Falling and tumbling down from a newfound height, Kataline hit the ground while landing back and rear first. She had no time to sort herself out through the immense confusion and disorientation she became stricken with. All sensations had shifted around and nothing was similar to just a moment ago. As Kataline lifted herself back up to her feet and gazed back towards the town, she caught a glimpse of Rael being launched away by The Sergeant's attack.
"I was so close! I could have activated it!... I can't let that happen! I need to-" Kataline slid the needles down in between her fingers and was about to leap forward... But hesitation grasped her as a knife whisked through the air and pierced the ground beside her, sticking out from the earth.
Kataline knew she needed to get to Rael before The Sergeant could do any real damage to her... But there was no ignoring her assailant. She desperately jerked her head around to try and find him... However, she was unable to directly locate him. Even more pressing to her, two more knives landed right beside her. There was no chance she could get around this guy right now. Kataline swallowed her pride and desire, darting backwards into the tree line.
Using her dexterity to her advantage, Kataline sprinted to her top speed and dashed through the woods. Leaves and branches cracked under her the force of her feet as she kept her stride going. The heavy gusts of wind created a cacophony of rustling that deafened most sound within the forest. Even so, trying to be stealthy wasn't exactly her intent here. Had she not already been filled with adrenaline, Kataline would have been startled by the sudden crackle of thunder roaring throughout the area.
Every so often, she ducked out around a tree and changed direction. And sometimes, she ran straight up the side of the tree and jumped from branches to other trees. With her speed and skill, getting up to the top of the trees was no issue even without using her Mana to bolster her abilities. The swinging of the branches within the torrent of winds hadn't dissuaded her from using them to alter her trajectory of escape. If anything, she figured the blending of her movement, against the motion of the trees and leaves, would aid her in losing her pursuer.
Kataline tried to weave misdirection in every movement. As fast as she was combined with her nimble footwork, Kataline felt nearly defeated when knives kept nearly missing all around her. The disheartening realization that there was to be no easy way out of this one indicated to Kataline that she would have to fight…
Kataline ducked out and around one last tree to a tiny opening. A single patch of grass that was close to her knees in height directly below a sight-line to the sky amongst a myriad of leaves. Slowing down, she jogged out to the edge of the opening and gazed up at the sky... Dark clouds overhead, partially obscuring the night sky, but allowing some of the illumination of reflected sunlight to parse through. She had wondered for a moment if she could use it to her advantage... But her thoughts were interrupted by a volley of weaponry dancing around her feet. A series of knives all launched into the ground around her one at a time within less than a fraction of each other. They were fanned out in a circular pattern... It became obvious that her assailant had intentionally been missing her. Clearly wanting her to stay put, Kataline kept her guard up and allowed the pursuer to come…
Sliding needles in between the fingers of her other hand, Kataline had her arms close to her sides. Palm side up, her hands were clenched. The needles held between her fingers jutting out like claws from her hands while a black and blue ooze dripped off the length of them. Strands of her hot pink hair fluttered with the wind out from under her loose hood, but not obscuring the intent within her murderous emerald glare. The makeshift entrapment of blades encircling Kataline turned to smoke and dust…
And within moments, four more knives rained down from the sky itself, stabbing into the ground several feet in front of her at the foot of a towering tree. A series of blue sparks brought dim light to the surrounding area, culminating in a figure appearing at the handle of the knife on the right side... Lylas was kneeling down on the ground. He picked up the knife and flipped it in his hand, sheathing it as he stood up to his feet. Lylas tilted his chin up and crossed his arms, staring onward at Kataline with visible contempt...
And yet, another figure suddenly appeared on the opposite side. All the way to the left, a visage of Lylas appeared standing ahead of the tree, obscured by the lack of light. A slow, steady beam of electricity left the palm of his hands. The beam struck down into the handle of the blade, yanking the knife out of the ground and into his hands. Still holding the weapon, Lylas turned his body and pointed his free hand's finger at Kataline. After a few moments, Lylas's lips curled up and pulled back as he gave a toothy grin. His finger pulled back into his fist and his thumb pointed to the dirt below…
That wasn't the end of it either. Without missing a beat, another Lylas had appeared in between the two already there. Bent over, they released the knife from the ground. Making eye contact with Kataline, Lylas effortlessly flipped and maneuvered the knife around his hand, the blade weaving in and out between his fingers. Putting a sudden stop to the show, Lylas held his arms out wide with a smug disposition while standing up...
And finally, as if on cue, another crack of thunder rang out and with it came Lylas again. Knelt down with his arm and hand wrapped around the handle of the knife, Lylas glared at Kataline. This Lylas was positioned ahead of the other three like they were his entourage...
The strong winds cast aside Lylas's bangs, fully showing the resolve within his eyes. Kataline and Lylas remained firmly in their spots, neither party budging an inch for what seemed like an eternity...
"They all look the same... I guess I'm supposed to assume the real one is the one in front of the others... But that would be too obvious." Kataline clutched her needles, her hands firmly grasping her tools as she evaluated the situation in front of her. However, even with her trying to make out the situation with a level-headed attitude, she wasn't able to block out the irking feeling from before. The impulses of anger she directly felt looking at the one who snuffed out her attempt to kidnap Rael. "So... How did you know?"
"Ya want the truth?... I didn't. I just had a bad feeling. That's all..." The front and center Lylas cast his gaze off to the side with a simple smile on his face. It had almost felt like a lie to him... To get so lucky off of a gut feeling was abnormal... Then again, Lylas reveled in the visible enragement on Kataline's face from telling her so. "I was about to step in to be honest. I saw ya try to poison her. And for some reason, it didn't work. Everything else sorta fell into place after that."
