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

[SinrXIII]

"Now then," With a smile, the Professor spun around toward Kohana. The hem of her labcoat swept over the stone beneath her feet, smearing the blood-written names it touched and making them illegible. Her hand snapped out, pointing back toward the battlefield, "Let us rejoin the fight! This hall is too dreary for an educator of my calibre. Come!" She extended her other hand to Ko -

A growling black shape – surrounded by a corona of green light – lunged at Professor Landry from the right.

Letting out a cry of surprise, the auburn haired woman was knocked from her feet. A grunt of pain followed, as the Profesor fell heavily to the blood-soaked stone below, something black flowing up her chest. It stopped at the woman's throat and Kohana saw a flash of teeth –

Professor Landry started laughing.

She had been tackled by a small dog - and it was licking her, happily.

Leaving Kohana more confused than he was already. Vanishing doors, names written in blood (all of which were part of the Landry clan) all over the walls and floors, and now suddenly he was back where he'd started.

Looking to the middle of the battlefied, and the angel-Shuyin there, Kohana decided enough was enough. His jacket came off, blood soaked into the shoulder of the white shirt underneath. After a moment, that came off too, and the wolf-boy threw the shirt to the side with the jacket. The shoes were next, and the socks ("Why the -fuck- are these here?!") were torn off and thrown away as quickly as possible. He hopped onto the railing of the hallway, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Y'know, my ancestors would've made a big speech here. Something about people's pride and the power of the spirits guiding us." He turned his head to look at the Professor, and the mini-Wolf. "But I'll be honest with you... I'm a horrible motivational speaker." He cracked a grin, and tightened the tie around his head. His tail swished from side to side, and his ears perked forward.

"So fuck it. The great Kohana Akecheta will just go in and kick the ass of whatever's makin' this nightmare happen!" He crouches, hand resting on the rail. His aura flares bright, and he pushes hard against his perch. The supernatural strength in his legs propels him forward, and he sails through the air towards the pillar in the middle of the... of what was once the Field of Honor.

And came crashing down on the top of it, rolling and grasping at the stone to slow himself. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the platform, and grinned at the assembled... and shot a particularly dirty look at the Shuyin-thing.

"Let's dance, yeah?"

[Teal Mage]

Note: You may find the map in my last OoC Post. I will be avalible to answer questions until 3:00 am (Central Time) Friday morning. After that, I'll be away until July 10th/11th.

"Fluminis ignis," Supported on one knee, Hannah held her long bow horizontally before herself. Her other leg was bent at an impossible angle, and looked limp beside her. "Cruoris orbis terrarum," Blue flames stirred around the blond, as an arrow of energy formed in her bow. "Coeuntes!" Waves of heat blossomed outward from her arrow, distorting the air in front of her. "Imperti -"

A green comet of supernatural light struck the tower in front of her, throwing up a plume of dust. A figure burst from its west side, bouncing and rolling into the swiftly diminishing cloud of dust kicked up by Hannah's last spell.

"Wha – what?" Jolting back in surprise, Hannah's green eyes widened, as she put weight on her bad leg. "Ah!" Pain lanced through her body, as she lost her stance. The arrow on her bow dissipated as she collapsed to her palms, breaths sounding pained. She'd lost the spell.

"Kohana?" Standing alone among the diminishing clouds of dust, Professor Landry spun toward her student. The black haft of a wicked-looking scythe, at least as tall as the Professor herself, was held absently in her hand. Around the auburn haired woman's form, dark currents of supernatural light tumbled and rolled, like the boiling clouds of a thunderstorm.

Bruised, slightly battered, and nearly exhausted from his last show of supernatural strength, Kohana still managed to grin as he got back to his feet. Green light flickered weakly around his frame, as he turned his brown eyes to Shuyin, shooting the azure haired Professor a dirty look. Not wasting any time, Kohana fell into a fighting stance, "Let's dance, yeah?" He offered, cocky.

Obviously unmoved, Professor Shuyin calmly sipped his green tea.

"That's the spirit!" Professor Landry exclaimed. She spun toward the levitating form of her rival-turned-angel. "There shall be no quarter for demons like him! Fatigue is nothing to students of mine!" The auburn haired Professor's aura flared darkly and hand snapped toward Kohana. In reply, black supernatural light pulsed around the dog-eared youth. Energy filled his limbs and the exhaustion this prolonged battle vanished, as if it had never been.

