The Azra-El Series Ch. 18.2

Obligatory Warnings: 1. There is one long and titillating Astrid sex scene in this chapter. It gets a bit intense - courtesy of DrasticXplorer.

2. There are two Flyball matches - the Flyball final is lengthy. I understand that some of you may not be interested in reading about the sport, but I suggest you at least try the final. It is full of feels.

3. To those who are following the adventures of CapDragon, don't miss the side story at the end.

Editors: Chris Anow aka Magnum, and Drastic Explorer.

Special Thanks to: BangDi, BramBora, David Valverde, Fips, Yamibomb, BLiz, Eliyahu Bogart, Mike Siegmund, Max Lambon, RogueXVII, Matt Miller, Curtis, FlyPenguin, RandomTask, Tristan, Vibrant, Tllxman, Wootdiew00p, The Glimmering Warlock, Benno Lorenz, Marcel Hearns, Michael Wall, John Weikel, Clay LaVal, Will Shaddox for supporting my work thus far.

Character Descriptions (relevant to the chapter)

Class 1A

Aahna Maitreya: A cheerful, talkative and overly enthusiastic girl, who became the de facto class representative if Class 1A. She is a cute violet haired angel with a round face and large pale blue eyes that contrast against her pale brown skin. She has loose shoulder length hair and is around 5'2.

Bi Tru'ng: A lanky, black-haired unassuming girl with almond shaped dark brown eyes. Her hair is long at the back with short even bangs covering her forehead. She usually tags along with Aahna. She is 5'6. She doesn't talk much and her initial shyness has turned into a silent confidence over the year, at least around her classmates.

Rachel Arianrhod: She is a confident & combative kid with boyish-short pink hair. Her bangs are parted in the middle and swept behind her ears, with a thick lock of hair hanging to the side.

Her mother is a knight captain in the cloud nine regiment and thus she seems to know her way around Pegasi. She is as tall as Blaze. She initially didn't like pixies but has grown used to Siofra.

Kida: A black haired girl with Japanese features. She is a good batter in Flyball, and amazing at arts and crafts. She carved the toy Pegasi for Blaze that were used to terrify Badava. Of course, she didn't know what Blaze was going to use them for.

Nina: A blonde ponytailed angel who is good at sports. She is a decent pitcher in Flyball and is quite good at Troinet.

Afriel: One of the Malakim seven of Class 1A. She dislikes the pixie but seems to have made up with her classmates. She is an amazing flyball pitcher. She has a pink, ponytail.

Others:

Tara Maitreya: Aahna's mother. She has long greyish white hair and tawny colored skin. She looks like an older version of Aahna, but her calm and serene vibe contrasts her daughter. She is the Vice head of Vidisha, a large merchant guild.

Tonya Falhoffnir: She has short light pink hair in a boy cut. She has strong angular features and piercing grey eyes, like her mother Claudis. Badava is her Pegasus, whom she has raised since hatching.

Tonya doesn't think highly of Blaze because of his initial actions towards Badava. She has become friends with Siofra, over the breaks.

Yulia Vasilek: Blaze's combat training teacher. She has shoulder length hair with bangs that cover her forehead. Her almond shaped eyes are a lime green and have a severe gaze that accentuate by her crescent like silver eyebrows. She has a long thin nose with a smooth curve in the middle. Her lips are heart shaped and pouty, and her face is small and round with a sharp chin.

Though not the most entertaining teacher, she seems to care a lot about the growth of her students as she painstakingly takes the time to talk to each one of them and give them personalized advice.

Flyball: I've described it before but here is the gist.

Think of Flyball as a cross between baseball and cricket. There is a circular field with two poles in the middle, eighty feet apart (this distance can be varied when the game is played by younger angels or for fun).

The batter bats at one pole and the pitcher throws from the other. There are two batters on the field at any moment. The ball can be hit in any direction and runs are made by running/flying between the poles while the ball is in play.

A player can be caught out, run out, or 'poled'.

Poled: The ball hits the pole between a five-foot-high marked region. This region is at a height of fifty feet during a flying Flyball game. For games played on the ground, it starts from ground level.

Slam: When the ball soars out of the field. The field in a professional match is six hundred feet in diameter. A slam nets you 8 runs.

