Villainess 4: Janet’s Haunted Escapade

Red Pill 25: Swords, Words

Round three began with both combatants picking up their swords and bucklers. As before, they took up their stances and configured their armaments at their will: RuRu and Janet both held their bucklers out in front of them, but RuRu held her sword horizontal at her hip with the point facing forward, and Janet held her sword under the armpit of her buckler-arm like she did in the first round.

Then RuRu called out to her and said, “Hey, Janet, did you notice it yet?”

“Like what?” Janet said.

“I guess that’s a no,” RuRu said.

“What are you talking about?” Janet said.

Then Rowena yelled at Janet from the sidelines, saying that RuRu was just trying to get inside her head and warning Janet to not play by her rules.

“See?” RuRu said. “Even your mom gets it, though she’s a bit off the mark. Can you guess what it is?”

“Mind-reading?” Janet said.

“It’s not that, dear,” RuRu said. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders for a newbie, but you haven’t used it fully yet. We both draw our power from the same source, but that doesn’t make us equal in a fight.”

“Then why don’t you just tell me?”

“Do you honestly think it’s that easy?” RuRu said. “You’ve got the smarts to study this ground to a T, I’ll give you that, but if you haven’t noticed what I’m doing yet, then prepare for a painful schooling. You must learn to think on your feet, even if I have to beat it into you, got it?”

“But I only just—”

“No buts, dear,” RuRu said.

Janet gulped. RuRu should not have known that, not unless she could read minds, but RuRu said nothing about that at all when she taught Janet her shadow-teleportation technique. Maybe RuRu was using another shadow technique, but what was it? RuRu never told her, but then again, why would she? Why would RuRu disclose the ace up her sleeve if she was going to use it against Janet in this spar? For sportsmanship? Nope. RuRu wasn’t teaching her fair play: she was teaching her how to win a fight by any means necessary, even if it meant playing mind games using something just beyond Janet’s grasp.

Grasp . . . Grasp what? Janet thought to herself, so she said, “How do I know you’re not bluffing?”

“I’m telling the truth.”

“And I think you’re lying!” Janet said.

“Then you’ve already lost the spar, dear,” RuRu said. “So no hard feelings after I whip your ass, got it?”

“If you can find it,” Janet said.

“Tough words coming from a newbie,” RuRu said.

“Then come at me,” she said, throwing RuRu’s words at her.

RuRu smiled and said, “You’ll regret saying that,” and she blinked out of sight—

And appeared a moment later charging at Janet.

And before she knew it, RuRu had her checked in two moves at once, thrusting her sword home and sidestepping just outside of Janet’s range and baiting her into attacking. And when Janet took the bait, swinging her sword through empty air, RuRu wound her sword from her thrusting trajectory with a flick of her wrist and clipped Janet’s sword-arm in an upward underhand slash. It was one of the slickest feints in RuRu’s arsenal, one that would have made John Day proud if Janet had been the one to deliver it. But no. If this spar was a class, then Janet was the student, and RuRu was the teacher ‘schooling’ her in swordsmanship.

(“First hit, RuRu!” one DeeDee said.)

Amidst more boos at RuRu from the sidelines, flowers of agony bloomed through her forearm, and Janet dropped her sword and stifled a scream through gritted teeth—

Till she caught a metallic flash in the corner of her eye and felt a whoosh of air on her cheek, which was RuRu’s buckler blurring past her face, making Janet grimace and wince and turn her head on instinct—

When RuRu’s sword clipped her waist and more flowers of pain bloomed across her left side above her hip bone, making Janet burst out screaming. As both blows registered through the overloaded pain receptors of her forearm and waist, Janet collapsed to her knees and then to the ground, nursing her flaring forearm against her flaring side and writhing and moaning and sobbing at RuRu’s feet.

(“Second hit, RuRu!” another DeeDee said amidst more shouts from the spectators to stop this madness, yet the original DeeDee told them that this was all part of the spar. Janet’s friends and clones protested her decision, and Rowena went so far as to stomp towards DeeDee, getting up in her face and grabbing at her blouse and demanding she stop this, yet her hand passed through her.

