by Andre Pisco
In the distance, three students ran towards them. They looked back as they approached the group. They were panting and had a layer of dust on their faces. Two of them carried the other. He had his arms around their necks and a broken leg, that he dragged across the floor. He was screaming from the top of his lungs at his friends to leave him and escape while they could. From where they stood it was hard to see the features of each one's face, but his despair sucked their courage. The only sound on that floor was the compulsive crying allied to the boy's uncontrollable ardor. His voice trembled and he paused to pull the snot up. The blood stayed behind, staining the hallway as if it were a snakeskin. The walls now contained the remembrance of the anguish of someone who begged for their end in return for the salvation of their friends, while courage was used as adrenaline in an intrusive attempt to resist the pressure of the wounds on his body.
"We have to help them quickly," Alec said, breaking the formation, "Neil, come with me and help me carry the one that’s most injured."
"Me?" Neil questioned, hesitating to accompany him.
"Yes. Now. There is no time to waste. I don’t know what they're afraid of, but it may be getting closer. Quick,” he said, grabbing Neil's arm and pulling him hard enough for him to stand beside him, "Lucy, protect them. We’ll come back quickly.”
She nodded and stepped back, approaching Max and James, who bit his lower lip and spat on the floor. His arm was not yet functional enough to venture into unknown dangers.
Alec and Neil ran to the boys. Alec arrived first and replaced one of the boys who was carrying his friend. Neil arrived seconds later and shifted with the other. The wounded had HP at 30 and it kept lowering. The flame in his eyes was gradually fading and his eyes were turning.
"We’ll deal with this. Run up to where that pink-haired girl is," Alec said, breathing in and putting his hand on the injured boy's hip. Neil, who had smaller arms, was content to put his hand a little below the armpit. Now that they were close, they could see that the boy had blood also running down his face, covering his eyes and blending with the red of his thick lips. Black hair tips had become red. A sea of blood that stained everything in the way, including his light blue shirt and dark skin tone.
Small blasts came from the floor below, as did a hell of voices that grew over time. Neil used the arm cuff he had loosened to cover his nose. The scent of fresh blood made him sick enough to cause the vomit to rise into his throat. As soon as they got close to their colleagues and were able to land the wounded boy, leaning against the wall and giving priority to Max to approach, Neil moved a few meters in the opposite direction and expelled the contents of his stomach. His lips turned to a roasted yellow color, with a few pieces of flesh lodged between his teeth and on the surface of his labial skin and chin.
"The academy is in danger. We were attacked." One of the boys said, still breathing uncontrollably and sweat mingling with the brownish color of the dust. A strong push and he would have fallen easily.
"What happened? How did he get hurt?" Asked Alec, at the same time he asked Lucy to help him put a splint under the boy's leg.
"We were at the door of building one. We had just run from the rain when we were hit by an explosion and thrown across the floor.” He replied, looking down. He punched the floor without feeling pain.” I remember waking up shortly afterward and director Loras and some of the teachers were surrounded by hooded people. When I looked to the side, I saw John hurt. He had a stone on his leg and was unconscious. Shit. I should have protected him. We were there because I had fallen asleep. It’s my fault!"
"It's not your fault. There was nothing you could do. Whoever they are they knew exactly what to do." Alec told him, trying to comfort him.
Max used what was left of his energy to draw some pain from John. Lucy created a wooden plaque for Alec to use as a splint. John still couldn’t get up, but at least the screams and the pain had calmed down. He would survive. His friends hugged everyone except for James who refused. Tears of joy ran down their cheeks. They smiled at John, telling him that they were safe and that in a short time they would go back to crazy things and that they still had many adventures to live. For a moment, hope danced in the air. There was the impression that the shock had been greater than the danger, that everything would quickly be resolved and the teachers would appear at the end of the hall. Wounded, but safe. However, the moment never arrived.
"We are wasting time here. Let's go help the teachers." James shouted, walking alone. He was still weak and his sore shoulder slowed him down.
"If they are not strong enough, what makes you think we will be? We’ll just be a nuisance," Max replied. He was tired and powerless.
"I don’t care. I have to do something. I can do it." James shouted and started to run towards the stairs without looking back.
"Your cousin is a handful of problems," Neil stated after wiping away the leftover food on his face and shirt.
"We have to go after him. He'll end up hurting himself unnecessarily." Alec said, "Let's keep the same positions as before."
They told the boys to get out of the corridors and hide in their rooms. The mask of fear had taken possession of their faces once more. They refused. They wanted to stay there. They grabbed the sleeves of Alec's shirt and begged him not to leave them behind.
"We have to go. Everything will work out. You can do it.” He answered them. He looked back and noticed that James was gone. “There is no time to lose. Let's go."
They put themselves in position and advanced at a rapid pace. They had no problem getting into the second-floor hall. When they arrived they were suddenly taken aback by the apocalyptic landscape that ruined their courage. The dream of saving students and teachers had become an unattainable myth. Dozens of students were lying on the floor, their faces covered with blood. Some had superficial wounds, while others had wounds that left muscle and bone exposed. The desperate cries increased with each step, cries of pain and suffering overwhelmed the group. There was also a few who endeavored to keep the pain within.
