Reese clearly didn’t know him well.
Channeling the anger, Rei aimed it. Spreading his legs and settling down, he brought Shido’s claws up before him at the ready, watching Grant do much the same 20 yards from him, on the other side of the field. There had been a few seconds when the CADs had first been called that the Mauler’s black-red eyes had widened ever so slightly, speaking of measured surprise on taking in Shido’s adaptation, but he hadn’t looked away. Only now, for the first time, was Grant’s gaze finally shifted to take in their battlefield, settling briefly on the looping steps.
For an instant—but only an instant—Rei was sure he saw the corner of one lip dip down. For that fraction of a second, it was almost like the larger boy was just as irritated by the choice of zones as Rei himself was.
Then, though, the flash of emotion was gone, Grant’s eyes flicking instantly back to Rei’s as the Arena gave its final command.
“Combatants… Fight.”
WOOSH!
It was a testament to Shido’s ever-growing speed that Rei could feel the wind through his tied hair as he launched himself forward, catapulting from his starting ring to reach the center of the field in five strides. No longer did he have to hang back and wait for the fight to come to him. No longer did he have to caution himself to patience, to settle for watching and waiting. His Speed was his strength, he knew. He was faster, now—much faster.
He was even faster than Logan Grant.
It was only by half a step, but Rei was the one who reached and crossed the midpoint of the field first. He took note of this fact, this confirmation of his superior agility, but kept his attention forward.
Forward, at the arching flash of the great, flat-edge axe that was screaming around at him in a massive horizontal swing.
Rei dropped under the blade, punching at Grant’s right thigh. The Mauler twisted in time to avoid the blow and brought the butt of his axe sideways towards Rei’s ribs. With a quick side-flip Rei dodged, slamming Shido’s claws into the ground to give himself purchase as he landed, kicking out with both feet at a planted shin. Grant might have suffered lower Speed, but his Cognition was par for the fight, proven as he lifted the endangered leg, pulling it back even as he let the heavy blow land. The result was nothing more than a forced step back, which the Mauler made up for by bringing his axe down in the same movement. It was quick counterblow, though, lacking the usual weight behind it, and Rei wrenched his claws clear of the field to twist and fall onto his back, crossing them above his chest. He caught the axe in the guard, and didn’t hesitate to kick up a second time, now at the hands, gauntleted in white-and-red, that held firm to the massive haft. Grant was forced to jerk the weapon back to avoid having his fingers broken, and Rei almost split his foot on the retracting blade before he turned the kick laterally, into the flat of the metal. The axe was wrenched sideways, and Grant made an audible grunt of sound as he fought to gain control of it.
It gave Rei the second he needed to pull his legs in sharply, rolling backwards to pop up on his feet again.
As expected, the next attack came without pause.
Rei accepted the kick on his forearms, but the force of it still knocked him back a step. The axe was next, sweeping up diagonally from below, and the leaning dodge he answered with had to be turned into a full sideways cartwheel as Grant followed it up with a spinning backhand at his face. Rei came up swinging, and Grant only barely managed to block the punch on the shaft of his Device, snapping one hand up only just in time to catch the wielding wrist of Rei’s other claws as they came forward in response, aiming for his eyes. They strained like that for a moment, locked together as each tried to find the purchase to overpower the other.
Then Grant spoke, growling through gritted teeth.
“Nice mask, Ward. Is it to cover your face when your run away again?”
The question was unexpected, but didn’t faze Rei. Ever since Lena Jiang he’d been on the lookout for opponents who might try to shake him with words. Even locked up as he and Grant were in the moment, all he did was smile, making sure it reached his eyes as the two of them glared at one another over their weapons, faces barely 6 inches from each other,
“No. No running today, man.”
Then he wrenched his arm free of Grant’s fingers, his D8 strength apparently just enough to break the Mauler’s grip, and punched again.
