Icarus Guild: The Renaissance Incident

FRIENDS, FOES AND FOOLS

Reno dusted off his T-shirt and stood up. There were giggles in the crowd. Of course, no one was on his side. Reno wasn't sure if he was either.
" Fool, focus!", a familiar voice buzzed.
Reno couldn't believe his ears. " Thoth, is that you?"
" No, it is yet another random voice in your head."
Despite the sarcasm, Reno was happy to have him back.
" Where did you go off to?"
" I cannot stay in this world for long. My presence is connected to the Duaat."
On the other hand, Reno's opponent Logan didn't seem to be very worried. Her black hair was pulled back in a pony tail. Her armour was an exoskeleton to make her movements easy. Reno could think of nine hundred and ninety nine ways he could screw this up.
" It is natural to feel fear. But hold your own.", Thoth advised.
It was kind of embarrassing to get coached by an ibis. But Reno knew that Thoth was his only guide to get him through without losing his vital organs.
Logan smiled at him apologetically, as if she was sorry to fight him. Her weapon - a glowing straight sword -- hung by her side. Judging by the blade's length, it was not from the eastern part of the world. It was solid iron, honed to a sharpness.
" Lo Siento, Reno Nevada.", her eyes flashed with cold humour.
" Why are you sorry? "_ Reno asked, surprised.
" Ah, perhaps you should give your surroundings a better look. I am fighting on my home turf with a blade I know better than myself. Not to mentions a sloppy newbie."
She was right. This match was already decided. However, that didn't meant he would go down without a fight. If there was one thing Reno had learnt on wasting his P.Ed hours on manga, it was to never give up no matter how much your life sucked.
The thing about sharp blades however is that they make you want to crawl back to your room. Unfortunately, he had no room ( nice pun) down here. His only options were death and fight to death. Reno didn't like the D- word very much.
" We would see about it when I send you crying back. If you want, we can call it quits. I don't have any intention of fighting a girl.", Reno replied.
" Nice try.", Keir smirked, " But that's too old a trick. And if you are planning to go easy on me because I am a girl, by all means arrange your funeral first."
Reno felt glad that no one except the fighters were allowed in the 13 feet radius. At least that prevented Lanza in the equation.
Meanwhile Thoth turned out to be an excellent coach, dropping tips on every subject.
"No stooping. Chin up, back straight. "
"Look your opponent in the eye. Puff up your chest."
" What's with the stance? You should learn from Hercules. That guy could fight."
Reno wanted to point out that Hercules was Greek , while he was an Egyptian weapon. But he had far more important things to worry about.
Renaissance droned in his metallic drawl- "The rules are simple. Whoever gets knocked down, thrown out of the ring or is unable to fight loses. We shall begin on the count of three-"
"3....", the countdown began.
Reno backed down to the farthest edge of the ring. Maybe, if he delayed this, he would have a better chance.
"2...", the crowd joined in this time.
Chit-chat. He would try to distract her with chitchat and strike.
"1....", a deafening roar blasted through the arena. Down here in the heart of the earth this was the only source of their development.
Reno found himself humming to One more chance, one more life. He wanted to get out of this place.
" FIGHT!", the audience exploded.
As if on cue, Keir slammed the hilt of his sword into the ground. The earth ruptured around the cracks. To his horror, a huge chasm crawled its way towards his feet.
" JUMP! ", Thoth yelled in his mind.
Reno jumped just as a 4 feet wide chasm divided the field into two. Rubble and dust flung around like a storm, drastically reducing visibility. Reno looked for cover, but there was none.
" Let's talk this out!", Reno screamed.
" Too late for that", Keir growled in a feral way.
Keir charged at him, her sword swinging like a flash of silver, carving out an arc of pure destruction around him.
Reno stood at his place, stunned and shocked, paralysed with fear. It was like he was under Wallace's spell, unable to move his hands or legs.
" DODGE!", Thoth's voice blasted like a loudspeaker in his mind, enough to throw his fear right out of the window.
Reno jumped out of the way, just to find the place he to be reduced to rubble.
" Keep still, you pesky rat!", Keir's annoyed voice spat.
" What do you think you are doing dozing off in the middle of a battle? Do you even want to win? Stop dodging and fight!", Thoth sounded angry.
As much as Reno would have liked to keep on dodging, he was drenched in sweat. He hasn't move this much since he was born. Thoth was right, he needed to fight back.
Reno pulled out the Book of Thoth from his jacket. It glowed warm under his touch.
" You seriously aren't going start reading, are you?", Keir snorted as he spun her sword.
" Watch and learn.", Reno began to chant. The Book of Thoth glowed a bright golden. The air around them began to sizzle from the pure energy of magic. This was the power of Thoth. The power of knowledge. His power.
" This laser show won't stop me!", Keir charged into him.
" Ha-swn...", Reno yelled.
The hieroglyph came to life from the pages of the book, its golden projection slamming straight into Keir. Two folded hands joined in a cross. The hieroglyph for negation.
