Fallout: Nuclear Rage

[Flamebird]

[Closed to Shinsou.]

~~~

This was the second battle Felicity entered in the Citadel today.

Today was becoming rather entertaining.

Within an arena once again, Felicity stepped on... glass.

Perfect, reflecting glass.

It was sturdy too. Unlikely to break unless under enormous pressure. Just to test it out, Felicity raised her powerful leg and brought her foot smashing down. Only an echo sounded across the dark room.

"Nice." Felicity looked up. She was starting to adjust to the darkened light. Felicity was usually used to a wide array of sensory input in the Citadel. Yet she could smell and taste nothing. The room felt too empty. She watched as the walls began to come into view. Mirror upon mirror was hung across the rounded walls. They were all long and rectangular with simplistic frames. The walls were a mild grey.

A fleet of stairs stood at the opposite end from the doorway. Walking forward, Felicity noticed that the round staircases were also made of glass. They led up to a second floor where more mirrors were hung. The only difference on that floor, from what she could see, was that the mirrors there were oval. There were no guardrails at the edges, meaning anyone could just fall off if they were not too careful.

Looking up, she saw that with every floor, the room grew shorter. At the very top of the room was the only complex looking object in the room: a fanciful chandelier.

"Well, it beats how depressing Corone looks right now." Felicity's footsteps echoed across the empty room as she drew closer to the stairs. She walked past row upon row of mirrors, seeing her reflection in every one. Stalky, built body; red hair; green eyes. A sword and dirk at her hips, two bows hung on her back. In a pouch she also carried a metal blue bird. She wore a white shirt and brown pants today, nothing fancy. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

Of course, cosmetics were not important. If she reached a higher vantage point before her opponent got here, she could use her bows! Right when she placed her boot on the first step and pulled her war bow out, however -

-the door behind her opened.

Too late.

She was hit with a feeling of weight and atmosphere. Her magic affinity flared as she froze. Whoever just walked into this room... was a legend... Slowly, Felicity turned as the opponent's footsteps echoed across the room. Who was she fighting now?

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Night had cast its blanket over Corone, and the biting wind howled around the crags of the Citadel walls like a caged beast, battering its endless stream of patrons in the courtyard. The Telgradian, who had travelled from Whitevale to train once more within the bastion’s halls, stood atop a nearby mound that overlooked the ancient gladiatorial complex. Succumbing to a sudden and inexplicable curiosity, he closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. Suddenly, the sheet of darkness that had previously been populated with tiny specs of light burst into colour before him; each illuminating flicker jagged and bare, but unique. The weaker, blue translucent lights signified the spirits of an average denizen; nothing particularly impressive or threatening. Like the falling of the cold rains, a sheet of these blue lights moved in tandem across the courtyard; a thousand lost droplets destined to be consumed by the earth. The denser, pulsating ruby lights that accentuated the sea of blue told Shinsou Vaan Osiris how the ‘specials’ of Althanas numbered that night. They were few and far between; one for every twenty or thirty blue lights, and were usually ones to be wary of. Numbering in those he had met with “red” energy were Joshua Cronen, Philomel van der Aart, Storm Veritas and John Cromwell, all dangerous and powerful warriors, so the Telgradian knew well the kind of standard that was to be expected by those types.

It was then he saw it, within the narrow keep of the Citadel. A green light, shimmering brightly as it moved across the courtyard, before disappearing entirely from view as it passed through the magnificently ornate gates.

What the hell was that?

Shinsou glared madly at the illuminescent scene before him, trying to see if the light would re-appear. He had never seen a green light before when he was using his spirit sense. What did it represent?

It wasn’t long before the curious Telgradian had stalked the light to a doorway within the famous labyrinthine intestines of Radasanth’s greatest building. From the shadows of the small, private chamber, comprised of bare stone and simple wooden furniture next to a portal as always, stepped one of the Ai’Brone. He was a human man, his face drawn into a smile that was accentuated by the scars on his cheeks. Silently, he looked to Shinsou as the Telgradian uncurled a finger and raised it towards the portal.