"Kohana!" Professor Landry thrust her free hand toward her azure haired rival, palm out, "This is your first test!" She slashed her hand decisively through the air before her. "Defeat that treacherous demon of eloquence, and grind his pretty face into the pavement!"

A hand slapped against the smooth marble of the tower's floor. "I'm not finished yet!" Leaning forward, supported by only one knee and one hand, Hannah's blue aura filled the air around her like a blazing pyre. "You won't reach Professor Shuyin until you defeat me!"

The tower shook.

* * *

Astarte found herself standing in front of a pair of statues. Both made of a mysterious crystal, the gold light of the field glinted off their smooth, angular, edges. One lay prone on the tiles, while the second stood over it, posture suggesting that it was protecting the other one. Behind them, the north-east pillar of the Field of Honor rose. Around the trio, a bank of faintly glowing pale blue mist filled the air.

The standing statue was tinted a pale blue hue, and, by its broad build and flat chest, seemed to be male. It was, Astarte eventually realized, about the right height and shape to be Gorgeous. Then again, both of Hannah's bodyguards – whom had vanished as well – could have fit those requirements. The lack of features on the statue made it difficult to be sure.

It was even harder to be sure about the second one.

The crystal composing the prone statue was dark – a muted gray-blue. Its shape was slimmer, but it was difficult to tell its gender still. Seemingly fused to the ground, it wasn't even possible to turn it over to check the other side. Still, the proximately to the second statue did imply this was Vanilla.

It seemed that Astarte's search of the first level had come to little, and definitely nothing certain.

Nearby, the mysterious Lady Gaga-impersonator finally fell silent. Sitting atop a piano bench, in front of a floating grand piano, the False Gaga slumped forward against the ivories. A black flash followed, and when it cleared, the singer had been replaced by a new statue of pale blue crystal.

It appeared that the Field was growing quieter and quieter.

* * *

In a sudden rush, Marisa surged forward. Shoulder angled down, the white clad woman drove herself into the elegant form of Dal. Perhaps surprised, the Fae youth took the hit and fell backward, rapier dissolving into yellow sparks.

Marisa's confident smile quickly vanished, as Dal's hands suddenly snapped to her shoulder's. The Fae twisted, using his new position to throw his opponent off balance and drag her to the ground with him. Though she was pulled from her feet, Marisa recovered quickly. Using her superior strength, the blond fought Dal in mid-air, preventing him from getting on top of her.

They struck the tiles hard, instants later.

Wasting little time Dal daftly tightened his hold, before trying to force Marisa onto her back. His opponet cracked a smile at his efforts, Futile. He was a Fae, a species far more delicate than humans. One trained as she was could easily overwhelm a Fae phy -

"Ah!"

Concentration broken by the sudden sensation of a pointed shoe thrusting into her back, Marisa let out a cry of pained surprise. Johanna, who had landed behind Marisa a moment ago, quickly retracted her foot, as Dal capitalized on his opponent's distraction.

Suddenly, Dal found himself pinning Marisa to the ground below him.

Success!

A feral shriek from the south spoiled the moment, as Marisa's latest worm rounded in a fluid motion. Droplets of acid sprayed, as the worm's eyeless face fell upon Jo's back. Letting out a furious hiss, the creature tossed its head, lofting a jet of deletion acid into the air at an angle. Moving in a quick arc, the green fluid fell toward Jo - if she didn't dodge, that blast would catch her full in the back. The damage would be immense!

But, if she did dodge, that would expose Dal to the attack. Unless he abandoned his hard-won position on top of Marisa, he'd be the next one to scream.

Decision, decisions.

* * *

On the opposite side of the Field, things were much calmer. Golden light shone down from the cloudy sky above, reflecting off the cooling, and still-spreading, pool of green tea left by Teanne. Near its center, a pair of figures had gathered, one in finery and the other nearly naked, around the prone form of a pale crystal statue.

"What if that robot was right?" Sao asked, voice soft, as she lay her Corrodere blade down in the tea at her side. "Are we the monsters here, intruding upon the world with our magic?" Blue supernatural light flickered and receded around her form; the sudden doubt weakening her aura.

"No." Healing still incomplete, Jay's skin seemed badly sunburned. Bright red and pealing in places, it looked like it hurt. Despite that, his chartreuse aura burned bright with conviction. "Evil never doubts itself," He began, speaking firmly, "always happy with whatever it is doing. No regrets. -"

The statue that had taken's Shin's place seemed to glint, at that.