A blinding flash ensued as the sword clashed with hieroglyph. Red thunder crackled from their point of intersection. And then........it just disappeared.
" What was that?", Keir seemed equally bewildered.
" It didn't work?", Reno choked.
Keir slashed at him ripping straight through his shirt and opening a light cut.
" I don't know what games you are playing at. But this isn't some simulation, this is war. And no one is compatible in battle with Tizona."
Reno wobbled back, blood dripping from the cut.
Reno had heard the term brainwave. But it wasn't until that moment he realised how it felt. As he stood there, powerless and helpless, the answer came to him in a flash.
Keir spun back his sword, aiming straight for his heart and lunged forward.
This time Reno picked up the Book of Thoth.
" Detener!", he commanded, waiting for the inevitable strike of the sword. But nothing came.
Reno opened his eyes and couldn't believe what he saw.
Keir's sword was frozen inches from his face, red ethereal shackles tying it down to the ground. The chains wrapped the sword to the hilt, making it impossible for Keir to move
The crowd to seemed to be frozen. And then it burst out in appreciation for Reno.
" Indeed, you have finally learnt the secret of your power.", Thoth spoke in his mind. Reno could almost hear satisfaction in his voice. And because he had to annoy Reno, he added, " Though you almost got yourself killed."
" I didn't , right?", Reno huffed as he moved out of Keir's range.
" How....?, Keir struggled to keep her sword aloft.
" I picked up a bit of Spanish in my ninth grade summer break. Its little, but I know the basics. Detener means to cease, to stop."
" How did you cast this monstrous spell ?", she panted.
" The name Tizona rang a bell. El Cid, the greatest hero in Spanish mythology. His sword was named La Tizona. I am guessing that's the blade in your hands. The blade inspires fear into the minds of unworthy opponents. In his battle with Gonzalez, a soon as Gonzalez saw Tizona, he surrendered at his feet saying, I am but defeated."
" You know a lot , but ......."
" It was enough for me. The Book of Thoth works. I have seen its power with my own eyes. Even so, it didn't work on Wallace. Or you."
" Its useless."
" That's what I thought, but I had missed the basic mechanism. Anyway, there's nothing you could do now, so its got nothing to do with you. Renaissance, Keir seems to be unable to move, so does that make me winner?"
A loud CLANG made Reno turn back. Keir looked mad. Really mad. She had dropped Tizona onto the ground.
" For years and years, I have dominated the Build squad. And you, you newbie.........you dare to insult me by making me drop my weapon? I shall rip you apart, in the name of Tizona!"
Keir charged with her bare hand like a berserker hungry for kill. Reno knew that even if it was a one-on-one fight, he had no chance. So he took to his heels.
" Running away? ", Keir sneered.
Reno knew it was not manly of him to run. But as Sun Tzu said, " At the end of the day, the war is not won by those who have fought bravely. It is those who survive that become winners. "
Just when he thought he had created the maximum distance, Reno spun around like an experienced matador.
Keir rushed madly like a storm, her fists curled into knuckles made of metals. Flipping open his book, Reno hoped his plan would work.
" Invocar, Guerrero El Cid."
A magic circle glowed into existence in front of him. In rough Spanish, the spell actually translated to Summon: Warrior El Cid! Keir crouched back, on the alert. A figure, dressed in stunning silver armour and a blood red coat emerged from the circle. El Cid, Reno realised.
The warrior looked at Reno, waiting for his orders. His ghostly cape fluttered in the wind, the features of his face shifting like mirages. Keir used this opportunity to free the sword of Tizona, slashing open through the chains
" Defeat her.", Reno pointed at Keir. " But don't kill."
The warrior hefted his sword and charged at Keir, his cape fluttering like riots of red. Keir swiftly sidestepped and aimed a stab at him, trying to get to his blind spot. But the warrior used his momentum to roll back to his feet. Swords clashed, dancing around in a mesmerising aurora of silver, metallic sound reverberating through the fields of Asphodel. Both of them were equally matched at swordplay. But Reno knew that his summon had the upper hand. In the end, Keir was only human, she would lose patience or get fatigued. But Reno's summon was a undead. He had no feelings, no ties. He would keep fighting till the end. This was a simple equation. Reno had used the right operators, now it was only waiting for the result to happen.
Keir seemed to have realised that too.
" Fight me yourself, you coward!", she cursed, panting from the heat of the battle.
"I am sorry, but I decline your awesome offer."
The crowd booed at Reno, telling him to man up. But, Reno knew had to win. He had to win to live.
The warrior had cornered Keir, who had suffered a ghastly cut on her forehead. She looked tired. The warrior aimed a solid blow at her, the flat of his blade gleaming. Keir closed his eyes, ready to accept her defeat.
And then, the lights went out.
A black silhouette dropped down into the only spotlight in the field. He laughed in a booming voice.
