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sutepri[Content Notes]
[Disclaimer]
Scrapped Princess | Prelude of the Stray Cat Princess | The Scrapped Princess's Casket | Part 6/10
Meanwhile . . .
". . . !"
"My, Hitman-san, you're making such a funny face."
Raquel watched in apparent amusement as the first-class military-grade offensive spell, Thor (that is to say, a semi-autonomous offensive spell that automatically pursues the target for which it is configured at the time of the spell's initialization) chased Big Noise around the castle's corridors.
As Big Noise clumped around, literally running for his life, a huge figure twice his size chased after him.
The figure was a strongly muscled giant who wore a splendid beard despite his lack of hair. Flexing his thick arms in front of his bare chest and wearing a profusely invigorating smile, that giant chased after the hired killer.
This brilliantly gleaming giant--who, in an entirely different sense from Big Noise, had a sweltering air about him--seemed at first glance to be a person . . . but this entity was actually a cluster of lightning, brought under control by magic. The moment it came into contact with its target, its explosive power would rival dozens of natural thunderbolts. A direct hit would completely evaporate a human being, before he even had a chance to burn.
This giant, who held absolute death within him, skipped lightly after Big Noise, like a puppy following its master. The sight of that giant man--who was as much a bundle of muscle and sinew as anything--still flexing his arms and wearing that invigorating smile as he skipped along . . . how should I put this? It was enough to make an observer feel as though her brains were melting squishily away.
"But it's funny. I thought his pursuit speed would be faster. He's cute, so I guess it's fine like this, but still . . ."
This semi-autonomous pursuit-style offensive spell, Thor, was originally given human form in order to raise the morale of fellow soldiers, but . . . this version was just a bit different from the spell's original manifestations. Whether this was because Raquel simply made a mistake while making her adjustments or because it reflected her personal preferences was a mystery, but at any rate, the fact that Raquel's sensibilities would label this dancing, musclebound giant "cute" was a little chilling.
". . . !"
Though of course, to the one being chased, it hardly matters what form the spell takes. Big Noise could not not find his voice, could not do anything but run like the devil.
"But you know, it seems like I ought to do a bit more fine-tuning to the virtual soul that controls his semi-autonomous pursuit faculties . . . What do you think, Hitman-san?"
A blow came swinging down at an angle from above his head.
At the command of his reflexes, Shannon blocked it with his katana almost without realizing it. Shannon had clearly been the faster of the two.
But . . . !
In the instant he blocked that killing blow, it changed.
Starting from the point where it came into contact with Shannon's katana, it twisted around to strike at the back of Shannon's head.
Had he not pushed his katana away from his body the instant he felt the strange vibrations that traveled through it, those blades would most likely have twined themselves around his head.
". . . a Banesword1-wielder, huh?"
Shannon muttered this as he watched the blades rebuild themselves into a single sword in Convict's hand.
A small wound showed crimson on his cheek.
He had not managed to avoid the tip. Were it not for his cuir bouilli armor, it's possible that his right shoulder would have been deeply gashed.
The Banesword . . . it is not a simple straight sword that can be used by employing what might be called orthodox swordplay, but rather a blade whose unique form changes along with its characteristic offensive techniques.
They are primarily used by borderlands mercenaries and their ilk, and although they all bear the single label of "Banesword," they come in an extremely varied and wide-range of types. As you would expect, it is no exaggeration to say that as many forms and offensive tactics exist as do wielders and battlefields.
They pose an unthinkable threat to those who have only ever fought against conventional swordplay. This is especially true for those schools of thought that stress proper form, and that measure strength based entirely upon the mastery of straightforward techniques . . . The more proficient you become in a skill, the more likely you are to use it without thinking. But against a Banesword, what will happen should you thoughtlessly approach the fight the same way you would against an ordinary sword? After all, Baneswords were developed as an underhanded trick to use against just such conventional swordplay, so the result probably goes without saying.
Of course, because this is a literally heretical style2 that takes great pains to ambush opponents, Banesword-wielders are generally masters of surprise attacks, who kill in a single blow . . . So once their trick is revealed, their fighting ability drops by half.
