Chương 55: Chapter 51: Since when can you do that?

The whistle sent them back into play. Severa went low from the start. She kept the silkball skimming just above the grass, looking for Larna whenever she could slip it past Verryn. Terrero had more trouble with those. As Severa went after the second clearance, Fabrisse noticed her breathing. Still controlled, but not as easy as before. So she was getting tired too. He moved closer. If Cuman broke through again, maybe he could at least put Stillbrace between them.

Cuman drove another attack straight down Fabrisse's flank. Severa intercepted, though not cleanly. Her current caught the silkball and knocked it loose between them.

"Ivory stillness!" Fabrisse's shield formed in its path. The silkball struck, flexing the barrier before bouncing away at an awkward angle. Aetheric Effectiveness: 51% Then it… stopped, suspended in the air. Fabrisse couldn't tell whether Cuman or Severa was holding it there.

"You've only got one trick, loser?" came Cuman's shout. He came straight at Fabrisse again, this time aiming for the silk ball near him. Fabrisse watched him lower his right shoulder. He knew this part by now. Cuman would throw a gust through the lane, and either Fabrisse moved and gave up the space, or he used Stillbrace and got shoved backward anyway.

"By the rushing gale!" Cuman shouted. The gust came.

"Draft." Fabrisse cast Draftstep. He had expected a push. Instead, his entire body lurched. Cuman's head bit air. He stopped, turning around.

"What the—since when can you do that?" Fabrisse had no intention of answering, mostly because Severa was staring at him too. Her eyes had widened, an infinitesimal amount. That was probably as close to shock as Severa Montreal got. The silkball still hung a few strides away. Cuman reached for it. They both raised a hand. Fabrisse was closer.

"Crosswind!" A gust struck the silkball from the side. The ball moved perhaps two feet. It slipped out of Cuman's reach and into Severa's current.

"Oh, come on!" Cuman wheeled after her, still recovering from his charge. Severa was already gone. Cuman watched her go, and Fabrisse could feel something was off about him. This demeanor… Rage. The red sparks confirmed it. A second later, Cuman swept his leg at Fabrisse's ankles. That was definitely not part of the game. But Fabrisse had cast Draftstep even before Cuman started. The wind caught his heel and shoved him sideways just as Cuman's foot swept through empty air. Cuman nearly spun himself around… again.

His nostrils flared.

"You're dead now, you—" A whistle shrilled from the sideline. Instructant Aval was staring directly at him. Cuman slowly lowered his foot. For a second, he seemed to be considering whether kicking Fabrisse was worth the punishment. Then he chose the normal option.

"I'll get you later, Rock Witch." Fabrisse was starting to wonder if dodging Cuman had been worth it. Meanwhile, Severa had managed to drive another pass toward Larna. Verryn intercepted it again. Verryn had found his rhythm, skimming midfield like a raptor and cutting off yet another pass aimed at Larna. The moment she tried to break wide, he intercepted with looping drafts, catching the silkball and resetting the tempo.

He wasn't deft enough to catch it and launch it to the net, but he'd managed every block and sent the ball out of bounds so far. Cuman's grin slowly appeared as he jogged back toward his side.

"So that's the trick. You're out of surprises now, both of you." He abandoned his spacing and pressed Severa directly. Rhel closed every retreat while Verryn blanketed Larna, forcing Severa to recycle possession through Halma again and again. Cuman laughed.

"What's wrong? I thought you liked hooping through me." Another exchange. Another reset. As Severa came back toward Fabrisse's side, she held up two fingers without looking at him. Stay close. Fabrisse moved with her. Rhel pushed Severa toward the sideline. Halma waited behind her for the backpass, and Cuman saw it coming. He lunged in before Severa could send it.

"I've got you now!" Cuman burst past both of them. He accelerated toward Halma— —and immediately realized his mistake. Severa fired the silkball directly at Fabrisse. That's too fast! I have to use Draft— No. If it's coming at me, I have to stand where I am. So he stood still and shouted, "Ivory stillness!" The barrier flared. The impact nearly knocked him off balance. He thought he'd misjudged it. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Then the silkball sprang away. Only after that did his shield dissolve. Severa collected the returning silkball in stride, flicking the ball into the space Verryn had abandoned.

"Larna." Larna accelerated through the opening. Only Terrero remained. Larna thrust out her palm.

"By the wandering breeze!" The current caught the silkball. It skimmed perfectly along the grass… for a second. Then the flow unraveled. The silkball lifted just enough for Terrero to get a hand under it and knock it over the crossbar. Larna groaned.

"Again..." Right. Larna couldn't keep the wind that low. The closer it ran to the ground, the harder it was to keep steady. Every bump in the field threw it off a little, and those little mistakes added up fast. Severa was the only person here who could keep correcting for them. The current strategy wouldn't work. Severa walked back to position, saw him looking at her, and nodded. She had demonstrated a reasonable amount of trust in him today, mainly because he hadn't been horrific. He had to seize this chance.

