<h4>Chapter 34: Satellite - Part 2</h4>


    "We''re supposed to be anonymous, but screw that," Scarlett said, glowering. "That was my partner''s idea anyway. As I''ve already stated, my primary objective is to learn from you."


    "What about that ''Embodiment of Progress'' crap?"


    "That''s right! My own, fucking progress!"


    Although Scarlett''s freckles and the orange bush she had for hair gave her a feminine appearance, her height, bulky frame, deep tone of voice, and the ck eyepatch covering her left eye allowed her to keep her tough-guy persona.


    <i>Thatst thing is just too much in my opinion. Unless it''s not an essory...</i>


    Astrid formed fists, knowing that the next round would be thest.


    <i>In the end, knowing what she looks like under that helmet doesn''t really matter. For someone that boasts about being part of something ''big'' and avoids any kind of spotlight, this face could be another one of her masks. Her name is surely fake, too.</i>


    Astrid looked into the distance. The gigantic two-headed dragon could be seen firing breath afterser breath at something flying over its heads.


    "You want me to take you seriously, huh," Astrid said in a low voice as she ran a hand through her hair. "You know, if you and your partner hadn''t destroyed a fourth of the city, I could admit that your tenacity is admirable. You''ve really learned my moves and techniques to such perfection, that it sends chills down my spine!" Astrid''s friendly smile twisted into a malicious grin. "I mean it. You REALLY creeped me out. This is not obsessive behavior I''m seeing. Trust me, I know all about it... No. You''re more akin to a scanning machine. Yes! Something that tracks someone''s motions but has no moves of its own. Gross!"


    Scarlett frowned noticeably, beforeughing out loud. "Did you really say all that with a straight face, Comet?!" She sneered, stretching out her arms to her sides. "Who is the real inhuman here, eh?! Little, insignificant copycat, me?! Or you, the woman that practically broke this game''s bnce and caused a snowballing, power-creeping worldwide effect that the Administrators have been trying to address for thest year?! I, like many others, only broke our limits after learning what could be done from you! You''re the original Powercreeper here, Monster Girl, not me!"


    Astrid''s mocking face stiffened instantly. "What did you call me?"


    "You heard me right, you freakazoid!" Scarlett scoffed. "The only one that fights inhumanly here is you! Always cold-looking, as if fighting bored you. Always using a handicap, or finding different excuses to not go all out! I haven''t even seen you using your Super Mode once! So stop restraining yourself and show me that monstrous side of you, the one that you never show in public! COME ON! JUST LET IT OUT!"


    As Scarlett got into a fighting stance, Astrid shook her head vigorously.


    <i>''I-Inhuman''? ''Monster''?</i> Astrid sobbed while covering her eyes with both hands. "Why did you call me all those horrible things, you—you—BIG JERK?!"


    A bursting red aura surrounded Astrid, showing that she had used a Fire Boost.


    "That''s more like it!" Scarlett crowed, exerting the same fierce aura. "Fire Boost,<i> Valor+!</i> Ha-ha-ha!"


    "Scarlett, can I ask you something?" Astrid said in a low voice after wiping out what seemed to be genuine tears from her cheeks. "Doesn''t it hurt?"


    "What are you mumbling about?"


    "Your Berserk Mode..." Astrid whispered as she raised her head, showing her cold, glowing blue eyes. "The after-effects are quite painful, so I can''t imagine what it''d feel like using it all the time..."


    Scarlett cracked a smile. "So you finally noticed, eh? That means I don''t need to hide it anymore..."


    Scarlett chuckled as she calmly removed her eyepatch. An explosive purple aura took over her body immediately, overwhelming the red one. Scarlet''s green eyes changed to golden, and her irises resembled those of a predator. Even her youthful appearance changed into a feral expression.


    "That''s right," Scarlett continued, "being in this constant state HURTS LIKE HELL! Ignoring the feeling of my blood constantly boiling, and disregarding the fear of getting a heart attack at any moment, this constant agony is EXHILARATING! This is the secret of my power, Comet! It doesn''t matter how many times you impale me, burn me, or break my bones, I''ll heal immediately and get a quick power boost as a bonus! Simply said, the longer the battle, the stronger I''ll get!"


