The Dark Goddess

Chapter 22

Ami cursed inwardly since she couldn’t speak out due to Carmen’s hex, ‘How could I have been dumb enough to listen to them?’ Ami chided herself in her thoughts.

Now she was trapped in this hex that promised to keep her unmoving and unable to react to anything, if these girls even start beating her with sticks and clubs (which seemed likely to be their plan all along) she won’t even be able to cry out in pain.

Ami tested the bounds of the hex, sure enough she can break through with her powers, but the amount needed would strip her naked of all clothing and accessories and she wasn’t about to lose her dignity in front of these girls and the other challengers, neither was she about to lose the treasures they had worked hard to acquire.

They mentioned Casey being in a Nut trap, Nut is the Egyptian goddess of the night, meaning it could ve going bad for Casey at the moment.

She needed to break out of this for Casey’s sake as well.

“Where do we start from girls, I personally wish to make some marks on her face, I remembered she once called us ugly” Carmen said.

“Lets wipe her well with some sticks as she did to us when she came to the mute’s rescue” May said.

“Pity there’s no one to rescue you this time around, you’re all alone” Carmen said to Ami.

“No! she isn’t” came a sweet voice much to Ami’s relief.

The three girls all looked surprised, but May looked surprised the most.

“how… did… you…? Even…? It’s impossible” May stuttered.

“You mean your flimsy lame excuse for a Nut trap?” Casey replied “it wasn’t even worth the trouble”

But in sincerity it had cost Casey more than she was admitting, she looked worse for wear and she still had something that resembled tar smeared over different parts of her body.

Ami actually smiled at the sight of Casey, she was overjoyed that she was ok, but seeing her all roughed up like this brought forth dangerous desires from deep within her.

“Well what are you waiting for?” Casey said to Ami on the floor “An invitation? I’ve got your bag of extras, so get off your back and join the damn fight”

It was Ami’s turn to smirk, she really loved the way Casey made her feel, as if she could do anything she willed as long as they are together.

A louder boom sounded this time around as Ami called forth her powers on a full scale, and along with her clothes, the hex ripped off her entirely, somehow though the treasures all remained on her.

A gust of wind blew at the three girls forcing them to take a step back as Ami got to her feet by levitating in the midst of a mini cyclone.

The cyclone swirled around her covering her features a bit, she lassoed her swords from the ground and pulled them to her, she was in perfect harmony with herself and her powers at that very moment.

Ami looked every bit the goddess that she was at that very moment; levitating a few feet off the ground, surrounded by a mini storm and holding two swords in hand.

The three girls were awestruck and dumb folded at that point, they had heard she was a goddess but had never imagined something of this magnitude.

May tugged at Carmen, suggesting they run and leave the fighting for another time but Carmen stood her ground.

She brought her palms together again in a triangle and this time it was a flame that grew in the space within her fingers after some hieroglyphs flashed at first.

Casey stretched her hands as well and two spell forms blazed to life in front of her palms, one glowed fiery red and the other flashed white, she had invoked fire and lightening from her spell forms.

May saw there didn’t seem to be the chance of running anymore and there was no other option but to fight, so she as well activated a spell that produced two whips in both her hands that were as black as night.

Kayla as well joined in the fray and drew forth fire balls on both her palms, the flames were blue though and it was also after some hieroglyphs had flashed out at first.

Everyone was poised and ready for battle in an instant and in the following instant as they were about to attack each other a loud strong voice interrupted them.

“There you are creep, or rather creeps, seeing as there is a whole lot of you now” the axe wielder of Ami and Casey’s first encounter said to the group as he came out of the bushes to their location.

Following him were the other two, the mace and morning star wielder and they were all grinning like it was Christmas for them.

Ami was surprised to see they already had one treasure each already again, ‘These three are really something’ she thought to herself.

“We’ll be taking those treasures back now, as well as those of your friends” the mace wielder said to the girls.

Carmen’s eyebrows twitched at the word ‘friends’, no way she’d be lumped together with these ones as friends she thought to herself and launched the first attack at the axe wielder.

