“Hi, umm, I’m Scarlet—sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just, if I’m threatened, my blood kind of…kills everything—it’s not under my control. Not that I’ll kill you! I’m sorry! Umm. I think I bought us some time. Heh. Perks of being an OP reaper!” she rambled.
Fiona’s gaze darted to the ground as the blood lowered them to the absolute mess that was the floor, and Scarlet took another deep breath. “Yay…go me, umm, we’re safe, so yeah… Eegh. Cringe. Umm. Did I mention my name’s Scarlet, and I’m here to rescue you?”
“You did,” Maria mumbled, grimacing and looking at the quiet space they were in; sugar floated down around them from a broken bag that made Fiona’s queasy stomach punch her. “Aye, so, uh… How do ya know my name, chica?”
“Mine, too?!” Fiona called out, trying to climb out of Maria’s front. The unicorn took notice and held out her hand to let her fall into it. “Thanks, uh… I guess I’ll take help from anywhere at this point. I’m just—don’t mind me… I want to cry, but maybe after we get out of here?”
Scarlet glared at her blood as she made motions that it followed. “Well, I have control over it again. So…that’s good, I guess. Umm. You’ve met Rachel, right?”
“Who?” Fiona shook her head as she stumbled toward a large clump of sugar to pick the grains off the floor and pop them into her mouth. Energy flooded her fatigued body with a sweet taste that put a smile on her cheeks. “Finally…”
Maria hummed, causing Fiona to sit down a meter—might as well have been a street—away to look at them. Apparently, the unicorn did know who this Rachel girl was; the only thing that Fiona’s mind associated the name with was an infamous manhwa girl who shockingly betrayed the MC.
“So, you’re with the hare, huh? Mmm. I guess she did kinda owe me,” she mumbled, working around her neck. “Damn. Aye, can you get us to the club floor to save some kids?”
“Oh!” Fiona’s hand shot up, hoping they’d hear and see her. “My friend’s locked up, too. They were using her as a hostage to force me to enchant their people with elemental powers.”
Scarlet’s eyes changed to a stunning blue. “No way! You’re an enchanter? That’s so cool! Umm. I’m not very…good with combat,” she winced. “I’m only supposed to teleport in and teleport you guys out, but…there’s a lot of twists and turns now. I can’t see through all the walls—my guess is it’s a spatial warp ability. Maybe your guys’ abilities can help? Rachel said you’d know what to do, Maria. What Feats do you have?”
Fiona blinked and looked up at Maria, who looked as lost as her. “Feats… Are you saying we have selectable abilities that we can put points into and level up?”
“Okay, chicas, I’m totally lost on this shit,” Maria growled, flipping her hair back and trying to loosen up. “What are you—”
Needles ran down Fiona’s back as Akio’s haunting voice returned, the floor starting to twist slowly. “You think I would—ack!”
“Shut the hell up!” Maria snapped, a radiant horn flaring to life and breaking apart the wooden floor to reveal the carpet beneath them. “I ain’t about your shit right now, comprende? I’m done!”
“Maria! You’re walking a dangerous line. I’ll kill your brother myself, and Fio—son of a bitch!”
The light intensified, making Scarlet squint, and the room returned to normal. “Aye, Vamp, I can’t keep this shit up for long. You’re more creepy than the ghost man, but you got them scared shitless. You have some info to drop ta help? Let’s hear it.”
Fiona munched on her sugar, excitement bubbling up within her as Scarlet’s nervousness chipped away, and, for the first time since changing, she found a sense of security and safety with these two. It didn’t take long for the vampire to explain the System; well, longer for Maria, but Fiona got the gist of it pretty quickly.
One thing resonated with her, though. If she could refocus and refine her Feats, then she could save Erika herself. Scarlet seemed skittish about a conflict anyway, but Fiona felt her emotions beginning to boil now that things were coming back under control.
Scarlet made blood disks for them to hover on so Maria didn’t have to keep wasting her purifying force, and a thin shell of her bloody liquid encased them to block out the threatening ghost outside.
Closing her eyes, Fiona tried to relax and enter this inner world the vampire spoke of; it was more fluid than she thought as her mind drifted into darkness. However, the blank area and spotlight the girl explained didn’t meet her.
