I slammed my bladed gauntlets into Constance’s barrier-field, but their piercer-fields failed to penetrate the girl’s barrier. I leaned into her, and pushed against her field with the effect-field generated by my Valkyrie Armor.
The ground underfoot began to crack and shatter like glass.
I felt my footing start to slip.
“Countess—go! Run for the bridge now.”
She didn’t have to be told twice.
Without needing to look at her, I knew she was running for the bridge. My Awareness was expanded by the Valkyrie Armor. I could point to the Countess with my eyes closed, but right now my eyes were locked on Constance.
Simone sprinted along the bridge.
Constance shifted her stance, and pulled back. Immediately I fell into an overclocked state, and I realized she intended to chase down the Countess. I couldn’t allow her to do so, so I leapt at Constance again, and again our barrier-fields clashed as I held her back.
The girl snarled and suddenly her lance changed configuration.
It no longer resembled a jousting lance, but more like drill.
And then a piercer-field stronger than any I’d ever felt cut through my barrier, and I was forced to jump out of the way before I was perforated.
As luck would have it, I landed at the foot of the bridge.
Constance reconfigured her lance back to jousting mode, and I was certain it looked sharper than before.
When I fought her seven months ago, I hadn’t witnessed that ability from her Fragment. I had to wonder, was it the same Fragment I’d faced before?
I frowned inwardly. No, this was an example of her interfacing having improved, and thus she had unlocked new abilities in her Fragment.
Damn that piercer-field was strong.
Then I heard something unexpected.
The sound of something falling into water.
In the distance a girl screamed, “She jumped. Did you see that? She jumped into the water.”
Another girl yelled, “Is she drowning? Can you see her?”
Yet another person cried out, “Someone call for help. Call security.”
Through the Valkyrie Armor’s senses I could feel that a small crowd was beginning to gather on the bridge.
Then I heard the inevitable.
“Look—look. What are those?”
“Familiars—look they’re Familiars.”
“Are those Fragments?”
“Didn’t they say Fragments are weapons?”
“Hey, they’re fighting.”
“Cool—look at those chicks go!”
“They look awesome.”
I stared at Constance whose gaze flickered over my shoulder. I didn’t lower my guard nor change my stance. “What are you going to do? The Countess is long gone. There’s no need to continue this anymore.”
Constance’s eyes hardened. She wasn’t glaring anymore. She was just staring at me coldly with a killing intent in her eyes.
“Actually,” she hissed, “there’s every reason to keep going.”
I didn’t get the chance to respond.
But I did get the chance to block her piercer-field with my barrier-field.
I realized there was no turning back now.
There was certainly no running away.
Constance had made up her mind. She was going to make me pay for what I’d done to her seven months ago when I prevented her from getting to Caelum.
I didn’t doubt for a moment that she had been held responsible for the Ventiss Family failing to secure him.
I didn’t doubt for a moment she blamed me for the humiliation she’d suffered.
I blocked her piercer-field with a heartbeat to spare, but I was unprepared for the sweep she executed with her lance. The weapon’s conical form changed in a second to a sharp, bladed form that cut the barrier-field protecting my left flank. Before it could breach the field, I managed to drop my right gauntlet into the blade’s path, but the force of the blow knocked me aside.
I actually tumbled through the air before crashing down hard and rolling to a stop along the bank of the artificial waterway that enlarged into one of two small lakes.
Scrambling to my feet, I expected Constance to chase after Simone. Instead the girl came at me, and the bladed lance slashed down at my head.
I used both gauntlets to block her lance. The impact knocked me down to one knee.
She gave me no time to recover, swing it once more, piercing my barrier field and catching me by surprise.
Her blade missed my neck with only inches to spare.
Again my Valkyrie Armor reformed its barrier-field, and as it did, I rolled out of the way.
But Constance chased me down, and we found our positions on the bank reversed, with my back to the bridge. Blow by blow she pushed me back toward it.
Blow by blow I retreated, finding it hard to keep up with her speed and strength.
How could she be so strong?
How could she have improved so much in seventh months?
I started retreating up the bridge, blocking and parrying her thrusts so quickly the skinsuit was having trouble keeping up with me.
Instead of fleeing, the park’s patrons were forming a spectating crowd. A dozen at first, then two, then a hundred. All along the bank, and a safe distance away, people ranging from children to young couples and families were watching the spectacle of two Familiars fighting in broad daylight.
Park Security was trying to keep them back, but everyone’s attention was on Constance and I. More than a few palm-slates were aimed our way, recording the fight for posterity.
This was really going to cause an incident for the Prides. Covering up or explaining this was going to be a nightmare for the Raynars.
But that wasn’t my problem.
My problem was Constance and her Fragment lance with its multiple configurations.
I had no idea if the Countess had reached her goal.
I had no idea how this encounter was going to end.
All I knew was that Constance was out for blood, and one mistake on my part was going to give her what she wanted.
Reflections – 8.