    While Scarlettughed maniacally, Astrid sniffed and rubbed her eyes. <i>Exhrating... Huh...</i>


    "Do you really intend to surpass me, Scarlett?" Astrid asked softly.


    "I know I will!" Scarlett shouted, hitting her chest.


    "Which ss did you choose?"


    "Battlemage! The same as you, of course!"


    "WRONG," Astrid pronounced in a deep voice before reverting to a girly tone. "I''m sorry, sweetie, but I''m not specialized in that ss. <i>Tee-hee!"</i>


    Astrid saw a glimpse of distress in the enemy''s face.


    <i>And it''s glorious...</i>


    "W-What are you talking about?" Scarlett stuttered. "Battlemage! A ss that excels in both strength and magic! That''s your ss!"


    Astrid giggled, covering her mouth with her right hand. "Ah, my sweet, noob child! Who''d want to master such a useless ss? Being a Battlemages is the equivalent of being a Jack of All Trades. You''d never excel as a martial artist nor as an elemental mage, bing just glorified cannon fodder!"


    Scarlett tilted her head to her side, looking perplexed. "B-But it''s obvious what you—W-Why are you doing this?! You can''t lie to me! It even says so in your Guilder profile! You''re a Battle—!"


    "Well, they have to put something there, don''t they?" Astrid interrupted. "For the fans, of course. But the truth of the matter is that I''ve never revealed my true ss publicly. If you''ve been following my career, you should know I''m telling the truth."


    Scarlett''s lower lip trembled as the purple aura around her increased. "N-No way... No way, NO WAY, NO WAY!"


    "And even if I WAS a Battlemage, you''ve failed miserably, regardless. Want to know why?"


    "I HAVEN''T FAILED! I''M KICKING YOUR ASS IN A HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT!"


    "And in all this time you''ve never copied my long-range attacks!" Astrid replied,ughing out loud. "Why didn''t you cast a copy of my ''F-ss re'' too, huh? You could have shown me you could do it better. Or is it too difficult for you? Hmm? Or maybe..." Astrid grinned maliciously, "...maintaining that Berserk state drains all of your mana? <i>Tee-hee.</i> That means that as long as you fervently use this Berserk strategy, you''ll be nothing more than a cheap knockoff..."


    "EARTH BOOST!" Scarlett shouted, emanating a third battle aura. "LIVING ROCK!"


    "Getting pretty desperate, huh." Astrid snickered. "The longer the battle, the stronger you get, right? What if I told you your strategy has a clear weakness, Scarlett? Something easy to exploit if it weren''t for these Safe Zone restrictions."


    "Oh, I''d love to see youying a scratch on me now!" Scarlett roared, making the ground shake just by stepping forward. "My body is now harder than anything on this shitty ind!"


    Astrid closed her eyes while emanating a blue aura. "It''s easy... One just has to beat you to the point of no recovery really fast... Water Boost, <i>Overflow+."</i>


    <strong>Notice: Your Spirit has increased by two ranks!</strong>


    "What are you going to do with that?!" Scarlett scoffed. "You''ve already seen I can tank your magic!"


    Astrid ignored Scarlett''s taunts and continued channeling mana. "Earth Boost, Living Rock+."


    The ground beneath Astrid''s feet cracked as if she had gained mass and weight.


    <strong>Notice: Your Vitality has increased by two ranks!</strong>


    <i>n, the day you disappeared we promised to be on top of the world, right? Well, to this day I''m still striving to be just that. I don''t know if you''ve already checked the ranking charts yet, but I owe you an exnation of why I''m in 7th ce in the Individual Power category...</i>


    "Wind Boost, Speed Demon+," Astrid continued, as a green gust of wind flew through her loose hair.


    <strong>Notice: Your Agility has increased by two ranks!</strong>


    "What the hell are you nning?" Scarlett asked in a low voice, fully aware that thest two Elemental Boosts were ipatible. "Wait... Why are you stacking up boosts as if there was no tomorrow?! You just said that ''Jack of All Trades'' are cannon fodder!"


