Spoiler
Chapter 4: “Preparation”
(The chapter opens on Yuki in the middle of a small group of kids. Poi, Reiner, Taro, and Hitachi are also within the mix. They are walking through normal looking school hallways, on the ground floor. They are heading to the back of the building. Yuki looks as if she's pondering something, when suddenly the students start to come to a halt. She looks past one of the other students and sees the doors to the Armory. The doors are huge, metal slabs decorated with metal designs running down the sides. The doors don’t seem to fit well with the school's design, as if it was shoehorned in after the school was built. Caitie is standing in front of the doors, with a stupid cat grin on her face.)
Caitie: Alright kitties! (Put a little :3 cat face in the speech bubble next to kitties.)
Yuki: (Woah… that's the armory? I figured it would have been a building outside of the school, or a locker room… or something like that.)
Caitie: Behind these doors is the Armory. It’s basically my classroom!
Hitachi: (What kind of class takes place in an armory? What the hell is up with this school...)
Caitie: You can have a look around, but don’t touch anything without my purr-mission!
(Taro sighs.)
Taro: (She's… really annoying…)
Caitie: All joking aside though...
(Caitie’s expression becomes serious for a second.)
Caitie: Don’t you dare touch a thing without my say so.
(Some of the children gulp as Caitie turns around to open the doors. She gives them a strong shove, and the doors swing open, a bright light blinding some of the students at first. Yuki tries to shield her eyes, and once she's adjusted, peers in.)
Yuki: (What the-)
(The Armory is now shown, given at least half a page to show it off. The room is both huge and long, almost as if they had entered another building entirely. The walls and floor are made of a completely different material than the rest of the school. The floor is hard concrete, with wells full of what seem to be lava jutting out of the floor behind Caitie’s desk, in the far corner of the room. The Armory walls are completely different. They were somewhat fancy, as if they were the walls of some fancy mansion (like Yuki’s.) The walls were lined with all sorts of strange and obscure weaponry, from hammers with blades attached to double bladed scythes (Some examples, whoever does this page feel free to go crazy :P) There are tables set up around the room, as well as weapon racks, full of the same kind of weaponry and battle gear. The children are gazing at the room in awe for a few seconds, before Poi pushes his way through the crowd and directly up to Caitie. Caitie smiles at him while he looks around.)
Poi: So miss, we can take whatever we want here into battle?
Caitie: Well, you're limited to just one, but yes. I’m actually supposed to let you kids know that before going into the actual exams I’ll need to make the weapons a bit safer, so no one gets too hurt. Of course during training and actual field work, the safety measures will be removed.
(Although Poi was listening, he started to wander off, looking over a weapon set on a nearby table.)
Poi: I see. Cool.
Caitie: I’ll be over at my desk if anyone needs me! Remember, you’ll have to pick something that benefits your skills and Talent! Don’t choose something just because you think you’ll look cool or scary with it, no one likes a show off! Make sure to check the gear out with me before leaving the Armory!
(Caitie starts to walk off, and the students start to flood in and look around. Hitachi follows Caitie to her desk, his sword tied up and on his back. Yuki sort of stalls for a second before walking in, then starts to gaze at some of the weapons.)
Yuki: (Ugh, now what? I’ve never attended school before, so I don’t know for sure what my Talent even is… what the hell do I choose?)
(Yuki looks at her right hand, palm up. She has on a concerned expression, and in the background, Taro can be seen staring at her. He's out of frame while the focus is on Yuki, then a panel is dedicated to showing him watching her. Then he is caught off guard when a giant hammer is suddenly dropped on his head. He cries out in pain, then looks over his shoulder to see Lillian, who for some reason hadn’t been seen up until this point.)
Lillian: Gah! Sorry! I- I didn’t think it would be that heavy!!
(Lillian looks devastated, more so than Taro.)
Taro: Its- it's alright! Don’t cry or anything over it! It didn’t hurt that much… (Yes it did…)
Lillian: You sure? I mean… If you say so.
(Taro’s face then shows a bit of interest.)
Taro: Wait… aren’t you the girl the principle singled out during the assembly?
(Lillian blushes and tries to change the subject.)
Lillian: Well, anywho! Sorry to bother you!
(She turns to put the hammer back.)
Taro: (Just by the way she acts I can tell…)
(Focus is put on Lillian while she figures out how to remount the hammer onto the wall.)
Taro: (She got those bonus points from sheer luck.)
