Hammon Rock is one of the longest standing schools for Awakeners, opening its doors to a modest turn out in the mid to late 1970s when the variety of powers was incredibly limited until eventually building itself into one of the most prestigious Awakener schools in the country, naturally the world after that. While in recent times change at Hammon Rock is common place one thing hadn't nudged, duelling rules.
As one of the first few abilities, Weapon Conjuring had rules specifically catered to it in an effort to balance out the fact no other had access to a physical weapon. Every duel the opponent is offered the option of a standard weapon or one of their own and no stabbing, severing or above the shoulder action is permitted.
In spite of the massive changes and steps forward taking place in the awakener world, the variety of powers growing exponentially and healers becoming common place almost everywhere due to The Healers Union the restrictions on Weapon Conjuring at Hammon Rock stayed in place, other abilities that give the user access to a physical weapon like Brian's Chains or Alex's Spikes escaping unscathed.
That oversite continues to be in effect to this day minimizing Valentina's offence, allowing for Alex's almost instantaneous reaction to a slashing attack instead of having to worry about anything else. Even with a near instant reaction Alex couldn't dodge the attack entirely, a long dragging slash spanning from her left shoulder down to the right side of her torso, opening her up.
Finding themselves standing across from one another yet again, no semblance of a smile anywhere to be seen, they nurse their wounds. "I've had worse. Not many but definitely had worse.." Valentina thinks as red liquid seeps through the fingers pressing against her injury.
Alex attempts to run her fingers across the wound of her own but winces away not even a second through, "She just took it and kept on going?! You don't need this, so why?" Alex asks herself as she stares daggers toward the slightly hunched over Valentina.
Unable to decisively land on her next course of action, Alex sees something. Taking a small step forward for a closer look and squinting her eyes ever so slightly she sees it. Valentina's smirk.
"High School duels go this far?!" Mark thinks to himself amongst the raging crowd, looking around for the officiator of the duel to no avail.
Miss Walsh waves an assistant closer, pouncing forward for their collar and dragging them closer forcefully in one fell swoop, "Fetch another couple of healers, now." Whispering in their ear despite her obvious anger, bordering pure vitriol. Muttering a select few curses under her breathe Miss Walsh releases the assistant from her iron clad grasp and leans forward watching the resuming duel, worried with the possible danger and severity this fight could have with the direction its taking.
Even with her new gaping wound to the side, Valentina evades the frantic incoming spikes with grace, parrying away any that dare to come a little too close but this time with the smaller of her two blades.
"I see how I win this, I could just stay on the backfoot. Let her bleed until Miss Walsh decides its enough but they're watching, not me but her. If I win, a real win maybe.. Clear and decisive victory is what I need. Not any cheap cop outs." Both feet firmly on the ground, Alex pulls her hand all the way back, as if she were launching an imaginary javelin, and sends a fast and dangerous spike out of thin air straight for Valentina.
Despite the added speed, Alex's spikes were now a routine dodge and as she casually allows it to pass her by, Valentina launches forward with an injection of speed straight into range. Blood spraying from both directions, the participants trade wounds; a grazing wound from a wild spike hurting Valentina's leg and cuts appearing one after another on Alex but none being of any duel ending danger.
"Why are you playing into her hands, Alex?" Karl thinks somehow moving even closer to the glass, nervously pushing his thumb into his index finger repeatedly.
Cutting the air in front of her with the smaller blade, Valentina drags the bigger one across Alex's upper arm thanks to the distraction. With the help of some of Valentina's clunkier movements, Alex lets loose another spike and clips Valentina's already wounded leg. Seeing the range opening up again, Valentina flings the smaller blade towards Alex who dodges the weapon, leaving it lodged in the wall a ways behind her.
Instead of capitalizing on her opponents vulnerability, Alex is the one who closes in, landing a mean right hand right on Valentina's cheek.
Stumbling back onto her shaky weaker leg, Valentina looks back towards Alex understanding what she wants.
"You're not as good as I thought you'd be!" Alex, raising her voice a little too much due to her dulled hearing. The two hold their positions for a brief moment, Valentina being the one to break it as she casually pushes her remaining weapon into the ground until it holds itself up, before she even has the chance to take her hand away from the pommel Alex blasts her with another nasty punch.
