Last time Mildred's rage at what Ethel did caused her to attack her rival, intend on destroying Ethel. Realizing that Mildred was playing for keeps, Ethel's own rage boiled over. With both young witches locked in 'the blood rage,' Ms. Cackle, Ms. Hardbroom and the others could only watch as Mildred and Ethel did everything they could to kill each other. But their rage caused them to exhaust their magic, allowing Ms. Cackle and Ms. Hardbroom to stun them and later erase their memories. 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 6: The Final Battle
…Weirdsister College…
…Present Day…
"I'll kill you!!" spat Ethel as she threw an attack spell at Mildred, who blocked it with her bare hands.
"Not if I kill you first!!" shouted Mildred as she threw a curse at Ethel, who easily dodged it.
"Why won't you die?!" exclaimed Ethel as she dodged another spell, then countered with another curse.
"Why won't you die!?" spat Mildred as she blocked Ethel's curse and followed up with a curse of her own.
"This is not what I expected," Hobbs said as he and Cas barely ducked when a spell that Mildred swatted came their way.
"And just what did you expect?" Cas asked.
"Anything but this," said Hobbs.
By now Drusilla, Enid and Maud had crawled their way to Hobbs and Cas.
"There's got to be a way to stop them!" exclaimed Cas as a particularly loud spell shot over their heads.
"We can't!" said Maud, "Mildred and Ethel are in the grips of the Con Dar."
"The blood rage?" Hobbs asked, "I thought that was a myth."
"Well take a good look, Hobbs," said Drusilla venomously, "Your meddling has reawakened their rage. Nothing we can say or do will bring Ethel and Mildred out of it."
"You mean they're just going to keep casting spells at each other in here?" Cas asked. But then one of the spells Ethel dodged happened to shatter the window. She dodged another spell by jumping out of said broken window. Fortunately there was a large tree outside for her to grab onto. Ethel then jumped down to the courtyard.
"No!" exclaimed Mildred as she followed Ethel out the window, "There is no escape!!"
"This is almost exactly like last time," said Enid as she and the others gathered at the broken window. Below them Ethel and Mildred had taken positions at opposite ends of the courtyard and continued slinging spells and curses at each other. Any innocent bystanders had already vacated the courtyard and were now watching from various safe positions.
"This is much worse than last time," said Maud, "Not only have Millie and Ethel have gotten stronger in their powers, it looks like time has only added fuel to their rage."
"You mean this has happened before?" Tim asked.
"It's a long story," said Drusilla.
"You want to make yourselves useful," said Hobbs to Tim and Amzat, "Go find Professor Thunderblast. The way I see it, if this has happened to Mildred and Ethel before, then it's a sure bet that their former headmistress would have warned Thunderblast about this."
"That's probably the smartest thing I've heard you say, Hobbs," said Cas.
Fifteen minutes later, Ethel and Mildred were still throwing spells at each other; Ethel dodging everything Mildred threw at her, while Mildred blocked all of Ethel's curses.
Maud, Enid, Drusilla, Cas and Hobbs had made their way to the ground floor. They saw Tim and Amzat with Professor Thunderblast by the north entrance to the courtyard.
"It's just as Amelia Cackle warned me," said Professor Thunderblast, "Yet I found it hard to believe that two girls such at Ethel and Mildred were capable of such wrath as to incur the Con Dar. I believe it now."
"So you really did know this could happen," said Cas, "And you still paired them as roommates? Forgive me, Professor, but that doesn't sound like wisdom of any kind."
"Well it goes to show that even the wisest of us can be wrong sometimes," said Professor Thunderbalst, "But worry not, help is on the way."
They all then had to duck two dark purple curses that Mildred swatted aside.
"I just hope we last until help gets here, said Enid.
"I hope they last," said Drusilla, indicating both Mildred and Ethel, "One of them might end up killing the other at any time."
Just then Ms. Cackle and Ms. Hardbroom arrived on the scene.
"We got your message, Alicia," said Ms. Cackle. She and Ms. Hardbroom had to duck as a curse Ethel dodged came their way.
"And not a moment too soon, it would seem," said Ms. Hardbroom.
"Oh, Ms. Cackle, Ms. Hardbroom," said Maud in an apologetic tone, "We tired to keep Mildred and Ethel from remembering, honestly."
"We did everything we could," said Drusilla, "Aside from bashing their heads in."
"Well perhaps next time you should try something more subtle," said Ms. Hardbroom.
"It wasn't our fault," said Enid, "if anyone is to blame, it's this peanut gallery!" she then pointed at Hobbs, Tim, Amzat and Cas.
"What?!" exclaimed Amzat, "We didn't do anything!"
"You so did do something!" said Drusilla in an accusing tone, "We surely would have stopped Ethel and Mildred from remembering, if you and your boyfriend here hadn't gotten in our way."
"I resemble that!" protested Tim.
"You sure do," said Enid, "And that's not the worst of it. Hobbs here was the one who removed the memory suppression spells."
"Really," said Ms. Cackle in a tone that was partly angry and partly impressed, "Tell me, young man, are you responsible for this?"
"Well, I did figure out how to restore their memories," said Hobbs reluctantly, "If that's what you're asking. But I honestly had no idea this would happen; I had only the best intentions in mind."
"So did I," said Cas, "We were only trying to help Mildred and Ethel. And I'm also to blame, I'm the one who determined that their memories were suppressed in the first place."
"An impressive batch of students you have, Alicia," Ms. Cackle said to Professor Thunderblast.
"Yes," remarked Ms. Hardbroom, "I cannot decide whether I wish to commend them, or turn them into salamanders."
"Personally I think they'd make better cockroaches," said Enid, "especially Hobbs."
"We will sort this all out later," said Professor Thunderblast, "Once we've gotten young Mildred and Ethel under control."
