The late afternoon sun spills its last golden rays over a landscape marred by destruction, casting long, haunting shadows amidst the desolation. Kendra, as Zoe, feels the crunch of broken concrete underfoot as she passes the edge where the destruction was stopped by the containment field.
"Let's discuss tactics," Winter's says with her direct icy tone as she steps up beside her. "The foe we face is formidable and strategy is our safety."
Pausing, Kendra feels her head look over to her companion as Zoe laughs, "Nyahaha! I appreciate your concern, Winty, but let me handle this one.” Kendra feels Zoe's playful energy bubble up within her. "I nyeed to stretch and she nyeeds to learn how to nyavigate through danger with her own paws."
Time seems to freeze as Winter considers as she sets her short muzzle. "I will be your backup if things start to go wrong." She acquiesces with uncharacteristic gentleness.
Amidst the ruin that’s before them there is not much going on as Zoe starts to walk carefully forward. With Zoe in control, Kendra tries her best to stay calm as she watches everything unfold before her. It’s hard to fight back the terrible memories from yesterday and the theater.
<Nyone of that!> Zoe playfully admonishes Kendra as excitement fills Kendra’s mind. A sudden feeling as if Kendra is being physically pushed forward hist her mind as she stumbles forward. Full awareness hits Kendra as she’s brought into full awareness as she’s now in complete control of her body again and catches her footing. <This is your time to shine Kendra. This is why we are bonded. Show the world your potential!>
The encouragement is palpable, but as the same time it feels obviously wrong to be applied to her; but before Kendra can start a counter, a loud, deep, malevolent roar echos through the ruined building as the earth shakes from a massive impact against the ground.
<Our pray,> Zoe states with a hint of hunger to her voice. <It’s time to play!>
"Stay alert." Winter whispers from beside her as they look toward where the tremble had originated as they start to move forward again. The surrounding destruction seems to pulse with an underlying current of power, as if the power to send their enemy here is still clinging to all the surrounding rubble. It's both terrifying and exhilarating, and Kendra draws strength from the raw energy that permeates the air as it seems like the levels of mana grows more present as they near their foe.
"It's up ahead," Winter warns, "I smell it. I'll take up position here. I see a pillar atop this pile of debris that’ll give me amble cover."
"Thanks," Kendra says as she continues forward. After such a loud commotion earlier, everything is eerily still and silent now. After a few steps, she finds an oddly clear area that seems to form a circle around what must have been the point of impact. Taking a quick look around the area, it seems to be like a stage with the ruin's debris looking like seats where the audience, Winter, will watch the coming performance.
<Careful. This silence is deceptive,> Zoe says to Kendra as her eyes fall on a massive figure. The strange silhouette is certainly distinctive, something that should not exist on Earth, and is menacing. Just glancing at it sends a fear-filled chill down her spine as its round head full of eyes and rimmed with a mouth looks around the area.
"By the stars," Kendra breathes with a mix of fright, awe, and apprehension lacing her voice.
<Indeed.> Zoe purrs filling Kendra with relief at hearing that her tone is still playful despite the looming threat. <It has nyot nyoticed us yet.>
The monster raises a gargantuan limb, each finger like the trunk of a tree, and slams it against the area where the field ends as another loud smash like thunder fills Kendra’s ears as a buffet of char-filled wind passes by her a moment later. Cracks, like a spider’s web, radiate from the point of impact.
<What do I do?> Kendra asks as dread, desperation, and determination all mingle in her mind as she watches the beast before her.
A warming encouragement pulses through Kendra as Zoe explains, <Picture this, we're a mote of dust in the wind. We move, we flow, we sway, we dart to and frow, we are hard to track, and we are tricksy! We move from here to there. We only ever move faster. We are so fast that we canyot be seen. So fast and relentless that our attacks are countless. We'll be teleporting, nyot far, but quickly with each movement. Our safety comes from toying with our prey and our power comes from our momentum. Our type of teleportation is called blinking. >
Having difficulty following the explanation, Kendra sees in her mind’s eye an image of herself appears. It Runs forward and disappears, no, it blinks. It’s moving in a different direction now but with the same speed. It reaches a wall and pushes off of it like a parkourer. It’s going faster now too until it blinks again.