Rowena gaped, saying, “No way!”

So DeeDee just smiled and placed her finger to lips and said, “Give your daughter a chance to shine, dear.”)

As more boos erupted from the sidelines, Janet had her eyes squinted shut and her teeth gritted in a grimace, expecting to get hit, yet it never came. So when Janet opened her eyes and looked up at RuRu, she saw her crouched over her and said, “You’re not going to end it?”

“This is a spar, silly, not a fight to the death,” RuRu said. “I don’t hit sparring partners while they’re down, only enemies, and you’re not one of those,” and she reached out her hand for Janet to grab.

But when Janet did so, getting to her feet, she looked and saw RuRu no longer there.

Then she noticed the standing hairs on the back of her neck as RuRu’s question flooded her mind (‘Did you notice it yet?’). Only then did it come together when Janet felt a presence behind her and felt an object (she couldn’t tell if it was a sword or a buckler) hitting her like a premonition.

So she blinked out of sight—

(or thought she did)

—but felt RuRu’s whooshing sneak attack connecting on her, her buckler smashing into the small of her back, as she braced herself with squinted eyes. Yet the pain delay was long enough for her to notice, even when the feeling of getting hit lingered as a tactile hallucination. This led her to other parallels (like the wake of a boat passing beneath the haul of her own vessel, as Baron Palmer had observed in Period 4, or the residual haunting of a ghost possessing her body, as DeeDee had said in her shop) during the mindless moment of her body anticipating pain.

Yet after waiting for the shock of the blow without feeling it, Janet opened her eyes and noticed the hush of her peers and her clones from the sidelines. So she turned and saw their eyes wide and their mouths agape, some with their hands cupped over their mouths.

“You bitch,” RuRu said.

Janet turned, saying, “You didn’t hit me?”

RuRu only grimaced and glared at her, saying, “Of course, I hit you, but then you ghosted me!”

RuRu shut her mouth.

The word, ‘ghosted,’ tipped Janet off with an idea, so she crouched and grabbed her sword, then ran her finger across its dull edge, trying to remember the feeling. Then she repeated the process and felt her finger pass through the blade and said, “It’s like I’m really a ghost.”

So RuRu turned to DeeDee, saying, “That’s not fair, Big Sis! I can’t even hit her!”

“All she did was figure it out, dear,” DeeDee said. “I didn’t have anything else to do with it.”

“But that’s cheating!”

“Don’t you remember your own words?” DeeDee said. “You told Janet to ‘forget about fair play.’”

“I did, but—”

“No buts, dear. You reap what you so,” DeeDee said, then to both girls in the circle: “Now get on with it, girls. We don’t have all night, you know.”

With that, RuRu took up her stance and configured her arms: this time, while holding her buckler out in front, RuRu held her sword horizontal across her chest with the point facing forward, while Janet did nothing.

“What are you waiting for?” RuRu said.

Janet said nothing, for she was thinking back to the movements of their swords in relation to their bucklers during all three rounds. Discarding RuRu’s feints in this round and their shield strikes in the first and second rounds, Janet noticed that their swords tended to follow the range of their bucklers. This meant that their bucklers protected their unprotected sword-hands during initial sword attacks before acting independently with shield attacks at close range. Hence, the use of astral- and shadow-teleportation techniques were meant to gain a positioning advantage with initial sword strikes in order to control the flow of the fight. In other words, RuRu had been playing chess, while Janet had been playing checkers.

“Anytime now,” RuRu said.

But sparring matches and checkers and chess were different distillations of real battlefield conditions. In fact, chess was a simplification of siege warfare, checkers of infantry and cavalry movements and battlefield skirmishes, and sparring matches of real combat with the enemy. As such, Janet thought it worth her while to throw caution to the wind and add some battlefield chaos into this spar.

