Dodge: Serial 77

Einer and Laven square off against the enigmatic Duke.

Serial 77: Air supremacy

March 18th, 33 S.D.        19:22        Capital City airspace, Henron

    Einer grinned widely as he held his arm out to the side. In a single, dancing flash of gold, his servai materialized in his grip. His weapon of choice, however, was not a sword. Instead, his seras took the form of a great double-headed axe. As soon as it was complete, he tossed it over his shoulder single-handedly.

    “You hear that, Laven?” he asked. “He’s begging us to kill him. You know, just this once, I can be a gentleman too. I’d be happy to oblige such a request.”

    “Don’t get too excited,” Laven warned.

    “Too late. I’ve been bored as hell ever since Palostrol.” Without hesitation, he rushed off at Duke, thrusting himself at the man with blinding speed. “This guy is just what I need!” Einer closed in on Duke in a mere instant. His high-velocity movements belonged to a special category of series. Surrounding his body in a thin layer of kinetic energy, this invisible shell could travel to nearby locations in under an instant. As this kinetic field changed position, it carried him along with it. The process was far quicker than the primitive speed-steps Losha used.  This series allowed Einer to blitz directly in front of Duke.

    He swung his axe down quickly, as if pounding a hammer. Though his servai took on the appearance of a heavy, metallic weapon, it actually weighed nothing, being only a construct of energy. As such, the axe was but a blur as it drew upon Duke. All the while, however, Duke smirked. At the very last possible instant, his image vanished as he shifted to the side, a meter to Einer’s right. He’d mimicked Einer’s agility to avoid the servai altogether. Despite having missed, Einer swiftly tracked Duke’s new location. He swept his axe outward in a large semi-circle. Still, Duke kept himself away, leaping some distance to safety.

    Laven zipped up to Einer a moment later. “We don’t know what his abilities are, nor do we know his strengths or weaknesses.”

    “Yeah, I get it,” Einer scowled as he stood up straight, looking over at Duke. “That’s what I’m trying to get him to show us.”

    “He hasn’t even brought out his servai yet.”

    “Huh, and neither have you. Listen, I’ll engage him, you observe and analyze.” Einer went ahead without another word.

    “Not that you left me a choice, Laven said, shaking his head.

    Barreling through the storm, Einer charged after his opponent. As he zeroed in on Duke, he pulled his axe behind his back. They were face-to-face when he whirled his servai around in a long arc. The strike had no effect on Duke, however. Again, he disappeared all at once, only to turn up elsewhere.

    “Tch!” Einer spat, braking along for several meters. “Well, he’s certainly fast. Looks like he has no trouble keeping up with us. Guess it’s time to really step it up.”

    Einer could go even faster than what he’d shown Duke. The next stage of the technique was something Nabel had termed “ripping.” In this mode, Einer increased the strength of the kinetic field to protect himself from the ensuing g-force. Though it cost more seras to use, the field also worked to nullify the shockwaves he’d create once reaching and exceeding the speed of sound. Rather than a powerful, booming blast, the series producing but a momentary buzzing. For the purposes of this battle, ripping provided Einer with an ability nigh indistinguishable from teleportation.

    “See if you can keep up with this!” Einer shouted, pointing his axe at Duke. A fresh bolt of lightning coursed between them, yet before its mighty thunder even bellowed, Einer had raced behind Duke.

    “Haaaah!” he cried in delight as he slashed horizontally. Yet his servai failed to find its target. All of a sudden, Einer’s eyes widened as he noted the distinct sound of ripping coming from his rear. On instinct, he dashed away, turning around, raising his axe like a shield. He’d expected an attack, however, he simply saw Duke standing there, looking at him all the while.

    “Ah, yes, this type of movement,” Duke said. “The height of serialized speed. How nostalgic. It’s been ages since anyone’s used it on me like that.”

    “Damn,” Einer swore. “So you can use it too...”

    “Naturally. I perfected it many lifetimes ago.”

    “Hmph. You mean from before all of this?”

