Chapter 124

124 The Demonstration(Part Three)

Tidas and Shasta slowly circled each other with taunting grins. Shasta had two talon-tipped short swords that were more akin to extended daggers than swords. Her speciality was close quarters combat, but she was also a sharp shooter, on occasion. And the only person who’d ever kept pace with her was Tidas.

Even though Shasta was a couple hundred years old, she was like a teenager; comparatively speaking. They’d trained together since the prince was about twelve. She was like a surly older sister to him, and one of his closest friends. They’d raced and sparred as often as they could for training. And were quite familiar with each other’s attacks.

Shasta had been surprised at the move that the prince had pulled on Zas. It was a forced opening she’d never seen him use before. The thought of Tidas having new techniques delighted her greatly. Her hair tried to stand up on ends, but her suit prevented it. She shifted her body uncomfortably as she counter-circled the prince. She shifted her sight from him for a fraction of a second; giving Tidas an opening.

Rushing her, Tidas pulled his short sword from it’s sheath, and raised his long sword into the air. He swiped upwards with his short sword as his long sword came down. The reverberating clang echoed throughout the arena as the two made first contact.

Best

Over and over swords crashed, then the two would break apart just to come together again. It was similar to how Tidas had attacked Zas, but Shasta was a moving target. She matched his speed and strikes with precision. They fenced back and forth, zipping passed each other to pivot and attack again. They moved so fast that Skye could hear them cutting through the air as they dashed about.

A thin layer of dust floated about in the arena. Maevis inhaled the scent and was taken back momentarily to her slightly younger days. Tidas even fought like Tiberius had, albeit much faster. He’d been able to do about three quarters of what Tidas could. He couldn’t keep his senses, power, and speed going at the same time, like the prince could. While he had access to the same skills, Tiberius had to pair them. Heightened eyesight while running, power with heightened hearing, etc..

Tidas would most likely put Tiberius on his ass; no matter the age. The fact that the prince was still so young also meant that he still had plenty of time to grow. Maevis grinned to herself as she contemplated how her dear friend would’ve reacted to meeting his descendant.

As the fight steadily picked up speed, Skye attempted to her nails into the metal railing. Her nerves were shot as she watched, and literally felt, their swords clashing. The screeching sound from their blades sliding against each other made the princess’ ears twinge. They parried back and forth until Shasta broke pattern.

Suddenly increasing her speed; Shasta sprinted past the prince, turned, and nearly hit the same place that Tidas had struck Zas. She flashed a devilish grin, then rotated her body towards him like a tornado. She slashed out, but Tidas jumped back. He dug his toes into the ground to spring at her, nearly knocking her off balance.

.....

Stabbing one of her blades into the ground, Shasta used her flexibility and momentum to flip; avoiding the prince’s swing. When her feet touched the ground, she yanked her sword from the dirt, and swiped upwards. Tidas had barely had the split second to lurch backwards to avoid her strike. As soon as her blade went up, Shasta swung her other sideways; hoping to get the prince in his guts as he leaned back to avoid the first strike.

Tidas knew the first swing had been misdirection. When he leaned back to evade her first strike, the prince had kept going. He flipped backwards and kicked where her hand held her sword at it’s hilt. Sending one of her weapons flying into the air.

The crowds cried out in shock and dismay as Shasta kicked some of the topsoil at Tidas. Distracting him for the moment she needed to recover her blade. She blinked her eyes, and Tidas was charging her.

Shasta blocked his long sword as he brought it down, but his swing had been too strong to parry one-handed. She blocked it with both her swords in desperation, leaving herself wide open. Seeing it, Tidas brought his short sword up at an angle from the side to land a critical blow.

Having no other option other than to lose; Shasta blocked the strike with her left forearm. She almost instantly lost control of her grip as the sensors sent a tingly numbing sensation throughout her entire lower arm. Shasta snarled at the prince, causing him to think that she might be in pain..

Tidas barely evaded as the Vice Commander swung upwards with her supposedly injured arm. He lept backwards, then readied himself for a counter, but Shasta stood motionless. Her head was slightly drooped, and her hair had come undone during their fight. He was about to attack again, but froze when a massive surge of magic began emanating from his opponent. The air in the arena became dense and ominous as an eerie black aura began to encircle Shasta.

Zas stayed and monitored them from the edge of the field. He exhaled in exasperation as he watched Shasta tap into her Fae powers. Her eyes and the white patch on her chest began to glow through her suit. Her hair which was normally straight, flat, and the nearly the same color as her fur, began to fluff and change color. The hair on her head matched her spot, and her eyes turned an almost fluorescent yellow.

