A Different Kind of Spark

by Fifteen1413

Shizuki Hitomi is a normal thirteen year old girl living in Mitakihara city in Japan. Her world is ordered, constant, and simple; everything she could want from life. So when a visitor from another world shows up without warning and offers to take her away from all that she knew, Hitomi couldn't have been more surprised - except, perhaps, at the fact that she said yes.

7. Chapter the Seventh

Chapter the Seventh, in which a champion is fought, and Hitomi learns a very important lesson about witchcraft.

May 30, 08:22 PM – Forty-four days, three hours, thirty-eight minutes remaining.

Hitomi looked up at the screen just as it flickered into life. Their group of eight, the whole of Eve's party, were gathered around the table in the meeting room. Eve had set up a projector at some point, and was currently attempting to get it to function properly.

"Darn thing..." she muttered. "The track's jammed again." she slapped the side, and there was a clicking noise. A few seconds passed, and then the first slide came into focus on the screen. The slide had a picture of a castle on it, and some writing. It read: "My plan: by Eve." there was a little subtitle as well, reading "Art by Eve."

Silvia laughed. "What the heck?" she said. "What is this about, Eve?"

Eve sighed, and pulled a lever on the side of the device, switching the slide.

"Due to the fact that we have been bugged, I have been forced to take certain measures to insure that the enemy doesn't know our movements." the slide read. "As the bug is, as far as I can tell, audio only, this method of presentation was suggested to me by Derick."

Eve gave Silvia a look. "Does that answer your question?"

"Pfft." she said. "You have an uncanny skill for prediction."

Eve pulled the lever again, and the slide changed. "We have determined the location of the first champion, who goes by the name of 'painkiller'." the slide read. There was a fairly well done drawing of a half-naked man with twin blades, an evil grin on his face. Eve pulled the lever and changed to the next slide. "He's one of the two melee champions. He likes commanding armies, leading by example and fear, but he's not all that strong alone." the slide changed again. "We have no way of attacking him when he's surrounded by his whole force. However, there is one time when he is not under nearly as much protection." the slide switched half-way, and jammed again. Eve cursed under her breath, then kicked the machine. Smoke came out of the slide bay. She sighed and opened the slide bay, manually moving the slide into place. "He attends to business at the castle of Exor every two days. At least, he has every two days for the past eight, while we've been able to track him." Eve didn't bother with the lever this time, just switching out the slides with her hands. "He stays there for about an hour and a half, then leaves. The reason is unknown." Eve switched the slides again. "We have done some basic reconnaissance on the castle. There are less than fifty guards, and it is set up more for living purposes than for defense. Think more palace than castle." Hitomi wondered how many slides Eve had. "Though strong, any three of us should be able to handle Painkiller on our own. The castle isn't well fortified, and we'll have the advantage of surprise this time. He always shows up at dinner time, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. That gives us nine hours to plan this time, much better then the three I gave you last time." There was a little picture of a shrugging Eve and the caption 'sorry' written below it. "The plan is to storm the castle and kill the champion as quickly as possible. Derick and Max will preform the initial push, then Fox, Lilly, and I will press on after the champion. Derick and Max will stay back inside the castle and make sure no one sneaks up on us. Alice, Hitomi, and Silvia will stay outside and guard our rear."

"Wait, no fair!" Alice said, but Eve held up a hand and switched the slide again.

"Remember, Painkiller operates with an army. If it shows up to try to help defend the castle, we'll need the warning, and the defense. Also, if Derick and Max require help, they'll need the outside group to be fresh and ready, as the champion team will have to be concentrating on their goal." Alice pouted for a moment, but seemed to be largely accepting of the situation. "Once we've killed the champion, we'll just leave. We have no need to hold the castle or kill everyone inside." Eve paused, looking around the room. "Any questions?" the final slide read.

"I have one." Hitomi said. "Do we have anything to write on so they can't hear our questions?"

Eve paused. "No. I didn't think about that." she said. "Well, hopefully there were no questions, then."

"It was straightforward enough." Fox said. "I think I get it."

"I'd switch Lilly and Hitomi, if I were you." Derick said. "Hitomi's got much higher damage output than Lilly, and Lilly's got more range. They seem like they'd work better if you reversed the roles."

"But then I'd have to break up the spectrum." Eve said. "And if Alice gets hurt when Hitomi isn't around and could have helped her..."

"It's not like I'm going to stop her. Sure, the contract has a defense clause written into it, but I have to actually decide to punish her, you know. I'd never do that to Hitomi." Alice said.

Eve hesitated. "Hitomi, are you okay with this?" she asked.

"Of course. If it will increase our likelihood of success, I'll do it." Hitomi affirmed. "I didn't join this group for fun, you know. I'm here to learn the skills I need to defend my world, and I'll only get them if I actually fight."

"You'll be 'actually fighting' wherever you are." Eve said. "Not going into any details because of the people listening, but there isn't a single part of the plan that I don't expect to see combat. The reason I stuck you two together is you work well together. And, well, you're usefulness as a high-damage fighter is a little bit random, no offense."