    “You know what the most frightening thing about it is? By the time you hear it, it’s already much too late.” After delivering this final utterance, Duke slipped out of the scene. Immediately Einer realized what was happening. As he fled, ripping away, he felt something reach out for his face. A shadow streaked by as he made his escape. Turning about mid-flight, he dug his feet into some kinetic footholds, skidding to a stop. Panting, he grabbed his servai in both hands. In all the rain, he couldn’t tell what was running down his face at that time, not without first sensing a burning sting.

    “What the?” he wondered, touching a fresh cut just above his left temple. There was no mistaking the wound. Opposite of Einer, Duke stood there with a raised arm. His fingertips were covered in blood. As he tossed his hand to the side, the tempest beside them seemingly washed it clean.

    “What is this guy?” Einer wondered before laughing. “This really gets me all pumped up!” he licked the top corner of his mouth, tasting the crimson trail dripping down his cheek. Einer ripped himself towards Duke once more, however, this time he concentrated deeply on his foe. His eyes and ears were at their human limits; he could little rely on them for this part of the battle. Rather than either, he put all of his focus on his soul, tracking Duke's seras frequency. If he moved in any capacity, Einer would be able to tell. Wherever one’s body went, so too did their soul. Wherever one’s soul went, their seras frequency could be found.

    As Einer expected, Duke jumped to another place as he approached. Realizing this, Einer changed course, swiveling to meet Duke. After altering his heading, Einer propelled himself at Duke. As rapidly as his foe had left the area, so too did Einer catch up to the serialist. They came to a rest facing each other. For a brief passing, Duke wore a genuinely pleased expression.

    “B*****d,” Einer said lowly before launching his assault. Springing forward, he tossed the end of his axe in hasty slashes. One after another, Einer performed a series of attacks. For all the flurry of his motion, however, Einer never managed to land a single blow. Every time his servai extended towards Duke, it slid harmlessly off-mark. Duke merely tilted his head, leaned to the side, or took a careful backstep. These subtle actions were enough to keep Einer at bay. As Duke continued to dodge by slight degrees, he talked evenly as if unconcerned.

    “I see. Such a basic fighting style. Aside from the use of your servai, you don’t seem to favor using anything more advanced. What with your status as one of King’s men, I have to truly wonder how well you can handle raw seras.”

    Einer glowered, pulling his axe back for a heavy swing. Though strong, the move was too slow to touch Duke, who easily flew out of its reach.

    “Heh,” Einer grinned, lifting up his index finger. Pointing his digit straight at Duke, he summoned a tiny orb that gathered light at the tip of his nail. It grew in size for only the shortest while. Brilliantly, the ball charged before exploding spontaneously. A straight, yellow stream radiantly shot forth. This thin line sailed fast towards Duke. It seemingly pierced him in half a second, running through him like a long pole. Einer did not sustain the series for long; he lowered his arm, smiling to himself.

    “Come on, Duke. I was trained by King himself. Of course I got more tricks in store.”

    Duke hunched over, hanging his head down, staggering on his feet as one hand gripped at his chest.

    “We’re all well-rounded warriors. My specialty is melee-servai combat, but I can cast all manner of series, just like that blazer beam. Pretty nasty, huh? A concentrated beam of raw seras that also releases massive amounts of heat. Damages both body and soul. Sambur knew what that felt like; King shot him just like that.”

    Suddenly, Duke stabilized himself as he laughed. “Oh, it quite burns alright.” He straightened up and held out his arm. Lightning etched across the sky, revealing everything in perfect clarity. A hole had burrowed through the loose side of Duke’s coat, but otherwise it appeared he’d taken no damage.

    “S**t! When did you move?” Einer asked, narrowing his eyes. Duke simply chuckled to himself.

    “I don’t care about whatever Nabel taught you. Anything you know, I’ve already seen a thousand times over. Didn’t you think it was strange? That nary a speck of my seras spilled from your blazer beam?”

    “Tch!” Einer grumbled, wrapping his hands closely around his servai.

    “Let me tell you something. You’ll never see seras flow from any wound on me, not tonight. You won’t even scratch me.”

