Fierce Of Flames (Wrath Of Gods Precursor 3)

Nine: You Should Never Taste The Red Color In The Rainbow, You'll See Why

THIRD PERSON:
    Pandora wasn't sure what to make of Qass. One moment, she was perfectly fine with her, able to follow her train of thought and keep good conversation. But then she'd close herself off, and that, other creature, would come out. At first, she'd seen it when she came to rescue her, she'd seen the kitsune alright. A fox-girl definitely. But while she was here, she'd only see hints of it outside the room. As if Qass unknowingly shifted into that form only when she was surrounded by the grass, trees, and pools. In fact, Pandora did vaguely remember that kitsunes drew their power from the forest around them, and from illusions. Most importantly, Pandora was afraid of this fight. Afraid of what Qass would do to provoke Bella. Well, first off by calling her Bellavere. Pandora had known Bella's full name. But anyone who was someone, knew to never call her by it. And since Bella was a popular girl, had a posse, and just was, well, Bella, no one fucked with her. Not to mention she had a boyfriend on the Power-Ball team. A sport that was steadily growing as fast as the indigo was.
    Yet now, as they moved toward the exit, Pandora wondered if she should've challenged Bella a lot sooner. Maybe instead of hiding her feelings and hiding out in her room, basically being taken care of by Asia, Troy and Miria. Maybe she should have challenged Bella, and then she wouldn't even be in this situation. Wouldn't have found Qass and her brother, wouldn't have saved them. "Ok, that is cruel and you know it." Pandora thought to herself. "Yo bitches." Qass paused and she sighed, "Come on, she is just trying to bate you." "No, if she has something to say, I wanna hear every word." The way she said that, made Pandora's blood run cold. "Yes Bellavere." Qass called over her shoulder. Bella blanched, and she scowled harshly. "Who the fuck do you think you are, calling me that shit." "I think I'm Qass, calling you out by your name duhhh, a little slow on the uptake isn't she Pandora?"
    "Why do you have to drag me in this?" Pandora wanted to ask. Hell, she'd made that same comment before they sat down to eat breakfast. Pandora looked into Qass's eyes and shadows laid there in wait, as if she was planning fast. "Go with it." Her eyes seemed to say. Pandora nodded. "Yep, exactly, very slow, the uptake." Qass rolled her shockingly blue eyes. "Smooth, very smooth." She muttered. Bella scowled and shouted, "At least I don't have a dog's tail." "Seriously?" Qass laughed. "How small are you to have to resort to something like that." Qass looked behind her. "I see no tail, I see a pretty ok ass, but no tail, you must be talking about your own." "Qass," Pandora warned. "We really should get going, the dueling pits should be ready by now." "Just wait." Said Qass. By now, everyone at the nearest tables were listening in, and Pandora was certain, so were the leaders on the plateau. Bella's posse stared from Qass to Bella to Qass and back. As if watching a very intense match, which, they kinda were. Bella caught sight of one of the girls staring at Qass with something like respect. "Yo Alice, what the fuck are you doing?" Alice flinched and returned her attention on her food. "She's judging the situation of course, and making the right call too." "Watch it bitch, I was gonna take it easy on you, but now I'm rethinking—"I'm not afraid of you."
    Absolute candor was in those words. I felt it as if it was a wave that lashed out from shore. "I've faced down worse than girls like you Bellavere, and I'll always face down worse than you." Bella's eyes hardened, and Pandora saw something terrifying in them, a kind of cold frozen rage that was equal to the thing she'd seen in the thing that took Qass's brother's life. Water rose from the pitcher on the table and shaped itself into a knife. "That's right, come and get it." Qass goaded. Bella rose, but before she could attack—"Bellavere, what are you doing?" Bella jumped and dropped the knife. THe knife reshaped itself into water and splashed on to the floor. "Didn't I say take it out in the dueling pit? GO, now." I turned away, and Qass, was gone.