Hitomi flared into form 1 with a flick of her wrist. "None taken." she said.

"When did you learn to do that?" Max asked, awed.

"We've been practicing." Alice said. "I don't know what you thought we were doing with our six days, but Hitomi and I have been going through some serious magical training. I've taught her three new combat spells, and we've been honing her form shifting."

"Six days is almost fifteen percent of our remaining time." Hitomi said. "I figured that we shouldn't waste it." she returned to base state, looking at Eve. "I can jump to one or two at will, and three with a little effort. Four is still a bit of a reach." she smiled. "Does that make it reliable enough for you?"

"Derick is right, she can do more damage than I can." Lilly said. "She lacks skill, but you and Fox are more than capable of soaking up the damage. Hitting the large, distinct target in the enclosed space isn't outside of her ability." she sighed. "Yes, she's young, but you really have to stop thinking about her that way. Alice and Hitomi are both better fighters than Max, Silvia, and myself at least. Hitomi probably outdoes everyone in terms of pure damage output, though she wouldn't last as long. They're just as capable as the rest of us."

"At the rate she's developing, Hitomi's going to be our strongest member in all respects save leadership before we're done." Derick said.

Hitomi blushed. "I'm not really sure..." she said quietly.

Fox grinned at Eve. "Good on you for getting her, Eve. Now, start using her."

"Fine." Eve said. "I'll switch Hitomi and Lilly. Everything else stays the same. Are we agreed?"

Everyone nodded. "Alright, dismissed! I'll see the rest of you here at 5:30 sharp." Eve said, turning the projector off.

"We should see if we can get that shield spell down before we go." Alice said to Hitomi as they walked out of the room. "Though, really, it's no fair that they put you on the front lines without me."

"You helped me convince them!" Hitomi said, exasperated.

"Oh, I'm glad you're allowed, don't get me wrong. I just wish I was too." Alice said. "You know that even if she won't admit it, she put us outside because it was the least dangerous position."

"We are kids, Alice." Hitomi said. "I don't mind keeping out as long as there is a good reason I can't be helpful elsewhere. But if I can be useful, I think I should be. I am the glass cannon, after all. A mission where the point is to kill one target as quickly as possible just happens to be what I'm best suited for. It makes sense that I would be on the strike team. You're a support, Alice. A really good support, but a support none the less. You really don't belong in the heart of a battle, just from a neutral planning perspective."

"We're thirteen!" Alice said. "Hardly little kids. And I'm more than capable of holding my own, whether I'm stuck in the category of 'support' or not."

"Think about it like this." Hitomi said. "You're my spectrum leader, right? Leaders don't go out onto the front lines, they send their men to do that. You're the controller and I'm your dragon. This is you going full in. You're putting your best people on the job."

"Yeah, yeah." Alice said, sighing. "I know it makes sense. But I don't want it to. I want to help more. I know I could. Why can't Eve get that I want to protect her as much as she wants to protect me?" Alice shook her head. "Sorry. I shouldn't be this down. I'm just frustrated, that's all. I feel so useless."

"Oh, Alice." Hitomi said softly. "You're not useless. Not everyone can have the most flashy job. You can't build a house without nails. They need you just as much as anyone else." she gave Alice a serious look. "I need you, Alice. You're my teacher and friend. I couldn't do this without you."

Alice seemed troubled still, but she slowly let her natural smile work its way back onto her face. "You're right." she said with some satisfaction. "It's not like I need to be in the spotlight all the time. Besides, if I'm in places where I don't have to use as much of my power, I'll be able to help better if I'm needed." she nudged Hitomi. "Thanks."

They came to the top of the stairs, where Alice seemed to be confused as to which direction to turn. "Who's room are we going to?" Hitomi asked, prompting. Alice paused, seeming to be considering something.

"Lets go to mine." she said after a moment. "I have a few things to show you, now that I think about it."

Hitomi was curious at that, but she didn't say anything, letting Alice lead her to her room and usher her inside. She quickly put the candles on, offering Hitomi the bed. "You know, you're the first person I've ever met with a larger bed then mine." Alice told Hitomi. "It's honestly been bothering me."

Hitomi giggled lightly, and Alice did as well. Whatever mood she had had before seemed to have largely passed now, a fact for which Hitomi was quite glad.

"Well, my young charge-" Alice said, and Hitomi couldn't help but giggle again. Alice sighed. "I'm trying to be serious here. This is important. It's not bad or anything, but it's important." she shook her head. "Fine. My contractee, if you like that better. So far, I've been so busy teaching you how to cast spells that I haven't really told you anything about witchcraft itself."

"Is this really the time?" Hitomi asked.

"You are a witch. This stuff is important." Alice said. "Besides, you're plenty ready for the battle already." Hitomi sighed, but she had to agree. She didn't have much maintenance to do as far as preparation was concerned, and to be honest, she had been wondering when Alice might give her a talk like this. Alice was right, she was a witch now. She really should figure out exactly what that meant.