So she bent her legs with one foot forward and one foot back, taking up a slight variation of her stance, and held her bucker close to her body like a boxer aiming for a body blow and her sword under the armpit of her buckler-arm like before. She breathed in and out, in and out, in and out, letting John Day’s strength and conditioning flow through her body, breathing in once more—

And teleporting into RuRu’s guard with a swipe of her sword across her middle. Yet RuRu blinked out of sight before Janet was able to connect—

So Janet did the same, blinking out of sight—

Just a split second before RuRu appeared with another sidestep into Janet’s blind spot, winding her sword thrust into a slash across empty air instead of Janet’s diaphragm.

A moment later, Janet appeared in the middle of the sparring circle, where no shadows could reach her from the brightness of everyone’s lamplights. With cheers for Janet and boos for RuRu filling the hallway, Janet eyed her opponent. RuRu was standing just a skipping two-step away from the furthest touch of DeeDee’s shadow towards the centerline of the sparring circle just behind Janet’s blind spot on her left side. Janet then remembered Lady Graves entrapping Janet and Rowena up to their necks inside of her shadow storage. As such, if RuRu was using DeeDee’s shadows to attack Janet’s blind spots, then Janet would counter her with her shadow storage. So Janet adopted the same stance, her buckler pulled in for a body blow and her sword held under the armpit of her buckler-arm.

Then she dropped her sword and kneeled to the ground to pick it up while keeping her eyes on RuRu, pretending to feel for it every time she placed her palm on the ground. She did it four times, in fact, hiding four units of her shadow storage within the four shadows behind the four DeeDees. When Janet finally picked up her sword, RuRu deadpanned.

“Are you okay?” RuRu said.

“I’m fine,” Janet said, taking up her stance again.

“Are you sure about that?” RuRu said. “Because it looks like you’re losing it.”

“I’m fine,” Janet said.

“Whatever you say,” RuRu said.

Then RuRu adopted another configuration, her buckler pulled in close to her body and her sword held high above her head, then blinked out of sight—

And (literally) fell into Janet’s trap.

In fact, RuRu lost her balance in one DeeDee’s shadow, almost dropping her sword. Then she blinked out of sight—

To another DeeDee’s shadow, losing her balance and dropping her buckler, which disappeared below the ground. With RuRu now frantically looking for her buckler, that’s when Janet blinked out of sight—

And appeared before RuRu, swiping her sword across her sword-arm. So RuRu blinked out of sight—

And appeared inside the shadow of another DeeDee (the original DeeDee), cursing and grimacing and feeling at her forearm—

(“First hit, Janet!” the original said.

More cheers from the sidelines.)

—before RuRu lost her balance again, dropping her sword and looking for it in the shadow of the original DeeDee, saying, “Ah, fuck! Where is it?”

That’s when it dawned on RuRu with a flash of her eyes just as Janet blinked out of sight once again—

And appeared before RuRu with another sword swipe across her middle, connecting this time, just before RuRu blinked out of sight again—

(“Second hit, Janet!” another DeeDee said.

More cheers from the sidelines.)

And appeared a moment later within the shadow of yet another DeeDee, RuRu cursing and grimacing in agony and frustration, pressing her uninjured arm to her side—

Till RuRu lost her balance yet again like a broken record, so RuRu raised her hands, saying, “Wait! Wait! Wait a minute! Time out! TIME OUT!”

Yet Janet blinked out of sight—

And appeared with yet another swipe across RuRu’s torso, almost connecting—

When RuRu teleported to Janet’s shadow behind her, rolling away and getting back up, grimacing and holding herself like an injured boxer protecting her vulnerable right side. When Janet wheeled around, adopting the same stance she had been using the whole round, RuRu said, “JUST WAIT!”

“For what?” Janet said.

“I’m unarmed, you idiot!” RuRu yelled.

“Says the one that almost hit me behind my back!”

“You were armed at the time,” RuRu said, “but you attacked an unarmed combatant!” Then to DeeDee, she added, “I demand a redo!” When more boos erupted from the sidelines, all of them directed at RuRu, the designated heel of the spar said, “Fuck all of you!”