"But . . ." Shannon muttered as he brought his katana back up, "this guy's a different story."
Convict wielded his Banesword with a terrifying degree of expertise. This man used his weapon with a full understanding of the Banesword's strengths and weaknesses.
Though really, in speaking of Baneswords, it must be mentioned that the katana that Shannon used was also part of an overwhelming minority in the world . . . In other words, it could be considered a kind of Banesword itself.
". . . now then."
To tell the truth, had it been simple sword-on-sword battle, he would have felt confident that he would win.
However, in terms of weaponry, his opponent had the overwhelming advantage, and an ill-considered defense would put him in even greater danger. Honestly, it would be an arduous fight.
The structure of this bout was, if anything, straightforward.
His opponent's weapon had a far greater reach than Shannon's. However, if Shannon could get in close while Convict's sword was extended, it was likely that Convict would be unable to do anything about it.
The pivotal question of the battle was this: would Shannon be able to rush inside the Banesword's range, or would Convict manage to crush him before he could? That was all there was to it.
"Who the hell . . . are you?" Convict asked. "Are you . . . picking on . . . Linthia too?"
"? . . . What the hell are you talking about?"
"You're trying . . . to take Linthia . . . away from me . . . aren't you? I won't let you. I won't let you. I won't let you."
The Banesword snaked forward. As the blades sprang to life, Shannon dodged, then leapt. Normally, Shannon avoided such flashy moves--they only wasted energy--but half-hearted dodges would only make Convict all the more dangerous. Because the tip of the Banesword would spring up from the ground and strike from an unexpected direction.
After staving off several of these attacks, Shannon jumped back out of the Banesword's range.
"Shannon-nii!"
[Next] [Previous]
Notes:
1) The text has jaken (邪剣). Back
2) The text has jadou (邪道). The literal translation is "evil course" or "heresy," but because it is used here in reference to a fighting style rather than an opinion or doctrine, I've decided to translate it just a bit differently. Back
[Disclaimer]
Scrapped Princess | Prelude of the Stray Cat Princess | The Scrapped Princess's Casket | Part 6/10
Meanwhile . . .
". . . !"
"My, Hitman-san, you're making such a funny face."
Raquel watched in apparent amusement as the first-class military-grade offensive spell, Thor (that is to say, a semi-autonomous offensive spell that automatically pursues the target for which it is configured at the time of the spell's initialization) chased Big Noise around the castle's corridors.
As Big Noise clumped around, literally running for his life, a huge figure twice his size chased after him.
The figure was a strongly muscled giant who wore a splendid beard despite his lack of hair. Flexing his thick arms in front of his bare chest and wearing a profusely invigorating smile, that giant chased after the hired killer.
This brilliantly gleaming giant--who, in an entirely different sense from Big Noise, had a sweltering air about him--seemed at first glance to be a person . . . but this entity was actually a cluster of lightning, brought under control by magic. The moment it came into contact with its target, its explosive power would rival dozens of natural thunderbolts. A direct hit would completely evaporate a human being, before he even had a chance to burn.
This giant, who held absolute death within him, skipped lightly after Big Noise, like a puppy following its master. The sight of that giant man--who was as much a bundle of muscle and sinew as anything--still flexing his arms and wearing that invigorating smile as he skipped along . . . how should I put this? It was enough to make an observer feel as though her brains were melting squishily away.
"But it's funny. I thought his pursuit speed would be faster. He's cute, so I guess it's fine like this, but still . . ."
This semi-autonomous pursuit-style offensive spell, Thor, was originally given human form in order to raise the morale of fellow soldiers, but . . . this version was just a bit different from the spell's original manifestations. Whether this was because Raquel simply made a mistake while making her adjustments or because it reflected her personal preferences was a mystery, but at any rate, the fact that Raquel's sensibilities would label this dancing, musclebound giant "cute" was a little chilling.
". . . !"
Though of course, to the one being chased, it hardly matters what form the spell takes. Big Noise could not not find his voice, could not do anything but run like the devil.
"But you know, it seems like I ought to do a bit more fine-tuning to the virtual soul that controls his semi-autonomous pursuit faculties . . . What do you think, Hitman-san?"
