BOOOM!
Abigail's attacker immediately recomposed herself and went on the offensive. She did not want to give an archer such as her opponent any chance by creating distance.
'Fuck, that was too close!' Abigail exclaimed inwardly, her expression showing the shock and fear she momentarily had when the blade was that close to eliminating her. She readjusted her stance to shoot but noticed her attacker already closing in.
'Don't want to give me an opening, is that it?!'
If her opponent thought she was just an archer, then she was in for a surprise. She wore her bow and retrieved a dagger that was held behind her waist and dashed forward as well. She was not about to stand there and allow the momentum of her opponent to direct the fight.
But she felt something strange once she was five metres away from her.
'What's happening? Is that her ability?' She panicked in her mind as her vision grew distorted, blurred and echoed. She couldn't see the person approaching her. And to top it up, her dark sclera coupled with the wide grin on the face of her opponent made her seem more dangerous. She had that air about her.
'Damnit!'
If she couldn't pinpoint which image was the real one, then she was a goner. Abigail had fallen under what was known as an Echo Gaze, a rare but useful ability, especially for assassins/spies/infiltrators.
Echo Gaze, as the name suggests, manipulates the target's visual processing pathway, creating a temporary discrepancy between the brain's interpretation of visual information and actual optical input. This created the effects of blurred vision, multiple images, disorientation, difficulty tracking movement and decreased reaction time.
With no alternative, she released her own ability. A strong gale began gathering around her as soon as she deemed it necessary to survive the clash. Fortunately for her, the gale was strong enough to push her opponent away, quickly restoring her sense.
BOOM!
She heard a loud boom, suggesting her opponent slammed into one of the pillars close by. 'Getting in close a bad idea!' She thought and created more distance between herself and her opponent.
"Ouch!" Her attention returned to her opponent who quickly got up from the floor she was lying on. With the momentum now broken and tension high, the two girls faced each other, gauging each other's reaction. The distance was still not big enough for Abigail to use her bow and arrow.
'For now, let's use the dagger,'
Abigail took a fighting stance and ran simulations on how to end this fight and get out of the building quickly. She understood that the girl's ability worked in a certain range around her, prompting her to keep her distance, otherwise, she would have still been under its effect.
'I bet others are already on their way here.' She thought and then glanced at the area her opponent clashed with when she first attacked her.
As her main focus was returning to her opponent, she caught a glimpse of a shadow that unleashed an attack. She did not waste time thinking about who that could be and flashed back to the other section of the floor
BOOOM!
"What the hell?!"
Abigail heard the scream of her opponent but focused on the rubble and generated dust. The silhouette of the new player, a male, stood there with an imposing figure and wielded twin blades. She noticed him look around before hearing,
"Hello, ladies. Mind if I join?" His tone was amusing as he waved his twin blade around, generating a small gale that pushed the dust away, revealing his full figure.
The boy observed both girls with a confident smirk, but his gaze lingered on her for a few more seconds than necessary, and his eyes moved to the bow around Abigail.
"Shit… Not him." She muttered under her breath.
Abigail immediately noticed the person was Ethan, the boy she wanted to take out early before being rudely interrupted.
"Back off, pretty boy. I was here first." The girl replied.
"Humph, as if that matters," Ethan said and pointed his twin blade in Abigail's direction and continued, "That girl over there owns me a few eliminations and I'm here to collect. It will be in your best interest to leave while I'm being nice."
"So?" She retorted, not taking his words seriously. If she backed off from anyone who asked 'nicely', she would have been eliminated a long time ago.
"So, get out of here while you still can." Ethan was not willing to give up. The archer may or may not be the person he was searching for, but anyone would do. His gaze stayed on both girls at the same time, making sure none of them made a move.
"Well, we can't always get what we want, now can we?" The girl replied, already getting back into her attacking stance. She eyed both Ethan and Abigail, her guard raised to the maximum. She could tell that the boy was tough.
From the way he carried himself, the way he spoke and even the number displayed on his badge spoke volumes of what he was capable of.
'726!'
She exclaimed inwardly but still made no attempts to leave. She only had a measly 89 eliminations under her belt. She was strong and her ability was perfect for this setting, but her ability took a lot out of her and the range was also short.
Due to this, she only used it to surprise her opponents and take them out. But most students she faced always unleashed their abilities that caused too much destruction, keeping her at a distance, and rendering her skill practically useless.
Abigail watched the interaction between the two and just wished she was excluded from the drama. But the gaze of both, especially the boy, always stayed glued to her, preventing her from making any moves.
"Very well," Ethan responded and waved his twin blade around. His action got both girls alerted and ready to respond if he attacked. But what he did next left both girls shocked and confused.