Taro: Why are you even trying to grab a hammer to begin with?
Lillian: Huh? I don’t know…
(Lillian takes her hand, makes a fist, and smacks it into her other hand, as if she was trying to nail something in. She has a bright expression on her face.)
Lillian: I thought a fire hammer would be awesome!
(Taro looks lost.)
Taro: Right… (Definitely luck.)
Taro: Listen, if you're looking for a weapon, then you should find something that will benefit the fire you can produce, not the other way around.
Lillian: What?
Taro: If your Talent is creating fire, then pick something that goes well with that. Don’t choose something like that hammer just because you think the fire will make the hammer look cool. Does that make sense?
(Lillian looks clueless and lost, but she nods slowly.)
Lillian: Y- Yeah! I get it!
(Taro has an expression like this ? T_T on)
Taro: (She doesn't get it at all…)
Taro: Just come with me, I’ll help you pick out a weapon.
(Lillian’s eyes light up.)
Lillian: Really?! Thank you… um…
(Lillian looks lost again.)
Lillian: Who are you again?
Taro: My name's not important. Here, just follow me.
(Taro grabs Lillian’s wrist and starts to walk off with her, her face still looking a bit clueless. The scene switches to the Locker Room, where Fukagawa is sitting on a bench, reading some of his book. He appears to be studying it. Tetsuya notices it while talking with Faith, and walks over to him.)
Tetsuya: Hey, Foureyes. Whatcha’ got there?
(Fukagawa looks up, a bit annoyed.)
Fukagawa: None of your damn business. Buzz off.
(Tetsuya peers over to see what Fukagawa’s reading. Then he has a confused expression on his face. A panel showing illegible symbols on the pages is shown.)
Tetsuya: What language is that? Is that EVEN a language?
Fukagawa: Kid, I’m going to smack you if you don’t *censored* off.
(Tetsuya snatchs Fukagawa’s book from him, and flips through the pages. Fukagawa gets up to grab it back, but then is blown back by Tetsuya’s free hand, sending him smacking back first onto the ground.)
Tetsuya: All the pages are like this… Seriously Foureyes what the hell is this thing?
(Faith steps in, and bends down to help Fukagawa up.)
Faith: Sorry about Kaichi, he’s a bit of a jerk sometimes...
(Fukagawa slaps Faith's hand away and gets up on his own.)
Fukagawa: “Sometimes” sounds a bit generous, no?
(Tetsuya is studying the pages.)
Tetsuya: Nah, I’m a great guy. Here, I’ll even give you your stupid book back.
(Tetsuya goes to hand the book back to Fukagawa, but then holds it up in front of himself, aimed at Fukagawa’s face. He then puts his free palm on the book, and launches it at Fukagawa, smacking him square in the face, causing him to stumble back a bit and to have a bit of a nose bleed.)
Fukagawa: Gha! Ow, you prick, that *censored*ing hurt!!
Tetsuya: Sorry, you said save it for the exam earlier…. But honestly I have so much skill I really can’t help it.
(Fukagawa starts to grind his teeth, and simply holds the book out stretched in front of himself, opening to a page in it.)
Fukagawa: Alright asshole, you asked for it. You want a fight? I’ll give you one…
(suddenly, Fukagawa’s cape starts to flow upwards rapidly. A magic circle starts to take shape underneath Fukagawa’s feet. Tetsuya looks more confused than worried, and Faith is stepping back. The next panel shows Fukagawa mouthing the next line.)
Fukagawa: Death Spell Number 18…
(The panel after that is a full page. This depicts Fukagawa, with a completely dead serious look on his face. He has one hand with his book outstretched, the pages flapping wildly with a whirling wind. His other hand is hovering above the book, with a small electric charge forming in right below his palm. There is text on the page reading “Name: Reihei Fukagawa!” Under that, “Talent: Magic Tongue: Spellcaster!!!” The magic circle is fully formed under him, and he starts to point a finger at Tetsuya. Tetsuya suddenly realises what's going on, and gets ready to dodge. With the next line, Fukagawa looks as if he is out for blood.)
Fukagawa: Armor Piercer!!!
(A thin, straight beam of electricity shoots rapidly out from his out stretched finger, aimed for Tetsuya’s heart. Tetsuya smacks his right palm on the locker behind him, pushing/ Repelling himself out of the way just in time, a sudden expression of fear on his face. His hood flies off in the process.)
Tetsuya: (*censored*!)