<We will blink just before we repel off of a wall, floor, ledge, or pillar so that we’re always adding to our velocity and building our momentum. Every surface is a springboard for us.>
<How though!?> Kendra protests. <I can't even image what you’re asking me to do! Let alone react that fast! I can barely cast spells, let alone repel, attack->
<Nya haha!> Zoe laughs, interrupting Kendra, as pride radiates from her warm presence. <That’s my job! If you nyavigate and react, I will put us where you want us to go. We together are one.>
Surprised by how simple Zoe makes it sound, Kendra tries to think about it and realizes that she can’t even start to consider everything. In near disbelief she stands as she realizes that she’ll just have to experience it firsthand. Running Zoe’s words through her mind again, she summarizes it as, <Speed is our ally, unpredictability our weapon,> which gets a snickering agreement from her companion.
<Exactly!> Zoe exclaims, practically bouncing with anticipation. <They can't hit what they can't predict. And I'm very good at being tricksy.> Her joyful demeanor echoes in Kendra's head as more nya’ing laughter steadies Kendra’s nerves.
Feeling another rush of warming excitement, Kendra says, <Then let's go,> as she feels Zoe take control and lock gaze with the monster. Zoe lowers them into a crouch, like a sprinter at the start of a race, before she pushes off. A thrilling jolt of acceleration hits Kendra as she gains speed at an impossibly fast pace. The monster seems lethargic in its movements as it seems to notice her; then her perspective changes. She's no longer on the ground running toward the monster, instead she's flying toward a fallen column as she crashes into it! Plowing through the pillar, she tumbles until she crashes into a partially broken, reinforced, concrete wall.
Coughing, Kendra feels herself getting up as she hears a loud crashing sound followed by a pulse of dense, sooty, air hits her - the sound of her impacting the pillar she realizes! Laughter fills her mind as Zoe says in a friendly mocking tone, <Nyice landing!>
Angry determination consumes Kendra as she feels her paws clench and her claws extend. Realizing that she has control of her body again she does the only thing she can think of. She crouches down and puts her feet against the concrete wall that had stopped her. Setting her jaw, she pushes off into the fastest sprint of her life.
Shooting through the path of destruction she had just created; she sees the monster approaching as she looks to where she wants to go - a pillar on the second floor. She leaps toward it and as she nears it, her perspective changes. She’s no longer moving forward and upward, instead she’s now oriented sideways and the pillar is now Infront of her. The momentum carries her nearly tangential to the pillar as if gravity didn’t have time to realize she should be falling; but it’s more that she’s already going fast enough that gravity is negligible for her planning. It’s disorienting as she reaches the pillar, but Zoe helps with planting her feet and pushing off the pillar. Another jolt hits her as she shoots off toward the monster.
Passing by at just an arm’s length from her opponent helps Kendra realize how large this thing actually is. Larger than any dinosaur skeleton she’d ever seen, that’s for sure. Not letting the thought distract her though, she notes her next point of impact. Her trajectory is parallel to the ground and there’s no good surface as a glace, but she notices something above her; an edifice jetting out from the destroyed third floor. Her vision changes as she’s now falling downward toward the seen point. Trusting in her companion’s guidance, her feet hit the structure and pushes off toward the monster once more; again, at a trajectory that’ll make her pass just by it. After the next jump, she takes a moment to look at the creature’s eyes. It’s trying to track her but it’s only reacting to where she had come from, not even to where she had just been!
<Yes!> Zoe exclaims as her energetic spirit infuses every fiber of Kendra's being. <Keep your movements fluid, unpredictable, and planned!>
<Got it!> Kendra thinks, as she pushes off the next column, sees her next target, blinks to it and pushes off. Again and again, she blinks, reorients, kicks off, passes her prey, and blinks again. Her speed is only growing faster as the thuds of impact sound like a distant, delayed, drumbeat that accompanies her movement.
<You're a nyatural at this!> Zoe exclaims with a joyful pride.
<Thanks to you!> Kendra replies as her surroundings are nearly a blur now. Her entire focus is on simply finding the next point to blink to. It takes all of her will to not break into laughter at how ridiculously exhilarating and absolutely terrifying this whole experience is. Let alone that she’s even managing to do this at all! It’s even more funny to see how woefully inept her target is at even following her movements. A newfound confidence starts to bloom within her.
<Nyow to attack,> Zoe instructs as Kendra continues to accelerate between blinks. <Your claws are sharp but are nyot meant for continual massive attacks. Predict your angles and attack with each pass.>
Steeling herself for the next pass, Kendra finds her next leap point, blinks, and pushes off toward the monster. <Here goes nothing!>. Heart pounding, she reaches out her arm as she feels her claws extend. A tearing sensation ripples through her arm as a scream of pain comes from the monster.
“I did it!” Kendra yells out, “I actually did it!”
