Glass Magic

Chapter 16

        "Well-" She grinned slapping my blade away "Aren't you spirited today,"

        Tsking as the second slap had it flying I kicked her chest and rolled to a squat, snatching my sword once more as I shot up. Why couldn't I get at least one hit?! Grinding my teeth I twisted around her blade and swung for her back, her elbow sharply pulling back to hit my wrist. Hissing as I dropped it once more I quickly caught it with my other hand and went straight up, aiming for her arm.

      She, however, pulled her arm across her body, escaping the hit and swiftly swinging it back. Firmly hitting me in the ribcage while I stumbled back holding it. Pain radiating through it only for my back to be hit and forcing me to the guard. I tried to get up, my arms trembling and my chest heaving, but she stomped on my wrist like a proper professor. Crying out I couldn't help but release my sword while hers framed my neck.

        "You've gotten unexpected good at this in a mere week, where was this passion? You could be in an entirely different league had you started like this you know?" Glaring up at her as I rubbed my wrist I didn't comment as she was not kind. Not in the least. She gave tips before and after, she beat you between. She even broke my arm yesterday. The healer was not thrilled to fix it.

      "Do you know much about daggers?" I asked as she rested her sword on her shoulder lazily twirling it.

      "In general or, like, how good I am with one?" Why do you even have to ask that?

       "How good you are at using one," I grunted pushing myself onto my feet rolling my wrist as it ached with a vengeance.

      "Oh wow... I guess, decent? I mean the support school wasn't so demanding with being versatile, you stuck with what you were good at, and I only had to pass that unit there was never a need to master it," She shrugged hooking her boot under my sword and kicking it up, catching it with ease and raising both brows. "This is weighted, why is this weighted?"

       "Fastest way to get stronger," I sighed cracking my back with a moan, already feeling the bruises forming.

       "Hold on, you're telling me that you just did that with a weighted sword? This entire class?" She asked with a short disbelieving laugh.

       "You don't need to demean me with your sarcasm you know? I didn't even hit you once." Her brows shot up as her head shook lightly, her brows quickly pulling back in, an incredulous smile in place.

     "No duh, I'm an instructor for a reason brat, did you honestly think you could strike me? I have a sword mastery, it's literally my forte, I've been to war, I kicked ass. Of course, you can't touch me, but that doesn't mean you aren't good, you're pulling things off that a seasoned warrior wouldn't even think of. Things I wouldn't even think of. And you're telling me you did that with a weighted sword?

      "Kid, I don't think you realize what kinda bull that is. You've gotten that much better in a week that's not how this works, it's unrealistic without the weighted sword but with it? I've got to say... You're a bloody monster." Wow. Thanks. Needed that confidence boost.

       "You have such a horrible personality," I found myself saying as her smug smile shifted to a grin.

       "Don't you know it, now give it another go," She said tossing me my sword while I grunted catching it, mildly curious if I could get her to bend the rules a little.

      "I've actually got something I wanted to try, can't really do it in magic class and there's no point if I can't use it in actual combat, practice or not," I offered twirling my blunt blade, having gotten used to her horrid personality and how to handle it.

        "Not like you could touch me either way, do what you want kiddo." Tossing the blade to the side I clenched and unclenched my hand, a sword manifesting with my desired sharpness. "Oh, I so hope you know I'm going to shatter that." She grinned tossing her blade to her other hand while she shifted her weight with it.

        It was dull but it was glass, and glass shatters. She was actively going to shatter it too. Good. That means I can properly practice. My other hand was swiftly filled with the thick spectacles I slide onto my face knowing just how dangerous shattered glass was and knowing just how to rile her up. If you so any form of weakness she'll instinctively go after it, this was glass on my face, that's a weakness if I've ever heard one.

      With a nod at one another, we signaled that we were ready and I was lunging in a second. Swinging my sword, my stomach clenching with the anticipation for what was going to happen knowing she'd block such an obvious strike. She did, my blade shattering at the impacted as her eyes light up having accomplished it so soon. My throat tightening as I ground my teeth, the blade reforming just as it got past her sword.

        Her eyes sharpened as she swung her head back to avoid it, hardly escaping as weight filled my other hand and my arm jerked up. She shattering one while I discarded it without a second thought, swinging with the other as batting one meant being open for the other. Her foot, however, shot up, hitting me in my throbbing wrist.

      Hissing I let go, swiping my other arm as it manifested, she jumped back quickly making me tsk. Too short. The end grew as I realized I hadn't made it long enough, advancing I went from my knee to shoulder, trying to get under her blade but she twisted her arm and shattered my blade, and the end before it finished.

       Her sword ramming against the side of my neck a second later. Crying out I jumped back and grabbed it. It wasn't hard enough to do anything more than bruise but that alone meant she could have stopped. But no, she had to get my glasses off my face.

       "You know, I think I've figured out something rather unpleasant about you," She said looking at her blade, her eyes sharp without a hint of the sadistic personality of hers, "I don't think I could win a real fight with you kid, if you were going for the kill I doubt you'd be out in front, you're definitely a distance fighter, probably good with a bow," Licking her lip she pulled it in before looking up at me with a cold gaze.

        "Not to mention you've got something good between your ears and you're fast, and you're keen, annoyingly so, you pick up on the most annoying things. Don't even get me started on that magic, sure it's weak but you call it to quick like it's second nature. Your the worst kinda person to find on a battlefield, sure you ain't the typical lead that's on the front lines commanding but you're definitely a lead. A really irritating one,"

        "That's quite a compliment but I'm gonna have to say you're wrong, I'm far too fragile to win a fight against you, real or not," I said rubbing my neck as I looked at the glasses on the ground that fell when she got the last strike.

         "You ever notice that fragile's got the word agile written into it?"