" I always appreciate a good fight. And It breaks my heart to intervene in such a blood curling war. But I am on a schedule, you see. Hope you understand."
" I don't.", Lanza jumped into the ring, " You have five seconds to explain who you are, or get killed."
" Hostile as ever, Lanza Cipher.", the man sighed, " Can't we have a little chat?"
Lanza's face looked like he had been sucker punched. " That's my full name. Nobody ever uses my full name."
" My bad. Does it remind you too much of your parents?"
Lanza's expression changed from bewilderment to pure rage in the fraction of a second.. Before anyone could react, he charged headfast towards the man. As quick as flash, the man pulled out two knives and shoved it forward, Reno closed his eyes, waiting for a horrible squeal. Instead, Lanza somersaulted over his head, out of the knife's range. His weapon glowed a dazzling shade of blood red. And at the peak of his trajectory, he brought his spear down like a hammer.
" With the power of the kings endowed within me, I bring down this weapon of thunder. Welcome Death! EXTINTO: SURE KILL!"
A Shockwave resonated from the centre, knocking Reno and the others off their feet. Reno looked around. Keir seemed alive, though she was bleeding heavily. Lanza stood on the other side of the field, still as a pillar. The ethereal warrior was nowhere to be seen. It had probably faded back into the Duaat.
There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone processed the happenings of the past few minutes. And then the crowd erupted in a furious applause.
" Well done, Lanza!"
" Yeah! Great job!"
" We love you, Lanza!"
The last statement, as you might have guessed, was from the ever faithful Lanza fan girls.
Now, anyone would think that it was enough action for one day. But noooo....Suddenly, the entire arena rumbled with a deep growl. The ground shook beneath Reno.
" Hold fast!", Kai yelled, " This is an emergency. SCORCH SQUAD! PREPARE!"
And just like an well-oiled machine, the scorch squad put themselves into action. Members locked shoulders with each other, forming a defensive crescent as the other squads filed out of the arena.
" Don't panic, follow the evacuation procedure, get to the rescue bunks.", Elisa shouted out orders.
Lanza helped some of the others get on to the line
Reno found himself in an awkward position, not knowing what to do.
It was Keir who gawked at him, " What are you spacing out for? Go!"
Keir's cuts had faded, but she seemed to have a slight limp.
" You okay?", he asked.
Keir stared at him. Really hard.
" Guess not.", Reno shrugged.
A hint of a smile flashed over her lips, " Glad you understood. Now, go!"
Reno didn't need to be told twice. He ran towards the gates. Just as he was about to go in, he heard a familiar "THWANG!", of a bowstring, followed by the snapping of a door. He barely had the time to escape as the twenty pound door came crashing down, trapping the entrance.
A distant howl sounded somewhere. The whole squad tensed up. Hundreds of ghostly beasts dropped down from the shadows. Their fangs did not look very inviting to Reno.
" So, I see all the players are here. Let's play!", a raspy voice echoed through the fields of Asphodel. At his whistle, the beasts charged at the hastily formed human chain of the squad.
Kai yelled, "GUILD, ONWARDS!"
Suddenly a silhouette appeared in front of Reno. Reno instinctively backed up, finding the rock solid walls behind him.
" Now there, kid. Its okay. You don't need to be in this fight. Hand me the book over. I will let you go."
"NO! DON'T!", someone shouted from midst of the battle.
Reno's knees felt weak. Somehow the mask of the man awakened his worst fears- darkness, isolation, humiliation. His words sounded reasonable enough. If he only handed the book over, if he gave up, he would have freedom. He could go to school as usual. He could laugh and eat cheeseburgers with Greg and his gang. He would spend his days peacefully like before.
Thoth seemed unusually silent. Reno could sense that he too was judging the situation.
But then again.......
He hadn't yet thanked Alex yet for treating him. He hadn't even thanked Wallace for saving his life. He still had a score to settle with Lanza, and his battle with Keir hadn't been decided. Most of all, he was still to convince Elsa that he was a good guy. What would he do having his shitty school life back, anyway.
" No.", Reno said softly.
"What?"
" I said NO!", Reno spat at the masked guy.
" You guild brats and your petty ideals. Loyalty? Courage? Bah, what nonsense! ", he laughed at his own joke, " Well, Recruit 4375, if you are not willing to hand the book over, I will just have to take it from you."
Before Reno could react, he landed a kick in his gut. Reno doubled over, coughing from the impact. The man raised up his sword and Reno waited for his impending end.
But someone else reached the guy first. Reno saw a blur of colours. Silver and Gold. Spear against Scythe.
" Good job holding up.", offered him a hand," Let's drive this guy back."
" Yeah.", Reno got back up.
Dressed in a stunning gold armour, it was hard to believe he wasn't a Spartan chasing into war. His red plumes depicted a deep hue of red. His spear gleamed in the soft light of the surroundings, illuminating his face in a ghostly light.
" Oh. And one more thing.", Wallace smiled at him, " Welcome to Icarus Guild."