"Who is in there?” Shinsou demanded to know.

"Felicity Rhyolite" The monk with the scars spoke, in a soft voice. “It’s an open challenge.”

"Is it, now?” Shinsou’s curiosity was starting to get the better of him. He’d never heard of Felicity Rhyolite, nor ever sensed anyone with a green aura before. It could have been an anomaly, but Shinsou didn’t believe in co-incidences and wasn’t about to start now. He kicked hard at the bottom of Enpera’s sheath, sending it arcing up into his right hand in one deft movement. The monk glanced at the renown spellsword, and his golden eyes blinked back at him.

“Let’s see what this is all about, then.”

***

Shinsou’s first footfall pressed gently onto a shimmering surface, so much so that only his entrance from the Citadel betrayed his arrival into the arena. The ambience of the void took some time to adjust to, but eventually his eyes adjusted to what seemed to be an expanse of mirror like platforms. The room, if it could be called that, seemed somewhat devoid of life, save for the green aura that flared somewhere ahead of him. The walls seemed curved; plated with the same thick, reflective glass that comprised the floor beneath his bootsole.

As the door snapped shut behind him, the clicking of the Telgradian's heels signalled his movement to the center of the giant polished room. They fell silent as his eyes finally fell upon Felicity Rhyolite.

His stoicism, for a moment, was shaken and the Telgradian's expression twisted into a surprised frown. His opponent seemed to be a red headed child. The natural light wasn't fantastic but Shinsou could make out small details; her weapons, including a bow, and an unusual dress sense that seemed to hail from a culture closer to Dhethean than Corone.

Okay. Natural assumption here is that this isn't an ordinary kid; this "Felicity" is armed with hunting equipment and dresses in some sort of tribal attire. Goes without saying she'll be seasoned. Senses aren't telling me anything useful about her magic power though...stay on guard.

Always one for polite introductions, and mindful of not wanting to be the first person in the room to show his hand, Shinsou nodded in acknowledgement to the girl. One hand remained concealed beneath his coat, gently resting on Enpera's green corded hilt.

"So you're Felicity Rhyolite? My name is Shinsou Vaan Osiris," The Telgradian gestured to the shimmering surroundings, "Was the hall of mirrors your idea? Seems like you're risking a lot of bad luck here..."

[Flamebird]

Shinsou's magical signature continued to buffet Felicity for a moment until she grew used to the rays of power. This man seemed quite handsome, yet older than he appeared. He had unnatural, gold eyes which shone like bright amber. His hair was cut short. The white outfit he wore seemed quite stylish, yet simple at the same time. He had a diversity of swords at his disposal, including a bizarre katana in his hand which carried a magical presence of its own. Felicity knew, she absolutely knew, she needed to be wary of this man. She put her war bow away and pulled her ulder recurve bow from her back.

With battle strategies already forming in her mind, she had to remind herself to act in a friendly manner towards the man who showed enough decency to make a proper introduction.

"Nice to meet you, Shinsou." Her grip on her bow loosened as she offered a curtsy. "I'm Felicity Rhy-" she stopped, then a giggle escaped her lips. "Wait, you already know my name!"

Her hand, still gripping two arrows, was brought up to her mouth as she laughed. Yet, the strange room and the heavy, magical auras reminded her of where she was and what they were doing.

He lowered her arm, looking around the room once again. The hall of mirrors seemed to indeed reference bad luck. Yet, with the energy coursing through her veins, Felicity had more luck than anybody in here. A sense of optimism rose as she smirked. No way she was going to give away her powers, not yet, but the potentially sharp objects in here were the fuses to her internal bomb. Yes, this man was powerful, but she had a couple of surprises of her own.

"Bad luck?" She shrugged, then placed an arrow within her bow's string. She did not pull back, looking up at Shinsou. "Nah. This is the best luck I've ever had in this place."

Okay, Her internal thoughts continued to work up a plan. Keep at a distance. Watch how he reacts to the arrows. He obviously prefers melee range based on his choice of weapons. Just keep your distance 'til you get a feel for him.

