Part 29 (1/2)

I couldn't answer. Even if it was sick, and it hurt others, doing what you like is human nature. It was what everyone wanted, right? To do the things they enjoyed and loved without others trying to get in the way... even if sometimes it did hurt people.

”Nothing to say, Miss Red?” Both the Fioravantes laughed and it sounded creepy, like an echo in a haunted home.

My eyes fell to Ashe. Things like kissing girls...

My vision trailed to Ettie. Or things like performing magic...

My sight befell Goldie. Or things like thieving...

Then they lowered to Bonny and Roberts. Or even being a pirate...

Someone could get hurt with those things, but that didn't stop them from being enjoyable or wanting to do it.

I sighed.

Why did that terrible man have to be right, in some way?

”Well if you are going to be like that...” The echoing voice of Fioravante finished before both of them drew in energy with their hands. The energy swirled while he incanted. Just as the sparkling missles of magical energy poured from his hands, Ettie stepped up to me and pushed a pistol in to my hand.

I yanked the pistol up in front of me with a straight arm at the same time Ettie aimed hers. The smile drained from my lips as magic drained from my hand and poured in the weapon before I pulled the trigger a few times while moving my hand barely.

Magical shots of energy erupted forward, at least ten blasts between Ettie and I, all colliding with the magic missiles before they had even reached their targets. Only two missiles remained that Ettie tried to catch, but before she could fire they both collided with Ashe and sent her reeling back in to Bonny, whom caught her.

I turned to face Fioravante with fury in my eyes. But Goldie tapped my shoulder and pointed to the piles of ash on the stone. My eyes shot to Ashe whom was standing and smiling toward me, with a pinch of sadness.

Some gnomes saved her...

I couldn't help but smile back before I turned to Fioravante who was drawing in another spell. I glanced to Ettie and smiled. ”You got the left one?”

She nodded as I slipped her gun back to her and we broke immediately. She ran to the side, firing and I shot forward in full sprint.

Fioravante gasped as both of them broke their concentration to either dodge magic bullets from Ettie or sidestep my Axe slice. The one I attacked retaliated with a firm punch into my chest to send me skidding across the ground before he pulled two hard stone swords from the earth, leaving indents there.

The one Ettie attacked was caught by one of the bullets on the shoulder and somewhere in the side, but quickly forced an explosion of fire next to Ettie that caught on her shorts and singed them before she patted it out.

”So both of you are real. That's not taught in the faerie academy.” I said while jumping forward and swiping my axe. He blocked it with one sword and stabbed with the other. I stepped into it, taking the stab below my shoulder as I thrust my axe at him which pushed him back and kept the sword from sinking in too deep.

I could feel the blood drip down as I heard explosions somewhere behind me and s.h.i.+vered at the pure magic that vibrated through the air. My attention fell to Fioravante while I pumped extra energy in my arms and pushed some power in my axe before swiping again.

His swords met my axe but they were cleaved through, shattering them to dust before I spun around to keep the momentum and swirl the axe to slice across his stomach.

Deep blue magic leaked from the shallow wound as I grinned. ”Got you.”

He roared and summoned up energy without an incantation, simply forcing the power out of him and blasting at me.

I was shot across the room while my axe dug a jagged line in the ground before I slowed enough to stop near a wall. My still-bandaged head rattled, causing me to shake my head before taking a deep breath through my nose.

I looked between the two Blue-bearded men. The one having a magical explosion duel with Ettie was actually bleeding at the shoulder and a couple other areas while mine was shedding magic like it was blood.

”Similar in every way except the blood running through your veins?” I asked as the Fioravante fighting Ettie paused and glanced to me with wide eyes. This caused him to take a barrage of magic shots from the gunslinging witch, which made him drop to his knees, smoking and bleeding.

He glanced up. ”You think better, on your feet, than we had expected.”

”You have no idea, Fioravante.” I grinned and ripped my axe from the ground before running toward the magic-bleeding wizard. He dodged the swipe of my axe, but hadn't expected the sudden bullet shot to his leg from the new pirate king. I forced the handle of my axe against his throat and pushed him in the nearest wall with all my strength.

