Vanport brandished his flaming sword. It was a bit intimidating, but my goal isn't to win a fight. My plan was to escape.
"Come at me." [Solace]
"As you wish." [Vanport]
Gripping his sword, he slashed from a distance.
("What is he- Oh crap!") [Solace]
I ducked as fire flew overhead.
"|Quick Steps|!" [Vanport]
Appearing before me, he slashed vertically.
"|Helm Splitter|!" [Vanport]
The blade gleamed with an orange hue. I freaked out hearing the name of the skill, so I panicked and used the first skill that came to mind.
"|Revolving Shell Arts|!" [Solace]
My hand touched the sword, attempting to force it to the side. However, the sword barely budged. We stood there frozen as we both tried to force our skills into action.
"Be cut in twain!" [Vanport]
"Move god damn it!" [Solace]
Lightning from my gauntlets reached over to Vanport's sword as his flames flared against me. I could see my opponent clenching his teeth, struggling against the shock.
"|Liquid Bullet|!" [Solace]
Seeing as neither he nor I could move, I relied on magic.
"|Martial Aura|!" [Vanport]
A yellow membrane encapsulated his body, protecting him from my skill once launched.
("Really?! How many skills does this guy have?!") [Solace]
He may have a lot of skills, but so do I. With a certain skill in mind, I raised my one free hand.
"|Piercing Blow|!" [Solace]
I punched his |Martial Aura|, which somehow sent the hit straight through to his gut.
"Urgh!" [Vanport]
Vanport wavered for a single moment. Granted, that single moment was enough for me to disarm him with |Revolving Shell Arts|.
"You snooze, you lose!" [Solace]
I sent the sword flying as far as I could. By as far as I could, I meant it fell a few meters behind me.
"This..." [Vanport]
He looked at his hands and at his sword behind me.
"Your prowess is more than I expected." [Vanport]
"To be honest, me too." [Solace]
Vanport chuckled.
"Then shall we stop testing the waters?" [Vanport]
"Huh?" [Solace]
Flames encircled his body as soon as he said that.
"Consume, Forgenis." [Vanport]
A human-like silhouette appeared from the flames, creating what looked like an incredible buff man. As much as it disgusted me to describe this, the spirit wore only a loincloth and had armor attached to his shoulders.
"Warning: You are in the presence of a |Greater Spirit|. It is recommended to retreat." [Spirit Guide]
("What do you think I'm trying to do?!") [Solace]
This was bad. Really bad. I thought I stood a chance when Vanport only had his sword, but this was something else.
"|Invoke Exto|." [Vanport]
The spirit's form flickered, suddenly returning to flame and converging into Vanport's hand.
("Oh. I've seen this before.") [Solace]
If I was recalling this correctly, this was a skill Nakros used before. I watched the flames mold itself into a golden longsword. The blade itself had engravings of silver and a handle that spiraled downwards. The guard was curved towards the blade like wings and the pommel was shaped like a lion's head.
"Ha... Haha... Well damn. That's not fair." [Solace]
I laughed nervously at how screwed I was.
"Hmph." [Vanport]
He stabbed the sword into the ground and rested his hands on it.
"Summon your spirit. I will wait." [Vanport]
"Ah..." [Solace]
There was another problem. I didn't HAVE a spirit. Pretty sure everyone here knows it, but I AM the spirit.
("Wait! There's one thing I can do for this!") [Solace]
My plan involved saying a single word twice. I wasn't too sure if it would work, but it was worth a shot.
"|Elara|!" [Solace]
Upon shouting that, a green amulet appeared in my hand.
"What?!" [Vanport]
His eyes widened as he saw the amulet in my hand. Maybe Vanport recognized what it could do. Unfortunately, he was a step too late.
"|Elara|!" [Solace]
My vision blurred as my surroundings vanished. Within the next instant, I found myself standing somewhere familiar.
"Huh? Back so soon?" [Lapis]
With a surprised look on her face, I found myself standing before Lapis in her office.
"Mind giving me another ride?" [Solace]