"- No loss. Not even when people get hurt on the way. But good does, it feels every loss that comes when the fight goes on." Jay's firm voice almost made it possible to forget he was only wearing boxers. "But," He turned his gaze toward the tower at the Field's Center, and the dust that billowed from its peak. "there is evil out there, and if Shin were standing she would be ripping it apart with her bare hands and so should we."

...was the ground trembling?

"I know it's hard." Jay stated, voice sing-song suddenly. "We can't turn back, odds against us, we are the last hope. We can't stop now, it is what we must do. So -" Atop the central tower, a pyre of blue supernatural light had appeared. "- take my hand. We have to go the extra mile, and fight. And we'll take back what is ours." At that moment, a tidal wave of black light exploded upward from the tower's peak, "We're here, and we have to know that we'll survive, and win. Have to end the final fight."

The tiles beneath their feet shook, hard, for an instant.

...what in the world was going on up there?

* * *

Hie's supernatural bubble of mist terminated suddenly, and Johanna found herself in the dimly lit east-hallway. High heels clicking lightly against the stone, the girl strode down the blood smeared hallway. The hem of her white robe was quickly turning red, as she quickly approached the small gathering of Kohana, a puppy, and a bloody labcoat-clad Professor Landry.

"…fuck it." Tanned and reddish chest bare, a mostly-naked Kohana stood, arms crossed on the east-hallway's railing. "The great Kohana Akecheta will just go in and kick the ass of whatever's makin' this nightmare happen!" Emerald light flared, as the youth's leg muscles bunched in his dress pants, and he launched himself into the air.

A smile appeared on the blood-soaked Professor Landry's face. Pushing her glasses up, the woman swung around, aura flaring –

Jo suddenly found her connection to her third clone cut. Only static filled the mental connection between Clone and Original, for a long moment.

Then, even that vanished.

…


* * *

Alone in the dimly lit bedroom, Diana stood before the trio of shelves against the north-most wall. Colourful plastic figurines of Anime characters, none of which the redhead recognized at a glance, covered the three tiers of the low bookshelf in front of her. To the girl's brilliant blue eyes, they seemed strangely washed out by the light of the TV - despite their bright colors.

She picked up the closest one, it was light. Silver plate armor covered its chest, shoulders and waist, but left its legs arms and neck exposed. A silver helm crowned its head, hiding the character's face and hair. It took her a few moments, but Diana eventually concluded that it was a girl. A skirt, spring-green in hue, hung below the mail at her waist and covered what appeared to be deeply tanned skin. Silver graves picked up at her ankles, matching the pair of gauntlets on her arms. A silver sword was held in her one of her hands, while a the opposite one seemed to be surrounded by a halo of light.

Something was vaguely familiar about this figurine...

The book shelf on her right caught her eye. Neat rows of brightly coloured books lined it; to Diana's trained eyes, they all looked like Manga volumes. The closest, bound in blue, had a large number 256 written on the spine's center. Block letters ran down the side, spelling out - what Diana assumed - was the series title.

"Mahou Sensei Kyoukan Landry!"

...

Behind her, the closet door was opening.


* * *

"You won't reach Professor Shuyin until you defeat me!"

"Ahahahahahah!" The tower trembled beneath the black high-heeled feet of Professor Landry, as the auburn haired woman roared with laughter. Her grip on her scythe tightened and she spun the weapon in her hand, "That!" The Professor brought the weapon forward in a vicious slash, levelling the bladed-staff at Hannah with one hand. "Is Loser Talk for 'I am your speed bump!'" With a flourish, Landry slashed wide, throwing her scythe-wielding arm out to the side. "With an attitude like that," Her free hand snapped accusingly toward Hannah, "You have no chance!"

"That may be true." Around Professor Landry, the tower rumbled fiercely, causing the woman to stumble. Dark eyes narrowed, the Professor's gaze darted from side to-side. "However..." Still unmoved from her kneeling position, Hannah's aura surged. Blue fire danced violently over her position, thick enough to practically obscure her. "I…"

Stone exploded from around the Professor, jagged fragments of marble spraying in all directions. From below, four massive pillars of twisted light brown vines thundered into the gold-tinted air surrounding the auburn haired woman. Slimmer individual tendrils, of a similar pale brown hue, wormed their way to the surface at the same time, forming a ring of woven roots around Landry.

"Will still stop you!" The pyre of blue light around Hannah surged, heaving outward in a wild explosion.

Like snakes, the spiked tips of the root-pillars around Professor Landry snapped down. The Professor's hand tightened on her weapon, as the massive spears plunged downward, converging on her position. "…heh." Darkness consumed the scythe's blade, as a second hand snapped to its haft. She twisted - "Futile!"

