(Oscar Tolien)
This demi-human... she's strong. So strong... I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold up.
My eyes shot toward a duo of people. Talking.
I have to think about this.
My colleagues are behind me. If I let those two people breathe peacefully, then eventually, they'll attack, right? That would be no good for my stuck colleagues.
If I attack them, I'll confuse the demi-human that stands in front of me and catch those two off guard.
Fwsh!
Air blew strongly into my face as I leaped toward the duo in a mana-enhanced step.
"Troublesome."
The faintest words escaped the larger man in a gruff voice. My eye followed his open palm, which raised toward his chest and closed suddenly.
[Spirit Cast: Hell Infernal Cascade]
Crack!
The floor beneath, which I was approaching, began to split and crack. I could already feel the heat rising from the ground before whatever was underneath actually came out.
"Shit!" I yelped out.
[Cast: Ice Zone]
[Cast: Verglas Shooting Pillar]
I allowed myself to get hit by a pillar of ice that shot out from the ground near me, sending me away from the cracking ground.
Swiftly, I landed.
The land that I hovered over burst into an array of arm-shaped molten flames burning brightly.
What kind of spirit... creates something like that?
An extremely capable fire spirit.
The arms retracted into the ground.
"You managed to dodge that? I guess Anore soldiers are somewhat competent."
"I'm more than competent." I spat, dusting off my backside and my knees.
His expression changed to an amused one, rubbing the hairs on his chin playfully.
"And cocky, too. Rosi, you handle this kid. I haven't seen you battle in a while. I wonder how your skills have improved."
The demi-human woman named Rosi nodded, her short, light grey hair covering her face for a moment. She lifted her head back up, flashing irregular orange eyes.
A type of face that I had never seen before. She looked like nobody else.
My heart began to beat a little faster.
Exhilarated. That's it. Yeah, I'm exhilarated.
[Cast: Verglas Shooting Pillar]
A pillar formed beside me, shooting at the demi-human behind me who was trying to sneak attack me.
. . .
. .
.
(---)
"For some reason, I'm excited. I can't help but want to fight you, Rosi," Oscar spoke to the demi-human in front of him.
It seems he had his feelings mixed.
His smile grew crazed, his skin grew paler, and his eyes shone just a bit more blue. More ice began to form in his hair.
Rosi Unahar's expression was a confused one. A delicately crafted axe rested on her shoulder. It was heavy, but she wielded it like it was a simple bo-staff.
"Are you a fan, or something? Jeez. I'm popular, even over at Anore? Listen, kid, I can't really-"
[Cast: Frost Dragon]
From the skies, a dragon of ice manifested, zipping toward Rosi at alarming speeds.
"All you Sar soldiers do is talk."
Crash!
The sound of shattered ice could be heard. Along with water vapor rising. Rosi blocked the dragon with her sword, the heat of her blade turning the ice into a gas.
"Straight into it, huh? I guess I like that."
What ensued was a series of clashes.
Lunan and Ireciez watched from afar.
"Wow... was General Oscar Tolien this remarkable?" Ireciez said.
"And he's the youngest out of all of us. Only... what, 16?" Lunan added.
The two of them had made their way out of the mud.
The two of them had also heard about Rosi Unahar and how feared she was. Especially Ireciez. His scar ached, just at the sight of her, and he remembered how easily she dealt with him all that time ago.
"..."
But there Oscar was, matching her speed, attacking with precision. He even managed to land a couple of hits on her.
"Come on, Ireciez, we can't leave Oscar to handle this all himself. You handle that... hybrid. I'll handle the spirit contractor."
Before Ireciez could even react, or disagree, he got up, flickering away toward the spirit contractor. It was a brazen act.
— I guess Lunan's feeling the same way that I feel. Seeing Oscar fight... motivates me a little. To push harder.
Ireciez unsheathed his strange sword, out of its large scabbard.
— But... shouldn't I fight Rosi instead? So I can enact revenge? So I can see how much stronger I've gotten?
His hand shook as he thought this.
— No... even now as I stand before her... I'm still terrified. So terrified that the thought of fighting a dragon-human hybrid doesn't scare me all that much.
He tightened his grip on his sword.
— It's not often I feel this terror. Something about this terror... It's a bit exhilarating. Feeling anything at all.
Along with Lunan, he flickered toward Taerys.