Chapter 19 - Eight Masters

Warning: Violent Chapter

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

The tension out in the fields rose as the number of contestants dwindled down to sixteen Masters. Among all of the female practitioners that participated, only the three familiar faces had managed to progress this far. Of the three, Heidi Alers came closest to losing, suffering severe injuries against a peak stage Master in the third round.

Her condition at the end of the match had almost pushed Hunter's rage meter over the limit, but thanks to his brothers and friends they had avoided a repeat incident. At the end of the day, even if one knew resurrection was possible, it was a difficult thing to see someone you have grown to care about in such a state.

The group had watched every match since lunch time. Hunter was deep in concentration, gauging the abilities of each participant that moved on to the next elimination round. He filed several strategies he had seen that could prove useful in confrontations against different types of blademasters.

Each of the strategy he had analyzed focused on himself attacking or defending from a position of weakness. It would not help him at all to think that a mere title was enough to get him through the elimination rounds. Having seen countless numbers of Masters battle, he became aware that some of them can already be difficult opponents for him.

One such person was about to take the stage.

"Here we go! Here we go! Stage 2 is going to be something good!" boomed Flynn through the mic. "A consistent top 8 contestant and a favourite among the crowd, Elgin Tian!"

ELGIN! YEAHHHH! GO ELGIN! ELGIN! ELGIN!

"His opponent is someone who has made significant leaps in the last few tournaments, climbing his way up to the top 16, Darwin Steiger!"

YEAAAHHHH! DARWIN! BOOOO! GET THE FUCK OUT! KICK HIS ASS ELGIN!

"Looks like we have some mixed opinions out in the crowd! Let's see how these guys do! Gentlemen, take your positions!" shouted Flynn.

Elgin walked up on the stage to face his opponent. He wore a loose black top and pants, a direct contrast to Darwin's pristine white fitted top and loose pants. Where Darwin wielded a standard 80 cm blade, Elgin carried a 100 cm blade that was four fingers wide.

Elgin's shoulder length hair danced with the cool breeze whereas Darwin had his tied into a short ponytail. The crowd quietened as the tension on the stage rose.

"Match, START!" announced Flynn.

Both men charged towards the middle of the stage, swords held at their sides. At twenty paces away Darwin disappeared from view, his footwork leaving hints of after-images before appearing on Elgin's right.

BANG!!!

Elgin blocked the attack, forcing him to take several steps to his left. Darwin's was a face of serene calm while Elgin's countenance was grim. Though the spectators may think that Elgin had foreseen the attack, in reality it was not the case. Only his fast reaction saved him from suffering damage at the first contact.

SHUA

Darwin took a step and disappeared yet again. Recovering from the first strike, Elgin was quick to change his stance to defend. He managed to parry or deflect all of Darwin's attacks, but he was being pushed towards the end of the stage.

'Che. This guy... to actually learn the technique [Speed Spirit]. No wonder he's so confident.' Elgin thought.

Following Darwin's attack, Elgin immediately yelled to the sky as he stomped his foot down on the stage.

"LEARN YOUR PLACE!" he shouted.

BOOOM!

A light tremor exploded outwards with Elgin at the center, enough to disturb Darwin's footwork.

"There you are!" yelled Elgin as he began his counter-attack. Darwin didn't have time to recover before Elgin was on top of him.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Elgin did not lose to Grant in attacking speed. Taking into consideration the size and weight of his blade, it was an amazing feat to be swinging such a weapon with as much skill. His muscles relaxed and contracted as he went through the forms, displaying his ability to maximize the amount of force generated in each strike.

Darwin's calm demeanor cracked under the relentless assault. Even though his speed using the technique [Speed Spirit] brings him up above Elgin's maximum speed, at his current level of skill he needed a running start to execute it. With Elgin controlling the pace of the fight, Darwin did not have the leeway to do so.

Darwin gritted his teeth as each strike forced him back several steps each time.

'Heavy! My arms are becoming numb from just taking the blows..' Darwin thought.

