Me and Rocco take our stances.
“Let me show a wolf what REAL sorcery is!”
To start, Rocco comes at me, running at me and lunging violently, but it’s a slow move. I dodge easily, giving me free reign to hit him in his wide-open chest. The ensuing blow sends him back, but not far.
“Damn, slippery. Barely even got the chance to reduce the impact.”
“Do you always talk while you fight?”
“Heh. Normally, my opponents don’t give me a chance.”
I run up to press the offense, but he catches my blow as I swing it. I swing my right, and he backhands it away.
“C’mon, that all you got? Give me a real hit.”
I attempt to pull back, but to no avail.
“Nothing? Not a demon, no blasts, nothin’? C’mon, I can take it!”
I even use Spirit to try to push him back, but it’s nothing he can’t block. He starts smiling.
“Oh, right. You barely got any idea how to manipulate Spirit, eh? Then how ‘bout I give you a crash course, eh?”
I suddenly feel a rush of spirit from his palms, and not a second later, I’m high in the air, a burst of energy having sent me flying.
“AND I MEAN THE CRASH PART!”
I barely manage to reinforce myself enough to prevent breaking my arm or leg upon landing, but the bruises still hurt. Still, I struggle to my feet.
“Good, still standing. What say we start making this shit fun?”
I take a regular stance this time.
“Don’t worry, my technique’s still off the table. But, ya know, you’d expect a punkgreaser to have a knife, right?”
Rocco extends an open palm out like a blade. While I don’t drop my guard, I still have no clue what he’s doing, and say as much.
“What, have you lost it?”
He lunges at me with an arm thrust, and while I dodge it, I quickly realize all isn’t as it seems. My cheek’s been grazed by… something? Maybe it’s his nails. The thin cut begins to bleed a bit, but it’s nothing fight-ending, at the least.
“Hah! If you’re wonderin’, I cut my nails yesterday. Nah, take a good long look! And try putting some Spirit into it, too!”
I focus my gaze on his arm, and my eyes involuntarily widen in shock.
Michael, of all people, speaks up.
“Hey, what the hell! I thought techniques were banned!”
Rocco turns and smirks.
“Naw, I banned my actual technique. This isn’t even an Incantation!”
On Rocco’s arm, a translucent, nearly invisible blade formed of Spirit surrounds his hand, wrist, and forearm. It’s serrated to more easily tear through flesh, and sharp as a knife.
“Spirit Blade’s totally fine, s’long as my opponent’s fine with it! And you’ve got no objections, don’t you, Peter?”
I scowl. “Nope, none here. I can handle myself fine.”
“Hahaha! You sure? You’re from uptown K-City, kid! You ain’t never even been in a knife fight, let alone a Spirit Knife one!”
“I can handle myself. Besides, you’re the one who’d get in trouble if you killed me, right?”
“...Oh yeah. That’s true.”
“Then shut up and fight.”
Rocco smirks and continues lunging and swiping at me, but evading even the blade is too easy. He’s not anywhere near as fast as half the kids I’ve knocked out this year. The problem is how to land a hit. Anytime I want to attack, he somehow pulls out a burst of speed and swings to hit me again before I can even go for it. But his attacks are super slow still.
“You holding back?”
“Of course. What, you want me to saw you in half?”
“Take this seriously.”
Rocco swings at my head, but I duck and get him in the gut.
“Gh-”
Now THAT counts as a good blow. He’s knocked to the ground, the Spirit Knife retracting into his arm and body. I walk up and stare down at him. A 10 count goes off in my head.
- “Had enough? Or are you ready to start fighting me for real?”
- “...man, you might be stronger than I thought. That shit hit hard.”
- “...” Did I beat him that easily?
- “...Hey. Wanna know something cool? There’s two types of fights. The type you fight because you want to and the type you fight because you have to.”
- “...what are you trying to say?”
- “But, there’s a secret third type.”
- “Huh?”
- Rocco finally sits up. “If you have to win a fight, and love doing it…? That’s a fight you can always win. Me, I love fighting. But you’re here because you gotta be. Now, though? I think I’ve gotten it. You’re fighting for your right to be a sorcerer, and I have to go all out if I’m going to test you. So I’m fighting the third fight now.” A massive grin spreads across Rocco’s face.
- I jump back and land in the southpaw position.
Rocco stands up, ending the 10 count.
“Wanna know something else, Peter?”
“What?”
“I’ve got my own title. They call me the ‘Spirit Manipulation God’. Wanna see why?”
