The Azra-El Series Ch. 18.1

Despite their massive skill gap with Elyssa, they became quite adept in keeping her at bay, at least until they drained their energy reserves. This turn of events encouraged Siofra and made her work even harder for the tournament.

So, unlike the previous quarter, when exams ended, Siofra was in high spirits. Not only because she was going to hang out with Blaze, but also because she would get to train with the amazing Aunty Jie Er.

I'd like to see you this energetic after the first day of training, Blaze snickered, as Siofra led Aahna and Rachel to wage a war against Blaze and Elyssa right from the start of their game of Chaken.

However, the two friends had anticipated Siofra's move even before the game began and sat beside each other to defend each other and build up their armies. They manage to defeat Rachel before Blaze valiantly sacrificed his best friend to win the war against the remaining two allied.

Even the 3 vs 2 defeat did not put a damper on Siofra's mood. She spent a merry evening with her friends and she and Blaze bade farewell to Elyssa before retiring to their beds.

***

Jie Er and Rebecca arrived at Tir at around half-past-nine that morning. They picked up Blaze and Siofra from his dorm before leaving Splash in Claudis' care, so that the little otter could keep Sky company while Blaze was gone.

Their carriage quickly headed north. Jie Er had decided to go to the town of Riverbridge for the current session of training. Similar to D'warka, Riverbridge was a port town near the Purple Sea. Jie Er felt that it would be helpful for Blaze and Siofra get used to the lower altitude.

The journey to Riverbridge from Tir was a day-long trip. So, late that afternoon, they stopped by a small mining town at the heart of Aranya to give their Pegasi some rest.

As soon as they landed, they felt the grainy, suffocating air of the town. The town center was a dusty area with innumerable closely spaced stalls and narrow pathways between them. Hundreds of pungent smells permeated the air, and the coal particles kept the smell to the ground, overloading their senses.

They waded through a sea of stalls and angels as Jie Er led them to a salon.

Blaze rejoiced. Jie Er had always been adamant about him not getting a haircut, and now that it had grown past his shoulders, he felt it was time to shorten it by a lot. He wasn't particularly fond of it, as it was heavy and got in the way. The fact that it made him look more feminine did not help.

"Dye their hair to match mine," she told the barbers, pushing him and Siofra towards the seats. "Even out the ends for her."

Blaze was disappointed, but Siofra was excited for the color change. Soon, the two young angels were sporting platinum blonde hair, instead of their usual red and orange.

Jie Er stepped behind Blaze, once his hair was dyed and dry. Pulling something out from her space ring, she gathered his hair into her hands. She lovingly ran her fingers through his hair for a moment before putting it up in a high ponytail, using the object she had pulled out of her space ring.

It was a ponytail holder of small polished, interconnected stones of varying earthen colors. "It was your granny's," she smiled at him through the mirror, gently caressing the pearls of the band.

Her words stifled any complaint in his mind.

He gazed at his new ponytail and couldn't help but think it was a little cool. Hitokiri Blazousai, he told himself, remembering his favorite cartoon samurai from the Meiji era. He had red hair like him. The only thing he needed now was a katana and a kimono. Maybe one of the eastern nations have them.

"Riverbridge is a Malakim town," Jie Er told them once they were back in the carriage and flying. Siofra nervously ensured her ears were still hidden behind her curls. "Just as a precaution, we shall be posing as a family, under different names. You two can be sisters and I shall be your mother," she told the young angels.

"I am Rachel Arianrhod, and I shall be your Big Bro for the next couple of weeks, Siof," Blaze proclaimed to the currently blonde pixie.

"My energy makeup feels older than yours, dumbass," Siofra pointed out. She had finally let go of all her inhibitions in front of Jie Er and Rebecca. This earned her a grin from Rebecca.

"Language, Siofra!" Jie Er told her sternly. "But she is right, Blaze Er. Despite your height, you look younger. We shall be Eva, Siofra, and Rachel Arianrhod. Rebecca can be herself."

***

It was late in the night by the time they arrived at Riverbridge, so Blaze couldn't get a glimpse of the sunset, which was touted to be a breathtaking sight from Riverbridge's harbor.

During their travel, he had seen the landscape turn from thick forests and green grasslands to savannah. Riverbridge was a coastal Mediterranean town, surrounded by groves and groves of fruit-bearing Otine trees. It was a large sprawling space, and the only reason it wasn't considered a city was because of the lack of infrastructure.