Following Elgin's strike patterns Darwin waited for the attack with the most force, propelling himself backwards and landing into a backward roll. Taking advantage of the situation, Darwin distanced himself further. Though it looked cowardly, retreating was also a viable strategy.

BOO! CHICKENSHIT! STOP RUNNING! YOU CALL YOURSELF A SWORDSMAN!?

The jeers from the crowd hammered at his pride but Darwin endured it. The two were now back to square one, the distance as it were at the beginning of the match. Both men were breathing heavily, constantly generating powerful strikes and constantly receiving them took a big toll on endurance.

Darwin initiated the approach first. Using the same technique, he closed the distance with Elgin.

"Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me!" said Elgin. "ORRRRAAAAA!"

BOOOM!

Elgin countered using the same skill, sending a light tremor radiating out 10 meters in diameter with him at the center.

"Hn!?" Elgin was wary. He couldn't see a sign of Darwin. As he quickly scanned the stage, he saw a shadow getting larger.

BAANNGG!

Elgin dropped to his knee as he raised his blade over his head, both hands supporting it. At the same moment Elgin executed his technique, Darwin had used his run-up to propel himself upwards and above Elgin. The force of his downward slash being blocked allowed Darwin to push down and use his blade as a pivot to flip his body beyond Elgin.

Landing crouched on one knee behind Elgin, Darwin immediately turned and severed Elgin's head off, taking both raised arms just above the joint with it. Elgin, having taken the blow in such a position was not able to react in time.

Elgin's head spun in the air as his sword clattered on the stage, his neck a fountain of blood painting the stage and Darwin red.

"Winner! Darwin Steiger! Clean kill!" announced Flynn.

YEAAAHHHH! DARWIN! BOOOO! GET THE FUCK OUT! FUCKING COWARD! GOOD FIGHT!

**********

"What the hell..?" said Hunter. "Don't things like that only happen in movies?"

"Ah Hunter, as I guessed you are here." said Drayton.

"Master." he bowed. The group and others in the immediate vicinity bowed their greetings.

Drayton waved his hand and everyone resumed what they were doing. "I hope the fights have been helpful to you. The Grandmasters division starts tomorrow."

"Yes and no Master. We've noticed some interesting strategies but I also have questions." said Hunter. Drayton gestured for him to continue.

"Just now, Darwin and Elgin both did something remarkable that I can't explain..." he said as he recalled the fight and the actions of both contestants.

"Ah. [Speed Spirit] and [Tremor]." said Drayton. " These are techniques, which I can teach you at a later stage. There are reasons why you aren't ready to study such techniques and it relates to your aura. It will take longer than I have now to explain, so if you like we can speak of it later in my office."

"Mm. Thank you Master, that would be very helpful." said Hunter as Drayton bid his farewells to see to other business.

**********

Darwin aside, the other contestants that have so far made it through to the top 8 were Irene, Camilla, Heidi and Grant. It was a surprise upset that Elgin lost to Darwin and people could still be heard discussing the outcome of the match.

Just like the third round, Heidi was at death's door. It was nothing short of a miracle that she clinched a spot in the top 8. Although one could see that she had the skills to make it thus far, her gratification at her own pain and suffering had almost cost her the position.

Irene and Camilla on the other hand, had no issues winning their matches. Irene dominated her opponents by controlling the zone within her sword's reach, keeping speed and strength types at bay. Since her training revolved around defending a target while outnumbered, both reach management and dexterity became her specialized focus.

Camilla was as graceful as the first match she fought in. She was good at incorporating kicks with her sword play and her level of flexibility allowed her a broader range of options in counter-attacking while using acrobatics. Of the three, it was easy to see that Heidi was the least likely to make it past the quarter finals.

Other than outstanding footwork and blade handling, Grant did not display any particular techniques such as Darwin and Elgin. It wasn't known to the group whether or not it was because he had no need to or because he had no such techniques. His sword play relied on hit-and-run and harrying methods, which is difficult to counter due to his level of footwork.

The next two contestants were announced and a majority of the eyes in the field focused on this stage. It wasn't meant to slight the contestants in the other matches, but this particular fight featured another up and coming practitioner.