    “Damn this guy,” Einer muttered. “He still ain’t even pulled out his servai yet.” Though Einer talked to himself, Duke remarked as if part of the conversation.

    “For your skill and competency, I needn’t resort to such a tool.” Duke took one step forward, but all at once something stopped him. It were as if a glass barrier enclosed him. “Hmm?” He looked down and saw a pale, lavender point of light slowly working its way around him clockwise. As it moved, its path was left illuminated.

    “Thank you for finally holding still,” said Laven, descending from above. In his hand, held downward like a cane, Laven grasped his servai, a saber. “You kept moving around so much, it took quite a bit of effort to set up this series.” Eventually, Laven came to the same level as Duke, settling a few meters behind him. Duke glanced over his shoulder but otherwise wore a blank face.

    “How unfortunate,” he said. “It looks like I’m trapped.”

    “Yes. While it certainly is ‘primitive’, a kinetic force-field of sufficient strength is capable of restraining anyone, even serialists like ourselves. I’ve devised a nice, tight box for you, Duke. While my colleague over there specializes in close-range combat using his servai, I prefer casting series of all sorts, you see.” Laven held up his index finger upright.

    “I’ll only need to cast one tonight. You see that circle being drawn right now? When it completes, you’re in for quite the show.” The ring grew fuller with every second, creating a path that was nearly finished. As the last segment was about to connect, Laven ripped away in front of Duke, standing by Einer. “It may not look like much, but I’ve poured most of my seras into the attack. A fight between serialists is essentially a contest of seras after all. It’s been a pleasure, Duke. Farewell.”

    Laven’s series formed a whole, unbroken circle. At the very moment this happened, the spot where Duke stood erupted into a column of electric-purple light. The air around them screamed as this pillar ran up and down the sky. In shape and size, Laven’s attack seemed to stretch infinitely in either direction. Winds kicked up around them, blowing far more powerfully than the storm itself. Einer squinted at the brightness before them; Laven looked on ahead with open eyes, however. The series went on like this for a while longer until at last the column shrunk. Waning in diameter, it eventually became nothing more than a fine line, winking out shortly thereafter. Despite all of that, a voice calmly spoke from within the fading light.

    “Oh? Was that truly the extent of your power? Was that really what it means to use all of your seras against me?” Out of nowhere a blast whipped at them, causing Einer and Laven to shield themselves as they were driven back.

    “Not good,” Einer growled.

    “What a pity. It’s like nothing even touched him,” Laven said. Having stood perfectly still, Duke appeared before them, exactly as he had prior to Laven’s series. Not a single sign of distress or harm could be seen on his person. It were as if the series hadn’t affected him in the least.

    “That was raw seras I used, Einer. And look at him...”

    “What is there to be surprised about?” Duke asked aloud. “You said it yourself. This is a contest of seras, after all. Something like that, magnificent as it was, hardly has enough strength to even faze me. It’s a simple mathematical equation.”

    “This guy ain’t normal,” Einer breathed.

    “That was all of my usable seras, just about. Einer, we’ve a lot of trouble on our hands right now.”

    “You don’t need to tell me.” Einer held up his servai. “We haven’t been able to do anything to him. Still, I think we should try that maneuver.”

    Laven’s eyes opened up as he realized what Einer meant. “We’ve only done that a few times for battle, you know. And I’m not exactly in any condition to be serializing something like that.”

    “I’ll cast it, you go in for the strike.”

    “What are you two up to?” Duke wondered. “Come now. I’m waiting to see what you do next.”

    Einer stepped forward, turning his axe upside-down. He held it before him at the handle, gripping it with both hands. Closing his eyes, he merely remained there almost statuesque. A film of golden light outlined his body as he began serializing something. Thunder blared as lightning branched its way in the backdrop. Dark clouds shortly lit up in shadowy silhouettes. The swelling wind rushed about on wild currents, tossing rain blindly about. Yet through these tumultuous conditions, Einer remained ever still.

