☆☆☆☆☆Sammie POV☆☆☆☆

Sammie surprised herself with how quickly she adjusted to Alex's idea. Wasn't that exactly what Samuel was trying to teach her this whole time?

It didn't mean she liked it anymore this time around, but that didn't stop her from kicking the monster to the ground. It stopped moving, though it was obviously still breathing. She sighed.

For the first few attacks, it took everything she had to keep herself from dissolving the attacks at the last second, but soon enough she simply kept moving without missing a beat. Once or twice, she could swear she caught a glimpse of Samuel's face. He almost looked proud of her.

A warm almost happiness spread throughout her chest. Why was she so happy? She ignored it, and kept attacking.

Alex dove behind a huge tree stump, and yelled for Sammie to do the same.

Without thinking, Sammie used her magic to herd Samuel away from Alex. She noticed they were by the bluff over looking her usual camping spot.

Most of the ground was either frozen or burnt from their magic. Samuel occasionally fought with yellow magic, bobbing and twisting around attacks, sometimes only suffering a slight graze.

Sammie and Alex didn't need to talk. Each of their attacks never really caught the other one off guard, even without advance warning. Their attacks wove together almost effortlessly. Ice and fire.

Sammie didn't know why, but it was easy to guess at Alex's intentions, and it seemed the same for Alex. They know each other really well, but there was no good reason why they should be so good together with magic.

They never practiced together, and Alex was using techniques that Sammie wasn't familiar with. It was like a muscle memory she'd never actually learned in the first place.

It just...worked.

Fighting in tandem felt like the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was the nature of their magical souls, and how they were connected in ways that she could never understand.

Sammie practically dragged Alex along as she kept herding Samuel to the bluff.

If they hadn't been fighting for their lives, it would have been a joyful feeling. Sammie could do this forever.

...In theory, anyway.

In reality, Sammie was getting tired. Alex was slowing down, too. Sammie could hear him breathing hard, see him shaking. Samuel was looking much worse for wear. Not long into the fight, he'd even stopped taunting them, too focused to speak, though he never stopped smiling.

His left arm was blue-ish, possibly frozen, and his chest was burnt to a degree. But he was still moving, still attacking. His stolen yellow magic was wrapped around his arms.

Yellow attacks still flew through the air, trying to catch either Sammie or Alex as they scurried to and fro, throwing off their own attacks.

He was strong, and at this rate they might not outlast him. Alex hissed as yellow winged attack grazed his shoulder. Sammie ran to him, ready to put herself between Alex and Samuel.

For every minute the fight dragged on, it was taking more effort to stay ahead of Samuel's attacks. It was taking more magic to keep Samuel away from possibly killing everyone in town.

Sammie cornered Samuel by using attacks that drifted lazily through the air but seemed to burn for far longer than they should before dissipating.

"We got him on the ropes," Alex said, voice raspy. "Any minute now."

Right. Negativity wouldn't help. They were close. Samuel was fighting back, but it was labored. His attacks were getting sloppy.

They could finish this. They could get away.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆Samuel's POV☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Sammie and her dumbass roommate flitted about him like a pair of particularly angry wasps, popping in and out of view and managing to stay just ahead of him. The look on their faces when they realized he had yellow magic was priceless.

The battle remained in the ruined clearing, Samuel finding himself twirling in slow circles trying to catch them. Scarred trees and burnt earth marked his efforts.

That was so cool that Alex had almost mastered his magic. It was a shame Sammie's roomie was so delicate, but Samuel had a good reason to be extra special careful with him now. In fact, all kinds of fun new games sprang to mind.

But for now, Samuel needed to focus. How long had it been since he'd had to try this hard? Fought like this? He couldn't even remember.

He laughed as another one of those ice bats
dug into his side. Another cool trick! Even if Samuel could feel pain, he doubted Alex's attacks would hurt very much, but they inflicted a deceptively large amount of harm. It was a slow freezing, slowing his movements down.

Leave it to the laziest person in town to have the most efficient attacks. Alex was doing more damage than his roommate, a person who had actually trained with her magic.

Speaking of Sammie, she was doing so well! For the first time, she showed no trace of hesitation or conflicted feelings. Single-minded determination was etched into every movement, every attack. Her fire was natural to her now, not some magic she couldn't control. It was beautiful.

She'd have looked a little cooler without her stupid roommate clinging to her, but she still looked pretty fucking cool.

Sure, if Samuel had feelings to hurt, Sammie's total rejection of him in favor of her stupid roommate might have stung. He had no such feelings though, he thought over and over.

As interesting as Alex was turning out to be, Samuel certainly didn't like him, and didn't appreciate him butting in where he wasn't wanted. But! Positive results were positive results, even if Samuel himself ended up being the target.

Technically, he should dock Sammie points for having help, but Samuel had to admit they were doing quite well together. Maybe too well. They were clearly starting to tire out, but so was he. Sammie and Alex were a far cry as far as pure strength went, but they were turning out to be dangerous in their own rights when properly motivated.

