Chapter 99 - Just Because Luck Isn't on Your Side (1)

Encrid rose before dawn to face the very same day again. He trained his body with the Isolation Technique. Today had begun anew, and most of it was the same as the last: he trained while Pin and the scouts watched. After starting before dawn and finishing his sword training, he inspected his equipment. He had forgotten the morning inspection after the fight with the Ghouls. 'Start again from here.'

This was the beginning of a new today. And it was time to choose a direction. Would he take the Tunnel again? Or choose another route? He held his sword parallel to the ground, tilting it at an angle at eye level. His gaze swept over the blade. There were no chips. As he examined it, he continued thinking about what should come first in a repeating today. 'Understand the situation first.'

If there were three paths forward, he wanted to know what lay at the end of each. All three were laid out before him as though they had been waiting. He could decide just how to make his way toward tomorrow afterward. He wiped the blade with a piece of leather he had prepared and checked the rest of his equipment. Then he unwound the leather strap around the grip and wrapped it again. This was a sort of marker to distinguish one today from another. Unable to keep counting the ever-growing number of todays, he had devised the method during his first repeating day. Rewrapping the sword grip meant the second today. Encrid committed that to memory. "Shouldn't we get moving if we're going in the morning?"

Torres spoke as he breakfasted on jerky. Ever since tasting the seasoned jerky, he had latched onto Encrid every morning. Encrid had been about to speak anyway. Just then, he saw Pin approaching. A hatchet hung at her left hip, a shortsword at her right, and she wore thick-soled boots. Her thin leather armor was well tanned. He had seen it flex easily with her movements before. 'That must be light.'

Her equipment looked it. Even among the light infantry, scouts traveled with the bare minimum of gear. That was what made such an outfit possible. "Rangers go first."

That was their motto. They traveled lightest because they walked ahead of everyone else. Encrid counted as light infantry compared with the heavy infantry, but his equipment was relatively heavy next to theirs. His longsword alone would be cumbersome. Then how good would she be in a proper fight? He had been wondering for days. Judging by what the Isolation Technique had taught him about assessing physical conditioning, she looked as though she could hold her own against Torres. And there would be time to spare today. The first step toward making this today different from yesterday: rule out sticking his head into a hole first thing in the morning. "How about going over the walls at night?"

Encrid put the question bluntly as Pin approached. Beating around the bush only made a conversation longer. Sometimes, plainly revealing your intentions and aims gave you the advantage in steering it. Encrid was quite skilled at that. "Why the sudden change?" "I've got a bad feeling."

He answered without missing a beat as Pin tilted her head. Encrid knew the nicknames people used for him in the unit. Aside from the irresistible Squad Leader and the Spellbreaker, the most common was:

'The man beloved by the goddess of luck.'

That was the one. If any other soldier or commander said they had a sense of foreboding, it would be easy to dismiss. Coming from him, it carried a different weight. "A bad feeling?"

Of course, Pin had never heard that nickname, so her reaction was understandable. Torres was different. After studying Encrid's face for a moment, he stroked his chin and spoke. "If all three routes work anyway, what's wrong with going over the walls?"

He immediately backed Encrid up without even asking why. All Encrid had mentioned was a feeling. What was going on? Pin stopped tilting her head and spoke. "You do know climbing the walls won't be easy?" "Nothing in life is easy."

Encrid answered that one. When two of three traveling companions agreed, wasn't the decision simple? Pin didn't really mind which route they took either. That was why she had told them about all three in the first place. She nodded. "All right, then."

There was no need for a battle of wills. Besides, she was rather fond of Encrid. "How about a match?"

Encrid asked as he fastened his sheathed sword at his waist, the leather grip now rewrapped. "Oh-ho."

Torres chimed in from beside him. The challenge was, of course, directed at Pin. "With me? Fighting isn't my specialty."

Not a chance. Someone who wasn't a fighter wouldn't have a body that well trained. "Neither is swordsmanship."

Pin shrugged and showed her palms as she spoke. Seeing that, Encrid spoke again. "Unarmed would be fine. We shouldn't get hurt before an important mission, after all."

