Chapter 15
"You don't want to turn your back on me," Lux noticed that the assassin's voice was closer than it should be. He turned to see that the man was outside his lightning prison. "That's your only warning."
"If you insist," Lux said. "If you desire a battle so badly, I will fight."
They both assumed their martial arts stances. Then, they rushed toward one another. The battle commenced as each sent flurries of punches and kicks at their opponent.
***
"Iteya? That is a strange name," Telu commented as she wrinkled her nose.
"Maybe to you, I think it's normal," her opponent said. "Although, it is very rarely used in our organization. Typically, they just refer to me as 'The Archer'. What about you?"
"My name is Telucani, it means Dewdrop. I am present in the rain, and I exist in the waves. I am the preservation of life and the purification of nature."
The girl laughed, "You said my name was funny. Yours is on an entirely different level!"
Telu smiled, "I can see how it might seem strange to others. In the place of my people, names like mine are actually a common occurrence. We are named after our nature, and our nature develops after our name."
Iteya's eyebrows furrowed, "That was just a nonsense statement. Anyway, you seem like a great person, and this has been a lot of fun. But, my orders are to kill you, and if you're as powerful as you are poetic, this might take a bit. So let's get started."
She put her arms together holding them straight out in front of her. Her palms faced outward one behind the other. Telu saw a purple cloud form in front of her hands. It grew until it looked like a circle. Arrows shot out from the circle. They came one after the other exiting at high speeds. Telu ripped the first ones from the air using blades of water as her weapons.
Her eyes glowed a bright blue and her hands became covered in water. She launched herself into the air. She flipped and twirled to dodge the deadly projectiles. Upon landing, the bright blue water flowed from her hands. She destroyed the remaining arrows with swift whipping motions.
Iteya dropped her hands and ran forward engaging her opponent in close-combat. She was not the most skilled at hand-to-hand techniques, but it seemed like she had no choice. Telu was clearly far more equipped for a long range battle.
The archer threw multiple consecutive punches at Telu, which she either deflected or dodged. Then, Telu felt a sharp sting across her left shoulder. She shot Iteya backwards using a canon blast of water from her right hand. She looked down at her shoulder to find that a deep gash had formed.
She looked somewhat disappointed, "I was unaware you were capable of changing the origin of attack with your ability. You pierced me with one of your arrows while I was focused on you. I admit that I let my guard down, I did not expect an attack from behind."
Iteya grinned while twirling the arrow that was now in her hands, "I gotta say, I'm a little impressed with myself. It was clever. Although, I'm a little sad that it only did about half the damage that I wanted. Not to worry, I will increase the speed and rotation for more impact."
Telu raised her eyebrows, "Do you really have such control over them?"
"Well, I don't really control the arrows. My ability is complete control over my Arrow Dimension, that is why I can open it whenever and wherever I want. I fire the arrows into it at my hideout, then I can alter velocity, trajectory, and even temperature once they are stored inside. My Arrow Dimension makes me the perfect archer. There is one funny thing about it though, I have to shoot them into it with a certain velocity in order to use them. If I don't, they'll break apart before reaching the outside."
Telu nodded her head as she listened to the girl's explanation, "That is an unbelievable ability, truly fascinating."
Her appraisal of Iteya's ability was cut short. The girl rushed toward her once again. This time she was swinging the arrow in her hand as a sword. The girl fired projectiles to coordinate with her attacks. They came from almost every conceivable direction. Telu continued dodging while destroying the ones that got close.
The number of the attacks began to exceed her ability to deflect them all. She knew she had to do something quickly or she would be hit again. This time it would be far more effective.
Just then, she could tell something slipped past her defenses. An arrow shot from close to the ground and punched through her leg. She cried out in pain. Immediately, she resorted to her defensive position. She wrapped herself in a large sphere of water. This pushed her attacker backward.
Iteya attacked the sphere with as many arrows as she could afford. She could not penetrate Telu's defenses. Regardless of the speed of the attack, the water inevitably expelled any arrow that entered. Eventually, she decided it wasn't worth it.
