"Unlike Jareth, I on the other hand, did not promise that there wouldn't be any casualties," Stephanie smiled, her crimson eyes almost glowed.
The Goblin King clenched his fist, conjuring another spell, a few strands of his light hair moved. Stephanie raised a hand, palm up and a dark clear crystal appeared, surrounded in blue flames; she raised her other hand at the same level, around chest high and another fire crystal appeared. She placed her outstretched hands before her, joining the crystalline fireballs. She raised her hands about her head, with no trouble passing by her sharp headpiece, as the fireball followed; she struck her hands down barely with any effort.
The large fireball hit the ground, making the stones from the floor break into dangerous pieces and sent flying from opposite sides, away from where the crystal dug its path. The fireball roared its destruction as it headed towards Jareth. With not enough time to create a barrier, he dodged out of the way.
Dust and stones swirled to a settle at the spot where he had been moments before. He got up and pushed Chantal out of the way of a huge stone that came crashing down. He was unsure if he should leave the girl lest Stephanie should attack the defenseless Chantal. His decision made, he then created a barrier around her before moving quickly back out onto the battlefield; he doubted Stephanie would waste time attacking Chantal. He knew that once Stephanie set her mind on something, there was no way to persuade her otherwise.
Stephanie turned to Jareth's direction and resumed her attack, whereas he quickly dodged these as well. Minutes passed with the same results.
"Stand still," she almost hissed. She did small attacks, trying to get a clear shot at the dodging Goblin King, which only irritated Stephanie. Her eyes closed and her fists clenched tightly. It was as though she was gathering her strength or perhaps concentrating on finding his current position.
Her eyes opened and her hands shot open as an onyx crystal appeared; she threw this at the Goblin King who had just gotten up from the previous blast; he had ducked behind what appeared to be the remains of section of a wall that had fallen. The blast hit him full force in the chest and he was sent flying towards a wall, he struck the wall and he fell to the floor, onto his stomach.
Jareth coughed, dust swirled before his mouth. He slowly pushed himself up, glanced at Stephanie and shot a beam of energy towards her direction. The silvery beam hit her in the stomach and made her fly back, behind the broken throne. Debris clattered and jumped as she landed.
Silence.
Suddenly the throne exploded, shattered in a hundred of pieces, scattering in every direction; Chantal ducked involuntarily behind her barrier. More pieces continued to be thrown outwards, raining down upon the Goblin King and bounced off Chantal's force field. Stephanie emerged from the dust, looking very pissed off. She glared at the Goblin King. Before he could do anything, especially to escape her deadly gaze, she moved towards him in an angry rush and grabbed him by his shirt collar. He blinked at her incredible speed, his eyes widened at her next action; she threw him up in the air as though he was merely a doll.
The Goblin King did not want to plummet to the partially destroyed floor; he quickly morphed into his owl form and flapped his wings, regaining his balance. He flew around the throne room to find a suitable place to land.
Stephanie by this time had watched the transformation from king to owl, smiled and closed her eyes. Her hands were at her sides, palms facing forward. Her long hair swirled and flowed and she raised a hand and held it above the other, two grey crystals hovered. She lowered her arms and the crystals floated to hover on each side of her head. Her crimson eyes opened and the crystals shot forward. They caught the Jareth/owl being like an invisible net projected from a cannon.
The owl screeched. A mass of tangled feathers and light colored cloth flew by and halted in mid air, feathers got loose and floated down. The mass shifted, causing the long strips of cloth to create water like movements. The strips of cloth became shorter, darker and the feathers disappeared, leaving a disheveled Goblin King.
He tried moving in order to get down but saw that he was unable to do so. Stephanie remained by the destroyed throne, her right hand was out, her index finger pointed towards him. She drummed her fingers in a wave gesture, her many rings clicked together; Jareth blinked. She quickly gestured to the wall on her right. Jareth was sent spiraling to the direction suggested; he followed and crashed into the walls and ceiling or to whatever places that Stephanie was pointing to. Before he could fall to the floor, she pointed to columns, walls, debris, a few times to the stone floor; anything that was suitable to inflict pain to the Goblin King.
His breath was knocked out of him a few times and he gritted his teeth to stop from losing consciousness. Jareth landed on his back, trying to catch his breath; he groaned in pain. For a second, the thought of why the girl was not attacking came across his mind, he looked up.
"Jareth!" Chantal cried out. Serek trilled in a warning.
