Gauntlet of Fate [Veigue - Solo]

[Deleted]

It had been a while since Veigue embarked on some more wandering, and a good thing too since he doesn't recall coming to Bern except for maybe one time. When he used to run from enemies in the past, he sometimes forgot where he was on the continent. At the very least...there was one good thing about that. He could have gone to areas of Elibe he thought he never visited before, but just didn't remember due to prioritizing survival over sightseeing. So he probably have been everywhere at this point. It never mattered to him back then if he got lost, as he didn't have a home to return to. And in a sense, that still holds true today. But the wanderer knew that he didn't desire an actual "home" while on his journey. It wouldn't really accomplish much given all that's going on, but taking advantage of times like this to just walk around aimlessly provided it's own form of nostalgia for him.

He wasn't very familiar with Bern, so the village he just entered was foreign to him. The only thing he knew about this country was that it was going through some rebellion he had no interest in learning more about. This village was quite peaceful though, compared to what he's seen so far of the country. Though that whole chimera business not too long ago wasn't your average everyday stuff, so he had to exclude that.

As he strolled through the somewhat-empty streets, he caught a glimpse of a young, silver-haired teen fooling around with what appeared to be some kind of strange glove. She had a bunch of tools and other things all sprawled around her work space, Veigue assuming it wasn't some ordinary glove. She seemed pretty frustrated while working on it as well. However, it wasn't any of his business, so he just turned a blind eye and kept walking. Though it was only mere moments later after he gained a considerable amount of distance away that he heard intense, panicking footsteps behind him, turning around only to get his left arm grabbed tightly by the same girl.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai!" Just from that loud and out of the blue greeting, he could tell he was dealing with yet another crazy person...having a rather dull expression on his face as he wasn't liking where this was going already. "Hey, hey, mister! I couldn't help but see that AWESOME sword you have. Are you some super-ultra-sword-fighting soldier for Bern or something?! Come on, you can tell me... OH WAIT! Are you like some secret agent guy? Your clothes don't look like something a soldier would wear. How cooooooool! What kind of super secret mission you're on to come to place like this?" ...What? Veigue barely followed any of that, staring down hesitantly at the girl as he wasn't too sure what to even say. Not like that was going to happen anytime soon, as her lips just kept flapping. "Awwwwww, well I guess you wouldn't be a very good secret agent if you just blurted out all that information to a stranger, huh? You're pretty good at your job!! You must have a TON of secrets stored in your head. How do you guys like, DO that?! Hey, you can at least tell me that, right? I'll never be some skilled fighter, but it just sounds way too cool to pass on knowing about that kind of stuff, ya know? As a PROFESSIONAL blacksmith, I've gotta know a lot of things, ya see. I, the great Amber, am aspiring to be the best blacksmith in all of Elibe!! Sooooo--"

"...Huh? Where'd he gooooo?" Amber halted as she finally realized Veigue had already walked off mere seconds ago.

...Veigue couldn't even get a single word out, so he figured he'd just walk away before he'd get stuck there. But seconds later, the girl came rushing back at him as she grabbed hold of his arm...again. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait, pleeeeeeeease! I'm sorry if I'm disturbing your work, Mr. Super-Secret Agent Guy, but I reaaaaaally need someone awesomely skilled at fighting to help me out with my new battle glove! Pweeeeeease?!"

Before Veigue knew it, he turned back around only to see the girl giving him the usual puppy eyes to lure him in. Well, it wasn't really working, but it was hard for him to turn down requests in general, especially when it's someone in need. Despite her....eccentric behavior, he seemed innocent enough. She was just a kid, after all. He immediately sighed afterward, knowing he was going to get into something he'll probably regret later on. "...Sure."

[Deleted]

"Yipeeeeeeeeeeee! Thank ya!" She twirled around with excitement. Man, what was he getting himself into this time...

"So yeeeeeeeah...I like, need your help with stuff. Y'see, my awesome new battle glove, which I am calling 'THE CRUSHANATOR 5000!', is juuuust about complete. ...Ignore the 5000 bit though. Dunno where that came from or what it means, but it sounded COOOOOL. The problem is, I'm lacking the material I require to finalize it's durability. Ya know, on how much it can withstand the impact on really tough surfaces and bulky armor! Without this material I need, it won't be as strong as I planned for it to be. If it were completed the way I designed it to be, you could punch stuff like trees as hard as you like with little damage to your hand. Heck, if it were in the hands of a big ol' muscleman, they might even be able to punch the tree down or something!! Well...in theory. It all depends on the individual's own strength, but the glove WILL enhance the force behind the wearer's punch with it's strong metal and it's solid exterior regardless, while still maintaining it's lightweight design! Mhm, if an opponent's weapon is weak enough, you can even use the glove to block it! ...Uhh, but not advised against skilled people or well-crafted weapons! Weapons are still more efficient in destructive and defensive power, but it'll give the person's spare hand a purpose. Even if you don't have the power to punch a tree down, you'd still knock the daylights out of someone all the way into next week with my little glove! So this is why I need this material..."

"What kind of name is The Crushanator 5000...?" Veigue spoke to himself as he sighed silently.

...She sounded so enthusiastic about her invention that Veigue was convinced that she was overestimating it's possible feats. But...at least he was making sense of it...mostly. Of course, when a kid has something like that in their hands, they'll make it sound all cool and destructive. As Veigue folded his arms and continued to listen to the girl, he just realized how long he'll probably be here. He had a pretty good hunch as to why she needed his help.

"But ya, I obviously don't have the material, which is why I was thinking that you could get it for me! See, it's quite simple, actually. Deep in a forest near here, the remains of some old mine are buried deep within...a very, very tiny area, and some people have rumors going around these parts that it's some kind of ancient mine! All types of minerals, ores and other things can still be mined, but there's a special type of steel ore that's still buried there. I'd go get my trusty digging tools and look for it myself, but there are CREEPY AND NASTY LOOKING monster things down there. When I tired to get close to the entrance, two of them were there guarding it, as if it were like their territory or somethin'! When I try to ask people for help around here, they're either too busy or just don't want to bother with me! So pretty pleeeeease, can you take out those stupid monsters so I can dig up that ore?! I could just use normal steel, but this more refined ore is what I truly need!"

Well, Veigue couldn't exactly blame anyone for not wanting to risk their lives over something that might not be there, but he could tell that this meant a great deal to this girl that she completes this glove the way she wants it. He didn't know who the glove was intended for, but he had a feeling that it wasn't for ill purposes. She probably just wanted to create something strong to prove herself, which is something he could understand to a degree. But regardless, he did agree to help. Nodding his head reassuringly, it seemed like he'd be going solo on this hunt this time.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Thanks so much, Mister... Uh..."

"...Veigue."

"Huh...odd name. How vague! Oh well, still sounds pretty cool to me. And I guess fitting for a Super-Secret Agent Guy! So Mr. Veigue, before we head out..." Keeping her cheery smile as she removed some wrappings around something, there was this huge stick of candy that she held in her hand afterward that she held out in front of Veigue. "...Lollipoooop~?"

"Um...no thanks. I'm just ready to go now... Also, I'm not an agent. Just a wandering swordsman. And...just call me Veigue." He didn't exactly sound to eager to say that, but it was at least one thing to try to get clear to Amber.

She just sat there, blankly staring at him before she quickly cheesed again thinking that she was being brilliant, stuffing the lollipop she offered in her mouth after speaking again. "So...an agent! Some agent of mystery on a mission to wander the world and discover it's secrets?! A guy with no boss to order him around! I getcha."

Unable to resist it any longer, Veigue directed his palm firmly to the center of his face as he just decided to let it go. "...The things I put up with these days." At least she was right about the no boss thing...sorta.

[Deleted]

Well then, this trip into the forest wasn't... so bad. Amber for the most part was too focused into guiding Veigue into the heart of the forest, so he was grateful that he didn't have to worry about the young teen getting inside his head and making him even more confused than he is now. She DID have her little moments on the way there though, but it was only one instance. Seriously, why is he like a magnet for either psycho killers or crazy/questionably crazy people? Well, anyone could turn around and say that Veigue himself wasn't exactly a "normal" person. He's been called creepy and all kinds of hurtful things before, so he really wasn't in a position to judge others... whether or not what he's been called is actually true. At the very least, Amber seemed like a nice little girl, even if she can be a little...odd.

As they traversed through the forest, Veigue could already sense an eerie and disturbing presence from within. It definitely had the vibe of something non-human lurking inside... hopefully not Baels. Amber didn't exactly specify in impressive detail as to what these monster were other than calling them nasty looking. She wasn't a fighter, so they probably aren't very threatening monsters, but he'll have to see for himself. However, something else seemed off to him...as if he was also being watched from afar. No matter how much he scanned the surrounding area as he walked beside the eccentric teenager, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Heeeeey! We're almost there!" The girl cried out suddenly, Veigue assuming she's beginning to feel a little frightened at the possibility of seeing these creatures again. After a little more time passed, he could see what appeared to be the entrance to some kind of caved-in underground area at the end of a large clearing. Well then, the fact that this was in such a big clearing like this was sort of a sign that the "guardians" used this as their slaughter ground for intruders. Veigue's dealt with enough of this nonsense to actually know the ins and outs of this sort of tactic for forest assailants. If they were guarding this supposed mine, these monsters had to possess some form of intelligence.