(Faith has her hand over her mouth in shock, and the beam continues to pierce the locker that was behind Tetsuya, creating a clean cut hole straight through it.)
Vivian: HEY!!!
(Vivian rushes from another part of the locker room over to the fight, which has started to gather a small crowd.)
Vivian: What the hell is going on over here?!
(Tetsuya is sweating a little bit, and points to Fukagawa.)
Tetsuya: That little *censored* is using that weird cheat sheet to summon some funky *censored*! He tried to kill me!
(Vivian punches Tetsuya over the head, and he winces and rubs the impact.)
Vivian: Don’t use that kind of language in front of me. And as for you…
(Vivian stares at Fukagawa, who is now in a bit of shock, in a less epic stance from a few seconds ago.)
Vivian: Try something like that again and you won’t even make it to the First Phase. Are we clear?
(Fukagawa looks annoyed, but sighs.)
Fukagawa: Y- Yes Ma’am…
(Vivian looks at both of the kids, then turns back to return to what she was doing. Tetsuya narrows his eyes towards Fukagawa.)
Tetsuya: Alright Foureyes, I didn’t think you had the balls to try something like that. I’ll cut you some slack till the main event.
Fukagawa:...
(Fukagawa simply stares at Tetsuya and Faith as they walk off, Tetsuya still rubbing his head.)
Fukagawa: (Hmph. Serves him right.)
(The scene switches back to the Armory, where Hitachi is walking up to Caitie’s desk. Caitie has her head in her crossed arms, resting on the table, seemingly asleep.)
Hitachi: Um… Excuse me?
(Hitachi pokes Caitie’s ear, and it twitches for a second before she yawns and raises her head slightly.)
Caitie: Hmm? Sorry sweetie, I was taking a quick catnap.
Hitachi: Well… I actually brought my own weapon…
Caitie: Then why did you come down here? You should be in the Locker Rooms getting-
Hitachi: Well, the thing is… I’m not sure it’s ok for me to use it…
(Caitie laughs a bit.)
Caitie: Nonsense! Don’t you see the weapons all over the place?! Surely yours isn’t anything to worry about. Here, show it to me.
(Hitachi looks a bit concerned, sighs, then takes the wrapped sword from off his back and rips the bandages off of it. Caitie looks a bit shocked, not expecting it to be the thing on his back. A few of the near by students turn their heads and gawk at Hitachi’s sword.)
Hitachi: Here it is…
(Caitie’s mouth is wide open, astonished.)
Caitie: Whoa, wait THAT’S your weapon!? How the hell did you carry that thing around the school!?
( A full page is dedicated to Hitachi, who looks a bit embarrassed. He is scratching his cheek with his free hand, while the hand with his sword is planting the sword firmly on the ground. The words “Name: Hitachi Justice!” are listed, with “Talent: Incredible Strength!!” are listed below it.)
Hitachi: My Talent is strength, so It's not really an issue for me.
Caitie: Yeah but… Even people who are given a Strength Talent would struggle to carry something like that!
Hitachi: Yeah, I guess it just sort of runs through my family…
Caitie: Huh, if you say so kid. Well, let me see it and I’ll let you know whether or not you can use it.
(Hitachi lifts the sword with one arm and slams it flat on Caitie’s desk. Caitie inspects it for a few panels, feeling around it and looking at every angle of it. Then, she puts on a big smile.)
Caitie: This sword is a real work of art! Do you have any idea who crafted this? I’d love to meet them!
Hitachi: Heh, actually I’m not to sure about that myself. It’s been a family treasure for a while now, though I’ve never really thought to ask about it.
Caitie: I see, thats a shame. Well, the sword is mostly blunt, not really sharp in any places. It's more like a big, slim piece of thick metal! I don’t see why you can’t use it. If any of the testing gets too intense, we are always standing by to pull students out.
Hitachi: I see. Well, thank you!
(Hitachi bows, and Caitie giggles a bit.)
Caitie: No need to be so modest! It's a great piece of work, I can’t wait to see the both of you in action. Now then, how's about we-
(From the corner of Caitie’s eye, she notices Yuki in the very back of the room. Yuki is simply looking through some weapons, not really picking up anything, just thinking.)
Caitie: Hmm. Actually, I think I may need to help out another student… You head up to the Locker Rooms, ok?
Hitachi: Alright, thank you again for your help.
(Hitachi starts to leave the Armory, as Caitie picks up a small hammer from under her desk. As she comes back up, she sees Yuki eyeing the Ice Katana, at the very corner of the room.)
