Chapter 38 sneak peek

This probably isn't dropping till next week cause I've had to restart twice, but I've finally settled on going with a fight. I wasn't sure the two would back up Sidorov, but I think it helps lock in the stranglehold he has on the second years even if they hate him.

Plus, I thought this was a fun way to reveal some of Sarah's... er... strengths ;)

********

Unfortunately it transpired that Anatoli Sidorov had a firmer grip on the second-year class than Sarah had anticipated. After a pause and an exchange of looks, the two surprised User rushed her, calling on their full phantom-calls as they did. She barely heard Layton Catchwick shout something about ‘calling for help’ before they were on her, and she ducked as the purple-and-pink steel of the girl’s sword flashed over her head, yellow vysetrium leaving an arc of trailing afterglow.

Emmaline Dawson, Sarah toldherself automatically as she finally recognized the girl as a member of Sidorov’s ‘King’s Law’. Saber. B8.

She hadn’t memorized the details of every student at Galen’s obviously, but there was definitely a list. It was coming in handy already, too, which Sarah wasn’t sure if she thought was a good thing as she danced out of the way of a heavy hammer whose glowing white face left yet another dent in the ground.

Benjamin Jobe. Mauler. B9.

Both of her opponents had called on their full Devices. Armor scaled most of their bodies, with only their boots awkwardly left exposed as the CAD’s failed to manifest over the thicker runner and cloth there. They each had the start of helms—Sidorov aside, these where the elite of the Galen’s second year, after all—with Dawson’s forming a sword of short beak of yellow vysetrium over hear eyes while Jobe’s formed a mask.

Whoop-dee-do for them.

“Guys, we really don’t have to do this, you know,” she called as she dodged another slash of the Saber’s blade. “Your guy’s gonna be down for a bit, I bet. We could just call it?”

Another swing of the hammer, another dart out of the way. If either of the two were listening to her, Sarah sure as hell wouldn’t have been able to tell.

“Dammit,” she grumbled, twisting back and away from a rush from Dawson.

When she straightened up, it was her turn to swing.

What Sarah lacked in Defense, she made up for twice over in 2 areas. Her Speed had always been incredible for a Mauler. With an A4 in the spec, she’d been able to keep up with most of the Brawlers at Annapolis, though the Duelists had almost always edged her out. Strength, on the other hand, was normal for a Mauler.

What was not normal, on the other hand, as S0 Strength as a second year.

Unlike her actual physical grip, Kaijute’s phantom call couldn’t do more than really, really hurt. That meant that when Dawson took the flat of the axe square to the body, Sarah didn’t bother holding back. There was a weird mix of a scream and a gasp, and one might have thought the Saber had just blinked out of existence were it not for the blast of air left in her wake.