"So, I guess you can ask me questions." Alice said. "It's not like I have a lecture prepared."

Hitomi thought for a moment. There had been something on her mind, ever since she had gotten her power, something she really didn't want to know the answer too. "Am I still human?" she asked tentatively.

Alice paused, then laughed. Hitomi felt her cheeks flush slightly. "Of course you're still human!" Alice said. "You're human through and through. Hitomi, the process isn't quite that invasive."

"Well, I mean, most humans I know can't do magic with their blood." Hitomi said stiffly.

"The power doesn't come from the blood. The power comes from the contract. We give away a little of our will in exchange for power. At least, that's how it's supposed to work. The blood just channels that." Alice explained.

"Supposed to work?" Hitomi asked.

"Oh, uh..." Alice said, pausing for a moment. She seemed troubled. She let out a long, slow sigh. "Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you, seeing as we're going over witchcraft stuff anyway." she gave Hitomi a sad smile. "I'm not exactly what you'd consider a normal witch. I'm the culmination of seventeen generations of spectral witches, born on the night of the blood moon. To say I haven't had a normal development would be an understatement. Do you remember when I told you that most witches have to sell their souls to the devil for power?" Hitomi nodded briefly. "Well, I kind of lied a little bit. You see, almost every witch has to do that, or else join someone's spectrum. But I'm an exception." Alice glanced at Hitomi. "I sort of just have these powers. The rest of the witches thought I was going to be the start of a new revolution. Of course, I turned out to be an average powered spectral leader instead."

Hitomi looked at Alice, nodding slowly. A few seconds of silence drew out between them. Hitomi coughed, looking expectantly at Alice. After a significant period, perhaps half a minute, Alice frowned. "What?" she said.

"Oh, I was just waiting for you to get to the part you were nervous about." Hitomi said. Alice stared at her for a second, then began to laugh.

"Oh, right. I forget, sometimes, that you were raised in a very different place than I was." Alice said. "That probably sounds no weirder to you than anything else I've told you. Any other witch I said that to would flip out. Many have."

"Well, I didn't need that story to know you were special, Alice." Hitomi said, and Alice beamed.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." Alice said huffily, then turned away from Hitomi as she giggled. "Well, anyway, you distracted me. We were supposed to be talking about witchcraft."

"Right." Hitomi said. "Uh, let's see. Are there any weaknesses I should know about?"

"Iron and Sliver." Alice said.

Hitomi paused. "Wait, the metals?"

"Yeah, the metals." Alice said. "It's not like in the stories. They won't burn you horribly or anything, but they will give you an awful rash if you hold them for too long."

"But, I mean, sliver." Hitomi said. "I like silver."

"Sorry." Alice said. "I don't make the rules."

"Fine." Hitomi said. "You mentioned the 'blood moon?' What's that?"

"Oh, did I?" Alice said. "Sorry, archaic term. Eve says I should be more careful. I meant a lunar eclipse. During a lunar eclipse, we witches become more powerful. Oh, right!" Alice turned away suddenly, rummaging through some papers. "That's what I wanted to show you. Here." she handed Hitomi a star chart with some concentric lines drawn on it. Hitomi looked at it for a moment, trying to figure out what it meant. Her eyes traced the little lines and the read the date markers. Suddenly, she gasped.

"Oh, that's..." Hitomi said. "Useful."

"A thirty-seven minute total lunar eclipse in 44 days." Alice said. "Or, for us, the night before the summer solstice. It will last from two hours fourteen minutes before time zero until one hour thirty-seven minutes before time zero, if I've done my math right." Alice scrunched up her face. "Which, knowing me, is not very likely. Still, this is as good as I can do."

"That's great!" Hitomi said. "Have you told Eve?"

"No." Alice said. "I don't want to get her hopes up. If it's cloudy and we don't get a boost, it'll be deadly to have planned around us being stronger. It's magic, remember, so even though it doesn't make any sense that clouds would be able to block magical energy, they do. We have to be able to see the moon for it to work. But, yeah, it's cool." Alice grinned. "Besides, if everything goes well, we'll already have won by then. Cutting it an hour from the end seems too close to comfort for me."

"That's true." Hitomi agreed. "We need to fight six champions. Given a generous six days of recovery between each fight, and ten days between the final champion and taking the fortress of the devourers, we should be done in thirty-eight days, with six days to spare."

"I am envious of what you can do in your head." Alice said.

"That was addition, Alice." Hitomi said.

"It was magic, as far as I'm concerned." she said. "Math. Now, that's a witchcraft that I don't understand."

"Speaking of witchcraft," Hitomi said, trying to get back onto topic. "where does the power come from, anyway? You said 'from the contract'- what does that mean?"

"I wish I knew." Alice said. "You can think of witchcraft like a collection of useful tools that people found in a strange box. We know how to reproduce the tools we have, and we know what the tools do through experimentation, but we don't really understand why or how they work. Spells are discovered, not invented. There's no magic theory for witchcraft. Whether that's because of the nature of the magic is random, or if the rules of it are just too hard for us to figure out, we don't know. I like the more scientific approach, but that view is rather unpopular."

