Somnium Online

Rooftop Realizations.

Lin came at him again and again, and Eric repelled each of her attacks, occasionally launching attacks of his own.

They went back and forth for hours, neither willing to give the other an inch of ground.

Eric finally stepped back.

"I acknowledge you as my equal in even combat, but when have you ever been in a fair fight? Let's see how well you can really handle yourself."

Eric sheathed his sword and spread his arms open. At first, Lin only regarded him warily. Seeing as this would get her nowhere, she tightened her grip on her katana and rushed Eric with blinding speed.

She was fast, but Eric's training had been flawless. He clapped, and caught the blade between his palms, totally arresting its momentum.

Then he began his real attack. Putting his sword down had allowed him to fully concentrate on his real ability, and now that he had Lin dead in his sights, he let loose.

To the casual observer, it would appear that Lin had been suddenly pummeled by hundreds of invisible fists. She shook and convulsed in the air, and finally dropped to her knees.

A thin stream of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her katana clattered to the ground.

"Had enough?" Eric asked.

Lin growled and made a flicking motion with her wrists.

Eric made a similar gesture and halted two throwing knives inches from his face. They spun in place, carried by their own momentum.

Lin used the distraction to snatch up her katana and rush him again. Eric narrowly avoided getting his arm sliced off, and had to leap clear.

"This was a lot of fun. I haven't had a fight this good since the last time I sparred with Anne. But all good things must come to an end."

"You talk too much," Lin called, then rushed him once again.

This time Eric held nothing back. He didn't bother putting up a physical defense, he just blinked once, and removed the air from Lin's lungs.

The effect was instantaneous. Without oxygen, the human body cannot function. The sudden withdrawal of such a vital resource is extremely effective in combat.

Lin staggered and fell to her knees, her eyes bulging. She tried to speak, but could only open and close her mouth incoherently.

Eric sighed. "Game over."

Lin's eyes closed and she toppled over. Eric silently counted to ten, then released the spell. He pumped some oxygen into Lin to get her lungs started, then let her body do the rest naturally.

He retrieved her sword and placed it next to her. Then, he walked a few paces away and took a seat on the roof while he waited for her to regain consciousness.

The city was never really dark at night, but due to its general lack of permanent residents the warehouse district was darker than most, and Eric could clearly see the stars.

"Hard to believe none of it's real." He mused.

"What do you mean?" N asked. It exists, doesn't it? Just because it's all in your head doesn't make it any less real."

"Who said that?" Eri asked.

"I think it was Dumbledore," N replied.

Eric nodded. "I always envied Harry. Even when things were tough, at least he knew what he was doing and what he wanted."

"And you don't?" N asked.

"Not really. I guess I came here to escape, but I didn't really plan any farther than that. Maybe that's how I ended up here." Eric laid on his back and watched the stars winking at him.