It is possible for one Fragment to sense another.
This happened when the wielder of a Fragment expressed a particularly strong ‘intent’, otherwise known as a ‘killing intent’.
Their wielder’s feelings were amplified by the Fragment, thereby alerting other Fragments in the vicinity to its presence.
I knew this well before I felt Constance express a killing intent toward Caprice at the amusement park.
It was described to me as a sign of an inexperienced wielder, one that didn’t know how to control their emotions in a manner that would prevent them from flowing into the Fragment. Such a wielder could not bring out the best in his or her weapon. Their feelings acted as clutter, as noise that interfered with the connection between Familiar and Fragment.
A clear mind.
A clear heart.
No noise.
That translated into perfect harmony with the Fragment.
In other words, if I wanted to use the Gauntlet to the best of its abilities and mine, I had to adopt a particular mindset.
The mindset of a cold-blooded killer.
Chapter 8 – Waterworks.
(Caelum)
Waiting in line wasn’t as bad as I expected.
Maybe it was because I was in the company of gorgeous girl like Prissila Ventiss.
She might not have been dressed to the nines, but there wasn’t a guy within a hundred feet that didn’t notice her.
If this had been a real ‘date’, I might have thought all my Christmases had come at once.
But that wasn’t the case.
I was standing in line beside her, waiting to board the boat that had arrived and was being readied for us.
Clearing my throat quietly, I asked, “Let me guess. We talk on the boat?”
Her nod was barely noticeable. “Yes. It takes around twe
nty minutes to travel the length of the water course. That should give us plenty of time.”
“Hmm, sounds good.”
She gave me sidelong look. “It does?”
I couldn’t help grinning at her. You could say standing beside her was making me giddy. “Definitely.”
She turned away uncomfortably but her cheeks were definitely rosy.
I thought I heard a commotion from somewhere in the distance, but the chatter around us from the couples waiting in line made me doubt my ears. Also, the attendants motioned for our attention. The boat was ready and they indicated we should board.
Prissila was helped into the boat, which resembled an embarrassingly large yellow duck. It had a roofed cabin and two seats. Although pedal operated, there was a small electric motor to assist those doing the pedaling. There was no propeller, just the duck’s two webbed feet to propel us along. I was surprised they hadn’t opted for something simpler like a paddle wheel, but I guess the duck boats were reliable enough. Then again, maybe it would break down and we’d get stranded out in the water course.
Naturally the attendant assumed I would be doing the pedaling so he quickly showed me the controls. I nodded and thanked him, then set to work getting us underway. The crew at the dock pushed us off, and then attended to the couple waiting for the boat behind us.
Before boarding I’d glanced at the map of the water course. It wasn’t a lake, but an oval shaped course that circled back under the bridge and ended where we boarded. Stopping out on the course wasn’t advised unless the boat broke down. Like Prissila said, the whole trip should take around twenty minutes.
So we had twenty minutes to ourselves.
Again, I regretted this wasn’t a date. But I really should count myself blessed for the chance to spend time with a hot girl like Prissila. I was ready to forget all about her family’s animosity with the Imrehs.
I patted my back pocket. My palm-slate was there. I wondered if I’d get the chance to take a photo with her.
Suddenly I sensed something moving toward us.
Not from the shoreline, but through the water.
And it was moving fast.
I looked to my left, but saw no duck boats in the vicinity.
But I trusted my Fragment’s senses. Whatever it was, it would be here in heartbeats.
What happened next took me by surprise, even though I was aware of something arriving at Prissila’s side of the boat.
Water fountained into the air, spraying deep into the duck’s cabin, and drenching Prissila.
My body dropped into an over-clocked state and I was able to observe the unfolding scene in slow motion.
A girl with long ash grey hair and large breasts emerged from the water like a mermaid. Her clothes were soaked and her white blouse had turned completely transparent – as had her underwear – giving me a view I would treasure for many days to come.
Yes, they were completely outrageous breasts.
It didn’t take me a heartbeat to recognize the girl.
I watched her reach out and grab onto the duck, then latch onto Prissila.
Prissila managed one terrified scream before she was pulled out of the duck and into the water. Both girls landed with a large splash that scattered water droplets deep into the duck’s interior.
Still over-clocked, I realized I could have easily reached out and kept Prissila in the boat.
But I’d chosen not to, and it had nothing to do with being distracted by Simone Alucards glorious bust.
No, my subconscious desires had taken over.
I wanted to see both girls wet and wild in the water.
So I allowed Prissila to be pulled out of the duck by the Countess.
Still over-clocked, I worked the pedals and rudder wheel, and steered the duck over to the two girls who’d surfaced and were splashing wildly in the water.
Actually, they were grappling together while hurling insults at each other.
Listening to their verbal abuse was making my ears burn and my imagination run riot.
As I angled the duck around to them, I switched to the portside seat as it gave me a better view of the battling vixens.
I heard a rip and a curse.
