Chapter 18 - Dangerous Women

Warning: Violent Chapter

8 September 2041 (Real Time) - Institute of Blades, Second Reality

Day 2 of the tournament was the first day of a new month in Second Reality indicating that a day had also turned in the Real World. The clashes displayed in the Adept division increased the crowd’s level of expectations for the Master and Grandmaster divisions.

The elimination round for the Master division was due to start a little later in the morning compared to the Adept division the previous day since there are only 128 contestants competing. Darell and Heidi woke up first and they were back from the market just as the rest of the boys except Hunter got up.

Arron, Corbin and Gilman sat around the dining table with droopy eyes looking irritable, a testament to a night of disturbing dreams. In contrast, Darell who was sat with them was beaming, a happy-go-lucky look on his face.

"The hell are you in such a bright mood about..." muttered Gilman. Darell just looked at Gilman and smiled, further adding to his irritation.

"Did you get lucky with Heidi, Darell? Your face has that look.." frowned Corbin.

"Now now boys. Of course Darell didn't get lucky in that way." smiled Heidi as she laid down plates of bacon, sausages, eggs and toast. "Only Hunter gets that lucky." she winked.

Corbin and Gilman exchanged a glance. 'Lord, please share your blessings with us!'

The five of them began to wolf down their breakfast in preparation for the matches. Heidi saved a plate for Hunter before she headed out.

"I'll see you guys at the matches. I have to go get ready." she said as she jogged out.

"Good luck!" the four shouted after her. "Bro, total wifey material right there." said Corbin as he nudged Arron.

"No kidding. If there were stats where you can check charisma I bet Hunter bro would be at the top...." said Gilman.

Just then, Hunter came down the stairs donning another one of Darron's outfits. "What's up? Someone called me?"

"Hi Dad. Mom left you some food in the kitchen." teased Arron. Hunter rewarded him with a light smack across the back of the head.

"Oh shut up. I haven't got any clothes yeah... and who are you talking about? Heidi? I guess its true that a way to man's heart is through his stomach huh." he smirked.

The five of them bantered on for a while before heading out into the already crowded street of Ravensbrook Lane. Some people had taken to applying war paint on their faces in various colours. There were also some who walked around in a mountain bear costume.

"Say, who do you think will be in the top 8?" said one passerby.

"Elgin Tian and Grant McRaven for sure. They were favourites last year." said another.

"I think Darwin Steiger is also a good bet. I heard he gave Elgin a run for his money in a sparring match!" said a random passerby.

The large crowd filed in columns through the stone arch, grabbing the seats with the widest view of all five stages. The seating followed the style of a stadium, angling upwards to give spectators a clear view. The lowest level stood at the height of the stage, with the space below it used as a standing area.

Like the previous day, the group took advantage of the first floor in the main building. They had to stand, but the view was unparalleled. As they walked down the hallway, a group of Adepts recognized Hunter from yesterday's incident and immediately flattened themselves against the wall.

"What's wrong with you people?" Corbin asked the group, every single one was now sweating.

"I think they were here yesterday when Hunter bro went a bit ballistic..." said Gilman.

"Ah.. you guys don't need to worry about that. It wasn't personal or anything. Hunter bro is cool." said Corbin, trying to alleviate their fears. It was useless. The group of Adepts nodded just to get Corbin off their faces.

"Yo guys!" called Foxwell. In his hand was a 2 foot long baguette.

"You're hungry aren't you.." said Darell.

"On sale bro. This right here is a wild boar neck with tiger pâté. Hella exotic shit. Got some mayo and salad in there. It's kind of spicy but it's so good!" said Foxwell as he mimicked licking his fingers.

'Tiger pâté? Who the fuck eats tiger pâté?' thought Gilman and Corbin. As they got into position overlooking the center most stage, they saw the announcer Flynn taking his spot on a high podium.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to day 2 of the Sword Arts Tournament!" boomed Steel Flynn. "I see a lot of you had a long night! You sir still have lipstick on your face, might want to rub that off before your wife sees it.". The crowd laughed at the expense of the man.

"Today's Master division will be no less exciting than yesterday's performance. With a total number of 128 contestants, the elimination rounds to find the best 8 will take us late into the afternoon. I hope that YOU. ARE. READYYY!"