As Amber pointed over to the direction of the entrance, she began to shiver like crazy. Veigue scanned his surroundings once more to see if she was looking at something he wasn't aware of yet, but they were still in the clear. It wasn't until Amber yanked lightly on his sleeve to grab his attention.

"H-hey... so like, these guys aren't here and stuff for some reason. That alone just makes me....y'know, even more afraid... M-maybe they're inside the mine guarding it?" God, she wouldn't stop shivering, but not like he could blame her. It's not like Elibe was used to seeing monsters plague the land like this. But he didn't think they were in Bern. Perhaps it was the influence of that Chimera's destruction? Who knows.

"...Then I'll go in first. Just stay out here until I come back out, and if they appear after I enter, just get out of this forest. I assume that if you encountered them before, you're capable of running away from them again." Well, as much as that seemed like he was joking with her, Veigue tone was pretty dead serious.

"B-but...what about you? I can't leave you behind like that. Though, not like there's anything I could really--" Amber was cut off when a loud thump was heard from elsewhere before two figures emerged from some nearby bushes.

Welp, that didn't take long.

"WAAAAAAAAAAH, IT'S THEEEEEEM!!" The girl wasted no time as she dashed and hid behind Veigue. The swordmaster simply remained calm as he rested his hand on Kenji's hilt and stared down the defenders. Both of them were like bonewalkers, but their bones seemed to be quite large compared to the average skeleton. They must have been some pretty decently tough warriors before they died, as both of them wielded two steel blades. Well, he was likely going to get a challenge out of this after all, but he recalled fighting a much intimidating undead foe when fighting alongside Mana, though he has improved immensely since then. However, there were two of them, so they might prove to be the same challenge when combined.

"...Amber, make a break for those bushes over there where we arrived. Just stay out of their sight... I'll intercept them if they try to chase after you, so don't stop for anything." And without anymore need for conversation and not giving the girl time to respond, Veigue was already in motion as he unsheathed his sword and moved forward at a steady pace, seeing his opponents charge at him in a similar fashion while they weren't paying attention to the fleeing Amber.

[Deleted]

Battle Theme

Even though they hadn't clashed steel just yet, Veigue felt something a little odd as he approached his opponents. It wasn't any kind of bad premonition or anything, but more like he felt much at ease when fighting for some reason. Other than the battle against the chimera, he still hadn't fought a battle with more than one opponent in a while now. Last time that happened was during their little bandit clean up job, and since then, a lot of changes occurred in such a short period of time. Back then, he'd feel much more tense going against two or more strong opponents like this alone, but he felt a cool breeze of confidence that he hadn't experienced before. It could possibly be his father's influence, now that all that hatred was rapidly lifting off his shoulders. He didn't realize how one issue could cause so many problems elsewhere... but he was fortunate that the outcome was this, and that he could swipe his sword much more comfortably.

...But further embracing his newfound confidence in battle had to wait - his enemies attempted to rush and overpower him from the jump. Not too much of a problem... Veigue picked up his pace to simply dash between them quick enough to where their already-moving broadswords missed him cleanly, and instead clashing steel with each other by accident. In a decisive maneuver, Veigue spun around swiftly on the heel of his foot while his blade blurred in motion in the process of his counterattack. He wasn't sure how in-tune their senses were considering they were already dead guys, but his fight against that enormous revanant back then taught him that if they had enough intelligence left, they could fight as if they were still alive. Thanks to his mobility advantage, however, his strike was too quick for the one on his right to block, Kenji's blade striking the bones of it's shoulder closest to the arm.

They had some very tough bones though. Kenji managed to fracture the area it struck, but it was quite impressive how their resurrected bones had such durability. Unfortunately, he didn't have someone like Iadra around to blast them to dust in one hit with her light magic, so he was in for quite the brawl. But Veigue knew that he only placed half of his strength into that attack. If he bore all his might, he knew he'd at least get somewhere...and the awakened Kenji's strength of steel was much more tougher than he imagined. But it was a challenge to fight something that no longer had flesh - his fighting style focusing on hitting fatal areas was only extremely effective to living beings that actually HAD vital points left. But at the end of the day, these guys were just walking bones... and if you strike them hard enough, they can be broken.

Unfortunately for Veigue, he only rendered the other bonewalker's left arm useless, and it was right handed. But he at least slowed one of them down, so that's a start. They seemed relentless enough to keep going without pause, Veigue simply standing still while not taking a particular stance just yet. He firmly held Kenji and his sheath to his sides as he awaited the approach of his opponents.

The one with the broken arm swung it's blade vertically first - as if it didn't learn it's lesson the first time. But then the other came in at him with a quick thrust as he was clearly placing all of his might into it with both hands gripped. Thankfully they were quite slow, and the crippled one was even slower. With a consecutive movement of dodging to his left, then right again with a slight twist to dodge both attacks, he was behind the crippled one again with relative ease. Tightening the grip on both his sword and sheath, Veigue delivered a crushing blow to the back of the crippled one's exposed skull with a horizontal swing of his sheath, seeing fragments of it's cracked skull fly in the wind as the strong force of the attack knocked it off it's feet and face planted into the grass.

With the amount of experience he's gained at this point, Veigue's reflexes seemed more heightened than usual, already spotting from the corner of his eye as the other skeleton was attempting a helm spliter-like attack from the side. His eyes followed the path of his enemy's blade, then shifted his gaze towards it's body as it's side was completely unguarded and wide open for punishment - it wasn't time to strike just yet, however. A quick sheathe of the blade and a sprint toward his opponent was performed while keeping the butt of his sheath towards his opponent's swinging path. The enemy's blade managed to strike the end of Kenji's sheath and damaged it in the process, but in return, Veigue purposely allowed this as he quickly gripped the sheath as tightly as he could at that split second, the opponent being thrown off focus from the sudden clash of weaponry and quickly recoiled backwards from the impact.

He had the full-body opening he needed as the enemy had it's arms spread and paced backwards a tad. Veigue wasn't going to allow his opponent to regain his balance and attack him again. He knew that they'd eventually get around his speed and somehow manage to strike him with those strong blades of theirs. If he took one direct hit from those, he'd be in serious trouble. As such, he brandished his blade and in one final motion as electricity began to surge around his steel, he brought Kenji down in a fierce vertical strike that managed to completely shatter the rotting bones of it's right arm, effectively disarming his opponent entirely from it's weapon. Veigue wasn't going to leave the job half finished, swinging his blade rapidly at where it vital points... well, used to be. While it lacked flesh, it could still be a broken mess. His quick strikes were severing and outright breaking it's bones as sparks flied from the strikes until it lost it's footing... then in a confident step forward, he tripped the undead from behind as it fell helplessly to the ground, immediately thrusting his blade into it's flesh-less neck in a reverse grip. With a strong yank of his sword, he managed to decapitate the walking abomination.

It seemed like the magic that was keeping it together and "alive again" was quickly leaving it's body, as he could tell the influence of said power was the source of it's power as it's bones began to rot further. But not taking any chances, he stomped the decaying skull with his foot as some sort of sure-fire way of confirming that it wasn't going to rise again. It was a little more brutal than his usual way of finishing an opponent off, but he wasn't exactly dealing with the average foe here. There was little room for mercy this time. His crippled opponent was finally rising back to it's feet again; Veigue's plan of slowing it's recovery time down with a broken arm worked in his favor as it gave him the time to finish off the other with no distractions.

"...This won't take long. I'll set your soul free once more." The only kind of mercy he could give the undead was to slay them again. A sad, but true way to give them peace that was wrongfully disturbed by being forced to walk this land again as mindless monsters. Before he could dash in to continue the battle, Veigue heard some subtle movements around and above him in the trees, thinking that something else was around. Either forest animals or more undead plaguing the area. But for now, he had a fight to finish... a fight that seemed a little too easy to believe that this was the end already. Oh boy, here come those bad feelings again...

[Deleted]

Veigue was well aware that these monsters were completely invulnerable to pain, as the bonewalker he crippled was rushing towards him despite the missing arm and cracked skull as if it were a normal day for it. It might actually become more aggressive now that it's only got one arm to deal with, Veigue having a feeling that he shouldn't take his opponent too lightly. Though before even considering meeting it's charge head on with his own, he knew he was required to see how this thing behaved now that it was alone and desperate. He didn't drop his guard, but the tenseness left the swordsmaster's shoulders as he patiently waited for his opponent to attack first. He stared deeply into the undead's glowing red eyes, as he could already feel a slight chill down his spine.