They watched some healers trying to save their friends, while other students closed friend’s eyes forever. The sight was hard and raw without preponderance about the effect it would have on each person. Alec was gaping, stunned and perplexed by the bloodbath in front of him. They were students like him. Some he recognized from corridors and other new faces, some unable to be identified. The air smelled of putrid blood.
James was a few feet ahead of them. He was on his knees, his hands on a dead body. The fog of dust disturbed the vision, making the visibility in the distance blurred. They walked carefully, looking everywhere, fearing that they too would be put to the test. As they approached, it became easy to identify the body. His long beard, with red threads between white swirls, and small stature left no doubt. It was Professor Lynx. His eyes were half open, but life had abandoned him, his HP at zero.
"He's dead," James said darkly, looking back. His eyes were watery, and his teeth creaked while his clenched fists clung to the teacher's brown robes.
"Are you sure?" Alec said, moving closer, holding his wrist to make sure his heart was not beating.
"I am. Can’t you see his HP? You are capable of that, right? "James said, serious, spitting angry words.
The voice with which he spoke demonstrated the seriousness of the event. He had put aside the need to be number one, to be superior to others, and accepted that it was no time for irresponsible discussions and attitudes. A sense of inertia overwhelmed them. They didn’t know what to do. The situation had proved far more dangerous than they could ever have imagined.
"And now? Isn’t it better to go back?" Neil asked, struggling not to look at the teacher's body. He turned his face away and closed his eyes, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the rest of the bodies on the floor.
"We cannot stop now. If there is anything we can do to help, we must do it. What good is training if we cannot test it when necessary?" James said.
"I can’t believe I'm go
ing to say this, but I agree with him," Alec added, and got up. He helped James to his feet, pulling him by the healthy shoulder, "If we go together we’ll have a better chance."
"I’m not sure if I should go. I have not regained my energy yet," Max said. His legs were shaking and he was constantly adjusting his glasses.
"Damn it. We need a healer," Alec said.
From where they were, it was possible to hear the fight on the first floor. The sounds of bodies clashing, energy being invoked, and walls crashing. There was no quietness and they couldn’t calm down or waste time thinking about a better plan.
"Wait," said Lucy, walking out from behind them and going from group to group, exchanging words with the students who appeared to be in a more present state under the circumstances.
Some looked like total zombies. Faces pale as the color of white walls, and eyes flushed as if someone had pressed a button that erased the vivacity in them. It took Lucy little more than a few minutes. When she came back she brought six jars; 4 of energy, 2 of life. She also told them that whoever the enemies were they had reached the top of the stairs, but the teachers had sent them back to where they come from.
Max drank one of energy and felt energized again, able to carry the world on his frenzied shoulders. The green of his eyes was seen as a hopeful color, a sign that the tidal winds were about to change. They contented themselves with small gestures. They clung to them, for that was all that was left, and it also boosted the amount of effort they were willing to give away for the academy and for themselves.
They left behind debris and students with thoughts from which they couldn’t free themselves, images that would haunt them forever. They walked forward as adventurers whose courage would be exalted should anything happen to them. They paused every two steps, constantly making sure that they were all present and that there was no one following them nor any signs of danger around. There was blood on each step of the staircase, dripping down from the top and pooling at the bottom.
In the huge foyer of the first floor, an epic struggle took place. It was impossible to see half of what was happening. There were dozens of people, moving too fast to keep track of. There were all sorts of different energies flashing about and swords battering against armor, spears, and axes, sparks escaping all around. The bodies stretched out on the floor were ignored. In the little that was possible to observe and to decipher, from that distance, a warrior tried to attack a wizard that used its water’s energy to try to keep him away, creating a dragon that walked around him.
A few feet away Professor Tom took two heads, bumping them harshly into each other. There was an open wound on his forehead, and the blood disturbed his vision. There were dozens of hooded people, men, and women, against only a dozen teachers.
"Lucy, it's time for you to shine. Create a defensive barrier. Let's get close enough to help without putting our lives at risk." Alec said, causing James to nod, agreeing with him.
The ceiling crystals were scattered across the floor. They stepped in places where there were no windows, avoiding making noise so as not to call attention. They were all so focused on the fight that they didn’t even see them approaching. Director Loras was in the center, surrounded by several men with the triple of any student's body, and who attacked him with everything they had. His spirit animal, the Phoenix, protected him, using one of his wings as a barrier. Most of the hooded had an attack of 200, defense of 100, agility of 170 and 70 of wisdom. However, their attacks appeared to have no effect on the Phoenix’s etheric body.
"Look there. Isn’t that Lucian?" Neil said, pointing to a corner of the room.
Two men who made him look like a child and a woman who played with her black curly hair crept toward Lucian. The woman was ordering the men to pick him up, as they surrounded Lucian, who's wolf struggled to push them away. Their power was superior and they used the small knives they had in their hands to wound the animal with long, deep cuts. The wolf roared in agony. Lucian created several ice barriers but the woman burned them easily. His sword was on the ground, yards away from him, split in two. From the way she commanded the two men to attack him she was definitely one of the chiefs, respected and feared by her subordinates. She laughed foolishly, throwing her head back and showing her rotten teeth. Her eyes shone before Lucian's face of despair.