Ground Slam: The ball bounces its way out of the field. Nets you 4 runs.

Striker: The batter facing the pitch.

Off-Striker: The batter waiting at the pitching pole.

Single: 1 run. The striker and off-striker run/fly between the poles, switching their strike.

Double: 2 runs. The striker and off-striker complete a round between the poles, bringing back the striker to face strike again.

Round: A set of ten throws by a pitcher. The pitcher must switch after each round. The striker and off-striker also switch after each round.

OverPitch: When the pitch is too high, too low, or too wide. Nets the batting team an extra run.

Rules of Blaze's Flyball matches

1. Forty-round match, with each team facing twenty rounds. So, each team has to pitch 200 pitches.

2. Each individual pitcher can pitch a maximum of four rounds. Therefore, at least five players in the team must pitch in a game.

3. A team's innings ends when the opposition has picked up 9 outs, or if they have pitched all 200 pitches, not counting overpitches.

4. A ground-Flyball field is 500 feet in diameter.

Flyball Common Fielding Positions

Flyball grounds are circular and have an in-field (I) and an out-field (O).

9 Fielders + 1 Pitcher.

0 degrees (I) -- Keeper

135 degrees (I) -- Right Shortstop

215 degrees (I) -- Left Shortstop

180 degrees (O) -- Center Fielder

90-180 degrees (O) -- Right Fielder

180-270 degrees (O) -- Left Fielder

75 degrees (I/O) -- Right Cover

315 degrees (I/O) -- Left Cover

270-90 degree (O) -- Back guard or guard.

Chapter 18.2

Blaze sat upright with a gasp and found himself on his bed inside Fulla's mansion.

"Blaze!" he heard several concerned voices. His family was by his bedside while Ragna and Fulla sat on a nearby side couch.

A teary eyed Jie Er, who was leaning against the head of the bed, pulled him to her bosom and began to caress his head. Her hand made him realize that his head was bandaged. Rebecca picked up his hands and firmly squeezed them.

He looked down at himself and was glad to find that besides a few bruises and scrapes, he was otherwise in one piece.

"What happened?" he asked them dazedly.

"That's what we'd like to know, you dumbass," Siofra said, her voice breaking as she spoke. Her cheeks were stained with dried tears. "I-I thought you died," she choked.

"How am I here?"

"A Malakim brought you here," Fulla answered. "The only thing she told us was that there was an explosion at the mayor's mansion, and you were caught up in it."

"Can you recall anything, dear?" Jie Er asked him softly.

The memories of the evening flooded him.

"I-I do... and ... I may have been partially responsible for the mess," he stuttered, throwing an unsure glance at Fulla. He wasn't sure how much he should say in her presence.

"Hah?" Siofra cried in disbelief.

"What did you do, you little brat?" exclaimed Rebecca.

Jie Er only raised her brow at him but nodded her head to make him continue.

Blaze took in a deep breath and narrated his story. Siofra burst out as soon as he finished his story.

"For a supposedly smart angel, you are really dumb," she let him know, "How could you just trust her like that?"

"Oh yeah? What would you have done if I had asked you to do the same for me?"

"But, that's different. You gave me the freaking Righteous Fury. Still, if you had asked me to do something so stupid, I would've have knocked you out and brought you back to Aunty Jie Er."

"Siofra's right, dear," Jie Er told him. "That was really stupid, but I can understand how you were persuaded."

Blaze looked to Rebecca to receive another scolding, but she simply shook her head. "I am as impulsive as you are, so I am not going to comment."

"Are the Princeps even bad?" he asked the question that was haunting him. He had potentially caused the deaths of fifteen angels that he knew nothing about.

"Notoriously bad," Ragna spoke, "but there have been no confirmed cases of their involvement in anything. Most of it is just hearsay. But Hela damned! I had no idea that Velli was linked to the Princeps."

Ragna's words brought Blaze little relief.

"What about Lynn, then?"

"We cannot be sure with the information you have on her, Blaze Er," Jie Er said. "For all we know, it could have been an internal conflict."

Blaze chose to believe otherwise. He could not accept the concept of Lynn being a Princeps.

Soon, Jie Er made Blaze eat some dinner before tucking him in for the night. With Siofra to keep him company with her chatter, he fell asleep.

