Chapter 10: The Titan

Light flooded Noah's eyes as he heard the female voice. He shut his eyes to give them time to adjust to the brightness. When he opened them, the scenario he saw was...much more different than he actually expected, to be honest.

He was in a wide room. The hot desert air that came through the spaces between the pillars placed around the room hit him in the face. He didn't notice before entering the base, but more than half of that room was open to the outside all along...! Could Angus have lied to make them waste time going through the dark hallways, to give Terri time to get ready? The pillars supported a grey stone ceiling, which was also what the ground was made of. It was quite the spacious room. And empty too. As he looked around he saw nothing of the things he expected from a room where an Order BladeMaster lied...

No, wait. In the center of the room, was a big, singular rock. It was...well roughly carved was an understatement. It was like a five year old picked up a hammer and started pounding away the rock into a...throne was it? Well, what was more important was what was sitting on top of the rock. Well, more who sat on top of the "throne".

"Ok, does every girl I meet have to dress up in weird outfits?"

The woman wore some kind of weird one-piece, skin-tight, armored looking black leotard with white cups to protect the chest. And nothing more, aside from long leather boots that almost reached her knees. Her long, deep brown hair was tied on a single ponytail,that grazed the floor. Above her forehead shone a pair of big, thick goggles with orange lenses. Maybe they were useful during a sandstorm... Her outfit sure looked like battle-fit but not common decency fit.

-Phew, glad to see you're just as lacking in the fashion sense department as they say, Terri. Seriously, what is that thing? It looks like a swimsuit! You're never gonna get a hubby if you keep wearing pervert-bait, sister.- Lucy's snarky comment broke the silence. Well, at least she didn't seemed worried...

Terri stepped out of her "throne" and smirked at Lucy.

-You're the one to talk, Lucy. But, oh well, we're not here to discuss those kinds of things. I'm here on strict business and I believe that you are too.- her voice had this slightly deepness who just added to the powerful, battle-worn image Terri exuded. She definitely wasn't like any other BladeMaster Noah ever saw before.

-Sure, sure. We're here to fight, engage in the old fisticuffs. Too bad I'm not the one who'll do the fighting or else, it'd be no fun, you understand?- Lucy said, her taunting mood not seeming to let up.

-Yeah, Angus informed me. Didn't you notice he had a transmitter on him? I thought you were the careful type, Lucy.-she said, crossing her arms.

-Wait, what?!- Lucy was actually surprised- B-but he was armorless..! The only thing he had on him was his under---- OH EWWWW!!- she squealed- Gross, gross, gross, gross, GROSS!

Terri shook her head, a smirk splashed on her face.

-You were always to entertaining type, Lucy.. But, oh well, it seems your little plan to catch me with my pants on my hands didn't work.

-Not that you have any pants...-Lucy mumbled.

-But now I know that little boy is becoming quite the threat. I dislike dealing with small fries but a little spark can be the start of an inferno.

-Just like your little Order, ain't that right?- Lucy sighed, nonchalantly.- Well, Noah, are you ready?

-What, wha...?- Noah fumbled on his words. He was so caught up in her presence that he forgot that he was actually going to fight Terri.

-Yes, you, Noah. You defeated Angus after all.-she said in a comforting smile.

-Yeah...but this is Terri...! She's no small fry!-he protested. Yeah, he knew that he had to fight, but he wanted to show, at least, some sort of respect for his opponent...It just felt right to him.

To his surprise, Terri did grace him with a small smile.

-Well, at least he knows how to show some respect. I'll try to end this quickly, for your sake, kiddo.-she said. Her voice had this sudden, dark timbre that sent chills down his spine. She was getting ready to fight and he knew it. He summoned his Blade and pointed it a her. Lucy gave him a last smile and stepped back. Another duel for Noah's life was about to start...

Terri opened her hand and pointed it at the ceiling. Suddenly, the ground started to shake beneath Noah's feet. Or maybe it was his own being that shook. Just like Angus, it seemed like BladeMasters could somehow feel the power from one another's souls. And Terri's was...

Like a titan's.

Light shone around Terri's hand and suddenly the light took form, and she grabbed it. She then moved the light form horizontally, still above her hand and suddenly she had a metal handle on her hand. She kept dragging and out of the light appeared a blade that never seemed to end. Finished summoning her Blade, she pointed it at Noah. It was enormous, the single-bladed sword being almost as tall as Terri was, but she still held it with one hand, despite how heavy it looked. Noah felt very, very small, all of the sudden, his courage seeming part of a distant past.

He gulped. Terri seemed to sense his fear as she placed the back of Blade on her shoulder, smirking.

-Whenever you're ready, Noah.- she said, nonchalantly. Guess all powerful BladeMasters had the right to act cocky...

Not wanting to waste the chance for an opening gambit, Noah placed the blade parallel to his waist and charged against Terri. He had to win that battle, not only for Soula but to finally prove himself to Lucy, the Guild, the Academy and also to the side of him that wanted to curl up and die, faced against that harsh world where strength was everything...

