Chapter 22

"I have a question." I say, looking at the bunch of idiots in front of me.

"Ask away, consider that your pre-mortem privilege." Philip answer with an expression he seems to believe to be 'magnanimous'.

"Did you almost drown in novels when you were young?" I gesture to him and his goons. "I mean. Look, that whole 'I'm a noble and will gang-up on you because I'm righteous and you are a lowly beast'. That's straight-up a novel cliché. And I know it, I'm quite an avid reader myself."

For a few seconds everything fell silent. Then the peanut gallery started to laugh. First quietly, then more and more. I'm pretty sure I see Anna doubling in laughter with Eliza shaking her head in the corner of my vision. Meanwhile Philip seemed confused for a few second. Then he clenched his fist and teeth.

"You-" He starts.

"Oh shut up actually." I stop him, twirling my dagger in my left hand. "I don't care why you thought it's a good idea. Again, Anna trashed you. Do you think the result will be different? Ah I know. You have a forbidden medicine that will make you stronger? Right right, fit with that cliché."

I nod like I just discovered a truth to the world, as if I was an old sage with my arms crossed under my chest. Philip, and his goons, are getting redder and redder out of anger. Or maybe a bit of embarrassement too? No matter. I did say I would finish it fast. I'll try to at least.

"Well. Let's go. I hope you are prepared to die then. It is a duel to the death."

I took my habitual stance, dagger behind me in a reverse grip, knee bend a little, Katana held in front of my chest in a diagonal. Then I saw something flicker in the stands, so briefly I thought I saw wrong. I lift my eyes and see Virina, standing in an inconspicuous spot. When we met eyes she simply nodded once.

Well, I guess I can go full throttle. I'll just stop short of killing. If I can.

In front of me they all took their starting stance. For a reason I can't understand, they are all very confident. Maybe they do have something to boost their capabilities. I actually look forward to that now. My traitorous tail start to swish, betraying my excitement. Some of the goons flinched suddenly when I smile. Ooops. Maybe too much fangs shows? Eh. I don't care. Something in my chest, my soul, is telling me to have fun. And I will.

I barely heard the referee shout the start of the match. Lightning burst out of my legs and I put strength in one of them, launching me toward the group like a fox-shaped missile. When I arrived just before the melee fighters, I stomped with my right leg to divert my momentum toward the side, darting to the left. My leg and joints protested to the sharp turn. I ignored that. I hear a few loud thud ring behind me. At the place I changed direction.

My mind is working full time. Who is more dangerous? The archers and the mages. As for the healers... Yeah. Dangerous in another sense. I need to reach them. But how. My eyes scan the crowd of enemies. The mages, Philip included, are standing protectively in front of the two healers. The melee fighters are in a half-circle around them. And the archers? On either sides of the mages.

Either I teleport in the fray or I try to carve a path through them all. Teleporting wouldn't be such a good idea. Even if I can do it without much cooldown, I still need to throw my dagger each time and wait for it to reach where I want to be.

Carving a path it is I guess. While thinking I haven't stopped running. I stomped again to change direction again. My joints will file a formal complaint later on.

I reached one of the axe wielder and he brought his weapon down at that moment. I twist my body to the right to let the blade brush my, bringing a sting on my skin, and I kick his side with all the momentum I got with the run and turn. He took three step back, I wanted to pursue but a wind pressure coming from my back and left side stopped me. I instinctively blocked the two swords trying to behead me. I pushed them a little to disengage, not enough to make them stumble but at least take a step back.

I jumped backward just in time to dodge four arrows landing right where I was a second ago. A sudden pain made me jerk my shoulder back. One of the archers wasn't as stupid as the other four. He shot his arrow right where I would retreat and now it's stuck in my shoulder. The pain make me hiss for a second, brow furrowed. My tail made an annoyed flick, ears stuck backward on my head. My lightning got thicker. With a sonic boom I disappeared from my spot, not with my fastest speed but still faster than before.

I need to cull their numbers. Swords first? Axe maybe?

Fighting alone against twenty people is harder than I thought. But it's me or them anyway.

