They stood in the same small clearing away from the buildings where they had also previously trained together. The first hints of dawn were just beginning to touch the sky, chasing away the deepest shadows but leaving the air cool and crisp. The rest of the camp was still slumbering; the only audience was the silent, crumbling ruins below, that ringed the mountain on which their settlement was erected.
Ray held his halberd, [Stormpiercer], in a low, ready stance. The heavy weapon felt balanced and familiar in his hands. Opposite him, Nephis stood with her sword held in a classic guard, the blade a simple, elegant line of steel. There were no words, no signals. A shared look of understanding passed between them, a silent agreement. The spar began in the breath between one moment and the next.
Nephis was the first to move. She didn't charge, but flowed forward, her footwork economical and precise, closing the distance to negate the reach advantage of the halberd. Her blade came up in a probing thrust, aimed not at Ray, but at the head of his weapon, testing his guard.
Ray met it easily, rotating the shaft of the halberd to deflect her sword with a sharp clang that echoed in the pre-dawn quiet. He countered with a quick jab of his own, using the spear tip at the end of his weapon to force her back, re-establishing his preferred range.
The initial exchange was a dance of distance. Nephis, a blur of motion, constantly sought to get inside his guard, her sword flickering like a serpent's tongue. Ray, in turn, used the length of his pole-arm as a wall, a series of quick thrusts with the spear point and short, controlled swings of the axe head keeping her at bay.
Then, seeing a momentary opening, Ray put more force into a swing. It was a horizontal cleave meant to force Nephis into a retreat. She met it with a two-handed block, just as she had in their spars weeks ago.
This time, the result was different.
The impact was immense. Instead of a clean parry, Nephis was physically driven back a full step, her arms jarring from the sheer kinetic force. A flicker of surprise crossed her usually stoic features. She had felt it immediately – the raw, physical strength behind Ray's attack was on a completely different level than before.
Ray knew, through his transformation into a Monster, his power had grown immensely, placing him now just a notch below Effie in pure physical might.
Ray felt the difference too. The weapon felt lighter, the power he could put behind it, immense. A grim smile touched his lips as he pressed his advantage. He was no longer just a fighter with reach; he was a powerhouse.
His attacks changed, becoming a storm of powerful, arcing blows. He used the axe side of the halberd to cleave through the air with a whistling sound, each swing aimed to shatter a defense rather than simply test it. Nephis could no longer afford to block head-on. She was forced to evade, her movements becoming even more fluid as she dodged and weaved around the devastating arcs of dark metal.
But Ray was more than just strength. As Nephis dodged under a wide swing and rushed in close, where the long halberd should have been most awkward, he reacted instantly. Changing his grip on the shaft, he used the sturdy metal to block her incoming sword strike. In the same fluid motion, he angled his halberd slightly different, effectively redirecting the force Neph currently put on the shaft, and pushing the shaft itself forward ,just before her blade could reach his fingers. Directly towards her face.
Nephis was forced to disengage, her speed just barely allowing her to leap back out of range of the unexpected counter-attack. She now saw that Ray wasn't just stronger; he was using every single part of his weapon with lethal intent.
The spar intensified, becoming a breathtaking display of power versus precision. Ray's halberd was a whirlwind of death – the spear tip a lightning-fast jab, the axe blade a devastating cleave, the back-spike a surprising and brutal counter for close-quarters.
Nephis, in turn, was a master of motion. She never stopped moving, using the entire training ground, her silver hair a flowing banner behind her. She flowed around his powerful attacks, her blade a silver flicker that deflected, redirected, and sought the momentary openings his aggressive style created. Sparks flew as her sword slid along the halberd's shaft to attempt a strike at his hands, forcing him to spin the weapon to defend.
The fight reached its zenith. Both were breathing heavily, their bodies slick with sweat despite the morning chill. Ray, seeing an opportunity, committed to a final, powerful attack. He pivoted, putting his entire body's momentum into a devastating downward chop with the axe blade, a blow meant to end the spar decisively.
It was a powerful, all-in move, and Nephis exploited it perfectly.