A dense, vibrant forest garden of color shimmered into existence around her. Sweet smells and mysterious, magical sounds fluttered in the wind. It felt so natural and enthralling that she stood still, taking it all in as her toes wiggled in the leafy-covered ground. It was soft to her feet, as if moss grew underneath, and a small brook created a rhythm of moving water that tickled her ears.
At the center was a wooden throne, overgrown with flowers, vines, and other earthy things that she knew would be the most comfortable thing to rest on. Walking forward to circle it once, she marveled at the intricacy of its design before sitting. She hadn’t even noticed her fairy-like dress that had replaced her Barbie garments until smoothing it out.
A simple thought brought her status window up, making her heart soar with the majesty of the world she’d entered. She could be more than just some buffer support. Fiona didn’t want to ever feel as helpless as she did these last three days.
She finally knew what she was rather than just some generic fairy. Plus, it seemed that all of the awful things the gangsters did with her elemental enchantments had also contributed to her own EXP because she was already Level 5.
Fiona White
Mythickin Fairy Queen
Age: 20
[4 Stat Points Available]
[1 Stat Modifier Point Available]
[1 Feat Extension Available]
[1 Refinement Point Available]
[1 Branch Feat Point Available]
Force:
- Power
- Body - Extremely Low
- Magic - Extremely High
- Strength
- Body - Extremely Low
- Magic - Extremely High
Defense:
- Toughness
- Body - Extremely Low
- Magic - High
- Resilience
- Body - Extremely Low
- Magic - High
Dexterity:
- Speed
- Body - Extremely Low
- Flight - High
- Agility
- Body - Extremely Low
- Flight - High
- Quickness
- Body - Extremely Low
- Flight - High
Energy:
- Constitution - High
- Stamina - Extremely Low
- Endurance - Above Average
Tenacity:
- Elemental Resistances - Extremely High
- Physical Resistances - Extremely Low
- Control Resistances - Average
- Penetration - Above Average
Base Feats:
- [Primal Force X] - S-tier - Mythickin
- [Plight of the Whimsical Queen X] - S-tier - Fairy
- [Sugar Pool I] - E-tier - Fairy
- [Divine Fae Physiology I] - E-tier - Blessed Fairy
- [Divine Fae Sense I] - F-tier - Blessed Fairy
- [Prismatic Lumination I] - C-tier - Fairy
- [Zoolingualism I] - F-tier - Queen
- [Ephemeral Grace I] - F-tier - Queen
- [Fae Queen’s Ire I] - S-tier - Queen
[Primal Force] was the same EXP buff passive Scarlet had described, but [Plight of the Whimsical Queen] snatched her attention. Her entire life stretched before her, highlighting her whimsical nature and attitude.
All of the attention, the ease she had in drawing people to her, and how effortless it was to excel at whatever she put her mind to clicked when reading that one Feat. It was a reflection of her inner axiomatic foundation imprinted on her very soul, but there was far more veiled from its simple description.
[Sugar Pool] was simply her source of power, but [Divine Fae Physiology] and [Divine Fae Sense] were so much more. Again, she had this instinctual understanding that this status sheet was only the tip of a much larger iceberg.
She could talk to animals with [Zoolingualism], and [Ephemeral Grace] provided her an inborn grasp of etiquette in how she behaved. Nonetheless, she could choose to exercise it or not due to her whimsical nature.
[Fae Queen’s Ire] had certainly not been S-tier when she’d changed. It was built over three days of constant torment, waiting to be released.
Equipped Feats: 3/3
- [Elemental Enchantress I] - F-tier - Oonagh
- [Emotional Surge I] F-tier - Oonagh
- [Sweet Magic Boost I] F-tier - Oonagh
[Elemental Enchantress] was clear enough; it was her ability to give others electric, wind, or fire abilities for a limited time. [Emotional Surge] and [Sweet Magic Boost] provided a whole new direction for her that made Fiona’s lips curl with the tinting forest.
Fiona knew exactly who Oonagh was; the Irish Queen of the Fairies and a goddess of magic, but she had other things on her mind. With every grain of sugar that she consumed, her emotions and magic would continue to spike.