Stephanie was standing right beside him, he did not like the expression on her face; it was pure hatred. Stephanie kicked the Goblin King hard in his side, which made him roll over to his left, another kick followed to his back. He tried vainly to get up; he needed just another moment to catch his breath, to think, before he can conjure up his powers. He made it to his knees before Stephanie kicked him full force in the chest and he was thrown back onto his back again; he coughed painfully.
He managed to roll out of the way of another series of kicks and got to his feet, he ducked behind a column. He took a few painful deep breaths. As he concentrated, he listened to her approaching footsteps. Once he was ready with a crystal in hand, he turned away from the column and sent the orb towards her.
The girl with the crimson eyes raised a hand to stop the crystal in its tracks, which was a few inches from her outstretched hand. With a flick of her wrist, it was sent back to its owner at incredible speed.
"Hell!" Jareth cursed under his breath, raising both hands at the incoming orb; it became larger because the girl had added some of her powers to it.
O
"Ha' ano itu' rk ai'tho," a voice finished their song.
A hat upon a brow which was a bird like creature, nodded to himself of his performance; he wished that he had at least an audience that would gladly listen to him. He opened his mouth to ask for requests when a sound stopped him. He almost sneered at the familiar snoring beneath him that belonged to the "Wiseman" of the ever-changing Labyrinth. The bird sighed. He looked around his surroundings; he had nothing better to do, being no more than a hat and all.
The Labyrinth was different of course, it even felt different even to the strange creature; it had the same feeling as when the Underground had been taken over not too long ago but this time was different all together. Whatever the scenario, it was between the King and the adversary.
He cleared his throat to start another song when he had found nothing of interest to look at. He continued to ignore the Wiseman below.
The sound of an explosion was heard and the creature turned his head in the direction of the King's castle; he saw a figure crash through a solid wall of the main tower and disappeared behind the gate walls and into the Goblin City.
"That looked like it must have hurt," he commented with a wince. He stretched out his neck to see if he can get a better view. The Wiseman opened one droopy eye; he glanced at the castle and mumbled uninterested to the action, in his sleep like state.
The bird shook his head when the Wiseman did not move and looked down, clearly annoyed. "Useless!" he grumbled to the being below.
O
It was silent, save for the few pieces of debris that continued to fall and settle. Dust sifted through the air until it cleared.
A low moan was heard and large chunks of roofing that the Goblin King had crashed into one of the goblin's home, moved. He coughed at the dust and the pain in his chest. He took a deep breath, sat up and started to remove the house structure from his body. On his feet, he glanced at the opening he had created. Jareth winced. He then made his way towards the door of the house he landed in and stepped outside, wary of Stephanie should she appear. Jareth dusted off his clothes and headed back towards the castle. "Jare old boy, you're getting rusty," the Goblin King mumbled to himself.
Stephanie by this time had stepped onto the broken ledge of the new opening of the Throne room and had jumped down, landing on her feet with a small thud. Barely a second passed before she started walking in the direction where Jareth had vanished. She rounded a corner and was struck by an energy beam, slamming her into a wall of a nearby house. The cry of pain was cut short when the breath was knocked out of her.
The Goblin King stepped out from the narrow alleyway he hid for his attack and conjured another crystal as he walked towards the fallen girl. Stephanie winced and slowly got to her feet. She glared at the Goblin King and raised a hand to attack. Jareth hurled the crystal and Stephanie was sent crashing through the building she previously hit. He concluded that if she was powerful enough to have access to magyk, then she was strong enough to withstand any injuries created by them. In a way, he hoped that he wasn't wrong. There weren't much choice in order to stop her.
Jareth started walking towards the building, a rundown old house that surprisingly stayed intact even with the damage it was getting; and heard the girl moving inside. He glanced inside the hole and squinted to see amongst the dust. His eyes widened and he quickly ducked just as a medium sized energy blast shot out the opening.
"That was a close one," he smirked looking through the hole again. "But you missed dear girl."
"Darn!" Stephanie said, thick with sarcasm. She pushed a broken wooden table over from where she stood. Jareth watched, actually leaning against the newly made windowsill. One of the girl's sleeves was tangled in broken pieces of wood; she tried freeing herself but gave up as the tangled strips knotted more. A moment later and the girl's sleeves lay crumpled on the ground; the silver armbands that held the sleeves remained upon her upper arms.
"Ready?" the Goblin King asked.