The salty smell of sea pervaded throughout the town, making their lungs feel heavy. Though it wasn't very refreshing, Blaze liked it. It reminded him of beaches, and back on Earth, he had loved beaches.

They rented a couple of rooms for the night. Anticipating the torture that would start from the next day, Blaze chose to head to bed early.

The next morning, however, after a light breakfast, Jie Er led them to a Nordic-looking mansion on the outskirts of the town, surrounded by grasslands and grazing herds of sheep and bison.

A young, ginger-haired angel sat lounging in the grass near the mansion, reading a book. Her shoulder-length hair danced in the wind as she lay against a pet sheep. She gave the arriving angels an inattentive glance before going back to reading her book.

The tall wooden doors of the mansion were opened by a middle-aged blonde-haired angel who was dressed as a servant or a butler.

"Can you inform your lady that Blaze Er Lokra and her mother are here to seek her audience?" Jie Er asked the angel.

The angel's eyes swept over the group.

"Her hair is dyed," Jie Er told her, pointing at Blaze.

The butler invited them inside and seated them in the living room before hurrying inside. Unlike Aranyan mansions, which were usually made of brick or stone, this house was entirely made of wood. The wooden furniture lacked cushions but were nonetheless designed to be comfortable.

"The mistress will meet you," the butler announced, before leading them through a corridor that connected to a hall with a large wooden table in the middle and a jarl throne at the opposite corner.

A ginger-haired angel, around Jie Er's age, sat on the jarl throne.

She was reading from a stack of papers by her side, while holding a wooden mug. A modest fur-lined corset-skirt covered her thighs, but the way she sat with her thighs spread wide apart like a man, made her thong and her muscular inner thighs completely visible.

A white fur cape covered her shoulders, and long tresses flowed behind her.

Her eyes glanced up at their arrival, but surprise dawned on her when she caught a glimpse of Jie Er.

"It's you!" she exclaimed, setting her papers aside and quickly getting up. "I was wondering why the Blazing Fury would visit me. I did not expect her to be your daughter," she said as she walked down the steps to meet them.

She was a burly woman and was taller than Jie Er. Her body told of muscles that had gone smooth due to lack of use.

"Hello, Fulla. It's been awhile. How have you been?" Jie Er smiled at her.

"A while!? It's been ages! We haven't met since-" she said, glancing at Blaze and the others, "-in sixty-nine years! Come, have a seat. Introduce me to your family," she said, taking Jie Er's hand and leading her to the table. Jie Er's cheeks flushed at the word family.

Fulla sat at the head of the table and the rest sat around her.

"Well, you must've heard about my daughter, Blaze Er," she spoke, pointing at Blaze. "This is her friend Siofra Eoiwagn, and my friend, Rebecca Flynn, a lieutenant of the Red Rose division," she introduced them. "Guys, meet Fulla Frejadottir, a jarl of Vaikunheim."

"Thane," Fulla corrected her. "My sister is the current jarl. I simply take care of the kingdom's shipping business at Riverbridge."

"Min Fulla?" Blaze interjected, finding Fulla's name and face familiar. "Have we met before?"

"You must have seen me at the delegate meet at Sekat, dear Blaze. I have recently been performing the duties of Vaikunheim's ambassador to Aranya," she answered, before turning to Jie Er. "Tell me y- Jie, are the times so bad that they warrant your reappearance? I was sure you were alive, but I didn't think I would ever see you again. I've always hoped for a chance to fight beside you, instead of against you."

"Just call me Jie Er, Fulla. I haven't been involved in any political matters for a long time. I know as much about the war as anyone else. I am only here for Blaze Er's training."

"And, how does that relate to you visiting me?" Fulla asked, raising a curious brow. "I doubt you would visit me simply because you happened to be in the area."

"I need you to guide Blaze Er in your style of fighting. Perhaps, you can even teach her a thing or two about using axes and dual-wielding."

"And why would you think that I would teach my rival's daughter?"

Jie Er fell silent.

Fulla let out a full, throaty laugh. "I am joking. I will do what I can, but why isn't she inheriting your own techniques."

"She is, but currently, I am trying to teach her to be proficient at all weapons. Moreover, Blaze is quite inclined towards using brute force... You will understand once you see her fight."

