Shaken Faith

“…but you just said that-”

Narcissa cut Lightning off, slapping the table exasperatedly. “Lightning, this conversation is unproductive. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you know me, you know my goals.”

“But things aren’t making sense,” Lightning protested, scuffing the grass with her foot. “I just need things laid out better to understand.”

Narcissa seemed to consider her for a long moment, her red and blue eyes focused on Lightning as she drummed on the strange ball she always had. At last, she sighed, looking to the two Lockettes who had been lounging in the grass near her work table before looking back at Lightning. She lifted her shoulders in a shrug- and then the ball was hurled into Lightning’s face with far more force than she would have expected, knocking her backwards in her chair.

“Dispose of her,” she said, voice far colder than Lightning had heard it before.

“What- I-” Lightning scrambled to her feet. She wanted to argue, but Evangeline had already summoned her scythe, and after a bored yawn and uncrossing her legs to stand, Chaos did the same. She had sparred against them before, but… ‘Disposing’ of her meant only one thing, and it made her saura run cold. She wasted no time in summoning her weapon, but even as it emerged in her hand, Narcissa's ball crashed into her face again, knocking her on her ass. How had Narcissa even gotten the ball back?

Looking up as she rose again, gripping her sword, she saw a rush of blackness around Narcissa's hand, and the ball returned to it. Quickly, she darted aside, spinning on her heel to block as Evangeline danced in with her scythe. The blast of wind from it knocked her back - she hadn’t set herself enough for it, and then Chaos swung in from behind, aiming to catch Lightning’s body and pull her back to her with her staff.

Lightning smacked the staff forward, forcing Evangeline to duck, and jumped away- straight into another slam from that damned ball, this time to her stomach. She got a quick second to stare at the ball as she sat up, before it vanished into the blackness, back to Narcissa's hand, and- was it a hamster ball? How could you have a hamster ball for a weapon and be cruel enough to want to kill someone who had trusted you?

But she couldn’t pause long, not if she wanted to live, and Lightning rolled out of the way as Evangeline pounced, swinging her sword out in a half circle, forcing Chaos off balance as Lightning got back to her feet. Something tapped her on her shoulder and she jumped, whirling to face Narcissa, giving a horrified look back to where she had been and then back at her.

Narcissa smiled ever so sweetly, and flung the hamster ball at her as she looked, knocking her down once more.

Lightning swallowed her anger and got back up, whirling her sword at the advancing Chaos. Energy burst from it, slamming into a magical shield, and she jumped out of the way as the energy soared back, knocking into Evangeline instead, though Lightning didn’t like the sinister glow that the other lockette’s scythe now took on. She blocked it anyways as Evangeline lunged in, and gasped as energy surged through her body, crackling and rumbling, and she struggled to parry off Chaos as she sought to take advantage of her staggered state.

She forced herself to move faster, jumping over the table Narcissa had been working at. Sending her weapon back into her charm, she lifted the table and flung it at Evangeline. Papers flew with the table, fluttering onto the ground, and a small and spiteful part of Lightning was glad. At least she could do something to inconvenience Narcissa…

The hamster ball came from behind this time, knocking Lightning forward into the path of another swing of Evangeline’s scythe. Ice burst from it, crusting along her skin, and as she sprawled on her stomach, gasping, she heard another crackle of it, and then another, as ice began to coat along her back. She was beginning to hurt now, and that doubled as she tried to summon her weapon and the hamster ball slammed her face into the grass.

She struggled to her feet with her weapon, but it wasn’t for long, as her joints struggled - maybe it hadn’t just been ice…and it coated her eyelashes now, in a blast to her face that forced her to blindly flail her sword, blasts of energy she hoped might keep her opponents back while she rubbed her face with one hand.

The butt of Chaos’s staff slammed into her shoulder, knocking her back, and then it slammed against her stomach, something slicing through her skin, though she could feel her saura quickly trying to fix it. More slams followed, and suddenly she could see, as flame blazed from Chaos’ staff as the other lockette beat her with it, a savage smile on her face.

Lightning struggled to get her blade in the way of Chaos’ staff, but was yanked to the floor by a clever use of Evangeline’s scythe. Her throat burned with pain as Chaos stood over her, slamming the sharpened decorations of her staff into the prone lockette’s torso.

“Well, you girls have it under control now, collect my papers once you’re done…this has cut into my planned meeting,” she heard Narcissa say, and she could see Chaos rolling her eyes. She struggled as the door to the little building they had used shut, hoping that maybe with her gone…

“Please, Chaos,” she mumbled.

“Oh, begging… Cute, that’s cute,” Chaos said, slamming her staff, blunt end this time, between Lightning’s breasts. Her voice shifted lower. “Such a stupid little thing you are,” she said, more a snarl, and flipped her staff up over her head, catching it and holding it differently. “Wonder how long it’ll take to shut you up… One swing, or two, Evangeline?”

“One,” Evangeline said, voice flat.

Lightning closed her eyes…and then she heard Chaos cry out. Opening her eyes, she saw an arrow had sprouted between the Lockette’s breasts, and she had staggered back, lifting her staff and sending a wave of fire at the trees. Evangeline got ready to swing, almost mechanically. Lightning didn’t shut her eyes this time, hoping against hope… As Evangeline’s scythe lifted, she heard the soft twang, from a new angle…and an arrow soared into Evangeline’s keyhole.

Chaos turned back as she heard Evangeline scream in agony, jaw dropping as she saw Evangeline dropping to her knees, her scythe barely holding her upright. The arrow blazed in her saura, tiny feathers dangling from the end.

Lightning couldn’t afford to just watch, though… She leaped to her feet, feeling it through every joint.

Chaos snarled her fury. Having moved too far, she flung her staff like a javelin as Lightning broke for the trees, but she ducked lower as she ran, and felt it pass over her head with a whoosh…

It was Chaos’ turn to shriek as an arrow pierced one of her long ears, and Lightning caught a quick glimpse over her shoulder.

“This way, quickly!”

Lightning’s heart pounded as she realized whose arrows had rescued her, but she didn’t waste time questioning it, even as another layer of guilt set in over all her other feelings…

Further into the trees, she actually saw Ghost, as the green lockette leaped down from a tree behind her, long tail stretching out to balance her as she easily overtook Lightning…and slowed to her pace. “You’re hurt,” she said.

Lightning scrunched her face up, knowing she didn’t look good. If she was lucky she’d heal… If she wasn’t…her gaze fell to Ghost’s thigh, and the cracks that ran along it.

“It won’t happen to you,” Ghost said. She led Lightning through a series of paths, before delicately lifting Lightning and jumping over a patch of undergrowth into a less traveled area.

At last, they arrived at Ghost’s home, and Lightning almost collapsed with relief when they were inside. “Thank you…” she mumbled. “I’m so sorry…”

“Just rest for now,” Ghost said. She settled the other Lockette onto the bed and disappeared back outside.

Lightning wanted to protest and worry about if the others had followed them…but as her body had processed it was out of danger, it began to pull her towards sleep, and it was too difficult to fight it. She just hoped whatever Ghost was doing, that she stayed safe…