"Me? Why me?! I'm just a novice! No, I'm beyond novice! How the hell does Lucy expect me to defeat this "Order Elite" all by myself?!"
These thoughts filled Noah's head while his feet sank on the hot sand. A few meters ahead of him was Lucy, who didn't seem affected by the heat at all (well, that might be explainable, due to her clothes, or lack there of). As he cursed his bad luck under his breath, his mind wandered back to the memories of the meeting.
*
Noah was pretty mad at Lucy for dropping that task on him without warning. In the meeting room, she just pointed to him saying:
-I'm sure Noah's up to the task. I've trained him well and I can see that he has what it takes to beat her. Besides, it's a very good way to get experience.- she turned to him, who still hadn't recovered from the shock.- You can thank me later, kiddo.
-B-but...! Lucy!!-he managed to mumble. He looked over at Merceny, whose gaze threatened to drill a hole through his skull. He gulped. - Why don't you fight her?!
She cocked her head to the side, like he said something blasphemous.
-Meh, I have my own reasons.
-That's such an half assed explanation! Then why doesn't Merceny do it? He's the best bounty hunter here, right?
Lucy bit her lip.
-Merceny...can't.-from the corner of his eye, Noah noticed Merceny's face being painted in shock and rage.- He sustained too many injuries in his last mission and isn't fully recovered. I won't have fight Terri with any less than his best. Don't give me excuses, Noah. If I'm saying that you can beat Terri, it's because I'm 100% sure that you can.
Merceny suddenly rose up from his chair and punched the table.
-Oh, don't give me that crap, Lucy! I can beat that Terri with one hand behind my back and you're sending this small fry to do it?! If you want him killed so bad, I'll gladly do it for you, right here!!- he summoned his Blade and pointed it at Noah, just like he did in the school hallway.
Genesis stopped the sword's trajectory. Lucy gave Merceny a stern look, which was rare, as Noah was concerned.
-Merceny, let's not start this again. I've told you, you're in no shape to fight her. You might lie and say that the last mission was a piece of cake, but you got your ass beat too! I've been in this business far too many years to not notice a wounded person who tries to hide it. I won't have you fight her! I won't have you killed! Terri is dangerous and if you face her like you are now, you can kiss your dreams, your sister and a non-mutilated body goodbye, because after the dust settles, you won't have any of them.
-Why you...!-he looked down and sat back down. Wow, Lucy had some power over him...! Noah gazed at Mercedes and saw her sigh in relief, before quickly returning to her natural stern demeanor.
Then, Master Rye raised his hand.
-If I may ask you something, Lucy, why do you think Noah here is ready to fight Terri T.? From what I've heard, he still hasn't awakened his own Element...
On the other side, Gee didn't seem worried. He took out a thin twig from his robe and bit it, leaving it there on his mouth. It seemed that every decision Lucy made was fine by him. Noah wasn't sure that was due to him liking to suck up to Lucy or just being afraid of defying her.
Lucy smiled and answered.
-Well, Rye, I've been giving Noah every bit of battle training a normal body can sustain every day and, as you can see, he's pretty healthy and in shape. Whenever I knock him down he just gets up and keeps moving forward. Most BladeMasters can't keep up with fighting me everyday, from day one of their training, so the fact that Noah here isn't dead proves his huge potential. If he can withstand large amounts of punishment everyday, I trust that he can take whatever Terri throws at him and still survive.
-W-wait, are you saying that I'm some sort of punching bag?! Lucy...!-Noah moaned. How could she treat him like that? And he was starting to get used to her...
She turned to him, her arms raised in a sign of innocence.
-No,no,no! That's not what I'm saying! What I mean is that you have tons of stamina and your body is freakishly sturdy, perhaps from the times you can't remember.
-The times...I can't remember?-Noah was confused as to why Lucy was bringing up his amnesia all of the sudden.
-Yeah...the way you fight,Noah, it's like you've have years of experience behind you. Sure, you're still rusty, but there are these moments where a certain attack or dodge or block you do catches me completely by surprise. Against you, even I have to be watchful, or else I'll lose. You're definitely the dark horse around here, Noah, but with enough experience your past instincts will re-surface and you'll make an excellent Joker.