"I can't believe this... Am I just uncharacteristically clumsy as of late?... Or am I so unlucky that it's making me uncharacteristically clumsy?" Kataline turned her head downward for a moment. A loss of confidence wasn't exactly what hit her, but rather the sheer annoyance of everything seemingly being against her. The only thing able to remedy this at that moment was everything the situation had built up to... Lifting her gaze to meet Lylas once more, Kataline threw away her inner doubts. "I see. I hope you keep that smug attitude until the very end..."
"Oh-ho!... Alright..." Lylas fully stood to his feet with the rest of his clones stepping forward to his side.
In a moment of palpable tension, Kataline stood at the ready... However, all four versions of Lylas began stretching out and hopping around in place. Each of them had separate movements, swinging their arms out to the side or extending their legs and arms out one way and leaning. After a few moments of this, all four of them huddled up, bowing their heads in the center and spun around, galloping in a circle as they chanted and made various loud noises.
Refusing to allow him to play these little games anymore, Kataline initiated. Shadows swept and circled around Kataline while using the cover of the tall swaying grass to remain undetected. In that same moment, she whipped both her arms outward towards the multiple Lylas while releasing her grip on her needles. All six of her poison-tipped tools sliced through the air towards her adversaries.
The four Lylas' sprang into action. The two at the center of the group wasted no time reaching into their pockets and countering the thrown needles with their own throwing knives. Metal clashed and tinged in air, falling to the ground as both parties continued to throw out these ranged attacks. Each took turns trying to launch their own offensive attacks while defending, resulting in no ground being gained or lost.
However, the two Lylas' on the wings took off. They both took rounded angles and attempted to circle around Kataline. But she was well-prepared for such a strategy. The shadows Lylas failed to notice took shape with purpose, extending out to both sides of Kataline and building up mass. Within moments, each shadow solidified and extended out towards the torso of the clones trying to flank her. Dark, black spikes had leapt from the ground and threatened to rip directly through whatever stood in their way.
But it was too late, as both Lylas' threw their respective knives towards Kataline just a fraction of a moment before being struck. Kataline had hopped back in order to avoid being stabbed, but was equally surprised to see that both clones she just tried to get rid of appeared in front of her face, almost side by side mid-air. With a swift and decisive movement, both of the clones swung their outward legs inwards at Kataline, crossing their kicks. Kataline managed to put her arms up to block, but couldn't resist the force of both attacks hitting her simultaneously.
She grunted while sliding backwards from the attack, her back being slammed and pinned against the bark of a tree. But Kataline had no time to counter as several knives ripped through the air towards her. She swung her arms back, grabbing the tree behind her while jumping and pulling her knees in close. Using her upper body strength and flexibility, Kataline jumped a sizable distance up the tree while narrowly evading all the knives which stuck into the bark below. Bending and planting her feet on the tree, Kataline used her Mana to stand on the side of the bark.
The assault hadn't stopped though. Kataline retreated backwards up the tree as three of the Lylas' all suddenly appeared where the knives were. Like her, they too clung to the bark and ran up the side after her. She was only able to move so quickly while going backwards. The three of them spread out with one remaining in the center. Meanwhile, Kataline managed to spot one of the clones still at ground level. The clone had its left arm raised up in front of itself. It had a small orb of Mana overtop of the middle of its arm, and it then pulled it twice to make a straight line of lightning... The way Lylas pulled back on this line of magic instantly raised an alarm in Kataline's head.
Refraction: A Mid-Level Light Destruction Technique, Refraction was made for the sole purpose of penetrating just about any Enchantment or Protection Magic conceivable when used by someone with a high enough Potency and/or with enough Mana fueling it. Refraction has the unique property of being invisible to whatever looks at it straight on. It also has the property of being able to ricochet/reflect off of reflective materials once.
However, Lylas has re-purposed the technique for his own Element, Lightning. Due to help from Ventrix, Lylas has yet another tool at his disposal...
Kataline's eyes were locked onto the eyes of the Lylas holding Refraction. She had no clue what exactly was going on or what it was... She was only able to guess it was an attack aimed for her. There was no time to ponder her next move, only to work with what her instincts gave her. The Lylas on her right threw its knife directly at Kataline. With the one on her left still approaching and the one directly ahead charging as well... Kataline bent at her knees and whipped her arm upward, launching a singular needle out of her right sleeve which collided with the knife mid-air.
In that moment, she leaned forward and sprang ahead directly into range of the center-Lylas. He was about to thrust forward with a knife, but Kataline puckered her lips and spit directly at the forehead of her assailant. The glob of spit seemed to change shape as it traveled towards Lylas, taking a needle-like shape. Said spit projectile crushed Lylas's momentum altogether as the saliva pierced through his forehead effortlessly, leaving a tiny hole through his skull.
Pressurize: A Destruction/Utility Water technique that is a staple for nearly all who use the Element of Water. Pressurize creates two flows of Mana. One flow of Mana resides in the Water to be used by the caster, and the other exists as a shaping force which condenses and increases the water pressure of the Element. When properly utilized, any small bit of water can be weaponized by the user provided they can maintain the concentration necessary to control the pressure.
Lylas's eyes went cold and dull as his body began to succumb to gravity. However, that body of his fizzled out, losing all color and form while leaving only a faint ball of blue electricity in its stead. Weaving around the orb, and ducking out to the left, Kataline set her eyes on the other Lylas rapidly approaching. As she ducked out, the Lylas on the ground unleashed his bolt of Refraction. The charged attack missed Kataline the moment she had ducked out of the way. Refraction, instead, bounced off the bark of the tree upwards and collided with the displaced knife that the right-Lylas had thrown. Unbeknownst to Kataline, that knife hovered in mid-air and began to glow with a bright and intense blue color.
