Chapter 6: Combat
A/N:
Kosya - Xaranian formal address for a stranger, if you do not know their name.
Strength refers to the Arcana tarot card of Strength, often depicted as a female lioness.
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“Rise, Eridæus.”
The voice is different now ... was it a male’s voice? Regardless, I stay in my position; I needed to recover from the previous session.
“I need a moment.” I insist, barely able to keep my voice steady.
“You’re not allowed that it is time for you to stand.”
I bristle at the pushiness of this kosya, ”Why am I not allowed to have a moment to compose myself?”
No answer. Taking that as a form of refusal, I remained in my spot, “If you give me an hour, I will be ready for whatever trial you intend for me now.”
“I will give you a minute to stand up before I force you to.”
Slowly, I raise my head at him, feeling far too appalled to acknowledge my eyes were still red and swollen from crying, ”...Am I right to believe that you are threatening me?”
The robed man’s eyes flicker, “It is not a threat, but an order.”
With a sharp exhale, I wipe my eyes and stand up, “What is it that you want?”
“She wants you to show another side of yourself. Are you proficient in combat?”
“I am a medic, that is not my specialty; I know the basics taught to me by my tribe, and I’ve had Lushiyo train me a couple of times.”
His chuckle has me more on edge as he replies, “It didn’t have to entail physical combat.”
“I am tiring of these mental games; I wish to return to my bunker.”
“I cannot allow that.”
I can feel my hand heating up from a faint aura, the cards in my pouch pulsating as I draw from their power, “I refuse to fight you.”
The robed man procures a metal spear engraved with symbols I don’t recognize and points the bladed end at my throat, “Even if your life is on the line?”
“No, if you make the first move on me, then I will fight. But I will not initiate a fight with you, you cannot force me to. If you wish to have a fight with me, by words or by weapons, then you will be the one to start it.”
The kosya tilts his head to the side, his facial covering sliding down as he flashes me a crooked smile, “That sounds like something the others could exploit from you.”
“Then let them try,” I step forward, “There is no point in this; bloodshed shouldn’t be recklessly performed, it should only be done so if necessary. Fighting through words is meaningless if it’s not out of necessity, as well. I do not see why your Overseer wants this.”
There’s another uneasy silence between us as he de-materializes his spear, “So you’ve never had a moment where you needed to fight for yourself.”
“No, I have, but I refuse to engage in it at this current moment. What I experienced with Lushiyo is not something I seek out or wish to replicate.”
I slowly exhale out from my nose, trying to calm myself back down, “Is there truly no way for me to be allowed back to my bunker?”
“That would be correct.”
Another silence falls upon us and I grit my teeth in thought and slight annoyance, ”...So I am supposed to fight, hence why you won’t allow me to leave? Allowing me to leave means no fight has occurred, and at least through this, She gets me in a fight.”
“She finds your insistence on certain subjects interesting.”
“I am a man of my culture,” I look off to the side, frowning, ”...I’ll submit to a physical fight, then. But only a friendly spar.”
The kosya takes on some form of a battle stance as he resummons his metal spear once more, “You seem displeased by that. It’s quite tame.”
“It’s unnecessary, that is why I am bothered,” I mutter a brief incantation as a faint, golden aura glows through my palms, “The Arcana gave man intelligence for a reason. I am not training by doing this, I am fighting for entertainment. It is a sin.”
The moment I take my stance, the man does not hesitate to lunge at me with a swiftness I’ve only seen in demons. The spear seems to spark with a form of magic I’ve never seen before as he drives the blade towards my chest; immediately, I sidestep him, the blade just grazing the shoulders of my cloak, before discharging a small, concentrated beam of light across his face.
I hear a sickly snap as his neck cracks slightly, but as the robes covering his face slide off, my heart skips a beat as I see only his eyes as he readjusts his neck to its original position with ease. He has no face, he’s just a featureless shadow with an unnerving ebb and flow as it morphs into faces I do not recognize.
With all my strength, I raise a shield to protect myself and stand my ground, “I thought we agreed to a friendly spar.”
A chuckle mixed in with a guttural growl escapes the kosya, “You’re so out of touch with the world.”
“You are mistaken,” I can feel my pouch moving as I try to draw from the ferocity of Strength herself. “I chose to stay centered while others do not.”
This seems to irritate him as he darts towards me again; although I brace for it, he shatters through my shield, the force throwing me against the wall. I can barely process my surroundings as I see a now shadowy figure rushing towards me, his spear aimed straight at my chest. Shouting in pain, I summon the shield one last time, straining against the force of his attack.
Just as I’m about to keel over, he withdraws, causing me to fall onto the metal floor, “Your session is over now, She has seen enough.”
I watch the robes reorient back onto him, obscuring his features once more, “I shall escort you to your bunker.”