Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 178: Arc 4, Act I, - 23: Sand and Glass

"Hey, that’s enough!" Jotou yanked her arm away from Arabella.

The murky afternoon sky allowed decent visibility outside. Above the field of sand was a tarp covering a large section overhead, keeping it dry.

Arabella let go of Jotou and walked to one of the poles the tarp was tied to and began fiddling with it. Jotou took a breath before peering around, while the palace stood in view.

She rubbed her forearm, "You have a strong grip you know that? It’s worse than handcuffs," she knitted her brows, "I’m not a kid, you didn’t need to drag me the entire way."

Arabella held one of the corners of the tarp and walked to the other, shrugging to Jotou as a response.

Jotou sighed, "So, how long do I have to be here. Or at least how long do those things last?"

Arabella’s eyes darted up before she put two then three fingers up.

"Two to three hours? Alright then. Need help with that?"

Arabella reached out the hand holding the tarp. Jotou paced forward and picked it up; she followed behind as Arabella made her way to the other.

Jotou kept the water from slipping out, "So, you can talk huh. Or at least whisper. Does it hurt every time?"

Arabella faced back wincing her eyes and kept her hand flat in the air and then shook it.

"Kinda?"

She raised her fingers from her throat leading out her open mouth and then showed two then three before randomly moving her fingers, before holding her neck and widening her eyes.

"One or two words are hard?"

Arabella shook her head slightly. She put her hand up and counted her fingers and twisted her other hand to her open palm.

"Certain words are harder than others."

Arabella nodded before reaching the other pole and untying the tarp. She pointed to the end of the sand; it was a long walk to carry the tarp and roll it back.

"Got it. Sorry you have to play charades with me."

Arabella closed an eye and shook her head. Either meaning Jotou was fine or that it did not really bother her.

"This is where all the Royal Guard train, right?"

Arabella nodded.

"Then why is it so empty? Even after the rain I mean. Nobody’s even near a building."

Arabella pointed an open palm to the palace to answer. Then pointed to the buildings, with one then two fingers before using her pointer finger to whirl a circle.

"They’re all stationed around the palace and there’s probably one or two guarding those areas." The two were halfway there, "Don’t you need to be in the palace too then? As the admiral?"

Arabella held the tarp under her arm as she walked. She placed a hand on herself, then brought down two fingers above her head before holding a fist above her chest.

"You’re main job is to protect the princess."

Arabella then pointed two fingers down, then more fingers below splitting off. She widened the gap between her two hands.

"And you have people under you to manage most things."

She then flicked a finger to the metal of her armour and did a slight curtsy while rolling her eyes.

"You’re job, is just more to keep up appearances?"

Arabella pouted to the side, raising her hand flat again before shaking her head and brushing it aside.

"I didn’t quite get it, did I?"

She shrugged one shoulder. She pointed to herself then circled her finger in the air whilst glancing around. She held her hand out.

"You, control and command the Royal Guard to an extent—their stations, schedules; and you outrank them obviously, so your word is final.

But they instead keep you for appearances and vainglory for the public. So you don’t actually get a lot of action; sometimes you get to train troops and Daiyu on occasion?"

Arabella’s eyebrows raised as her head cocked. One side of her lip pulled up before she nodded, seeming content with Jotou’s translation.

They had rolled the tarp all the way back; the water was pushed back and—"SPLASH!"—onto the grassy side away from the sand. Arabella tied both ends to the other two poles whilst Jotou stood back.

She dusted her hands off and turned back to Jotou. "Well, we have three or so hours to kill, what do you wanna do?" Jotou glanced around, "Maybe a tour of the Royal Guard quarters?"

Arabella tilted her head and furrowed her brows, pointing to her head and then throwing her hand out.

"Did I forget something...? No, I don’t think- Wait, right now?" Jotou squinted.

Arabella stood upright before raising and dropping her shoulders.

"What else are we gonna do? Fair point. My mind’s a little all over the place, but I should be fine for the most part," Jotou checked her adventuring gear.

Arabella smiled as she took off her armour, letting it clang and ding onto the sand. She rolled her shoulders till she felt a crack, to which she sighed.

She flourished her black hair and adjusted her leather jacket. Her usual thick smoky eyes looked forward at the blonde—a lightly blushing blonde.

Jotou gulped, "Bit much, we could’ve you know, gently put the armour down or something..."

Arabella strode forward, stretching each leg as she did, finally free of all the metal. She pointed to Jotou’s side and pulled her hands apart while pinching her fingers.

"Sure," Jotou unsheathed the armite blade, as the gold-ish metal lightly reflected the cloudy skies. Arabella put her hands out as Jotou handed the blade over.

Arabella examined the sword, seeing it gleam with an enchanted glow. Her eyes trailed along till the hilt. She tilted her head and furrowed her brows, displaying the grey cord with two beads to Jotou.

"Oh, that’s something my master gave me before I left Kria, as a way to remember him; or ’watch over me’ in the figurative sense. He was known as the Swivelling Blade."

Arabella raised her head in affirmation before flipping the sword over.

Jotou stared. ’Every time she tilts her head and lowers her eyebrows, she’s asking something. I think I’m getting good at reading her. It’s odd to say the least.

I’m not good with people and somehow can understand her. Maybe she’s just better at making sure people understand her? She is an admiral. But I feel like I, ’get’ her; it’s hard to explain the how.’

Arabella flipped the hilt back to Jotou. Jotou held it while Arabella unsheathed her sabre in one motion. She tilted her head and raised a brow.

"As ready as I’ll ever be Ashen Whisper," Jotou held back her blade and took a few steps back in the sand. Arabella did the same before the two squared off.

