Reborn From the Cosmos

In the north, every child eagerly awaited the day they picked up a weapon for the first time, both the wooden facsimiles and the cold steel. Alana had been more eager than most. For her, it wasn't just a matter of living up to old traditions or chasing glory, a marathon that quickly grew tiring. Combat was her salvation, was the only road to her birthright. She never dreamed of the peaceful south like her sister. The sword might have been her only option, but she chose to embrace it rather than resent it.

Despite her willingness to engage in it, Alana didn't enjoy combat. She enjoyed power. She loved coming out of a competition of skill the better and maybe she enjoyed projecting her superiority over idiots, with due restraint.

The rest of it she endured. Such as the start of a fight; the tense moment when two combatants eyed each other, searching for weaknesses and opportunities. She thanked the ancestors and saints that her opponent wasn't a circler. It always annoyed her when a training partner circled her like an energetic dog, as if their pacing would unnerve her rather than waste their energy.

The knight was no young fool. He was a wall, a target she didn't know how to begin bringing down. She was coming to the conclusion that strategy would have to follow brute force this instance when the choice was taken from her With a sudden burst of movement, he was upon her.

If she hadn't spent a year consorting with monstrous women, she might have been surprised by his ability to close the distance in less than a breath. He was fast, but not faster than Kierra when she was in the mood for a chase. Not faster than Lou pressing her fingers into a sensitive spot under her ribs to make her squeak. Not even faster than Rolly's intangible targets.

Remembering the force of his swing, she dodged; she could exchange blows with him if she needed but doing so would quickly tire her out. She had to be quick, both to move and to strike. A drawn-out fight would be bad. As she sidestepped his blow and twisted out of the way of his overzealous follow-up strike, she swung her sword with the spirit of a lumberjack intending to fell a tree in a single blow.

While she knew not to underestimate her opponent, he didn't have the benefit of experiencing her strength. He raised an arm to stop her blow as he twisted his blade around, intending to strike her with the pommel. He dismissed her. And why wouldn't he? He was a royal knight. They were meant to be the strongest, the fastest, and the toughest. He didn't give a thought for the abilities of a young girl that probably reminded him of the fresh-faced grunts from his time in the army.

Alana's grin was vicious as her sword dented his gauntlet and knocked him off his feet. If he were a normal knight, the blow would have taken his arm. She honestly expected it to knock him on his ass. She didn't let the fact that her best could only make him stumble discourage her, surging forward to capitalize on his mistake.

She unleashed a barrage of blows, comprised of more enthusiasm than skill. Her goal was to take it down in seconds, before he had the chance to utilize his skills. But even off-balance and wielding his sword one-handed, he kept up with her, parrying her blows with greater efficiency as he recovered.

Finally, he caught one of her chops on the guard of his sword, set his feet, and shoved her away, giving him much needed space. Alana immediately sprang forward, but a wall of earth rose between them so fast she couldn't stop, leaping and kicking off it to keep from slamming into the stone nose first.

Her frantic pulse demanded that she skirt the wall, but she reigned in her enthusiasm. The last thing she needed was to go in blind and walk into an act. Grimacing, she retreated and stood tensely, ready for the knight's next attack. With each passing second, she bemoaned her lack of ranged attacks. Rolly had options but with her lacking understanding and the nature of the spell, casting it once would take her entire mana pool. An unacceptable gamble. If she didn't bring down her opponent, the shock of draining her core so fast would knock her out and guarantee a loss.

She'd have to make do with the few tricks she'd learned.

Tricks that felt woefully inadequate as the wall in from of her burst. Alana moved as the chunks of rock froze in the air, guessing what came next. She wasn't disappointed. The rocks shot at her with incredible speed, tracking her as she used an erratic path to approach the casting knight. It resembled the lightfly's training so closely, Alana didn't look forward to recounting the story later, dreading how smug the elemental would be. Especially how easily, Alana swatted them away the ones she couldn't dodge, inwardly wincing with every impact against her blade.

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The knight wasn't daunted by her display. He moved toward her, faster than before. Alana was ready for him. She felt a twinge in her chest as she called on her mana. A dome of darkness spread with her at the center, her magic turning the light away. A state that hampered her as much as her opponent; she didn't have Lou's special eyes that cared for no condition.