With an unexpected motion, the bonewalker leaped in the air slightly before meeting face-to-face as he raised his broadsword above his head, then smashed it downward in his descent. Veigue would risk damaging Kenji by blocking a crushing blow like that, but at the same time, it only had one arm, which meant the strength of that attack was half of what it was capable of. Thinking on his feet, he threw his sheath upward as hard as he could, it spinning rapidly in the air as he gripped Kenji with both hands and blocked the assault. Well, that was a tad alarming, but Veigue cleanly slide his weapon off his opponent's as it fell to the ground without the balance of it's other arm, then caught his falling sheath. The monster quickly rolled away to avoid ending up like his buddy earlier, then stabbing it's sword in the ground to support it's rise to it's feet.

"...I need to end this quickly. Something doesn't feel right." That was about as much mercy as he was willing to give now, the electricity surrounding Kenji being more frequent as he was ready to pick this thing apart. He made the first move now, as the undead quickly prepared itself for the swordsman. It was forced on the defensive as Veigue took advantage of it's handicap by overwhelming it with his relentless assault, eventually getting in openings on a few of it's bones and fracturing them in the process. Out of frustration that Veigue didn't know the bonewalker had, it released something similar to a screech or yell to let him know that it was getting pissed off. Ignoring this, Veigue dodged one of it's overhead swipes by ducking down just in the nick of time before delivering his counter maneuver, striking his opponent's wrist so hard with a lightning-coated swipe that he severed the bone from his hand, now making him unable to use both arms.

This caused the undead to spin around once and it's back was exposed. Wasting no time to end this battle and put the bonewalker out of it's misery, he went for a quick thrust to it's spinal area, piercing through it's body and it's head dropping down in defeat. But Veigue could still see it twitching a bit, signifying that it was still alive and he doubt it actually gave up the fight. Stubborn to it's very end, he's seen... which was making this more complicated than it should have been. He wasn't going to break it all up like the other, but was just going to go for one single finishing blow to just not deal with this anymore. Removing his blade from it's spine, Veigue delivered a strong horizontal strike to it's neck before it could fall to the ground, decapitating it like the other as he knew removing the head was the only way to truly "kill them again". The same phenomenon occurred as the other bonewalker earlier, the magic that was seemingly keeping it together faded from it's body as it's bones soon turned to dust and the red glow in it's eyes of it's skull vanished.

....

Well, there was a brief silence, as Veigue wasn't exactly sure what to expect next. He still had that unsettling feeling that the actual "fight" wasn't over, but he couldn't tell what was up. He searched around for Amber, seeing the top of her wild hair hiding behind the bushes he directed her to earlier. At least he knew she was safe...

But then he heard some rattling around him again, alarming him to keep up his full guard as he looked back and forth all around him. He was nearby a tree that was a bit distance behind him where he could hear what sounded like a footstep, then the leaves above were shaking constantly. A quick glance to his side managed to give him the sight of an unknown silhouette in the tree, but he swiftly dodged to his left as fast as he could when three arrows were fired at once and struck another tree that he was standing in front of. Oh no, he wasn't going to allow yet ANOTHER arrow to his backside and shoulders anymore. He was tired of his body being a living target for archers to just poke fun at. But as he remained where he stood, the assassin climbed down out of the tree as Veigue assumed he realized it'd be pointless to try to strike him again now that the swordsman knew he was there.

...But a loud scream from Amber caught his attention more as he quickly turned his head, seeing another armed man lock her in between her arms. Well, this wasn't good. He knew exactly where this was going. Dammit, why couldn't people just leave him alone for five seconds? As much as he wanted to complain about that, he heard some strange hand clapping from elsewhere before a large shadow emerged from behind a tree near where Amber's kidnapper stood. As the man's identity quickly revealed, he was a very tall and muscular warrior with his head almost entirely masked with what could be seen as a gladiator helmet that he's known some Berserkers to wear.

"Quite the impressive show, Veigue Magnus. Honestly, I was told that you barely knew how to protect yourself without someone else shielding you, but either our spies are blind buffoons or you've improved." As the tall man threw out his compliments/insults, Veigue quickly fixed his stare on him as he could already take a big educated guess as to who these guys really were.

"...More of Jaquio's hounds, I see. Glad to see he hasn't forgotten about me." He had to assume they were waiting for this opportunity when he was finally alone. But he wasn't going to back down, as Veigue knew that he wasn't as weak as he was before. That big guy sure did have quite the impressive axe on his back, and the other two didn't appear to be in his league. The man holding Amber captive seemed like another everyday myrmidon, and keeping an eye on the archer didn't seem like it'd be too much of a problem. Both of them slowly walked towards and behind their apparent leader, keeping those same grinning faces.

"We heard about what happened to Zarius, and I was told you barely put up a fight against him. But from what I'm seeing now, you're every bit his equal... or perhaps more. But that doesn't exactly matter, now does it? You won't find me to be the same challenge as your dear old buddy. I'm master's most reliable killer, so I'd suggest dropping your sword and surrender your soon-to-be bleeding head."

"You talk too much."

"And you talk too less," He snapped back with a snarky grin. "I expected Master Jaquio's most despised scum in the world to have more interesting character than just his skills."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you. I don't fight to impress." ...Great. Well, at least he wasn't some sadistic psychopath like he's used to encountering, but having an annoying smart mouth was equally annoying.

[Deleted]

The swordmaster stood unamused; forced to endure this guy's lip flapping as he bragged with pride about how great of a warrior he was. He could go for a nice psycho opponent to relieve him of the honor to stand in the mighty presence of a braggart. Honestly, he wasn't sure which of the two types of people he could tolerate more of... or less. Jaquio sure needed to pick his lackeys with more refined taste, for Veigue couldn't imagine the druid putting up with crazies and big mouths. Or perhaps Jaquio fit in best with who was more similar to he?

Veigue could stand there all day listening to the blabber mouth, but other than using the warrior to his advantage to further his own progress with hunting down his nemesis, another idea sprung to mind: Amber. The teen squirmed and whined louder than a distressed canine as she remained trapped in the clutches of the devious myrmidon, but her safety remained high on the scale of his priorities. The myrmidon and archer didn't appear to remain on full guard, and the big bad leader was too busy focusing on his self-proclaimed greatness to pay attention to his lackeys.

The rigorous training the swordsman powered through and his fateful experiences as of late would be put to the test with the plan brewing in his head like a hot meal, ready to serve a nice dish of pain to his ill-focused opponents. Kenji remained sheathed, but his eyes closed to have a moment of silence in his mind — all thoughts and annoyances were clearing to benefit his upcoming plan.

"Taking a nap while standing? What an odd fellow. You're quite the rude one," The titan of a man said, scoffing. "Or are you giving up before the battle begins?"

While Veigue would humor the incessant talker, his mind concentrated too deep on his goal. His sword arm twitched, signifying he was itching to step forth to execute the surprise. The arm moved, but not towards the sheathed sword just yet — his fingers flexed before they clasped together in a fierce clench. His eyes opened with a determination so sharp that it caused the talkative warrior to shut up for a moment. His gazed pierced through him like a blade, making for a steady approach while still keeping his sword arm ready; his hand resting gently on the hilt.

Veigue's legs paced like any normal person's, but one mighty stomp to the grass and they moved faster than any wolf's. The latent ability he discovered during the fight against the chimera proved to be a challenge to tame, but after practicing days without ceasing, he finally grasped a general idea of how to utilize it. Moving faster than most eyes could follow was an impressive feat, but not one to easily master.

But he grasped it well enough to surprise all three of his foes at once; Amber included, for her screaming met a brief pause.

A brief moment would occur, indeed — Veigue's burst of blinding speed caused everyone to freeze in place. The warrior in particular stood surprised to see the swordmaster vanish with a mere blink of his eye. Unknowingly to him, it was part of Veigue's plan to feign focus on the warrior to buy himself enough time. Trickery played it's role well in the Sacaean's hands in the most dire of times.

Just as the leader began the process of turning himself around, Veigue already closed the distance between his two lackeys — both of them just now whipping their heads in his direction. The brush of wind from his arrival impacted upon them, but at the same time, another impact would actually hurt them. The agile swordsman sent a hook to the center of the myrmidon's face; the force behind his momentum all applied at once. The man yelped in pain just as his grip weakened on Amber, tumbling to the ground while the girl granted herself a swift release.

The sounds of a bow string pulling caught Veigue's attention next — his sharp gaze directed to the archer on his side. The man thought he had his arrow ready to fire, but he realized too late that Veigue was still in close range enough to cleave through him before he could release the bolt.

The Myrmidon rolled in pain, but flipped back to his feet like the agile swordsman Veigue expected him to be. Recapturing Amber was the last thing on his mind, charging at Veigue in a blind rage. The bonewalkers put up a better fight than them; Veigue being the superior opponent in mobility as he closed the gap quick enough to disarm the man before delivering a swift decapitation at the first opening granted.