"Which match are you watching?" asked Arron.

"It looks like Tobias McRaven's match will be more interesting to be honest. I have a pretty good idea on Newton Rosek already. He's got a solid foundation but that's all there is to him. He should only still be an early stage Master despite his age.

As for Dante Lavigne, it would be nice to watch his match but I only have two eyes...." said Hunter.

"Leave it to us Hunter bro. You go watch Tobias and we'll focus on Dante." said Foxwell, nodding towards Gilman and Corbin.

Hunter smiled. "Ah that would be helpful, thanks a lot guys. Catch up after!"

Tobias McRaven is Grant McRaven's younger brother by only a year or two. His build was no different from Grant's but his style was more confrontational, wielding a blade 40 cm long and a shorter 25 cm one held in his off-hand.

His opponent was a bald skinny man in his late twenties also wielding dual blades, both of which were 40 cm. Having seen the man's fight previously, Hunter could tell that his style was similar to Heidi's minus the love for pain.

"Match, START!" announced Flynn.

LOUD CHEERING

Both men held their blades in the traditional grip. In this match, the speed of one's footwork mattered less than handling skills as both preferred zero distance combat. Tobias approached the center of the stage, matching his opponent's strides. At one pace away, both men were testing the waters, jabbing, weaving and feinting as they circled each other.

CLINK

As if it was an agreed upon gesture, both men touched their off-hand blades together as they took that last remaining step. Then they exploded into action.

Tobias jabbed with his main hand and was parried with a downward off-hand stroke. The bald man struck for his mid-section and Tobias deflects it up over his shoulder with his off-hand as he bent his knees lower. The blade nicked his ear, he didn't care. Tobias followed through with the motion cutting the man along his ribs.

Both men took a step back, inspecting their injury. The bald man raised an eyebrow at Tobias before taunting him to continue. Neither man gave ground and the exchange became a blur of parries and flashing blades.

CLINK CLINK CLINK THUD SHICK CLINK SHICK CLINK THUD

The exchange was brief. Two heartbeats later both men managed to cut each other's cheek open from the corner of their lips running three quarters of the way up to their ear. The lower half folded over itself revealing a row of teeth as they smiled at each other in a grotesque way. The exchange continued.

Strike. Deflect. Counter. Parry. Strike. Parry. Strike. Deflect. Counter.

SHICK SHICK

Tobias deflected a critical hit aimed at severing his bicep tendon, his upper arm now sporting a deep cut. His attack to cut the man's neck was also deflected, leaving a gash along the man's trapezius.

SHIIICKK

With handling skills on par with his older brother, Tobias flipped his grip at the end of the motion before he drew the arm back towards him. The blade, now facing downwards, sliced through the man's shoulder, the cut running parallel to the other.

SHICK

Gritting his teeth through the pain, the man swung his main hand upwards, his blade cutting deep along the muscles on Tobias' forearm. Tobias screamed in pain as his grip on the blade loosened, unable to keep a firm hand. The bald man punched his sternum, the motion continuing up past his chin, blade glinting in the sunlight.

Tobias took a step back as he tilted his head to dodge the strike, a small chunk of his chin separating from his body. He ducked under the motion and stepped back in, elbow leading and striking the solar plexus.

"Buuggwaahh!" the bald man couldn't help but spit a mouthful of blood. The blow forced him to bend forward and Tobias took advantage of the precious opening.

SHAK SHAK SHAK!

His first strike penetrated the man's neck, blade appearing at the back. His second and third strikes entered through the man's mouth, slicing open upper and lower lip as bloody teeth fell onto the ground with bits of gum. It was overkill. Tobias stepped two paces back as he watched his opponent collapse on his knees before falling face first onto the stage.

Chest heaving, Tobias raised his less injured arm. The fight was over in minutes.

