System Break

Chapter 198: Spoils of War

The cores were visible well before the monsters themselves.

"If those were drones what's headed our way now?"

"Warriors or Nobles, the Scarabs have a hierarchy which is akin to ants or bees."

"Their cores are big, too big." They were larger than my old body.

She sat, closed her eyes, and crossed her legs while she waited, and her knives continued to orbit around her. She was very efficient with the technique and barely used much qi. I wondered how the knives would fare against a stronger opponent.

As they approached their techniques became visible and although it was a blur at this distance they had the telltale signs which I was familiar.

"They have qi body techniques," I said.

"They are warriors." 

"Shit. How large are the cores on the nobles?"

"Larger than a troll," she said. Which meant she'd killed both before because it was the only way someone who didn't have qi sight knew the size of a monsters core.

The three Scarab warriors walked upright, wore armour and carried weapons. The drones were beasts, but the warriors had more in common with humanoids. Clicking noises reached my ears and it was their speech. The chittered away to each other and they probably discussed what they would face on the beach.

"Can you understand them?"

"A little," she said. "They will fight, there will be no negotiation."

I waved my hand indicating the twenty odd drone corpses. "No surprise. What are their abilities?"

"It can vary. They will fight with swords and use qi strike. They are straightforward in attack method, but their sword technique is very good."

I drew my sword and threw one dagger into the air. Where Shade could juggle six in an interloping patterns I had one float in the air behind me and another in my hand.

At the last moment she said, "You fight. I will watch and intervene if there is need."

I coughed. "What the hell!?" Did she think it was a good training method to tell me at the last moment to fight these bastards alone?

There was no time to argue or swear at her because the Scarab Warriors launched their attack. 

They were tall, gangly, and covered in scales from chest to bare feet. They wore bands of leather wrapped around their chest, arms, and legs. I'd never seen armour like it before but there were many parts of their body where I could see their scales, the leather only covered half of them, which left their groin and shoulders bare. Elbows, wrists, knees, and anything that needed to bend was also unarmoured.

Their faces looked alien with mandibles and slits for a nose. Their eyes were yellow with a black tubular pupil and they glowed with qi. Each wore a different colour bandanna which hung down the back of their head. 

They wielded swords which looked like Katanas two handed and moved with graceful sidesteps towards the beach and when they launched their attack one leapt high into the air while the other two ran in different directions trying to flank me.

I sent my throwing knife into the air and aimed for his core. If you were flying through the air the only way to dodge was to twist and change your momentum with arms or legs so I was not surprised when his sword swept in a downward arc, but he didn't twist, he parried the dagger.

Qi ran up his blade and it knocked the dagger aside with ease. At least his attack was interrupted because he was in follow through when he landed.

Everything moved in slow motion for me. I didn't have the natural speed or strength of my old lump, but I improved my qi skills every day. The Scarab warriors were fast, but I was faster. 

I flicked my wrist at the centre warrior and left my qi strike fly. I wasn't going to get in close range, nor allow them to encircle me. He was pretty damn good with a sword I had to admit he was better than me. From the follow through position he pulled his sword in a backhand arc and parried the qi which flew through the air.

The qi on his blade glistened along the edge and that's what stopped my strike. 

While his sword was in an upswing I ran past him to avoid unnecessary entanglements from the other two who had moved down the beach. If they went after Shade it wasn't my problem, she could take care of herself.

He slid a foot out and tried to trip me as I passed and flicked my rapier with another flying qi strike aimed at his wrists. I pirouetted and avoided his foot while he struggled to bring his sword down to parry the second strike.

The base of his blade arrived in the nick of time and he nullified another attack just as I had nullified his friends who now had him between me and them.

He saw me move and was able to attempt a trip, he parried my qi strike, but I had a surprise for him. Following close behind me was my throwing knife which was carried and aimed with my qi. I was the decoy, and the knife flew towards his centre. He twisted slightly but I was able to change course and my knife buried itself in his centre. 

I wasn't far from him and I could see his core. It was nothing to me to keep pushing the knife through him until it punctured the heart of his qi. His techniques disappeared and it was like turning off a light switch. He fell to his knees, gasped in pain and tried to reach the knife with a hand.

I did not hesitate and threw another flying qi strike with a flick of my wrist. It was like the blade of a scythe flying through the air and it severed his head from his neck with little resistance. Once his qi was compromised so was his defence.

The head rolled down the beach and his comrades did not growl, or yell, but they chittered like angry soldier crabs.

I swerved to my left and put distance between me and the other two. I wondered why they ignored Shade and came after me. I cast a glance in her direction, and she had shrouded herself. Her core was almost invisible, and her knives looked like annoying insects. I wasn't sure what the warriors could see, but it would be a black mist if anything at all. Their qi enhanced vision did not see through her illusion.

I threw a dagger in the air and had it follow behind me as I ran and circled. They would be wary of the trick which undid their friend, which was exactly what I wanted.

I stopped running away now I had them in a line. I used their spacing against them and ran directly towards the closest.

He lifted his sword high and did not leap. He stopped and took up a defensive stance. Their strategy would have worked a lot better if I couldn't see the core of the warrior in the rear. Reminiscent of how I hid my throwing knife behind me he ran directly at his friends back and I saw his core rise before I saw him leaping his friend.

I sent two daggers through the air aimed at the head of the one on the ground. He watched them like a hawk and readied his sword to parry both. He knew they could change direction so dropping to a knee would not work.

Before the knives were within his reach I sent them both upwards and over his sword, he stepped back quickly and parried as if they were going to drop back down after they cleared his sword. But he swung at fresh air as the knives continued upwards and into his flying friend who was now in view -  since he stepped back it made it even easier for me to clear his sword and arc the knives up and into the second warrior.

He tried to parry, and his sword intercepted one, but the second weaved its way like a homing missile into his midsection.

The Scarab Warriors used a form of stoneskin, but it was weak compared to my qi dagger which burrowed through and penetrated his core.

The last warrior turned and charged throwing caution to the wind. He was a sitting duck, and I threw everything I had at him, flying qi strike, dagger, flying qi strike and another dagger.

He parried one and a second, but they came too thick and fast for him to handle. My second qi strike sliced through his neck and his head rolled across the sand while his body kept running for a moment before it flopped and skidded across the sand.

I walked slowly up to the second and ended its life before I went about the business of retrieving qi cores and throwing knives.

I picked up one of the Katanas and inspected it. "These are really well made."

She did not answer.

I took one of their scabbards and kept the best Katana for myself - Spoils of war.