The swordmaster dropped to one knee, feeling a bit fatigued after using that huge burst of speed from the initial approach. It wasn't bad like the first time he did it against the chimera, catching his breath quick enough as he sheathed Kenji in a slow and smooth manner in front of him as short-lived lightning danced around the sheath — his piercing and concentrated frown fixed on the lone warrior as he stood there in silence. Veigue knew the man had the opportunity to grab Amber, but from the look of astonishment in his eyes, the girl didn't even cross his mind.

"Heh. You're just making this more worthwhile for me," The man said. "Master Jaquio has plenty of those hounds back at home, so we won't miss 'em."

"I see you're as blackhearted as he," Veigue said, rising back to his feet. "But tell me. If he sent his best after me, then does that means he's getting desperate?"

"More like too eager to see you in a pool of blood right now," The tall man released the axe from his back as he leaned it on his shoulder. "Though he is fed up with your still-breathing presence. In truth, he wanted to catch up with and kill you personally. However, I came here of my own volition to judge your abilities — I needed to see how much of a threat you truly are to my master."

"Then he's desperate."

"Perhaps so," The man laughed. "Wasn't expecting to lift my axe to you today, but I think you're better off dead now. I still think my master could crush you on his own, but after witnessing more of your fighting prowess, I can't take any chances."

"In that case, shut up and start swinging already." Veigue brandished his steel in a fierce manner.

The two warriors were met with a brief pause, examining each other before any combat could ensue. As much of a braggart as the loyal slave to his nemesis was, Veigue caught onto a certain vibe that the man wasn't all talk — his relaxed stance spoke for itself. If a powerful sage like Jaquio required extra reinforcement from a professional killer, then the swordmaster wouldn't be surprised if the man harbored the necessary skill to defeat him.

Veigue took initiative; his blade blurred in the wind with a horizontal swipe aimed at the man's abdomen. The berserker's dexterity with his axe was impressive all from the flexible twist of his arm, to the smooth motion of parrying Veigue's attack. They were met with a stare down — Veigue expected the axeman to be faster than most opponents with such a heavy weapon. Granted, the guy was ripped beyond imagination, so his fitness likely played a role in being able to handle his weapon like a toddler's rattle.

The warrior reacted in suit, whipping around his axe once he went on the offensive. Veigue still felt a bit of stress on his body from earlier, but recovered just enough to evade the motions at his near usual speed. It was a battle where his advantage would benefit him the most, but after another clash of two's weapons, Veigue could feel some faint magic surging through the axe — the guy was packing some literal heat.

They stood each other's ground, struggling as the axe began to catch ablaze while sparks of electricity from Kenji went wild and rampant as the two weapons grind against each other. Veigue knew it'd be a bad idea to play a power-focused individual at their own game, weakening his grip to create some distance between them after a release. The deep-rooted powers of his blade riled up before he took three fast-paced swings — lightning forming in sword waves as they hurled at their opponent.

The axe spun with rapidity in the man's hand as it almost looked like a flaming wheel. Hopefully he wouldn't be too crazy, or else he'd burn the whole forest down. He gripped his axe with a mighty catch, cleaving through the sword waves one by one while Veigue noticed the dispersed electricity still impacted his body. To strike through his magic was impressive; most likely that weapon had more properties to it unknown to the naked eye.

With nothing to lose, he darted himself towards the stunned opponent. The dispersed magic didn't harm him that much, giving the axeman enough time to meet Veigue with his fiery weapon's might. Sparks flew from the collision of steel, both sides refusing to grant the other a fatal opening.

A wave of flame emitted from a swipe of the axe after the man leaped backward, causing Veigue to whip out a quick sword wave to counter and cancel the magic before the two were met with another stalemate.

"You'll slip eventually," The berserker said with a smirk. "But your skill is commendable."

"Hmph." Veigue grunted. "Likewise, even though I don't like you."

But before they could engage in more combat, a loud scream echoed from afar. It wasn't one of natural bearing, unless Amber's voice dropped miles into masculinity and beyond. Couldn't even call that masculine...

Sounded more like a monster. Well, perhaps that was the true premonition of uneasiness Veigue felt earlier. The battle with the monsters likely didn't end, but it seemed like that scream belonged to a single individual. The worst part was, it was coming from the inside of that abandoned mine's entrance. Whatever was in there, it must have heard all the racket and finally woke from it's likely slumber.

"Well, I didn't have any plans on fighting a beast today, either..." The man looked to the exit-way as he put his axe away. "Whatever that thing is, I'm not taking my chances against it. We'll settle this next time, Veigue Magnus. If you're smart, you'd leave, too — to live until the day my master have his vengeance upon you."

Veigue didn't want to let the buffoon go, but the roar of the unknown monster grew in ferocity to worry about it. Amber sat there, shivering in the grass before Veigue approached her.

"We're gonna dieeeee!" She cried.

"Do you know what that thing is?"

"Nope!" Amber stood to her feet, still shaking. "But I ain't stickin' around to find out."

Just as she attempted to take one step, she halted; as if some realization hit her harder than a rock could. "Ahhhhhh, noooo! We still have to get the oreeee!"

"The ore's not important. We don't know what we're up against in there, so let's retreat for now."

"But completing this project has way more worth than my own life. I can't fail, Mr. Veigue!" Amber insisted; her face full of determination. Veigue knew what was going through her head, clutching onto her petite shoulder to stop her before she could even rush forth into the unknown danger.

"Don't be absurd. Nothing's more important than your own survival." The swordsman offered his insight, but the girl was saddened that she was in a position of helplessness. But Veigue knew that the righteous bone which remained in him would continue to nag until he did what he felt was the right thing to do in order to not shatter the girl's apparent hopes and dreams.

"I'll face it." Veigue said, having a mix of earnest and regret in his tone. "Just keep your distance. Seems like whatever it is, the thing has no intention of stepping out it's domain in order to protect it. Stick close while we enter."

[Deleted]

Amber held zero disagreements about Veigue's plan. The sacaean had to give the little girl her points for courage, though. Mere moments ago, Amber shivered in fear like she'd been thrown out into the harshest frozen prison in Ilia. Though when she thought about her goal to succeed with her little project, courage flowed back through her like a river. The warrior held a bit more respect for her after that, despite her recklessness and no thought put in whatsoever of her inability to protect herself. Amber may have been a little weird, but Veigue felt he could learn a thing or two from the kid.

Maybe.

The entryway to the mine was a simple trip, and the beaming sunlight helped with brightening their vision of the interior. The only thing that bothered Veigue was the absence of the screaming monster. Could have hid itself for a surprise attack, but they also didn't travel very far inward. Veigue recalled Amber saying before that just about all areas of the mine caved in and only one specific section — the entry area — remained.

The eerie silence of the cave didn't sit well, even for a man such as he who enjoyed a quiet atmosphere. Veigue wanted to reach for his sword and just shout out to alert the beast, but there was still more ground to cover, and his eyes would adjust to the darkness the more they went deeper within. Each step felt like it mattered more than the last; the swordmaster had to keep Amber relatively close, just in case something happened and they were separated in the partial darkness.

But then, unfamiliar footsteps — they closed in; steady, but eventually upped the pace. Actually, they were really close now.

"Get back!" Veigue shouted, pushing Amber back before a large, sharp object he couldn't make out whipped in front of him. If he was only a step farther ahead, that would have been his head butchered. If he didn't hear the steps ahead of time, he'd be the monster's successfully hunted lunch by then.

Fortunate for Veigue, Amber's natural instinct was to run back towards the cave entrance, and Veigue opted for the same action — the monster would have an advantage in the dark over him. He took a moment to look beyond his shoulder during the escape, witnessing the assailant as he couldn't believe his eyes: a huge lich like the one he fought in Laus, alongside Mana. Except this one seemed like he was pumped up on an over-dosage of the dark magic that held him together.

Something about the Lich seemed odd other than his titanic size; it's weapon — a jet-black scythe — appeared quite heavy, even for the giant itself. It dragged the scythe in the dirt while it was attached to a chain, for he pulled it during his surprisingly quick sprint of pursuit. But what really weird Veigue out was it's eerie, distorted voice. It really sounded like the moans of an otherworldly monster having something stuck up it's ass.

Amber and Veigue resurfaced, but the giant lich was bold enough to step out of it's advantageous territory. With the sun beaming through the trees and having the perfect spotlight on the guardian, Veigue could see it's rough, skeletal body in all of it's features — it's body so corrupted with magic that the bones turned to a charred black color. It's empty eye sockets shined a bloody red gleam, giving Veigue all kinds of vibes that this wasn't an ordinary Wight.

"What the heck! Eww! Why's it so gosh darn big!?" Amber screamed afterward.

Veigue couldn't answer her question, but he could only guess that the thing's unnatural size was a result of the dark magic mutating it. Of course, he wasn't an expert on monsters, so for all he knew, it could have been just some really big-boned human that died a long time ago — the giant skeleton seemed to be near twice the size of Jaquio's right hand man, who seemed to be nowhere in sight now. He fought a huge Wight before, but... could he handle this one, too?

