ENF Academy: For Some Reason, She Can Only Save the World if She’s Naked

Ch 1.50: Sadist

Tears were for after, regrets were for after. That’s what Elaina kept telling herself as she ran through the forest, towards the cave in the clearing. “System, is your other core safe?”

“For the time being.” The response was hoarse, but it was louder than the last time the System spoke. “Elaina, I have masked it well until now. It is possible they will not find it before the school manages to get the situation under control. You have no allies; perhaps it would be best to retreat.”

Elaina slowed to a jog, then stood still. “Are you saying that cause it’s true, or because you don’t think I can do this?”

The trees above shook in the wind. “Elaina, even at level two, you are no match for Myriala. Were Carline here the two of you might have stood a chance, but not alone. I had contingencies to help if you had added the Prisma girl as well, but we are past that point. If my main core becomes compromised I can function for you as the System from this subcore, but if you are captured or killed along with both cores then your planet will be defenseless against further invasion.”

“I’m sorry, System… There’s someone else out there too though, and I have to take responsibility.” She wished she’d given the bag to Prisma, even to Carline earlier. No, I needed to draw them away before, and Prisma… Gods, why didn’t she take Prisma with her? She’d been willing. It was the right thing to do, right? Waine would’ve died. She’d have been okay with that, and that’s why she couldn’t do it; not when she was so willing to make that decision.

She looked down, shaking her head at her sorry state. At least there’s something I can do about this now that I’m away from the school. She focused, pulling forth the gear she had been granted. Crystal dust materialized around her, her shirt and boots disappearing, replaced by the sandals and blue dress as her crystal chain wrapped around her arm. She laughed as she looked down, noticing the dress was barely longer than the uniform shirt. At least it’s not transparent, not completely anyway. 

The run back to the glade was uneventful for the first few minutes, until she came across the body of one of the Red Order. She was one of the more human looking ones, red crystal spikes jutting out of her fist, the one still attached to her at least. She had cuts all over her body, one arm separated from her completely, lost somewhere in the brush. 

Who did this? No time to worry about that she told herself, shaking her head and continuing through the trees. She came across a few more bodies, all clumped up, similarly hacked away at by some unknown force, but she ignored them as she made her way back to the glade. 

It was empty, quiet save the sound of the rain crashing into the clearing’s pond. Elaina slowed to a halt, catching her breath. “System. The core is safe still, right?”

“Yes, but they will come now.”

“Why would they come now?”

“Because I’ve been tracking you, pet,” The voice came from above, from Myriala, naked as ever as she descended down, striking Elaina with the back of her hand and sending her reeling to the ground. “Those subordinates of mine are lucky your lot killed them, but I still need someone to punish for the debacle this has been, so you’ll have to do.”

There was a crack from the thunder, lightning flashing in the sky overhead as Elaina pushed herself up, realizing she felt lighter. The System! She frantically patted at her bag before she heard it calling, “Elaina!” from a few feet away. She scrambled over to it before getting a kick to the side, sending her sprawling once more. 

“You really should have stayed in the castle. I would have come for you eventually, of course, but you would’ve stood a chance with an army behind you. Might have, anyway.” Elaina got up once again, beautiful pain radiating from her side and head. She’s holding back, for now. Myriala was standing there, smirking as she looked down, floating a few feet above the ground. “Stars, child, do you know how mad I was at you?”

“Save it. I’m here to fight.” Elaina reached in for her mana, a little more than halfway full after her run, launching her crystal chain towards Myriala. The woman glided to the side, avoiding the attack as it clenched around nothing before grabbing the mass of crystal. She’s toying with me… Last time she’d held back too, not used any of her aspects at. Elaina knew of Regeneration, and it was obvious she had one that could let her fly, but were there more she didn’t know about?

“You may be here to fight, but I am genuinely here to talk, deary. Have you really not thought over my offer?”

“Of what, being your pet?” She tried moving her chains, but Myriala’s grip on them was firm, unyielding. She’d have to try something else.

“Of course. You’d like that, after all. Masochist Mage, wasn’t it? I can’t imagine there’s anyone you’d enjoy being with more than me.”

“I very much doubt that,” Elaina said, willing mana into the chain. “I doubt anyone enjoys being around you.”

The woman’s face frowned, and she started to move closer. “Watch your tongue, pet.” She went to lash out with the crystal-tipped claws of hers, but found her arms bound, shackles of crystal having formed from the chains, holding her hands together. “What in the—”

Elaina’s fist collided into Myriala’s face while she was looking down. Fuck, that hurts! Myriala recoiled, putting distance between the two as Elaina shook her hand out. It was the first time she’d ever punched anyone, and she could only hope she’d hurt her opponent as much as she had herself.

Her plan had worked though. She didn’t just have a crystal chain anymore, but Flexible Restraints, a weapon she could mold at will, that she’d molded into shackles around Myriala’s wrists, bundled together in one mess of crystal. “You fucking brat!” the woman shouted as she launched forward spinning, the giant red blades sprouting from her elbows cutting through rain and air as they hurtled towards Elaina.

