The Dream Shifter

Chapter 228

She screamed her throat rough drawing away the pain and securing herself. Her hand moved over to the stump and hovered for a second. The pause of anticipation built up anxiety inside her, but she pushed through. Her red flame lifted into her wound burning the edges acting to cauterize everything exposed. Fumiko coughed and screamed louder into the new world of pain. The seconds passed and she pulled away feeling enough time passed.

Fumiko panted heavily and stared back at Stamatia through the cage. She worked up a grin on her lips. "I should thank you. Your fire managed to keep my blood loss to a minimum otherwise I'd probably be passed out now." Flames burst from around her arm building into a new spell. "So I'll do so, by defeating you!" Fumiko slammed the flame at the ground in front of her and then slashed out with the blue flame arm. Small whiffs of fire fell around her as she made her escape.

Stamatia staggered back held in shock at what she witnessed. 'How can she still have fight in her? What's with that resolve in her eyes? Why does she think she can win?' Blasts of fire around her rudely pulled her out of her stunned state. When she returned to reality, she found Fumiko standing over her, the height measuring out an imposing stature. It immediately turned her eyes thin narrowing to brace herself.

Another fire burned in her hand. "I granted you a free chance to recover. Consider the debt repaid. I'll show you no further kindness!" The pain from her arm began to fade to the back of her mind. She felt the focus of her magic coursing their body once more. Unity restored itself and felt even stronger. Ribbons of magic freely spun around her chest channeling into her arm. It made the glow from it brighter.

'That arm of hers…' Stamatia pulled away launching flames up from the ground at Fumiko. She released more of her field than she had previous while fighting. However, each stream was blasted away by Fumiko with a single attack. She needed more.

Fumiko felt everything flowing smoothly through her body. She did not even think that she spent time to cast her fire. The sensation felt strange, but almost natural. 'Even after the last spell I still feel like I can cast again. I normally feel like I have to build up my magic, but it already feels like it is ready to go…' Her magic never felt so close to her fingers before. She did not understand it, but was glad for it. 'I'll find you, where ever you are!'

New flames ignited from her hand ready to go. Stamatia took a few steps back trying to plan an attack. 'Something's different…' Fumiko did not grant her much time to think. The new fireball forced her hand to summon a wall to halt the attack. Their impact blasted out wind. A stalemate again for the two, Stamatia did not think it possible. 'After my attack…how… My resolve is stronger!'

Desperation on Stamatia's half forced the release of even more of her field. She channeled rivers of flame around her. It pulled from behind her funneling in towards Fumiko as a massive column. Three more came up in quick succession. They all were larger than anything Stamatia used before. Their presence cracked the ground and set wood afire.

Not turning back, Fumiko built up her flame and released a brightly glowing blue flame at the first stream. They met quickly and fell to mutual destruction, but the other three remained unaffected. She felt the magic in her arm still ready and she fired off another spell of equal strength. Even after the second spell, her arm still roared for more. Fumiko granted its request tossing two more flames out. A fiery blast grew from the impacts with a shockwave that the wind rode.

She looked down at her arm. It lost a little of its shine, but still looked strong. 'Is this the strength of this arm? I can use spells without the cast time?' Fumiko glared over at her frustrated, but not finished opponent. 'This will help me end the fight! I can keep up with her with this!' The hand clinched a glowing fist in preparation for the next round.

Nothing happened again for Stamatia. 'Damn it! She's able to keep up with this speed and strength! I just need more…' She could not stay in a stalemate any longer. 'Time for something new…' Walls of fire came up in front of her to stop the next attack that Fumiko launched. It gave her the time to bring up new streams behind her and mold them. Dozens of spinning discs hovered around her waiting for the cloud to settle out. However, when it finally did she found nothing. "What?" Stamatia darted her eyes around trying to figure out where Fumiko disappeared.

"You didn't think I'd just stand in the same spot did you?" remarked Fumiko, out of sight of Stamatia. "I'm winning this fight!"

Stamatia spun around behind her figuring out the direction of the voice, but it was too late. A new series of fireballs came at her, already close inside her. She instinctively raised walls of flames, but they had to be very close to her. The impact knocked her off her feet and sent her into the tents. It snuffed out all of the weapons she prepared.

The collapse released her flames again, forcing Fumiko away. She jumped out of the razed earth still partially enveloped within the flames. As she reached the peak of her jump, she dispelled the flames to recover a safe landing. 'Almost had her there… Just need to get a little closer next time…'

Slowly recovering, Stamatia focused her field under her control. However, she still needed more time. She flipped her field into automated defense mode. It released partial control of it to her subconscious allowing her the time she needed to stand and prepare.

Finding the field back to normal, Fumiko took the chance to move again. She needed to strike while Stamatia was still recovering. It was going to be her only chance to end the fight. However, once she stepped into the range fire attacked her immediately. Her arm threw it off, but she came under attack again. She threw it off with a fireball and sprinted through. More streams trailed her forcing her to send them away. Just as she recovered, new ones appeared striking at her. 'What's with this? The reactions are too fast…'

Standing up fully, Stamatia began to take in the scene once more. It startled her a little watching Fumiko turn into a blur with her movements. She remained in her field and yet kept up with her defenses. It even looked like she was starting to make progress. 'How is that possible? Even with adjustments to the physics of nature to reduce friction, drag and boost performance…it shouldn't be possible to move that fast! That isn't even normal for us!' Stamatia suddenly felt a heavy weight come down around her shoulders. The words that Fumiko spoke to her came back to haunt her. 'Is it true? Could she really be…different from us?'

