Team Essie

Wasila blew the green poison cloud out of her mouth, and it floated rapidly towards its original source. Cerissa quickly shoved Essie out of the way before getting absorbed into the green.

"Don't give up Essie! You can wi-"

After what felt like hours of sickening silence, the cloud cleared up, and a skeleton was all that remained of Cerissa. The skeleton then disintegrated into dust, blending into the sand.

As tears rolled down Essie's face, she glared at her opponent, whom was still encased in ice up to her neck.

"You're gonna pay for this Wasila, I'm going to tear you to shreds for killing my friend!"

Before she could act, she felt arms wrap around her from behind. Even with his full body armor, Essie could feel Rick's genuine warmth and concern. She sobbed lightly while she accepted Rick's embrace. Janet also approached and put a gentle hand onto her shoulder.

"It's ok to be upset Essie, we all are." Rick said tenderly. "Even if this is just a simulated training battle, what happened to Cerissa is horrible. But we need to be ready to face this kind of brutality when we encounter Petunia and Glicko again."

"And remember what Tate told us earlier." Janet added reassuringly. "Cerissa is just fine. She's probably sunbathing on the beach in the hub right now, waiting for us to return with tales of our exploits of victory, which will all be thanks to the sacrifice she just made."

"Cerissa didn't save you just because she wanted to protect you." Rick continued. "She knows that we can defeat Wasila. But we can't charge at her in a rage. If we do, she'll slaughter us as well. But if we put our heads together, we can win. I believe in us. I believe in you, Essie."

"Thank you both, I'm alright now." Essie smiled sweetly, drying her tears and embracing Rick and Janet. "I am pretty sure Wasila can break out of her ice prison anytime she wants to, but she may be keeping it to get us to let our guards down. Still, we may be able to use her own tricks against her. Here's what I think we should do...."

"Are you guys going to make a move anytime soon?" Wasila taunted while shivering. "Like I said earlier, swimwear and ice don't mix!"

To be continued....

*****

Training World Arc

Prior stories/chapters from this plotline:

- Team Janet vs Team Sic - https://theprose.com/post/467594/team-janet-vs-team-sic

- A New Adventure Begins! A 20 Word Teaser! (Chapter 109) - https://theprose.com/post/469384/a-new-adventure-begins-a-20-word-teaser

- Coffee And Dreams (Chapter 110) - https://theprose.com/post/469464/coffee-and-dreams

- Infected City Arc Closure (Chapter 111) - https://theprose.com/post/470462/infected-city-arc-closure

A New Dimension - The Training World (Chapter 112) - https://theprose.com/post/472712/a-new-dimension-the-training-world

Training, Or Vacation? (Chapter 113) - https://theprose.com/post/476376/training-or-vacation

The Hub (Chapter 114) - https://theprose.com/post/478137/the-hub

Janet vs Leftover: Rematch? (Chapter 115) - https://theprose.com/post/481194/janet-vs-leftover-rematch

Follow Up (Chapter 116) - https://theprose.com/post/484088/follow-up

Catching Up (Chapter 117) - https://theprose.com/post/484441/catching-up

Portal To The Next Fight (Chapter 118) - https://theprose.com/post/491899/portal-to-the-next-fight

Clash of the Mages (Chapter 119) - https://theprose.com/post/499792/clash-of-the-mages