As he finishes talking, a translucent film covered his arms and legs. He’s now entirely coated in Spirit Blades. They were thinner than the ones from before, but sharper and deadlier.
The peanut gallery begins. “Woah, since when could he do that?!” Michael shouts. “And how the hell is this not his technique?!” Jan simply grunts in irritation, while Lucas smirks. “Hol’ on, now!” 100 Gallon cries out. “Don’ let ‘im scare ya!”
“Bein for real, I got less Spirit in me than some of the really strong types,” Rocco smirks. “They can afford to let off a bunch of blasts. It’s still a good amount, but I’d rather conserve it. That’s where my special Spirit Blade Body differs from the last one. It recycles spirit through itself back into my body, minimizing the total loss. Of course, it’s not perfect, but hey, it’s close enough for me.”
He strikes a pose, his forearms straight out and ready to tear. “That’s why I’m called the ‘Spirit Manipulation God’. I can move my Spirit so effectively that I barely use any up when cutting up demons. I’m a brutal maniac, and one that’ll cut you up for hours on end!”
I brace myself. “That’s a lot of talking for someone who’s going to get clobbered anyways.”
“THEN CLOBBER ME IF YOU CAN!”
Rocco runs at me, his arms ready to tear me to shreds. I duck and weave around his initial assault, but the second one as he turns around gets me a bit in the abdomen. Nothing I can’t handle, though. He thrusts, and I weave to the right. Thanking my lucky stars for adrenaline, I attempt a jab with my right arm…but my stance is off. While the blow lands, and knocks Rocco’s head back…it did little actual damage. His head turns back to face me, smirking.
“Heh. Ya know, Spirit works in tandem with the body. I think I can figure out how your little power works. Wanna bet?”
“Huh?”
My power? But I don’t have a power.
“Oh, you don’t even know? Well, maybe you didn’t remember making that Exchange.”
What? Okay, now what sorcery crap am I dealing with? I need a second.
I retract my fist and take a normal stance. “Time out. What’s an Exchange?”
Rocco turns back and scowls at me. “Man, do you even pay attention in class?”
Lucas chimes in from the stands. “An Exchange is something we learn about freshman year. They don’t spend time going over it now.”
“Oh. Right. Ugh,” Rocco groans. “But we’ve spent more time explaining shit than actually dukin’ it out! Just lemme wail on you already!”
“Just explain it. S’an unfair advantage, you know?”
“...Nah, ya know what? No! There’s no rules in a school fight! I’m just gonna cut you up instead while you’re confused!”
“Man, what the hell…”
Rocco lunges again. I dodge, but this time, it’s a lot closer. He’s not holding back his speed this time. I continue to keep my distance while trying to think, but he presses with ease. Lunge after lunge, I’m getting closer to the edge of the ring. This is bad. If he forces me to dodge to the side, he’ll easily nail me on the turn. Plus, I can’t win if I keep getting pushed onto defense. That’s when an idea hits me. So I do something a little insane. I duck underneath his legs, and while that does land me the space I need, I very nearly get beheaded as he brings his feet together, rotating the blades to cut me up.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Blades on the feet aren’t just for show, moron!” Rocco thrust at my back, but I’d already wheeled around and I managed to catch the blade, holding it in place with Spirit to keep my hands from getting cut off.
“Bad move, Southpaw! I’m not allowed to kill you, but tearing off a few fingers is totally fine, right?! Once I put a bit more Spirit through my hand, you can say goodbye to em!”
I begin to smirk. Feels weird, but eh. Good time to do that, right?
“Bad move? Nope. I got you right where I want you.”
—--------------------------------------------------------------
As I slowly drift off, my fingers trace the edge of the notecard. I might as well look into this. At the least, maybe I can get this voice to shut up…
Before you fall unconscious, you hear a voice utter my name. It is as if it was beamed into your very soul.
Hey, since when were you allowed to narrate?!
Er… I apologize. In any case, you should know the name of your demon. Their ‘true name’, I mean.
Huh? What’s that gotta do with anything?
Well, consider it logically. What happens when someone calls your name?
Huh? This a trick question or something?
No it is not.
Well, you go to see who called you and what they want, right?
That is correct. And that is why knowing my name is important. Simply by speaking it, you can call me into the world.
What, you want me to start summoning demons? No way, Josè.
Hm. Well, think of it as a safety precaution. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, calling for me may help you.
