P : "Here you go, little missy."
Pybuit presented the 'object' covered in a sheet to the girl.
R : "What... What is this?"
It was a surprisingly large object, which was about 1.9m long. It was shaped in a fashion similar to a long keg barrel with a hollow shaft that can fill multiple beer mugs at once.
Or, rather, it was a weapon with a very broad and cylindral blade, and a thick grip.
P : 'How'd you like this mighty stick, miss?"
*Cozy's Notes : lol mighty stick*
R : "... What is that?"
The blacksmith pulled the draped cloth backwards, and revealed a baffling marvel - A huge sword. Or, from its appearance of a crumbling pillar solidly bound together, and its flimsy-looking appearance...
R : "... Are you serious? This, is a weapon?"
... It looks like a stone pillar with a stick for a handle.
P : "Don't be shy now, try it out!"
It had been three days since Roberia had been injured by a branch stabbing through her side. She had slept on her enemy's groundsheet not once, not twice, but thrice, and even had a warm, comfortable blanket to go with for the most recent nap. The humiliation was too much for her to bear, so she quietly slipped away while Katachi was asleep.
While Katachi was 'asleep'.
She had not realized that Katachi was awake the whole night, in pure trepidation over her presence in the room. He had not had so much as a wink of sleep. The only reason she had believed he was asleep was because he noticed her coming to, so he closed his eyes, and prayed that she did not notice him. And when she had left completely, he packed the groundsheet and blanket, and headed off on his journey.
R : "This... How is this thing supposed to help me fight against the magus? It looks ridiculous! It looks like it's in shambles! This..." (... Is this... Really the work of Rugnud's Pride?)
P : "Little missy, don't underestimate this weapon. It's been tailored just to your needs. Go ahead, and try it out. You'd be delighted at what it's capable of."
Pybuit turned his back to Roberia, and continued tending to the whetstone and shovel.
R : (... Ahh, whatever. I trust Pybuit enough to know that this... Thing, must be good in its own way.)
P : "Oh, a word of warning, little missy."
Pybuit grinded the edge of the shovel against the whetstone.
Pybuit grinded the edge of the shovel against the whetstone.
R : "? What is it?"
P : "Care not to take any iron on you."
R : (Iron? Why iron... ! Magnetism?) "... I see."
That small hint had given Roberia everything she needed to know about the weapon.
*** ***
The lack of apothecaries in Rulid has delayed Katachi's journey in more ways than one. He had spent unnecessary time on looking for a herbalist. He had spent unnecessary time on tending to a beautiful, wounded girl that for some as-yet-known reason, wants to kill him. And because he couldn't restock his healing salve supply in Rulid, he had to look for herbs while heading towards Mielfeud.
Katachi closely observed his surroundings for any useful medicine to grind into pulp. He took detours of all sorts - Climbing up a ledge by the side, walking full circles around countless trees and rocks, all to look for the coincidental miracle.
No such luck befell him.
And so Katachi continued his journey, searching high and low. What he didn't expect to find, however, was Jaanthro growing behind a mossy rock. Though the medicinal herb has increased in frequency around the south side of Findel, it's not a common sight in the West of Findel, growing at a path between Rulid and Mielfeud.
K : (... It's just Jaanthro. That won't help a lot, I still have plenty with me. Gotta look for Mestiel...)
R : "There you are!!"
Something in Katachi choked up his throat and soured up the moment he heard the nostalgic voice of the red-haired girl.
K : (... I recognize that voice. I don't want to turn around, but I'm guessing she's going to attack my bag again, so I might as well be prepared to fight her so she won't attack the bag.)
Katachi simply leaned his bag onto a rock, and turned around to see the familiar, slender figure of the hunter, with something new in her hands once again.
K : (... What... What is that? Is that... Is that a broken marble column tied to a rod with a handle? Really? Where does she even get these weapons? Where does she even get the money for this? Did she make these herself or something? And why is she still following me?) "..."
R : (That's a positive change from him. He just puts his stuff down and faces me head on now- Then again, I did figure out that his bag is important to him, so he's probably pacifying me by facing me properly. I should make sure that he's fighting me seriously.) "I won't hold back, so if you so much as loosen up on me I will kill you!"
