpret might not necessarily be true. So how about you help me see more clearly instead?" Joshua asked. "As for the rest of what you said, given time I might and I'm not going anywhere yet. Still plenty of opportunity to talk, don't you think?"
Resting his head in a hand, Sanders irately tapped his hairless scalp with his index and ring fingers. Despite his rudeness Joshua evidently thought that he might be able to become the 'bridge' that the general envisioned, which to the master of Frenzy Plant looked more like pride and stubbornness than any sort of genuine consideration or intrigue. Nevertheless, Sanders would not deny him. If by needlessly explaining to this swordsman he could both appear more blameless in the eyes of any reasonable folks, and potentially get him to leave, then explanation was the best course of action to take.
"Eleven years ago, Frenzy Plant came to exist, and I became its master, but before that I was simply another member of a small band of mercenaries with no name. We came from various walks of life and nationalities, some users of magic and some talented wielders of ordinary weapons, and we sold our services to whoever needed fighters. That lifestyle vanished with the officialization of Frenzy Plant as a guild. Those more interested in wealth or personal satisfaction went their own way, leaving behind only those with more noble intent. Since then Frenzy Plant has abandoned secrecy and embraced responsibility, using discretion in both choosing our missions and in the performance of those we do accept."
"In other guilds, individual mages or small groups go on 'jobs'. We leave finding stray cats, picking rare fruits, hunting for treasure, and things such as acting or teaching to them. Instead, we do missions, which use small to medium groups to accomplish significant tasks, and campaigns, which range from large-group to guild-wide endeavors that can change the face of Fiore and beyond. Our values of unity and discipline may seem alien to other guilds, making us look cold or mechanical, but we deeply care for our own. You said that we respect power? That is true. Power is an absolute in this world. But we also respect one another, and honor. The actions of the individual reflect on the guild, and vice versa. A wound dealt to one of us is a wound dealt to all of us. This is personal responsibility, to which every one of my soldiers is held accountable. We live by the principle of consequences for every action, and thereby understand our place in the world. We also respect the idea of courtesy. Not always do we plow forward convinced of our own righteousness; instead, we do what is asked of us. In an ideal world this would be the case for everyone, but many don't see the value of courtesy nowadays."
"Is there anything else you want to know, Tamashii?" Sanders reached into his robe and produced a granola bar, which he began to unwrap.
Joshua listened to Sander patiently, never saying a word or looking like he would interupt. When Sander finished, he closed his eyes and mulled over what the guild master said.
"You're values aren't alien you know. Rather far from. You just go about it differently from others." He said. "How to word this... you have the unity of an army right? So one person reflects everyone in the same army right?" Sanders carefully nodded his head in the affirmative as he took a bite. "Well, Phoenix Wing believes in unity as well, but in the unity of a family. We fight with each other, we work together, and we do things from insignifigant jobs to the same kind of task you take pride in. However, I will not deny this, we do lack discipline. Most families do. And though I would prefer some of our members learn some and begin to exercise some degree of restraint... but I'm rather fine with the guild as it is. But a guild of 'family' and a guild of 'army' might always be at odds. The views are similar but also very different, wouldn't you agree?"
After relishing the granola, Sanders swallowed it and shrugged.
"I suppose. Do you suppose the differences are why your guild's most celebrated top members are coming after us with tongues sharper than the pitchforks of witch hunters, and deeds more abrasive than the heretic's stones?""It could be." Joshua said with a shrug. "I don't keep track of the interguild drama. I do know Dragon Fang's master was pissed at Angelo after he almost killed that girl during his match. I was pissed at him as well. So where several other members. I also think Jamie might begin coming down on some people. Who knows.
I frankly don't know what you might've done to slight some of our members. Maybe it has to do with the match on day one. This little miniwar been going on since then, right?"
"If you quantify a war as beating down the allies of the defeated party, yes. I have my own suspicions about this conflict's root causes, but I am not so bold as to label my opinions as facts.""Your fighter for the first day was her, right?" Joshua said, pointing to Hyun. "How did she take the loss? Might that have played a factor in it?"