With her attention locked on her new target, Kataline anticipated Lylas's move. He reversed the grip on his knife and swiped at her with a prodding move. Kataline leaned back and opened her left hand as a set of needles slid down to her fingers. She darted them out of her hand one by one in rapid succession. She was able to sense the other tree-bound Lylas encroaching on her position, but didn't see the ground-Lylas anymore. Still, with no time to dwell on it and while the Lylas in front of her batted the needles away, Kataline used that small moment of time to maneuver her shadows on the ground back into one whole body. The reformed pool of swirling darkness rushed up the side of the tree and used the same tactic from before: A tendril sprouted from off of itself and formed into a spike, stabbing at Lylas from behind.
Unable to spot it in time, the Lylas in front of Kataline was impaled directly through the chest. The wind left his body as, what seemed like it was supposed to be blood, was coughed up as sparks instead. Dropping the knife to the ground, this Lylas lost its form and color as well, leaving an orb like moments prior. Kataline pivoted back to the other side, seeing the weaponless Lylas approach. However, she failed to spot the trap she had unwittingly walked right into...
Clone: An Artifice/Utility technique without a restricting or defining Element. Clone(s) are formed from the creation of artificial bodies based upon the caster, given special properties by the Element of the caster and the skill/prowess of the user. It is known to be one of the harder Artifice and Utility techniques to be learned.
Based from his previous usage, Lylas's control over them and skill in manifesting them has greatly improved. This was mostly seen in his fight against Patchwork where he was able to fully mimic his own appearance with the clones. However, that wasn't the only thing he could do with them…
Arcing Anchor: An Artifice/Destruction technique based on creating "anchor points" for electricity to arc between. If two anchors are within a certain distance to each other, they will create a powerful connection of refreshing lightning. This is done by the anchors having similar shape and function to Artificial Mana Cores, but them being much less resilient to interference than an actual one. From being able to transmit certain Lightning techniques over long distances, to being able to fry whatever stands between their connections... Arcing Anchor has a few notable uses.
While Destruction isn't Lylas's forte, even low-level casters can make use of this technique's powerful and harmful effect. However, setting someone up to stand in between them would be near-impossible against astute foes. Unless...
Kataline's eyes went wide as she had only a split-second to witness the attack cascaded towards her. Ripping through the air with sheer power and violence, a thick and thunderous heap of lightning collided with Kataline. However, it wasn't just one bolt, but two. Coming from both sides, she barely managed to witness the origin of the attack before it struck her. Those orbs Lylas's clones had left behind upon her defeating them.
It was as if every muscle in her body was twitching, yet totally unresponsive. She felt trapped while the roaring surge of electricity supercharged and heated her body to unprecedented levels. Unable to move, unable to cope with the sheer agony of feeling like her body was melting from the overcharge... Kataline was stuck and suffering. However, it lasted for only a moment. The charge on the anchors ran out, and soon dissipated as they failed to fully link up uninterrupted or unimpeded. But the damage was already done. Still attached to the side of the tree, Kataline panted and gasped for air while reeling from the shock. But by design, there was no room to breathe. The Lylas, who had still been approaching, had finally caught up. He pushed off the side of the tree and brought both of his legs inwards towards his chest. Then, being within range, he bucked outwards with the full power he could muster. An unmitigated drop-kick Kataline was helpless to stop.
Instantly, her footing on the tree was broken by the sheer force which sent her directly to the ground below. The hit landed directly in her stomach area, causing her to gasp for air as it all left her body. Then, the ground delivered another powerful blow to her back thanks to gravity. She coughed and spit up blood, tumbling off to the side as she desperately craved relief from her dire situation.
But that wasn't the end, as she missed another crucial detail... The Lylas on the ground had teleported himself up to the knife suspended in mid-air. During those prior moments, and while Kataline fell to the ground, Lylas kicked off the side of the tree. He nabbed the knife in the air and back-flipped off the bark. The intense bright blue glow of the knife only increased exponentially as he took hold of it. Falling to the ground and positioning himself to fall on top of Kataline, Lylas gripped the knife handle with both of his hands and plunged the blade downwards towards his opponent!...
Despite her current state, Kataline needed to move now. She mustered up the will and stamina to roll off to the side just enough to be out of the trajectory of Lylas's attack. Lylas came crashing to the ground, his knife being plunged into the dirt instead of his adversary. The other Lylas joined the one on the ground. Both of them immediately hopped back and away from the knife in the ground. Seeing that, Kataline also copied their idea as she needed some separation anyways. But she hadn't covered nearly as much ground as both Lylas'...
Without any warning, an ear-piercing crackle of thunder was accompanied by a bolt of blue and yellow striking down from the heavens themselves onto the handle of the knife. The force of nature shook the ground and released a blast in a small area around the epicenter. Kataline was just close enough to be blown away by the inclement weather. She was sent tumbling backwards several meters away from the clearing, happening to land on the outskirts of the open area. Several more loud booms reverberated through the area along with flashes of light and smoke. In the distance, ever-climbing flames could be witnessed…
However, she had no time to worry about the events unfolding elsewhere. Both Lylas' were charging after her. Kataline worked herself back up to her feet. Each Lylas took a different side once more as they closed in on her. Kataline drew more needles again as close-combat was inevitable. Without missing a beat, even with the first droplets of water finally crashing against the ground, the three engaged in their clash.
