6) Mission Shadowing Tournament
- Should occur around 5190 KE (Huntare 15/Zanya 16)
- The Academy announces a tournament that will be held in 2 months for the opportunity to shadow an instructor that is an idol of Zanya's on a mission
- The mission will require a 3 person team, so the tournament will take the winning 3 person team
- All recruits interested are enrolled in a class that provides them training for the obstacles that they can expect during the tournament
- It is during the training sessions for the class that Zanya discovers that during the combat matches, they are getting by solely based off of Huntare's fighting ability, but when one of their matches causes Huntare to struggle as he has to continuously divert his attention between attacking and protecting Zanya, she is forced to reassess
- Zanya proposes getting a 3rd person to join them and Huntare tells her that it is unnecessary and takes the blame onto himself for not being able to dispatch their enemies fast enough
- They spend the rest of the day watching other students train until Zanya settles on who she wants to ask... Lirhys.
- Lirhys and Zanya don't get along b/c Lirhys is very standoffish and views Zanya as a spoiled princess who is only getting by b/c of her status and her "pet bodyguard". Zanya does not actually dislike Lirhys, but that is primarily b/c she's held above Lirhys by everyone
- Lirhys is struggling in her training because the team she was placed with doesn't fit her style of training or fighting well, which causes a great deal of friction between them. This results in Lirhys leaving her team.
- When Zanya (and Huntare) approach Lirhys with Zanya's proposal, Lirhys is irritated and snaps at Zanya, which prompts Huntare to want to strike, but Zanya stops him. Lirhys makes an insult referring to Huntare as a good pet. Zanya, who is viewed as always being regal and ladylike, smiles it off and tells Lirhys her proposal, which Lirhys laughs at. Zanya tells her that if she's serious about winning the opportunity, then she needs a team that can win.
- Lirhys tells Zanya that her weakness in battle is the only reason Huntare is even struggling because he's basically fighting alone. "How exactly are YOU going to help me?"
- Zanya answers immediately, "Because the tournament is testing more than just fighting ability." She mocks the mentality of everything for a Blade being about battle. Zanya sighs and tells Lirhys that the tournament will test the team's ability to handle diplomatic situations, sensitive materials, combat, espionage, and protecting or rescuing a target. She points out that the Sentinel leading the mission is an Orb Sentinel, so the mission is an Orb mission. Zanya asks Lirhys how skilled she is at those non-combat situations.
- Uninterested in going back and forth, Huntare interrupts, "Taser... is this your will?" Zanya looks at him, pausing for a moment, then nods to him. He turns to Lirhys and says, "Enough of this. She wants you to aid her and you are refusing. You and I will settle this. You're a Blade and I'm her pet. Since combat is your preferred arena, let's duel. I want to be sure that you're even worth her time. You win, I will help you with whatever you request. You lose, you obey my Master. Come Blade, show me what you're capable of." He turns and walks towards the arena floor.
~~~~
Lirhys chuckles at the wager. Since there are other recruits that have entered the area, she is pinned into a difficult position. If she backs down, it will appear as if she's afraid of Huntare. Furthermore, since he referred to her as a Blade, the Blade recruits as a whole would lose face to the Orb recruits. Zanya, while trying to look like it's all part of her plan, quietly tells Huntare that he does not have to do this. Huntare tells her that diplomacy is so slow and boring while he's been itching for a good duel. He also tells her that if Lirhys isn't worthy, they will find another person. Zanya looks up slightly at him and nods. As he does before every fight, he kneels before Zanya and bows his head. "Taser, grant me permission to fight for you and make true your will." When Lirhys enters the arena and accepts Huntare's challenge, Zanya holds his face in her hands, leans over and kisses him on the forehead. "Bring us victory, my Tastol." He rises and nods to her before locking eyes with Lirhys. Zanya heads over to where the instructors and recruits are all gathering to watch. People have been wanting Huntare and Lirhys to battle since he first showed his fighting ability. Lirhys walks in with her spear in her hand and two swords attached to her hips. They approach each other and she says, "The loser is whoever gives up and physically can't continue. Oh and no cheating by teleporting me out of the arena." Huntare smirks and tells her that she will fall in this arena without any question about who the victor is. He backs away from her and once both of them are ready, Zanya yells out, "Begin!"
