Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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"What're they wearing?" I asked.
We're atop a building, observing Uber and Leet sack the place.
"Something called Bomberman," Mia said.
Oh great, two idiots playing with explosives.
What couldpossibly go wrong?
"How are you going to approach this Red?" Mia asked.
Let's see.
Leet technology is known to be faulty, so it's only a matter of time until something goes wrong with those bombs.
I have to take them down quickly.
Offensive spells aren't an option.
I could hit one of the explosives.
Okay, so binding spells is the way to go.
I immobilize them and take them down in one swift sweep.
Wait, if I do that then I'm stuck with bombs that can go off any second.
...all right, I know what to do.
"I will use a binding spell to immobilize them, force Leet to disarm the bombs, and then knock them out," I explain my plan.
"That's a solid plan," Mia nods. "It's a shame how this turned out but there's nothing we can do."
"How much did you expect me to learn from fighting Uber and Leet?" I asked.
"You have to start somewhere," Mia shrugs.
Fair enough.
Besides, we aren't strong enough to go against the Empire and ABB yet.
Let's do this.
We descend into an alley, I start to approach them.
Uber and Leet quickly notice my presence.
"A new challenger approaches!" Leet said cheerfully before narrowing his eyes and turning to Uber. "Who the hell is this guy?"
"Gotta be a new cape," Uber said, keeping a close eye on me.
Leet reaches for a bomb, "Whatever! Now we got-"
I quickly point my index and middle fingers at them, "Bakudo # 1: Sai."
Uber and Leet's arms lock behind their backs.
"What the hell!" Leet exclaims in surprise, trying to free his arms.
Uber grunts in the effort as he also tries to free his arms.
"Try all you want, you aren't going to accomplish anything. Now disarm the bombs," I said, stopping a meter from them.
"This isn't fair! Where's your showmanship!? We're supposed to battle, not this," Leet complains.
"Knock it off and do as I say!"I growled.
"Or what? You're going to break our bones?" Uber asked with a glare.
"Oh, I don't have to do anything. I just have to wait until those bombs malfunction and, well, you know how that's going to play out," I said darkly.
Uber and Leet look at each other nervously.
"Well?" I asked impatiently.
"Bullshit. You aren't going to let us die," Uber said.
"I'm not going to let you two throw bombs around the place either. Seriously, what the hell are you two thinking!" I said.
"Screw you, I know what I'm doing!" Leet said angrily.
"You know what, I will be back in five minutes," I said.
I walk back to Mia.
"It hasn't even been five minutes and I'm already done with these two," I said.
Mia shrugs, "They are known to be obnoxious."
Uber and Leet redouble their efforts to free their arms.
That isn't going to work.
"Can you disarm those bombs?" I asked.
The longer this goes on, the chances those bombs are going to malfunction will increase.
"I could do that if they were normal ones. I'm not going to touch his tinker tech," Mia said.
Yeah, it's a good idea to not touch that.
"Should we call the Protectorate?" I asked.
"If we don't solve this quickly, we will have to," Mia said with a frown.
Looks like I'm going to meet Armsmaster tonight.
"Okay! You won! I will disarm the bombs!" Leet shouts.
Or not.
"I'm only going to free-"
Suddenly Mia gets in front of me.
Huh?
My eyes snap wide as a strong gust of wind hurls Uber and Leet straight towards us.
Mia steps forward and grabs them before they can hit us. She places them on the ground.
What just happened?
"Hm, you have good reflexes. Your friend on the other hand, not so much," A man said.
You got to be kidding me.
"Oh shit. It's Stormtiger," Uber whispered fearfully.
Uber and Leet wasted no time and hid behind Mia and me.
"First you two and now Stormtiger. Why does our luck suck so much!" Leet whines.
"Focus! You still have to disarm the bombs," I said, freeing their arms.
Leet cast one final glance at Stormtiger before he began to disarm the bombs.
One problem down.
Unfortunately, we got a bigger one now.
"Let me guess: telekinesis or a variant of it," Stormtiger said, guessing my power.
I summon the magical balls.
"Oh, interesting trick you got there," Stormtiger crosses his arms.
"Why are you here?" Mia asked coldly.
"Well, I was curious about the explosion, and now I'm curious about you two. So, who're you guys?" Stormtiger asked.
"I'm Blue and he's Red," Mia said.
"Wow, I'm sure it took a lot of time to think those names," Stormtiger said sarcastically.
I look around the street, trying to see if he has any backup.
"I'm not seeing anyone else," I whispered.