When indicated, Hyun -only a couple of seats away- turned to face Joshua, her eyes flashing yellow. Sanders closed his eyes, grimacing in exasperation. Hyun's knuckles turned white as she gripped the armrest of her seat.
"It's quite simple, really. Take the most important thing you've every had in your life, bigger than any family and more valuable than any wealth. Call it a complete obsession. Then throw yourself at it with everything you have and everything you are: the culmination of all your effort and improvement for years. Then realize that it's not enough and will never be enough, and be beaten into the dust by some upstart with more power and ego than purpose and honor. Then want to die, to vanish off the face of the earth and from the minds of all the people." Despite her efforts to get over her crushing loss, including a shift in her personality, she trembled.
"I'm still not sure whether waking up is a miracle or a curse. Even if I still have Frenzy Plant, I'm a nobody. Forever."Sanders ran his hand down his wizened face.
"The loss hurt her irreparably. With just the loss, we could have forgotten about it, saying to ourselves 'he's just that strong.' But then, Damian challenged all of Frenzy Plant, telling us that if any soldier was aggrieved by what happened, he'd gladly take them on too. Then Jamie came over and told me what a rotten and meaningless guild Frenzy Plant was to my face. Those are the factors.""... How did you as a guild react to her loss?" Joshua asked. "Before anything my guild did that is? There must have been something to provoke them. Jamie is not one to lose her temper. Only time I've seen her get angry is when the safety of those in the guild are in question."
At this, Hyun cast a glance at her general. Of course, she'd been dead to the world during that time, and knew nothing of what happened. Sanders, out of all the things he could have done, simply smiled.
"As I recall, colonel Louvier produced his dongers and began a salute. Certainly, resentment sparked in all of our hearts, but our united course of action is what matters.""That might be so to you. But, if I had to guess, some of my guild probably interpreted that as a simply lack of concern for the member of your guild. That, if nothing else, would definitely have ruffled the feathers of some of the members of Phoenix Wing." Joshua said, thinking. "Really, all this hate is over a simple misunderstanding and a clash of ideals. Army and family do not mix well."
Eyes lambent, Hyun snarled,
"A misunderstanding!? Your top dog obliterates my dream and my body then stokes his ego by challenging my friends, and then your master tells us we're worthless, and you call that a clash of ideals!? Don't..."Her voice died instantly, like an audio feed being cut, when the hand of General Sanders clamped down on her shoulder. So to did the light in her eyes extinguish, leaving nothing but a haggard look. The master of Frenzy Plant said,
"Our principal healer waited in the infirmary for her. We trusted in Lieutenant Tsubano to do all she could for Hyun. Our groups may have different ideals, but so far we've kept ourselves from trying to stuff ours where they don't belong. If you truly care about repairing our guilds' relations, go to your friends and try and convince them they're wrong, not us. We've already been told plenty."Joshua sighed.
"Listen, its all well and good if you know what you're doing and you know and have faith in your healer. But show some concern for you members if they're hurt." He said. "If you had simply done that, most of this probably could've been avoid. Because, to those outside of your guild, it might've looked like you were content to leave her there. Like you were giving her a final salute.
As for you Miss, I pose a simple question, though it might very well enrage you both. But if a single loss is enough to make you give up on your dream, was that dream really worth pursuing? Or were you simply looking for an excuse to turn away from it?"
With the hand of the greatest authority she knew on her shoulder, Hyun did not move. After a moment she replied, deadpan,
"I don't care anymore. It was the most important thing in the world...but I need to move on. I need to find something else.""And with conviction like that, you'll never achieve whatever you set out for. You'll always be too weak, always fall just short, always be stuck halfway. You lack the strength to pick yourself up and try harder." Joshua said, his tone heated for the first time. "It's absolutely pathetic. Honestly, I know children stronger then you."
A bigger-than-usual exhalation of air came from Hyun's nose, passing for a laugh.
