Raithe Quest

Raithe Quest 6 - The Pale Knight

You slash at the air. What for what any normal person would be a useless gesture at the wind instead sent forth a sharp, solid crescent of bluish energy that lept from your sword. You let out a yell of exertion as you made it happen, then shifted your bodies weight and ran forward in its wake, catching up with it, then passing it as you darted around it in a quick zigzag. As the energy was about to hit it's mark you struck the straw target at the same time from the back with your sword as you passed it, stumbling and landing on one knee panting from the exertion.
"H-holy..." You trailed off.

"Swordsmanship?" Teuta finished your sentence. For the first time since you saw her standing tall and proud in Demonkine, before the battle, she was standing on her own two feet. Well... They were technically 'borrowed' but you had no real qualms about what happened to the 'honourable' Lord Heart. Neither to most, it turned out.

"Yeah." You moved to plop down on your ass, tilting your head back. You were still breathing particularly hard.

"Did I say you could rest!?" Teuta asked like a drill instructor, hands firmly balanced on her hips. You looked up in awe. She struck a very intimidating silhouette. The Goblin Artifice made the limbs look quite a bit like human limbs, but they were just different enough. For one, the feet had built in heels, making the feet look slender and unnatural, like someone had boots for feet, rather than actually just wearing boots of heels. Whether you both wanted it or not, the toes and fingers were clawed and appeared like living armour. There was no muscle in the arms and legs. They were made to seem petite and attractive, or in the case of the thighs, thick and sumptuous. Her hips were widened noticeably by the prosthetics and her skin was already beginning to take on a noticeably paler hue, with her hair becoming less blonde and closer to a platinum colour. The limbs did nothing to change her body. Her toned belly and strong shoulders and of course her firm, sizeable breasts. The contrast between the Aesthetically pleasing yet functional Artifice limbs and her functional, yet aesthetically pleasing torso was a sight to behold.

You jumped up. "No ma'am!"

Teuta giggled, covering her mouth with her clawed metal gauntlet of a hand. "Actually I did. I was testing your memory, Fin." She winked.

You blinked. "Eh?"

"I asked for 10 strikes like that and you did 12. Technically you overdid it." Teuta offered proudly.

You chuckled, relaxing a little once you realised where you were at. "I got a bit carried away, I guess."

"Not at all. The more you do that, the easier it becomes. It was 12 counting perfect attempts. I counted roughly 30 actual attempts. Still, you've come a long way since we started. You nodded. When you started, you would have to go for the whole day without rest until you were able to perform a single perfect strike. Then, of course, you rapidly got better and better.

"I bet you wish you got to train me from the start, right?" You joked.
"Imagine where I'd be now?"

Teuta's expression darkened. She looked down at her limbs, at her body. She took in a deep breath and said sullenly.
"You'd be like me. I thank every day so far for the fact that you did not return with me. Everything changed after that day, and it could have been the same. His Highness would have gotten his claws into you, too." She clutched her hand into a fist, sending out a metallic straining noise of metal on metal. Neither of us would be here. It would be worse. Don't regret your choices, Fin. Everything has a reason."

"Teuta..." You got close to her.

"I think you're right. Everything happens for a reason."

Teuta gulped, eyes becoming misty. She grew closer to you as well. As she wiped her eyes and sniffed she apologised.
"I'm sorry... Sorry for getting like this when I'm supposed to be teaching you. It's just..." She took a deep, steadying breath as she admitted.
"You gave me another shot at life, Fin. You were there for me."