Even more boos were flung her way, accompanied with Rowena yelling that when this spar was done, she’d give RuRu a taste of her own medicine.

“Yeah, right,” RuRu said.

More boos erupted from the sidelines.

“Janet’s got you figured out, RuRu,” the original DeeDee said in a crouch, reaching into the black void of Janet’s shadow storage and pulling out an arming sword, while the other DeeDee pulled out a buckler. The original DeeDee turned to Janet and added, “Using a storage skill as part of your offense: that’s really sneaky.”

“Thanks,” Janet beamed.

“You’re welcome, dear,” DeeDee said.

“Please don’t blow smoke up her ass, Big Sis,” RuRu said. “She’s already full of it.”

More boos.

When the original DeeDee and the other DeeDee approached RuRu, handing her both armaments, the original DeeDee said, “We don’t have time for redos.”

“But—”

“No buts,” DeeDee said. “Either you end it, or Janet ends it. It’s as simple as that.” Then DeeDee breathed out a sigh and said, “RuRu, dear, you’re getting rusty. Don’t ever underestimate your opponent.”

RuRu grimaced as she re-equipped herself and said, “I know,” and she took up her stance with her legs spaced apart, her buckler held out in front of her and her sword chambered over her shoulder. Then to Janet, she added, “Get ready for some payback, girl.”

“Bring it,” Janet said.

“Tough words for a newbie,” RuRu said.

“Then come at me,” she said, taking up her stance.

RuRu smiled once again and said, “You’ll regret saying that.”

And after both DeeDees left the circle, Janet stayed where she was in the middle of the circle, where no shadows reached her on the ground, turning as RuRu circled her position. Then Janet saw RuRu adopt an unorthodox stance, holding her sword by the blade in both hands at her waist with the blade at an incline pointed towards her, her sword-hand at the base of the blade and her buckler-hand further up near the point. Then she noticed a blackish purple corona shimmering off of the blade itself, so she said, “What are you doing?”

RuRu smiled again and threw Janet’s words back at her, saying, “Come at me and find out. I dare you.”

“You first,” Janet said.

“Are you scared?”

“You wish,” Janet said.

“You should be,” RuRu said, “because you’re about to lose,” and she raised her sword and threw it like a javelin at Janet, who froze in place but managed to parry it. As it clanged to the ground at Janet’s feet, RuRu charged into a three-step lunge and blinked out of sight—

And reappeared over the fallen sword on Janet’s left, swinging her buckler like a boxer’s right hook for a kidney shot under her sword-arm. Yet when her attack passed through, RuRu’s momentum carried her into a roll through Janet’s ‘ghosted’ body before RuRu got back up, pivoting on her foot and discarding her buckler, letting it clang onto the ground. Then RuRu rushed in from behind and clipped her arms around Janet’s waist, locking her hands in a tight grip. And before Janet knew it, before she realized her mistake and grabbed RuRu’s hands, Janet found herself lifting off her feet and tumbling through space, hearing a collective gasp from the sidelines before landing on the back of her head on the ground—

And blacking out.

When Janet regained consciousness amidst several voices, she awoke to RuRu screaming for DeeDee to make three crazy broads release her. So Janet opened her eyes and propped herself on her elbows, focusing on all the commotion, and saw RuRu getting triple-teamed by Rowena and Lady Graves and Maxine. All three women had submission holds on RuRu at the same time: Rowena with a figure-four leg-lock on her legs; Lady Graves with a double wrist-lock on one arm; and Maxine with a straight arm-bar on the other arm. All the while, Janet found her clones and her friends and DeeDee gathered around her, either crouching or standing or kneeling, many of them asking if she was okay.

“I think so,” Janet said.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Baron Underwood said, holding up what looked like four fingers, yet Janet wasn’t sure when there were two Baron Underwoods.

So Janet focused her vision, turning four fingers into two, and said, “Two.”

Everyone breathed out a sigh.

So Janet pushed herself up into a sitting position and said, “How long was I out?”