Jotou kept her spine in line with her eyes, before taking a breath. Arabella kept her feet wide whilst the blonde did the opposite.

The twinkling silver sabre, swayed left and right in her grasp lightly. Jotou took the first step forward before Arabella dashed forward with a smile.

"CLANG!" The two swords met. Jotou swerved the golden blade downwards- But Jotou then pulled back instead, seeing the silver sabre lunge forward and pull back in an instant.

"TIng, Klink! Cling, CLANK!" Arabella’s speed nearly matched Jotou’s; Jotou shuffled the sand up as she took a step back to defend every strike.

The blonde leapt back and bent her knees low, before lunging her sword upwards towards her target. "TANG!" Arabella knocked the blade by its side before twisting her sabre’s hilt in her hand and striking back.

The blonde leapt further back and then stepped forward, releasing a short flurry of an infinity pattern. "Tink, Clank, Fwing!" Jotou then followed through by ducking down and sweeping Arabella’s leg.

Arabella, stunned a little and having to recover from the swift pattern, saw the incoming leg and jumped back to avoid it. Jotou spun around back up into place, breaking a sweat as it trickled down her brow.

The blonde gave no pause as she rushed forward and—"CLaanG!"—slashed left before she spun completely—"CLANG!"—twisting the armite blade around Arabella’s sabre.

With the second impact hitting harder, Arabella took a step back, watching as Jotou twirled with a nearly weightless sword. She had no time to examine as Jotou barely took a second to close the distance.

"Clang!" Arabella went into a defensive position. "Tang!" "Ping!" With each of Jotou’s spins the blade seemed to cause a greater impact, despite her blows being weak.

One thing was clear to the dark-haired woman—that it was enchanted. And as such, if Jotou wanted to slice her sabre in half, she would have tried to do so already.

Arabella glared a little, before her defence turned into a counter. She knocked Jotou’s blade up amid one of her spins and attempted to grab hold of the blonde’s wrist.

Jotou did not bat an eye as she took a leap backwards and realigned herself. Arabella noticed the blonde’s close footwork; and she decided to whisk her unarmed hand a smidgen.

As Jotou placed her right foot down, the sand beneath her boot slid and split her legs to where she was about to fall. Jotou put her hand out, but Arabella had closed the distance and held Jotou by the collar before she could fall.

Arabella held Jotou up while Jotou was leaning back about to fall—her feet trying to regain footing. Arabella smiled, then looked to Jotou’s unarmed hand which was positioned downwards.

Arabella titled her head and furrowed her brows, pointing her chin to Jotou’s hand. She swung her sabre in a circle, much like a finger.

"Of course I was gonna try to break my fall and flip back up to fight; at least till you grabbed me," Jotou’s eyes glazed over, Arabella looming over her.

"Ha," Arabella breathed out before pulling Jotou back up on her feet.

Jotou steadied herself, "I saw your hand; cheater."

Arabella strolled back to her place with a shrug and a grin. She did a few gestures.

"We didn’t set any rules huh? Fine, round two then," Jotou’s blade sparked with lightning. Arabella grinned wider, readying her blade. "Seems kinda unfair you can move the sand; how about no touching my feet?"

Arabella tilted her head in a mocking pout.

"Scared...? You know what?" Jotou’s eyes sparked a tad, "Do whatever the hell spell you want," she smirked.

And round two began; Jotou waited till Arabella rushed forward. ’Keep an eye on my feet.’ Jotou moved forward and their blades met once again.

Jotou spun once, but caught a glimpse of Arabella’s open hand moving. "Zap!" she stomped her foot down on the sand as the sand clumped together in a crystal and stopped Arabella’s spell in its tracks.

’Looks like I CAN cast zap with my feet.’ "Try all you want~" Jotou goaded as she spun again.

Metal clashed back and forth, both sweating while Jotou had to pause a few spins and landings to—"Zap,"—halt the sand from shifting and crystalize it with a short surge of lightning.

Just as Jotou felt like she gained the upper hand, she saw the sand kick up and like a second blade, Arabella whipped it forward and slashed alongside her sabre as well.

"Zap!" Jotou’s eyes widened, crystalizing the crescent curve of sand and then blocking the incoming blade with hers.

Arabella continued pushing Jotou back, using her fingers to curve sand into sharp slashes swiftly. Like glass crystals, they fell into the sand as the lightning made contact.

Jotou smirked and let out a laugh, "I’ll keep turning all your sand to glass, so keep it coming! It’s only a matter of time."

Arabella, eyeing Jotou as a true challenge, drifted her fingers over her right eye and the ’eyeshadow’ that surrounded her eyes lifted off, creating a crescent shape.

"Zap!" Jotou’s sword deflected the blow, but did not crystalize it. The same crescent shaped slashes, but a charcoal-black dust instead of sand; like ash.

Jotou held her breath, dodging now two blades instead of one; which only turned to three as Arabella removed the dust from her other eye and began slashing with it as well.

Jotou brought her sword up, deflecting three various slashes as the sand tried to catch her feet, she would zap it back down. The ash whipped back and forth.

Jotou, feeling it be too close for comfort, simply dived back and, "Heh, Ha!" fell back on her hands, before she stood—away from Arabella and with her sword still in hand.

Jotou’s eyes widened. ’I can do a backflip!? HA! I DID A BACKFLIP!’

Emboldened by adrenaline, the blonde cackled as her locks flipped back with her, "Come on! I won’t let you win!" she exclaimed, more sparks flying off of the sword she held out.

Arabella beamed rushing forward, while whipping two ashen slashes, her sabre and manipulating the sand beneath their feet...