The End Bringer XV – RESIST (Patreon)

 XV – RESIST – XV

Glory Girl stared at the four of us for a moment, uncomprehending. I felt my hackles rise seeing the vicious girl, while the two boys with us goggled at her.

“Is… is that Glory Girl?” Isaac asked me, holding his hand up to his face like an on-stage aside. 

“Vicky, what are you doing here?” Amy asked calmly. The calm belied more tension than I could believe as she gripped Nicholas’s hand tightly. 

“Because I’m tired of you avoiding me Amy!” the girl shouted, almost hoarsely. “Whatever I did, whatever your problem is, we’re settling it. Here and now. No more excuses. No more “I have to be at the hospitals!” because clearly you don’t!” 

I almost snarled at her god-damn audacity. Did her own sister not even know how much shit Panacea went through? How much she hated being forced to be at that hospital all the time? And now she was here judging her for taking a day off? Only the fear her aura inspired in me kept me from shouting at her.

Amy winced, looking like a kicked puppy.

“Vicky… can we not do this now? I’ll talk, soon, but give me some… some time okay?” She pleaded in a way that only someone without a heart could resist caving to. 

Victoria apparently didn’t have one. “And who is this guy? I’ve tried to set you up with like a hundred guys but no, only Mana is good enough to actually get you to have fun! What… Amy what did I do?” Her voice cracked, in anger or in sadness I couldn’t tell. 

“We’ll talk about it later, okay? You’re ruining the one time I’ve been out of the hospital of my own choice in months! Please! Later, okay!?” 

I took a chance with Vicky distracted by Amy’s speech in order to cast another detect, this time on Amy herself. Sure enough, I saw the effect I’d expected. Charm. 

“When? When later!? Tonight, later? Or when you’ve graduated college, later!? How many more weeks are you going to just avoid me?” The hysteric girl shouted. 

People were staring, and some had cell phones out. To their credit, Isaac and Nicholas hadn’t moved since the heroine had appeared. Somewhat nullifying that were their almost identical vacant stares and slack jaws. Their gazes appeared locked on the costumed girl.

I was terrified and could hardly fathom how the Amy could even move, despite knowing she wasn’t feeling any fear. I knew at least intellectually, that it only affected people she considered enemies like this. With her friends, it was much more insidious.

“Vicky!” Amy shouted, growing angry. More angry than I’d ever seen her. Angry enough that I watched the status effect simply fall off, disappearing and reappearing as she fought it. As she… as she resisted it.

My manapool burned inside as new inspiration began to click. I didn’t act on it immediately, too frozen with fear to move, but I knew that my newest spell could help Amy with her sister’s aura and the problems it was causing. 

Amy stepped up to her sister, despite the awe effect of the girl’s full aura, glaring at her straight in the eyes and shaking a righteous fist. “If you d-don’t turn down that aura, then later will be next month. You got me?! I swear to god, I will leave home and you won’t see me until then! Don’t you think that I won’t!” 

I imagined a small me holding up pom-poms and cheering Amy on as I trembled, backing away towards one of the fences that walled off a roller coaster. She was not only fighting the full effects of her sister’s aura, she was also fighting the charm effect and still managing to yell at the girl she clearly loved. Tears slid down the healer’s cheeks, probably at the knowledge that she was willing to follow through with her threat. It was… inspiring. 

Glory Girl hesitated, angry but unwilling to call Amy’s bluff. “F-fuck. I… I just… why?”

All at once, all the tension evaporated as her aura faded, collapsing along with all of Glory Girl’s righteous anger. In her place was an almost pitiful girl, tears staining her own cheeks. 

“Why do you hate me now, Amy?” 

The two boys and I breathed collective sighs of relief, echoing that of a few nearby spectators who had been close enough to feel Glory Girl’s aura. Further away, cell phones were flashing and people were murmuring things like “That’s Glory Girl! From Brockton!“, “What is she doing in Boston?”, and “So that’s Panacea!”