She was more than just some sweet thing that sang and flitted about; from the moment she stepped foot in this mystical forest space, something awakened within her that roared to be heard. Fiona selected her Stats:
+2 Power: 2
+2 Constitution: 2
Fiona was done being pushed around and stepped on. She wouldn’t be held captive or allow her friends to be held captive again. She chose her Feat Extension:
[Sugar Pool: Well Fed - Allows the user to reach up to 150% of their maximum pool before being inflicted by the addled debuff for 30 minutes.]
She knew precisely what Stat she wanted to modify:
[Power Grade Modified - Increased to Maximum]
Fiona flexed her fingers as the area around her continued to brighten with red shades with her growing anger.
They had attacked her. They had tortured her. They had threatened her friend. They had hurt people to make her use her magic. They’d forced her to watch horrible acts as punishment. They used her magic in horrible ways, marring her heart. And deserved everything her aching heart urged her to release.
Her gaze went to the Level 5 Advancement Path—she didn’t hesitate:
[Attack Feat Branch: Prismatic War Magic I - Obtain the elemental attributes of a Prismatic Fairy Warlord, obtaining [Warpath] and [Elemental Magic] Feats.]
[Warpath] - Reactive State - an Enrage State that provides buffs at a cost:
All spells double in power and cost 50% less sugar. [Emotional State] will remain at 100% raging and cannot be deactivated until the user’s perceived enemy is dead.
[Elemental Magic I] - Active - as this Feat grows, so too will the elements the user can gain access to and their diversity of spells.
Currently available colors:
[Red - Fire Magic - Inferno - F-tier]
[Light Blue - Ice Magic - Ice Shard - F-tier]
It was her only attack option, and maybe she was a closet rager because something within her was burning to be let out; more prismatic colors would be available as her Tiers and Grades increased. All the misery, heartache, and fear were converted by [Fae Queen’s Ire] to enhance her spells with [Magic Boost] and [Emotional Surge] before [Warpath] pushed it even further beyond.
It all came to her naturally, as if waking from a lucid dream; Fiona didn’t need more than a minute to make her decisions after sitting on her throne. She didn’t feel like a new person but like something caged within her was being set free. She refined the Feat that most called out to her:
[Plight of the Whimsical Queen X] - Refinement Time - 7 Days
Scarlet and Maria could do their own thing; she was going to burn this building to the foundations if that was what it would take to save her friend. It wasn’t murder that was on her heart; it was restitution. Fiona exited her inner world.
An unusual clarity came to Fiona as her eyes opened to the blood dome that protected them; it was as if all her fear, anxiety, and pain were being pulled into a machine to be torn apart and used as fuel.
Maria and Scarlet were already out, a look of disbelief on the vampire’s face as she stared right through the unicorn.
“…mean that bitch is outside?” Maria snarled, unable to shift in the tight space to see behind her. “What happened to the hare chica? Aye, c’mon! Quit spacing out on—shit…”
Scarlet didn’t answer her, left fang punctured into her black bottom lip as the veil of crimson split into bars, giving Fiona a full view of the scene. One of the paper doorways was wide open, revealing Relica, Luis, Eliza, and Margaret.
Relica’s dress, shoes, and left arm seemed a tad dirty as if she had fallen into a semi-dried patch of mud. She didn’t show any discomfort upon addressing them, and Fiona could feel chilled spikes entering her veins with every word she spoke.
Breathing out a long stream of air, she reached for her sugar, calmly scooping up grains to eat as she listened; her current sugar level was 104%. She paused a second while they talked to look at her fingernails, glowing between red and light blue; her base white hair mirrored the color variants and streaks.
[Plight of the Whimsical Queen] was flipping her urges from hot to cold, yet both directions ended the same way. Should she go on a rampage? If she did, they could hurt Erika. She could hurt Erika. Doing nothing wouldn’t save her, though. They’d killed and tortured dozens of people and should be punished.
Caught in the middle of unfamiliar and familiar impulses, one on a cliff to her left and the other to her right, she dangled over a bottomless chasm, feeling pulled side-to-side; the unfortunate part was that her feet weren’t touching ground. Below her was a chasm of ice and fire, welcoming her to let go of the rope and embrace the fall into freedom.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Ah! It took you long enough to notice us,” Relica snickered, arms folded and a sneer in her eyes. “I’ll make this simple. What—”
“Where’s Rachel?” The growl in Scarlet’s tone made everyone but the black-haired terrorist back away a step. “What did you do to her?”
