Fighter's Fever: The Metallic Siege

by Ricardo Nazaire

“Just what the hell is your grandma doing with a sword at her age, Paul?”

  “Focus, Keenth! If you're such a great swordsman, so go ahead and prove it!”

  “Ha, be careful what you ask for! Now, get ready, because I won’t hold back!”

  “Good! I wouldn’t expect any less. Let’s go!”

  The sound of blades distantly clashing in the forest brings Keenth back to reality as his fight with Paul continues.

  After attempts at reaching out to Paul were met with failure, Keenth decides to apply the skills that were recently sharpened during his training in Azoco.

  “You’re definitely Paul...There’s no mistaking it,” Keenth comments, shocked at how his opponent was easily able to keep up with his pace and meticulously apply pressure in return. “But I still can’t believe that you got this powerful in such a short amount of time.”

  “It is nothing for someone like you to understand, Hedstrom. The only thing for you to do is to stay in your place,” Paul responds, while swinging his sword.

  Keenth parries the attack, only for Paul to attack him twice with his knee. Keenth grabs his side to confirm that those hits were enough to bruise a couple of his ribs.

  The instant he looks up, Paul lunges forward and slams Keenth’s head into a nearby tree trunk.

  Falling to one knee, Keenth’s head is held up by his hair as Paul readies his sword to impale him between the eyes. Without a moment to lose, Keenth drives his sword through Paul’s stomach.

  With regret in his eyes, Keenth pulls back, but is horrified at seeing Paul completely unaffected. In response, Paul discards his sword to use both hands to effortlessly lift Keenth by the neck, aiming to choke the life out of him.

  “Don’t get so cocky,” Keenth shouts as he sharpened his Auraen, giving him the opportunity to free himself.

  “Upgrades or not, you’re a thousand years away from my level,” Keenth says as he savagely headbutts Paul. He follows this up by striking Paul across the face. Catching his breath, Keenth quickly retrieves both of their swords. “Now where were we,” Keenth proclaims, while tossing Paul’s weapon toward him, continuing their fight. “If words won’t bring you back, then I’ll just have to beat the hell out of you until they do.”

  “Don’t get too full of yourself,” Paul says as he raises his sword. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you. Don’t expect that to happen again, Keenth. Let’s go!”

  Chapter Nine

  “What did you just say, Paul?”

  “You heard me, Keenth! Don’t act like you’re stupid all of a sudden. Now let’s wrap this up or else Aamina will tear us up for not being ready for the Keyes Ceremony in the morning.”

  “Aamina? Keyes Ceremony? That was almost a month ago,” Keenth thought to himself. “What in the world is going through his head right now?”

  “Well, if you’re just going to stand around like that, then I’ll make my move. You should know by now that sword of yours stands no chance against my Fehrenblade,” Paul states as he readies his stance.

  “Time to end this...Wait, w-what the hell? What’s on my arm?”

  Paul was shocked at the sight of the metallic brace on his right arm and Keenth was equally confused. Keenth moved forward in an attempt to calm Paul.

  “Get back...Just get the hell away from me,” Paul demands. “I...I just need to get to the bottom of this. Just give me a goddamn second to focus.”

  Placing his hand on his forehead to help himself concentrate, Paul screams out in pain as the silver band across his head releases a series of violent electric currents throughout his body.

  Without a moment of hesitation, Keenth tosses his sword aside and rushes over to help. Paul, who is writhing on the ground, struggles to plead for his friend to assist him.

  “K-Keenth...P-please…”

  “Man, what a damn waste.”

  “Fallon! What the hell is happening? What’s going on with Paul?”

  “Back when that situation was going on at the Academy, I took your friend here in for a few, let’s say, adjustments. I’m well aware that you’ve seen those shiny, fancy Phantom-Bombers up close, so you of all people should know warriors would need any advantage they can out there.”

  “That doesn’t answer my goddamn question, Fallon!”