"Maybe so. Children haven't lost what I've lost. I tried the hardest I possibly could, and it wasn't enough. I guess that is pretty pathetic...it's why I wanted to never wake up." Sanders' hand burned against her, his impervious will keeping her temper in check.
"Oh, I know. I'll fight you. Today, after the last match. I'll give everything I have left and try my hardest. If I win...well, I won't win, right? When I lose, I want you to put me back to sleep. Finish what Damian started. Prove how little I'm worth." She glared at Joshua, and behind her eyes gleamed the barely-perceptible fact that she was hiding something.
"Sound good?""Read my mind. Though, why not sooner? Like right now?" Joshua said, getting up.
Hyun looked at her guild master, her dark eyes communicating what she did not say. After what seemed like an eternity of contemplation, Sanders lifted his hand from her shoulder.
"Fine. The morning sun is nice today, rather reminds me of Seven. A good final memory." She stood, and waited for Joshua to lead her to whatever battleground he had in mind.
"Alright, you should come too. As a witness." Joshua said to Sanders before turning to leave. Hyun followed him, and Frenzy Plant's general reached out to prod the War Sphinx Ni Rensa and motion for her to go after them. Having heard all that had been said, Ni Rensa nodded solemnly and got up as well.
-=-=-
Joshua led the way all the way to the edge of Crocus, before turning to Hyun, requiping his Katana. "First strike to you."
Hyun looked around, quietly surveying the area. Joshua had chosen a grassy stretch in the middle of a rectangular plaza, neither big enough nor fancy enough to be a park. When offered the first attack, Hyun shrugged again, hiding her eyes from her opponent, for within them lurked a secret eagerness. How could Joshua know of her great increase in power, including her promotion to S-rank only two days ago? Her facade of hopeless submission surely kept her sharklike joy well concealed. Hyun unfastened both of her blades, then tossed one onto the ground. The remaining katana she drew slowly, until she abruptly whipped it out and used it to cut through her headband. Now free, her sensitive dark brown hair would aid her in sensing motion, just as it had done during the attack on the Frenzy Camp a couple days prior.
"Very well." She slid into her new stance, the silver blade held aloft. Out of nowhere, her eyes turned yellow as coins, and a telltale smile appeared on her face.
"Let's see what I can do then."She leaped straight up as if off a springboard, her sword still couched. In midair, her body flashed golden, and a small magic circle appeared behind her head like a saint's nimbus. In the space of a millisecond she vanished and reappeared facing toward Joshua, her momentum preserved and even enhanced. She shot toward him like a longbow's arrow, slicing her bright blade in an steel arc so quick as to look like a crescent moon. Most likely, the other swordsman wouldn't even be able to comprehend that she had new magic before the katana's tip would bite into his thighs.
Well, that's surprising. Teleportation magic. Joshua thought to himself, keeping calm and observing Hyun's trajectory. She was moving fast and he had no way of moving fast enough to dodge her blow, at least not completely. However, her overall stance made her blow easy to read and he quickly dropped to one knee while placing his sheathed blade in her blades path, blocking the blow but sending him tumbling. He quickly got to his feet and looked at , Hyun his expression confused.
"I guess you love lying." He said, examining the sheathe of his blade while keeping an eye on her.
Small trails of dust appeared as Hyun slid backward, her blade ready. She grinned,
"Lie? About what? You're the one who said I was weaker than a child, that I lacked the strength, that I was pathetic. Not my fault if you're a bad judge of character. Come on, come on!" she drawled, rolling her glimmering eyes.
"You're not going easy on me, are you? That takes out all the fun!" Before she even began speaking, Hyun was running. The transition was instant; one minute she stood ready, and the next her legs were already moving. It was as if she simply canceled what she was doing and started doing something else without any preparations. She darted into melee range and swung her sword diagonally. A golden flash enveloped her, and when it vanished a fraction of a second later, she was in exactly the same position as before the swing, despite not moving herself. A second identical swing came in quick succession.