    “What exactly are you-” but Duke never finished the words of his question. Somehow, he’d lost track of Laven. His seras frequency disappeared altogether. Though in one moment he'd looked to be standing right beside his comrade, Nabel’s agent evaporated in the following instant. Duke tossed his head left and right, but no trace of Laven could be seen at all. Then, above him, a distortion occurred. As if space itself were a grid, the air broke apart into so many squared pieces. Tearing through another dimension it seemed, Laven appeared, coming down with his servai tilted directly at Duke’s head.

    This was the same cloaking series they’d used to spy on Govan and others on numerous occasions. It had allowed them to carry on unseen as they carefully watched Losha’s progress. Now, however, it had been repurposed to deliver a stealthy blow. Einer had cast the series on his partner, and to Duke’s senses, Laven had entirely, if temporarily, ceased to exist. While the series was ordinarily undetectable, forcefully exiting as Laven did caused quite a display.

    His saber was but centimeters away, ready to plunge into Duke. However, as its edge prepared to fall, Duke’s hand lashed out and grabbed the servai by its end. Though the weapon was pure seras, Duke held it as if it were a tangible object, one that could do no harm to him.

    “What?!” Laven cried as he stopped mid-air. Duke didn’t bother looking up as he spoke.

    “As I said, it’s but an equation of power.” His fingers tightened around Laven’s servai, fracturing it until it shattered into numerous bits of light. As he gasped, Laven ripped himself over to Einer’s side. With a trembling arm, he raised what was left of his weapon. Only the handle and guard were spared; the place where it had split glowed in the same purple hue as his seras.

    “He... he canceled my servai. He countered the series with just his own hand...” Laven said.

    “Precisely,” Duke smiled. “When one’s total seras is so overwhelming, any lesser amount that attacks or invades that person is negated. Your servai and any other means of fighting are simply nullified against the very seras flowing through my soul.”

    “This is insane,” Einer said. “We have to leave, now. There’s no way we can stand against someone like him. It’s like fighting Nabel himself.”

    “Confound it,” Laven said. “If only we’d used our vantes earlier...”

    “Too late for that. Let’s just make sure there’s a next time for us.”

    Suddenly, behind them, they heard a soft buzzing. “And where are you going?” Duke stood less than a meter from them, practically looking over their shoulders.

    “S**t!” Einer cursed as he reactively swung his axe. His servai moved to cut Duke down in a quick, horizontal swipe. Yet as soon as it even approached his body, the axe burst into fragments of light. Duke hadn’t budged at all; Einer’s servai merely disintegrated as if hitting a wall. Only the stump of the shaft survived. The two serialists leaped away from Duke.

    “How rude,” Duke muttered. The air at that point became a downward surge of pressure. As if caught by some great weight, Einer and Laven stumbled to a standstill. A howling, violent force stomped on them, sounding like a flood come to drown everything. As far as they could see, faint line-like anomalies ran upward around them, warping the very structure of their world.

    “Ghhn!” Laven said, struggling to even open his mouth.

    “D****t! This is... seratic diffusion!” Einer managed to say. “Y-you... b*****d... You been hiding... such a presence all... along...” he panted, dropping to one knee and coughing. The release of Duke’s seras into the environment literally started to crush them.

    “Crap...” Laven wheezed, falling forward on his hands. It was all either could do to remain aloft so high above the earth.

    “Yes, seratic diffusion. The terrifying results of moving high concentrations of seras into an area of low concentration,” Duke mused, holding his hand to the side, watching it waft through all the turbulence. “Such incredible results. As if nature itself momentarily bends and quakes until acclimated... You understand the concept of seratic presence, correct? It’s like density, really. Ordinarily, seras is restricted to the body, its container. Due to this, a single person, even with an especially dense amount of seras, won’t normally trigger seratic diffusion by changing locations. However, they can choose to spread their seras beyond their vessels, ‘unleash it’ if you will. It’s certainly more comfortable like this. It’s that sudden expansion of one’s seratic presence that causes such diffusion to occur.”

