by Chad Kunego
“Yeah, but honestly, I feel like a fifth wheel here. There’s not much I’ll be able to do during this fight. Doesn’t help that our chances of survival go down drastically if you bite it. So if you can manage it, try not to die on us.”
Rick had to chuckle at the mild gallows humor. A sure sign of someone who’s been through some close calls.
“I’ll try to let you know if I decide to croak. Besides, you’re not going to be worthless in this fight. You’re going to provide protection against something I won’t have a lot of defense against. You’ll also be filling in as my little energizer bunny if I need it.”
Kaitlyn shot him a dirty look.
“Gee, thanks. It’s all a moot point if we can’t find him though. You still haven’t told us how you’re going to do that. For that matter, you haven’t told us how you did it last time, either.”
She arched an eyebrow at him.
“Let’s just say I have a hunch.”
Kaitlyn gave him a frustrated look while Zarina gave him a more thoughtful one. Kaitlyn opened her mouth, but Zarina held her hand up.
“We said we trust him, da? I believe he will tell us how after we win.”
Rick smiled, impressed she figured it out so quickly.
“Yeah, not positive what I did before will work this time, but we don’t have any other options, either. So unless there’s something else?”
A quick glance told him they were all set. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he started focusing his senses.
Since there was a connection between Juan and objects he touched with his power, I assume there’s a connection between me and my staff.
He pulled one of his combat spheres out of his tube, causing it to hover in front of him. Extending his awareness outward, he started searching for the thread he knew had to exist. After a nearly a minute of study, he slowly began noticing a glow enveloping the sphere, extending out several inches to form a thick shell around the metal ball. Connected to the glow was a band of light nearly as wide as the shell itself. He couldn’t see the exact point where it happened, but the band merged in and meshed with his aura, giving him the impression that the shell was actually just an extension of his aura.
I wonder if that’s the reason these things are so much easier to manipulate compared to other objects. Might also be why they’re denser and tougher compared to when I initially got them.
“Well?”
The sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Almost got it,” he said, annoyed at the interruption.
Concentrating again, his senses focused on the extension of his aura surrounding his combat sphere. Locking onto the sensation, he slowly spun in place, hoping there would be a filament still attached to his staff. He had turned nearly a full circle before spotting it. Instead of the wispy strand that had connected Juan to the car, the connection between him and his staff felt more like a hawser line. The cord glowed brightly, reminding him of a neon light stretching off into the distance. Nodding in satisfaction, he glanced at his two teammates.
“Found him. Last chance to grab something.”
Both women shook their heads. Gathering his power, he enveloped them in his field. Continuing to gather energy, his aura strengthened, causing the air to shimmer around them. He noticed a look of surprise cross Kaitlyn’s face.
“I can almost see your energy field this time…”
“I haven’t tried to pull this much energy in before. Just want to top off the tanks before we head out. Wasn’t entirely sure I could control so much actually, but I figured this would be as good a time as any to try.”
She nodded at him in understanding. Taking one final last, deep breath, he let it out slowly to center himself.
“Here we go…”
The air crackled around them before they vanished, a dust devil spiraling up into the sky being the only sign anyone had been there.
§§§§§§§§§§§§
Rick wasn’t couldn’t explain it, but he knew approximately how far away their opponent was, like his staff was calling to him. He also realized Juan was slowly approaching them as well, like he knew roughly where they were as well.
Is he following my tether like I am, or is it something else? Too late to worry about it now.
Rick purposely kept close to the ground as he flew. If he got surprised by another attack, they’d be low enough for him to land without killing everyone. With the way his powers had been expanding, flying this low had also allowed him to started sensing other sources of energy he’d never recognized before. Like the one he felt somewhere beneath him, something that felt just out of reach but was getting closer. Hopefully he wouldn’t need to draw on it under combat conditions.
He sensed the growing storm in the distance long before he could see it. Coming to a stop, he hovered in place, rotating to look at his teammates.
“We’re close now. Bad news is, I’m pretty sure he knows we’re coming. I can feel the storm growing around him. It’s causing some type of interference with my senses, so I can’t tell if anyone else is nearby. If there is, we’ll need to draw him away. Any questions before we make contact?”
After both women shook their heads, he spun back forward.
“I’m going to come in low and fast. Get ready. We’ll be there in about a second.”
Kaitlyn hands burst into flames while Zarina’s eyes started glowing. Uncapping his tube, his combat spheres began to orbit him slowly. Clearing his mind, he cracked his knuckles absently.
“Here we go!”
Chapter 27
Rick rapidly decelerated, throwing up a shield before coming to a stop. Touching down, he pointed out Juan’s position without turning his head. An instant later, a huge bolt of lightning split the sky, crashing into his shield before wrapping around it, grounding out and sending electricity arcing away in all directions. Small wisps of smoke slowly curled up and away from the scorching jagged lines burnt into the surrounding earth.