"Hm. Well then, I suppose you were just looking to start a guild war." Joshua said, watching her as she ran forward. He dodged her first swing, as she made it way too predictable. That alone told him something was up. When she seemed to phase out and did the same strike again, he was quick to raise his blade and block the blow. Taking a step back, he looked at the sky for a second before looking at Hyun. "Are you that bipolar thing? Or do you just have a split personality. Cause right now, you're striking me as a total nutjob."
Hyun smirked. The results of her dual-strike test would be useful in a minute. Right now, though, she observed that rather than dodging back, Joshua merely stepped back, putting him right in range for another onslaught.
"Clearly," she yelled as she jumped forward, executed a roll, and midway through the roll cancelled into an instant blade uppercut,
"you don't know much about emotions!" Following the uppercut, whether or not it landed, she canceled in midair into a crushing Helm Splitter to bring her back down to earth.
Joshua dodged the uppercut with a simple sidestep but Hyun's accusation caused his expression to darken. When she went for the overhead blow, he blocked the blow with his blade.
"And tell me, what emotions are acting as your source of power? Desperation? Anger? A desire for revenge? The want to protect others? Tell me, what guides your blade and tells you where to point it?" He asked, pushing her blade aside and jumping back a good distance. "Honestly, try to entertain me with your answer."
Not even needing to move as Joshua used his energy to leap away and start blabbing again, Hyun gave a
tsk. She held her katana loosely at her side, closed her eyes, and turned her face away scornfully.
"If jibing and gibbering is all you're good for, I'm finished with this little exercise." Having come out here with the expectation of a fierce battle to test her new talents, Hyun felt nothing but disappointment that Joshua thought of their fight as nothing more than a psychiatric evaluation. The kid was so full of himself that he couldn't realize how little he truly knew of life.
Her unbound hair blew lightly in the breeze, every alteration of air pulling at her sensitive scalp.
"Says the fool who keeps attacking. Seriously, taking you on the same way as Zander is smarter. Allows me to study that trick of your better without resulting in injury." Joshua said before requiping a sword he hadn't used in front of this guild yet. It was a long sword, with a serated blade near the guard, which featured a demonic design. Smiling as the blade began glowing, Joshua looked at Hyun. "Though, if a woman like you is scared to get hurt, I can understand. Gotta keep that pretty face of your intact, right?"
Though inwardly burning, Hyun made no response. She grasped her scabbard and slipped her katana inside, its edge unblemished by blood. Without any further ceremony she abandoned her spot, her arms crossed and her face masked with disappointment, and started walking toward the colosseum in the distance.
"Your strategy is like a squirrel fighting an owl--you dodge and run away, chittering whenever you're just out of reach, but in the end you're still prey. After all, you lost to Zander. Talk is cheap, Tamashii." Her back now facing Joshua from about a hundred and fifty feet away, she gave a short wave.
"Challenge me again when you grown up," she laughed derisively, sealing the nail in the coffin. For all his wind, Joshua was weak.
"Aye, I have a lot of growing up to do. Not gonna deny that. But, dodging all your blows will simply mean I'm more prepared for next time." Joshua said, dismissing his sword before turning to Ni Rensa. "Tell me, do all you people believe in a simple offensive approach?"
The War Sphinx, who'd already begun after Hyun now that the 'fight' would no longer continue, laughed over her shoulder.
"You're in nyo place to be critical, mister can't-attack! If it's so simple, why haven't you beatenya any Frenzy Plant soldiers nyet? Nyahaha!" Her bladed heels clicking on the stones of the road, Ni Rensa swished her tail and left Joshua to his own devices, and the swordsman stood alone.
"I saw no point in attacking her at the point in time, same as Zander. She would've used her magic to dodge with ease, leaving me open and vulnerable to a counter attack. And I had no way of breaking through Zander's defenses. Hence it was pointless." Joshua said, watching the two leave. "Sometimes matches aren't won by power alone. Your guild will have to learn that the hard way."
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