It was hardly the same fight they’d had when they’d last met, on this very field. Then, Rei had been tossed around like a plaything, forced to lean on wiles and wit to earn himself even one meager shot at victory, a shot he’d still managed to let slip. Now, though, the months of training were proving themselves worth it, because that first minute of fighting turned soon into a second, then a third, all with little more than a few minor scratches earned by either side.
They were in their fourth minute, Rei suspected, when the tides of the battle started to show anyone any favor.
WHAM!
Grant landed a solid punch to Rei’s left shoulder, but he accepted the impetus of the blow to twist with it, kicking up as he did. Rei’s plated shin would have caught the Mauler clean in the side, but a quick flinch of Grant’s axe sideways got the lower length of the haft partially in the way, absorbing most of the impact. The two of them were both left reeling, though, and it was a second before they came around to face off again, breathing equally heavily.
His Endurance might have made leaps and bounds, but even with the help of his new mask Rei could feel himself starting to tire. He hadn’t completely recovered from Sunday’s training, and while he’d intended to take the previous day off to recuperate, that had all been thrown out the window with Shido’s evolution notification. He’d hardly slept, and what little he had managed had been interrupted multiple times each night to notify him that he was expected to meet this officer or that one the next day. Guest. Dent. John Markus. Even old Willem Mayd had requested a half hour with him so that he and Ameena Ashton could go over Shido’s changes with a fine-toothed comb, looking for any sign that the shocking development had taken any kind of toll on his system or disease.
They let him leave the hospital with a clean bill of health, but with no more answers as to the incredible nature of the CAD’s progress.
CRUNCH! CLANG!
Grant had lunged forward, bringing his axe down with both hands and all the speed he could muster. Rei only barely managed to smash the descending blade aside in time to keep from getting cleaved in two, but he still felt a slight burning in his left shoulder that said he’d gotten clipped by the edge. He returned the favor with a jerk forward of his whole body, smashing the steel plate of his headband into the side of Grant’s face. The Mauler staggered only one step sideways, and this time his answering backhand took Rei full in the gut, blasting the wind from him and carrying him right off his feet. He might have been stronger and faster, but Rei couldn’t have been more than some 7 or 8 pounds heavier then when last they’d faced off.
As a result, the blow sent him flying just as easily as it would have those weeks ago.
THUD!
The rippling sound of his body hitting the field’s invisible perimeter was a dull one, the barrier warping slightly to accept him, then rebounding to jettison him back onto the floor. Rei rolled once, desperate to get his bearing back, and found himself finally looking up at the ceiling in time to see Grant’s axe cleaving down on him from above once again. He twisted sideways, allowing the blade to crunch into the field, accidentally tumbling into a dip in the white floor as he did. Grant had wrenched the axe free by the time Rei got his feet under himself again, however, and the Mauler lanced after him with a horizontal slash that had him leaping backwards and out of the way.
Not good, he thought, seeing Grant’s teeth bared in strained focus as the tall boy followed with another arching blow.
Rei could see his momentum leak away. In a flash he’d been pressed out of functional range for Shido’s claws, and was now being s
teadily forced back as the axe came again and again in a blur of white steel and red light. He kept one eye on his footing as he retreated, not wanting to trip over the uneven ground, but mostly he watched for an opportunity to return the fight, to gain back his advantage. He was no good where he was, no good at range.
Unless…
But no. Rei shoved that idea aside. He might have a trick up his sleeve, but it was no ace. Hell, it was more of a joker, and surprise would be his only chance at using it effectively. He wouldn’t waste it on the panicked hope of getting a foot back in the door of the match, particularly when Grant had his own trump card yet to tap. They both knew Rei was faster. It was the only reason the Mauler hadn’t triggered Overclock from the very beginning. If Rei proved slippery enough to survive the onslaught of the Ability, Grant would have been a sitting duck following its terminus. No… Grant would wait. He would be patient, would work to whittle Rei’s lesser Endurance down, just as he was now. With every dodge and parry Rei could feel his energy ebbing, could sense his limit approaching. They had to be almost 5 minutes into the fight, now. If he didn’t find a way to finish it, he was going to end up defeated by his own lagging specs.
