Free Dimension Fracture by Corinn Heathers Page B

The terrible burns split and bled in multiple places, but Misaki was too focused on the fight to care about the pain. Her blade of frozen flame slashed outward and opened up a burning line in the mage's left arm. Bright blood poured from the injury, but she seemed not to notice.
    I managed to get to my feet even through my own pain and the weakness in my left leg, firing as I closed in. The mage's form continually flickered to avoid the MQ rounds even as she was fully engaged with dodging Misaki's swings. This time I materialized the Relic of my own volition. I kept firing my automatic until again the weapon was empty and tossed it aside, taking the ancient longsword up in a two-handed grip.
    The mage's flat gray eyes widened in almost imperceptible alarm, but it was far too late. Already overbalanced after dodging one of Misaki's strikes, she had no time to evade as the Relic's impossibly-sharp edge bit deeply into her midsection. I felt the weapon connect and sink into flesh. Blood spurted out from the wound far too severe to simply ignore.
    Reality fractured around the mage as she attempted to phase out and pull away, but the Relic was more than capable of reaching across the astral boundary to damage the incorporeal. Her form flickered again, but it was no use. I yanked the sword back as viciously as I could, tearing it free from the mage's torso and spraying a plume of hot blood across my arms and face.
    Shadows engulfed the mage as she stepped back, going on the defensive. I allowed myself a satisfied smile; that attack had definitely hurt. Rather than continuing to press the  advantage she'd gained, the mage dropped back, changing tactics. A quartet or shadows detached from her body and became animate, spreading out across the empty lot. Each of the four shadow-clones began to trace black-glowing runes in the air.
    I glanced over at Misaki, the determination obvious in my eyes. No matter how hopeless it got, I knew neither of us would give up. I knew that no matter what happened, we'd go down fighting together.
    “It can't really get much worse now, can it?”
    If she answered me, her words were swallowed up in an abrupt and thunderous roar of gunfire. I watched, open-mouthed, as two of the clones' heads were blasted from their bodies, splattering strange shadowy goo that dissolved away as if it were mist.
    Their companions reacted quickly, flickering away to avoid the incoming hail of lead. Ghostly fingers twitched and I felt my muscles freeze up as a potent spell of restriction settled around me. Fortunately, Misaki was expecting such an attack—she inscribed a dispelling rune and I felt control of my body return to me almost as quickly as I lost it.
    With the Relic in hand I charged forward recklessly, slashing wildly at the nearest shadow clone. The ancient blade's edge burned with intense magical heat and I felt only the slightest resistance as the weapon cleaved one of the clones in half. The shadowy substance that composed its body dissolved away, joining the rest of the loose mana piling up in the vicinity.
    I glanced over my shoulder as Misaki threw a defensive barrier over me, just in time to intercept a gigantic bolt of lightning that arced from the remaining shadow clone. Misaki struck back against the magical construct, flinging a barrage of explosive fire that boiled away large portions of the clone's substance.
    I wasn't surprised to see Star running toward me, armed with a high-powered military assault rifle. She braced the weapon against her shoulder and loosed a three-shot burst of hot-loaded 7.62mm MQ rounds at the damaged clone, severing it from its power source and causing it to vanish as if it had never been.
    “What the hell is going on, Karin?” Star demanded.
    “How the fuck should I know?” I shrugged helplessly and pointed the tip of my sword at the dark woman. “Ask the creepy shadow lady trying to kill us!”
    I kept the Relic in a guard position, my eyes warily scanning the