When One Monster Meets Another Monster – Part 1
Tsss, tsss, tsss.
Cedric fired with one fluid motion, but instead of releasing a single arrow, three black flashes shot toward Percy at high speed, cutting through the air as they flew.
Percy's senses sharpened to their limit and, in an instant, he raised his sword, striking the first arrow and knocking it aside. With the same movement, he twisted his body, barely avoiding the second, which tore through the borrowed robes.
The third arrow, however, didn't even seem to be aimed at Percy.
Instead, it passed several metres away before striking one of the corners of the room. But the angle at which it hit the wall caused it to bounce back, now heading straight for Percy's back.
Percy managed to turn his head in time to see the arrow approaching and barely ducked beneath it.
"What the hell...?" he couldn't help muttering after watching an arrow somehow bounce.
But he had no time to get distracted, because two more identical sounds rang out.
Tsss, tsss.
Percy moved purely on instinct, leaping to one side and avoiding one arrow, while the other had been aimed at the floor.
And just like the previous arrow, it bounced strangely and flew toward him.
Percy reacted instantly, knocking it away with his sword.
Cedric didn't seem particularly surprised.
Instead, he drew more arrows from his quiver while his gaze swept across the corners of the room.
With one fluid movement, he fired five rapid shots, each aimed somewhere strange and nowhere near Percy.
But every arrow struck an object or corner and bounced as though it had a mind of its own.
All five arrows flew toward Percy from different angles.
"Is this some kind of bloody death pinball?!" Percy roared as he jumped into a twisting flip, narrowly avoiding the arrows, though some of them still tore marks into his clothes.
Before he could touch the ground again, he saw another arrow flying straight toward him, taking advantage of the fact that he was still in the air.
Percy swung his sword, striking the arrow with precision and sending it straight back the way it had come.
Cedric simply tilted his head to one side, avoiding it, before nocking another arrow without moving a single foot.
Percy immediately understood that he wouldn't be able to do much from a distance.
So the moment his feet touched the floor again, he charged toward Cedric.
But he had to leap to one side, avoiding three arrows Cedric fired at the same time.
At the last possible moment, Percy jumped onto a bed and used the headboard as a platform.
Then he leapt toward the wall, running several steps along it while the arrows bounced behind him and buried themselves in the bed.
Percy launched himself off the wall, his sword swinging toward Cedric's face.
Cedric was already aiming another arrow at him and released it from almost point-blank range.
Percy knocked it aside without slowing down.
At the same time, Cedric retreated for the first time and lowered himself slightly, aiming upward with another arrow pointed directly at Percy's chest.
Percy's eyes widened when he realised there was nowhere to escape.
At that moment, Tyson shouted:
"Percy!"
As he hurled one of the flowerpots at Cedric.
Cedric had to jerk his head back to avoid it, releasing the arrow at the same time.
Tyson went pale.
But Percy reacted on instinct.
He stretched out his free hand and caught the arrow just before it struck his chest.
Even Cedric's eyes widened slightly at Percy's reflexes.
But he quickly jumped aside when Percy thrust his sword toward him, the blade barely grazing his face.
Cedric rolled across the floor and came to rest on one knee, preparing to fire another arrow.
But one of his own arrows flew toward him, forcing him to move his head.
Even so, it passed close enough to slice his cheek.
"Giving it back," Percy said with a mocking smile.
Cedric gave him a cold look as he wiped the blood from his cheek.
The two stared at each other as Percy reached for his pendant, sending the wooden sword back while Riptide came out again.
It should be enough to stop Cedric without hurting him too badly, since celestial bronze couldn't harm mortals.
Or at least, that was what Percy thought.
Cedric glanced at the blade for a second before looking back at Percy.
That single second gave Percy the chance to lunge forward at high speed, closing the distance in an instant.
Cedric didn't even draw an arrow.
He saw Percy's attack coming, a downward strike.
CLANG!
Percy's eyes widened when he saw Cedric use the bow to block it with ease.
Not a single mark had been left on its black wood.
"What?" Percy said on reflex.
Holding the bow from the centre, Cedric twisted it, knocking the sword aside while striking Percy in the stomach with the lower end at the same time.
Then he spun quickly and swung the upper end toward Percy's jaw.
Percy stepped back just in time as the bow grazed his chin.
But he saw Cedric nock another arrow and fire it at point-blank range.
Percy barely managed to knock the arrow aside with Riptide, the force of the impact driving his hand backwards and opening his guard.
Before the lower end of Cedric's bow struck him in the stomach, almost making him spit.
Then Cedric spun the bow like a staff and swung it toward Percy's head.
Percy ducked just in time, avoiding the blow.
At the same time, he punched Cedric in the leg, forcing him down onto one knee.
Then Percy rose with an upward slash.
But Cedric quickly used the string to catch the sword, and it seemed far too durable for Riptide's edge to cut through.
"Your bow isn't normal?" Percy let out as he stepped back, avoiding another strike.
At the same time, he noticed there were no arrows left in Cedric's quiver.
Cedric smiled as he gripped the bow with both hands like a club.
"Neither is your sword," he said before moving his hands and catching one of Percy's thrusts between both ends of the bow.
At once, Cedric released one hand and pulled back the string without an arrow nocked.
Then he let go.
The snap of the string struck the bow, knocking Percy's sword back toward him.
Cedric took advantage of that to duck and sweep at Percy's legs.
Percy spun before regaining his balance, raised one leg, and planted his foot against Cedric's hip, pushing himself backwards until he landed on one of the nearby beds.
Meanwhile, Cedric rolled across the floor, snatching one of the fallen arrows as he moved.
By the time he was back on his feet, the arrow was already nocked.
But Percy jumped to one side of the bed while kicking it at the same time, shoving it toward Cedric's legs.
When it struck him, Cedric released the arrow, which flew off in a random direction.
Meanwhile, Tyson had no idea what to do as he watched the two of them fight.
They were far too fast for the poor Cyclops.
He was still holding a flowerpot with the intention of helping, but they moved before he could do anything.
He could only duck just in time to avoid Cedric's arrow.
"What do I do?" Tyson said as he clutched the flowerpot against his chest, not knowing how to help Percy.
Tyson could only keep backing away as the dormitory finished falling apart around the two monsters.