Maggie sits back on her haunches in complete disbelief. Because they did not often have the opportunity to fight one another with so little impunity, she had never taken note of the passive benefits and detriments of being best friends with Anaar. It now made sense why she had been so targeted before. No one knew that she was one of Anaar’s triggers. Now with that knowledge, it essentially had the effect of him being by her side all the time. She was suddenly hit with a realization as the still moaning man came back into focus.
“Hey! What makes you think you could take me down in the first place?! I don’t need Anaar to save me!”
“It’s a lose-lose situation! If you beat us, we are out. If we beat you, we are dead. Who the fuck wants those odds?!”
Maggie found herself feeling slightly better, and nodded in agreeance with his statement. Though she could have knocked him out beforehand, she was not happy with the man, even though it was not technically due to anything he did in particular. She flipped him over, ripped the arrow from him which caused him to shriek loudly again, then walloped him over the head to render him unconscious.
As she set about now actively searching for opponents, a deafening wave swept the area, and she felt a burst of heat hit her. She turned in the direction of the blast, noticing the acrid smell of smoke on the air. She wanted to move toward the commotion, sure that only one person could be responsible, but she was reminded of a recent conversation with Phavian as they were working on a project for the Seeds.
“So… you notice anything weird about Anaar lately?”
Maggie raises an eyebrow at the sudden question. “Like his ravenous bloodlust?”
“Or his wanton disregard for his friends lately?!”
“Or his increasing displays of his abilities for no reason when he usually does everything to keep them hidden?!”
“Or the fact that he has been really aggressive in bed lately and choked the shit out of me, and then refused to heal me saying that I’d grow to like it?!”
Maggie looks up at Phavian in horror, “What?!”
“Okay, maybe that one is more a personal thing, and I did kinda like it now that I think about it…” Catching the look on Maggie’s face, he breaks his statement and returns to the issue at hand. “Point is, something is wrong, and you know how he is about letting people into his problems. He thinks we are too weak to support him.”
“He has been through so much lately though… I think we all take for granted that as superhuman as he may seem, he is no different from the rest of us emotionally. It isn’t even like he is some super old being that is just blending in with us because he still looks young! He is actually just barely an adult!”
It was now Phavian’s turn to look at Maggie with a deadpan expression.
“What? You have never seen anything with a vampire? These are semi-real issues! Whatever. The point is, I think it might be best to do what he usually wants from us, which is to leave him alone.”
“Now I’m concerned about you! The Maggie I know is controlling and goes through great lengths to insert herself into any situation possible! Now you just want to sit back and do nothing?!”
Growling through bared teeth, “I’m now more concerned about what Anaar will do to me once he finds out I’ve killed his boyfriend. Maybe I’ll be granted clemency if I find him a suitable replacement.”
Phavian waves his hands in defense, “I realize that came out really negative. Honestly it usually is pretty negative. But in this case, I promise it was supposed to be a compliment! I just don’t like the feeling of leaving him alone. When you know someone refuses to cry for help, there is no other choice but to learn to recognize when they need it!”
“I understand what you are saying, but I still don’t know if treating him like a child is going to help. Trust that I want nothing more than to sit him down and talk about his behavior, but maybe this is just the new Anaar and it is something we have to deal with.”
Phavian looks to the side in distress. “I only hope our consciences can take it if we ignore a problem, and the resulting aftermath is nothing within our power to contain.”
The distressing conversation continued to weigh heavily on Maggie as she once again turned a blind eye to what was happening. The smell of smoke was becoming heavier, but perhaps due to her distancing herself from the scene, the temperature was returning to normal. Setting her jaw, she made her way to find opponents to increase her score.
◆◆◆
Like everyone else, Stefani’s goal was to make it to the City zone in one piece. In the past year, her combat classes had given her the opportunity to learn more about the layout of Tactics and Siege and the unique traits of each zone. She considered herself lucky that none of the zones gave her any particular advantages, nor disadvantages. To some, that was worse since she had no place of power, but from what she came to realize, it was easy to get turned around in the large facility if one was not careful.
The wooded area she was walking through had a sense of peaceful serenity that she had never experienced before. It might have been obscured by the lectures and practicum when she was in class, but she found she liked the place she was. Growing up in a major city, she had very little contact with nature usually, and this presented the opportunity to evaluate just how much she enjoyed it. The absent smile on her face immediately vanished when she heard a rustling in the distance.
Drawing her gun from the holster, she immediately aimed in the direction of the noise, while backing toward the cover of a large tree. She held her breath for a moment, and then carefully peeked out from her position to search for the threat. She had a small twinge of happiness as she knew Sophia would be so proud of her utilizing her training. Bringing her mind back to the task, she continued to scan, but pulled back the moment she heard a gunshot.
Taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, she steadied her shaking hands, then leaned out to see if she could return fire. She had barely made herself visible when the shots rang out again, causing her to seek cover. Understanding her current position was exposed, she scrambled for a new one as quickly as she could in an attempt to gain a better foothold in the fight.
