The Foolhardies 11 Warrior

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't disregarding Aura or Varda who were both running alongside me. I knew full well what these two badass females could do. In fact, as I caught sight of the two hulking forms jogging along either side of the three of us, I couldn't help but feel impressed with Varda's control over earth magic. Her two stone golems, with their imposing seven-foot bodies formed out of piles of white rocks, deserved praise. Meanwhile, Aura, who was no slouch herself, had rotated her staff to its other end where a shadowblade spear tip lay hidden.

She once told me that she wasn't a warrior, but this was not true at all. As I recall, much of the bruising I earned while training during my first week in the Fayne was because of her and that staff she loved.

However, I still didn't think this was enough. Even with the assistance of Fool's Insight, I didn't believe we could beat Azuma—and before I could condition my brain to think otherwise, we found ourselves within a spear throw's distance of the pixie-human brawl on the eastern hillside.

The soldiers in midnight blue clashed with the soldiers in grey armor between a row of abandoned wooden fences about fifteen yards away from the top of the eastern hillside. In this area, the hill's slope was at a lower angle, making the climb much easier for those coming from the bottom. Inwardly I wondered why Roselle hadn't thought to attack the hill via this route.

It was like a scene in an anime or an eastern movie. For even with the low visibility caused by the fog, I still saw the sparks that came to life as shadowblades clashed. And it was a credit to Qwipps' unit that they were still fighting hard despite the overwhelming number of their opponents. Still, it was clear just from a quick glance which side was winning.

Before I went full throttle on my dash headlong into the fray, I ordered Varda to tell her golems to bulldoze their way into the fight and cause as much chaos as possible.

Her response was, "They can only follow simple commands," to which I posed a question, "That wasn't simple enough for you?" and she responded with a shrug, "They're more... go left, go right, kill, etc," and I shook my head before saying, "Okay... tell them to smash," after which, she finished with, "They can do that."

That entire conversation happened in an instant and was mostly quick banter while we ran. Aura had that same amount of time to say, "You couldn't think up a better plan than... smash?"

"Worked for the Hulk," I cried, right before Varda gave her command of, "smash!" to the two stone golems.

It was a treat to watch two giant chunks of walking stone sculptures barrel into both our soldiers and Azuma's unit with no discrimination. There was major confusion going on as neither side was certain which side summoned these new challengers.

I watched a golem pick up one of the human Magesong clan soldiers with a massive stone fist, and in the next motion, send that same human flying into the air. The other golem copied this action too. Unfortunately, the pixie it tossed into the sky was one of Qwipps' people.

"Muddammit, Varda!" Qwipps screamed. "Tell your goons we're not the enemy!"

"I can't," she yelled back, destroying the possibility of a sneak attack. "Only simple commands... sorry!"

"Mud!" Qwipps yelled back.

A golem had focused its attack on him and he had to fly into the sky to avoid its grasping stone fingers.

"Dean wanted chaos," Varda grumbled to no one in particular. "This is chaos!"

She was right. It really had become sufficiently chaotic. And in the middle of that chaos, calmly surveying the battle around him like it was nothing special to be standing still while shadowblades swished by and arrows zoomed past him, was Azuma.

He wore a complete set of black steel plate-mail, and it was really the only physically intimidating thing about him. The rest of him was just so regular you'd be hard pressed to figure out why everyone was so wary of him. Azuma was a tan-skinned middle-aged man with long, curly black hair he didn't bother to comb flowing around his head like a widow's shroud. The slanted, black eyes beneath bushy eyebrows were the sunken look of someone who hadn't slept in days. He had an angular face with high cheekbones. His pale mouth was dry and cracked. The frail body inside the armor was that of an emaciated man starving from hunger, or maybe something else.

My initial impression of Azuma was that of a tired-looking man with no special talents, but despite his weird aura, insight told me to be wary. This guy was dangerous. You could tell that from the sharpness in his gaze, and in the tightness of his grip as he held his black steel spear aloft. Perhaps, that was always how he was, even on that night I'd first heard him scream about fairies wanting to take him.