“I could never hate you, Vicky,” Amy said softly. Sympathetically. The anger that had allowed her to throw off the charm gone, the effect began to take hold again. 

I didn’t hesitate. The new mana pattern burned through my veins as words of power from beyond my understanding came to my lips. 

Empow’ring light, shield us from all affliction!  Resist!

The green novas circled my body before a ring of glowing magenta light encircled Amy. The light constricted before sinking into her waist, and granting her a new positive status. Resist. Vicky’s charm suddenly failed completely, the status disappearing entirely from the impressions my detect spell showed me. 

Without warning, the collar of my shirt was clutched in a fist made of solid steel. 

“What the hell did you just do!?” Glory Girl hissed in my face, all passivity and meekness evaporating behind a cloud of fury. I very nearly wet myself as her aura activated once again. 

“This all started with you! Ever since Amy met you she’s been distant. Maybe that was all your plan…! Saving us from Lung’s fire, and your stupid light flashes… You’re actually a master aren’t you!? A–and keeping her from her family lets you–!”

A thud, followed by a resounding smack echoed through the park.

Vicky’s face snapped to the side under the force of Amy’s slap. She had shoved me out of the way in order to get to her sister, my collar ripping as I fell out of Vicky’s grasp. 

For some reason her left hand was clenched into a fist and her knuckles were bloody. Had she punched Glory Girl before slapping her? Why? How had she not broken her hand on the other girl’s invulnerability? Her health had dropped to ninety three percent. The lowest I’d ever seen it since I’d healed her that first time. 

Her face was absolutely burning with fury.

“How dare you. How dare you accuse her of that!” The girl seethed with fury. 

I shook a little inside. How long had it been since a friend had defended me? 

“I… how dare I–!?” Victoria started but Amy interrupted her.

“You are way out of line, Vicky. Go. I’ll tell you why I’ve been avoiding you tonight, but only if you promise to go, and to leave Mana alone. I swear to god, if I ever see you grab her like that again I’ll... I’ll... make you bald! Or give you zits or something!” 

Somehow despite the seriousness of the situation, my brain decided to snidely comment on how bad Amy was at making threats. Nothing on Sophia. Still, it actually was a pretty intimidating threat if she really followed through on it. I grabbed my own hair in proxy fear. Victoria, however, ignored the warning entirely.

“She’s… she’s changing you Amy.” Victoria insisted, pleadingly, so absolutely sure she was right. “She’s making you… different. Oh my god, your hand…!” 

Blood was dripping down the open wound that was Amy’s left knuckles; it looked incredibly painful. 

“No. She’s letting me be me. Now get the hell out of here, Vicky. I’ll see you tonight.” Amy demanded. 

I somehow got the impression, from Victoria’s shocked expression, that this might be the first time Amy had ever truly demanded anything of her. 

‘Good for you, Amy,” I thought, angry at Victoria for reasons all my own.  

Vicky backed away, almost unconsciously holding her face where a massive red handprint was forming across it. Shaking her head, she turned her teary eyes away from Panacea and with slumped shoulders launched off into the sky, taking her aura with her. 

For a few seconds, nothing happened at all. 

“Did… I…. What…?” Isaac stuttered breathlessly, glancing back and forth between us like we were both on fire. 

Feeling bold, and embracing the newer, more outgoing me, I gave him a wry look and a wink. “Never hit on a pair of capes have you?”

“Not… ahem.” The boy tried his best to recover, “Not in th-the last few weeks but y-y’know.” 

I chuckled.

“Holy fucking hell this hurts!” Amy whined grabbing her wounded hand and crouching over in a way that she had simply refused to do while her sister was still present. “Taylor? Little help!?” 

“Y-yeah, yeah on it!” I squeaked, nodding anxiously. 

Life’s refreshing breeze, blow in energy! Cure!

Her health climbed back up to its usual ridiculous percentage, while the boys stared on in awe as cascading green light washed over them and shimmered around Panacea and my green novas washed around me.  

“Whew… that’s better. Thanks Taylor.” Amy said softly. 

My eyes shined a little.