"Keep your eyes open. He might be alone now but that can quickly change any moment. Especially when the entire city can easily find our location," Mia whispered with a frown.
Oh crap, the stream.
"Hey, stop th-where the hell are they?" I asked, not seeing Uber and Leet anywhere.
"They left a minute ago," Mia whispered.
"... remember me to hurt them the next time we meet them," I whispered.
"Will do," Mia whispered.
"You done with your talk?" Stormtiger asked, calmly watching us.
"What do you want with us?" Mia asked.
Stormtiger shrugs, "Honestly, I'm kinda bored. These last few days nothing much has been happening and I'm itching for a fight," he said with a bloodthirsty smile.
Mia draws her rapier in one fluid motion, the blade flashing as it slices through the air with purpose.
Stormtiger nods pleased, "No hesitation. Oh yeah, this's going to be good."
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body, years of training on how to control my emotions flood my mind and my pain tolerance increases to an absurd level with 'Murderous Focus'.
Now that my mind isn't clouded by fear anymore I can see the opportunity in front of me.
With years of experience battling the Protectorate and expert control over his power, Stormtiger is a dangerous opponent to face.
And that makes him perfect for my first cape fight.
Playing safe will only get me so far.
I place my hand on Mia's shoulder.
"I got this," I said.
Mia briefly glanced at me before she stepped back.
I reinforced my arms and legs and began to chant a kido spell.
Interesting fact: I don't need to say the chant out loud.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of win-" I'm forced to stop the chant and jump to the side to dodge an air claw that was coming towards me.
"If you aren't going to make the first move, then I will!" Stormtiger said, launching more air claws at me.
"Barrier," I said calmly, clapping my hands together as a hexagon shield formed in front of me.
The barrier stopped a few of the air claws, but it only lasted long enough for me to get behind a car before it shattered under Stormtiger relentless attacks.
Stormtiger ceased his attacks the moment I encircled him with the magical balls.
"Hado # 1: Sho," I said.
The magical balls start to shoot small bullets made of spiritual energy.
Stormtiger whips his arms through the air, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that knocks most of the bullets off course- though a few still slam into him with sharp, jarring impacts. Gritting his teeth, he launches himself upwards in a rush of air, twisting mid-flight. With a powerful spin of his arms, he shoots air claws that scatter my magical balls due to the force of the attack.
He lands on the ground shortly after.
I yank the magical balls back to my side just as Stormtiger slams his legs downward, releasing a powerful gust. He soars above me, arms snapping backward, poised to strike at any moment.
"Barrier," I clap my hands together.
A hexagonal shield appears above me but Stormtiger doesn't attack it. Instead, he propels himself downward in a swift dive, landing three meters away from me.
Crap.
I reinforce the magical balls and send them forward as fast as possible. Stormtiger whirls in place, creating a small vortex of wind that surrounds him. The vortex redirects the magical balls away from him. They smash into the building that is behind Stormtiger with a thunderous crash.
Goddamn it.
I snap my arms across my chest a split second before Stormtiget, using the momentum of the whirl, unleashes a massive arc of air claws. It slams into me like a wrecking ball, launching me into the side of the car I'd been using for cover. Metal screams and buckles on impact. The air claws shred into my forearms-blood gushes from the wounds, staining the ground.
Yikes, if wasn't for 'Murderous Focus' I would be screaming in pain.
The cuts are deep but they would have been worse if I didn't reinforce my arms. I got a few minutes before I can't use my arms anymore. I need to make this count.
I drop my arms to my side, trying to bait Stormtiger into getting close to me. He doesn't hesitate to go for the kill.
The moment he got close enough I lashed out with a right rook to Stormtiger's face, making his head snap to the side. It stunned him for a moment, enough time for me to grab tightly his left forearm.
"Let go of me!" Stormtiger shouts angrily, reeling his arm back.
Not so fast.
Two magical balls slam into Stormtiger's back with bone-cracking force, snapping a rib and wrenching a scream from his throat. Before he can recover, I drive my fist across his face, a jagged crack splinter across his mask. Two more magical balls ram into his legs, making him collapse to his knees with a grunt. I tackle him to the ground and unleash a relentless barrage of punches onto his face.
I stop after a minute.
Stormtiger face is a mix of blood and shattered fragments of his mask, jagged edges biting into his skin. Each breath he takes is a ragged gasp.
He isn't getting up.
Just in time, I can barely feel my arms.
"I won," I said loudly.
Mia quickly approaches me. She casts a brief glance at Stormtiger to make sure he isn't getting up, after a second she returns her attention to me.