    "Well... I''m clearly lying about one of those things, right? But which one? The part about me not being a Battlemage, or what I really think about versatile people?"


    <i>n... The reason why I''m not the most powerful User in all the Novus right now is that time has taught me that being number one is... a pain in the ass. If I climbed to the top of the ranking charts, other Guilders would hate me more than they already do. You just met Kathleen Maher, right? Well, imagine 98 more bitches and wankers like that.</i>


    <i>I can deal with the haters just fine, but I''d prefer not to have that kind of attention. The pressure on my shoulders would kill me young. That''s why I prefer to be in the spotlight doing something different... Something that gives joy to the people!</i>


    <i>But regardless of my personal feelings, the reason I stubbornly remain in the 7th spot is that I want the Novus poption to know my face, and that they shouldn''t mess with me or my city...</i>


    <i>It had worked pretty well until today. So let me remind this person thatets are unreachable...</i>


    Feeling the increasing flow in Astrid''s power, Scarlett stepped back for the first time since their duel started. "W-What''s wrong with me?!" she cried with clenched teeth and hit herself in the nose, drawing her own blood. "To hell with you! Stacking different boosts won''t matter if you can''t take a hit!" Scarlett''s fist irradiated fire and prepared her attack. "METEOR--!"


    <i>"Berserk Mode..." </i>Astrid calmly cast.


    <i>I haven''t climbed to the peak of the mountain because I don''t want people to see me as a monster, n...</i>


    <i>Although... That''s what I really am...</i>


    <i>"PUUUUNCH!"</i> Scarlett roared as her fist connected with Astrid''s face.


    The resulting sound echoed through Londorus'' streets. People from all over the city turned their heads in the same direction and mistakenly attributed the twin-headed dragon as responsible for such thunderous noise. There were no cameras around to witness such a spectacle, but if there was a brave soul that could have recorded the incident, people would have debated for weeks if that single punch was one of the most devastating in Novus'' history.


    Of course, after the following one...


    "I heard it! The sound of your skull breaking!" Scarlett celebrated, raising her fist victoriously, before noticing that her hand looked weird. "N-No... Not again."


    "More like the sound of your knuckles, wrist, and arm getting crushed at the same time," Astrid said while a purple aura simr to Scarlett''s took over her body. "I have to give you some credit, Scar. That hurt. A LOT. So you know what that means, right?"


    "This doesn''t make sense," Scarlett muttered, stepping back. "What about all those boosts then?! Why cast a Water and Wind boost if you''re not going to use them, huh?! ANSWER ME!"


    "Oh, you''d love to know that," Astrid said softly. A mischievous, almost evil-looking smirk adorned her face. Her blue eyes had been changed for those of a beast, golden and dangerous.


    <i>I became powerful so I could protect those I love. So you don''t have to worry about anything, n... As long as I''m here...</i>


    Then, with a single whisper, Astrid concentrated all of her power in her right fist. <i>"Libra..."</i>


    For a fraction of a second, Scarlett saw a tall figure behind Astrid. It resembled a blindfolded woman wearing a pristine dress. She was holding something aloft in her right hand, but Scarlett could not distinguish what. Something that seemed important.


    Scarlett wished she could know what that object was.


    "Beautiful..." Scarlett muttered. Astrid''s punch did not produce a deafening sound, it only impaled Scarlett as if she was made of butter. "Truly beautiful."


    "I''ll discover the trick you used to get into this city unrestrained. So nevere back. Did you hear me? Next time I''ll go all out from the start."


    Scarlett rested her chin over Astrid''s left shoulder as if they were embracing each other and coughed blood. "Whatever. Our work here is done..."


    Something glowing in the distance caught Astrid''s eye. <i>It''sing from where the dragon is... Is it firing its breath in this direction?</i>


    <i>No... THIS IS DIFFERENT!</i>


    Astrid''s instincts told her to get out of that zone immediately, but her agonizing rival restrained her with thest of their strength.


    "I also lied..." Scarlett breathed as an increasing dome of white light engulfed them both.