TM
Crichton turned to see who his audience was. A clapping and smiling man with glistening black eyes was before him. He was quite tall, five foot nine by estimation. Judging from his looks he was at his thirties or so, he had long black hair that reached his shoulders which was gently waving following the soft and gentle breeze. He had a very noble look as he wore his long black cape with dignity. On the left portion of his black vest was a crest that Crichton had never seen before, it was a silver pointed cross with a sparkling white crystal in the middle, surrounding the cross were symbols of a sword, a staff, a helm and a rod.
“Quite impressive young man…” The man said in a soft cheerful voice, still clapping as he walked towards Crichton. “…eight of Arcania’s finest down in merely seconds, beaten by a sheathed sword. Not many can do that actually.” The man stopped clapping and stood motionless. He was three feet away from Crichton. “For several years I have never seen such a noble act… saving a boy you hardly even know… from my unit.” The man gently smiled at Crichton.
“His unit? I heard Golden Knights have the highest rank in an Arcanian unit… who is this guy?” These thoughts filled Crichton’s head.
“As noble as your intentions may be… you still attacked my unit. Its not that I have something against what you have done young man, but I have to do this. Let’s just call this a friendly spar… Shall we begin?” The man crossed his arms and waited for Crichton’s reply.
“I understand…” Crichton said as he took his stance, ready to attack. “I’ve got an advantage of speed against him…” Crichton said in his mind “…His height and his long cape will surely slow him down… but why hasn’t he taken stance yet? Why is he just standing there? Oh well here goes.”
Crichton ran toward the man and quickly thrust his sword at his smiling face. Crichton was surprised for he only hit nothing but air. The man only moved his head away from the attack. Still just standing still with arms crossed. Crichton jumped back for he expected a counter attack. The man straightened his head and smiled once more, still not moving an inch.
Crichton ran again, the man was still standing with his arms crossed refusing to take an offensive or defensive stance. Crichton swung at the man’s left stomach. A loud clash of metal echoed throughout the plaza.
Crichton was in disbelief. “How could he have unsheathed his sword and block my attack in an instant? He wasn’t even in a defensive stance… he was just standing with arms crossed when I swung at him, how… how could he have done that?”
Crichton jumped back once more as the man slowly sheathed his blade.
“Why don’t you unsheathe your blade boy, you’ll do better without that heavy scabbard of yours, funny though… you’ve got a metal casing, don’t you know that’ll dull your blade?” The man was smiling yet again.
“I may be a slayer sir but I’m not a killer which is why I won’t unsheathe this blade…”
“Noble lad, very noble”
Crichton rushed towards the man and tried to sweep his leg. As if his eyes were deceiving him the man suddenly vanished.
“Ah yes… the Fallen Angel technique, sweep forwards, strike upwards, jump and kick downwards and slash while falling… proves useful only for stunned and confused enemies though.”
The man was suddenly behind Crichton, still with his gentle smile and crossed arms.
“How could he move so fast? He couldn’t possibly move that fast with his cape still on? How…” Thoughts flew inside Crichton’s mind. “…I trained under a Valiant …I was the only student… How could this man know how the Fallen Angel is executed? How could he know how it is used?”
“I still say you’ll move a lot faster if you lose the sheath lad…”
Crichton swung his sheath at the man’s feet, this time the man leapt to the air.
“There’s no way I’ll miss him with this one, no one can dodge at mid air…” Crichton rested his sheathed sword on the ground. He leapt to the air, but even before he was close enough to attack the man vanished.
“Hey lad, get down from there! Your Grievance Strike won’t work either!” The man was surprisingly back on the ground, he was calling to Crichton with his hands cupping his mouth.
As Crichton fell back to the ground confusion filled his mind. “How could he be back on the ground in an instant? How did he know about my Grievance Strike? Who is this guy?”
Crichton was beginning to lose his patience. He rushed and swung at the man using quick and consecutive random attacks. As if the man could read Crichton’s mind he dodged each one with ease, he still even had his arms crossed. As fast as lightning, a sheath darted out of the man’s cape hitting Crichton at the face. Crichton fell back.
“Sorry about that, you were getting quite close… but you could have hit me if you lose the sheath…” the man said smiling, placing his sheath back to his waist, he crossed his arms once more.
Crichton wiped his bleeding lips and smiled as well. He ran faster than ever holding his sheathed blade by his left waist, when he was near enough he spun around as fast as a top. After completing his turn Crichton swung at the man’s right knee. A loud clash filled the plaza. The man blocked Crichton’s attack with his sheath once more, but this time Crichton was prepared, the strong impact made Crichton spin to the other direction.
“Now I’ve got you, no one could ever block the recoil hit of the Angel Halo.” Crichton said in his mind, a wild grin visible in his face.
An earsplitting clash of metal filled the plaza which was now crowded with onlookers.
Crichton could not believe his eyes. For the man’s sword was now unsheathed and plainly blocking his attack.
“That recoil attack was only executed in a fraction of a second… how did he manage to unsheathe his sword in a split second? How…?”
With Crichton distracted, the man kicked Crichton’s chest which made him fall back.
“The Angel Halo will only be useful on a slow opponent lad…” The man was smiling again, slowly sheathing his blade.
Crichton’s chest wounds were now bleeding because of the last hit, Crichton grasped his blade. He pulled his sword out halfway, revealing the black Rifter blade, and then he heard the man say…
“Alas the search for one is over…” The man disappeared right before Crichton’s eyes.
Crichton suddenly felt a heavy blow at the back of his head…
…his vision faded and finally he fell unconscious.