Last week we witnessed the union of two young minds. Not an altogether harmonious union, but the immediate need trumped the developing cracks within the ranks. For The Chauvinist still covets the city and if the pair cannot resist him, he will augment his advance with the addition of two superheorines!
So, splitting up after a hasty planning session Eldritch absconded to fight one on one with The Chauvinist while Ginger Snap agreed to hold at bay his female mob. While Eldritch finds herself preparing for the fight to come with a suite of spells, Ginger already engages the enemy.
The horde courses towards her like the waters of a burst dam. But she is already moving, morphing the head of her crossbow from a bolt of razor sharp steel to a ball of softer composition she then sends into the leader of the mass. Doubling over with the arrow sunk into her gut, the fall of the first is a signal to the rest of the mob who now begin to fall over one another in deseration as they race towards Ginger at a breakneck pace. With an almost unearthly howl, the women throw themselves at Ginger as though she were a teenage heartthrob. Well, a teenage heartthrob of the opposite gender!
For an instant, it appears that Ginger Snap's career as a caped crusader will end quickly. Only for an instant! She spins, having transformed her metallic membrane into a shield that bludgeons the attackers away. Then her shield spins into itself, elongating in a powerful movement that sends her flying into the air. Landing, Ginny twirls and then balances atop the newly formed pole. Now entrenched into the high ground she aims swift and precise, but merciful, kicks straight into the faces of her oncoming attackers. Sending them down repeatedly, she prances atop the sea of bodies. With each movement a new post sprouts from the bottoms of her feet providing her a perch safe from the army below. Always she dances just a moment ahead of the grasping hands that seek to drag her back into the fray.
Upon the opposite rooftop, Eldritch finds herself a moment of peace apart from the vexatious red-manned vixen. But far more important, this freedom accompanies time away from the crush of The Chauvinist's army. Time she puts too good, and swift, use as she begins a spell with the aid of Belinda. Chalking out runes on the surface of the roof takes her precious seconds.
With a glance back she sees Ginger leap atop her metal post, alighting with preternatural reflexes that defensible perch. Placing the final rune she steps into the center of the circle and in a hushed whisper creates a glowing circlet that bends about her body, wrapping it as the circle grows to impossible dimensions. Finally, her white suit now taking on a bluish hue, she marches to the door leading down to the rest of the building and begins to descend back to where the cackling monster waits.
Bursting through the door of the building and into the street, Eldritch comes face-to-face with The Chauvinist! For the first time the pair have a chance to truly measure one another before they begin the bloody dance. The street itself falls into a silence. The few remaining members of The Chauvinist's army remain motionless, awaiting his command. He sits on his chain throne, the only sign of life the steady shuffling clink of his chains moving about his body.
Eldritch flourishes her dagger, spinning it in her hands. She too remains steady, unmoving, in the face of this monster. Then, the chains begin to move quicker and The Chauvinist rises, waving his minions away. Marching forward, bringing the distance between the two to merely a car length he pauses and speaks, "Another? Truly this city breeds excellent slaves."
In a determined voice, Eldritch admonishes him, "Your vile dogma ends here Chauvinist. Slavery is wrong, as is your view of the world and women."
"Wrong? Such backtalk! Although I have not yet made you my wife, let me invoke that ancient rule allowing me to properly discipline you." At this, he raises his massive hand and runs the length of his chain against his fingers. "The rule of thumb. It permits me to beat you with any instrument no wider than that aforementioned digit. It appears that the links of my chain meet this requirement. So I advise you, mollify your tone or I shall exercise my right as a man."
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"Right as a man! Well, my right as a woman is to kick the tar right out of you for saying stuff like that." Eldritch defiantly snaps back.
The Chauvinist intones incredulously in reply, "As a woman, but you are hardly that!” Then he smiles, and continues. “Do not worry, I have heard the saying that one is not born but becomes a woman. Tonight I will rectify this. I will make you a woman tonight when you submit to me, you can be sure of that."
Eldritch cracks a grin in response, "Hey Mr. The Chauvinist, I bet you've never read anything on the subject, but if you had you'd know that 'one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman' doesn't have a thing to do with men. But it's got a whole lot to do with feminism!" Then in a low voice she whispers, “Thanks Mr. Lauridsen, I suppose I was wrong about the uselessness of British Lit.”
With a guffaw, The Chauvinist beings to reply, “Women reading? What utter nonsense is this? Such things will overtax your female mind and ruin your ability to bear children!”
