Team SWRZ - Volume 1 - Chapter 23 - Two on One!

"I thought us teaming up would've made this fight easier!" Schwartz der Hund complained as he took cover behind the safety of a nearby tree. He looked to his left and spotted his partner, Watchet Amin, hiding behind a tree. Their opponent, Max Wisteria, proved a formidable enemy even as a team. She was a professional Huntress, after all. Her experienced in combat outweighed them by some years. She seemed a much easier opponent a few months back.

"Her experience combined with her Semblance makes her an issue to deal with," Watchet noted, turning his attention to the bullseye symbols marked on his body. "The marks don't disappear until her bullets hit us."

"Yeah, I know," Schwartz rolled his eyes after hearing Watchet's analysis. He experienced the mechanisms of Wisteria's Semblance [Devil's Choice]. His gaze dropped to his body, where five marks resided on his body. Meanwhile, Watchet only had two. "She wants me dead."

"You killed her partner," Watchet pointed out.

"Yes, I did," Schwartz peered his face from behind the cover of the tree, spotting Wisteria reloading her sniper rifle. Once completed, she activated her Semblance and fired off seven rounds. Purple streaks of light followed behind the projectiles as they headed toward their intended targets--Schwartz and Watchet. "We gotta move!"

He alerted his partner.

The Huntsmen in training ran out from their cover and split up. Five bullets chased Schwartz down while the remaining two went after Watchet. Schwartz activated his Semblance, [Unleashed], and glided across the ground. While Watchet ran further into the forest, taking sharp twists and turns around the trees to throw off the tracking projectiles. As predicted, the bullets stayed hot on their trails, not stopping until they hit their mark.

Schwartz tried leading the bullets into the trees, but they possessed fierce piercing capabilities, easily tearing through the wood in hot pursuit.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Schwartz complained as he continued to maneuver through the forest. The projectiles caught up and struck him from behind, knocking him out into the clearing. His black aura flickered around his body, having taken the brunt of the attacks. He knew deep down he couldn't take much more of those.

The familiar sound of a gun reloading caught his attention. Schwartz lifted his head and spotted Wisteria aiming her rifle at the student's face, smirking as she mercilessly pulled the trigger. Schwartz rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the bullet.

Afterward, he picked himself off the ground, unsheathed his swords, and rushed toward the woman. With the marks on his body gone, he wouldn't have to worry about the bullets tracking him again. He knocked away the rest of the incoming rounds and swiped his blades at the Huntress.

Wisteria transformed the rifle into battle-ax form and clashed weapons with the enemy. She leaned forward and scowled. "Give up! You're not going to win this fight!"

"Says you!" Schwartz smirked.

"Laugh it up while you still can! You won't be laughing when I put a bullet in your head!" Wisteria kicked Schwartz away from her and shifted her ax back into a rifle. She fired off several shots, only stopping to reload.

Schwartz raised his swords and quickly blocked the incoming attacks. He looked down and checked his torso. No mark. He was safe from the effects of Wisteria's Semblance.

The young man was free from its effects and showed no hesitance in using his Semblance again. He glided across the field and unleashed a flurry of attacks. Wisteria kept her guard up, efficiently defending herself thanks to her weapon. Or that was the case until Schwartz disarmed her with a swift kick. The woman's sniper rifle flew a few feet away from them.

With the Huntress unarmed, Schwartz showed no compassion. He smiled and ruthlessly swung his swords. Wisteria evaded the blades and retaliated with a palm strike to Schwartz's stomach. He skidded back and dropped to his knees, holding his arm against the wounded spot. As he removed his arm, he noticed the familiar bullseye mark.

"You've been marked again," Wisteria taunted, having retrieved her sniper rifle from the ground. She smiled and aimed. "After I kill you and your friend, I'll head back to Haven and finish off the rest of your team."

"Even though they're innocent?" Schwartz wondered.

"I thought your partner was innocent, but he hypnotized me, and now he's helping you fight me. There's no telling how corrupted your other teammates are,"

"If anyone's corrupted, it's you," Schwartz smirked.

"Maybe, but I'm this way because of you! You're a savage bandit getting what's coming to them!" Wisteria painfully exclaimed, pulling the trigger once again. The bullet raced across the air, heading straight for Schwartz's stomach.

Schwartz twisted his body and swung one of his swords. The bullet altered its trajectory and avoided the blade. It was mere inches away from hitting him until another blade snaked its way through and sliced the projectile in half.

All eyes followed the blade until it returned to its owner, Watchet. The young Huntsman stepped out into the clearing with an intense glare.