Noah didn't really know how to respond to that. He shook his head, to get rid of the cobwebs of confusion that surrounded him.
-N-no! Even if all you say is true, you can't possibly trust a complete novice to defeat a BladeMaster on par with you!
-Oh, I know you can. Wasn't that nice Aqua boy talking about how stressful situations might help you evolve? I'm betting all my cards on this,Noah. Besides, if you die, I'll be happy to tag in and revenge you.
-That isn't reassuring at all!
-Oh don't be such a coward. You'll never get stronger like that. Besides, don't you want to rid this country of the Order's control? You'll be a hero.
-How can I be a hero if I'm dead?! Besides, politics don't interest me.
Lucy walked over to him and landed her hand on his shoulders, giving him a serious look. Her green eyes met his scarlet. It felt like she could see every thought he had.
-You won't die, Noah. I believe in you. What I need now is that you show some backbone. Please...I,no, we really need your help. I chose you because I know, from the bottom of my heart that you can do it. I have my reasons for not doing it, or I'd never let you risk you life like that, because I'd hate to see you gone when we just met each other. I want to see you get stronger and become even better than me like I know you can.
-I...can be the strongest BladeMaster...?- was she showing...com-pas-sion ,for once?
-My eye for talent is never wrong, kiddo. I trust you.
*
"I trust you."
With those words engraved on his mind, Noah reluctantly agreed to travel to the Southern base to fight Terri T.. After the meeting, Lucy had him pack his stuff and then meet the group at the southern exit of Soula. Noah didn't tell the guys about this mission, mostly because they'd try to stop them and Noah didn't want to lose his forward momentum since he already agreed to fight and didn't want the guys stopping him.
He followed Lucy's directions and reached a big wall, with a heavy looking steel gate on it. He hadn't noticed it at the time he woke up on Soula a month prior but the whole city was surrounded by a giant wall, at around 30 meters of height and several of width, with 1 steel gate arching over each exit, totaling 4 gates. The one Noah reached was the Southern gate, which was already being risen up, the sides of if revealing several spinning metal cogs, working all together to lift up that section above the wall, just enough to let someone through.
Lucy, Eldus, the twins and the Masters already waiting for him. They departed in a quick pace forward, following a paved road outside the gate. They walked on a quick pace for about an hour and then Lucy and Noah took a quick turn left, away from the road while the rest of the group continued following the road forward. Lucy told Noah that the plan was for both groups to take separate ways towards the base, reaching them from different sides, Eldus' group storming the front of the base and them two reaching the backside. It was a rudimentary pincer attack, but the main goal was to attract Terri's attention out of her soldiers and have her fight Noah away from her backup forces.
It all sounded pretty simple to Noah, but that didn't help him calm down. After they walked awhile, the gravel floor turned to sand and the temperatures seemed to rocket. They had reached a desert and Noah could feel his life fading away with every sweat drop that fell onto the scorching sand. He was definitely not used to that kind of heat and he felt like he was melting before long. On the other side, Lucy seemed as spry as usual, skipping through the sand, humming. Well, at least she wasn't nervous to see Noah fight for his life!
After what seemed an eternity, Noah asked:
-Lucy...! How much longer do we have to walk until we reach that base! I can't fight, if we are even calling what's going to happen "fighting", if I die of heatstroke!
Lucy turned to him. Despite her grin, there was a thin layer of sweat was forming on her forehead and her her face was flushed.
-Oh, not much! Just a couple more minutes at this pace until we reach our destination---
-Oh good! That's...actually good news...!
- ---unless we get rudely interrupted by one of the patrol officers of her base.
-"Patrol officer"? What's that?
Lucy stopped, gazing forward, her eyes squinting and her hand on her forehead to provide a slight shade.
-It's some kind of guy that walks around the outer perimeter of a building, trying to catch intruders. It's pretty annoying, to be honest.
Noah stopped, falling on his knees on the sand, panting.
-What kind of idiot would patrol a goddamn desert?!
- From what it looks like, that idiot.
She pointed forward, to what it seemed more sand. Noah focused his gaze, trying to make out whatever she was pointing at. Well there was some kind of...black spot on the sand...what was that? A building? Noah dragged himself forward, trying to discern what was that. After a couple of meters, he managed to see it.