  “What the hell do I look like? You are in no position to ask me anything. Whether you like it or not, you’re coming with me. Now excuse me while I take your old friend out of his misery.”

  Agent Fallon reaches for his sword, but slightly hesitates before he dodges a large wooden spear. He demands that the assailant comes forward.

  “N-no way,” a shocked Keenth immediately states. “Is that really you?”

  “I know, I know. I’m late to the party,” Richard assures. “Sorry, boss, I was a bit caught up earlier.”

  “I’ll have you know that an attempt on LanTech Agent’s life is a crime punishable by death,” Agent Fallon interrupts.

  “Yeah, what of it? Besides, you survived, didn’t you? More importantly, do you care to explain what a distinguished Agent such as yourself is doing out here? From what I can tell, your intentions here aren’t exactly in line with those of the Invincible Empire, now are they?”

  “Just like I was just telling the kid, I have no obligation to answer you. Look, things aren’t exactly going how I thought they would out here. So, if you don’t step aside, I’ll just have to deal with you accordingly.”

  “Ah! Now that’s something I would love to see,” Richard eagerly replies. “But you’ll find that taking on an opponent that, I don’t know, is actually your age, might be a bit more than you can handle, Mister Agent.”

  “Something tells me that I’m really going to enjoy this,” Agent Fallon thought to himself while releasing the waves of his Auraen. “It’s been a while since I’ve gone all out.”

  “Hurry up and make your way back to the village,” Richard says to Keenth as he moves Paul away from danger. “I can handle this Agent, but I can’t be at two places at once.”

  “But Richard–”

  “This isn’t up for debate. You should be able to sense it now too: Kendra and the others need you, Keenth.”

  Keenth understood and makes his way back to Azoco Village. Agent Fallon rushes in pursuit, only to find the surrounding area covered in flames at the snap of Richard’s fingers.

  “It looks like you’ve been out here for a while. With all of this freaking rain today, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to warm up a bit. Call me a nice guy, but I wouldn’t want you catching a cold or anything.”

  “You are far too kind,” Agent Fallon says as he rushes toward his opponent. “Now, allow me to show my sincere gratitude!”

  Keenth focuses all of his strength toward returning to the village thinking that he’s never felt Kendra’s Auraen like this.

  While she can be a bit rough around the edges at times, deep down Kendra’s Auraen is normally genuinely warm and welcoming.

  But here and now, Keenth senses something deeply raw and dark about the skirmish in Azoco.

  There wasn’t fighting and there definitely wasn’t sparring; there was only one thing that came to Keenth’s mind: Death.

  “Please, please let me make it in time,” Keenth thinks to himself. “Kendra, Lady Aida...Everyone...Just hold out for just a little longer.”

  “Is that any way to treat the Assistant Student Affairs Liaison, Keenth? I swear, this younger generation is completely out of pocket!”

  “Don’t you mean Assistant to the Student Affairs Liaison,” Keenth quickly replies, only to realize that he’s talking out loud to himself.”

  “Why the hell am I imagining Aamina’s voice right now? Is it because Paul mentioned her before? Damn it, man...This is the last thing that I need to be worrying about right now–”

  Before he can finish, the sounds of Paul’s screams begin to echo through Keenth’s mind. Dropping to the ground, a rapid flash of memories rush through and strike him to the very core.

  “P
aul...Cory...Ben...Beth…”

  Keenth begins to panic uncontrollably as he remembers his friends and allies and what he believes to be their current fates.

  While trying to get himself together, he wipes away what he thought to be raindrops only to see that they were tears. Then a reassuring exchange comes to mind.

  “Well, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do...”

  “Don’t worry. I learned a few things that’ll make you proud.”

  “K-Kendra…KENDRA!”

  Keenth’s resolve is renewed as he rushes towards his destination. Despite the injuries he sustained earlier, he is focused on helping the people he cares about.

  Upon reaching Azoco, Keenth is not only shocked at how much carnage took place, but at his worst fears are realized. Finally, he manages to speak.