    Pandora hurried out of the dinner hall and saw her, not going toward the training sector, but toward the hall that lead to Pandora's room. "Qass, wait, where are you going?" "I told you, there are a few things I need from within the room." Pandora hurried after her. "What was the point of that? Bella is a—"Call her by her name, it's Bellavere." Said Qass. SHe turned to me, her blue eyes serious. "Fear of the name only produces fear of the thing itself, or something like that." "What?" "A Harry Potter quote. Which in this case, is so necessary." Qass faced the door and said, "Wait here, I won't be long." After entering the room, Qass looked around. Her plan was going accordingly, but in order for her to really make it work, she needed a few more details, starting here. She collected the items she needed, wondering if Robbert really had a point. SHe'd felt the shift as soon as her feet landed in the grass. Felt the way her mind cleared, as if fog was lifting from it. Felt the slight warmth as her ears shifted from human to fox, rising on top of her head. She felt her eyes shift to those burning ember orbs. But she kept focused on her tasks. Finally ready, she turned and opened the door, and felt the fog settle back over her mind, dampening her senses and her ears returning to human. Qass knew that she needed to master that shift, on command.
    Pandora lead Qass to the training sector, neither girl speaking much. Qass was lost in her plotting, but kept a visage of arrogant confidence on her face, knowing exactly how to play the game. Hell, she'd done it for years hadn't she? But when they entered the sector, her eyes widened in surprise. She saw perhaps dozens, maybe hundreds of indigo. Some training with real blades, some with flaming ones, or water ones like Bellavere's knife. Others were shooting bows, or guns, some were doing real hand-to-hand combat. Or swimming laps in a long deep pool, or lifting weights. "Pretty amazing isn't it?" Asked Pandora. Qass nodded. "This way, we need to get you weapons and a practice crown." Pandora lead her away and into a storage room, if a storage room could be as big as a bowling arena. "Now, if I'm being completely honest, I've never been in here before but, well."
    Pandora moved ahead of her and began lifting swords and knives off tables. But Qass passed her. Something, like a magnetic pull, dragged her forward. She turned down a long hall cut into the wall, and frowned as that something dragged her onward. Pandora followed, but said nothing. Though she never set foot in here, and was determined to never do so, she knew that when it came to the indigo, things happened to find you, not the other way around. Troy had told her something similar had happened to Asia, which was how she got into playing the flute. Qass paused, that magnetic feeling pointing her toward a rack of swords that honestly looked no different than all the rest. "Have you seen these before?" "No." Qass's heart raced excitedly. "But I've never been in here before, as I said so, that's really no help. Qass gave Pandora a blank look. "Sorry, I'm really knew at this whole becoming an indigo thing." Qass sighed and reached for two swords. As her hands neared them, the weapons, began to glow red.
    Qass touched the hilts, and the swords flashed bright red, glowing from within as if freshly forged. Then they relaxed, but for glowing symbols carved into the blades. THe blades were curved, and so slender they looked as if someone could snap them over their knee. The symbols pulsed softly, as if they had their own heartbeat. Qass looked at Pandora, her eyes flashed ember, and she purred, "Let's do this." Pandora's blood boiled, quite pleasantly, at that dark purr. Qass reached for the crown that hung above the blades, and the crown burned red as her hands neared it, as she set it on her head, as if she'd done it a thousand times, it flashed, then quieted. Pandora lead them both out of the storage room, and toward the dueling pit. The pits were separated by high high walls, to keep any stray indigoism from leaping into another fight. The rules and regulations of the pits were strict, severely so. To keep one's safety and ensure care, even as they get their asses handed to them. The dueling pits weren't just a place for indigo to hash out their anger in a controlled environment. But it taught you a lesson, through the mystery of the Symbol itself.
    Pandora, thankfully, never had to enter the dueling pits, but she knew Asia had to, knew even Troy had to. And they both agreed, there was a power within the pits that did indeed teach you a lesson. As Pandora neared the pit she knew Qass might change going in. Knew that this fight just might change her in ways she wouldn't have known. They neared one and she saw Bella waiting inside, standing on one side of a pool about three feet deep. Pebbles lined the edges, pebbles that surrounded the rest of the pit. Nothing else was in it, nothing that one could use to their advantage. No, in the pit, you had to make your own advantage, otherwise, the fight, was a short one. Pandora watched Qass enter the doors into the pit and pause. She had her new swords belted to her on her back. "Interesting choice for her don't you think?" Pandora jumped. SHe looked around and saw the purple dracon Azule, watching her. "I wonder, where did you find those swords for the kitsune?" "I, I don't really know, I think, they found her." Azule nodded. "They're a perfect choice, a good one for this fight especially. Perhaps that prophecy will come to a close after all." "Huh?" But Azule merely opened her wings, and flapped them. "Perhaps she'll succeed, where I could not teach you." Pandora frowned, severely confused. But the purple dracon swooped up and landed on a platform over the pit. Pandora saw Wenzi already there, and Audrey.
