Forgetting the paperwork, Damien took some time to prepare themself before heading downstairs. Many of the hall’s occupants began to funnel out into the streets, money passing between hands as bets were taken.
Damien tensed up, “Ohh I didn’t think this through.”
Charlotte walked up behind them and placed a gentle hand on their back. At her touch Damien took a deep breath as a wave of calm washed over them. They looked down to her in silent surprise, to which she smiled and whispered, “A perk, for befriending a Seraph.”
Damien nodded as thanks, then took another deep breath before walking out and into the centre of the crowd. There awaited Lone Shadow, as well as another Slayer. It was a woman clad in thick, protective gear that bore the insignia of the Church of Engel.
She looked to the two of them and sighed, “Alright, let’s get this over with. Rules are simple; the first one whose shield breaks loses. Understood?” They nodded. “Good, now summon your weapons.”
Damien pulled out their stone with the typical motions and called its name, “Summon, Falcon’s Edge!” With their sword in hand, they equipped their buckler and got into their stance.
Shadow summoned his weapon from a sheath on his side. He grabbed the handle as he called, “Rise, Swift Night!” and unsheathed the blade. It was short with a perfectly straight blade and angled tip, unlike any blade Damien had seen before.
“I call upon thee,” the mage began her chant, using her stone that was embedded in a wand, “Oh Engel, protector of thy children, grant these two Warriors before me divine protection, so they may test their abilities without harm; Shield Of Dueling!”
A faint orange aura covered Damien and Shadow’s bodies, a powerful spell meant to protect people, even Nephilim, from being hurt by blood stone weapons and attacks. Damien was grateful for such magic, especially back at school during training. Knowing now they had always been a Nephilim, things could have gotten dire without it.
With both Slayers posed and protected, the healer rose her hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she flung it down, “Fight!”
Shadow made the first move and bolted forward. He swung from Damien’s left, allowing them to block and parry with their shield. They quickly thrusted their sword, but Shadow nimbly dodged it. He tried again, taking multiple attempts to slash at them, but each one was avoided or parried. Damien took the defensive as Shadow’s steps were too light to get flat footed. They avoided the swipes, jumping and ducking, dodging them all with ease. Shadow was smart for being careful, but his attacks lacked any weight behind them, relying too much on his speed to overwhelm the rookie Slayer.
He growled at Damien’s plan, “Dodging won’t help, kid!”
Damien didn’t respond, focusing on the action. Speed was something they typically had the advantage in, and this time seemed no different. Their body felt lighter, their feet hardly making sound as they danced between Shadow’s blows. They thought back to Lilith as they parried again, staggering Shadow. “Is this the effect of Nephilim magic?”.
Another attack was answered with duck and side step with each slash getting slightly slower. Shadow was growing tired and desperate for a hit, “C’mon! Fight back you coward!” The crowd had joined in on the jeering, calling for them to fight back.
Lilith leaned over to Daniel, “Seriously though, are they gonna actually do somethin’?”
Daniel simply smiled, “Just watch, you’ll see.”
“Fine, keep yer secrets.”
Damien’s focus was locked on Lone Shadow, their eyes tracing the arc of his blade. The next swipe nearly hit, but he had slashed outward, leaving him open. He had done so before, but Damien could see him panting, sweat beading on his forehead as his eyes glared daggers into them. In that moment they saw their opening, and bashed him square in the forehead with their shield. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but the strike sent him stumbling back. He almost regained his footing, but was too slow. As soon as Shadow lost his balance Damien rushed in, closing the distance in an instant with their blade lowered into a thrust, their vision tunneling as they felt the air twist around them.
Like a flash of lightning it was over in a single stroke, too fast to comprehend as Lone Shadow’s barrier shattered. The instant it did the air around Damien whirled outwards, kicking up dust with a loud crack. The crowd had silenced completely. Hardly a second ago they had been complaining at Damien’s lack of offense. Now, Shadow’s knees buckled and hit the stone floor, his face in pure shock as the shield had been broken by one hit.
The silence immediately erupted into cheering. They rushed over to Damien, congratulating them on their victory with some even apologizing for doubting them. They raised their hands and attempted to push the crowd away, but the overwhelming wave of joy and surprise that swept over them left them cheering along with the mob.
“What’s your Slayer name, kid?”
“What rank are ya?”
“Hey hey, I got a spot on my team, join us!”
