Sallis doesn’t even seem to react as they back off quickly and fire more bolts of plasma at them, forcing them to dodge back and pick some distance.
I use hasten senses again.
The world slows down and even still the figure moves normally.
Fuck, I’m needing to spend magic just to keep track of them, and thats not even to say actually moving and reacting with my body in time…
Unless…
The hasten spell that was described in the spellbook made it clear that your entire body was being accelerated not just your senses, the overall theory is completely different than hasten senses, you’re using time magic to accelerate your own time in relation to the timeline, while hasten senses is using lightning magic to somehow accelerate your thinking process– the process explained that you were making the connection between your neurons faster but that made no sense to me– But maybe if I infuse that power all throughout the body…
I channel that same familiar energy and I feel it climb up through my body like electricity, and instantly I know that the amount I’m channelling is not nearly enough, it would last a fraction of a second at best, but I don’t think I could channel much more without running out in a few seconds.
Still seeing no other option I use this brief window to point my hand at where they will have to dodge Sallis’s plasma weaponry.
They don’t seem to notice my sudden fast movement and I use it to my advantage waiting for the perfect moment as they step on where I aim.
I release a blast of electric energy channelling quite a bit and looking– more like sensing really– at my internal reserves that left me with about 70% mana left.
Which is why I almost curse when instead of the lightning impacting them and finishing the battle right then and there they simply raise their hand-axe without even looking at me and catch the lightning on the metal tip, they then in the same motion somehow swing their axe and redirect the lightning toward Sallis at the same time they changes direction abruptly and rush towards me.
I infuse more of the energy into myself and feel another problem, mainly that I’m heating up fast, for now, it simply feels like the beginning of a fever but I know instinctively that if I continue to infuse more energy into my body without letting it cool I will literally burn up.
I push that out of my mind for now as I try to predict their next attack as they approach me.
They’re holding the axe low and are keeping themselves low to the ground, so they likely want to take advantage of the size difference and strike me low… I could strike first and interrupt but from the looks of it, they can easily dodge it or redirect it again which would make it a waste of mana, much more so now that they aren’t being peppered by the plasma shots from Sallis–who I can see has snatched her arm from the air and has somehow re-attached it and is now intensifying the glow on both of her hand–so I would have to try and dodge, but again I can’t maintain this speed for very long and they could just keep attacking so that would be a very short-lived solution. Shit, they’re within striking range… But what if…
I channel a different kind of energy from within and let it out as fast as I can closing my eyes at the same moment, as suddenly the whole room is illuminated by the most bright light I could conjure manifests in my hand and I quickly jump away just in case they still attack through the flashbang.
It quickly proves to be unnecessary as I see them jump back and move their left hand to their eyes in a clear sign of pain.
Sallis takes the opportunity and a gout of plasma spews out of her hand elevating the rooms temperature instantly and scorching the stone floor beneath as it streaks to hit the figure.
But they must have felt the heat coming their way or something because I see them roll out of the way just before it impacts their torso and instead only just clipping their left arm.
The good news, however, is that just that little clip has completely vaporized a part of it and made it unusable, and as a bonus has also knocked them off-balance. Seeing the opportunity I activate ‘Haste’ and ‘Hasten Senses’ and this time bring out fire from inside as I extend my palm and try to incinerate everything in their general direction.
A gout of white fire spews from my hands forming a stream that burns everything as it approaches the figure.
They probably sense the heat but not being able to see where it extends to jump over it still clutching at their eyes–now with the hand thats holding the axe instead– and they are just able to avoid the worst of it all with embers clinging to their clothes as they fly through the air and thats when a loud bang resounds through the room and I see their momentum halt in the air, I look around in search of the sound and see Miah clutching at a still smoking pistol.
I look back and I see the figure fall to the ground clutching at their chest where a deepening stain of red starts to form.
I let go of the ‘Haste’ when I see that they are not moving and in fact, seem to be losing strength as I see them fall to their knee.
