"Su? Are you here?" The soft voice of Alice was not one that Su thought she would hear when she had just woken up and was cleaning her armor.
'I'm in here. Just finished my armor cleaning. I forget how dirty it gets walking around so much. It was very overdue for some care." This was very evident in the dirty rags that Su had. Each was covered with dust and dirt. Even monster blood had dried in a few places here and there. But what was the worst was the little bits of bone stuck in them that had once belonged to undead monsters. Extra troublesome to clean.
"Oh, do you have time to fight me?" out of all the things that Su thought that Alice as coming to ask her, this was never one of them.
While the two had trained together before, this didn't seem like the time for fighting and training. But Alice was standing tall in front of Su. she had gained the courage to come and ask Su to fight with her, therefore, it was a big deal. Su took the time to think about it before she swiped once more over her chestplate and stood up.
"I can, but what's going on that you want to fight right now? Are you worried that you won't be able to train later? Or is it that you think you might be left behind when we go after the corrupted city?" This was the understandable worry that Su thought for first.
While the corrupted city was a dangerous endeavor, the group and all the soldiers would surely need healers. Out of everyone, SXu and Alice would most likely be the ones in charge of the healers. They were the most experience with them on top of also having some form of healing and protection skills.
"No, I learned some things. I need to test them. You also looked like you needed to fight more." This had been Alice's outside looking in opinion.
From what Alice had seen from Su, she had been given enough of an insight on what was going on with her own body. Since Su was still adjusting to the dragon blood she shared, it made a lot of sense that she would need more training to fully learn and understand herself.
"You're Right about that. The echidna are a very odd group. But they were aware that I was still growing in to the new fact that I am...well, part dragon now? Midnight shared her blood with me and I gained a lot."
Su's thoughts revolved around the better resistances, the tougher skin she had, the eyes of a dragon that she had. Even the fact that she could not breath flames at will was a major skill that not many others would have. As a draconic guardian, Su was definitely one in a million. No human known to the dragons had ever been a draconic guardian.
"When I went off in to the jungle following the echidna warriors' advice, I went without armor and weapons. I stuck to what I knew of my own body. That let me see what I could really do." Su paused and then looked at Alice. "I will leave my armor here. I can use my shields but I think it will be better to show you what I can do without them." This made Alice wonder just what Suu was thinking.
"I will just use my singing. I won't move." Alice made a move out of the tent that Su had been working and resting in. They made their way to an open area that some of the other soldiers had been using to prepare themselves. Many had skills they had learned, or started to adapt with the impact of other races around.
The angels and the Genesis forces were clear examples of this. Especially the light elemental angels and the light elemental dragonkin warriors. Both were sharing their light elemental swordsmanship skills. This was basically an enlightening episode for them.
Not only would both be able to expand their knowledge on the light elemental affinities that they shared. But they would also be able to learn other skills that worked in their styles. Some had even started to brag that they would be able to combine the angel and the dragonkin sword styles. If this happened, there might be a future of light angels and light dragonkin. But that was something to worry about later.
With an open space, Su copied Remey's habit of cracking her knuckles. "Just because I don't have a shield doesn't mean that I lack the ability to use some skills. Just so you know." Syu was being nice, but Alice sensed that Su was acting a little differently.
It wasn't that Su was going against her normal peaceful and protecting attitude. It was more that she was showing some of her inner fire while she spoke. Especially when she took a battle stance more similar to a brawler or head on fighter.
As Alice started to sing, there was a clear tune that took hold. One that was more like growth and spring. A bright high pitched tone that made everyone nearby look over as the light began to alter.
From what Alice had seen from the echidna, she was able to do much more than just manipulate light to attack and defend. She had used this sort of light and singing to heal others. But what if she sang about a bright and beautiful living jungle? What if she took that same style of singing but made it act the same way she did with the sign of swords?
What if she imagined the song of a jungle controlled by an elf like Alma? Someone who could control the vines, flowers, and the very trees to attack other things? If this was possible as Alice had in her mind, then she would be able to create an entire illusion of light trapping others and defeating multiple enemies. All while remaining hidden within her own song. Safe and sound.
Things just increased in speed as Alice sang and Su stomped forward. Her armor weighed her down often. Especially when Su carried her shields. This was the downside of being a guardian or any kind of defender. The weight of tough armor would always make someone slower. Feeling the wind around her, made Syuu smirk. She rarely felt this free when she fought. She was more used to feeling anchored to the ground. Tough and unmoving,.
Not that this was the focus of the battle right now. The light landscape taking form around her made Su wonder what she had in store. Especially as the tree made of light elemental magic started to twist and threw its branches down. Almost as if it was alive.
"This is just like some of the jungle plants that Alma told us about actually being monsters! I am going to break them!" Su looked at Alice as she used her shield bash. But without a shield, Alice just looked with confusion before realizing what Su meant before.
Su used her body as the shield. As the solid thing that blocked the damage. What Su had learned by focusing on who she was now and her instincts was very important. She had learned that she could not hold back and be a defender the same way a human was. She was tough as she was. Her skin and defenses were naturally very high. So why didn;t she use them.
This armorless style of fighting was something that brawlers or Barry, a berserker, would use. But Su was changing the rules and using it herself. This method put her well above others in the defensive category. Directly making her an attacker by using her own defenses in a way that not many others would use.
The shield bash using her shoulder caused Alice's light tree to crack and shatter. The very idea that Alice had put behind the song had been unfinished and too weak to resist the attack. "Come on, are you just going to let me break your little song?" Su's taunts seemed more vicious as she fought this way. But she also appeared to be having a lot more fun.
Anyone watching would compare DSu to a brutal dragonkin finally getting the chance to show off her strength. But to Alice, Su was finally developing her own style of battle that would stand above what everyone expected of a defender. Su was clearly making a move to change the opinions of those who would imagine a defender to be calm and able to just stand still and defend.
Multiple light vines slashed towards Su as Alice took more intuition from her memories to develop and change the song she was testing. It was still rough and the light broke here and there, but this was the process of learning. Of opening her mind to a new potential for battle that she never expected to have.
The same could be said for Su as she pushed her body faster with every attack. As she thrived in the fact that she wasn't bound down by armor or shields. But she also felt the movements more. She was more aware of her own body and how she moved with every single step.
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