A Test of Skill III

What makes a hero? Is it their unwavering conviction? Their unbreakable strength? Or how they shine so bright, even in the darkest of nights?

When I was a kid, I was enamored with tales of such heroes. Always dreaming of meeting one myself, to see their shining brilliance for myself.

I’m not sure if this is what I expected.

Noel stepped into the ring with a cheery smile on her face. Her opponent -Nashir Leogold, the youngest military officer in our country’s history- stood still in a defensive stance, as if goading an attack.

So, she obliged. She ran in, swinging down her sword with two hands.

“You’ve got good strength behind that.” Nash parried the swing easily. “But you’re too obvious.”

“Then how about this?” She stepped in again, swinging overhead again. No, swinging would be an overstatement. They were wild, haphazard blows, raining down again and again like a hammer upon an anvil. Yet each time they were met and blocked. The sound of clashing steel reverberated throughout the room.

“You’re pretty good. For a rookie. Still, you need to work on your technique. And especially-” Nash pushed back against the swing, and followed it up with a swift roundhouse to her side. “On your defense.”

The blow was enough to stagger her back, her feet already pushed to the edge of the ring. “That’s not fair!” She groaned.

“I already told you all you needed to know. In a real fight, there isn’t such a thing as ‘fair’.” He spoke not like that crude wretch from earlier, but as a proper instructor.

“Now then.” He shifted his stance slightly. To an untrained eye it probably looked like he just took a small step to the side, but I’ve been watching him train since we were kids. He was about to go on the offensive.

A single step forward, and in a blink of an eye he vanished. No, he was simply moving faster than I could see. He reappeared in front of Noel with a slash from the side.

He… he was taking this as seriously as possible, wasn’t he? Well, it wouldn’t be a proper test otherwise. The flow of mana was thick around his body, wrapped around him almost like a second layer of skin.

“...!” Yet the sword did not find purchase. “I’m surprised.” He glanced to his side where Noel stood, the same relaxed smile on her face as always. “Looks like I misjudged you.”

“Man, you’re a lot faster here than when we were jogging!” I couldn’t even see her dodge.

“Let’s see if you can keep it up.” The offense quickened. Slash after slash, increasing in speed, coming from all possible angles. But somehow, she kept evading. Nimbly dodging to the sides to not get forced out of the ring, her body twisted in incredible contortions. All without a trace of magic on her.

And yet…

“I’ll admit, you’re quite agile.” He dropped his sword to the side, shifting his weight once again. “But I already told you that you need to improve on your defense.” Without looking, he thrusted with the pommel of the blade, catching her in the shoulder. She grimaced, but held her ground, leaping back to the edge of the ring in retreat.

“If you keep doing the same thing over and over I’m gonna catch on eventually, y’know.”

“Oh. Okay! Let’s try this then!” She beamed excitedly, as if this was just a game to her, as if completely clueless of her own injuries.

This had to end. I couldn’t bear to see her get hit again. But if it ended now… It had to keep going. She had to succeed, for both of our sakes.

She dashed in as low to the ground as possible, dragging her sword behind her. I blinked, and she already was within reach. She swung her blade, slashing at his ankles.

“Alrighty, I gave you plenty of opportunities to give up.” He said something strange. “So don’t blame me for what happens next.” Was he not even fighting at full strength?

He leapt impossibly high, jumping over Noel’s attack, to her visible confusion. Then, he came down with incredible power. This was his signature magic. Using his Steelskin magic to multiply the force of his blows tenfold. With the weight of solid steel behind the strike, Noel could only let out a sharp gasp before collapsing to the floor.

“...So it’s over, then.” I stood up from the sidelines.

“Seems that way.” He sighed, putting away their weapons. “Sorry about that. Didn’t want to hurt your lady too badly in front of you. I’ll go call for some field medics.” A magic sigil appeared in his hand as he spoke a few words into it.

“She was pretty impressive.”

He shook his head. “A loss is still a loss.”

“Wasn’t she… Couldn’t you see how skilled she was? That’s not some ordinary person. She has to be…” She has to be a hero. I couldn’t finish my words. I didn’t want to admit it. I was clinging onto any last sliver of hope.