The Lylas on the left came in with a downward knife swipe aimed towards the back of her knee. Meanwhile, the right-Lylas charged in with a stab aimed at her neck. Kataline took a decisive step towards the left one and batted his arm down with her own. She then vaulted and spun over that side of his body to avoid the right-Lylas's attack. However, as she tried to go even further around him, the Lylas she just vaulted over used his free hand to pull down her hood and try to yank on it.
Before he was able to even force her backwards, Kataline used the newfound rain to her advantage. Several raindrops all froze mid-air and formed into one bubble of water. Then it thinned out into a slice of water. The instant Lylas tried to yank Kataline backwards, the pressurized water severed the hood from her cloak and freed her from his grasp. Realizing the immediate danger of fighting a Water Element user in the rain, Lylas leapt backwards and out of the way. However, the other one was not so lucky as Kataline's raindrop weapon flourished through the air and sliced his head off.
That Lylas fizzled out, and before anything could be done, Kataline had a swirling pool of shadows rip apart the blue anchor left behind. Alongside that, she then whipped around and launched a singular needle towards the tree that Lylas had first appeared at, lodging the thin pointy object in the bark...
"Oh?... The rain... She can probably sense where I am because of it..."
Seemingly appearing from nowhere, Lylas hopped out from the tree and landed on the ground next to his last clone. Both himself and his doppelganger kept their eyes trained on Kataline...
"The storm started too soon... Of course, it's my fault... Refitting the Refraction move to store and build up power inside of metallic materials was to make up for my lack of raw power. If I hadn't missed... This would'a been over already." Lylas lamented his assault falling just short. The stored power within his knife from Refraction was more than enough to do Kataline in, based off of the overwhelming bolt of lightning called down from the sky. He knew that would accelerate the storm into starting, but he hadn't figured Kataline for a Water Element user until it was too late in the stages of his plan. In fact, he knew now that she used both Dark and Water Elements...
"He must have had no idea I used Water until I spat. He stirred up the storm unwittingly... He probably also thought he could use it to his advantage by using Chain Lightning or something else." Kataline felt the cold raindrops stain her robes and hair. In weather like this, she knew she had a distinct advantage.
"This ain't good..." Lylas's hair became matted and dripped as the rain continued to pour. The clone inched closer to him and nudged him from behind. A plan started to form in mind as Lylas took hold of the object his look-alike handed him behind his back. "As much as I'd like to use the Chain Lightning technique, I've already burned through a lot of Mana with the anchors and clones... But that might be the only way for me to win..."
"What a cocky kid... Thinking he can outpace me... These are the perfect conditions for me! He's done for!" Kataline's gaze turned fierce as her expression gave way to a smug disposition.
Lylas was about to make his move... But found himself unable to lift his feet from the ground. Both he and his clone were seemingly rooted in place. Glancing down, Lylas realized there was a strange black sludge on the ground that had his feet caught and bound to the ground. It was as if he were stuck in a mud puddle, but the puddle refused to give way and kept pulling him back.
Kataline's casting motif originates and resonates within her own Inherent Ability. Her body naturally blends her Water and Dark Element to create a highly venomous and resilient toxin. This toxin has no known cure, and can overcome antidotes of any kind, adapting around anti-venom agents. The toxin can be excreted directly from her skin or saliva... And can even be placed upon her artificed weapons instantly. The only way for the toxin to be eliminated is by extreme heat or cold, or for it to be willingly dispersed by Kataline. The toxin takes a sludge-like viscosity.
With that said, Kataline can manipulate shadows and water under her control to take that viscous property by blending one with the other.
Kataline was enthused, using the cover of the rain and dark night to hide the movements of her shadow. It was simple for her to place it under Lylas's feet in order to halt any future movement by turning it into sludge. Then came the real assault. Kataline held out her arms, her palms open and facing towards Lylas. An army of raindrops all froze in mid-air around her. Kataline's emerald eyes glowed with a vicious intent between strands of her soaking wet bangs. She flicked her wrists, being her hands inwards towards Lylas's position.
Every raindrop within that area reshaped into pointed needles and angled themselves towards Lylas. Then... The torrent was unleashed. The projectiles themselves were almost two small to see. In fact, Lylas had barely been able to make out what exactly Kataline had been doing. The only indication, which finally clued him in, was the piercing sensation of a million cuts etching themselves into his skin. His vest and light armor were being ripped to shreds by a thousand cuts and needles.
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Throughout the sudden onslaught of discomfort and pain, Lylas managed to grab two knives. One, he threw directly at Kataline which was promptly and easily knocked down. The other stopped only a few feet in front of him and shined a blue light. Suddenly, a solid blue wall appeared in front of him. The electric wall zapped and fried every single raindrop directed at him. His clone was not so lucky however. The clone had been completely ripped to shreds and the anchor residing within him was destroyed.
Arclight: An Artifice Lightning technique made for the sole purpose of solidifying electricity used by Lightning users. Some Elements have different strengths and weaknesses with Magic Types. Lightning cannot naturally be solidified without precise control unlike most other Elements. So, Arclight was a technique made as a basis for Lightning Element users who wished to master Artifice Magic.
Lylas attempted to free himself, but to no avail. Kataline's assault of raindrops continued on its own as she desired to press her advantage. She hit her full stride, rounding about the left side of Lylas to get around his Arclight wall. As Lylas tried to free himself, he made his real intent unknown... With a bit of sleight of hand, he was charging up and prepping a Refraction on the backside of his arm, out of Kataline's view. It was a facade to draw her out to him so that this technique wouldn't miss. After all, Lylas knew that if her intent was to go around the wall to throw needles at him, there was an angle/arc of where she was going to move to. He had her movement pinned down...!
