Blades 20 (NaNoWriMo)

I. Was. Exasperated.

“I’ve not completely mastered the use of my swords, the light guy’s a huge mess…”

“I’ll be fine by the next sunrise,” he quipped as he drank a cup of coffee.

“…Oh I’m sure you will; well, Frost, you and our wind guy are the only ones that seem to be at 100% capacity for whatever’s ahead. Are you sure we shouldn’t just wait this out for a day or two?” I asked, presenting my argument.

“While you may have a point in that I should probably get another full day of rest, that’s not how it works. We’ll have to make do with whatever we have left if we’re going to win this battle. If we waited for even three days, it still wouldn’t make you Battousai the Manslayer within that period. The only thing left for you is an actual battle, Vince…” Kendrick said.

“Frost?” I asked, seeing as she was probably my last hope.

“I brought the idea of us leaving. Don’t expect me to switch ides now,” she said, smiling. “But Kendrick is right, Vince. You’ve gotten the basics of antigravity- damn it, you can move quite well there already – and your swordsmanship could use just a little polishing. Okay, maybe a lot more than ‘just’. But still, battles like the ones we’re about to face will refine your battle skill.”

“That said, what about…’ that’?” Lance asked.

I remembered what he was referring to. The partial transformation. ‘That’ was still a very crucial factor – I hadn’t even begun to understand what that was and how to control it.

“Your Partial Transformation is just a part of a transformation all of us can undergo. I have unlocked mine…” Frost started.

“What?”

The question was echoed by me, Lance, and Kendrick.

“Yes. Tundra, the legendary ice queen – raining down hail and ice stalactites from heaven and stuff like that. I was able to unlock mine quite quickly, surprising as is. The same goes for you, Alex. Water is a cool element, and the closer your character is to the attribute, the faster it is to initiate Transformation. I’m quite reserved, so I was able to activate mine quickly…”

Lance butt in. “And because Vince can balance the overwhelming urge to kill everyone alongside his affection and love for other innocent people, he was able to complete his own transformation too, right?”

“Yeah.”

Kendrick smiled. “That has been part of my own agenda too. I guess light is supposed to be a beacon set upon a hill. But I can prefer a bit of quiet and I like to be left to myself. Perhaps this is why I’ve not been able to achieve it. But when I use my special technique…”

“Halo?” I asked.

“Oh right, you had that dream. Yes, Halo. At that impulse to glow, to become the beacon I’m meant to be, I achieve a bit of the transformation.”

“I thought as much,” Frost said. “Only divine power can cause you to move at such speed without burning up all your muscles.”

“And I…am meant to be free like the wind, huh? Something I may never accomplish, considering the shackles that hold me are not physical,” he said, staring off into the distance. Which was weird, since we weren’t even facing the windows.

“You’ll be able to do it. When the time comes, you’ll want to. Need to in fact.” Frost said. Even though Vincent looked really skeptical and probably took her words as the ramblings of a motivational speaker wanting to make everyone happy, he just smiled and looked on.

Frost scooted closer and I wrapped my arms around her waist. Swatting my hands lightly, she however did not attempt to remove my hand. Nor did she try to escape my relatively loose hold. If I was correct, she was actually snuggling towards me.

“For the love of fried chicken, I hope the Earth Guardian is a girl. I cannot stand one more second of these scenes, I swear!” Lance exclaimed while I and Frost smirked. Kendrick was just walking around the room, opening the fridge to take out a gallon of milk.

“The healthy life, huh?” Frost asked.

“The best. Health is Wealth.”

“Hope you heard that, Vince,” Frost said, nudging my ribs. “You drink up way too many Energy Drinks than is recommended.

“I’ve barely taken one in the past two days,” I said, slightly pinching her cheek, something which made her blush.

“Of course it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if you’re accumulating energy for battles ahead. Or…” she said with a teasing smile. “Other strenuous activities in that place,” she said, her voice husky and that trademark sultry look on her face. She was a damn tease, and she seemed to revel in that.

“Oh, I assure you…” I started.

“For the love of God, can’t we just!…” Lance started to complain but was immediately cut off by Kendrick.

“Guys, we have a huge problem!” he said, peering out the window.

******

Been a long time since I updated this.