"Let's see..." Hitomi thought for a little bit. It wasn't like she wasn't interested in witchcraft. She should have plenty of questions. But, when she tried to think of any, she drew up blank. "Oh!" she said suddenly. "Right. You keep saying that you're a spectral witch. Are there non-spectral witches?"

"Plenty. Actually, spectral witches are far less common than most other types." Alice said. "We're the most powerful group that doesn't need to drain their own lifespan to cast magic, but convincing people to be bound to other people forever isn't usually that easy of a thing to do, even for the power boost. That, and being a spectrum leader is hereditary, so the number of leaders is pretty low and likely to stay that way." Alice smiled at Hitomi. "As far as I know, I'm one of only eighteen spectrum leaders worldwide. There are less than one hundred spectral witches all told." she nudged Hitomi. "You make up over one percent of the population. Unfortunately, I don't know all that much about the other types of witches. We keep ourselves to ourselves, and we don't tend to get along. I know that ritual witches are the most powerful, but their magic requires at least one human sacrifice every spell. I think I knew someone who was bone witch. They do fortune telling, if I remember correctly."

"There are so many different kinds of magic!" Hitomi exclaimed.

"Well, this world is a hub between many different worlds." Alice said. "We pick up a little from everywhere."

"It's still terribly confusing." Hitomi said. "I think I'll stick with the magic I understand." she paused, then laughed lightly. "And that's a phrase I never thought I'd say."

"Magic..." Alice said, seeming to be trying to remember something."Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed. "Right, that shield spell!" she grabbed some blank paper from around her room. "You're going to be kicking some force of darkness butt in nine hours. Might as well have some way to absorb shocks."

"Nine hours..." Hitomi said. It sounded like such a short time, but she was sure she'd feel every second. Her mind began to wander as she contemplated the fight ahead. Now that she was at liberty to think about it, she found herself surprised at just how simple Eve's plan was, and how little they really knew going in to this. She had always imagined battle planning to be much more thorough and precise than this. Then again, they had very few ways to get information, even fewer resources, and not very much time. Give what they had to work with, they were doing pretty good. Everyone was doing their very best, and it showed.

Of course, sometimes even your 'very best' isn't good enough, if the forces stacked against you are simply to far out of your league. This wasn't a storybook. The bad guys win on occasion in real life. There is a point where, no matter how hard you try, loss is still inevitable. Hitomi could only hope that they were over that particular threshold.

-*%*-

Hitomi laid down on her back with a groan, letting her aching body relax for a moment. Sitting hunched over a page for who knows how long got to be very uncomfortable eventually. Sighing, she looked at her watch, which she had gotten to keep track of time here. It read 06:18 AM; add eleven hours to get fortress time, and it was 05:18 PM here. Twelve minutes left until the meeting time. Twelve minutes until the battle. She felt a chill sweep through her for a moment, but she did her best to keep calm. She'd been in one fight before now. She knew what to expect. It was terrible, but at least she knew. As much as she was dreading the conflict, she almost wanted it to start early. She had hardly been able to concentrate on her work this whole time, her mind distracting her with the potentials and could-be's of the coming battle.

"I don't think there's any point trying again." Alice said. "We only have a few minutes left, and you're still hours off from completing it." she sighed. "I have no idea why this spell is giving you so much trouble, but we'll just have to hope you can output enough that they don't have time to hit you. The best defense is a good offense, as they say."

"I'm the glass cannon." Hitomi sighed. "Maybe defensive spells just don't like me."

"Maybe. I swear, it's the same way for me and filter spells." Alice said. "It takes me hours to learn a single one, when I usually need only minutes. It's gotten to the point where I just ignore them when I come across them."

"Eleven minutes now." Hitomi said.

Alice stood up, then laid down next to Hitomi, her body in an inverted orientation such that her feet were next to Hitomi's head. She tapped Hitomi lightly on the arm, and Hitomi extended her hand into Alice's outstretched one, the two laying down and providing each other comfort through light hand squeezes.

"I'm really glad you're here, Hitomi." Alice said. "I know I keep saying that, but I really mean it. You're special to me. You're my best friend."

"There are a few things that can never be said too much. One is 'I want you with me.' One is 'you are important.' One is 'because we're friends.'" Hitomi said. "Congratulations on basically saying all three at once."

"Please be safe." Alice said quietly.

"I will be." Hitomi promised. "You have to do the same, okay?"

"Of course I'll be fine." Alice said. "I don't even have to do the hard part."

"Wait until the army shows up before saying that." Hitomi said.

Alice laughed lightly, nervously. Hitomi gave her hand another squeeze, and she seemed to relax. The two laid there, not saying anything, just staring up at the ceiling. Hitomi gave herself the liberty to relax a little, letting her mind wander in the comfort of her friend.

