Chapter 17: Magic Vs. Science.
A few moments earlier.
Bianca only had one option to find Lux as quickly as possible.
Her magic.
She looked around and closed her eyes.
The ring she wore shone with a small flash that covered her entire body, and she quickly began moving through all the hallways and classrooms of the school, generating a gust of wind wherever she went.
"I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Bianca heard the shout coming from the school workshops.
Without hesitation, she changed direction toward it.
When she opened the door, she saw the scene in front of her.
A robot moving in slow motion was about to strike the same blonde girl she had seen in the photo Zelena showed her, with her arms raised, and Lux, who for some reason was stuck to the wall.
She only had a few seconds to act.
She lunged at the robot without hesitation.
CLANK!
A firm kick to the robot's torso sent it flying to the other side of the room.
She simply stood in front of the girl, giving her back.
—
Back to the present.
Gul was confused.
She had only closed her eyes for a second, and everything was turned upside down.
What had happened?
Why was X1 lying on the ground?
Where did Bianca come from?
Why was her body glowing?
Even though Gul was a genius, she couldn't understand surreal things, even if the most фантаstical answer was correct.
Her mind was working at full speed trying to find a logical answer, but someone's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Why did you take so long?" Lux asked calmly.
Gul didn't understand where that calmness came from.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were going to fight a robot and end up stuck to a wall," Bianca complained, a bit of annoyance in her voice as she glanced at him.
"I knew you would come," Lux said in an innocent tone.
"That's a lie," she shot back, ignoring the brown-haired boy's excuses.
The mechanical sound interrupted the teenagers' conversation.
X1 was getting back up, planting one leg into the ground.
"The system detected minor damage in the area impacted by the subject who defends the aggressor of friend Gul. The conclusion is that the new subject is a greater threat," X1's robotic voice echoed through the room, the Glow of its sensors shining an intense red directed at Bianca.
"We have to get out of here. If we escape long enough, X1 will shut down," Gul said, worried.
Although X1's battery was limited, it had enough Energy to stay active for a few more minutes.
If they stayed there, it was possible that they would become two victims of her own creation.
"I have a small problem with that idea," Lux commented calmly.
Gul looked at him, confused.
"I'm still stuck," he said, looking at her with a comically expressionless face and pointing at his immobilized arm.
"That's right, sorry!" Gul apologized nervously.
"The adhesive substance X1 shoots lasts almost an hour, but if I use heat, it will dissolve," she explained while looking around for something to help free him.
Bianca stared at the robot in front of her. It was the first time she had seen something like that. She had fought her father several times, fought people her age, and not long ago, a magical being, but never a real robot. She glanced around the workshop. It was a mess: oil stains, an unpleasant smell reaching her nose, cracks, debris, tools, circuits, and especially all kinds of materials like copper wires, dismantled motors, and metal bars…
…metal bars?
Without thinking much, Bianca grabbed a metal bar. The golden Glow she emitted covered it, turning it into an improvised sword.
"I found a blowtorch!" Gul hurried back to Lux, holding a blowtorch bigger than her head.
"Okay, while you handle that, I'll buy you some time," Bianca said calmly, fixing her gaze on the robot and walking toward it.
"What?! Are you insane?!" Gul protested, as if Bianca had completely lost it.
Without warning, X1 charged at the black-haired girl, its footsteps heavy.
The robot raised its arm and swung it to strike her.
"Be careful, Bianca!" Gul shouted in fear.
CLANK!
Bianca blocked the blow with the metal bar just centimeters from her head as her hair moved from the impact.
She took a breath and began.
Spinning on her axis, she returned the attack to the robot's chest, pushing it back a few meters.
X1 analyzed its opponent.
Her heart was beating fast.
Her pink eyes shone with excitement.
Bianca relaxed her stance, gripping the bar with both hands.
X1 attacked again. Its turbines roared louder, its arms gaining speed. A barrage of blows fell on Bianca, who dodged and blocked with ease.
Lux watched everything happily, unlike Gul, who couldn't believe what was happening.
For her, no human could stand against a super-resistant robot.
Gul had built X1 with solid and lightweight metal alloys that compensated for its size, turbines that provided faster reaction speed, pistons in its arms that made it stronger, and a dispenser of adhesive to incapacitate enemies.
It was illogical.
But Bianca was proving her wrong.
CLANK!
X1 received another blow from the teenager.
The red Glow of its sensor flickered, but it didn't stop.
The more it attacked, the more it analyzed the patterns and reactions of the pink-eyed girl, noticing a tiny detail in her behavior.
Bianca was getting slower.
Even though Bianca had been practicing keeping magic flowing through her body to strengthen herself, she had never used it consciously in a real fight. Now she had to focus on maintaining her magic while also reacting to the robot's attacks.
X1's punches gave her no time to breathe, and with each blow, she was pushed back step by step.
Gul was worried. Bianca was being cornered, and she couldn't do anything to help her.
She had always wanted to be useful, for people to need her help, but even with her dream, she couldn't achieve it.
A hand gently rested on her shoulder.
Lux, now free from the wall, looked at her kindly.
"Don't worry. Bianca is stronger than she looks," the brown-haired boy said calmly, his yellow eyes showing an intense Glow.
"Just watch."
Gul looked carefully.
A small smile was on Bianca's face.
Bianca showed no fear. She was determined and strong.
She wouldn't give in.
Bianca took a deep breath. Her blocks turned into strikes.
CLANK!
X1 landed one of its mechanical arms on Bianca's head, but she didn't flinch and kept attacking.
CLANK!
CLANK!
CLANK!
The sound of metal echoed, hurting Gul's ears.
It had become a war without restraint. Without defending, without flinching at the blows, both kept attacking without hesitation.
It had turned into a battle of endurance.
The first to give in would lose.
Bianca began to sweat. The golden Glow covering her started to fade. Her movements became slower, her arms began to feel heavy.
X1 wasn't in better condition. Smoke came out of its torso, cracks began to appear as it kept receiving Bianca's attacks, and the light of its sensors flickered weakly.
Gul watched how close the fight was. She was still surprised by what Bianca was capable of. If it continued like this, X1's internal battery would run out, and it would shut down.
That was what she hoped.
X1 fell to its knees.
Bianca breathed heavily. She had won the fight. Although the robot had put up resistance, it had been good practice for her to use her magic consciously in a real situation.
She was exhausted and wanted to rest, although she would probably have to answer some questions from the blonde girl.
A sharp sound reached everyone's ears in the workshop. An irritating buzz coming from X1.
"The threat has proven to be more dangerous than calculated," X1's voice sounded distorted.
"The only possible method of extermination is the use of the remaining stored Energy for an explosion capable of permanently eradicating the threat."
Smoke began to pour faster from the cracks.
"That's bad!" Gul shouted, extremely alarmed.
"We need to get far away before it explodes!"
Her fear was clear in her voice and her trembling.
The battery she had built was a prototype that used a very dangerous material.
If it exploded, it would destroy half the school in a second.
Exhausted, Bianca could only nod, turning to run, then stopping abruptly.
She was confused.
Why wasn't she moving?
She looked down at her feet. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw blue.
Without anyone noticing, the adhesive liquid had seeped from the cracks she caused in X1 and reached her feet.
Bianca was stuck to the ground…
…close to an explosion…
…without the strength to break free…
…and with no escape.
End.