Chapter 103: Didn’t Hear No Bell.

Silver blades cut through stone with shocking ease. Gliding, propelling me backwards. All the while, scintillating claws cut and carved the area around me. With deft twists and turns, I avoided the claws that carved into the surrounding ground, all the while a pitch-black beast charged.

In a moments pause, I fired a shot. The bullet sang high and loud before rupturing into a cloud of hazy rime that encompassed the black beast. The beast dissipated, revealing a lithe woman with long, sharp claws. She circumvented the rime and came at me, swinging and cutting.

Still, I dodged and weaved, but I soon was backed into a corner as she went back and forth, hemming me in.

“Finally!” She shouted and reared back. Her claws grew and glowed white.

I knew without a doubt, that would hurt. Her claws cut through my ice and uniform like they were nothing. Leaving small wounds and cuts all over my body.

As it was, I was cornered, but… I wasn’t without recourse. With a sudden twist, a pop of my blades, I flew into the air. With a spin, followed up with a swift kick, I felt the blades at the bottom of my boots dig into the wall. I moved forward, slicing through the wall even as gravity shoved me down, granting me greater speed.

The woman, Nyx, swore, her claws sliced into the corner, narrowly missing me. I shifted, my blades cut down the wall into the floor, but the tip caught, nearly throwing me forward. Only with a kick, a turn, did I manage to land on my other foot into a spin before levelling my rifle at Nyx.

With a breath, the ice crackled. The world slowed. I aimed my rifle. In a single heartbeat, a single breath, I pulled the trigger, ejected the spent casing, and repeated that action until the internal magazine was spent. Hurtling in the air, singing their song, were a round of explosive bullets in flight.

As the world shifted back into motion, Nyx attempted to flee, even as the bullets exploded, one by one, covering the area in frost and rime, preventing her from simply escaping into darkness.

Still, it wasn’t enough. As the world caught back up, I kicked off and spun in place. Even as I moved, I could still perceive the surrounding world with startling clarity.

With near perfect aim, I kicked the still falling casings, one at a time, launching them out with a snap and crack, with each casing flying true.

The first slammed into Nyx’s shoulder, nearly bowling her over. A yelp leaving her lips, the next few were dodged narrowly, but as my spin slowed, as the world came roaring back, something snapped…

I spun out. Crashed into the ground. My kick went wide, cracking into stone. Something crackled, snapped under the force. Pain shot up my leg. Just barely numbed by the freezing cold blood in my veins.

Harsh breaths left my lips. My lungs demanded oxygen as my uniform began to dissipate.

I was splayed on my back. My injuries gone, but the pain remained as a reminder, my body soaked through with sweat. My eyes were on the ceiling while I played back what had happened, scene by scene.

My magic was running low. I’d used it too much, but the combined crash back to land, followed by the insane maneuver had drained the last of my magic…

My silver blades had faltered without constant reinforcement, and of course, I had wiped out.

It wasn’t a great end to our spar.

“You okay there?” Nyx asked, walking up.

“I should be asking you the same.” I said, the moment I caught my breath. Nyx’s uniform was still intact. The tips of her hair were frozen solid, some broke off when she moved, others simply disintegrated into smaller flakes.

“I’m fine.” She said and then proved it by recalling her uniform. Liquid darkness washed over her, taking with it the frost that clung to her hair and body. Leaving an unmarked woman, though, a bit sweaty standing beside me.

“Need some help?” She asked after a moment.

“I just need a moment…” I said between breaths.

“Alright then…” She paused and let the silence linger. “I know this is just our second spar, but you really went at it today, everything alright?”

It was a good question. Was I alright? Physically, besides being exhausted, and the phantom pain that surged up from my ankle…

I don’t think I was.

I’ve never considered or even thought of how lucky I was. How accommodating my new workplace was. Perhaps that was thanks to Samantha? Had she been my enemy, or had she considered me a real threat… it wasn’t hard to imagine her making my new life hell.

Now, now I think I understand at least a little, on just how blessed I truly was.

“Just some drama surrounding my new home.”

Nyx shifted for a moment. Her arms crossed. “Well, if you want, I’m free to hear you out?”

It was… a startling offer. And my shock must have shown on my face…

“What? You helped me pick a name out, and you keep bringing food whenever you visit. Honestly, I’d figure we’re friends, right?”

Friends… huh… Maybe she isn’t wrong… Only, it wasn’t right to bring her into my issues.

“It’s nothing, I can handle it.” I say, though, I wasn’t sure how much I believed it.

She frowned, “Are you sure?”

“Definitely.” I repeated, with a bit more surety. Enough to dispel her doubts.

“Well, okay then, but the offer remains open.” She said and extended her hand to help me up.

I grasped it without hesitation. Allowing her to assist me up.

We began to talk. Go over the fight. Though, my heart wasn’t really in it. My mind was still stuck on the whole mess from last night.