Hmph. Well, what is it, then? Tell me and then let a man get some sleep.
—-------------------------------------------------------
“Kerberos.”
As soon as the word exits my lips, Spirit swirls around my legs, thick and dark.
“HAHAHAH! NOW THAT’S WHAT I WANNA SEE!”
Rocco pulls back, retracting his blade, and takes an MMA position once again. Good thing for him, too, because the Spirit around my legs begins to whip up, particularly where he was standing. Most of the peanut gallery is crowding around a very irritated Jan to best see. Basically everyone except Michael, actually.
“Get off me, you dolts!”
From there, out of the darkness, something emerges. Large and imposing as the last time I saw him, a demon dog steps from the shadows in front of me. His eyes are the color of blood. His mouth is filled with razor-sharp knives. And his paws end in shining daggers. This is the Hellhound, Kerberos.
Rocco smirks. “So, this is your demon, eh? Nice to meet ya, puppy.”
“Do not demean me, sorcerer.”
“Heh. My bad. A Hellhound, am I right?”
“Clearly.”
Be on guard. I am limited in this form, tied to you as I am.
What?
I can only exist so far as your Spirit can extend. Currently, that’s a comfortable 2 yards from yourself. Moreover, if your Spirit runs out, I cannot remain present, and in order to take the damage you have already, you must have drained yourself a bit already. Doubtless, your enemy has realized the same.
Once again in response, Rocco begins circling me. “2 yards is the distance most sorcerers can send out their Spirit…Doubt I can just get that far without getting mauled. Even if I stuck my arm in, I’d either lose balance or just get it bitten off.”
Wait, this is good. If I just get close enough to attack, I can let Kerberos do all the work before I even have to swing again.
Rocco smirks. “Nah, I can tell what you’re thinking. I don’t gotta get close to attack.”
As if on cue, Kerberos gets stabbed multiple times in the side. While he howls in pain, and I’m taken aback, the blows aren’t anything serious. Still, I feel Spirit drain from my body to reconstitute his form. We both begin looking around to see where the attack came from.
“The hell?! That’s gotta be cheating!” Michael belts out. Jan quiets him. “There’s no cheating in sorcery. Besides, this still isn’t his ability proper.”
That’s when a second string of blows nearly impale me. I’m able to dodge most of them, but the first two are direct blows to my arm. It’s still usable, but it sure won’t be doing any solid blows from now on. The pain becomes a bit more tolerable when whatever’s in there is suddenly ripped out. Spirit flows to my arm to further toughen the pain.
“Hey, got an arm! Nice!” Rocco laughs.
“What now?” I narrow my eyes as I look around. Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of it. Glistening in the twilight, like a menacing metal-tipped arrow, a small, sharpened point of Spirit erratically hovers in the air. My eyes widen as it swoops at me, followed by several more. I dodge to the side
“That’s- how did you even do that?!” I dodge to the side, Kerberos being pulled with me. Rocco gleefully presses the advantage, stepping closer while staying out of my attack range.
Remain calm. Analyze the situation.
Right. So, He’s got a couple of tricks up his sleeve, all applications of the Spirit Blade. One was the basic arm blade thingy. One was that full body one. I’d guess this is some sort of ranged variant. But, it’s gotta have a limit, right? If Kerberos can’t go beyond 2m or so, then this ranged Spirit Blade has gotta have a range of more than that. Maybe 4 or 5 meters. So attacking directly means that no matter what, I’ll be in range of his attacks. Not to mention his attacks in person…
Wait. He mainly dropped the arm blade when he switched to the full body. So, does that mean he can only use one form at a time?
I look at his arms and legs for a second. There’s no blade there. What I do see though…are ‘strings’ wrapped around his fingers. They aren’t literal strings, though. More like thin strands of Spirit energy. I take a headcount of them. One, two, three, four, five.
I evade some more swings from the ranged blades, and as I do, I notice that each one also has a string wrapped around it. Sure enough, each string corresponds to a blade. What’s more, some of them have tauter lengths than others. That tells me everything I need to win.
Alright, Kerberos?
Yes?
Trust me on this one.
I have already had to trust you earlier todaaayyyYYYY
Hellhound fades into my shadow as I proceed to make a mad dash directly towards Rocco. Almost every thought in my head begins screaming at me to think of any more practical option, but I decide this is the best course.
By almost every thought, I mean Hellhound.
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?! IS YOUR PLAN TO LOSE ON PURPOSE?!
Nope, trust me. I got a good plan.