LOUD CHEERING

"Without further adieu, let's call them up to the stage!" shouted Flynn.

**********

The only contestants Hunter had any particular interest in watching were Irene, Camilla, Heidi, Grant, Elgin and Darwin. It was a given that he'd watch the women's matches but he was keen to know more about the two who had a brawl outside the Gypsy. He was also curious to know who this Darwin Steiger was as his name was mentioned several times by the crowd.

An hour into the start of the tournament, none of these names have yet to come up. Arron and the others have decided to wander around for a bit and they agreed to meet up again at lunch time. It was then that the first name of interest was announced.

"Ho. Looks like Grant is up next." muttered Hunter.

On Stage 3, Grant stood opposite a tall muscular man wielding a single 160 cm blade. Grant himself was muscled but not bulky though his main disadvantage in this match was his reach. He stood shorter than his opponent and so naturally his reach was also shorter. Grant and his opponent looks to be in their mid twenties and according to Irene, Grant has at least 15 years training experience.

'Looks like he's already at a major disadvantage. Hmm. I guess if I was in Grant’s position, all else equal I would lure the guy in with a feint first.' thought Hunter. ‘Feint. Dodge the strike. Speed past and behind. Counter.’

"Match, START!" shouted Flynn at Stage 3.

Grant was calm. He approached his opponent with sure steps, blade held loosely at his side. His opponent took a low stance, lowering his center of gravity. Ten paces away from his opponent, Grant leaned into his next step and all but disappeared!

SHUA!

'Fast!' exclaimed Hunter.

BANG BANG BANG!

Sparks flew as one steel blade met another. Grant was fast, at the very least twice as fast as Darell and not just with footwork. His handling skills with the blade was equal in speed and there was a rhythm to his attacks that lent it grace. Grant's opponent was pushed back, his confident demeanor had melted into a frown as he tried to keep up.

BANG!

Grant was pushed back in one strike. He used the impact to jump back to reduce the force and retain some of his balance, feet skidding back on the stage.

'What the fuck was that strength!?' thought Hunter. 'Is that guy really just at the Master level?'

Grant's opponent was catching his breath. It was obvious that he wasn't accustomed to dealing with a fast opponent. Grant too was taken aback by the sheer strength his opponent displayed.

‘I don’t think it’s possible to exert so much driving force from using just pure muscle. There’s has to be something else in that technique.’ Hunter thought as he replayed the scene in his mind.

'Shhhuuuu… If it's only this much, then I can take it head on. This is as good as a win.' Grant thought as he recovered his composure.

Grant went back on the offensive, unafraid of the monster's brute strength. He danced around his opponent, taking advantage of every opening and cutting into it without mercy. In a matter of minutes, Grant was covered from head to toe in his opponent's blood. The state of his opponent made Arron's display of savagery in his last match look like child's play.

"Winner! Grant McRaven! Clean kill!" announced Flynn.

LOUD CHEERING

‘Well, it seems I underestimated Grant’s abilities outside of the Gypsy. After seeing him display his prowess, it seems neither he or Elgin must have been truly serious about injuring each other that time.’ Hunter reflected. ‘I’m going to need to reasses my expectations for this tournament. I may be a Grandmaster now, but I’ve never fought any other practitioner seriously.’

Grant’s match had poured cold water on Hunter. He had previously thought that Grant and Elgin did not amount to much when he carelessly interfered in their brawl that day. Right now, he wasn’t even sure whether Grant displayed the full extent of his power. Based on this information alone, Hunter could not accurately guess the strength and skill of the Grandmasters that he will be fighting.

"On to the next one folks! Attention. Camilla Chalet please come to Stage 3...." announced Flynn.

Camilla came on stage, her dirty blonde hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a white skintight leather jumpsuit that had a thick black line running alongside her arms and legs. She cut a stunning figure, turning many heads and not all men.

Her opponent was a tall brutish type of fellow not dissimilar to Grant's opponent. He towered over Camilla, his height easily reaching 7 feet. Upon seeing Camilla, he licked his chops and grabbed his package as he nodded in her direction.

"Fine piece of ass like you shouldn't be out and about playing with steel swords. Tell you what, I got a sword here you can play with and it won’t cut you." he said.