The candles bobbed up and down lightly in the air. Hitomi let herself wonder briefly how long they lasted. She'd never seen them burn down, or watched Alice replace any. Her mind told her that the answer was 'magic'. Her gut told her that 'magic' wasn't a good enough answer for everything. As much as she pretended to know what she was doing, she really was quite lost in this world. She didn't know much of anything about any of the people she was teaming with, or the people who's world she was protecting. She hadn't even spoken with a single one of the four and three quarters billion people that were supposed to live here. And then there was this whole quest. They were fighting the devourers. Who were they, anyway? Why were they attacking this world? How did Eve know so much about their plan? Hitomi's mind flashed back to the previous battle. The commander had called Eve 'the lowest warrior of the light'. What, exactly, was this 'light'? And if it was against these devourers, why had they only sent their 'lowest warrior'?

"Hitomi?" Alice said, snapping Hitomi out of her thoughts. "Are you okay? You're muttering to yourself."

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about a few things." Hitomi said. There was a short pause, and Alice sat up. She shook her head a few times, clearing any tiredness from it, then smiled down at Hitomi.

"Well, I'm going down now." Alice said. "There's only a couple minutes left anyway, and I don't just want to sit here doing nothing. You coming?"

"Sure." Hitomi nodded, getting to her feet as well. "What do you want to bet that we're going to be the last to arrive?"

"Nah, that'll be Lilly." Alice said. "She always pushes things to the last minute." she frowned briefly. "I think she spends the time applying makeup. She showed me this kit once that she had prepared so that it wouldn't get worn away if she was splashed with blood." Alice shook her head. "I guess everyone has something."

"She wears makeup into battle?" Hitomi asked. "That seems to be both overkill and pointless."
"She says that you never know when you'll meet the right person, and she wants to keep her options open." Alice said. "But, yeah, it's pretty ridiculous."

"I don't need to answer to you." Lilly said, coming up behind the two girls as they descended the stairs. "I have a coping mechanism. There's nothing wrong with it."

"You say that." Alice said. "If it's true... that's another matter."

Lilly huffed, and Alice and Hitomi giggled. The three of them entered the meeting room together, the others giving them nods as they entered.

"Looks like everyone couldn't wait." Max said. "We still have eight minutes on the clock."

"I hope this doesn't take too long." Hitomi said. "I'd hate to miss class for the battle." there was a little bit of laughter from around the room, everyone looking for an excuse to release the building tension.

"I doubt it will take two hours." Silvia said, comparing the levels of fluid inside of two vials. "Your class starts 7:30 PM fortress time, right? I can't imagine this will end up taking more than twenty minutes." she gave Hitomi a look. "It must have felt longer, but that last battle you were in only took, what, thirteen minutes from when you teleported out to when you teleported back in? Something like that."

"Can we go a little early?" Fox asked. "It's only a few minutes." he was cleaning his sword vigorously, and seemed to be beginning to get hyper, his feet dancing lightly back and forth.

"If you want to alert the army before he separates from them." Eve said. "Remember, while he only qualifies as a 'difficult target' on his own, when he's backed up by five thousand men we don't stand a chance. The reason we're stopping him here is because it's one of the very few times he's not surrounded by his army. Eight minutes sooner is the difference between fighting about ten to one and fighting about six hundred fifty to one. One is stupid, the other is near instantly fatal. I think it is safe to say that while we might be desperate enough to act a little dumb, we aren't suicidal just yet."

Fox growled quietly, but he didn't say anything. Max and Derick seemed to be conferencing, talking strategy. Lilly extended her hand, summoning a four and a half foot longbow from thin air and checking the string. Silvia put away her potions and looked at Eve with boredom. Eve kept her eye on the clock, waiting. Alice snapped and summoned her hat, which she had left upstairs, putting it firmly on her head with determination. Jaxx appeared and leaped onto Alice's shoulders, curling up around them. Hitomi adjusted her magical sword belt, feeling the comfortable tightness around her waist and comforting coolness of her focus around her neck. No one said a word.

Eight minutes passed.

"Now." Eve said, not looking away from the clock. Derick flipped open his spell book, Hitomi jammed her eyes shut, and after a light tingling she felt the ground turn to dirt below her feet, the air humid. The tingling repeated itself three more times, and then Hitomi heard the spell-book close.

"Done." Derick announced, and Hitomi opened her eyes. They were now only a few hundred meters from the edge of what looked very much like a storybook castle, complete with moat, drawbridge, portcullis, and rainbow colored towers. The guards, or at least the two she could see at any rate, were wearing golden armor with a unicorn painted onto their shields. She would never have expected someone with a name like 'painkiller' to live, or even visit, a place like this.

"Wish us luck." Max said to the others, charging up his weapon. Derick took a few steps out from the group, then turned back to face the others, his sorcerers cloak blowing in the light wind which began to blow.

"Give us, say, two minutes to get as far as we can." Derick said. Eve nodded. He put a hand up, signaling departure. "K. Later." he and Max made their way purposefully and quickly to the entrance. The other six watched them for about thirty seconds as they crossed the space. The guards turned to them. Max engaged them in conversation for a few seconds, then shot them both before they had a chance to move.

