The Cursed. People with potential for powers whose souls are corrupted by the malevolent gods. Their will is bound to their master’s will. Their powers are bound to their master’s powers. Victims of their war for power.
“I need you to find cover and hide,” Taurise orders to Amira. Another shadowy arrow zips around a different corner from behind them. Taurise’s rotates around Amira to intercept the attack, with a level of reflexes she had never witnessed. He fires off another blast of force from the palm of his hand, which again shatters the dark arrow to nothingness upon contact with a small explosion sound as the air expands around the area of impact. “Let me handle this!” He tells Amira.
“Let me help you!” Amira asks excitedly, her eyes lighting up with a juvenile fantasy. “I can use my power to-“
“No!” Taurise shouts, interrupting her. “You don’t have any training against other powers!” He shoots down another two arrows, both dropping for opposite rooftops. “I don’t even know what type of ability we’re up against yet!”
“But-“ Amira tries to plead.
“No!” Taurise cuts her off, blasting away another arrow. “You aren’t ready! If you want to help, warn the shopkeepers that there is a Cursed attack and that I need backup immediately!” He fires off a shot at another arrow. However, the arrow swerves around his attack, headed straight for Amira. He curses under his breath and jumps in front of the girl, his arms crossed in a blocking stance. “Overdriver Form 3!”
Energy bursts out from Taurise, pushing out from his body violently, forming a form of barrier out of pure force around his entire body. The arrow collides with the barrier, shattering, but not before grazing his chest right near his heart.
However, the fighting has finally started catching the attention of bystanders.
“What the hell, is there a cursed attacking?!” A man yells wide-eyed after watching the exchange. He attempts to run away but trips and falls.
“No, no this can’t be happening…” A woman falls backwards, shaking.
The market erupts in panic, with people fleeing as far away from Taurise and Amira as they can, tripping over each other in the process.
“Damn… too close…” Taurise breathes heavily, the barrier of force fading away. The attack dodged my counter and aimed for my vitals… that means its must be remote controlled rather than tracking our energy. The warrior deduces. That means he also is looking through the arrows. If I can get Amira to hide, I can chase after whoever is attacking us, Taurise smirks, now having a game plan.
Taurise shoots down a flanking arrow with the flick of his arm. “Amira. I need you to-“
“Urg! Fine! If it will shut you up!” Amira spits, running away towards the center of the market.
“Perfect,” Taurise smirks. “Now I can start looking for whoever’s attacking”, He monologues, casually dodging an arrow by stepping to the side, and firing it down at close range. Their ability lacks raw power but seems to rely more on control and efficient energy cycling. Taurise analyses, leaping from window to window up a three-story building. With how fragile they are, I’m guessing these arrows don’t put much strain on their core either. He reaches the top of the building, scanning the area around the rooftops for anyone suspicious. If this gets into a battle of attrition, they’ll eventually wear me down and land a shot.
“I have to end this quickly!” Taurise decides as an arrow appears from behind him. The warrior flips to the side, barely dodging out of the arrow’s path. Taurise raises his left hand, firing a shot of force which collides with the arrow. “Can’t seem to find this mysterious attacker though. They’re a serious coward huh?” He sighs and crosses his arms. “I guess I’ll have to use that method… Man I wish Luco was here!” Taurise focuses, closing his eyes.
He reads the energy around him, which in turn outlines the area around him. Whereas buildings and other inanimate objects show up as a faint glow in his mind, people are far brighter. Among those, two stand out. One is bright as a lightbulb after being stuck in the darkness. They are huddled with others, hiding within a cellar in the marketplace. That must be Amira. Taurise deduces. She’s practically overflowing with energy. He notes. However… Taurise focuses on the other important energy signature. I can’t get a proper read on it. But it reeks of corruption.
An arrow whizzes at him from behind, but Taurise simply sidesteps, his eyes still closed. If the arrows are being controlled remotely, I can probably track the energy connection, Taurise deduces, ducking as the arrow comes in for another pass. The arrow does a sharp 180 degree turn and goes on a beeline for Taurise’s chest. The warrior sidesteps, but at the last second, the arrow takes a sharp 90-degree turn, feet away from Taurise’s vitals.
However, Taurise rolls forward, barely dodging underneath the arrow, and expertly uses the forward momentum to roll back onto his feet. “This isn’t so hard when there isn’t a threat of collateral,” He smirks, opening his eyes. “And now I know where you’re hiding!” He extends his hand. “Overdriver Form 2!” He fires a bolt of force, blowing the pesky arrow away.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Well, that was a hassle,” Taurise cracks his neck. “I hate using Spectral Sight…” He groans, running in the direction he tracked the villain. “I can barely focus my energy past basic energy to begin with…” He crouches, poising for a leap. “But I don’t have time to sit around! Time to finally nab this bastard!” Taurise smirks. “Overdriver form 1!” Power surges through Taurise’s body, and he leaps from one building to another, closing in on his target with each leap.
__________________________________________________
Amira pushed a shelf against the shop door, helping the shopkeeper barricade the door. Why am I hiding like a rat?! She clenches her fists. I can fight just as well as he can! Amira pushes her bangs to the side. Just because he took out a few measly thugs he thinks he can just order me around! Amira takes a seat on the floor, pulling her legs in close. Why did I even listen to him in the first place? Amira sighs, thinking back to their earlier conversations. He seems nice enough at least. I guess I can leech off him for a few days. She decides, making her decision. Better than going hungry, I guess.
