Aria looked back at him over her shoulder.
“Thanks. For coming… For everything.”
It took a moment, but the smile he got back was worth Jetson glowering at him all the way back to his cell ten times over and then some.
CHAPTER 35
Aria indeed showed up the following morning despite the early hour, as she did the next evening. Their sparring was more subdued, their breaks shorter and their chatter somewhat less involved, the pair of them very clearly adjusting to each other a little after Aria’s spilling of her secret and Rei’s promising he would reveal his own. To his surprise, this atypical quiet between the two of them didn’t bother him. There was a new weight to their relationship, Rei had realized, one he’d come to notice as he’d lain in his narrow bed after showering that first evening. As he’d stared at the darkness of the cell’s ceiling—whose single light had, mercifully, been extinguished not long after he’d returned for the training chamber—he came to the understanding he had trusted Aria, before, and that she had very likely trusted him in kind.
But now that trust was manifesting itself, and as it became iron, so too did his confidence in it.
In spite of the extreme hours of their allotted time on the practice fields, Rei looked forward to Jetson’s—or one of the other correctional officers’—arrivals more than anything during the 2 days he was confined to his cell. The solitude was bad enough—by dinner on Wednesday Rei was pretty sure he would have been glad for even a glimpse of Logan Grant’s face—but the monotony was the truly frustrating part. After months spent in the company of friends submerging himself in the world of CAD-fighting and the intricate complexities of Devices and all their nuances, the muffled, eerie silence of his lockup was oppressing in a way Rei had had no way of preparing himself for. Even the volume of the feeds he kept running at all times other than when he slept could only be turned up so far, resulting in a dim, swallowing sort of soundlessness that made him feel small and claustrophobic. His assignments, in the end, were largely his only saving grace in these long periods between training and meals, giving him something to focus and think about.
Unfortunately for Rei, his knack for classwork backfired terribly, for once, when he not only finished his paper for Markus before his second night in the brig, but also completed everything Viv sent to him from the lectures he was missing.
With nothing left to distract himself with—and fighting again the urge to take a peek at the coding of his NOED—Rei turned to the feeds, deciding if he was going to have them on as background noise, he would just as well do to make something of them. On a whim he pulled up all the records on Dalek O’Rourke he could find, thinking he might glean something from the man who had been Galens’ Intersystem champion. Regrettably, “the Gatebreaker” turned out to fight more like a Mauler than a Brawler, laying into his opponents with an obscene Strength and Endurance rather than leaning into the Speed and Offense specs most of his Type relied on. In the end, it had still been an educational study, and while he doubted he’d have opportunity to make much use of it, Rei couldn’t help but marvel at the complex possibilities CADs had provided for their Users, even in the limited confines of an SCT Arena.
His second and final night in the lockup came and went, and Rei slept fitfully, his rest interrupted by dreams of a red-headed girl with her back to him, refusing to look his way even as he called out to her. Rei woke up to his NOED alarm at 0530 feeling distinctly unrefreshed, and had to fight off his fears as he showered clean of a cold sweat and changed into his combat suit in anticipation of being fetched for training. At 0545 his wall turned clear, and Rei found himself rather pleased when Sergeant Becker nodded at him from the other side of the glass as she gave the command that his cell be opened.
“Training time, Ward,” she announced unnecessarily. “Your partner’s already waiting, so hop to it.”
Rei wasn’t surprised at the buzz of excitement he experienced at the words, though he decided not to examine too closely if it was the opportunity to fight or the mention of Aria more acutely that had his heart pumping.
Down the hall, up the stairs, and into the fourth floor training area Becker led him with hardly a word. Stepping out into the light of the massive room, he was pleased to find it was only the two of them in the space, in addition to the familiar figure waiting for him with her hands on her hips, as seemed to be her habit.
“Morning,” Rei said with a wave after the sergeant had given him the usual “you have an hour and a half” spiel before making for the closest wall to observe. “Ready to kick my ass up and down the field again?”
“More than ready,” Aria answered, returning the gesture as she moved to where the starting position on her side of the field would show up. “It might be my last chance to embarrass you in front of an audience that isn’t our class. Gotta take advantage of it.”
“Pretty sure second and third years get preferred training hours, so could be a minute before you have any more witnesses…”
Aria shrugged. “That’s fine. Need to warm up anyway.”
Rei chuckled, stepping himself towards where he knew the red ring on his side of the area would project itself.
This was how their last two sessions had been as well. A quick hello, then straight to business. It had been nice, in its own way. It had kept the correction officers off their backs, and Rei had been less stressed about taking advantage of what time he had to prevent himself from slipping further behind. Shido had hit D6 only last night, in fact, which had made him feel a little less like he was still trailing the pack that was the first year class.
Today, though, was different, and Rei felt his cheer slip away a little as across from him Aria pulled up her NOED and started up the field.
Today was the day it was his turn to bear all, and—even through his conviction—the trepidation that had had Rei tossing in his sleep all night only clawed at him deeper now that he stood across from the source of his fear.
