Mock Battles ii

The mock battles quickly ensued. Match after match took place, lights flashed and swords clashed, until eventually only two teams remained.

One team consisted of Sam, the man who wielded a shield, and another woman who carried dual crossbows. On the opposing end stood another team of three made up of all men.

One wielded a broadsword, one utilized a short sword and shield, and the last carried two daggers. In each instance, both teams dominated their previous matches. And now it was time for the final fight between the two strongest groups.

As precedent ruled, Willow raised her luxurious hammer into the air and struck it down, signaling the start of the match.

Immediately, Sam activated her Gift. Black smoke poured out of her, resembling some sort of exorcism, like a demon was being purged from her mortal body; but in reality, the essence that dwelled within her soul core was being transformed into her black veil and released out of her.

The cloud of black smoke rushed across the empty space and split into three individual clouds, one for each opponent. The veils surrounded her opponents heads, encasing them in a helmet of darkness.

Over the course of the past few matches, however, people have had to deal with Sam's Gift a handful of times, each time revealing insight for how to counteract it.

The man with two daggers, the leader of the group, raised his hands and plunged them into the abyssal helmet. Moments later, the black smoke began to rapidly shrink.

It continued shrinking until the veil in its entirety was condensed to nothing more than a small, onyx marble. He reached for one of his teammates' veils, but a bolt exploded across the course and impaled his forearm.

Following its trajectory, the woman besides Sam kneeled at the end of the battleground. With one knee on the ground and the other propped up for support, she instantly began reloading her crossbow.

Meanwhile, Sam charged forward alone. She abandoned the man with the shield and rushed the opposing team, hoping to eliminate someone while her veil remained active.

Before she crossed the distance though, another opponent was released from his cage of darkness. Taking notice of her advance, the man with the sword and shield ran to intercept her while their third party member was released.

Sam didn't hesitate and launched a flurry of attacks at the man, but she's learned from fighting shields previously. She swiveled around his shield, parrying his blade in the meantime, while also simultaneously pulling a hidden knife from her belt.

Finally in position, she lunged towards him and dragged the edge of her knife across the man's neck, firm enough to draw blood but shallow enough to survive.

Sam pushed on, charging towards her remaining foes, but due to her slight pause to defeat the second man, the third man was released.

Now two against one, Sam's confidence wavered. The man with the daggers noticed this and charged forward. Soon after, he threw one of his daggers into the air. It blew past Sam and continued soaring until it abruptly stopped in midair, perpetually frozen, levitating above the ground.

The man yanked the air and the dagger was pulled back, racing towards Sam's back like a boomerang. She heard the whistle from the blade slicing apart the wind and instinctively ducked.

The blade cut across her head, severing some of her hairs, before it was returned to its owner's grasp. The moment he caught his dagger, he threw his other one. Like before, it rocketed past Sam and froze above the ground.

This time, however, the man did not remain idle. He quickly dashed left and began running past Sam. His dagger reached its limit and was pulled back, but its trajectory was nowhere near Sam.

That was until an invisible band crashed into Sam's shoulder. The chord that connected the man and his dagger dug into Sam's skin, tearing at her arm until blood poured down.

The man caught his dagger and Sam could feel the rope press into her back. She didn't know the specifics, but his Gift seemed to connect something to his daggers so that they could be pulled back.

He threw the dagger again and continued running, but while his attention was narrowed on Sam, her teammates were getting active.

A bolt snapped across the field and impaled the man's knee. He buckled and immediately crashed against the floor, releasing whatever was restricting Sam up until this point.

Now freely mobile, Sam collided with the last standing opponent. Their swords clashed in the air as the man swung down and Sam attempted to parry.

Locked in a stalemate, it turned into a battle of strength and attrition. The man overpowered Sam and slammed his sword down, nicking the surface of Sam's chest.

Following his overhead slash, he quickly prepared a horizontal slash and aimed for Sam's stomach. Luckily, Sam was able to block the strike, but the impact from his broadsword bent Sam's rapier making it unbalanced and uneven.

Sam jumped back, creating distance, and dismissed her sword. It could repair the bend, but if it snapped it would disappear forever. She looked down, feeling a warm sensation run over her thighs.

Just beneath her belly button, a long laceration spread from one end of her hip to the other. Her eyes widened, she was sure she blocked that attack, positive in fact.

Mostly defenseless and injured, Sam retreated back to her teammates while her opponent rushed towards his fallen leader. After discussing with her team captain, Sam forfeited the match and exited the battlegrounds.

On the other hand, the last standing man of the opposing team propped his leader up and faced him towards the final two of Sam's team.

Both sides were ready for the final showdown. The man brandished his broadsword and walked across the campgrounds.

A bolt exploded forth and connected with his sword, richoteting into the ground. The man picked up his pace, going from a leisure walk to an erratic dash.

Finally, Sam's team leader made his debut. He stood ten feet in front of his remaining teammate. His ginormous shield accompanied him, of which he slammed the tip into the stone ground inviting his opponent to parley.

The two collided. The broadsword rained down on the shield. Loud clangs erupted one after another as he struck the shield with heat and intensity.

He continued attacking the shield to no avail. He didn't possess the nimbleness that Sam had or a lightweight weapon like her, so sidestepping the shield was unlikely.

But he didn't need to. Cuts quickly spread across the team leader's body and blood dripped from his fingers. The same phenomena that happened to Sam happened again.

Even though he continued to attack the shield, it was as though he was attacking the body itself. The lacerations began to build, blood started to pool, and Sam's team leader began to buckle under the stress.

He dropped to one knee, his strength completely depleted. The last standing opponent grabbed the top of the shield and flung it across the battleground.

He raised his fist and bludgeoned Sam's leader, knocking him to the ground. But suddenly everything reversed.

All the cuts and bruises, the lacerations and the exhaustion transferred to the swordsman's body in that instant. The blood started to seep through his shirt as his eyes glazed over.

Sam's team leader recovered and stood up. He looked the swordsman in the face and smiled. Then, he put his palm on his chest and pushed him back.

The swordsman fell backwards, unconscious and defeated. Sam's team won.

Again.