She stepped to the bottom floor, footsteps echoing once again. Her body slipped into the archer's ready stance. As the reflections of the two individuals lit up the vacant room, the ragechild's face grew more somber and serious. "When you're ready."

Once he gave the signal, she would immediately snap her arm back, slipping into the position which would allow her ease in loosing the arrows on this man. Her recurve bow was made of mighty, flexible wood. With her raw strength, Felicity could unleash powerful fire upon her targets. She could shoot rather rapidly, the second arrows ready to take the first's place in the bow as soon as the first was shot. Felicity was not as good with a bow as she was with a sword, but this was the safest option. She was wary of this Shinsou. She needed to practice caution. Nonetheless, even if she missed her targets, her arrows would likely shatter the closest mirror. Indeed, even a simple glass cut on this man could give her some of the information she needed to fight him. Upon his signal to start, or whatever move he would make, she would be more than ready.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

When I’m ready?

She was everything that Shinsou Vaan Osiris had not expected.

Behind his stoic expression glowed amusement, albeit kindly intended amusement, as the anticipated attack failed to materialise and instead the redheaded youth gave way. As the Telgradian looked at the shimmering glass chambers spread before him, he wondered how many of the people he had faced here had actually been eager to allow him this kind of time.

Surely, it couldn’t have been more than a handful, because those that had been in the Citadel with Shinsou Vaan Osiris knew that to give him such respite risked inviting a quick death. It would come, perhaps, from a pulsating kaleidoscope of dark lances from above or, worse, a release of the arcane power in his sword; power that would surge like adrenaline at his every whim. There were few people who had truly felt the full force of Enpera’s unsealed power; immutable and destructive in the face of all comers, but those who knew what lay beneath certainly did not entertain the idea of giving Shinsou a window of opportunity to coax it out.

Whatever the established precedent, there was no arrogance or undue surety in the girl’s words as the redhead’s aura flared brighter and more focused than his. The spell-sword decided to find courtesy within her decision to allow him the first move, instead of the sheer naivety he momentarily suspected was responsibile.

Who said the youth of today weren’t polite, eh? Shinsou mused to himself, Well, seeing as we’re holding the door open for each other here, let’s start off slow. How good are you without that bow?

Alongside him, accompanying his thoughts, a jet black vine of dark matter crawled out from his feet, stretching and snaking with tempestuous hunger across the polished floor. It throbbed for a moment, almost as if alive, waiting for Shinsou to bend its will. Usually, this ability was used incognito; a silent thing used to surprise or ambush a clumsy or inattentive opponent. Here, though, where every surface betrayed the art of subterfuge, it would be put to a more crude use.

The Telgradian stepped forth, his two echoing footfalls upon the glass floor disguising an incantation.

The dark tendril snapped through the darkness, leaving behind a dazzling and disorienting afterimage which disappeared almost as soon as it had manifested. He took care to avoid harming the foreign girl, but instead directed the hazy black limb towards her bow. The spell wrought havoc on the optics of the room; the jet flash reflected many times into the highly reflective vaults and polished recessed alcoves as a dackdraft wafted through the limp strands of his hair, but its true intent was to coil around the shaft of the bow and cast it into the oblivion below their shimmering arena. An onlooker may have questioned the non-lethal intent; this was the Citadel, after all, but Shinsou knew that to truly learn about someone, one needed only to apply time and pressure. It was how all things were formed, from the creation of basic elements to the complexities of a living person.

It would be unbearable for the Telgradian to have seen Felicity’s green aura and not understand it, and by the same measure agonizing to not be able to fathom the depths of her abilities. Without her bow, Shinsou guessed he would probably see her at her most vulnerable, and that always got results.

[Flamebird]

The mirrors reflected a stretch of shadow with a powerful aura. The black. oozy matter was a slave to its owner's will. It was coiled like a rope, but formless and faceless in design. Felicity was a bit stunned by the feelings it gave her sense of magic. Thus, with her eyes on something else, she missed her target. The arrow she released absentmindedly flew right past Shinsou, breaking one of the many mirrors of the room. As glass flew behind Shinsou, too far away to hurt him, he picked his own move. The shadow magic throbbed, then Shinsou ordered it towards its target. The strange afterimages and her own blaring magic sense were all overwhelming. Felicity was frozen in place as she watched this thing slip closer. It slithered towards her, then struck like a viper. Felicity almost jumped when the tendrils wrapped around her bow. "Egh!"

