The Spiritguard

The last two matches I've fought were against two long-range Animus users. It required a specific skillset, one I am still developing. But in this match, I'm fighting a fellow melee specialist. Natalia. 

I might not be the smartest guy in our class, but even I can learn Animus techniques. Most of what I've learned is for fighting like this. Today, I'm going to push past my limits. And so is Natalia.

I've never fought her like this. Not with Animus techniques. On the training field, we're not allowed to use Animus techniques when we spar, on account of how dangerous it can be. Right now, we have every Spiritguard in the program on standby, and our medic team actively awaiting patients. It's a special occasion, you might say.

I've seen some of what she can do, though. Incredible things. Just thinking of how I might counter her more advanced attacks makes me shiver. I'm going to damn well try.

I stare down Natalia from across the field. She's stretching out her long longs, posing along her spear. She's wearing compression shorts and a tight top. Dressed to kill, some might say. She's taking me seriously. 

She flares her nostrils at me and smiles. "Now, I want a good, clean match," she says mockingly, in a referee voice. "Just kidding! Hit me with everything you got, Sig. I'm counting on it."

I swing my sword tauntingly, cleaving the empty air in front of me. "As long as you can give what you take, fine by me." Damn. This is kind of...hot?

I look nervously over to Kavella in the crowd. Did she notice? She's going to hate me after this!

"Begin!"

Natalia moves first. I let myself get distracted. Even if it were just for a second, that's enough to give Natalia advantage.

She moves like a python ready to strike with her spear, the long polearm an extension of her body with her level of expertise. She thrusts it at me from ten feet away. It's not long enough to reach me, not by any means, but this is Natalia we're talking about.

"Exos." As she speaks, her spear nearly triples in length. Or at least it looks like it does. It's an extension of Animus techniques, but I know there's more to it than that.

My perception of how long her spear is has been compromised. This is another of Natalia's techniques. She calls it 'Mirage Style' and she claims to have developed it herself. Light micro-movements in her hands as she holds her spear create 'shadows' of Animus light that are reflected to look just the same as her spear. She can 'extend' those shadows along the length of the true spear to make her weapon look longer than it appears. 

Which is the long and short way of saying, when fighting Natalia, you can't trust the spear you're seeing. The only way to block or parry her attacks is to watch her body. Her spear is such a natural extension of her that I've learned to read it by the way she moves her arms, her legs, her hips...I have plenty of experience doing this with her. 

I swing heavy and knock her spear out of the way, readying my own attack. I channel Animus energy into my feet and kick off the ground, striking her from low like a tiger about to swipe. She can't defend herself with the spear, I just knocked it away - but Natalia's body is a weapon as deadly as any spear.

"Sukarna," she purrs, as she lets the momentum of her spear take her, lodging the tip of the spear into the ground and hoisting herself up onto it like a pole. As she does this, two blades of hard Animus light appear under her feet. She uses the first one to strike away my sword and the second one to cleave at my side. Were I not a better fighter, a move like that could cut me in half.

She's swinging on my left side, which is my unarmed side. That's good, because I mold my free hand into a fist and mold a hard shell of Animus around it. I punch the blade whizzing at me with all my might, shattering it. Natalia's leg whips around, narrowly missing my head, as she perches atop her spear, surveying the situation. 

"Not bad, Sig."

I grab my sword in both hands and widen my posture. "You want to see my secret technique?" I blush a little as I speak. I probably sound like a dork.

"Oh, Siggy boy, I'll take whatever you want," she winks.

I'm so sorry Kavella. I'm a weak man.

I take a deep breath. The world debut of 'Cross Style'. Named after the sword I used when I developed the technique, Crossed Heart. I've never tried it with a wooden sword before. Only at night, in the privacy of my own home's backyard. 

It started out as a theoretical concept. We learned the basics of 'bracing' with Animus energy. Putting some of that energy into your feet when taking a strong attack. It's a means to secure footing. We also learned to let Animus energy flow into our feet to make us speedier, or jump a little higher. We all have a basic proficiency in that as well.

I get a little lower. My feet digging into the dirt. Natalia's face shifts from amused to serious. She sees the look in my eyes. She knows whatever I'm about to do, It's going to require her full attention.

"Magnees."

I speak the word. An ordinary technique used to magnetize something temporarily. Not something that gets much use in combat. But what I magnetized isn't a regular object. I've magnetized my Animus energy and focused it all into my feet. 

I ready my sword, and in an instant a spark of energy propels me forward so fast my head whips back. Natalia isn't expecting it either, but she's too quick on her feet. She shimmies down her spear and resets her battle stance.

I'm still in the air, and in an instant I flash back to her, striking her with my wooden sword once. She grunts in pain and gets ready for another attack as I flash back toward her at full speed. 

The way the technique works is simple, in theory. My Animus energy is magnetized. I've learned to shift the polarity of that magnetic power for a little extra 'boost'. When using techniques to make myself stop, I can return to a point by using the 'opposites attract' logic. And when I'm going faster, I can use the magnetic power to 'push' me forward. 

The end result is that I can essentially fly through the air, as long as I'm going back and forth between two magnetized points to replenish my momentum. So I can't travel long distances, but I can go fast in a small area.

I rocket toward Natalia again, but this time she's ready to defend herself. My sword clashes against her spear guard, killing my momentum. But I still have upward leverage on her. As gravity brings me crashing down, I push my weight into her, throwing her off balance.

As she tumbles down, so do I. I scramble away, somersaulting away from her, but not before she's able to whack my back with her spear. I get away before she can get a second hit in. 

We both rise to our feet. I narrow my eyes at her, taking a step to the left. She returns in kind, stepping to the left, maintaining our distance. I keep her moving a bit. Moving deliberately. Until finally...

I launch myself again. I don't need to reapply the set-up techniques, because they're already active. The first spot I launched from is still magnetized, and I led her directly in front of it.

I soar through the air, but I realize that it won't be as easy as I thought. She foresaw the attack and dances out of the way. She'd only just used herself as bait. I land back at my original spot, right where she assumes I'll be.

I get caught. I look to Natalia. From her hand is a long and thick thread of Animus, and on the collar of my shirt, a hook. This is the Animus technique "Fisher". It's one of Natalia's specialties. She can fish her enemies even out of the air, and yank them right toward her.

And so she yanks. And I am pulled toward her. It throws me off balance, and I hear the wind rushing as she's bringing her spear crashing down.

I'm not going to lose. Not today. Not this time. 

I magnetize myself one more time. Natalia's hook is still connected to me, so it yanks us both back. It's enough of a shift to throw her off balance for just a moment. I roll over and the spear smashes into the ground, barely missing me. She's standing and I'm half-prone on the ground. But I'm close enough to her to end this.

I kick Natalia lightly in the leg.

"Err...a direct hit! Sigmund wins! Technically!"

And the crowd explodes into cheers for a match for the ages.