Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  Satisfied, Amanda turned back to the fight to see Liz holding her own against several gun-wielding Initiated. Close by, Orion and Xain were fighting four Scions and were only just holding them off. Since Liz appeared to be okay, Amanda turned to the Scion fight and ran at a huge Weretiger who was fighting the boys. Walking on two digitigrade paws, it looked like a massive, powerfully-built man covered in tiger fur with human arms, but animalistic legs and feet. The Scion’s head looked entirely tiger-like, though, and it roared at Orion.

  Flanking the Weretiger, her flashy flying spin-kick took the Scion by surprise. Her foot slammed into its face, spinning the creature back with a cat-like yelp.

  Amanda landed, focusing on the Weretiger. “Let’s get it on, fluffy,” she said.

  The tiger smiled, which looked very disconcerting. Seeing a human level of intelligence behind those predatory eyes was damn freaky.

  Feeling slightly more concerned, Amanda fed a little more Essentia into her Aegis, just to be sure.

  The Scion leapt forward, slashing at her with its wicked black claws. Amanda blocked the Scion’s attacks as best she could. Her superior strength held off the beast despite the Were-creature being twice her size Keeping her primary mind focused on not being hit by those claws, her Multitasking minds worked overtime to send daggers of Essentia against the Scion’s Aegis.

  Getting nowhere fast, she used one of her minds to throw a blast of Kinetic energy at the Scion, hitting it hard. Forced back and away from her, it dug into the sand with its massive paws, its Aegis resisting the worst of the hit, spitting and flaring from the Magic.

  A heartbeat later, the Scion rose back up and attacked. It was a feint, and the creature shoulder-barged her. Catching Amanda off guard it knocked her over and onto her back. The tiger leapt on top of her with a roar, claws out and ready to cut her in half.

  She caught the wrists of the Scion before he touched her, grunting with the effort of holding him off.

  “Not so flippant now, are we?” the Scion taunted as it lunged in for a bite. Amanda dodged to the side as the Weretiger’s maw snapped shut just beside her head.

  “I don’t go to second base on a first date,” she said, pulling her leg up and under the Scion. With a blast of Telekinetic energy, she flipped the Scion over her head.

  Amanda spun sideways into a crouch to face the Scion as it similarly righted itself, growling at her.

  “And I’m not a fan of threesomes…” it said.

  Amanda had just enough time to frown, before something large and powerful slammed into her side like a freight train, sending her flying. She landed in the sand, rolling several times before coming to a stop on her back. No sooner had the world stopped spinning when a huge Werespider pounced on top of her.

  “…but in this case, I’ll make an exception,” the Weretiger finished.

  Amanda looked up in shock at the hideous thing above her. The main body of the creature looked like a giant hairy spider, two or three meters long with eight large, powerful legs. But from where the spider’s head should be, a human woman’s legless body grew. The coarse hair that covered the spider extended up onto her feminine hips, before thinning to nothing below her navel. The woman’s body was otherwise naked and human, apart from the huge black claws on her fingers and her curiously mutated head framed by a mane of black hair.

  She had two human eyes and six inky black ones, extending up over her forehead, pushing her hairline way back on her scalp. The Scion’s mouth was filled with needle-like teeth. Two large fang housings, normally found on the front of a spider’s face, sat on either side of the woman’s mouth with huge black fangs dripping with venom, extending from the bottom of them. They clawed the air, looking for something to stab.

  One of the spider's legs knocked Amanda’s blocking hand away, while the woman’s human hand slashed at her face. The Essentia laced claws momentarily broke through Amanda’s Aegis and cut her cheek open. Amanda yelped and punched up at the Scion, hitting her square in the face. The spider-woman hissed and went in for another attack. Amanda was ready and caught one, then the other of her human arms before they could hurt her. The creature’s two front spider legs went crazy and started scratching and tearing at Amanda’s chest and stomach. The Scion ripped her shirt and skin, drawing more blood.

  Glancing behind her, Amanda saw the Weretiger approaching. She needed to get out from under the spider, or the tiger would tear her head off. Lifting her legs, she kicked out. Essentia flared from her feet, knocking the spider-woman away.

