Chapter 27: Battle Between Sisters

We had been betrayed! The Ministry of Fire had been waiting for us, almost anticipating our entire assault plan. As I racked my brain for who could have been the source of our downfall, I found myself standing off against the Conjurer yet again. There he stood in Golden Armor, his full power laid bare for all to see. He asked me to surrender peacefully, that my family would be treated fairly, but I would not hear of it. I had no doubt that he meant what he said, but the thought of submitting to that man yet again turned my stomach and filled my heart with rage!

While Ryan fought Grafael, Éclair was facing her own test.

“So, it’ll be you after all,” confirmed Éclair, more to herself than anything.

“Disappointed that I’m not Leon?” asked Rachel Kaves, obnoxious as always.

“No, not really,” said Éclair with a pleasant smile. “I’d have a hard time messing up his adorable face. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’d still do it, but it would just make me feel bad. You, I won’t even lose a wink of sleep tonight.”

Rachel chuckled. “You’re just a doll, sis.”

As the fire for the test surrounded each of the contestants with a wall of heat, Éclair had to move quickly as the flames shifted position, forcing her to stay in the middle of the fire wall and watch her footing at the same time. Rachel watched Éclair closely, keeping pace with the flames as if they weren’t there.

“So, what happens now?” asked Éclair, ready for action as she summoned her bow and notched an arrow.

“Well,” started Rachel, smiling sinisterly. “I guess I have to test you now, or something. Although, considering that it’s me conducting the test, you’d be better off quitting now. I think that’s why they didn’t give you Leon. He’d feel guilty and give a passing score without even laying a finger on you. I still think he’s cute, but like all men, he does have his stupid areas.”

“Wait a minute,” started Éclair, facing down her professional and romantic rival. “You’ve already made your decision. Isn’t that a conflict of interest, considering that you’d do anything to keep me from passing?”

“Trust me, sweetie, it’s just the truth,” continued Rachel in a taunting voice. “I don’t need to hate your guts to know that you don’t have what it takes to make it as a Second. Who’s always the damsel in distress? Who’s always depending on a big strong man to bail her out of every tight spot that seems to come her way?”

Éclair remained silent, letting Rachel’s insults wash over her, focusing her anger into the task at hand. At least I won’t feel too guilty for beating her if she’s acting this cocky.

“First it was Graf, then it was Leon, and now it seems even little Ryan wants to have a go,” listed out Rachel chronologically. “If I had a dime every time we saved your ass, princess, then I could start my own chain of a lingerie brand.”

“Well, you managed to become a Second, dear Rachel. Standards must be pretty lax nowadays, so I think I’ll be just fine,” replied Éclair, still smiling sweetly.

Rachel chuckled a little as she and Éclair paced across from one another, staying ahead of the flames by only a few meters. “You know, as your instructor, I really shouldn’t say this, but I think I’m going to enjoy this a little too much.”

“You set the conditions of the test, right?” asked Éclair, though already knowing the rules of the preliminaries after having attended several herself. “Just tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do it.”

“Okay, let’s start with something simple,” said Rachel confidently. “Let’s just see if you can land a hit on me.”

“Done,” replied Éclair without hesitation.

Within an instant, Éclair drew her bowstring and let loose a torrent of arrows towards Rachel. Éclair had been practicing on how to use quicker low-yield attacks. These arrows were not as powerful as her normal shots, but since they used less psions, Éclair did not have to charge them as long - hence the faster rate of fire.

Within seconds, Éclair had created a small glacier in an attempt to freeze Rachel, but none of her arrows hit their mark. As soon as Éclair let the first arrow fly, Rachel used her superior agility to somersault out of the way. Flipping over and over again like a cheerleader, Rachel dodged every single ice arrow while wearing the most infuriating smirk on her face.

But Éclair refused to let herself become fazed by Rachel’s cocky attitude. Besides, everything was going exactly as Éclair had expected it would thus far. As long as Rachel was dodging, she wasn’t attacking, and as long as she wasn’t attacking, Éclair could analyze the pattern of her movements. Sooner or later, Rachel would reveal a habit of some kind, and when she did, Éclair knew that she would nail her.

