Chapter 60-Mary vs Copper

"EEEKKKK!!!!!"

Mary screams as she's sent falling throught he black abyss below, until she slams against the bottom floor of the cave with a huge thud.

"Oww…" Mary groans as she sits up and rubs her sore butt.

Mary then hears a shattering noise, and peers upwards to see cracks beginning to form in the cavern ceiling.  The cracks then begin to spread, like branding rivers forming in the roof of the cave.

Mary shrieks as she scrambles to her feet, and just as the cavern ceiling splits open for good, Mary leaps out of the way, as she hears a long, drawn-out scream followed by a thud, as someone else falls through the ceiling.

Mary turns around to face this new arriver, watching as a woman wearing a stealth black bandit uniform sits up and rubs her head.

"Oww…" she groans.

The woman has golden-brown eyes and reddish-gold short curly hair, with dry, rough, patchy-looking skin, and is of average stature, around five foot seven.

"Are you…okay…?"  Mary asks.

"Yeah… the woman answers with a defeated sigh, "You?"

Mary nods.

"Now…" the woman says as she turns around and places her hand on her hips, surveying the area, "Where is the Secret Ingredient…?"

Mary's eyes widen.

"This woman…is after the Secret Ingredient too…?"  Mary softly asks herself, "That must mean that she's a member of the Treasure Thieves!"

Mary pauses, and continues to watch as the woman looks around.

"Do I…attack her…?"  Mary whispers to herself, "No…I must!  The enemy is standing before me with her back turned to me, if I can land a proper sneak attack…I can win without even needing to fight!"

Mary begins trembling.

"Can I…do it…?"  She asks herself, "Harming someone with their back turned to me…it's wrong, isn't it?  That's not how a warrior rights.  And what if I fail?  What if my attack misses, and the enemy retaliates?!"

Mary furiously shakes her head then slaps either side of her cheek.

"No…I can't think like that!"  Mary whisper-shouts to herself as she resumes her Charge Stance, "Negative thoughts like that will ONLY lead to my defeat!"

"B-B-Bl-Blood Charge-" Mary begins to stammer, but before she can cast her spell, the woman standing across from Mary interrupts her.

"If you attack me now, I'll kill you."

Mary's eyes widen, and her blood begins seeping back into her body.

"My name is Copper," the woman smirks as she turns around to face Mary, "Of the Treasure Thief bandits.  You're after the secret Ingredient too, no?  Well…you can't have it.  It's MINE!  BUUUUT…if you decide to fight me over it, I'll have to kill you.  Which would be a shame, since you're so cute."

Mary gulps.

Copper smiles at Mary.

"That's a good girl," she coons, before turning away from Mary and strolling away.

"BLOOD CHARGE, LEVEL THREE: RAPIDS TALON!"

With a battle cry, Mary swings a hand towards Copper, firing a blade of blood from each finger.

Copper cries in pain as Mary's blades of blood tear into her back.

Copper stumbles forwards, blood dripping from her wounds.

Mary's eyes widen.  "I…did it…" Mary softly says to herself, "I landed my Rapids Claw!"

Mary then slaps either side of her cheeks.  "I relied on a sneak attack, I'm an asshole!"

Copper growls as she slowly turns around to face Mary, causing the small girl to flinch.

"So you STILL decided to attack me…even after how nice I was to you…?"  Copper growls.

Mary shrieks.

"THAT'S IT!"  Copper screams, "YOU'RE DEAD!"

Copper reaches behind her back and draws three boomerangs, and tosses them into the air, then begins to juggle them.  Reddish-gold sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around his body.

"Copper Charge, Level One…" Copper begins to growl as her boomerangs begin swirling with those same reddish-gold sparks of energy.

Mary's eyes widen.  "So that's Copper's Charge Stance…?"  Mary asks herself, "She's going to throw those boomerangs at me…"

"-GOLD PLATING!"  Copper shouts as a copper shell encrusts her boomerangs, which Copper then flings towards Mary.

