Bound Evil

Three streaks of movement burst from the dust cloud, two darting toward the nearby buildings, the third launching into the sky. Emily had barely landed on the rooftop beside Kael when a sharp, tearing sound split the air behind them.

Both she and Kael dove from the sandstone building to the next, just in time to avoid a spear that tore through the structure, shattering the wall in a single strike.

Worse still, the spear returned, ripping back along its path with just as much force. Cracks webbed through the stone, and within seconds, the entire building caved in on itself.

They had only just touched down on the second building when the spear arrived again. Demolishing their foothold once again.

This time, Emily controlled her descent to fall towards the alleyway.

Kael followed, and for a moment, they lost sight of Hermes. A shout of frustration came from behind them, but she never looked back.

Emily hit the ground running and dashed through the streets, winding through them and getting lost.

Kael was right behind her, though a majority of the vapour on his body was centered on his chest, keeping him alive.

"Emily, we can't beat him like this," he said when they stopped to catch their breath.

She just shook her head

"I have a plan, but we need to keep moving. Can you still run?"

Kael frowned but nodded.

"Good, then get ready, he's coming."

She had locked onto her blood still in Hermes' body. It wasn't enough to do any real damage yet, but she could track him.

"Avoid civilian casualties," Kael started, but Emily just snorted.

"Yeah-Yeah," she said as she pulled a packet of vitality up from her chest and up through her throat. Blood poured from her mouth and into her hands, collecting into a large sphere, which she left to hover in the alleyway.

The moment she was done, she tilted her head. Motioning for them to flee.

Creating two vines of blood, Emily vaulted on top of another building. She heard Hermes before she saw him, as a building two streets over crumbled.

"Damn, he doesn't care at all, does he?" she muttered, watching the widespread destruction Hermes was causing, looking for them.

When Kael arrived next to her, his expression was filled with concern.

"We need to stop him."

Emily grabbed him by the back of the neck.

"No, relax. We will, but it needs to be on our terms."

Kael's face twisted.

"What if he hurts more people? You've seen what he's capable of."

Emily felt frustration burning in her stomach.

"Those sins aren't ours. Everything he does is his burden. Ours is figuring out how to take him down—unless you want him to win. If he's willing to attack openly like this, what do you think will happen once he gains full control of your people?

"I-" he started, but their deliberation was interrupted by a spear heading straight towards their building.

It crashed into the side, rupturing the support structure, sending them both flying.

Emily crossed her arms and coated herself in her mantle to protect from the worst of it, but shards of rock still bit at her skin.

"Move!" Emily yelled, but it was too late.

Hermes arrived right beside the collapsing building. Even though they had only been apart for a few minutes, his demeanor had shifted drastically.

Gone was the smooth, expressionless mask, replaced by ragged breathing and bloodshot eyes. Hermes' whole body looked on edge as veins protruded through his skin, and an air of savagery lingered about him.

Whatever he'd taken wasn't agreeing with him.

Emily started to make a snarky remark, but Hemres' eyes turned to her, and he tried to close the distance.

She cursed and splashed a screen of crimson in front of them, using the vines to pull herself to safety.

The spear tore through the obstruction, but by then, they were both already fleeing.

Hermes let out an animalistic shout and lobbed his weapon at their retreating forms. It spun end over end with the weight of a mountain behind it. Fortunately, neither of them was the target; unfortunately, the building they were moving to was.

There was a distinct shout from somewhere below, as people fled the collapsing structure. Kael swore and dove into the streets below. Emily, on the other hand, spun in mid-air and created three spears of her own.

She launched them at Hermes, who had no weapon with which to defend, but to her shock, he crossed his arms and braced for impact. When the spears hit, all their piercing power was for naught as they may as well have come into contact with an iron wall. Not to mention absorbing the impact, Hermes' body remained completely still, as though he were unaffected.

She grimaced, but that didn't mean the attack was pointless as she noticed somthing about his defence.

At the point of impact, she saw cracks suddenly spread out over the roof he was standing on as though unable to bear his weight.