Huntare dashes at Lirhys normally before phasing behind her. He stops and elbows her in the back before disappearing again. He appears in front of her and palm strikes her in the abdomen. Lirhys swings her spear at him, which he parries to the left side of his body with his hand and throws a punch at her face. She leans back and kicks forward to push him away. She smiles and uses her speed to thrust the spear at him from different angles that actually puts Huntare on the defensive. The pair push the advantage back and forth with Lirhys landing some strikes with her spear and Huntare using his Sentinel-trained martial arts skills against Lirhys. Things shift to Huntare's advantage when he gets irritated with the spear and instead of evading a strike, he times the attack and grabs the spear, getting pushed backwards in the process. With his hand gripping the spear, he teleports it across the arena, away from both of them. Lirhys flips away from Huntare and reaches behind her back to unsheathe her swords, but she gets up and runs back over to him and while he could've used his powers to move, he elects to receive her in a "normal" fight. At close range, their agility is a match for one another. In the open, she has a significant speed advantage, but it's offset by his ability to teleport. Huntare learns that she is actually a good match for him in these exchanges as neither of them can land a clean shot on the other. The longer these exchanges go, the more the two of them seem to actually enjoy it. The crowd looks on in amazement as it seems to grow as passersby discover the duel going on. Huntare finally gains the upper hand and knocks Lirhys away from him, but she remains on her feet causing Huntare to nod. He points to her waist and tells her to show him what she's capable of.
One of the passersby is actually one of Zanya's close friends who asks her if she's worried about the outcome once Zanya tells her what the duel is over and Zanya shakes her head negatively. Her friend looks at her quizzically as she knows that, like normal it would seem, Zanya is holding something back. Three groups of upper class recruits had also joined the crowd along with an instructor from each group that had been informed of the duel. They are from each of the respective factions of the Sentinel Corps: the Shield, the Orb, and the Blade. Lirhys is a very promising recruit pledged to the Blade faction and Huntare is arguably considered to be the best fighter out of the Orb recruits. Most are even more impressed because Huntare doesn't use weapons, so telling Lirhys to use her most specialized weapons, her twin swords, while still unarmed is a gamble in most people's eyes.
She obliges him, however, and he finally shows off his void manipulation of his own body as he uses it to let her weapons almost phase through his body in order to land strikes on her. The fight starts to look a little one-sided with Huntare able to use his powers again. Lirhys jumps back to avoid a roundhouse kick aimed at her head. Lirhys smiles at Huntare and says, "Ok. Guess I should get serious now." Huntare smiles back and nods. Lirhys closes her eyes and flips the blades to hold them with the bottom of the pommel facing towards Huntare and the blades running along her forearm. "I'm sorry, Lioness, but I need the Huntress," she whispers to herself. She opens her eyes and dashes at Huntare with increased speed and for one of the first times, people see Huntare actually force to fight defensively when using his powers. Her speed boost prevents him from being able to phase since he can't pinpoint where the attack is going to land. Lirhys' kicks also seem to pack a stronger force of impact. Huntare grimaces and tries to regain the advantage, but she catches him being too aggressive and spins under his punch and past him. Her blade has a hint of red to it as a droplet hits the ground behind her. Huntare sees the blood on the blade and looks down in awe. He touches it to see how deep the wound is and upon checking, he looks at Zanya.
"Taser, may I?" Zanya sees the blood and even though, she had heard stories about him before he was sealed, she had never seen it with her own eyes. She looks at Lirhys, who was also now looking at her with a smirk on her face. "I guess your pet can bleed." Zanya, with a look of newfound irritation, turns her gaze back to Huntare and speaks, "Ialaer, tia Tastol." ("Unleash, my Champion.") Huntare nods and changes his fighting stance. Lirhys readies herself and Huntare vanishes. He appears right in front of her and vanishes again, but Lirhys stumbles backwards. Huntare uses his powers to teleport Lirhys towards him as he throws a kick from thirty feet away from her and she drops out of the void and is instantly kicked in her side near her liver. He continues to pummel her while blocking her sword strikes. His strikes don't actually have a great deal of power behind them, but they target nerve clusters. His last two strikes make her arms spasm causing her to drop her swords. He growls at her as he slides his right foot back behind and his right hand comes back like a claw right behind his face. The nerves in Lirhys' body are spasming, leaving her basically helpless before him.
