"So, you finally decided on taking a disciple and here I thought, you had sworn otherwise." Revian picked-up his pawn to move forward. The friends were sitting together at Serie's office after wandering around the camp.
Aris blocked the opening by moving her bishop. "Again, do separate your dreams from reality. I never said such a thing."
Revian proceeded to take the free pawn using his knight. "With how you were refusing the third princess, a talented and influential one. A lot would think you'd fly solo for your entire life."
"Don't play dumb, you know better the trouble that entails. Isn't that a part of the reason you're here. Check." Not a question but a certainty. She moves her rook forward and traps his king. In the next move, he'd have to sacrifice his queen.
"It seems you're already well aware, Serie. Well then, what do you plan to do?" He took his king to safety leaving the queen open. Afterwhich, the man annoyingly tapped the pawn that he took at the side of the table.
"Your word-play is still so disgusting. I would have thought that after all these years I'd been rid of you." Serie made no move with her pieces.
"And you're still so straightforward. I know you miss me too." He nods assuredly at himself, relying on his own bastardized interpretation of his wonderful friend's language.
"Time's running, it's your move." His smile annoyed her. Simple because it was a smile that he used to hide his calculations. His tapping was also relentless following the tics of seconds.
The sudden flare of mana broke their standstill.
"Oh?"
Without a word Serie stood up and went out, without care about the other.
"As rude as ever." Revian followed her after a short while. The game paused and the queen's fall didn't go unnoticed…
…
The crowd jeered as Aris took a punch in the gut which knocked her back quite a distance.
"Go Down!"
"Follow through!"
"Don't underestimate her!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"Attack! Don't let her breath!"
Contrary to common expectations, you'd think that her fellow soldiers would cheer for her instead of the new face. Yet, they wouldn't. They really would not. You couldn't describe the bitterness and pain of how many losses they experienced in the hands of her ever since she was picked-up. And then, she became a captain! It's a training hell under her.
In the deepest reaches of their minds, they knew how much they respected her. It didn't matter if she was a devil on the loose. Besides, she was never one to eat a loss.
Aris whistled upon impact shedding some of her feigned politeness. If she had not defended with enough barriers her insides would be mush. She promptly dodged out of the way as a flash destroyed the place where she once stood. She barely suppressed a grin from rising. The kid really didn't know how to hold back. What followed was just a game of cat and mouse with rapid attacks from Elias and good dodging from Aris.
Elias, seemingly growing impatient, abruptly stopped. Aris returned the same deadpan her opponent showed.
"Is that all you're good at?" Elias asked with a raised brow.
"You haven't shown me enough to be worthy of my attack." Aris' response collected jeers from the crowd watching. Their masters positioned with just enough distance to be unnoticed and still enjoy the fight.
On second thought, Aris had the urge to slap her own mouth. The impulsiveness and arrogance of a youth truly infected her. Sometimes, she wonders if her chuunibyou phase will ever stop. It didn't help that there was magic and an enabling environment surrounding her. She refused to reflect upon this further.
"Oh!" Aris was amused, really amused that her lips slightly turned upward.
…
"What an interesting technique that your disciple has." Serie remarked watching the mana fluctuations around Elias.
"That brat! Some words easily bruised his ego." Revian leaned slightly forward as if to intervene.
"Only at the last moment, duke." Serie remarked with her eyes glowing the same as her disciples one which she didn't hide.
"I don't think you would joke about your disciple's life like that." The duke retorted with a hint of seriousness that escaped him. His eyes and posture ready to act at a moment's notice.
"Your disciple has his own and mine also has hers." At the last word the two flashed.
Saul abruptly set-up a barrier to contain the two which still dissolved upon the explosion of techniques. Rapid and strong wind surrounded the area knocking up dust and pushing some of the crowd away especially from receiving fatal injuries.
Both masters had a hand on their disciples shoulders.
"Elias."
"Aris."
Elias remained silent, having a probing and a new look at the person in front of him. At the last moment before impact, a strong sense of danger overwhelmed his instincts which caused the last second of retreat.
"General. I have completed the tour for sir Elias." Aris reported monotonously returning to the polite version of herself, if you could ignore the glow in her eyes.
"Good job. And yet…" Serie paused for a moment looking at the destruction in front of her.
"You damaged the battalion's grounds, again" Her master remarked, seemingly emotionless.
"I will begin the repairs immediately." Aris hid the schadenfreude in annoying her master.
"Ah." Her master's one-word syllabus strikes again.
…
In the next few days, the commander and duke were suddenly very busy and out and about. Aris was inclined to force ignorance to whatever machinations the older ones must have. Besides, there's trouble thrown at her. She should have known better.
She emotionlessly wiped the particle that flew to her face. Near her was a stubborn mule who fought with her golems that exploded from time to time. This sir seems to want to explore her capabilities after the spar. She seriously debated feigning a loss, if it wasn't for the fact that she was capable of keeping him at a distance with her abilities. Is this medieval stalking?
