Arc 2, Chapter 66: The Frosting Wind

Sparks fizzled, Jotou's eyes narrowed, "Who the hell are you?" she could not let anyone leave after all.

The figure stepped on crushed glass, each step forward leaving behind a trace of icy blue. "The Frosting Wind; though, Frost will do," crystal-like snowflakes patterned her footsteps upon the floor.

'The Frosting Wind?' Her mind recalled to what Asobi told her, "You're the one who caused the thundersnow…"

"Eh, indirectly maybe. I wouldn't really say cause, it's just my way of getting around to far places. Wow…" her voice was muffled behind the mask—monotonous with a hint of amusement in every word.

She stood a little shorter than Jotou, walking slowly to a halt. "That siren-like beauty was no joke. Glad to finally meet you," a smile Jotou could hear.

"I don't care, you're not escaping either," Jotou readied her sword. 'Just another target.' She rushed forward, "Zap!" she swung to Frost, but she moved back like a puff of snow onto Moren's desk.

"Ugh," Frost shook her head, "No introductions just straight to it? Finally, someone gets it~ From another world; though where did all that Princely nobility go?" she reached for weapons on her belt.

Jotou's eyes widened before she glared again, "Jotou Howllett, Thundering Blade. You'll get the chance to tell me everything you know in a cell."

"It's not like I was gonna tell you anyway," two metallic blue rods in each fist. Swooshing her bangs to her right, Jotou rushed up to her.

"Just make it look good, alright?" They ejected out four prongs each, two long prongs going past the fingers and two short ones going to her wrists; about the length of daggers—thin as a sword.

'What?' In the confused thought—"Swing!"—her blade sliced the air as Frost leapt off and landed behind the desk. "Crack!!" Jotou brought her sword down, snapping through and splintering half the desk apart.

"That was probably expensive," Frost moved, snow coalescing around her as she now stood next to Jotou- "Clink!" Jotou blocked her prongs. Frost leapt back, "Nice one."

Jotou's guttural growl aired white clouds in front of her. She dashed forward. "Cling! Clang!" Frost caught Jotou's blade in between her prongs, swung them away and did the same again.

Her prongs froze over in ice. "Crack! Clash! Clang!" The sparks flew against the crystalized prongs. "Zap!" Jotou casted as Frost caught her blade.

"Guh!" Frost let go—the lightning broke the layer of ice on her prongs. Frost glid back with the snow to the broken window. A little smirk grew on Jotou's face.

"Caught me on that one," she wiggled her hand. "Alright, we'll make it really good then," Frost pirouetted the rods in her hands, the shorter prongs faced forward.

Sparked blade forward, the blonde went. Her eyes widened as icy blue beams glowed right over her knuckles- "Swoosh!" Frost shot beams of ice—the sound of a hailstorm.

Jotou rolled to her left and spun till she got back up. 'Need to get better at that.' She leapt with her knees and dashed towards Frost. "Ting!" Jotou deflected an icy punch. "Pang!"

In close quarters, her blade deflected frost covered fists going in for her. The way Frost shifted and moved her arm; Jotou recoiled her head, deflected with a blade—all her focus were in those narrow seconds.

Frost's knee kicked up! Jotou's free arm thrusted down slamming her knee back down—"Crack!"—against the fragments of glass. Frost blocked! The incoming sparking fist holding a hilt.

"TICK! crrRRRR, TFF!" Jotou and Frost flinched their hands back as the frost and lightning crackled together. Upon the blonde's recoil, Frost got low and swiped her leg across.

Jotou jumped, back straight and knees bent upon landing; she sliced her blade across, clanging it against Frost's armour—a scratch mark as Frost spun back up. Made of something like tough plastic or carbon it would seem.

Frost peered down, breathing out as she put her arms up. "Clang!" She blocked using the long prongs going over her wrists; she spun the rods, twisting the long prongs to face Jotou's head.

All Frost caught were tiny locks from her ponytail that turned black as they drifted to the floor. Jotou held Frost's right wrist, in her open hand, "Zap!"

"UGH!" the ice still present cracked into fragments as Frost lifted her leg and slammed!

A kick against Jotou's side, "NGH!" With her eyes narrowed down, she only gripped tighter. "Zap!" lightning arced across her arm.

"BASH!!!!" Frost's free fist switched the rod's orientation once more—a freezing cold punch to Jotou's head.

"GUH!" Jotou's grip loosened, allowing Frost to leap back towards the window. The blonde's face—cold—like she had been placed against ice for hours.

Liquid went down her teeth—out her lips leaked crimson before they were frozen down the side of her jaw. She moved her lips and the cold melted away in the warmth of her blood.

Frost jostled her shoulder and cracked her neck, "Huh. I had to actually try a lot more than I thought I'd have to. You're making this way easier."

"Shut the hell up," her blade sparked brighter, she went for a! Swing and a miss. Frost drifted with the snow back to the desk. "What? You're holding back?" Jotou glared—Frost's posture low.

"Kinda," Frost shrugged the still good shoulder. "Can't kill you, can't beat you to a pulp either."

"Even if you tried."