Mary shrieks and covers her head, then ducks under the boomerangs, which fly right over her head.

"WHEW…" Mary exhales as she stands and wipes her brow.

"You think that's it, huh?"  Copper smirks as she holds a hand out to her boomerangs, and then, Copper's boomerangs begin to curve around and fly back towards Copper.

"OW!"  Mary yelps as Copper's boomerangs whack her in the back of her head, forcing Mary to her knees, as Copper's boomerangs effortlessly fly back into the hands of the smirking Copper.

Mary gingerly touches a hand to the back of her head, and upon feeling the warm blood seeping through her fingers, maroon-red sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around Mary's hand, as she uses her Blood Charge to stop the bleeding and scab over the wound.

"Blood Charge, Level One: Blood Clot," Mary says to herself as she stands up to face Copper again.

"Copper Charge, Level One: Gold Plating!"  Copper cackles as she flings her copper-plated boomerangs towards Mary again.

Mary takes a deep breath in…then out, and resumes her Charge Stance.

"Blood Charge, Level One: Rapids Talon!"  Mary shouts as blood begins swirling around her hand, which she then slashes towards Copper, firing off a blade of blood from each finger.

Upon colliding, Mary's Rapids Talon overpowers Copper's Gold Plating then continues flying towards Copper, who -in response- catches her boomerangs then resumes her Charge Stance.

"Copper Charge, Level One: Gold-Plating!"  Copper exclaims as her entire body is encased on a copper exoskeleton.

Mary's eyes widen as her Rapids Talon slashes Copper, pushing the woman back, but not even leaving a scratch on Copper's golden armor.

"That's some strong armor!"  Mary yelps.

"I am incredibly unskilled at E-Charging, and am only able to use one spell…" Copper begins to explain, "BUT BECAUSE OF THAT…I'VE MASTERED THIS SPELL BEYOND PERFECTION!"

"COPPER CHARGE, LEVEL ONE: GOLD PLATING!"

"Blood Charge, Level Three: Rapids Talon!"

Copper flings boomerang after boomerang towards Mary, who, in response, slashes blade of blood after blade of blood back towards Copper, but for every boomerang strike that Copper is able to land upon the small girl, Mary's blades of blood only succeed in pushing Copper back.

And so…Mary drops down to one knee, gasping heavily for breath.

"None of my spells…can work on Copper…" Mary pants, "My level one spell is for healing…my level three spell has no effect on her, and my level two spell…I need to get in close."

"COPPER CHARGE, LEVEL ONE: GOLD PLATING!"  Copper roars as she flings her boomerangs towards Mary one last time.

Mary pants as she stares down the finishing blow, but then…her eyes widen.

"That's it…" Mary softly says as she struggles to push herself up to her feet, "I just…need to do what Noah, or Khione, or Master Grandpa would do in this situation!"

"I need to…create a new spell!"

And so, as Copper's boomerangs begin flying towards Mary, the girl resumes her Charge Stance.

"Blood Charge, Level FIVE…" Mary growls, and then, once Copper's boomerangs are mere seconds before landing the decisive blow, blood begins to flow from Mary's hands then hardens, forming a shield of blood, which Mary uses to block Copper's boomerangs.

"WHAT?!"  Copper cries as her eyes widen, "N-NOTHING should be harder than my Gold Plating!"

"-SAVAGE RED!"  Mary roars as she begins charging Copper, but before she can get in close enough, the cave begins to shake and tremble, and then, a GIANT landslide of boulders falls from the ceiling below, and CRUSHES Copper, before the woman has a chance to react.

Mary shrieks as she pauses in her tracks.

"I guess…those BOULDERS are harder than your Gold Plating, too…" Mary winces.

Mary looks around nervously, until she spots a passageway leading back up to the surface.

"Well…this isn't MY fault…" Mary cringes, then begins heading up.