When Del landed a full-force punch into Raph’s kidneys, everything went wrong.
Her Skills only had seconds left before they ran out. And while more charges built up as they fought, she couldn’t afford to wait and layer all of them at once again.
When they ran out, she was in deep shit.
So, as Raph was busy fighting Noodle and Buford, Del took two steps forward and drove her fist in with all her strength.
And Raph expected it.
Turquoise light lit up his lower back, and he stepped into her punch.
Her fist impacted with enough force that her hand stung, and the shock traveled up to her shoulder.
Raph turned towards her and took a deep breath. “Whooo! That was a good hit! Wow! You really know how to keep a party going!“
Del didn’t get a chance to move as Raph blurred, his arm moving so quickly she lost track of it.
She found it again when it crashed into her nose.
She flew backward, blasted from her feet like she tried to kiss the bumper of a semi. She hit the wall hard, her vision swimming.
She choked out a breath as her lungs struggled for air.
And, of course, her Skills ran out as soon as she hit the ground.
Fuck!
There was a whistle from up ahead, and while most of her focus was on her lungs desperately trying to refill, she saw Ned guiding his water orbs around himself.
Instead of bouncing them all over the room, he kept them in a tight ring around his body.
They orbited him like a planet, and with each rotation, they grew faster and faster until they began to blur together into a solid line of blue.
Raph scratched his chin as he shook his hand out. “Not bad. That looks pretty cool.“ He glanced at Del and grinned. “God damn, girl, you’re still alive? I thought that was gonna put you down for sure. I wouldn’t put so much into that if I thought you’d shake it off.“
Despite that, the man’s grin didn’t falter.
Ned clenched his jaw and widened his stance. His black hair spun around his face, the force of his Skill stirring the air around the room.
Raph cracked his neck. “Come on, buddy, let’s see it! I bet you I can dodge all of it. Or block it. Whichever will be more impressive.“
Buford, Noodle, and Margie backed away from Raph as Ned continued to charge the Skill. If the man stood there and tried to take it, they wouldn’t get in the way.
Ned’s face turned red with strain as he raised his right hand in a fist.
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Three discs appeared, one to his left, one behind him and to the right, and one behind Raph.
Ned opened his fist, and his Skill broke free. All three orbs blasted across the room with a boom.
The first hit the panel so quickly Del only registered it as a faintly blue streak.
It impacted the panel, rebounding like a bullet. It slammed into the one behind Ned before hurtling for Raph faster than she could track.
Raph tensed and jerked, his head becoming a blur. The water orb missed him entirely.
The second clipped him on the shoulder. He staggered a step and smiled.
The third, he dodged with another burst of speed.
But the third wasn’t aimed like the first two. It careened past Raph and impacted against the panel placed behind him.
And as it did, Ned clenched his fist. The panel turned on electric yellow, and the water orb thrummed with power.
The sound caused Raph to spin, turquoise light erupting across his entire body.
Yellow bled into the orb, and it blasted for the man, leaving a crackling trail in its wake.
Raph’s spread his feet wide, his hands raised like he was playing dodgeball.
The Skill slammed home, and Raph caught it.
He slid back, his shoes dragging along the floor as the ball twisted and cracked in his hands.
The turquoise light covering him shattered, and the electricity coursing over the orb raced into him.
His hands shook and trembled, but he finally slid to a stop.
From the moment this fight started, Del felt like they were out of their league. Now? Del was beginning to question if they had any hope of leaving the mall alive.
Was this guy level 15? Del didn’t think anyone could have gotten there yet, but if this guy was on the same Threshold as them, that might make this scarier.
If he could do this now, what would a monster like him be capable of later?
Raph dropped the water orb and stretched. “Holy shit! That was awesome. Corrie was right. You guys made this fun!“ He sighed, and his permanent grin dropped.
“But I think you lot are out of tricks. I’m not cruel. I won’t drag this out pointlessly.“
Ned was swaying on his feet like he might collapse at any moment. Del only had a single charge of her Skills and was aching all over. Her lungs had only just begun to work again.
A little bit of strength or toughness wouldn’t be enough here. Del was too weak. Too helpless. Her hands balled into fists as Raph turned towards her.
He took a step, and Margie moved to block him.
He arched a brow. “Do you wanna go first, Grandma?“
Margie stretched, first one arm, then the other. Raph looked amused and didn’t make any moves to interrupt her.
“Del, dearie. Keep us going. Ned, distract him if you can. So long as you don’t hit us.“
The faint sheen of red and black running along Margie began to quicken, the colors pulsing and twisting around her right fist.
Buford and Noodle flanked her, their hackles raised and deep bubbling snarls filling the air.
Del sucked in a breath, her sweat and the stench of old popcorn filling her nose.
Was the woman crazy?
Raph smiled and raised his hands.
“Well? Let’s see it then.”
Margie raised her fists and snorted. “Imma teach you to respect your elders.”