"How did you?!" Wisteria angrily exclaimed, having expected her tracking bullets to keep the student out of the fight.

"How naive," Watchet shook his head in a moment of sheer disappointment at the Huntresses' abilities. "You were too focused on killing Schwartz that you neglected the bullets tracking me. I noticed severe changes in their patterns; the further I got away from you."

"Idiot," Wisteria scoffed. "Now that you're in front of me, it'll be easier for me to shoot you down."

"Try it," Watchet goaded the Huntress.

Wisteria fell for the provocation, switching her sniper rifle to its battle-ax form. She lunged at the student and swung her ax several times. With his swordsmanship, Watchet displayed proper form and skill to block and dodge the incoming attacks. Whenever he spotted a hole in the woman's defense, he'd strike within seconds and proceed to gain distance.

Wisteria shook off the damage and charged forward. She pulled her arm back and hurled her weapon at Watchet. The student reacted by slashing it away, only to find himself on the receiving end of a fierce punch across his face, shattering his shades on impact. But it didn't end there.

The Huntress retrieved her ax from the ground and struck him several times, only stopping when Watchet regained his composure and evaded the last strike. He performed a few sword slashes but only contracted Wisteria's battle-ax. The moment he pulled his arm back for another hit, Wisteria slammed the head of her ax into the ground. The destructive force of the attack knocked Watchet back to Schwartz.

"She is relentless," Watchet's breath turned ragged. The fight went longer than he expected. The Huntress was determined and out on a mission to kill them both. It wasn't an obligation or duty that drove her to fight. It was a pure, unadulterated desire for revenge.

"Watchet, you got something on your face," Schwartz tapped the side of his cheek once he saw the mark Wisteria left behind.

Watchet touched his cheek and sighed. "How many marks do you have on you?"

"One."

"I also have one,"

"How many times do you think she can mark someone?"

"I do not think there is a limit to how many times she can do it rather than capacity limit."

"Capacity limit?"

"Remember earlier? You had five marks while I had two. The marks disappear once the bullet lands," Watchet informed. "It is almost like it refuels with each successful hit."

"So, how do you want to go about this?" Schwartz asked.

"We could allow ourselves to get marked to see the limits of her Semblance. But it is risky."

"Risky is what I live for," Schwartz smirked and readied himself for battle again.

"Very well," Watchet smiled.

The partners rushed ahead together with their weapons at the ready. Wisteria twirled her ax to build momentum, only swinging once the students reached her attack range. Watchet jumped over the woman while Schwartz slid across the ground through Wisteria's feet. Schwartz stuck his arm out and tripped the Huntress.

Wisteria stumbled forward, leaving herself wide-open for Watchet's onslaught of sword strikes. When the woman regained her balance, she swung the ax, only to hit the air as Watchet retreated and gained some distance. However, Schwartz straightened his posture and assaulted the Huntress in his partner's stead. She guarded against the first few sword strikes but stumbled upon receiving a sharp kick to the stomach.

Wisteria transformed her weapon to rifle form, firing off a quick round at Schwartz. The young man used his Semblance to slide away while the bullet chased him down.

Watchet jumped in and attacked Wisteria with his sword again, only hitting her rifle thanks to a quick block from her side. Wisteria spun and swung her ax once more. Watchet leaned back and watched the weapon cut through the air. He fled when the head of the ax came down toward him, hitting the earth with enough force to demolish the ground.

Watchet launched himself behind Wisteria and kicked her across the field. The Huntress sprawled across the ground, halting once Schwartz slid by and nailed her with a follow-up kick.

Wisteria lodged her ax into the ground to regain her center of gravity. The students proved more troublesome than she anticipated. Their tenacity in combat reminded her of her team in their rookie days.

Watchet gave the Huntress no time to recover. He leaped into action and performed a horizontal sword strike. Wisteria blocked and dodged the attack, knocking the student away. With her attention on Watchet, Schwartz spared no expense to land a cheap shot across the woman's face with the butt of his sword. Wisteria stumbled from the hit and dropped down to her knees when she saw her bullet heading straight toward her.

Schwartz evasively glided away, leaving his partner to deal with Wisteria.

Watchet spun in circles and allowed the blade of his sword to twirl around his body. He extended his arm out and watched the blade dart toward Wisteria. The Huntress turned her body, narrowly evading the blade.

The tip of the sword lodged itself into the tree behind her. Watchet zipped by Wisteria and nailed her in the face with a kick as his blade pulled him her way. The Huntress recovered almost immediately, altering her weapon to its rifle form. With the student's back turned to her, she fired another shot.