LOUD CHEERING

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

**********

Meanwhile on the other stage, Dante Lavigne and another man both wielded the standard issue blades. Where Dante favoured a low wide stance, his opponent preferred a relaxed standing one. The two were well matched in build and height, their physical advantages over the other not easy to discern.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that Dante's features were not memorable. Neither handsome or ugly, he was the type that wouldn’t stand out in a group. His opponent on the other hand had an ugly scar running from lower eyelid to chin. It was a mark that was not easy to forget.

SHUA SHUA SHUA SHUA

Dante's opponent closed the gap with swift foot techniques.

BANG BANG!

The two clashed, sword guards locking together as they fight for dominance. As they continued to exert pressure on the other, thick blood vessels surfaced on their arms in full view of the crowd.

"GORRRAAAA!!" yelled Dante as he pushed his opponent back several steps. "DIE FOR ME!"

BANG!

Scarface made a hasty retreat, avoiding the downward slash that scarred the stage. With a smile that could only be considered as evil, scarface moved with great speed as he circled around to Dante's blind spot.

SSSHHHIIIINNNNGGGGGG

Dante pivoted to meet the attack, the slash meeting his blade just inches away from his face. He let the force of the attack push him down towards the ground onto his back, his opponent's blade sliding across his. Dante kicked the striking hand up as he back rolled onto one knee, recovering his wide stance.

BANG BANG BANG!

Clashing once again, scarface spun low, slashing left to right. Dante avoided it by performing an aerial cartwheel, the sword shearing strands of hair. As he landed, Dante slashed upwards, severing his opponent's off-hand half way up his forearm.

"Aaarrrghh!!" yelled scarface as blood sprayed the stage. He retreated, pushing off with his dominant leg, the bloody stump trailing blood in the air.

"COME HERE!!" yelled Dante as he chased his wounded opponent. With his sword in a firm two handed grip he aimed to overpower his opponent by striking his blade with enough force to open up the man's defense.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Scarface was determined to fight on with just his main hand, parrying each attack as he continued to retreat. Sweat lined his brows. Dante increased the force of each blow, eager to put an end to the match. Consecutive blows rained down on his opponent’s sword. Scarface, his arm trembling from taking the impacts, succumbed to the blows.

"SHIIIIIII....!" Dante cut his opponent's scream short with a flurry of strikes that cleaved the man into several pieces, body parts scattering.

“GOORRAAAAAA!” Dante screamed at the sky at the top of his lungs, as if challenging heaven to come down and face him.

LOUD CHEERING

"Winner! Dante Lavigne! Clean kill!" announced Flynn.

As the remaining matches wound down and the winners were announced, Steel Flynn gestured to a hologram that appeared above the stage.

"The following match-ups for the Master division quarter finals are as follows!"

QUARTER FINALSVSCamilla ChaletDante LavigneDarwin SteigerNewton RosekTobias McRavenGrant McRavenIrene DavenportHeidi Alers

"Looks like we have an interesting match-up here with the McRaven brothers facing off! Which brother will come out on top eh!?" shouted Flynn. “We’ve also got the two femme fatales as well as the two acrobats matched up. From the looks of things, it seems Darwin Steiger is the luckiest of the bunch!”

"In addition, tomorrow we will begin with the Grandmaster's elimination rounds! This event will take place in the morning followed by the quarter finals starting from the Adept’s division. A ceremony will be held at the conclusion of the tournament, after which WE. WILL. PARRRTTTYYY!"

LOUD CHEERING

“Buckle up folks! It looks like we have a new participant among their ranks! Some of you may have heard of him. Some of you may know him. Tomorrow, will he live up to his name!? I’m quite excited to see it!" finished Flynn as he leaves the podium.

While Hunter's name had spread among the students of the Institute, there weren't as many civilians that knew of him. Within the crowded field, people began to wonder and ask questions. Among them, a pair of cloaked individuals stood shocked and unmoving.

"Honey... seeing as Hunter didn't participate in the Master's division... could it be...?" said Lashell, eyes popping out of her head.

Darron swallowed saliva. "Ahum. Maybe... Teacher didn't include him after all?" said Darron, unsure of what to think.

Lashell recovered her composure. "Mm. Yes, yes. It must be that. He would have been no more than a peak stage Master after 10 years of training with you."