He thought of making Amber run and stay out of sight again, but the more the monster dragged towards them with that scythe and chain, a worry crept on his shoulders.

"Move away, but do it slowly and with subtlety," Veigue said to her lowly. "I have a feeling that chain helps him move his large scythe with ease and hurl it at long distances. If he sees you running, I'm not sure if I can stop it's attacks from hitting you..."

The girl was hesitant, but nodded her head regardless. "But what about you?"

"I'll force it to focus all of it's attacks on me. If I do that, it'll more than likely forget about you if you're out of sight. If things turn for the worst and you're in a safe spot, just get out of here."

"I can't leave you alone with that thing, especially if something bad happens. I was the one who selfishly dragged you out here, after all. I don't want you to die because of me..." Amber said. She really sounded sincere as opposed to her usual behavior Veigue was growing a little used to.

"I won't die easily," Veigue began, unsheathing his blade while the giant stared him down. "Believe it or not, I've dealt with worst situations than this one. Besides, we don't have much of a choice."

An entire forest of baels wasn't even fun at all, man.

Veigue still was on the fence about facing such an opponent, though. Unlike the last lich he fought, he sensed this one held more than just physical prowess on it's side. Not to mention he remembered them being capable of retaining intelligence. While it appeared as if that weapon was too heavy for him, Veigue suspected that wasn't the case. That chain gave nothing but bad vibes the more he stared at it.

With nothing left to ponder on, the warrior rushed off towards the lich with uncertainty. Who knew what it was capable of...

[Deleted]

Battle Theme

Veigue wasn't sure what to expect from this Wight in particular. The other one he fought in Laus was more straight forward to handle, despite the lingering intellect and skill it retained. The more he fought monsters, the more he became familiar with their actions and behaviors. Unlike bonewalkers, Wights were sort of more versatile and retained more of a stable mind after having live breed into them once more. They were walking dead of former great warriors, after all. For all he knew, the one in front of him could have been a famed warrior back in his lively days.

The movement of that chain and scythe grazing through the grass — accompanied with the undead's ghastly battle cry — could freeze any opponent in their tracks. Veigue felt the chill of uneasiness coursing up his spine; his foot stomping down in a firm halt to his opponent's reactionary response to his blatant aggressive approach. It's skeletal, but big boned hand clenched the chain as it's arms jerked upward and forth — the sickle picking up from the ground in the yank before it arched.

The realization that Veigue's options of evasion held limits didn't dawn on him too late or soon, having to be reliant on his reflex to get him out of the bad position. It wouldn't be too hard to dodge it; the sickle was more or less the lethal part of the monster's weaponry. Getting whacked silly by the chain wouldn't warrant much of a concern, though caution of all aspects of the Wight's arsenal remained to be important.

Jerking himself forth out of the sickle's range, Veigue followed up the action with an acrobatic flip over the skeletal wild man's chain. His intention was to pivot around his opponent, which he carried out with haste. Upon moving in opposition to his foe and arrived behind him via circulation, Veigue could only halt in horror — the chain carried the sickle from it's arch and behind the undead warrior.

Drops of sweat fell down the side of his face like a stream, feeling that his movement may have been a bad one in hindsight. The razor sharp tip of that scythe was as deadly as any piercingly lethal weapon he's faced, knowing that it'd rip right through him if he remained inactive. Instinct possessed him, dropping to the ground as a means of pure evasion for his life. The scythe whipped above his head; too close for comfort, but safe nonetheless.

Upon watching the monster's arm, it twisted and turned the end of it's chain to allow the bound weapon to spin at will — sort of like a lasso. Veigue couldn't stay in close and on the ground for long, thinking on his feet as he leaped away and rolled in the field; out of range from the clever monster. Another close call before he was safe, for the sickle nicked the back of his pants — the tear through leather and his own flesh wasn't something he couldn't resist feeling. Veigue was lucky enough to get away with that.

His wound may have stung, but it didn't stop him from rising to his feet and allowing that pain to settle so he could effectively ignore it. Couldn't afford any deep wounds, but the swordsman was aware that he couldn't allow opportunities in the fight pass him up as well — his eye caught onto to one he could take advantage of from where he stood.

The Wight was about to wind down his spinning, but Kenji coursed with lightning as Veigue felt the volts traveling through his arms — almost like the sword was telling him with mental language that only he could understand to use it's power. Haste in his action, Veigue swiped out the sword wave of electricity that he's grown real accustomed to utilizing, now that he's had enough practice and a few real-time experiences with tapping into some of the blade's latent abilities.

With the long ranged attack launching at the Wight, it's spinning sure did stop, all right. Not in the way it intended.

Veigue's attack impacted upon it's backside, causing the chain and scythe to drop while it fell to one knee; the volts of lightning tearing through the enormous cage that was it's bony structure. The swordmaster was somewhat pleased to see the attack dealt some kind of damaging effect, but equally disappointed to see the monster stand back to it's feet with quick recovery; enraged by the pain it's been inflicted with as it unleashed a scream of resentment.

Nice to know his attacks could stun and harm it, but Veigue felt that he either didn't push enough of Kenji's powers out for it to make a significant difference, or the thing was more resilient than he thought. If only he could utilize light magic, that'd be a different story. Unfortunately for him, being a mage wasn't his strong suit.

The Wight went on the offensive this time, clutching the scythe's rod as he allowed the attached chain to drag. Veigue prepared himself, but surprised to see the weapon radiating with a violet aura — he was right to assume earlier that it was no ordinary scythe. Elder magic in it, no doubt. Made sense, given that the stuff was what fueled the undead in the first place.

Energies began to form from a swipe of it's scythe; a blast of shadow impacting Veigue with little room to react. The attack caused him to stagger backwards, but he held his ground as he raised Kenji in front of him as an extra means of lessening the damage dealt to himself, regardless of the small results from that action. He couldn't rest for even a few seconds, hearing the scythe crash into the ground as dark violet tendrils rose from the earth and swarmed him like a hungry animal.

Unlike the blast of energy he suffered before, the tendrils wrapped around him like ropes, attempting to sap his energy with each passing second. Veigue could feel himself lightheaded as he was pinned to the ground, but the fire in his eyes wouldn't eye out. He struggled to break free, but the sight of the Wight rushing towards him didn't help and only delivered more pressure upon him.

So little time to free himself...

The monster was only a few seconds away from arriving and tearing him to pieces, while the dark magic continued to eat away at and weaken his body further. What if he couldn't break free? Would his journey end there? Very anti-climatic, but a very real and urgent situation he's placed in.

While Veigue struggled, his eyes caught glimpse of Amber finally arriving to some bushes. Good girl, but when she stepped on a fallen branch like the klutz she was, the Wight sure didn't ignore it. The giant stopped in it's tracks while it's skull turned to look beyond it's shoulder, grunting in disgust as it stared the teen down. The expression of horror on Amber's face bled in the back of Veigue's mind, knowing that it wanted to harm her.

He didn't even know the girl well enough, but he didn't want to be the helpless witness to a murder he could prevent. Kenji sparked and seemed to resonate with his feelings; electricity surged around the blade before Veigue summoned enough will to stand on his feet, despite the dark and murky tendrils trying to hold him down. With a fierce series of wild, but controlled swings of the lightning-coated blade, he broke free and launched himself at the distracted Wight like a speeding arrow.

The lightheaded experience didn't go away, but the swordsman would be damned if he didn't try to fight through the momentary weakness to distract the monster.

In his approach, he managed to get in two good strikes in from Kenji, but they didn't affect the Wight too much. If anything, the impacts upon it's backside only angered it; it's natural reaction to twist it's body back around with it's flailing arm that smacked Veigue hard against his frame.

The attack almost took the wind out of him, tumbling to the ground, but stabbing Kenji into the ground to jerk himself into a position where he couldn't fall down completely. He remained down on one knee and used his weapon as a cane to stand — the struggle to fight his disorientation was apparent.

The sacaean didn't realize when it happened it, but a line of blood fell from a wound the side of his forehead. He only vaguely remembered hitting his head when he rolled to the ground before catching himself with the blade. That didn't stop him from continuing on with the fight, knowing that he couldn't throw in the towel just because of some petty injuries that were less severe than most inflicted upon him on a regular basis.

Darting back at the undead with all intent to kill, Veigue unleashed a rapid fury of swipes as the undead opted to parry as much as it could. The two locked themselves into an extended period of close ranged combat; Veigue finding himself at a disadvantage with the opponent's range, but his agility kept it well on it's toes enough to be rendered unable to take much advantage of it's weapon's superior reach. When it did find the opportunity to swipe the weapon horizontally, Veigue hit an on-point back flip while unleashing another wave of lightning towards his opponent — it tanked the hit, only grunting in annoyance while Veigue held his ground after landing on his feet.

Another form of approach and a better strategy was required, but something else caught his attention beyond the Wight.

