Magical Teacher Professor Landry! - Episode 3: Bad End?

[SinrXIII]

"You're kidding, right?" Kohana chuckled, watching Hannah.

"I won't reach the pompous ass till I defeat you, huh? Well, I guess I could do that too. Call it the practice exam before the real thing maybe?" He tapped his foot, head tilted to the side as he considered the possibility.

Then, tree roots burst out of the ground. The professor shouted at the girl as she swung a wicked looking sycthe, and Kohana turned back to Shuyin.

"Well, if things are taken care of here..."

Then, a metallic clang hit his ears. He snapped his head back, surprised, and blinked at the professor - who was tied up by roots. A larger, more deadly looking root rose in front of the girl, Hannah, and shot towards Landry.

".... Awe, goddamnit..." The dog-eared youth shot forward himself, legs pounding the stone tower's floor as he charged. He bent his knees, eyes narrowed on the root, and leapt! He twisted in the air, legs pointed towards the roots as they headed for Landry. His body spun, and his feet hit the wooden spike!

But would it be enough to spare his teacher? Or would the newcomer be the one to save her? Kohana thought to himself as he connected with the spiked assault.

"Oh who cares, I just want to kick that pretty-boy teacher!"

[Steel Shadow]

"Huh..." Diana was the curious sort. (I know, I know, shocking. Do try to retain your senses.) With a careful finger, she tugged at the figurine's helm, trying to pull it off and reveal the figure's face. Why was it so familiar?

Once that inspection was done, she reached out and pulled the nearest manga volume down to flick through it's pages, checking over her shoulder as she did so. Air hissed through her teeth as she saw the open closet door. That had *not* been so open earlier. She was running out of time here... Her eyes flicked upwards to check the ceiling, before shooting back to the book in her hands. A Landry Fan-comic, maybe? What was that Japanese word for them... It began with D... No, it wouldn't come to her. Oh well, she was a film girl, not a comic reader. But maybe this could give her some sort of clue as to what was going on?

If it didn't though, Diana would have to move on, her attention drifting over to the TV... what was that anime that was on it?

"Ngh. Damnit, what the hell am I supposed to be doing here...?" Di was less than pleased at her lack of planning!

[Teal Mage]

Whirling around, the Johanna within the Marisa's magical quarantine tore her fur robe free of her body. Hands moving with precision, the clone crumpled the bulky garment. Then, she hurled it into the path of the oncoming blast of deletion acid. Thin strings of green fluid sprayed out from the impact as the projectiles collided and the robe broke apart into a pile of snow.

From out of the conflagration, Jo burst.

The talons of her transformed hand were closed, changing the claw to a katar. Rapidly, the distance between the white haired girl and Marisa's last worm dwindled, and the Jo launched a vicious thrust.

In response, the worm surged. Its bulbous fang-lined maw weaved away from Jo's attack and the creature threw itself forward in a burst of serpentine grace. Its head narrowly slipped past Jo's shoulder, with the body flowing after. A bright line of red appeared over its pale body, as the edge of Jo's katar found its flesh, dealing a deep and long gash along its side.

Hissing with outrage, it rebounded from the tiles behind Jo. The worm's head snapped up, a great mass of bubbling green appearing in its fang filled mouth. Its head reared back -

Black light overwhelmed her!

* * *

"Huh..." Alone in the dim child's bedroom, Diana carefully moved her fingers to the head of the plastic figurine she held in her hand. Darkness flickered around the doll's body, as the girl worked to pry its helmet free. Within moments, it slipped away.

The small face below was as deeply tanned as the limbs, and infuriatingly familiar. Diana also had the distinct impression that its proportions were wrong. Were it not for that, she decided, she was sure that she would have recognized the girl instantly.

Diana's bright blue gaze shifted, moving to examine the figurine's eyes -

?&!#%?!

* * *

"By right of the contract established..." A small voice whispered, as shafts of golden light steamed down from the rolling stormclouds above. "Skoteinos Okeanos, sygkrafeas ek zoi, pairno oi dynami pou therapeia mou symmacho!" Over checkered brown and black stone tiles, ripples stirred in a pool of faintly green liquid. "Kalo Tethys, oi nero ek kolasi katecho flebas mas!"

In the pool's center, a statue of pale blue crystal lay fused to the tiles. "Erebos kai Hyperion enonomai!" Kneeling before the statue, green-blue dress soaked by the liquid around her, was the lavishly dressed form of Sao Opallios. Around her body, black fire raged. "Genno -" before Sao's outstretched hands, a writhing sphere of black energy was forming. "- oi bledygmia pou epidiorthosi oi sarka gia na therapeia," Though her position remained rigid, the dark haired girl's body seemed to tremble with pain, as she released a final choked scream.