"I'm afraid the only thing we can do is wait for them to exhaust themselves," said Ms. Cackle, "Like last time."
"So you and H.B. can block their memories again?" Maud asked in a frustrated tone, "And we can go through this whole scenario again in another two years or so? I'm sorry, Ms. Cackle, but that's not going to work. There has to be another way."
"Well we're open to suggestions, Maud Moonshine," said Ms. Hardbroom, "Any thoughts on the matter?"
"Um," said Maud in an exasperated tone, "I can't think of anything right now, but I'm sure we'll come up with something soon."
"Not likely," muttered Ms. Hardbroom.
"Look," said Drusilla, "I think they're almost out of magic."
Just as before two years ago, Mildred and Ethel tried to cast their spells, but wound up tossing feeble sparks as they ran out of magical energy. They both screamed in frustration.
"This is all your fault, Mildred!!" exclaimed Ethel, "I'd have finished you off by now, if you didn't keep blocking my spell, just like you blocked everything I try to do!"
"Well if you would just hold still and die we wouldn't be having this conversation, Ethel!" snapped Mildred, "But you keep wriggling through my spells, like the worm you are, just like you would be one if I could turn you into one!"
"And I'd turn you into a mouse," said Ethel, "So at least you could be useful in feeding my cat!"
"You'd give Tabby indigestion if you were a mouse!" shouted Mildred, "You're so rotten, you'd make a garbage heap wince!!"
"You're so vile and disgusting, you'd make a garbage heap throw up!!" Ethel snapped.
"Whenever you're ready, Headmistress," said Ms. Hardbroom as she and Ms. Cackle prepared to cast their stunning spells. But unlike two years ago, this time around a new element had been added to the situation.
"I don't think they're done yet," said Cas.
Realizing that they couldn't continue their battle with magic, Ethel and Mildred had rushed at each other, screaming like lunatics, and were now engaged in furious hand to hand combat.
"Oh yeah," said Hobbs in a nonchalant tone, "They've been taking martial arts lessons, thought I'd mention it before."
"Well you didn't," said Ms. Hardbroom in a very irate tone.
"It's a Karate cat fight," said Amzat in a distant tone, like his heart really wasn't in it.
"That was so funny I forgot to laugh," Enid said in a distant tone. Like everyone else watching, she was focused on the battle.
As they watched, it became clear that the two fighters had different attack styles. Mildred used mostly punches aimed at Ethel's torso, while Ethel preferred kick strikes aimed at Mildred's head.
Yet neither of them were dealing any damage to the other. Ethel's agility prevented Mildred from hitting her, while Mildred kept blocking almost all of Ethel's kicks.
"In more ways than one they are still equal," said Drusilla, "This could go on for a while."
Yet Drusilla spoke too soon. Mildred threw a punch that, had Ethel failed to dodge it, would have surely delivered enough force to stop Ethel's heart. When her fist hit nothing but empty air, Mildred over-balanced and nearly tripped.
This allowed Ethel the opening she needed to side-step and finally hurt Mildred in the form of a devastating roundhouse kick to Mildred's right side just above the kidneys.
Mildred gasped with agony as the force of Ethel's kick knocked her to the ground. She wasn't sure, but at least two ribs felt like they were broken, one of which felt like it was digging into her lung and threatening to puncture it.
She tried to get up, but the pain was too much. She slumped back to the ground.
"Well?" Ethel gloated, "Aren't you going to come at me again? Come on, Hubble-Bubble, don't keep me waiting. No? Well then permit me to end this once and for all!"
"Ethel, don't!!" shouted Hobbs.
"She can't hear you," said Drusilla, "None of us will be able to reach her until she destroys the source of her rage."
"Then she's really going to do it," said Cas in an unbelieving tone, "She's really going to kill Mildred."
"Not on my watch," said Professor Thunderblast in a determined tone, "Con Dar or not, I won't allow murder in my school! I'll stop them myself!"
"You may not have to, Alicia," said Ms. Cackle.
"What are you saying, Amelia?" Professor Thunderblast asked.
"She's saying," said Maud, "That Millie isn't finished just yet. Just give her a chance."
"It'll take a lot more than an overemotional Ethel to get rid of our Mildred," said Enid confidently.
While in more pain that she had ever been in her life, Mildred wasn't completely incapacitated. She was only waiting for Ethel to get close, before striking back.
Come closer, you vile, loathsome bitch, thought Mildred as she feigned helplessness.
"This is the end for you, Mildred Hubble," Ethel said in a triumphant voice, "It has not been a pleasure." She then began spinning for a final roundhouse kick to Mildred's head, one that would surely break her neck.
As her kick neared its target, Mildred sprang back up and caught Ethel's leg in with one arm, while delivering a counter-punch to Ethel's stomach. She then followed up with four, lighting fast jabs to Ethel's ribs.
The both staggered back several paces. Both of them were still on their feet, but a sudden coughing fit caused both of them to bend over, their coughing bringing up a small but significant amount of blood. Mildred's body punches had broken four of Ethel's ribs and punctured a lung, while Mildred's own broken ribs had damaged one of her lungs as well.
The sight of their own blood being coughed up caused the both of them to come to their senses; the blue energy lines and red eye-tint leaving their rapidly calming faces.
"I think…we should…call a…time out…Mildred," Ethel gasped.
"That's probably…the smartest thing…I've ever heard…you say, Ethel," Mildred gasped.
They would have fallen flat on their faces, had it not been for the presence of their friends. Cas and Maud caught Mildred as she passed out, while Hobbs and Drusilla did the same for Ethel.
The end of Chapter 6. Next chapter, the rivalry between Mildred and Ethel finally comes to its dramatic conclusion. And just when you think it's over, a new element will be added to the plot, setting things up for later. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!