    "Hey Pandora, did it start yet?" Asia stepped up, looking in through one of the many windows. "Nope, not yet." "What are you doing here?" "Well, when one gets Bella of all people in trouble, to the point they have to fight in the duel, it's news, big news chick, and maybe she'll have that arrogant ass handed to her too." Pandora sighed. "I'm not the only one, even her posse is here to enjoy the fight." Pandora hadn't failed to notice Bella's gang of girls, all with their faces pressed to the glass. In the pit, Qass stepped away from the doors and shuttered mildly as they closed with a bang. She almost wanted to check her pockets, but knew everything she needed was in there. She stopped at the other edge of the pool, staring at Bellavere. Qass smirked and placed a hand on a hip. Bellavere scowled darkly. Qass saw something harsh and cruel in those eyes.
Qass didn't much listen to the rules and the talking that Audrey said. She didn't much care. All she knew was that she needed to do this. She had to wipe that irritating smirk off Bellavere's whole history. SHe had to do this, and would to. When Audrey called the duel to start, Bellavere wasted no time and drawing water from the pool in front of her and sending a huge spinning disk of water toward Qass. Qass watched the disk spin toward her, and judged the distance. SHe shifted to one side, and the disk missed her chest by a few inches. Bellavere sent another disk, then another, then a spinning dagger. Qass dodged each throw, shifting from one side to another, but not moving much at all. "Interesting idea." Muttered Asia, watching the fight with Troy and Miria. "It's barely begun Asia." Said Troy. Asia stuck out her tongue at him.
Bellavere swung a long whip of water and Qass was forced to back up a few steps. Bellavere stepped into the pool and surged toward Qass, the water roiling around her, propelling her forward. "Finally." Qass murmured. Bellavere neared her, her eyes hard and cold as she smiled coldly. Qass, still, didn't, move. When Bellavere was almost right on her, Qass stepped back, and threw herself through the air. Pandora's eyes widened as Asia gasped audibly. Qass's body made a majestic ark through the air, as if a dancer. She landed on the other side of the pool just as Bellavere reached the spot where she was. Qass smirked again and flicked her hand, middle finger extended. Bellavere snarled audibly, and surged back toward Qass, ice shards lashing out of the water toward her. Qass dodged each one and spun backward.
"She is very skilled." Noted Azule. "For her tactic, she's very skilled." "And what do you think her tactic is?" Asked Audrey conversationally, as if talking over lunch about the weather. "She seems to be gaging Bellavere's moves, testing her, and seeing exactly what her limits are. Meanwhile, not giving away any of her own skills." "I'm so very glad we can agree Azule." Audrey smirked. "I believe Bellavere has found her match at long last. I almost wonder if she'll do anything illegal to win this duel." "The pit will test to see if she does right?" Wenzi asked. "It will, and for some reason, I feel as if she might, ugh, I hate it when Huntor's habits runoff on me." Azule frowned as another large shard barely missed Qass's face. "She's extremely daring for a tactic such as this one." "I don't know much about kitsunes, well, barely anything." Said Wenzi. "But I think daring and dangerous is their thing. It's a way fo life for them. Again, I could be wrong, but I think it's true." Bellavere finally paused, and began to wave her arms. THe water all around her roiled and shifted, weapons of hydrokinesis appeared, and she threw her arms forward. Qass stood on one foot, balancing, before springing forward, dancing through the hydro weapons, each one missing her. "Amazing." Said Wenzi. "Just amazing." Qass leapt over Bellavere, but a whip lashed out for her ankle. She twisted, as if she'd been expecting that and landing, rolling a few times before getting to her feet.