"Basanismenos Sotiria!"

Thunder without sound -

* * *

Diana's eyes snapped open.

She was on the floor of the mysterious bedroom. Muted and flickering light, cast by the television, played over her back. As her eyes readjusted to the gloom, she found them drawn the plastic shape of a figurine, standing on the carpet before her. Fused to a small green pedestal, the plastic shape was clad in a sleeveless white robe – it reminded her of something from Ancient Greece. The figurine was female, and her skin carried a deep tan. Her hair, black, was cut short. Brilliant emerald green eyes, with amber flecks clustered in a ring around the tiny pupils, stared sightlessly back at -

Sao.

Diana found her memory return to her in a flash.

She barely had a moment to consider this, when a new sound reached her ears. A doorknob, jiggling. From behind her.

Something was trying to get in.

* * *

"Wha-what!?"

Clang.

"Now die!" Beside Hannah, brown marble tiles erupted. A new pillar of twisted roots surged forth, thick as a human, and many times as long. The column's spiked head shot forth, lancing like an arrow toward the bound Professor Landry's heart.

From Hannah's right, a pair of concussion blasts raced toward her. On the tiles beside the blond, her dropped long bow exploded with new green-tinted silver vines. They surged upward, twinning themselves around one another into a woven barrier, just in time to block the air blasts before they reached the witch kneeling on its opposite side.

Hannah's gaze snapped right, as the woven shield retracted itself slightly. Outraged green eyes fell on the form of Jack, as the young wizard raced toward the captured Professor. "I..." Hannah's gaze lowered itself, as her visage seemed to darken. Her words were little more than whispered, as her aura seemed to contract slightly. "...warned you -"

Kohana lept into the air and delivered a flying kick to the tip of Hannah's massive root spear. The column was knocked sharply off course, shooting wide of its target. Incandescent white light erupted from the spear's tip as it slammed into the thin magical barrier that surrounded the tower. The barrier devoured whatever part of the root it touched instantly, leaving only motes of light brown dust in its place.

Jack tackled the Professor - who let out a cry of pained surprise as the wind was knocked from her lungs. The magically crafted roots held firm, not giving an inch to the boy's tackle. To Jack, it was like hitting a soft, yet unyielding, wall.

"- to stay out of my way!" Hannah roared, as her aura exploded to life again. Black motes flared to life within that banner, only to die away moments later and be replaced by new ones elsewhere.

A dozen of slim pointed roots erupted from the damaged marble around Professor Landry and Jack, reaching high into the gold tinted air. Arcing with almost delicate grace, the vines changed course. Racing inward, the slimmer spears closed swiftly on the Professor and her student - they'd be impaled form all sides!

"Oh who cares, I just want to kick that pretty-boy teacher!" Kohana stated, to no one in particular, as he turned his brown eyes to the floating form of Shuyin.

Hannah's head snapped toward him, her blond hair whirling wildly around her face. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" She threw out an arm, the one that wasn't planted to the tiles below her, toward Professor Shu - "Ah!" Pain twisted her features, as her arm seemed to rupture. Bright red droplets of blood sprayed outward like mist, the air around the limb. Still, her now mostly black aura surged.

A new ring of slim roots appeared around the floating Professor's position.

Panting, Hannah slumped forward. Supported by trembling arms - one of them weeping blood - the girl seemed to be near exhaustion. Beside her, the curtain of green-silver metal that her bow had become seemed to expand - curving outward, as if to shield her further.

Without a single word of warning, the magical barrier around the Field turned to crystal.

…that was unexpected.

* * *

Clad in little more than boxers, Jay stood before the flowing and shifting red face of the firewall around the central tower. Yellow-green light flared in his hands, as he summoned his bat. A battle raged atop the tower, a battle with his beloved Professor at its center! He had to break through the wall - had to help her! Falling into his batter’s stance, he swung with all his heart!

And, at the last moment, the firewall turned to pale crystal.

The face of the crystal wall cracked.

Then, exploded.

Shards of brittle crystal rained down on the baseball play. The fragments splintered when they struck the baseball player, stinging his skin, but far too weak and thin to leave any marks.

Moments later, the rain stopped and a gaping, semi-circular, hole in the crystal wall yawned before him. While the gap didn't reach higher than the center of the tower, it was still a sizable chunk gone.

Now, the only thing between him and his Professor was a long, long, spiralling ramp to the summit.

He would have to run fast!

* * *

Behind Astarte, crystal exploded.

Interrupted before she could reach the second verse of her rendition of "Comin' in Hot," the mummy might have been surprised enough at the unexpected sound to glance over her shoulder.