Relica’s lips peeled back into a half-smile, yet her fingers twitched shortly after, gaze drifted to the unicorn. “I trapped her. Give me Maria, and maybe we can make a—”
“Lying bitch,” Maria interjected. “You don’t believe that.”
“Hmm? Well, heh, I suppose I don’t know what happened to her. My guess, she’s about to die—oh!”
The blood underneath them flooded out, dropping Maria onto her butt. Fiona’s butterfly-like wings automatically flared out of her back, keeping her airborne; the bag hit the wooden planks and sank into them, making her sigh; it seemed 123% was the max her sugar pool would get with the time she had.
[Sugar Pool - Advanced to D-tier]
Luis and the others darted into side rooms, shouting in fear, but Relica didn’t flinch at the spears surrounding her.
“You’re lying! Rachel promised me she wouldn’t—she won’t die! She promised her mom!”
“Ack! Dammit…” Maria grumbled, forcing herself up. “Uh…she believes it. We should get—”
“No,” Scarlet whispered, hands knotting against her chest. “No, Rachel’s misfortune ability… I trust her. She won’t die!”
“Kill me if you think I’m lying. Can you? I’ve heard you don’t want to kill anyone.”
Relica chuckled and tapped a finger against the crystalized blades pinning her to the spot; she didn’t have much breathing room. However, the weapons redirected to Maria as she grabbed Scarlet’s shoulder, pulling her back.
“Don’t kill the bitch! Shit… Aye, look, she has this link with a bunch of kids. If you kill her, the kids die!”
Scarlet’s frame became shaky. “What…am I supposed to do?”
“Let’s take this nice and easy…”
Akio appeared from a wall, the doors on all sides flying open to reveal hostages; none of them were Erika, but it made Fiona breathe a sigh of relief.
[Warpath: Activated]
“Maria, Scarlet.” Fiona floated higher in the air, drawing their attention. Everyone except for the frightened women went silent, scrapes and bruises could be seen across their skin and through their ripped clothing. “You two go free those kids. Okay? I’m going to save my friend.”
“Pfft!” Eliza snorted. “What’s a useless enchanter like you going to do? We got hostages, sweetie.”
“Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm.” Tilting her head left and right as she gave a thoughtful, musical hum, Fiona stretched her hands high above her head; her belly showed as she leaned left and right in the air. “How about some buffs?” she chimed, flashing her teeth.
“Hey, Lizzy, shut up,” Margaret hissed, the panther woman’s ears folding back. “Something’s up with this pixy—I’ve got a bad feeling.”
[Emotional Surge: Activated]
A light breeze cycled around Fiona, fluttering locks shimmering jade and gold, static sparking around her frame from [Elemental Enchantress]; it expanded to wrap around Maria and Scarlet, causing their frames to illuminate for a moment with the elements she’d granted them. Electricity snapped from Maria’s fists, and wind lifted Scarlet off the floor.
Fiona’s hues of green and yellow colors faded as a chill escaped her tiny frame, the atmosphere plummeting with the light-blue shades taking their place. A thought came with the pale aura that embraced her, heart beating at an even tempo.
[Sweet Magic Boost: Activated]
“You have hostages, so we can’t do anything, right?”
Scarlet stepped to the side as the liquid in the air around them condensed into snowflakes from the dense magical energy gathering. “W-What are you doing, Fiona?”
“Aye, they got kids,” Maria hissed, but Fiona’s thoughts and heart were elsewhere.
[Fae Queen’s Ire: Activated]
[Ephemeral Grace: Changed to Active]
One particular piece of wisdom came from the arctic gale that brought out a part of her that she’d never had to use in her happy and positive life.
“What’s she doing,” one of the men holding a knife to a bound woman’s abdomen mumbled. “Stop it! Stop it!”
Luis leaned closer to Eliza, whispering, “I feel something’s different about the—”
Fiona focused on the nervous man threatening to kill the hostage if she didn’t stop. “You can’t negotiate with terrorists; one hostage turns into two, and it only increases until the root of the problem is dealt with.”
Hand rising into the air, the magic leaking out of her body collected above her fingers, enhanced by her many active Feats, high sugar pool, and frigid emotional state; within two seconds, jagged crystals formed into an ice javelin two and a half meters long.
Without hesitation, she smiled at the stunned man. “I appreciate you making this easier on me.”
