Davi sat alone out in the sand. His robes were stained red in his own blood now, and his body ached. The sky had turned orange, and the sun was starting to set.
One hundred and forty-three.
That was the number of times he tried to connect with Storymaker. Each time, the blade rejected him. Without Light Magic, his Shadow Magic couldn't connect with the blade. It didn't matter how persistent he was or what the sword wanted. The two of them couldn't connect and form a bond that other Knights did with their own weapons.
Davi had left Olivia, Olem, and Ghost behind. The three kept insisting he should stop, so he made his way onto the beach, and now he sat alone, a failure in his own right.
How long had it been since he won?
"Yo!" Davi looked up when he heard the voice. Falco was walking toward him. "How's it going, man!"
Davi sighed and forced himself to stand up. A few of the guild members, mainly Ghost, Olem, Olivia, and Clause, kept coming to check on him when he tried to bond with the weapon. He would just ignore them and move to a different place on the beach.
"If you've come to stop me, save it. I—"
Falco's foot connected with his stomach, and Davi felt several of his ribs crack. He was launched off his feet and sent flying back a few feet. He hit the ground and landed on his knees, wheezing hard.
Falco kept walking toward him, and then, without any warning, the mutant threw out a sucker punch, ramming it into the side of Davi's head. Davi grunted and tried to raise his guard, but Falco moved behind him and rammed an elbow into the back of his neck.
Davi nearly dropped but managed to stay on his feet. He felt annoyed and swung his sword out, but Falco easily dodged it. He grabbed Davi's wrist and casually twisted, nearly breaking it. The force of it caused Davi to drop the sword, and as soon as he did, Falco shoved him away.
"This is what all the fuss is about." Falco now held the sword and raised it. "I heard you got a cool elven item, and you became depressed because it won't bond with you?" He ran his eyes along the blade and smirked. "It's a good-looking sword. I'm not shocked someone like you can't use it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Davi winced and held his injured wrist.
Falco looked back at Davi and lazily pointed the sword at him. "Why do you care?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I don't know why I care." Davi shook his head. "Maybe it's just the thought. Ever since Ragna told me more about Mana and Cores, it has got me thinking." Davi's voice lowered. "Mana almost seems alive. It's able to think, select, and act. It picks people to give Cores to. Likewise, enchanted items are made from Cores. Most are monster Cores. Most."
"Ah, I get it." Falco gave a nod, and he casually swung the sword through the air, getting a feel for it. "You're wondering what Core went into this item. After all, why are elven enchantments so much stronger? It's just as you expected. The Core within an elven item was an elf's Core."
Davi's eyes widened. "An elf's Core?"
"Yep." Falco threw the sword into the air and caught it when it came down. "Pretty gross, right? The elves were sick bastards. They treated humans as live slaves, swindled the dragons and the giants, and even managed to be cruel to their own kind. They say that in his madness, King Sylas feared his fellow elves would betray him, so he cut them down and forced them to serve him loyally by placing their Cores into items. It's why Elven Enchantments are so strong. Not only were the elves masters of enchantments, but their Core was also pure. Almost as pure as an angel or Haru's. That's kind of amazing that you were feeling sympathy for this weapon. You must have unconsciously connected to the elven Core within. Let me guess, you have elven blood running through your veins?"
"Well—"
"Never mind, I don't care." Falco was suddenly gone, and Davi felt a wave of pain as his shoulder was sliced open. The mutant was behind him and placed the sword to Davi's throat. "All this fuss over a sword that won't bond with you. Are you stupid? It's still a weapon?" Falco rammed the handle of the blade into Davi's head and kicked Davi away once more. Davi rolled across the ground and gasped. "Get up. Let's fight." Falco's look turned serious. "I want to try my new sword out." Falco's grip tightened around the elven blade.
Davi gritted his teeth. "Row Shadow Ar-"
Falco was on him before the spell ended and rammed his boot forward, smashing it into Davi's face. "I didn't say put your armor on. No spells. Just swords. Get up now."
Davi grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it into Falco's eyes, making the man hiss in pain. "Row Shadow Vault." He twisted his body and struck out with his claymore. The blow was hard and powerful and rattled through Falco's body as the mutant struggled to block it. "Happy now?" He growled.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Falco laughed and shoved the blade off of him, parrying it away. He slashed out with his blade, aiming for Davi's throat, but Davi blocked with the hilt of his sword. The kinetic force of the exchange then danced through his body, and with it, he empowered his next strike, pouring a massive amount of force into it as he stabbed out with his sword. "Show me what you can do!"
Falco laughed even louder and used the longsword as a shield. Davi's thrust hit him hard, and the force sent Falco stumbling back, but it took only a second for him to be back on Davi, launching out a barrage of strikes.
Davi grunted as he attempted to parry or block, but with how many there were, some tore past his guard and left their mark in his flesh. He was being cut up by Falco, who kept striking at him over and over again, the bird-man moving with insane speed.