"Let's move in." Eve said, and the rest of the group followed after the first two, pausing by the gate. There was the sound of combat coming from inside, and periodic flashes of light emitted from the entrance and, slowly, the windows of higher floors. Eve counted down from ninety under her breath. When she reached zero, she tapped Hitomi and Fox. "Time." she said, motioning them to follow her in.

"Good luck!" Alice said, squeezing Hitomi's hand one final time before letting her enter the castle with Eve and Fox.

As soon as Hitomi stepped over the threshold, the atmosphere changed. The walls were cold stone, and the ringing of battle could be heard all around her. There were scorch-marks on the floor and walls, and she began to see crumpled bodies of soldiers around her as they passed. Suddenly, she began to feel sick. It was claustrophobic, being in this place of stone and fire and death. She shuttered and tried to concentrate on Eve and Fox.

"There's another group!" someone yelled from a side passage, and Hitomi was shocked out of her growing unease by the blunt of a blade. Her nose stung horribly from the blow, but she easily managed to leap out of the way of a second, more intentional attack. She heard Fox howl with delight, and Eve draw her sword. Hitomi dropped to the floor as one of the attackers attempted to tackle her, already casting spells on the way down. Loading it with charge, she threw out a net of emerald energy, pinning the man to the ceiling. She called up her spectral blades just in time to parry a strike, then retaliated, throwing her magical weapons at her attacker. When he collapsed, she tapped her belt, drew her sword, and turned to face her next target. With a small grin of satisfaction, she noted that there weren't any left. Eve and Fox had been more than a match for the other four. With a flick of her wrist, Hitomi slammed the man in her magical net into the ground, then quickly stabbed her blade through an open space in his armor. He stopped moving.

"More incoming!" Fox said, pointing to another ten men who had gathered in the hall in front of them, pointing wildly and beginning to run at them.

"Derick and Max better have a good explanation for this." Eve growled.

There was a rumble, and suddenly the ground they were standing on bucked, knocking the three off of their feet and into a net of ropes on the ceiling. Various cheering noises came from the ground, and Hitomi struggled to get in a position where she could see the people approaching. She heard Eve cursing rapidly, and Fox began to hack through the ropes with abandon. He managed to free himself in only a few seconds, dropping to the ground on top of a few of the men. Hitomi managed to get herself in a place where she could clearly see what was going on. With a deft strike, Fox severed one of the men in half with his battleaxe, then spun and stabbed another with his sword. With a clash of metal, he deflected a wild strike which would have caught him, giving the man a hard kick in the chest for his trouble. His opponents kept striking in the spaces where he had been, confusion and then panic rising in them as they found themselves unable to locate where the attacks were coming from. The group broke, some of the men running away. Fox knocked the nearest one down and gave chase to the others, taking them out one by one, manipulating their movements, sneaking around them in plain sight. He didn't waste any time taking care of the group. Not a single one managed to hit him.

Hitomi let her spell fall. She was going to provide a little support, but it seemed like he didn't need it. She paused, then raised the spell again. A smile came across her face. Well, that was how you cued up spells for later use, she guessed. Adrenaline was a very good teacher.

Fox walked back over to the others. "I think the release mechanism is... this one?" he said, pulling a lever. The ropes shook for a moment, then dropped Eve and Hitomi to the ground floor.

"Sixteen." Eve said. "That's far to many to have missed out of a group of fifty." she looked around. "And this castle seems larger inside than I would have thought possible given what it looks like." she hesitated. "I might have underestimated the strength of the enemy here, but it's too late to turn back."

There was a rumble, and a jet of flame burst out of a balcony on a higher level. Eve cupped her hands together and yelled up. "Hey, any idea where Painkiller might be?"

There was a pause, and Max poked his head out over the edge. "Go down this hall, take your first right, double doors at the end. We think, anyway." he grinned. "See you in a few minutes!" he turned around, and there was a flash of light and the sound of a discharging energy weapon.

Eve waved Fox and Hitomi on. "Come on then." she said, running down the hall. Hitomi set two nets up, holding them until she needed it. They flew down the corridor, then to the double doors. With a cascading flash of red sparks, the doors blew open, revealing a two meter tall, tanned, ripped man with two very evil looking blades waiting for them.

"I was expecting-" he began in a voice like rolling thunder, but then Hitomi released her spells, leaped into form three, and dashed the ten meters between them in the blink of an eye, leaving a streak of emerald light in her wake, the stone tiles on the floor cracking from the force. He had about enough time to look shocked before she plunged her sword through his chest in one clean strike.

Hitomi expected there to be a lot of blood. That didn't happen. Instead, there was a sound like hissing air being released from a tire, and the man dissolved into dust.

"Hitomi!" Eve yelled, and she felt a blunt pain across her back as Painkiller kicked her into the far wall. It cracked from the force of impact, and Hitomi felt her power fly from her in a rush.

"Quite the feisty little one." he said. "Are you sure you're on the right team, Emerald? That kind of 'kill first, think later' mindset is one I admire." he sighed. "Too bad you chose the wrong target."