Second time around, Valentina doesn't just take it, responding with a fist of her own until the two are uncharacteristically exchanging fists, "She's tough!" Valentina thinks as a fist goes barrelling past her head, her wounds screaming at her to stop and even a little nagging corner of her mind getting behind that notion.
Despite the crowd and every other member of the Top 10 with no skin in the game eating it all up, Jack can't help but feel deeply disappointed.
"This is an heir to The Elskaya Empire? The only other dual wielder in school? Filth is pushing her to her limits despite Weapon Conjuring being more than enough for such a trivial opponent. Disgusting." Finishing his thought, he turns and promptly leaves not seeing the point in who wins either way.
"I'm the one in better condition... how is she still so fast!?" Alex thinks as Valentina lands a flurry of unanswered punches. Faltering, Alex can't answer back, sheepishly holding up her arms hoping for it to ease up until it eventually does, Valentina finally running out of steam for the moment with a pained wheeze, telling Alex all she had to hear.
Alex springs up swinging wildly, the roles reversing as now Valentina is the one backing up with her guard raised. Unlike with Alex, Valentina has more than just one obvious vulnerability; two wounds spewing blood out onto the previously pristinely kept white flooring.
"This is nothing like the other duel. It's not like the fights from back then either but it's nostalgic I guess..." Mark thinks to himself amongst the settling crowd as they grow more and more anxious at the prospect of Alex's victory.
Stomping downwards, Alex smashes against Valentina's leg wound. Bouncing right off of her leg, Alex is left overextended and in an awkward position allowing for Valentina to painstakingly lean in and plant her fist into Alex's face who in turn reflexively breaks their unspoken agreement, shooting a spike to cover her hasty retreat.
Gathering her strands, Valentina forms herself a new sword and uses it to boost her Lightning Conjuring which latches onto the outgoing spike, surprising even Valentina. Immediately the spike falters, the edge contorting and sending it off track with a popping sound but the lightnings course doesn't end there.
Usually Weapon Conjuring is one weapon until the user gains enough skill and strands to use it again without dispersing the previous conjured weapon but Valentina's duel blades are different. Technically her two weapons are seen as one so they are tied together by default.
Valentina's lightning was not heading towards Alex's spike or even Alex herself but Valentina's other discarded blade lodged in the wall. While significantly weaker, the weapon is ultimately still Valentina's strands and connected to her, shifting its structure from a conjured weapon to lightning it meets its sister bolt in the middle of their paths, hitting Alex on both fronts.
"She was doing well, sorry man." Miles says, the last member of the Top 10 besides Karl still in the room. Patting his shoulder in a bad attempt in consoling him Karl replies quietly, "Tell her that."
"Y'know Freya would tear me a new one if I did that." Miles hesitantly leaves Karl as he attempts to get the image of Alex's last moments in the duel out of his head.
Knock knock. Opening the door and swiftly entering afterwards, Mark sits at Anthony's desk and spins the chair around to face Anthony as he sits up in his bed.
"I told you to message me it when you got out." Anthony complains as he sits on the edge of his mattress, "I forgot." Mark, swiping and tapping on his phone already on his way to send him the video.
"How was it? Was it a good one?" Anthony, lightly prodding while he stands and grabs a cable from a shelf to an unenthusiastic shrug from Mark, the notification pinging on Anthony's phone as he approaches.
"One watch then its gone, ok?" Anthony agrees readily, the two changing seats so Anthony can set it up on his monitor. "How are you coming along with everything?" Mark asks the preoccupied Anthony, "The body temp fluctuations stopped a few days ago and I've had a couple of lessons with my tutor. I think I'll start school again soon then we'll be in the same classes and everything." His excitement apparent and infectious.
"The novelty wears off for the most part." The crowd from the video interrupting their talk.
"I'm serious about deleting it once we're done by the way." Mark repeats to the engrossed Anthony who waves his words away dismissively.
"The quality could've been better but I take it you're getting more and more invested in this kind of thing?" Anthony asks almost teasingly. "What are you talking about?"
"The shaky ass camera, It's hard to make much of anything out." Mark leans forward to get a better look before sighing, "I kind of forgot I was recording if we're being honest."
"You'd forget that we're friends if I stopped messaging you." Anthony's eyes peeling off of the blurry display on the monitor for the first time just in time to see Mark as he responds, "Then don't."
Healers finishing up on both competitors, one of them gives firm instructions as the others take their leave. "Thirty minutes rest before you're clear to leave. If I hear either of you leave beforehand kiss goodbye to duelling for the rest of the school year, ok?"