Falco's stats were just higher in every way, and he was used to fighting on a higher level of power, so to him, this was nothing, whereas Davi wasn't in a good condition since the fight started, already being worn down and low on mana.
That didn't mean he wanted to lose, though. Davi felt something inside of him stirring. He wanted to win. He was tired of losing. Over and over and over. He wanted to grow. To become stronger. He had to. Only then could he slaythedragonsaveeveryoneinfrontofhim.
In this moment, it was two sides of the same coin. The curse of his mother's will and his father's last request were both working in sync. If Davi wanted to follow either order, then he would need to grow.
Seeing how far Olivia had come in such a short amount of time had, in a way, inspired him. It was his turn now. It was time he took the next step forward.
Falco kept up the barrage of strikes, laughing as he watched Davi struggle to block them all, but then his laughter stopped when Davi stopped blocking. All at once, Davi gave up defense and went all in on offense. Davi raised his sword high, pointing it to the sky, and he held it with both hands. He mustered what little energy he had left and rammed it down toward Falco as hard as he could. All the damage he received from Falco's strikes was mixed and channeled into his limbs as he used the Sky Cutting Sword style.
Falco tried to block the strike, but the Way of the Sky Cutting Sword was all about unleashing a single strike that went beyond what any defense could hope to muster.
The ground was torn to bits, the air current hissed and whipped out, and Falco's arms nearly snapped as his defense was caved in and the blunt end of Davi's claymore smashed over his head.
It was the exact same trick he used on Falco the first time they sparred, and because it was the exact same trick, Davi knew that Falco could take it and would retaliate.
Falco surged forward and did a spin as he struck out with the elven blade. Davi was ready for it, though, and stepped back, dodging the strike. As he did that, he ran his sword along the ground and kicked up a wave of sand, once again blinding Falco.
Falco yelled as his eyes burned, and Davi took that as his chance. He dropped the claymore and side-stepped behind Falco. He wrapped his arms around the mutant, getting them around his elbow and pulling back as hard as he could while also ramming his knee into Falco's back. There was a loud 'snapping' sound as Falco's shoulder popped out of the socket, and the hand holding the sword dropped it to the ground. Davi then let go of Falco's arm and delivered a powerful punch directly into the back of Falco's neck, slamming the man down.
"I'll be taking my sword back," Davi said simply, and he kicked the elven blade back into his grasp. He inspected it, confirming it was fine, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was unharmed.
Falco chuckled and somehow managed to snap his shoulder back into place. There was a sickening pop, and he winced, but even after all the damage he took, he was fine.
Actually, that wasn't true. Blood was pouring down his body, and he was covered in as many bruises as Davi was cuts, but he was still able to smirk and looked fine. His feathers puffed up and expanded, and he reached out, grabbing the claymore Davi had dropped.
"I'm glad," Falco admitted.
"About what?" Davi took a hesitant step back.
"There are two other people in this guild who use swords," Falco explained. "Both Vlad and the Captain use them; however, neither of them will ever spar with me, nor will they train. They say it's because I'm washed up that I'm not suited for a sword. That I'm far too brutish. I'm glad that you're here and can keep up with me. It's been a while since I ever got to spar with a sword."
'Sparring… We've been hitting and cutting without a care in the world. I'm shocked one of us isn't dead.' Davi kept those thoughts to himself and shrugged. "Whatever. I got my sword back. That's all I care about."
"So, you're going to keep the sword?" Falco raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I am. It's mine."
"Good." Falco nodded. "Remember that. It's yours. Even if you aren't able to connect to it, that blade still belongs to you. That sword is a weapon. It can cut. So don't be so bummed out that you can't help it through forming a connection or that you can't understand it. It's a weapon. You just have to treat it like a weapon. Take it with you. Let it experience battle. Show it the world and why it is worthy of belonging to you, and maybe one day it'll finally come to its senses and recognize you as its owner."
"Was this your way of trying to cheer me up…" Davi said flatly. More of his blood gushed out and dripped onto the sand, mixing with Falco's.
"Of course! When two warriors engage in a duel, only then can you understand them!"
"...I feel like just talking is good also…"
"You ran away when the others tried to talk to you." Falco pointed out, and he gave a wicked grin. "You stayed to fight me, though. And we're not done. Absolutely not! Let's get serious!" Falco's mana activated, steam and fire gushing out of him, and his feathers ignited as he swiped the claymore down so fast and hard it lit the air on fire.
Davi somehow managed to deflect the blow, and he channeled the force of the kinetic energy into his legs, using Way of Self Iron, to jump back and put some distance between him and Falco.
Falco came charging forward and attempted to cleave Davi in two, but once again, Davi managed to block the strike and deflect it. With Way of Self Iron, he could absorb all the force and redirect it back as the blow came, allowing for a flawless parry. This was only possible because Falco wasn't good with a claymore.