That's when it clicked.

As of yet, Hermes had not shown any kind of special skill or attack, but what if his skills just didn't have an outward effect?

For example, weight control or density manipulation. She'd seen supers back in her world use the ability to great effect, and he was showing almost the same markers. Hermes was temporarily increasing his density and that of his spear to do battle. That's why his spear hit like a ton of bricks.

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Because it probably weighed a literal ton.

Sadly, this realization didn't help her a whole lot, but it did help her adjust accordingly. She made herself scarce as Hemres recovered. At the same time, she used the blood from her failed attacks to form spheres midair. When the Chieftain vaulted back to escape, Emily managed to dive back into the city below.

She dashed down the alley, but this time she knew Hermes was hot on her tail. The sound of crumbling stone marked the return of his spear as he pulled it from the wall. Though Emily didn't panic, she continued to run, creating small orbs of blood and leaving them trailing in her wake.

Bursting out into the busy streets, she cursed as she found Kael ushering people back.

"Way to leave me back there!" she growled.

The street was filled with people, but a couple looked like they were injured, clearly saved by Kael. He turned back with a serious look on his face.

"We need to stop him," he said, which only made Emily roll her eyes

"As if we didn't already have enough reason."

Kael glared at her, but both of their attentions were drawn to the sight of Hermes stepping out onto the nearby roof. His armour was disheveled, and the veins had moved up his neck to his face. For a moment, it felt more like staring at a wild animal than a person.

"He wouldn't," Kael murmured, his eyes dilating.

Hermes leveled his spear at them both.

"He would," Emly said with a deadpanned expression.

As he drew back, Emily released a tidal wave of crimson. She knew she couldn't stop his attack, especially if he could manipulate the density of certain matter. But no matter how heavy it was, in freefall its destination was malleable.

As the spear left his hand, she created a geyser of blood and aimed it at the incoming projectile. The spear was heading for Kael and Emily, but there were still at least a dozen people near enough to them that the attack would have enormous collateral damage.

As the spear hurtled toward them, Emily applied all the force she could manage to the head of the spear. Pushing it from the side.

By the looks of things, Hemres realized what she was doing because the weight behind it increased threefold, but she had already altered the course by then.

The falling spear punged into the earth, falling just short of them. However, it caused a ripple as the shockwave tore the street they were on apart. Bystanders screamed, scattering in panic. Kael's jaw clenched so tight his teeth creaked, and his eyes burned with trembling with restraint.

"Do not involve them! They are not part of this!"

Hermes's eye twitched, but a spark of reason returned.

"You're involving them by running. You should have just stayed put and died honorably."

Emily didn't try to contain the eye roll.

"Honor? Because you were so honorable when you took a situlant. Wasn't that a big no-no for your people? She mocked.

A demented grin broke near the corners of his mouth.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you draw your last breath."

Emily flashed her teeth at him, and at the same time, she hissed to Kael through a clenched jaw.

'Clear the area'

Taking a step towards the Chieftain, she shrugged.

"Really? Because something tells me you'll be dead and forgotten when that happens."

She snapped her fingers and shot a spear straight at his skull.

Hermes blocked by increasing his density again, but Emily lifted into the air, shooting straight up.

Spears formed around her as she rose, and she fired three more before hitting her limit.

Hermes recalled his weapon, deflecting the incoming shots all the while watching her accent.

For a second, they were at the same height.

Up here, she was a sitting duck—no cover, no allies—just him and her.

Still, she rushed past him, climbing higher toward the city's ceiling. It approached quickly, but Emily didn't falter.

Hermes grinned. Like a hunting beast, he bent his knees and sprang after her, likely lowering his density to make the jump more efficient.

With one powerful leap, he was airborne, closing the distance fast.

Emily continued to ascend until the streets below were no more than lines in the landscape.

The gap between them shrank. They were within spitting distance now—his hand reaching for her throat.

She should have blocked with a screen of blood, but that wasn't possible.
Right now, she couldn't control much more than what she already held—but then again, she had been spreading it across the city.

