Pretty Insane

The dust from the fallen giant had barely settled when the slow, deliberate clapping echoed through the street.

"Well, well, well," the man with the megaphone sneered, his grin widening as he stepped forward. He casually tossed the megaphone aside, the sound of it clattering against the cobblestones drowned out by the tension hanging in the air. "You managed to take down my big friend. Impressive. But of course, that was just the warm-up."

Alulu's grip on his war hammer tightened. The two heroes—swordsman and shieldbearer—moved to his sides, forming a defensive line. Their eyes, sharp and determined, remained locked on the strange man before them.

"Who are you?" the swordsman demanded, his voice cold and steady. "And why are you doing this?"

The man chuckled, his fingers twitching slightly. All around him, chunks of debris—broken cobblestones, shards of wood, even the shattered remnants of street lamps—began to rise, floating ominously. "Who am I? That doesn't matter. What matters is that everything around you is now mine to control."

Alulu's eyes narrowed. Telekinesis. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. This wasn't just some ordinary enemy. This was someone who could turn the entire battlefield against them.

The man grinned wider. "Let's begin, shall we?"

With a flick of his wrist, the floating debris shot forward like a barrage of missiles. Alulu acted on instinct, swinging his war hammer in a wide arc. The shockwave from the hammer's swing deflected some of the projectiles, but not all. Several smaller pieces slipped through, forcing him to dodge to avoid getting hit.

The swordsman moved swiftly, his blade flashing as he slashed through the oncoming debris, cutting down the larger chunks. The shieldbearer raised their massive shield, blocking the rest, the force of the impacts sending tremors up their arms.

But the man wasn't done. He clenched his fists, and the ground beneath them began to quake. The cobblestones cracked and lifted, floating upward before hurtling toward the trio.

"Everything around you is mine!" the man declared, his voice filled with twisted glee. "You're fighting the very city itself!"

Alulu darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a section of the street that tore itself apart. His mind raced. We can't let him control the pace. We need to disrupt him.

"Close the distance!" Alulu barked to the heroes. "We need to get close and stop him from using the environment!"

The swordsman nodded, charging forward, his blade glowing faintly as he deflected another wave of debris. The shieldbearer followed closely, their shield raised, deflecting the smaller projectiles that came their way.

Alulu dismissed the war hammer, summoning his bow. He drew the string back, forming an arrow of blue energy, and loosed it at the telekinetic man. The arrow curved through the air, homing in on its target.

But the man didn't even flinch. With a casual wave of his hand, he redirected the arrow, sending it crashing harmlessly into a wall. "You'll have to do better than that," he taunted, raising both hands as more debris lifted into the air.

The swordsman was almost upon him, his blade poised to strike. But the man reacted with a surge of telekinetic force, sending a wave of shattered cobblestones crashing into the swordsman's path. He stumbled, forced to backpedal as the projectiles rained down around him.

"Annoying," Alulu muttered, firing another arrow. But the result was the same. The man's telekinesis twisted the arrow off course, nullifying the threat.

"We need to find a way to disrupt his concentration," the shieldbearer said, their voice strained as they deflected another barrage. "He's too powerful if we let him keep control."

Alulu gritted his teeth. he's right. If we can't break his focus, we're done for.

He loosed another arrow, using it as a distraction while he summoned the scythe. The chains at the tip writhed, ready to strike. Alulu charged, the chains snapping out toward the man's arms.

The chains wrapped around the man's wrists, tightening, the paralyzing effect beginning to seep in. For a moment, the man's control wavered, the debris dropping slightly as he struggled against the chains.

"Now!" Alulu shouted.

The swordsman surged forward, his blade gleaming as he prepared to deliver a powerful blow.

But the man wasn't done. With a guttural snarl, he pulled on the chains with a surge of telekinetic force, snapping them apart and sending Alulu staggering back. His eyes burned with fury as he thrust his hands forward, sending a wave of energy that knocked both Alulu and the swordsman back.

The shieldbearer stepped forward, raising their shield to block the incoming attack. "Get behind me!" they shouted.

Alulu and the swordsman regrouped behind the shieldbearer as the man with telekinesis lifted an even larger section of the street. The sheer size of the debris made it clear this was no ordinary attack. He hurled it forward with incredible force.

The shieldbearer grunted, bracing against the impact. The massive chunk of stone slammed into their shield with such force that it cracked. They staggered, but didn't fall, holding their ground against the overwhelming power.

Alulu's heart sank as he saw the shieldbearer struggle. They can't hold that forever.

"Shieldbearer, fall back!" the swordsman yelled, but it was too late.

The man with telekinesis grinned maliciously, clenching his fist. The debris exploded into smaller shards, each one turning into a deadly projectile. The shieldbearer took the brunt of the attack, their shield shattered, their armor dented.

A shard pierced through a gap in their armor, and the shieldbearer gasped, blood splattering across the ground. They dropped to one knee, their strength waning.

"NO!" Alulu roared, charging forward, but the shieldbearer raised a hand, stopping him.

"Keep… going," the shieldbearer said, their voice weak but determined. "You have to… finish this."

With one last, defiant push, they raised their mace and hurled it toward the telekinetic man. The weapon spun through the air, forcing the man to redirect his focus to deflect it. The opening was brief, but it was enough.

The shieldbearer collapsed, their body falling lifelessly to the ground.

Alulu's rage boiled over. He summoned his war hammer, the blue energy crackling around him as he dashed forward. The swordsman followed, his blade glowing with the fury of his fallen comrade.

The man with telekinesis sneered. "One down, two to go."

But Alulu wasn't listening. He was already swinging the war hammer, aiming for the man's head. The man raised his hand, trying to deflect the blow with telekinesis, but Alulu's fury gave him strength.

The hammer crashed down, breaking through the man's defense and connecting with his shoulder. The force sent him sprawling to the ground, his telekinetic hold broken.

The swordsman was upon him in an instant, his blade cutting deep, ending the fight.

Alulu stood over the fallen enemy, his breath ragged, his eyes filled with sorrow and rage.

The shieldbearer's sacrifice had won them the fight, but at a terrible cost.