The mutant's swings were sluggish and awkward, giving Davi more than enough time to deflect the attacks and counter with his own slashes, using a much faster weapon. No matter what Falco attempted to do, Davi would block, deflect, and then counterattack.
Soon enough, it was Falco who was left bleeding and panting as he was cut up. Of course, Falco was smiling.
"I'm not as good as the Captain, but I bet I can still do it." Falco's eyes lit up, and his smile grew. "I once saw her and Vlad spar. She performed a flawless sword technique. I can't hit you because you're able to block, but what happens if you are overwhelmed with slashes?"
Falco breathed out and felt his heart steady. His energy flowed and calmed. Davi grew tense, but it was too late. Falco stepped forward and swung his blade out, going with a leftward slash. Davi went to counter it, but at the same time, a slash came to his right. Then one came down directly on top of him.
All at once. Three separate locations all happening at the same time.
Three-Dimensional Slashes Style. This was a method of attacking that was personally created by Laerton Eman. The process itself might have seemed simple, but just the act of performing it was proof of someone being a master of the blade.
Through a mixing of Mana Step and Mana Strike, a person would unleash three strikes from three different angles all at once. Using the instant movement of Mana Step and infusing that into Mana Strike, it was actually a single strike that was so rapidly moving between the three Paths that it could come out so quickly it would overlap and seem as if three came out at once.
This method was used to deliver a fatal blow to whoever the user was attacking, as there was simply no way for them to block every strike at once so close up.
Indeed, Davi felt the swords cut into his form, from side to side and down his front. Falco had pulled back a bit, but the damage was done. He was severed and downed in a single instance, his blood flowing freely from his body. All three cuts left their imprint on his body.
Falco breathed heavily and stared down at Davi. "Alright. We're done." He grunted. "Stay there and don't move. I'm going to go grab Olem and have him patch you up—"
More red flowed free as Davi slammed his fist into the ground and began to stand back up. Falco was shocked that someone could even attempt such a thing after the wounds he had inflicted on them.
"Are you insane?" Falco asked, his eyes wide. "I cut you badly! You're going to bleed out! Stop so I can get Olem!" Davi didn't stop. He gripped his sword even tighter. He tried to swing, but his body almost gave out, and he nearly collapsed. "You're out of energy! You can't even swing your sword!"
Davi ignored him and gripped his blade tighter. His view of the world had changed. Not just a small change but a drastic one as well. It seemed as if he constantly learned something new about Mana.
Ragna and Rosco had both taught him something. Mana was alive. It was why he suspected he cared for this sword so much. An enchanted item held its own Core. It hadn't done anything to hurt him like a monster had. It also hadn't done anything to hinder him. The sword just existed. It was living a life of isolation, but even without that connection, he could tell the blade didn't want that.
Falco had been right.
A sword wanted to be used.
Davi breathed in sharply, feeling the living mana in the air. His mana. Every strike, every attempt to bond with the sword. All that mana that escaped him now floated around. In an instant, he pulled it all back into him, and a bird began to flap its wings.
Old Bird's Flapping Wings activated. The method Rosco taught him. A breathing technique that allowed a person to draw in all the expended power they performed and unleash another strike.
"Let's win, Storymaker."
All of his power surged, and his mana erupted out of him. Falco's eyes widened unexpectedly. The energy kept flowing and growing, and Davi unleashed a single swing, pouring every drop of power he had into the strike.
Falco attempted to block, but with all his mana put into the blow, the strike went beyond even Sky Cutting Sword, and the poor claymore exploded. The wind sliced out, tearing into Falco's body, and he yelled in pain but stood his ground. After all, it was only one strike. Davi would be out of-
Davi's mana surged back up, and he stepped forward once more. He twisted his sword around and used it like a bat, ramming the flat end of it into Falco's face hard enough to crack his beak and his skull. The force of the attack nearly snapped Falco's neck, and he was fully twisted off his feet and rammed into the ground back-first.
He lay there motionless, struggling to even see due to the massive amount of blood that covered his face.
Davi stood over him and placed the sword down to Falco's neck. "Do you give up?"
Falco somehow managed to let out a chuckle, dozens of blood bubbles popping across his face. "W-What the hell was that?"
"Do you give up?"
Falco stared up at Davi, those blue eyes glaring down at him. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah."
"Good." Davi then collapsed backwards, blood erupting out of him as he nearly vomited. "I'm done. No more fighting."
The match was over. He won only because this had been a battle of techniques and swordsmanship. No doubt Falco could have done more if spells were allowed. Still, Davi was happy. He did it.
He weakly raised his sword as he felt the backlash of Old Bird's Flapping Wings slam into him. "We won."
Meanwhile, within a vault forged from shadows, a new entity rested inside of Davi's realm. An elf with dark skin and bright purple eyes lazily floated around the endless nothingness.
"Interesting." The woman smiled softly. "This vault is way different from the last one I had come to call my home."