"Of course." the girl replied. They stood silently to see who would strike first. Stephanie's eyes darted at the same moment towards a dark wooden door to her left then back at Jareth. Her eyes narrowed. "Damn it!" Her hand was up and shot another dark energy beam at Jareth just as he started running towards the side opening. 'He's fast.' she thought. She held her other hand and blew the door away with another blast.
Jareth stopped in his tracks as the side of the house exploded outward. As soon as the dust and the debris settled, he rushed over to the enlarged doorway. He cursed under his breath and slammed his palm on one side of the doorway. There was an opening on the other side of the building. He spun around, his senses keen and alert, looking in every open direction.
Thunder rumbled, lightning crackled and continued to tease the sky. He told his nerves not to jump and to remain calm. It has been a while since the last battle. He had to remain focused; it was thrilling in a way, someone as powerful in the line of magyk. His senses were more alert now and he dodged an attack from an unknown point. His eyes searched the well-known City.
"Where is she?" he muttered under his breath. Another dark crystal headed his way, he raised his hand to block. Barely a moment later, another cast came from a different direction; he easily blocked this attack as well. Movement caused him to glance at out of the corner of his eye. At his own incredible but still humanly possible speed, he ran in the direction where he was certain "that girl" ran from. Their attacks slowed his pace, and he had ducked behind several buildings and houses. A few attacks damaged many sides and a few whole buildings. He hoped the goblins were well hidden within their homes, away from any danger.
Jareth jumped over debris, still keeping track of Stephanie. He winced as an energy line grazed the side of his face. Blood, dark crimson in color with a very faint tinge of blue, seeped out of a long cut. An attack hit him square in the back. He stumbled forward with a short cry. He quickly got up and zigzagged through the alleys; almost chased by the energy blasts. It was not long that he started to pant; not used to this form of exercise anymore; passed into a clearing within the Goblin City. He slid on his feet to a stop; the sound would have been pleasant in normal circumstances. The attacks had stopped. He spun around still in an attack stance; he looked around him. He stood up straight.
"Heh," The Goblin King smirked. "Clever girl." he said.
Jareth was standing right dead center of the Goblin City. He stood in a large area where the buildings stood far apart from the town's fountain, normally full of inhabitants in the market place, now silent. He was open for any attacks, especially fatal ones; he was certain that she was indeed capable. He jumped out of the way of an orb, it barely missed his foot. A few more followed, trailing in the ground before failing hitting their mark. Stephanie was taking no chances it would seem, attacking continuously; one energy ball actually boomeranged around the buildings, before missing the Goblin King. 'Is she tiring yet?' he wondered. He was now running through the City again; randomly throwing his own energy orbs. He heard a few times the girl letting short cries as she was struck. The attacks would stop momentarily and he was given the chance to regain some of his breath and time to think.
An energy beam dug a path, he only managed to back flip out of the way; he pushed himself off his hands and into another back flip. He then turned around as he reached one of the Labyrinth's corridors; he had passed the Goblin City gates a few moments before. The last time he saw Stephanie and her attacks was on a rooftop about two blocks away. Some of the goblins' houses were built so close together that it was easy for her to jump to and from rooftops.
Jareth looked up as a voice called his name. Stephanie stood on a flat surface upon a goblin's home. The sudden breeze blew their hair around their faces. "I'm through chasing you." her voice was clear against the thunder's angry roar; the only echo was the otherworldly tone that resonated in her voice. "Fight me fairly."
Jareth almost laughed. "Wasn't I?" he asked thoughtfully under his breath. "All right," he called back. In a flash, he sent a lightning filled crystal at Stephanie. The hit made her stumble back. When Stephanie regained her balance, she held out a hand, an orb; just as dark as her clothes; appeared. She threw the orb at Jareth's feet. He jumped up and landed gracefully on his feet upon the top of the Labyrinth's wall, one hand holding the wall's ledge. He looked back at the opposite wall behind him. It was a good five or six feet gap across. He knew he could make it with his prowess. However, it was difficult, powers or not, Stephanie could not as so jump large distances without a running start and the ability required for the task. He stood up, balancing on the foot wide structure. He then jumped onto the next wall structure.
Stephanie's attacks stopped, having a moment to collect herself before she left the rooftop and appeared out of an alley. She then approached the wall, her sandals lightly digging in the hard, light colored dirt. She looked up at the Goblin King and placed a hand on the wall he stood on. The wall structure started shaking and loose bricks fell. It felt like a sound wave went through the wall before an explosion occurred.
