章節 158: Lovers In Sync
"Why are mothers and aunts fighting?"
Ellani's innocent inquiry made Yulia chuckle as she carried the little dark-elf in her arms.
"Don't worry, Ellani, it's not a serious fight. They are fighting so your two aunts can become an adventurer."
The mermaid next to them chided, " Hah! What do you mean it's not serious? Ellamir's in the arena."
Indeed, Maessha and Alara are both taking the Guild exam so they could taste the life of an adventurer, Ellamir will not simply hand them victory on a platter, they must earn it. As a matter of fact, it was her idea to 'spice things' up and make the fight two against two.
"Pfft, Antani's there as well. She'll be sure to rein in Ellamir. " Stefano joined in the conversation. As prideful as Ellamir could get, Antani never failed to knock Ellamir down from her high horse in a way that these lovers only could. One might say that Antani had Ellamir whipped, but it is a whip made from utmost love. Its sting, radiating nothing but care.
"True, true, but let's not undestimate Ellamir's stupidity." Gloria agreed but not until slandering her dark-elf friend.
The crowd gathered to witness the might of a Frost-giant with their own eyes. Hardly straying from the frigid north, they came to confirm if the tales of these giants being battle-hardened fighting machines are indeed true. And let us not exclude the fight between dark-elf royals, shadows pitted against shadows. Although Ellamir held the upper hand as she unlocked her armor's final form, Maessha still had a few trump card up her sleeves.
And to complete the mix was a human, whose swordsmanship could be considered near the peak. Antani might look like the odd one out, but her skills with the blade and Amazoness battle arts allowed her to stand in the Guild arena with these contenders whose might exceeded the preternatural.
Stretching her arms to prepare for the undoubtedly fierce clash, Antani stretched her arms right beside Ellamir.
"Remember, love, we are in here to test our sisters. There's no need to turn this into a grudge match, let's just think of this a friendly spar."
The option to yield was even available to Ellamir just so Maessha could earn the mark of a true adventurer, Elaria's dragon necklace that dangled in Ellami and Antani's neck. Her gaze went to Blue giantess from afar, standing next to her sister. Like Yulia, she had this scratch that only a fight with Alara could fix. Unlike Yulia whose motivation lay in her lust for battle, Ellamir's was to put Alara in her place.
"That is true. But think about it, this is your moment to finally get back at Alara from your defeat at her hands! I can help you!"
"Ellamir Neldeth! I can't believe you're thinking of sabotaging your sister's own guild test! How absolutely shameless of you!"
Tempted not even in the slightest, the diabolic suggestion of Ellamir had no effect on her lover. Antani even had this look of disgust.
"No, not my sister's, yours!"
"Absolutely not! This is your final warning, Ellamir, Don't. Do. Anything. Stupid!"
"Tsk!" Ellamir clicked her tongue, it appears she will need to proceed with her plan alone. So much for roping Antani in.
"Listen to me, if you become the reason our sisters don't pass this test, you will be sleeping in the couch for an entire week!"
"What, that is so unfair! You can't kick me out of our bedroom!"
"I can and I will! Don't do anything dumb, and you won't have to worry about it!"
From afar, Alara and Maessha laughed at the antics of their sisters from afar.
"Alara, look, at those two. I can't believe they're about to fight at a time like this."
"Exactly, it makes me think if they're even up to this." Alara smirked. Their sisters would need their undecided focus if they want to offer at least a decent match.
Myreanne stepped into the middle of the arena.
"Calling forth those who will take the exam."
As the pairs heeded the examiner's call, the sisters faced each other in a standoff. Antani against Maessha, Ellamir glaring at the relaxed Alara.
"Alara, Maessha, the rules are simple, knock your opponents out or have them yield. Once I see that both parties are gravely injured, I shall intervene to stop the match."
As all matches should, this one should have enough flare to stoke the crowd. Especially since it's a match for royals. They need a clash with no one holding back. With the dark elf staring daggers at her, Alara had a rough guess on how to draw out 'all' of Ellamir's strength.
"Hey, Ellamir, why don't you save yourself the humiliation and just yield. We both know you're not winning against me."
A smile mixing bloodlust, restraint, and fury. The only thing chaining her from a rage-induced rampage was Antani's threat of spending the nights room apart from Ellani and Antani.
"Keep yapping, Alara. It makes it all the more sweeter once I punch you in that blue mug of yours."
Meanwhile, Antani and Maessha exchanged cordial smiles.
"I've been eager for so long to test your blade against my magic, sister."
How genuine Maessha's utterance of the word sister melted Antani's heart, then and there she wanted to yield for how adorable Maessha is. But an Amazoness honors her opponent through the blade.
"Sure thing, sister. Let's make this a match to remember." Antani replied, mirroring how Maessha unabashedly regarded to her as family.
The moment Myreanne exited the stage, she shouted, "Let the Guild test commence!"
Coated in pristine, limitless darkness, Ellamir took not her Drider form, but simply the second phase of her Shadow armor. Ellamir knelt, the spider legs on her back pierced and anchored the stone floor. Wasting no time, Antani pumped mana into her legs and arms. With superhuman speed, Antani used Ellamir's back as a launching pad.
Blitzing through the air with both hands on her sword hilt, blade ready to slash the now armored Maessha. Of course, Antani channeled no mana into her blade, for Maessha's darkness lacked the bottomless depth that both Ellamir and Zorrla possessed. But with her arms empowered, the swing of her blade will no doubt bludgeon Maessha even with the sword's bladed edge.