Prissila’s black t-shirt was now an off the shoulder t-shirt.
“You bitch! This is from their live concert,” Prissila screamed.
“I know—I was there. Worst night of my life,” Simone yelled back.
“You could have left anytime you wanted.”
“And how was I expected to get home?”
Water continued to splash wildly around them as the struggled to gain the upper hand on the other.
Prissila snarled, “You could have called for a cab.”
“With what? You broke my palm-slate when you knocked me on my ass while dancing.”
“That was an accident! When are you going to let it rest?”
Simone yelled, “I was grounded for a month because of you.”
“You knew what you were in for when you agreed to sneak out with me.”
Prissila talked for too long and swallowed a mouthful of water. She began coughing madly. Unable to fight off Simone, she struggled to stay afloat.
“Two months,” Prissila gasped out. “I was grounded…for…two months.”
“Serves you right,” Simone snarked.
I edged the boat closer but couldn’t risk coming within a couple of feet of them.
I was going to have to dive in and then help the girls into the boat.
Then something else unexpected happened.
My Fragment bracelet began to tingle, and even in my over-clocked state my heart grew cold.
Killing intent.
My Fragment had sensed the killing intent from the wielder of another Fragment.
A loud crash rumbled through the air.
I looked up toward the bridge that spanned the water course, and saw powdered permacrete billow into the air and form a grey cloud. Larger pieces of the bridge scattered in all direction, most landing in the water with sharp splashes.
The debris cloud spread quickly over the middle of the bridge, obscuring it. But a heartbeat later two figures emerged. Both leapt backwards out of the cloud and landed on opposite ends of the bridge. Both were roughly two hundred feet from my position on the water course, but I could see them well enough since my eyesight had improved with my awakening as a Familiar.
I recognized them both.
Caprice, in her manifested Valkyrie Armor.
Constance, with her long lance-like Fragment.
I didn’t know if the killing intent was coming from Caprice or Constance, but it was certainly being felt by my Fragment.
At that moment I came to a decision.
I wasn’t going to allow Caprice to face Constance alone. Even if my combat abilities were well below hers, I would do what I could to support her.
#
(Caprice)
I couldn’t believe how strong Constance had become.
When I faced her seventh months ago, I was still coming to grips with the Valkyrie Armor. At the time I had only recently succeeded in manifesting the forearm gauntlets with their two foot long blades, and that was after six months of training with the Fragment.
The blades had given me the edge to defeat her and get to Caelum first.
Since then I was confident I’d grown stronger and faster, as well as being able to sustain the manifested Fragment for more than ninety minutes.
However, Constance had improved as well. No doubt being handed a painful defeat by my hands had spurred the girl into training hard to develop a better affinity with her Fragment, the jousting lance.
I never expected her progress to give me such a hard time.
In fact, I was fairly certain that if this carried on I would lose.
Constance had surpassed me, even if only by a little.
She charged through the dissipating mist, the lance having reconfigured into a weapon that resembled a tuning fork, except the tines
were sharp swords some three feet long.
Over-clocked, I was able to gauge her approach and her intended attack, yet I barely succeeded in parrying the blow she delivered.
Every so often she would attack without an effect-field or piercer-field. It was metal on metal when that happened, and I felt the impact spread across half my body, almost numbing my right arm.
Slashing with my left, I willed a piercer field to form around the blade of my left gauntlet. It struck Constance, but the girl had a tight effect-field wrapped around the right side of her body.
The piercer-field sliced through, but it was delayed enough for Constance to dart back a step, and slice at me again with the bladed tines of her giant tuning fork.
This time I had no choice but to will the formation of a barrier-field.
As expected, she’d slashed at me with a piercer-field around her weapon, but my barrier formed in time to block her attack.
The air between us shimmered and glazed, before shattering like glass.
I was knocked back, and had little time to defend against Constance’s next charge. Holding my gauntleted arms protectively before me, the barrier-field I hastily formed slowed the piercing tines but failed to stop them. Against her weapon, the quarter inch thick skinsuit I wore offered me no more protection than paper.
The left tine grazed my right flank, tearing the skinsuit. But the right tine pierced the skinsuit, and stabbed through my breastbone.
I can only describe it as agonizing pain. It felt like a white hot knife had stabbed through my mind. For several heartbeats I was unable to think. The pain swallowed my consciousness and my will to fight. Somehow my Fragment remained manifested, but I could barely stand let alone use it.
Then I felt a sensation akin to flying.
Constance had willed her weapon to generate an effect-field, and the barrier had punched my body hard enough to push it off the blade and send it flying through the air. I don’t know how far I flew, except that she grew small rather quickly, but when I landed the agony in my chest and the force of the impact stole my breath.
And then I lost my grip on the Valkyrie Armor.
The cold black mist surrounded my body, and the armor returned to Pocket Space.
Now I was truly defenseless against Constance.
If she wanted me dead, there was nothing I could do to stop her.
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