K : (... Is she... Trying to scare me or something? What purpose does that serve? She wants me to fight her, but she also wants me to be afraid and run from her?...) "..."
Katachi wasn't old enough to understand the purpose of intimidation. He had understood the pain of being bullied, but such treatment only places him in an 'inferior' role. To have him understand a psychological tactic like intimidation, which raises the opponent's guard only when he is in an 'equal' role, is not possible as of yet.
R : (... No response from him... His eyes aren't looking at me, but at this, this... Stupid-looking weapon. He doesn't even have his dagger out.)
Roberia swung the large, heavy weapon about, and Katachi's eyes followed suit, just as she had predicted.
K : (...What is she going to do with that, smack me? That looks like it'd hurt a lot... Maybe I should prepare myself? 恒定! Constant status - Self! Constant status - Dagger!)
R : (... He's like a dumb animal. Just looking at him staring at my weapon and not the opponent makes this whole thing feel awkward...)
Roberia readied the blunt object on her right shoulder, and prepared to swing it in a diagonal. She pressed the front of her foot against the ground, and shot forward at Katachi.
*** ***
K : (! Fast!)
Katachi quickly grabbed at the dagger's handle, and swung it to the front, intercepting the pillar's attack. A powerful, loud slam struck Katachi from above, and tiny pieces of rocks attached to the weapon came off and showered him. He felt the huge strength behind the swing from both the sword's weight and the girl's arms, pressing down on him.
K : (... So it's a type of weapon that deliberately chunks off to bypass the opponent's guard? That's pretty troublesome. I'll have to stop it in place.)
Katachi pushed the pillar sword away, and a golden word formed on the huge weapon.
... It's useless.
Roberia forcefully pulled her weapon backwards, and a stone the 定 was attached to was left suspended in the air.
K : "!!" (The stone piece has 定 on it instead?... In a sense, I guess that is a way to counter the fixation, since that rock is considered a detachable part of the weapon. If the weapon breaks apart like this, even I can't lock it and just walk away from her. I need to attack the core.)
R : (He must have noticed that his magic is useless against me. So, how will he react now?)
Roberia ran forward and spun her body about, swinging the pillar in a wide arc and forcing Katachi to dodge towards her left. Sliding her feet on the grass, Roberia adjusted her positioning and slid to an advantageous position, her back remaining unexposed to Katachi.
Katachi ran toward the rock and grabbed at it, chest pushing it as a support to rush at Roberia quickly.
K : (A battle of strength won't work in my favor. I've seen how strong she is. I need to end this with speed... !!)
Roberia, whom was already guarded and prepared, swung the pillar sword at him hard.
Katachi, trying to block the impact, held his hands up and was sent flying backwards - Into the rock fixated in midair.
K : (!! My shoulder!) "Guhkgh!"
He had collided his left shoulder onto the fixated piece of rock.
R : "!!" (His face changed! It definitely changed!!)
K : (This... This pain... I'm pretty sure I was sent flying towards that rock I fixated. That can't be right, can it? I remember taking attacks far more severe than this, like the time I fell from the scaffolding- !! Wait... It can't be...)
Katachi shuddered in fear over the realization.
K : (... Two objects with the same precedence level, like the fixated rock and the constant me, function as normal... She's using that against me, isn't she? I was wondering how I managed to feel the rock when I pressed against it to lunge at her, but this...)
Spot-on.
Two objects with Words of Power placed onto them usually conflict with each other. Naturally, the most obvious result would be the Word of Power with a higher precedence level overcoming the one with a lower precedence level, but there are cases where the Words of Power fight against each other with an equal precedence level. There are two possible cases - One, where the two Words of Power have inept users with the little amount of knowledge they know about them.
R : (It's a window! Here's my chance!) "Rrraaaarrgh!!"
And the other, where the Word of Power is used against itself.
When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object...
K : "!!"
... Both behave as objects normally would.
Katachi held up the dagger into the trajectory of her attack, and received the earthshaking full blow of the diagonal swing. Once again, the realization painfully paralyzed his arm.
The dagger he wielded had, too, been grinding against his body the whole time.
He had simply not realized the fact that he could 'feel' the dagger in his hand because it had been natural to hold an object and feel its presence in his own hands.