If she had, she might have been surprised. A series of floating white marble platforms – like the ones that had appeared to carry her up to the piano she now sat at – had appeared behind her, this time in a perfectly straight-line. They lead toward the Field of Honor’s central tower, which was now surrounded by a pale blue wall of thin crystal.

The path lead through that wall – passing through a jagged hole in the crystalline barrier – and onto the second highest tier of the tower beyond. It appeared that a combination of good fortune, a slightly off-key rendition of "Comin' in Hot" and possibly a third more sinister thing had conspired to give the mummy an easy path to the site of the final battle!

All she had to do was run across some white stone platforms, then ascend the last few feet of a gently incline ramp to the tower’s summit!

* * *

Ignoring the advice of concerned friend, Jo raised her transformed hand high over head. Closing it into a fist, the Jotun slammed it down onto the tiles below. The strike reverberated through her ice-covered form, shaking her minutely, and sending a light shock of pain through her wounds.

She withdrew her hand to inspect the results of her attack. Disappointingly, the tile remained whole – with the exception of a scruff mark or two. A few tiny fragments of ice had broken off her hand, though.

At that moment, pitch black light erupted from beyond the Firewall, temporarily robbing Jo of her sight.

It returned quickly.

But, what she saw might have been a surprise.

The magical firewalls created by Marisa to trap Dal and her clone had turned to pale blue crystal. Though the barriers appeared thin, they were also mostly opaque. Jo (and Sean, since he still there) could make out vague moving shadows beyond them, but little beyond that. Her connection to her clone remained intact though, which was a good sign.

A glance over toward the center of the Field revealed that the massive barrier around the tower had also turned to crystal.

…whatever would she (and Sean) do now?

* * *

The darkness that had erupted from Marisa's body was slow to fade. When it finally did, Dal had to wait a few moments before his vision cleared, and adjusted to the sudden dimness. He was perched atop a pale blue crystal statue, with both arms pressing down on the shape's approximate throat. Fused to the ground as it was, and with its features all but non-existent, he could only guess that it was Marisa.

He did remember her passing out, the instant before the wave of blackness had enveloped him.

Several paces away, Jo (#2) was only now recovering from her attack. A few drops of the acid had found her when she charged through her dissolved robe, to reach the worm beyond. Though she was, more-or-less, unharmed.

Her opponent was not, alas.

The last of Marisa's worms had turned to crystal. While, like most of the other statues, its precise features had been smoothed out, its shape was unmistakable serpentine. Clearly, it was no longer a threat.

A quick glance around revealed that the five firewalls had had surrounded Dal and Jo had crystallized as well. It appeared that all they would need to do to escape was break a hole in one. They didn't appear particularly thick.

Things were looking up!

[Girasol of Chaos]

The tanned girl's hands began to lower from her face, it seems that she was out of breath from her laughter. Regainining some air the girl managed to exhale a whispered "Sure" onto the oni's shoulder. That was enough.

Recognizing how spent the smaller girl is, Chou turned and knelt, guiding the healer onto her back. The girl's body was limp enough that this was an easy feat-which meant her grip would be weak for a while. Rolling her shoulders, blaring blue between the shreds of orange, the ogre stood on her feet carefully and allowed her charge's arms to drape on either side of her neck. Her head turned, glancing to the weight on her back with peripheral vision, "If we get into trouble, hang on for your life, alright?" Without waiting for a reply her left arm protectively retreated towards the girl's knee at her side, the other almost idly flicking her wrist. The fluid movement was followed by a small burst of lightning that solidified as her trusted Kanabo.

Chou paused, turning towards the tower. While waiting for her friend to regain some composure her senses clarified the location of the talisman she was looking for-high up and in the center, just out of reach. She'd have to get higher to find it. There were human signitures at the top with a little bit of something else. Whatever was up there would bite back, even if they looked like an easy meal. Someone just ran into a gaping hole in the tower's wall, revealing a coiled ramp inside. The path was blocked by a vine, but that would pose little problem. She just had to get up there and break the talisman.

There was crystal everywhere, and Chou couldn't remember for the life of her if it was there before. The entire situation baffled her, and she wanted out. Preparing herself for the run of her life, the blue oni steeled herself and jogged towards the hole in the tower wall, the only familiar thing in her life being the iron club readied in her right hand. The weight on her back was a comfort and a promise that she would have answers later.

[Overcast]

Jay smirked as he saw the whole wall turn crystalized and bust under his bat. He was almost completely certain he was responsible for this. Almost completely. He skipped through the hole and dodged whatever sharp pieces he may have made and started up the stairway with as much speed as he could muster.

Thirty steps in he began to remember how much he hated going up stairs, and there were way too many to get to the top of this damned platform. And almost as if to answer his prayers for an alternative he ran face first into a rather large root. He rubbed his lightly scratched belly as he examined the large thing, staring as he saw it ascending to the summit in a much more sensible and straightforward fashion than a spiral. Taking a moment to climb on and check if it was safe to run on he stared up and started dashing up the incline.