Kataline stomped her foot down onto the slick, muddy ground, sliding out to the side and finally moving to have a perfect angle on Lylas. With a simple motion, she slid the needles down to her fingers... Lylas rotated the underside of his arm to face the sky as he pulled back the bolt like a slingshot, standing to his full height... And with that, Kataline threw her needles...!
Lylas, predicting her moves up to this point, changed his position by teleporting to the knife Kataline had just deflected to the ground. The angle was just right. Kataline was still in view and not blocked by his own Arclight wall. Lylas readjusted his aim and-...
"Gotcha."
The bolt sliced through the sky, it's full speed and weight unleashed with Lylas's grip relinquished from the backside of it like a bow. The Refraction... It traveled straight up into the sky. Blood trickled down the side of his neck and was apparent through the torn up openings of his gloves. The origin of the oozing blood... Thin, metallic needles lodged in both hands and his neck. One in each... The Refraction bolt reached the clouds in mere moments, the only indication of it passing the heavens being a retaliatory strike of lightning nearby that lit up the entire battlefield.
"You must really think I'm some sort of amateur. Using the same tricks over and over again..." Kataline crossed her arms with a wicked grin on her face. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, great pride swelling in herself.
"Damn!... Damn it!..." Lylas felt his body tremble and grow weak. Perhaps it was because he already knew the nature of these needles to some degree, but he had a sensation that seemed to be actively weakening his body. Poison... Lylas fell to his knees as he grabbed at the needle in his neck. Despite the shaking and fidgeting his hands and fingers were doing, he managed to forcefully pull the needle out. Lylas followed that up by pulling out the other two in his hands…
His hands were rapidly losing strength. They trembled and shook as Lylas felt the ability to keep tension in his hands slowly fade away. With that, a strike of pain cutting across his arms and body began to etch itself into his mind. It was akin to a thousand razors slicing across bare flesh all over his body…
He mustered up the strength to crane his neck up, glaring at his opponent. The meager light throughout the storm and the blinding flashes of lightning gave him glimpses of insight into his adversary. The vindictive look of pride and cruelty laden within her face, brought to a fever pitch by the visible bitterness of her expression enhanced by the scar that traveled down just barely past her lips. As she reopened her eyes and looked down at him with pity, Lylas spotted her emerald green eyes. Her eyes exemplified just how pleased with herself she seemed to be, even through the hatred visible in her gaze. In a way, it reminded him of Avures's empty leer but with resentment instead of uncertainty.
"I knew you were going to teleport your way out of the muck the moment I went around your wall. I don't know how exactly you're doing it, but it doesn't matter if I know where you're going." Kataline shrugged, looking off in the distance as another explosion rang out, blowing a fierce wind throughout the forest. The exact direction she needed to go... She held up her hand to Lylas. "That was three needles... So, you have about five minutes left to live. I'd say make your peace... But honestly, for being a nuisance to me, I hope you writhe in agony."
"..."
"Enjoy the suffering!" Kataline gave a final wave to Lylas as she began her journey back to town in order to fulfill her master's wishes... She took off, leaping towards the tree line and breaking off into a sprint...
"... Jeez. Who does she take me for? Five minutes?" Lylas turned his head downwards towards the muddy ground where his knife lay. He grabbed the handle of the knife and used the rain to help him clean off the blade. "I'm basically almost dry on Mana... I could manage some clones, knives, and a Lightning Bolt... But I also still have that up my sleeve..."
Lylas struggled and fought against his body shutting down. Forcing himself to his feet, his vision was wobbly and his balance wavering. Yet, his spirit remained strong. However, the idea that all it could take for that woman to kill was a few needles and poison... It sickened him, knowing that she was heading directly towards Rael. Then who knows who else she might go after. He felt his body actively dying... But he was not dead yet...
"In case I don't make it... Thank ya for pushing me this far, Bro... Without ya, I never would'a been able to do this." Lylas took another knife of his, going through the effort of carving "Bif" into the side of one of his knife's blades... However, after he was done doing so, he shook his head and scoffed. "Who am I kidding?... Five minutes? She gave me waaaay too much time. I can work my way outta this pickle!"
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"I need to decide now if I should knock out the girl first or if I should kill The Sergeant first. Maybe I can get her to help?... Oh, but what if it's somehow Addle fighting her?... Either way, I need to use a Curse to disable her... I really hope it's The Sergeant and not Addle... I think I can at least deal with him." Kataline darted around trees and continued forward towards the epicenters of the previous explosions. Luckily, she ascertained that they weren't fighting in town, but outside of it. Meaning, no one else will interfere... Hopefully...
However, she was not going to be able to peacefully think this one out before moving ahead... As she passed by another tree, moving almost faster than she could perceive, something bright and blue whirred directly passed her. Immediately, she knew that she was going to have trouble once more. With a sluggish and annoyed sigh, she readied needles in her hand once more. Kataline wasn't sure if it was Lylas or someone else... But if she had to kill them... She wasn't going to hesitate.
Though she never would have believed that Lylas somehow made his way back to her. It had only been a minute at best. Most people who were unable to purify the toxins immediately usually succumbed to their body deteriorating. But, sure enough... In a flash, Lylas was standing directly in front of her once more.
"If you wanna spend your final moments flailing around and trying to stop me... Go ahead. It'll be all the more pathetic." Despite her cold and confident demeanor, the truth was that Kataline was thoroughly annoyed to see him again so soon. And alongside that, she was able to see something peculiar... Somehow, he was different. His entire being was glowing, radiating a deep blue energy... It was as if sparks were flaring off of his body and electrical currents were springing about him. "He shouldn't even be able to stand right now... What gives?"