Fulla laughed again. "I wish my daughter was more inclined towards brute force. She is more into books than weapons. But that is not a bad thing. Our children are not made to be our replicas."

"Thank you, Fulla."

"Of course," she replied and turned to her butler. "Aslaug, can you bring Ragna over? She needs to be introduced to our guests."

"We plan to camp around the Uluru Pena," Jie Er told her after Aslaug left. "I will send Blaze over whenever you are free."

"Nonsense. You will stay with us. You won't be able to convince me otherwise. I will train her for an hour or two every morning, and you lot can go train wherever you want after that. Ragna will like a couple of angels her age around. The Uluru Pena isn't far from here. Maybe a half-hour's flight."

After a couple of minutes, the girl they had seen outside arrived with Aslaug.

"Daughter, meet Blaze Er Lokra and her mother, Jie Er. They will be staying with us for a few weeks. Jie Er is a good friend of mine from my academy days."

With a small downward curving nose, sharp blue eyes, steeply rising brows, and slim red lips, Ragna's face bore some resemblance to her mother's. However, she was lean, a little shorter than Blaze, and possessed a contemplative look in her eyes. Her eyes flitted towards Siofra with more interest than she showed for him.

"Ragnhild Fulladottir. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, taking Blaze's hand and giving it a shake.

"Ragna is very culturally inclined," Fulla told them, pointing towards all the Nordic artifacts and furniture that decorated the house. Rows of bookshelves, paintings of seafarers, mermaids, ships, and berserker warriors surrounded the hall. "Ragna, why don't you show your young friends around the house and get to know each other? Maybe you would want to join them in the training as well?"

"No training for me, mom. This is my break. I am not going to do anything but read books and lounge. Anything else will be considered on their merit, but I will not hear a word about training," she pointedly informed her mother. "Come, Blaze and Siofra, I shall show you around. What do you want to see first? The house or our farms?"

"Farms!" Blaze answered. He wanted to get some fresh air.

Ragna turned out to be a pleasant ina in her mid-fifties. She was a quiet angel. It wasn't because she was shy, but she didn't like to speak when she did not have anything significant to say. The trio of young angels spent a little while messing around with the bison and chasing after the sheep.

When they returned, they found out that Jie Er and Rebecca had decided to spend that day at Fulla's mansion. Later that evening, Blaze sparred with Siofra, and the older angels watched to figure out which areas the duo needed to improve.

Fulla's manor house had only two large guestrooms, so Jie Er and Rebecca were given one while Blaze and Siofra had to share the other. Blaze didn't mind. It was much better than camping outside. Moreover, he could always slip away to the other room when needed.

oOo

The next morning, Blaze stayed back to train with Fulla while Jie Er and Rebecca took Siofra to Uluru Pena to get a head start on her training.

Fulla and Blaze stood in the middle of Fulla's backyard. Their only audience was a disinterested Ragna, who sat under the shade of a nearby patio, reading a book.

"Your mother tells me that you are as strong as a bison," Fulla's deep, rich voice resonated as she peered down at Blaze.

The angel, who looked like a viking goddess, stood with her hands on her hips, towering over Blaze's seemingly diminutive form. Though Blaze was only 5'8 in his angel body, he was by no means a petite person. However, in front of Fulla, he looked like a child.

Fulla was wearing a short fur skirt and a fur top that was held tight by leather straps going around her chest and below her breasts. Her tresses of ginger hair were now held together in a long-braided ponytail.

"As strong as an Arctot," Blaze grinned back, showing off his bicep. His raw strength was one thing he was still confident about.

"Punch me," Fulla said unamused, tapping the naked skin of her stomach. Though her muscles had gone soft during her laidback years as a merchant, the lines of her abs were still noticeable.

Blaze quickly put up his hands in a boxing guard. Jie Er could take his glaive on her bare skin, so he wasn't worried about hurting Fulla. He only glanced up at her for confirmation.

"As hard as you can."

Blaze planted his left foot forwards and mowed his fist into her stomach, putting all his weight and strength behind it. Fulla didn't move a muscle and stood still as a pillar.

The young angel looked up at her, horrified. His punch had not even been able to push her back. The worst part was that he had felt skin. Body reinforcement usually felt hard, like metal. Feeling skin meant that Fulla took his punch without using any reinforcement. Yet, she looked unfazed.