"Why won't she make animals or something?" Alice asked turning to one of the other girls in the posse. "That's actually a good question." Troy said. "You'd think after so much time in the sector, she'd know how to make animals." Pandora was reminded about something Wenzi had said. Bellavere snarled as once more, Qass dodged her attacks easily. "FIGHT BACK, YOU BITCH FIGHT BACK." "Oh, were we fighting, I had no idea, well then in that case." Qass drew the two swords on her back, and Pandora shuttered as they flashed red. "What the fuck?" Audrey asked. "Where did she find those? Huntor said he wasn't sending any to the Symbol yet. He said they weren't perfected yet, none of those were." Bellavere sneered and attacked, drawing one of the three swords she carried. Qass leapt into the air, and came down, sword extended. Their blades lashed together, and red and gold fire lashed outward. "Well fuck me deaf." Murmured Audrey. "No thank you." Said Wenzi.
Qass's body felt alive as she swung again, the fire within the blades lashing outward once more. A piece of Bellavere's sword went flying. Bellavere stared at her blade in udder shock, before swinging it up to defend against Qass's next strikes. And, with every strike, Qass stripped away more of Bellavere's sword. Bellavere's eyes narrowed with rage and hatred as she watched her sword swiftly become nothing. SHe lashed out with a kick that Qass dodged easily. Bellavere stared at her useless weapon, cut down to the handle. She tossed the thing and drew her other sword. Racing toward Qass, Bellavere screamed. "Wow, I've never seen a sword that could do that." "I know right, I want one of those." Alice and the rest of the posse looked amazed as Qass easily defended herself against Bellavere, her two swords once again eating away at Bellavere's blade.
Qass smirked and said, "Where's all that arrogance and bravado from earlier huh? Where's all that bullshit talk, Bellavere." "You'll pay bitch, pay for it all." "Strange, seems to me that you're paying for it more than I am." Snarling a curse, Bellavere lashed out with a savage blow. Qass blocked it easily and rolled through Bellavere's legs. Qass danced a few paces back, her blue eyes closing as she focused. She knew she could do this, knew by will, she could. SHe breathed out and power surged through her, through the blades, through all of her. She felt the change, felt her ears shift, her body become lighter, her mind clearing from the fog. Qass opened her ember gaze, and smirked at Bellavere. "Thank you for showing me all you have, now, it's my turn." "Oh no." Said Pandora. "What?" Asked Asia. "Just watch. Look at the ground." Qass flicked her hand and something moved behind Bellavere. Bellavere turned, and stared, mouth agape, as, another Qass stepped toward her. "Well fucking shit, did she really just—"So it would seem." Said Azule to Audrey. Bellavere stared at the double, then turned back. "What kind of shit is this?" "What, don't you recognize me?" Asked the first Qass. "Or me?" Asked the second. "Or us?" Asked three more Qasses. Bellavere's eyes widened with fear for a second, before hardening.
"How?" "A kitsune never reveals her secrets, or his." Said the fifth Qass. "Fine, then I guess I just have to kick all of your asses then." She drew water toward her and lashed out. Three Qasses engaged her. They all lashed at her one by one, circling her easily as the rest watched with mild amusement. "How the fuck is she doing that?" Alice asked, her brown eyes wide. "With illusion symbology." Pandora murmured. "What?" "Before we came here, she had to go back to my room for something, and I read, in The Fire Ages, that kitsunes use objects from the forest, to power their illusion powers. Which explains why she went back there." Bellavere snarled as she incased three Qasses in ice and turned to face down four more. She waved her arms and water lashed out, incasing them too. She looked around at all seven Qasses. All of whom were immured in ice from the feet to shoulders. "Great job," said one. "But nope." The word ended on a loud popping sound on the P. They all breathed fire and the ice melted swiftly. Bellavere screamed and attacked savagely. Audrey rose to her feet. "We have to stop this, right now." "Why?" Wenzi asked. "Because she's gonna kill the fox." Bellavere's next few ice shards struck five out of the seven Qasses in the chest.