Darkness billowed!

"Wha-what!?" No sooner had the Professor's spin-slash ended, before the circle of roots around her snapped out. Supernaturally strengthened wood wreathed her limbs, constricting them viciously. Voicing a grunt, the Professor felt the vines jerk her limbs apart. With a metallic clang her scythe fell to the tiles below.

"Now die!"

The pyre of blue supernatural light flared, as flecks of blackness appeared within it. Beside Hannah, the marble erupted. A new pillar of twisted vines surged to the surface, lancing toward Professor Landry!

It was going to hit - !

[Dracorion]

As he ran up the steps, Jack heard voices that he now recognized as Landry and Hannah arguing. Looking up as he ran, he saw a green meteor shaped like a person crashing onto the top of the tower, and later heard voices he now recognized as Hannah and Landry arguing, then their auras flared. To top it all off, the tower was shaking.

Great.

The moment he reached the top, he saw that Hannah had caught Landry and was about to impale her with vines coming out of the ground. He barely noticed two other people on the roof. Jack's aura flaring, his left foot rose, kicking their air in front of him and launching a bolt of air at Hannah, followed by another one as the same foot came back down. Hopefully that would mess up her concentration enough.

Then, he ran full tilt toward Professor Landry.

[Bard The 5th LW]

"Can't. Busy." came the hoarse reply from the Canadian's roommate. How charming. Sean went through several scenarios in his head in an effort to see what results each course of action would yield.

SCENARIO 1

Not wanting his friend to hurt herself in her stubbornness, Sean shoots an arm forward quickly and pushes her to the floor! However, this might just injure her more. He's aiming for the best solution. Not to mention that he'd have to keep her down.

SCENARIO 2

Sean reaches out both of his arms and grabbed Joanna, using his strength to drag the injured girl away from the violence. However, she would likely fight back, and while Sean wasn't sure of what she could do, he'd probably get hurt a fair bit himself. He still figured he'd consider this more than the other possibility.

SCENARIO 3

Caught up in his own tangential thought processes, Sean loses focus of the situation at hand and Joanna limps away towards the battle. His journey into the hypothetical La-la land has left him completely unaware of what is around him as she goes on her merry way.

Oh wait... that actually happened. Yeah, Jo was actually quite a distance. Sean jogged to keep up with her. "Please just listen to reason," he pleaded, "you're just going to hurt yourself worse. I don't want to force you."

He took a look at what it seemed they were marching towards. Some sort of fight involving that Dal guy, a person he didn't recognize, and... a second Johanna? He double-taked at that Johanna and the one he was speaking to. This was sorta surreal. He kinda wanted to stop Jo from continuing her limp towards the battle, but he sorta wanted in on this, Dal looked like he was in trouble. "So, what are you planning on doing then?" he asked her hesitantly.

[Astral Harmony]

Astarte wasn't sure what to do now. But the frozen Lady Gaga impersonator gave her something of an idea.

"This is the turning point. I know now what I must do."

Astarte found her way to the piano. She wouldn't be able to play it for shit, mostly due to her lack of skills with musical instruments but also because of her injured wrist. But maybe...

"I'm gonna chase this whiskey with Patron,
I wanna girl in my lap and a Jagerbomb,
I'm comin' in hot, ya heard me,
And I'm a make it rain on the girl who serves me!"

What the hell? Astarte was singing Hollywood Undead's "Coming In Hot"?

"I drink a fifth of vodka til it's gone,
And if it feels so good then it can't be wrong,
I'm comin' in hot, ya heard me,
We keep takin' shots, and if not, you nerdy!"

Yep, she's singing it. Astarte wasn't sure what exactly this was going to accomplish, but she prayed that there was some kind of effect. Hell, maybe she could turn this whole fight around! ...Somehow. She sure wasn't able to end this battle with her fists.

[Overcast]

Despite his vocalizing it seemed like Sao was off in another world, and despite the fact his skin felt a bit like he had been assaulted by cats he was growing concerned about the sounds that were cracking up above him. He couldn't stand here away from the fight, not when they obviously needed him! He sighed and waved goodbye to his healer and pivoted out.

His feet slapped against the marble, his soles reddened by the percussion. He was really starting to miss shoes. At the edge of his vision came the image of what everyone who had the bad fortune of meeting Marisa and her worms was calling a 'firewall' but to him it was just a big mass of magic! His bat had better be chilled by now, he was tired of getting burned. It materialized into his fingertips as he swung at obstruction.