Still fairly hard on his knees, but better than stairs.

He burst out onto the scene to catch the ass end of every bad thing that could possibly happen. Most of all the coming waves of plantlife that threatened his Professor. Still from where the root broke through he was too far away to help! He could only watch, and hope for the best.

[Krylo]

The blackness faded and Dal found himself leaning on the throat of a statue. A statue that looked like Marissa, but that didn't make much sense. Nothing he did should have been fatal, and yet statue. Some property of the barrier field they were in, no doubt. Dal could only hope the petrification wasn't permanent, or this field was much more fatal than he felt comfortable with.

That didn't matter, however. He was still trapped in it, even after stopping Marissa, and who knows what could have happened to the others in the time it took Jo and him to do so. He had to move.

And so the fae took one last look at the crystalline form of the witch and then shook all distractions from his head as he gathered himself to his feet. Extending his left arm out he drew his blade back into his hand from the nether which it had been banished to, the silver gleaming like new. The tarnish from the attack on the machine worn away completely.

But Dal didn't pay attention to that as he stepped toward the barrier of crystal that was once flame, and struck out with his arm smashing the hand guard of his rapier against the crystal with as much force as he could muster, shattering a decent sized hole in the wall, and nearly throwing Dal off balance. An eyebrow cocked on the fae's face in surprise at how delicate the crystalline structure really was, as he kicked out a few more chunks to make a hole he could step through, and, more over, see the light show happening behind the crystal wall now surrounding the center platform.

"I'm heading to the center. Try to make sure no one is killing each other down below, would you?" He said, surmising that ice queen wouldn't be able to make the trip in any kind of decent time frame.

He didn't wait for an answer, however, as he stepped through the hole he had made and took to the air, flying toward the center platform as quickly as he could, which, admittedly, was not so fast. Though, traveling in a straight line, as opposed to down and back up all along spiral stair cases, still made his arrival seem quite quick as he smashed another hole in the crystals around the center platform and flew in.

[Dracorion]

The Professor let out a cry of pained surprise as Jack tackled her in his attempt to push her out of the way of Hannah's attack, with no success. The vines holding her were too strong. Jack hoped that his attack on Hannah might distract her and weaken the vines' grip, but alas.

"Sorry." He mumbled to the Professor. "Didn't think they'd be so strong."

He made a quick attempt to release Landry's left arm with his hands, but the vine was hard as stone. He considered his options, looking around. Then he noticed a scythe lying on the ground. He grabbed it, as a number of slim roots erupted all around him and Landry and.

As the vines began racing at him and the Professor, there wasn't a moment to waste, and he swiped at the vines holding Landry, starting with her feet.

[Steel Shadow]

What? What? What?!?

Why was there a figurine of her Classmate (and potential Class Rep!) in here? And why was it giving out visions of weird magic(?) rituals? Argh, this room was just getting more and more confusing...

Almost without any instruction from her brain, Diana's eyes rolled up to look back at the shelves. It was hard to see from where she lay on the floor, but... Did one of those figurines have a camera?

The door knob began to shake, disrupting her question before it could really sink in. Time was up.

Letting out an annoyed grunt, the Director-in-training glanced about the room, before grabbing the figurine and rolling herself under the bed. It wasn't the safest place to be... But it might hide her. Whatever was coming through that door, Diana did not want to face it.

...Did she?

"I am so out of my depth here..." She muttered, even though the words became "C'mon ugly, let's see what'cha got..." before they reached her camera bangle's microphone.

[Astral Harmony]

"Here's hoping we've found a way to end all of these shenanigans," Astarte said to no one in particular. She switched the mic over to her injured hand and then ascended the strange piano key-like stairs to the top of the tower. Her legs were tired from the leaping, and Astarte hesitated somewhat because she was really in no condition to be continuing this ongoing struggle in the first place, but there just had to be something she could do.

[SinrXIII]

"Bingo! I'm leavin' Professor Landry to you."

With that, Kohana cackled as he spun on the spot and dashed, heading right towards the floating angel-professor. The roots around the bluenette (or whatever color hair the thing had) made for a wonderful path, and let Kohana sprint right to the pretty-boy.

"The professor told me to grind your face into the pavement, and I'm havin' a real hard time findin' a reason not too!" He grinned wide, as his aura flared around him before concentrating on his leg. The wolf boy twisted his body, tail flicking in the air, and lashed out at Shuyin with his leg.

"Act like a man, you fan-holdin' bastard! Kohana Special: 'Get down here and fight me' Kick!" His ear twitched as he launched his attack; he'd have to think of a better name for it later.