As it turned out, taking down a god, even a wanna-be one, was a severe pain in the tail.
Sasha stabbed her staff into the ground, GT digging a line to stop her momentum. She looked up only to duck a sickle swipe, one blade clipping her ear. She resummoned the staff to block a second hit, but was only saved the third by Mr. Xan drawing his attention with slicing winds. Of which the Comet Man stopped with a wave of his hand.
“Stay out of this, bear creature,” he said, immediately going on the attack again. But Mr. Xan wouldn’t let himself be ignored like that. He came charging right into him, knocking the Comet Man away.
“Stay down, human thing,” the panda snapped back.
The Comet Man halted on a dime, chains rattling once again. Just what was keeping this man going? She could already feel exhaustion creeping in. And even with his weapon, she knew Mr. Xan wasn’t safe from blowback. The human stuck both sickles into the ground, Sasha bracing as she felt a sudden spike in signals. They needed to move.
“Mr. Xan!”
“I see it!”
They both broke away just as the ground came splitting apart, a massive fissure appearing only seconds after they leapt away. Cripes! Just how strong is this guy? She couldn’t dwell on that question for long. A boot came flying to knock the wind right out of her. Even outnumbered, the Comet Man had no intentions of giving her time to rest.
“Don’t disappoint me, Panther,” he said, sickles in hand.
But she wasn’t going to let herself take a hit like that a second time. She snapped to attention, zipping away only to come back harder, managing to land a kick that didn’t do much, but still gave her a slight bit of satisfaction. So she did it again. And again. Zipping to and fro as quick as she could, putting all her signals into her field. Into her blows.
A final dive bomb ended the assault, Sasha coming down hard with a staff smash across the Comet Man’s face.
Fatigue was quick to take it's toll.
She dropped to the ground, sweat dripping and body sore all over. Her field could barely sustain itself, Sasha reluctantly letting it go. It didn’t take GT’s chiming for her to know how much she’d just extended herself. She could feel it all too easily running through her body. Any more than that and she'd be breaking bones.
“Ah. So that’s your power, then?”
What little satisfaction she felt died right then and there. Was it really too much to hope that all that did some damage? She looked back to the man, her ears falling as she saw the results of her effort. Or lack thereof, in this case. He rubbed his cheek.
“That actually hurt a bit,” he said. “Almost as much as that Cici girl.”
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She heard a growl from a few ways off. One the Comet Man seemed to ignore as he approached her.
“I take it you’re both well-“
He cut off as he ducked a hammer swing, Mr. Xan cursing under his breath.
“Acquainted,” the Comet Man continued, dodging another blow. “I’d love to know where grads like you two are bred. Excuse me a moment.”
He suddenly turned, his hand meeting Mr. Xan’s chest mid-swing. Only moments later the panda was being blown backwards, Sasha wincing at the sight. The Comet Man frowned when he saw Mr. Xan still standing afterwards.
“Must you keep going, panda?” he asked. “I’m not interested in fighting weaklings.”
The panda’s only response was a smile, his hammer held high despite all the damage he’d already received. Something Sasha couldn’t help but feel a little envious of. If he could keep going, so could she. Sasha forced herself to stand back up as well, ignoring the flaring up of cells telling her she’d be dealing with blowback when they were finished.
“If that guy’s weak, then I’ve gotta be a pushover,” she said, trying to keep her staff steady.
The Comet Man seemed to light up a bit upon seeing her back up. Did he really think she was the stronger one here? The same girl who’d just blitz the man and barely left a scratch on him? Maybe he really was insane.
She could barely stand without her body screaming in warning. She figured she had one good attack in her before she'd be keeling over useless. Again.
But then, that was fine. Because her insane enemy still hadn't noticed. And that made it easier to pull one over.
“Get ready to choke on those words, tail brain.”
The Comet Man smiled wider, his sickle rising at the ready. And maybe he would have used it to end them both right then and there. But to Sasha’s relief, he was still oblivious to the glowing glyph above his head. Or the weasel who’d finally finished erecting his time displacement field.
His wand glowed with signals as the human became locked in place, the smile temporarily etched across his face.
“The Light Binder has been halted,” Mr. Erin said. “I leave the rest to you two.”
Mr. Xan grinned wide, Sasha sighing.
“As this is why I keep you around, Twig," the panda called.
“Like you’d get far without me, Mush Head,” Mr. Erin said back with a scoff.
Sasha could only giggle at that.
She really had missed being with them. And she was already looking forward to going back to traveling the stars on their ship. But that would have to wait. Right now it was time to do what she’d been wanting to do ever since she first laid eyes on the Comet Man. She let GT disappear, knuckles cracking as she approached the now frozen human. Mr. Xan dragged his hammer along as well.
“Care to do the honors, kid?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
She wasted no time in punching the Comet Man right in the mouth. The chin. The nose. Again. And again. And again. She got to eight punches before Mr. Xan pulled her off to get his turn in, hammer swinging wide and smashing into the Comet Man’s chest.
“Displacement now ending,” Mr. Erin called. "Be ready."
They both stepped back to watch events unfold.
As the glyph disappeared, so too did the smile the Comet Man held vanish completely. Instead replaced by a brief look of shock. At least before the pain set in. Sasha couldn’t help but flash one last grin before his body contorted and the multiple attacks took effect. With a final groan, the human dropped limply to the ground.