Instead of retreating or trying to block the overwhelming attack, she did the opposite. She surged forward, dropping low and slipping under the descending arc of the halberd blade. The wind from the blow ruffled her hair as she came up inside Ray's guard, right against him, the most dangerous place to be for both of them.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
As the heavy axe head of the halberd buried itself in the dirt behind her, Ray, using his superior strength, pulled the axe head out of the dirt and continued its trajectory.
Simultaneously, Nephis, now inside his defenses, drove the point of her own sword straight up, its tip aimed directly under Ray's jaw.
They froze.
The axe head of the halberd hovered a mere centimeter from Nephis' neck.
The point of her sword was a centimeter from his.
Both were poised to deliver a finishing blow. Neither could move without ensuring their own "death." The silence was absolute, broken only by their ragged, panting breaths. It was a perfect, undeniable draw.
"I suppose in a fight between us, it will always come down to our Aspects…" Ray sighed as he began dismissing his [Stormpiercer].
Nephis nodded in acceptance and also dismissed her sword memory.
The two of them continued like this for a while longer until it was finally time for a real breakfast.
While he was still somewhat tired before, now Ray was actually awake again. His mental fatigue forgotten for the time being, thanks to the sparring session.
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Breakfast was mostly like any other day, the seating arrangements not changing a lot. Ray sat at the same table as the others who were with him on the shard memory mission, mostly engrossed in their own thoughts or some smaller conversations.
For now, there wasn't much planned. Even the next hunt was still a few days away.
After being done with it, everyone began leaving again, heading over to do the things they were assigned to, training or just helping where they could. Ray was once more with his two odd companions, Henry and Effie.
"So, anything planned for now? I mean we don't really have anything to do for the time being," Henry asked in a slightly bored tone.
Ray was the first to respond. "Yeah, I'm planning on heading to the castle again today, though not to stay this time. I'll try my luck to meet up with a friend for once, and if he is not there, then I can at least gamble a bit. Does one of you want to tag along?"
This time it was Effie's turn to respond. "Nah, I'm good. Me and the castle people aren't really on the best terms, remember?"
Henry nodded in agreement. Having been here longer than Ray, he knew that the giant huntress was often sought after by the Bright King's lieutenants themselves, who tried to recruit her for their own forces. All attempts had been met with the same blunt rejection.
He thought about Ray's offer for a moment but ultimately rejected it as well. Henry wasn't the most sociable person and definitely wasn't a fan of gambling.
As for how he became friends with the two overly sociable people beside him? Hell, none of the three knew that for certain. It just… happened. After one of their many hunts, Henry was just there. While Effie and Ray had at first made a few jokes about him - and then, eventually, with him - he had warmed up to their chaotic energy. Now, most of his social awkwardness only reappeared when he was completely without either of them.
He was indeed, slowly, bettering himself.
After being met with the two rejections, Ray clutched his chest in mock sadness before grinning and heading off, directly towards the Bright Castle.
On the way, many of the people in the outer settlement saw him going there again. In the beginning, his frequent visits had appeared weird, as if he were some kind of spy. Some had even brought their concerns to Changing Star and Caster, who both directly and firmly declined such a notion. While a few remained slightly suspicious, most had complete faith in their charismatic leader and believed her word.
When Ray was finally at the castle gates, he was once more stopped, the guards requesting the tribute for entry. This time though, since he wasn't planning on staying long, Ray politely declined their request.
His refusal was met with direct antagonism. The guards' expressions hardened, their posture becoming more aggressive. In the end, though, both men stationed there held back. Not much was known about all the outer settlement dwellers, but the castle guards at least knew of the top combatants who were often talked about, and for the longest time, Ray had been one of them.
So, they let him pass, their pissed glares following him until he was out of sight. Only after he had left did one of them separate from the post, heading off to inform their boss, Tessai, about the incident.
Ray was unaware of this particular report, but he could already expect such a motion from the general hostility. Because of this, he took the fastest route to the gambling den, not wanting to linger. Once there, he peeked inside the noisy, smoke-filled room and indeed noticed the thing he was looking for.
Across the room, amidst a crowd of gamblers and drinkers, was a familiar head of auburn hair.