<Focus!> Zoe screams as Kendra realizes she forgot to find her next blink target! Before another thought could come to her head, she slams into and through a wall. Her body is forced to go limp, like a rag doll, as she crashes and tumbles through another wall, a floor, something else that’s dense and probably heavy, before she slams into the unyielding ground that reverberates from the impact.
A massive impact of air and loud crashing brings Kendra’s mind back to attention. She blinks her eyes a few times as she tries to figure out what had happened until hysterical laughter fills her mind. Standing up and brushing off her fur, Kendra curses at herself for her carelessness. She was so impressed by her attack, she had forgotten her primary responsibilities!
<Again!> Zoe commands with warm encouragement as she finishes laughing.
Taking a moment to collect herself, Kendra closes her eyes as she hears the echos of her leaps fade into silence as Zoe says softly, <Feel the rhythm, Kendra. Use it to time your actions Think of this like a dance. You're simply learning the steps.>
Letting the tension drain from her body with a long breath, Kendra nods as she lets her mind clear to a single focus. Crouching down, she opens her eyes and looks up at the monster that sees her now. As it takes a step toward her, she pushes off. As she nears it, it throws a massive hand toward her at a far greater speed than she had expected. Quickly looking up, she sees a good leap target and blinks. The sensation and change in perspective seem almost natural now.
<Too close!> Kendra flinches, but she can't stop the smirk tugging at her lips as she almost wants to mock the monster! Her pace accelerates quicker this time, the movements forming an increasing rhythm that her body seems to yearn to follow. Reaching her arm out, claws extending, she rends at the monster’s flesh, causing green ichor to flow from the increasing number of wounds that open with each pass.
---
“Amazing...” Jake exclaims as she watched the yellow blur speeding past the galmag in front of her.
Seemingly in a similar state of awe, Winter adds, <She is doing far better than anyone who has wielded Zoe before. This level of aptitude should have taking months, if not years...>
---
Feeling comfortable with her movements, Kendra lets her mind focus a little less on finding where she’ll be blinking to and instead, she focuses on where she wants her next jump to take her. After a few more blinks, she becomes comfortable with this new task and feels her velocity increasing even faster now. A strange feeling, one that’s been ever distant, starts to build within her, pride, as she realizes how impossible what she's doing actually is!
A new thought crosses Kendra’s mind as she plans her next series of jumps and choses a vector that’s straight up. It happens as she catapults into the sky. For a suspended moment, she sees the world from a vantage point she never imagined possible.
<Beautiful,> Zoe says softly as they look at the low-hanging sun, filling Paris in a soft, brilliant, orange glow.
Claiming its power back, gravity slows Kendra until she’s hanging suspended in the air motionless. Looking down, she blinks to atop the monster’s head then blinks again to the ground just in front of the creature. A mocking smile crossing her lips as she looks at the eldritch horror towering over her.
Turning and leaning a bit, it looks down at the tiny animal girl standing unafraid before it. It laughs, hauntingly, causing the ground to rumble with its deep tone. Raising an arm, it smashes down at the leopard girl.
Seeing the coming attack, Kendra blinks to just above the monstrous foe and gently lands atop its head again. A snicker comes from Kendra as she digs her feet claws into the monster’s scalp. At the same time, though, she can't help but wonder what she is doing this for! An introverted girl, never having done anything remotely dangerous in her life, toying with a deadly unknown horror!? She can feel her heart racing as the decaying stench of the thing she's standing on meets her nose.
Knowing it's dangerous to stay still for too long, she blinks into the air, letting gravity give her momentum. Another blink takes her falling and points it to a wall that she jumps off from. An odd unease comes to her as she kicks off the next wall and blinks in the next direction. There's something off, it feels like she’s always falling toward the ground now. With another blink, she's crossing the monster's path, and its eyes are following her! Their hatred radiate death toward her tiny form. She reorients and kicks off, blinking to a smoky area to line up for her next attack.
<Nyo!> Zoe cries as Kendra see through the smoke as a massive hand emerges moving with tremendous speed straight toward where she will be. Before her jaw can even start to move to cast blink, an immeasurable mass smashes into her, causing her body to compress as all her momentum is stopped and doubly reversed. She's flung straight into a concrete wall, impacting with an unimaginable force that knocks the wind out of her as the wall gives way and collapses into dust.
<Get up!> A voice cries in Kendra's head. Her thoughts quickly collect themselves as she coughs, her lungs gasping to be filled again. <Move!> Zoe commands as Kendra blinks out from under the pile of concrete behind another pile on the other side of the room.
