Magical Teacher Professor Landry! - Episode 4: The Lady in White

[Overcast]

Are you really surprised?

The words of a man who looked a lot like Jay echoed in his heads in those final moments before the blade made impact. His mind saw an unavoidable fate, he was going to lose, and this time even his willpower wouldn't be able to lift him back to his feet. He wished he knew what he could have done to fix this. What he could have done to change things, but it was too late now.

No matter how hard you try, you will always be a failure.

A single tear dropped down from the statue, the last emotions of the poor baseball player. Hopelessness and pain.

[Astral Harmony]

Astarte had been mostly sitting on the sidelines. Nothing of what had been going on all this time seemed to be worth doing anything about, simply by virtue of there being no merit in any of it.

But why wasn't it so obvious to everybody else? Even the combined strength of Professor Landry's entire class couldn't possibly beat Shuyin, and you didn't even need an empty-headed mummy's intellect to see that plain as day. And even if it was possible, Shuyin would simply summon something else from whatever pocket dimension he had stuffed in his back pocket to offer another wasteful distraction.

Astarte sighed. Try as they might, her and her classmates weren't going to accomplish anything on their own, and since there was currently no escape, all these attempts were much like pissing in the wind. But now that Professor Landry was back in the picture, maybe they could actually do something. Astarte had been saving up just for this moment!

Astarte started to walk over to Hannah, Hannah's grandmother, and Jack. The professor had just asked Jack to go to her. Maybe she had a plan of some sort?

"Professor Landry," Astarte called out. "May I help you, too?"

[Dracorion]

"…you're probably thinking that revenge is stupid. Professor Shuyin told me that a lot. Revenge doesn't bring anything back – if someone dies, they're gone. If something precious is destroyed, killing the person who destroyed it doesn't magically bring it back. Even magic can't do that. Death is forever."

By this point, Jack sat down, breathing heavily, back in an indian position. The curse had either drained him completely or damn close. Whatever the case, he was no longer in any state where he could stand without enormous effort.

"After a while though, he stopped trying to talk me out of it. Because, there is a point to revenge – to killing. The reason you kill someone isn't to get something back. Its to protect everyone else… Professor Shuyin agreed with me, I think. I never explained it to him, but I think he understood. He knew Professor Landry longer than any one – he had to understand that."

Oh, bullshit. If Hannah wanted to protect anyone, she'd be calling it justice instead of revenge. She just thought Landry should die for whatever she did. And maybe Landry should die, but that wasn't Hannah's decision to make. It was too personal for her, whatever it was.

Hannah then proceeded to attempt to defend Shuyin, badly. Then she fell silent and there was a pause.

Jack opened his mouth to ask the question, what even happened between her and Landry, but-

"…Shuyin is a coward." Professor Landry stated, decisively.

Balls.

Hannah and Professor Landry proceeded to have a heated argument about trying harder or trying smarter and reality and love and justice and things that just pissed Jack off more. They did remind him, though, he should really be doing something.

The argument ended with Landry punching Hannah, which he had to admit was kinda sweet. Then Landry walked away a few paces, seemingly regretting her rashness.

"Jack." She stated suddenly. "Come here."

Oh boy. Yeah, sure, why not?

Jack sighed. "You're both..." A breath. "Wrong."

Astarte walked past him, offering Landry her help, while Jack placed both hands on the ground and slowly hoisted himself to his feet with a pained groan. The tentacles and his own body seemed to weigh tons, and he just wanted to fall down, hit his head on the marble and pass out. "It's not about... trying harder... or smarter." He punctuated every phrase with a breath and a step in Landry's direction.

"It's about just trying... and if something doesn't work... you try something else." Inhale, step, exhale. Inhale, step, exhale. "Punching harder... or understanding what's going on... or being sneaky... or anything..."

"Nietzche wrote..." He stumbled, and barely caught himself then. "To remold... every 'It was'... into 'I willed it so!'... only that... would I call redemption."

"But what he really meant... was... 'I made it so'... 'I did it so'." He stopped, still looking firmly at Landry's back. "Wishing something... to happen... is no good." Then he turned to Hannah, and his face was entirely neutral. "Accepting things as they are... is also no good. I don't pity you... because the sad state you're in... that's your choice... your fault."

He started hobbling toward Landry again. "You have to try... something... otherwise... what's the point... in anything? ... Even if you fail... at least you tried... did something... that's... all that matters... to you... if you do just that... your life will have been well lived."

Jack let out a long breath as he finally reached Landry, standing behind her. "If none of you can help me with this curse... then I'm going to go off... probably get myself killed." He looked down, but rather, he simply looked into space. "... And laugh."

