Dodge: Serial 95

The battle rages between the Wolf and the Lion.

Serial 95: The Lion - IV

March 22nd, 33 S.D.        13:28        Tafren Plains, Henron

    Govan’s body seized up; he gazed forward emptily. Slowly, his hands began to lower, pointing his sword down at the ground.

    “Lies,” he said. “A mere tactic to throw me off-guard.” His words grew faint, hushed by the constant pitter-patter of rain.

    “You have just lowered your own guard,” Losha replied, gesturing at him. “If that was my intent, it certainly worked, and I would have attacked you by now. I have not done so; I am not lying to you.”

    Govan merely stood there, breathing with what seemed like deliberate effort. His hands began to shake, quivering ever so slightly.

    “This is the truth, Prime Lead. I saw his corpse with my own eyes,” Losha said.

    “You... you all killed him, sa?” he whispered, clenching his eyes and teeth. “You all ganged up on him, then murdered and betrayed him, sa?! Like an animal, you cornered and slayed him!” He raised his free hand, curling up his fist before throwing it violently aside.

    “He was already dead by the time I reached Capital City. He passed away, Govan. We had no hand in his demise.” Losha deliberately left out some details regarding Heigon’s fate, like how his body had been rotting when she and Liveta found it, and how he was inexplicably seen just moments before the rebels came to the court. That information puzzled even her, but she did not want to let this conversation delve into things no one yet understood.

    “Now that is surely a lie!” Govan spat. “Your kind has much to gain with Heigon dead, as does the ‘new order’ Liveta hopes to establish. If Heigon is no more, of course you all had a role in it!”

    “Believe what you will, but the fact remains that he is gone. His era has left; it is time for something new. Do you even know what sort of Henron Liveta, Albolt, and all the rest are trying to create? Or have you mindlessly opposed the cause out of loyalty? Henron, your clan, your people: everything is on the verge of change. I am sorry for your loss. I gather Heigon was a good friend to you, someone you respected and cared for, but his ways were far from perfect.”

    “Have you never questioned whether there might be something better than the way things used to be? Look at what Heigon has done to us all. This war has cost us thousands of lives, both of my blood and yours alike. All for what? The Talimer Forest? Honor? Revenge? Think of all your people you sacrificed by his command and all the good you gained. Is that what you want to defend and uphold?”

    “He may have been despicable to you,” Govan said. “He may have harmed many. No man has ever been perfect, but he was the bond that held Henron together. In the past, there was always another leader willing to pick up where the former left. Someone has to rise as the absolute force of this land. I never imagined myself as an equal to him, but for the sake of Henron, I shall take his place.” Govan grabbed his regular blade with his off-hand, slowly drawing it out to wield the weapon alongside his serasword.

    “Govan, put that away,” Losha said. “This is over; do you not see? You will be surrounded soon; your troops will fall, and then it will just be you.” She shook her head, frowning at him all the while. “You too, sa? You are just like so many fools plaguing the Central Plains. It is only ever about the past and the way things have been for so long. You never once stop and consider if our lives can be different, better, if only you would try to see new paths. Henron will do just fine without Heigon or the legacy of its ruthless dictators. I said I would end this war, and I shall.”

    “Enough talk!” Govan said, holding both swords in hand. “Let us settle this the only way either of us can truly accept.”

    Losha sighed but nevertheless took up her servai, changing her stance for battle. Govan shifted his feet, moving his arms to suit dual-handed combat. The Wolf contemplated how best to advance when all of a sudden, a terribly familiar sensation attacked her. As if her mind vanished, she felt her consciousness fading. Only her soul stayed active, but she couldn’t control her body.

    “No!” she said, her last threads of thought echoing in her head. “Not now!” she growled to herself. Her vision began to come back, distant, blurry, and dark around the edges, as if she were peering down the end of a bad spyglass. She could hear her breaths coming in huffs; it seemed to be the only thing in her ears. Trying to look around, Losha turned her neck. Her sight swam helplessly about with neither focus nor aim. Then, as swiftly as it started, everything returned to normal. She snapped out of the stupor, sucking herself back into the present reality.

