Cross Worlds (Hiatus)

Chapter 31-2

Once Riku gets close enough to the scene for his powers to be within reach, he uses his magic to enhance his sight and hearing so he knows what's going on without having to get too close. Upon looking at the scene, Riku doesn't know how to feel about what he's seeing.

About half a dozen armed knights are surrounding a single, seemingly unarmed woman. However, it's clear that the magic Riku felt before came from her just by looking at the golden yellow aura that surrounds her. Not to mention there isn't an ounce of fear or worry in her golden yellow eyes. The woman's red hair is put up into a bit of a messy bun, and it looks like she didn't even try, since most of the hair on the left side of her face still hangs out, though not enough to get in the way of her vision. The clothing she's wearing looks quite casual; short jean shorts, a tight leather jacket, white stockings and a pair of sport shoes. However she also wears black gloves and color with some chain links hanging on the front, hanging just shy of her slightly exposed cleavage and shining against her silky white, smooth skin.

"I'll never understand fashion..." Riku thinks to himself as he watches the event unfold before him.

"Resistance scum! Surrender yourself before we have to take you in chains!" The six knights all let off their own respective magical auras, each of them glowing in an array of bright colors.

"Hm, although that does sound kinda fun, none of you are really my type. I think I'll pass thanks!" She grins, letting her own aura shine brightly. Her aura is actually rather odd though, for it doesn't simply burst around her, but it appears in the form of yellow sparks, almost as if her body is covered in lightning, but at the same time it very clearly isn't lightning.

"So, she's a part of the resistance... Judging from what I'm seeing, I don't think I'm gonna have to jump in, but..." Riku readies himself just in case. "I'm getting a bad feeling for some reason..."

"In chains it is then!" The knights all charge at her at once, drawing their respective weapons and not even seeming to have any kind of strategy in mind.

"Idiots...they're not even waiting to see what she can do... They really think numbers are gonna help them against an opponent that outclasses them in every way?" Riku watches as the aura surrounding the red-haired woman bursts outwards, slamming into each of the knights with such force it sends them flying quite far back into the forest in opposite directions. One flies far enough to slam into Riku's tree, making it wobble. "Holy-" Riku just barely manages to grab onto a thick branch in time.

"Whaaaaat? All that big talk and you're not even that much of a challenge? It was six to one guys. Six to one!" To Riku's dismay, she begins walking towards the soldier directly under his tree. He stills himself, praying that she won't look up. The woman kneels down, grabbing the man's chin and tilting his head up. "Seriously? Out like a light? I barely even used any force at all! Makes me think if I used twice as much just now, you guys would probably be dead." She lifts the man up and slams his back against the tree. "Not that you wouldn't deserve that, bastards..."

She drops the man and turns to walk in the other direction. Riku sighs with relief, though he isn't quite sure what has him so worried. "We're both in the resistance, so why do I have any need to-" His thoughts are sharply cut off as the branch beneath him snaps. "Shit."

The woman quickly turns around, eyes wide, and she fires some of her aura up in Riku's direction. Riku quickly teleports a few feet behind the woman, holding up his hands as the branch he was standing on gets sent flying high into the sky. "Woah woah woah! Let's calm down for a second!"

"Heh, clever. So you guys had your best hiding in a tree waiting to strike while my back was turned. Gotta say, I'm pretty lucky that one of your underlings just so happened to slam into the tree you were hiding in huh?" The young woman smirks, leaning her head back into her hands.

Riku quickly held his hands up. "W-Wait a minute, I'm not-"

"Oh don't even try to tell me you aren't one of them. If you aren't, feel like explaining to me why you were spying on all of us just now? Seems pretty suspicious if you ask me." The woman's aura sparked to life once more. "Besides, I ain't gonna fall for whatever bullshit story you tell. The second I let my guard down, you'll just attack me while my back is turned right?"

"You can't honestly think I'd be that stupid to try something like that against someone as strong as you right..?!" Riku quickly began to sweat. He knew he'd be no match for this woman if they were to fight. After all, his magic didn't work on things that weren't physical. The woman seemed to use force itself to attack her enemies; Riku would be at quite the disadvantage if they were to fight.

"Well, considering the rest of your men all charged me at once without thinking...yes, yes I do." The woman smiles innocently.

"I don't know how to feel about this woman indirectly calling me an idiot..." Riku narrows his eyes in annoyance. "But, if she's a part of the resistance, then shouldn't she recognize me..?! Unless...maybe she's new..? It has been almost a year since Fantasy left the resistance after all... God dammit Fantasy, you couldn't have put me in a worse position could you?!"

Riku Fantasy sneezes in his room. "Ugh...I'm not getting sick am I..? Maybe I should get checked up at June's office..." He sighs.

"So, if we're done talking, I think it's about time I put you in your place for attempting such a stunt. It's only fair, right? Even if you're not one of them, it's rude and quite perverted to spy on a beautiful young woman like myself." She smirks rather egotistically.

"Oh please... You may be good looking, but you're no Artemis." At the mention of her name, the woman throws a punch, her aura shooting forward to try and plow through Riku. Riku just barely ducks out of the way, his hair blowing back as the force flies over his head. "What the hell is your problem?!" Riku grasps his chest and sighs with relief at the fact that he didn't just lose his head.

"You're a dangerous one. You even know our leader's name. Perhaps I'll have to take this fight a bit seriously." The woman smirked, her lightning-like aura covering the entirety of her body as she punched her fist into her palm.

"Son of a bitch..." Riku mutters, swiping his arms at his sides and his blades pop out of their sheathes, quickly becoming encased in his magic energy. "Looks like there's no getting out of this one...she just won't listen to me."

"So, you're finally willing to fight me eh? Glad to see you've given up your act. I can't wait to beat your ass into the ground." The woman grinned, looking quite excited to have a challenging fight.

"I told you, it's not an act. Guess I'm gonna have to beat you first before you see reason..." Riku takes the stance Artemis taught him time and time again, his eyes glowing as he prepares to fight.

The woman falters for a moment, but then her grin grows that much wider. It was hard to tell before, but she actually seems to have natural fangs instead of straight teeth. "Oh-ho...this is gonna be a lot of fun indeed... Entertain me, boy." Without another word, she lunges at Riku, the ground beneath her feet cracking as she takes off.