Would it be valuable experience? He didn't know. But seeing how well trained she was made him want to try her. It was his competitive spirit. As Torres had before her, Pin suddenly found herself wanting to test herself against Encrid, quite apart from her fondness for him. 'It has been a while.'

Once, she too had burned with a passion for training. She had stopped upon reaching her limits, but even now, she wasn't someone an ordinary opponent could bring down easily. Encrid's swordsmanship against the Ghouls had been impressive, certainly, but... 'Without a sword...'

She didn't think she would lose easily. Everyone had a specialty. Pin's was one-on-one unarmed combat. "Oh, it's been a while since we've seen this."

One of the scouts spoke. Despite his banditlike appearance, he was a kind man with a gentle manner of speaking. He was also the scout who had hung Encrid's clothes on a branch to dry. From his remark, he seemed to know what Pin could do. "Enough of that nonsense."

Pin's eyes gleamed as she spoke. She already looked ready for a fight. "We do have until nightfall."

With Pin's agreement, Encrid unfastened his scabbard again. He took off his gambeson and leather armor as well, facing her in nothing but a thin shirt laced shut across the chest with leather. Before he knew it, Torres and the scouts had formed a wide circle, clearing a space. Standing near the middle, Torres gave a small grin. "Feels like I've seen this before."

He must have meant the advancement match. Torres recalled Encrid as he had been then, when the two of them fought. 'He's changed a lot.'

His improvement since then had been extraordinary. At least, that was how Torres saw it. "Let's begin."

Their spar began. Pin specialized in close combat, and she had no intention of hiding it. She shifted her feet from side to side, then immediately closed the distance. Encrid had learned striking techniques from Audin too. With one foot ahead of the other, he stepped and shot his left fist straight out. A straight punch traveled a shorter path than a swinging one. That made it fast. It was a punch that resembled a sword stab. Pin responded with something almost acrobatic. Eyes wide open, she ducked the incoming fist, moving only as much as she needed to. Encrid's stabbing punch brushed her hair. 'This...'

The movement reminded him of his assignment guarding Leona Roquefried. When he had climbed to the second floor to save her, he had dodged a thrown dagger with nothing but a movement of his head. Pin's rush brought that maneuver to mind. That was how she had dodged his fist. His concentration deepened. He could see the path her body traced, and his gaze naturally moved to her face. Her eyes seemed to blaze. Then she was right in close. 'A tackle?'

He considered it briefly and made his decision quickly. WHOOSH! Instead of using his extended left fist, he drove his right elbow downward. It was a vicious attack, enough to punch a hole somewhere in her back if she failed to dodge. But Pin evaded that too. She moved like a snake. Her waist bent fluidly, and somehow her footwork carried her to Encrid's right. She did more than take position: both hands seized his wrist and forearm. Encrid instinctively tensed and wrenched his arm from her grasp. At the same time, Pin hooked the inside of her calf around his shin. From there, the fight became a contest to see who could lock the other's joints first. They dodged, blocked, grappled, and rolled. Soon they were tumbling over the ground again and again, even banging their heads against it with a thud. Though Encrid didn't register it, Pin's hands and feet sometimes found their way to his groin. 'Ail Karaz style.'

Encrid recognized the techniques Pin was using. They were among the things Audin had spoken of throughout his countless lessons. Ail Karaz was one of the most notorious prisons on the continent. Long ago, one of its guards had devised a fighting method: Ail Karaz-style martial arts, techniques that subdued prisoners without injury while inflicting excruciating pain. Forgoing strikes in favor of joint locks, it was nicknamed the "King of the Dirt." That name had been earned by rolling across the dirt of Ail Karaz's exercise yard and claiming the title of king. The art was as notorious as its name. Again and again, Encrid countered with the Balaf-style joint locks Audin had taught him as bed combat. But Pin's mastery was several times greater. And so... "Admit defeat?"

Just when he thought he had blocked her well, his neck was caught between Pin's legs. One wrong move and it could snap. Being caught like this taught him one thing: her thighs were incredibly firm. "I yield."

With his neck still squeezed tight, Encrid conceded. "Swords might be a different story, but this is my specialty."

