Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 48: Oscar's Hidden Move

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 48: Oscar's Hidden Move

Arrows and quills bombarded Oscar from the front and back from George and his Sapphire Hedgehog's unrelenting assault. Oscar desperately tried to block the incoming projectiles with a swipe of his buckler.

"Shit." Oscar wasted more stamina and Ein blocking and dodging without gaining a single inch closer to George. The hedgehog did its job well to deter Oscar from making a move. "I'll get rid of this annoying hedgehog instead!"

Oscar sprinted to the hedgehog and slammed his buckler onto it in a ferocious swing. Normally, the buckler would inflict severe blunt damage from the force of Oscar's blow, but the hedgehog curled itself up and raised its quills all over to create a buffer between its delicate body and the buckler.

It was practically unharmed. The hedgehog was blown away to the side, releasing some quills at Oscar in the air. At the same time, George shot several more arrows.

Oscar struggled and failed to dodge the combination. Two arrows penetrated his arm and stuck out like the quills on the hedgehog; they were weak on the sides but incredibly sharp at the tips.

"Your body is quite sturdy. However, I don't believe you can keep that up. I suggest you surrender." George drew his bow back but did not shoot. His hedgehog's quills were shaking, ready to shoot out at any moment. He respected Oscar for his efforts, but there was no way for Oscar to catch him, and his hedgehog was not affected by Oscar's attacks.

Oscar stared at George and the hedgehog. The two were a terrifying combination. George was faster than before because he no longer carried the beast, and the hedgehog was the worst for Oscar's physical attacks.

His deer anima was also unsuitable for this battle. It would only end up being double trouble for Oscar due to its weak defenses and slow movements, especially since George's bow was a Grade Six anima.

"No." Oscar calmed himself down and took his buckler out of his arm.

"Fine. There won't be any mercy this time." George and his hedgehog resumed their flurry of arrows and quills.

As he was about to dodge the arrows, Oscar was caught off-guard by the arrows' sudden movements. Some of the arrows changed directions in mid-air. Shock crossed his face, and his eyes reflected the arrows.

"Try this!" George spoke earnestly. The sudden change in the arrows' trajectory was thanks to another spell, the 'Grade One Shifting Vector'. George infused the spell into a limited number of arrows, invoking it at the right time to forcibly change their target.

Once the spell activated, it would disappear from the object it was bound to. George was only capable of changing each arrow once. 'I only have these two spells and no armament because of my beast, but it's enough to boost my archery to new heights.'

Oscar gritted his teeth and clenched his buckler, and spun to deflect off the 'Shifting Vector' arrows.

'Futile.' George thought. That wild spinning would only disorientate and waste Oscar's Ein. The next wave of attacks was already en route.

Oscar threw his buckler in a baffling move to the proctor and George. The arrows and quills were on their way, and Oscar had given up his defenses. What is this brat thinking?R/ê/Ad lateSt ch/a/pters at nô(v)e(l)bin/.c/o//m Only

The buckler flew through the air and crashed against George's arrows, stopping them. Oscar jerked his hand back, and the buckler suddenly flew backward like a spinning disk.

In Oscar's hand was a string attached to his wrist. It linked to the buckler, allowing Oscar to control it from a distance. The quills behind Oscar were taken care of by the spinning buckler.

George stood there with his jaw dropped. Most shield users were the type to stand their ground and bash their enemy's face. While Oscar also exhibited such behavior, he also put in this mechanism.

The buckler spun its way to George with Oscar safely in the distance, controlling it with his hand. Various options crossed George's mind. His hedgehog did not shoot out its quills yet, and even if it did, Oscar could easily dodge if the attacks were from one side while focusing on himself.

If he stepped forward, the string would catch and wrap around him. His feet were already at the edge of the stage; there was no way back. George made a hasty decision as the buckler neared him and ducked below.

Oscar immediately threw something at George, who was out of position near the ground. It was one of the quills that had impaled his arm earlier.

George choked a little before settling down. His eyes were still a little watery from the ordeal. "Good fight. I thought I had you. Why didn't you use that hardening spell earlier? Using it as a surprise at that moment was a good choice."

The fight would have been much tougher for George if Oscar had used that spell. But George could have adapted his strategy and tried other avenues of winning.

"The spell, 'Steel Scales', covers my entire body with a layer of Ein transformed into metal. But it consumes too much Ein, and I can barely move using it." Oscar explained. "I wanted to keep it as a trump card for later, but your hedgehog made a very unexpected move. I'll ask it back to you; why didn't you have him do that earlier? Even with 'Steel Scales', I would have lost the match."

"I tried to teach him that many times, but Exalt beasts are like humans. Each innate ability of a beast is like a spell; they need time to learn. The most he could do was curl up and stiffen his quills as a defense." George laughed helplessly. That was why the earlier action of the hedgehog surprised him. George never thought his hedgehog would come to achieve rolling in the middle of the fight.

"That's a good companion you have. It did not hesitate to defend you and even gained a new ability in the crisis." Oscar smiled.

"He's the best." George petted the hedgehog that was freed and ran toward him. "Good luck in the next match."

"Let's go to the healing station." Oscar offered George his hand.

George graciously accepted. The hedgehog looked warily at Oscar the entire time.

"Calm down; it was only a match. Have this." To calm the beast, George took out a treat from his bag. The hedgehog ate it cutely, munching on it rapidly until its cheeks were puffed, making Oscar laugh.

The two reached the healing station. It was a big tent on the side of the stadium near the seats. Two guards at the entrance allowed them inside.

Inside were full of beds, along with healers attending to the students. These healers were Exalts specialized for recovery and healing; they were the best alternative to using expensive elixirs on students.

"Os!" A familiar voice called out.

"Fred?" Oscar saw his best friend lying down on a bed with burnt cheeks and scorched hair. Parts of his arm were also laden with burn marks.

"This your friend? Did he get burnt?" George looked shocked.

"He burnt himself." An expressionless voice interjected from the side. It was Austin Taylor.

"Holy! You're even more burnt than him!" George said. "You're also missing an eye?"

Austin's face twitched from George's insensitive comments.

"Austin?" Oscar saw how injured Austin was and grimaced. He turned to Frederick and asked, "What happened to you? He's saying you burnt yourself?"

"I was matched up against Austin here." He retold what occurred in the match, making Oscar and George gawk in awe at Frederick's reckless move. "...and that's what happened. I didn't expect Austin to be placed next to me."

Oscar observed Frederick's behavior and saw there was no malice or hatred against Austin at all. "Are you friends with Austin now?"

"Why would I be friends with this reckless idiot?" Austin's expression cracked, looking deeply offended. "But I am no longer seeking revenge or anything resembling it." Austin shut his mouth and sank into his bed, not wanting to converse any longer.

Oscar was confused. 'What the hell happened?'