  “That’s not possible,” Keenth thinks to himself as he calls out to his fallen friend. “Not you...Not you, Kendra.”

  As Keenth checks Kendra’s pulse, she begins to cough.

  “Don’t use this as an excuse to use mouth-to-mouth,” Kendra weakly states. “The thought...The thought of you even doing that makes me sick…”

  “Yeah, yeah. Missed you too,” Keenth says as he gives Kendra a reassuring smile.

  “I have no idea what happened, but I’ve got it from here. Just hang tight, Kendra.”

  “T-trust me, Keenth. This isn’t someone you can handle...Hell, look at me. If you still have any strength, run. Run as far away from here as possible!”

  “Are you out of your mind? If they were strong enough to do all of this to the village, then–”

  “Then what? She did this to our village, so it’s a problem for Azoco to handle! This...this doesn’t concern you, Keenth!”

  “Like hell it doesn’t! Sorry, but we’re going to have to agree to disagree. I’m not budging on this, whether you like it or not.”

  “Well said, kid. Way to stand your ground. That Kendra girl is as stubborn as they come,” Kusari comments. “I don’t know how you people deal with her.”

  “We manage. The name’s Keenth Hedstrom, by the way.”

  As Keenth begins to walk towards Kusari, he tries not to show that he’s intimidated by someone who bested his mentor. On the other hand, Kusari replies to the young warrior.

  “Charmed. Look, I don’t know what went down outside of the village, but I’m on a job here. If you get in my way, then I’ll just have to cut you up like your little friend over–”

  Keenth immediately strikes Kusari only for his attack to be blocked. The fact that he was able to rush towards Kusari is something she took note of. Observing Keenth’s injuries, she deduces that his movements were just above average speed.

  “Keenth, huh? That was something special, wasn’t it? If you had something like that under your sleeve, what took you so long to get back to the village in the first place?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “A bit on the slow side, are we? If you rushed here to help out the village, why didn't you just pull that trick out of your bag to get here faster?”

  “Trick? Don’t treat this like some type of game,” Keenth shouts while raising his Auraen. “You became our problem the second you decided to step foot in Azoco!”

  “Funny you say that. Your friend said something pretty similar. Tell me, how exactly do you two know one another?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but she’s been training me since I got here.”

  “Really now? Well that makes things rather interesting, don’t you think?”

  “How so? What are you getting at?”

  “Something tells me you didn’t come back to save Azoco. Villages and cities can be rebuilt with a bit of time and effort. No, the fact that you didn’t even bother asking about the others in the village tells me that you just came back for someone.”

  “What of it?” Keenth replies, while trying to remain focused on his opponent. “Regardless of what you think my reasons are, I’m here now. If you can understand that, then let’s get this over with.”

  “Why are you in such a rush to end this? You must have a death wish, right?”

  “Far from it. I don’t know what your business is with Fallon, but I’m not going to let you people get away with any of this a second longer!”

  “That’s a mighty bold claim coming from a child. I’m starting to wonder if that stubbornness is your own or something you picked up from your friend over there. More importantly, whatever business I have with Fallon or anyone else is none of your concern. A job’s a job, so don’t make things personal.”

  “You do this to the village, and expect me not to take this personal?? Try saying that again after I’m done with you!!”

  “Bold words,” Kusari muses as she waves a storm of Auraen needles towards Keenth. “But don’t get too full of yourself, boy!”

  Keenth barely dodges her attack, only for Kusari to continuously repeat her assault. Keenth desperately tries to defend himself from the onslaught, but his arm is quickly penetrated by several needles.

  His entire right side is now paralyzed. Keenth struggles to wield his sword with his left hand, while Kusari calmly reveals the nature of her abilities.

  “Divine Willow Fang,” Kusari states. “I can summon a practically endless amount of these Auraen needles. They allow me to not only penetrate most targets, but they can stop individuals from using their Auraen as well.”