He dashed in her direction and swung that Blade. Of course, he was expecting it to be immediately blocked but from there, he could just---

Wait, where is she?

His train of thought screeched to a halt as Noah's sword hit nothing but air. It was like he dashed towards the completely opposite direction. But he was sure that he attacked Terri. It was like, one second she was there and the next---

An intense pain on his spine sent shocks through Noah's brain as he was sent flying forward, landing with a "thud" on the dirt. He quickly got up, only to face Terri running towards him, her Blade arched behind her back, held with only one hand. When did she have time to dash behind him?! Especially with such an heavy sword! Just what kind of BladeMaster was Terri anyways?

Noah didn't have the time to mull that over as his opponent was quickly closing in on him. He quickly jumped up, as Terri was only inches of him and raised his Blade's side up to his face, in a blocking stance. She'd have to rethink her strategy, now that Noah was clearly ready for a simple swipe of her sword.

Or so Noah though as she swung the Blade like it was about to chop a tree. Surprised at Terri's unexpected behavior, Noah sunk his feet to the ground, gathering all his strength to block the attack. Terri's Blade swung, hitting Noah's with a loud "clang" and for a second, Noah was satisfied that he managed to easily block that attack---

Suddenly, Noah's feet starting dragging across the floor. Like some kind of delayed force from Terri's attack was only now reaching Noah and he was about to get hit by it. His feet jumped off the ground and every last drop of air inside his lungs was quickly expelled from his mouth. Like a trance, Noah didn't even feel his body cut through the air as he crashed on the opposite wall. His eyes were crashed open, half of it by pain and the other half by surprise. Where did that come from?!

He slid across the stone wall for a couple of centimeters down before his back separated itself from the surface it was glued to and Noah's face hit the floor. There was no sound,maybe because the shock affected his hearing too. His vision was blurry and Noah's consciousness quickly drifted away into oblivion.

Hmph. Is this all you've got, Noah Eon? I'd think twice before charging at my ELX Sword without a good reason. There's no way a puny fighter like you can withstand its strength. A voice ringed in Noah's head. It wasn't his. Nor it was Lucy's. Terri was taunting him, now that he felt her Blade's strength first hand. Well, it was much more than Noah could handle, that's for sure. It's raw strength was enough to put him in that state with only one hit. What more could it do?

Nevertheless, he grunted, gathering his strength and slowly got back up, holding his chest in pain. Every action of inhaling and exhaling was an ordeal. He needed time to get himself back together but he had a feeling that Terri wouldn't let that happen. He spotted his Blade close to the wall he just crashed into. He walked towards it and picked it up, quickly returning to his stance, although shaky.

-It seems you have quite the amount of guile, Eon. I respect that.- Terri said, pointing her massive Blade at him- More the reason I won't let you suffer any longer. You're in a closed environment, so there's nowhere to run. This room will be painted with your blood.

Noah wheezed and gaze Terri his most serious stare.

-I...I don't think so...I won't die that easily...- he managed to say, still panting.

Terri seemed satisfied.

-Of course. I didn't expect any less from Lucy's student. Alright, hit me with everything you got!

Noah didn't waste time complying to her demand. He un-summoned his Blade and held his arms towards the wall behind him. Suddenly the floor started shaking.

On the trip to the base, after Angus's defeat, Noah had some time to practice how to handle Terra. It was quite easy. He just had to focus on a certain part of the ground, point the target of his attack somewhere else and suddenly, a rock pillar would emerge from the sand, lunging at whatever target it was ordered to hit. During the way, Noah had summoned quite the number of pillars, going in various random directions. He could also control the number, size, length and speed of the pillar's lunge and even run alongside it, making it follow him. Of course, after a certain amount of time, the pillar would break apart and crumble onto the golden sand. It appeared that Noah only had a certain time limit and range radius to freely control the pillar. But it seemed enough. He would need every ounce of that power to beat Terri.

Like he thought, a pair of rough-shaped pillars sprouted out of the wall behind him and lunged at Terri. Moving at a surprising speed, they quickly covered the distance between Noah and Terri. If he managed to hit her with them, or even if she did manage to block them with her Blade, it would give Noah enough time to jump on top of pillars and make a beeline towards Terri, striking her with his Blade and dealing quite the bit of damage. If she dodged, Noah could easily break the focus on the two first pillars, making them crumble and summon new ones near Terri, restarting his attack and resetting his strategy to a safe point.

As the pillars reached Terri's reach, however, her face didn't seem threatened. She smirked.

-I'm sorry, Eon, but your strategy won't work. Don't underestimate what I can do.

