“Focus more on power then,” Juliana said after a minute. “When I do it, I put a huge burst of power behind the rock and leave it alone. Physics takes care of the rest.”
Juliana flicked her wand at the earthen floor. Three blunted spearheads burst from the ground. They angled themselves at Jason and launched off, one by one. Once the final spearhead fired off, Juliana raised both her hands in the air to show him that she wasn’t controlling the projectiles anymore.
Surprise showed clear on Jason’s face as the rocks closed their distance. Despite the speed that Juliana attacked him with, he managed to bring up a shield. The first spear hit it, sending huge fractures through the bubble. The second spear shattered the remains of the shield leaving the third to strike him square in the chest.
Jason let out a grunt and fell back on his rear.
“Hey,” Juliana said as she crossed the small dueling ring. She offered out a hand to the fallen red-head as she said, “that was a pretty good shield and pretty good reflexes with it.”
“I wasn’t even thinking,” he said as he gripped Juliana’s hand and pulled himself to his feet.
“A dodge would have been better, tactically, because I wasn’t controlling the spears beyond the initial launch. Good nonetheless.”
“Thanks,” he said with a small smile.
The sound of shattering glass echoed behind Juliana. A bolt of white lightning shot mere inches from her shoulder into a wall.
Juliana did not hesitate for one moment. She shoved Jason back to the ground and followed him down. Only then did she dare to look back at what happened.
It was the bull. Eva’s winged bull lay sprawled out on its side in front of one of the windows. Sickly black liquid left streaks where it slid across the ground.
Four white-robed nuns jumped through the window as the beast lumbered to its feet. They wasted no time in slinging lightning at the beast.
A bleat from the beast all but shattered Juliana’s eardrums. It rattled around inside her helmet just as much as it rattled her skull. The ringing in her ears died down after a moment and the sound of the room returned to Juliana.
Professor Kines’ voice faintly drifted over the sounds of panicked students, lightning, and the bull charging. He shouted at the students, ushering them out a door.
Eva ignored him. She stood in her dueling ring with a blank face. Even as Shalise ran towards the door, Eva merely watched in her usual, eyeless manner. A few globules of black liquid hung in the air just above her outstretched hand.
Juliana looked down at Jason. Her dueling partner crawled away from the battle on his hands and knees. Figuring he could take care of himself, Juliana turned towards Eva.
With a flick of her wand, earth pushed against her feet and hands. She surged forth in the direction of Eva. Juliana’s balance failed her half way there. She tumbled and rolled to Eva’s feet.
There would be bruises in the morning. It was the first time she’d ever tried anything like that.
Eva barely registered her. Her face remained blank through dodging a bolt of lightning. Juliana felt a tinge of pity for any who dismissed the girl on account of the band of leather covering her eyeless face.
“Shouldn’t we be getting out of here?”
“There are students stuck there,” Eva pointed across the room.
Sure enough, several pairs of students were trapped between the wall opposite the door and the battle that was slowly moving to the center of the room. Most huddled together or were as far away from the fight as possible. None looked in a good position to get up and run around the edges. Not with all the lightning that missed the bull.
How they missed, Juliana couldn’t fathom. The bull was as big as a small shed. Missing the broad side of a barn definitely applied here.
“I didn’t know you cared,” Juliana said.
Eva turned her face down to look at Juliana. “I don’t really. None of them are my friends.”
“How heartless. We should leave them to Professor Kines and get out.”
“I’m curious. I’ve never seen the Elysium Sisters use anything other than lightning, fire, and their–admittedly powerful–shields. This is a rare opportunity to see if they have any other tricks.”
“We could get killed,” Juliana said. Even so, she turned her eyes towards the unfolding conflict. “How is this a rare opportunity?”
“Well,” Eva said slowly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “this time none of those attacks are aimed at me. A stark difference compared to every other time I’ve seen the nuns fight.”
The nuns were putting up quite the fight.
Juliana hadn’t been present for the battle in the cafeteria. She had other matters to attend to that day. This wasn’t one on one. Irene described the cafeteria fight almost as a Spanish bullfight. Except bulls used in bullfighting tended to not have the wings that contributed to that nun’s downfall.
So far, all but one of the nuns stuck with lightning. The spare held a battle-axe made of pure white light in one hand. Staring at it caused Juliana’s eyes to sting. Like staring at a bright light after spending too long in the dark. She could feel her pupils trying to constrict. Despite the pain, it took an effort to pull her eyes away from the axe.
Juliana didn’t know whether or not Eva could even detect the axe. She’d describe it later.
Apart from the lightning, scorch marks–from fire by the looks–lined one side of the bull. If so, it had been extinguished.
None of the nuns seemed keen on testing their ‘admittedly powerful’ shields.
As soon as the bull came anywhere near one of the nuns, that nun would turn and run, dodging if she had to. Her sisters would move in and distract.
The bull did not do the long charges that Irene had described. It tried to get close and crush the nuns with its horns.
“You’re crazy,” Juliana said as she flattened herself against the ground. A lightning bolt crackled overhead a moment later.
The bull used its wings to close the distance between it and one of the nuns leading to the other nuns firing into empty space.
Without making a sound, the nun dove to the ground and rolled a short distance just as the bull landed where she had been standing. With a kick in the air, the nun went straight from her back to her feet and immediately continued the assault.
“People may have mentioned that before.”
“So what if the nuns start losing?”
“I’m not going to jump in and help either party. I have no love for the nuns and I’m sure that demon can take care of himself.” She motioned towards the black blood floating near her hand. “This is just for a shield if things get too hot.”
Juliana balked, eyes wide as her head whipped towards Eva. “Demon?” She didn’t stay looking to gauge Eva’s reaction. Getting hit by a stray lightning bolt simply wasn’t worth it.
Out of the corner of her eye, Juliana saw Eva tilt her head back down before cocking it to one side. “Did I not tell you?”
Juliana shook her head.
“Oh.”
“Oh? That’s it? Did you summon it?”
Eva let out a loud scoff. “I am not so suicidal. That thing could probably take on both Arachne and Ylva at the same time without breaking a sweat. I don’t know how or why he is here, other than him having some sort of issue with the nuns.”
“So it isn’t going to attack us?”
“Well, let me put it this way,” Eva said, “I am not going to go anywhere near him if I can help it.”
The battle raging before them seemed far too ‘near him’ for Juliana’s tastes. Still, she stuck by Eva. Or knelt by her. Too many lightning bolts flying around for her to want to be higher.
All four nuns glanced between each other before nodding in unison. All four raised both hands. Lightning–at least twice the size of their regular lightning–burst from their hands and struck the bull in the side.