"Match, START!" shouted Flynn.

Camilla didn't waste time, ignoring her opponent's lewd comments. Her green eyes flash as she drew two 60 cm blades with no guard. Her opponent charged first. Despite his bulk, his speed was nothing to laugh about as he closed the distance between them in two heartbeats.

The man slashed as he lunged the last five paces, the speed of the swing creating an after image. Camilla spun away, slashing backhanded with her blade.

'Che. Too shallow.' she thought as she felt the blade bite but not deep enough.

The man grunted. Recovering from his strike, he brought his blade back around for a horizontal slash aimed to take Camilla's neck off. Camilla backflipped, at the same time kicking the striking hand and deflecting it upwards, opening up the man's flank for attack.

As she came out of her flip, she threw both blades before she even hit the ground. It was a good hit. As soon as her foot made contact with the stage she pushed off, her entire body no higher than a foot off the ground. She was aiming for the gap between half giant’s wide stance.

The blades that buried itself in the man's lower abdominals took his attention away for the briefest of moments. By the time he noticed Camilla’s approach it was a little too late. Camilla used her left hand to reach forward on the ground, pivoting her entire body on contact. As her momentum carried her past the man’s wide stance, she took hold of both blades embedded in his mid section.

The Institute’s blades were forged specifically to cut through the hardest materials. Made out of high carbon steel, the shape of the blade also contributes to the ease of cutting. In this instance, Camilla’s speed together with the sword’s characteristics sliced through the man’s body like butter.

The man was split open as the blades cut its way down his body from mid section to inner thigh, pivoting towards his butt as Camilla dragged the blades with her. Camilla wrinkled her nose at the explosion of rancid smelling liquids gushing out of the man’s body followed by chopped organs.

‘Thank god I wasn’t under that….’ she thought, her hand covering her nose.

'Wow... she made it look so easy...' Hunter thought.

“Winner! Camilla Chalet! Clean kill!” announced Flynn from his podium. He laughed at the referee on Camilla’s stage who was choking from the stench.

**********

Lunch time came but Hunter was unable to find his brothers among the crowd. To say that it was packed was an extreme understatement as he had to push people out of the way just to create a small space to walk through.

As he came out of the far end of Ravensbrook Lane on the opposite side of the academy, Hunter bumped into a group of familiar faces. Irene Davenport, Elaine, Leisha and Chadwick Kingston seemed to also be heading to lunch. Hunter didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his luck.

"Ah, Hunter. Heading off to lunch?" greeted Chadwick. Hunter smiled and nodded an affirmative.

"Where are your brothers and friends?" asked Leisha.

"I was trying to find them but this crowd has made it a bit difficult." replied Hunter. “Hello Elaine.” he smiled and bowed his head to Elaine but did not greet Irene. It wouldn't be wise to give either Leisha or Chadwick leverage of any sort.

"Come on and join us then. If I'm not mistaken Irene here is due to fight shortly after lunch. You won't want to miss it. She's a great fighter." said Elaine, hastily adding "That is if Mom and Dad don't mind..."

Leisha giggled and Chadwick laughed. "Of course we don't mind. I was about to ask you myself." Chadwick said to Hunter.

Hunter groaned inwardly. 'Caught in a net....'

"Sure, that'd be nice. Then, I'll be in your care." he said.

The group had managed to settle themselves at an upscale dining establishment whose owner had good relations with Chadwick. The owner led them to window table for four people to which Hunter frowned.

"Sorry, excuse me but I think we’re missing a seat?" Hunter said to the owner.

"Oh, dear don't worry. I'm sorry we haven't introduced her to you. This is Irene Davenport, she is Elaine's bodyguard. She'll be standing guard for us so we don’t need the fifth seat." smiled Leisha.

Hunter tried his best not to come out with a scathing remark and instead put on his best smile. "Ah is that so. We’ll be in your care Irene.” Hunter smiled thinly. “Let's eat then!"

Hunter thanked the Gods for making sure that lunch did not take long since Irene had a match coming up. He didn't know for how long he could have kept up the facade while Irene stood there like a maid-in-waiting.

Chadwick had tried to lure him further into his fold but given the short amount of time and Hunter's skilled and clever verbal parries, was unable to make progress. They had walked back towards the main building where they split up, as the Kingstons were not allowed entry since they were not students.