Zas had restrained himself from going all-out, even though he’d wanted to. Humans tended to fear him after seeing his power form. Being a Fae as well, Shasta had a similar state she could induce to bring out her full power. Her strength skyrocketed, she became much faster, and her natural augmentations emerged..

Throwing her other sword down, Shasta raised her hands slightly as she grinned. Her short, well-groomed nails grew out into razor-sharp claws, and her fangs stretched as she bared them. Even her toenails had elongated, poking out through her boots. Everyone in the crowds either gasped or cheered; most cheering. It wasn’t the first time Shasta had revealed her ‘beast nature’.

Shasta didn’t care to fit in with the humans like Zas did. He only ever used his true form on the battlefield, where he didn’t have to worry so much about who saw him, or whom he hurt. Shasta was the opposite; the king had to formally restrict her from transforming when angered. The amount of people that had complained and the damage she’d caused nearly got her thrown into the dungeons.. Or worse, if Marco had gotten his way.

Skye watched as Shasta changed. She wasn’t aware of any Fae with her markings and disposition. The only thing she could think of was Maybe a Cat Sidhe, or a Bakeneko. But she’d Never heard of one transforming like this before. Both excitement and fear pumped through her as Shasta shifted to the ready.

Tidas stared at his opponent the same as he had the entire time. His Vice Commander’s new form wasn’t surprising because it wasn’t new to him. In fact, he seen her most often in this form during any type of combat. The prince was only actually putting out just under half of his power. With Zas, he’d used even less. The familiar gleam in Shasta eyes let Tidas know that their warmup was over...

In a blink of the eye; the two were gone. Crashing metal that sounded more like explosions, rebounded off of the walls of the arena. Dust and earth flew through the air, which actually made it easier to follow the fighters as they clashed. They moved faster than the eye could see, and the only way to track them was by the chaos left in their wake. Flashes and sparks occasionally flared as they came into contact with each other.

A massive boom rang out as the two locked in battle. Tidas used his long sword and arm guards to block Shasta’s assault, while attacking with his short sword. She blocked and countered with her claws. She lashed out and scratched the top-side of of the prince’s arm, limiting how high he could raise his long sword. Shasta had smirked, but it left as soon as he’d switched hands.

Tidas always used his long in his left, and short in his right. His dominant arm had more strength, so naturally that’s where the heavier sword went. Shasta had never seen him switch up his sword style like this, and it riled her. She growled low as she readied herself to pounce at the prince.. And he was ready for her.

Ralph was a speed Tank like the prince, but he also excelled with knives. His father was a Cutler when he lived, and taught him how to properly make and handle knives and daggers. He’d been teaching Tidas the art of it all as they’d traveled to Moonstone Castle. His short sword was longer than what he was used to, but he was going to make it work.

The second that Shasta sprang into action, Tidas tossed his short sword into the air. The act also worked as a distraction while the prince lept towards her. The quick reaction forced Shasta to melee; digging her feet into the ground in a desperate attempt to avoid Tidas’ onslaught.

Swinging his long sword down with great force, Tidas didn’t leave his opponent an inch. As soon as his sword came down, he was thrusting it back up to break her block again. Not allowing any time for her to go on the offensive. He hammered at her defense, forcing the VC to take a hesitant step back to steady herself.

Tidas slashed down, then up; reaching his free hand into the air as Shasta caught herself. The hilt of the short sword landed in his palm; shocking the spectators and sending them into a frenzy.

Tidas swiped down with his long sword, breaking Shasta’s final defense. He moved his short like an after image of his long sword. Stepping into the strike with one foot, and extending his arm out to make up for the difference in length. As he slashed downward, the prince landed a critical blow across Shasta’s chest.

Shasta yowled as the sensors zapped her where Tidas’ weapon had made contact. She shuddered a moment, then collapsed. The arena was akin to death’s bated breath before it exploded with life. People jumped in the stands and screamed incoherently, causing the ground beneath the prince’s feet to tremble. They cheered and chanted his name as Prince Tidas scanned the balcony for his wife.

The prince caught sight of Skye on a landing for the stands, next to the balcony. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew he could see hers. She beamed at him as she mouthed, “That. Was. Amazing!”

After he waved his acknowledgment, Tidas returned her beam as he saw Skye mouth; “Yer prize awaits you...”