"Don't think so!" Schwartz came by and sliced the bullet in half to protect his partner, but in doing so, he left himself defenseless against the tracking bullet that finally caught up to him. The projectile struck him in the stomach and knocked him to the ground. His aura flickered across his body before dissipating.

"Finally, I broke your aura!" Wisteria delightfully announced. She aimed her rifle again but found herself defending herself from another attack curtesy of Watchet.

"I will not let you kill him!" Watchet came to his partner's rescue and engaged the Huntress in close-quarters combat.

"Stay out of my way!" Wisteria demanded. Her rifle changed to ax form and relentlessly attacked the student.

Watchet went entirely on the defensive. Not only did he have to worry about the woman's weapon, but he also tried to avoid getting touched by her unless he wished to fall victim to her Semblance.

"I will not!" Watchet slid back and stood his ground in front of Schwartz.

"Then die! Both of you!" Wisteria slammed her ax into the ground, unleashing a more massive shockwave that knocked both students into the air. Both boys hit the ground hard. A blue light shimmered across Watchet's body before vanishing. "You both brought this on yourselves! I'm not the monster here! You are!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Schwartz groaned as he forced himself back on his feet. Blood trickled down his face.

Watchet struggled to his feet as well. "Defeat is not an option for us here,"

Wisteria scowled at the sight of the monsters in front of her. Their aura was broken; they were roughed up and bleeding, yet they still stood before her. Their eyes burned with fierce determination. How could people like them show such ferocity?

Wisteria gritted her teeth and aimed her rifle. It was her chance to end everything. Two measly students, that's all she needed to kill. She wouldn't think twice about it.

"Die!" She yelled as she fired the fatal shot.

Schwartz and Watchet split apart and rushed the Huntress in unison. The first one to reach her was Schwartz. The wild man unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, but none of them hit their mark, thanks to the woman's defensive capabilities. A punch to the face knocked him away, leaving Watchet to handle the Huntress. The two shared a brief dance of attacks, blocks, and parries until the time finally arrived.

Watchet smiled and maneuvered himself into Wisteria's blindspot. The moment she looked away to find the elusive student, the tracking bullet came by and struck her in the stomach. She dropped to the ground as a purple light shimmered across her body and vanished.

"And that is your aura," Watchet noted as he held his sword inches away from the downed Huntresses' neck.

"Good job, Watchet," Schwartz smiled, wiping away the sweat and blood from his face.

"Damn you! God damn you both!" Wisteria angrily swore. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. With her experience, she should've been the one standing above the students. How? How did things go so wrong?

"No need for the language. Now, let us talk," Watchet tried to calm the situation.

"There's nothing to talk about! Either you kill me, or I kill you!" Wisteria declared. In a last-ditch effort to turn the situation around, she tossed dirt and debris into Watchet's eyes. As the student exclaimed and stumbled back, the Huntress made a mad dash for her weapon.

She caught a glimpse of something when she reached for her weapons. A glint of steel came to the corner of her eyes before it happened. In one smooth motion, two objects hit the ground. Wisteria stared in disbelief and horror at the sight of the familiar objects. Her hands lay next to her now, blood-drenched weapon.

Schwartz stood over the Huntress with a dreadful smile. He took immense pleasure from slicing off the woman's hands. When the pain finally reached her, Wisteria fell to the ground, screaming in agony.

"Schwartz!" Watchet cried out in obvious distaste of the tactic. He rushed over to the woman and tried to help stop the bleeding.

"What? She tried to kill us! I disarmed her!" Schwartz tried to justify his actions.

"Get away from me! Don't fucking touch me!" Wisteria hollered at Watchet. She got to her feet and staggered away from them. It was humiliating, but she couldn't defeat them in her current state. She planned to retreat and regroup. She'd return to finish off the students soon enough. "This isn't over! This is far from over!" With that fatal declaration, she took off into the forest.

"Should we give chase?" Schwartz wondered.

"No," Watchet heaved a sigh. "She will not last long out there in her condition. Besides, she would have bled out before we even returned to Haven."

"Thanks for the assistance, partner," Schwartz sheathed his swords and smiled, offering his partner a handshake. He immediately regretted that decision once Watchet held his sword inches from his neck.

"Do not thank me yet. You still have some explaining to do, Schwartz," Watchet said.

Schwartz swallowed the lump in his throat, knowing he'd have to explain his situation to his partner. Hopefully, he'd choose the right words and convince Watchet that he was indeed on his side. If not, then another fight would take place in the forest.