Usurper of Fire

Hunter continued to dodge Gamma’s blows as Gamma chased him down. Gamma changed his tactics, quick piercing attacks instead of swings. One caught through his leg. He stumbled to the ground and caught another through his hand, preventing it from going into his head.

Gamma laughed.

“You’re about to die, dog!” He pulsed the bits of himself that were inside Hunter, causing Hunter to scream in agony. “I know I said I’d be quick, but I love this part.” His wicked grin found ways to look even more sinister.

Hunter, once again, activated his sight powers. And again. And again. When each ended, Gamma would try to speak–only to be pulled back into it. After several visions, he withdrew his hold on Hunter. The room spun as his mind centered on reality.

Four shots rang out.

Two explosions sounded behind him and two more on his body, blowing off his leg and arm. Hunter rolled over toward him and grabbed the loose appendages before Gamma could collect them. He tossed them into the lava that he had lured him over to.

Gamma had to reform his body into a much smaller proportion. “You dog!” he said, his voice higher pitched. He stood only four feet tall with matching proportions.

“Gets a little fuzzy after visions. Lucky for me, I didn’t need every shot to land.” Hunter said. He drank a blue vial down. His bleeding stopped, and his wounds slowly closed.

“You think I can’t kill you like this?” Gamma said. “I’ll cut you to bits!” He turned all his limbs into slashing weapons and charged.

Hunter grabbed his arms and brought his foot up, kicking his chin. The leg blades cut into Hunter but not deep. The arms Hunter held onto ripped off as he was sent flying back. Hunter threw the bits into the lava, and his size shrunk once more.

“I suppose your buddy uses a serum like the one I took,” Hunter said. “Heals the body, including damaged muscles and makes them stronger.” He put his fists up.

“I’m not gonna lose to you, dog!” Gamma said, his voice even higher pitched now. “I am eternal! I won’t—”

Hunter charged and punched his head down, slamming him into the ground. Gamma’s body went limp, he grabbed the limp body and threw it into the lava pit.

“Annoying bastard…” Hunter’s vision became hazy. The combination of repeatedly using his sight and drinking the vial had taken a toll on his body. “Ah, dang it. I still need to—”

He fell to the ground, unconscious.

**********

Cadivus approached Alpha once more. “I know this probably goes against ethics, but can you just tell me your weakness?”

Alpha pointed at him and laughed.

“Redheads, kid.” He got into a fighting stance, and kissed one of his rings.

“Oh, I think I like bald heads now. Well, maybe it’s not the hair that matters but—”

Alpha swung at him, knocking him to the side. He carried on a combination of attacks that Cadivus tried his best to block, but the pain rang through his body. Alpha took a step back, hopping from foot to foot before stepping forward and throwing a roundhouse kick that, even though Cadivus blocked, sent him flying toward a pillar.

“You guys should just give up now,” Alpha said. “There’s no shame in submitting to Alpha. It’s just nature.” Alpha looked around the room, noting all of his subordinates were dead or defeated. He shook his head and sighed. “Why is it so hard to find good talent nowadays?”

Cadivus slowly got to his feet and grabbed a mace he found on the ground. He swayed back and forth, his body giving out on him.

“That’s not going to happen. You killed Sparks. You tried to kill my other friends. I won’t forgive your treacherous douchebaggery.”

Alpha shrugged, picked up a spear from the ground, and threw it at Cadivus, who was unable to dodge the blow. Yet a rush of wind from the side pushed him out of the way and into Ekio’s arms.

“I guess the dagger is still mine,” she said, winking.

“Yeah…I kinda stacked the deck against myself,” Cadivus said. “This is a pretty good consultation prize though.” He reached around to grab her hips, and she dropped him on the ground. “I’m okay.”

“Let’s finish this.” She pulled him back up to his feet.

Alpha walked up to them, his hands in his pockets.

“Wind and siphon…interesting.”

Confused, she stared at him.

“Siphon?”

“That’s what I said! I think it’s a clever way of saying I suck.”

“That guy is a siphon,” Alpha said, removing his hands from his pockets. “He could be useful to me. Well, he could have been. Now, he’s about to be dead.”

“Don’t use your fire powers on him,” she whispered to Cadivus. “He can absorb it.”

Cadivus nodded, thanking the gods.

“All right. I’m bored now…Time to end it.” Alpha lowered his body and was about to charge when—

“Oh, hubba hubba.” Thermia said from his side. She had cut her pants and shirt short. With her body on display. She walked toward him.

“Sup bitch?” Alpha said, lowering his guard.

“Watching a real man in action…” Thermia said, trying her best to appear sexy. “It really gets my furnace going, if you know what I mean.” She stumbled over a fallen body, nearly falling before regaining her composure. “It gets me horny for having sex.” She leaned her back against a pillar and pushed her chest out, blowing her hair out of her face.

“Yeah, we all knew what you meant,” Alpha said. “Well, just give me a minute, babe. Work comes first.”

She dropped a rock from her hands onto the ground.

“Oops!” she said playfully. “I dropped my favorite rock…guess I’ll have to…pick it up.”

Confused, everyone stared at her as she turned her back toward them and slowly picked up the rock. When she flipped her hair and looked back toward Alpha she fell onto her head.

“Fucking dammit!” She cried.

Cadivus and Ekio looked toward Alpha and saw El behind him, reaching for his hand.

Yet Alpha sensed her presence and grabbed her wrist.