<How am I still alive!?> Kendra asks as she continues to catch her breath. <I shouldn't be anything other than a liquid!>
<We’re nyot invincible,> Zoe replies caringly. <Mana strengthens and empowers us. We are resilient; but taking damage like that will drain our mana. We’ll start to be worn down and we’ll break.>
Allowing that revelation to sink in, Kendra can feel that she does feel more tired now. The feeling of anticipation and the need to move is far less than it had been when she was mocking the creature. She originally thought that that was Zoe egging her on, but now she knows that that was the mana within her. Collecting herself for the final push, Kendra says, <I've learned why you have me run to start. Gravity is too weak and way too slow.>
Comfort and appreciation wash over Kendra as she knows that that's Zoe's way of telling her she's correct. Feeling determination growing inside of her again, Kendra asks, <How do we kill this thing?>
---
<There!> Winter says, a bit of cold on Jake's mind indicating the direction to look. She watches as Zoe emerges, walking slowly, rolling her left shoulder like a boxer preparing for the final round of a fight.
<I still can’t believe how fast she’s mastered Zoe’s movements.> Winter says with a chilly awe. <If I had to guess, Zoe’s ready to truly shine!>
Jake watches, entranced, as Zoe crouches down and runs straight at the horrible creature. Before it can attach, she's already blinked two more times - from the left where she lunges to another ledge, blinks and kicks off a column from the right. Each passing vector leaves a new trace of claw marks on the monster. At a nearly uncountable rate, Zoe zips past the monster. Every passing angle is precise and new wounds are left in her wake.
Winter’s cool presence seems to settle into her spot in Jake’s mind as if she’s watching a movie. Then, as is in commentary, Winter says, <Zoe's what you would call, from your 'RPG' games, a debuffer. She’s absorbing the mana that’s leaking from the Ghoul’s fresh wounds, making it weaker over time. She uses 'amber footing' for two purposes, to reinforce where she's landing and jumping from. In essence, her magic literally 'sticks' mana to solid objects. The mana has an orange sheen to it when she does it which is where her name originates.>
Trying to focus on where Zoe’s landed previously, Jake tries to see any orange but can’t, she's too far away. Looking back to the fight, it's become impossible to track Zoe herself, but the streaks of festering cuts are plain to see, and new wounds are constantly opening over the entire Ghoul.
<There is no longer enough mana for the ghoul to heal, you can see how sluggish it is too. The same does not hold true for Zoe, though, as she's stealing its mana and using that stolen mana to hurt it more.>
---
Fully embracing the essence of Zoe’s power, Kendra zips past the monster again, digging ever deeper with her claws as her limbs thrum with mana’s energy. She can sense the monster stumbling on her next pass as the behemoth of malice can't even think of tracking her.
<It's time,> Zoe says mournfully, an odd contrast to her normally playful demeanor.
Remembering what Zoe had explained, Kendra stops her attacks and focuses on her movements. She needs to determine a path for Zoe to follow for the next part. After a few more jumps, Kendra finds a path that will maximize her airtime. Noting the next blink and jump, she hands responsibility over to Zoe as she focuses on her next task. With a final shift of perspective and another lung, she’s now flying into the air. After a moment, tingling surrounds her from as she enters a fog of green haze, the Ghoul’s ichor!
The feeling surrounding Kendra is just like what she felt in the dimensional space where Calmar was teaching magic. Unlike what it should have been, learning in the peace and quiet of a classroom, she’d need to learn how to use magic in a life-or-death battle like Winter had. Feeling comfort in being in a similar situation, she lets her mind focus on the odd tingling. Every fiber of her being wants what’s around her, her body wants to be full of this mana. If Winter can do this, so too can she!
---
<Where’d she go?> Jake asks as she scans the area around the slouching galmag.
<Look up,> Winter replies, her voice betraying a hint of wonder.
Pulling her vision back from where she thought Zoe would be, Jake takes a more macro view and notices a figure rising high into the air at a shocking speed.
<There’s no longer enough mana bleeding from the galmag to fuel her mana expenditure.> Winter explains as Jake can't break his eyes away from the sight. <Ghoul ichor drifts upward. She’s collecting that now, filling her body for her final attack.>
Taking a pause as Zoe’s figure disappears into the green haze, Winter continues, <Zoe is not a spell caster like we are. Her physical attacks do not require mana but her blinks, leaps, and what you are about to see do use mana.>
The green fog seems to dissolve as Zoe’s sleek figure becomes visible again as she reaches the apex of her upward movement. Feeling Winter pull her muzzle into a slight grin, Jake realizes he’s witnessing something spectacular: the birth of a legend!