After finishing the last of her flips, and Éclair had to let up in order to recharge her psions for another assault, Rachel gave a mock bow as if she were at the Olympics. “Thank you. You’ve been a wonderful audience,” she taunted.

“Don’t take me lightly, Rachel,” growled Éclair. “You haven’t even begun to see what I can do.”

To illustrate her point, Éclair raised her hand, and as she did, a pillar of ice originating from her feet sprang from the ground. The ice platform elevated Éclair almost twenty feet in the air, giving her a suitable vantage point from which to fire from.

“Nice trick,” commented Rachel mockingly. “But in case you haven’t noticed, stationary fighting isn’t going to do it here.”

Rachel was referring to the wall of fire that moved all around them, forcing the combatants to constantly stay on the move or risk getting burned.

“Oh, I accounted for that,” rebuffed Éclair with a grin.

As the wall of flame moved towards her tower of ice, Éclair willed the structure into motion, forcing it to slide across the earth like a snail, only a lot faster. As her perch moved, Éclair renewed her bombardment of ice arrows.

Although Rachel was initially taken aback by Éclair’s ingenuity, she quickly recovered and resumed her usual acrobatics to avoid the ice arrows. However, Éclair did notice with satisfaction that it seemed a tad bit more difficult for Rachel to keep pace with the arrows this time. Éclair knew that attacking from higher ground would give her the advantage she needed, and so far, her theory was proving correct.

Éclair’s ice attacks got so close that frost had started appearing in Rachel’s brunette hair, and all over her arms as well. She even slipped a couple of times on ice Éclair laid ahead of her. Unfortunately, any ice that Éclair made was soon melted by the ever-moving wall of flames, giving Rachel the homefield advantage as Éclair would’ve preferred to keep the whole arena frozen in ice.

I wonder why she hasn’t tried to strike back yet. Does she really think so little of me? wondered Éclair. No matter. If she wants to underestimate me, it will be her loss. If I defeat her, it’s an automatic pass for me, conditions be damned.

Though she seemed to be making some progress, Éclair soon had to relent in her attack as maintaining her moving ice pillar and firing ice arrows at the same time proved too great a strain. Though Éclair was breathing heavily from the exertion, she was delighted to see that Rachel also seemed winded.

“What’s the matter, sis?” said Éclair between breaths. “You seem a little under the weather.”

Rachel smiled haughtily at the quip. “You’re one to talk. You look like you’re ready to keel over already.”

“Just trying to lull you into a false sense of security,” joked Éclair. “By your cocky attitude, I can see that it’s working.”

“In case you haven’t noticed,” started Rachel, looking slightly annoyed. “I haven’t even tried to fight back so far, and I’ve been able to dodge your attacks without using my psionic ability. Meanwhile, you’re firing crazy like a hillbilly with a shotgun, tiring yourself out. You’ll be spitting your own blood out if you keep this up.”

“Thanks for the lecture,” grunted Éclair as she notched a couple more arrows to her blue-glowing string. “Your concern is touching.”

But before Éclair could get off another shot, she sensed something coming at her from behind. Éclair’s enhanced senses were working full throttle, compelling her to bend down to avoid incoming danger. No sooner had she complied with her instincts did a bolt of lightning whiz over her head, singeing her silver hair.

When and how did she set that up? thought Éclair.

Before Éclair could puzzle it out, Rachel immediately launched another attack, bringing out her electrically charged nunchakus and sending waves of yellow energy sizzling towards Éclair’s ice pillar. In a flash of lightning, Éclair’s creation was destroyed, sending her tumbling to the ground. As Éclair hit the sandy earth, she forced herself into a roll to soften the landing. Just as she sprang back to her feet, Rachel came at her with her chained weapon, swinging wildly as the chains crackled with yellow lightning.

Éclair managed to block most of Rachel’s blows with her bow, but still suffered a paralyzing blow to her arm, leaving it feeling numb. Éclair jumped away, avoiding more injuries as Rachel swung in a wide, spinning arc.

If Rachel looked smug before, it was nothing compared to her cocky grin this time. “You won’t be using that arm for a while. One of the perks of my lightning chains. They cancel out the electric impulses to the brain of any body part they strike.”

Éclair knew that she could heal her arm with her Medical Elemency if she only had a few seconds, so she quickly thought of the best way of keeping Rachel busy in order to do just that. Namely getting Rachel to boast, which would not prove difficult.