"...Amber?" He said in a low voice, watching the girl approach the field of battle and getting closer with each passing moment. "What're you doing? The bushes are the other way. Get back!"

The girl didn't say anything; a look of fear mixed with courage on her tanned face as she held a large stick on her hands. Her eyes locked onto the Wight.

"Go away, you big, bony pig!" She said before waving the stick in her hand in a very try-hard intimidating way.

"No! Stop!" Veigue shouted upon seeing the Wight's reaction; elder magic radiated from it's weapon again. The sacaean's eyes lit up with anxiety as the monster readied it's chain and was about ready to hurl the combo weapon at her.

As much as he tried to use that near-instantaneous movement again, he knew that his body wasn't in the condition to pull it off, helplessly rushing forth in an effort to try and get close as quick as he could anyway. He wasn't going to allow chance to interfere with his battles anymore.

[Deleted]

The next seconds of conflict would be the most crucial, not to mention intense: The constant rushing of legwork from the swordmaster versus the Wight's winding up assault. The undead's chain wiggled, then tightened upon being gripped and twirled one good time before the attached sickle already began to take off after it's powerful toss. What made matters worse, Amber just froze up at the sight when the elder magic coated the sickle.

Dumb bravery the kid had, but Veigue could scold her later — that's if he could perform the rescue.

No way he'd make it in front of her in time to intercept the weapon, but with the quick thinker he was, a risky idea formed — quite frankly his only shot either way. What he had in mind could have back fired and certainly killed Amber either way, but it was better than trying to pick some god to pray to in hopes that he'd deflect the attack via a safer method. Once more, Veigue refused to allow fate and chance interfere with his battles.

Kenji glowed with brilliance before Veigue gave it a strong swipe, albeit not strong enough to put too much of it's magic into the released sword wave. The magic traveled much faster than the hurling scythe — Veigue sweating bullets as his anxiousness grew with each passing second. He couldn't count on the frightened girl to just duck or run away; not like she was in a position to do much anyway. One of the few moments where he was terrified of a worst case scenario...

But what friggin' luck he had that time; something he knew he didn't have much of. The wave of lightning struck the butt of the sickle with Veigue's surprisingly accurate aim, causing it and the chain to wobble and the lethal end completely turned from Amber's range. Unfortunately, Veigue realized too late that the weapon still hurled at her, breaking through her giant stick and impacting her as the imbued dark magic still coated the weapon.

Thank goodness the blade of it didn't hit her, but the momentum of the weapon and the magic still harmed her a great deal from where he stood, and since she wasn't a fighter, the girl's life still hanged in balance of the living and the afterlife. She took the impact hard, falling to her back and sliding in the grass.

Veigue wasn't sure how to feel about it, aside from wishing she unfroze and evaded the weapon when she had the chance. But he couldn't blame the girl for not having any warrior's instinct, rushing over before he realized the Wight charging forth to finish the job.

Desperate to make it to Amber first, Veigue's feelings once again resonated with Kenji. Just like back when he fought the chimera, Veigue unleashed an enormous sword wave that he couldn't do at will. The Wight couldn't do anything to avoid it, being electrocuted and falling to it's knees in a prolonged stunned condition.

No way that actually killed it, but certainly bought Veigue some time, reaching Amber before dropping his sword and kneeling down to her side.

She wasn't in terrible condition, but not in great shape, either. The apparent head injury was there, but other bodily injures were minor. Though from how Veigue observed her breathing, the elder magic must have sapped a ton of her stamina, for the girl struggled to sit up when she opened her eyes. Veigue forced her to stay down, trying to make it clear to her that she'd be okay if she just stayed put. Though she seemed a carry a stubborn bone; sort of like him, in a way.

"...Why didn't you run?" Amber said, weakly.

"Is that why you threw yourself out there in harm's way?" Veigue said, raising his voice a tad, but calming himself down to see light in her action. "Well, I appreciate trying to give me a window of opportunity to escape, but... don't do something so reckless like that again. Your life is just as important."

"Yeah, but..." The girl struggled, but her eyes were filled with regret and from what Veigue observed, emotional pain. "This wouldn't have happened if I just found another way to make my glove. I didn't need to put you or anyone else in danger for the more extreme way, so I wanted to make up for my mistake — I wanted to be the only one who failed, not bringing anyone else down with me, too. My daddy used to tell me that I wouldn't be a great blacksmith if I refused to grow up and take responsibility. I should have just given up on it..."

"Her father, huh..."

From the sound of it, Veigue suspected her relationship with her father wasn't complicated like his own. Sure, he and his father came to an understanding at the end, but he doubt anyone went through such a rocky parent-child relationship like he did.

Feeling inclined to help the pained girl more than just tend to her weakened state, Veigue dropped lower while resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Never give up on your passion," He said with earnest. "The worst thing to do is feel regret over a decision, especially when it involves something you hold dear. Instead of regretting it, accept it and continue to grow from that point on. Acknowledge your mistakes, because you — not to mention others and myself — are only human; we're bound to make mistakes at some point on more than one occasion. I don't know much of anything about blacksmithing, but I'm sure that applies to everything. Learning from your experiences, good and bad, will make you great at what you do."

"...You sound like my daddy." Amber's eyes lit up like a torch, despite her weak fatigue. But those same flames of hope that burned in her eyes also held a watery mist of sadness. "He said something like that to me before the day that evil man killed him. He believed so much in me, and he was the best blacksmith I ever knew. I wanted to be just like him, and still do. The battle glove was an incomplete project in it's early stages that we worked on together, and I wanted to finish it; for my dad's sake..."

Veigue patted the girl's head once, somewhat trying to help her feel better. "Then sit tight and let me make sure you escape from this alive, so you can chase your dreams one more time."

"But that thing--"

"Won't kill me," Veigue said, turning his head in the direction of the recovering Wight. "I think after hearing your story, and talking with you a bit about it, has opened my eyes to a little something about myself that'll help me put this monster down for good."

His advice to Amber helped him a bit, too...

The Wight rose to it's feet, and it's empty eye sockets lit up red again, signifying it's frustration before it picked up the chain again. Veigue didn't feel comfortable about moving Amber, until she recovered some of her strength. But the monster picked up the sickle with a mighty grip of his chain before hurling it back at Veigue.

A sharp concentration the swordsman maintained, staring at the scythe with all the determination and focus he could muster. Just as his expression settled for a serious frown, his hand instinctively reached for Kenji before whipping his sword arm in a swift motion — the precise swipe of the single-edged blade struck the incoming sickle as he deflected it to the ground, causing the weapon to pierce and dig itself deep in the ground.

"Fate will stop fighting my battles for me when I take that step forth to defy my weaknesses!" Veigue said before breaking into a fast sprint towards his now-vulnerable opponent.

[Deleted]

Battle Theme

The swordsman's view of the fight changed into a new light, observing opportunities he hadn't seen before. The road to victory didn't seem far off like his initial prediction, now that he's fought the monster long enough and learned how to make the best of his disadvantage. The monster exhibited a short fit of rage after Veigue deflected it's scythe; it's distorted voice howling in the wind. While tempting to fall under the intimidation, Veigue's determination shielded him from faltering to his enemy's attempts. He gripped Kenji more fierce than ever.

With electricity dancing on his blade, the sacaean dashed into the fray, all with intentions of striking his foe while it tried to pull it's sickle out the ground. Veigue closed the distance in brisk motion, slashing away at the skeletal frame of the undead as the volts of lightning traveled through with each assault. It's mouth stretched wide, likely out of pain — it almost opened wide enough to make Veigue think the Wight could shoot magic out of it, but doubtful. Unless it was a resurrected dragon or something.

Nah.

The monster's reaction didn't surprise him, but it's resilience was what took Veigue a bit off guard. All that magic impacted the Wight, but it still mustered enough effort to ball it's fist and bring it down to smite the swordsman. Knowing his weapon held a lot more reinforcement than a skeleton's arm, he blocked the incoming punch without fear. Until it'd yank it's weapon free, Veigue was well aware of his opponent's limited options of retaliation. It helped that his sword's magic held a degree of effectiveness.

Not long after, a forceful pull on the chain set the Wight's sickle free and flying back, towards Veigue's backside — talk about being between a rock and a hard place. He could have turned around to try and deflect the weapon again, but that'd allow the Wight to grab or attack him during. But if he attempted release himself from the push on his sword, the push would give him little room to recover, overall still risking a decapitation.

But the gears of his head continued to move, thinking of something that was even riskier, but sounded better than the other two options. The Wight's full strength wasn't applied to the press on Veigue's blade; more so on yanking it's chain. The swordmaster took notice of this and pushed himself to it's left side before releasing and rolling away in the dirt. The attached scythe hurled in a wild arch, unpredictable as to where it'd go. Could have chased Veigue down for all he knew, but he was down in the dirt and would know soon if he felt the sensation of a blade running through his body.