Yes, this warrior of renown had the same name as the mental patient who was causing trouble in his room that night I went to visit mom and learned the truth of Luca's disappearance. I would later learn, during the time Aura and I were researching possible big-name enemies we could encounter atop this very hill—this gateway to the Magesong Clan's territory—that the Azuma of the Fayne and the Azuma of St. Lucy's was the same person.

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I now understood why he refused the sleep medication. He must not have wanted to come back to the Fayne to fight over and over every night for the rest of his life. It was the trade a visere made for a fairy's favor. And I wondered what it was Azuma wanted so desperately that he was willing to sacrifice himself for his desire in the same way I was willing to sacrifice myself to save Luca.

Sadly, I didn't have more time to think about this—perhaps if I did, he and I wouldn't have to fight—Azuma's steely gaze was looking right at me.

"Aura, Varda, back me up!" I said, and with that, I drew my falchion in one quick motion and charged into the fray.

It wasn't difficult for my shadowblade to reach him because by some lucky coincidence—or more likely, a demand of fate—the path between me and Azuma cleared suddenly. In that instant, we both jumped forward. I with my falchion cleaving through the air and he with his spear piercing through the space between us. I dodged his spear thrust, and he parried my slash. Then he sent the butt of his spear careening into my side but I repelled it by pushing my falchion down at the last second. Immediately after this, I raised my sword in both hands and with my foot stepping forward for support sent my shadowblade down in a vertical slash using all the power I had in my body.

I'd like to think it would have been a killing blow for anyone other than Luca or Edo. Azuma now counted among them. The steel handle of his spear met my slash with an upward rise that knocked my blade back, causing me to lose my footing.

This mistake would have caused me dearly if Aura hadn't sent a streak of orange flames from the tip of her staff's red orb right at Azuma immediately afterward. He easily dodged this counter as a Firebolt took a predictably straight path that would be noticeable to anyone who saw it coming. However, Aura's intention wasn't to hurt Azuma but to keep him from hurting me.

Both Azuma and I stepped back and retook this momentary respite to reform our stances. But when he saw mine, how I held my falchion in both hands and extended the tip of the shadowblade forward as if readying to thrust at him, he finally broke the silence between us.

"You studied kendo?" he asked in a rough voice.

I nodded. I shouldn't have done that because I knew better than to share vital information with an opponent but Azuma's curiosity was also an opportunity to learn more about him.

"You're not used to the spear, are you?" I asked.

The way he held it with the spearhead pointed up, and with his body standing tall and relaxed, it didn't seem like he was ready for the next clash. Our earlier confrontation told me his movements were mostly reflex as there was no skill in his attacks.

"Is that how it seems to you?" Azuma glanced at his shadowblade's spear tip. He sighed. "I guess it doesn't really matter whether or not I'm prepared..."

He sent me such a bored look that I half-wondered what I was being all serious about.

"Whether it's the sword or the spear or the bow... I used to know them all. I used to sweat tears of blood in the hours upon hours I spent learning to use them... but now... now it is unnecessary," he said, sounding resigned. "Do you understand, boy? aren't you like me?"

It was official now. This man was crazy. But I didn't say that out loud. I simply waited for him to finish his rant. It was an opportunity to stall for some time while Aura and Varda flanked him from the sides.

"The fairies took it from me the same way they'll take it from you," he said in a resigned tone.

"What did they take from you?" I asked despite myself.

The heavy rainfall continued. The tunder boomed. A streak of lightning illuminated our surroundings.

"My purpose," he answered, and without warning, without even the slightest hint of movement, Azuma charged. Only, he wasn't heading toward me. He had charged toward Varda instead.

I didn't even have time to warn her as the flat of Azuma's spearhead smacked Varda in the side and sent her careening into the huddle of soldiers who were fighting on our left. It was only thanks to the grace of Lady Luck that this was the exact spot Qwipps was fighting in.