Her ruminations on the unexpected utility of high school classes ended and the echo of The Chauvinists words ringing in her ears prompts Eldritch to leap into action! Racing down the street, she whispers a short phrase that causes a humming sound to emerge from her weapon. Then the dagger begins to wriggle as if alive. Eldritch is now struggling to hold it in her hand as it begins to leap and bounce about. Finally, as her advance closes the gap ever more she spins the dagger end over end and then sends it flying towards The Chauvinist's face. Her aim is not quite true, but the enchantment she placed now activates correcting the flight path and honing unerringly towards The Chauvinist!
But as Ginny and the guard learned before, Eldritch also now discovers the terrible speed of those snake-like coils of black metal. Several cross in front of her dagger, driving the blade through the links and then spinning to send the dagger careening away. It immediately perks back up and regains its flight only to meet the chains again. This time they pummel the weapon and surround it in an attempt to disarm Eldritch permanently. The dagger now secured away from Eldritch’s reach, the other manacles rush directly at her!
Before they can reach her, Eldritch's dagger display its power of transformation once again as it transforms into a whip. The handle flies backwards to her outstretched hand. Once it reaches her, she yanks the rest of the whip back from the disarming maneuver that sought to confine her weapon. As it returns, the whip curls on itself. It spins into a spiral that forms a shield, just in time to block the onrushing blow from the chains.
With a whirl, the spiral unfurls about the chains themselves. Having now reversed his plan, Eldritch has The Chauvinist at her mercy! Quickly she begins to drag The Chauvinist close to her in a pantomime of his own favorite move.
Taken off-guard he sends some of the chains forming his armor shooting out to stabilize him by digging into the pavement and surrounding buildings. With this mistake, he creates an opening for Eldritch, one she pounces on immediately.
Leaping up atop the chain she wrapped with her whip, her floating form twirls and sends a mystic kick flying at The Chauvinist's head. The impact reverses the momentum of his advance far easier than his hastily constructed set of tethers, albeit in much more painful fashion.
Reeling from the blow The Chauvinist pulls his wayward links back to his body. Wrapping himself in a cocoon of fetters, he rolls away from Eldritch. Once securely out of her immediate reach a set of bug-like chain legs form from the cocoon and borne by the skittering metal he retreats to the other end of the street. There he steps out of the wrap, pausing the fight for the moment. But Eldritch has no patience for this particular truce! After all, she is acutely aware that Ginger is buying her time for this fight, time she cannot waste.
Atop the building, Ginger is starting to feel the fatigue of her fight. Slowly the endless army is wearing her down. Her nimble feet lack the spring that aided them before and begin to move slower. With each kick, the mobbing hands that clutch at her limb get ever closer to grasping her and each counterattack is harder to block. The mob itself has begun to innovate as well, some of the girls rip out stilettoes, smashing the shoes and using the high and sharp heel of the shoe as a blunted dagger to drive into Ginny’s calves. Each strike scrapes away a bit more of her precious metal leaving her suit slightly more threadbare.
Back on the street below, Eldritch races towards The Chauvinist. She vaults atop a nearby truck, then leaps to a lamppost, and finally dives down towards the unsuspecting Chauvinist who emerged moments ago and has no time to spot the descending danger that Eldritch brings. He reacts out of instinct, whirling his fetters towards her in a desperate attempt to cause a mid-air collision.
But Eldritch has other ideas, having seen the failure of Ginger Snap’s similar attack earlier. Transforming her weapon back into a whip, Eldritch drops a few feet in front of him and rolls underneath his hulking form. Then a wicked point sprouts from the end of the handle and she drives it deep into The Chauvinist's unprotected back. With a roar, he whirls about, backhanding Eldritch and sending her flying away. Such is the force of his blow that he manages to dislodge her grasp on the weapon, and it now sits embedded in his back with the length of the whip’s thong tangled about his feet.
Stunned by the impact Eldritch pauses to collect her bearings. On the other end of the street, The Chauvinist roars in pain as his movement caused the dagger to drive itself even deeper into his vulnerable flesh. For the moment, neither can rejoin the battle.
Unarmed, Eldritch faces a formidable challenge. How will she handle this enemy without the aid of her mystical armament? And what of Ginger Snap? How goes her combat with the endless ranks of the beautiful? Find out next week as Eldritch lays everything on the line, including her freedom, to stop The Chauvinist in... "Collared!"