Jackson Hall, shy boy with barely any knowledge of social interaction or real human behavior, was far from the most appropriate person to deliver this message. He was someone who'd never actually done anything, for being too afraid. He wanted to, though, and now... he was pissed enough, and desperate enough, and though he was still afraid, his heart threatening to bounce right out his chest, he held his ground. He might panic and try to bolt, eventually, but at this moment, he had decided. No time better than now for enforcing his will into reality.

Besides, now would be a very lousy point to die in.

[Girasol of Chaos]

The scream that had alarmed the oni so had summoned her as soon as physically possible. Chou's alarmed mindset had helped her shatter the pillar, but also made her realize that her cowardice was a serious fault. Rounding the corner of the near-collapsing pavilion, the blue skinned ogre halted to see Diana on the ground and off-guard. Her assailant was...what appeared to be a young avatar of Shuyin. Lately, the world has been as off-kilter as she is, it took nothing other than this observation to target him as an enemy.

Just beyond him though, was the endgame. The final pillar. Behind the youth was the entrance to the cursed building-it needed to be avoided at all costs. Azure eyes flickered to Diana, she was disarmed, would she be okay? There was no time to falter. Baring her fangs, Chou knew that retreat was not an option. Bounding forward, her feet seemed to move on their own-was determination or fear still driving her? Pulling her club close in a stabilized block, Chou didn't truly know.

With most back approaches, he could easily knock her into the damn pavilion. There was no way she was going to let herself in that hell. Angled behind him-she had one chance to make this count. When close enough her blue form was flung forward as Chou dove into a roll. Using the side of her club she made a quick-but not severe-clip into the back of his legs. Her left shoulder swung forward afterwards to complete the roll proper as she hit the ground, body barely scraping on her own weapon as she did so.

If he countered, the roll would be incomplete and leave Chou on the ground and prone, but still outside. If he dodged, then no harm-to her-would be done at the immediate moment. If she hit her weight would carry her through the action and he would stumble.

Either way, she was going after the pillar. There was no way the youth could ignore the attack, but it only bought Diana time. Hopefully their classmates would follow suit and come to her aid.

The normally cool, calculating mind couldn't think of their fate otherwise.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Sean was standing still, watching Chou, when the shout split through the air.

Diana?

Sean wasn't really certain he wanted to follow her! He looked around though, and he wasn't quite sure what else could be done. Chou seemed tired and Koh looked... kinda crisp. He couldn't just leave her there in good conscious, even if she'd just eat his soul the moment he turned a corner.

He turned to Koh and Sao, and uneasy frown forming across his face, "I... guess I'll take a look." With ice still forming around his arm, Sean began to take purposeful steps towards the Northeast corner of the Pavilion, careful not to break into a run. He put a distance between himself and the curtains as he approached the turn, his arm raised in front of him almost as though he was carrying a gun.

He passed the corner a few feet away from Chou's previous position and turned when he saw the scene. Diana was on the ground, and Shuyin was standing only feet away. His eyes went wide in surprise and a small gasp escaped him. Was Shuyin only that far the entire time? Thoughts aside, Sean want going to pass up the shot. He only briefly took Chou into account, seeing her roll to the side. There was a decent margin of error in regards to hitting her and even Diana, but his reflexes took over. He took aim at Shuyin's neck and planted his feet into the ground, letting the flurry of ice fly from his arm as he braced for the recoil.

[SinrXIII]

And just like that, Jay and Adeline were gone.

Puppy had vanished, leaving Koh in a cold sweat. He shook, and pushed himself to his feet slowly. His eyes opened, cold indifference shining inside them.

"Adeline and the guy with the bat didn't make it." He clenches his fist, the same one that had been bleeding earlier. "The other two... maybe. Can't tell. Don't care." He looked up at the pavilion; the roof was still miraculously standing. The shaman grit his teeth, and took a step back.

"So let's see what City Girl got herself into." He leaps, legs pushing him into the air with practiced ease. He clears the roof just enough, and his feet touch the top of it!...

Only to have his toes grip the air as the edge collapsed under them. His eyes go wide, and he tries to throw himself backwards with all the force he can muster in thin air.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck god DAMNIT!" His back hit the ground, air rushing from his lungs with the force of the fall. He gasped, rolling onto his side and sputtering for air. Grace was clearly not on Kohana's side today.

[Krylo]

Dal let out wistful sigh followed by a light chuckle as everything fell apart around him. Jay and Adeline were now statues, Jo was being hosed down by a celestial torrent, and he was surrounded. "You ask a mortal to do one simple thing..." he trailed off, shaking his head with a smile.

