Chapter 7: As Usual

Valeria sat there with clear aversion on her face as she eyed the medic droning on next to her.

"Alright there should be no lasting damage thankfully, but make sure to limit your physical activity for the next week. Even if you did not use your oripathy for that stunt, that much originium energy put a strain on your body."

Not deigning the doctor anything more than a grunt, Valeria stood and walked off to get some sleep. The medic helplessly looked at Anders who stood off to the side during the examination.

"Please notify me if you see her overexerting herself. There was some internal bleeding and I don't want her to reopen her wounds."

Anders sighed while waving off the medics concerns.

"Don't worry too much about it, she knows her limits. She just hates doctors."

The medic felt surprised, but also relieved that it wasn't anything she did to earn Valeria's ire.

"Do you know why?"

Anders shrugged his shoulders.

"No idea, she's always been like that. Luckily it was just a check up so all you had to deal with was the stink eye. Don't take it personally."

The medic finally cracked a small smile.

"Then I can sleep a bit easier, thank you."

****

That night, Valeria had a dream.

It began in a luxurious room decorated with black and purple decor. Everything within screamed nobility only to be off set by the woman donning a suit of black full plate armor standing within. The only part of her still visible was her head. The three sets of horns adorning her head made helmets an impossibility.

She stood in front of a mirror sporting a jovial smile and the corners of her purple eyes ticked upwards showcasing her mood. Her face looked youthful and her posture was light. As if she had nothing in the world to worry over. Looking into the mirror she began to mutter to herself.

"Ok, you can do this. Today is the day you finally beat father."

Leaving the mirror with a bounce in her step, she grabbed a monster of a blade hidden within a black sheath on her way out the door. It measured 6 feet long and 1 foot wide. The average person would have difficulty lifting such a weapon, but Valeria lovingly hoisted it up and let it rest on her shoulder without any effort.

After exiting her room, she walked with purpose through her manor's halls. Along the way she passed by various Sarkaz maids and butlers that greeted her with a smile and wished her luck. Valeria's smile widened with each greeting, feeling her confidence bolster with each word.

In a few minutes of walking she arrived at her destination. She paused before two metallic double doors and simply stared at them before taking a deep breath. The grip on her weapon became tighter and resolve burned in her eyes.

Pushing open the doors, she was greeted by the estate's arena. A simple place for mock battles and spars. A flat stone floor flanked by stands to house spectators if necessary. Originium powered lights lined the ceiling illuminating the room in a bright white light. However, today held no spectators. There was only a single man waiting on the other end of the room, but in Valeria's eyes he was an unmovable mountain.

He stood tall wearing a lighter version of Valeria's pitch black armor. Metal plating covering vital areas while the rest of his body was protected by chain mail allowing for a bit more mobility at the cost of defense. At his waist sat a sheathed long sword and on his left hand was a exoskeleton like glove. Valeria was not surprised by the tape that was wrapped around it. She knew the latch never stayed shut.

Three sets of horns jut out from his short raven black hair and his usually stern icy blue eyes seemed gentle as he gazed upon his daughter. A soft smile unconsciously appeared on his face at her approach.

"Oh? My daughter finally decided to grace me with her presence? I thought the sun would set before I saw you."

A small smile of her own crept on to Valeria's face and her nerves relaxed at his teasing. She couldn't help but pout.

"Apologies father, I slept in later than I anticipated, but the sun hasn't even finished rising let alone setting."

The man's smile widened as he further provoked his daughter.

"It's good that you're rested Val, that means you'll be wide awake for when I rub your head into the ground today."

Valeria lifted her chin so she could arrogantly look down on the man.

"Not today father. Today will be my win without a doubt."

Her father's brows raised as he sent an amused glance at a scoreboard off to the side that read 729 - 0.

"Is that so?"

The girl immediately blushed, but ignored her emaressment in an effort to keep up her prideful look.

"That's right, today is mine."

The man gave a hearty laugh at her antics.

"Very well then. Let me see what surprise my daughter has come with this time."

Both of them moved forward and met in the middle of the room. When a mere 20 feet separated them, a white circle lit up on the ground surrounding them. This was their arena, should anyone step outside of the designated area, it would count as a loss. The man's voice echoed through the training grounds as he declared the rules.

"Today will be a one on one bout. The first to knock their opponent unconscious, force them out of the ring, or force them to surrender will be declared the victor. As usual, no arts are allowed. This will be a test of pure swordsmanship."