    Losha blinked twice fast. Govan was standing there, right where she’d last seen him; his posture remained unaltered. How long had she lost herself? A second, a minute, an hour? What had caused this phenomenon to happen three times in a single day? Something felt different about her soul, like she’d just recalled some sort of memory. Shaking her head, Losha cast aside her concerns. The only matter of importance, she told herself, was stopping Govan.

    “Prepare yourself, Prime Lead,” Losha said, directing her servai at him. In a second, she vanished; her image dissolved into thin air as only a slight buzzing sound was heard. Govan’s eyes widened as he suppressed a gasp. Quickly, he looked around, but by the time he realized what had occurred just then, Losha’s servai was centimeters from his face.

    Using “ripping”, a complex form of serialized movement, Losha was able to blitz at incredible speeds, far quicker than her usual speed-steps. By surrounding herself in a tight field of kinetic energy, she could push herself along in any direction. Wherever the field went, her body followed. The field also suppressed the noise of her movement and prevented damage from the extreme forces acting on her.

    Coming to an abrupt halt, she lashed out at Govan with a single horizontal swing. In only a fraction of an instant, Govan managed to raise his swords defensively, but it was not enough. Her servai passed through his normal sword as if it were nothing, but it clashed with the serasword. As the two met, another flash brightened the area, then the reaction triggered, blowing them both back. Her servai and his serastone threw each other away as if they were two completely opposing elements. The recoil hit Govan harder. He flew to his rear, tumbling over his head before rolling to his knees. Quickly, he stuck one sword into the mud, using it as a clutch to pull himself up. What was that just now, he wondered. He’d carefully studied every bit of information they had on the Wolf; this power was completely new.

    “Holding back, are you?” he scowled, bringing himself to his feet.

    “I have no idea what you speak of,” Losha said. “I have always used this series...” Her forehead wrinkled up even as she talked, as if her own words were perplexing. It was true, wasn’t it? She’d been ripping all this time. How else could it have felt like second nature? Despite her confusion, she had in fact never learned it from anyone, yet she performed it expertly. How come she remembered it so well then?

    “Hmph. It matters not, for I will show you no restraint. Behold my resolve, Wolf. The Barul Lion roars!”

    Govan held the end of the serasword high towards the heavens. All at once, a shining, white aura covered him. In an explosion of energy, the sword caused the air to ripple, sending forth a shockwave through the entire battlefield. At the epicenter, Losha and Govan were caught up in a swell of rushing wind. She put her hands up in front of her face, bending forward at the knees, squinting into the squall Govan had summoned. Somehow, she managed to resist and hold her ground, even as the serasword began leaking heavy amounts of seras.

    As if the very space around her grew thick with pressure, the arena experienced a long sustained bout of seratic diffusion. Tiny lines ran upwards like reversed rain, as the world was temporarily distorted by the flood of seras. It sounded like a great wash of water drowning out all existence. As the environment normalized, these effects subsided. Nevertheless, Losha detected a vast amount of seras pouring out from the serastone. It continually pumped more and more, and still it seemed to hold deep reserves. Govan’s weapon was a truly terrifying tool of destruction.

    Eventually, everything began to settle. Wrapped in light, Govan swung his sword downward. The very motion of his cut tore up the ground before him. It were as if the seratic presence of the sword alone could carve the earth. Simply being near it posed a danger. Regardless, Losha ripped away from sight, leaving only an afterimage where she once stood. As soon as Govan even heard the distinctive buzz of the series, he knew she was already upon him. Charging from behind, she reappeared all at once in the Prime Lead’s blind spot. With her servai raised overhead, she slammed it against his spine.

