As Lyrielle and Kai made their way toward the town gates, they crossed through the refugee camp. The morning sun was higher now, casting long shadows across the rows of makeshift tents and bedrolls. Some of Lysander's crew had finally arrived—guild members in their black-and-red cloaks moving through the camp, tending to the injured, distributing water and food. A few of the evacuees looked up as Lyrielle passed, their eyes widening with recognition despite her tattered robes and bandaged body. Some greeted her with nods or quiet words of thanks. She waved back, a small, tired gesture, while Kai walked beside her like a brick wall, silent, unyielding, his shoulders squared as he navigated through the press of people.
His blue hair was already messy, strands entwined and sticking up in unkempt spikes. Dried sweat and dust streaked his face. Dark circles sat beneath his eyes. He looked exhausted. Dirty. Like someone who hadn't slept in days.
"Kai." Lyrielle's voice was low, meant only for him. "Once we get Koby, James, and Axle, I want you to move back into town without questions."
Kai glanced at her. "What about you?"
"There's no need to worry about me." Her tone was flat, brooking no argument. "Just do as I say. I am already letting you do what you want against my better judgment."
She glanced at him as they walked, a lock of her white hair slipping from where she had tucked it behind her ear. The morning light caught the strands, making them glow like spun silver.
Kai was quiet for a moment, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. They crossed through the town gates, nodding to the guards who watched them with curious, wary eyes. The guards said nothing. They just stepped aside and let them pass.
"What does this Silas guy want anyway?" Kai asked. "Must be pretty serious to rile up this much trouble."
"He wants Koby." Lyrielle said it plainly, without hesitation.
Kai glanced at her. Silence held for a moment. Then: "Why?"
"I don't know. But it can't be good."
"No." Kai shook his head. "I mean, why are you telling me this now?"
Lyrielle met his gaze. "Because there's nothing much you can do. Which is why I want you to use any means necessary to take Koby and the rest back to town if we do find them."
Kai scoffed—a short, humorless sound. He pondered her words as he walked. The mystery man was after Koby. That meant Koby was in danger. How was Koby so much of a stress?
He exhaled slowly. "I will make sure we go to town."
Resolved determination settled into his voice.
"Good." Lyrielle's lips curved into a small smile. "You always seemed like the logical type."
They walked on, leaving the town behind, heading for the now-ruined Blackstone Mountain.
The ruins of Blackstone Mountain were a wasteland. The leftover rocks and scattered shrubbery and damaged trees shook violently as massive shockwaves plastered the surrounding areas. The ground trembled with each impact, waves upon waves of shaking rippling outward from the epicenter of the fight. Dust and debris rose in thick clouds, obscuring the sky.
Three individuals fought in the heart of the destruction.
Capture.
Protect.
Thrill.
Silas, Rowan, and Koby clashed, each throwing blows, deflecting hits, pouring aura into every strike and defense. The surroundings were a mess. Craters pockmarked the earth. Shattered boulders lay scattered like broken teeth. The air was thick with the smell of ozone, blood, and burning stone.
The fighters themselves weren't in good shape either. Injuries from blows marked their skin. Blood mixed with spit dripped from their mouths. The toll of their excessive aura use was showing in their movements, still faster than the normal eye could follow, but noticeably slower than when they had begun.
Silas dove in, stomping the ground to gain balance. He wove past a blow from Rowan and tried to punch Koby square in the chest. Koby shifted backward, stepping just outside Silas's reach—but that didn't stop Silas from firing a direct sonic blast from his fist. The concussive force caught Koby in the chest and sent him flying, rolling across the rocky dirt before he came to a stop in a sprawl.
Rowan came in low, sliding and tripping Silas's left foot which wasn't planted well on the ground. Silas lost balance, his body tilting forward. Before his face could touch the ground, Rowan used a blast of air to kick Silas upward, flipping him mid-air before planting a blow to his body.
Silas caught the blow. Using the momentum, he entwined his body around Rowan's arm, dragging Rowan down to the ground as he tried to maul him with his tentacles.
But before the tentacles could strike, Rowan reacted. A thread of wind gave him the space he needed—just enough to slide out of Silas's grip, pushing himself backward beyond the reach of the tentacle strike.
Rowan stood, and with a small gesture of his hands, produced a huge wave of wind. It pushed Silas backward as he tried to stand. Silas used his tentacles to block his body as the wind uprooted everything in its path. The pressure was immense. Boulders tumbled, debris flew, and the ground itself seemed to peel away.