You'll see what I can do. He stopped trying to follow the silkball and instead watched the players. Rhel kept Halma tied up on the other side. Verryn hadn't given Larna an inch all half. Cuman was the only variable. Every time Severa held the ball, he came charging in. He simply couldn't help himself. If anyone was going to get a clean low shot, it had to be Severa. Fabrisse just needed to get Cuman out of her way. [Intuition Training Progress: 99% → 100% Intuition: 22 → 23] The silkball went back to Severa.

Fabrisse moved with her, then slowed, and slowed, and slowed. He needed to act like he was dead tired. Cuman's eyes were tracking him now, gleaming. Maybe this was stupid. Fabrisse took another step toward the middle. Cuman was definitely looking straight at him now. This was very stupid. He even turned slightly toward Severa, leaving his flank open. Cuman took the bait. The moment he received the ball from his teammate Verryn, he abandoned Severa and came straight for him.

Fabrisse waited until he heard the rush of wind getting closer.

"Montreal!" He called out as the silkball travelled in the air. Severa didn't turn to him.

"Do a forward run!"

"Forward this!" Cuman fetched the ball in the air and shot it directly at Fabrisse. The silkball screamed, slightly to the left of him. He cast Draftstep, leaning on instinct.

"Ivory stillness!" [DEX Check: 12 → 14 (Draftstep) > 13] – Passed Stillbrace appeared just before the silkball reached him. He felt a connection, but couldn't see if his shield had caught it. Then he crashed into the ground, shoulder-first. It hurt. When he looked up, the ball was already sailing back the other way. Severa glided forward and raised her hands. Cuman had gone too far forward chasing Fabrisse. Terrero was still getting back into position. She caught the ball. She saw the space. She charged.

Cuman scrambled after her and threw a current across the lane. Severa slipped around it. He tried again from behind, but by then she had already carried the silkball beyond him. Rhel came across to help. That left the bottom corner. Severa drove the ball low. Rhel's wind passed over it. Terrero dropped after it, one hand reaching for the grass. He might actually get to it. His finger very nearly touched the ball. The silkball skipped beneath them and hit the net.

Terrero dove, but he was too tall, too slow to reach the bottom corner. The ball streaked under him with a clean whisper of wind and hit the net. The whistle blew. Final point. 1–0. The sideline erupted. Fabrisse was still on the ground. He pushed himself onto one elbow and checked his shoulder. Nothing broken, probably. All this running around had better give him a credit point or something.

He wasn't sure if it would amount to anything, given today's Instructant wasn't even their usual one, but was a replacement instructant. What a waste of effort. [Training Completed: +238 EXP] EXP: 2550/2800 238 EXP? Even with the anklet, that was ridiculous. Another good session, and he might actually level up.

"That was ridiculous," Halma said. Larna was saying something much louder, though Fabrisse couldn't make it out over everyone else. Severa, naturally, looked as though scoring the only point of the match had been an administrative task. Fabrisse started toward the sideline. He could feel Cuman staring daggers at his back, and he tried his hardest not to turn around.

"Kestovar!" He stopped. Halma waved him over.

"Where are you going?"

"Back?"

"Get over here." Fabrisse pointed at himself.

"Yes, you." Halma waved again. He reluctantly joined them. Larna looked at him up and down.

"Since when could you do all that?"

"About ten minutes ago." She stared at him, puzzled. Halma laughed.

"Well, whatever you did, it worked. You got Gollivur halfway across the field." Fabrisse glanced at Severa. She was already looking at him.

"Good job." He waited for something else. Apparently, that was the whole review. Severa simply nodded then turned away.

"Where are you going?" Halma called after her.

"I have other obligations."

"Right," Larna sighed as Severa disappeared across the practice field.

"Montreal always has somewhere more important to be." Halma rolled his eyes.

"Leave her be." Larna shrugged, then turned back to Fabrisse.

"So..." She tilted her head.

"How did it feel?"

"Huh?"

"You know." She gestured vaguely in the direction Severa had gone.

"Getting ordered around." Fabrisse didn't know how to answer that.

"I mean, she used to drag you around everywhere." Larna smiled.

"At least now you finally get to make your own decisions."

"Larna." Halma's voice carried a quiet warning.

"What?"

"It's their business."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes.

"Forget I asked." Silence ensued. Nobody seemed quite sure how to continue the conversation. Fabrisse cleared his throat.

"I have class after this." Halma nodded.

"Yeah, I know. We go to the same class."

"Right."

"Good match, anyway."

"See you in Theory," Larna said, sounding as though the previous exchange had never happened. Fabrisse offered a small nod before turning away. The celebration behind him resumed almost immediately. He walked across the practice grounds alone. At least now you finally get to make your own decisions. He frowned. He wasn't even sure whether that was true.