He figured that if his bat could bounce back things like magical projectiles it might be able to shatter some magic walls! If he was lucky the person who made it would feel some feedback, if only because walls are incapable of bouncing. If not at least it was out of his way.

[Riin Whitewind]

The tea continued its slow spread quietly, leaving the swimmer in the middle of a shallow, acrid-smelling lake. Kneeling at the Shin-statue's side, Sao's eyes drifted over the empty battlefield. Though Jay stood quite close by, it was clear she could no longer hear him. Her hand rose from the fallen figure of her friend, moving as if to touch something soft in front of her.

Resting in thin air, the hand lingered naturally, as if supported by something unseen. Turning slightly to her left, Sao addressed the air beside her. "She took those bombs for me, you know. I should be the one laying here, not her." Was she talking to Jay..?

Resolve suddenly infused her face, creeping into her voice as well. "I have to make this right, Professor." The blue in her aura winked out in an instant, supplanted by a surge of green roaring up from somewhere within her. Her floating hand moved to the left, forming half of a hand clasp as it did so.

It remained thus, rigid as a wood plank, as black light flowed from her fingertips up her arm. It soaked into her aura, turning the newly-minted green into deepest black. "By right of the contract established..." The Undine's lips moved in a whisper, "Skoteinos wkeanos -" There was the briefest of pauses, her gaze coming to rest on some point directly in front of her.

"- Syntakths ths zwhs, pairnw th dynamh poy therapeyei to symmaxo moy!" No longer whispering, Sao's arms rose until they were level with her shoulders, palms facing outward. "Kalw Tethys, to nero ths kolashs katexei tis flebes mas!" A pinprick of black separated itself from her aura, dancing between her raised arms. Pain flashing across her face, she instinctively tried to flinch away from that light - however, it appeared something held her fast.

"Erebos kai Hyperion enopoiw!" Light streamed from her hands, inky black against her tanned skin. It grew with every word, stretching itself into that initial black spark. "Gennw th teratoyrghma," forming a small orb between her hands, the light snaked over itself, seeking an outlet. "Toy egkaymatos poy episkeyazei th sarka prokeimenoy na therapeysei." Blinking back tears of pain, Sao forced each syllable from her mouth.

"Basanizontas Swthria!" Released from bondage, the sphere between her hands leapt forward with a soundless clap of thunder. From it poured an unending stream of black light, cloaking the area around both her and the statue at her knees in an opaque veil.

As the light faded, an exhausted undine sat back on the now-cool tile. She looked absolutely drained, flesh pale - but no longer burned - under the tan. Her arm hung at her side oddly, as if she'd strained it. Leadenly, her eyelids lowered in a slow blink. Once. Twice.

In front of her, a few feet behind the now-vanished statue, stood a figure. Clad in the same tattered, stained kimono - was Shin. Vivid azure skin matched her eyes, as did a set of stubbed blue horns atop the crown of her head. The face was that of her friend, with the addition of a pair of large tusks that stood like spears from her lower jaw. Only the expression - lost, almost confused - on the Oni's face seemed strange to the listless immortal at her feet.

That hardly mattered. It was Shin, Sao knew. She'd brought her back. "Ha. Hah. Ahah." Laughter wheezed out of her lungs, reminding her to take a breath. "Hahahahaha-" Covering her face with her hands, the laughter abruptly shifted to sobs of pain and relief.

Shin was back.

[Krylo]

Shifting his position quickly, Dal placed a knee roughly on Marissa's stomach, though his weight only remained on it for an instant as he slid his arms around and placed his left forearm across her throat, his right hand pressing his left wrist as he shifted his weight onto it. Nearly all of the slender fae's weight was now on Marissa's throat. Not that fae were exactly heavy beings, but nor is the human throat a particularly sturdy construct when handled in such a way.

If he could keep his perch she'd quickly weaken, and then black out. Of course, he was the physically weaker of the two--it would be interesting to see if he could do so long enough to clinch his victory.

His smile refused to leave his face as he stared down into Marissa's cool blue eyes with absolute confidence.

[Girasol of Chaos]

Stillness was interrupted by roaring thunder.

The lack of feeling, rest, was sliced by lances of fire and ice, forcing the oni's existance for the moment to be that of paradoxical pain. As quickly as it flooded her body it was replaced by invigorating life, diffusing into what were her wounds. Soon this too was gone, followed by sudden, terrible consciousness. She was awake! Her senses did not input anything familiar though, she was lost. Terribly, utterly lost.

