Quinn Noir:Spellbound Sleuth

Soul Bond Fight

The next day, I decided to take my mind off things by following Sun to the dueling club after class. I perused the list of names, having a hard time deciding. I turned to Sun and asked, "Do any of these people use a sword?"

"Lotus Blade, rank 76," he answered quickly. "Why?"

Without answering, I clicked on Lotus' name on the list and requested a match.

"Quinn, I don't think you're ready for him," Sun warned.

I smirked. "I got this, Sun."

I strode into the ring and locked eyes with Lotus, who quickly accepted my request. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a longsword in his hand. He smiled at me.

Returning his smile, I made a request. "Lotus, if you would oblige, I'd like to make this a sword-only match. But, I need to borrow a sword."

He laughed. "That sounds like fun, but I hope you know I trained under a student of Alexander Gramble."

"That's funny," I smiled. "I trained directly under Alexander himself."

Lotus quickly turned serious and tossed me a longsword. I smiled at it, feeling the weight of the weapon in my hand.

"I hope you don't mind," I thought, hoping Alexander was nearby, "I'm going to let you take over."

"Wait!" Alexander's voice rang in my mind, "What do you mean?"

Without responding, I focused on the technique I had seen Alexander use before. "Soul Bond," I muttered under my breath, allowing Alexander to take control of my body.

***

(Alexander POV)

What was she thinking? Did she believe that I could make up for her lack of physical strength? I mean, she's not wrong, but this is a dangerous move. And how did she even figure out how to perform a soul bond by herself?

Shaking off my thoughts, I focused on the fight in front of me. Quinn is far weaker than I am, and she made this a match without magic, so I would have to use something that didn't depend on my strength but also not my magic.

As Lotus charged at me, I sidestepped still trying to come up with my plan. As I continued to dodge I finally found it. D-Force is a type of energy contained within every being across the multiverse. How to use this energy is the first thing taught at the academy in my home dimension. Though Quinn had a lot less than I did, it is still enough to act. I channeled the energy into the sword, once all the energy was channeled I swung the sword.

"Dimension Blade!" A wave of energy pushed him back. I rushed forward and kicked him to the ground. I pointed the sword at his chest, "I won,"

***

(Quinn POV)

Lotus glared at me, "What the hell was that? I thought you said no magic!" He accused,

"I see you haven't gotten that far in your training," I smirked, "It's called D-Force,"

"D-Force, oh yeah I think my master mentioned that once," He sighed, "Sorry for getting mad, I've just never lost before. If it makes you feel better you can keep the sword,"

"I'd like that," I smiled,

As I walked out of the ring, Sun's mouth hung open in disbelief. I waved my hand in front of him, but he didn't react. I sighed and checked my system, noticing that I had received two notifications: <New Skill Obtained: D-Force Manipulation> and <New Skill Obtained: D-Blade>. I couldn't help but smile to myself, feeling a sense of pride in my new abilities.

As I made my way towards the exit of the Colosseum, I heard Sun's excited voice calling out to me from behind, "Hey Quinn, you better get strong enough to fight me soon! I can't wait!" I turned around to face him, grinning in response. "Don't worry, Sun," I said confidently, "I'll be ready for you soon enough."

As I walked through the dimly lit halls toward my dorm, my thoughts drifted to Alexander and his vast knowledge of D-Force. I wondered if there was a way for me to increase my supply of the energy. Suddenly, Alexander's voice echoed in my head, interrupting my thoughts.

"I could teach you a lot," he said, "But if I did, my old work would be after you. You don't want that."

My heart raced at the thought of being hunted down for knowledge I didn't even know existed. "What do you mean they'll be after me?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

"Quinn, if I could tell you, I would," Alexander sighed. "This Rule of Plausibility keeps getting in my way."

I bit my lip, unsure of how to proceed. "So, should I avoid using D-Force altogether?" I asked, my mind racing.

"Well, you're below the – rank, so they shouldn't notice as long as you don't use it too often. Use it sparingly," Alexander advised after a moment of contemplation.

I nodded in understanding, even though I still had so many questions. "Okay, I'll be careful," I promised. "Good," Alexander said, his tone serious. "And Quinn, be careful in general. The world you're in is dangerous, and not everyone is as friendly as Sun or Lotus." "I will," I said, feeling grateful for Alexander's concern. As I entered my dorm room, I sat on my bed and thought about everything that had happened. I had obtained new skills, but at the same time, I had also learned that dangers were lurking in this world. It was clear that I needed to be cautious and continue training if I wanted to survive and thrive in this place. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, feeling the weight of my new abilities in my mind. "I'll do my best," I said to myself, determined to make the most of my time in this strange new world.