Cursed Draw

“Beating a higher rank? It isn’t easy, they are usually stronger, usually faster, and always more durable. Assuming the gap between you is within reason it can be done, but you need to get them off balance any way you can and keep them that way”

-Leshy Knots talking with his son post training.

Chapter 30: Dawn Hunt Vs Crashing Wave -Part One

Darius

Darius had only just managed to save the cage Alley was atop. Bursting from the water he had found himself on a small platform that had once been part of the large pier. Instantly he saw the Demi-Human and the gathering Water Resonance around her two-handed blade. She was preparing to launch another wave at…Darius followed her gaze, at Alley and scared townsfolk he was perched above for some reason.

‘Well, that's no good.’

Being Demi-Human the lady was rank nine, so he knew she was going to be crazy strong. That meant if Darius was going to stop the woman from killing his friend he would have to deflect the blade with near-perfect timing.

‘Yeah screw that.’ he thought to himself before attempting the far simpler, far more obvious solution. Darius ran at the woman, dropped into a light crouch at the last second, and did his very best to ram his spear through her chest.

Having spotted Darius from her peripheral vision the demi-human half turned to face him bringing her blade down to block his thrust with the flat of the weapon. A slash of blue Resonance still fired from the sword but it was an awkward addition to the block and only vaguely in Alley’s direction.

That was good. What was less of a positive was just how right Darius found himself when it came to the Demi-human’s strength. While she wasn’t about to shatter his spear the fish-woman had no issue pushing him back. Something he allowed without resistance; Darius wasn’t about to win a contest of power with a rank nine, and his spear and height advantage meant he wanted distance anyway.

Shoved skidding across the wet planks Darius adjusted his footing so as not to fall over. The red-headed boy fully expected his opponent to immediately follow up, it's what he would have done. Instead, she froze, eyes tracking something over his shoulder. Blinking in surprise she let out a joyous little giggle.

“Your friend just dived into the water.” said the Demi-Human

“Yeah and?” Asked Darius.

“He is sacrificing himself to the god!” She exclaimed with a gesture to the Stats and Resonance runes that floated above the huge dorsal fin of the shark monster.

“God?” Scoffed Darius. “That thing is just a big fish.” He knew he was being unfair, it wasn’t just a big fish. It was a very big fish, in fact, if Darius had to describe the oddly fat shark he had seen with his Pursuit-infused eyes in a single word it could only be ‘Ginormagantuan’.

“Alley is a fisherman, he’ll be fine. In fact, he’s gonna clean and gut that thing.” He went on intentionally goading her.

Darius had never encountered ‘killing intent’ and he had been all over the world with his family. He was almost certain it was just nonsense, old hunters and soldiers spouted to add a little extra spice to their stories.

The feeling he suddenly got from the woman made him reassess. Her girlish cheer had vanished utterly, replaced by a desire to kill him that was definitely palpable.

“I'm going to shred you!”

Her left hand was practically shaking with fury when she flicked it up to see the tiny images of her redrawn Cards. As with before she played her entire hand…or at least she tried to.

“Cyclonic Crash, Flashing sca-”

Darius already knew the four Cards he held, he had memorized his hand whilst still under the water. Primal Forge, Dawn Shot, Brood Queen’s Venom, Scent The Blood.

The split-second advantage of not having to check his Cards along with not ranting in anger, gave Darius the chance to interrupt her.

“Dawnshot!” He shouted at the same time as he hurled his bone spear at the woman’s chest.

The Card activated and Darius’ eyes briefly glowed golden as the weapon left his fingers.

The Demi-Human slipped to the side in a blur of motion, only to find the spear had shifted trajectories to meet her at the new location. Eyes going wide in surprise she brought the two-handed sword down to block the projectile.

To her credit, the demi-human's reflexes were clearly a finely tuned instrument. Darius wouldn’t have been able to make that block had he been caught off guard like she was. That didn’t matter to him though. The hunter had never intended the undodgeable attack to do more than keep his opponent in place for a second. Darius dashed forward exploding into a leap to cover the last few feet he simultaneously slammed his left knee into her jaw and snatched the deflected spear out of the air.

“Primal Forge: Cleavers” He declared without hesitation the moment he felt the weapon touch his hand.

Darius’ bone spear seemed to melt and flow like water congealing into a pair of jagged bone cleavers. With one blade in each hand, Darius landed and brought the two blades down slamming into her collarbone on either side. He had hoped to practically take her head from her shoulders with the move, but he should have known killing a rank nine wouldn’t be so easy.

While the cleavers punched through her scales, the life essence flowing through her veins meant her flesh resisted the damage, both pushing against his attacks and trying to heal the wound. Letting out an indignant shriek the demi-human lashed out with a short kick to Darius’ midsection.

The air rushed out of the boy as he was hurled from the platform by the force of the blow. Crashing into the water Darius fought to right himself and hold onto the pair of cleavers. For maybe the millionth time since they had changed he found himself grateful for his eye’s ability to see in the dark. The cold salt water stung his vision but keeping his eyes open meant he was quickly able to scramble up onto a larger portion of the remaining pier.

Back on the little ten-by-ten platform the fish woman occupied Darius could see steam rising from demi-human’s wounds as at least two of the vials inside her emptied to flood the damaged portion of flesh with even more life essence. The same process would take place should Darius get sufficiently wounded, though there was no question which one of them could endure it happening more times.

In fact, if he thought about it the boy wasn’t even sure he had enough to survive an injury like the one he had inflicted. His own flesh wouldn’t fight a blade anywhere near as much as hers had either. Sucking in air as water dripped down his face Darius noticed he wasn’t the only one panting.

Watching each other the pair readied themselves for the next clash. Darius could see Water-Resonance flowing around her arms now, some sort of effect to do with the Card she had managed to activate already.

“You aren’t very good at this.” He called with a little smile. Rage flickered across her face again and she let out a wordless scream culminating in using another Card. “RIPTIDE STEP!!” The woman roared and took off sprinting towards him. Rather than dive into the water separating them her booted feet glowed with Resonance as she ran across the waves.

‘So far so good.’ Darius thought to himself at the headlong charge. Demi-Humans he knew had a tendency to be easy to goad. Well, that or just be madder than a ShadeWing Rider. It was why most people who used Trials Decks, his own mother included, never even tried to ‘Cross The Mountain.’ Reaching Rank Nine with a Trials Deck was actually considerably easier than doing it with a True Deck. The problem was that it changed you in bizarre ways, body and mind.

Many people who committed to growing their power and reached the status of a Demi-Human changed so much that they just plain forgot that they had intended it to be a temporary state of affairs. From there they usually abandoned the search for Rank Eight and simply pursued whatever mad goals their harmonized minds now believed to be important.

“Flashing Scales” Declared the woman who instantly doubled in speed. Darius had never fought someone like this before. A person who would just play their entire hand and rush at you like you owed them money. All in all, it wasn’t a bad strategy, but anyone who couldn’t adapt would struggle against a hunter from the Knots clan.

Kicking off the water the Demi-Human launched herself high into the air, well above the pier Darius stood upon. Expecting some sort of huge slash the redhead danced backward and brought his bone cleavers in front of himself in a crossed guard. He managed to avoid the chopping overhead strike the woman launched down at him.

Unfortunately, the Water resonance flowing around her arms surged down the weapon and struck the pier at Darius’ feet. Unleashing the built-up ‘Cyclonic Crash’ attack in the form of a slicing Resonance whirlwind that lifted the hunter from his feet.