"Well then," he said a bit louder as he released the mannerquin he had been holding down, "I suppose there's no point in continuing this game..." His body faded away into nothingness as he spoke, his voice coming from the void where he once stood as the fae spoke once more, this time loud enough to be sure Jo could hear it over the giggling, if she were still alive.

"There's no point in killing him, he's just a fake. Now, if you are still standing, I'd like to request you do your best to stay alive for a bit longer. It's about time for us to take our leave."

[Steel Shadow]

Throb

She couldn't move. Her arms wouldn't listen. Her legs were busy filling multiple protests. The world refused to stop spinning.

Throb

She wasn't entirely sure what had happened. She'd found Shuyin and... And they'd ended up fighting for some reason. She didn't know why.

Throb

She didn't care why.

Throb

The only memory that was important was the one cycling through her mind again and again. He'd gotten a hit in and she'd gone down. Her face ached from the punch, and the back of her head rang from where it had met the floor.

Throb

The hurt spun together with the memory and repeated again. The world spun again, the colour bleeding out of it. Shuyin turned away from her fallen frame.

Throb

She closed her eyes.

Hurt

And demanded the world stop spinning.

Hate

Then they opened again and the ball of pain in her head ignited into -

Rage

---

If Diana occupied any point between where she had regained herself and the object of her hatred, she didn't notice. To her, the distance between them was unimportant, and the universe obliged her. It was likely that Shuyin, only just recovering from Sean's attack, never had time to notice her presence.

Her first strike caught him in the small of his back. There was a satisfying crack of bone that echoed through the focused silence of Diana's world, and a small grin slipped into the edges of her mouth. Quickly, she hooked her arm around the teacher’s throat. Then, spun in a half circle.

And ploughed him into the floor.

Stone shattered, and a crater spread outward. Shards of rock exploded into the air, but none of them cut her. Growling, she landed on her feet and wrenched Shuyin up. Twisting viciously, she lashed out in a tornado kick. Whatever was left of the man was flung forward – straight toward the pavilion.

The attack was over in four seconds.

[Riin Whitewind]

Wordlessly, Sao hauled the breathless Kohana back to his feet, steadying him while he caught his balance. There was a crash from beyond the pavilion, as if something heavy impacted the tower. After she was sure the shaman was standing on his own, she released his arm. The swimmer looked a bit wan, pale under her deep tan, but it clearly didn't impede her strength. She just looked... tired.

Stepping away from the tailed boy, she took a seat on the smooth marble floor. Closing her eyes, her back straight, Sao tried not to think of her lost friends. There would be time to mourn later, if they truly didn't make it. Until then, she had to be ready to aid those that remained. That meant quelling her natural curiosity, subsuming the desire to seek out the needy and lend them her aid. Seeking them out would be pointless if she had no energy to care for them.

Her stern, emotionless mask slipped, and the Undine bowed her head as a tear dripped down her face. Arranging her arms in her lap, she laced her fingers together and took a deep breath. Relaxing her shoulders, she slowly exhaled. Her aura glowed like a banked fire, green against tanned skin. Another furtive tear slid down her cheek as she drew a second slow breath.

In... and out. Ebb... and flow.

If someone needed her, her remaining classmates knew where to find her. Until then, in meditation she would remain.

[Arhra]

Jo saw the tidal wave of green tea rush towards her and knew there was nothing more she could do. She dived into a roll and she was lost in the burning tide.

Darkness burst at Jo's position. The steaming mist from the torrent's was forced into whirling patterns and shredded. Snow started slowly falling.

A statue of pale blue crystal stood where Jo had been. It was bigger than it should be and a tangled spiderweb of cracks covered it.

Ice. It was ice.

Jo shivered and the surface disintegrated. Its smoothness was suddenly something complex and jointed, interlocking plates and ridges of ice wrapping Jo's now powerful frame in a protective carparace.

Tension flowed out of her spine. The seven foot tall jotun slouched, broad shoulders rolling forward and letting her arms hang limply. Head bowed forward, she opened her eyes. They were dull, black and unreflective, like thick smoke or a starless night.

Something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. Her chest burned. Rage flowed through her with a glacial inevitability. Jo fought to fasten into this thread of thought but her head burned and it was torn away into a seething, formless maelstrom.

There was someone standing ahead of her, visible through the thinning steam.

Are you my enemy?

Jo's thoughts pulled into alignment. Her lips pulled back into a snarl and she pulled her gigantic axe out of the air.

From her standing start, Jo translated nearly instantly into a sprint. Her footsteps rang out on the tea slick marble floor like the blows of a hammer as she crossed the remaining distance to Shuyin inside the Infinite Ballroom, murder burning in her eyes.