Valeria nodded and prepared herself for combat. She took her sword and tapped the tip on the ground. The shadows under her feet crawled up to envelop the sheath and dissipated to reveal her uncovered weapon. The blade itself was made of a deep purple colored crystal rather than metal and it had a slight glow showing off its inner power. The hilt of the blade was crafted out of black metal wrapped in leather to allow a better grip. This was her sword; Somnium Custos. It simultaneously served both as her blade and her arts unit.

When she first had it made her father grumbled for weeks saying that kids these days all get arts units in the shape of swords. That they took childhood stories of heroes too seriously.

Her father drew his own weapon from his sheath revealing a black sword with red runic carvings etched onto its blade.

Both of them were using their real, sharpened weapons in this duel. It was something her father insisted on, claiming that it helps develop control while fighting. After all, you need complete control and concentration in order to stop your sword a mere inch from your opponents neck and claim victory. As a result Valeria's control over her hulking weapon did improve by leaps and bounds. They didn't even need a medic on stand-by during their bouts anymore.

The white circle that acted as the arena's boundary flashed once. Both fighters took their stances. Man extended his right foot forward while stepping back with his left. He rested the flat of his blade on his right arm while pointing it forward towards his opponent. Both hands gripping the hilt of his blade. One near the guard and the other near the bottom. This is an adaptable defensive stance that allows the user to quickly transition into other forms if need be.

Valeria however, set herself up into a side stance. Stepping her left foot forward and slightly leaning forward to allow herself to spring forward. Her sword was pointed to the side and towards the floor set for a powerful upward swing befitting her aggressive style. Even if her father could easily read it, he would not be able to carelessly take the hit.

The white circle flashed for a second time. Both opponents locked eyes and oozed determination. The grips on their weapons tightened.

The third flash caused the circle to change from white to green indicating the start of the duel.

As soon as the circle changed color, Valeria rushed forward like a raging bull completely unhindered by her heavy gear. Seeing that his daughter was not attempting a feint today, the man quickly switched his stance to allow for him to better meet her upwards blow.

After a mere moment, Valeria reached her opponent and swung her sword upwards with such ferocity that she could cleave through her father regardless of his armor. Stepping to the side and swinging his sword, the man chose to deflect the strike rather than foolishly block it. A scraping sound echoed through the hall at their clash and the crystal behemoth was barely sent off course.

Attempting to take advantage of the opening while the momentum of his daughter's weapon kept her from responding, he pulled back his weapon and aimed to stab towards her head.

However instead of panicking, Valeria put more strength into her movements. Pushing her momentum forward, she let the weapon spin her and used her new position to deliver a powerful strike downwards towards her foe.

The two blows clashed once again, but this time Valeria made direct contact. She threw open her father's guard as the blow drive both of their weapons downwards. Wanting to push her offensive, she turned her shoulder and bashed forward in an attempt to make him stumble.

Her father would not be so easily beaten. Side stepping her charge, he delivered a powerful frontal kick to her side. The blow nearly took Valeria off her feet so instead of struggling to stay standing, she chose to go with the force of the kick and roll away to create some distance between them.

Her father had other ideas as he hounded her escape. The swings of his sword becoming faster with every strike. It became a stalemate as Valeria was stuck using the flat of her weapon as a makeshift shield to block each blow. Although his speed was great, Valeria simply had to move her weapon slightly to stave off his onslaught and it's weight made it impossible to break past.

As Valeria racked her brain for a way out of her predicament, she saw her father smirk. Before she could react, he stretched his leg forward and hooked her foot causing her to trip backwards. Swinging his sword, he struck Valeria's own and threw open her already crumbling guard. Using his free hand, he punched hard at her stomach lifting her off of her feet and sending her backwards.

Pressing forward to end the duel, he lifted his sword to stab towards her head while she couldn't orient herself mid-air. Unnoticed by him, a gleam flashed acrossed Valeria's eyes. Twisting her body in the air, she drove her sword downwards and buried it halfway into the floor below. The sword, now caught in the stone, stopped her flight and in a show of physical prowess, Valeria held herself horizontally in the air by the hilt of her blade. She turned her gaze towards her surprised father, and with a wild grin she placed both feet against his chest. Using all of the force her legs could muster, she kicked out sending her old man soaring right out of the arena.

The once green ring turned red as he was ejected, and he sat there dumbfounded on his butt. As Valeria panted to catch her breath, her father's loud laughter rang through the training hall. He hurriedly got up and ran to his daughter. Picking her up by her armpits he spun her around with pride and joy plastered on his face. Soon enough, Valeria's laughter sang in tandem with his own.

"Put me down father! Put me down!"

"How could I? Let me lift you higher! That way the whole world can see how great my daughter is!"

Valeria's smile reached her eyes turning them into crescent moons at his words.

"Nonsense! We are the only ones here! If you wish to spread my greatness we'll have to leave first."