As I do, I take multiple stabs to the side and legs. “Damn! You’re really throwing this now, aren’tcha?! De-summoning your demon, and running straight at me?! Maybe you just ran outta the Spirit you needed to keep him out, eh?!” Despite Rocco’s taunts, I keep moving towards him, and he keeps his distance.
Eventually, I feel myself stumble a bit as I walk towards Rocco. He smirks. “Hah! You’re runnin’ outta steam now!” He takes a single step closer to me. I step forward…and fall over.
As I lie there, I hear most of my friends gasp in horror. Jan is conspicuously absent from them, as is Lucas. Rocco steps up towards me, a massive smirk on his face. He walks up, and leans down.
“Man, I gotta admit, you’re not as boring as I thought you’d be. A death run isn’t the kinda strategy I’d expect out of a boxer, but I fuck with it heavy.”
As I roll onto my back to look at Rocco, a massive grin begins to spread across my face. My injuries are bad enough that I need to go to an emergency room, but I’m now confident that I’m going to win. Rocco’s fate is already sealed.
“...Kerberos.”
“WHAT THE FU-”
Rocco attempts to jump back, but it’s already too late. With a burst of Spirit, Kerberos leaps out of my shadow and tears a massive gash into his chest, knocking him to the ground with a howl of pain and ending the fight.
Immediately after, though, he disappears back into my shadow. Huh. Turns out, I was running out of Spirit. Good thing I recalled Hellhound, or I’d’ve run out of Spirit to attack with.
How reckless…
Hey, it worked, didn’t it?
Lucas stood up from his seat. “We should take them to the infirmary.”
I decide now’s probably a good time to pass out from blood loss.
—---------------------------------------------------------
When I come to, I’m healed up in the infirmary again. It’s barely been a week since I was last here.
“ALL RIGHT! He’s woken up!” Dr. Jay Jay strikes another disco pose. “Dr. DJ Jay Jay is UNDEFEATABLE!”
“Good. Mind if I ask him somethin’?” Rocco, of all people, is standing at the end of my hospital bed. There’s no one beside him.
My eyes narrow. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Down at dinner. We can walk and talk down. C’mon.” Rocco gestures at me to follow.
While I get out of bed, I don’t move. “And who said I was gonna walk and talk with you? You’re just gonna curse me again.”
Rocco shrugs. “Nah, you beat me fair and square. It’d be a dick move to curse ya, dude. ‘Sides, the rules of the duel were that we’d be chill after, right? I don’t go back on my word.”
“...fine.”
He grins a bit. “That’s the spirit. Now let’s get movin’.”
I follow him down the stairs of the infirmary, and out the door. Outside, he slows his gait down, expecting me to walk beside him. I don’t. The scenery is now golden brown, There are more people walking the pathways, some alongside their demons. According to my phone, it’s about 6:30.
“Yo, so first question, how’d you think of that trick to desummon your demon like that? That was pretty damn smart of ya.”
“There wasn’t much planning to it. I just figured you’d think I ran out of power.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “But you did, didn’t ya?”
“Well, yeah, but I saved a bit, clearly.”
Rocco chuckles a bit. “Heh. We’re just going in circles. What I’m tryin’ to ask is, why’d you think that desummoning your demon’d work?”
“Well, you’re an egotist. You’d think that lowering my guard is a necessarily bad idea.”
“What the heck makes you think I’m an egotist?” He laughed out loud.
I sigh and shrug. “All comes back to that title. Your Spirit manipulation is good, but you’re a student, right? I wouldn’t expect grown adults to call you a ‘God’ of anything. So, I’d bet you came up with that title yourself. It’s as edgy as I’d expect from a high schooler anyways.”
Rocco stops, dumbfounded. “Wha- but you’ve got a title too?!”
I shrug again. “Never called myself the Southpaw Wolf. That’s just a name other people gave me. Honestly, it’s a bit tacky for my taste.”
Rocco stands for a second. After thinking, he turned to me and laughed. “....Heheheheh! Man, I’m sorry I ever doubted you. You might be weird, but you prolly got what it takes. Hey, you know what?”
“What?”
“The way others get you, and the way you get you, those are way different. You get that, right?”
“...you spout too much philosophy.”
“Heh! Big talk like that’s just how I make friends. Anywho, I’ll be seein’ ya. We’re here anyways.”
As Rocco and I step into the dining hall, he disappears into the crowd. But, I’ll probably see him again soon.
—-------------------------------------------