Blaze's only saving grace was the loud smack that had resulted from his fist crashing against her skin.

Ragna, who had been reading her book without paying any attention to them, set her book aside and looked at them with sudden interest.

"Impressive," Fulla nodded at him. "But worthless."

"Huh?"

"It was a strong punch. However, it is too reliant on your feet on the ground. Angels belong in the air," she explained, pointing a finger at the sky.

"Er... you wanted me to punch you as hard as I could..." he said, taking his arm back and standing upright.

Instead of answering, she pulled out two war axes from her space ring and handed them to him.

"I've never really used axes before," he said, taking them and testing their weights and grip. They were simple weapons, meant for training.

"Your mother asked me to teach you my style of fighting, and that is what I am going to do," she told him, bringing out her own two axes. They were larger than his, but otherwise no different. "The Asynjur of Vaikunheim mostly wield dual weapons. Do you know why?" she asked, tossing her axes up and catching them in a flourish.

Blaze shook his head. He knew wielding two one-handed weapons was inefficient in most cases. A shield in most cases trumped a second weapon.

"Balance," she gave him a short reply, before manifesting a pair of large elliptical wings that were almost as wide as they were long. They were a light lilac that slowly turned red towards the wing tips. "Come," she said with a strong flap, and pushed off the ground, the force of the wind from her wings almost knocking Blaze off his feet.

Blaze followed her and they came to a hover at around five-hundred feet. He held the axes by his sides and felt his center of gravity perfectly balanced on both sides.

"For most angels who use one-handed weapons," Fulla began, "the defense provided by a shield offsets the cost of losing a little balance. The Asynjur of Vaikunheim follow the way of the berserker, so we rarely care for shields."

"Don't you have to be a demon to be a berserker?"

"That is a misconception. There are two ways to achieve the trance-like fury of a berserker. One is through rage built up by killing, which is what the demons do, while the other is through focus. The Asynjur attain a berserker like state by constantly chaining attacks without stopping.

"We will rather get hit and continue our momentum, than dodge and lose it. However, it also doesn't mean that we never dodge. If we dodge, we dodge in a way that can continue our attacks. Maintaining your rhythm is of utmost importance to an Asynjur. Once an opponent falls into our rhythm, the match is decided, unless the opponent is much stronger," she said, pausing for a moment.

Blaze nodded for her to continue. He was able to keep up with this onslaught of information.

"Three things are important for all berserkers: Battle instinct, Balance, and Body reinforcement. The 'three B's' of berserking. Jie Er says that you possess the first. We shall train the other two. Now, put away those axes. You are not ready for them," her voice boomed at him, as she withdrew her own axes back into her space ring.

Then why even bring them out?

"Are you ready?" she asked him, twisting and stretching the muscles of her arms.

"Er... Can I use my gauntlets?" Blaze asked in an almost-pleading voice. If Fulla was anything like Jie Er, he was pretty sure that he was in for a pummeling.

"No. Only your body reinforcement," she told him firmly. "Don't worry, I won't use any more strength than that is average for someone taking part in your tournament."

"Okay," Blaze nodded nervously, and she charged at him.

The fight started out manageably for Blaze, but as Fulla built up momentum, he began to understand her earlier words. Her barrage gave him no respite.

It wasn't that he couldn't block or weather her punches and kicks, but they were relentless. Each attack flowed seamlessly into another, and when he countered, she brushed off his attacks with her body and continued her onslaught.

She was unstoppable, like a raging river, and Blaze was a raft trapped in her flow. Fulla didn't even care about where she hit him. Even his hardened wings were fair game, as long as her attack enabled her to continue her momentum.

Within half an hour, Blaze found himself sprawled on the ground -- bruised, battered, and frustrated. He wouldn't have felt as bad if he had been defeated by a display of technique and power that were greater than his own. However, everything that Fulla used was achievable for the current him.

Fulla landed beside him and dematerialized her wings. "That should be enough for today. I simply wanted you to experience the way of the Asynjur with your own body. Mull over the fight. We shall start at the same time tomorrow," she said, and sauntered back towards the mansion.

Blaze simply lay on the grass and stared at the white puffy clouds in the sky, contemplating his apparent weakness. During his first month on Azra-El, he had foolishly believed that within a few years, he would become the strongest angel around. Now, it seemed like it would take a lifetime.