A blast of biting wind sent the projectile into the man’s eye, out the back of his head, and ripping through paper wall after paper wall beyond it; the hole where the spear had punctured began to ice over, freezing what was left of the man’s brain.
Relica’s brow furrowed. “How…did Rachel manage to put into motion this misfortune? Her powers grow by the minute.”
“Aaaaah!” The woman he’d held screamed, shoving the dead gangster’s body away as she tripped and scrambled away.
Fiona didn’t feel a thing as her wintry blue eyes surveyed the crowd for her next target, another javelin forming in her hand, yet the doors slammed shut as Akio sighed, flipping the rooms around. However, a slight smirk lifted Fiona’s cheeks as they stopped.
Crying and curses were heard in the distance, but that didn’t bother Fiona. She’d already heard where they were keeping her best friend, and this instinctual clarity from the cold side of [Plight of the Whimsical Queen] filled her with delightful thoughts.
“Aye, what the hell was that?!” Maria snarled, but Fiona pointed at the hole in the ceiling. “They could… Oh.”
Scarlet’s eyes widened, hand flying to her ear. “Astra? Astra—what? No, I have Maria and Fiona, but…but we need to rescue the kids. Huh?!”
Fiona floated down to pat the floundering girl on the cheek to grab her attention. “Hey. It’s okay. Mhm. You and Maria go after Relica with her purifying power; I will rescue the hostages and draw their attention.”
Maria caught on quickly. “Aye, you’re loco, chica, but don’t go dying on me. Okay? Damn. Let’s go, fangs!”
“H-Huh?! She just—in his head!”
“Shit!” Akio floated after her, trying to change more rooms around to confuse her, but she saw a glaring weakness in the ‘endless’ rooms. “Luis, Eliza, get her ass!”
Waving at the vampire, she flapped her wings, shooting toward the hole; straightening, her energy-like wings vanished, allowing her to go straight through. Reforming, she flipped in the air, gravity changing in the new space.
A bright light sparkled to Fiona’s left; she spread her wings, resistance flipping her out of the way as a beam of energy grazed by her leg. Spear forming, she shot it at the cursing elf woman; the doorway snapped shut, carrying her away, and Maria called out.
“Hijo de puta! Aye, watch it!”
Fiona huffed at the smirking ghost; he’d likely swapped rooms to make her hit Scarlet and Maria. Yet, she met his grin while stabilizing herself, a spur of manic energy blooming within her as the blue aura flipped crimson, and she summoned the power of mayhem.
“What are you going—shit, don’t!”
If a ghost’s face could go ashen, Fiona was sure Akio’s certainly would have as her fingernails sparkled a ruby hue; a fireball the size of a beach ball blazed into being.
[Elemental Magic - Advanced to E-tier]
“Love the paper wall aesthetic, but you really didn’t think this through.”
“No!!!”
Fiona launched it at the corner of the room as Margaret jumped out of the floor doorway, claws extending and glowing with brilliant light. She used all six surfaces to reposition and try to cut her to ribbons; Akio seemed to try to help her by flipping the room. Maybe he was bringing someone to put out the fire she’d started, but she didn’t care since she could just make more.
Margaret was fast and agile, yet Fiona felt like she’d been born with her wings; she had full maneuverability in the air, unlike the panther. Timing the launches, her inferno shot for the woman’s face, making her ears fold back.
Luis jumped out of the shadows in the corner to tackle her out of the way. Fiona laughed while sending another ball of flames after them; the door didn’t close fast enough, erupting on the other side.
“What have you done?!” Akio cried, and she giggled upon seeing him holding what appeared to be a burned place on his arm. “You’ll kill everyone; you’re insane!”
Her hair was ablaze with red hues as Fiona entered the inferno. Her clothes lit like a tinderbox, eating away the plastic-like fabric. All Fiona felt was the liberating scintillation of freedom. She wasn’t just falling into this chaos but dancing in the flames.
Explosions followed her path, and the paper hallways flickered, melting away as Akio likely fled; it seemed his essence was tied to whatever he haunted, and he didn’t appreciate being slowly flayed.
Fire alarms accompanied the cries and cursing from the gangsters and hostages in the next room. Akio appeared to be gone as she turned the room he was in into a hellscape, or perhaps it was Maria’s doing. Without the specter’s support, there was no one to protect them from her wrath—it was open season.