I’d figured the best cure was a good spar, some training… Now, I wasn’t so sure. If anything, it just made me feel even more useless. But, work was getting done regardless, so it was a step forward.

Both of us walked out of the training room into the locker area. Inside, was a familiar pair. Éclair, and Talia. Éclair was currently just doodling, as for Talia, she was sitting on the ground, her head bowed, eyes closed.

“How’s Talia doing?” I asked Éclair.

“She’ll get it down in a little bit here. She’s a dog, she’ll pick it up fast.” She said.

I nodded…

I’d hoped to get Talia into the spars. Considering she had a uniform and weapon, surely, Éclair wouldn’t mind giving her some tips. Thankfully, she didn’t, but Talia needed to learn how to cycle her energy properly before she could even start. Something she apparently didn’t know, though…

“It’s not unusual. Most of us don’t realize they can do it until much further down the road. Dogs typically pick it up faster, but mostly when they start realizing how much magic they waste normally.” Was all Éclair said.

It was a simple enough answer. One I couldn’t argue with. Though, some part of me considered the possibility that Talia might become stronger than me when this all ends.

It shouldn’t bother me, she’s my employee, and yet… I couldn’t help it.

“And how did the spar go?” Éclair asked, as if she didn’t already know.

Nyx didn’t speak up, instead, she looked at me. Which was, frustrating. Was I really so out of tune that everyone could tell?

“Well enough, I’m just not satisfied with my progress.”

“It’s literally only the second time you’ve sparred with her. The fact that you’re not instantly dying is a miracle in itself.” Éclair said, sensing my mood.

I couldn’t argue… though...

“I feel like I could do better though. Not just in mastering my uniform’s consumption rate, but in other areas as well.”

Éclair gave me a long look before setting down her pad and pencil.

“Then, how bout you have a go with me?” She said with a toothy grin.

“Wouldn’t you just beat me hands down?” I asked back.

“Easily. I wouldn’t even have to try to kill you, but… that’s not the point. I’ve noticed a thing or two about your fighting style in the last two spars and I’d like to test something out. Even show you a thing or two, that is, if you want me to.” She said with a teasing smile, though, she must have already known how I would react.

“I’m in your care.” I say.

The both of us head back into the training area, it was still a mess, but it would work, hopefully, only…

“My energy hasn’t quite…” Before I could finish, a clump of coins were thrown my way.

“Those should do it. As for the deficit, you should be recovered by tomorrow.”

I didn’t argue. Each coin was a bronze coin and seemed to pulse in my hand. I knew she had plenty of them inside her apartment, so without hesitation I gulped them down.

Each coin restored my energy. It also left an odd weariness, a sense of fatigue that lingered just out of reach. Like a masked killer watching my every move, just waiting for an opportunity to close the gap.

“Transform whenever you’re ready. We’ll start right away. Ah, and no weapons.” Éclair said, without an ounce of her usual relaxed attitude. It caught me a little off-guard, but it did help set the mood.

I felt for that familiar sensation. The thump of my heart. Of ice breaking. Falling into freezing water, slowly drowning, before landing under the spotlight. Flying under it, surrounded by the enraptured crowd. The final standing ovation before I broke free.

With a final flourish, a spin, I was back in my uniform. With a final breath, an exhale of frost, I spoke.

“I’m ready.” I let the ice crawl over me. My senses sharpened.

Éclair was before me, a no-nonsense look on her face.

I saw it. Almost like a slideshow, a stutter. Like I was watching everything happen through the photos of a high-speed camera.

Yet… even as my eyes barely perceived her, I could still feel her through the rime that hung in the air. Vividly, I felt as she moved through, almost calmly, without an ounce of exertion.

I moved, but… compared to her, it felt so slow, languid. Like I was trying to move through molasses. I brought my arm up, just barely managing to block her fist. Even then, I felt ice crack, a shockwave ran up my arm, shattering my defenses, making even my bones rattle.

She moved into another, calm blow, slow, telegraphed and yet… It was almost like she was moving normally, and I was going so very slowly. It took an eternity before I could even shift a little to just barely block. Then another and another came.

They never sped up; they held the same tempo and rhythm. Yet, I was always just a step behind. Slowly, and surely, I was faltering. Her movements were akin to a steady drumbeat. A bum, bum, bum, relentless, steady, inevitable. Without an ounce of hurry or concern. Every strike battered into me, wearing me down.

Yet, I held on. If only just. Her tempo, I copied. Mimicked. Like a dance, a beat. I followed the rhythm as best as I could. Slowly, surely, trying to claw back even the slightest bit of momentum. As if I were falling off a sheer cliff, my fingers digging into stone, trying to stop my descent.

