“I’ll go,” Yukiko said.
“Jenn, you should go with her,” Gregory said. “My armband can be used a bit more, so I should be safe.”
Both women exchanged a glance before they took off running. They returned quickly with Paul following them. Paul looked grim when he saw the bolts on the floor.
“What happened?” Paul asked.
Gregory explained, finishing with, “We didn’t want to touch them.”
“It’s good you didn’t... they have poison on them. They come from an assassin’s weapon. I’ll have to bring this to the council— a blatant attempt to assassinate a novice has to be addressed.”
“Thank you,” the three of them said.
“You should head out,” Paul told them. “I doubt they’ll have a second attempt prepared already. Good luck with your fights today.”
Following his direction, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn made their way for the exit.
~*~*~
The day seemed to stretch once they were at the arena. The fights were interesting, but all of them were waiting for the evening, when their fights would take place. They had mentioned briefly to Hao and Yoo-jin about the attack, but didn’t give them all the details, not wanting to worry them.
There was a knock on the door of their box, and Lin answered it. After a moment, he stepped over to Yukiko. “Your fight is going to be after this one,” Lin told her.
“Good luck, Yuki,” Gregory said, giving her a smile.
“It’ll be a tough fight, but I’ll be the one to face you.”
“Oh? That confident?”
“If not me, then it’ll be Jenn. Either of us will push you to win. I’ll be giving my all to be the one there. Jenn will just have to get her rematch later.”
“I’m sure she’ll do her very best to not have to wait.”
“Yes, she will.”
Yukiko started to rise when Gregory leaned over to kiss her cheek. “For luck, dear one.”
Yukiko gave him a bright smile before bending to kiss his forehead. “For you, as well.”
~*~*~
The last apprentice fight was winding down and Gregory fidgeted in his seat. If I beat Parks, I’ll have to face one of them, which I’m not looking forward to… but one of them will have to fight a friend twice. That’s even worse.
As soon as the fight ended, the healers rushed out to help the magi still on the field. Hao and Yoo-jin shifted, clearly as eager to see the next fight as Gregory was.
“Do you think she’ll win?” Yoo-jin asked.
“It’ll be a close fight like last time,” Gregory replied. “Honestly, either of them could win. Jenn seemed very determined earlier, and something about it made me think it’s more than just wanting a rematch, as well.”
The apprentices were off the arena floor, and Yunlo suddenly appeared in the middle of the sands. The grandmaster looked at the crowd for a long few moments before raising the disk to his mouth.
“Magi, ladies, and gentlemen, we now end with the final four from the novice class. Novices, come forth. It’s time.”
Jenn and Yukiko walked onto the arena from opposite sides. Gregory watched them both, seeing the determination they had.
Jenn had a shield strapped to her back, the top lip covering the back of her neck. Yukiko’s lips twitched when she saw the twist to what she had expected. Yukiko’s surprise was that she had a wakizashi on her hip, instead of the shurikens she had been carrying for the other fights. The two of them exchanged knowing smiles and came to a stop in front of Yunlo.
“She changed her tactics?” Yoo-jin asked.
“Shurikens won’t kill a physical enhancement magi if they see it coming,” Gregory replied. “She made the right call, especially since Jenn brought the shield.”
“She’ll have to tangle Jenn with shadows if she hopes to finish it,” Hao said.
“Yes. Jenn knows that and will be doing her best to not let herself get caught.”
Yunlo raised his hand, and everyone in the stands leaned forward in anticipation of the fight starting. The moment Yunlo vanished, the two women moved. Jenn blurred forward, intent on getting to Yukiko before she could shadow step away. The sound of wood hitting wood echoed— Yukiko had managed to block her strike, making Jenn stagger forward a step. Jenn kept moving, but stopped enhancing her legs, her eyes darting around trying to find Yukiko. She blurred again a second later, going for a patch of shadow.
Gregory saw the shadows change and smiled; he knew Yukiko was stealthily shadow-stepping again. Hao and Yoo-jin were leaning forward in their seats, clearly trying to follow Jenn’s fast-moving form.
Jenn slowed when she reached the spot and found it empty. The crowd gave away the moment when Yukiko started to come up behind Jenn— the increased noise got Jenn to spin around. Yukiko grimaced and blocked the first strike, but had to use her enchanted armguard to form a barrier to give her time to get away.
Jenn hissed as she started moving again. She was saying something, but the crowd was too loud for it to reach the boxes. Moving steadily and not using her aether, Jenn was clearly trying to segment the arena to find Yukiko.
Their game of cat and mouse continued. Yukiko only moved when she had to, and Jenn used as little aether as she could. The audience was starting to get restless before Yukiko finally stepped out of a patch of shadow on the other side of the arena. She looked tired and went farther from the shadow, talking as she did.
Jenn spun to face her. She tilted her head to the side, trying to hear Yukiko over the crowd as she walked toward her at a fast, but unenhanced, pace. Jenn replied as they approached the middle of the arena. When they got closer, Jenn blurred forward, and Yukiko stood her ground.
