V.Vizard! 12

"Let's see... What's the word for activating this again?"

Here we are, at Ajganwann park. Me, Xavier, Elden, some guy named Maramus as the fair judge, and Dekon.

"... Ahh, here we go. Chode-ante-hoprus."

The card in Dekon's hand shines brilliantly, releasing a very faint, white mist. It's beautiful...

... The people around us start walking away naturally. Wow, this crowd clearance thing really works like a charm.

... I wonder how one focuses his powers onto this weird rune symbol on a card? That seems far too convenient.

"How do you press your power into a rune anyway?"

They all stare at me, as if I said something that's supposedly fundamental. I really can't help it because I have no v.vizard mentor to teach me these things, but it seems only Dekon truly feels sympathy towards that.

"You'd need a certain proficiency in a field of non-arbitrary magic before you can even discuss that, Vance. Just leave it."

... Huh. Go figure, they're going to tell me that in riddles now. How am I supposed to know what that means?

"Let's get this over with, you Xavier-talking-to-guy. You and me. One on one."

She can't even put the effort into remembering my name?... Ahh whatever, let's see if yesterday's advice helps.

I can't surpass her control of water - My affinity for water is lower than hers. That means I can only redirect her attacks slightly, so they don't do any direct damage. If I slip up even a bit, I might lose, and Xavier will see to it my head's off. I really hope he doesn't plan on murdering me...

... Won't he lose his v.vizard powers if he did?

Don't think about that, just... Just focus. I can do this. Let's go.

"Leaving yourself wide open for an attack? Pathetic. I'll end this in one fell swoop."

Elden cups her hands to form a small space between her palms.

"The symbol of water is black... Straight!"

A spear of water lashes out of her palms, aiming straight at me. I expected her to attack from an unpredictable angle, but i didn't know water could be summoned like that! Okay, at least I can see the attack clearly. If water truly is as versatile as Xavier says, then I should have no problem with this next move.

I step my left foot forward and right foot back, and face my arms and back towards the spear hurled at me. Using centripetal force on myself as a base pivot theory, I extend my arms like a scarecrow, and visualise the spear as a roller coaster... Curve with me! I shift my footwork, my left foot steps backwards while my right advances, spinning my body so the perpendicular effect is put into motion. Redirect!!!

The spear slows down for a bit behind me, makes a sharp U-turn, and is sent flying straight back at Elden! It's too bad I didn't do it fast enough, or its original speed would have been retained.

"What!?"

She didn't have the time to react properly. Holding both hands up, Elden cringed and just shielded her face on instinct. Changing her body posture caused the attack aimed for the top of her sternum to hit her left hand shielding her face. Her affinity for water is higher, so the attack was cushioned, but it was still considered an indirect hit. That hand must be throbbing in pain or something.

It's as if the strike made her lose her strength. She just sat on the floor, her right hand grabbing her left wrist and hand, and sobbing silently. Wait, what? That was it? What about that fierce battle yesterday?!

"... No fair..."

No fair? No fair?! I was scared half dead! I didn't think this redirection theory would actually work, and I was really worried about her using that Heicha's Shield technique and all, and I wasn't even sure if I was going to make it back from here alive! I'm fighting for my life here, and she just says 'no fair'?!

... Oh my lord. This activity got me all worked up, and had me bathed in cold sweat, she just took a tiny little jab on her hand and she's had enough? These people... They're UNBELIEVABLE...!!!

"I don't want to fight you in combat! Let's compete in something else!"

... ? I think she said 'fight' yesterday, and now she wants to change it to a competition? Oh man, this time I'd probably lose for sure...

"Like uhm... I know!  Let's see who can fling ice the farthest! You! We're changing the play style!"

"Understood. The challenge format has been changed."

That Maramus guy just speaks as if he's got it all under control. That's... actually pretty cool. I wonder what he's good in.

Wait, if the challenge format changes to a tossing distance challenge, then... I'd probably lose, and Xavier would have my head...

!! Xavier's just sitting on a chair, reading a book?! He's not even nervous!?! Does he have THAT much confidence in me or something?!

"Right then, Elden, please begin launching your ice."

... Ahh, whatever. I'll just have to do my best for this one.

"Ice..."

She's charging up some sort of attack. It's a small, compact and solid ball of ice around the size of a classic classroom globe...

"Cannon!"

The rather large ball of ice is flung through the air, beyond my line of sight into the woods at the back of the Ajganwann park.

"Let's see here... Dimensional Fabric Folding!"

... !?! Wait, THIS guy's specialty is DFF?! That's... unexpected... I can see why this guy would become a great referee, being able to grab baseballs that are out of the park and all without moving a single step and all.

"Hmm... 831 meters."

... She flung the ice 831 meters... That's a really, really insane distance to be flinging ice away to...

"Right then, Vance, please begin launching your ice."

... Wait, he only said 'ice', right? So that means...

"If it's fine, can I use an ice spear for this?"

"Yes."

... Okay. I might actually have a shot. I don't know how powerful this would get...

I have been practicing for the whole week using Ice Pelter with the Dust Devil theory. I can still only focus on one single spear of ice, but that alone is good enough. I'm not sure how well this would do on distance, but...

... Here goes nothing.

Just as Xavier taught. The water in the air can be collated to drops big enough to be used.

I form a fine drop of water in midair. Dropping it and freezing it quickly, I form a rather small pike of ice, around 30cm long.

... Focus... On the currents around the spear... They are flowing with it... Rushing madly forward, and coming back again in a spiral... Just as how the walls of the oesophagus push the food along to hasten its speed...