Aria, too, must have been feeling some measure of apprehension, because—despite the warmth of their initial greeting—they fought in near silence for a majority of the allotted time, only occasionally voicing feedback or congratulating one another on a particularly skillful exchange. The hour and a half slipped by—with Rei feeling like he would never be able to step foot on a field without hearing words “Winner: Aria Laurent” again—and steadily the other three fields filled up with older students. An additional officer escorted each individual—as well as the one second year who had a partner, today—and by the time Rei and Aria lined up for what was likely to be their final bout the audience they had been joking about was well and truly present.
“Oh, hold on!” Rei called out as his NOED flared into life unbidden before Aria could start the match.
...
Processing combat information.
...
Calculating.
…
Results:
Strength: Severely Lacking
Endurance: Lacking
Speed: Lacking
Cognition: Lacking
Offense: Lacking
Defense: Lacking
Growth: Not Applicable
…
Checking combat data acquisition.
…
Adequate data acquirement met.
Device initiating adjustments to:
Strength.
…
Adjustment complete.
Strength has been upgraded from Rank E9 to D0.
Rei almost whooped out loud, but thought better of it, glancing past the script to Becker and the other officers, who included Jetson, now. Aria, meanwhile, had paused with her NOED alight, and despite their subdued mood she looked like she was having a hard time containing her curiosity.
“What was it this time?” she asked after a second, giving in.
“Strength again!” Rei answered with a grin. “You can tell Viv I can officially bench more than the ave
rage three year-old!”
For a moment—just a moment—Aria beamed, appearing to forget for a second the weight of the day Rei knew she shared with him. It returned all too quickly, though, her face settling again into more of a forced smile, and she triggered the match before blinking away her NOED.
“Sparring bout,” the field announced mechanically. “Cadet Aria Laurent versus Cadet Reidon Ward. Combatants at the ready…”
“Congrats,” Aria told him, settling down into position. “Now let’s see you do something with it.”
Rei blinked at the challenge, considering it.
By the time the call to the start of the match came, he’d made his decision.
“Combatants… Fight.”
The moment the red ring disappeared, Rei blasted towards Aria, launching into an aggressive offensive. He was typically the one to open combat between the two of them—Phalanxes were hardly built for initiating engagement, after all—but instead of relying on his Speed this time, Rei channeled his study of Dalek O’Rourke and barreled in straight and true. As he’d anticipated—or hoped, at least—he caught Aria as she prepared to defend his usually more-calculated assault. Her spear was up, set to strike the moment he gave her the opening, and her shield was hiked but loose, ready to adjust for whatever lateral shift he made in the initial salvo.
Instead, Rei crossed Shido’s steel-plated sleeves and slammed straight into her defenses at full speed.
For what had to have been the first time ever, Aria let out an “oomph!” as the impact took her hard enough to steal her breath away. As he felt her left arm give under his weight, Rei knew he’d succeeded in taking her by surprise. He heard the shifting of steel against steel from below, and her entire body gave way as he drove her a step back, then another. This was a victory all on its own, and Rei felt an excited fire building in his gut as she ceded a third pace to his rush.
No… Not his gut, actually…
His… side?
Realization took Rei in a cold wash even as he looked down. From around the edge of her shield, Aria’s empty right hand was gripping him by the ribs, fingers digging into his reactive field and body with terrifying strength. Rei’s NOED flashed red, and he had only an instant to grant himself the briefest of thoughts.
Ah, shit.
With the wrenching pull and what felt like the force of a catapult, Aria flung him one-handed to the side, tossing him 20 feet across the floor as if he weighed nothing more than the cloth of his combat suit. He managed to adjust on the fly, tucking as he landed and rolling to come up on his knees, but a throbbing agony in his left side had him wincing and struggling to push himself up.
He didn’t need the notification to tell him he’d suffered several cracked ribs.
“With her bare hand?” he muttered to no one in particular, glaring at Aria. “Are you kidding?”
Sure enough, she hadn’t chased after him, having to pause and stoop to retrieve the spear she must have dropped not a moment after he’d initially impacted her. Armed once again, she met his eyes, then lowered herself into her favorite defensive stance, weapon lifted over the top lip of her shield, which she brought up to the bridge of her nose. Even without seeing her mouth Rei could tell she was smiling.
He snorted, supposing he could grant her a little amusement.
Then, steeling himself for the world of pain he knew was about to descend on him, he tried again.
Rei feigned going straight for the shield this time, though he had no intention of trying the same trick twice. If he had, there was no doubt he would have bounced off it like a wall, the same way Cadet Brawn had during the Team Battle training where Rei had earned himself this stint in the brig. Instead, as he came into range, he waited for the spear strike, reading Aria’s posture. It came head-on in a blaze of red across his NOED, lancing straight forward like the waiting sting of a scorpion. Rei dropped under it, falling into a slide that had the steel of his greaves whining across the solid projection of the white field. He’d been aiming for Aria’s legs, hoping to kick them out from under her, but the restrictions placed on him by his wounded side slowed his movements too much, thieving whatever chance of success he’d had.
