[X] Focus on your strengths: you know how quickly you can kill these creatures. Even if Illuyanka focuses on several at a time, you have absolute faith in the speed of your swordsmanship. She certainly cannot win against your years of training.
The hunt begins in an explosion of activity.
But even while Illuyanka crashes enthusiastically through the herd of boarlizards with less delicacy than a bull in a china shop, flinging the poor animals skyward like bowling pins and filling the very air with their squeals of pain and distress, you remain entirely committed to your own approach: carefully watching the underbrush for signs of movement – and, when a monster inevitably emerges – delivering their demise with a rapid stab to the skull.
Each motion elegantly flows into the next.
And each kill … painless.
Honed by years of training, your swordsmanship is more than enough to handle every beast unfortunate enough to encounter you during this impromptu "competition". Illuyanka's headstrong methods may seem to be paying dividends (her oversized chopper hacking apart the airborne creatures in an animated tornado of violence), but you refuse to be caught up in her flow – nor would you ever in a million years deign to traipse around in such an … uncouth and reckless manner. You would much rather stick to what you know, for you have absolute faith in your own talents bringing about victory on this day.
Your eyes sight a nearby boarlizard, lured to the scene by the sounds of its fellows.
It barely has time to hiss.
Its head slides free of its body, forked tongue lolling out onto the grass.
"That's, um, three for Sieg … five for Illuyanka …" says Theoxena from behind you.
… Confidence is all well and good, but a little extra haste wouldn't hurt, right?
Not that you're – worried about your score or anything. Certainly not. You will definitely emerge the better warrior and prove yourself more than capable of meeting Illuyanka's challenge; you merely wish to … ah, better show off your techniques … that's all.
You nod firmly to yourself.
That's all there is to it. Absolutely nothing else.
"Oh, sorry, um, I meant six! Illuyanka has six!"
Another boarlizard quickly finds itself rejoining the cosmic flow.
"Hawawa?!"
Not too far away, Santa-ziti shrinks back from its carcass, the newly-deceased monster having very suddenly and shockingly landed right next to him while was gathering flowers.
"You can … uh, put another one down for Sieghild," he says, awkwardly shuffling past you and the dead boarlizard to rejoin Theoxena. "So that's four and six -"
Your sword moves again. It arcs cleanly through the air, cutting a monster in twain before it can muster any resistance.
"Uh, five and six -"
There's a loud noise from atop a nearby outcropping. Illuyanka is (as much as you hate to admit it) equally hard at work, scattering the boarlizards from their burrows in a ruckus of noise and heat and wind. She shepherds the herd with heavy flaps of her wings, halts their wild charges with arms and blade, unbalances them with harsh blows to the earth. Then, stunned and vulnerable and gathered all around her, the beasts are slaughtered.
"Get wrecked!"
In a single, explosive burst, their world comes to an end.
You can barely see the fire rolling off her weapon through the explosion, air booming and shaking, a massive cloud of dust swallowing everything around her whole. Only a single boarlizard manages to break free of the fallout, grunting painfully as it rolls violently down the hillside and away from the destruction … where it intersects directly with the edge of your blade.
"... Well, you really have your work cut out for you," finishes Santa-ziti lamely.
In the corner of your eye, Theoxena's smile grows tenfold.
"... Why are you, uh, looking at me like that?" the boy asks, looking mildly confused and entirely unaware of his accidental – and atrocious – wordplay.
"Um." A green cowlick wilts slightly. "That wasn't intentional?"
"...?"
Then it hits him.
"Hawa?!" Santa-ziti's face flushes, blood rushing to his head faster than blood out of the wounds you're currently inflicting on some monstrous pests. "Oh! The, uh, the 'cut' pun! Gods and ancestors, I didn't even … uh …"
"It's, pmf, it's okay, Santa-ziti!" Theoxena chirps, holding back a round of giggling brought on by the brown-haired boy's strangely excessive reaction. "But, um, do you want to … pmf, um, help me then? You can take on …"
Her eyes sparkle.
