Fight Against Fate: Chapter 5

One of the things that children always did was jump at shadows. Things that go bump in the night. Things they can’t see. Things they can only hear or imagine are there. They bring life to those fears and suddenly they are sharing a reality with them. If they were lucky their parents would tell them it was just their imagination.

But now almost an adult Dio knew the truth about the shadows. Shadows could be a powerful tool of fear, but they could also be something to help you learn. To grow and get stronger. Imagining the shadows as real trained fighters every bit as dangerous as oneself. You could get stronger when you didn’t have a sparring partner.

 Standing on the hill overhanging  Roxa, Dio drew his sword slowly. He placed his palm against the flat of the sword and shut his eyes. He stepped forward and started swinging, parrying thrusts that he could predict. Dodging blows that he could read. Getting hit by things that he couldn’t.

The opponent he imagined was always the same. The same dark hood, the same double-sided sword with a bronze pommel. Every time he fought it he would come close to winning, come close to defeating it, and then for whatever reason he would fail. A stumble, a misread swing, a wrong step, over aggression. The shadow would always triumph over him.

Even now he stepped forward and swung for what should have been the killing blow. But the shadow did something he didn’t expect. It stepped into his swing, taking a deep cut into the shoulder but running him through.

Staring at it, it faded away from his imagination leaving him panting and frustrated. Shouting he lowered his sword and slid it home at his waist and walked toward the tree again. Pulling his water skin out of a bag he tilted it back, drinking for several seconds and finally paused. Looking over his shoulder he asked, “Who are you and what do you want?”

A woman stepped out of the shadows slowly wearing a leather breast plate, cloth pants tucked into boots. She had dark brown skin, bright blue eyes, dark burgundy hair in a ponytail, and sharp bone structure. She was frowning hard but only had eyes for Dio in this instance. As she approached Dio could tell that despite his own height, she stood taller than him.

“My name is Rosa. I wanted to see if the rumors were true. If the man named Dio, fated to join the Gods, was real.”

Dio looked at her again, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t play dumb,” she said. “Everyone knows of you. The man with a fate so bright he nearly eclipses the sun.”

Dio narrowed his eyes at her, “You embellish to try and get a rise out of me. Why?”

“I wish to test myself against you,” she said and reached behind her. She drew a thin blade almost as long as her arm with a single sharp edge. Pulling free a wooden shaft she connected the two pieces forming a glaive. “I want to hear if the rumors are true. And if you are as good as you really are.”

“I have no reason to risk my own health to help your ego. If you wish to fight me do it in the tournament,” he shook his head and put his bag over his shoulder

She scowled and stepped forward, “I didn’t take the great Dio to be nothing but a coward.”

“Your attempts at provoking me are falling on deaf ears. Good bye Rosa.”

He walked past her slowly and he could hear her growl. He heard her move, the glaive slicing through the air. Dio stepped back just out of range of the weapon and turned to face her. She lunged again swinging the weapon back and forth but not able to get a bead on him. His eyes raced watching her arms and guessing where she was going to swing next and stepping back.

“Is dodging all you can do? Draw your sword and fight me like a man!”

He ignored her and continued avoiding her swings but they were getting more precise. Dio ducked his head down and avoided a swing but it cut the strap of his bag. He watched it sink to the ground and he scowled. But she was grinning proud of her self.

She backed up and spun the weapon around holding it behind her back and motioning with her hand, “Come.”

Dio sighed and glared at her, “You’ve moved from a pest to annoying. I’ll give you what you want this time.”

He drew his sword slowly and watched her. She slowed down and watched him carefully this time. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as he stood holding the sword over his opposite arm. She circled around him slowly and then lunged thrusting the glaive forward. He flicked his sword forward deflecting her strike.

He brought it down on her head and she turned the glaive around knocking it off the path. Spinning around he swung again at her chest. Jerking backward she avoided the tip of the sword and he lunged elbowing her in the chest. She grunted and he swung throwing a punch hitting her in the jaw.

She recovered stumbling backwards and brought her glaive back up. She gripped it with both hands lunging at him. He stepped into the attack feeling it dig into his shoulder. But he didn’t wince from it. Instead he kept going and held the sword point to her neck. She stared at him, caught his eyes and felt the chill that wafted over her. If this had been a real fight he would have killed her without hesitation. She stared and lowered her head. “I’ve lost.”

“Yes, you have,” he stepped away flicking his sword away and slid it into its sheathe at his hip. “You fought well. I hope you’re satisfied with this result.”

“No. I’m not,” she said keeping her head down. “But this will not be the last time we meet.”

“You’ll be in the tournament?”

“No,” that made Dio raise his eyebrow. “I was not chosen. My fate not important enough. My sister was instead. I will work my way through the qualifying tournament and we’ll meet again. And I will face you in that tournament and I will defeat you.”

Dio looked at her and he smirked because he saw the fire in her eyes and felt it in her words. It made him shiver in anticipation, “I look forward to meeting you in the bracket itself. And defeating you again. Good night.”