THE BEAR GUARDIAN.

1774, NOVEMBER 27th, SUNDAY 9:37 pm.

Noche's fist tightened around the grip of her black sword. The tip aimed towards the massive bear-man as her footwork slipped into a defensive stance. Compared to his ultra-greatsword, which was a human-sized slab of metal weighing one ton, her weapon was a toothpick.

Dust trailed from Baxter's door-shaped sword as he raised it off the ground. His expression was solemn; eyes softened on Noche.

"Do no ask for whoMmm-Mm da bu-bells toll," he whispered. "Today, they tuh-toll for mMmm-me."

He raised his sword and got into a fighting stance.

"Fu-for after this fu-fight... The world will bu-become a little less."

Noche's eyes widened as the bear-man appeared before her in an instant – he was fast. Her sword whipped above her head and blocked the falling one-ton slab. Noche's sword sliced through Baxter's weapon like it was butter.

She didn't have time to react as the broken sword slammed into her chest and sent her flying backward. Eyes locked on Noche, Baxter threw the ultra-greatsword towards the ocean as prismatic energy created a replacement weapon.

"G-Glad to see my weapon can still cut anything," Noche coughed. "Although, while it may be indestructible... My bones sure as fuck aren't."

Legs shaking, Noche rose to her feet.

"Better not take another attack like that head-on," she muttered.

Noche ran up towards Baxter, he was fast, but she was faster. She ducked under a swung and lunged forward. He spun around her stab and elbowed the back of her head – Noche tumbled. She rolled to her side as Baxter's blade slammed into where she had been.

The blonde leapt to her feet and swung towards his ribs. Rather than raising his sword to block, the bear dodged backward – the tip cutting tufts of fur. He ripped his ultra-greatsword out of the ground, mud splashed over Noche's face, as the blade slammed into the side of her sword.

She bounced off the ground twice before crashing into the dirt; her bones felt as brittle as glass. Noche's limbs shook like an autumn leaf on a dying tree – Baxter was strong. As she regained her footing and got into her stance, her eyes narrowed on the bear guard.

"Stronger than me... But weaker than a DeathTech soldier?" She muttered. "Why? Why would Edward put him in charge of guarding the castle, if he's weaker than the average soldier?"

Noche charged forward once again – her sword was a flurry of strikes. Each slash came in like a blur, and for each attack, Baxter avoided her blade. He never blocked and he never attacked when Noche's sword was in a position to do the same; Noche's golden eyes widened.

"You're avoiding my sword on purpose!"

Baxter grinned. "Du-Dat sword's sharpness du-defies logic."

"You're smarter than you look," Noche paused. "Smart..."

Her mind recounted the fight she's had with Baxter up until now. He was no sword master, like General Rust, but the man was a skilled fighter. In fact, even though the DeathTech soldiers were significantly stronger, Baxter felt like the bigger threat.

"That's it! That's the reason Edward has you defending the base... You're skilled and smart," Noche muttered. "The DeathTech soldiers are not."

"Duh-Dat is correct. Duh-The soldiers are drones..." He said. "Strong, undying, fuh-fearless."

"And unable to think for themselves."

Baxter nodded – Noche swung her sword and Baxter positioned his blade to deflect her attack.

"The perfect soldier," Noche grit her teeth.

"If yuh-you're going to swing – don't ruh-reveal it so mMmm-openly," Baxter said. "Cuh-Conceal your body language."

Baxter mimicked Noche's attack, but his was tight, compact, and sudden. A sharper technique than hers by far – Noche was hit and sent flying back thirty feet. 

A scowl covered Noche's face as she planted her sword in the ground – Instant Riptide sent her before Baxter in a flash. She stopped just before him, retracted the sword, and swung. The blade extended as it aimed for his ribs.

Baxter's sword came from below and shot upwards – it hit the flat of Noche's blade and sent the metal beam arcing above his head.

"Yuh-You revealed dat mMmm-move earlier," he stuttered. "I wuh-was expecting it."

The bear came charging forward – Noche retracted her blade, spun with the momentum, and aimed it towards him. Baxter dodged to the side as the black sword shot past him and through the castle.

"Fuh-Fast!"

Noche's Omni-oar retracted in a flash.

"It cuh-can extend and rrr-retract so rapidly," Baxter mumbled. "Why aren't yu-you using it leek-like a gaah-Gatling gun?"

Her eyes widened – her gaze fell onto the black blade. She had never thought of that before. A shadow broke her out of her thoughts; Baxter loomed over her. Noche flinched into a defensive stance, both hands held her sword's grip as it stayed next to her right hip.

"R-RIPTIDE BARRAGE!"

Baxter rolled to the side as dozens of black beams shot out from Noche's direction. In a fraction of a second twenty ebony blades filled the air like a party popper. The attack had so much force that it pushed Noche back a few feet. It was a Gatling gun barrage of blades that could cut anything.

Outside of Noche's attack, Baxter rose to his feet. Noche halted her attack as fast as it started, but she was still too slow. The bear-man raised his sword, she spun towards him, and a shockwave of pure Drive energy slammed into her.

Baxter released all his Drive outside his body – the atmospheric pressure increased to that of the deep sea. The intense gravity sent grass flat to the ground and bent the pine trees; a few snapped.

Under the weight of a drive-ocean, Noche fell to her knees. From this position, there was no way she could avoid his attack. She closed her eyes and prepared to take it... Nothing happened.

Her eyes opened slow. Baxter stood there, sword still raised above his head, and a grimace on his face. He sighed and lowered his sword – the atmospheric pressure vanished and Noche filled her lungs with air. She hadn't even noticed she had stopped breathing.