Using his power to amplify his voice, he called out.
“Hello again! I see our time apart hasn’t changed how you say hi, has it Juan?”
A frustrated scream reverberated through the surrounding air like thunder.
“WHY WON’T YOU DIE!”
Here’s hoping I can distract him off enough that he drops his mental defenses like last time.
“Because I like living too much, if you really must know,” he yelled back, his amplified voice echoing across the landscape. Using his aura, he started scooping up vast quantities of dirt, gravel, rocks, and other debris. Launching it skyward, he directing it toward Juan, slamming into him like a giant sandblaster. Another scream echoed down from above.
Hmm, why wasn’t he insubstantial. Was he being careless, or is it more taxing to maintain that form?
Several more bolts of lightning flashed down, slamming into his shield and grounding out like before.
“How many times are you going to do that before you get a clue?”
Behind him, he somehow sensed Zarina mentally reaching out to their opponent. A disturbance above caught his attention.
“HellKat, you’re up!”
He shrunk his shield down just enough to allow Kaitlyn’s hands to protrude a fraction of an inch outside his shield. A gout of flame shot skyward, brightly illuminating the area around them like a flash grenade. A split-second later, the tongue of flame was pushed downward, flickering from the onslaught of super-cooled air pulled from the upper atmosphere. His inner eye painted a crystal clear image of her straining to keep the arctic air from reaching them. Sweat slowly trickling down her forehead from the intense strain.
“You… weren’t… kidding. That air… is frigid,” she said, gritting her teeth.
“How long do you think you can keep it up for?”
“Long… enough…”
Nodding, he amplified his voice again.
“Hey snowball, can you make snow cones too? You’d be a hit at the beach, what with the ice
and outdoor refrigeration and all…”
He felt something shielded approaching at high speed.
Right on cue.
He stretched out part of his void aura just before a huge block of ice the size of a car slammed into his shield. The impact almost caused him to ricochet away involuntarily, but he managed to absorb enough of it to maintain his position.
That was close. Our plan would have gone straight in the crapper if that’d knocked me off balance. I didn’t know he could get them that big.
Thrusting tendrils of aura downward, he mentally anchored himself in place.
“I’ll give you an A for effort!”
Several more blocks slammed into his shield, straining his ability to keep stationary.
“How we looking Z?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“Almost have him. His mind is slippery, hard to grasp. Is almost like it is not there.”
Her statement caught his attention. Directing his senses upward, he felt the energy Juan used to hide his projectiles wrapped around him.
Ah…
Reaching to the limit of his ability, he snaked a tendril of void aura upward. Panting, he struggled to maintain his shield and anchors while stretching his aura so far.
“Be ready,” he gasped. Blackness slowly crept around the edges of his vision.
“Da!”
With a grunt, he lashed out, slamming his aura into the shield surrounding Juan’s head.
“Got you!”
He heard Zarina’s whisper before a pulse of energy rushed upward. Suddenly, everything around them grew silent. Looking up, he spotted Juan hovering in the air above them, arching over backward like he was being electrocuted.
Shifting his vision, he spotted a glowing strand of energy trailing up from behind him, ending in an iridescent globe engulfing Juan’s head. A glowing orb suddenly appeared, circling his head. Randomly, it swooped down, disappearing into his head before reappearing and taking up orbit again. He noticed the orb was gone for increasingly longer periods each time it disappeared. It reminded him of the globe that had flitted around his head before, back when Iškur had temporary control of Juan’s body.
“Is… fighting me,” she managed to gasp out, a mask of concentration etched across her face as she clasped her necklace in what looked like a death grip, “Not sure if… I can overcome him…”
Movement overhead caught his attention. In slow motion, he watched Juan point his stolen staff above his head. Without warning, a bright red flash shot down from the sky above, heading toward the staff.
In one swift motion, he swung the staff downward, directing it toward them. The red energy flashed downward, punching through his shield. The sudden heat and energy threatened to incinerate everyone if he didn’t act fact. In desperation, he put everything he had into drawing all of the blast within himself.
Immense power surged through and around him, scorching his body. The sudden heat caused his skin to blister and crack, burning it away down to the muscle. In some spots, he suspected it actually reached bone. Biting back a scream, he barely managed to shunt the remaining energy of the blast into the ground beneath them. A dull thump from the discharge bounced them up into the air, but he managed to help everyone stay upright.
How… was he able… to burn me…
Struggling to maintain consciousness, he turned, looking at Zarina through blurry eyes. Blinking, he felt his eyelids crumble and flake away. Tears streamed down her face when she looked back at him.
“Is too strong! I cannot stop him. He is forcing me out!”
The terror growing on her face told him all he needed to know.
We’re can’t stop him. He’s just too powerful…
What…?
Confusion washed over him, calming energy cutting through the pain. Inanna’s mental voice echoed through his mind clearly, but he had no idea what she meant.
Before he could ask anything else, he felt her presence fade from his mind.
