I rolled out my neck. There was something about fighting that energized me, almost as much as it wore me down. Of course, I had been built for this. While I had long moved on from it being my sole purpose in life, it was a core part of my being.

That wasn't the case for Belle, however.

Now standing opposed to Roxy and I, she couldn't look more out of place if she tried. Not that she was any stranger to violence, but it was usually alongside us rather than against us. The Natural Disasters were well aware of what both the super and I were capable of. Even when exhausted.

Roxy rubbed at her eyes and groaned. "Why is always gas and shit? I'm a little jealous of your mask sometimes, Dubs."

I shrugged.

[I'd much prefer having a mouth. Want to swap?]

"Pass." She shot me a glum smile. "Were we actually fighting Belle, or were you just hoping to practice some team-up attacks?"

I would have whistled had I the capability to. Now that was a thought. My plans for this combat hadn't really condensed in my brain yet; I just knew that it was something we should do.

[Play it by ear? I'm not sure I have the energy for much, especially not creative thought.]

"Same." She nodded. "Making that cannon actually drained me. I've been pushing myself a little too far today."

We all had. That was the point - although we were a little too raw from the troubles we'd faced the last few days. We weren't so wicked as to deserve no rest at all.

"I'm not sure about this," Belle piped up. "My powers aren't exactly good against one of you—even when you're tired—much less the both of you. Shields won't stop your attacks for too long, and my bad luck magic isn't a precise science…"

[If you accidentally kill me, don't worry. I forgive you in advance.]

Roxy grimaced. "As for me, I'd prefer it if you didn't. Kill either of us, that is."

The shielder still didn't look happy, but had accepted that we weren't going to back down despite her worries. It was just the way of the Disasters. After shuffling her feet through the loose layer of sand on the ground, she shook her arms out and then rested her hands on her gun holsters.

"Ready when you are," she confirmed.

I glanced at Roxy, and the super gave me a nod before putting her hands up in a boxing stance.

Even with how tired we were, it was right for Belle to see us as a threat. I didn't doubt that Roxy couldn't still punch through buildings with exhausted muscles. My arm was still a gun, even without ammunition. I just had to ignore the pain.

In saying that, Belle acted before I had even finished my train of thought. Serves me right for being distracted.

She whipped the two revolvers from her hips and aimed one at each of us. Roxy was a little more prepared and dove off to the side. I had equipped my personal shield and deployable metal helmet before we started, so I was banking on that carrying me through a couple of shots.

The right-hand revolver fired, but it went wide. She must be nervous, despite her usual coolness under pressure. My boots dug into the ground and I powered forward, joined by Roxy as she intended to act as my flanking support.

I took two long steps and raised my gun-arm. V-Force drive powered up, and I went to fire a blast of empty air at the gunslinger. Just as the energy left my barrel, she vanished.

Roxy stumbled a few feet, almost barreling into me - but I sensed it. That didn't mean I could react in time, unfortunately. I went to use Reflex, but my synapse connections were still numb and lagging.

Left-hand revolver fired, striking the super in the back. Belle's first shot had not been a magical bullet aimed at us, but an element of her teleportation energy. She had saved the second shot for when she had appeared behind us. Rather clever and-

Roxy flashed light green and continued her staggered trajectory, now actually colliding with me. Her head rammed me in the chest and knocked the air from my lungs. My metal ribcage rang like a bell, vibrating through my internal organs.

I grabbed the super to stabilize her.

[You know, I think we're actually at a disadvantage here.]

The only response was an angry grunt.

Belle leveled both of her revolvers at me and pressed the triggers. In response, I used Dispel and erased the magical bullets before they could hit me. A headache ran across my temples like lightning because of the effort exerted.

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As far as I knew, those weapons wouldn't run out of ammunition as they were powered by the magic granted by Belle's patron. If she could keep teleporting away from us, then we wouldn't be able to do much to stop her from pelting us with bad luck.

Roxy had realized this too, and before we could be shot again, lava ran from her feet. It snaked across the ground a short distance before bursting up a few feet in front of us like a shield. Only, it stopped barely higher than our waists.

At first I thought it was just her exhaustion muting her abilities, but I was mistaken.

Belle had put up the dome shield over us, and we were right by the edge - so the curve of it had cut off the top of Roxy's stone wall. The revolvers fired off, unhindered.

My personal shield blocked the bullet aimed at me, the residual hiss of the device telling me it wasn't built to take many of those. The shot aimed for the super hit her straight, and a small bloom of crimson burst from her right shoulder.

Roxy's eyebrows raised, and she grabbed the wound with her left hand. "What the fuck?" she whispered.

"Tap out or I'll show you how truly weak you are." The gunslinger held both weapons almost casually. Her green eyes glowed slightly.

Bright lava pooled out of the wound, mixing with the blood. Roxy turned an incensed glare toward Belle. "Weak? It'll take more than a peashooter to stop me."

