[center][h2]Obstinacy[/h2]

[i]Wind Wild[/i]

Kirane

Day 1, Late Morning[/center]

On the way to the Tower Kirane received a message, notifying her that she was selected for some sort of investigation in the Narrows. Not a lot of details were provided and the message didn’t specify the capacity she was attending in. Given the location and that she was to be part of a team, Kirane suspected that what would be needed were her physical and not interpersonal skills – after all, although it was quite persuading to have a team of Knights knock on your door, it’s hardly a way to establish good relations. Then again, this was the Narrows and any sort of negotiation sounded highly unlikely to begin with. 

Naturally, she could be wrong. Her ‘condition’ was hardly a secret and whoever had selected her to attend was surely aware of her current… ‘disadvantage’. …Even just thinking of the word made the young woman grimace. Whatever her role, she didn’t want to be a burden. It was bad enough that she already needed regular check-ups to make sure the nanobots were doing their job (“do you really think I wouldn’t notice if they weren’t?”; “better to be safe than sorry.”) ‘Pampered.’ Another word that made her grimace. 

Either way, she had some time until she had to meet up with the rest and she was planning on using it wisely. Back in the Tower, Kirane opened the large wooden chest by the side of the window of her bedroom and took but a moment to glance over the items inside. She already knew exactly what she wanted, having made her mind up on the way here. It was a three-piece platinum bo-staff, heavy and, of course, elaborately engraved throughout with motifs of the Kyotan empire. It was a beautiful weapon and a nice memento of bygone days when life was simpler and could easily revolve around sleep, meditation and training. She loved wielding the bo, weaving it through the air, feeling the invisible waves ripple along its length… but sadly, medium ranged weapons served the least purpose in her current position and so were left as a rare treat between missions – and a pleasant way to preserve her reflexes and muscle-mass whenever she had the time. 

There was another bo among the other weapons in the chest, a very similar but bronze-coloured one that filled the entire length of the chest. That one was lighter, quicker, single-piece and generally easier to use for Kirane. It suited her better in weight and could thus follow the flow of her body more effortlessly, landing more and quicker hits. 

Being a collapsible weapon, the platinum bo she had chosen for today’s session was likely to break at the joints under extreme stress but for that to happen she’d have to strike it directly against a high-quality power-armour which would be rather stupid anyway if she could thrust it in somebody instead. Crucially, it was heavy enough to deal a very heavy blow to someone’s head, powerful enough to knock them out with a single hit. Also, it was a good choice right now because it would exhaust her quicker.

Some people would have given the sibling weapons names, probably ones that befitted a brother and sister, but Kirane wasn’t that sentimental. Besides, it’s not like she would ever need to ask anybody to pass her “Moonlit Serpent” and boasting about the weapon she’d used to break someone’s leg was even more unlikely. 

“Senenchal, please find me an unoccupied training hall on the ground level and list it as occupied for the next half hour. Keep my location public.”
“Understood. Room 12-A booked until 11:40.”
“Thank you.” Kirane said, standing with her bo and a few other weapons in hand that she was either going to distribute on her body or leave in her locker, the woman closed the chest and locked it. She took another look at herself in the mirror, checking to confirm she had all the equipment she deemed necessary for the mission so she didn’t have to stall the group once they were ready to go. Tights, ¾ length sleeved tight-fitting shirt over a protective vest, a bandana to keep the hair off her face should she need to use her wind magic, boots, gloves, knives, revolver…. The communication earrings, no watch, no wallet, no sources of any personal or work-related information in case the worst should transpire. Good. Time to check how long she would last in a fight.

[center]﴾҉﴿҉﴾҉﴿҉﴾҉﴿[/center]

When sparring, Kirane preferred training with people over androids for multiple reasons. The main one was because the latter were often too rational to give a clear indication of one’s skill. Kirane thought living species’ decisions were far less predictable, and so, usually, a much better challenge. 

Well, not today. And not soon either, probably, she thought grimly. Since she got cursed, she dropped all regular training that involved groups and stopped sparring with the other Knights as well. She didn’t want anyone but the medics finding out how much the curse was actually affecting her. It would be mortifyingly embarrassing to have to do push-ups with the rest of the Tower and not be able to complete the full routine.

Training room 12-A was on the ground level, close to the exit and affording quick mobilisation. The space was rather small, windowless, with a simple wooden floor that was always clean and shiny. It had an in-built sound and motion system which used a variety of signals to demarcate how clean and effective each hit was – a short beep for non-fatal hits, a short buzz for an ineffective one, a short wail for a lethal hit to a human, etc. Essentially, it was trying to substitute a living instructor by providing real-time assessment. 

Usually Kirane would have meditated before the session but she didn’t feel she had the time to indulge so she simply keyed in the parameters of the fight in the android. Human, short or no weapon, using both arms and legs, 230% speed and agility, and 260% strength, average intelligence and experience. Someone you could (and would hope not to) meet in the Narrows. 

Kirane left her weapons on the shelf by the door and moved to the other end of the room to assembled her bo. It fell comfortable in her hands even though she hadn’t used it in months. The engravings on its length weren’t merely decorative but provided a better grip than polished platinum would. Having it in matt would have been best, but the shiny surface was an advantage for someone using light magic. It was her favourite weapon growing up and had a special meaning in her heart.

Without going into kamae, Kirane gave the android the command to start and drew as quick as possible. The first blow was easy to land, she simply had to twist the staff slightly to meet the android’s fist, deflect it and use the inertia of the movement to strike its throat with the bottom end of the bo. A short wail was triggered but the android was programmed not to collapse. Without attempting another strike, Kirane stepped back so she was out of reach and let the machine rush her again. The next few attempts it made on her all ended in her favour, awarding the woman a small surge in adrenaline and dopamine levels. 