Her father set her back down with a pampering gaze.

"Alright princess, go ahead and reap your reward first then."

Agreeing with his words, she strode over towards the scoreboard and where it read 729 - 0. With a quick press of a button, it changed to read 729 - 1.

Her eyes were shinning with pride at accomplishing a goal she strove towards for a long time. Even if it was only a victory by ring out and the same trick wouldn't work twice, it was a start.

"You see that father? That is the just the start. I hope you are content with the amount of wins you have because you won't be recieving any more."

She received no answer.

Turning around she could see her father standing there, but the once bright lights were extinguished. She could only make out his silhouette in the darkness.

"Father?"

Like puppet with its strings cut, her father collapsed to the ground. The only sound was his body impacting the cold stone floor.

"Father!"

Running up to him, she kneeled down on the ground. Turning him over to look at him she reeled back seeing his face decomposing in real time before her. Rotten flesh fell from his still smiling face as pearlescent bone began to peek through.

Her face twisted in horror and her blood ran cold. She wanted to pick him up and rush to find a doctor, but found she could not move her body. She wanted to cry out for help, but she could not scream. She could do nothing but watch as her father withered away in her hands.

The walls of the training grounds around her began to crack and crumble. Small chunks of rock gave way to form holes in the once pristine hall. A cocaphony of screams and the ripping of flesh leaked in through the holes and crescendoed with each new opening. Then as if the walls hit their limit, they collapsed all at once. Surprisingly the ceiling did not crush her, though once she saw her surroundings she wish it had.

A battlefield. No, a slaughtering ground. Revealed around her was a sea of corpses and blood flooding the ground. In every direction various Sarkaz fled in a desperate attempt to evade the pursuers chasing after them to no avail. Pursuers cleaved through flesh and bone at every turn leaving no hope of escape.

In one area a 15 foot tall metal suit of armor billowed out steam as it crushed a man beneath its hulking foot. Turning a canon strapped to its arm to the side a thunderous boom sounded, obliterating another victim.

Elsewhere, a tall individual dressed in a full body black cloak held a blade. His head was covered in some sort of breathing apparatus with various tubes extending out and connecting to various parts of his back. A black smoke-like substance poured off his body causing any organic life it touched to wither and die. He drove his blade through the abdomen of a sarkaz woman and Valeria watched as the smoke eminating off it made her body rapidly atrophy into nothing but a blackened husk.

Similar scenes happened all around her. Valeria saw her people torn apart at the hands of various forces she did not recognize. Rage and sorrow tore at her very soul as she watched. She wanted to scream in rage, she wanted to rend the attackers apart, she wanted to cry out in anguish, but she could not do anything. She was frozen in place, doomed to witness it all.

Soon begging joined the screams and carnage. Pleas filled the air as her people begged to be saved. As they begged her to be saved. They called out for her and she could not even respond.

A lone figure calmly walked out of the chaos directly in her line of vision. It was a woman adorned in a cloak that was black on the outside and green on the inside. It billowed in the wind as she approached. Two pale green colored feline ears poked out of holes cut into the top of the hood. The hood itself shadowed her face in darkness. The only part that could be seen where two emerald eyes boring into her.

Step by step she drew closer completely ignoring the surrounding massacre. Her eyes never leaving Valeria, and Valeria incapable of turning away from her. Once the figure was five feet away from Valeria, she stopped. Reaching into her cloak she pulled out a a piece of metal and aimed it at the kneeling woman's head. The word 'gun' flashed acrossed her mind, but Valeria did not know how she knew the word. The emerald eyed woman moved her thumb, and a small click echoed out unhindered by the surrounding noise.

At this moment Valeria heard her father's voice calling from her lap, but it lacked its usial vigor. It sounded haunting as what vocal chords remained struggled to make out the words.

"You did well today Val. I can rest with peace of mind knowing that you will be protecting our people."

*BANG*

Valeria opened her eyes. Greeting her was the blue sky above and sand forming to her body below her. Turning her gaze to the side, she saw the sarkaz mercenaries plus one Nadeemah cooking breakfast and conversing. It was a lively atmosphere. Walking over, she joined them with an indifferent face.

Anders saw her approach and pat the sand beside him with a smile.

"Good to see you up. Turns out Nadeemah here is a quite the cook. Makes me want to recruit her for that alone! Better get your share before the rest of this lot empty the pot."

Valeria took the offered spot and formed a couple tendrils of shadow to pour herself a bowl. A small smile of her own crept on to her face at the taste. Anders continued to make small talk as they ate.

"How'd you sleep?"

Valeria gave a small shrug.

"No worse than usual."