With grace, Zoe’s figure reorients herself to face downward. Like a spear falling from the heavens, Zoe points her hands downward as if into a dive. Slowly, with deadly intent, she silently falls.
"What-"
<Wait,> Winter interrupts. <And watch.>
Seeming slow compared to her previous speed, Zoe continues to fall before she disappears and reappears higher up as she falls from that new spot. She blinks again, doing the same thing. With each blink, though, she’s keeping her previous velocity. After a few more blinks, her form is a blur again as a thunderous boom shakes Jake and the rubble to their very core!
Recovering from the sonic boom, she looks up just in time to see an orange line shoot downward at a blinding speed. The dazed Ghoul shakes as a bright vertical-line flash of light bisects the Ghoul in half like a hot wire through butter.
A deafening crash smashes into Jake, pushing her backward as the ground shakes beneath her feet followed by a massive torrent of wind that lifts Jake off her feet and plants her on the ground on her butt.
Letting out an unnatural laugh, Winter says with great appreciation, <Few have seen what you just saw. Given the correct wielder, she is a force unto herself. Do not underestimate her.>
Swallowing hard as she gets back to her feat, Jake looks back to at the colossal ghoul as its two halves peel apart as the form starts to dissolve into a gray-green mist. A small spotted figure is visible walking between the two halves as she skips along happily before giving a graceful bow before she waves toward Jake. Belatedly, mostly in disbelief, Jake responds to Winter, <Yeah, I won't...>"
Stepping up to the leopard girl, Winter takes control before Jakes can even realize as she says, "Well done Zoe! I've missed seeing you in action!"
“Nya stop! “ Zoe coos as a blush comes to her face and she bats a paw toward the vixen. "This was just practice!"
Shaking her head, Winter looks up to Zoe. "That was more than practice. It took more than a year of battles to even get close to that speed. To learn that much in less than an hour!?"
"Nyaa haha! She's a smart one!" Zoe laughs as she gives Winter a wink.
Still in control of her eyes, Jake lets the two banter as she looks into Zoe’s eyes, in search for her wearer. Zoe's eyes look weary as they look down and meet hers. It's clear to Jake that she's tired and will likely have a painfilled headache soon.
Going off Jake's guess, Winter asks, "How is she?"
Lifting a paw, Zoe puts it to her head and shakes her head miming dizziness. "Tired. She's amaying with her planning and movement; but her mana management needs work."
"She'll be in a bad way then," Winter says with a cool sympathy. "Managing mana in battle can be hard. That will come with time."
Taking the time to let her mind wander, Jake considers how odd this whole discussion is; yet how natural and comfortable these interactions have become in the last two days. Winter seamlessly taking control to banter with Zoe as she and Zoe's wearer share each other's company through eye contact. Should she be uncomfortable about this? This, like so many recent events, shouldn't be possible. Though, she doesn't feel trapped or concerned. She knows that she can have control back or, like now, become a spectator whenever she wants. How could she, someone who hated commitment and bonds, have so much trust in Winter after such a short amount of time!?
"And you?" Winter asks as she takes control of their eyes to look Zoe over.
"Nyo nyeed for concern foxy!" Zoe chides as she starts to walk toward the anchor door they arrived from. "Let's report back to Calmy."
Wordlessly. Winter falls in step behind her friend as she scans for any remaining dangers. No matter what Zoe says, she's in no condition for another fight today.
Luckily there is no danger as Winter hears Calmar's footsteps approaching. Zoe's ears perk up too as Calmar's visage comes around a corner. His brown worn robes seem to ripple in the light wind passing through the narrow street. He steps aside and reveals a shorter figure. Her face is long, slim, and wrinkled. Long grey hair cascades down her shoulders, disappearing against her similarly colored robes. Marks, tattoos maybe, run up and down her right arm which is exposed as she puts a walking cane in front of her with each step. Her old sapphire eyes examine the two magical animal girls in front of her.
"Bravo, Zoe!" The woman says with a thick French accent.
"Tha-nk you, Ma-Madame. It was quite a learning experience!" Zoe replies, the wearer seemingly back in control of her mouth at least; though her words are a bit clumsy.
A crack echoes down the street as the woman hits Calmar’s leg with unexpected speed and precision from someone so old as she says, "Où as-tu trouvé celui-ci!? Vous devez apprendre des manières comme les siennes!"
"Indeed!" Calmar responds with a start as he hops away from his attacker. Lifting his gaze up and past the two animal girls, he seems to assess the battleground. Looking back to the two, he says, "Let us not tarry in the shadow of victory for too long, the populace is not quite ready to see you yet and there is much to discuss."
No comments yet. Be the first!