She pointed her humongous Blade at the incoming pillars. She grabbed the hilt. Two hands. Then, she swung, the Blade making a quick arc in front of the pillars. But, she was still a couple centimeters away from the pillars. How could her Blade even hit--

Suddenly, a loud cracking noise filled the room. Time seemed to stop, Noah's eyes focused on the pillars, who still made her way to Terri. Suddenly, Noah realized the loud noise's origin. From the tip that approached Terri, the pillars slowly started to split themselves, each one turning into a pair of thinner versions of themselves. This reaction continued along each pillar's length until it reached Noah.

The first sign was a large, horizontal cut on the stomach section of his clothes.Then, some kind of force projected him backwards, falling hard onto the floor. He tapped his stomach and his glove was painted red. He was bleeding. The second sign was the loud crumble of the wall behind him. He slowly looked behind and was confronted with the glimmer of the golden sand and the azure sky from the desert he just traveled in the previous hours. This scenery was being presented by a huge horizontal cut on the entire wall.

-Know this, Eon: my "ELX Sword" can send shock waves with half the power from the Blade's swing across the air. It will keep cutting along until it reaches past a certain radius. loosing it sharpness the bigger the distance it travels. Basically, even if I miss an attack, you will still feel the after effects.

Noah listened. Shock waves? Half its power? He coughed and the floor beneath right beneath him was splattered with a small pool of blood and spit. He gulped.

-But wait...I blocked your Blade before... If what you said is true...I should have been cut in half.

Terri turned the Blade around.

-I hit you with the backside. You were so busy being happy about blocking me that you didn't notice that I did it on purpose. The shock wave I sent after that hit may not be as sharp as this one, but it was still powerful enough to send you back flying. You can see now exactly what you're dealing with.

Noah tried to reply but the sharp pain on his stomach numbed his thoughts. He curled up on the floor, placing his forehead against the red painted floor. He grunted in pain. He was stupid, thinking he could be on the same level as Terri, attacking her with such a predictable strategy. He felt disappointed in himself for being so naive but more than that, he was scared of his opponent. She was already strong enough, but her Blade's properties covered the lack of reaching power fighting without Elements brought. And she hadn't even used her Element yet so she could still have tricks up her sleeve. She still had a thousand ways to kill him and Noah felt small.

-Unfortunately, the shock wave you just got hit with wasn't sharp enough to give you any fatal injuries. I'll just have to correct that.- Terri's voice reached his ears before the sound of steps started approaching him.

C'mon, Noah. Are you really giving up so easily? Noah knew that Lucy would yell at him that if he stayed curled up like that. Terri was making her way to deliver the final blow on him. Would you really let her do that?

A small, ironic smirk took form on his lips.

Was there ever any doubt?

Of course not.

He could feel his hand curling up on the hilt of his Blade. His body covered it so he had to take that chance. He wasn't a small fry, unlike Terri thought. And that was the opening he was looking for.

He focused on both tips of his feet, pressed against the floor. A low rumble could be heard alongside Terri's increasingly louder footsteps. Just like in the fight against Angus, the only way for a novice like him to win was to fly above his limits. And that was what he intended to do.

He'd fly his way to victory.

Small platforms rose under his feet. Noah quickly leaned forward and let the pillars under him quickly expand. Like a spring, Noah rocketed in Terri's direction. He took the Blade pressed against his chest away and, as he made his way towards Terri he clenched both hands on the hilt and swung with all his might.

The last thing he saw before slamming against the floor again was Terri's face, flashed with surprise. He had angled himself in a way that only the Blade would hit her, preventing his flying body from crashing towards her. He rolled on himself and quickly forced his legs to lift his wounded body. He looked towards Terri. Had his plan succeed?

A large, fizzing sound reached Noah. A thin stream of crimson liquid shot out from the front of her and fell to the floor. Terri's legs trembled and she bent forward, clutching herself. It worked! He caught her defenseless and damaged her immensely. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

-Heh...like I said, the smallest spark can start an inferno.- her voice was deeper and darker than before. She turned her face towards Noah. A small line of red escaped her lips. Her eyes, however seemed to go through his skull. She was livid. She grunted and got up, turning to him. The wound made its way from under the rightmost side of her chest to the leftmost side of her hip. Her suit was torn and painted red. He got her good.

Noah didn't intend to be scared of her. He stared at her with the same intensity she did at him. Then, he pointed his Blade at her again. He was going to fight! She could be hurt! He was going to win!

-Alright...warm up's over, Eon. Your ass is mine!-she roared. She picked up her Blade, both hands on the hilt. She dragged her left foot backwards, while the right one stayed in place, like she was stretching her legs before jogging. She took the Blade and placed it above her head diagonally, titled towards the floor. Noah could feel it again. The strength of a Titan. What was she going to do now?

Her eyes seemed to shine with rage but, for a moment, Noah could swear he caught a glimpse of bright orange painted on them. Then, her voice seemed to shake the entire room, like an earthquake, her words a poem of death itself, even if she only said two simple words.

-Soul! Crash!!!