“Let go of your weapons and bring your hand to your back, I might still be able to save you if you–” I try to negotiate some form of surrender but they simply let out a laugh.
“Good, very good.” He looks at Sallis who is pointing her palm towards them. “You lack imagination on your attacks, but your firepower is more than enough to compensate”
Sallis simply raises the intensity of the glow on her hand.
They ignore the unspoken threat and turn to me.
“You seem more flexible in your fighting, but you lack… something… I’ll have to examine what it is more closely.” They say looking straight into my eyes with curiosity, and differently from almost anyone else I feel no lust toward me.
But the moment passes and they then turn to Miah.
“You, however, seem to be a weak link. And from the tremble in your hands, I can see you lack experience as well as skill. Still, at least you take the opportunities presented, so on that you have my compliment.” They cough out quite a bit of blood as they finish this… review?
And as they do, they raise their hand to the ceiling and a bolt of plasma impacts their chest ripping a hole in their torso, one where I can see straight through all the burned viscera, but the figure still holds out their arm shaking from the pain and I see them twist it.
And then reality shakes and stops.
For a moment all is still, Miah is holding her gun with an indecipherable look on her eyes, Sallis is still aiming her palm towards the body, smoke rising from the hole, and I… frozen not only by whatever they have just done but also by indecision.
And then just their hand twist the opposite way and I see the projectile that had just hit reverse and go back in their trajectory mending their wound as it returns back to Sallis’s hand, I see the figure float to the airs as if falling in reverse as they go back to the flames, flames that I’m sucking back into my own hands of no want of my own, my body begins to retrace the steps I took, the lightning blast returns as well and I feel my body swell back up with magic and energy as my tiredness also seems to reverse and just as quickly as it had originally played out. I see the battle we just had completely reverse until just after Stella disappeared.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Then it stops and I let out a gasp as I feel my body back in control.
I notice both Sallis and Miah glance at me with concern and curiosity in order, but they quickly turn their gaze to the figure in the middle who has just turned their gaze to us.
“Hm, it seems a cha–” The figure begins to repeat but I interrupt.
“What the hell did you just do?!” I ask as I focus on almost activating the ‘Haste’ keeping it on a hair trigger in case I so much as suspect a movement.
The figure looks for the first time out of balance as they tilt their head.
“You remember?” They ask in surprise.
“What? Of course, I remember, pretty hard to miss the fucking flow of time being reversed.” I spit back whilst trying to somehow signal to Miah and Sallis to start flanking the figure.
But all I’m met by are surprised and shocked expressions.
“Wha? The hells are you on Sophia?” Miah says while Sallis seems to double the glow on her arms as she turns to stare at the figure with intensity.
“Incredible, I thought you had no time magic by the way you imitated Haste…”The figure pauses but takes no steps to move. “But you are also surprised at this whole ordeal, I also felt no–.”
And then I notice he hasn’t picked the axe yet.
I activate ‘Haste’, and blast them with a lightning strike while they are in the middle of talking, putting some extra oomph to it.
And of course, they lean to the right and blur as they accelerate and dodge the bolt with ease.
Sallis starts peppering them with plasma shots trying to guess where they are going to end up.
But she has to stop just as she starts as they move in such a way that Miah is in between them.
Miah herself is desperately aiming around with the pistol seemingly moving in slow-motion while the figure approaches picking up a rusted cutlass that was impaled in a woman with an eye patch that was nearby.
I begin to feel myself slow down and I activate ‘Haste’ again, feeling that familiar feverish feeling, I dash to them and wind up a punch with my right hand, while with the right I bring my hand forward.
They turn to me for a second, but I see them already winding up a swing at Miah, correctly assuming I wouldn’t make it in time.
What they didn’t correctly assume was that as I outstretch my left hand and pull it back focusing on that motion, I bend space so that I’m right in by their side (also draining more than 50% of my remaining mana).