"Final moments... Ya know, I thought about it..." Lylas smirked with unparalleled confidence, cracking his knuckles and neck. He grabbed his knife with both hands, raising it over his head and reaching backwards with it as he fully stretched his arms out. He chuckled, letting his arms fall to his side. "Five minutes left of my life? Five minutes to make peace? No... It's five minutes to kill ya. And frankly, that's just too much time to give me..."
"Is he serious?... I'm a little spent... But he's already dying as is. I can either give the poison that little extra push by fighting him... Or I can try to duck out and avoid him... Then again..." Kataline's eyes twitched as she remembered the prior moments where she had entirely tried to avoid him in the first place. "If I was as good as Meius was at Shadow Pool... Maybe... But-"
Kataline had her thoughts all interrupted as she refocused on Lylas ahead of her. His smug demeanor was in full view as he interlocked his fingers with his palms facing upward. His hand resembled an "x" shape. The aura manifesting around him grew in intensity around his hands.
"Time Release!" Lylas's lips curled into a full beam with his teeth bearing outward. Dim lights scattered across the open sky above them and beneath the sea of leaves. These lights all seemed to resemble a portal-like structure.
"Time Release? Wait. Is that how?..." Kataline narrowed her eyes towards the sky. She knew Lylas had been artificing knives at a rate that easily outpaced her own production of needles. That was, considering the size of the knives versus the needles. At that moment, it clicked. Kataline figured out that Lylas was looping a simple Artifice cast through Time Magic in order to create his weaponry at, what appeared to be, an absurd speed.
But that also meant those "portals" were actually…
A hail of knives burst out from the sky above, sinking into the ground all over the area with around half a foot between all of them. The total number of them was impossible to count within the moment. Kataline threw a shadow up to block the raining knives from hitting her, those that were on course to stab her thrown to the side instead. But seeing the field of weaponry all around her, Kataline realized the true intent of doing this…
Lylas exploded into action, hitting his full stride within a few steps as he sprinted towards Kataline.
"Shit! I need to get out of the area!" Kataline swiveled her head, picking out the shortest route away from the field of knives. This neck of the woods was less open unlike where they had just scuffled beforehand. She needed to use the crowded terrain to her advantage.
But before she was able to even take more than a few steps, Lylas was practically on top of her. Kataline weaved raindrops into a pressurized stream of water, whipping it at the boy. But Lylas made no attempts to avoid the attack. The slash cascaded down towards his neck... But a small plate of Arclight intercepted the slash and nullified the water entirely. Lylas came in with a haymaker of a swing, bringing in all the speed he had and converting it to sheer force.
Kataline slipped out to her right, priming to stab at the side of Lylas with her needles... But then Lylas disappeared and immediately reappeared with an upward swipe. Kataline felt her wrist get knocked upwards as she lost her grip on her weapons from the sudden counter. However, her shadow was behind Lylas and ready to stab him. But again, he was suddenly behind her now as he planted his hands on the ground and swept at her legs. Kataline hopped backwards and out of the way... But Lylas was already back there to greet her as he unleashed a left hook at the side of her face.
She managed to raise her arm just in time to mitigate the hit, but then was struck from the other side of her face before she was able to even react. Then it was a side-kick from the front hitting her directly in the chest. She grunted as she stumbled backwards, only to be hit by an elbow jab directly in her back. And again, Lylas spun around and hit her straight across the cheek with a back-handed fist.
"How is this happening?! How is he doing this?!" Kataline was starting to lose herself among the pain Lylas was dishing out to her. The attacks that were landing were filled with nothing but sheer violence, aiming to break Kataline in every way possible. She spat out blood and became dazed. She felt herself losing balance and dizzying. "He should be dying!"
Lylas teleported once more directly in front of Kataline. His arm was locked back, ready to unleash a hellish right hook... His face was filled with no current emotion, just pure concentration as the aura around his body burned brighter... Through her unfocused vision, with the thoughts of impending death... She witnessed an energy swirl around Lylas's aura... Flow.
Powercore: A Shade designed by Lylas at the advent of hearing Bif brag about his own Shade a few weeks ago. Powercore allows Lylas to utilize a limited supply of Mana an unlimited amount of times. This is done by sacrificing a set amount of Mana from his total Mana Pool. In turn, Lylas can utilize anywhere up to that much Mana without it draining from his Mana Pool. If he were to output more than he sacrificed, it would drain from the sacrificed amount. And, if that amount couldn't be replenished naturally from his pool for his Shade, it would deactivate this ability. The amount of Mana sacrificed for this also determines how long it can keep going.
For example, if Lylas sacrificed 25% of his Mana Pool... He would be able to use anywhere up to 25% of his Mana for any and all casting repeatedly without actually expending any of it. He would be able to keep this up for roughly four to five minutes... Which is where he finds himself now.
When that time limit is up, all Mana is exhausted and burned away within him...
Lylas benefitted from this in a few key ways. Firstly, his method of teleporting was relatively cheap Mana-wise. This allowed him to reposition himself with ease, making it nearly impossible to track his movements. Secondly, it allowed him to utilize the basic level of Enchantment Magic and Protection Magic in order to bolster his body’s physical abilities indefinitely without any drain. His speed, force, and durability were all noticeably improved by this. However, the key part of that was the effect this had on Kataline’s poison. It was unable to nullify or purge it from his body… But it slowed the flow of her venom, granting him more precious time. Not only that, it protected him from the insufferable aching and torment he would have been experiencing as it ravaged his body. In short, he was still dying, but he was free of the debilitating pain with a little extra time on his hands as well.