“Is there really a cursed out there?” One man wonders, looking up at the ceiling.
“That man was definitely was a member of the Order! They gotta!” A woman yells, holding her child. “They only fight the cursed right?!”
“Do you think that will be enough?” One of the shoppers asked, biting their lip. “If there really is a cursed out there, can we even hope to hold out against such a force?”
“I do have a shotgun under the counter,” The shopkeeper mentions. “But I don’t know how much time it will buy us…” He runs his hand through his hair.
“Whatever happens, it won’t be a problem!” Amira declares, much to the confusion of those around her.
“Are you out of your mind?!” The shopkeeper yells at her. “We’ll be killed if they do!”
“Hmp!” Amira smirks. “You might be scared and defenseless. But I’m not!” Amira raises her right arm and channels electricity through it before allowing the power to dissipate into the air.
“Do you really think you could handle a cursed?” The shopkeeper asks, intrigued. He’s older, maybe mid to late 50’s, with a short grey beard and his long hair tied back in a ponytail. His skin is the same shade as Amira’s. “You barely look like you’re 15!”
“It’ll be no problem!” Amira declares.
“Y-you’re insane!” A woman yells, backing up into the corner of the shop, clutching her child closely. “They’re probably after you freaks in the first place!” She points at Amira.
“We’ve never been attacked before…” One of the shoppers, a young man, adds. “That power is probably why they attacked in the first place!” He asserts.
“Now calm it down son!” The shopkeeper tries to reason. “They are messed up folk! They could be here for any-“
“There hasn’t been an attack by the cursed since the war began, and suddenly they happen to attack the market where TWO people with power are!” The young man cuts him off. “That isn’t just coincidence!”
“Well-“ The shopkeeper tries to reason; however, the damage has been done, and the seeds of doubt, sowed.
“So, all we have to do is throw her out and we’re safe right?” Another shopper adds, tipping her head from side to side.
The shoppers nod their heads silently in agreement. “Sorry about this girlie,” A laborer apologizes as the crowd walks forward, surrounding Amira.
Amira’s eyes widen and she clenches her teeth, backing up away from the crowd. “Wait what are you-“ Amira bumps into the barricade in front of the door. The men and women in the shop continue walking towards her, forming a semicircle around her.
“Get her out of here!” an older man yells, shaking his fist violently. “We don’ need no troublemakers here!” He declares.
“I can’t let you endanger my child!” The woman spits.
The crowd gets closer and closer, trapping her within the semi-circle. Do I attack them? But then- Amira’s breathing quickens, and her vision becomes hazy.
“It’s all your fault!”
Amira does not know who said it, nor can she tell the differences between the voices, blaming her for their predicament.
______________________________________________
“It’s all your fault!” A faceless nun screams at her, a three-story building burning in front of them. “If you were never born everyone else’s life would be so much easier! None of this would have happened!”
“I… I didn’t mean it! I swear!”
“You’re a demon! A cursed! I hope the Order slaughters you like the demon you are!”
______________________________________________
“Everyone calms down!” The new voice brings Amira back to reality. and brings her back to the present. A woman steps through the mob, and in front of Amira, her arms raised outwards, shielding the teenage girl. Her dark hair and voice are familiar to Amira.
“Iie…” Amira slumps back against the makeshift barrier. Why is she helping me?
“What are you doing?” The young man sneers. “All we need to do is get rid of her and we’ll be safe!”
“You don’t know that!” Iie argues, holding her ground against the agitated crowd.. “All I know is this girl risked her neck to get my money back from a group of thieves! That she risked her neck for me!”
But that’s a lie… Amira bites her lip. I’m no good. I’m. I’m just as bad as those thieves… She holds back tears.
“And right now, her friend is taking on the cursed to protect us!” Iie continues, despite the crowd’s piercing glares. “So just leave this poor girl alone!” She yells.
“Get out of our way!” The young man who instigates growls, stepping forward and getting in Iie’s face. “I’m not afraid of getting rough with a lady if it means being safe from the cursed!” He raises his fist. “I’ll give you to three!” Iie does not budge, tensing up. “One! Two! –“
“That’s ENOUGH!” The shopkeeper bellows, pumping his shotgun. “I won’t have you hurting anyone in my shop!” He glares at the instigating young man, shotgun in hand but not pointed at him. “The girl stays. If you don’t wanna be around her, I can show you out!” He glares, putting emphasis on the last part of his declaration.
“Tch!” The young man backs off and sits in the back, and the rest of the crowd dissipates away.
“Are you okay?” Iie turns around, kneeling to eye level with Amira. “You looked pretty shaken,” Iie attempts to meet Amira’s eyes, but the teenage girl avoids her soft eyes.
“I’m fine…” Amira lies with a sigh. “I’m just tired,” She gets up, walking back to the spot she sat in earlier near the corner of the shop.
“Hey girlie,” The shopkeeper stops Amira, putting a hand on her shoulder. “If anyone gives you trouble, just holler,” He smiles warmly. “But you seem tough enough to handle whatever they throw your way!” He encourages.
“Oh, thanks,” Amira smiles a little, looking up from the ground. “I appreciate it!”