Her fingers shot off hot streams of liquid fire towards the axe wielder who blocked the oncoming volley with his axe.

As the flames touched the axe, they circuited the blades and stayed on them.

“Hmm, nice upgrade, thanks” said now the flaming axe wielder and then all hell broke lose as they all attacked each other at once.

It was later after the battle that Ami and Casey got to know that the battle actually involved a whole lot of other challengers who joined in to fight (although it was mostly those who had no treasure and hoped to gain one or two from the ensuing chaos)

Ami’s sword fighting got to an even higher level as she got the boost from her powers, she fought the most as well since it was evident she had more treasures with her, and the three guys and three girls as well actually aimed for her.

It became Casey’s job to thin out the oncoming threat and support Ami’s battling, her lightening was very effective though in contrast to her flames which was easily countered by the other fire or flame users and as well the water users that arrived on scene.

By the time the battle was over (due to the horn that announced the end of the challenge a few minutes after they had started fighting)

Ami had lost no treasure, thanks to the cyclone surrounding her that acted as shield and repelling wind force.

Casey had been able to snatch the three treasures from the three girls but the three guys held on theirs.

The guys gave a sign of respect to Ami And Casey for being able to hold out against them, and the three girls only felt more bitterness towards Ami and Casey.

Ami gave two more treasures to Casey to make hers five leaving her with three, when Casey asked why the answer from Ami was “Simple, I want you to win and not me, a boost to your status and a lowering of mine, I’ve made enough impressions already as it stands, I don’t need anymore, besides without you, we wouldn’t have made it this far” Ami said as she got dressed and then they headed for the start line to submit their wins.

‘Yeah’ Ami thought ‘This was a win, only one more thing left’

When the results of the whole challenge was collated, Casey and one other guy topped with five treasures each, the guy was a demigod from the Greek godly line born of Demeter and blessed by Hecate and he was a second year as well.

Three people came second place with four treasures each and about five people including Ami came third with three treasures each.

Ami was glad that there was a couple of first years as well in second place and third place, so she did not outshine as was the plan.

After the whole event was over, Casey came to Ami as they were departing from the grounds.

“We did not really get to talk as was planned before the challenge” she said to Ami who tried to look oblivious and unconcerned.

“Oh right, that’s true, we did say we were gonna have that talk didn’t we” Ami answered rhetorically but in her mind she was thinking 'finally the only thing left to complete the day's win'.

“How bout dinner then?” Casey offered.

Ami raised one of her eyebrows at that, “I can quite remember well enough that a “dinner” was exactly what led to the need for this talk” she said making air quotes when she said the word dinner.

“Yeah, I know and I’m sorry, I’m hoping things will be different this time” Casey responded.

Ami couldn’t help but feel a bit sad at the way Casey felt bad, it wasn’t entirely her fault but she could see that Casey had placed all the blame on herself.

“Cmon Case, I was kidding, I’d love to have dinner with you again so we could have the talk, how bout you come to my place? Its usually just me in there yunno” Ami suggested while playing with Casey’s word use of ‘you know’.

Casey smiled at both the offer and the humor, “Ok then, I’ll be there when its time” she responded lightly.

Throughout the rest of the day Ami couldn’t stop thinking about dinner, as at when she made the offer, she hadn’t fully realized that truly she and Casey would be totally alone in the house, but as soon as the realization hit her, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

How would it go? What would they eat? What would she wear? How will the talk go and will it favor them? If it favors them what would happen next? Would Casey be willing to stay over at her place?!

On and on Ami kept thinking and she even thought of different scenarios of how the night would go.

She drifted in a haze till the day was done and it was finally almost time for dinner.

Glossary

Demeter: Greek goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over grains and the fertility of the earth, she is also the goddess of sacred law.

Hecate: Greek goddess of magic, of witchcraft, the night, the moon, of ghosts and necromancy. She is also well associated with the heaven, earth and the sea.