It was a man. He was tall and his body was covered in a gold armor, with curved horns coming out of his helm. The man's face was visible, it being bearded and slightly aged, a large smirk directed at him, triumphantly. He laughed, his voice echoing throughout the landscape, despite the winds that kept Noah's mind company on the whole journey until there.
-Well, well! It seemed a brave soul dared to venture onto Miss Terri's base! Oh, and my eyes do not seem to lie! It's the ever famous, or let's say, infamous, Lucy Crow! What business brings you here, Grim Reaper ?
Lucy smirked and answered.
-Oh the type of business that involves two simple steps: "Kick" and "Butt". And I'm afraid Terri T. will be awfully interested in partaking on it.
The man smirked.
-It seems the rumors are true: your bravado knows no bounds. Well, if you're so intent on passing through, then I'd be delighted to cross Blades with you, Grim Reaper ! But be careful, for I swear on my name, Angus the Centaur, that such feat will be impossible for you!
- "Angus the Centaur"? Never heard of it. Maybe if you had a slightly better nickname, you'd be more famous. What are you, Terri's janitor? If they give out such shiny armors to low class fighters, I can't wait to see the soldiers' uniforms. The Order has such good fashion sense, after all.
-Ha! You still keep taunting me, it seems! I always liked fiery woman ("Ewww!", screamed Lucy). But you're mistaken! I'm no janitor and certainly no regular soldier! I am Angus the Centaur, Terri T.'s right-handed man and I'm in charge of the Southern Base!
-Ooooh, a general! Didja hear that, Noah? A "ge-ne-ral" ! He seems to be good practice, don't you think? Man, what luck!
Noah moaned, still not recovered from the exhaustion. Was Lucy really going to make him fight that guy?! What was wrong with her?!
Before he could complain, Lucy picked him up and pushed them a couple meters forward.
-Don't complain, Noah. It'll be a good way to warn Terri about the threat you are. You don't need to kill the poor bastard, but don't be gentle either.-she said this with the biggest grin. Noah started fearing for her mental health. There were lives at risk there but she was so...playful about it...!
Well, it seemed he had no choice. His breathing returned to normal and he faced Angus, summoning his Blade and pointing it at him.
Angus' face was splashed with surprise. He looked at Noah, then at Lucy and then back to Noah.
-W-wait... this is my opponent? It must be a joke! Look at the state of his Blade! And he can barely stand! I refuse to fight such a shrimp! You're the one I'll fight, Grim Reaper !
Lucy smiled at him.
-Well, if you're so powerful as you say, you shouldn't have any trouble getting past lil' Noah here. Or are you...chicken? I hope not. I like my men filled with testosterone, not bed-wetters like you, from what I can see.
Lucy's taunt seemed to have the desired effect. Angus' calm face became red with fury and he summoned his Blade: a giant iron club with spikes coming out of the sphere on the end of the handle. He roared, his pride hurt and charged at Noah, planning to behead him with a single strike.
He jumped and and swung the club down, making a splash on the sand. He expected to see the crimson of the boy's flesh coloring the golden spot where he hit but...
There was nothing there.
He looked at Lucy, who was smirking at him.
-Like I always teach my precious lil' bounty hunters...
The sudden sounds of steps heading towards him, made Angus turn around. He saw the flash of steel, close to his face, but managed to block the incoming katana in time.
"W-where did he come from?!"
-...never underestimate your opponent's, no matter how shrimpy they look like.
Noah pulled the Blade away from the clash of steel and swung again, upwards. Angus managed to jump back, but the tip of the sword still made sparks against the shining armor. The once boastful Angus still hadn't recovered from the shock when Noah started swinging the Blade from side to side. Angus could barely block the katana, but the boy was so fast! Was he under Lucy's wing or something? If so... did he even have a chance?
On Noah's side, everything was so...strange. New, even. Not because he was fighting for his life for the first time, but because he was fighting someone that wasn't Lucy, for once. Angus was so slow and clunky, compared to her. He could never even graze her skin, but his opponent, part of the Order, was struggling to block his attacks. Was everyone on the so feared Order that weak...?