“About five minutes,” DeeDee said, then signaled the three angry women to release poor RuRu with a cutting motion across her neck. Only then did Rowena and Lady Graves and Maxine let go of RuRu, leaving her limp and wheezing on the floor before getting up and heading towards Janet.

When Rowena came up first, Janet’s clones and friends gave her space, so that she kneeled on both knees and hugged Janet close to her and said, “Thank goodness, you’re okay! I got scared after you stopped moving.”

“What happened?”

“Don’t you remember?” Lady Graves said.

Janet shook her head, then put her hand over her stinging backside and said, “And why does my butt hurt?”

Rowena grimaced, and Lady Graves and Maxine gulped and bit down on their lips, both breaking into a sweat at the fuming Mama Goose.

Rowena said to Janet, “RuRu did a suplex on you and knocked you out, then hit you with her buckler while you were out.” Then she threw a glare at RuRu as she was struggling to her feet and added, “How can you even call yourself a Guardian? You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“I was just following the rules, you magpie!”

“There’s following the rules,” DeeDee added, “and then there’s bending them. I understand why you were bending the rules, but that last hit was a cheap shot.”

“Wasn’t she the one who butt-bombed me with her damn buckler?” RuRu yelled. “I was bleeding from internal injuries, for crying out loud! Do you think that’s nothing?”

“At least you were still conscious!” Rowena said.

“I know she’s your daughter,” RuRu said, “but keep your double standards to yourself, okay?”

Which pushed Rowena right over the edge, getting up and saying, “Oh, I’ll show you double standards when I put you through a table!”

“There are no tables, dear.”

Rowena was about to storm after RuRu, yet DeeDee caught her arm and said, “We don’t have time for this, you two,” and she picked up Janet’s lamp glowing dark red with a green corona around it. “This lamp is already full to the brim, so we’ll start the experiment.”

Only then did cooler heads prevail.

With Rowena’s help, Janet got up to her feet and then said, “RuRu, I wanna know something.”

“What is it?” RuRu said.

“What was I supposed to notice?”

So RuRu smiled and said, “You’re slow.”

“I know,” Janet said. “That’s why I’m asking.”

RuRu breathed out a sigh and said, “It’s the power of suggestion, dear. Words are just like swords but of a different kind, so keep your mind steady when talking with your enemies. Don’t let their words throw you off.”

Janet grimaced, cursing herself for not seeing it, and said, “I’ve got a lot to learn.”

“Everyone starts somewhere,” RuRu said.

Then DeeDee elbowed RuRu’s side and whispered, “And?”

“And sorry for pressuring you earlier,” RuRu said to Janet. “Believe me, I wasn’t trying to antagonize you or your friends,” and she turned to Janet’s club mates and clones. “And sorry for riling everyone up with my antics in this spar. I just wanted to give you all a taste of what it’s like to join the persecution. It’s easier to follow the group than to stand against your peers for those less fortunate than yourselves. This kingdom’s aristocracy has always reviled me in the past, and even now there’s still prejudice. So if word ever gets out that you and your friends are under my protection, your peers might hate you. It’s happened to Maxine and Rowena and Celeste, so it could happen to you, as well. But from what I’ve seen of you tonight, you’re all worth it.”

Janet stared at RuRu for a few moments and said, “I’ll never forsake you, RuRu.” Then to her friends, she added, “What about the rest of you?”

And Kevin and Ridley and Mindy and Jean and Saraya and Baron Underwood all said likewise.

“Thank you, everyone,” RuRu said.

“Is that all you can say?” DeeDee said.

“And sorry for all of the f-bombs,” RuRu said.

Janet smiled, saying, “No hard feelings, I promise.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” RuRu said. “Maybe I can take you out for a drink one of these days.”

“Hell no,” Rowena said.

“Or maybe not,” RuRu said.

“Are you all done yet?” DeeDee said.

Janet and RuRu and everyone else nodded their heads.

“Good,” DeeDee said.

To Be Continued