“How did you set up that little trick earlier?” asked Éclair as she took a knee to catch her breath. She was genuinely curious, but she also knew that Rachel would be unable to resist the urge to brag.

Instead of answering right away, Rachel pointed up, drawing Éclair’s gaze to the sky. As Éclair looked up, she saw a small dark cloud in the sky that seemed to circle right above her.

“My own personal little lightning storm,” said Rachel. “You didn’t even notice me sending small charges of energy into the air while I was flipping around. Too bad those enhanced senses of yours kicked in. I would have loved to trim a bit more of that gaudy hair of yours.”

Éclair suddenly had a strong impulse to brush her hair, but she resisted the urge as she redoubled her efforts into healing her paralyzed arm. And at the same time, she had a little surprise for the arrogant Charger.

“I guess it’s true what they say,” said Éclair, thinking of a pun. “Only fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.”

It was only then that Rachel noticed the ice freezing her combat boots into place. While Éclair was kneeling with her injured arm hanging numbly, she purposefully placed a hand to the ground, creating a small stream of ice that froze Rachel’s feet.

Before Rachel could free herself, Éclair rushed her with her one good arm. Rachel was hard-pressed fending off Éclair’s attacks without being able to move her legs. As Éclair pressed her attack, she managed to give Rachel a slight cut on her shoulder with the blades from her bow. With a careful swing from her nunchuks aimed downwards, Rachel finally managed to break free of the ice holding her into place and dashed away just before Éclair was able to land a finishing blow. As she hopped away to gain some distance, Éclair noticed Rachel making the slightest gesture with her finger towards the storm cloud above their heads. That was all the warning she needed to get out of the way.

Within an instant, lightning started raining down on Éclair with deadly accuracy. If not for Éclair’s enhanced senses and her increased agility as an Elemental, she would have been zapped at least a dozen times. As such, she was not able to escape completely unscathed as a particularly violent lightning bolt exploded the ground at her feet, sending her careening through the air before barely getting her feet back under herself to land. Thankfully, it seemed that Rachel was running low on juice herself as the storm cloud suddenly blew away in the wind. As Éclair regained her footing, she noticed Rachel regarding her with a little more wariness as she examined her injured shoulder tenderly.

“That’s one hit scored,” boasted Éclair victoriously. “Do I pass yet, or do I need to convince you some more?”

While there seemed to be a pause in the action, Éclair took the opportunity to resume her efforts in healing her paralyzed arm. Fortunately, the effects of Rachel’s electric attack seemed to be temporary as Éclair started to regain feeling in her limb. With her bow hand placed gingerly on her shoulder to induce the healing technique of Medical Elemency, Éclair appraised Rachel, waiting for any sign of aggression.

“Maybe that’d be enough to pass for newbies,” grunted Rachel as she went into a low crouch. “But we’re the Grim Team, the elites. You’re gonna need a lot more than some fancy footwork to impress me.”

“That’s not the most specific parameters for a test.”

“That’s the way real life works, princess. Deal with it.”

As Rachel spoke, Éclair saw her skin becoming transparent. Then Rachel disappeared altogether as the full effects of her invisibility technique came full swing.

I’ve finally forced her to use her psionic ability. Concealment. Dissolving of one’s physical and spiritual presence. Against any other opponent, it would be tricky to deal with. But with my own psionic ability of dowsing, it should be child’s play to find her.

“Nice ‘Invisible Woman’ impression,” commented Éclair, showing a penchant for Ryan’s tendency to reference pop culture from Ancient Earth. “But you do know that my own psionic ability will allow me to sense your presence, invisible or not.”

Éclair then regained full movement of her arm again and tested it out. As she gripped her bow with both her hands, a triumphant grin spread across her face. “Oh, and by the way. Your little paralysis trick wore off. So the moment you make a peep, I’ll show you what cold really means.”

“Then what’s stopping you, princess?” asked Rachel, already giving away her position.

Moron, thought Éclair while rolling her eyes.