What the hell is she talking about!
Though his pain and confusion, he struggled to understand what she meant. Looking up, he saw Juan preparing another blast. At the last second, he pulsed them sideways, the motion causing another wave of pain to travel through his burnt limbs.
I don’t have a choice. I have to risk it.
Drawing every last bit of energy to himself, he strengthened his shield before shifting his aura to indigo. Images started flashing through his mind. The one that stood out the strongest was him trying to heal Zarina. In sudden insight, he latched his aura onto Zarina. Her eyes blazed in shock when she felt his aura wash over her, his presence starting to intrude on her mind. In one last effort, he pushed a single thought toward her.
Forgive me…
Before she could respond, he shifted his aura to white.
§§§§§§§§§§§§
Rick’s unexpected mental intrusion nearly caused her tenuous grip on Juan’s mind to falter.
Why would he try violating my mind again! Why now?
Forgive me…
Before she could react, pain lanced through her body. Then a surge of power unlike anything she’d ever felt before flooded through her. Around her. It was beyond anything she could comprehend. Power raced through her inner being before launching back outward, swirling around her.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. It wasn’t time slowing down she realized. Instead, her mind was just processing information faster than she’d experienced. Hidden pathways in her mind rapidly unfolded, expanding her awareness beyond what even Master Levi had ever achieved, at least as far as she knew.
Dimly, in the back of her awareness, she wondered what Rick had done to her. The amount of power rippling through her was overwhelming, like trying to stop a tsunami with a bucket. At the same time, the feeble link that joined her to Juan suddenly swelled, becoming more solidified. Shock rippled down the mind link before quickly changing to panic, then terror. Just as suddenly, his thoughts slowed to a crawl.
Attempting to turn her head upward, she found her body paralyzed. Comprehension of her paralysis suddenly dawned on her.
My thoughts are moving faster than my body can physically respond to!
Without thinking, she used telekinesis to reinforce and strengthen her body. Something else she’d never thought to do before, but now it seemed as natural as breathing. Using her telekinesis, she forced her body to move, the bones and muscles screaming in agony from the strain.
Gritting her teeth, she forced her head back down, looking at Rick. His body appeared frozen in place, but she knew he was starting to collapse. Extending some of her telekinetic field, she somehow created a cushion around his body, tying off the energy flow before returned her attention upward. Closing her eyes to collect herself, she grabbed the crystal dangling around her neck again, light bursting forth from it like a small star.
Snapping her eyes open, she launched herself skyward, rushing toward where Juan floated above them. A tiny trickle of blood began dribbling from her left nostril, a side effect of forcing her body to move so quickly, but she barely noticed it. Weaving around the huge blocks of ice Juan was slowly forming, she redoubled her efforts to reach him. Getting closer, it seemed like he was suddenly being lit up by a spotlight. A moment later, it dawned on her that she was the source of light.
Coming to a stop in front of him, she hovered in place, staring into his eyes. A look of recognition almost imperceptibly started crawling across his face, but with the speed her mind was operating at, it would subjectively take at least a minute before he was fully aware of her.
Reaching out, she grabbed both sides of his head. An instant later, she hammered aside his mental defenses, shattering them before diving into his mind. Compared to what lay before her, Dr. Sullivan’s mind landscape seemed welcoming by comparison.
/> The devastation took her breath away. How he continued functioning was beyond her. Lifting off, she rocketed forward, determined to shut him down, no matter what the cost.
Searching frantically, she noticed the ground in this mind-scape seemed to be brilliantly lit, like from the a scorching noon-day sun in summer. Slowing to examine the effect, she realized again, even in his mind, she was the source of the illumination.
I have never glowed in someone’s mind-scape before. Only masters of my order give off radiance when projecting, but even they do not glow so brightly. Then again, they do not glow in real world, either…
Something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. In the distance was a glow similar to hers, but not quite as bright. Changing direction, she sailed toward the source of light, scanning for threats. The last thing she needed was a repeat of last time she entered a hostile mind. Getting closer, she saw what first appeared to be a large metal box, but as she approached, she realized the box was actually made of thick bars. The glow she’d spotted leaked from the gaps between the bars of what she now perceived to be some sort of jail cell.
Touching down, she cautiously approached, scanning for anything suspicious. Getting within arms reach, she slowly began circling the cage. She tried looking between the bars, but the brilliance emanating from the interior blurred out any details of what it contained.
Taking a chance, she cupped her hands around her eyes, attempting to block some of the light. Leaning in, she brought her face close, almost touching the bars.
Without warning, a hand shot out, grabbing her wrist forcefully. Shocked, she tried to yank her arm away, but the grip felt as unyielding as steel.
“Help me…”
She could barely make out the soft, ancient-sounding voice. She tried tugging her arm free again. This time, the hand loosely slid off, like the owner lacked the energy to hold on longer.
“Is that you Enki? Nabu?”
