Nemesis Alert

Seeing that we were horribly outnumbered, I immediately reached for the lever that would take us back into the café, but I realized just as quickly that it was stuck. No, not stuck—the door was being held from the other side. My lustfully racing heart came to a complete stop before restarting with a thud, this time building with terror. 

I started to hyperventilate. Struggling enough to control my own thoughts, let alone my breathing, my mind raced trying to recall everything that had been happening around me while girls were charming my overly-protective pants off. 

Come on, hypervigilance, don't fail me now, you anxiety-induced piece of shit!

I remembered that there were at least two other people in the café when we began drinking. One had left moments before me, after the sexy temptation and my outburst. And then, the more I thought about it, I faintly recalled him wearing a red wristband.

Wait, can they wear those and pop them off whenever they want? Crap. Crap. Crap. I should have known! I should have been more attentive.

Then I realized it. The other student who had sat at a different table was obviously an upperclassman with the gear they were wearing. I hadn't even noticed that they had mysteriously disappeared at one point without exiting. On top of that, I hadn’t seen them in there before, meaning that they chose today of all days to pop in for a drink. 

You must be the asshole keeping the door shut, which means that this is definitely a revenge hit.

The only problem was that the bullies before us assumed that we were average students who, not only had been showing them up time and again recently, but would safely be teleported to the infirmary when downed.

Shit. I hastily thought, my mind continuing to race in the final seconds I had to prepare. Does Aesandoral have her card today? Yeah, I think so. No. No. I need to worry about myself. If everyone gets knocked out, they all get to go on fighting another day. If I go down, then my reward for overgrinding the school grounds X-P system over these last two weeks would be—drumroll please—death!

I quickly investigated the figures who eyed us hungrily. It was easy to tell that they were ready to pounce on me and the drunken triop. And there was no way that my party could function as efficiently drunk as they did sober.

Wait. That cure ailments spell should work as a rapid detox. I just need enough time to get each of the girls without the douche-crew finding out. Wait, what was that thing Conservative assholes 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 more drunkenly than I felt, swaying before stumbling into a nearby bush. “UH-whuh.”

Landing into the leaves, I slapped a hand to my hip and quickly detoxified my body. Much like the mental cold shower that came when Rionriv dispelled her charm, I quickly felt as sober as a teenager my age probably should. That was when a worried Aesandoral rushed to my side, tripping over herself at the perfect time and falling atop me.

Unfortunately, my fall had been staged, so when the elf drunkenly tumbled forward, she fell for real. Her full weight collapsed atop me with a clumsy yelp, once again delivering me face-first into her bosom.

With no time to enjoy the moment, I freed my head. Coming nose-to-nose with Aesandoral, we stared into each other's eyes longingly. My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my face warm. If this moment had been at any other time, I would have been, without a doubt, punished by Phyllis within the hour.

No, keep it together.

“Play drunk,” I whispered to her so softly that I debated if she even heard it. "And please tell me you have your card."

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. Aesandoral’s eyes opened wide with a sudden sobriety as she gasped, taking in a deep breath of air. 

"Yes." She whispered under her breath, telling me all I needed to know before rolling herself to the side.

“Whoo-hoo, get some.” One of the upperclassmen hollered loudly 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 cringy 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. Needing more time, I knew I had to stop her before she antagonized the short-fused upperclassmen anymore. With a longing stare 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 hardened once again 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.

Slap. Slap. I said to slap!

Tumbling to the ground, I listened to the mocking laughs of the upperclassmen as they poked fun at me and the rest of the triop relentlessly, all the while keeping a safe distance from us. But that was fine, because with every second they talked and joked, I had gotten one more to prepare. Taking my time to writhe on the ground, I scanned the area, looking for Sharzin. 

Goddamn it, even while drunk, she's still capable of going nearly invisible with the slightest bit of shade. I should put a bell on her.

It was equal parts impressive and frustrating since I couldn’t heal her while 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 for blood. They were looking at one of their own, a hobgoblin with a scimitar, who had fallen to his knees, clutching an arrow lodged in his throat. I followed the path the projectile would have taken, quickly catching sight of Sharzin’s shocked, drunken 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!”

And, with that, the fight had begun. 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 silently called 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. Channelling magic to my fist, I deflected the first, then the second, only to have the third impact my shoulder and sink in with a sickening squelch. A surge of pain pulsed through my body as I felt bones crack under the strike.

“Gyah!” I yelped as it ripped away a portion of my flesh, splashing blood over the suits of armour before they began to swing their longswords wildly.

I dodged left, then right, watching as each swing threw them more off balance. Finally, having an opening, it was my turn to strike.

Gripping my hands behind the first armoured helmet I could grab, I pulled the head down to my knee, connecting with a heavy enough blow to dent the metal in. As it tumbled back, stunned, I turned towards the second suit. Giving it two quick punches followed by a kick, I watched it stumble away, equally dazed for a moment, before it prepared 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 mass that gave Aesandoral a temporary vantage point to survey the battlefield. Two arrows fired from her bow as she crested its bulk, hollowing out the eyes of a gargoyle that had climbed to a nearby roof. I watched as its lifeless body crumbled to the ground, drawing my attention back to the flail-tail attacking me.

A trio of striking heads flew forward as I dove from their path. Unfortunately, the fact that I only narrowly evaded the first left me with little room to maneuver around the remainder of the assault. The second attack struck me in the gut, knocking the wind from my lungs. This left me stunned, watching in horror as the third and final flail aimed for my face. It was inches away as I winced, ready for the impact. That was when an arrow struck it instead.

The weapon was deflected, becoming lodged in 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.

Thank God for 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, my body quickly beginning to weaken as the black curtains of unconsciousness threatened me. "No. No. No."

Pulling a potion from my pouch, I chugged it only to, yet again, have nothing happen.

Shit! Fug! Damn syrup!

With the precious seconds I had, I withdrew a second bottle and prepared to pour it into my mouth. That was when I watched the distracted Aesandoral, whose focus had been on me, take two blasts of corrupted magic from behind. Tumbling off the ogre as its body began to disappear, she collided limply with the ground and rolled towards me.

“Aes is down!” I cried out.

With a forced second wind, I stumbled to the archer and took her in my arms, lifting her head. Popping the cork from the potion, I drained the liquid into her mouth, watching as the healing elixir took hold.

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

“Come on, Aes, you've got to get up. 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.

I looked over my shoulder at the threat that had been hunting me. But it was too late. The flails were going to hit us no matter what we did. So, as the party shield, I cradled Aesandoral tightly in my arms, taking the three strikes to my back. 

Pain wracked my body as I felt bones turn to fragments and internal organs hemorrhage. Coughing blood over the archer, my vision rapidly began to narrow.

"Iz!" She screamed out.

"Don't worry," I coughed weakly, blood pouring from my mouth and painting her cheeks. "It's not tuberculosis."

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.