The fourth time she evaded her attacker by side-stepping it in a crescent. The bo came down, reaching for the back of its head but hitting it in the face as it was already turning towards her. A sharp sound alerted her of an effective but messy strike but Kira didn’t have the time to think about it. The android was far from dead and its hand shot out, fingers latching onto the bo. Not letting go of the staff, Kirane brought her leg up to kick the machine in the chest and she succeeded but not before she received a breath-catching hit to the side of her abdomen from its other hand. 

Pain shot through the woman faster and more severe than the android was capable of ‘feeling’. With slower recovery time, there was no time for her to dwell on it as the thing was already preparing to rush her again. Kirane planted her feet firmly and spun the bo around her violently, building up its speed and power, intending to side-step the machine again and floor it from behind. She saw the android pause and immediately changed her plan, running towards it, smashing the staff into the side of its neck with a loud crack and an alert for a non-human fatality. 

Things were going well so far. She had won five rounds without getting hit more than once. However, there was no pause between rounds so the machine charged her almost instantly after she had moved away. This round, Kirane decided to keep her opponent at a distance with more offensive attacks. The range of her weapon was a natural advantage and it was rather easy to keep the android away while also landing some nice blows. However, as the rounds progressed she was getting more alerts for messy strikes and could feel the weight of the bo more acutely. The android was also programmed to mimic fatigue but every time it was “killed”, it was regaining its vitality, essentially imitating a fight with multiple opponents. 

Kirane was only one. And that took its toll. The hits the machine had landed, along with the weight of the staff and the physical exertion of her moving weren’t doing her any favours. She received more hits to her own body, although she managed to partially deflect them and receive less damage. Still, if she took a moment to assess every ache and bruise, she would have probably agreed that it was time to stop. But the woman didn’t forget where she was going. The Narrows were hostile territory where you could expect a steady stream of trouble if things got really bad. The Knights had very few friends there and way too many enemies. 

So, she stubbornly continued round after round, giving it her all in short 2-3 minute bursts. Sadly, she could also feel that her discipline was waning as time progressed. With the pressure of the fight mounting, her mind started drifting back to old, familiar habits. Air, light… her body was reacting to them, attuned to reaching out for them instinctively when things got rough. ‘No magic’ she had to remind herself and stepped back, narrowly missing the android’s incoming punch.
 
“Increase power and agility to 300%, add three more years of experience.” She ordered between steps, curious about how she would fare against her usual opponent. She clearly saw the android’s movements becoming instantly faster and prepared herself. As it rushed her, Kirane’s back foot twisted sideways, her front foot and her body following suit like a wave in the ocean. The metal body flew past her, notably closer to her own speed. She attempted a hit but the android dodged effortlessly and spun, rearing to kick her in the face. Kirane parried with a huff and twisted the bo only to meet the resistance of the android’s blocking hand. Pushing the staff away with nigh-doubled strength, the android swung at her again, forcing her to let go of the staff with one hand to parry. The next attempt forced her to jump back, once, twice, and again until she was finally out of reach.

Her next attack was unsuccessful, followed by a block. It had only taken a couple of minutes to put her on the defensive. She was stepping back, evading, parrying, quickly running out of breath and the android didn’t give her a clean opening, easily recovering from any blow she landed. Finally! Seeing a weakness, she instantly leapt back and thrust at its throat, getting a good hit. Sadly, the virtual judge notified her that she couldn’t muster the strength to make it deadly. Worse, the strike had left her open. The world shook as the android knocked her off her feet with what was probably a punch straight to the face. Blood gushed out of the woman’s nose as her body reeled back, her world spinning violently. Not having enough breath to stop the machine, she took a nasty kick to the torso – and another one was coming! 

Kirane barely caught the incoming foot and rasped out a “halt”, instantly turning the android off. She pushed it off and remained curled up for another second, struggling to take a proper breath over the curse and the pain. Finally, after a few moments, she uncoiled and squeezed her nose with a hiss. 
“Time.” She ordered nasally, receiving the answer from the virtual judge. Just under twenty minutes. Ten fatal blows, some incapacitating injuries, floored one time, injured at least three more... Pathetic. She could last at least forty minutes two months ago, and with the settings both on 300%. So, her stamina was at least halved.

 She could hold her ground with ten opponents coming in sequence but probably no more than three at a time with an unsuitable weapon and no magic. And that is assuming they were all medium to close-range melee fighters. And close to human. She would probably do better in an actual fight where she was using more appropriate weapons and magic, and could (probably) rely on the group to watch her back but that was of little consolation. She still felt crippled and the pain in her chest didn’t do much to deny that. 

Whoever the bastard was that placed this fucking curse on her, he had to pay. The throbbing pain in her chest, stomach and shoulder was his fault, as was the freshly bloodied face and shirt. At least one thing made her smile. The fact that the medics had underestimated how long she would last… and the fact they had believed her when she said she wouldn’t do this. 

“Nanopatch and Isoaid.” She ordered, pushing herself up while pinching her nose, hoping it would stop the world from spinning and her shirt from getting any bloodier. Sitting with her legs crossed she accepted the items from the android now turned butler. Kirane stuck the patch on her nose before opening the isotonic drink. “Archive, how long until mobilisation of team “Narrows”?” 
“An estimated seven to twenty-three minutes.  No precise time available yet.”

“Okay.” Kirane nodded to herself, taking another huffed sip of the drink. Plenty of time to recover. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started meditating. She had the room for another five minutes, after which she would collect her weapons and wait for the others in the ground floor café.