Posted up in the infirmary beds next to one another both girls share varied looks as they're left alone. "I should've won. At the start I should've won. I've never hit anyone better than with that spike." Alex says as she slips under the thin covers, ready to ride out the thirty minutes.
"Probably. I've never been hit like that and carried on fighting afterwards." Valentina groaning lightly as she moves onto her side, "And you're only sixth."
"Why'd you think I would be an easy win?" Alex asks with a hint of bitterness. "I didn't."
Alex turns to face Valentina, "Yes you did. You said something about us duelling before I ever even sparred Jacob."
Valentina shakes her head ever so slightly as if she were asking, "And?" Valentina's response catching Alex off guard she scrambles for an answer, "How'd you know we were going to duel if I lost the spar?"
"I was called in for a talk with Cage, He told me we were sparring today on Wednesday."
Alex can't help but laugh. A laugh straight from her heart and soul. "That asshole really pulled this kinda crap?! He's like fifty! Grow up you disfigured, troll of a man!"
"Is that why you were being strange?" Valentina asks as Alex's infectious laughter leaps over to her.
"Now I feel bad." Alex, attempting to stave off her laughter for the moment and failing miserably.
"What about the smile during the duel?" Alex asking another question.
"During? Never." Valentina answers with a smirk.
"If you don't mind me asking, what the hell did you get me with? My entire body feels like crap."
Hesitating with a sour memory suddenly intruding into her brain, Valentina blurts out whatever words comes to mind, "I blasted you with two separate lightning strikes at the same time." Her accent coming off stronger than it usually would.
"Luck or what?" Alex asks warming into the conversation even more, "Have you ever done that before? Even seen it before?" Despite her previous sourness, it's nowhere to be seen now only curiosity.
"No. I have only heard about it before." Scaling back her accent once more Alex stops her, "Don't do that for me. I can understand you like you were, mostly."
Valentina doesn't respond, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling the memory persisting through attempts in brushing it away.
Completely in Russian Valentina begins to recount where she had heard about the technique, "I was one of the lucky later few of my fathers children, my mothers father was important and I awakened earlier on than most. My older siblings would come and visit where we lived from time to time and my favourite was the eldest of my brothers Vis. He was kind, he'd call me sister unlike the others, stay for much longer, bring gifts and play. He was kind."
Despite not understanding anything, Alex doesn't interrupt as Valentina pauses for a moment, "One day my fathers second eldest son, Bojan came to visit alone. He only spoke a handful of words to my mother as courtesy, never a word to me. I didn't find it weird he wished to tell me a story, I was just excited to finally have another one of my brothers talk to me. He told me of my fathers early exploits, how he took heirship despite being the second born son with his fierce Lightning Manipulation and his magnificent swordsmanship. I never heard stories of my father so I loved it, cheering the whole time until he told me he had killed Visvaldis the same way our father had killed his brother. Using that technique." The disgust from her final words leaping past the self inflicted language barrier.
"I was told Visvaldis, despite never awakening my fathers Lightning Manipulation, inherited his leadership but Bjorn inherited both of my fathers abilities, awakening them both by time he was fourteen. Visvaldis held his position as heir because he was loved by everyone but especially by father, a true anomaly. That's why he did it I think. As punishment all he was given was a beating and forced to one by one tell all the officially recognized children of the Emperor what he had done." Valentina thinks on what she had just recounted. "I really used it on you." Switching back to English with a hollowed, dreary laugh.
"I don't like the way you just said that." Alex, finally seeing her opportunity to speak does. "How'd it feel?" Valentina asks, turning nothing but her head towards Alex who chuckles through her residual pain. "Like hell, why?"
"That move killed my brother and I used it to win a duel I didn't care for just because my father asked it of me." Shame and guilt setting on her chest as if it were trying to push her through the floor.
Bursting through the infirmary doors, a familiar ruckus to Alex's ears comes barging in, family flooding the room with questions from left, right and everywhere else in-between.
Watching, just watching for a moment, Valentina sits up on the creaky bed neighbour to Alex's while she attempts to stop the playful shouting directed at her. On her feet, Valentina slips a finger underneath the hole in the shirt.
Jacket, boots and bag, Valentina takes her leave unable to take stop herself from stealing a few envious glances while she passes by the crowded bedside of the girl she had just "beat".