Their eyes widen for a fraction, but I see them already melding that swing into a protective slash against me, not fast enough as I bring my fist to their jaw and send them reeling back.
The slash still comes through though and I’m knicked at my right arm, a thin line of blood appearing.
I try to not let up, activating ‘Haste’ again and pressing on with another punch but I feel my right arm literally burn and then stop as I lose all sensation on it, I can even see parts of it start blackening and steaming.
I pay it no mind as I instead go for a sweeping kick, the figure responds by jumping like I predicted, what I hadn’t predicted was that they would then throw their sword at me as they jumped, I try to twist my body to avoid it but it still cuts at my side, I grit my teeth and with my left hand let out a stream of white fire at the still jumping figure, essentially leaving me at 0%.
But looking at the results I can’t say it wasn’t worth it, as the figure tumbles back with their clothes and flesh burning, which also produces a disgustingly familiar smell.
I’m about to approach when ‘Haste’ runs out and the overextension I’ve been ignoring catches up, I almost fall to my knees as my legs start steaming, and my left arm burns.
I see Sallis approach as well with their hands raised as well as Miah, and I want to warn them, to shout for them to finish the figure, but my voice refuses to come out, even as I see them raise a badly burnt arm and twist it.
Reality stops.
And then it reverses like it did before, undoing everything and putting us right back where we began.
I let out a gasp, and I see Miah and Sallis look at me with concern and curiosity like they did before.
“Be careful! They–” I try to warn them of the situation when the figure blurs and I have to activate ‘Haste’.
Just in time as well as the figure speeds towards me this time.
They had somehow acquired in the interim that I was not fast enough to see a quarterstaff that’s encased in frost on one side and fire on the other, and they bring that to bear as they spin a swing towards my head.
I dodge roll underneath feeling the heat and cold streak past and as I complete the roll I send a stream of white fire in their direction, which they simply spin the staff and somehow absorb it making the fire side of the staff grow brighter and adapt the same white hue of my fire.
The figure tries to stab at me with the fire end of the staff but they have to spin out of the way as a series of plasma shots impact the stone where they were standing.
I have to activate ‘Haste’ again and I feel the heat beginning to build up as I bring both of my hands and channel lightning energy through it.
The figure narrows their eyes and sweeps the staff in Sallis's direction, white fire shooting out and creating a firewall in between them, in the same motion they also bring the frost tip to my direction, just in time as well as the energy I’ve been gathering bursts out in the form of a truly massive violet lighting stake.
The figure catches the lightning with the staff and I see them beginning to redirect it I grin as I close my hands and the lightning jumps from the staff into their body blasting him backwards and through the wall of fire that was already beginning to dissipate.
Looks like chain lightning works… too bad it uses ALL of my mana.
I don’t even have enough to reactivate ‘Haste’ or even ‘Hasten senses’ in order to try and catch up to the figure and that proves to be my mistake as the flickering of the flame stops as well as everything else and then I see the figure be brought back through the flame and every single action be reversed.
And I’m right back were we started.
“Fuck! Why are you doing this?!” I say as I let out a gasp at regaining control.
The figure tilts their heads and I see Miah and Sallis looking at me with puzzlement.
“Not the time-loop thing I get the idea there. I meant why are you attacking us?” I ask trying to figure out some way to quickly disable them without it being possible for them to rewind.
“Ah, I assume you know what this tower represents? Why else would one come here after all, to the precipices of madness?” They point to the machinery behind them “The power to turn back time… But not in the way you and I are experiencing or what any chronomancer would hope to ever achieve in their lifetime. That is why they-” They point towards the piles upon piles of corpses. “-Have come here. They sought to change the past, to control destiny, until… Well…”
They then blur and I activate ‘Haste’ as soon as possible, just in time to catch them notching three arrows on a beautifully crafted bow that seems to have its string made of light.