R : "Kh!" (He's still strong enough to block, and his mobility is higher than mine. I should retreat.)
K : (... This dagger... It had been redundant!?... No, maybe I can use the dagger somehow - Just not in this situation. She's the careful type - I should confuse her first so she would cautiously back off, and then I'll use that window to think.)
As Roberia leapt backwards to distance herself from him, Katachi quickly sheathed his dagger, and readied his bare hands.
R : (!? He sheathed his dagger? And he wants to fight me bare-handed? What is he thinking? I won't go easy on him just because he is unarmed!!)
Roberia held up the pillar sword, and swung it down. Hard.
The vertical clobber smashed against Katachi's fist, but this time, the result was different.
The stones on the sword cracked and a loud, deafening sound of the stone smashing against something tougher was heard.
R : "!!! The sword!-" (He broke the sword with his fist!? Does he have some sort of magic that exponentially increases his power when the odds are against him?!)
K : (I didn't even feel my fist punching that - The dagger had indeed been hindering my ability to attack...)
Katachi skidded on the mossy earth backwards, and once again, knocked his body against the floating rock.
K : (Ah, what- Oh, this is still here. Guess I better undo this.)
The 定 on the rock faded off, and it fell to the ground.
But, while Katachi returned to look at Roberia's direction, the rock suddenly attacked him back!
It flew and knocked the back of his knee, causing Katachi to stumble slightly. It then 'flew' back to the pillar sword, and simply attached itself to the pillar sword. It didn't go back to the hole it made, but the rock simply stuck to the pillar sword from the direction it came from.
It is a magnet, after all.
*** ***
K : (... That rock can fly?! It flew, didn't it!? It definitely hit my leg there! Then, all these rocks are alive!?)
Katachi panicked.
It's the first time Katachi had seen a mysterious, flying rock like that. The rocks on the pillar sword all looked alike, so it wasn't an understatement to assume that all the rocks can magically glide like that.
R : (If he has magic that makes him stronger the more unfavorable the battle is, then I have to beat him at an equal level? But... That attack just now... That's the first time I've seen his face show pain. This ... Thing, is actually effective against him?)
K : (... Those rocks look pretty menacing... What spell is she using on those rocks? I've never seen a spell like this before. I need to find a way to disarm her or something! I won't have the luck of attacking her like the first two times - Her reach is much longer than mine and she should have predicted that by now.)
R : (... No, no. Think! What he's trying to do is to force me to his level, to make me throw this weapon away. That's his goal - His reach is shorter than mine, so he must be trying to make me remove this weapon, which is actually effective against him. If his magic gives him power when he is at a disadvantage, I must give him his advantages back. He's not powerful enough to beat me, but I'm not powerful enough to break that defense of his neither. I must make him re-equip his dagger instead!)
*Cozy's Notes : In Ancient China, two people of excellent martial arts often fight like this. There is a limit to how fast and powerful one's blows can be, so instead of increasing their own prowess, they reduce their opponent's strength to decide the victor. An act like this is often shamed because it is dishonorable, though. The protagonists in those old-age martial art films often train the hard way, and achieve a power that is true, not one achieved from weakening the opponent.*
K : (She's staring this way at me. Is she trying to predict my next move? That tree to her left seems like a good place to take cover behind. If she smashes that, maybe I can get to her back? Then... Get her to crawl into the branches of the tree, and then fixate the whole tree, maybe?)
R : (He's looking at the surroundings... Is he trying to use the surroundings to his advantage? No! I can't give him time to think about that! I need him to draw his weapon now! I'll taunt him if I have to!) "What, are you so confident that you can take me bare-handed!? Don't underestimate me!"
Roberia lunged forward, and thrust her pillar sword at Katachi. He dodged it just barely, scraping his arm in the process and forcing him to ram against a tree.
R : (I can't give him time to think!) "Dodging?! What, is that the ONLY THING you're capable of!?"
K : (! Only thing... Capable of? Wait a minute, I have 3 other Words of Power with me! Why am I not using them?! I have 解, 安 and 信 with me. I only know 安心 for 安, and I know 信任 for 信. But I know ample about 解! 解释, 解决, 解脱, 解开... !!)