Silas was being pushed back slowly. He was losing his footing. If he removed the tentacles and tried to attack, the wind pressure would surely tear his flesh apart. But if he stayed defending, the pressure would send him flying away.
Rowan had him in a tight-locked situation.
But then, from the side of his eye, Rowan noticed Koby coming in for a straight punch aimed at his ribs. He used one hand to keep the air pressure on Silas while creating another air wave blast—body-sized, lessened impact to push Koby away.
Koby side-stepped the attack, effectively dodging it, and hopped toward Rowan.
With just a few inches between them, Rowan had to release the air pressure on Silas in order to counter Koby's punch. He caught Koby's fist and pulled it down, then tried to deliver a left hook toward Koby's chin.
Koby blocked it with his right hand. Then he raised his right knee for a direct strike to Rowan's chest.
Rowan shuffled backward, evading the knee strike, but came back in swiftly, sweeping Koby's left leg—the only leg planted on the ground. Koby fell. Mid-air, Rowan punched Koby right in the chest—but Koby already had his guard up. He blocked the punch, but it didn't dull the damage. Blood oozed from Koby's arms as blood vessels popped and bones shattered. The force of the impact threw him backward.
In the midst of that exchange, Silas rushed in.
He struck Rowan right in the left arm, puncturing his tentacle deep into Rowan's shoulder blade. Rowan grunted, a low, pained sound.
Gritting his teeth, Rowan shuffled backward to gain enough distance. Then he side-kicked Silas in the guts with an air blast so strong that it whipped Silas away several feet. Silas landed on his feet before spitting blood onto the charred, rocky soil.
"Looks like you're not pulling your punches anymore." Silas's voice was strained, but his grin was still there. "Damn."
He was about to rush in again, to take advantage of the damage he had dealt Rowan but he spotted Koby coming straight for him. He used his tentacles to deal with Koby while trying to anticipate Rowan's next move.
Koby moved swiftly and skillfully, dodging the tentacles, reading their striking paths well as he closed the distance. Rowan had no time to check his shoulder blade as he rushed at Silas. The disintegration from the tentacle wound sent constant, searing pain through his back.
Seeing the incoming Koby and Rowan, Silas felt overwhelmed. He retracted his tentacles and gathered aura, then let out a sonic blast with a twenty-foot radius around himself. The shockwave carried poison globs flying with it, disintegrating anything they touched.
But the blast didn't stop Rowan and Koby.
Rowan used a wind wave to redirect the poison globs' path, taking the full brunt of the sonic blast himself. Minor grazes appeared on his skin, but he reinforced his body with aura and pushed through.
Koby, on the other hand, was being hit with both the poison and the sonic blast. His dark aura patched up the damage as he sustained it, flesh knitting, wounds closing, the darkness weaving through his body like thread through torn fabric.
A few seconds of receiving that damage, and Koby saw what Rowan was doing. He made a rough imitation of it.
Using the dark aura that surrounded him, he gathered it and directed it in front of himself like a shield. He tried to manipulate the globs of poison that hit the dark aura. But the sonic attacks still struck him, his skin tore, then his muscles, layer by layer—yet he kept running forward.
Both of them made their way toward Silas, who increased the pressure of his sonic wave as he saw them approach.
Just as Rowan and Koby were a few feet away, they used a burst of aura for a final dash, coming right in front of him, ready to strike.
Silas used his tentacles to block, smiling at their readable attack.
Then he saw them slide from his front to his side with a feint aiming for his unguarded flanks.
He had miscalculated terribly.
Planting their weight deep into the ground creating small craters where they stood, Rowan and Koby went for a heavy punch. Rowan gathered aura into his fist, transforming it into a powerful, wind-revolving blast. Koby gathered his dark aura and the poison globs he had collected onto his own fist.
They were faster than Silas could guard.
The blows landed—on his left and right ribs respectively. Rowan's fist drove deep into Silas's body. The impact sent Silas tumbling away, rolling across the ground amidst screams of pain.
Rowan flung his arm, trying to get Silas's blood and guts off his fist. He spat on the ground, taking in that small victory.
But the victory was short-lived.
Koby came in for him—punching him directly in the stomach, pushing Rowan backward.
"Koby! Stop this!" Rowan shouted.
But Koby moved forward, unleashing a flurry of punch and kick combos, trying to draw out an attack.
He went for a straight punch. Rowan blocked. Koby kicked the hand guard with his left leg, then jumped up in the air and delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of Rowan's head. The impact made Rowan stagger forward.
"Koby, if you don't stop this, I'll have to use force to stop you." Rowan held his head, then crossed his arms in a defensive stance.
Smiling, Koby rushed forward at him.