... Combination : Ice Pelter + Dust Devil!!!

The spear of ice flew.

... It flew up into the stratosphere. I can't see it anymore. That Maramus guy was telling us to wait, as if it's still flying.

... And flying...

... And flying.

... Is it over yet?

... "Uh, Maramus?"

"... Okay. It's landed."

Wow. My spear sure had a really high air time.

"... Around... 31.2km."

... I'm sorry, what? Did he just say that my spear flew for 31 kilometers?

That Elden girl dropped her jaw, sitting on a nearby park bench, in disbelief. I can't blame her since this is probably the first time she's seen something like that, but I'm almost as astonished as she is.

"Winner : Vance. Good work."

"Nicely served, Vance. You used that Dust Devil theory thing from Kakain, right?"

... I... have no idea the spear could fly that far. Usually, on normal physics laws, it should lose the excessive kinetic energy due to the fixed mass of the spear, so how did it... ?

"You're actually pretty smart, even when you try to look stupid like that, Vance."

... Dekon and Xavier walked towards me, congratulating me for something i didn't even know how it happened or something.

"... How did I make the spear fly that far?"

Everyone looked stunned. It sounds stupid itself, how can the person who's launched a spear 31 kilometers away not know how he did it? I feel like just slapping myself and hiding my face behind Homei's glares so everyone would leave.

"Well, from the way I see it, you didn't set the Dust Devil on the space before you, but rather, the spear itself. That's why, when it flew outside a certain range, for example 25 kilometers, the Dust Devil wore off and the actual distance traveled was 6km or something. Well, at least you now know how to make a long-distance chaser."

... I understood everything up to the last part about the long-distance chase thing.

"Well, congratulations, Vance. You saved both yourself and Xavier's ass."

*** ***

"By the way, Dekon, I have a question to ask of you."

We're packing up early on a beautiful Saturday with a lovely, cloudy weather that makes the place feel cool. The heat waves here are unbearable, but days like these make me want to enjoy this outdoor air a bit longer. Yet, with such comfort, the little discomforts resurface and annoy me.

"?"

"What is your magic specialty? You wouldn't help me with Vacuum Pull, Ice Pelter, Dust Devil, you seem to know very little, if any, magic and techniques."

I pop the big question.

"Oh, mine? Body control."

Body... control? What?

"I can basically do very well in taking hits, dishing hits, paralyzing others, stopping myself from losing blood any further. Basically, if I may, I'm a fleshsmith. Hehehehe."

A fleshsmith? That... sounds rather cool, and disgusting at the same time.

"Well, this field of magic's more of body reinforcement, actually. Think about it this way - I use magic to enhance my bulk, so I can take punches, cuts, bullets and shockwaves better. I can enhance my limb muscles to perform feats like lifting a whole brick wall to clear the path. I can control another person's breathing to dull their senses, and if my arm's cut off, I can stop blood from flowing out of the wound until I get proper treatment."

... Saying it like that, it sounds really cool.

"My magic's the type to affect people directly. It's not offensive like gravitation, corrosion, elemental or the like, so I don't have any shows on stage. But I'm considered pretty powerful."

... I would have liked to say he's praising himself a bit too much, but I'm in no position to.

"So, how should we spend the rest of this Saturday?"

"We're headed back to TATA.  You coming, Vance?"

... I think I've had enough of magic for a day. I'd like to rest, after suffering a panic attack over nothing.

I don't see that Elden girl nor that judge Maramus around. I guess he used DFF to get back to the arena with her.

*** ***

... How did it turn out like this?

This Elden girl is walking the same route as I am. This is insane. Is she stalking me, now that I've beat her?

... Oh my lord. Trouble always finds some way with me, doesn't it?

"... You."

? She's calling me?

"Yes?"

"How did you beat Xavier?"

... What?

"You- you know, you seem to be so sloppy, and amateur-like. Yet Xavier says that you're his superior... How did you beat him?"

I think she's misunderstanding something.

"... Look, Elden, when Xavier said 'superior', he meant it in terms of work. He's a regular co-worker, I'm the Assistant Chief Engineer in the same team."

"!?"

"Besides, my affinity with water isn't that good. I haven't even found out what I specialised in yet, I'm not even at my full power. I don't think what happened today counts."

... Well, I tried to comfort her, but that's as far as I go. I don't want another 'I-find-you-interesting' case on me again. Homei and that... That groovy woman from last Saturday is trouble enough.

"... How does Xavier get this good?"

I probably shouldn't talk any more, but we're all fellow v.vizards and v.vitches. There might come a day where she becomes really powerful, and I don't see any reason why I should hinder her from this path of hers.

"Water, is calm. It is serene, and accepting."

"?"

"To know the property of water, to accept its nature, would help you control it much better, and much more readily. Just as how Northenise and Southenise work better for metals, the right mindsets and theories must be used with water."

I'm talking like some geek even I myself don't quite fully understand. But if she can understand it, then I'm sure she will become strong someday.

"If... Well, if you cannot become as fluid and versatile as water, then maybe water just isn't in your nature. You should then find a form of magic that suits you best, instead of sticking to water forever. Well, I'm walking straight from this crossroad on. You?"

"I'm taking a right."

"Well then, see you soon, Elden. Have a nice Saturday."

"Thank you, strange guy whose name I forgot!"

... Sigh. She really doesn't put effort into remembering names. Yet, she can remember Xavier's name well.

This world of v.vizards and v.vitches... It's full of crazy things, but at the very least, I'm enjoying myself here.

... This feels... A bit too comfortable. That bad feeling's back again...

I feel like I'm not seeing something that I'm supposed to notice.