A blow came swinging down at an angle from above his head.
At the command of his reflexes, Shannon blocked it with his katana almost without realizing it. Shannon had clearly been the faster of the two.
But . . . !
In the instant he blocked that killing blow, it changed.
Starting from the point where it came into contact with Shannon's katana, it twisted around to strike at the back of Shannon's head.
Had he not pushed his katana away from his body the instant he felt the strange vibrations that traveled through it, those blades would most likely have twined themselves around his head.
". . . a Banesword1-wielder, huh?"
Shannon muttered this as he watched the blades rebuild themselves into a single sword in Convict's hand.
A small wound showed crimson on his cheek.
He had not managed to avoid the tip. Were it not for his cuir bouilli armor, it's possible that his right shoulder would have been deeply gashed.
The Banesword . . . it is not a simple straight sword that can be used by employing what might be called orthodox swordplay, but rather a blade whose unique form changes along with its characteristic offensive techniques.
They are primarily used by borderlands mercenaries and their ilk, and although they all bear the single label of "Banesword," they come in an extremely varied and wide-range of types. As you would expect, it is no exaggeration to say that as many forms and offensive tactics exist as do wielders and battlefields.
They pose an unthinkable threat to those who have only ever fought against conventional swordplay. This is especially true for those schools of thought that stress proper form, and that measure strength based entirely upon the mastery of straightforward techniques . . . The more proficient you become in a skill, the more likely you are to use it without thinking. But against a Banesword, what will happen should you thoughtlessly approach the fight the same way you would against an ordinary sword? After all, Baneswords were developed as an underhanded trick to use against just such conventional swordplay, so the result probably goes without saying.
Of course, because this is a literally heretical style2 that takes great pains to ambush opponents, Banesword-wielders are generally masters of surprise attacks, who kill in a single blow . . . So once their trick is revealed, their fighting ability drops by half.
"But . . ." Shannon muttered as he brought his katana back up, "this guy's a different story."
Convict wielded his Banesword with a terrifying degree of expertise. This man used his weapon with a full understanding of the Banesword's strengths and weaknesses.
Though really, in speaking of Baneswords, it must be mentioned that the katana that Shannon used was also part of an overwhelming minority in the world . . . In other words, it could be considered a kind of Banesword itself.
". . . now then."
To tell the truth, had it been simple sword-on-sword battle, he would have felt confident that he would win.
However, in terms of weaponry, his opponent had the overwhelming advantage, and an ill-considered defense would put him in even greater danger. Honestly, it would be an arduous fight.
The structure of this bout was, if anything, straightforward.
His opponent's weapon had a far greater reach than Shannon's. However, if Shannon could get in close while Convict's sword was extended, it was likely that Convict would be unable to do anything about it.
The pivotal question of the battle was this: would Shannon be able to rush inside the Banesword's range, or would Convict manage to crush him before he could? That was all there was to it.
"Who the hell . . . are you?" Convict asked. "Are you . . . picking on . . . Linthia too?"
"? . . . What the hell are you talking about?"
"You're trying . . . to take Linthia . . . away from me . . . aren't you? I won't let you. I won't let you. I won't let you."
The Banesword snaked forward. As the blades sprang to life, Shannon dodged, then leapt. Normally, Shannon avoided such flashy moves--they only wasted energy--but half-hearted dodges would only make Convict all the more dangerous. Because the tip of the Banesword would spring up from the ground and strike from an unexpected direction.
After staving off several of these attacks, Shannon jumped back out of the Banesword's range.
"Shannon-nii!"
[Next] [Previous]
Notes:
1) The text has jaken (邪剣). Back
2) The text has jadou (邪道). The literal translation is "evil course" or "heresy," but because it is used here in reference to a fighting style rather than an opinion or doctrine, I've decided to translate it just a bit differently. Back
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 11:57 am (UTC)(The galumphing grinning giant is so...Raquel)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-15 07:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 03:56 pm (UTC)A cute *lightning* giant - only Raquel could think that :)
Convict is getting more and more dangerous!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-15 07:00 am (UTC)