As Shinsou stood there, menacingly, Felicity's instincts told her to bail. She finally snapped into action. She let go of the bow and darted away from the line of magic stretching from the man's being. The bow was flung away, like a pitcher casting a ball in a game. She narrowed her eyes. Smart. Disarming me. A small smile formed on her face as the echoes of her footsteps stopped. She eyed him, his sword, and pulled out her own sword. Luckily, I have more options than a bow!

Testing the waters was obviously out of the picture. Shinsou was intelligent enough to take care of that. As the bow was taken care of and landed on the ground with an echo, Felicity darted forth. The smooth floor was tad bit slippery, but handled well thanks to Felicity's notched boots. As she neared her opponent, Felicity jumped into the murky waters of an unknown sea. Yet, she was ready for the bite of its frigid temperatures.

Two swords clashed, although the sounds of the magical blade were strange and alien in sound. Only Felicity's weapon echoed in a metallic manner. Felicity would attack with not one strike, but many. She would go with the flow, and eagerly await his next move. Felicity's strength aided her in pushing forward. She was trying to push him back. She pulled out her dagger as well as she pressed on, trying to push him further back. Back! Her eyes darted at the shattered glass near the entrance then back at him. Maybe, if she got him that far...

Skill was reflected in her bladesmanship as clearly as their reflections were across the round, bizarre room.

I can't test him, but I can fight him!

She knew the repercussions of chucking caution like this would hurt. She was forced up to this point, however, and she could still think on the go. How else had she survived this long in life? Besides, melee combat was her specialty. Shinsou indeed had a lot to dish out, but what was the challenge in an easy fight?

This would be difficult. However, it would also be fun.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Shinsou danced in time with Felicity’s unrelenting assault, smiling as her sword and dagger bit into Enpera’s edge with increasing ferocity. The sheer momentum forced his heels to backpedal and give ground on the polished arena surface, but even as the redhead pushed him back the Telgradian relished each thrust and parry, every jarring vibration and metallic clang. Closing his eyes, Osiris started to sense the girl’s swings as they occurred, and he almost imagined himself as the lead in one of the Winchester family’s productions as he tried to synchronise his movements with the redhead’s.

Lift, stroke, parry. Lift, stroke, parry. Lift, stroke-

Suddenly, a sharp pain ricocheted up the outside of his forearm, and Shinsou hesitated as a streak of crimson dripped down his sleeve.. He’d been caught by a swing out of time. Or, accurately, more in time. Quickly, he knocked away the follow up, and span away to put a few feet between them.

She's getting quicker, or less predictable...

Stupid. The moment’s thought had wasted precious seconds and voided the entire purpose of putting distance between them. Like a hungry wolf she pounced, close enough that the Telgradian was able to see her pupils, and only with considerable effort was he able to force his body into a swing with Enpera. Pure adrenaline overpowered Felicty’s growing presence, but her instincts served her well; she feinted past the first cross-sweep from the left, before slipping the downwards swing from the right.

Time for a response.

His eyes opened. Those gold irises shone with suppressed power, as if the light of a thousand fires were carefully harbored within. Felicity’s form blurred in front of hm as she continued to swing at him, although Shinsou was not quite sure whether this was because of her speed or the power that nigh tangibly throbbed through his mind and flowed through his veins.

Hakai: Enpera Shinkotei

With a whisper, he began to channel the power though Enpera and melded the energy into the precise amount needed to unseal some of the sword’s potential. The alien metal throbbed an iridescent white as it grew, stretching out to almost twice its length to no-dachi proportions. The process was so sudden that the momentum of the growth forced a small distance between the pair. The power that didn’t make it into the sword simply leaked from where he stood; bright, white whorls coalescing into intricately formed wisps that curved around him and evaporated beyond the mirror ceiling.