"I'm going to lose... I'm going to die...-No!" Kataline gained a moment of clarity in what appeared to be her death knell.
Lylas let loose his reared back arm into a roaring punch... But Kataline caught his fist with her hand. Refusing to let him pull away, Kataline clenched down harder onto his hand. Lylas, needing to free himself, pulled back and unleashed another punch with his free arm... Only to be blocked and grabbed by Kataline's other hand. A standstill ensued where both sides tried desperately to enforce their will on the other. Kataline applied as much pressure and power as she could, hoping to break his hands. Meanwhile, Lylas continuously attempted to pull away.
In truth, all Kataline needed to do was hold on long enough for Lylas's body to give out to the poison... Though, what she hadn't known, was that a portion of Lylas's Mana expenditure from Powercore was used for keeping the poison from freely destroying his body by slowing it down. That aside, she also felt a great desire to try and punish him further. Kataline gathered the saliva in her mouth, preparing her attack from moments ago as Lylas had nowhere to go. As he pulled away, she did the same in pulling him closer…
Then, in a sudden, decisive move... Lylas quit fighting Kataline's attempt to reel him in. He shifted his body in, leveraged her pulling force by putting their hands behind his back, and brought his knees in. Using sheer strength, will, and dexterity... Lylas tilted backwards so that their grip was the only thing holding him up, and bucked his legs out straight ahead with the heels of his boots smashing into the bottom side of Kataline's jaw.
Kataline's grip faltered, letting go of Lylas's fists as she stumbled backwards with intense and overwhelming throbbing overriding her motor skills and sense of consciousness. Lylas tumbled backwards back up to his feet after his back hit the ground. Kataline was in too much agony to even recognize what had happened.
Seizing the opportunity to finish this, Lylas pulled three knives out from the ground and flipped them into the air. Without wasting another moment, he ran over to Kataline and pushed her. The moment he touched her... She appeared in the air with the other two knives around her. Kataline was completely disoriented, too beaten up to stop what was happening. The two knives in the air gave way to two Lylas'.
One of them threw one of the knives up further while the other gave a swift upward kick to Kataline, sending her up further. Lylas on the ground caught the falling knife and threw it back up in the air under Kataline. The knife to the side was thrown up once more, and the one under her teleported another Lylas who delivered an uppercut to her gut.
A third Lylas joined the fray, allowing two of them to grab her robes and toss her up further in sync while the other one rebounded the knives higher.
Then it was two elbows to the stomach. Two kicks to the neck. Two of them exchanged a high five under her before pushing her up further. And finally, two upward punches to her collarbone.
Kataline somehow managed to stay awake and conscious throughout it all, even recovering from the earlier buck kick to her jaw. But she found herself still unable to retaliate against the onslaught. She thought it was over as the upward momentum finally died out... But then she saw something that she knew cemented her fate.
A slowly descending knife with a piece of cloth fabric acting as a makeshift parachute for it... Her hood…
Lylas appeared one final time right above her. With a forward flip, and a downward kick... Kataline was struck directly in the center of her back and sent crashing to the ground.
With a final solid thud, Kataline made landfall in the grass and mud face first...
As she lay flat on the ground, seemingly unresponsive... All four Lylas' gathered around in a circle and exchanged high fives and chest bumps in celebratory fashion. But soon after, they all fizzled out and left only one Lylas remaining.
The storm continued to rage on. The trees continued to shake, and the leaves danced in the wind. Another strike of lightning touched down nearby, calling out into the sky with the roar of its thunder. Lylas lifted his head towards the sky, letting the barrage of raindrops act as a cold, sobering agent to the adrenaline he reveled in. He felt the poison still crawling under his skin. He knew he was going to die...
"All that... For nothing..." A weak and bitter voice cried out in the winds a few feet away from Lylas. He turned his head to face the origin. Kataline's arms wobbled and wavered as she lifted her dirt and grime covered face from the mud. She managed to force herself onto her knees, then taking her hand and cleaning it on her robes before wiping off her face. Though the intense rain was also helping in that regard.
"For nothing?" Lylas's voice held no emotion. His expression matched his tone. He didn't bother fully turning to face her. There were many questions he wanted answers to, but knew that there wasn't any time for them... Nor that he thought she would oblige. But then again, it was humorous to him that she talked as if he was the only one who was going to die... Lylas smiled. "I wouldn't say that. Ya won't ever be trying to hurt Rael or Avures ever again..."
"That poison... It should be feeling pretty good right about now! Huh?!" Kataline felt a mix of absolute joy and indignation... It was terribly annoying for Kataline to have to even deal with such an obstacle on her path to her ideal future... "The delusions must be setting in for you!"
"Well... Celebrate while ya can I guess... I'll make sure my double impact goes off before the poison takes me. A draw is fine with me." Lylas closed his eyes and shrugged. The finite time on his Powercore was drawing to a close. And it was undeniable that, soon enough, he’d be reeling from the agony of her poison once more before his demise.
"A-... A draw?"
"My innate ability stores the impact of any attack that hits and lets me repeat it directly on the target without touching them... There ain't a real time limit on it either. Think about it... Every single time I got ya... Punches, kicks, magic..." Lylas beamed, his attitude and demeanor of being happy and carefree shining through the exhaustion and sickness on his face... "I'm gonna suffer and die from the poison... But you? Oh-Ho... Ya are really gonna be hurting... Ya know... If ya live..."
"... W-... What?" Kataline's entire core and being shook with dread and fear. Her eyes went wide as her body trembled. The sensation of a lump in her throat overwhelmed her ability to speak clearly... She mustered up the courage to speak... "You-!... You're bluffing! You want me to cancel out the poison!... It's not gonna work! You're dead! Dead!"