As soon as Rachel spoke, Éclair leveled her bow and let loose a particularly powerful arrow that was empowered with the full force of a blizzard. Éclair could already hear Rachel’s movements in that direction. She could even smell her odor in the atmosphere. And with her taunting, Rachel might as well have been visible. Éclair released her arrow, certain that it would hit its mark and freeze Rachel in her arrogant tracks. The power of her attack was so strong that the arrow created an explosion of ice that temporarily canceled out the powerful flames separating the combatants. Éclair was greeted with a brief view of a couple of male combatants gawking in awe as a portion of the massive fire wall vanished and then reappeared a second later.

However, Rachel was not in the vicinity. Even more disconcerting, no sooner had Éclair fired - she was struck by a low-level lightning attack from behind. Even with the protection of her armor, the pain was intense, but Éclair was more distressed by the surprise of being hit from her backside. At first, she was tempted to think that Rachel had created another storm cloud to attack from her blind spot again. But when she failed to notice a second dark cloud, she reasoned that Rachel must have used something else this time. Éclair recovered quickly and sent a second arrow at her rear flank, but once again hit nothing, dissolving another portion of the fire wall yet again before it reformed in an instant.

Éclair then heard Rachel laughing scornfully. “Neat, huh? Bet you’re pretty confused, right?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” Éclair admitted, becoming steadily more frustrated.

Why can’t I get a bead on her anymore? It’s like her voice is coming from everywhere at once.

“Since I know it will drive you nuts if I don’t explain it,” said Rachel, her voice seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. “From the moment that I became invisible, I’ve been sending small electrical discharges in the atmosphere. Not enough to affect any normal person. But for a sensor type like you, it overloads your perceptions, rendering your sensing abilities useless.”

As Rachel finished her boasting, Éclair had only a split second to dodge another attack of electrical energy from Rachel’s chained nunchakus. Rachel was visible for only a split second before she became transparent yet again.

Good to know that she has to become visible to attack. But I have no way of knowing when and where she will attack from. The more I try to sense her, the more confused my senses become. I thought she was attacking from the right earlier when she really came from the left. I’ll have to lower my sensing ability and rely solely on my reflexes.

“Alright,” called out Éclair to wherever Rachel was hiding. “I’ll admit it, I’m impressed. You act like an idiot most of the time, but you’re smarter than I gave you credit for.”

“Ha. I’m just getting warmed up, sister,” said Rachel, the direction of her voice still impossible to pin down.

Éclair steadied her breathing and waited for Rachel’s next assault as she walked at a fast pace to stay ahead of the wall of flame that still burned all around them. This time, Rachel attacked from above, appearing over Eclair’s head and making a swipe at her face. Éclair managed to block the attack in the nick of time, causing Rachel’s chained weapon to wrap around the end of her bow. Éclair then swung hard, slamming Rachel to the ground as she was still holding her weapon. Éclair drew an arrow from the quiver at her belt to pin Rachel to the ground, but not before Rachel sent currents of electricity coursing through her nunchuks. The electricity was conducted through Éclair’s bow and went zipping up her arm, sending waves of pain coursing through her body and forcing her to release her weapon.

Rachel tossed Éclair’s bow to the ground before vanishing again. Before Éclair could retrieve her bow, the wall of fire trailed over it.

“You know, you’ve always been full of yourself,” called out Rachel, seeming to enjoy Éclair’s predicament. “From the first day you came to the Ministry, everyone treated you like a queen, even the people who didn’t know your secret. It was like you were given a free pass from the very beginning. I can’t tell you how much that grinds my gears.”

“Your jealousy is flattering, but hardly becoming,” scorned Éclair, waiting anxiously for Rachel’s next attack.

“See, that’s the difference between us,” replied Rachel just as another lightning attack came spiraling towards Éclair, forcing her to duck. “I can admit my shortcomings. I can even admit that I’ve been jealous. But you can’t even see past your own perfect nose, so how could you ever begin to be self-aware of your flaws.”

“Such as?” asked Éclair, almost genuinely curious to hear about her failings, if only to improve upon them.

“Where do I even start?” laughed Rachel. “You’re a know-it-all. You always have to be right, even when you know you’re wrong. You’re a self-satisfied, self-righteous preening Prima Donna. And you’re overly clingy, too. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like Leon too, but I’m not going to stalk the guy like some love-sick puppy. I mean, seriously, get a life and have some self-respect. You’re an embarrassment to feminism with all your pathetic swooning.”