Shinsou’s concentration never wavered when the release was complete. Channeling magic in this way was not an overly difficult process, and sustaining the Hakai was not inherently sapping to his mental reserves, either, but the act of switching between maintaining Hakai and tapping into more offensive power from the conscious part of his mind took more effort than people may have given him credit for. This was the portion of his Telgradian sword art at which most novices of his race struggled and failed, but a part that he had years of experience in.

In moments, his mind turned to a counterattack. If Hakai was the vessel, his Berlioz Edge was the means. There was no time for dawdling.

There was movement; swift, almost frantic, like watching a falcon swooping for the kill, but the way his hands crossed the guard of the newly formed anti-cavalry sword was masterful and practiced. His left quickly flipped the hilt so that the sword’s cutting edge faced outwards, towards Felicity, simultaneously imbuing his dark matter into the blade until the edge glowed with a purple hue. Each of his movements was deliberate, accurate, perfect; but even those movements paled in comparison to the stroke that followed. With the grace of a master painter, the Telgradian wove the blade firstly down by his side and then ferociously brought it upwards in an arc across Felciity’s person in one fluid motion. The dark matter edge flickered before releasing into a powerful, razor sharp shockwave.

Never once did Shinsou’s eyes leave the girl, even as the dark magic crescent threatened to consume her, and the black and purple wave faded ever so slightly. Drops of scarlet blood dripped neatly to the mirror floor between his feet, the wound from his arm reminding him that although he wielded power, he was still just a man.

[Flamebird]

Almost there!

Felicity was successful in pushing her opponent back. She even landed a cut to his arm! Yet, as glass shards crunched beneath their feet, Shinsou retaliated. An explosion of magical energy signified his move. Wisps of white energy swirled around him as his weapon glowed and grew. Felicity gasped, immediately bolting back to escape the growing size of the blade.

That sword was huge.

Felicity’s efforts were all wasted.

A scowl of annoyance crossed her face as she raised her puny arming sword. Then, she narrowed her eyes. The sword turned from white to purple. The alien weapon then was raised in the stroke of a master. Felicity remembered for the first time what she was dealing with. A pro. A fresh sense of fear trickled inside as Shinsou brought down his blade, extending a wave which screamed of power. Eyes wide, the girl hastily side stepped. This was all happening so fast! Then, an idea struck her mind. Raising her dehlar sword, she reached into the shock wave in attempts to use her weapon’s properties to absorb it.

Instead, the blade just shattered.

Felicity shrieked, dropping the stub of a hilt as she shrunk back. Probably not her smartest move. As the hilt fell, the shock wave hit the wall behind her. The sound of glass shattering erupted in a chorus of an angelic choir out of tune. As the sound was amplified in an echo, she gaze lifted from the hilt to her opponent.

Shinsou clearly had the upper hand. A weapon with incredible reach did he wield. Meanwhile, Felicity was down to her dirk and one short ranged bow on her back. Desperation caused her eyes to dilate. She was backing up to a parallel wall. Yet, as her heart raced, a crazy solution entered her mind.

Her eyes darted to a mirror right behind her. She turned towards it, putting her dagger away. If she could manage to disarm him, the playing field would be more even. She would have to get through that sword first, however…

Was she insane enough use that power? Willingly? If that sword cut her once she would be distracted. Distraction could not be tolerated. Besides, she convinced herself, it would only be for a moment. She would still be sane enough to move in an intelligible way.

Her target was his arm. His not bleeding arm. She would grab the arm with one hand, aiming for his elbow. With her other arm bring her elbow down, using the force to bend his arm unnaturally and force his sword from his hand. Of course, she had to get there first. This was the truly lunatic part of her plan. She raised her fist. In her Berserk Mode, she would be undisturbed by any and all pain. The nuclear energy seeping from her body would also cause enough discomfort and mild sickness to throw Shinsou off for the moment she needed to start her grapple.

She slammed her arm into the mirror, shattering it and causing her to bleed. That familiar rush of feral rage empowered her as she charged towards her opponent.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

What the hell?