Stamatia eyes grew wider as it all began to settle into her mind. She no longer knew what she should believe. Who was her opponent? New questions appeared that she did not expect. Her mind twisted into thorny labyrinth. 'What do I do?'

Flashes of all those from the academy that looked up to Paian appeared in her mind. She fought for them to see that they had a better future than her. She struggled so that those that came after her did not have to face the same prejudice. She took their pain because she could endure it all. 'I just have to fight… It doesn't matter if it is lies or not! I have to stop her!'

Flames rose up dividing repeatedly to become weapons for her. She marched forward to meet her enemy. Fumiko stood between her and her answer. "I'll grasp my own truth!" All of the spinning flame weapons launched at Fumiko, still in the middle of keeping up with the streams.

Out of the corner of her eye, Fumiko picked up the new targets. She flipped around on her leg to turn her into the attack. Her arm raked through the air leaving behind flames. It took the initial few weapons and exploded outward. The blast shot out like a shotgun shell spreading small pellets of fire taking out most of the spinning weapons. A fireball discharged to eliminate the remaining. Fumiko slid out in front of the defensive streams dropping her arm down sending out a blast behind her to naturalize the rest. The explosion accented her with a dramatic background that darkened her figure leaving only her staring eyes.

Realizing the pointless of the defense, Stamatia flipped it off. She knew the source of her troubles. "That arm of yours. Let's see how you do without it!" A long sword of fire appeared behind Fumiko spinning up to take out her arm.

Fumiko rotated around and grabbed the sword with her hand. She crushed it under her palm. Her head tilted over to Stamatia unimpressed. "That won't work again."

"Oh?"

Suddenly another sword flew from behind Fumiko already in motion long before either of their words. Fumiko did not have a chance to evade. It sliced through her arm and disappeared, its job complete. A surprised look appeared on Fumiko face.

Stamatia smirked pleased to see her plan succeeded. "Without that arm you're finished. This fight is over!" At the end of her declaration, Fumiko disappeared from her sight. Stamatia froze for a second before attempting to look around, but it was already too late.

Fumiko appeared behind her. She rested her flame hand on her shoulder of her fire armor and wiped out half of it in the process. "Yes, the fight is over."

Suddenly another sword flew from behind Fumiko already in motion long before either of their words. Fumiko did not have a chance to evade. It sliced through her arm and disappeared, its job complete. A surprised look appeared on Fumiko face.

Stamatia smirked pleased to see her plan succeeded. "Without that arm you're finished. This fight is over!" At the end of her declaration, Fumiko disappeared from her sight. Stamatia froze for a second before attempting to look around, but it was already too late.

Fumiko appeared behind her. She rested her flame hand on her shoulder of her fire armor and wiped out half of it in the process. "Yes, the fight is over."

It happened so fast for Stamatia that she froze for a moment with her eyelids growing wide. She did not know what occurred or how it was even possible. Her mind kept replaying the same two seconds repeatedly trying to understand. Nothing succeeded.

Finally, the pain of her shoulder wounds and blood dripping heavily down her body woke her up. Stamatia realized how close Fumiko stood and pulled away. She jumped back a few steps to what she thought would be a safe distant. Instinctively, her hand pressed against her bloodied shoulder trying to fight the stinging pain rising to the surface. Her eyes glanced at her armor. 'She did so much damage to my armor at this range! It's the strongest flame I have! How…how…why?'

Appearing a little disconnected to the reality of the situation, it painted Fumiko's eyes a dull empty green. She lifted her flame arm up, it eager to finish matters. "I should thank you, again. I've been able to learn quite a bit about what I'm capable of because of this fight. And I know now that you don't have a chance of winning anymore."

The declaration wiped away all of the shock that Stamatia held. Her eyes narrowed immediately in response. "You've become rather arrogant now that you think you've got the upper hand." She pulled her hand away and re-ignited her armor to cover the gap. Stamatia summoned flames into her hands letting them engulf them fully to blaze into the air with trails that reached above her.

A short sigh came from Fumiko's lips. She hoped the fight would have ended. The last counter should have been more than enough to establish her position. Fumiko did not understand why she insisted. 'Fine, have it your way…' She began walking forward slowly, but vanished from Stamatia's sight a second later.

Flames exploded suddenly behind Stamatia and she quickly turned prepared to attack. She turned her defenses back to automatic to make up for Fumiko's strange speed. "I told you, you're arrogant! You can't win! Not against me! My answer is correct!" Amongst her words, nothing appeared to her. She twisted her forehead a little in confusion only to have an answer a split-second later.

Flames blew in from behind Stamatia knocking her to the ground and destroyed the upper half of her armor. Only the fact that she laid on the ground kept her bare top from exposure. Fumiko stood over her with a hand still extended, flickers of fire floating away into the air. "I didn't speak in arrogance, but confidence. I understood our differences better than you. This is no longer your fight."