***

The next day, Fulla brought them the news that the mayor and her daughter had disappeared overnight. There was also no news about any deaths at the mansion. A new Malakim mayor had been appointed and her coronation was announced for the following week. The entire retinue of the previous mayor was sacked, and the new mayor was expected to arrive with her own people.

Another curious fact was that Ragna's friend from the party, Velli Borgia, and her mother, who had become the new initiate of the Princeps, were still sticking around. Nicola Borgia, who had been in the midst of the blast, was reportedly unhurt. He mentioned this to Jie Er, but she simply told him to let it go. Her guess was that the Malakim might've had their own spy amongst the Princeps.

In fact, the whole incident had been hushed over. No one even came to question Blaze, and the fate of the angels caught up in the blast and the mayor's daughter was unknown. They or their bodies seemed to have vanished into thin air.

It all seemed like a convoluted political conspiracy. Since Blaze did not have enough information to make sense of it, he decided to put things aside and focus on his training.

The rest of their time at Riverbridge proceeded smoothly without any other unanticipated events. Fulla taught him how to attain the state of berserking, Jie Er made him work on her dash and the Blazing Pirouette, and whenever Rebecca got the chance, she whaled on him and Siofra with a variety of polearms. Contrary to expectations, Rebecca actually preferred to explain things, rather than only make them learn with their bodies.

However, no matter how much he wished otherwise, Blaze could not pull his thoughts away from Lynn. Lynn and her organization had completely disappeared and the Malakim temporarily took over the city to maintain order. Within a week, Nicola Borgia was coronated as the new mayor by the Malakim.

Why didn't Lynn wait around to give me an explanation? He was pretty sure she felt at least a modicum of the inexplicable attraction he felt towards her. She and her organization had deemed it fit to save him from the flames, which meant that they at least still had a use for him.

After one rigorous sparring session with Fulla where he was smacked around by her dual axes, Blaze sat by the lake, skipping stones. He had also recently lost a bout against Siofra. Jie Er's training had not only made the pixie physically stronger, but also removed some of her inhibitions while fighting. Her careful and hesitant fighting style started to slowly disappear.

"Are you pouting because I finally beat you in a duel?" Siofra came up to him and asked.

"No. I am just thinking about Lynn."

"Just get her out of your mind, Blaze. She isn't worth it. If you want a Kindred, I still think Elyssa is the best one for ya. Even if you don't like Elyssa that way, there will be others."

"I don't want a Kindred, Siof. It is just weird that I could feel so much towards someone I barely know."

Siofra picked up a flat stone, sat beside him, and chucked it. It went down with a plop. Blaze threw his own stone after her and it skipped on the water five times before sinking. He gave her a smug grin.

"Blazey, what would you do if we happen to face each other at the start of the tournament?"

"I'd fight my heart out against ya, and I'd expect you to do the same."

She accepted his words without saying anything else.

Blaze suddenly pulled out a pair of VP. "Here, this is for you," he said, handing her one of them. "I've made some money from Aunty Agatha's company, so I asked Jie Er to pick them up for us."

Siofra took it without complaint. "Why now? We will be together at the academy anyway."

"Well, a Big Bro has to keep tabs on his little sister, doesn't he?"

"I am the Big Bro, now."

"You're still six wins behind me, lil' pix. Don't get arrogant cause you beat me once."

oOo

The day before their imminent departure from Riverbridge, Blaze and Siofra hovered over the caldera lake, facing each other in a duel.

Siofra's training over the three weeks had once again put her skill close to Blaze's. Her agility had reached a level where it was hard for Blaze to keep his momentum going. Her speed coupled with her Flutter technique allowed her to break his momentum and pepper him with thrusts that had become strong enough to threaten any average angel.

So, after fifteen minutes of trying to land a solid blow on her, Blaze came to an abrupt halt, making the pixie stop as well.

"I guess it's time to bring out the big guns, Siof. Are you ready?" he grinned at her.

"The Blazing Pirouette? I've already seen it. Tis' easily dodgeable."

"Pah. I am not talking about that," he told her with mock contempt. "Lil' pix, have you heard of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu?"

"Huh?"

"A sword is a weapon. Swordsmanship is learning how to kill. That is the truth," he said sagely, slowly manifesting an energy-based katana. "Anyone that says otherwise is spouting play-talk that only those who have never stained their hands in blood can say... However, I prefer the play-talk over the truth, de gozaru."