How do you respond to this?
Report to the authorities?
But the authorities above them seem to find it amusing?
If the soldiers under her knew her thoughts they would fail to understand this captain's thought process.
Stalking?
Isn't it a mindless torture and experiment? With a willing subject at that?
All would be fine if they were to keep it between them but…, could the captain seriously stop involving them?
Stopping this monster was also one of the training projects she gave to them. They really don't have a favourable impression towards the both of them. Stalking? Are you kidding them?
Isn't the visitor just a convenient and another way to torture them. Really, really merciless, their captain was. They would've long rebelled if it wasn't for the perverse improvement of their abilities.
Oh, commander please pull them out because they were turning perverse under repeated torture.
To that, Aris just mindlessly used her stick…, ah, her magical tool to creatively plan (mindlessly doodle) for the next training plan(experiment).
"Aris, Elias, the commander calls." Hans magically appears as another golem explodes near him. Which fortunately just scattered the winds and had not harmed him.
"Yes sir!" Aris mechanically responds. You would think that she would be the perfect soldier if it weren't for all the trouble she always causes.
"Command received." Elias responds by wiping away debris and sweat that he seemed to be fully covered by.
…
"So…" Aris mumbles, everything was stripping her patience and wonderful politeness to respect these valuableguests from afar. She really didn't want to be involved further to… especially since her master was just a slave driver for every machination and she, the slave, was to follow.
"You want me to go on a super important mission with sir even after you specifically promised me to have a week's rest which I had not even been given due to babysi… accompanying these valuable guests throughout their stay." Aris suppressed herself from showing emotions.
"Wow! That's the most I've heard from you Aris!" Revian remarked, watching amusedly at the master's and disciple's interaction. Don't be confused, despite Aria's carefully maintained politeness, her impatience and machinations has already disillusioned him from the nonchalant first impression archetype, which he surely won't mention since ignorance is a bliss and he won't have to fork over a grandstanding bet.
His disciple also suffered from his own stick up in the butt in the interactions with this precious disciple of his friend. What a treasure, really.
"I think it's a mission that largely interests you, clearing an ant's nest." Serie monotonously replied raising an eyebrow at her disciple's persevering antics.
…to that Aris just sighed.
"And the need to take sir?" She asked since it was usually a solo mission especially when things needed to be silent. There's also a reason why she's solo.
"Foresight." Serie tapped her forehead and left it at that.
"Command received." Aria saluted while Elias, who was silent from the start, echoed her voice.
…
Post -
At night after the battle…
"You've grown stronger, again" Serie remarked while sitting languidly at the only chair in her room.
"Maa, have I? I didn't notice." Aris put her artifact aside and rolled her sleeves.
"Ever the creep, aren't you master. Soren." At her cast, the wind and water carried away the dust and dirt as it helped her tidy-up.
"You know better than to reveal yourself. There's also a strangeness you have had ever since our guests arrived." Serie speculated as she leaned her arm to the arm rest and supported her chin.
"Strange, very strange." Serie had the glow in her eyes whenever something had interested her.
"Strange? Strange isn't it, master." Aris portrayed an eye-smile remaining as cryptic as ever.
"What brings them here?" She asked, seemingly uninterested, about the question but between the both of them, they knew where her interest was.
"The flow of power will soon change. You should know how far we've reached. Besides, that's where your ambition heads toward." Serie chuckled amused at her disciple, feigned ignorance would do her disciple no good since she was near her and at the center of it all.
"Seriously, leave me out of it." Aries seriously contemplated just leaving things here. Maybe, travelling a little. Settling down for a few months to a faraway village, or something. Her master seems to have a mistaken impression of what she wants. She seems to be being dragged to be a successor to a political mess. She really, really, doesn't want to. Yet, no matter how adamant she was she can't get through this commander.
"Change is with those in power." Serie seriously remarked. She stopped herself from further sermons for her disciple. The kid really doesn't appreciate her enough.
"That's why you have to live a long and healthy life, master~" Dragging out the last syllable, she's delighted to see her master's annoyance at that. There's a mania she forcibly suppressed at the thought of conning this commander. She won't expect it really. Master, really won't.
"Accompany the duke's disciple for the following days."
At that Aris frowned, "Just give him to Hans, besides, he'd fair well even when he's alone here. What's the need?"
"Evaluate him, train him, if you truly wish to be away from the center of it." Aris wouldn't be fooled at her master's word. It's more likely for a wider plan she would have some guess on. Dragging her won't tear her away from the center of it all but would just drag her towards it. Ever the schemer, the commander is.
"It's an order." Ah, yes, there is it. The ever slave-driving sadist she knew.
"Command received." With a salute the commander finally left.
Aris sighed, and messed with her own hair. She's too young to be stressed, might as well have fun with it. Besides, she still remains undecided on a few things.
…
~A suivre