Steven: "Where to, Commander?"Rayna: "I"m not a commander."
Steven: "Princess?"
Rayna: "No."
Steven: "Oh, it"s "your highness!"
Rayna: "No!"
Steven: "Why?"
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Rayna: "I prefer Rayna… I changed my name when I woke up as a Wight."
Is that something she wants? Her name has a lot of power behind so why change it for something with none of that?
Steven: "Rayna… are you fine with that? We might be living different lives now that we"re Wights but we don"t have to change our names."
Rayna: "Actually, you don"t have to, but when we"re alone like this… can you… you can call me Mei if you like. I only changed it for convenience."
There it is!
Steven: "Come on, Mei… let"s do our job."
We can"t head to the fort now, we"re not even prepared. I know there were a few guard barracks throughout the Academy and one was even behind the Headmistress" office. We went there hoping they"d at least spare us some equipment.
There was a lone guard at the door and once he saw us walking up to him, he opened the door and motioned for us to follow him.
Guard: "The Headmistress said something about someone showing up. Coming for armor?"
I expected the barracks to be mostly bunk beds and lockers. It"s actually pretty similar to the dorms! Each guard had their own small room and they shared separate locker rooms based on gender. Instead of the usual lounge when entering the dorms, it was repurposed for the receptionist and their desk.
Steven: "I"m a swordfighter. I need something to keep arrows off me but light enough to sprint."
Rayna: "I"m the same."
Guard: "Good, we don"t carry heavy steel plate armor anyway. We have strong leather instead!"
He led us further into the locker rooms and shows me where I"d be dressing up. I was left alone with a set of armor inside a bag. This armor, as I slowly fitted it over my clothes, was a lamellar style breastplate. The shoulder straps attached to lames, which layered down horizontally to create a strong, solid defense. The edges of the leather bands were stylized with shapes and secured with bra.s.s rivets, further increasing the durability. The pauldrons were secured to the shoulder grommets using leather laces. It had the same layered design and was low profile.
On to the bracers, they were attached with straps and buckles making it a snug fit. They appeared high-quality with a layered construction and grommets detailing the segments. It covered my arms up to the elbow, leaving that and a bit of my upper arm exposed.
The ta.s.sets were new to me. They looked like they were the predecessor to chaps. Protective leather hung down from both sides of my legs and protected the outer portions of my legs. The wide suede belt is fastened in the front with 2 buckling straps and held together with grommets.
This wasn"t my own armor Twilight confiscated but it does the job. I headed back out and I see Rayna with the guard going through weapons he gathered and has laid against the wall.
Steven: "I"m dressed."
Rayna: "Covers the vitals… low-profile… this armor was crafted to prevent the guard from appearing militarized?"
Guard: "Yeah, that and everyone here is a battlemage so ranged combat and mobility are dominant."
And flashy enough so everyone knows who the guard is.
The guard reaches for a sword in its scabbard and hands it to me. It was a sleek, simple, and shiny sword like it just came from the smith. A few test swings and I can tell this thing was well made. No loose parts and light construction would make this thing a beast for some brutal parrying in the right hands.
Guard: "Here, they"re not claymores and they"re short and light. Just be careful in hallways and use a dagger instead. You"ll want to also get rid of any lookouts, so take a bow and quiver."
Steven: "Nice. If I knew we were fighting, I would"ve brought my sword."
Rayna: "These will help immensely, thank you."
We armed up and prepared for the trip. The students would be looking at is if we walked by armed to the teeth so we took a detour through a small forest path. It circled around the Academy and onto the road to the fort. We were going to be in for quite a walk and we pa.s.sed the time with small talk; trying to get to know each other a little more.
Rayna: "What kind of sword are you good with?"
Steven: "All of them… I prefer jians and shortswords. What about you?"
Rayna: "I"m good with all of them too… but I prefer a rapier. I can be both elegant and deadly."
Steven: "That"s scary…"
Rayna: "Only when I need to be…
She giggles.
Rayna: "So, do you know what sword the others would use?"
Steven: "I think Madelyn might go for a katana if you give her one. The others would probably use whatever if they can"t use their magic."
Rayna: "Madelyn likes Nekomata weaponry? Then she"s like Lilith, who likes the ninjaken."
Steven: "Oh… she does, does she..?"
I know what kind of sword she"s talking about. I stole Lilith"s sword and used it against her once. I"ve never seen her use it, so is she really dangerous with it or is it for show?
Steven: "Is she good with it?"
Rayna: "She cut down a hardwood tree in a single strike. Though she was using magic to make it easier, it"s still quite a feat."
Now that"s really something! If I did go against her in an actual sword fight, I"d be dead for sure. I"m lucky Madelyn is here trying to mediate our rivalry. It"s now something of the past and hopefully, it"ll stay like that forever.
Rayna: "Anyway, just remember to keep your sword ready."
Steven: "I know… I"ve fought before."
Rayna: "Oh, you have? Tell me, what happened in our last battle?"
Steven: "We were ambushed and poisoned by an elite soldier. These are students... Poison? Maybe, but I doubt all of them can expertly wield a sword."
Rayna: "You see them as students? They"re bandits."
Steven: "Bandits? Do you even know why they"re doing this?"
Rayna: "No… did you see how angry the Headmistress was? It was because of these criminals. That"s a fact."
Steven: "Let"s round them up."
Rayna: "You know what they look like?"
Steven: "The Headmistress showed me their portraits after we returned from Kald."
I don"t want to sympathize with them but there has to be a reason behind it. We have to catch one of them alive so they can tell us.