Tameri steps away from Charlotte’s body, the violet staining around her neck and torso no longer any of the professor’s concern. Nothing behind her is. She trusts the security of FHA to see to the safety of the students. However, the woman she advances toward is a threat she will never ignore. Liamria’s mentality is a factor that could only be deadlier in Tameri’s mind.
For this fight, I’ll adopt it. I have to kill her today!
Tameri holds her spadroon low as she takes each step slowly. Once she gets within ten yards of Liamria, she starts to walk in a curve to the right. As she desires, Liamria walks in a similar path, putting distance between her and her partner. Tameri doesn’t dare telegraph her intentions by gazing in his direction. If he moves, her colleagues will intervene.
“You really think you can beat me on your own?” Liamria taunts.
“You think that, too,” Tameri counters tonelessly. She keeps her smirk inside when Liamria frowns.
Tameri packs her eyes with the fury and pleasure she felt the day she escaped her childhood compound.
Her doctors’ raw, burned flesh registered as just first degree, only the outside of their bodies on fire. Tameri heated her blade in the flames before using phantom slicing to sear their insides. The satisfaction she felt from their screams was palpable. Once her fun was done, she let the fire have another turn.
She sees the exact moment Liamria notices the energy of her gaze, but instead of expressing fear, the madwoman smiles.
“And I thought I was sadistic. You–”
Tameri springs into action. Her mental attack failed but she knows Liamria’s attacks won’t stop her. Liquefied arms pass right through her. Tameri chases Liamria’s retreat by thrusting her blade forward but groans when Liamria sinks in part of her face to avoid damage. Tameri tries to slice through Liamria but the madwoman parts her body along the spadroon’s trajectory.
Tameri’s next attack is stopped when Liamria grabs the spadroon’s hilt and her shoulder. She lunges forward and slams her head against Tameri’s. The professor doesn’t blink as a narrow stream of blood runs down the center of her face. Right now, she and Liamria are apex predators locked in a stalemate. She knows the first to make a mistake loses.
Her phantom slicing applied to her spadroon keeps her from using Bond of The Blade simultaneously but she can’t harm Liamria without phantom slicing. She can tell Liamria’s discovered she’s physical when attacking but she’s stuck because the moment she releases Tameri, the professor will be too close to predict her movements accurately and she’ll die.
“Too terrified to make a move,” Tameri says, endeavoring to trigger Liamria into erring.
Liamria snorts. “You women all think I’m so easily baited. I killed the last one who tried that, remember?”
Tameri grins, blood filling the crease in the lift of her lip. “Tyra left here alive.”
A vein pops in Liamria’s forehead. “She won’t be for long. Once I leave your bloody corpse behind, I–” Liamria snorts, then looks down at the buzzing spadroon emitting cobalt light. “Ah. I should’ve known. You’re vulnerable to your own weapon. You can’t hurt me without putting your own life at risk.”
Shit!
Liamria digs in her heels to tackle Tameri but a long, dark limb aimed at her head forces the two apart. She creates liquid pads midair to jump off of to increase the space between them further.
Tameri regains her composure as the dark limb recoils over Professor Zathony’s shoulder. The segmented tail extends from the hole in the back of his shirt and is capped by a curved stinger. He steps in front of Tameri.
“You’re not supposed to interfere,” Tameri barks.
“And your weakness was never supposed to be discovered. Plans change,” Zathony counters, then rushes Liamria down.
Tameri stays put to watch for an opening. Zathony throws a punch that Liamria sidesteps but when his scorpion tail chases her, she uses the liquid pads to retreat again. The curved tip on his stinger cracks the ground on impact, dripping a few beads of venom.
“That hornet bitch already poisoned me once! I’m not–”
Liamria’s leg is splashed apart as a large hammer crashes through it from above. Marmagar calls it back to him as he dives toward the madwoman, propelled by large brown wings. Liamria creates spinning liquid saws at her sides, then tosses them his way.
Tameri prepares to strike as Cwen and Lynald join the fight. Cwen generates an eerie green aura around herself that detaches from her person and molds into a spectral jellyfish that she calls Marsh. Marsh flies into the sky and grabs both saws; they evaporate in the clutches of its tentacles.
Lynald commands the resulting steam to cover Marmagar’s dive attack. Liamria’s reflexes are enough to still evade his hammer but Lynald flanks her and lands a punch to her jaw. The unbridled fury in Liamria’s eyes means she isn’t aware that Lynald’s ability is to manipulate gas. He’s found no gas he can’t manipulate, and his control is so fine-tuned that he can remove the oxygen from around where he intends to strike. Without oxygen, Liamria’s liquefication defense is moot.
Tameri grins as she commences her dash to strike Liamria from behind. She disguises her steps with Liamria’s rant.
“No man touches me! I will end–” The madwoman turns, finally cognizant of Tameri’s swift approach. She maladroitly uses her liquid pads to jump away but suffers a cut between her elbow and forearm. She stops beside the courtyard fountain.
Tameri plants her feet and turns sharply in Liamria’s direction, showing off the bloody tip of her spadroon as a premonition. The other professors come to complete her lineup. Zathony’s scorpion tail looms ominously above his head. Marmagar holds his hammer at his waist. Gray gas flows around Lynald’s arms and covers his legs. Marsh’s glow reflects off of Cwen’s glasses. Tameri points the bloody spadroon at Liamria.
“Your death sentence will be swift.”
Liamria glares with steely eyes at the faculty. She disregards her cut and raises both hands. The fountain water starts to churn.
“Easy goes it, Lia,” Victa says as he casually strolls past the professors. He joins her at the fountain and the water calms. “We’ve underestimated these professors long enough. Our highest chance of survival is together.”
Lia smirks fiendishly. “Gonna show ‘em your little trick.”
“But of course.”
Tameri watches carefully as Victa’s body vibrates rapidly. She commits to keeping her eyes solely on him and ends up spinning in a full circle. A bead of sweat rolls down her face.
This may have just become impossible…
A ring of Victas has Tameri and her colleagues surrounded.
Four Hearts Academy 