It hurt. My entire body crackled ominously. Yet…

Something clicked into place. A shift, no, nothing had changed, I’d merely understood. With my body and soul. So, I followed through, a step forward threw her off ever so slightly. A fist pulled back just so.

The tempo was right. The rhythmic beat led me on. On beat, I swung. With a crack, a snap. The air itself shook from the blow…

Yet…

I hit nothing.

The beat stopped. The steady drums were absent. The sound of deafening silence hung in the air…

No…

I could sense it. Feel it. A charge in the air. Not silence. No, anticipation. A tension that grew and thrummed. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t react. Éclair was there at my side. A subtle shift, like a stray flute playing off tune and yet… The silence that followed heralded a greater crash.

A crash of thunder.

Her fist impacted my side. The ice all over my body shattered. I attempted to dig in, redirect the force through my body, but… her angle was just too good. My feet left the ground, the force of the strike shot right into my organs. Cold blood burst out of my mouth, and I went hurtling back.

I crashed into the stone ground. It cracked under the impact. The blow ejected the blood that had gathered in my lungs, spraying it out once more in a haze of rime that hung in the air.

I gasped. Gargled as I felt new blood rush into my lungs, through the holes my ribs had made in them.

“Ah, shit, a little too hard there.” She said, almost too calmly. Her voice… her posture… Then there was Nyx looking on, a mix between horror and pity. Like she knew exactly what I had gotten myself into and…

Perhaps she did. After all, Nyx had fought her before. But, was this all she had seen? Had Éclair even tried?

No, she probably hadn’t. No, this was her playing softball. Not even being serious. Like an older cat batting aside a kitten. I wasn’t even worth her full attention. Or even a thought on her part. I couldn’t even beat Nyx, so why should I expect more?

And yet…

I felt it. Fire. Heat coursing through me. Burning me. My fist cracked into stone when I slammed it into the ground. Using it to anchor myself up. My blood, though cold, boiled. Icy mist left my lips.

I stamped my foot down. My magic surged inside me. The area around me froze.

Éclair looked at me, the beginnings of a feral smile on her face. As for Nyx, she looked at me with wide eyes.

“We’re not done. Not yet.” I rasped. My voice cold and hard. I hacked up frosted blood. With a shift, a pulse, I felt the ice inside me pull back my ribs, forcing them back into position, but only just. The holes in my lungs were covered over with ice.

Even still, every breath was hard. With every step, I felt like cracked glass that would fall apart at the lightest touch, but even then… I wasn’t done.

Éclair cackled. “I knew you had something special up your sleeves!” Her foot cracked down into concrete, electricity buzzed around her. She came straight for me. A wind tunnel formed around her, slightly obscuring my senses and yet…

My palm met her fist. The blow reverberated through my body, followed through to my feet into the ground. Stone shattered at my feet, the cracks in my being widened ever so much, but with it, the fire inside me grew hotter.

I gripped her fist and pulled. She followed, letting me pull her in. A knee crashed into her stomach, striking it head on…

Yet…

She didn’t even flinch. No, not just that, but… I hadn’t realized it until now, but… Éclair was heavy. Absurdly heavy. Dense. As if she weren’t made of flesh and bone, but of metal. I hadn’t hurt her with my strike, if anything, I felt my knee crumple under the blow…

Even still, she almost floated for a second, but the moment her feet planted into the ground, she lifted her captured fist. A lazy, almost contemptuous movement that dragged me with it.

One moment I was on the ground, the next I was thrown aside.

I spun until my feet were angled down, silver blades formed at the bottom of my boots and dug into the concrete. I was moving so fast, but with a turn and twist, I had it under control…

Only for Éclair to be at the end of it all. Like she had been waiting for me. I swung a kick, silver blade singing. She sidestepped it, her other foot lashed out, kicking out my other foot. Coincidentally, the already injured one that had crashed into her immovable form… What should have been a light tap, caused the supporting ice to shatter and for my knee to break.

“Thought I said no weapons… ah, well, not like it matters.” She said, almost uncaringly as I hit the ground. Right before her leg was raised and crashed down, sending me right into the earth.

“Hey… is she going to be alright?” I heard Nyx speak.

“Hm? Ah, yeah, this does look pretty serious, maybe we should…” Éclair’s voice cut off. My hand had snapped out and clamped down on her ankle like a vice. Bloody and wounded. Near to death. All I could hear was the sound of rushing water. The endless cold burning me to my core.

I could feel it. My ice burning her skin. The strength straining her ankle.

“Oh, wow…” She muttered, “That’s actually a pretty good boost you got there.” Still unconcerned. Still uncaring.

I threw myself up and heaved her up into the air by the ankle. For a moment, it worked. Her feet left the ground, but… one second, she seemed so light, the next, it was like I was carrying the very sky. My strength faltered. The sudden surge gone. And just like that, by coincidence, fate, her leg came hurtling right for my face…

Then, everything went black.