The winds cold breeze shook me awake as i absentmindedly watched the grains of sand being pushed by the soles of my boots.
My stomach has been the only thing on my mind since i was brought here without my own conscent and yet i couldn't speak up.
If it was Marco alone then i would easily ignore him and go on with my daily life but..
Looking up and seeing Zephyr speaking with him while wiping his sword with a cloth made me shudder unconciously.
For some unknown reason i was brought here by them and yet all they did so far was discuss some things which i had no interest in.
I could only stand here on the side and watch as they finished and turned to me.
"First off, we need to see how strong you are so Zephyr is going to have a small sparring session with you, you're okay with that right?" He spoke through his smile but i couldn't help but think that he was smirking at me.
'well, i wouldn't mind.'
Fighting a person as skilled as him would help me in a way. Although he is stronger, i noticed that he liked to point out his opponents mistakes making him recieve a bit of scolding for not doing anything during the lessons.
"Sure but, whats with the swords?"
"Ah! Using wooden ones would be no fun so that's why were here after the lessons."
"Isn't that forbidden?"
"Well.. you could call it that, alright start in 3.. 2.." he raised his hand while counting down.
'What's with this bastard!?'
Jumping for my sword i quickly tried to pull it out of the sheath but it got stuck making me stand there in an awkward position.
"Wait! Wait! WAIT!"
"Start!"
The countdown ended.
Seeing him rushing at me with a sword i started to become stiff.
It was as if fear overtook my body when i saw my face reflect in the blades edge.
I closed my eyes hoping for the worst.
One second..
Two seconds...
Three seconds...
'?'
Nothing happened.
As i slowly opened my eyes i noticed Zephyr standing there, in the very place he was since the countdown ended.
Without changing his stance in the slightest his eyes were focused on my sword which i had yet to pull out.
"I won't attack someone who's not ready." He spoke as if it was something obvious.
His gaze though seemed to warn me that if i don't stop fooling around i would be cut down.
"Why do we even have to spar, aren't we simply helping you visit someone?"
Shifting the attention from me i tried to somewhat regain my breath and calm down.
"I mean, if we need to fight then are we going into the rift or something? Hahah.." I added while all of them simply stared at me as if i was some sort of idiot.
To leave the academy you would need a group of four or more people to be able to sign out for the maximum amount of two days.
They made it this way to make sure students are safe while outside.
Due to it being the beggining of the year, it was basically impossible to go out even with a group but it wasn't like that for the prestige class.
It was, for obvious reasons, always possible for students of prestige class to go outside albeit in groups thus him making such proposition made some sense, even if it was for stupid things as this.
The silence made a drop of sweat fall down my cheek.
'wait are we?'
"Well.. you could call it that, but it's not exactly in the rift, i can explain later so just have a spar with him already we don't have all day."
'I swear im going to kill him'
- Haah.
The smoke blew from my mouth under the cold wind as i pulled out my sword pressing it next to my chest.
"I'm ready."
- Crack!
The ground beneath Zephyrs feet cracked as he lunged at me.
His speed was way slower than during the combat lessons probably to give me a chance to showcase what i can do.
'i don't mind it'
Pressing the swords hilt next to me chest as tight as i could, my arm muscles tensed.
And then, when his sword was barely a meter away from me.
- Hup!
I made a simple quick thrust which deflected off his sword with a Clang!
"Dont lose focus"
I told myself as i prepared to attack again.
Even with my clumsy skills the strenght i had to back them up was more than enough for the current me.
Or so i thought.
Not giving a chance to recover in the slightest, Zephyr launching a barrage of strikes kept on coming forward like a steel wall that could not be broken.
My joints started to burn, my legs begun to shake as my sword was barely holding on.
Their blades slowed, Vlad's eyes burned as he didn't even dare to blink.
It seemed as though the world's sound ceased only for the sound of metal sparks flying.
Zephyr swung his sword which Vlad barely dodged side-stepping to the side trying to hit him with the pommel just to be caught and thrown back like a simple ragdoll to roll across the ground.
"Cough, i think something got into my mouth Cough, ew."
Standing up, his eyes locked onto Zephyrs legs, the footwork be presented was something be couldn't predict in the slightest as he moved like a professional fighter.
Each strike he made was like being hit with a massive boulder while the difference in size couldn't help but make him fill intimidated.
'should i use it?'
He thought briefly as he glanced at his sword.
Already shaking, the skin on his fingers has already started to tear and yet he didn't feel the pain.
'is it satisfaction?'
The fact that he could already fight with someone like this told alot about his progress.
'No'
He was just delusioning himself.
There was no way for him to win in an actual fight and he knew it.
That's why he had to go all out.
To show them he wasn't a weakling.
To make them believe he isn't as useless as they think.
'i have to apologise to Elizabeth later'
Looking up he saw Zephyr preparing to make another attack as Vlad finally understood what to do.
Leaping forward Zephyr delivered a quick slash as he cut through the empty space where Vlad stood just to spin around and deflect another strike.
- Boom!
The sand under Vlad's feet blew upwards covering Zephyrs vision.
'Petty tricks'
He had already figured the extent of his strenght through their previous clashes and yet he couldn't help but wonder why he kept going.
Why Vlad hasn't given up already after knowing that he was already on the losing side.
Each strike he made felt weaker and slower turning into him swinging his sword senselessly.
And yet his anger kept on surging throughout the spae as more and more dirty tricks were made.
'il finish this in one strike if you wish so'
Tensing his legs he prepared to slash across his face.
His fingers wrapped around the handle locked themselfes onto it as his torso twisted at a one-eighty degree angle.
His sword's broad blade swept across the air in a clear crescent arc cutting the tips of Vlad's hair.
As he was recovering from the earlier swing, he stepped to the side almost kneeling as Vlad tried to catch him off guard by cutting his elbow.
- Clash!
'Ugh'
His sword flew upwards as vibration shot through his arm almost numbing it.
Zephyrs sword was held at his side in a way that his arm twisted almost unnaturaly.
He predicted this attack by sensing the shift in Vlad's footing and breathing. But he didn't expect for both of them to end up in a stalemate, no.
Noticing the look in his eyes he knew, it was all planned.
His position was the result of Vlad's choices who now held the sword ready to cut him in an easy downwards slash but..
- Thud.
The slash never came, it was instead Vlad who fell to his knees as blood dripped from his nose.
"Ah, shit." A low murmur escaped his lips as he soon collapsed.