“Thank you for lunch Mr. and Mrs. Kingston.” Hunter bowed, not forgetting his manners. There was little point in fuelling any enmity at this stage.

“Our pleasure young Markell. Please, do visit Elaine when you have time.” said Chadwick. Elaine had not said a word since lunch began. She was sat there like a product being hawked by her parents.

Hunter smiled, neither saying yes or no. “Then we’ll take our leave.”

As they entered the main building, Hunter asked "Is that how you're treated everywhere you go with them?". His gentle voice had an underlying current of anger.

Irene smiled. "Thanks for getting mad on my behalf but really it's okay. This is how things have always been. This is what it means to be in service to a family." she gave him a quick hug before heading out onto the fields to wait for her match.

**********

By the time Irene's match was called out, Hunter had found his brothers and friends back on the first floor. After hearing how Hunter's lunch had turned out, the five were looking a little uncomfortable and a tad bit guilty.

"Sorry bro, we couldn't find you either." said Darell. The others included their own apologies.

"Don't worry about it. Imagine if you had found me and we bumped into them. I think the result would be the same except you're all there to suffer alongside me." said Hunter. The five turned green with nausea.

"Irene's up." pointed Foxwell. Gilman and Corbin let out a low whistle. Irene did not lose in looks to Camilla.

"You guys should have seen Camilla. Haha!" said Hunter.

Irene like Camilla, stepped up onto the stage wearing a white skintight leather jumpsuit except hers had the thick black lines starting from her collarbone and trailing over her shoulder and down to her leg. She carried a sheath that had to be at least 160 cm long. It was a long blade, perhaps a little longer than the one Grant's opponent had used.

Her opponent was a skinny man with a goatee wielding dual 60 cm swords. The straight blade glinted in the sunlight and Irene noticed that it was double edged. She took a low wide stance with her left foot leading, sword raised in a two handed grip and the blade parallel to the ground.

"Match, START!" shouted Flynn.

The man charged first. If he had the better speed, it would be easy for him to weave his way through between Irene's swings. After all, such a long sword requires not only strength but a great amount of dexterity. Seeing Irene’s body, the man’s assumptions should have been correct.

Irene closed her eyes and breathed out. "Shuuuuuuu....". The man was now about 10 paces away.

Irene pushed off with her leading foot, twisting her entire body as she brought her right foot forward stomping on the ground. "HA!" she shouted as the blade struck, a complete blur.

BAANGGGG!

The man just managed to roll to the side, eyes wide and staring at the long shallow crack on the stage where Irene's sword slammed down.

'Holy fuck! Such a slim frame yet so much power!' thought everyone who was paying attention to their battle. It didn't stop there. Straight after the long blade made contact with the ground, Irene twisted her wrist and slashed sideways.

WHOOOSHH

CLANG!

The man continued rolling to the side, helped by the force of the blow. He had just managed to bring both his blades up to deflect the attack, sweat now forming on his brow. Irene stared at the man with cold eyes. Her posture both intimidating and arousing as she shouldered her blade and approached.

SHUA! SHUA!

Two lightning steps brought her within range.

BANG!

The man scuttled away like an insect. Irene didn't let him get his breath back. She chased the man around the stage, leaving thin cracks on the stage wherever the man dodged. He didn't have anytime to attack, their speed was about par but she had the advantage of reach.

Irene's added advantage was that she had high dexterity, a necessity when training with blades as long as hers. She wielded the long blade as easy as any of the Masters wielded the standard 80 cm issue. The man forced his way through, blades clashing.

BANG BANG BANG!

Deflect. Parry. Duck. Strike. Parry. Block. Spin. Strike.

No matter what he did even in close quarters he wasn't able to penetrate Irene's defense. Twirling her blade to block his attacks, she countered by stepping in close and striking him on his chest with the pommel. He vomited a mouthful of blood, spraying her pristine white jumpsuit red as he was pushed back.

SHICK CLANG SHICK

Her first sweep cut a leg off at mid thigh. The second he blocked with both swords. The third took off an arm at the shoulder.

"Arrrggghh!" screamed the skinny man. "Fuck fuck fuck!" he continued yelling, spit spraying everywhere.