Her second spell was the solution. A more familiar, gentler spell on her core. Her blade gleamed with light, illuminating her opponent and hopefully stunning him. She'd seen the effects of a sudden bright light shined into someone's eyes. Putting them in darkness first only intensified the effect, elevating it to painful levels.

The light only appeared for a moment before it winked out, Alana sidestepping and attacking from another angle. He should have been expecting her from the front. He should have been open.

Her mouth dropped with shock as her blade was knocked aside. Another flash in the dark to illuminate her opponent. Another reposition. Another swing. Another deflection.

Like lightning leaping between dark clouds, Alana's light flickered and jumped in the conjured darkness as she danced around her opponent, growing more desperate as her attacks failed to breach the impossible defense.

A sudden gust of wind hit her leg, knocking it from underneath her. She didn't have time to question it as a heavy blow slammed her into the ground, forcing the air from her chest.

Her attempt to jump to her feet was thwarted by rings of earth rising from the ground to hold her in place, constricting her down to her ankles. The chill of metal pressed against her neck made her hair stand on end.

"That's enough."

Alana relaxed. Soon enough, the darkness retreated, revealing the golden knight, his injured arm held close to his side but otherwise undamaged. "How did you see me?"

"I didn't. I have the air affinity." Her mind recalled the sudden gust that ruined her balance. "It is possible to track an opponent through disturbances in the wind."

"That's it?"

"With enough practice, it's far more powerful than you can imagine."

She grunted in acknowledgment, some of her early disdain of the man softening under the weight of admiration. A royal knight may not be the legendary figure the stories painted them as, but there was no denying he was skilled. "Run into many stealthy monsters?"

"Monsters are rarely stealthy. Everyone knight of the crown learns something similar to my technique for your kind."

"What does that mean?"

"Better question. How long are you going to hold a blade to her throat?"

Suddenly, Lou was there, and she was angry. Figurative venom dripped from her tone, promising violence if her unspoken demand wasn't met immediately.

Thankfully, the knight was no fool. He sheathed his blade as his eyes glowed, likely to remove her restraints. He didn't get the chance. The rings were thin enough for Lou to grip them. Her fingers turned them to gravel, her quick hands freeing Alana in a blink.

Alana was gently lifted and set on her feet, Lou holding her close as she glared at the knight. She didn't argue; she could tell from the tension in her lover's hand how much the fight had stressed Lou. Soon, she would have to get comfortable with Alana facing danger, but she'd ease her protective lover into it.

"A fine showing, young knight." York nodded to Alana before facing Lou. "I hope that demonstration was enough."

"Enough for what? Wait. You…you're still not coming with us."

"…then what was the purpose of that duel?"

To save your life, Alana thought. And to test myself. Instead, she said, "You raised a challenge. It was accepted. That has nothing to do with our mission."

Her tact wasn't appreciated. The knight's good hand balled at his side. "You've made a fool of me."

An accusation that felt decidedly unfair. They hadn't done a damn thing besides told him to go away and met his challenge when he didn't. Was it embarrassment? He had put ridiculous expectations on them and now that they weren't being met, he'd rather blame them than his own delusional mind? Maybe he simply couldn't accept being told no?

"Better a fool than dead." Lou waved her free hand in a shooing motion. "Go away. Do something useful."

Alana was worried he would lash out or, worse, unsheathe his sword again. But thankfully, he thought better of his temper and walked away. She doubted it was in good spirits and had a feeling that she would see York again in unfavorable circumstances, but she put those thoughts out of her mind as she let Lou walk her to the table.

"I don't know why you did that sunshine," Lou grumbled as they settled.

"It was good practice." Namely, it highlighted that, despite everything, she was still underestimating what others could do. And that she needed to either increase her mana core or find another option for ranged attacks.

The feeling of mana intrusion made her turn to Kierra, and she found the elf watching her with a smile.

"Keep on your path, little star," Kierra purred as her magic raced to heal Alana's mild aches before they could become bruises. "Show me the day you outshine even conquerors."

Alana fiercely bit her lower lip to keep a mortifying sound from escaping as her thighs pressed together, calling on every shred of willpower to keep herself from reacting further. When the day came where she was stronger than the elf, she'd pay the troublesome woman back for every one of the embarrassing moments she foresaw in her future.