  Amanda got one leg under her before the spider was back. Amanda exploited a careless opening and punched the thing hard in the chest and she felt a rib or two crack beneath her fist.

  The spider-woman jumped back and squealed in pain. “You bitch, you’ll pay for that.”

  Amanda turned just in time for the Weretiger to slash at her. Breaking through her Aegis, the claws cut her upper arm leaving deep gashes. Amanda winched.

  Pulling her arm away, she spun and kicked the Weretiger’s face. He staggered as the spider-woman charged in, screaming at her. Feeling a little more in control, Amanda continued the spin. She dodged out of the way and grasped two of the woman’s spider legs. Heaving the Werespider off the sand, she spun once and threw the thing at the tiger. The huge spider-woman hit the dazed Weretiger full in the chest and both went down in a mess of limbs, screams, and roars as they kicked up sand all about them in their confusion.

  As she watched, Orion and Xain finished off their Werewolf opponents and turned to look at Amanda and the remaining two Scions.

  “Kicking ass and taking names, Amanda?” Xain said as he drew his sword from his back and walked towards the spider and the tiger. Orion nodded to her and followed his partner in crime, reloading his guns.

  Amanda put her hands on her knees and took a few seconds to catch her breath before she noticed the pain from the cuts on her body and face. Her arm stung the most. The tiger’s claws had bitten deep into her arm and it was bleeding profusely. But the fight wasn’t over yet, and she still hadn’t seen Mr Black or the other Magi-woman, Echo.

  A wall of Kinetic force and explosive fire hit Amanda out of nowhere. It drove her into the sand with a power that frightened her. Her Aegis held, keeping her from the worst of it, but she could feel her Shield buckle slightly from the attack. She looked up in time to see Echo step from a large doorway in the side of the huge rock in the middle of the island. Behind her, standing in that doorway, Mr Black watched with a stony expression.

  Barely a fraction of a second after opening her eyes Magic flared from Echo again. It smashed into Amanda like a wrecking ball, knocking the wind out of her. As she tried to breathe she focused all of her minds on bolstering her defences. An invisible force lifted her into the air and then pounded her down again, closer to Echo.

  “No quips?” Echo asked.

  A series of Magical strikes hit her about the head and bells rang in her skull as her neck twisted in painful ways.

  “No jokes, Amanda?” Echo added as a lightning bolt flew from her hand and struck Amanda in the chest. It slammed her into the ground again. Her body spasmed in shock while her Aegis tried in vain to keep it at bay.

  “I’m disappointed in you. I thought you’d be a more worthy opponent,” Echo said as more Magic crashed into her.

  Amanda needed to fight back, she needed to defend herself. The next Magical strike rolled her over the ground. Quickly, she stopped herself and sent a blast of energy at Echo. But with a casual flick of her hand, the attack flew to Echo’s side missing its target entirely.

  “Hah, is that all you’ve got?” Echo taunted. Amanda jumped up to run at her, only to have another of Echo’s attacks get through her counter effects, sweeping her legs from under her, and throwing her to the ground. “You’re not worthy to have Mr Black as your father or me as your sister.”

  Sister? Had she said sister? Amanda’s mind reeled through the haze of pain that clouded her mind.

  “I’m sorry, A
manda,” Mr Black said from maybe ten meters away. “But I simply cannot let you ruin my plans. I have invested too much in this to see it fail now.”

  Amanda started to get up, but her legs felt like jello. She had aches and pains in every part of her body. Her mind swam with it as she struggled to get a grip on reality and what was happening to her. Echo’s Magic and power had turned out to be way beyond hers. This was a powerful and dangerous woman and Amanda had no idea if she could go the distance with her on a good day, let alone after she’d been injured. Her Aegis remained intact, so she could defend herself for a little while longer, but something needed to change, otherwise… well, Amanda didn’t want to think about what the consequences might be.

  A powerful Magical strike from Echo collided with Amanda’s Aegis.

  Amanda leant into it, resisting its relentless force as their Magic fought, flaring and sparking with Magical fire in her Aetheric Sight.

