Rage

It wasn’t long before they reached the lobby and ran through the front door, coming to a halt as a group awaited them. Students were panicking and were filtering past the group of students facing the burning building.

“You sure know how to start a party,” Leo says. “Sadly, I think you bit off more than you can chew.”

“Party? No. We’re gonna turn this school into a cemetery.” The head of the group spoke.

Leo and Caius noticed the black veins running through his neck.

“Sorry, the only graves being dug are yours,” Leo states.

“You know we can’t kill them, right?” Caius asks.

“C’mon, man… I know that.” Leo sighed. “That said… This is gonna be a pain without Arte’s purifying flame…”

“Are you alright over there?” Leo asks. “Caius and I are getting held up.”

“I’ll live. But my sword’s outta reach and my roommate is kicking my butt.” She spoke.

“Sounds like bad matchups all around.” Leo sighed. “Whoever finishes first helps the other. Be safe.”

“You too.” She spoke.

Leo looked to the dorms, noticing the wild blaze consuming the upper parts of the building.

Leo draws his daggers, and Caius pulls back his sleeve as threads form from his fingertips and trace the length of his arm. They then glow green as he raises his hand.

“Are you familiar with fighting others?” Leo asks.

“Not the most,” Caius says.

“This fight's gonna be an even bigger pain. None of them has anything on them to start a fire. Which means there’s a mage among them.” Leo begins. “That’s going to be our biggest obstacle.”

“I’ve never liked mages,” Caius states.

“Oh, I know,” Leo smirked.

Erstwhile, explosions happen along other parts of the campus. Instructors are guiding the students to safety while knocking out students exhibiting traits of the warpainter’s influence. Valeria stands outside the arena, quickly ushering students inside.

“Be quick!” She says.

She spots a student sneaking in with black veins and grabs him by the neck, tossing him outside.

“It seems the deeper this warpainter’s influence, the worse their symptoms get.” She states.

Armstrong lands near her after jumping from the school building.

“Bad news. The school is being approached by monsters.” Armstrong states.

“A stampede…? This timing is too coincidental. All this is happening on the day we decide to train Arte.” Valeria states. “Someone must’ve let it slip that she can use the purifying flame.”

“Either way, I’ll be sending the other instructors to stop the stampede and join them,” Armstrong states.

“Right, I’ll remain and make sure the students are safe.” She states.

Armstrong leaps away, heading toward the outer edges of the school.

“Arte, where are you?” She wonders.

Back in Arte’s room, Arte was gripping her side as blood dripped from her mouth.

“All this training you were doing, I expected you to put up a better fight!” Kerri exclaims.

She hits Arte with a spinning backhand, causing her to spit up blood onto the floor.

“Feeling proud beating up a swordsman, with no weapon?” Arte smirked.

She threw an uppercut, Kerri caught it with her fist, and slammed her knee into Arte’s stomach. Arte spat up blood and dropped to her knees. Kerri grabbed her by the hair and stared into her red eyes.

“I don’t know why the warpainter was so afraid. Someone like you is no threat to his power.” Kerri says. “I’ll end this myself.”

Kerri releases her hair and punches her in the face with several whip-like jabs, each knocking more blood out of her. Arte’s body was barely moving as her blood splattered all over, each punch resonating in the air as nothing else could be heard.

“Goodnight, Arte,” Kerri states.

She raised her fist in the air, and Arte smiled at her.

“I have to say… Your attention to detail sucks.” Arte says.

“What?” She questions.

She looks around the room, seeing Arte’s blood splatter all over the walls and floor. Each of them begins to bubble up. Kerri teleports, but the mist disappears, and she remains in place. She looks down, seeing Arte’s hand on her ankle.

“Shadowstalkers can’t teleport when in direct contact with another person,” Arte smirked.

Kerri threw her arms up to block as blood shot out of every source on the walls and floors in crescents. Each one cut into her at different angles, slicing up multiple parts of her body at once and causing her to drop to her knees and collapse. Arte slowly stood up and wiped the blood off her face, revealing two trails that came down from her eyes that were red as blood.

She grabbed her sword, pulling it from the sheath in white flames and slashing Kerri with it. The warpainter’s influence over her faded as her appearance returned to normalcy. Arte picked her up and laid her on the bed, giving her a potion.

“Sorry about the eye, Kerri.” She apologized.

Arte left the room, heading out of the dorms, realizing everyone else had already fled.

“Leo, I’m done on my end and heading to you now.” She says.

A few moments, and the lack of response only elevates her heart rate.

“Leo?” She called out again.

She started running through the dorm, finally making it out of the lobby and through the double doors.

“Stay back!” A yell resounded from the front of the male dorms.

Arte hurried over where she saw Caius holding back the group with a wall of threads and Leo lying against the wall unconscious, blood trailing down his head. Arte’s blood began to boil within her. Tears filled her eyes as her composure waned. She was overwhelmed with a powerful anger in the moment and allowed it to swallow her whole. She drove her heels into the dirt as she coated her sword with her own blood. The purifying flame and blood mixed to create something impure. A bloody blaze rested on her blade as she held the sword in anger.

“What did you do!” She screams.

She leapt forward, tearing up swathes of dirt before slashing the first person before her blade, cutting him straight from shoulder to abdomen. A large amount of blood gushed from his wound, causing him to collapse.

“Arte, no!” Caius shouted.