Barbaric realms

"The next battle begins now,"

Hermes glanced at Zeus and turned to Shai; he grinned, watching her. Waiting for her to strike first, Hermes didn't wait long. Shai was already in front of him, moving her fist under his chin. He gave her another grin and moved. Shai stopped and looked around; he was quick.

"He's faster than Athena,"

The weapon shakes, agreeing with her. It glowed blue, which must mean it was lightning. Shai didn't even see him move much less run. The weapon shook in her hand to the left; Shai looked beside her. Shai got kicked in the side of her head, and the strength of it made her fly to the other side of the gymnasium; the weapon still placed in her hand, shaking, Hermes stood where she once had watched her. He noticed the weapon shaking and found it fascinating.

"That's interesting. It's still active when she's not using it,"

Hermes saw her trying to get up, staring at him intensely. He let out a huff,

"You will need to be faster than that to beat..."

Shai shot the weapon, sending a wave of lightning at Hermes; he moved away from the shot and witnessed the lighting move past him, barely missing him.

"Maybe I should have..."

"Watched where I was," Shai finished

Shai got out of the dent in the building from the other side of the gymnasium; she was close to him with her weapon glowing a bright red. Shai is close to him and shoots the weapon aiming at his chest, but the weapon moves, and the bullet goes to his feet.

"You're doing it again?" Shai asked

It glowed red at her and shook. Shai glanced at Hermes and saw that he was interested. Shai shot it at Hermes with it still glowing red. This interested Hermes. He moved away from the bullet to where the first shot landed, not hearing a second shot.

"What does red do?" Hermes asked

Shai stared at him, waiting to see what the weapon had done, until red fire lit under Hermes. Hermes, stunned, tried to get away, but the fire started to fall onto him, and he started to burn himself. That's odd. He saw the fire had spread to his shoes and his helmet. The fire made it hard to see him,

Shai witnessed the fire grow. She couldn't see him, but this was her chance to end it. Shai lifts the weapon, aiming it at the fire. Shai didn't want to harm him, but she wanted to slow him down. Hermes emerged from the fire with his wings on his shoes and helmet burned. Hermes gave her a grin,

"That wasn't what I had in mind, Shai,"

Hermes chuckled walking up to her. He stopped grinning and stared at her; he got serious quickly. Shai felt how tense it was around them. The gun glowed blue again; Shai saw Hermes was a few feet away from her and shot the weapon. Hermes dodged the bullet running towards her, but Shai saw him. A wave of light went under Athena and Zeus,

"It still has most of its power," Athena let out

"Indeed. Shai understands the weapon more than us," Zeus said

"The weapon seems like it wants to help her, more than the others. That have tried to hold it," Athena spoke

"You mean tried to steal," Zeus corrected

They watch Hermes try to kick Shai again, but she moves,

"But I agree with you, Athena... This is different,"

Shai stopped a kick with the weapon, and Hermes felt the weapon's strength from within. It was unanimous. Shai grabbed his leg, saying,

"Your kicks are strong. What are you from Alley Brawler?"

Hermes looked at her perplexed,

"Thank you for noticing; it's from sending messages, but what's Alley Brawler?"

Hermes jumped, kicking the other side of Shai's head; Shai felt dizzy, holding the side, so she moved back from him; Herman took this opportunity and knees her in the stomach; Shai dropped the weapon, causing it to disappear. Shai held her gut, feeling it ache. It hurt so much that She leaned over, and Shai couldn't move. Hermes placed his finger under her chin, making her look at him,

"I thought you almost had me back in the fire," Hermes told her,

Hermes looked into her eyes, seeing something dark. But he didn't see Shai moving her head back and headbutting his nose. Hermes heard a creak coming from his nose. He held his nose; it wouldn't take long for it to heal, but his vision was blurred. Shai ran at him and Hermes tried to walk away, Shai grabbed his hair and lifted her knee to hit his nose, and Hermes stumbled back breathing heavily, Shai the weapon appeared back into her hand, she glanced down, it was blue again,

"Isn't it too late for the lightning?"