"If you've noticed I am trying now; blood's not your colour. You're just tougher than advertised. Wish I knew that before I got in close range. The only powerful thing that everyone prepared for was your special little move."

"Thundering strike?" Jotou ran forward, slicing into the air as Frost effortlessly backflipped onto the table—effortlessly at first, however she shook her shoulder after landing.

Whistles were made by the wind as Jotou swung and swung. "Clang!" Frost deflected at least one, dodging the rest. "What? Not gonna use the ace up your sleeve?" Frost landed back in the centre of the room.

"You're not worth it."

"Ouch," Frost aimed the long prongs to Jotou.

'Spark broke the ice. If her ice beam is the same… Maybe I can deflect it just for a second.' Jotou brought the sparking sword up. "CRASH!!!" The windows to her left shattered as a blizzard howled in.

Unlike the snow, this was hail; icicles glowing the blue of her spells as Jotou ducked her head behind her yellow coat. Chilling to the bone, the aura of blue around her had disappeared as she watched her fingers.

The howl died down. Jotou got up to see Frost closer and bringing her arms back to aim at Jotou. "Fwish!" Above her palms formed two giant snowflakes she threw like shuriken.

From one she moved away and dodged. "Clash!" The other she broke with her blade. Glowing blue in the corners of Jotou's eyes. 'Shit!' Jotou ducked as two spiralling icicles came from each window. "Crash!" They flew in and shattered against each other.

Frost switched to shorter prongs, gleaming blue over her knuckles. Jotou stood up—this was it. 'I'll add a little more too.'

As two rays of ice beamed to Jotou, "Zap!" the metal gleamed against the blue-hilted sword, webbing with sparks as more electricity arced across.

She ran straight into Frost's line of fire… Ice met lightning. "Fizzle… SPARK!" She bounced the beam of ice to her right, bending her knees low to dodge Frost's attack before swerving her blade back up.

If only she could see Frost's face as Jotou held the sword in both hands, knocking Frost's wrists up, bringing her left hand away to swing the sparking sword with her right.

"Crack!" Her sword hit against the inlaid visor. Jotou went into a spin, rotating her blade as her knees dropped down. No use, as Frost leapt back to her attack.

Nevertheless, Jotou spun back upwards. Frost remained stationary before white powder stood where she was, reappearing behind Jotou at the desk.

She trailed her finger across the visor, feeling the crack as one fragment fell. "Alright; my job's done," Frost spoke as Jotou turned around.

"You're not leaving yet," Jotou panted up, broadening her shoulders.

"No, I am," Frost pointed to her visor, "I can't let this happen. Good fight Thundering Blade; keep going like this you'll be fine," she sheathed her prongs.

Frost looked to the open window, "See you around pretty Princely; hopefully there's a round two," an amused chuckle as a howling snow stood where she stood, going out the window.

'Dammit…' Jotou took a breather, wiping the blood off and holding her bruised side "Ngh!" she winced. "Come on Jotou," she shook her head, "Moren…"

_

Right above, Moren held tightly onto his transceiver, setting a border of flame that was nearing the trapdoor he escaped. He heard the windows shatter, but all he could do was stand in the snow.

At the front of the guild, on the roof. "Chhh."

"Frost? Is it done?" Moren held the button.

"Sorry Mataya, she was just a little too much for me to handle," her smirk could be heard even through the speaker.

"What!? You know over fifty spells, all the elite training from Trailon and you're telling me you lost!?"

"Well, if you had the time to read my files, you'd know they're all expert level spells. And you're underestimating her combat abilities against mine."

"I didn't hear thunder! That's the only master level spell she's got!"

"That's just how good she is~"

"I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH TRAILON'S BULLSHIT FROST!!!"

"Hey, my orders are to get the Thundering Blade, not kill her. If I can't, my orders are to retreat and save myself. You said it. All that training needed a lot of money and resources. I'm a valuable asset; you on the other hand."

"WAIT! You're going to leave me here!?"

"That's the plan."

"Screw the plan! At least take me with you!"

"Mataya, Mataya. No. You jeopardized enough operations that you're actually a detriment to the Regime's plans. That's what Tenner said anyway and I'm not in disagreement. Namora was supposed to be OUT of danger."

"I set the fire to go slow! How was I supposed to know she wouldn't escape!?"

"You shouldn't've set it on fire in the first place idiot. You thought you could scare her, set the house on fire and everything went as planned? Now that's just greedy.

We're lucky no soldier actually listened to your orders to kill the Thundering Blade."

Moren went silent… The wail of snow and wind picking up as well as the fires around the roof.

"Anyway, since you're so adamant on killing her, do it yourself. Sure, maybe I could take her down, maybe I could've even captured her, but the question is-"

His eyes were fixated somewhere else… A head poking up the trapdoor.

Rising from the fires around her like an iridescent phoenix—her yellow garments reflecting gold from the fluttering blaze. Cinders floated through the blonde locks feathering strand by strand in the frosty wind.

The thundersnow crackled, puffing out white smokes of breaths. Blood smudged against the side of her lips, blade webbed with lightning as brown pupils cornered the whites of her eyes.

Glossed by the fire, her side-eyed glare met Moren's gaze. There the Thundering Blade stood, in the dancing flames.

"-can you?"