As the questions started, Lilith shoved her way through the sea of bodies, “Oy, move it or lose it! Team leader, comin’ through!” She elbowed herself in, finally reaching Damien and waved her arms for attention, “This newbie is my teammate so no touchy!” Some of the excitement died down before she smiled slyly, “However! Damien here has yet ta register and needs a name, so drop in yer suggestions and help the kid out!”
The crowd began to disperse with an excited buzz; some made a beeline for the upstairs office, others debated their ideas amongst their peers or looked over the winner in thought, and some pocketed their winnings and made for the halls. The crowd began to peter out, leaving the team alone.
All except for Shadow, who had staggered to his feet and sheathed his sword. Lilith and Daniel got ready to defend until he raised his hands, “Ah, nah, I uh, I accept defeat. Don’t worry.” He looked at Damien and smiled genuinely, “Hey, I’m sorry if what I said really got you.”
Damien looked at him with shock, but felt the sincerity of his words. They shook their head, “No no, I… I’m sorry too.”
Lilith crossed her arms and gave him an amused look, “Y’know, you really should change that strategy of yers. Gonna getcha into trouble one of these days.”
“Eh, serves me right I guess.” She chuckled at him as he turned to leave and gave a last wave, “Later losers.”
She rolled her eyes again, but with a smile, “Stupid idiot.”
Daniel just shook his head, “I am so confused.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lilith waved him off and walked back to the hall, “Let’s get somethin’ ta eat. After all that,” she turned and winked, “I’m sure someone’s gonna treat us.”
Damien laughed and chased after her, “Isn’t that a bit dirty?”
“Hey, free food’s free food!”
Daniel lagged behind, watching them walk off. He started to follow before Charlotte startled him, “You are quite protective of Damien, aren’t you?”
He looked down at her in surprise before shrugging, “Well, yeah, they went through a lot as a kid, and I want to be there for them, that’s all. Why do you say that anyway?”
She started walking to the door, “Nothing in particular. Your emotions simply say there is more to it than that, but I digress.”
Daniel was left alone with her words. He watched the door close, lost in contemplation, then sighed, “It’s not important, so long as I keep that promise, dammit.” He shook his head to clear his thoughts before running to catch up.
Inside the group sat together and enjoyed a meal. Lilith took the time to fill in any gaps that Tairan had left out regarding the Slayer system, like how ranking wasn’t just based on skill, but also personality and reputation, "Everythin', from the clothes ya wear to the way ya carry yerself, all of it can affect yer rank. After all, no one wants a high ranking Slayer with a bad personality."
“What about the Black knight, then? He didn’t seem too friendly, but you said he’s an S rank.” Damien asked as they took a sip of their drink.
Lilith swallowed a mouthful of food, “People like him are different, I guess. He doesn’t work well with others, sure, but he’s got two stones, so I guess he’s strong enough, even with a crap personality.”
“So he does have two stones,” Daniel remarked.
Damien's expression softened, “Yeah, the poor guy. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t talk much.”
“No, that is not the reason,” Charlotte commented while poking at her food in disgust, “He does not speak because he has nothing to say. A madman, driven by emotion and blinded by his past.” She stabbed the last piece of chicken with her fork, “A brute, if you will.”
Daniel chuckled, “I know I shouldn’t laugh but, it’s kinda funny hearing you talk about him. You almost sound angry."”
“Is that so?” She looked to him curiously, then returned to her food, “Humour will always be something I struggle to comprehend.”
Lilith sighed with content as she leaned back from her empty plate, “Ahh, that was good eats. Just gotta do some paperwork, then off ta bed.”
“So,” Daniel started, his voice serious, “tomorrow we head for Merianca?”
She nodded grimly, “Yeah, we’ll take the early train. That way we’ll have plenty of time ta find the place he told ya about.”
Damien’s fists clenched as they gazed down their glass, fierce amber eyes reflected in the liquid’s surface, “Dad...”
The next morning, Damien found themself standing before the registration desk. They had tuned out Daniel and Lilith, his moping over his inability to pick a Slayer name matched only by the sarcasm in her suggestions. Their eyes scanned over the flickering screen, over fourty-seven names having been suggested the night before. “Stormrunner… Azure Lady… Blue Shadow… The Blue Blur…” Eventually their eyes fell on one, and it immediately stuck in their mind.
“Flashing Blade.”
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