  Nearby, Amanda watched as Gentle Water, Liz, and Maria struggled against Mr Black’s forces. Liz hung back nursing a limp arm. Maria defended her while Gentle Water held off two skilled Magi, who were causing him some problems.

  This did not look good. Amanda could feel her Aegis slipping away beneath the raging torrent of Magic that hammered against it. She couldn’t hold this for much longer. She locked eyes with Liz, saw the look of desperation in her eyes, and knew she had to do better.

  Amanda closed her eyes and focused on resisting this torrent of power and energy. She held her Aegis against it, forcing as much Essentia into her shield as she could. She felt the inevitable cracks forming as the Aegis started to weaken and disintegrate.

  She didn’t want to die like this. She couldn’t let it end like this. She’d only just discovered her father, even if he was an old, psychopathic, and seemingly insane man with a daughter who Amanda sensed hostility from. She had started to question whether she would invite Echo to any family gatherings.

  She laughed a little to herself, finding humour in the darkest of moments.

  Then something changed. The attacks from the Magi her friends were fighting faltered. After a moment of confusion, Maria and Gentle Water were winning. Looking up, Amanda saw Angel backing off. Then, she attacked Mr Black’s forces. Angel flanked Mr Black’s Magi enforcers and destroyed their Aegises.

  Gentle Water and Maria took the upper hand as Angel turned and ran into the trees.

  Magic flared from somewhere behind Echo. Powerful and dangerous, it ripped into Echo’s Aegis.

  Echo’s Magic faltered seconds before Amanda’s Aegis failed. Amanda dropped to her knees and did her best not to collapse entirely. She looked up to see Yasmin’s familiar silhouette standing on a rocky ridge, as hideously powerful Magic brought Echo to her knees.

  For a moment, Amanda sat in stunned silence as she watched a Nomad fight on the same side of the Arcadians. Yasmin had likely saved her life and the lives of her friends.

  She didn’t know how she felt about that. News of this could easily be twisted into something less favourable for her and her friends if it got out.

  She’d wanted to do this herself. She didn’t want to be saved by someone more powerful. Not that she wasn’t grateful, though. Quite the contrary, but she didn’t like that she and her friends couldn’t do this themselves.

  She looked over at Liz, who sat in the sand, as Gentle Water and Maria finished off the Magi in short order.

  She loved her apprentice and felt so proud of everything she’d achieved.

  Looking back at Echo, Amanda used some of her Magic to heal herself. She boosted her shields and readied her Magic once more.

  Grunting with effort as she stood, Amanda’s Magic flushed her system of pain and exhaustion as she approached Echo.

  As she neared, Yasmin’s Magic destroyed Echo’s Aegis. Amanda picked her up by her neck and they locked eyes, but Echo just stared at her in defiance. Amanda threw her at the rock. She hit it and then fell unconscious. Amanda dove into her mind and ensured she wouldn’t be waking up for a few hours at least.

  As her friends finished off the remains of Mr Black’s forces, Amanda turned to face the man himself. He stood within the strange metallic doorway that was recessed into the rock. He looked worried. Amanda approached him as he pulled out a Scroll from his pocket and unravelled it. He scanned the text in a panic, searching for something.

  Amanda reached him, plucked the Scroll from his hands, and pulled him from the door by his collar.

  “Sit down,” she ordered him. He took a seat on a nearby rock.

  Amanda looked through the doorway and saw the large metal room within.

  “Wow. Now, that’s an awful pretty room you have there,” she said, marvelling at the space and the warheads that were arrayed about it. She could feel Temporal Magic emanating from the room and wondered what on earth Mr Black had been up to. She frowned and looked down at the man, and then at the room again. What was this thing and how did it fit into his plans?

  She could maybe take a guess, but she couldn’t quite believe it. Every time the words time machine passed through her head, she couldn’t help but feel disbelief.

  A woman suddenly popped up from behind one of the huge warheads. She pointed a gun at Amanda and immediately opened fire. Bullets bounced off her newly refreshed Aegis. They clattered to the metal floor of the device until she’d emptied her clip. Amanda noticed that the woman had her eyes closed for much of her clumsy attack, but opened them now.