He had broken her sword, which had given Shinsou only some small measure of satisfaction, but now the Telgradian watched in bemusement as his bestial foe seemed to detach herself from her sanity. She had raced frantically to the mirror and seemed to have intentionally injured herself, smashing her arms through the wall behind her and drawing blood on the jagged shards.

No-one does that without a good reason, so what’s hers? was Osiris’s next rueful thought, as his vision caught sight of the Neanderthal sprinting towards him. As he readied himself, no-dachi raised high and feet firmly planted on the polished silver, he suddenly saw Felicity through his spirit sense. Something different eminated from her; that green aura he had seen outside, a presence that his soul could see but his mind did not quite comprehend. It was aggressive, almost feral and completely changed the atmosphere around them. Now, the outstretched arms of this she-beast sought to grapple him, and threatened to tear him limb from limb.

There it is; that light. Oh, you thing of beauty. That’s it, come at me with-

The warrior-mage freed his sword from his right hand as he attempted his next move, but before he could summon his dark matter again the Telgradian felt a pang in his stomach. Moments later, Shinsou was practically forced to one knee through the sudden surge of sickness, beads of sweat forming underneath his chestnut fringe. What was this? Was his body paying the price for using Hakai too early?

“Enpera…” A pale Osiris called out, his voice only barely reaching over the clamour and din of Felicity’s marauding. Tired it was, exhausted by a sudden illness that swept over him in pulsating waves, but he forced it to continue speaking as an outstretched palm tried to open the gateway that would bring forth his infamous Enpera Kurohitsugi.

“Kurohit-“

Shinsou thought that the aches and pains throbbing through him would quite literally burn holes through his body as he struggled for breath. What had she done to him? There was nothing to suggest a spell had been cast; no incantations, arcane glyphs or movements…just an outrageous, self inflicted rage.

Then, it dawned upon him.

The injury. She released or activated something when she hurt herself…

Shinsou nodded his affirmation of his understanding, but it was too late. Her arms gripped his wrists and he screamed as Enpera clattered to the floor. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt; like iron shackles being fused to his skin with lava, such was her strength and its application. She also held him in a way that suggested at least some proficiency in the martial arts; fingers clasped on pressure points on his wrists, paralyzing them. It was something he had witnessed in training with Joshua Cronen but fist to fist fighting was something he had never accomplished himself.

The surprise of the pain made his stomach wretch, a noise only matched by an angry grunt from this bewildering redhead. Now, choices were few and far between. The sickness he felt was somehow suppressing Hakai’s power, meaning he hadn’t got access to the increased strength Enpera gave him to vault or take steps to either side. He couldn’t use Danzetsu without being free of her hold. There was only one thing he could really do to allow him to bypass the worst of this.

As he stood up, he brought both arms downwards in a chopping motion, hands straight and firm as he channeled arcane power to his legs. Dark matter formed two small knife edges at his toes, turning his boots into weaponized extensions of his feet. He kicked instinctively, lashing out with all his might, and somehow tried to connect with his opponent’s chest. With any luck, Felicity would at least stagger backwards, winded, giving him just enough time to get his shit together and retaliate.

[Flamebird]

He struggled. He crumpled. He grew sick, desperate. Felicity kept holding on. She saw in red slits as she clenched him, causing good bruising on his arm as pressure points were pushed. The more he clung to his weapon, the more her anger grew.

“Sword! Let go!” She barked! Tunnel vision amongst her bolstered anger caused her to become illogical. The blood from her self inflicted wound slipped into her palm, her fingers. Her grip loosened just as the feeling of pounding came to her attention. Unresponsive to any pain, she was too focused on her loosening grip. The kicking continued.

In the series of seconds, she felt a sudden sting in her hand. Berserk Rage slipped away as another enhanced boot slammed into her rib cage. Now, now it hurt!

The combination of the sudden pains, slippery fingers, and the super powered kicks caused her hold to fail. Another kick and she was pushed back. Unbalanced by the less than gripping floor, she lost her footing for the second. She spread her arms and resituated her legs, maintaining control of herself as adrenaline cooled. Wide eyes returned to normal as she looked up to her opponent.