The weapon glowed at her. Shai let out a haughty chuckle slightly and aimed at him; Shai shot the weapon at Hermes, and Hermes saw a flash of light growing towards him. He went to dodge it, but it was too late. Hermes is caught in the lighting. He felt a searing pain in his stomach and chest. Hermes went with the lightning crashing into the building, Shai watched Hermes get hit until a shake occurred by the weapons, Shai looked down and the weapon glowed green, Shai lifted the weapon where Hermes lay, he was bleeding through his nose with his stomach and chest bruised, she shot the weapon aiming at his foot, but the weapon moved to his left side, the weapon glowed again,

"I won't argue with ya,"

She shot it, having the bullet hit next to his right side; Hermes was leaning on his knee, looking up at Shai, until big green vines sprouted out of the ground beside him, wrapping around him. Shai lowered her weapon, staring at Hermes, relieved. Shai placed it on her side and walked to Hermes. She saw him healing already,

"Did I win, or is this a draw?"

"Seeing as I'm trapped here,"

Hermes tried to raise his arms, but the vines stopped him; he looked back at her with glee.

"Yeah, I would say you won,"

Shai showed him a big smile before falling onto the ground, exhausted. Shai watched the clouds of gold, Hermes tried to move and asked her,

"Could use some of that fire of yours right about now,"

Shai glanced at the weapon and saw that it was glowing red, Shai looked at Hermes, seeing him pointing at the vines,

"Your wings are just starting to reaper themselves,"

Hermes looked at his feet and saw that his wings were halfway healed; she was right.

"I should just ask Athena,"

"You don't have to show up to the Senate,"

"I could do that. However, they have more support in the Senate to imprison me. For that I must go," Max told them

"What support? They have only a small majority..."

"Do you not see that she has more people behind her? Knowing what I have done."

"Do not fool yourself. They have more behind them than I originally thought. It will only grow with all the evidence they have on us,"

Max brought out a cigar lighting it, He breathed in the cigar,

"What do you mean? You told me these people had nothing behind them. Now you're saying that one woman has more people behind her,"

"It's not just her," Max breathed out,

He flicked the cigar and stared at them,

They could see the dead look in his eyes. Like he has no soul left. The person saw this, but they only wanted to have done their job and leave.

"It starts at one, the two, then so on and so forth. It becomes a multitude. It has already begun with the people behind her, and I see them looking for answers. I see that they turn away from the propaganda we give them; they found out what we have lied about, and that is where we have failed. Now I have my reason not to want to go to the senate... but after I will flee the country," Max said

"Flee the country. Do you hear yourself? You have half of the senate under your foot with blackmail!"

"Some of them don't care about what I have on them... Bit Judy Diamond has helped give them something they lost,"

"What would that be?"

Max watches the last Senate hearing with Judy speaking, another had the stock market and one had the president talking, Max breathed in the cigar before breathing out,

"They have courage," Max told him

"Max, this only started five days ago; how can that happen in such little time?"

"Haven't I told you? They now have their courage and hope for the future, which I have been trying to take for so long. But now they have their spirit. That fire that can't be quenched," Max hissed

"Boss,"

Max heard his phone act off. He looked at his phone; it was glitching. Max dropped the phone, still hearing them trying to talk to him,

"The power... it,"

"He's done it,"

The phone is turned off, and the power in the apartment is turned off with it; what Max hears on the phone scares him utterly.

"The AI turned off the power,"

The voice wasn't the person he was talking to. It started to shake, making cracks in the screen, Max backed away from the phone, feeling for the door behind him,

"Get in here, you fools!"

"Why leave so soon, Max?"

Max looked at the phone, Herman stood over it glaring at him, Herman gave him a sickening grin, he went off the phone,

"We only just started,"