The clack of their swords meeting made the crowd cheer loudly. That moment distracted a lot of people from seeing Yukiko shift slightly, guiding Jenn a couple of steps past her. Jenn’s attack sent Yukiko’s sword flying and nearly broke her arm, but Jenn fell to her knees, the shadow Yukiko had been casting grabbing hold of her.
With her right arm mending, Yukiko didn’t hesitate as she launched herself onto Jenn’s back, tightening her left arm around Jenn’s neck as she held on for dear life. Jenn thrashed against the shadows, her hands being pulled in and keeping her down. When Yukiko landed on her, Jenn infused her neck with aether to stop the crushing suffocation from starting.
The crowd was going wild as the two women fought. Gregory was shocked at how the fight had gone— he’d never imagined the two of them grappling each other, much less in the position they were in. He shoved aside his hormone-induced thoughts and focused to see the aether strings.
The shadows were a pool of aether, fighting to keep Jenn in place, while Jenn had infused her neck with a collar of aether, trying to give herself time to get free from the morass. Bits of aether sparked in the shadows as Jenn tried to power her way out, but any time extra power was used, the shadows tightened further.
“Who’s winning?” Hao asked breathlessly.
“Tied,” Gregory said as he released his view of the aether. “Jenn’s struggling to free herself, but she has her neck protected with aether, which is stopping Yuki from actually taking her out.”
“They’re both determined to be the one to face you,” Yoo-jin said from her seat.
“Can you see the outcome?” Hao asked, his eyes glued to the fight.
“It would cost me the aether I’ll need for my own fight,” Gregory said.
Hao exhaled, nodding abruptly. “Can’t have that.”
The cheering in the stands started to dim as they realized that the two women were deadlocked. Yunlo moved a little closer, hoping to get a better view of the two fighters in case one slipped up and he needed to intervene. A couple of boos started to drift up from the audience, and Gregory gritted his teeth at the idiots who had no idea how hard both Yukiko and Jenn were trying.
Yukiko suddenly got her injured arm into the fight— her healing ring had done its work. Jenn’s head snapped to the side as Yukiko beg
an to slam her palm into her temple. Jenn gritted her teeth and expended more aether to stop the blows from hurting her. The crowd began to tentatively cheer again, but when Yukiko had shown more life, those tentative cheers exploded.
The crowd went wild when Jenn was suddenly coated in aether and flexed hard. Yukiko tried to hold on, but failed as she was thrown off Jenn’s back, landing hard a dozen feet away. Jenn stood up and stomped away from the grasping shadows, which shredded with every step she took.
The aether covering her vanished the moment Jenn was free. As she was going toward Yukiko, Jenn realized she no longer had her sword, as it had been left behind in the shadows. That realization became especially poignant when Yukiko kipped to her feet with Jenn’s practice blade in hand.
The two women exchanged a few words before Jenn nodded and took a defensive stance. Extending her left hand, she beckoned Yukiko to her. Yukiko dipped the blade fractionally in a salute before rushing at Jenn.
The next couple of seconds seared themselves into Gregory’s memory as he watched. Yukiko’s attack was hard and fast. Jenn just put her hand in the way, taking hold of the wooden sword and stopping it dead, before she flexed her fingers and shattered it. Yukiko’s eyes widened as she tried to backpedal, but Jenn was there, her hands delivering a powerful combination attack to Yukiko’s ribs. The two grabbed each other a moment later, and they slipped to the ground.
Yunlo walked to them, clearly intent on calling the bout, when Jenn moved to her hands and knees. Slowly and shakily, she pushed herself upright before bowing to Yukiko, who lay on the ground, barely moving.
Yunlo called for the healers as Jenn continued to bow to him, then the boxes. Instead of leaving, Jenn sat down abruptly next to Yukiko and gently lifted her friend’s head into her lap. Mindie and Klim were there seconds later, with Klim examining Jenn while Mindie checked on Yukiko.
“She’s a stubborn one,” Yoo-jin said with a hint of laughter. “Good. She’ll do well in her role.”
Hao sighed as he took his seat. “It was too much to hope that you two would repeat again.”
“I’ll do my best to make our family proud,” Gregory said. “I need to make my way down now.”
“Good luck,” Hao said.
“Greg,” Yoo-jin called to him, “focus on the fight. You need to stop them from having someone in the finals. They’ll be fine.”
Gregory gave her a smile. “I know they will be. Mindie and Klim are very talented healers.”
Chapter Fifty-nine
“Greg, I’ll be waiting for you,” Jenn said as she and Yukiko made it back to the waiting area.
“Really went all-out, didn’t you?” Gregory asked, seeing both of them unsteady on their feet.
“They’re both on the edges of aether fatigue,” Mindie said. “Warlin’s ribs are healing, but she shouldn’t have any vigorous activity for at least a day, and Bean’s fine. She had a mild concussion, but it’s been taken care of.”
