DISCONTINUED ~Sting x Reader~ You Are The Sparkle In My Scales

Chapter 20

   "Yeah, totally ready...!" I announce (sarcastically), matching his enthusiasm with a fierce smile.

*Boy, is this going to be interesting...*

~•-----------------------------•~

Despite the heaving of my lungs, I resist the urge to stop. You'd think that, after years of training, I'd be in excellent shape, but running for prolonged periods of time has always made me reconsider my definition of "in shape".

After hearing me pant like an ancient dog with asthma, Rufus sneers over his shoulder: "You okay back there, Fairy? You seem...eh, winded, to say the least. Is this the effect of being too reliant on your Support Magic, I wonder?"

   "Is your rudeness the effect of you being too reliant on other people to raise your self esteem, I wonder?" I mutter under my breath. What should Rufus care about my capabilities? We're on the same team - right?

I just knew that letting stupid, sophisticated, stuck-up Rufus lead the five of us would be a terrible idea. For starters, Rufus is swifter than he looks, meaning that I actually have to make an effort to catch up. Of course, that sucks, but what's far worse is the fact that Rufus has the habit of looking over his shoulder to monitor my activity. The taunting words that accompany this action just irritate me further. Even this simple gesture holds the upmost disrespect and air of superiority that I find it difficult to not run up to him and squeeze his smug head off. (Although, even if he was decapitated, I'd suspect he'd find a way to get under my skin - probably with some distasteful last words, like, "This will be the first and last time a Fairy has made an impression on me. Congrats.")

  Fortunately, I think that Rogue equally dislikes Rufus, which is something. His glaring scarlet eyes bore into the back of Rufus's humongous head every time he makes a snarky comment. However, I doubt that Rogue actually disagrees with Rufus, considering that he seems to hate me for some reason - ever since he betrayed my trust in the library some months ago, anyway. But at least I can take comfort in the fact that someone other than myself despises Rufus.

   Apparently, Rufus heard my bitter whispers. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that - maybe you should enunciate like a proper lady? Minerva is quite good at being clear, so perhaps you should ask for some tips. You see, we Sabers don't whimper like those weaklings with tails. We are loud and proud, as evidenced by Orga here, this-"

   Suddenly, Rogue is a blur of midnight as he flies in front of Rufus. He holds an arm in front Rufus, barring the path. "You better watch where you're going. Hanging around that 'Fairy' hasn't dulled your eyesight as it has your manners, I hope?"

His blazing eyes land on mine when he references me, and I blink, confused. I can't tell if he insulted me or defended me.

Rufus, on the other hand, shoves Rogue off him and turns up his nose haughtily (no surprise there). Rufus now looks ahead to see why Rogue halted him: there is an glittering, golden arrow sticking out of the ground, emitting red pulses of light and humming lightly. As Rufus instinctively backs away from it; the humming increases in volume until it has reached the noise of a bustling wasp nest.

"That can't be good," Orga says gruffly.

I turn on my heels. "This is the part where we run, if you can't take a hint!"

  Sting is right beside me as we rush away, and he flashes me a fierce grin when I attempt to overtake him. (So maybe I'm a bit competitive). The expected BOOM! echoes behind us as we streak past the same floating platform we had passed not a minute ago. A flurry of curses sounds from Orga, and I cannot suppress the hope that Rufus has perhaps been blown to smithereens.