Siofra looked at him like he had gone crazy.

"Siofra. I have a terrible secret," he continued gravely. "In my previous life, I was known as Blazousai the Manslayer. I used the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, an ultrasonic sword technique that was sure to kill an opponent, unless used by someone as awesome as I."

"Hiten mi butt! You suck with swords. Stop spouting nonsense."

It was true. His worst weapon was the sword, but that didn't stop him from pretending to be a samurai.

Blaze held the katana at his waist like an anime samurai. "Get ready, Siof. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, RYUTSUISEN!" he screamed, drowning the boom that emerged behind him.

Siofra sensed danger and immediately began to use her Flutter. But before she could dodge, Blaze was on top of her, holding his drawn sword at her neck. "Blazoujutsu is unbeatable," he said, looking at the distant sky and putting on airs.

Siofra rapped him on his head. "Stop giving weird names to Auntie's dashing techniques. Did you look at your sword drawing form? How can you be so bad when Auntie is a sword master?"

"Okay, that's enough you two," Jie Er put an end to their silliness. "You two have come far in these three weeks. Keep working on your skill during your quarter. I am sure you will be ready for the tournament."

"Let's go celebrate! Fulla is arranging an extravagant dinner for us!" Rebecca added.

***

The next morning, the group stood outside Fulla's mansion, alongside their carriage that would fly them to Tir.

"Thank you, Min Fulla," Blaze said sincerely, giving her a little bow.

"It was my honor to teach the future champ, little one. You were a good student," Fulla said, placing her forearm on his shoulder and patting his cheek. "Despite her unwillingness, I've insisted Ragna to take part in the tournament. I will be there to watch you both display the way of the berserker. And, if there is a chance in the future, I wish you would let me teach you my axe techniques as well."

Fulla had taught him how to attain the state of berserking, but there was just not enough time to teach him how to truly wield an axe.

"It'd be my honor to learn them."

Siofra gave an emotional farewell to the younger Viking. Surprisingly, Ragna and her, who at first glance didn't seem to have much in common, had become good friends over their stay, giving Blaze a glimpse of how Siofra felt when she was around him and Elyssa.

Soon, they were off on their way to Tir. Jie Er and Rebecca parted ways with the young angels halfway. Siofra was in tears when she hugged Blaze's aunts, but Blaze wasn't sure if they were tears of sorrow, or joy at finally being able to escape her hellish trainers.

"Keep practicing," Jie Er reminded them as they stood outside their carriage. "You won't have any time after the end of your school year."

"I will try to get another bout of leave to come and watch you at the tournament, brats. You better not disappoint me," Rebecca told them. "I won't have either of you losing against any polearm users."

Rebecca was a master of the spear and that skill translated well to a bardiche, the weapon of Nikolett Lovag. Blaze couldn't even count the number of times he had received an ass whooping with a bardiche. He vowed to never again be defeated by another bardiche.

Blaze and Siofra slept through the rest of their journey to Tir. When they reached their academy, however, they found someone unexpected waiting for them.

An irish-green carriage stood waiting outside Blaze's dorm with Asherah Eoiwagn and headmistress Fiora waiting beside it. The looks on their faces and their body language did not bode well.

Siofra jumped out of the carriage and hurried to her mother.

"Mother, Blaze had nothing to do with this. It was entirely my idea."

"What is happening, Siof?" Blaze asked, slowly walking up to them. He didn't know why, but the sight of Asherah filled him with unease.

"Ms. Siofra forged her mother's signature to allow me to let her accompany you over the break, Ms. Blaze. I suppose you don't have anything to do with this, do you?" Fiora asked him sternly.

Blaze glanced at Siofra, but she shook his head at him. He would've gladly taken the fall for her, but he had an inkling that his involvement would only make matters worse.

"I suppose you will let Siofra graduate this year without attending the final quarter, Ms. Fiora? It's the least you can do for this oversight," Asherah asked Fiora, without even glancing at Blaze.

Fiora nodded solemnly.

"What? Why would you do that to her?" Blaze fumed.

"You are not a good influence on my daughter, Ms. Blaze. Since I cannot stop you from attending Tir, I am only left with this option."