Another blast and explosion later, Stephanie stood upon the bricks, the explosion had created a U opening starting from the top. Before he could continue to the next corridor's ledge or create an attack or a force field, the girl had two glowing orbs in hand and threw them at Jareth. The orbs hit him with such speed and force that it drove him back and caused him to crash through the Labyrinth's wall. Before he could fall to the ground, Stephanie leapt from the wall and jumped to the next hole, continuing throwing dark orbs; the Goblin King crashed through layers upon layers of his Labyrinth.
O
Jareth clenched his teeth, his breath was knocked out of him and he was close to losing consciousness. He crashed one last time before roughly hitting a wall and bounced against it; he slumped to the ground. His eyes closed and he felt himself losing the battle with the darkness. His head lolled until his chin rested upon his chest; his blond hair fell into his face. 'Just for a moment,' he thought. His body ached and his chest burned to fill his lungs deeply with air. The Goblin King took another deep painful breath. He sensed the girl was only a few feet away, making her way towards him. He sat there, collecting his thoughts and strength, becoming more aware. His father was right; no matter the situation, taking a moment to strategize will always prove resourceful. His senses heightened and he felt all his aches but he managed to control his thoughts away from the pain; he heard the girl approach.
Stephanie pushed herself up from the opening and landed at Jareth's feet, a crystal above her head, ready to strike. The blue flames around the orb burned brightly.
The Goblin King opened his eyes and pushed himself to his feet; magic aura surrounded his hands. His hands were a few inches apart and a beam started, heading straight for Stephanie. She cried painfully and flew back a few feet, bouncing off the ground and slid to a stop onto her stomach. The beam's aura started to surround her, lightning crackled around her body, zapping her. She tried getting up, but could barely lift her body more than a few inches off the ground.
Jareth walked over to the girl, or rather limped slightly. "You are strong. Strong indeed." he stopped next to her. "Makes me wonder how you got this power."
Stephanie glared at him as she continued to rise, she cried out as the lightning stopped her. Her fingers were pressed tightly into the dirt. "This is only a setback. I shall be free of you trap." she struggled.
"This will keep you long enough." He sat on his haunches next to her. "Now," he started. "Answer a question if you may. How did you acquire this strength? I know you want to take over my realm but you can't just suddenly decide to do so and have the powers to make it a realization. So, are you working for someone?"
"Like I would tell you." she spat venomously with a smile.
Jareth sighed. "Just humor me."
Stephanie laughed silently. "You know me well enough. No one can ever be the boss of me. I don't like taking orders."
The Goblin King nodded with a frown. He looked her over and he was satisfied to see that at least a good percentage of his casting had actually hit their mark; although he didn't like the idea that he had to hurt someone that had helped him before. He was figuring a way how she received this "gift" and if he could find a weakness, and a way to stop her. He had an idea but it was just a theory. A few more minutes and she'll be free, no doubt with the powers given to her. He watched her struggle for a moment before asking again. "Care to share how you came across the powers you've received?"
"Heh," a short laugh escaped from her lips.
He frowned. "Thought so. Well," he stood up. He stretched his fingers and cracked his knuckles. "Time for another cast," he looked down, away from his fingers to the girl. "Sorry luv, can't have you running around destroying my realm anymore." he winked.
Stephanie managed to move a hand; it moved the dirt under her arm with a soft shuffling sound. A flick of her wrist and a small beam flew upwards, missing Jareth's face by a few inches; a few strands of hair that had been cut, floated down and landed onto his boot.
"Hmm," he raised an elegant eyebrow. "You've managed to free yourself sooner than I've expected." Stephanie was still resisting the cast's aura around her for a few grueling moments before she pushed herself onto her palms and twisted her body around in order to kick the Goblin King's legs from under him. He stumbled back, a little surprised. Stephanie then stood up and quickly stood in a defense stance. The skirt of her dress brushed against the ground, creating swirls upon the sandy ground. A few sections of her dress were ripped and thick strands grazed the ground.
"Completely?" Jareth said, brushing himself off. "Interesting."
Stephanie blew a few of her longer strands of her bangs out of her eyes. Jareth stretched once more, getting ready. Again they stood silent, waiting. He was caught off guard when the girl darted towards him; her sandals had dug into the dirt when she took off. He stepped back and made a low sound of surprise. He knew she could run fast but this was ridiculous; her speed almost matched his own. His eyes followed her movements just as quickly. Even in the small corridor, her movements were fast and hard to keep track. In a second, she would be upon him. He didn't catch when she moved out of sight.
His greenish-blue eyes widened when he felt a hand upon his back.
'This is going to hurt,' he thought to himself.