Unfortunately one set back to their near god like power, was that Mana and Aurora’s could not be employed at the same time. The power to summon one negated the willl to create the other.

When Mana was released inside of the soul of an Alchmists that painful power required a duality of control and submission. Both the mind and soul of the Mana user were engaged and geared towards moving the Mana around, shaping the world at their fingertips, directing the dark flow of power into an attack or a defensive maneuver.

An Aurora took just as much concentration to create all on it own. So only a true God could hope to do both at once. But here was where the failings of man made it possible to defeat an Alchemist.

In her head Ann smiled saying nothing. Doing nothing. She bided her time. Waiting for her chance. She knew now that David was an Alchemist who projected his Will to the front of his body, leaving his back wide open. With this knowledge in hand, she just had to wait for her opening to blitz him from behind. She needed to keep him focused on a frontal threat.

Ann had been trained by Hovel himself in waging battle with Mana. Alchemic battle was an intricate art compared to swords and cannons. It was not about who could hit the hardest. More often it was more so about who could exploit the others weaknesses. Who could guard and attack more effectively? Who could make every last movement count...?

A Mana User had to consider in split seconds, whether or not your opponent was slow enough that moving fast would outwit them?

Was your opponent fast at Attacking, but terrible at guarding against a return attack right after?

Were they too aggressive, giving you, the chance to slip in and hammer them before they could think to defend? It was all about exploiting openings and moving one Will against another.

In an ideal fight one Alchmists would ‘shatter’ the Aurora of another, then proceeded to physically dominate them with Mana attacks or weapons of Alchemy.

But in a less ideal fight, if your opponent was stronger then you? Ann knew that one had to be able to maneuver around that strength. It made no sense to waste time hammering your weaker Will against a stronger one. But if you were crafty enough you could find a way to go around the Will all together.

Auroras were metaphysical projections of thoughts after all. The stronger the mind, the stronger the Will. And there were only two know ways of Projecting the Will and creating an Aurora.

An Alchmist can either project their Will to the front of their body, or to the back. Alchmist used their Will in battle to avoid attacks or to press forwards and deflect. But most Mana Users could only defend frontal attacks, and left their rear open.

In rare cases where the Mana user had prolific amounts of Will power, an Aurora could also be projected all around them, in the shape of an all-encompassing dome-like structure. But so far Ann had only ever witnessed Master Hovel preform such a feat.

Until...the Abomination had displayed the same power down in the Bowels. She could still hardly believe that the tainted boy had such strength in him.

Still Ann understood that Auroras helped with both Offense and Defensive strategies. And in nature the Aurora, was a projection that took nearly all of one’s mental energy to create.

Therefore...most Alchmists could only project their Will in between conjuring Mana for an attack.

In the space between attacks, and defense was the chance to devastate your foe. Or if you were fast enough, you could go for the element of surprise and hit your energy from behind, while their Aurora was up to the front.

David put his fist to her short hair, and shook her savagely, making her look up into his eyes as he demanded. “Say something! I am offering you a mercy Ann. Now give up and I will stop! Conceded the Game...and the Mantle to me!”

“NO.” She panted. “I do not concede the Mantel or the Game to you, David.” And swallowed, ignoring how unpleasant clots of blood drifted down her gullet and her tongue rung with the copper taste of her own essence. “The Savior choose me David. He let me Succeed Eric! And just so were clear in my mind Eric was more worthy of this Mantel then you or I will ever be. He was being groomed to be the next Grand Master, something I know you will never be!”

Ann slammed her hands onto David’s chest. She put every ounce of fury behind her move, she even put her feet against the wall behind her for weight. David stumbled back as the air vibrated from the fierce blow.

It was a false attack, the sides of her palms bashing uselessly against his shimmering Aurora once again. The thin black light wobbling like clear sheet metal, then solidified and disappeared from sight with a glimmer. But in a place of severe pain, and near unconsciousness, Ann made her next move. She dashed at him.

David threw his hand forwards, and his Aurora gleamed like black sheet rock. Solid. And powerful. He didn’t fear her attack.

She dived past him, speed and a quick jab of her fist to his back temple stunned him, before she let the Mana blossom alive like frozen lava, the air tightened about her, she felt time suspend.

With a viscous scream she raised her hands, and waved two half blooms of pulsing energy directly at the back of David’s head.

Hair, and flesh was flayed from bone, as if she had taken a saw to his scalp. Blood gushed, and David’s ear was ripped from the side of his head.

David gurgled, as the blow, threw a fountain of gore across the white floor. He collapsed and screamed and clutched at his maimed ear. His voice vibrating up and down the hallway. David, shuddering and cursing tried to lunge at her, but she just skirted him, and with a savage slam of Mana into the bloody wounds in his head, she kicked his legs out from beneath him.

Obviously winded David slammed into the Mat face first, blood gushing across her chest as he flailed to reach her.

Ann didn’t take time to enjoy his agony, she followed him down, and wrapped her arm around his throat and choked him. Warm blood soaked her chest as the man struggled, snarling curses at her. Ignoring him Ann pulled back her right arm, wrapped her fist in pulsing Mana.

The Alchemic runes around her hands buzzed like live wires and with cold calculation she pointed her palms at the shuddering body between her knees and grinned like a demon as her Wards slammed into the back of his head, with a punch she deliverd to the base of his skull.

His body seized in agony, then David howled in fury and true pain, as the Wards slammed into his brain. Breath gone, body shuddering, David could only gag as she slammed his head into the concrete floor, fascinated by the blood that splattered from his wounds across her arms and face. He was utterly powerless as the Wards settled.

Wards were like toxic shots of energy that disrupted the Will of another Alchmists. They were painful...and very effective once they were in the body. The Mana of another Alchmist in your system was not a pleasant experience. The way Mana manifest in one, made the others feel pain for reasons unknown.

But it was terribly effective in a fight. Her Ward’s had him locked down for the next 24 to 48 hours, unless David could get another Alchmists to clean his system of her Mana. ‘Scrub’ his system of her toxin.

Pushing up off of the man, Ann put her foot to his shoulder and kicked him on to his back. Her breaths ragged.

The jagged, bloody, squirting mess of his scalp and ear, made her queasy and proud. His brown eyes glared at her in hatred and with a good dose of fear.

David spoke then, putting out a hand as if to push her away. “Wait..Ann....” he started to demand.

Ann clenched her fist, and slammed it downwards, like she was swinging a hammer. A swath of black light, shot for her hand, and a wave of dense power crushed his hand into the ground. Bones snapped. David cried out. She hit him again....and again. It felt good.