Katachi didn't have the time to think. Roberia heaved her whole body weight towards her right, and Katachi was sandwiched between the tree and pillar sword.
K : (I feel... Strangely moved... It doesn't hurt like my hands or my back, just... Strangely moved. This inability to feel anything... I feel like I'm not me. Not... Human...)
She continued to clamp Katachi, and slammed her full strength against the tree. The tree creaked and groaned at the pressure from the attack.
R : (I can't crush him like that! What's he doing? Isn't he going to take his dagger out to cut his way out or something? Come on, take your dagger out already!)
K : (... 解散! Disband rocks on pillar sword!)
The rocks on the pillar sword explosively bolted out in directions away from the rod within.
R : "!!" (What the- !!)
And with a swift, light tap, Katachi placed a 定 on the black, dull rod within.
*** ***
*Cozy's Notes : Katachi is a retarded young boy. Real retarded.
I made him that way, though, so it's k.
Also, Tiat Wee says hi. So yeah. Look forward to next week, where the exciting conclusion to their third battle awaits! I made this week's chapter super-good to compensate for a lack of last week's chapter!!!
I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!!! love you all!*
The lack of apothecaries in Rulid has delayed Katachi's journey in more ways than one. He had spent unnecessary time on looking for a herbalist. He had spent unnecessary time on tending to a beautiful, wounded girl that for some as-yet-known reason, wants to kill him. And because he couldn't restock his healing salve supply in Rulid, he had to look for herbs while heading towards Mielfeud.
Katachi closely observed his surroundings for any useful medicine to grind into pulp. He took detours of all sorts - Climbing up a ledge by the side, walking full circles around countless trees and rocks, all to look for the coincidental miracle.
No such luck befell him.
And so Katachi continued his journey, searching high and low. What he didn't expect to find, however, was Jaanthro growing behind a mossy rock. Though the medicinal herb has increased in frequency around the south side of Findel, it's not a common sight in the West of Findel, growing at a path between Rulid and Mielfeud.
K : (... It's just Jaanthro. That won't help a lot, I still have plenty with me. Gotta look for Mestiel...)
R : "There you are!!"
Something in Katachi choked up his throat and soured up the moment he heard the nostalgic voice of the red-haired girl.
K : (... I recognize that voice. I don't want to turn around, but I'm guessing she's going to attack my bag again, so I might as well be prepared to fight her so she won't attack the bag.)
Katachi simply leaned his bag onto a rock, and turned around to see the familiar, slender figure of the hunter, with something new in her hands once again.
K : (... What... What is that? Is that... Is that a broken marble column tied to a rod with a handle? Really? Where does she even get these weapons? Where does she even get the money for this? Did she make these herself or something? And why is she still following me?) "..."
R : (That's a positive change from him. He just puts his stuff down and faces me head on now- Then again, I did figure out that his bag is important to him, so he's probably pacifying me by facing me properly. I should make sure that he's fighting me seriously.) "I won't hold back, so if you so much as loosen up on me I will kill you!"
K : (... Is she... Trying to scare me or something? What purpose does that serve? She wants me to fight her, but she also wants me to be afraid and run from her?...) "..."
Katachi wasn't old enough to understand the purpose of intimidation. He had understood the pain of being bullied, but such treatment only places him in an 'inferior' role. To have him understand a psychological tactic like intimidation, which raises the opponent's guard only when he is in an 'equal' role, is not possible as of yet.
R : (... No response from him... His eyes aren't looking at me, but at this, this... Stupid-looking weapon. He doesn't even have his dagger out.)
Roberia swung the large, heavy weapon about, and Katachi's eyes followed suit, just as she had predicted.
K : (...What is she going to do with that, smack me? That looks like it'd hurt a lot... Maybe I should prepare myself? 恒定! Constant status - Self! Constant status - Dagger!)
R : (... He's like a dumb animal. Just looking at him staring at my weapon and not the opponent makes this whole thing feel awkward...)
Roberia readied the blunt object on her right shoulder, and prepared to swing it in a diagonal. She pressed the front of her foot against the ground, and shot forward at Katachi.
*** ***
K : (! Fast!)