  Amanda raised an eyebrow at her. “Have you quite finished?”

  The woman raised her arms in defeat and dropped the gun. “Uh, yes. Sorry,” she said.

  Amanda shook her head.

  ***

  Standing on the beach, Amanda looked over the various figures who sat or were laid out before her. Most of the Initiated troops were alive and awake. Some were restrained while nursing injuries but otherwise, they were fine. The Magi and Scions who remained after the fight were all comatose. They couldn’t be allowed to wake up lest they cause further issues and Maria stood guard over them making sure they didn’t..

  Amanda felt refreshed and calm, although her blood-stained clothes spoke volumes about the fight she’d just been in.

  After some discussion, they’d chosen to leave the crew on the sub, but send them to sleep for the moment until Amanda and her friends had finished dealing with the situation.

  Yasmin and Angel seemed to have disappeared, and no one had seen them since the fight had finished. Amanda felt grateful towards Yasmin. She had saved her life, again. This behaviour did not fit with her legends and seemed to be somewhat out of character for her. She had no idea why Yasmin kept saving her life and she wondered if she’d ever know the truth.

  Dawn had broken about twenty minutes ago, and the heat from the sun had already started to beat down on them. Amanda really just wanted to lie on the beach and work on her tan, but that was merely a fantasy because she had too much to deal with.

  Her friends were all healed and in relatively high spirits. Liz had broken her arm during the fight, but it had been easily fixed. Otherwise, there’d only been some cuts and bruises, which were quickly dealt with.

  “So, what are we gonna do with them, then?” Liz asked.

  “I’m still thinking about that,” Amanda said. “I need to have a chat with Mr Black first, though. We have some things to discuss.”

  Liz nodded as Amanda turned and wandered over to Mr Black. He sat on a rock on a cushion made from a few coats and other items of clothing. His personal aid, Roxanne, sat next to him and whispered to him as she approached.

  “The redhead’s coming over again. Looks like she wants to talk to you,” she said.

  Amanda wasn’t meant to hear that, but with her enhanced hearing, she could clearly make it out. She walked up to the old man and sat on a rock opposite, looking at him. He looked up at her, a look of defeat and sadness in his eyes, there seemed to be a hint of tears there, too.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

&nbs
p; “Well, that’s a start, I suppose, to be sure. You have a lot to be sorry for, you know,” Amanda answered.

  “I’m quite aware of that,” he said, hanging his head for a moment. “I sense you have questions for me.”

  “Indeed, I do.”

  “Ask them, I will answer them honestly.”

  “You planned to somehow destroy the Archons? Is that right?”

  “I did. They are a menace and they need to be stopped. I will apologise for a lot of things, but not for wanting to save humanity from the whims of these creatures. My methods might have been…”

  “Fecked up?” Amanda offered.

  “Questionable,” he finished. “But I still believe that the Archons are dangerous and need to be stopped.”

  “On that point, I agree with you, but sending a bunch of nukes into the vastness of the Abyss would not do that unless you could somehow place them right where you need them.”

  “Maybe. I still believe I had a chance, though,” he said.

  “I think we will have to agree to disagree on that point. I’m sure there are other, better ways to achieve your goal. I want it, too. The Archons and the Nomads are a scourge on this Earth, the sooner they’re ended, the better. I’d like to work with you on that, but you would need to change your ways,” Amanda said.

  “We’ll see,” he answered.

  Amanda sighed. “Has anybody ever told you that you’re a difficult man?”

  “You wouldn’t be the first,” he answered.

  “I bet. Look, ever since meeting you in that power plant where you said you were my father…”

  “I am your father.”

  “How can you say that? How can you be sure?”

  “I’m sure,” he said.

  “Would you care to elaborate?” she asked, feeling a little exasperated by this verbal sparring.

  “Maybe.”

  Anger bubbled up insider her. “Listen, gobshite, you’re going to tell me what the bleedin’ hell happened, how you got to be this way, and what the hell that metal room is. I want to know how and why you think you’re my father, and what you want out of our relationship without me having to chase the answers out of you. Because believe me, you don’t want me to rummage about in that head of yours at your age,” she spat.