"You can drop the barrier, Panther," Alexander said. "We know you're there."

Sasha looked to Iris, the wolf's expression mirroring her own. In the small prison sector full of graduates, the barrier was the only thing keeping them from the outside world. Even if they saw right through it. Alexander's smile didn't waver.

"Or you can keep it up," he said. "We could gladly force it open. That sounds more fun, anyway."

Iris bared her fangs. Her rapier was still raised, but she whispered something just loud enough for Sasha to hear.

"It won't last."

The panther cursed, already seeing the many graduates around her raising weapons at the ready.

Despite many of them wielding swords, the assortment of graduates was as varied as the powers they had. She recognized some like her - a squirrel with an axe, a deer with a javelin, a lion with a chainsaw. But there were just as many she didn't recognize. One graduate clung to the ceiling, their body a gelatinous mass with a blue ring shining within. Another hovered in the back, multiple wings flapping so fast it was impossible to count them all. And then there was the stretch of green vines that was attaching itself to a nearby wall. Sasha assumed it was just a piece of foliage at first. That was, until she saw the shield appear.

"They're not moving!" came the same voice from before. "Everyone, switch to Assault Plan Delta!"

Hearing it a second time, she managed to figure out who was shouting. Much to her surprise, the voice came from the axe squirrel. And though she couldn't quite remember why, his pudgy face and short red hair felt oddly familiar. Sasha pushed the thought away when she felt the ground shake under them. Graduates broke apart, coming forward all at once. Iris braced herself, rapier ready.

"Here they come."

Blades and hands collided with the barrier, grads slashing and smashing Iris's shield from all sides. The wolf dropped to her knees.

"Iris!"

She growled, rapier trembling in her hands.

"Spirits. It's too much."

Cracks rippled across the barrier in seconds, Sasha snapping to attention. Cripes. Time to move. She raised her staff at the ready, signals flowing through her body.

"Iris, drop the barrier!"

"Huh?"

"Just do it!"

The wolf winced, more and more cracks appearing. Whether she liked it or not, the thing was coming down.

The barrier fell away just as grads came launching towards them, though they all immediately dropped to the ground, weapons falling with them. Sasha smiled, her gravity trap flowing through all the bodies like a signal chain. She'd even managed to catch a few flying ones who'd been dumb enough to land on their allies. Only a few though.

"What the-?"

"Stay on guard! Panther's using her gravity!"

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Though she'd managed to disable a portion of the army, that portion didn't include Alexander or the axe squirrel. Or the grads who stuck to the wall. Or the many who hadn't made the initial assault on Iris's barrier. And given their friends were all immobilized, they were quick to adapt, their powers as graduates on full display before Sasha's eyes.

Beams of light and sparking electricity came flying their way. Sasha grabbed Iris, signals dropping the instant she jerked forward, flying over the grads as they were released. Even if she couldn't trap and move at the same time, it bought her a few seconds. Seconds she used to jerk away from the projectiles, though, she wasn't fast enough to dodge the shield that came flying at her face.

Cripes!

Metal collided hard, the panther dropping right out of the sky and onto tile. It didn't hurt much, but it left her wide open for the shadows that rose around them, fires burning from below. A trap! Iris threw up her barrier seconds before the two were engulfed in fire, the wolf crying out from the impact. It didn't last, shadows and flames vanishing moments before the wolf's shield broke.

"S-Sash. I can't..."

The graduates weren't giving them time to breathe, all coming at them like a tsunami. Sasha growled, one look at Iris telling her the plan had long since failed. Now it was time to improvise. And they couldn't play to their strengths like this.

"Split up!" Sasha screamed, immediately jerking forward to slam staff first into the nearest graduate. It caught them off guard, Sasha managing to make impact before they could raise a sword. Gravity did the rest, sending them flying into the vine creature. Sasha immediately jerked away before the others could retaliate. "C'mon, you tail brains! You wanna fight, I'll give it to ya'!"

Despite her words, she heard another voice in her head chiming in warning.

"Reserves at 15%, Ms. Sasha."

She jerked away, the others racing to meet her. When she looked back, she saw Iris had already vanished. Good. The wolf's barrier was strong, but her real strength had to be her vanishing tactic. She could appear, attack, and disappear before you even knew what hit you. And with all eyes on her, Sasha would give Iris plenty of opportunities for hit-and-run tactics. She saw several fall one by one to sudden wolf attacks. Enough for the squirrel to notice, at least.

"Dangit! Hey, tail brains, watch your backs! Don't forget the w-"

A grad slamming into them shut the squirrel up. Sasha giggled, admiring her handiwork before jerking away.

"2%," GT chimed.

"What! Al-"

Sasha cut off as something heavy flew into her side, knocking her out of the air once again. But it wasn't the hard tile she felt cushion her fall. Pain magnified as she heard something shatter, her body tumbling and sliding to a halt. What the-? Pieces of glass were scattered around her. She looked up to see an orange figure climbing through the now-broken window. His stained knife made Sasha all too aware of her own wounds.

"Aw look. She's all tuckered out."

Alexander smiled, Sasha growling back.

His knife came flying forward, Sasha deflecting only to feel metal jab her as the knife came redirecting into her frame. It only made the tiger's expression widen, a small purr escaping. Sasha wanted to whack his face into putty at that moment, but her body trembled at the effort to move. Let alone attack.

"And here I thought you wanted to save those friends of yours."

He stepped closer, ignoring the growling panther to grab the knife directly. Pain rose when he pulled, Sasha trying and failing to hide her cry.

"Sasha!"

The wolf's voice came moments before she saw Alexander jumping away.

Iris landed beside her, eyes shining as she looked her over. In the heat of the moment, Sasha was too busy trying to bite back screams to question her appearance. The knife wasn't gentle. She could feel her vision fading as the wolf grabbed her, the sounds of something bursting open drawing her attention briefly.

Where there had once been a broken window, there was now a hole in the wall. One by which graduates stood with weapons raised at the ready. But they were all growing further away. No. Sasha realized as the ground approached her chin, she was the one growing further away. Iris was pulling them through the floor. Projectiles came shooting at them, but none met their mark. Sasha could hear the voice of Alexander fading away.

"Until next time, Panther. I'll be sure to say hello to Elisia on your behalf."

She could barely respond to the words, her combined injuries finally taking their toll. In her state, Sasha could only lean on Iris for support. She didn't know when, but at some point, the panther lost consciousness.