Fight

"That's..." You pause, glancing around at your companions, as if contemplating your odds. "That's a good offer..." The others glance at you, and you try to subtly nod towards them in encouragement. You reach for your backpack, gingerly removing it and dropping it to the ground. The others in your group follow your lead.

Making eye contact with Tracy, you motion towards Krokorok, and get a nod of agreement. She steps forwards, then kneels down, keeping her eyes down as if in shame, and opening her mouth. Their boss gives a loud laugh, her grin becoming sadistic as she steps forwards, eyeing the submissive mood. "Hah! I was going to take my time deciding, but if you're volunteering... Well-"

"Sis. Helping Hand." You whisper, nodding towards Tracy as you gather your energy. That same tingling sensation rushes over your body, welling up near your hands, as the Krokorok looks up towards you in surprise. She's distracted just long enough by your words to be caught flat-footed as Tracy pushes off the ground, launching herself head first into the taller girl's stomach.

There's a cry of alarm, along with an aborted cry of pain from their boss, when the bandits realize they're under attack. Mindy and Prue begin to cheer, bolstering Tracy's strength as she wrestles with her foe, glowing green as she pushes Absorb to its limit.

You spin on your heel, catching the Houndour behind you by surprise as you bring your hands up. "Thunder Wave!" Your cry is drowned out by the rumbling boom of displaced air, the impact knocking the girl flat on her ass with a cry of alarm.

"Boss!" "Boss!"

"Get the fuck off of me!" You can hear the two girls still struggling, and it seems the other two don't know what to really do about things. Prue steps forward as the Vullaby lifts into the air, sparks dancing across her skin in warning to keep her at bay.

"Thunder Wave!" You cry again as the Houndour tries to get up. With Vullaby scared, this one's the one most likely to disrupt Tracy's efforts. "Thunder Wave!" The girl flops and stumbles, falling flat on her face several times as limbs go limp and senses go numb, and you give her another blast each time she tries to rise.

"H-hey!" "Cut it out!" "Stop that!" "Damn it!" It's almost funny, seeing her get knocked on her ass over and over, smoke pouring from her mouth in anger. Her fingers dig into the dust, and she tries with slow, sluggish movements to pry herself upright.

"Thunder Wave." You deadpan, watching her knees quiver.

"Fucking-! Retreat-! Run away-!" Krokorok's orders catch everyone off guard, and as you turn to look, you're quickly blindsided. Literally, as all the dirt on the floor is suddenly whipped into the air in a localized sandstorm. You turn your attention back to the Houndour, but are forced to flinch back as the Scraggy somehow appears to punch you in the jaw.

Face stinging, you shield your eyes and stumble towards your wives, ready for another cheap shot...

But it doesn't come. Instead, the sand settles, leaving you to take stock of your situation. "Are we good?" You ask, still keeping a wary eye out.

"Yeah... She was barely able to run." Tracy boasts, looking smug.

"The Houndour's probably in the same boat, if I'm being honest." Despite not actually hurting her, you think you did a good job. "You two?"

"Ugh... Sand. Everywhere." Prue complains.

"We're alright. Looks like our stuff is okay too!" Mindy chimes in. "Should we go after them?"

"Good job everyone!" You praise, finally letting yourself relax. Prue is right, there's sand everywhere, but everyone got out relatively unharmed. "Tracy, you were amazing. I'm glad you picked up what I was going for."

"W-well, it wasn't like I was really going to submit to a girl like her..." Tracy mumbles. "I figured you wanted me to do it, because... Because I couldn't really help with the others."

"You were the girl for the job." You assure her, pulling her into a tight embrace and a passionate kiss. "And you two, you did great as well. Cheering on Tracy is what made this whole thing work."

"Aww, praise me more!" Prue giggles, while Mindy steps in close for a hug.

"So what now?" Tracy asks, grabbing her pack. "Should we head on?"

"Well, it's dangerous staying around here celebrating." Prue suggests.

"I... I think we should go after them." You sigh, looking up at the sky. "If we don't, that leaves us open to them getting revenge at some point, or going after other travelers. Besides, it's the right thing to do."

"I don't like the sound of fighting them fair and square..." Prue admits. "Sure, Krokorok is probably almost down, but the others... They retreated because they were disorganized, didn't they?"

"I don't think they were as tough as they looked." You counter. "I think they were mostly counting on Krokorok to intimidate us, really. Let's take a look around, see if we can find where they're recovering, at least."

"Right." Tracy agrees, standing up straighter. "Worst case, if we find the exit before them, we can leave and let people in town know what's up."

-----------------

"How can a canyon be this damn confusing." You complain as you take another turn. Sure, the mists make things all weird specially, but... This is absurd. "You see anything yet?"

"No, I-" Tracy's reply falls short as a dull roar fills the air, echoing off the canyon walls. "The hell?"

"What was that?" Mindy squeaks, rushing to her sister's side.

"I was hoping you'd know, given you've been here before." Whatever it was, it sounded angry... "Nothing?"

"No idea." Prue frowns. "Should we go take a look? Maybe the bandits pissed off another traveler?"

"We'll look, but if things look bad, be prepared to run. Better to fight another day, right?" Dying isn't a thing to be worried about here, but... You really don't want to be on the receiving end of a Mirage gang-bang. "So, let's go slowly."

You take the lead, with Tracy holding your hand as you stick close to the canyon walls, using the shadows for cover. Another roar splits the air, and the smell of ozone builds as you draw closer. With one last deep breath, you peer around the corner and see...

Chaos. Pure chaos. A woman a full two feet taller than you, by the look of it, clad in yellow and black fur in a viking-like outfit, is at the center of the madness, her head thrown back, thick blonde hair wild with static. Two rope-like tendrils extend from her wrists, dancing and sparking across the ground like live wires, reaching dangerously close to her victims.

The Bandits. Krokorok is face down, beneath the Mirage's feet, struggling to push her off, while Vullaby seems unconscious in a far corner. The Scraggy is down as well, kneeling before the furious Mirage.

As for the Houndour, she's trembling on wobbly legs near the far wall. Close to the ring of stones that signifies the exit. "An Electivire? Here?" Prue whispers, fright coloring her voice. "What do we do?"

"Looks like the Bandits got their comeuppance." Tracy notes, glancing around at them. "We should run. Make a dash for the circle. They'll be fine after the Mirage is done with them."

"Can we make it?" Mindy worries.

"None of us are weak to electricity, we won't go down in one hit. We can do this." Tracy assures everyone. "Though... If the Bandits have weakened it, maybe we can take it down?"

"What would be the point?" Prue mutters.

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