Arms raised, Maessha's only form of defense as Antani and Ellamir's assault had been instantaneous, hoping that the speeding Antani will be neutralized by her shadow armor's durability!
A loud bang shook the arena.
Antani's blade met no Maessha's armor, but her sister's spear. Alara's immaculate reflex parried Antani's sword, their weapons now locked.
"Antani, have you forgotten I am also here?" Alara smirked, a smirk that said no blade will touch Maessha as long the frost giant is around.
"Not at all. I apologize but could you entertain Ellamir for a while as I put Maessha's sorcery to the test? She's been very 'eager' to play with you."
A ploy to lock Alara's attention on Antani. The moment Alara realized it, Ellamir flew faster than a speeding arrow, tackling Alara's side. Had Alara been a regular human, such attack would have destroyed her ribs. How did Ellamir achieved such fearsome velocity!? The secret was the spider legs on her back that anchored on the floor, slinging him like a cannonball the moment her two legs kicked the ground.
"Alara!" The worried Maessha shouted but a kick to her armored stomach made her stumble backwards.
"Don't your worry, dear sister, Alara is in good hands..." Antani's smile vanished the moment she realized the implications of what she uttered. "...oh, who are we kidding. She's in terrible hands."
"Hey, I heard that!" Ellamir shouted as she pummeled the frost Giant on the floor with her fist but even with Alara pinned, the Giantess' blue arms shielded her face from each and every one of Ellamir's blow. A defense made possible only by the remarkable toughness of a Frost-giant's skin and her skill as an Amazon warrior.
Maessha tried to cast spells only for Antani to interrupt her with either a blade or a kick, further forcing Alara backwards.
"Don't underesitimate my sister, Ellamir. Be mindful of your punches, if you keep talking while fighting, she's going to..."
"Aaaaah!"
Ellamir's scream echoed, with a masterful reversal, the Frost-giant slipped past one of Ellamir's punches, her mighty legs twisted on Ellamir's leg as Alara put the armored menace on an arm bar submission hold.
"... she's going to do that. You never learn, do you, love?"
"Yield, Ellamir. I've broken your nose before, don't make me do the same with your arm."
Strength against strength, but their measure differed, one of borne from malefic magic and one borne from natural might. Both equally as deadly.
Although pained, Ellamir still managed to let out a laugh, "How nice of you to remind me...ugh...I guess I'll have to pay you back on that by breaking a few of your bones!"
Searing the air, the sound of oncoming fireballs, alerted Antani. She rolled to the side before it can scorch her. They have Stefano on standby but that doesn't mean she fancied the idea of her skin getting burnt.
Antani's worry for Ellamir grabbing her attention away from Maessha for a moment was all it took for the sorcerer to produce twenty homing fireballs hovering above her, each the size of a fist, making it faster and harder to dodge.
"Have faith in your lover, Sister Antani, let us continue. Show me how a warrior of your calibre dodges through all of these fireballs."
Antani's lips curved into a smile, welcoming Maessha's challenge.
A single wave of her hands, Maessha's fireballs all flew in unison, seeking to burn their target true.
Running as fast her legs would take her, Antani shouted, "Ellamir, heads up!"
Locked in a battle of vigor, Ellamir and Alara were both dead even. Yet the one that had the edge was Ellamir for behind her, she had extra limbs that lifted her off the ground. Ellamir's pride refusing to use it earlier for she wanted to free herself from Alara's hold by raw strength alone. A pride Ellamir would readily abandon the moment Antani needed her.
As Ellamir wedged herself upwards, the Frost giant's hold remained like a stubborn python refusing to let go of its prey.
"I don't know what you're planning, Ellamir but you're going to leave this Arena with a broken arm if you don't yield!"
"I'm not planning shit, it's your sister that's the conniving one." Ellamir chuckled.
"What!?"
Suddenly, Antani passed between the wedge underneath Ellamir, confusing the hell out of Alara. Of course, the fireballs followed suit, but before they can chase after Antani, the spider legs on Ellamir's back slammed them both to the ground. A safe passage only for Antani, Ellamir crushed the fireballs with Alara's behind.
Both Alara and Ellamir rolled away after the smoke cleared. Alara grazed from the blast while Ellamir remained unharmed. As they both took their lovers' side, Ellamir taunted.
"That's it!? You call yourselves lovers!? You both suck at fighting together!"
Never minding her sister's rudeness, Maessha immediately took the Giantess' side, Maessha questioned, "Alara, are you alright!? I...I apologize for hitting you."
Alara underestimated their opponents, getting hit with her lover's fireballs, Alara couldn't have asked for a better wake-up call.
"Don't sweat it, Maessha, I'm fine. Besides, it's not your fault. These two are adept when it comes to fighting together."
"True, it's like they weren't even bickering before the fight began! The are in sync!"
Picking up her spear from the ground, held it with both hands, her stance ready to charge at both her foes.
"We cannot beat them at their own game, but perhaps we can keep them separated. I shall keep Ellamir pinned, go all out with your spells and don't let them near each other. One more time, are you ready?"
Lightning coursed through Maessha's shadow clad hands, an element fit for catching up to Antani's speed.
"Born ready, let's show them what we got."
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票