Reckoning - Fall

Finally, Baiken launched Carolina hundreds of feet into the air, crouching deeply before she leapt up to meet her prey.

Ascending like a missile, Baiken's blade sung with power as she neared. Carolina didn't have a choice. Extending her arms and legs as far as she could, she activated her bubble shield just before Baiken would have entered its range. Ordinarily attacks would simply bounce off, but the sheer power behind Baiken's strength slammed into the shield like a wrecking ball, and for a moment Carolina watched the energy dome buckle and bend inward, threatening to give way entirely. But it held, absorbed Baiken's kinetic energy, and as the samurai began to fall, Carolina let it go.

The two plummeted together, Carolina a dozen or so yards higher, and with energy sword in hand, Carolina had the advantage. Pulling in her arms and legs to build up as much speed as possible, Carolina watched as Baiken landed back-first in the middle of the stone bridge crossing the pond, and landed on top of her only a second later.

The force with which they landed tore right through the bridge and shot water in every direction like an exploding torpedo. The shockwave reverberated through the garden, brushing over Fall as she made it to her feet. Carolina knew how tough she was, that she'd be able to shrug off a hit like that, but that also meant she hadn't held back at all. The blindside strike had taken Fall out for a while, so that she got up just in time to watch her friends drop out of the sky.

The landing had made the stone bridge shatter beneath them, scattering masonry and hewn stone into the water along with both exhausted fighters. Ordinary humans would have been pulped in that kind of impact. Still, as the dust settled, they both stood.

Baiken was on her last legs, running on the fumes of her ki to even stand up. Carolina's healing unit was the only thing keeping her together at this point. Almost done, but not done yet.

***

FreestyleKneepad, Bonus