Blowing the door off its hinges in a ball of fire, she left the sea of flames behind her as the sprinklers turned on. Smoke started to haze the area, making it difficult for her to see, but the smog didn’t affect her lungs.
The heated aura she carried was smothered by a light rush of frost and light-blue colors, creating crystals of ice around her. Choking between yells, she spotted two screaming and fleeing men, having left the hostages by the corner.
An unfamiliar, cruel laugh came from her throat with the arctic forces pulled out from the torture they’d caused her; it was Ben and another one of his friends, the one that enjoyed implementing toothpicks in Fiona’s suffering. Thin spikes pierced their calves, digging into the tile ground and causing their bodies to jerk from the sudden shift in momentum.
“Haha! Not so fond of pointy things now. Are we?” she mused, floating closer to the choking and hyperventilating men as the ice froze their bone to the marrow in place. “How much do you want to live? Will you find a way to cut off your own legs before the fire comes, or will you suffocate? I don’t think the sprinklers are stopping it. Hehe.”
“P-Please…”
Fiona’s frosted eyes and frozen smile shifted to the hostages as they huddled beside each other. “Oh! Wonderful. I need you two to come with—” A bright light hit her on the side of the head; it didn’t make her move that much, but it did sting a little. “Huh?”
Looking to the left, another one hit her dead in the forehead. Her teeth flash upon seeing the holes in the wall from the light-based arrows. Fiona’s dense magic condensed above her head while waiting for the next blast, ice javelin forming from her rapidly diminishing Sugar Pool.
“Elemental attacks, hmm? I’m sure that must be very powerful against most people, Elfy. Sadly…not against me.”
“Watch out!”
Fiona’s sapphire eyes darted left at the terrified women, spotting movement out of the corner of her eye. Her free left hand lifted in that direction, spear forming. Luis’ shadowy figure emerged two meters away, only for Fiona’s spike to enter his chest and impale him on the condensing ice.
“Bitch!!”
Margaret ran out of the room she’d just left on all fours. She was fast, but Fiona’s speed in the air dramatically increased with the use of her wings. [Ephemeral Grace] seemed to be more than just etiquette; when airborne, her Speed, Agility, and Quickness dramatically increased, helping her maneuver.
[Ephemeral Grace - Advanced to E-tier]
[Divine Fae Sense - Advanced to E-tier]
[Emotional Surge - Advanced to E-tier]
[Sweet Magic Boost - Advanced to E-tier]
She laughed at the furious cat’s attempts to reach her near the ceiling, the hair on her neck standing up and her face changing from rage to horror as Fiona dragged the panther man through the air with them. His arms struggled against the jagged ice that had likely punctured a lung.
“As I understand it,” Fiona snickered, “it’s not good to pull something out after it enters an organ. Ooh. Running now?”
Margaret spun in the air, foot coming down on the spear to break it in half; she lost control over it, and the panther melded into the floor with the woman.
Fiona sent a swiftly formed one-meter shard at them, only for Margaret to snatch it out of the air with her teeth before it could enter Luis’ eye. An arrow of light struck Fiona’s back, sending her flying forward before she could launch a follow-up attack, prompting Fiona to use the momentum to flip around and fire another spear in Eliza’s general direction.
“Dammit! She’s practically as invincible as Conner… And this smoke and water! Agh!”
She chuckled at the elf’s comment, retreating to regroup with Luis and Margaret. Her shimmering blue eyes shifted to Ben and ‘toothpick buddy’ as they wept.
“P-Please… I-I’m sorry—I just did what I was told… I can’t feel my legs.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
Fiona hummed, wearing a strained smile as she skated through the air to the terrified women in the corner. “Sorry for the scare. I’m…not entirely myself right now. I don’t know; maybe I am? Anyway, why don’t you go grab those guns over there? Oh, look at that! A window. We better hurry; the smoke is getting thicker.”
Ignoring the mumbling gangsters, she coaxed the coughing women to follow her; she had them open it and climb through to the fire escape. Sadly, two of the hostages she’d seen had been killed as she went room by room, clearing people out on her way to the kitchen.
Eight gangsters had the joy of experiencing what it felt like to burn alive. Five Fiona left spiked to the wall or floor to suffocate in the growing fire. She missed her target twice due to poor visibility, killing two terrorists by accident; it was a shame.