???
Class: Wizard
Specialization: Fire/Darkness
HP: 560/560
Attack: 350 + 70
Defense: 280 + 40
Agility: 130
Wisdom: 240
Items:
Burnt robe: +40 defense
Ring bathed in Hell’s fire: +70 attack
"We have to help him," Alec said, clenching his fist, "They ... they're hurting him for fun," he said, his voice shaking.
"How? They are stronger than we are. Look at how easily she burns the barrier every time he tries to defend himself.” Neil said, his eyes dropping from the dusty fog that had risen after Loras’ Phoenix had used its tail to shoot 3 of the men to the ground.
Alec didn’t want to admit it, but Neil was right. They wouldn’t last a minute against the two men, who smiled as they wounded the beast and the woman who was now holding her purple-colored dress to her knees, removing the thin layer of earth she had gained.
They felt useless, surrounded by friends and colleagues they had no idea how to help. Alec's eyes roamed the different epicenters that had been created. They were looking for a place, a person, that they could help.
"I'm tired of waiting," James said, starting to run toward where Lucian was. Lucy's long hair fluttered as he moved past her, his right wrist glistening.
"Shit. He doesn’t learn.” Max let out, blurting a screwball for the first time.
"He will call attention to us. We better get going quickly. We'll have more chances together." Alec said, touching Lucy's bare shoulder and begging for a barrier ahead of Lucian, "Try to hold on long enough until we get there."
James took advantage of the fact that the two men were distracted and hit one of them on his left arm with his punch, immobilizing him for 10 seconds, enough to give Lucy time to summon a defense.
"I kept this new trick for you, Alec. You're lucky to see it firsthand," James said, smiling proudly.
A wall of logs positioned itself along a path from Lucy to Lucian, while the wolf and James were separating Lucian and the hooded. The woman licked her lower lip and bit it until blood ran down her chin. The color of the blood was similar to the fireball that grew in the palm of her hand - red, full of vivacity, and with orange flares around. The man who had been attacked had his eyes fill with rage, his veins almost leaping out of his neck and his nose looking like a pig’s. A drop of blood fell on the flame, increasing it in size, the pain she caused to herself increasing her attack power. They had never seen anything like that before, but they couldn’t deny what was happening as her attack rose from 420 to 550 in mere seconds.
"Fast. We don’t have much time.” Alec shouted to Lucian and James, “Come this way”
The wolf returned to Lucian’s body, then he and James ran to join their colleagues. Alec looked around - Professor Tom had one knee on the floor and his shirt was torn, with blood running down the cuts. Another teacher, unknown to him, was trapped inside a block of ice. She seemed to be begging for help for the way her mouth moved, but the sound was lost in the icy walls of the cube. Her hope vanished completely, the end was near and it was possible to feel it.
The victorious sound of the hooded men began to dim the battle’s noises. They wielded their weapons and fists and sang a song that Alec didn’t know. Lucian and James were within a few feet of them when the woman’s fireball crushed Lucy's barrier. The flames spread through the trunks, diffused by the brownish-blonde marks that resembled small scratches. Only when all the traits had gained an orange color did it take effect. She burned the logs with absolute ease, leaving them helpless. There was no explosion, the charred trunks simply disappeared into the air, u
nable to withstand the brute strength of the woman.
"Pick up the boy and the girl. What you do with the rest is up to you,” she said to the two men, who grinned wickedly, their eyes and mouths asking for blood.
They juggled their knives as they approached. One of them had James in sight, his eyes fixed on him as if he had marked his prey and refused to let him escape. They both had 200 attack while the rest of their stats were under 150. They were trained mercenaries to serve as cannon fodder until they were no longer useful.
"Shit, shit. What do we do?" James asked. You could sense the fear on his shaky voice and on his trembling knees.
"We fight. I don’t think they’ll give up even if we run away." Alec said, and looked at Lucian, "Can you fight?"
"I'm almost out of strength, but I can go for one last try” He replied, taking a step forward and putting himself in the lead.
"What are you doing?" Alec asked.
"You heard her. They want me alive so they won’t risk killing me. Stay behind me and launch attacks from there."
There was no other way. They were confined to that plan. They knew they wouldn’t last long, much less seeing that the hooded men were within minutes of being victorious. Still, no one thought of running away. There was courage in everyone's face, even if it was a facade for the fear that consumed them from the inside. Neil's legs were shaking. Max was compulsively adjusting his glasses. Lucy curled her hair aggressively, ruining the perfect tips. The remaining three were too focused to worry about anything as trivial as fear.
Alec released an infernum endum. The fire spread through the body of men as if they were to be burned at the stake. They expected to hear agonizing complaints, but the attack was rewarded with even sicker laughter. The fire scorched their faces and undid their clothes. The skin on their lips was raw, and their hair was a gray color. Yet they still had a rotten grin, weapons in their hands, and murderous eyes. Their HP decreased minimally, but the anger increased.