“El? Well, you’re fired, bitch. Enjoy retirement.” He punched her, sending her flying away.

She rolled across the ground before coming to a stop.

“El!” Cadivus called out to her.

In a fetal position, she held out her hand to show a bunch of jewelry, and smiled through bloody teeth. She passed out shortly after.

Alpha could sense his strength had waned and checked his body, realizing all the enchanted jewelry was gone. He growled and walked toward El’s body. But Cadivus and Ekio ran between them. Ekio gently pushed El with her wind, sliding her body along the floor away from them.

“It doesn’t fucking matter,” Alpha said as he adjusted his clothing. “You still can’t hurt me in this outfit.”

“I never thought I’d say this,” Cadivus said, “but let’s take that man’s clothes off until he’s naked.”

Ekio snickered.

“You’re not wrong, but it sounds strange to hear out loud.”

They ran in, punching and slashing at Alpha. He held his arms up and blocked all the blows, a deep bass noise coming from each deflected attack.

“Retribution!” Alpha screamed.

An invisible force came from his chest and pushed Ekio and Cadivus away from him, the tip of the attack caught Thermia causing her to fall to the ground again and hit her head against a rock, knocking her out. Cadivus and Ekio groaned as they lay on the ground.

Alpha removed a watch from his pocket and put it on his wrist. His body radiated a purple aura around him, and his eyes glowed the same purple color.

Ekio got to her feet and placed the dagger in front of her.

“This is it…” he said, his body hovering as the purple aura concentrated on his hands. “You lost. I won. Nothing can stop this attack, not even gods.” He placed his hands together behind him as the purple glow emanated from them even more.

Grimacing, Ekio summoned every ounce of power she had into the dagger.

“Move out of the way!” Cadivus shouted at her, pointing for her to hide behind a pillar.

Determination and anger filled her face.

“I won’t! I can deflect it!” A piercing wind blade formed around her dagger.

Alpha threw his hands forward and unleashed a purple beam attack that headed straight for her.

“Stop!” Cadivus shot up in front of her and took the blow to his chest.

It knocked them both back, with him falling on top of her.

She groaned.

“Get up!”

But he didn’t answer.

“Get up!” She said again, nudging his body.

Still, there was no response.

Her voice trembled. “C-Cadivus…g-get up.” She pushed him off her, got to her knees and looked into his empty eyes. She caressed his face, where a smirk remained, and buried her forehead into his, running her fingers over his chest and feeling a warm liquid spilling from his body. “Ai jamani,” she whispered to him.

“Don’t worry. You’ll join him soon.” Alpha said. His purple aura slowly disappeared. The watch he wore turned into a purple light and evaporated from his wrist.

She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they kept coming. So, she sat, holding onto his body. She grabbed his hand and placed it on his chest, giving him his dagger back.

Alpha continued to taunt her but his words were distant.

She stood, and looked around the room. Seeing all the bodies on the floor gave her flashbacks of the Aires trial, where she acquired her wind power. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before opening them again and focusing on Alpha.

“Looks like you’ve got that determined bitch face,” he said. “Come here, and I’ll take care of that for ya.”

She cracked her knuckles and walked toward Alpha.

“He was right about how to beat you. I’m going to strip you of your defenses.”

“Tell ya what sweetheart…Get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness. Then maybe I’ll let one of your friends live.”

He charged. Ekio spun around him and yanked the collar of his jacket, kicking behind his knee. She pulled on the jacket while pushing his head forward. The jacket tore at the tailored seams and she threw it to the ground. He grabbed her wrist, she spun him around and ripped the dress shirt open, breaking all the buttons. She then grabbed each side of the shirt and slammed her knee into his chin. The shirt ripped off him as he flew backwards. He looked at her while holding the tattered remains of his shirt, and for the first time she saw fear in his eyes.

He turned to flee, but she chased him down and grabbed at his pants’ waistband. She reached inside, grabbed his underwear, and pulled it up until she lifted him off the ground. The under-garment snapped, and she threw the broken pink speedo onto the ground. He shrieked and tried to take off again, but Ekio tackled him from behind once more, knocking them both to the ground. She pulled his pants down and forced them off, tearing them in the process.

“Of course you would tailor objects touched by gods. Your vanity is your undoing.”

He cringed and fell to despair.

“All right…Fine! Fuck! I’ll give you some money to leave.” He stood and covered his private parts.

She reached out, wind-pulled a staff into her hands, and held it toward him.

“No…Beg.”

He laughed at the request, so she spun the staff and hit his right arm, breaking it. He cried out and fell to his knees.

“Beg!” she said through gritted teeth.

He looked around to make sure nobody was watching.

“Fuck…Fine. Please…please don’t kill me.”

“Make me believe it!” she shouted, swinging at his other arm and snapping that one too.

“Please! Please! I’m sorry! I’m sorry for all the fucked up shit I’ve done to you just please, please let me live. I don’t wanna die before I’m a millionaire!” He rubbed his tears off with his shoulders.

With an empty face, Ekio placed the staff under his chin and made him stand.

“Okay…go.”

He looked at her, at the exit, and then back at her. As he turned around to leave, she snapped the staff in half over her knee and spun her arm around his body, stabbing his heart. She could feel the echo of his pulse fade through the broken staff.

She let the body fall to the ground and walked over to Cadivus’s body. She teared up again, resting her head on his shoulder. “Asante.” she whispered.