Hurt and Heal (Arknights)

Chapter 13: Rhodes Island: part 3

A/N: I didn't know what to name this chapter kek. And I hope that lady fate will be kind to you for the CNY banner.

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Rhodes Island.

A peaceful and normal place.

Peaceful when the exotic characters that inhabited it weren't doing everything they could to cause chaos aboard the Ark, and normal if you disregarded the paramilitary force sufficient to overthrow entire mobile cities.

Two weeks had passed since the last mission to Chernobog. For the Rhodes Island operators, it was just one mission, harder and more mentally demanding than the others. But for the students, the two weeks that had passed were surprisingly even harder for them. Their survival instincts had subsided and now the students had no way to protect themselves from the terrible actions that some had committed. The medical staff did their best to help them, but most were helpless in the face of psychological injuries, as Rhode Island had very few psychologists.

It was still very early in the morning where the ark was stationned. In the middle of the endless deserts of the eastern Ursus wastelands. And who says that it was early in the morning, says that in the gym two most interesting characters were training as usual. A giant with extraordinary strength and a kuranta with an iron will. An hour of intense combat every morning against an opponent who was equal to them. This for them was a real exercise. Perfect to develop and maintain the muscles required for the fight.

The sparks flew between the weapons as often as the sounds of the clash between the weapons echoed in the air. Sebastian was covered in sweat with his arms screaming in pain from all the physical exertion he had been doing. Nearl was out of breath and she too was beginning to overheat inside her armor, one of the flaws that the latter offered her that and reduce her mobility as well as her speed. But offering him an almost unbeatable protection. Sebastian did not bother to wear armor because his muscles, his skin and his unmatched constitution allowed him to be as resistant to attacks as the kuranta if not more.

Nearl sighed, detaching her shield from her forearm to pick up her mace with both hands. Deciding to adopt the same fighting style she had during the kazimierz major with no one to shelter behind her shield or herself it was now useless. The doctor was a worthy opponent and deserved to be fought at one hundred percent of her combat capacities. Seeing this Sebastian had a beaming smile on his face. One thing animated both of them during their trainings, to push the other one even further beyond their limits. And the giant couldn't have been happier to see Nearl giving it her all for their fight.

Sebastian: Finally... I was wondering when you were going to get serious about fighting...

Nearl: I was, Seb. It's just that I want to try new things today...

Sebastian: I like that better... Let's do this!

He twirled his sword in his hand, as he made an extra effort requiring a little more of his energy, red sparks began to travel down his body and along his blade signaling that the giant was beginning to charge up with electricity as his irises turned blood red. Nearl smiled with a corner of her mouth. She knew that it took a lot of effort for Sebastian to use this ability that he had, and that he only used it voluntarily at the end of the fights to finish his opponent because of all the energy it required.

She stepped forward with one foot, and then charged straight at Sebastian with a diagonal mace strike at the giant. The giant parried the kuranta's attack as electricity surged through the metal of their weapons, sending a shock through Nearl's nervous system and almost causing her to drop her weapon. But fighting her own biological reflexes she continued to clutch her mace and went to deliver another blow to Sebastian, again he parried as he blocked attack after attack from the kuranta. This time too busy using her weapon in a new way Nearl had not thought of an effective fighting strategy and little by little she was beginning to exhaust all her energy reserves. She already knew that this morning she would lose their fight. Concentrating all her strength in one last attack she raised her weapon above her head and brought it down on Sebastian.