    Govan, however, was yet covered by the light of the serastone. The layer protected him from her strike; her weapon could not sink in. As she understood it, the servai attacked seras, but he had wrapped himself with so much that she failed to harm him. Govan whirled around to the right, spinning to face the Wolf. He swung out with the serasword, hitting her servai and breaking her guard. His strength overwhelmed her as she nearly lost her grip on her own blade. With his left hand, Govan immediately slashed at her with the regular sword. She couldn’t use her servai to block his move; physical objects passed right through it. Instead, she raised her forearm. Her blue force-field remained as active as ever. Govan’s attack stopped up against her rigid, kinetic barrier.

    “Interesting. You cannot outspeed or dodge me, but with your defense, you need not do either,” she observed. “And you already figured out the limitations of my servai.”

    Govan growled as he threw down his serasword at her once more. Losha, however, fended it off with her servai. As the two contacted, a burst of light ensued, followed by the same repulsion that again pushed them away from each other.

    “Let us take care of that pesky thing,” she said, pointing her servai at his metallic sword. A small, single orb of light formed at the tip of her tool. It charged up for but an instant before unleashing itself in a narrow, burning line. The blazer beam shot straight at the sword, blasting it right out of Govan’s hand. Only Govan’s body was shielded by light, so she was able to disarm him easily. He looked behind himself only to see the smoldering remains of the item. It formed a heap of slag, melting and fusing with the field itself, barely retaining its shape except for the handle.

    “More new tricks?” Govan asked aloud. “No matter. I will cut you down with the serasword alone.”

    Losha felt her heart pound faster. What did he mean by that? She’d always used that technique in battle, hadn’t she? She shook her head, putting aside fears that something wasn’t quite correct about her recollection. She tuned her attentions to the Prime Lead. At the rate things were heading, she’d run out of seras while his serasword would continue  strong. She needed to come up with a better approach, else she faced exhaustion and eventual defeat. But how could she damage him when he had that light? It seemed entirely different from the kind he’d earlier used on his soldiers. This one attracted no lightning, nor could she get through it with her servai.

    She then remembered her fight with Koter, how she’d destroyed the serastone itself. That had to be it; that had to be the way to win. The only question now was how could she get close enough to him to attack the stone? Losha saw a chance, but she knew it would prove substantially risky...

    “Sa,” she said, holding her servai in one hand; with the other, she motioned at him, as if calling him close. “Let us finish this shortly. Put everything you have into this, Govan. This is our final act.”

    Govan jumped forward, crashing his serasword on top of her. She blocked it, but the Prime Lead carried out several more short strokes. Losha deflected the first two but bounced away from the third. Flinging her servai, she hurled it at him. Over and over it turned, rapidly cartwheeling through the air. The maneuver surprised Govan if only for the fact that it seemed so desperate. Even so, he threw it off course with a single jerk. As soon as he did so, Losha ripped to the side.

    So, she’d meant to distract me, he thought. He scanned the area trying to find her latest location, but by that time, she’d already implemented the next phase of her assault. Losha appeared at the far edge of his sight, kneeling down as she slammed her palm into the ground. Two lines of electric blue light ran towards him, surging beneath his feet. All at once, Govan felt himself sinking. As he looked down, the earth had liquified around his legs; he feel deeper into a pool of mud. Reaching his thighs, the pit trapped him. Losha took this opportunity and dashed at him, bounding forward swiftly. The Prime Lead struggled but failed to extract himself. Jumping at him, Losha aimed to grab hold of the serasword, but Govan retaliated before she ever reached him.

    “Raaaah!” he cried, stabbing the ground with his weapon. Seras ran forth, injecting itself like a wild current. In a furious burst, everything in that area was hit by a growing dome of light. Sailing backwards, Losha spun through the air. She smacked the grass, bounced, and turned several times over, skidding on her belly as she finally came to rest.

    “Ghhh...” she grunted softly, wincing as she tightened her hands and looked up. “Ksh, well that hardly worked.” She’d suffered small seratic damage; her force-field only prevented physical attacks after all. Govan’s spontaneous release of seras created a lot of residual kinetic energy which she’d blocked, but the light itself had attacked a bit of her soul. Govan now stood in the center of a small crater, freed from the mud. She pulled herself up, thinking all the while that an even riskier approach was necessary.