He needed to think. Think.
Easier said than done, when an axe that had to weigh several hundred pounds was cleaving at your head every few seconds.
The two of them managed a quarter circle around the field like that, Rei backpedaling while Grant chased. Every time an opportunity arrived to close the gap between them, it was gone in a blink as the Mauler corrected his stance and approach. After nearly 30 seconds of this Rei even realized that he hadn’t yet gleaned a distinct pattern in the boy’s assault, nothing he could work off of to adapt to. It almost made him smile.
Grant had clearly done his own studying up since his loss at Aria’s hands…
“I thought you weren’t running today, Ward!”
The snarled statement came between rolling cuts as the axe slashed down once, then twice with a heavy twist of Grant’s body. Rei dodged left, then right, but before he could jump forward to go for an exposed flank Grant was sweeping the air with a steel-booted kick, giving himself the moment he needed to get his weapon back into place.
“There’s a difference between running and retreating, Grant,” Rei answered, unable to stop himself. “It’s called ‘tactics’.”
“It’s called being a coward,” came the response, and Rei had to dart back yet again as the blade shrieked diagonally down from above. “And here I was hoping for more from you.”
Rei forced himself to keep his trap shut, at that, even if it made it seem like he had no good answer to give. He was already very nearly winded, and talking would only bring on exhaustion faster. He needed to think, needed to focus. He did have the one trick, inefficient as it was. He just had to figure out how to apply it. On a neutral field, though, what did he have to use? No loose objects. Barely any variation in the terrain. Hardly any obstacles. All there was were the pillars that made up the steps.
The pillars… and Rei’s own body.
With a grimace, an idea started to take shape, and the next chance he had Rei slipped to his right, southward, towards the arch of the stairway.
Grant, expectedly, followed him at once, pushing him across the uneven field in the direction of the pillars. It was to the Mauler’s advantage, of course. In an open space like the Neutral Zone, Rei could run him around the perimeter until one of them collapsed. If Grant could pin him against the stairs, though, could trap him in the curve of the zone’s one great obstacle, Rei would have nowhere left to go, no exit by which to escape.
The thought didn’t shape any additional confidence in a plan Rei suspected was going to suck for him even if it worked to perfection.
Then again, the fact that he timed his first “mistake” exactly right felt like a good start.
As they crossed the midpoint of the field, Rei glanced over his shoulder. It wasn’t the first time he’d done so as Grant had beaten him back, but this time he allowed his gaze to linger just a fraction too long on the pillars he was rapidly being forced towards, as though only just realizing his mistake. As expected the scraping sounds of the Mauler’s following shifted accordingly, and Rei snapped his attention around again to see Grant launching himself forward with a grunt and a massive sweep of his axe.
“Eyes on the fight, Ward!”
Rei jerked back, lacking the time he needed to dodge the blow completely and absent the Strength and Defense specs he would have required to block the full weight of such an assault. He didn’t have to pretend to hiss in pain as the very tip of the axe caught the upper left of his chest, the phantom-called edge slicing through suit and flesh like paper. At once Rei felt a little of the strength drain from his arm, and the notification he’d not been looking forward to flashed in the corner of his vision.
Skeletal muscle damage registered.
Left pectorals major laceration registered. Left pectorals minor severance registered.
Applying appropriate physiological restrictions.
Rei let himself curse out loud as he reeled backwards, only half-bluffing his scramble away from Grant. The Mauler followed with unbridled enthusiasm, knowing he’d landed the first real blow of the match. The win was as good as his to claim, now, and he took full advantage of the momentum gained by Rei’s injury. Like the axe weighed no more than a lash Grant used it to drive Rei back and back and back. Another few, smaller blows landed—not all of which had been allowed deliberately—and by the time he stepped into the curve of the arching pillars the combat log along one side of Rei’s frame was dense with minor limitations. A cut to the abdomen, to his right thigh, to his left shoulder. A kick to the outside of one hip and the blunt butt end of the axe full in the gut. Rei was well and truly staggering with every step now, only a few yards remaining between him and the stairway.