In what seemed like a single step, I reached the first axe-wielder I pushed back before. The moment I reappeared in their eyes I lower myself to slide on the floor before slashing upward with a jump. His arm got cut from the elbow in one go, eliciting a horrible scream from his mouth. I'm a little in the air so I used the rest of my momentum to spin and kick his head, sending him stumbling away. The brief contact helped me change direction, at least enough to avoid a fireball and an ice spear. They still brushed my legs, trailing a line of different kind of burn each.

I landed in the middle of the fray and immediately five sword found themselves slashing toward me from all directions. I have to choose which will land, and which will be avoided and blocked.

I blocked two on my sides while twisting on the left to dodge the two slashes coming here. A line of blood bloomed on my back. The only attack I couldn't stop or avoid. I grit my teeth to the pain. I'm almost sure I heard Anna or Eliza gasp a few times. It's fine, I'm still in control. Kind of.

This time I don't push away the two blades locked with my dagger and katana. I change the angle on both to make them slide toward the handguards before pushing sideways. They both stumbled a few steps away. I accelerated again, the axe wielder in front of me tried to bring his axe from overhead. I stepped into his guard instead of trying to block, and drove my elbow into his sternum. A crack rang out, I grabbed his outstretched arm before he could fly out and spun to throw him against two sword-wielders running toward me.

With him out of the way I have access to the backline. I was about to stomp on the ground again when a metal spike sprouted from the floor toward my torso. I barely managed to take a sidestep to avoid a fatal injury. Unfortunately it means the spike stabbed me in the thigh all the way through, making me fall on one knee. Philip work. I lift my head and see he's smirking, looking at me like I'm done for.

I still grin savagely despite the pain. I would have been annoyed. If I was still in the middle of all the melee. Now? Worth it.

My body suddenly changed for my lightning form. Tail and ears taking an electric form as my hair do to. Lightning going wild around me. Thanks to the enhanced reflexes this time I manage to dodge all the arrows coming from me after I dislodged my thigh from that metal spike. Then I disappeared again. No sounds this time, not immediately at least. It rang out only after I reappeared in front of an Archer. He is way weaker than Claire, he just froze in fear instead of reacting. Before anyone could notice where I was, I drove my Katana in his stomach. A burst of lighting charring the wound.

Again, a fireball and ice spear trailed toward me. This time I simply cut them both in two, making the halves fly past my head. I throw my dagger and it stuck in the fire mage's shoulder. I blink to it, appearing on his shoulder, before putting my legs around his neck and sending myself backwards to throw him against the ice mage. I flickered between each archers, leaving a trail of lighting behind me. Each of them got greeted with either a missing leg or arm.

Again, the stands were silent. Well, not totally. Anna is cheering.

I can see Philip face going whiter and whiter the more I take his goon down. Good, that's what happens when you challenge someone you shouldn't. Even then, I still haven't taken any lives. I'll leave him last.

I didn't cut their limbs for pleasure. It was simply the best way to prevent the healers to be useful. Even if I just knocked the others out, they could have wake them up with a bit of healing. I still incapacitated them. Who knows, maybe they can regrow limbs. They wouldn't have time to take the old and re-attach them.

The rest of the fight wasn't really a suspense now that I activated my lightning form. I didn't want to at first even if I told Anna and Eliza I would. I wanted to defeat them all without it. But I underestimated their numbers. And I admit I wanted to challenge myself... Well now I have an arrow in my shoulder, a hole in my right thigh and multiple line of blood.

At long last I'm above Philip, the tip of my dagger and Katana in front of his throat. I still haven't dispelled my lightning form. Who knows what he'll do?

"So? Got any trick left? Just give up. And..." I lean down closer to his face, my voice dropping very low. "Don't you dare approach them again. Or I will kill you."

He nodded fast. I got away from him with a tired sigh. A brief breeze and the next moment Virina is standing in the middle of the field. She took it all in before settling her eyes on me. I just shrugged as I deactivate my form.

"They started it." I say nonchalantly.

She just shook her head, a wand appearing in her hands. The next instant a vast green glow spread with her in the center. I immediately feel my injuries heal at a speed I didn't know was possible. But the most impressive is the goons with missing limbs. They didn't get them re-attached. No, they simply got them regrown. Identical as their old one.

I knew she was strong. But I didn't expect her to be this strong. And it seems pretty effortless.

I wonder when I'll be this strong..

