Chapter 78: Sparring and Tension!
Chapter 78: Sparring and Tension!
Outside the camp, the clanging of metal rang out in the sparring yard. Nymff and Ecdy moved like shadows, their bodies in perfect synchrony as they danced around each other.
Nymff's every movement was sharp and precise, her footwork light as she parried Ecdy's blows. Ecdy, though larger and more muscular, struggled to keep pace with her fluidity. His attacks were powerful but predictable, each strike a little too slow for Nymff's nimble swordplay.
"Come on, Ecdy, keep up!" Nymff teased, grinning wildly as she deflected his spear with her sword, the clash of metal sending sparks flying between them.
"I'm trying!" Ecdy grunted, sweat pouring down his brow as he swung his spear wide. His frustration was evident, but Nymff was relentless, spinning away from his reach effortlessly.
With a swift spin and a flourish of her sword, Nymff disarmed Ecdy, sending his spear flying across the yard. Before he could react, she closed the distance and placed the tip of her blade just beneath his chin, forcing him to raise his hands in surrender.
"Got you again," Nymff said, her voice laced with playful triumph.
Ecdy sighed heavily, shaking his head. "You always do."
Nymff withdrew her sword, smirking as she flicked the sweat from her brow. "You need to work on your agility, Ecdy. Strength is only part of the equation. You have to move faster, think quicker. You're too stiff."
Ecdy rubbed his neck where her blade had hovered moments ago. "Easier said than done. You're built like a flamingo. I'm built like... well, a boulder."
"You'll get there," Nymff said, offering him a hand to help him up. "But until then, better stick to the spear. It suits your style more."
As Ecdy rose to his feet, brushing the dirt from his clothes, a shadow loomed over them. Adrian stood at the edge of the sparring yard, his arms crossed, watching the pair with an unreadable expression.
"Mind if I join?" Adrian's grin was lopsided, but there was an underlying tension in his eyes—one that neither Nymff nor Ecdy could ignore.
The air grew heavy with unease. Nymff's smile faded as her eyes met Ecdy's, and without a word, both turned and began to walk away. The sound of their footsteps echoed awkwardly through the yard as they left Adrian standing there, alone.
Adrian's grin faltered, his hand dropping to his side. His chest tightened with the familiar sting of rejection. No one ever wanted to spar with him, not after what they had seen him do. Not after they found out what he was. The freak, the alien, the enigma. They couldn't understand him, and he had long since given up trying to explain himself.
For a moment, Adrian stood in the empty yard, watching their retreating figures. The silence pressed in around him, but he forced himself to shrug it off, plastering the grin back onto his face. He was used to this. He had to be.
With a heavy sigh, he turned and faced the training dummies set up near the edge of the yard. Maybe they wouldn't mind sparring with him.
---
Tessa's Tent
As the camp settled into a restless quiet, Tessa retreated to her tent, her mind heavy with the decisions she had to make. Tomorrow, they would set out to recover the cloak. But she couldn't shake the feeling that this uneasy alliance with Ikehara was like playing with fire—and she was bound to get burned.
Her hand absently brushed the edge of her door post as she looked out toward the distant mountains where their journey would take them.
Somewhere out there, Akanon waited, clutching the Cloak of Restoration—the key to unlocking a power beyond her comprehension. And right behind her, lurking in the shadows, was Ikehara, a man with too many secrets and far too much ambition.
Tessa knew she couldn't trust him, but she had no choice. The moon goddess had warned her—time was running out. As the days of the full moon faded, so too would her power. Soon, she would be no different from the rest of the aliens, no different from Adrian. An Alien in his own right, with the salt weakness.
But for now, she had to stay strong, even as her heart whispered warnings of the dangers to come.
---
Song lyrics played in her mind as she stared at the moonlit sky:
"Hold tight, the storm is near,
Winds will blow, but have no fear,
Fires burn, the night is long,
But I'll stand strong, I'll stand strong."
_________
In another portion of the camp, Warriors sharpened their weapons, checked their armor, and whispered among themselves in preparation for the upcoming journey.
The scent of food wafted through the air, though the tension was so thick that few felt like eating.
Nyala moved quickly through the camp, her sharp eyes scanning for any sign of weakness in their defenses.
When she saw Tessa approaching from her tent, she fell into step beside her without a word. It had become second nature for Nyala to be by Tessa's side, as loyal as a shadow. They didn't need words to communicate anymore; their bond had grown deep, forged through battle and hardship.
"We're ready," Nyala said quietly after a long stretch of silence, her voice low but resolute. "Everything is in place. No one's getting through those barriers without us knowing."
Tessa nodded, her mind elsewhere. "Good. Let's hope it stays that way."
Nyala glanced at her, sensing the weight on her shoulders. "We've got this, Tessa. We've faced worse."
"Maybe," Tessa replied, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon. "But something tells me this time is different. This time... we're not just fighting for ourselves. We're fighting for something bigger."
Nyala said nothing, but her hand brushed Tessa's arm briefly—a small gesture of solidarity, of unspoken trust. And in that moment, Tessa felt the smallest flicker of hope. It wasn't much, but it was enough to push her forward, to face whatever was coming.
---
Song Lyrics drifted through the night air, carried by the wind:
"Darkness falls, the night will rise,
But still we stand with fire in our eyes.
Through the storm, through the fight,
We'll burn on, we'll burn bright."
And as the final preparations were made, the camp settled into a tense stillness, the calm before the storm.