The Most Dangerous Obstacle - Part 2

Nana approached casually. "It's not complicated, dear boy. I've simply been itching to sample your growth myself."

Penelope glanced at Conrad. "What's your history with this lady, Galen?"

Conrad drew his sword from its sheath. Since his previous life as Jeremiah, he found himself yearning for a blade. However, he hadn't had the opportunity to take one into combat in Galen's body until this mission. The faculty had granted his request to use it for this mission on the grounds of the additional danger, though his greatest weapon was his magic at this point.

"It's incredibly complicated. She's...well, let's just say that she's extremely powerful and leave it at that. A guardian of the land, you might say."

Edward chimed in. "Galen, that jet of pressurized water Penelope used just now could cut through solid stone or metal. And it did absolutely nothing to her, even though it hit her in the neck."

"Yes, that tracks based on what I know of her, Edward. Nana, have you been posing as a witch in an attempt to draw me into a confrontation for your entertainment?"

"Goodness, no. Do you really think I'm that fascinated by the idea of stalking a forest and attacking folks who pass by? I just took advantage of her presence here. I sent her away shortly before you showed up."

Nana's eyes began glowing, and the air around her seemed to vibrate. She slammed her staff against the ground, sending a powerful shockwave through the clearing.

"Now, let's get down to business. You know I love seeing how you react when you're backed into a corner. And I've never promised you that I wouldn't be the one to back you into the corner myself."

Jared squared up, igniting flames in the palm of his hand. "Galen, if this woman's going to try to kill us, then you know we don't care if you have history with her, right?!"

"Don't worry about either her or me! Lay into her! NOW!"

Jared released a stream of powerful flames, which enveloped Nana's body, but she merely giggled and began walking through the flames themselves.

"Wonderful. It's like a warm breeze. Please don't stop on my account."

Conrad motioned to Edward as Nana focused on Jared for the moment. He mimicked the movements associated with raising earthen walls in the school of earth magic. Getting the hint, Edward raised multiple earth walls around Nana again in a tight formation. He even added a domed roof on the top of the earthen construct around Nana. All of the flames and heat being generated by Jared became trapped in the tiny chamber surrounding Nana, essentially placing her into a raging furnace.

Nana whistled. "Oh, wow! Good move. That's a little warmer."

A shame she was saying it to patronize them. Nana disassembled the human-sized earthen chamber around herself, reforming it tight to her body as a form of armor. She spun her staff in front of her rapidly, fanning the flames away from her with little effort. Jared stopped casting his spell, realizing he was just wasting mana now.

Edward attempted to regain control of the earth surrounding Nana, planning to reconstruct the material clinging to her into spiked blades, piercing her with the very armor she wore. However, Nana's hold over the elements far outstripped his own, and his efforts were wasted.

"Don't bother, Edward! Let me!"

Penelope stepped forward, and surrounded Nana's body in a sphere of water.

"That stone armor she made isn't airtight!" Penelope's eyes narrowed as she focused on keeping the dense sphere of water around Nana. "If it was, she wouldn't be breathing right now! That means there's cracks in that armor, so my water can get inside and drown her!"

Nana made a sudden gesture inside the dome, and her earthen armor fell of her body. Snapping her fingers, she seized control of Penelope's element, overpowering the young mage instantly. The sphere fell apart around Nana. She smirked at Nana, clearly unfazed.

"If your strategy was merely to get my hair and clothes wet, young lady, you succeeded."

To Nana's interest, Penelope merely chuckled in response.

"What if that WAS the plan, miss?"

Conrad turned to Jared sharply. "Give her your best, Jared, right now!"

Jared generated a powerful bolt of lightning in his hand, and fired it at Nana. The powerful and fast bolt was upon Nana in a moment, and it landed on her torso. A high concentration of electrical energy washed over Nana, with the water covering her skin extrapolating the effect further. Nana blinked, quite impressed that they had come up with a strategy to hit her with a combo this potent. Nana took a knee for a moment, then regained her momentum, redirecting the flow of energy away from her. The lightning bolt struck a tree nearby, blasting apart the tree trunk and sending the entire thing toppling to the forest floor.

Before Nana could make her next move, she felt something ensnare her feet. Roots again. She turned and raised her staff just in time to block Conrad's sword swing, the attack aimed at eye level.

Nana hummed, her smile back on her face as she nodded, entertained. "Hoping that the other parts of my body aren't as durable as my impenetrable skin, Galen?"

"I'm not afraid to try whatever I can think of. If there's even a miniscule chance that even you can tire out, I'll take it."

Conrad slashed away at close range, by Nana blocked everything. She countered suddenly, hitting Conrad over the ribs with her staff, leading to him doubling over and coughing blood instantly. Gritting his teeth, laser-focused on his offense, he continued to attack. Nana held him in a clinch for a moment, genuinely impressed he didn't get sent flying back. Then she looked down and confirmed that Conrad had bound both her feet AND his own feet to the forest floor with his roots.

"Goodness gracious! You're really putting it all on the line!"

Conrad dropped his sword, switching to a dagger around his waist, knowing the shorter, lighter blade was better suited to extreme close-ranger combat. He hacked away at her, but Nana continued to parry.

"I'm not giving you a chance to divert your focus from me! Those roots aren't going anywhere!"

"Hold her in place, Galen!"

Jared's voice rang through their confrontation. He had been trying to get a clear shot on Nana for the last several seconds. Going for a second bolt of lightning might be promising, but not if he hit Conrad by mistake.

Conrad clinched Nana, and Jared fired. But Nana was not the type of opponent that would entertain the notion of the same technique connecting twice in a row. She caught the bolt of lightning with her free hand, the energy forming into a perfect sphere in her grip. She tossed the spell back, and it collided with Jared, shocking him and knocking him unconscious.

Penelope and Edward's eyes widened. They were already on the back foot, and this dropping from a 4-on-1 exchange to a 3-on-1 exchange did not help matters.

Edward desperately formed piercing spikes out of the earth surrounding Nana, but again, the spells of Conrad's team failed to pierce her skin. Still clinching Conrad, she pointed at the earth under Edward's feet aggressively. Edward sunk into the ground all the way up to his neck. He was entirely immobile, and unable to cast his spells without free hands. Only Penelope and Conrad remained able to fight.

"Galen! Just keep attacking! Make her focus on you!"

Penelope conjured tendrils of water and wrapped them around Nana's arms. With Conrad's roots holding her feet in place, and Penelope's water desperately trying to slow and restrain her arms, maybe Conrad could find a weakness on her body somewhere. It was an incredibly desperate play, and they had no evidence it held any promise. But they couldn't just roll over and let Nana beat them without a fight.

Nana's eyes narrowed, annoyed as her movements were hampered. Conrad slashed across her body, hitting multiple vital points, and his dagger bounced off her pointlessly every time. It was no use. Of COURSE it was no use. She felt completely invincible.

Panting, Conrad pulled out the last idea he had in reserve. He utilized his nature magic, his ability to manipulate life, to attempt to reach out to and subjugate Nana's soul, just as he had with the plant life. And in that moment, Conrad had a momentary connection with the very spirit of his mysterious benefactor.

Conrad was suddenly overcome by a rush of Nana's loneliness and cynicism.

Suddenly taking the situation completely seriously, Nana spoke directly into Conrad's mind, keeping her words private from the others.

"Enough, Conrad."

He disengaged his spell immediately, compelled to obey.

"Nana...are you okay? What was all of that I just felt?"

Without answering, Nana ripped Conrad's soul from Galen's body, returned Galen's soul, and vanished.