Seeing him fall, Aria planted her shield. The uneven kiting of its base made an imperfect seal with the ground, but it was enough to cause Rei a jarring impact when he slammed into it with both steel-clad feet. Undeterred, he let his knees accept the collision, shoving himself up with both hands. His D0 Strength allowed the inhuman feat of launching himself upward from what was almost a seated position, using his planted feet as a pivot point. Again Aria’s incredible Cognition saved her as she adjusted instantly to bring the shield up once more, blocking the clawed punch that had been aimed at her face. Rei found himself slamming into the steel a second time, on this occasion with the better half of his body, and he immediately felt the familiar drop and push of Aria’s favorite throw. The smooth metal became a platter for his torso, and Rei knew he would be slung overhead in a heartbeat. Usually he would have let himself be tossed, would have done his best to correct his landing or roll to his feet in time to meet the follow-up assault.
This time, though, he decided to try holding on.
Only his left hand got around the edge of the shield before Aria shoved upwards on powerful legs. The result was an awkward snapping of his body off, but instead of flying away, Rei’s grip held. There was another “oomph!” as Aria’s arm was wrenched by the unexpected weight added to the throw, and while Rei slammed down uncomfortably onto his broken ribs, she was pulled to one knee right after him, her surprised expression distinct as their eyes met.
Without an instant to lose, Rei slashed at Aria’s exposed face. She jerked back, only avoiding Shido’s razored claws by what had to have been a thread, then cut at Rei’s left arm with her spear, the limb still extended as it clutched the steel of the shield. Unable to let go in time, Hippolyta’s blade dug deep into the defensive plating, cleaving halfway through flesh and bone, and through an explosion of pain Rei felt his fingers fail and give, releasing the Device. Aria shoved herself up and back, trying to put some space between them again, but Rei did his best to chase after her, scrambling to his feet to follow before she could regain her optimal range.
For nearly a minute more they exchanged near-constant blows. Between his ribs and ruined left arm Rei’s offense was severely limited, but he stayed at it all the same. It was interesting, watching Aria’s adjustment to this abrupt change in pacing, this aggressive assault. Despite his injuries he kept her on the defensive, never once managing to crack her walls again, but still pressing her in a way he’d never managed before. Rei decided, even as she fought, that he might take a page out of her book a little more often, from then on.
It would appear that variety was key, after all…
At least for a time.
WHAM!
Had Aria given him moment to, Rei might have screamed, then. He’d been too slow with his footwork, to focused on coming at her again and again and again. While it had certainly paid off in its own way, his weak Endurance had shown itself more quickly than usual, reaching the breaking point when mounting fatigue caused Rei to overstep as he swung a haymaker around at Aria’s head. She ducked the wild blow, but at the same time punched down with her shield, slamming the heavy steel edge into the top of Rei’s foot. Red notifications informed him of several shattered bones, and immediately his leg gave out under the shock of pain that lanced up his body all the way to his head. Staying crouched, Aria executed a low backspin that brought her a clean pace away, and finishing the turn she brought Hippolyta’s spear around in a blur of green. The blade caught Rei in the side of the gut, carving clean through almost to the spine, and only Shido kept him from vomiting at the explosion of agony and nausea the injury triggered.
Fortunately, an opened abdomen coupled with shattered ribs, a broken foot, and a half-severed arm seemed to be enough for the system to call the match.
“Fatal Damage Accrued. Winner: Aria Laurent.”
As the simulated wounds began to deaden, Rei gave himself leave to collapse all the way to the ground, sinking into the numbness and extremity confusion of the neural interruption. He rolled onto his back, breathing like the bellows, and was taken by surprise when a heavy thud told him Aria had done much the same nearby. Rolling his head as he continued to gasp in lungfuls of air, he found her seated only a few feet to his left, eyes closed as she leaned back on her hands, chest heaving from exertion.
“No… way,” Rei struggled to get out between breaths. “Did I… finally… tire you out?”
At first all Aria seemed to be able to do was let out an eruptive laugh and a smile, still fighting to recover herself. With her Endurance, however, it wasn’t more than 10 or 15 seconds before her heaving settled, and she started breathing a little more regularly.
“Yeah,” she managed. “You could say that.” She cracked an eye at him. “What the hell, Rei? What was that?”
Rei gave himself a few seconds, his own Endurance comically lagging in comparison.
“Change of… pace,” he wheezed out eventually. “Did it… work?”
Aria nodded aggressively. “Definitely.” She was breathing normally in record time. “I don’t know if it compares to your regular style, but you took me by surprise.”
“That was… the goal.” Rei nodded in agreement, rolling his head forward and closing his eyes as the lights above began to spin. “You told me to… do something with my Strength.”
“Well it worked. I think I could deal with it easily enough if I’d known it was coming, but if you can change up your pacing like that within a fight… Scary.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Finally he felt like he was catching his breath. “Still didn’t put a scratch on you, though.”
There was a pause.
“You did, actually.”
Rei’s eyes flew open at once, and he looked around at Aria with a snap.
Iron Prince: A Progression Sci-Fi Epic (Warformed: Stormweaver Book 1) Page 58