Caitie: (She's not going to…)
(Yuki starts to head over to it, and in grabbing distance, looks it over a bit. Caitie looks a bit nervous, and as she exits from behind her desk, Yuki places a hand on the grip of the Katana. Caitie appears to be in complete shock, and suddenly dashes towards Yuki.)
Caitie: DON’T TOUCH THAT!!!
(Yuki turns her head towards Caitie, but is instantly taken away from that when ice starts to spill from the holster of the katana. Yuki turns her head back towards the katana, and as she does, with Caitie almost close enough to pull Yuki away, the Ice Katana’s holster starts to rapidly spew out Ice and snow, almost blinding Yuki. Yuki shields her eyes with her free arm, and when she puts her arm down, her jaw drops. All around her, for miles, is snow and ice, a barren wasteland. It appears that she was transported to a completely different location then the armory. Yuki drops the sword, as it was suspended in the air by her hand, and it softly thuds into the snow. Yuki stumbles back and falls on her ass into the snow, eyeing the katana in shock. After a few seconds of trying to catch her breath, Yuki starts to realise how cold it is. She starts to shiver, and hugs herself to keep warm.)
Yuki: (What the hell is going on…! Where am I!?)
(Suddenly, the katana starts to gently rise up. Yuki stares at it, a bit frightened, as the katana fixes itself to become placed in the snow, vertically up so the grip it facing the sky. Yuki gets up slowly, still freezing, and stares at it while trying to keep herself warm. Yuki starts to take a few steps towards it, when she instantly freezes in place. Unable to move, Yuki looks down to see her legs, up to her ankles, are completely frozen solid. In a bit of a panic, Yuki tries to pull her legs free, but with no success. Then, she hears a voice in her head, causing her to look around.)
Katana: (I see. So another fool has stumbled into my domain…)
Yuki: (Huh?!) Hey! Who said that!?
Katana: (Hush. There's no reason to shout. No one can hear you but I.)
(Yuki slowly starts to realise whats going on, and still in a bit of disbelief, looks directly at the Katana.)
Yuki: So this was your doing… mind explaining whats going on?
Katana: (I could, but it wouldn’t matter. You’ll probably freeze to death before I could give you a fair answer.)
Yuki: What?
(Yuki looks down at her legs, and notices that the ice is slowly starting to grow and rise.)
Yuki: Hey! Stop it! The hells your issue!?
Katana: (I could ask the same of you. Why did you grasp me with your unworthy hands?)
Yuki: (Oh… I’ll show you worthy…) I don’t know… I liked the look of the katana, that's all. I don’t understand what the big deal is.
Katana: (The problem is that I don’t like to be touched.)
(Yuki’s face suddenly becomes confused, as if she was Lillian.)
Yuki: Wait… you’re a weapon that doesn't like being held? Isn’t that a bit counterproductive?
Katana: (Don’t play with me fool. I can make that ice climb up faster if I please.)
(Suddenly, the ice is now at Yuki’s waste, and climbing up faster.)
Yuki: Alright, alright! I get it! Just let me go already! How the hell do you expect me to use you if you're just going to freeze me!?
Katana: (What do you mean “use me”? I don’t recall giving you permission to wield me.)
(Yuki puts on a devilish grin.)
Yuki: You really thought, after this, I’d simply walk away? Hell no…
(Yuki then looks serious, eyeing the katana.)
Yuki: I’m taking home a souvenir.
Katana: (That’s big talk, considering you're the one stuck in place.)
Yuki: Well then, let's make a deal.
Katana: (I have no intention in bargaining with a child, let alone a human.)
Yuki: If I can free myself from this, and manage to grab you again, you're mine. If you manage to completely freeze me, well then I guess that leaves me dead. Sound fair?
Katana: (... Fine. You are clearly not thinking straight, but I accept the terms. However I won’t hold back.)
Yuki: That’s fine with me. Now then…
(Yuki is now covered in ice up to her stomach. She grins wickedly, then punches herself full force where she's freezing, causing her fist to bleed a bit. The ice remains intact. Yuki winces at the pain.)
Yuki: (Ow! *censored*… This is going to be harder than I thought... )
(Yuki hits it again, this time with her other hand, full force. Again, it bleeds with no damage to the ice itself, besides having her blood roll down it. Yuki then starts to get angry, as she rapidly starts to beat the ice. After a few more panels of her struggling, the ice has risen even higher. The damage to the ice is next to none compared to her fists.)