"... a slice of my workload!"
As it so happens, your current "score" in this little competition stands at nine. Such things are important to take into consideration, especially for times like these.
Also, Illuyanka seems to have wandered off.
"... Wow."
"... Um, was that a stretch?"
"Eeeehhhhhh … uh -"
Just like you, Santa-ziti isn't a particularly coherent speaker when faced with the sight of Theoxena slowly deflating like a sad balloon.
"Well, uh, it's not bad, per se," he says hurriedly, trying his best to assuage her. "I liked it! I'm just, uh, thinking of how to head up and see what Illuyanka's doing without getting, uh, gored."
"So, um, that means you don't want them to boar a hole in you?"
Your sword slices through empty air. A small boarlizard, head mere inches from the gleaming steel edge, wisely chooses to make a rapid retreat into the underbrush.
"That one was terrible," you can't help but interject, the fleeing monster now the last thing on your mind.
Even had you tried, the possibility of you ever staying quiet after hearing her pun was absolutely nil. A single one of them, you likely could have ignored, but for another to follow so quickly on its heels, just as dreadful in both execution and wordplay? It's mortifying!
"No it's not!" Theoxena protests, crossing her arms and pouting. "I think it's one of my really inspired ones!"
Santa-ziti opens his mouth. He closes his mouth.
Somewhere off in the distance, there's another explosion. "Eleven!"
"... I guess I'll go see if she's counted right," says the fluffy-haired boy, placing his flowers carefully into a bag before taking out … some sort of hook launcher?
Theoxena vocalises your shared confusion. "Is that a grappling hook?"
"Yeah?"
There's a quizzical look on Santa-ziti's face – he's clearly baffled by your bafflement.
However, any explanations will have to wait. The bushes ahead of you – the same bushes into which the last monster had fled – rustle once more, and darting out from between the brambles is what you assume to be the same creature … joined by another, significantly larger specimen.
It hisses, flicking its tongue. Snake-like eyes stare you down, unwaveringly intense as it slowly and purposefully trots forth, leaves crunching beneath its feet, heavy set frame moving to block its smaller companion from view. You take a step back, sword cautiously pointed at the monster, ether flowing towards the blade's tip. Theoxena and Santa-ziti are also immediately on alert, the former quickly reaching for her own weapon at the sight of the two boarlizards now clear of the underbrush.
A parent, or a relative of sorts. You probably should have expected it to show at some point – given the extensive … extermination being performed by both you and Illuyanka, it's only logical that you would garner the ire of one of the larger boarlizards. Why wouldn't they want to take vengeance? Especially when your hotheaded Antuhsas classmate had so … recklessly charged a burrow of the monsters.
You feel a quick pang of annoyance – and concern. Of course her loud, tumultuous approach would draw so much attention from the forest's older and more dangerous specimens! And if one of them was already here to menace you despite your attempts to kill quickly and quietly – how was she faring, wherever she was? Were there more of these larger boarlizards? Given her bravado and overconfidence, would she dare try and fight multiple at once? If so, that would be foolish beyond compare!
Not that you believe she would ever do something so foolish. Illuyanka seems … more than capable of handling herself. There's no need for you to worry over something so unlikely.
No, for now your own circumstances should take priority.
Two boarlizards stand before you, looking tense and agitated, appearing far more ready for a fight than those you previously killed. You doubt you can catch them off-guard. Given their vigilant bearing, cutting them down quickly and cleanly seems a rather difficult proposition (particularly regarding the larger one) for your usual approach.
One swing, one kill.
It's a constant mantra. You've repeated the words so many times. They sit tight against your heart – a reminder of your conviction, of your firm belief that you can end battles in a single blow.
Yet when facing multiple foes, your faith begins to waver. You know your weaknesses – they made themselves very apparent during your experience in the monster system, no matter how much you wish to forget the events of that day. There may be fewer enemies to contend with this time around, but even the smallest opening or extra second taken could leave you on the backfoot, forcibly splitting your attention between each of the beasts.
"Sieg, do you, um, want some help?"