Hitomi struggled to her feet. Her vision was blurry now, and Painkiller seemed to be going in and out of focus. She coughed violently, her chest screaming out at every breath. She didn't taste any blood, though. She was stunned, that was all.

Fox charged in next, with Eve behind him, already firing her guns. Painkiller didn't seem to be paying her attention any more, turning to the others. Fox engaged him directly, and Painkiller seemed to be having trouble defending himself from the attack, slowly being pushed to the far wall. Still, he was able to block the attacks at all, and Fox was becoming visibly less confident as time passed. Eve hit him with her guns a few times, but they didn't seem to have any effect. Hitomi noticed as the skin rippled slightly under each impact, and the bullet seemed to disappear. She was fairly close to where Fox had managed to push him, and he was still ignoring her; the child effect was coming in handy for once. She was almost recovered now, and charged up a powered net, to both trap and shock her target. Eve got frustrated and moved in, drawing her sword and joining Fox in the melee. Hitomi saw Painkiller grin as the two engaged him directly. One of Fox's strikes managed to nick him as Eve held one of the blades with her own. The others were too focused on the battle, on not getting themselves killed to notice, but Hitomi did. The skin shimmered again slightly, and Hitomi knew suddenly that this was nothing more than another construct. It was operating too well to be a simple construct, though. I had to be being controlled directly, and that meant...

Hitomi held her powered net and summoned a set of spectral blades, sending three out across at his back, which was turned to her. He spun and shattered them across the side, and they burst into shards of useless, quickly fading light. "Don't think I've forgotten you." he said. Hitomi gasped in well faked surprise, then let the other two blades go, pressing them across at his sides. Eve and Fox turned quickly, and took the opportunity to strike him while he was no longer looking at them. He kicked out a leg and tripped Fox, parring Eve with one blade and smashing Hitomi's other strikes with the other. "You have to stop thinking I'm distracted. I thought you would be more entertaining then this. I don't forget my enemies."

"No, but you've forgotten where your eyes are." Hitomi said, turning and throwing her net at the only space in the room where all three attacks could have been seen from. She didn't get the position quite right, only clipping his arm, but the net's shock made him lose control of the construct and shattered his invisibility. Eve and Fox looked around surprised for a moment, then turned to face the man. Hitomi stepped out from the edge of the wall and joined them, leveling her sword.

"Damn girl." he spat, tearing through the magic with little trouble. "You're too smart for your own good." he ran at the three of them, his swords drawn and his face a mask of fury. Hitomi threw herself into form three again, popping a series of energetic bolts at him as he charged. They hit him, but didn't seem to have the effect she wanted. Fox stepped in front, parrying his first strike as Eve danced around him, trying to create an opening. Hitomi tried to join it, but her attacks were easily disrupted, and she accidentally sliced Fox's battleaxe in half with her sword. Fox shot her a dirty look and drew another blade from his back, reengaging. Hitomi looked down. Raw power, check. Speed, check. Intelligence, check. Skill? Not so much.

Luckily, Eve and Fox seemed more than capable of holding Painkiller on their own. Hitomi stepped out of the battle before she made things harder for the others by either getting in their way or getting herself hurt. She cued up twenty-five spectral blades just in case she needed them, then watched the battle unfold.

Painkiller was quite impressive, holding back the other two on his own. They seemed to be evenly matched, though little by little Fox and Eve were getting the upper hand as he began to tire faster then them. Suddenly, he ducked down and swiped out Fox's legs, slicing him across the side as he fell. The cut wasn't very deep, but he dropped his weapons in the shock. Eve's eyes widened, and she jumped in front of Fox, taking Painkiller's blade through her stomach as he lunged to attack him. He grinned.

She grinned back. His smile fell. She pulled him closer to her through the blade and he let go, jumping backwards from her. Eve drew the blade out from her stomach, a small trickle of golden blood leaking from the wound. She threw the weapon to the ground, then ran back in on the attack. She spread her wings and leaped into the air, Painkiller's strikes missing wildly as she landed on his shoulders. She stabbed him once before he tossed her off of him, just in time to turn into the recovered Fox's swords. His head came off, landing only a few meters from Hitomi. Silence filled the room.

"My axe." Fox said forlornly. "Look at what you did to my axe, Hitomi. This was my favorite axe."

"Sword training. First thing." Eve said, wiping the blood off of her blade on the pants of Painkiller. "We'll start you as soon as you get back from school."

"I'm sorry." Hitomi said. "I just wanted to help." she looked down. "I just make things harder for everyone."

"Pfft." Fox said. "First of all, aside from breaking my best axe, which I will get you for, you managed to make the fight more interesting for me, so I consider that a plus. Second of all, it would have taken us a good few minutes to find the real one without you, by which time he would know everything about our combat style. I think that was a dramatic, unquestionable net positive." he gave her a look. "Your sword fighting was crap, though. I'm not going to lie, you'd be dead in a few seconds if you needed to rely on that thing."