"Am I bluffing?..." Lylas held his right hand up towards Kataline. His thumb and middle finger touched, ready to snap. Despite the smile still appearing on his face, his demeanor started to take a downward turn... "I'm sorry, guys... I guess this is it... But I suppose there's no other way I'd rather go out than making sure you all won't have to deal with someone who wants to kill you... In that way, I can justify it for myself... As selfish as that is."
"You-! You're gonna be dead! Forever! But me?!" Kataline pointed both her arms at herself. The rate of her breathing rose higher as her heart-rate reached a fever-pitch. Her eyes twitched as she shook her head and tilted it downwards in a fit of vexation. "Death has no consequences for me! I'll be back eventually! This is all for nothing! Just like I said!"
"If it means nothing to ya... Then just take it like a champ... How about it?" Lylas raised his hand higher and higher as he increased the tension of his thumb and middle finger... "See ya soon, grandpa Cynthis..."
"I-! You-!... Wait! Wait!" Kataline put her hands up and waved them at Lylas as her confident act gave way to her unwillingness to die. Her eyes told Lylas everything... "I'll cancel the poison! I'll dispel it!... But you have to do the same!"
"Hm?..." Lylas lowered his hand slightly... He had already made his mind up with him willing to kill her as he died... But this changed things. As he weighed the good versus the bad... Lylas admittedly didn't wish to die, but felt as if he might regret letting her live more-so than just leaving his friends behind... Even so... "Then show me. Do it. Cancel the poison."
"E-... Okay!..." Kataline took control of some of the raindrops, forming an orb in between her hands made from water. Within moments... Lylas felt an odd sensation equivalent to his skin crawling... And then, it came out. Small liquid strands that had a sort of deep green-black color which instantly went into the water orb Kataline held. Then she released control, allowing it to splash all over the ground. "There!"
"Oh wow... I do feel a lot better!... Fair is fair, I suppose." Lylas began to waltz over to Kataline. In the process, he almost tripped over one of his own knives... He was running low on time and fuel... In a fit of what appeared to be spite, Lylas threw the knife he almost tripped on far away in the opposite direction of town. As he got in range, he put his hand on her forehead... "Done."
"..."
Lylas backed away from Kataline, keeping a close eye on her as he pulled his hand away and separated. However, despite what he honestly thought and had mentally prepared for... She didn't budge an inch... She merely had her head bowed. But his opinion would change further as he noticed something he wasn't quite prepared for.
She had hot-pink hair... But with everything that had happened and was going on... That color began to give way to a deep, midnight black color amidst the barrage of rain... As if she knew she was still being watched, Kataline lifted her head with a gaze filled with resentment. The pain within her green eyes... It confused Lylas.
"Avura?...That sounds like-"
"Like it would be someone related to Avures? Yeah, because it is... Or was..."
"I played dumb and asked her if she was his sister. She said yes... Right to my face... As if I didn't know that Avures's real sister is dead."
"With the pink leaving her hair... She looks uncannily similar to Avures... Is she actually this "Avura"?... Or maybe something else?..." Lylas furrowed his brow and frowned at her. A long silence stood between the two of them as neither broke their glare from the other... "Who are you?"
"... I'm a faceless ghost." The words left her lips with a weakened tone. The utter defeat created a cage of personal torment for her.
"... Ah…" Lylas wasn't sure if he pitied her or felt that her new attitude was deserved. A lot had happened in the last few minutes.
"Your friends are going to die. You know that, right?" The coldness of her discontent, the sheer malice of that sentence she unleashed had surprised Lylas. Even when he made the active decision to spare her, Kataline's hatred spilled forth.
"Vindictive much?" Lylas raised an eyebrow and smiled. He wasn't sure if he felt amused by the cartoonish antagonism or if that feeling was something closer to regret in letting her live. But if she were dead, so was he. He knew he'd have to live with that decision. Even with his newfound lease on life, with how it almost abruptly ended, it was a mix of thankfulness and dread. This made him feel less guilty about the actions he had just taken…
"Those three... Addle, Korkolo, and the masked guy... You all should have left while you had the chance. Those three are gonna massacre them." Amid her defeat, lacking any shame, Kataline's lips curled into a small grin.
"We'll see. I have a lot of faith in them..." Lylas sighed, witnessing a low that he thought was too outlandish to be performed. Resting his hands in his jacket pockets, Lylas rolled his eyes and waved back towards her as he walked away. "What I didn't have faith in... Was ya being honest in any sorta way..."
“Oh? Is that right?" Kataline shifted her arm behind her back while Lylas looked away. Not just one, or two, or three needles... But an entire bundle of them slid down into her hands. She had no care, no caution for how this could turn out. She had suffered enough of a spurning...
"Mhm. That's why ya are gonna be about several hundred yards that-a-way in a second." Lylas pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, not bothering to look around.
And, before she was able to even ask or say anything else... Before she was able to launch her underhanded attack... Kataline found herself staring at a completely different scene. It wasn't the previous place she had been chased to nor the initial battleground. In fact, with another explosion ringing out, she placed herself as being nearly two or three miles away...
"A nifty and useful trick for sure..." Lylas took a deep breath and let go... He pulled his right hand out and formed it into a fist. He was hardly able to feel any tension or tightness as his hand easily unfolded out. He was unable to hold his hand still as it trembled. "Powercore is used up... Which means I ain't gonna be helpful wherever I show up at. Still, I need to get to 'em all… There’s gotta be something I can do…"