Katana: (Hmm. Bite off more than you can chew?)
(Yuki looks exhausted, but still manages to look up at the katana and give it a determined, pissed off gaze.)
Yuki: Shut… Up… I’m not going to be beaten by some stupid hunk of metal!
Katana: (You seem to have an issue with talking big, you should really learn to back it up.)
(Yuki starts to grind her teeth. She starts to beat on the ice again, this time more viciously. As the Katana is in place, it starts to notice some sort of black smoke drift out from under Yuki’s eye patch.)
Katana: (...)
Yuki: (Damn it! Damn, damn, damn!!!)
(Suddenly, one of Yuki’s punches suddenly cracks the ice. A panel with both Yuki’s face and the katana noticing it is shown. Yuki doesn't stop, continuing to try and crack the ice in that one spot. The black smoke starts to become more noticeable, and the Katana suddenly stops increasing the ice’s growth. Noticing that, Yuki stops. She doesn't look at it, she just continues to breath heavily.)
Yuki: What the… Why the hell did you stop…? Don’t go easy on me-
Katana: (I’ve seen enough.)
Yuki: Huh?
(Yuki looks beyond exhaustion. Her arms have blood running down and spilling all over the place.)
Yuki: I’m… I’m not leaving here until I’ve won!
Katana:(I forfeit. After witnessing that… performance… I have no problem with letting you be my third wielder.)
(The ice completely shatters off of Yuki in spectacular fashion, all at once. Yuki is in shock, swaying from side to side, then falling to her knees, almost unconscious.)
Yuki: What? Why… why forfeit…?
Katana: (I have no doubt you would have broken out. Even if I completely encapsulated you in ice, you would have found a way. I can tell that's the type of person you are. I can respect that.)
(Yuki looks shocked, and almost as if she doesn't believe what she's hearing.)
Katana: (I’ll admit, when you first entered here, I took you for any other human. Although, after That, I can see there's something different about you. And I don’t just mean your determination. Now come, pick me up.)
(Yuki stands up, and does nothing.)
Katana: (What’s the matter? I understand you're not satisfied with the results of the duel, but-)
Yuki: It's not that.
Katana: (...)
Yuki: I could never wield a weapon that gives up, or holds back on anyone. That would just get in my way.
(Yuki starts to walk over to the Katana, and as she does, her wounds start to heal, and she starts to regain her energy.)
Yuki: If I pick you up now, you must swear to never do that again.
Katana: (... Fine. I can see where you're coming from. Before you pick me up, may I ask your name?)
(Yuki is now standing directly in front of the Katana. As she prepares to grasp it, she answers its question.)
Yuki: My name is Yuki Versai.
Katana: Well, Ms. Versai, mine is Korace. I’m honored to be in your service.
(Suddenly, as Yuki grabs the Katana, the snow around them starts to swirl incredibly fast. Yuki doesn't block her face this time, however the snow around her blinds her completely. When the snow disappears, she is back in the Armory, holding the Katana directly out in front of her. Caitie grabs her from behind, and turns Yuki around, worried.)
Caitie: Put that down! It’s dangerous! You could- Huh?
(Yuki looks a bit confused, then smiles.)
Yuki: Don’t worry, I’m alright! Korace and I are cool.
(Caitie takes a few steps back.)
Caitie: (Woah… she knows its name?! Then…)
Caitie: Don’t tell me… the katana spoke to you?
Yuki: Yup.
(Yuki looks around, and sees that virtually no time has passed.)
Yuki: (Strange. Even though it felt like hours… I was only there for about half a minute.)
Yuki: Don’t worry, we talked it out. Korace decided to let me wield him.
Caitie: What? Are you sure!? I mean… I guess if you holding it that way right now, it means it actually has accepted you, but…
Yuki: It should be fine. I have no clue what he can do, but I really don’t have much time to test it out right now, haha!
(As Caitie is in a bit of shock, Yuki throws the Katana up and grabs it by the middle of the holster as it falls back into her hand. She then starts to walk out of the Armory.)
Yuki: Hopefully you don’t have a problem with me using him!
(Caitie stares at Yuki blankly, dumbfounded.)
Caitie: Um, no… I guess I don’t have an issue with that.
(Once Yuki is completely out of the shot, Caitie looks a bit worried again.)
Caitie: (I have no clue… If Vivi is going to be happy or angry Korace found a new partner…)
Chapter End