You could easily accept Theoxena's offer. With her at your side, you wouldn't need to be so cautious. Focusing on the smaller boarlizard wouldn't leave you vulnerable to its companion's large, frightening tusks. And even if you were to struggle against the older creature's thick hide, you could trust her to watch your back if the younger sought to attempt subterfuge.
But you want to do this alone.
Certainly not because you're in the middle of a contest with Illuyanka or anything – though even without help there's definitely no way you'd lose to someone like her – but … there's a reason you came here today. You want to improve yourself. You have long prided yourself on your skills with the blade, on the techniques and forms you have honed throughout years of training. And it's to those strengths that you want to entrust your chances of victory (but to reiterate – you're not here to prove anything to Illuyanka!).
One swing, one kill.
"No need … I can handle them."
And now that the words have left your lips, you have no choice but to follow through!
Doing otherwise would simply be unbecoming.
You breathe in.
Ether dances along the steel of your sword.
Your body moves, and your weapon follows. Dashing across the short distance – grass and mud pattering beneath your feet – the sharp, cold edge of your blade swings powerfully forth to meet the thick, coarse hide of the larger boarlizard. For the briefest of moments, they're locked in struggle … then the latter gives way, allowing ether-infused steel to sink through layers after layers of skin … only to then stop, momentum brought to a halt by the great mass of flesh.
The strike was too shallow.
… But you're not done.
Your mantra will remain true. The monsters will, one by one, fall to your blade.
Ether pulses through your arm. Through your sword. Cosmic energy surges out from your body … and with the weapon as a conduit, directly past the boarlizard's hide, pooling at the edge of the blade – where steel is wedged into flesh.
One swing, one kill.
The boarlizard convulses. Its body shudders, its skin bubbles with power.
And with insides consumed by cosmic fire – it implodes in on itself.
The rage in its eyes never even has the chance to give way to fear.
You rip your sword free. A single, clean motion – as if it had never been trapped.
An instant to recentre, and you snap back into action once more, nimbly dancing back to avoid a lunge by the beast's brethren. And then you strike again – sunlight and ether glittering across the surface of your sword – and the unfortunate boarlizard is run through.
Skewered mid-jump from head to toe, entire body caught on your blade.
You flick the tip upwards. The sharp edge of the longsword follows.
And in halves, the beast thuds against the earth.
You breathe out.
For a moment, you feel dizzy – the world twisting and turning as your body adjusts to the sudden loss of so much power. The onset of adrenaline, like a rushing stream through your veins. But you don't stumble, you don't trip – you hold yourself firm, letting the churning currents of power within you cool and settle.
Breathe.
Theoxena is the first to break the silence.
"Is that …" She fidgets a little, glancing over at the carcasses. "Um, was that – a new attack?"
Breathe.
"Y-Yes."
Suddenly, your throat feels parched. Even a single word takes a moment to stutter free.
That … took much more out of you than you expected.
"Oh!" Your friend brightens a little. "I thought it looked new! Because um, I don't think I've ever seen you do that kind of attack before and it looked like you were concentrating really, really hard right before it happened but, um, you didn't say an attack name so I wasn't sure …"
… An attack name?
"... Ah, an attack name?"
Theoxena's eyes take on an eager shine. "Do you have one?"
… The thought of naming it never even occurred to you.
"I, ah, don't ..." Now you're stumbling. "I don't believe that, ah, giving my technique a … name? Will prove … particularly useful?"
"But you can, um, shout it when you fight monsters!" she points out happily.
"I … suppose?"
Even if you weren't more than a little winded, the suggestion's appeal would likely still elude you.
Off in the distance, you hear a happy shout of "thirteen!"
"Oh!" Embarrassment flickers across Theoxena's cheeks. "I was doing the tally! Sorry! Um, that was eleven boarlizards you fought, right? Though maybe we should count the big one as … more …?"
She trails off.
"Eleven is fine."