While I was trying to get a proper read of the situation, the super powered forward enraged. Belle fired several more times, creating fresh wounds in Roxy's torso. Neither baulked at the coming clash.

Roxy lashed forward with her fist. Belle stood confidently, and didn't teleport.

The punch connected and… nothing happened. I frowned. That sort of punch would have killed most normal people. Even with Belle's shielding, there would be some kind of feedback. A shockwave, or show of strain on her face. Roxy paused, slowly withdrawing her fist. Confused.

Belle raised a revolver, putting it point-blank to the super's forehead. "Tap out," she repeated.

Roxy was never the sort to back down from a fight. Even against terrifying odds. Almost as foolhardy and reckless as me, on occasion. But even from here, I could see the passion for battle had long drained from her face. Formally near bulletproof and overwhelmingly strong, she had now been shown to be vulnerable and weak. On top of her current exhaustion, that was enough to be a killing blow.

"I tap out," she confirmed, her arms sinking.

Although I had been hoping for some dual combat alongside the super, she had also done a fantastic job of being a sacrificial lamb. I much preferred it this way rather than finding out the hard way.

Roxy hadn't flashed green when struck by the magical bullets, so it wasn't bad luck being inflicted. Nor did I believe for a second that the super was vulnerable to magic damage. Otherwise, that would make it easy for me to kill her, which seemed unfair.

If I had to guess—which I did—Belle was using something similar to Nerve shot. She made Roxy believe that she couldn't hurt her. The bullet wounds were probably imagined. Although… I was seeing it too. The shot my shield had absorbed probably had a similar effect. A shared delusion.

Not that it helped me in winning.

Roxy slunk away from the area, face still full of confusion. I wondered how long it would take for the illusion to fade. Time or distance gated? Belle didn't give me the opportunity to stand and ponder any longer.

I dove to the side, behind the rubble of the failed wall. Magical bullets whizzed through the air above me. I grasped for a rock or something useful from the ground, but found only fine sand. Back to my feet, I realized I needed a few tricks of my own.

Out in the wide open against someone with a higher rate of fire weapon was a mistake in the making. Maybe her initial apprehension in fighting the pair of us was a ruse to get us to lower our expectations. I had to change tactics.

Rather than continue to be avoidant, I stood tall and stretched out.

[Not bad. Shame I am immune to your attacks since I can Dispel them.]

A wry smile went up at the side of her mouth. "Nice faux confidence. You forget I can see right through you."

I shrugged. She didn't know I was lying, surely. Either way, the V-Force drives in my legs powered up, and I readied to get into melee range with her.

Just like with the super, Belle wasted no time in unloading her revolvers. I didn't even try to dodge them. Five shots weathered before I got close to her. Each one burned into my skin and muscle as if they were acid.

Even the ones that hit my metal arm. She had overplayed her hand.

My fist raised back, and I powered a punch toward her impassive face. The attack hit empty air. Another teleport?

I spun in place to see where she had gone, only to find myself somewhere completely different. Instead of the illuminated amber of the outskirts, there was a dimly lit basement. A windowless room of cold gray and dark blue. Had she teleported me? No. Not possible.

My eyes scanned the room as I slowly rotated. There was a metal door, slightly rusted, to my left. An empty shelving unit on the right. Behind me was a chair.

No usual chair, however. It oozed ill intent. Metal cuff restraints for the legs and arms. If I weren't mistaken, the dark metal cap hanging over it would hold the occupant's head in place as well. It looked like a torture device.

What disgusted me was how familiar to me it was.

My facial muscles tensed as if I were trying to clench my teeth. There was a tapping noise coming from my side, as my cybernetic arm shook slightly. I took a deep breath and fought the urge to vomit.

The darkness closed in, and the color in the small room faded away. It started feeling claustrophobic, as if I were being pressured to remain in place. To look at the illuminated chair.

Somewhere for me to sit. My place.

My arm felt warm as I loaded up Arcane Overload. I wasn't aiming at anything. It was just a reaction from my brain. I needed to escape, whatever the cost. Reality hummed with unknown energy. I felt the whisper of a voice pass through my ears, but I didn't pick up any words. A different language, but I could pick up on the tone.

Jovial and curious.

Power arced around my arm as the artifact reached critical limit. The darkness was all-consuming, and I wanted to brighten it. I took a deep breath.

The energy left me. Not in a self-destructive explosion, but as if someone had severed my synapse completely. No power. I relaxed and turned my eyes back to the chair.

Memories. Real or imagined, it didn't really matter. Acceptance destroyed my entire spirit, save for one resistant thought. A way to end it all.

[I tap out.]

The dark room melted away like a stormy cloud, turning to blinding sunlight back in the wastes. I was still standing not two feet away from Belle, slumped and relaxed. Her eyes were entirely green flame, burning brighter than even Clara's cybernetic eyes.

"For what it's worth," she said softly, "you forgave me in advance."

I took one deep breath and rolled my eyes.

[Alright, I'm done training for the day.]

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