Was she successful? Did he lose his grip? Did the loss of her radiation lead to him getting well from the sickness?

A smirk formed on her face. It worked! The glowing blade was removed from his hand.

Now, Felicity just needed to figure out what to do now. Try ranged and use her bow again? No, her hands were a bloody mess. Literally. What if she used her dirk? That would not be best either, as Felicity would be within too close a range for weapons combat against this experienced magician. What if she closed in with more unharmed combat? Looking back in her hazed memory, he seemed less trained than her with unarmed martial arts, as he used none against her. He was physically weaker too, meaning boxing, karate, and full on wrestling even could be bring results. Felicity was strong enough to crack his neck or punch a hole through his chest!

Reckless desire to win bolstered her. She was so caught up that all the warnings and precautions of his true strength no longer reached her. Felicity hunkered down and darted right back towards him in hopes of achieving a solid series of punches and kicks. She paid little attention to his next move to make and lunged for his chest and legs. Multiple mirrors reflected the opponents as Felicity dashed towards him. She was getting too antsy…

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Felicity’s insane barking encapsulated the essence of the madness of their battle as she took Shinsou’s desperate leg strikes and finally released her grip, a bloodied, almost psychotic mess. Thrown off-balance by the sickness that had gripped him and unwilling to allow her to push him any further in this odd berserker state she had entered, the Telgradian had finally reached the end of his tether. He had seen now what she was capable of, what the green aura had represented, and decided that further satisfying his curiosity was less of a priority.

Now he would show Felicity what he could do.

The pale, sweating spellsword allowed himself to his feet, stepping backwards a couple of paces as he felt his strength and speed begin to return to his body. Whatever ability it was that Felicity had unleashed, it was worse when the redhead was in close proximity, and now she was away from him its potency was failing. The fire once again in his golden eyes, the Telgradian’s intricately interwoven white coat whipped the air as he turned sharply to slip the Neanderthal’s latest charge, much quicker to react than before as Hakai’s power once again enveloped him and augmented his reactions. The vigor and recklessness of her charge could have been a result of her rage, but Shinsou had seen this before from other opponents.

She’s becoming careless now, either through anger or arrogance. Time to go to school.

The girl, wrongfooted, simply darted past him, feet failing traction on the slippery glass floor. Perhaps she wasn’t expecting his strength to return so quickly. In any case, the simple but effective evasion created the exact opening he needed for his counterattack.

Enpera Kurohitsugi

The incantation was loud enough to hear over the ruckus. Shinsou, eyes glaring at his opponent, moved his unarmed hand in a crescent flash across his body, almost faster than the eye could track.

Behind Shinsou, a few feet above the crest of his oaken hair, mysterious arcane energies quickly began to meld together. Forking tendrils of black and purple convulsed and converged around each other, reflected in the mirrored surfaces like dozens of black holes threatening to swallow the universe. Instantly, a fifteen foot wide portal of dark, ominous oblivion hung behind him. The sheer corrosive force of the dark magic cracked the glass beneath the Telgradian, leaving the brittle surface in danger of collapse into the whistling expanse of space below.

Out of the black chasm that gaped behind him, protruding from the abyss, levitated the infamous fifteen lances of dark matter. The spears momentarily hung there, emanating an ethereal hum as they waited for an order. Without even having to motion, Shinsou commanded seven of the projectiles to attack the ceiling above Felicity and the other eight to attack her at once. The two clusters of black magic tore out of the portal and wildly lunged towards their intended recipients, forks of blue and purple electricity ripping and tearing at the glass and debris around them and scorching the reflecting surfaces. Through the electric trail of his powerful volley, Shinsou gave the redhead an incredulous stare.

If his strikes were precise, he would impale Felicity. If not, he hoped to bring the ceiling down upon her, crushing her or, at worst, shattering the floor below her with the weight of the glass above. It was a move a little less artistic than the swordplay before, but the Telgradian knew that the time for finesse had long since passed.