Her thoughts and emotions drifted from hot to cold, depending on the situation in this hatred-fueled [Warpath] she was on. Thirty-seven hostages were saved, and she eventually caught up to Eliza, Margaret, and Luis in the kitchen; her Sugar Pool had reached 13% in less than ten minutes of ruthless carnage and fickle mania.
Ice spear breaking the glass window of the double doors, Fiona held her hands at her front while floating through to meet the three; they weren’t alone.
Eliza didn’t even have her bow ready; instead, she held a frying pan. Fiona had to admit, it was an intelligent choice. Lasers weren’t working, and they already knew physical attacks did a number on her.
“F-Fiona…”
“Hmm.” Fiona’s mouth drew in as she hovered in the doorway; this wasn’t good.
Blood stained Margaret’s claws as lines dripped down Erika’s throat to her front. Her black-furred fox friend was trembling with Luis holding a machine gun rather than using his powers. The weapon was aimed at even more hostages, making a happy ending impossible. She’d taken too long, which was her whimsical nature’s fault, not these evil people’s.
Erika’s ears were pulled back, and her fluffy tail was wrapped around her leg in terror. The giant ice box was open behind them, showing fifteen women inside, half of which appeared to be fae or beastkin. None of them likely knew how to use their powers correctly, as Scarlet had taught her, or else they would have probably been strong enough to escape on their own.
“Don’t so much as, ack—t-twitch,” Luis snarled, choking, but any blood that would have filled his lungs was frozen by the ice shard still stuck inside his chest; he took the pain well, yet the ice affinity was making him shiver.
“Not looking so hot there, bud,” she chuckled. “It’s okay, Erika. If they hurt you, I’ll kill them; they don’t want to die. Isn’t that right? So…let’s see, you can leave or die. What’s worth more, making me suffer and die or saving Luis? Tick-tock.”
Margaret forced Erika toward the rear exit. “We’re going to leave with your friend as insurance. Heh. Do you negotiate with terrorists now that it’s your friend?”
[Grade Advancement - Fae Queen’s Ire II Unlocked]
Fiona hummed, ice in her veins as she spoke words she’d never said aloud. She could see the uncertainty in Erika’s eyes, but she couldn’t focus on that right now. Fiona had a war to win, and the fire in her chest came out with a spiteful, grinning tone.
“Dryshite. What a little wagon hoe. Well, bollocks, it seems ya got me,” she sighed, Irish accent thickening as she rubbed the back of her neck.
“Sure. Lizzy…”
“Go on, ya sorry saps. The sea won’t give ya a second wave; don’t let misfortune kick ye on yer arse on the way out. Langers.”
“This bug is insane; I’m watching her! Shit, I need to get a slingshot for this bitch. Damn, shrimp. I swear…”
“No! I hear pounding outside; something’s coming. It’s been pretty intense out there, though, so it’s probably…”
All three froze as the back door opened behind them, introducing a new player to the board; Fiona wanted to dart forward, but luckily, her colder half won out.
“Huh. I hope I’m not interrupting anything? Hey, that’s not nice,” a woman encased in black plates said in a monotone voice.
Margaret flipped around as a scaled hand covered in red liquid grabbed the panther’s wrist, applying pressure; she let go, shoving Erika forward with a growl as she tried to contend with the newcomer. The fish-tailed woman easily pushed the elf and black-furred man to the side.
“Wha—”
Monstrous, turquoise eyes made the cat’s ears fall back as a tail with a wicked blade broke part of the wall in an agitated flip, sending dust and concrete pieces scattering across the tile floor.
“Are you a bad guy? You look like one. A black cat beastkin, Astra?”
“N-No…” Margaret whimpered, unable to break the girl’s grip; Erika’s tail curled under as she skipped away, running to Fiona’s side. “L-Luis, s-she’s—fmging strong! Get off!”
“The hell?!”
“Let’s go—”
Eliza drew her hands back and smacked the back of the girl’s head as Margaret clawed her face; the woman didn’t even flinch, but the pan bent, and the cat hissed as her glowing claws didn’t so much as leave a mark. The woman turned to look at the stunned elf, her dull gaze asking if she were serious.
“I’m a leviathan, shrew.”