"Mm. Yes, yes. It would be too shocking if it were him, though a part of me is excited if it is! That brat, I hope he hasn’t been slacking! Wait… what are you saying!? That I’m a bad teacher!?"

“Gufufufufufu…”

**********

Hunter had a brief exchange of information with Foxwell, Corbin and Gilman regarding the fights as everyone walked towards Drayton's office. When they arrived, the others had opted to give Hunter some privacy with the principal, agreeing to meet back at the cottage for dinner.

It was late afternoon with a couple of hours of daylight remaining. Corbin was quick to point out that they still had time to mix in with the crowd and enjoy the festivities. With a wave, the rest of the group headed out for the fields with Gilman yelling "Last one to get a girl buys the drinks!"

knock knock

"Come in!"

"Master, is this a good time?" asked Hunter as he peeked past the door.

"Ah, you're here. Sit, sit. Let's have a quick discussion before I attend to my niece." said Drayton.

“Your niece?”

“Ah yes, of course you haven’t met. Her name is Elyse Drayton. She’s Arron’s age and is also a quarter finalist.” smiled Drayton.

Recognizing the name from the Adept division Hunter said “Ah, yes. She’s matched up against another student that I’m not familiar with.”

Drayton hurried over with a tray bearing cups and a pot of tea. "Yes that’s right. So, we were discussing techniques yes?" he asked. Hunter nodded an affirmative as he took a sip.

"Mm. As I mentioned, the reason I cannot teach you such techniques just yet is because of your aura. Before that, let's rewind a bit. I will skip some of the earlier stages as they are not necessary for you to understand the concept.

So, at the age of eleven a Grandmaster will take a small group of students of the same age out to the wilderness. With the Grandmaster standing watch at a distance, the students will engage in battle with nature's predators.

The Grandmaster is there to ensure that no student loses their life but the teacher will not interfere unless it was an emergency. This way, the students will build experience through real danger. They would usually spend a month out in the wilds before coming back." Drayton pauses as he takes a drink.

"Every year thereafter, the students will revisit the wilderness under guidance. This is how we cultivate their battle auras and acclimate them to facing life and death situations. It increases their mental fortitude against such events. Don’t be mistaken, we have had students that simply could not bear the mental stress and they eventually developed PTSD. Thanks to our new co-op with MediVance, we’ve managed to alleviate and even restore most of these student’s minds.

Anyway, a stable battle aura indicates that the flow of cultivated energy is undisturbed and smooth. It is at this stage that a student can begin to learn techniques to improve their capabilities in battle. When one's battle aura rages like yours it is impossible to learn such techniques. The lack of harmonization within your body will prevent you from executing the movement as intended.

Such a thing, especially in the midst of battle, can kill you." he said as he looked into Hunter's eyes.

"I see... but this will put me at a disadvantage, especially with tomorrow's matches." Hunter said, frowning.

"I can tell you now, your top speed is at least twice that of Grant's both in footwork and in blade handling. Yes, your opponents will all have their own techniques and they will have far more experience in dealing with practitioners than you do.

However, your aura is also a powerful weapon by itself and you have witnessed the effects. The reason I have deemed you ready for Grandmaster level was less to do with your physical prowess but more to do with the strength of your aura.

Hunter. As you are now you are unbalanced, but this cannot be corrected within a short period of time. The Grandmasters you will be fighting are faster and physically stronger but their auras are weaker than yours. Use this tournament as a learning experience and experiment with what you can or cannot do with it." finished Drayton.

Hunter smiled. "I feel like I've been given answers to a test I'm about to take."

"Perhaps that is the case. If, with this information you are able to survive the first two elimination rounds, then I would already deem that a great success." said Drayton with a kind voice. “If your luck isn’t good, this old man will be happy as long as you pass the first round.”

"Second round?" pondered Hunter. "... but that's only top 16..."

"Indeed." said his Master.

**********

Author’s Notes

I managed to source a new project at work so my daily update is unlikely to continue in the near term until I am done with it. My most optimistic estimate would be every 2 to 3 days.

-Harven