  “H-how can an ability like that even exist?”

  “To each their own. My powers do not discriminate. Man, woman, or child: if given the right price, I can use this to take down a militia with my strength alone.”

  “How the hell do I face something like that?” Keenth thinks to himself, before immediately considering a strategy. “Abilities aside, she’s human too. There has to be a way to–”

  Before Keenth can finish formulating his plan, dozens of needles strike Keenth’s legs. Falling to the ground, he screams in pain, while frantically trying to move.

  Knowing that the battle is reaching its end, Kusari readies one of her daggers.

  “You showed promise, I’ll give you that. But at the end of the day, my job is to eliminate anyone that interferes with Fallon’s plan. He asked me to show restraint, but also made it very clear to kill you if necessary.”

  Kusari shakes her head as she raises a dagger over Keenth. In a desperate attempt to save his life, a battered Kendra intervenes, only to be stabbed in the stomach.

  “Kendra? No...Why…Why would you do this?” Keenth somberly asks. “This...This wasn’t supposed to happen…”

  Kusari looks down as Keenth cradles his friend, feeling completely removed from everything except for Kendra’s wellbeing.

  With rain continuing to beat down upon the village, Keenth embraces Kendra with the hope that she would say something, anything, to reassure him that she would be okay.

  Unfortunately, despite how hard he wished, he could only look on as her eyes remain closed.

  Firmly gripping her blade even harder, Kusari decides to carry out her duties before being interrupted by a massive distant Efir explosion.

  This brings Keenth back into the present and he is confused at Kusari preparing to depart the village.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure Fallon doesn’t get himself killed, what else does it look like?”

  “Do you think you can just do this and walk away?”

  “Does it really look like I gave a damn about this hellhole in the first place? What good is coming out here if my buyer gets killed in the process?”

  “I don’t care about that! I won’t forgive you for what–”

  “Would you just shut the hell up?” Kusari shouts. “It should be pretty clear that this is the best thing that could have happened to you people. This just bought you a bit longer to live, not that it matters much anyway.”

  “What does that even mean?”

  “It means that whenever I handle this Fallo
n situation, you better believe that I will finish what I started with both of you.”

  “Why? What do you gain out of this?”

  “Like I said, a job’s a job. That and, if you think you can run off and hide somewhere, just know that I can trace back the Auraen of anyone that my Willow Fang has struck.”

  “So even if we leave the village–”

  “I’ll just find you wherever you go. Of course, I’ll make an example out of every single person in Azoco, if that’s the path you want to take. You will just come back to piles of bodies if it comes to that. I can’t go around letting it seem like you got one over on me. I have a reputation to keep, after all.”

  “So that’s what this is to you.”

  “No, not to me. That’s just how the world works. You are nothing without what you stand for. If you are so willing to throw your life away, then feel free to follow me and die in the forest like a dog. Otherwise, enjoy the little time that you still have while you can.”

  With that, Kusari departs toward Fallon and Richard’s battle. The sound of the rainfall was the only thing that could be heard in the village. The reality of Kusari’s words hit Keenth, but before he could truly process them, his focus returned to Kendra.

  “Kendra...Just give me something, anything...Please…”

  The silence was more painful than any of the injuries that Keenth had sustained that day. Losing Kendra like this was something he struggled to even think about.

  Holding her tightly, Keenth did not realize someone was approaching to offer support.

  “Don’t worry, Keenth. Somehow, she’s still alive. But that will change if we don’t act quickly.”

  “Lady Aida,” Keenth exclaims. “You’re okay...What about the others?”

  “They’re fine. When you left, Kendra and I insured that the villagers were out of harm’s way. The plan was for her to meet up with you, but…”

  “I’m sorry. If I were only stronger, then this...All of this, wouldn’t have to happen…”

  “You have nothing to apologize for, Keenth. But, again, I can’t stress enough that we must move quickly to save Kendra.”

  “Of course. What can I do to help?”