No...he finally understood what Lucy meant when she assigned him to fight Terri. It wasn't because she was teasing him or because he was a good punching bag.
It was because he got really stronger. Strong enough to even defeat the Order. Even if he managed to learn only an ounce of Lucy's skills, he was learning from the strongest BladeMaster in Gaia! He had spent so much time struggling against an impossible opponent, that he didn't realize that he was slowly becoming another impossible opponent to beat.
Confidence burst out of Noah and he jumped back, smiling at Angus' shattered confidence.
Now free from Noah's onslaught, Angus recovered his breath.
-Damn you...it appears I underestimated you all right... But now, I'm mad! I, Angus the Centaur will not let any of you pass! For the Order!-he shouted.
He stomped the sand. After some seconds, the ground began to shake. Noah didn't have time to question what was Angus doing when a giant cylindrical pillar of rock sprouted of of the idle sand and charged towards him. It was just like the Academy, but much faster! Noah rolled to the side, avoiding the pillar unscathed.
He sighed in relief, but Angus kept stomping the ground like an angry child, a lot more pillars sprouting and his direction. Getting hit face first by one of those could not be nice so Noah lept towards the side, trying to keep running. Like in his fights with Lucy, he had to wait for an opening. Angus was not like her, waiting for him to attack, making Noah be on the defensive against all those attacks. He had no idea how to fight against Elements but it couldn't be much different from close quarters, right? He just had to keep not getting hit and wait for a counterattack. Certainly, his opponent's attacks couldn't last forever.
Angus smirked, his confidence returning to him.
-You're pretty fast for a rat, but you won't dodge...this !
He crouched down and buried his hands on the sand. Like the pillars, the ground started to shake, but what sprouted from it wasn't a pillar like before. It was giant wall! Then, rumbling started behind him and, as he turned back, another wall emerged from the sand.
Noah stopped to analyze his options. The wall was really long, no end in sight. The fact that Angus managed to produce such a lengthy wall was pretty impressive. Besides its lenght, both walls rose meters above the ground, making it impossible to just climb them, since they were no crevices from where to climb. OK, he was trapped between two giant walls. But what was Angus' plan? Suddenly he heard his voice from behind the wall in front of him.
-This is it, kiddo! No one has ever survived this one before! This is my signature technique, the Wall Prison ! That'll teach you to mess with me, Angus the Centaur! Now, prepare yourself ,for I'm throwing everything I've got at you!
Suddenly, the ground started shaking again. This time, much,much more, like an earthquake. What was Angus going to do?! Whatever it was, at its core, Noah didn't feel good...
He heard something bashing against the forward wall. Suddenly Angus' voice clashed down, like thunder.
-"Ultima Soul: Wall Execution" !!
Wait, what?! "Ultima Soul"?! What the hell was that?! And, Wall what?! The sound of something very, very heavy started to fills Noah's ears. It didn't take long for him to figure out the source: the forward wall was moving towards him! He turned back and he saw that the back wall was doing the same thing! He was going to be crushed in-between the walls!
Fear, no, despair, slammed his way into Noah's heart. There he was staring at his death, both walls moving to crush him like mashed potatoes. He looked around frantically, looking for a solution, but there didn't seem to be none! Was he really going to die like that?! No, no, no! It couldn't be! He couldn't die like that! Not while he still had so much to learn about the world and promises to fulfill! Especially to...
Noah! Jump!
...Lucy? He looked at the sky. Lucy's voice, even with the rumbling sound of the walls moving was heard like a megaphone. Was she telling him to jump...? But he couldn't! The walls were too high!
-B-but...!-he managed to shout back -I can't...!
-Yes you can,Noah! Just do like I taught you! Keep moving forward and kick his ass!
Moving forward...? Yes, just like his training!
Whenever I knock him down he just gets up and keeps moving forward. Lucy's words at the meeting ringed on his head. Keeping the momentum going...moving forward. If he couldn't find a logical way out, he'd just have to burst through his problems!
No. Was going to do even better, in order to evolve as a BladeMaster!
He ran towards the forward wall, that kept moving towards him. He could also hear the rumbling of the back wall behind him. He had once chance to escape or he'd get crushed. But, just like in his first day of training, something was keeping Noah from thinking about what could happen but about what he was going to do to win!