Thankfully enough, the scythe remained on more or less a straight path, stabbing through the bony chest of the Wight. How ironic that it'd be struck with it's own weapon, but Veigue's intentions held that possibility, and allowed a moment of praise envelop him that it actually worked.

He watched the monster panic, though lasted only a brief moment. It yanked the sickle out with relative ease, though a no-brainer there that an undead creature could do that much easier than a living one could. Veigue could almost feel his concealed scars burning in remembrance of that being a fact — nobody liked pulling sharp objects out of themselves.

A surprising turn of events, though. Instead of continuing with it's usual combo of chain and sickle, the Wight dropped the chain altogether and held it's scythe as a stand-alone weapon. Black aura of elder magic coated the jet black weapon, Veigue having flashbacks of the monster's control over the weapon's magic from earlier. He prepared for another blast of tendrils, but the Wight instead went for a charge. Fine by him.

He confronted the beast before locking into close range combat with it; steel dancing and colliding with each other within the two's clash. The monster's change of pace played well in Veigue's favor, as he didn't have to worry about that pesky chain keeping him on the ropes. Sure, the scythe still held a range advantage, but with each of his attacks, Veigue waltzed his way beyond the sickle's reach with each evasion. Upon being blocked with each counter, the swordmaster had to admit that the Wight was a very worthy adversary; perhaps he was an even more formidable fighter when counted among the living.

A strong swipe of the scythe held Veigue in a position where it'd be too risky to dodge, opting for blocking the strike head-on with his blade. The impact pushed him back; the heel of his feet digging and sliding backward as he held a strong stance. But that fortitude wouldn't last long after Veigue felt a sudden pull on his right leg — the dangling chain from the scythe entangled itself around him; more than likely during their close range bout.

...It'd be an understatement to say the amount of intelligence the monster retained was impressive.

Thanks to the leg bondage, another yank from the beast flipped Veigue off his feet. The warrior met with the cold blades of grass upon his fall, but feeling the Wight pulling on the chain some more with it's free hand. Many possibilities raced through Veigue's mind as to what the creature was up to, but his first assumption went towards it wanting to reel him closer so it could butcher him easier — hopefully not for dinner.

As much as he should have been trying to break free, Veigue allowed this to slide. If Amber wasn't hurt and busy being semi-unconscious, she would have thought he was an idiot for just welcoming a bloody demise.

The Wight had no way of smiling, but it didn't take a scholar to realize it was very anxious to rip it's prey apart. Within an inch close to the monster, Veigue's feigned defeat worked flawlessly; he stabbed Kenji in the ground before lifting himself up, spinning his body in a vicious cycle and with great velocity upon leaping. He spun himself free before landing on his feet again, taking hold of Kenji while the Wight attempted to strike.

Point blank range, but he gathered as much magic as possible before releasing a powerful wave of lightning. It impacted agaisnt the skeletal frame of his opponent, the shock seeming to harm it more than before. Was the elder magic weakening? That bode well for Veigue.

But the monster's pain didn't stop it from unleashing it's true fury. The scythe's shadowy aura returned, and with a powerful smash to the ground, several tendrils emerged like an erupted geyser. Veigue wasn't a fan of experiencing the same kind of agony twice, for that was ten times the number of dark arms that pinned him down earlier. His legs began to move on instinct before his body traveled with them, flipping back as much as possible to escape the arms of darkness.

While he managed to escape them all, hindsight kicked in enough to realize that might not have been a good idea to move away so far — the Wight took hold of the chain and dropped the scythe, likely to begin it's game of chain and sickle again.

Or was what he did a good idea, too?

Veigue's muscles relaxed, realizing that he regained much of his stamina from earlier. Everything from his mind to the toes on his body calmed down to a relaxed state, mentally preparing himself as his opponent began swinging it's chained scythe like a lasso once more. The opened window of opportunity arrived; Veigue's piercing gaze setting it's sights on his chance before his legs moved quicker than a wolf's once more.

"Rah!"

Accompanied by powerful battle cry, Veigue's dash closed the gap much faster than a second, for all the Wight saw was a single afterimage of where the swordsman once stood and the dust trail left behind. It couldn't see Veigue in front of it, because the agile fighter was already beside the beast. Veigue's sword coated with electricity, standing still before returning to a straight up position to sheathe his blade. The Wight appeared furious again, unleashing another scream with it's unearthly voice. But then it's screech was cut off like an interrupted speech before skull slid off it's severed neck.

"Farewell..."

The chain and scythe fell at the same time it's large body collapsed, Veigue sighing to himself that it may have been over. Given the crap he's dealt with before, he wouldn't be surprised if the thing got back up and claimed a headless swordsman trope. But fading magic surfaced from it's lifeless corpse, giving the swordsman reassurance.

"Is it... dead?" The voice of Amber reached his ears.

The girl walked her way closer to him; Veigue found himself impressed that she rose so fast and still willing to walk on her own. Not only did his talk help her along, but it seemed like she had her own little strength keeping her going.

"Yes. You can rest easy now," Veigue said with a nod. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm okay now. Just glad that thing won't be moving anymore..."

He only hoped so. Only thing they had to do now was turn back and...

"Oh, wait! The ore!" Amber shouted.

God dammit.

Veigue forgot about that again, almost wanting to facepalm that it was their only reason going there and risking their lives against the unknown. As he watched Amber run over to the bushes and grabbing her bag of excavation tools, he wanted to make sure they actually went in there prepared that time, in case another Wight was sleeping in there or something. He wandered off a bit to find a chunk of wood, rubbing it together with another he found until it sparked and ignited a healthy flame; all before returning to the girl and entering the cavern together.

—————

Thanks to the makeshift torch, it illuminated the remains of the mine to where it helped Veigue realize just how small the interior was. Of course, he didn't forget about being told that most of the mine remained buried.

Amber followed some kind of map she had, Veigue once again impressed of her ability to ignore her injuries all for the sake of her goal. Watching the kid sent reminders of his old self around her age, finding value in reflecting and maybe learning more from the naive youth that he used to be. Sometimes, you forget some important things when you hit adulthood that you knew as a child...

"Oh, here we go!" Amber said after a few minutes of searching, locating a spot that she must have been looking for.

Veigue stood by with the flame as the girl began digging away with the small pickax. Now that was someone who remained passionate about their dream, for the girl picked her soul out with each strike. Examining the area himself, there lied a wall she continued to hit. However, it had an odd, discolored look to it that he couldn't quite put his finger on. As curious as he was, the swordsman had to scan their surroundings on a more frequent occasion to prevent any jump scares.

"Wow!" Amber's excitement distracted him.

One more strike from her pickax and a wave of debris dropped from the collapsed section of the hole. Veigue dropped closer to Amber as she examined the rocks, feeling a bit awkward while the girl gushed in awe. It was like watching a kid receiving a new toy from their parents. He cleared his throat, giving the girl a serious stare.

"So, is that the material you're looking for?"

"Yup! And it's more amazing than I heard! This is some bizarre and refined steel that you can't find just anywhere!"

It was like her eyes lit up brighter than his torch. One closer look at the girl and Veigue noticed that brightness in her eyes was getting weaker the longer she examined the ores and scooped them all up in a pack of hers. Those petite limbs of hers were shaking, at first causing a surge of nervousness to curse through Veigue. Not long after, the girl finally collapsed before Veigue managed to catch her and checked pulse — he could only chuckle after that.

"It's about time the fatigue kicked in..." He said.

But at least the girl got what she came for. Not seeing any reason to stay, he finished the job of raking the ores and her tools into her bags before carrying them and the now-sleeping Amber back to town.

[Deleted]

It's been wilder than any ride Veigue's been on, that's for sure.

From meeting Amber in the humid evening streets, to killing a bunch of monsters and going treasure hunting was an odd way of spending yesterday. He just had to make sure a checklist was formed to name every sort of adventure he's been on and mark the ones he didn't ever want to do again; giant Wights was on the list for sure. Still having he and Amber all patched up with relative quickness was appreciated by the same priest he met a few towns back, wondering if the guy was talking him or something. At this point, anyone was a potential serial killer, devoted followers of St. Elimine included.

He could sit there all morning and reflecting on everything, but a gleam of steel from his dormant blade made a realization surface from the pool of his busy mind: he needed to see the blacksmith. It was the real reason he came to the place. The more he felt the sleeping powers of his sword resonate with his sword, the more the whispers of the blade reminded him the importance of growth; to know more about the secrets his family held on so dearly and knowing his family heirloom held more power than he'd imagine, seeking more knowledge.

But another lapse in memory — he'd already failed at his goal. Perhaps it was due to the recent awakening from his decent night's rest, but he recalled someone telling him before he booked in the Inn that said blacksmith was the talk of the town, for his murder was a mystery and it happened mere days before Veigue's arrival. While thinking in the grand scheme of things, his journey there turned out to be a waste of time after all, but nonetheless felt bad for learning of someone having their blood spilled for unknown reasons. Though there was Amber, for she mentioned being a blacksmith as well...