    “I had held the majority of my seras quite close by. I’m sure you know why. It’s the same reason Nabel restrains himself in your company. Our seratic presences are so large that if let loose, they would kill those nearby.  Look at you two, already crippled when I’ve scarcely shown you half of what I have. Imagine what it’d do to lesser serialists, or common people.”

    “Heh, you’re a damned monster,” Einer shook his head. “So, this is what it’s like to fight someone on this level.”

    “Yes. I suppose the only one currently capable of matching me would be the original serialist himself: Nabel. He and I are alike in more ways than one. For example, I don’t like to draw my servai unless it really matters. I think tonight is one of those special occasions.”

    Duke raised his hand high as lightning flickered behind him. In dazzling yellow light, a sword appeared in his hand, a long katana-like blade.

    “Watch carefully. Don’t blink. Because all it takes is one stroke to end everything.”

    He dropped his arm. Instantly, a great ball of seras consumed the sky before bursting. As if a bomb had detonated, a vicious roar deafened the heavens. The sheer intensity of the attack punched a hole through the storm. For a radius of several kilometers, the clouds, the rain, the wind, each had been pushed aside in a mere second. As the force rippled away, an eery calm occupied the arena. Above, stars hung shining, shrouded by nothing now. The moon’s image could be seen once more, a silver crescent half-wise full. A great stillness settled over the once violent air.

    “My, my” Duke said, holding his arm parallel to the ground. “It seems that was a bit too much.”

    Einer and Laven were covered in sparks that crawled about their limbs. The blow had drained them of much of their seras. Their eyes had lost all sense of vacancy as the pair slumped to the side. Slowly, they fell off into the night below. Duke watched their forms sink further and further into the inky abyss.

    “Let this be a message to your master, to your King,” Duke smiled. “I’m going to bring the world the order it deserves.”

Author's Note

In the reaches of Aste, deep within the grasslands of the Central Plains, 14 warring clans mount constant warfare against one another. Through endless bloodshed, the people are forever rooted in a cycle of conflict. Returning to the place she once called home, Losha leaves Palostrol to go back to her family. Yet in their embrace she finds a world teetering on the brink of devestation. As King's words echo through her mind, she must decide if serialization holds the answers to peace. But are the consequences of failure are worth it? The path of the Continent's greatest struggle has only just begun. The Age of Serialization starts now.

The next installment comes July 1st, 2015. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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* More references from the past! Remember seratic diffusion? As stated here, it's what happens when a high amount of seras is introduced to an area that has a low concentration of seras. Essentially, it's the physical phenomenon that takes place whenever seras floods an area. Visual disturbances occur as well as great phyiscal harm or discomfort to others of lesser seratic presence. Nabel caused most of Palostrol to lose consciousness. Here, Duke nearly defeats Einer and Laven. That's just by releasing their seras into the environment, not actually attacking anyone.

* Seratic presence is a new term. Think of seras as being tightly tethered to one's body. Once pushed out from the body, however, it moves to fill it's new container (everywhere else), similar to the expansion of gas. This sudden rush is what causes diffusion, generally. Seratic presence is basically the state of the "density" of one's seras, whether it is bound to the body, or exerted outwards. Duke mentions it's more comfortable to release seras like that because people like him actually have an excess of usable seras. They can continually generate vast amounts of seras without tiring, so pushing all of that seras into the environment feels more natural than holding it close to the body.

* The word "vantes" is mentioned here, but never fully explained, though it's implied to be a trump card of some sort. It will come up in the next story arc, where fighting between advanced serialists is more common.

* Servai can take many forms other than a standard double-edged sword. As with the colors of people's seras, the servai they choose varies. Remember, the servai isn't a sword or axe itself; it's raw seras meant to strike the soul of an opponent. But keeping it in a more readily recognized form helps serialists to control it.

* Duke's motives become ever murkier. He appears here in Dodge as a second villan, and he proves himself worthy of rivaling Nabel Viska. Needless to say, Losha, King, and Duke are bound to be major players in the rest of Dodge's storyline.

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Any feedback is welcome. Just writing because I like it. Always wanted to make a weekly series, so I'm doing it.