"Mud! Varda?!" He yelled in surprise.

Qwipps jumped up to catch her almost reflexively, and Varda crashed into him before going limp in his arms. This also meant that the two stone golems she summoned would lose the magic that animated them. True enough, I heard the crumbling of dozens of rocks from somewhere in the surrounding battlefield. I had no time to check. I couldn't even check if Varda was dead or alive because Azuma was dashing for Aura with his spear raised forward.

However, unlike Varda who had no talent in melee combat, Aura, who was well-trained by the clan's best weapon masters, showed just how capable she was when she met Azuma's charge with her own. Aura twirled her staff around so that the shadowblade spearhead would come forward. Then she used the momentum of the twirl to raise the spear in an upward slashing motion that cut through rain and into—nothing.

Azuma wasn't there. He was above her. He had actually jumped the short distance between them and thrust his spear at Aura's head. This attack might have killed her too if Aura hadn't kept one final trick of hers in reserve.

The Firebolt Aura fired at Azuma when she saved me wasn't actually a spell she'd cast. It was simply a magic enchantment contained inside the orb of her Hearthwood Staff which was the only gold tier weapon I've ever seen. Now, some specialists would argue that silver tier weapons were sharper and therefore deadlier than gold tier weapons that had less attack power, but the one advantage of a gold tier item was its ability to store powerful enchantments inside them. In Aura's case, her staff could cast the Firebolt spell—even if Aura hadn't learned it herself—indefinitely or until Aura's mana depleted. This meant that she hadn't actually cast her last spell for the night.

A series of molten patterns appeared in the space between Azuma and Aura, and her Shield of Flame erupted to life in a fiery blaze. However, as it was obviously a rushed, chantless spell and therefore weaker in its casting than one strengthened by an appeal to the spirits, the shield's shimmering, magical form shattered after it clashed with Azuma's spear. This was fine as the shield had fulfilled its purpose and prevented the death of my partner who I hadn't known was talented enough to cast chantless spells.

The force of her magic's destruction blew both Aura and Azuma back, making it the perfect opportunity for a counterattack.

While Azuma and Aura were fighting, I'd activated Fool's Insight despite the strain it placed on my eyes because I needed all the advantage I could get for my next move. And although I knew about the hidden power of Aura's staff, I wasn't sure she could save herself—I really should trust her more. Still, Fool's Insight was active and working well enough that I saw the instant Azuma was vulnerable. It was right after destruction of the Shield of Flame blew him back. In that brief moment of opportunity, I rushed at him and sent my falchion right into his side, into the slim slit opening in the plates of his armor just below his armpit.

I slammed into him, and blood splattered onto my face as I plunged the falchion's shadowblade deep into his body. The momentum of our impact sent us both crashing onto the wet earth.

The slope sent me tumbling a little ways down the hill. I lost my grip on my falchion. My body felt bruised all over. There was a ringing in my ears. I released Fool's Insight and felt the gift leave my eyes blurrier than before.

Raindrops fell down my upturned face. "Ouch… call an ambulance."

I crawled to my feet feeling like I was in a car crash. Groggily, I looked over to Aura, who, despite my successful assassination of the enemy commander was gazing back at me, not with pride, but with wide-eyed fear. No. My blurry sight kept me from seeing the obvious in time. Aura wasn't staring at me. She was looking behind me.

"They took away my purpose when their gift made me unkillable," Azuma's voice was so close. So close, in fact, I was certain he'd whispered his words into my ear.

I turned my head to see what I already knew I'd find.

Azuma, who was taller than Luca by a head, was towering over me with my falchion comically stuck halfway inside him, piercing him just below the left armpit. It made him look like an extra from some campy zombie movie.

"I ask you," and Azuma's hollow eyes gazed at me with a manic light in them. "What kind of warrior will know the meaning of true victory when he is cheated of the chance to put his life on the line?"

Then he sent his spearhead into my gut.

Chapter end