Nah. Better off not getting mixed up with that lunatic girl again...

With nothing better to do but suck it up and take responsibility for the lost time, Veigue decided hitting the road remained a better choice than sticking around there any longer. The faster he got out of the area, the less time anything or anyone had the opportunity to drag him into another game of dungeons and... monsters. Though upon stepping foot out into fresh air, deja vu struck him faster than a lightning bolt — the village streets remained barren, just like his first visit.

At least he'd have an awesome, peaceful parting from such a chaotic land.

He almost made it out in time before more deja vu wanted to poke it's fun self out at him again. There was the little tyrant of a Jr. Blacksmith herself, tinkering with her Crushanator 5000 thing and Veigue was half tempted to keep walking like he didn't see a thing. Still, that'd be rude, realizing that the project meant a lot to the girl. Instead of drifting away like a sly fox, the sacaean opted for facing another episode of the girl's insanity by an approach — hopefully brief.

"Heey! There you are, Mr. Veigue. So," Amber said, walking towards him. "Couldn't resist not leaving before seeing the fruit of our hardwork, ehhh?"

"I guess so, but Amber..." Veigue's eyes dimmed. "Please, no need for the Mister part."

"Oh, okay! Hmmmmmmm. I know! I'll just call you Veggie then!"

What da fu-

Nevermind.

Veigue dropped it, noticing the girl's more-cheerful-than-usual mood.

"I assume you're finished with your project?"

"Yup, yup! Stayed up all night working on it, but the bad boy's ready for some punchin'!"

"Well then, congrats." Veigue crossed his arms with a slight smile. He knew that despite her recovering state, the girl's determination to finish the glove would hold her most prioritized spot. "So, what's the next step? Selling it?"

"Norrrrmally, yes. However, I still need to perform a quality check and appraisal; to test it out and see where it stands value-wise."

The perceptive swordsman caught onto something. A spark in her eyes; some sort of child-like smile that tried to lure you in to doing their bidding against your will. He tried to step back, knowing what she was going to say as that smile of Amber's twisted to a naughty smirk he didn't like.

"...Wanna try it out?" She said.

"Nah."

"Aw, come on! It'll be fun, I swear!"

Veigue found himself in yet another awkward situation with the girl, but then realizes he really didn't have anything to lose by indulging in her desires to test out her craftsmanship, noticing that all he probably had to do was punch stuff. With that in mind, he agrees with reluctance, allowing the girl to drag him off to who-knows-where to do this little quality test. If it involved punching random people in the street and seeing how far their heads would roll off their shoulders, then... Well, Amber would be more of a twisted little devil than he originally thought.

Someone help.

Upon traversing the town, Amber lead him to a lone tree in a far corner of the village. Oh god, another defenseless tree to assault... and Veigue didn't particularly have an issue with. He was beginning to believe Father Sky wanted him to go to war with Mother Earth's trees at the rate he's been punching and slicing them. Veigue vs Trees... That'd be dull, but more fun than Jaquio, at least; and Amber was the real crazy one there. She was giving Veigue the opportunity to let loose on a tree bark with some glove fresh from hell's abyss.

He remained locked to his duty to try it out, cocking back his fist and mustering enough strength to the best of his ability. A powerful jab that he'd throw at a sworn enemy directed towards the innocent tree bark, hearing the forceful blow of the wind as his punched collided. Several chunks of debris flew out like several arrowheads trying to piece his body.

What he witnessed surprised him; it wasn't a boring experience, at least. The shape of his gloved fist embedded in the tree bark, unable to fathom the outcome. Was it his own strength or the glove's? Last time he punched some trees, it left scars on his knuckles. Pretty sure he wasn't a dragon or anything, for no mere human fist could damage a tree so easily without a sharp weapon in hand.

"Impressive..." Veigue says, further studying the craftsmanship; the layers of reinforced steel on the knuckles of the gloves didn't have any noticeable scratches to the naked eye and he felt the cushioned material inside of the glove, speculating that it protected the wearer's knuckles and must have heavily reduced any damage they could do to their hand.

"Whoaaaaaaa! That thing's tougher than I thought! Wish my daddy could see this." Amber said before her cheerful smile turned into a neutral stare.

Veigue taking notice, he finally broke the ice as he knelt down. "Legendary Blacksmith, Rasmot. He was your father, right?"

Amber looked back up to him, surprised but only nodded her head before Veigue continued. "I'm sure he's very proud of his little successor. You made an impressive glove, kid."

The girl remained speechless, wiping her eyes as the trails of emotional water slid down her tanned cheeks. Veigue didn't know why, but after talking with his father's spirit, it allowed him to realize what his old man felt when guiding an offspring. Granted, Amber wasn't his, but with the lack of a parent, the girl seemed to yearn for her father to come back to her, only to be met with the realization that it was impossible. The swordsman didn't want to pity her, but only felt bad enough to try and help, whether big or small.

"Thanks, Veggie..." Amber said, cleaning her face. "I just wish that jerkass mage didn't visit our house that day. Daddy would still be alive right now. To be honest, I wanted to punch that Jaquio guy in the face with my Crushanator 5000 the moment it was completed, but... I can't let Daddy's sacrifice be in vain. So it's better for that glove to be used for something more... noble, I guess."

Wait, huh?

Huh!?

"Jaquio... ? Amber," Veigue paused. Was this destiny? He clenched his fist while still wearing the glove. "I'm sorry. It seems that madman's claimed another victim, but it must have been fate that lead me to you..."

"Huh?"

Of course she'd be confused.

"Jaquio is... my nemesis. I don't know why he was here, but him attacking your father seems unrelated to his animosity towards me."

The girl remained silent for a moment, staring at her creation. Veigue could sense the vengeance in the teen's soul, watching as the flames of hatred burned in her eyes. It wasn't towards him, but towards his nemesis. But before Veigue could say anything, the girl calmed herself down before giving Veigue a earnest look.

"Veggie... you keep that glove, okay? I wasn't gonna sell it anyway. I just wanted to finish it, since Daddy and I initially started that project together. But," She balled up her fist, "Think of this as a gift from both Daddy and I. That guy's your super duper sworn enemy, right? Maybe that glove was made just for you, so you can deck this Jacky guy in the schnoz; for us."

"Amber..." He could feel the girl's resolve, impressed that she didn't allow the flames of vengeance to engulf her. With a nod and smile, he tightened the mighty glove on his hand. "You got it, kid. I'll get him good for all three of us. I appreciate the gift. Normally, I'd say no, but after what you've told me, I can't reject destiny this time."

It was time for the dark sage to die — his priorities hit a sudden change he couldn't ignore. Veigue didn't care how long it took, just that he wasn't going to stand for being the hunted anymore; it was time for him to be the hunter. Of course, he had committed to dealing with his current situation first, but room for tracking down his nemesis was task number one if he survived the coming ordeal. When Jack slaughtered someone in no relation to their feud, it was time to stop.

He maintained his composure, trying not to scare Amber as he began to walk away with a wave of his arm. "Continue to perfect your skills in blacksmithing, Amber. Keep Rasmot proud. I guess I'll see you later, for I'll let you be the first to know when Jaquio's punishment was a success."

"Ah..." The girl trailed.

Veigue didn't hear her, continuing to walk. Just as he was ready to clear his mind for the upcoming journey to Velder, his rendezvous point, that thought process shattered the moment a strong tug on his arm occurred. His head turned back slightly, staring at the distraught Amber from the corner of his eye.

"Veggie? If it's not too much to ask, umm..."

"What's wrong?"

"Can I... tag along in your travels?" The teen asked with sincerity in her tone. "I promise I won't get in the way and stuff like I did yesterday, and I've always wanted to travel the world outside my home. And you kinda... remind me of my Daddy. I think he'd want me to go, too, if you were all right with it. I've even memorized the contents of Daddy's books! I can't help you fight or anything, but I can help you with knowledge on weapons and stuff. Oh, and I can make sure you keep up with sharpening your weapons, too!"

Veigue wanted to immediately say no just for her safety. Jaquio and his constant trials of survival were no place for a little girl to be a bystander. Of course... keeping her away from a battlefield wouldn't be too difficult. While she could be annoying, Veigue realized that the girl didn't have a single friend in the village. That alone was enough to make him submit like no foe could make him, knowing how it felt to be left in a village where no one cared about you. Being responsible for another life wasn't something he was looking forward to, but at least the kid wasn't boring...

"Under one condition: you stick to your word that you'll steer clear from any conflict I'm pushed into. Plus, my equally-wandering sister is bound to show up sooner or later. If there's a time where you need to be away from me at all costs, I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to look after you."

"Really? You mean it!? Awwwwwwwesome!!" The girl jumped with joy before latching onto the unsuspecting swordsmaster's back like some attached animal finding a new friend in the wilderness. "Well then, what are we waitin' for? ADDDDDDDVENTURE TIME!!"

"Argh! Hey! Get off of me...!"

God. Dammit.

[Topic End]