Come on, he begged silently of no one in particular. Come on…
Face skewed up against the pain, Rei struggled a little to follow Grant’s assault. The blows came fast and thick, none any slower than the other. The Mauler’s own face was slick with sweat, now, strands of his dark hair plastered to his forehead, jaw, and ears. The effort was there, Rei could see, the unwillingness to let this real, lasting chance to see him put down apparent in the strain. Grant still had Overclock up his sleeve, but he wouldn’t use it now. Not if he didn’t have to. This was the moment, this was the opportunity the Mauler had been looking for nearing 5 months. What sort of things would be said about the fight if he triggered his Ability in the close, when his opponent was already so thoroughly worn down?
At least, that was what Rei was banking on.
With Grant’s eagerness, though, also came recklessness. No longer was his focus on his technique, on his form. No longer were his thoughts on doing everything he could to keep Rei from reading him. The win was there, right there, and it was time to take it.
It finally brought the patterns—those subtle repetitions in the Mauler’s style that Aria had said she’d found—to the forefront of the fight.
There!
Rei saw the moment, saw the chance. As Grant brought his axe back for another massive horizontal sweep, Rei preemptively lunged backwards, sacrificing the last feet he had between him and solid white of the pillars. His back slammed hard against the projection, but he didn’t notice as his thoughts screamed in success when Grant leapt after him, chasing his retreat. The axe descended just as intended, cutting from left to right, and it would very well have slashed Rei clean in two.
The jerk forward, though, the luring out of that last baited charge, had brought Grant closer than he’d anticipated to the pillars.
CRACK!
The great blade of the axe struck the physical hologram first, cutting a great, ripping gash out of the light. Rei braced himself, hoping he’d calculated right, but all the same he screamed as the red vysetrium bit deep into his left ribs, slicing a good 4 or 5 inches through hi
s side before grinding to a halt. At once he felt the limitations applied, his left leg going mostly limp and one lung collapsing while pain spread like fire from the injury.
But pain was nothing. Pain, Rei could deal with.
And this fight wasn’t done just yet.
With a scraping sound like steel on stone Rei felt Grant start to retract the blade from the solidified light, the shifting of the metal in his side a searing wrench. All the same, even as he hissed in renewed agony Rei brought his left arm up in a spasming jerk to grab hold of the furthest part of the axe’s haft he could reach. There was nothing wrong with his grip, so he held on firmly. A little longer. He just needed a little longer. Grant’s guard would still be up.
Just a little longer…
“Not a bad fight, Ward.”
For the first time all match, Rei had to admit he was well and truly surprised. Through eyes squinted against the pain he looked up to find the Mauler standing with both hands at the very limit of his axe’s hilt, smartly just out of reach of Shido’s claws. Even with victory just short of a certainty, Grant wasn’t taking any chances he didn’t need to.
His eyes, though, were on Rei, steady and cool, and there was no smugness in the handsome lines of his face for once, no malingering dislike or disappointment.
If anything, the Mauler looked… satisfied.
“Weren’t you—” Rei could only wheeze out a few words at a time with one functioning lung “—just telling me… that you expected… more?”
Grant smirked, then, but only a little as he pulled at the axe again. Rei hissed at the jolt of fire in his side, but held firm, fighting to keep the blade exactly where it was wedged between his ribs, tip still sunk in the stone at his back.
“Let’s call it a step in the right direction,” the Mauler grunted. “I still think you’re a pain in the ass, but I didn’t see your back today.”
Iron Prince: A Progression Sci-Fi Epic (Warformed: Stormweaver Book 1) Page 99