Katachi quickly grabbed at the dagger's handle, and swung it to the front, intercepting the pillar's attack. A powerful, loud slam struck Katachi from above, and tiny pieces of rocks attached to the weapon came off and showered him. He felt the huge strength behind the swing from both the sword's weight and the girl's arms, pressing down on him.
K : (... So it's a type of weapon that deliberately chunks off to bypass the opponent's guard? That's pretty troublesome. I'll have to stop it in place.)
Katachi pushed the pillar sword away, and a golden word formed on the huge weapon.
... It's useless.
Roberia forcefully pulled her weapon backwards, and a stone the 定 was attached to was left suspended in the air.
K : "!!" (The stone piece has 定 on it instead?... In a sense, I guess that is a way to counter the fixation, since that rock is considered a detachable part of the weapon. If the weapon breaks apart like this, even I can't lock it and just walk away from her. I need to attack the core.)
R : (He must have noticed that his magic is useless against me. So, how will he react now?)
Roberia ran forward and spun her body about, swinging the pillar in a wide arc and forcing Katachi to dodge towards her left. Sliding her feet on the grass, Roberia adjusted her positioning and slid to an advantageous position, her back remaining unexposed to Katachi.
Katachi ran toward the rock and grabbed at it, chest pushing it as a support to rush at Roberia quickly.
K : (A battle of strength won't work in my favor. I've seen how strong she is. I need to end this with speed... !!)
Roberia, whom was already guarded and prepared, swung the pillar sword at him hard.
Katachi, trying to block the impact, held his hands up and was sent flying backwards - Into the rock fixated in midair.
K : (!! My shoulder!) "Guhkgh!"
He had collided his left shoulder onto the fixated piece of rock.
R : "!!" (His face changed! It definitely changed!!)
K : (This... This pain... I'm pretty sure I was sent flying towards that rock I fixated. That can't be right, can it? I remember taking attacks far more severe than this, like the time I fell from the scaffolding- !! Wait... It can't be...)
Katachi shuddered in fear over the realization.
K : (... Two objects with the same precedence level, like the fixated rock and the constant me, function as normal... She's using that against me, isn't she? I was wondering how I managed to feel the rock when I pressed against it to lunge at her, but this...)
Spot-on.
Two objects with Words of Power placed onto them usually conflict with each other. Naturally, the most obvious result would be the Word of Power with a higher precedence level overcoming the one with a lower precedence level, but there are cases where the Words of Power fight against each other with an equal precedence level. There are two possible cases - One, where the two Words of Power have inept users with the little amount of knowledge they know about them.
R : (It's a window! Here's my chance!) "Rrraaaarrgh!!"
And the other, where the Word of Power is used against itself.
When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object...
K : "!!"
... Both behave as objects normally would.
Katachi held up the dagger into the trajectory of her attack, and received the earthshaking full blow of the diagonal swing. Once again, the realization painfully paralyzed his arm.
The dagger he wielded had, too, been grinding against his body the whole time.
He had simply not realized the fact that he could 'feel' the dagger in his hand because it had been natural to hold an object and feel its presence in his own hands.
R : "Kh!" (He's still strong enough to block, and his mobility is higher than mine. I should retreat.)
K : (... This dagger... It had been redundant!?... No, maybe I can use the dagger somehow - Just not in this situation. She's the careful type - I should confuse her first so she would cautiously back off, and then I'll use that window to think.)
As Roberia leapt backwards to distance herself from him, Katachi quickly sheathed his dagger, and readied his bare hands.
R : (!? He sheathed his dagger? And he wants to fight me bare-handed? What is he thinking? I won't go easy on him just because he is unarmed!!)
Roberia held up the pillar sword, and swung it down. Hard.
The vertical clobber smashed against Katachi's fist, but this time, the result was different.
The stones on the sword cracked and a loud, deafening sound of the stone smashing against something tougher was heard.
R : "!!! The sword!-" (He broke the sword with his fist!? Does he have some sort of magic that exponentially increases his power when the odds are against him?!)
K : (I didn't even feel my fist punching that - The dagger had indeed been hindering my ability to attack...)
Katachi skidded on the mossy earth backwards, and once again, knocked his body against the floating rock.