“She’s got talent, I’ll give you that. If she wanted to, I’m sure she’d be a force to reckon with after she got some proper training.”

“See? The summoning didn’t fail. She… She’s a true-”

“You need to stop.” His blunt words interrupted me.

“W-why? My research had finally paid off. With her, we can save everyone!” If I kept saying things like that outloud, then surely they must be true. I might have been thinking something like that, even though it was completely illogical.

“I’ve humored you for too long, man. But this obsession is gonna be the death of you. Besides, a real hero would’ve beaten me, right? Otherwise we wouldn’t call them ‘heroes’.”

“How can you say something like that? You of all people should understand!” Without even thinking, my voice was getting louder.

“I knew it.” His words were cold. “This isn’t about her, or whatever sorta heroics you hoped to conjure up.”

Don’t say it.

“It’s about vengeance.”

Shut up.

“Nah, vengeance is too noble of a word. Vindication is more apt.”

A familiar feeling overcame me. He was just running his mouth, saying what he liked. So, I socked him in the jaw.

He chuckled, completely unscathed. Damn, that hurt. It was like punching solid steel. “Finally got a nice reaction outta you.”

“I don’t care if what I’m doing is self-serving. You should know how important this will be to so many people. How many people she has the power to save.”

I’ve never forgotten that day. That accursed day, eight years ago. The thick scent of sulfur clinging to the air. Towering trees and buildings snapped like twigs. A small village not far from the city, devoid of sound. Not a single living soul in sight.

The image is seared in my memory. Death as far as I could see. An indiscriminate slaughter. The entire village ripped apart into unrecognizable lumps of flesh and blood. That pile of meat, still on the bone, could have been my mother. That pulverized puddle of blood and crushed flesh could have been my father. That burning mess of still-pulsating mass might have been my neighbors, or the chief. And that trail of blood and entrails, leading to our secret hiding place we had agreed to meet at, could only have belonged to…

“You’re still thinking about her, aren’t you.”

“Not just her. Everyone… I will never forget what happened. If I can prevent that from happening to anyone else, then all my efforts will be worth it. Shouldn’t you feel the same?”

“Trust me. I understand more than you’ll ever know.” He looked at me with a weary smile. “So don’t throw away your lives chasing pipe dreams, alright? I don’t want to see anyone else I know die.”

“...” His eyes told a story. I never pried into what he’d experienced as an officer. But… he still must’ve seen his fair share of death.

But even so. “I… no, we still need to try. She can be a symbol of hope. I’m sure of it!” Ever since I uncovered and deciphered those ancient scrolls, ever since I spent years tirelessly studying and developing my summoning skills, they were all in service of this. For her to become a hero.

“Say. Have you ever fought a demon? Not one of those scavengers that sometimes wanders near town. A real demon.”

The answer was no. But I couldn’t say that. Admitting it would mean admitting I was wrong.

“The most common strategy for encountering one is to run. It takes a full squad of twelve knights to have a chance at slaying one. Even so, the expected survival rate is twenty percent.”

“So what do you expect you and your little hero can do?”

I clenched my fists. There was nothing to say.

He smiled, and patted me on the back roughly. “Well, that’s about what I expected. I just hope you think about what I said and sleep on it.”

“And you too, lady.” He spoke to Noel, who was still lying on the floor. “How long are ya gonna keep pretending to be asleep?”

“Aww, you got me!” I heard her muffled voice say.

He whistled. “Guess you’re tougher than you look. How much did you hear?”

“Uh, most of it!” She struggled to raise her head at us, but fell back down again. “You really hurt, y’know.”

“Here. Grab my hand.” I stepped forward, wrenching her off of the floor and lending my shoulder for her to lean on.

“Lemme help. We can carry her to the infirmary together.”

I just stared forward and nodded.

Nash shrugged. “Silent treatment, huh? Well, let’s just hope you two take my words to heart.”

She looked confusedly at the two of us, before staring at him with a kind, innocent smile.

“Don’t worry! I’ll be just fine.” She said those words without a trace of fear or hesitation.

And when I looked at her face, I almost believed them.