    “So be it,” she said. She locked eyes with Govan for but a moment before she ran towards him again. He spared no moment in targeting her with the serasword. A beam erupted from his weapon, but not quite like anything she’d ever seen. It curled and twisted as if guided and alive. Like a tendril, the attack homed in on her, whipping left and right. Before it hit her, she ripped to the side; the beam struck the ground, tearing a hole into the plains, but she kept right on running. Another beam shot out, winding its way towards her, yet she similarly dodged it. Seeing no reason to reserve himself, Govan launched an entire horde at the Wolf.

    Dancing about like rabid serpents, they weaved in and out as they raced ahead. Though they were a dozen plus, Losha avoided the first few by ripping out of reach. The next ones were more aggressive, flailing sharply at her sides. Even so, she leaped, jumped, and spun over them all without once being touched. The last one, however, zeroed in on her fast. At that range, she could not dodge a head-on encounter. Fortunately, she called her servai back into her hands, reforming it from her seras. Cutting at the beam, she threw it away. Since Govan’s attack was nothing more than seras as well, she managed to defend herself with her sword.

    Their distance was but a few measly meters now. Seeing that his barrage had failed, Govan cried as he too ran forward. Their blades met quickly, but to stop the rebound of servai and serasword, both opponents only pressed their weapons together shortly. Once proved hardly enough; again and again they swung at each other in a series of blows. Each time, however, whether it was low or high, they fought evenly. Their contest went on in such a manner until Govan’s left hand all of a sudden grabbed her by the wrist, preventing her arm from landing a clean hit. Though Losha struggled, Govan’s size and might won, but not for long.

    As he raised his right arm to strike her, Losha let her left hand slip free. She swiped the air between them, as if she were throwing something. In fact, she’d cast a kinetic series to freeze some water. Ice instantly crawled all over Govan’s face, giving him a crystal mask. Alarmed by the turn of events, he found himself unable to breath or see properly. Staggering backwards, he clawed at his cheeks and forehead while tossing his sword in various directions, sending waves of light out at random. Having released Losha, Govan left her free to side-step each of his reckless attacks. Nimbly, she went towards the Prime Lead, slicing her servai back and forth across his chest. Though she could not shatter the seras guarding him, she did weaken his barrier to an extent.

    Balling up her fist, Losha punched him, moving like a bullet. She used a kinetic series to accelerate her limb, increasing the force of its impact. Hitting him in the gut, she drove him back a full meter. He made a muffling noise as he reflexively tried to swing at her, but ultimately he missed. Finally, however, he removed the ice. Digging into his face with his fingers, Govan crushed the frozen water by swiftly closing his hand. With flaring eyes, the Prime Lead pounced on Losha, enraged.

    “Haaaa!” he yelled, drawing the serasword behind his head. In a blur, he vertically slashed her. His blade parted her kinetic force-field as it bit into her left shoulder. Gnawing through flesh, the stone spread her blood to the air. She grimaced as the pain seeped into her mind, but she soon wore a devious, almost maniacal grin. Though wounded, she used her left arm to grab the serasword at the base of the hilt. She cut herself on the edge, but she made sure she had an inescapable grip on it.

    “I was waiting for that!” she said as Govan looked at her with growing horror. In an instant, she cast a kinetic series, snapping the serastone away from Govan. She stumbled away with the stone still lodged inside her. Another kinetic series, however, reduced it to dust. The pieces crumbled and wafted on the wind. Her hand fell slackly by her side as streaks of crimson ran down the entire length of her arm. With the other side, once more the Wolf raised her servai.

    “I have fought long and hard for peace,” she said. Azure light began flowing around her seratic blade, glowing ever brighter. “The next move I make will end this war once and for all, Prime Lead.”