"Okay, okay, I get it. You have fancy water powers. Why don't you come out here and tell me how that works."
Telu allowed the water to slowly bring her to the ground. Then, her protective layer receded.
"I attempted to explain my ability when I introduced myself. However, I am willing to try again. My nature is one with water. It is not incorrect to say Telucani is water and water is Telucani. The abilities you see are not just for battle. My personality and even my thoughts are affected by them. That is the reason I speak of my nature. My ability to commune with water is simply in my nature. I possess the qualities of water and water possesses the qualities of Telucani."
The girl looked somehow more confused than ever, "I have never heard of such nonsense." She looked down at Telu's leg, then up at her arm. "What?! Your wounds are almost gone! How did you do that?"
"I am certain that I explained that I am the preservation of life."
"What? You mean you can heal yourself of any injury?"
"Oh no, it is not quite so. I am not so powerful at the moment."
Iteya regained a serious expression, "Well, I guess I better end this before you can heal again."
Telu put up her hand to motion for the girl to wait. "You do not appear to me to be a ruthless person. On the surface, you seem to be quite delightful, and yet, you have been determined to kill me since our meeting. Why is this?"
The archer's demeanor shifted to a more somber state. "You really are a clever woman. It's true that I don't enjoy this job. I actually feel like a prisoner. I have done some truly terrible things for this organization. I never had a choice. I am terrified of what will happen to me if I don't succeed. The stories they tell of the Alpha make him seem like a monster. The punishment for a failed mission is guaranteed to be a fate worse than death. That is why I have to kill you at all costs."
Telu's expression dropped, she was heart-broken at the news she had just heard. She never considered the possibility that some Imperials may be acting against their own will.
"It is my desire to help you, young archer."
Iteya regained her stance, "It's too late for me. It's too late for both of us."
With her decision being made, she charged at Telu with an all-out assault of arrows. The graceful, white-haired warrior hesitated to defend herself as she was well-aware of the potential consequences. She dodged a few strikes, but with her mind elsewhere, Iteya landed a diagonal slash across her midsection. The new and improved arrows certainly did their job. Telu collapsed to her back, her long hair flowing to the side as she landed.
She was in pain from the most recent attack, but she was paralyzed from concern for her opponent. If she destroyed Iteya's crystal, she was sure that the girl would not survive the guilt. As she laid there, her opponent made her way over to her.
"I don't know what to tell you, I guess I'm just too dangerous. You did fight well, though. I will remember your name, Telucani."
Iteya raised an arrow above the warrior to complete her assignment. Her hand stopped when she reached the desired height to cut through Telu's defenses. Though Telu certainly didn't want to die, she couldn't bring herself to doom the poor girl who seemed more like a victim than an assassin.
Before the girl finished her task, she added, "I think I should also warn you that we still have to kill your friends as well."
With that last statement, she thrust the arrow downward to finish it. The arrow penetrated the ground, but her target was nowhere to be seen. She looked around in a panic, hurriedly searching for her opponent. She found her.
Telu rose into the air on a pillar constructed of water, her hands and eyes glowed with a bright blue aura. Iteya couldn't believe that she still had that much power left.
"I let my focus wander briefly, I had almost forgotten my role as one loyal to my Tempestas."
Telu raised her hands slowly, three other large pillars rose. Iteya was now in the center of all four of Telu's grand constructs.
"However," she said, "I am deeply sorry it has come to this."
"Do you really think it'll be that easy!" Iteya shouted. She prepared to launch all of her remaining arrows.
As a multitude of arrows were released on Telu's position, she raised her arms above her head. Immediately the arrows were torn from the air by enormous blades of water emitted from the pillars. Telu jumped down from her post. As she was falling, a pulse shot from the pillar behind her and launched her toward the Imperial. Her fist connected with the girl's chest, and her crystal began to crack.
Telu stood in front of her, tears began to fall from her eyes. Iteya's crystal broke, and as the nature energy left her body, she lost consciousness.
"I am truly sorry," Telu said.