"Duh-Dish forest iz cru-cruel," Baxter said. "You are stru-strong, but not strong enu-enougff... Rrr-Retreat Noche. Puh-Please."

Noche was sluggish as she forced herself to stand. Her eyes lingered on Baxter for a moment, went to the ground, and then she swung her sword at him. On instinct he blocked, the tip of his sword was sliced off, and the blade neared his head.

Baxter's cheek was scratched as he flung his head backward. Noche rushed in, Baxter spun, and the hilt of his sword slammed into Noche's back.  He raised his sword, Noche created a fish net over him, and he ripped through it – but it bought Noche enough time to dodge.

The broken, ultra-greatsword slammed into the ground and Noche was sent flying back from the shockwave alone. When the thunder and smoke had ended, a deep crater resided where she had stood a moment ago.

Noche regained her bearings and tightened her fist – something was wrong. Her eyes snapped down to her hand; her sword was missing.

"MmmMm-Missing something?"

Noche's head snapped to Baxter – he held her sword by the blade in a bleeding paw.

"Duh-Dish iz fur yer own guu-good."

Baxter threw the Omni-oar with all his might – Noche screamed as her sword went over the cliff and into the ocean far below. She lost sight of the black blade as it sank beneath the blue waves.

"Nuh-Now give uh-up."

Noche clenched her fist, screamed, and ran towards Baxter. The bear sighed and planted his sword in the ground – curling his paws into fists of his own.

Fast as lightning, Noche landed a blow in his gut, but he was also fast and a fist to the fast sent Noche tumbling. The blonde bounced on the ground as she was sent flying. She regained her balance to Baxter approaching.

Noche closed her eyes and could feel her sword out in the ocean. She reached out with her mind and concentrated on that abyss. She opened her eyes, and a puff of black mist surrounded her right hand. A flash of gold dispersed the dark cloud, and the Omni-oar was in her hand once again; seawater dripped from its blade.

She planted the sword into the ground, used Instant Riptide, and dodged Baxter's tackle. Noche zipped around the battlefield, using her sword's ability over and over again to increase her speed. Lightning crackled across her form and Noche appeared to be a bolt of gold streaking around the field.

The blonde was moving so fast that it almost seemed like three Noches were dashing around the bear-man. Noche found an opening, zipped behind Baxter, and swung. He managed to turn around but wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack. The Omni-oar swung towards his arm.

A pang of cold hit deep in Noche's chest, she turned her sword sideways, the flat of the blade slammed into Baxter. It staggered him, but Baxter wasn't deterred. He had waited for this moment and swung at the blonde. Noche was sent flying through the air like a bolt of lightning.

She hit the dirt and rolled over and over again. When her tumbles had stopped, she rose to her knees and coughed up blood. Her head raised to Baxter, approaching with his heavy sword – wielding the one-ton weapon like it was a feather. A weapon so powerful it shook the ground whenever he dropped it.

"Incredible... My weapon can cut anything, it's indestructible, and it gives me speed... And yet Baxter is unharmed," Noche thought. "All those abilities are useless without power... Omni-Oar, what I need now, is power."

Baxter's sword came flying towards Noche's side – a thunderous shockwave filled the air. The bear's ultra-greatsword had slammed into the side of Noche's Omni-Oar... Both were now the same size and weight. Noche's sword was now a one-ton behemoth.

Baxter took a step back as Noche rose to her feet. Veins popped out on her shaking arm – she planted her other hand onto the grip. Dust and wind danced around the rising blade Noche struggled to lift. Black metal gleamed in the moonlight as Noche walked towards Baxter.

They swung at the same time – Baxter's sword hit the side of Noche's blade and sent it off course. The clang of metal reverberated across the entire battlefield as a shockwave of went sent debris flying everywhere. Noche was new to using a sword that weighed as much as a car; Baxter was not.

By the time the blonde had recovered, Baxter had already swung. Noche was launched twenty feet away and by the time she regained her footing, Baxter was before her again. He raised his sword above his head, Noche went to block, his sword changed direction in midair. Instead of aiming at her head, he was aiming at her ribs.

Noche wasn't fast enough to block with a sword this heavy – her Omni-oar reverted to its short-sword form. She managed to block with the side of her blade, but the force sent her flying. Noche stabbed the ground and her short-sword changed into an ultra-greatsword once again.

A smile spread across Noche's face.

Noche threw her short-sword at Baxter, he dodged to the side, and the weapon became an ultra-greatsword in midair. He managed to dodge it, but it caused him to halt his approach. Noche teleported her Omni-Oar back into her hand, changed it into a short sword, and used Instant Riptide to approach Baxter.

Using the speed boost from her ability Noche spun, swung her short-sword, and enlarged its size mid-swing. The insane speed, combined with the increase in weight, made the force of the blow multiply exponentially. For the first time in this fight, Baxter was on the defensive.

Noche didn't let up – she kept swinging with the speed of her short sword and kept changing its size to an ultra-greatsword mid-attack. Baxter blocked when he could and dodged when he couldn't, but was unable to counterattack.

The fight was at a stalemate. Noche couldn't get hits in, but neither could Baxter. Seconds passed as sweat fell down Noche's face; Baxter maintained a calm expression. Swings went wide as Noche struggled for breath – she was running out of stamina.

Baxter's eyes snapped wide when an opening presented itself. He slammed the side of his blade into Noche's chest – it hit her with the force of a truck. Noche bounced on the ground five times before her back slammed into the castle brick.

Blood spewed out of her mouth before she peeled off the wall and fell to the ground. Noche laid motionless in the dirt.