"Let me see your arms," Mia said.
Mia carefully checks my arms.
"Hm, you got lucky an artery wasn't hit but you have lost a considerable amount of blood. How are you feeling?" Mia asked.
"My arms are going numb and I'm starting to feel lightheaded," I said.
Mia raises an eyebrow in curiosity at how calm I sound.
I recall all the magical balls inside my body.
The sound of sirens can heard in the distance.
"Do you want to stay?" Mia asked.
"I'd rather not," I said.
We would have to wait for the PRT and they are going to grill us for answers. I'm not in the mood to deal with that right now.
Mia nods and we leave that area.
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"Why do you have so many apple juice boxes inside your briefcase?" I asked, taking a sip of apple juice.
"I like apple juice and it's a good way to stay hydrated. Make sure to drink everything," Mia said, finishing bandaging my left forearm.
We're inside my workshop, Mia is treating my wounds.
"Let me see your back now," Mia said.
I turn around for her.
"There's a few pieces of glass lodge on your back," Mia said with a frown.
"Oh, so that's why my back feels itch," I said.
"Okay, did you get something for pain tolerance? Cause you're acting way too calm" Mia said, treating my back.
"You're on the right track. I got 'Murderous Focus', it gives me tight control over my emotions and an amazing tolerance for pain," I explained.
Mia hums in interest, "Just make sure to keep track of your injuries."
Yeah, I'm going to have to keep an eye on that.
Mia finishes treating my back.
"How are you feeling?" Mia asked, putting the medical supplies inside her briefcase.
"A lot better now. I got lucky in that fight. If Stormtiger had kept his distance, you would have had to step in," I said, finishing the apple juice.
"I will admit, his aerokinesis was impressive. And his aggressive fighting style kept you in the back foot the entire fight," Mia said.
"I couldn't maintain my focus to cast high-level Kido spells. I need to fix that pronto," I said with a grimace.
"Oh, before I forget. I can now confirm that Uber, Leet, and Stormtiger aren't magi," Mia said.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. In response, Mia takes out the magical detector from her pocket.
"You brought that?" I asked.
"I told you that I wanted to see if any of the capes are secretly magi," Mia shrugs.
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body, 'Uisce Beatha' makes that any liquid that I scoop up with my hands gains great healing properties. The more pure the liquid is the stronger the effect is.
I whistled as I checked my hands.
"Something wrong with your hands?" Mia asked.
I shake my head, "Got another perk. 'Uisce Beatha', any liquid that I scoop up gains healing properties. It can be used to heal the body or spirit in seconds. Only the strongest cursed wounds can't be healed by it."
"Your hands have been blessed," Mia blinked in surprise.
"It doesn't say blessed but does it make a difference?" I asked.
Mia thinks for a second before shaking her head.
"No, it doesn't. What matters is that now you have more options for healing," Mia said.
Yeah, first Kaido (healing kido) and now Uisce Beatha. I'm getting some good perks.
"Let's go home. Tomorrow we will talk about what you could have done differently," Mia said.
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One more chapter, then I get back to Throne of Bet.
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Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
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If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader
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Murderous Focus (Kara no Kyokai) 100:
The first step on the path to slaying a demon is to master ones' own self. The beasts awaken terror in the hearts of strong men and their filthy lies can twist your resolve against you. To fight a monster, you must in some ways become monstrous yourself and it was only through years of intense work that you gained this quality. You have an exceptionally tight hold over your emotions, letting you both prevent yourself from acting in anger or fear as well remaining steady when shocked or surprised. It's carried on to an amazing tolerance for pain, those around you have often found it quite scary to see not a twitch in your expression even as bones snap and muscles tear. The final result of your intense self focus is a high degree of control over your physical body, allowing you to move as you wish for the most part. Untrained, it just results in natural athleticism but it also naturally lends to the martial arts. One cannot hesitate to cut the demon's head off, not from fear or bodily failure.
Uisce Beatha (Fate/Legends: Lands of the Shadows) 100:
Your hands have a special property, one of quite a great value to a warrior culture. Any liquid that you scoop up in your hands is granted great healing properties, able to heal any wound of the body or spirit in just seconds of contact, save for the greatest of cursed wounds. Your healing waters can be spread even on spiritual bodies to heal them and the liquids will cleanse away any poison or disease in the area it touches. The closer to pure water the liquid you hold is, the better the effect will be. Trying to use polluted river muck might only clean a few nasty scratches. You can also, should you have the need, prevent liquids you hold from gaining these properties.