She felt she should recognize the small, sobbing girl before her. Her tear-stained face seemed to scream "friend' at the ogre. Gazing around the ballroom she was swathed in confusion with very little meaningful thought to go by. Observations were fleeting, mere hints to whatever was going on. Trapped, fighting, a fleeting memory of pain, protect. Protect HER. From what? Flee to where? Too much was racing through the blue oni's mind, and there was no explanation. Only one thought solidified. There was an indication that she had been in pain, she is standing in the middle of a pool of...what is this stuff? With an apparently exhausted and sobbing girl at her feet. Whatever thunder had awoken-and healed- her, this girl was the source.

The oni moved hesitantly at first, then with determination. Her confused gaze transformed into concern, but her blue eyes were still easily readable as 'lost'.

The healer was all Chou had right now. She closed the gap between them and embraced the girl in silence. Curling one large hand to support the smaller girl's back, Chou's eyes darted for a way out. Her thoughts began to clear-she had been in this type of place before, it wasn't of the human world. Recognizing the ballroom as a Torii space, Chou reasoned that the source powering this...dimension was nearby. Destroy it and flee would be the best option.

Explanations would be had later. Her voice was noticeably less harsh than what it was earlier, as if the visual cues of change were not enough, "We need to get out of here." The first statement was more for herself, solidifying the situation, "May I carry you?" It would be easy for Chou to bear her currently unnamed friend on her back and seek out the source-probably a talisman- a Sutra.

Yes, that's what she would do. The blue oni waited for a response with closed eyes. She could sense that the spiritual energy seemed more dominant towards the center of the room. That's where she would find her exit, for both her and her friend.

[Arhra]

Partially transformed into ice to hold her injured body together, Jo continued her slow march. Her connection to one of her clones suddenly became strange, half-formed impressions that flitted instantly out of memory and the fight inside the box of firewalls ahead of her could still go either way. She had to reassert what control she could over the situation.

Sean was still following after her. Persistent boy, she really needed to get to know her roomate better. "Please just listen to reason," the Canadian pleaded, "you're just going to hurt yourself worse. I don't want to force you."

"I am of the Court of Winter and Old Night and, as the Aesir know, we are not easily killed." Jo replied, trying to hold on to the grim determination that was keeping her on her feet. No time to think about Canada!

"So, what are you planning on doing then?" Sean asked her hesitantly, looking at the firewalled battle between Marisa, Dalbach and another Jo ahead.

"There are barriers of fire." Jo said distractedly. "They reject some subtle quality. Thus, rocks." A long speech about her experiences with them was too much effort.

She crouched and felt along the edge of one of the brown marble tiles making up the floor of the transformed Field of Honour. The tips of the icy claw she had transformed one hand into fined into knife-thin edges as she probed the crack between the tiles. They were cemented reasonably solidly in place.

Forming that hand into an heavy fist, Jo raised it high over her head and smashed it into the ground like a sledgehammer with all the force she sould muster.

* * *

Green vanished.

A cave with a white door.

Something black and something red and white.

Grrr! Grrr!

A squeal of pain.

Black dust.

Step. Step. A twin with a vulture's spread wings. Red on white.

Eyes. White on black.

Staggering towards her. That was not meant for the eyes of others. Her enemy now.

Static. She was totally alone in this.

A foul wind blows. Becoming dust.

The enemy's aura, white serpents.

Fangs like lightning.

Hurts. Burns.

No!

* * *

A well placed kick by Jo's last clone and then Dal had Marisa on the ropes. But then there came a feral shriek behind her, as Marisa's newest worm sprayed its deletion acid at Jo's back. She twisted her head, a dakr eye focusing on the worm and the angle of the acid. If she dodged, Dal would get instead.

Jo spun, her hands clawing at her neck as she did. She tore her robe free in an instant, wadding the thick fur into a ball and tossing it right into the path of the acid jet.

That worm had to be dealt with. She'd given up the measure of protection her bulky outer garment had provided, finally revealing the evening dress she wore under it. That outfit - a shade darker than sky blue - provided much less protection, leaving her arms, shoulders and neck exposed.

Relying on speed and surprise, Jo threw herself directly after the discarded robe, trusting in its bulk to shield her from the acid and surprise the worm. Closing one claw into a spear-like wedge, she stabbed out, opening to cave in the worm's eyeless face like its less sophisticated kin.