Zanya watches on and while the other recruits are cheering, she realizes that there is something familiar about the stance. The Crown Prince! She recalls a visit from the Crown Prince of Yujia, who is a distant relative, but one that she is close to. It was last year after Huntare had already become her bodyguard and teammate. He had described the stance to her and told her that if she ever saw Huntare fall into the stance and his right hand started to phase in and out of sight that he was losing control to his more primal side and was preparing to kill. Huntare sets into the position and Zanya runs towards him, "Huntare!!" He does not acknowledge her. The look in his eyes as he looks at Lirhys is one of pure malice. He lunges forward with his right hand in claw position rushing towards her body as if to rip out of her heart from her chest. Zanya yells, "Huntare, maeri!!" His fingers touch her flesh and feel like the tip of a blade against her before he suddenly stops upon hearing the command to stand down. It was a command that was only used by his master to "sheathe" his weapon when Huntare was losing control. The struggle on his face is visible to Lirhys as he finally regains control and steps back from her. He grabs Lirhys by the throat and lifts her off the ground. He chokeslams her into the ground and kneels before Zanya. With his hand squeezing the throat of the female Blade, he speaks in a still somewhat feral tone, "Taser... victory." She smiles at him and takes his hand from around Lirhys' throat. Zanya extends her hand to Lirhys, who had suddenly stopped having spasms. Lirhys looks at Zanya and begrudgingly sighs with a nod and takes her hand. Not the strongest, Zanya struggles a bit to pick her up, but succeeds. She looks at Huntare and tells him to rise. "Forgive me, Taser." Zanya shakes her head and tells him that he did what was necessary. Zanya looks at Lirhys and places her right hand on her own chest and her left on Lirhys' chest and Lirhys feels a surge of energy flow through her. Lirhys looks at Zanya with a look of shock and asks, "What was that?!" Huntare answers, "The primary reason, we haven't lost any of our matches even when two against three." Zanya places her hand on Huntare, but he steps back and tells her that he is fine. "Taser, don't overdo it. I have endured worse before." He smiles at her and she tells him that she's healing him later. Lirhys looks at Zanya and starts to ask, "Why did you --" but before she can finish, recruits from the Orb faction rush over to congratulate Huntare and Zanya.
The reaction for Lirhys is distinctly different. What few "friends" she had were fellow Blade recruits, but after losing publicly and at the end being dominated by Huntare the way she was, she was sure that things were about to get worse for her. As it would have it, they did. She was harassed and teased for the following week when she was in the Blade barracks. Her bed was drenched in water magic twice, then when that got old, the other recruits hid her bed outside of the barracks. Finally, her roommate had switched out of their room. The disturbances were starting to affect her training and things were breaking down between the newly formed team as she was on a razor's edge. Zanya senses it and asks Lirhys what's bothering her. Lirhys tries to shrug it off, but can't and finally explains to them the problem. "Blade Corps respect strength and combat prowess and I lost to an Orb and it happened in front of upperclassmen and one of our Chief Instructors. With me being on your team, it's even worse because I'm basically your slave. I lost and now I must serve the Princess as her new pet. I haven't had a peaceful night's rest since that fight. So I'm sorry that I'm not jumping at your every command." Zanya snickers and shakes her head. "I don't particularly care about Blade or Shield... or Orb for that matter. You have a choice, Lirhys. You can move into my room until the tournament is over and that isn't really up for debate. I need you at your best and this is far from it. The tournament begins in 6 weeks and rankings are finalized in 5. As it stands right now, we are not in the top 3, which is where we need to be in order to get one of the Bonus Charms, which can put us ahead of our competition before the tournament even begins. Also, I'm guessing you know who your tormentors are, yes?" Lirhys looks at Zanya and nods. Zanya, with a devilish grin on her face, says, "Good. We're going to have some fun with them. If you so choose that is."
As Zanya had highlighted, her prowess is not in combat. She is a Yujia princess, however, and the Yujia are most known and feared because of their affinity, if you will, for information gathering and espionage. The trio spend the rest of the day plotting together. Once their plan is set, Zanya uses her "intelligence network" within the Academy to divulge true and embarrassing information about the Blade recruits that had been harassing Lirhys. With Lirhys staying with Zanya, she was no longer being bothered. It is difficult enough to reach her in the Orb dormitory, but Zanya is one of those people that you do not cross. Day after day, Zanya continued her assault. Lirhys just laughed at it all, which pleased Zanya to see a softer side of the female Blade recruit. Using Zanya's ability to sneak around guards and scouts, they sneak into the Blade Barracks back to back nights and play pranks on the girls who had been harassing Lirhys, especially her former roommate. Zanya knew that her roommate had been sleeping with a rather unpopular and kind of dorky Blade recruit. So when she knew they would be meeting up, she had one of her friends work with Huntare to exact revenge against her. Her friend's power is the ability to create liquid-like orbs that can be used for scouting or spying. Huntare was needed to allow the spying orb access to the room. An additional one found its way into the Great Room of each of the faction barracks. This prank may not have been as bad if it wasn't for the fact that Zanya knew quite the detail about the former roommate's.. "sexy sounds". Needless to say, the Blade recruits burst into the room right after they were finished with they both newfound respect for the boy, but also new material to make fun of him as well as he enjoys some rather... unique experiences and has an entertaining pet name. The former roommate is not so fortunate as she is ridiculed over the ordeal. One thing that Lirhys learns in all of this is that while Zanya often is viewed as being very regal and sweet, she is extremely vicious in her attacks against enemies.