For the first time, it occurred to him that he might not win. Though they were tired, they had all their magic at their dispense. Samuel, however, did not. The purple magic was long gone, and the yellow was fading away, too.

Incredible! Uncertainty, urgency, mortal peril...how long had it been? This was all so exciting. Even Mary and Frances weren't this dangerous! Then again Mary nor Frances had mastered their magic. They didn't survive all the training that Sammie had gone through.

She truly was something else..

Moving slower thanks to Alex's ice magic, Samuel flung three of his winged attacks at the them. Only one connected, catching Sammie's lower arm before Alex moved them out of the way. They his behind some trees before he could attack again.

Samuel turning to face them again as they reappeared on his right. It was getting easier to follow the way Alex snuck around the trees.

Samuel noted with unaccustomed pleasure the pained grimace on Sammie's face when ever she moved her arm. Her movements were a little off center, a little stiff, and the resulting attack was misaligned.

Her fire bird collided with his Alex's ice bat, canceling out both of them in a small explosion that sent them flying backwards.

Samuel grinned wider. With the possibility of losing the fight came the renewed enjoyment of winning. He would win even if he had to take them down a peg to do it.

This was the absolute. Best. Time. Ever.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆Sammie's POV☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Not good. Samuel was adjusting his strategy.

With her attention split between attacking, defending, and maneuvering, Sammie just couldn't compensate for her arm, which was numb, as it refused to work.

Frustrated, she fell back to purely defending. It was no help to Alex, whos magic was obviously draining faster than hers. It took all she could do to not completely collapse onto the ground.

God, she was exhausted. Every step was a battle on it's own. Sammie noticed in her peripheral vision that to the left of them was the drop off to the bluff. Maybe if she could push him over..

"Any minute now," Alex urged. His hand slipped, scrabbling painfully at Sammie's arm.

Damn it, why wouldn't Samuel just stay down? How much longer could he possibly last?

How much longer could they last?

A loud bang was heard as a bullet flew by them hitting a nearby pine tree. Sammie staggered to a halt as a flurry of bullets whizzed by, so close she could hear them whistle through the air, feel the breeze as they passed. From over her shoulder, Alex gasped.

Sammie knew that scare tactic, hit close enough to scare them into not resisting arrest.

Angela!

Risking a glance to their right, the direction where the bullets had come from, Sammie shouted in mingled relief and dismay to see Angela, and two other officers through the trees. She didn't want them anywhere near Samuel, but they were fresh, and Alex and her needed the help.

Samuel turned on them, flinging multiple winged beasts at their approach. The officers shot and chopped at any attack that got within reach, defending themselves. Angela aimed her gun at Samuel, asking no questions and looking almost gleeful at the chance to shoot the life out of something at last.

Alex tugged her with him to stay clear of a barrage of bullets that went a little too wide. It seemed one of the officers was freaking out at the magic before his very eyes.

"They could try not to skewer us while they're at it," Alex grumbled.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Alex summoned all his magic without a form, resting and rallying what was left of his reserves, which had never been much to start with. His magic was a physically sending out cold air, which was natural considering the nature of his magic.

Sammie did the same, despite the protest her soul was giving her. Calling on the rest of her magic felt like trying to get the last drops of a milkshake from the bottom of the glass, but she rolled it up into something she could use. Her soul's protest died down to a dull murmur.

Alex summoned a ring of ice bats-- so many, too many for Sammie to count at a glance. Like falling dominoes, they fired one after another, too ready to destroy Samuel. The light was blinding. The roar of them was a physical force, vibrating through the air, the ground and even Sammie's own bones.

Sammie summoned her own magic, giving everything she had left, she let Rosey take, holding nothing back. Nothing left for herself.

But Sammie held firm. All that mattered was keeping her attacks going. She fed magic into her attacks as fast as she could, the world burning white.

She'd burn herself out before she let Samuel get away. Angela and the other officers stopped shooting. Whether they were scared or they thought it's be useless against magic, Sammie didn't know.

The world felt like it was burning.

Alex, with no more magic or energy, fell down on the ground behind Sammie with a sharp cry. Keeping her own magic going, Sammie quickly turned her head, her soul twisting with panic.

"Alex!"

Alex gave her a weak grin, and a thumbs up. He was fine just tired, Sammie sighed.

Glancing up quickly, Sammie realized Angela and the officer were laying to the ground, a yellow attack flew past their heads.

She felt a sharp pain in her chest when Samuel fell to the ground. No matter what. Samuel wasn't going to win. Samuel, still surrounding himself with magic, stood up closer to the bluff. He was shaking, but still grinning at the ground. Was he laughing? How is he even human?

Sammie gritted her teeth, willing herself into moving towards Samuel. If she couldn't win...

Alex noticed her movement, but he was too slow to grab her thanks to his lack of magic or energy.

...she'd make sure he couldn't win either.

Samuel looked up just in time to see her run at him, and with all she had left she tackled him off the bluff. Sammie was aware of Samuel's hand grabbing her, pulling her with him.

Jokes on him, she thought. It was always her plan to get rid of the only two monsters left in Misaburn. Samuel and herself.