One backhand sent Eliza flat against the wall, brain checked out after a single gasp. Luis dropped to the ground beside her, eyes practically bugging at the elf’s broken face; he held up his hands in surrender.
“Look, we give up! Okay?”
Fiona met Erika and hugged her neck as the fox woman began to cry.
“F-Fiona, I—what is…”
“Shh! Shh! It’s okay. It’s okay… Umm. Who are you, by the way?”
With a smile, the woman held Margaret’s hand in the air, making the cat beastkin hiss, unable to do anything to so much as budge the leviathan.
“I’m the invincible warrior of the seven seas, Selvaria the Super Babe Leviathan—the name’s a work in progress, Astra; shut up.”
Unable to fully enjoy the moment due to [Warpath], Fiona floated down and took Erika’s hand, guiding her a bit away from the woman as the others cowered in the meat locker. Erika was smart enough to listen intently instead of start babbling.
“Okay, so who…are you with, exactly?”
“Help!” a few of the women in the freezer whimpered, shivering from the chill and making Sevlaria frown.
“C-Can you let go of my wrist?” Margaret cried, mirroring the hostage’s tone from Selvaria’s pressure, yet the leviathan ignored her.
“Hmm? Oh, right. I’m with the side of justice! Uh, you’re the fairy, so that means Rachel and Scarlet wanted to find you. Where is Scarlet?”
The scene of the showy, monotone woman and terrorists was so pathetic, with Luis surrendered on the ground, Margaret’s hand being used as an extension for the leviathan, and the unconscious Eliza possibly suffering brain damage, at least judging by the drool and blood leaking out of her mouth, that Fiona didn’t even see them as worth her attention any longer.
[Divine Fae Physiology - Advanced to D-tier]
[Prismatic Lumination - Advanced to B-tier]
[Emotional Surge - Advanced to D-tier]
[Sweet Magic Boost - Advanced to D-tier]
[Elemental Magic - Advanced to D-tier]
[New Element Selectable]
[Warpath - Advanced to E-tier]
[Warpath: Deactivated]
“Super Babe Leviathan, can you guide us out of… Who’s Astra?” Fiona questioned as she talked to some other random person, only for Selvaria to hold her free hand to her ear and turn toward the door as a humming drone floated down.
“Astra, you’re not dead… Cool. No boom? Oh. How big of a boom. Cool. Not cool. Of course, I have the fairy here. I’m the heroine of the sea. Uh-huh. Okay. I’ll save the hostages. No. I don’t like the bull guy. Yeah, I got a present for my mom.”
“Selvaria?” Fiona tentatively asked, feeling her strength beginning to leave her as all the emotional energy faded. “Are we leaving?”
“Oh, right. Escort mission. I’m good at these—well, except for last time… Stupid rubber banding. Stay close. Oh, and a villain escort quest, too? This is my first! Let’s go. March—oh, you can’t,” she mumbled, staring down at the shivering panther man. “He doesn’t look too good. Let’s—”
“Aaah!”
Luis detonated in a rush of blood, bone, and guts, Selvaria taking the brunt of that shrapnel that pelted her front.
“Luis, n-no… Relica, p-please…” Margaret whimpered, Selvaria mechanically shifting her toward the door in case she was next.
“Move!” Fiona screamed, pulling Erika behind the counter just as Eliza exploded, shortly followed by the panther woman.
“This is insane!” Erika cried, head covered and bristling tail wrapped close to her body.
Selvaria forced a smile, clearly trying not to think about the gore that now blanketed her. “Heh-hehehe. I hate you, Puffy Tail… I’ve been cursed. Dammit. I hate villains. Okay, let’s get you guys out of here before you all explode. Oh, you need sugar, too, right? Let’s get you sugar.”
The plated woman snatched a half-bag of sugar from the counter and waved for them to follow her. “Come with me if you want to live. No. I’m not quoting a movie, Astra. Am not. Not! Okay, you got me… I kicked the bull’s butt, though. I don’t know what you’re on about. The freaking British.”
Fiona settled on Erika’s shoulder, feeling somewhat spent and sleepy; a wave of sickness came over her from everything she’d done. Smoke was sweeping through the club, but Selvaria guided them out.
At least Erika’s safe… We’re safe.
[Level Up - Level 6]
[1 Stat Points Added; 1 Available]
[1 Feat Extension Added; 1 Available]
The world hazed and went black.
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