He collided hard enough in the stone to leave an imprint as I pulled out two hatchets hanging on my belt and stabbed them in the wall. I melded the hatchets in the wall with the force of a little magic then against the long-handled axe as well, to cut off his air supply with the handle against his throat.

”If you have no blood, you have no need to breathe, right?” I tipped my head to him before pulling my hands away and walking from that clone.

The Fioravante I had been fighting tried to grab at my clothing, but he couldn't reach. I could feel him build up another shot of energy without using an incantation and spun around to face him. My free hands rose together in front of me and then I pulled them apart like I would rip a pomegranate. Fioravante's arms tore from his body, causing blue magical energy to gush from the wounds and spew all around him while his appendages lying on the floor started to shed in to magical dust.

I turned on the other blue-bearded wizard, who was still smoking from the hits Ettie had laid in to him. Or maybe she had even shot some more I hadn't heard over Bonny's shot. He was pulling up to his feet though, with an arm hanging forward like he couldn't use it.

I stood in front of him, blocking Ettie from firing further as I glared to him before he finally tossed his head up to look at me.

”You are right.” I stated.

He furrowed his brows in surprise and coughed a laugh.

I continued, ”People should be free to do the things they enjoy. But they also have to understand the risks they take by enjoying anything. Maybe they aren't always fair risks, or you don't notice the risk, but they are still the bad parts you accept when you do something that feels good to you.”

I leaned in and grabbed the man by his beard, pulling his face toward me as I poured all my anger in my stare. ”And now your risk-taking has caught up with you. You knew some day someone would come to kill you for having killed someone they knew.”

”Yes.” He replied before a smile twisted across his face and a surge of energy poured out of him and traveled along my hand setting my body on fire and spreading all across me as my hand tore away from him and I dropped to one knee in pure twisting agony. My fists crushed in the ground to grit against the pain but I couldn't hold it.

Ettie rushed up to me forcing her hands on me and drawing the fire up to her until it filled her completely, leaving me to breathe.

A few shots rung from Bonny firing at the half-wizard trying to step away.

My hand waved over the witch, but I couldn't draw enough strength together to overcome the spell he had. So I grabbed Ettie before she was about to drop to the floor in pain, splitting the fire between us as I dragged her toward the other Fioravante. He tried kicking me but I grabbed his foot then forced the burning from the witch, through me and in to the magic-crafted man.

He writhed and burned until there was nothing left of the magical body that had been pinned to the wall. Meanwhile Ettie and I were just gasping for air.

”Thanks.” She added in between breaths while I looked to see Goldie and Roberts attempting to contain the former pirate king with the help of the new pirate king.

”Thanks too. For the kiss.” My eyes turned to glance at her and see the blush pour over her cheeks, which made me smile. Then I looked at Ashe who smiled to me and held her axe out, ready to strike, with only being a couple feet from the man. She was the closest of any of the others there.

”I think I can move on, finally.” I added before pulling my mind together and standing, it sounded like Ettie was going to say something but it just became a deep breath instead. So I yanked a hatchet from the wall and threw it, just after Fioravante exploded with energy in every direction, shedding everyone who was attempting to attack him, even though they had already sustained wounds on their arms, neck or head.

The axe swirled through Fioravante's leg, slicing it from the rest of his body and dropping him to the ground. You could hear his labored breathing as real blood gushed into the pores of the stone floor. I hobbled toward him, with pain coursing over me from the burns and smelling the scent of burnt hair that must have been mine or Ettie's, or both.

I could feel his reserves of energy were drying up but if he was really using a curse to fuel his power there was no telling what he could really do. So my foot descended against his chest as he tried to right himself with only one leg. I barely pushed him and he fell over the rest of the way.

The connection of my foot to his chest allowed me to feel the burning and violent power itching to break out of him, so I gently coaxed it toward me and pulled it right from his body and in to mine.

Magic exploded from his eyes and mouth and ran up to my chest, hitting me like I had just dipped myself in ice cold water. I s.h.i.+vered as the magic settled between us and I finally looked down at him.