He fell towards the ground, his remaining leg unable to balance on the bloody stage. Right before he hit the ground, a silver blur came whistling downwards.

BANNNGGGG!

Shattered bits of tile sprayed outwards from the impact point. Irene had split the man clean in half from head to crotch, his blood flooding the stage and splattering her jumpsuit and face in red sticky liquid. She had done so with such force that the two halves were several feet away from each other. Everything that one can imagine should be kept inside the human body slithered out onto the ground.

"Damn... " said the group in awe. "Are all women so scary...?" asked Corbin.

'Bloody hell. Definitely not a woman to piss off...' thought Hunter.

"Winner! Irene Davenport! Clean kill!" announced Flynn.

**********

Heidi's match was the last one to decide the 64 contestants that will move forward to the next elimination round. Unsurprising to Hunter and the group, Heidi was also fitted in a white jumpsuit, the thick black lines running down her chest and converging at her inner thighs.

What was surprising was that she drew two 20 cm double edged blades. These were the shortest blades used so far in the tournament. She held both blades in reverse grip and instead of taking a stationary stance, she was bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

Her opponent was an athletic man who looked to be in his thirties. He too held dual blades, though his was a pair of 40 cm single edged ones and he wielded both in a traditional grip.

"Don't you think it's a bit distracting?" said Gilman.

"What is?" asked Darell.

"Her chest is bouncing... is that part of the strategy?" asked Corbin, his eyes growing distant.

"Match, START!" announced Flynn.

Heidi shuffled around her opponent, keeping herself balanced on the balls of her feet. The man's hand swayed, loosening up his muscles as he too circled around. Each time they circled, the gap became smaller.

8 paces. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2..

They continued to circle around each other until they were 1 pace away. The man initiated the attack.

SHICK SHICK

Heidi's forearms began to sting from the cuts. She ignored it and smiled. "If that is your best speed, this won't be fun." she taunted.

The man frowned and attacked again, much faster this time.

SHICK SHICK CLANG CLANG SHICK CLANG

Three more red lines bloomed on her upper arms even as she parried three more strikes. Her wounds began to bleed freely, staining the white jumpsuit pink then red. Heidi licked her lips. "That was more like it." she purred.

"My turn." she whispered.

Heidi was quick with the short blades. Although it seemed her footwork was only a bit faster than Darell's, her blade handling skills were on par with Grant's. She twisted her body into each cut, using her forearms to deflect strikes and adeptly dodging and weaving in and out of others.

Heidi focused on cutting the man’s distal bicep tendons as well as the triceps tendons on both arms. Additionally, she aimed for the four flexors, one extensor and three intrinsic muscles that contributed to gripping. She also aimed for areas that would elicit the most amount of pain, such as under the armpit and the area just above the inner thigh.

Heidi stood back two paces and observed her work, chest heaving in excitement. Her opponent's blades lay on the floor and will no longer be of use. His arms were a bloody mess of deep bleeding cuts exposing muscle tissue. He stood there, screaming in agony and unable to attack. He stared at Heidi, hatred burning in his eyes.

“You sadistic bitch!” he yelled.

"Yes, yes I am." Heidi panted. As she took a step closer, Flynn's voice boomed on the mic.

"Winner! Heidi Alers! Opponent is incapacitated and cannot continue!"

"Aww. Why do you have to be such a spoiled sport..." she said to Flynn. Turning to her opponent, she said "You're so lucky. We could have had some fun, you and I.". She smiled at the man as she licked her blades then walked off the stage.

“Such precise attacks... “ said Foxwell.

“Goddess of S&M…” said Corbin.

“Yeah. It seems she’s familiar with the muscles of the human body. That’s quite frightening. She can cut you in so many ways and still manage to keep you alive until the end, unable to retaliate.” said Arron, chills running down his spine.

“Well, be happy she’s on our side guys because I think she’s got it in for Darell and Hunter bro.” said Gilman.

‘.... just who did I jump into bed with...’ thought Hunter.

**********

Author’s Notes

Looks like I will be a bit behind on schedule with the following chapters. Still recovering from the flu. Wasn't able to concentrate on writing over the weekend. Rather, most of the time was spent sleeping.

I'll do what I can in the spare time I have. Let's estimate the next release to be Weds.

-Harven