Cowering behind another tree, she calmed her mind and thought through the situation. Even though she had no idea who or what she was up against, the fact that they were utilizing a firearm meant there was an overwhelming likelihood their abilities were not combat potent, or they were only useful in close quarters. If she took that into consideration, her odds were better. If they had no combat abilities, then she could easily best them in a melee brawl. If they had close combat abilities, it would be tougher, but they would be more willing to engage if they felt they were moving to a position of power. Long range engagements were her weakest area.
Humming to herself, she enhanced her sight and her reaction time, hoping to finally obtain a glimpse of her opponent. Information was power, and without it, she could not go about formulating the best plan of attack. Feeling her preparations were done, she darted to a new position as she did her best to find who was attacking her. Just as she made it to the next tree, she found her target, but was surprised at what she found.
From behind the tree, she shouted to her attacker. “Zenia?!”
In the distance a confused voice responded, “Stef?!”
The two women emerged from their cover, both relieved and laughing as they walked toward one another. They gave each other a quick hug and put away their guns. Looking around, Zenia pointed to a spot, and they both collapsed to the ground under the protection of the tree.
“Some luck meeting you here eh?! Everybody is in a bloody group this time! Makes it damn hard to move around on your own!”
“Right!? It has been so crazy! I mean, I’m not like you, being number 5 in our class. I honestly have no personal experience in this, so it could be totally normal!”
“I promise you mate, it is not normal. Well you seem to be holding your own this time!”
“Just barely! It feels like none of my
preparations helped once everything truly started. I guess I really am just destined to support others for the rest of my life. Not that I’m complaining or anything! Anaar is always talking about how people in my role are the most important, so we should never be ashamed of not being combat potent on our own.”
“He has a point, but I don’t think people who can scrap and tussle will ever understand how it feels to always be on the sidelines. They get all the glory, and we are not even mentioned. Sometimes I feel like there should be different divisions or something for these types of things to make it fairer.”
“Period! I know this is a combat focused school, but it really doesn’t incentivize supporters like us to come here and work hard.”
“I hear you on that one. I was going to say we should team up, but two supports don’t even make one offensive person. There wouldn’t be much point in it.”
Stefani bows her head in sadness, understanding Zenia’s words. She had successfully found one of her friends, but both of them knew that they were of little use to one another. Stefani was just happy to see Zenia doing well. She was moving to stand and leave when Zenia grabbed her arm.
“What do you say Stef? Since we can’t help each other, why don’t we have a test? Let’s see who is the better support? If I’m going to go down, I’d rather not give the credit to one of these blimey bastards. With how many people are teaming up now, I don’t see myself lucking up and making it to the end like last time.”
“Wouldn’t a proper battle of supporters be about supporting people though?”
“Nah, since the school won’t see us and give us out own division, why don’t we do it ourselves? No hard feelings, it will be all love for the victor.”
Stefani found herself unsure how to respond. She had never seen Zenia so eager to give up before, but her mind seemed set, and she felt like she would be a bad friend for refusing her. She also did have some curiosity about how the battle would resolve itself. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach however that told her they would be ambushed at their weakest points and be easy marks for someone else. Finally, she decided on her answer, standing with her hand outstretched.
“Let’s do it.”
The two women moved into a small clearing, preparing for their friendly bout. Stefani was completely prepared with intel about her opponent. She knew Zenia only had guns to protect herself, as her martial arts skill were lacking. What gave her an edge was her ability to heal herself rather quickly. The downside to this was that as a subpar Regenerist, she had no choice but to allocate attention to actively healing herself. This meant that the only way to keep her down would be to keep up the pressure, as extended fights would easily swing in her favor.
Zenia leveled her gun, while Stefani slipped on her claws. In an unspoken agreement, the two women began. Shots rang out as Zenia did her best to lock onto her target. In what Dan had affectionately begun calling Stefani’s “Bobcat Mode,” her speed, reflexes and power were all greatly enhanced, making it much harder for others who were not physically enhanced to keep up with her. As such, she was able to dart in and out, scoring a hit on Zenia, then backing off to safety.
One factor Stefani had not accounted for was her own predictability. Though she had the physical attributes, she lacked realistic combat experience. The difference between her and Zenia was clear when as she was backing off, Zenia was able to perfectly predict the location of where she would land, and scored a shot directly to Stefani’s abdomen.
Crumpling to the ground in utter agony, Stefani poured everything into numbing the pain and healing herself. She knew the result of that would be her other physical attributes beginning to wane. Zenia was surprised to see Stefani back on her feet so quickly, which foiled her plans to heal up all the damage she had taken. Stefani dove in for another strike, the shot to her stomach showing its effects.