Elaina froze her with [Personal Restraint] and pulled up and to the side on the Flexible Restraints as thunder cracked again, sending Myriala into the lightning-lit sky, just barely avoiding ending up like the Red Order members that had been cut to pieces before and instead receiving a gash along her right shoulder, crying out into the night.

She pushed Myriala’s shackles away with one more burst of mana before releasing herself and running behind a tree, breast falling out as the cut strap of her dress fell to the side. She grabbed it with one hand out of instinct to cover it, letting out a soft moan as she dug into the soft flesh. Gods, why now? There was an excitement to it all, even beyond her skills rousing her, an energy to fighting for your life, living on a razor’s edge. Am I starting to like this?

She kept a feel for the chain’s around Myriala, felt the woman struggling to try and pull them apart. It was a miracle, a chain she could just have all the time, nigh unbreakable, not requiring any mana to keep going, and it served as a tracker on Myriala to boot? Elaina circled the tree slowly whenever Myriala moved, keeping herself in the flying woman’s blind spot. She wouldn’t be safe behind a tree forever, she knew, but it was nice to have some reprieve.

“Oh well, I have what I need.” And then she felt Myriala dart off, chains flying off into the distance. The System!

Elaina spun out from behind the tree, running to where she’d dropped the orb before, dull blue glow still lighting up the grove. Still there, thank the gods. “Elaina, behind you!” She barely had time to react to the System’s warning before a gnarled hand closed around her throat and lifted her up off the ground.

Myriala’s right hand was popping back into place as it held her, left hand still a contorted mess. “Falling for the same trick again, pet? I thought better of you.” She broke her hands completely and slipped out of the chains before tossing it away… Gods I’m an idiot. Consciousness was fading already, not from lack of air, just the pressure on her blood vessels, Myriala’s face growing fuzzy as Elaina scratched at the woman’s wrist in futility. “Oh, I’m sorry little deary, did I mess up your little covering? Here, let me make it even.”

Myriala used the claw on her free hand to rip the dress’s other sleeve strap, the last thin piece of thread holding it up at all, sending the entire wet garment falling to the ground as Myriala howled in laughter. “Ha! Maybe there is something to these ‘clothes’ your people wear if taking them off is this much fun.” It was supposed to be fun. But it wasn’t, not here, not with her. 

“You’ve proven to be quite unruly though. Think of the fun we could have had,” she said, lifting her free hand, wiggling the fingers as the popped back into place from her Regeneration aspect, then running one of her crystal fingernails down the gash on Elaina’s shoulder, causing her to cry out again. “These claws could’ve been yours, ripping at your insides in wonderful ways.

“But I won’t even give you that satisfaction today. I know you’d enjoy it, and you’ve given up on that privilege.” The pressure on Elaina’s neck intensified, blurriness giving way to darkness on the edge of her vision. “No, you’ll die like this, uneventful, and the naked body that your kind are so ashamed to show will be left here to find by your silly little friends. Stars, just thinking about it makes me wish I could see it, wish I could see the looks on their faces as they gawk at how much of a failure you are. Oh how they’ll pity you!”

Crack!

The sound of thunder, but without lightning? Elaina felt herself falling, air rushing into her lungs as the pressure on her throat released. She crumpled to the ground and looked up, hearing the crack of thunder again. No, not thunder. 

A whip.

Tira swiped her weapon through the air, impossibly fast, as Myriala retreated up, a stump where her right hand used to be pouring blood. “Her ‘silly little friends’ know she isn’t a failure, and we would never pity her.” She drew the whip back, cracking it again and sending it hurtling towards Myriala once more. This is it!

Myriala already had her arms up though, crystal elbow-blades crossed in front of her as the whip crashed in, lashing her across the chest, cutting itself off on the sharp crystal and sending the top half of it whirring into the forest. No, this wasn’t it, but there was one final hope Elaina had as she scrambled across the clearing.

“Shit,” Tira said as she reached for a sidesword on her hip before Myriala’s foot sent her flying back through the air, crashing into a tree trunk and dropping the sword into the grass. “Fuck, sorry, Elaina, I’m out of mana too…”

“Insolent fucking animals!” Myriala screamed out, looking down at her arm as it grotesquely grew her hand back. “Fuck quick deaths, you’ll both die slowly!”

“Tira,” Elaina said as she reached her target, “catch!” She picked the System up off the ground, chucking it, a net of rope appearing on it and pulling it away at lightning speed.

Tira was already on her feet, catching the orb as Myriala glanced down, not even realizing what was happening until the System glowed, brightening the grove more than any lightning could, blinding all three of them. “System User confirmed as Star Blessed. Status: Aspected, classless. Age: twenty-one years, seven months, one week, zero days. Party compatibility for System Administrator Elaina Weaver: Ninety nine percent. Initiating protocol: Class Assignment.”

And then the information flowed.

[Elaina Weaver has completed special System assignment: Add a third party member]

[Elaina Weaver has achieved level 3]

[Tira Strask has been added to the System with prior training and achievements]

More information than she’d ever felt at once. Tira Strask, System Hierarchy: [User], Class: Sadist Striker 

Level: 2