“They faced me.” And as they let loose the arrows I realize I might be here a while.
…
…
…
I let out that same gasp as I feel my body in control again.
Alright. Cutting off the arms doesn’t work as well as I’d hoped and it’s too much work for its worth.
I look up at the figure wondering which weapon they will reach for this time when I notice that their stance means they want to talk again.
“Spit it out, and I will warn you that if this isn’t a surrender with a thousand apologies I’m not interested.” I say to the utter confusion of Miah and Sallis.
“Nothing of the sort, simple curiosity really, after all you’re approaching the number of tries my more challenging duels have had.” They say not moving an inch as they know that would indicate the fight would begin anew.
“And how many times is that?” Because I’m fairly certain we’ve done this at least 10 times now.
“Twenty, but I suppose thats to be expected, none of them had our advantage, not even the most talented chronomancer could remember the fullness of what we did after ten or so attempts.”
I sigh not removing my eyes from them for a second.
“A curiosity for a curiosity then. I ask something and you get to ask something back.” I offer in an attempt to get a weakness out.
They shrug, and I almost activate ‘Haste’, but not seeing them move further I redraw the mana back into my center.
“Very well.” They say with that same bored look that they always carry before the fight starts.
“Uhh, what the hells is going on?” Miah asks and I almost turn to look at her with surprise, but I manage to keep my sight on the figure.
“Just keep an eye on them alright? I’ll explain later.”I say to her before metaphorically turning to the figure. “What I want to know is how you keep turning back time.”
“Ah, jumping right to the pièce de résistance I see, I’m afraid I can’t reveal that particular secret so early in this game we’re playing, but… a hint: The tower's power is all around us. Now, a question for you. Tell me, what is your name?”
I tilt my head.
“Sophia, but why would you want to know that?”
They don’t answer as they simply blur and we begin the fight again, with them picking up the glass shield and sword that drinks blood which I hate.
…
…
…
I let out a gasp and manage to stifle a curse. That was too close, they are getting better at predicting my actions while I’m lagging behind, luckily I still have Sallis providing support and Miah with the occasional potshot but this advantage won’t last, I mean the figure has already shown to be capable of dodging Sallis’s basic shots without even looking, and Miah can only help in very specific circumstances.
I’m also still trying to figure out their hint about the tower, but it’s hard to do so while also avoiding death every other second, speaking of which.
I see them blur and I ‘Haste’ in return.
I see that they have decided to use the rusted cutlass again, which I learned was the actual cause of my limbs blackening on the starting loops, looks like I’ll have to play carefully this loop.
I jump backwards and preemptively cast a small stream of flame to where the figure likes to dash through, making them have to go the more predictable path, they throw the blade to Miah and I fire two small blasts of lighting, one to the blade and one to where the figure is dashing, they dodge over and I activate my wings flying to meet them in the air and prepare a trick I figured out earlier, as I draw out the lighting energy not to make a blast but suffuse my hands and wrap them in electric energy.
The figure then does something they never did before.
They in midair while avoiding a plasma shot by contorting their body draw out the weapon at their holster.
It looks similar and yet completely different from the one in Miah’s hand with a cylinder at its side and a uniform coat of metal, a revolver I realize feeling a tiny bit of a headache form as I remember, the pain catches me off guard and I don’t activate ‘Haste’ in time, and the next thing I know is that I’m falling and I feel a cold feeling in my chest.
I look up with more effort than I would’ve thought that action would take and see a crimson pool start to spread through my robe, right where my chest is, and right where I can’t feel anything.
And it’s only now I realize that there’s been a constant noise in the background, like some sort of screaming, looking around weakly I see Miah with tears in her eyes as she shoots at a a blurring figure too fast for me or her to accompany with our eyes.
I try to say something, to get up, but all I can manage is a cough that draws up blood, I blink slowly, and everything is going dark.
I feel so cold.
And then there is nothing.