K : (Ah, what- Oh, this is still here. Guess I better undo this.)
The 定 on the rock faded off, and it fell to the ground.
But, while Katachi returned to look at Roberia's direction, the rock suddenly attacked him back!
It flew and knocked the back of his knee, causing Katachi to stumble slightly. It then 'flew' back to the pillar sword, and simply attached itself to the pillar sword. It didn't go back to the hole it made, but the rock simply stuck to the pillar sword from the direction it came from.
It is a magnet, after all.
*** ***
K : (... That rock can fly?! It flew, didn't it!? It definitely hit my leg there! Then, all these rocks are alive!?)
Katachi panicked.
It's the first time Katachi had seen a mysterious, flying rock like that. The rocks on the pillar sword all looked alike, so it wasn't an understatement to assume that all the rocks can magically glide like that.
R : (If he has magic that makes him stronger the more unfavorable the battle is, then I have to beat him at an equal level? But... That attack just now... That's the first time I've seen his face show pain. This ... Thing, is actually effective against him?)
K : (... Those rocks look pretty menacing... What spell is she using on those rocks? I've never seen a spell like this before. I need to find a way to disarm her or something! I won't have the luck of attacking her like the first two times - Her reach is much longer than mine and she should have predicted that by now.)
R : (... No, no. Think! What he's trying to do is to force me to his level, to make me throw this weapon away. That's his goal - His reach is shorter than mine, so he must be trying to make me remove this weapon, which is actually effective against him. If his magic gives him power when he is at a disadvantage, I must give him his advantages back. He's not powerful enough to beat me, but I'm not powerful enough to break that defense of his neither. I must make him re-equip his dagger instead!)
*Cozy's Notes : In Ancient China, two people of excellent martial arts often fight like this. There is a limit to how fast and powerful one's blows can be, so instead of increasing their own prowess, they reduce their opponent's strength to decide the victor. An act like this is often shamed because it is dishonorable, though. The protagonists in those old-age martial art films often train the hard way, and achieve a power that is true, not one achieved from weakening the opponent.*
K : (She's staring this way at me. Is she trying to predict my next move? That tree to her left seems like a good place to take cover behind. If she smashes that, maybe I can get to her back? Then... Get her to crawl into the branches of the tree, and then fixate the whole tree, maybe?)
R : (He's looking at the surroundings... Is he trying to use the surroundings to his advantage? No! I can't give him time to think about that! I need him to draw his weapon now! I'll taunt him if I have to!) "What, are you so confident that you can take me bare-handed!? Don't underestimate me!"
Roberia lunged forward, and thrust her pillar sword at Katachi. He dodged it just barely, scraping his arm in the process and forcing him to ram against a tree.
R : (I can't give him time to think!) "Dodging?! What, is that the ONLY THING you're capable of!?"
K : (! Only thing... Capable of? Wait a minute, I have 3 other Words of Power with me! Why am I not using them?! I have 解, 安 and 信 with me. I only know 安心 for 安, and I know 信任 for 信. But I know ample about 解! 解释, 解决, 解脱, 解开... !!)
Katachi didn't have the time to think. Roberia heaved her whole body weight towards her right, and Katachi was sandwiched between the tree and pillar sword.
K : (I feel... Strangely moved... It doesn't hurt like my hands or my back, just... Strangely moved. This inability to feel anything... I feel like I'm not me. Not... Human...)
She continued to clamp Katachi, and slammed her full strength against the tree. The tree creaked and groaned at the pressure from the attack.
R : (I can't crush him like that! What's he doing? Isn't he going to take his dagger out to cut his way out or something? Come on, take your dagger out already!)
K : (... 解散! Disband rocks on pillar sword!)
The rocks on the pillar sword explosively bolted out in directions away from the rod within.
R : "!!" (What the- !!)
And with a swift, light tap, Katachi placed a 定 on the black, dull rod within.
*** ***
*Cozy's Notes : Katachi is a retarded young boy. Real retarded.
I made him that way, though, so it's k.
Also, Tiat Wee says hi. So yeah. Look forward to next week, where the exciting conclusion to their third battle awaits! I made this week's chapter super-good to compensate for a lack of last week's chapter!!!
I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!!! love you all!*
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