“Thank you,” Gregory told Mindie. “We’ve been very glad to have a pair of such skilled healers on hand.”
Mindie’s lips thinned for a moment. “Of course.”
“He means it,” Yukiko said softly, breathing slowly. “Greg doesn’t falsely flatter like others.”
“She’s right about him,” Jenn added.
“Both of you are so sure about him,” Mindie said.
“I’ll be marrying him after the tournament,” Yukiko said. “I wouldn’t do so if I wasn’t sure.”
“He’s always been honest and forthright with me,” Jenn added. “He’s the greatest friend, besides Yuki, that I could have hoped for.”
“We’ll be waiting for you, dear one,” Yukiko said, touching his face briefly. “Win it for us.”
Staring into her cyan eyes, he felt like he was falling into them. A cough snapped him out of the moment, and he turned his head to find Jenn standing there. “Sorry.”
“I want my rematch. I didn’t push myself to the brink just to have you lose before we get to fight,” Jenn said, but there was trepidation in her gaze.
“My heart told me to win,” Gregory told Jenn, “so I can do nothing but win, and I wouldn’t want to deprive you of your long sought-after rematch.”
Jenn’s lips turned upward at the corners. “Good.”
“We’ll head up together,” Yukiko told him. “Clear your mind, and fight to your fullest.”
Gregory watched them go until they vanished from his sight. Exhaling slowly, he turned to find Mindie leaning near the stairs to the arena, watching him. “Sorry, is it time?”
“Thankfully, not yet,” she said. “You have a moment to collect yourself.”
Gregory gave her a thankful smile as he closed his eyes and sought to calm his mind. “I’ve been wondering... why are you not wearing an orange kimono?”
“Since I have been all but removed from my year in the academy, it was deemed that wearing the healer kimono better suited me.”
“I see. Thank you. I hope you find a good posting next year.”
“I do, as well. I’ve applied to stay here, but I won’t know until after the tournament.”
“I hope Aether blesses you,” Gregory said on reflex. He blinked, realizing what he had just said.
“Thank you. I do, too. I just want to heal people... it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Since you were a child?” Gregory asked as he slipped back into meditation.
“Two years before my age day, my mother became ill,” Mindie said, her voice thick. “She would have survived if the healer in town had come, but he didn’t.”
“I’m sorry,” Gregory said. “My mother passed before my age day, too. The loss of one’s mother is always hard.” Gregory coughed, as his throat felt tight by the time he finished speaking.
“Yes,” Mindie said, seeing in him the same pain of loss that she felt. She looked around, then moved a few steps closer and lowered her voice, “I hope you win.”
Gregory recalled their previous conversation about the Eternal Flame. “I hope it doesn’t hurt as much as it did last time.”
“Yes, it would be nice if we didn’t have to piece you together again,” Mindie giggled. “It should be about time.”
“Let’s see what I can do,” Gregory said as he started up the stairs.
~*~*~
Walking out onto the sands of the arena floor, Gregory had the naginata resting on his shoulder. Parks came the other way with an evil smile on his face and his maul balanced on his shoulder.
“Pet-tit, I’ve been told I’ll reap many rewards for taking you down here,” Parks said when they got close enough.
“And how much face will you and your clan lose when I win?” Gregory asked with a grin.
“Novices, save the chatter for the fight,” Yunlo said sternly. “You know the rules. Bow to the council.”
Gregory shifted into an attack stance when Yunlo raised his hand. Parks grinned as he adjusted his position.
“Fight!” Yunlo snapped as soon as his hand came down.
Gregory didn’t use foresight; he knew he’d run out of aether much too fast for it to be useful against someone who could conjure shields to stop his strikes. His plan was more simple: he would use his mastery of the naginata for the fight, using his aether sight to spot where the shields would form.
Both young men shot forward. Gregory’s first strike was pushed away by Parks’ maul, which pivoted off the block and came back at him. Gregory spun the naginata through a complex pattern and had it back around to knock the maul aside.
Parks grimaced— he knew that this fight was going to be harder than his others. His raw strength, along with his ability to use aether to summon barriers had let him easily defeat every other opponent. Gregory had perfect control of his weapon, using his reach to slide the heavy attacks aside and not be overwhelmed by them.
Gregory’s face was creased in concentration as he fought. Parks knew the way to use his weapon was to keep it moving, and he did. I have to find a way t
o negate his momentum and strike. Before he could, Gregory saw the aether strings going behind him and snorted. Giving up his reach, he lunged inside the range of both weapons, surprising Parks. The aether wall that had been forming dropped, and a shell of aether sprang up around Parks. Gregory didn’t strike when he saw the barrier covering the other man, instead pushing past it before spinning around and lashing out with sharp thrusts.
Parks backpedaled, letting his shell protect him as he got his feet back under him. His confusion was clear when he regained his balance. “You can’t use foresight forever!” Parks snapped.
Aether's Guard Page 50