Pandora screamed even as the Qasses faded, their bodies melting into glowing twigs or flowers. "Ah so you found out my trick finally." The real Qass, stepped out from behind an invisible curtain. Her ember eyes alive with triumph. She raised her swords, as the others did the same. Bellavere's eyes darkened with hatred, and that cold thing that Qass had seen before leaving the hall. Bellavere threw out her hands. And Qass, froze in place. Bellavere snarled with poisonous glee as she lowered her fingers, and Qass lowered her swords. Qass's skin rippled and she gritted her teeth, pain written on her face. "Qassie." Pandora called. Bellavere snarled, "There's a reason I'm an extremely powerful hydro bitch." Qass couldn't reply, she felt as if chains were in her body, controlling everything right down to her heartbeat. Something in her arm moved and she damn near cried out. "No." Muttered Audrey. "There's no way, no fucking way that's possible. There isn't at all." "If you can heal with it, why can't you control someone with it?" Wenzi asked, voice sounding faint. And Audrey, couldn't argue, hell, if you could freeze an ocean, suck out the sun, command storms over sea and land, cause massive earthquakes, do so much will all the different symbols they had come up with and named, why not this?
Qass cried out, she couldn't help it. Chains were moving through her body, making her skin bubble and move. Bellavere sneered. "They called it the red symbol. At least, that's what I've read about in the library when I first realized I could do it. Strange, something like this so powerful has such a simple name, yet I'm sure it's something many would fear. Hydrokinesis that's so powerful, you can control the water in another's body, control their blood and make it bubble, boil, strangle them with it, or stop their heart all together with it. Ironic that Huntor never used such a power, or any of the other hydros, or even the Snow dracons." "I'm stopping this." Audrey snapped, leaping off the platform and landing in the pool behind Bellavere. "Bellavere enough, this has gone far enough, you—" but Bellavere threw out her hand and Audrey screamed in pain as she was stopped in her tracks. Rage burned in Pandora, rage and terror. "I'm going in, I have to stop this." "You can't." Alice spun and grabbed Pandora's arm. "She'll kill you." "She can't, I'm pure fire." I said, turning and shoving through the doors, only to find them locked. I looked up at the high wall, and frowned, then prepared to change. Qass bellowed, bellowed in agony as her breasts boiled with the moving blood. Her head pounded as if something was yanking on her brain. "You should never have challenged me cunt." Said Bellavere.
Audrey shoved herself forward, trying to overpower Bellavere's hold on her. Wenzi and Azule rose into the air, but a casual gesture from Bellavere froze them and they fell to the pool on either side of Audrey. Wenzi rose, fire wrapping around herself, but Bellavere made a slashing gesture and Wenzi went flying through the air and slammed against a wall. She cried out as her wings drooped painfully. "I cannot and will not be overruled, by anyone. No one can stop me, I haven't felt this alive in a long long time." She smirked at Qass as Qass screamed. "What do you have to say to that huh?" "I, have to say, that, you, still, don't, get, it." Qas struggled, but managed to take a step toward Bellavere. Qass's eyes glowed and as they did, Pandora dove from above, her body shifting into it's phoenix form. "I'm a kitsune, pure, fire." Qass's body shifted and burned and the red symbol, was, nullified.
Bellavere was thrown backward and she stared in shok and horror as Qass, a flaming fox-girl, stepped toward her. Three tails of fire lashed behind her and she smirked. "I was still holding this little trick back, because I knew you were holding something big back." Bellavere threw out her hands, but there was no water at all, nothing but fire. Qass smiled, and a ring of fire erupted around Bellavere, right where Qass had laid a circle of sticks. "I believe Bellavere, you loose, in more ways than one." Said Qass as she stepped through the flames, and gestured. Chains of fire wrapped around Bellavere's wrists and the fire faded away, to reveal Audrey's hard stone face. "I never imagined an indigo would ever do something like that, But, I guess after Deimos, hell, after all I've seen, metaphorically, I shouldn't be surprised." Qass lashed out, and her fist slammed into Bellavere's jaw, effectively knocking her out. As they dragged Bellavere away, Pandora and Azule approached, Brooklyn behind them. "Well done Pandora," the oracle said. "Huh?" "You've completed the prophecy." "Say what, but how—"Souls of fire, at the top of the hour, was the final piece, you and Qass shifted at the same time, at high, noon, the top of the hour, and hight of your symbols." Pandora frowned. "And you managed to allow us to take in a very, dangerous, indigo who had murderous intentions." Pandora looked confused, but Qass, smirked. "And I think, your fox-girl, knew it all along." "After my father," she said it with a horrifying vociferous tone that spoke of deep long hatred and abhorrence. "Nothing surprises me. Especially assholes like Bellavere."

The End.