Nemesis Alert

Reaching for the lever back into the café, I realized it was stuck. No, not stuck—the door was being held from the other side.

Bah-dump! Bah-dump! Bah-dump! Bah-dump! Bah-dump!

My mind raced, trying to remember everything else that had been happening around me while girls were charming my protective pants off. There were at least two other people in the café. One had left right before me. And, the more I thought about it, I faintly recalled him wearing a red wristband.

Then I realized it: one of the other tables had an upperclassman who had mysteriously disappeared without exiting. On top of that, I hadn’t seen them in there before. Which meant that they were likely the person keeping the door shut.

Well, crap. We’re boned. What do we do? Wait, what was that thing corrupt politicians did…wait, I know this one. Distract. Deceive. Destroy. Alright, the scene is set. And—Action!

“There mus’ be some kind’uh misunderstanding—hic,” I mumbled drunkenly, swaying before stumbling over into a nearby bush. “UH-whuh.”

Aesandoral rushed to my side, tripping over herself at the perfect time and falling atop me.

Unfortunately, only I was pretending to be drunk, so when she fell, it was real. Her full weight collapsed atop me with a clumsy yelp. I was once again face-first in her bosom.

Freeing my head, I came nose to nose with Aesandoral. My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my face warm.

No, keep it together.

“Play drunk.” I whispered to her so softly that I debated if she even heard it.

Touching my hands to her hips, I leaned in to make it seem like I had kissed her. A gentle flow of energy transferred from my palm into her side, quickly detoxing her with a spell I had recently learned.

Thank the Gods for those books Ri lent me.

Aesandoral’s eyes opened wide with a sudden sobriety. She revealed two big blinks as her face flushed red before rolling herself to the side.

“Whoo-hoo, get some.” One of the upperclassmen hollered as others joined in with a whistle here and half-assed cheer there.

“Yeah, only fair.” Another snarled with a threatening glare. “Give your teeny boyfriend his goodbye kisses, ladies. We’re gonna spank him so hard he’ll run home to his mommy.”

“Then we’ll take turns spanking you three.” A familiar voice spoke up with one of those sinister lip licks that you only see creepers pull in anime.

“You’re a fuggin’ creep, Calix!” Rionriv drunkenly yelled as she pointed threateningly at the gargoyle. “Get out of here, you limp twig bish!”

I jumped to my feet and ‘drunkenly’ stumbled over to Rionriv, placing a hand over her lips before she could antagonize the short-fused upperclassmen anymore. Looking into her eyes, I grabbed at her lower back and pulled her in tight.

Her gaze flared, though not with the burning ferocity I anticipated. Instead, it was surprise and timidness as her body momentarily weakened in my grasp. But that was gone quickly as her look once again hardened the moment the detoxifying magic flushed her system.

Ah, there’s the anger again.

“Play drunk,” I whispered much in the same way I did to her sister. “Now slap m—”

There was no hesitation as a closed fist struck my cheek.

I said slap!

Tumbling to the ground, I listened to the laughs of the upperclassmen as they mocked me and the rest of the triop relentlessly, all the while keeping a safe distance from us.

While writhing on the ground, I scanned the area, looking for Sharzin. Even while drunk, the rogue was still capable of going nearly invisible with the slightest bit of shade. It was equal parts impressive and frustrating since I couldn’t heal her if she was missing.

Maybe, if I can distract them long enough to find Zin and—

There was a collective gasp, drawing my attention back to the pack of upperclassmen ready to pounce. They were looking at one of their own who had fallen to his knees, clutching an arrow lodged in his throat. I followed what would have been its trajectory, quickly catching sight of Sharzin’s shocked face.

Based on her expression, she hadn’t intended to shoot, but the deed was already done.

Not waiting around to fire another, she drunkenly fell backwards into the shadows and disappeared once again.

“You cheating assholes!” A blue wristband Ogre lumbered forward. “Get knocked down a peg!”

The fight had begun as they rushed our position in one massive wave, evenly dividing between us. Twelve—no, eleven—Third and Fourth Years against three Second Years and a teenager.

“The only ones getting pegged are you!” Rionriv yelled out as she raised a hand to the sky and began to call forth her lightning.

Poor phrasing! I thought, stepping into a defensive stance ahead of my two companions.

A strange four-legged abomination with three gnarly flails for a tail raced towards me as two corrupted suits of armour closed in behind.

The striking heads at the end of the tail flew forward with me as their target. I dodged the first, then the second, but the third impacted my shoulder and sank in with a sickening squelch. A surge of pain pulsed through my body.

“Gyah!” I yelped as it ripped away, splashing blood over the suits of armour before they swung their longswords wildly.

I dodged, left, then right, watching as they stepped off balance.

Now, it was my turn.

Gripping my hands behind the first armoured helmet I could grab, I pulled the head down to my knee, connecting with a heavy blow. As it tumbled back, I turned towards the second metal suit, giving it two quick punches followed by a kick. It stumbled away, dazed for a moment before readying itself to charge once more.

Or it would have, had a massive ogre not been blasted onto it by the ear-shattering clap of Rionriv’s thunder. The limp body of the monster crushed the armour under its weight, a weight that was only added to as Aesandoral jumped atop to survey the battlefield.

Two arrows fired from her bow, hollowing out the eyes of a gargoyle that had climbed to a nearby roof. Its body crumbled to the ground, drawing my attention back to the flail-tail attacking me.

A trio of striking heads flew forward as I moved to dodge. But, narrowly evading the first hadn’t given me enough room as the second struck me in the gut, knocking the wind from my lungs.

I watched in horror as the third and final flail aimed for my face. It was inches away as I winced, ready for the strike. But that was when an arrow struck it instead.

The weapon was deflected, becoming pinned to the stomach of the incapacitated ogre. Pivoting my head, I looked to see where it came from, only to catch a glimpse of a drunken Sharzin disappearing again.

That little gremlin! I thought as the flails were recalled, ripping from my gut with another spray of my life force.

“Gah! Crap.” I screamed as my body quickly began to weaken, and the black curtains of unconsciousness threatened me.

Pulling a potion from my pouch, I prepared to pour it into my mouth when I watched Aesandoral take two blasts of corrupted magic from behind. Tumbling off the ogre, she collided limply with the ground and rolled towards me.

“Aes is down!” I cried out.

With a burst of strength, I stumbled over to her, taking the archer in my arms and lifting her head. Quickly popping the cork, I drained the elixir into her mouth.

“Bleck,” She coughed the last bit of potion up. “Jus-Just a few more minutes of sleep.”

“Come on, Aes, show me why you’re the number one archer at Al’Magi.” I said softly as fireballs exploded nearby, and arrows flew overhead.

“Iz, incoming.” Sharzin drunkenly cried out over the battlefield.

But it was too late. The flails were going to hit us no matter what we did. So, as the shield, I cradled Aesandoral tightly in my arms, taking the three strikes to my back.

Coughing blood over the archer, my vision began to narrow.

I looked down at Aesandoral as she glanced up at me. Our eyes locked, and my vision darkened.

The last thing I saw was something in her eyes change. A ferocity akin to Rionriv’s burned in those emerald orbs. And then darkness took me.