Time slowed. Emily could see the triumphant gleam in Hermes' eyes.
If he'd been more rational, maybe he would've recognized the trap, or at least thought twice before launching into the air with her.
But she could only thank whatever stimulant he'd taken; it had clearly stolen his reason.

Not that it mattered now.

Emily finally called to her blood—all of it.
Every drop she had scattered throughout the city: in alleyways, on rooftops, suspended mid-air.

She pulled it in at once.

From the streets below, shades of red surged upward, catching the glow of city lights as blood tore itself free from gutters and stone.
It swerved around people, never touching them, but the sheer volume was undeniable.

It gathered beneath them at blinding speed, but not fast enough to save her from Hermes at this range.

So she gave the Chieftain a gentle 'push'.

In that moment, he weighed less than a feather, and the small traces of her blood within his body were enough.
He froze in midair. All momentum vanished. His expression twisted into stunned confusion.

"Like I said," she murmured, "'dead and forgotten.'"

Then it hit.

Blood surged up from the city he'd been tearing apart.
The volume was immense, driven by every drop she'd bled during the battle.
As it rose, the orbs she had seeded throughout the fight elongated into spears, some stretching to two meters long.

From his expression, Hermes realized his mistake and began to increase his density, but Emily couldn't allow that.

Spears slammed into his back, penetrating his armour and partway into his skin before his defense became too thick. But the blood was still coming. It swarmed over both of them like a typhoon and bathed them in warmth. Sadly for Hermes, Emily wasn't done. Blood rushed around him, turning abrasive as his body became the eye of the storm. Countless blades wrapped around the man, trying to find purchase on his hardened skin. Such was the pull that Hermes even lost hold of his weapon, and she spat it out the side of her blood field.

He could neither breathe, see, and attacks were coming from every conceivable direction. A dull green hue that Emily had missed before now glowed around his body.

Realizing his situation was bad, Hermes increased his density to try to get back to the ground. Of course, she couldn't spot him if he put everything into reaching ground, but then she didn't try.

Instead, Emily anchored herself to his orbit, using the relentless torrents of blood to trail him back down to earth.

They crash-landed in the same street as before, now mercifully empty, save for Kael, who stood watching. But Hermes found no relief. He tried leaping clear, lashing out, even running, but she had already locked onto him. Every movement he made, she mirrored and opposed; each step forward cost him dearly.

She didn't know how long he could last like this. The dull green glow around him was already beginning to fade, and he knew it. So it wasn't a surprise when Hermes got desperate.

Emily had remained within her storm to control it, and the mass of blood now filled most of the street, brushing against the buildings on either side. But all at once, it collapsed. The blood lost its shape and fell to the ground in a lifeless puddle, the weight suddenly too much for her to command.

Her body buckled under the same force. Her bones groaned, her limbs refused to rise. The buildings shuddered and collapsed inward as that pale green light spread like a pressure wave, blanketing everything nearby.

Hermes was revealed at the center of it, panting and bleeding. His armor hung from him in ribbons.

Emily could just see him from her position on the ground as he snarled like a cornered beast. More onlookers were arriving, but to her surprise, the Wandering Fangs were now at the front, with Ra and Zauren on their heels.

"You—" Hermes growled, locking eyes with her prone form.

But he never got the chance to finish.

His power pressed down on the street, but not on the nearby rooftops.

At some point, Kael had scaled one. And now he dove.

Gravity tugged at him, the same weight that had crushed Emily, pulling him down faster. But he welcomed it. As he passed over Hermes, he hurled his spear straight down.

It plummeted, drawn with impossible force, and struck clean through Hermes ' shoulder, chest, and hip.

The pressure shattered.

Hermes froze. He tried to look down, but his neck no longer obeyed. With a grunt, he collapsed face-first into the dirt, dead.

The seconds that passed were frozen as no one spoke until Zauren raised his voice.

"Chiefain Hermes is no longer able to fight. Kaelan is the winner, and may take up his right as the new Chiefain should he choose to."

Blood points: 712