"Our glass cannon is acting like a glass cannon. Who would have thought." Eve said. "Don't worry, kid. You did great. Really. We won, after all." Eve grinned, then grimaced, touching her stomach lightly. "Though we should get out of here. I feel at about fifty percent now, and I'd rather not have to deal with the rest of the guards if I can manage it."

Hitomi and Fox nodded. Hitomi felt sore all over now, and her power was getting dangerously low. Her will was drained too; she wasn't sure she could form shift again, not unless it was life or death. Fox seemed tired, going so far as to put away his blades. Quietly, the three moved out through the fortress. This time, there were no men in their way, and they made good time.

Suddenly, something fell from a higher level and landed with a thud in front of them. Hitomi blinked, looking at the body. She didn't register anything for a moment, and then the head rolled over, facing her. Her eyes went wide, and she felt a terrible shock spreading through her.

It was Derick. His eyes were glossed over and unmoving, and he looked almost waxy. Two blades were still in him, having been pushed even farther through his body from his impact with the earth. He didn't move, didn't groan, didn't scream. He just laid there, a lifeless object oblivious to the world around it.

Fox screamed in anguish, falling to his knees. Hitomi stood there numbly, unsure what to do. Eve seemed stunned, but she recovered quickly, walking over to his body.

"The little devil already set the teleport." she said. She turned to face the other two, her face as cold as stone. "Hitomi, get Alice, Lilly, and Silvia to meet us here. Fox, you stay here and make sure to keep the teleport from going off before we want it too. I'm going to grab Max." Fox whimpered, and Eve growled at him. He got up, wiped his face, and went down to Derick's spell book, looking at it confusedly. Eve spread her wings and flew upwards, streaking towards the source of ghostly flashes of blue-white light. Hitomi walked smartly and purposefully towards the entrance of the castle, her expression blank. She tried to ignore the clawing sadness ripping up at her. She knew that giving in now could get the others hurt. They needed to leave. They needed to leave immediately.

"Hitomi!" Alice called. "Just in time!" she released a set of white bolts which threw a few approaching attackers backwards. Silvia turned and threw a vial, and a thick green gas rose between the men and the three fighters. Lilly let off a few more bolts, then turned to her.

"We are meeting inside." Hitomi said in perfect monotone. "Follow me." she turned, and the others followed, screams of the men outside fading as they walked rapidly through the castle. By the time they arrived, Eve had returned with Max, who was holding Derick's body and crying. Alice gasped. Lilly moaned lightly, and Silvia started to shake. Eve tapped Max on the shoulder.

"We have incoming." she said shortly, and the others turned slowly to face an oncoming group of twelve. No one moved. "Snap out of it!" Eve yelled. "Or we'll all end up dead!"

Alice couldn't move, Hitomi could tell, so she moved for her. Eve, Hitomi, and Silvia stepped forward. Hitomi saw that Silvia's hands were shaking. Hers were too. Eve seemed unphased, looking at the approaching men with a dead expression. Hitomi flared into form two, then fell back into one. She didn't have the will for higher than that. Silvia prepared to give them men a close up with alchemist fire. Eve drew her blade again, leveling it as they approached.

With a furious scream, Max leaped over the the three and began firing his pulse cannon with disregard for what targets he was hitting. Nearly half of his shots missed, but with the volume he put out it didn't really matter. He took the whole group out in ten seconds, but he didn't stop firing until Eve slapped him on the back of the head.

"Come on." she said, growling. "We don't have time for this. More are going to show up, and Silvia's poison screen isn't going to keep that army at bay on its own forever."

"I'll kill them all." Max muttered, his body shaking so much that he lost the grip of his weapon. "All of them."

Eve picked up his dropped weapon, dragging Max back to the group. "Activate the teleport." she commanded to Fox, and he did so shakily, swiping through the interface. There was a light tingling, then again, and again, until eventually it stopped, the ground beneath there feet a familiar stone. Hitomi opened her eyes. They were on the top of the cliff, overlooking the forest fortress again. The sun shined brightly down on their faces, and the cool, pleasant breeze passed over them. It seemed that all was well in the world, like the sun had taken it upon itself to mock their loss. Hitomi let herself give in to her sadness and found that she couldn't. She stood there, semi-numb, waiting for a response than never came. She felt a warmth on her side, and Alice leaned into her, crying into Hitomi's shirt. Hitomi just held her, shaking as she tried to comfort her friend.

Slowly, quietly, building from nothing until it shook her from head to toe, Eve finally began to cry.

##########

End Chapter Report:

Derick Runemaster(Level 8 Pyromancer) is now dead. Eve's party size has now decreased to seven.

Shizuki Hitomi is now level 4

Authors Note:

The stage has been set, the characters introduced, and the plot is beginning to take root. And, behind the scenes, unknown to her, her closest friends have just now been introduced to a world of magic of their own, curated by the charismatic Mami. How will Hitomi cope with the losses of her friends - both in this world and in Mitakihara? How will Hitomi's powers effect the fate of the Puella Magi? Will we ever see Hitomi and Kyousuke kiss? Probably not the third, but come back for the second act of A Different Kind of Spark just in case!