U-turn

'Thinking about now, I really did what I can to avoid my own life, If the duchesses wanted an errand girl, if the land of the unwanted offered, as long as it was someone else's decision'

'.....as long as it wasn't me.'

in the orange zone She scanned the area, a thin quite vibrating layer of sound waves covered her. She looked at a giant glass vase in the distance, so big that she's feeling like she's close to it more than she actually is. She counted something with her eyes, then she took a big breath, eyes turning cold.

Roxanne landed on the crystal ground with a burned orange color. She stared at the horizon, the tornado was as close as the vase, except in the opposite side.

She walked couple steps, stopping suddenly.

'I'm being hunted.' She blinked couple times.

She looked at the spot of her next step, something small like a dice or a translucent play marble was waiting for her to step on it.

Roxanne felt the pressure the object ejected on the bottom of her feet.

Another marble rolled its way on the crystal ground until it touched her foot. High frequency sound waves bused out of the compactness of the marble. A violent explosion triggered the explosion of the first marble, throwing her meters away with bleeding ears.

Someone with a dress onslaughts upon her while she's on the ground. Roxanne blocked the axe that was aiming to her neck.

Two pairs of arms were pushing the axe in opposite directions. The vibration of the axe wasn't helping the inhuman one.

"It's nothing personal, I just have a skeleton or three I'd rather keep in my closet." Karaza expresses with remorse.

"Respect!" Roxy smirks, summoning broomy in the sky. The broom accelerate towards her mistress. The tip of the stick hits Karaza in her back. The pain was she felt was unproportional to the impact of the broom.

Roxy took the chance, with a swift motion she tightened her grip on the axe and shifted both of their weights to the side, pushing the other and getting on her. If Karaza loosened her grip for a moment her axe would have been in her chest by now.

'She healed from the bomb way too fast!'

"Seriously, what's this all about?" Roxy queries, applying pressure with her curious disjointed pupils instead of her arms.

"I can't let you play with the Karabora or the tornado or anything here." She states with stillness, way too clam for someone that have their own axe dangerously close to their pulse point.

The increase in vibration alarms Roxy, making her jump away from her foe.

'Why though?' Roxy thinks, eyes glued to Karaza while she stand up.

'Is it the air here? She succumbed to that when she was injured, the first time we came to the wild together. No, she probably has a way to deal with that. Then what is it?'

Roxy took the risk to look around, rewarded with an attack the second she did so, she sticked to dodging every march and swing of that axe.

'Come on sweetie, you know you shouldn't get close~'

There was the opening, Roxanne extended her arm, ready to give her a flick, not to the forehead like the first time, but to the stomach. But she locked eyes with the foe, seeing a sparkle in her eyes.

She jumped away immediately, quite far away for human capabilities. Karaza clicked her tongue the marble on the ground evaporated back to the axe.

'Using my close range against me?' Roxy smiled happily.

'Of course she figured it out, I thought she would understatement me. Seriously though what is that technique exactly?'

Karaza remembered their first interaction when she knocked her out with a flick on the forehead.

'It's not even pain, at that moment.. it's like I lost the autonomy to move.'

They stood in tension, eyeing an opening to attack. Roxy's attention jerked back to her main goal, she didn't need to look behind to know the tornado is getting closer to their direction. Which bothers her for reasons other mortality.

She took her hand out of her suit pockets, raising them in the air palms open.

"You humans never say what's bothering y'all until you about to explode. Let's make a deal, tell me what's disquieting ya, get away from here and I'll deal with it. " Roxy said. Loud and clear. Looking directly at her, no aggression, no malice.

'After I hit the karabora with the tornado of course.'

Technically  she wasn't laying.

That earnest expression confused Karaza beyond what she knew about herself.

'Someone to deal with it...' She looked at the strong foe in front of her, strands of pastel hair wet with blood moved with the breeze. Ears dry like nothing harmed them. For all it's worth that foe seemed dependable.

Roxy gives her a faint smile Upon some of the aggression leaving Karaza's gaze. The parasite relaxes her shoulders even more, as an encouraging gesture.

"That's a damn good offer...but it's my mess, and I have to deal with it." The perplexity turned into determination.

" I see." Roxy looked down. Not sad or disappointed. Just mazed.

Karaza gripped her weapon strongly, in battle mode again.

Before she can process it. A fist has already punched her stomach, pain paralyzing like that first flick although much faster, almost faster than the neurons in her body could send the information to her brain.

"As you said, it's nothing personal." Roxy said to the unconscious woman.

It genuinely was. Both ways.

After throwing her inside her treasure box Roxy took a half green apple with green seeds from her pocket. Flying toward the radiating tornado.

'Actually, why everyone is so bitchy today? OH wait, it's Saturday that's why.'

'Duuude, fighting Karabora on a Saturday? Not a good start.'

When the distance was too short for broomy to handle the radiation she walked toward the enigma.

There weren't any rapid moving winds associated with the phenomena. Barely some breeze.

The tornado was big, tall and translucent with white and black curved line which gave the vortex resemblance.

The closer she walked the fainter the purple aura got, leaving the bare lines to move, creating the illusion of a tornado.

'Not a single drop of blood huh? such pure radiation.'

She threw the half apple at it.

<DESPAIR>

"Thank you in advance!"


The green apple teleported her and it to the vase. Although Roxy quickly summoned broomy and flew to a safe distance, watching the collision.

Expect she couldn't. The vase shined so brightly even the orange crystal ground turned white, melting with a heat wave.

The damage went on and she regenerated as it kept going.

The lights dimmed, smoke escaped the crystals and the tornado disappeared.

'A cheap trick doesn't suit you, walking plant!' The vase spoke in her head.

'You think that would weaken me?'

Karaza's eyes snapped open. She stiffened her core muscles when she felt the lack of balance beneath her. She was laying down on the treasure box, not inside it. Roxy dragged her out before.

Speaking of whom, she was sitting legs crossed on broomy. The broom flew just above the hot ground and she was gazing at the distance.

Panic settled in Karaza's heart, she looked left and right to get a sense of direction, she almost stepped on the melted ground.

"Your closet didn't get open, I checked." Roxy told with a tone of someone with a bad mood.

Karaza looked at her, that mention soured her already sour mood.

"Also who buries their skeletons here?" Roxy's irritated question earned her a more irritated look.

"I'm sorry! I assumed no one is crazy enough to come near here, but I look stupid now don't I?" She snapped back. Blood rushed to her head, humiliated.

"I guess I'm not even worth killing, but if you gonna mess around in this place I will stop you. Even if it is my last stop." Her voice stared loud and hasty but it got calmer and quieter as the convection settled in. She knew she had the look of a sore loser, but in another pair of eyes she looked like a mountain that can not be moved.

In the end Karaza used her golden apple and Roxy flew on good old broomy.

And the two losers went back home.