I'm going...to fly!
Something shook under Noah's feet. Something rose. From one second to another, Noah saw the smooth wall trying to keep up with him. But not for long, because soon the azure sky and golden sand filled his eyes. Jumping off the platform that rose from Noah's feet, he sprung out of the wall and landed on the sand, facing a baffled Angus. He gazed at Lucy and saw her lips curling in a giant smile. She nodded at him in approval.
Yes! Noah didn't know exactly how he did it, but his desire to live, no, to win finally awaken Tera!
Aren't you training with Lucy? I'm sure you'll be in a stressful or dangerous situation and Tera will just pop out. It all comes from the heart, ya know?
Zeke's prediction came true in some a precise manner that Noah felt like laughing. He still held his Blade in his hand so he wasted no time and charged towards Angus.
He, for one, was beyond surprised at seeing someone escaping his attack. That only served to add to his rage. He grabbed the club tightly and and ran at Noah, swinging randomly at him, shouting in despair.
But, again, he wasn't there. He was always leagues above him.
Like a ghost, Noah dodged to the side and made an arc with his movement to position himself behind Angus'. His blind spot was exposed and Noah swung his Blade at the back on his armor, in a downward arc. No sooner had the tip of the sword touched the sand a loud Clang! was heard and Angus' armor fell to pieces, its owner falling to the floor, dropping his club, a thin,long cut on his naked back. Either his armor was just for show or Noah hit him much harder than he thought. Well, the soul powered the Blade, so his surge of power might have had its effect on the sword...
Luckily, the wound was not too deep. Angus lied on the floor moaning in pain. Noah didn't really know what to do now...
Suddenly, Lucy pushed him aside and summoned Genenis. She then crushed Angus' club with it, snapping it in half, the Blade dissolving into dust. Then, she stepped on Angus' back and pointed the Blade at his neck.
-It's called a "submission", Noah dear. Its a more formal way of winning a battle. Blades have their own individual endurances and if we manage to deal enough damage to them, they will be forced to release themselves in order to be used later. Then, you just have to hold him down like this. And if he makes one wrong move...he won't have to luxury to be sore tomorrow. Now, if you would be so kind as to tell us where Teri is, we would just love it.-she said, her voice shifting from dark to playful at an unnatural speed.
Angus covered the back of his head with his trembling hands.
-I-in the back...of the base...if you keep moving forward from here, you'll reach the back of the building. T-there should be a d-door there that should lead straight to her quarters...please spare me, this is all that I know!
Lucy smiled.
-Thanks! You're such a sweetie.-with this she stomped the back of his head. A small gasp escaped his mouth but was soon replaced with...snoring? Well, it seemed Lucy also knew some things aside from cutting people up, like knocking them out. Noah doubted that kick had some sort of skill into it, relying solely on sheer force. He trembled again at thinking what would happen if he crossed the line with her.
Suddenly, Lucy's hand slammed down on his hand and ruffled his head.
-Good job, kiddo. It seems you learned well. Proud of ya.
With this she kept moving forward. Noah didn't really feel super proud for defeating such a...weird opponent. He shrugged and kept following her. Hours later they reached a pretty thick, gray building. Noah looked around. There weren't any more patrol officers, so they seemed to be in the clear.
He heard Lucy mumble to herself, while she stood besides him.
-Well, this sure seems like a military base. It sure fits your style, Teri...
Just like Angus said, there was a lonely iron door on the thick wall. Lucy stepped forward and opened it. It was dark inside, despite the sunny exterior. They entered the building. It was fresh, due to the abundance of shade. It seemed like they were walking around some sort of hallway...they walked around a couple of seconds and suddenly light shone down on them. Noah peeked over Lucy's shoulder and saw light coming, literally at the end of the tunnel. Lucy suddenly picked up the pace and Noah followed her.
Soon, the light enveloped them. Again, at its core, Noah felt something that he didn't like, but he couldn't see it, maybe because of the sudden brightness. But, whatever it was, it was, its presence was suffocating...deadly.
-So, you've finally shown you face, Lucy Crow. And it seems you've brought your protegee too. Well, allow me to welcome you to the Southern Base...Noah Eon.