I didn't finish my thoughts as a ballistic missile with vampire wings tackled me from the side, sending us to the ground. Anna hugged me tight, her head in the crook of my neck. I can feel some dampness on her face. I simply sigh and start to gently pat her back. She must have been pretty frightened by the injuries I sustained.

"You said you would finish fast. With your other form... Why didn't you use it from the start." Her voice was very low, full of concern and reproach.

This makes me wince a little. A series of steps sounded next to us and I see Eliza's face looming over us. She isn't crying, but I can see the rim of her eyes red. I offer her a guilty smile, not stopping stroking Anna's back.

"I... Underestimated them. And I, I wanted to challenge myself. I may have been a bit reckless." I answer, my voice a bit higher so Eliza can hear too.

"A bit? Jane you had a hole in your thigh. That's not a normal feature in a body." Eliza said, an eyebrow lifted. Her voice was way calmer than Anna's.

A chuckle escaped my lips before I could stop it. That was a good one. I tap Anna's back with my tail.

"C'mon Anna. Let's go back to the dorm. I'm a little tired. And pretty hungry I admit. This duel is finished. And I have no doubt Virina will do something about Philip." I say, my tone coaxing to try and make the bundle of black hair get up.

"Indeed I will." Virina answered, she got close without us noticing. "Hello Jane, Miss Havenflow and Miss Denki. Nice work out there."

"Hello Virina. Thanks, I guess? So what do you intend to do with them?"

"No change in the way you talk to me." She muttered a little, my ears leaning toward her. She noticed and smile. "Right, Foxkin. Well, I'm glad you aren't suddenly full of respect. As for your question... First that referee will be fired."

The man in question was that far. And even so, Virina didn't lower her voice at all. And based on the reaction from the stands, she even used a method to make her voice heard for the whole arena.

"Then Mister Ihn will have to compensate you. And will be held in house arrest in his dorm for a time. Until he, I hope, learn his lesson. If it still happen again... Well, I don't think I need to explain much." She glanced at Philip, still lying on the ground. "Duels to the death aren't common at all. He just pulled strings he shouldn't have been able to. Anyway. Miss Denki. Jane is right you should all go back to rest. You still have classes tomorrow."

She then disappeared from the field. I really want to know how she does that. She doesn't seem to have the space element to be able to teleport or even just blink. Anna stirred a little on top of me and, very reluctantly, finally got up. She still instantly latched on my right arm as Eliza too my other hand.

I just shake my head with a sigh. A few dozen minutes later we are finally back to the dorm, having ignored all the whispers around us on the way. The instant we cross the door I let myself drop on the sofa face first with a heavy sigh. Even after being healed I'm still quite sore.

"I'm gonna make dinner!" Anna chirp happily.

I instantly get up with a 'no!' and stop her from going into the kitchen. Of course she graces me with a big pout and crossed arms while Eliza is laughing softly behind her.

I don't make it very fancy, just something quick to do and eat. After that Anna took my hand and dragged me to the bedroom. She sat on the bed, tugging me along. I fall on it and look at her with confusion in my eyes.

"So. Now. Time for a punishment." She says, her eyes sparkling with mischievousness.

"Uh? What? Why? And what kind of punishment?" I ask warily. Since accepting to be her girlfriend she's grown bolder. And It's been only one day.

"This."

She put her hands on each side of my head and I shrink a little bit on myself. Leaning down, she kissed me slowly on my lips for a brief second. Then on my nose, my cheeks, my forehead, the line of my jaw. She rained kisses everywhere on my face, making me giggle a bit at some spots. She suddenly got higher to bite on one of my ears, sending a jolt through my whole body and burning it with my cheeks.

At some point Eliza joined us and she bit on my free ear too. Doubling that heat traveling through me.

"Hey! Let go!" I tried to protest.

To my surprise they indeed let go. But apparently it wasn't finished. Anna worked to kiss my face again, sometimes going down on my neck or collar. Brushing my collarbone.

Meanwhile Eliza rained kisses along my fingers and arm, making me giggle to the tickling. She included some bites too, never too strong. And whenever she bit my fingertips the same warmth as before spread through my body.

My tail is restless that whole time and, I didn't notice at first, my thighs are rubbing against each other. They don't stop until almost half an hour later. But I swear it felt like hours upon hours. They both settle against me again, each grabbing an arm with thoroughly satisfied expression on their face.

I simply sigh with fond exasperation.

Just you wait you two!