Pin released him. All that rolling had left them both covered in dirt. Yellow-brown dust drifted from their hair. "I need a wash. Want to come?" Pin asked. "I'll go later."

He refused without hesitation. The offer was no different from suggesting they strip together. "Tch."

Perhaps she had been joking; Pin made a playful sound through her teeth and rose. She dusted off her backside and spoke. "See you this evening." After she had gone, Torres grinned.

"If you're going to cling to each other like that, why not just get yourselves a burrow?" Hmm? Encrid looked at him, wondering what he meant. Torres only kept grinning. "You lasted longer than anyone who's rolled around with our commander."

The scout beside him spoke. Hearing that, Encrid began to understand. 'I suppose we were rubbing against each other, breasts and all.'

He had been too busy to think that far. But he had realized one thing. 'She's an excellent sparring partner.'

Not as good as Audin, who could keep him utterly immobilized while talking about all sorts of things. But under the circumstances, he couldn't ask for a better opponent. He would be able to hone his Balaf-style martial arts. Of course, that didn't mean he intended to squander today. Naturally, he would struggle to break free of it. But how many times had he faced a situation like this now? He knew instinctively. It was almost as if the ferryman from his dreams had appeared to murmur: "How will you get out?" Another wall had appeared. Could he get past it in only a few attempts? He didn't know yet, but it wouldn't be easy. Did that mean he would despair? Not a chance. Encrid was calm. He was neither wildly excited nor distressed. Truly. He simply thought that understanding what was happening had to come first. Discovering Pin's specialty along the way had merely been a bonus. Afterward, Encrid spent his spare time practicing Torres's hidden knife. "Are you going to keep at that? I've taught a few people, so I know. Some just can't do it."

Torres offered the advice seriously from beside him. He had told Encrid to stop learning before, but that had seemed more of a joke. This time, he meant it. Encrid answered Torres, who was lounging beneath a tree.

"Is that so?"

As though he hadn't heard that more times than he could count. "Fine. Suit yourself."

Torres gave up quickly. It had only been a few days, but he had already gotten a fair idea of what Encrid was like. The bastard was stubborn as a mule. "Why did you want to go over the walls?"

Only after accepting it on faith did he return to the question. "It seemed like the better way." "And your gut's been right so far?" "Mostly."

In truth, he had achieved those things by repeating today an insane number of times. But would explaining make Torres understand? "I'll trust you, then."

Torres nodded. Encrid didn't think it would have been a problem even if Torres hadn't believed him. He had simply expected things to play out this way. He kept practicing and training, taking time to wash and get a little sleep. "Best get some sleep if we're working tonight."

Torres did the same, and Pin seemed to be getting plenty of rest too. When Encrid woke from his short nap, the sun was beginning to set. "Go to the rendezvous point. We're clearing out of here."

To prepare for the worst, the remaining scouts were to abandon their present camp and relocate. The three of them set out for the walls. The route was rougher this time. Instead of pushing through brush, they were climbing a rocky mountain at night. "Lucky both moons are out tonight, isn't it?"

Pin spoke from the lead. "You call this lucky? This is rough going." "I told you. This route's twice as hard as the others."

Smiling, Pin set off again. Her gait was part of it, but she must also have attached something beneath her boots: her footsteps were almost silent. Encrid followed her without a word. Beyond the rocky mountain, brush reaching over their heads awaited them. Pin led the other two through that as well. At last, they reached a spot with a clear view of Cross Guard's walls. "We're lucky."

Pin gazed at the walls as she spoke. Drenched in sweat, Torres lifted his head. "This is lucky?" "Of course it is. We haven't run into a single demonic beast or monster." Encrid was soaked in sweat too. Just keeping pace with a ranger was grueling work. And they weren't done yet. "Now we begin, gentlemen."

With a bright smile, Pin announced the beginning of hell. Scaling the walls would be harder than climbing the rocky mountain. Before that, even getting close to the walls would be a problem. Encrid raised his head and gauged the height of the walls ahead. This would be quite an ordeal. But it wasn't as though he had a way back. "Let's go."

He simply followed Pin in silence.