Though she hit her mark, Zenia noticed it did not have the power nor speed from before. True to her pattern, Stefani jumped back and to the right like she always did. With a smirk as she squeezed the trigger for the shot that would end Stefani, Zenia envied just how much room Stefani had to grow compared to her. Stefani was on trajectory for the bullet to hit her chest, but in the final moments before contact, she twisted ever so slightly, her arm coming up and with her gun taking aim, firing two shots of her own to Zenia’s chest. Thinking it would be a draw, Zenia was surprised that the bullet she shot had no effect, almost as if Stefani had a barrier, considering she knew she had not missed.
Zenia laid on the ground, her blood spilling into the dirt as Stefani limped over. Grabbing Zenia’s hand as she knelt to the ground, Stefani began to sing with some difficulty, so that they both would gain the effects of her healing. The portal opened as expected, though by the time the Medic had come to tend to her wounds, Zenia had almost fully recovered. Checking with the administrators, the Medic found that since Zenia was fit to compete before they arrived, she was able to continue.
Zenia had made the decision to leave the competition when Stefani stopped her. “We are our own greatest obstacle. That was one of the first lessons I had to learn, and also the hardest. Yes we may not have a much power as our friends, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t worthy. Don’t give up. Keep pushing on and see it through.”
A tear fell from Zenia’s eye as she accepted Stefani’s help from the ground. Nodding to Stefani, she tells the medical team she will continue, which they immediately take their leave. Still believing they would not be of much help to one another, the two women gather themselves and take their leave in opposite directions. Just before they are out of earshot, Zenia turns back to Stefani and gives her a thumbs up.
“See you at the end?!”
Stefani turns back with a smile and a wave. “See you at the end!”
◆◆◆
Awakening groggy, in a half-asleep state, the sound of screams filled Anaar’s ears. Yawning as he stretched, he patted himself on the back for how much better he had become at dampening his abilities. All of his abilities were just below an average human level, which allowed him to sleep in relative peace. The ground was not comfortable, but he understood very little could match the comfort of his bed. He stood from the ground, stretching as he finally turned his attention to the two bodies that were steadily becoming engulfed in flame.
Peering at the two figures rolling on the ground for a moment, he snaps as he comes to a realization. “Oh! Hugo! That’s you! You already found your girlfriend too! Isn’t that convenient. Why are you on fire?”
The sleep wearing off, he suddenly remembered the defense mechanism he set up before he fell asleep. Craning his neck upward, he outstretched his arm, and a small dragon of crimson flame flapped happily down to his arm. Rubbing its neck with the back of his finger, the tiny dragon responded in what looked like delight.
“Who’s a good little dragon? You are, that’s who! Too bad their screams woke me up, but you did your job perfectly!”
Anaar walked off into the forest, completely disregarding the two burning individuals on the ground as he took his leave. Still caressing and praising the small familiar, he stopped for a moment as something was nagging him. Dissipating the dragon and scratching his head, he placed his finger to his lip as he pondered.
What am I forgetting?
A portal had opened, and the medical team was in complete disarray as they did their best to extinguish the vibrant red flames covering the screaming and writhing bodies. It had begun to spread to the forest floor, and nothing the team could do would extinguish the flames. In an attempt to smother them, one of the Medics too had begun to burn. Luckily for them, they were able to take off their coat, throwing the burning raiment to the ground to prevent it spreading further along their body.
Oh shit! I made that guy out of the everlasting flames! Cool trick, but I did say I’d be responsible about starting forest fires. Wouldn’t want that! I never thought mine would be able to spread, unlike Yefferson’s.
Smiling happily
as had finally remembered what he needed to do, he extinguished all flames in the nearby area as he continued along his path. He had recently learned that he could essentially store his familiars and constructs in his memory so they could stay consistent and be constantly refined. Resummoning the small dragon, he worked on making it even cuter since it seemed to have a personality to match.
The Transporter was busy screaming at someone on their Vizer when they were poked by one of the Medics. Turning around angrily, she screamed in utter annoyance.
“WHAT?! Don’t you see I’m trying to get someone to put out this fucking fire so you can save these kids’ lives?!”
The Medic points in the direction of the two students and the area steadily becoming engulfed, only to find no fire, and only rising smoke. There were not even embers from the burning foliage. Mouth agape in confusion, she looks at the Medic that poked her.
“When the fuck did that happen?!”
“All the fire just suddenly went out. Maybe it was on a timed system or something.”
“Who ever heard of setting a timer on a fire like it is your oven?!”
That man looks back at the woman with a blank expression. “I don’t know. I’m not a Pyrokinetic.”
The woman growls at the man in response. “Well are you going to do something, or are you just going to stand there?!”
The other Medic looks up from the ground and wipes her forehead. “We have stabilized them as much as we can, but we aren’t burn specialists. We would only end up making things worse. They made sure we had plenty of surgical trauma specialists since they expected lots of dismemberment and gunshot wounds, but they are now scrambling to find a competent burn specialist on such short notice.”
The Transporter looks back at both Medics who seem to be wearing only slightly concerned expressions. “This is ridiculous! They need to reevaluate this event to make excessive use of force an immediate disqualification. I mean look at these poor kids!”
Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4) Page 25