“Godforsaken fools,” Isbibarra thought. “You had to ruin everything.”
The blind man stood a hundred meters away from the fortress, holding his longbow outward. The boy’s heart had stopped in an instant, as expected. He still felt the pounding of two adjacent heartbeats, but they didn’t concern him now. On this flat shale, his accuracy would be second to none.
Isbibarra reached behind and grabbed another arrow from his quiver. His next shot would be more difficult. He recognized Uten by the continuous murmur between his heartbeats. Determining which one was Appo and which was the girl would be a little more difficult, though. From this distance they were indistinguishable.
“I tried to warn them,” Isbibarra thought. “Did I not give them every possibility to turn back? Did I not tell them over and over again that this is no place for children? Then they had to kill the Krazeek.” There was no way around it now. They would never let him through after what they just did. He needed to get back in their favor.
But he only needed the Healer and the Head.
Isbibarra wiggled his toes into the shale. There were faint heartbeats within the outpost themselves, likely dying Krazeek. The two thumping heartbeats in front of it remained still, each increasing in rhythm.
“If it were only so easy,” Isbibarra said out loud. He walked forward, releasing the tension from his second arrow. He just needed to elicit a reaction. Once the girl approached, he’d kill her. No hesitation, no need to make her suffer.
As Isbibarra approached, he noticed an interference in the thumping of the heartbeats. It was a great energy, with noise obscuring his usual kinetic sight. He felt the static that emanated from the fortress earlier. He thought little of it.
“What the-”
An explosion ricocheted through the shale, hitting Isbibarra and launching him through the air. He crashed to the ground, dropping his bow and hearing his arrows spill out of his quiver. As he came to, he sensed a firm heartbeat getting closer and closer, though the static energy surrounding it made its location difficult to determine.
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“YOU MOTHERFUCKING FUCK!” Tomi yelled. She launched another burst at Isbibarra. As the column swirled towards him, Isbibarra rolled out of the way, missing him but knocking away his longbow.
“Magis,” Isbibarra thought. “I did not think I would find any out here. Especially one this powerful… tough, but manageable.”
“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” Tomi launched another burst of energy, this time coming underneath Isbibarra. While the energy launched Isbibarra into the air, he guided his body through a flip, landing on his feet.
Isbibarra had encountered a few magi in his youth. He had met only one this powerful, though. Their ability to conjure projectile energy frustrated him, as the mere act of using their powers concealed their location.
But Isbibarra had one clear advantage: the girl was unfocused and angry. She'd tire out, eventually. He’d just have to wait.
Isbibarra ran around the static that Tomi formed. There was little reason to hide the full extent of his athletic prowess now. But as he ran, he felt another burst of energy blast behind him. It was just as powerful as the others, if not more so. The static of energy became very close, appearing right behind him.
“DIE YOU BASTARD!”
The circle vanished before reappearing two meters away from Isbibarra. The explosion sent him flying across the ground.
Midair, Isbibarra realized what happened: Tomi just destroyed an entire hill. She was easily the most powerful Magi Isbibarra had ever encountered. If he had known that beforehand, he would’ve had second thoughts about killing her brother first.
As Isbibarra steadied himself, he sensed the circle encroach. It was a seething ball of energy, as if the sun itself came down upon him. He reached, hoping to find his longbow on the ground, not even considering his lack of arrows.
The energy was close now. Isbibarra smelt leper.
“She’s no God,” Isbibarra thought, suddenly finding clarity.
Isbibarra reached into his robe, finding his bonsai dagger. He flung it at the energy. In but a moment, the energy dissipated. Blood trickled onto the ground. He must’ve hit her jugular.
Isbibarra rose to his feet as Tomi fell to hers. Now surrounded by quiet, he felt his longbow not even a few meters away. After a few more seconds of searching, he found his quiver and arrows. He took the time to collect himself, keeping track of the heartbeat as it slowed. Isbibarra paced himself, even finding his bonsai dagger behind her.
Isbibarra then returned to Tomi, who held her hand up against her neck. Blood spilled down her robe and onto the ground, forming a pool around her. There was no energy left, just enough to keep her on her knees. She stayed upright by sheer will alone.
Out of all the people Isbibarra had faced, Tomi was easily the strongest. If she were just slightly older, slightly more refined in her abilities, she would have had a better chance. He placed himself a meter away from her fading heartbeat, nocking his longbow. Such a powerful opponent deserved a quick death.
“No hard feelings,” Isbibarra said as he released his arrow through Tomi’s skull.