You take another deep breath. That boarlizard was older, tougher – but it fell all the same. You see no reason to consider it worth any more than its smaller brethren, and you certainly don't feel the need to … inflate your score to compete with Illuyanka. You're definitely not concerned about her progress. Not at all. You have more than enough time and talent to win this challenge!
… But you should definitely find more boarlizards.
~~~
In the end, you tallied a respectable total of fifteen dead boarlizards. Getting a result from Illuyanka, on the other hand, required a little more effort – only after climbing several steep inclines in pursuit of her trail of destruction (and finding her sitting atop the carcass of one of the monsters, tasting the air for prey) was Santa-ziti able to confirm the final count: fourteen boarlizards defeated within fifteen minutes.
One less than you.
"You sure?" Illuyanka had asked. "No way I counted wrong?"
"Hmpf, no," Santa-ziti had replied.
"Blast."
You, of course, took the news of this victory with much dignity and grace. After all, this was nothing more than the expected result! A triumph guaranteed from the very beginning! You certainly weren't trying to hide a smug smile on hearing Illuyanka's count – nor was there any point where you felt … threatened – or anything – by her performance. Not at all. Those feelings were never present! You only had complete and utter faith in your own skills, as was right and proper of a lady of your pedigree.
But so wrapped up in your (very understandable, and entirely deserved) mental self-congratulation, you almost don't notice when Illuyanka approaches to give you a friendly but inexcusably brazen pat on the shoulder.
"Ah?! W-what are you -"
"Congrats!" the Antuhsas girl says cheerfully, completely oblivious to her undignified behaviour. "Only lost 'cuz I was all busy chasing that one big one, but this win's yours!"
Your words slip free in a rush. "Is that – thank you … but, ah, a-are you making excuses?"
"No way, I'm definitely winning next time!"
"Next time?"
As you stand there flabbergasted, something seems to occur to Theoxena.
"Um," she starts, raising a hand. "Is it okay to hunt so many of the … boarlizards? If, um, you're going to be having another competition …"
Which isn't a certainty!
"Oh, it's really, really important to smash as many as you can," answers Illuyanka, glancing her way. "Otherwise there's gonna be loads of them running around and then they might gore all the hatchlings! Happened to me once."
"... They're pests," Santa-ziti clarifies.
"We should do this every week!" continues the Antuhsas girl, grin widening to show off even more teeth. "Then there won't be any more flying pigs. And all the folks in the city will wanna praise us!"
"Why do you assume I even want to compete with you again?" you ask, churning confusion finally settling as exasperation. "Or that people would be … applauding us in the first place?"
"Oh, they can give us food too."
And ignoring your noises of protest, Illuyanka is already gone, moving to collect the many carcasses the two of you have left strewn across the forest. Explanations for why she would think you willing to perform more pest control? None whatsoever.
Your shoulders slump exhaustedly.
… You have no clue how to handle her.
"I think you did great, Sieg!" Theoxena pipes up, and your cheeks grow warm. "Your new attack was also really cool. It looked a … cut above your normal stuff!"
Silence.
Idly – and for absolutely no particular reason – you find yourself thinking about your newly-developed technique. Fitting as it is for your expertise in single combat, the concept of infusing ether into another's flesh makes you wonder … and it almost seems to remind you of that 'enrichment' Baya Telesio spoke of.
"... Because of the sword? And, um –" Theoxena grows distracted for a moment, her face turning a mild shade of red. "Oh no! I'm so sorry Santa-ziti I didn't mean to steal and reuse your pun from earlier and –"
"Uh," says Santa-ziti confusedly, "it's … fine?"
But whatever the case, you lack the mental capacity for such musings. The accumulated fatigue of the competition, of dealing with Illuyanka's bizarre behaviour … it's begun to settle in.
You breathe out a sigh.
Once your business here is settled – and once you collect your potions from the Shangarf atelier – you think you might head straight back to the dorm. After such a long day, being able to simply rest seems … very appealing.
"You want a pizza?" shouts Illuyanka from far-off.
And very welcome.
Voting for stuff will occur in the next update. Sorry for the wait.
