Chapter 8

Xan

"If you think that you can stand up to Death Academy students," Doctor Li said, "fight those two," and pointed directly at Riley and I.

"What?" Flixith Durendal asked, anger growing. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, the one on the left used to be one of my students, who betrayed me to attend the Academy."

At this point, the doors were blocked by four guards, and everyone had their hands on their various firearms, so Riley and I decided to ourselves that it was time to stand up and take the standard "We're-screwed-so-go-back-to-back-and-kill-as-many-as-possible" position, and got ready to fight.

"Li!" I yelled. "As a final warning, you should be aware that, once I kill all of these gun-toting bitches, you're next! Then it's that Durendal guy and his fancy sword!"

As they pulled their guns on us, I shouted to Riley "Don't move!" and activated Oni Resonance. A field of blue-white lightning surrounded us, and the bullets stopped in mid-flight. The idiots were stunned when, instead of shredding us to bits, their bullets were floating in mid-air, like so many black metallic bees.

"Riley! You know why I prefer fighting real guns instead of Demon Guns like Kid's?"

"D'you wanna talk about how you fight right now?" Riley responded.

Ignoring him, I yelled, "It's because the metal bullets are magnetic! Return to sender!" And switched the electrical charge of the lightning.

The bullets were shot back to their senders, and all that they could do about it was watch and die.

The only people left alive in the building besides me and Riley were the ones who hadn't fired a shot: Doctor Li and Durendal, of course, along with their body guards and the door guards.

"Well, aren't you a smart one!" Durendal praised. "Skilled, too. Li, couldn't you have given warning to the men?" That was sarcastic.

"I never said that he was a bad student," Li countered. "I couldn't judge what he could do just from the time I knew him."

"If you're gonna keep taking, I'm just gonna walk out the door." Riley interrupted.

"Why should I fight you myself, when I have these guard-" Durendal started, and was pointing to the spot that used to have the door guards. "It's just too hard to find good help these days, I guess. Li! Use your guards," he ordered.

"Go, then," Li, in turn, ordered his guards.

As they approached, all six of Li's guards pulled out two short swords apiece, each with three-foot long blades.

"Li, you should know by now not to use metal weapons," I said.

"I think you should look closer, Mister Dariano," Li taunted, using my last name.

I did, and saw that the short swords were, indeed, not metal. That sucked.

"You see, I've created a material harder than diamond, more sharp than obsidian, and can dodge any metal detector or x-ray scan out there!"
"You always were a tricky one, Li, but I'll show you that new technologies aren't always better! I won't even use my electricity!"

"Actually, I won't be here! Me and Durendal, along with our soldiers outside are going straight to Death City!"

"How?"

"It's simple. We have a train. We put soldiers on the train. We take said train to Death City, Nevada. I thought you were supposed to be smart!"

"I feel left out, not knowing anyone here," Riley muttered, still back-to-back with me.

"You're tellin' me," Shinobu agreed. "Xan! Kill these men so we can get to Durendal!"

"Okay, Miss violent!" I yelled, and ran at the three guards on my side.

One swung high at me, and I brought Shinobu up, knocking the blade from his second hand that he had tried to block me with, and shattering his jaw with Shinobu's steel and wooden kanabo form, while the Doctor and Durendal left out of a back fire exit.

"Let's get this over quick, Riley!"

"No, Xan, I'm trying to be slow!" Riley answered, and sliced one of the men across his chest, sending him to the ground.

Another guard stabbed at me, but I dodged left, and caught his arm between my body and my arm. Before he could cut at me with the other blade, I sent a bolt of electricity through his nervous system, sending him into a temporary vegetative state.

The third guard was more defensive. I couldn't attack and send a bolt of electricity through his blades-they weren't conductive-so I leapt back and lit one of my explosives with my electricity.

I through it, and it exploded into a cloud of purple mist.

"How do you like my 'purple haze knockout gas,' bitch!" I yelled.

The mist cleared out, and he was out like Sonny Liston. I looked over at Riley, who, just then, knocked out his last opponent with Kylie's pommel.

"Let's go!" He shouted, and we had ran through the door Li and Durendal had went through, when we were immediately ambushed on by a soldier left behind. I stabbed at Riley, who had dodged at the last second, but still suffered a small slash to the right forearm. He cried out in surprise, but still managed to almost cut the would-be assassin in two with a mighty chop from Kylie.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'll be fine. I'm Irish, remember?" He answered, and we saw someone else running towards us.

"Eva?" I wondered, seeing that it was her. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard Riley yell, and I wanted to help...," she said. "Luc's probably been captured by Stein. He's not following me yet, but-"

"Don't think I'm stupid! He got captured because you ran off, didn't he? Otherwise, why aren't you in custody as well?" I shouted at her.

"You left Luc, the most inexperienced one of us, alone, to fight Dr. Stein, who's basically Chuck Norris?" Kylie asked.

"I didn't mean to..." Eva trailed off.

"Well, I guess that we might as well take the traitorous bitch with us. She can't get in the way that much, I'm sure," I resolved. "We need to go now, though. Li and Durendal have a huge head start."