novelzi Ch 2.90: In
Ch 2.90: In
Ch 2.90: In
Elaina really hoped that Prisma would understand later.
Five of the six daggers stopped in mid-air, stuck in their invisible targets no doubt, targets that were invisible to Elaina, at least. The sixth flew off into the distance, the target somehow managing to dodge it. She’s good, Elaina thought.
“Prisma, there!” she said, already forming traps. She wasn’t particularly keen on using bear traps against other humans, but they didn’t have much choice with how slippery these particular people could be. Six traps in the ground, five triggers, each of the people that had been struck by a dagger now ensnared to the earth as well, though that last one still managed to evade. At least I don’t have to hear their screams.
Prisma, to her credit, did recognize the situation fairly quickly for not having been let in on the plan, drawing her blade and swiping at the direction of the trapped pursuers, fire swiping out from the cut and bathing the area, leaving five vaguely person-shaped dancing flames in its path. Prisma was using [Play Fighting], right? Probably. Either way, Elaina was now really happy she couldn’t hear them.
But their was still one more, the last one.
“That really was a nice attempt,” a voice said from... well, everywhere, in the same way Temmie spoke directly into their minds. It was Shein’s voice, but Elaina already knew she was the one that got away, so that wasn’t a surprise. “Attempt over, though. I got your three friends back in range, so I’m invisible to them too now.”
Five people popped into existence, screaming and writhing in pain on the ground. Elaina turned to them, then saw a fist coming at her from the corner of her eye, right before she felt a foot hit her in the stomach on the other side and causing her to drop to her knees. That actually caught her off guard, the fake fist connecting with her, but not causing an impact. A mirage, just like the subcore on the stage had been.
“I never wanted to kill any of you, you know. Place the Temmie on the ground, and I won’t have to hurt you.”
“This doesn’t seem like you, Shein,” Elaina said, standing up and backing off, still clutching the bag to her chest. “I won, fair and square. It’s mine.”
“You know I can’t do that. I’m not sure what you state dogs want with this, but I’m not giving it up so easily.”
State dogs?
A version of Shein appeared right in front of Elaina, wearing a very loose dress, more potato sack than fine linen like she’d been wearing earlier. “It really was too easy to follow you once you split up with the Health girl,” the figure said, voice coming directly from it rather than everywhere around Elaina. “Throw on a piece of clothing without any clips, buttons, ties, and what do you have to sense me? I was a little worried about your partner in nakedness, but she’s Heat if I remember correctly, so not much trouble there, so long as we didn’t carry torches.”
“I still don’t see her,” Tira said as she walked out of the brush, quite a ways off.
“She probably set her aspect on us when she ran up to the bushes,” Carly added as she emerged as well. “Tagged us with excess mana to make it last, then ran back to Elaina and Prisma.”
“You people that can use your aspects on anything but yourself always confuse me,” Flora said, following behind Carly, naked for some reason.
“Flora, what the hell?” Elaina asked. “When was that part of the plan?”
“What plan?” Prisma said, looking between everyone present. Elaina wasn’t sure exactly which thing she was most confused about.
“I’d very much like to know the answer to that myself,” Shein, the assassin, whoever she was said.
“First, was it you the whole time?” Elaina asked. “In the cave too?”
Shein rolled her eyes. “You said it yourself, I like getting my own hands dirty.”
“Elaina,” Tira said as she pulled thin daggers from the now mostly just whining bouncers, wiping them off and placing them in her belt. “We should get going. Guards could come by any moment.”
Elaina looked back out towards the street. There weren’t any visible, but Tira was right; it just wasn’t worth the risk. “Okay,” she said. “Carly, make sure these five don’t have any life threatening wounds. I’ll sedate Shein again, then we can get going.”
“Wait, you’ll sedate me?” Shein asked. “But your aspect isn’t anything to do with that!”
Elaina couldn’t help but grin. “You obviously haven’t been reading any medical textbooks lately. Haven’t you ever heard of chemical restraints?”