Sonya got to her feet, taking a step to the right as her eyes stayed fixed on An Set. The Chairman poked his head up from behind some construction materials, looking around in confusion. Marta shifted forward, her gauntlets clenching into fists. The young man standing in front of the portal didn’t move for a heartbeat, he looked frozen, his eyes still vacant. Sonya glanced at Marta. She wondered for a moment if perhaps Hyunh had actually gone too far in what she’d done to the man’s mind, had this been a miscalculation? The Chairman slid out from behind his shelter just as the portal rippled again.
Veloce came out and all hell broke loose. At that moment, every single light in Las Vegas went dark. A rolling blackout surged across the city like a tidal wave as every instinct in Sonya’s body screamed at her that she had very assuredly miscalculated but in a far worse sense. Every hair stood on end, every fiber of her being recoiling in a terror born of raw survival instinct. Death was in front of her. The plan had been to pressure his mind and make him snap, lashing out in anger at what Hyunh had done to him. He was petulant and unstable so it should have been an obvious outcome. He shouldn’t be this powerful!
An Set’s head jerked back and he whipped his hand out to grasp at Veloce, the woman let out a shriek of pain as she darted past him, covering herself as bolts of electricity raced across her skin and she hurtled into a far wall. Meanwhile, An Set jerked and writhed where he stood, his body jolting and his head twitching backwards as if he was in the midst of convulsions. His eyes rolling back and his mouth falling open. Electricity leapt from his teeth before skittering across his skin like a thousand insects. Marta reacted before Sonya could protest, frozen as she was in the face of not a young An Set, but a reminder of what he had been like at his prime.
Marta grabbed her arm. Sonya blinked and whipped her head in her friend’s direction. “Marta, no! He’s-”
With a sudden whipping motion Sonya felt numerous g’s of force act on her body as Marta literally threw her at the portal. An Set’s eyes came into focus as she hurtled past him, she met his gaze, wild eyed, feral, and glowing with the yellow wrath of The Great Eel fully realized. This was more than a temper tantrum, it was like the ability itself had taken the reins. He cracked his mouth with a smile and reached for her just as she hit the portal.
–
Marta watched with relief as Sonya passed through the rippling surface of the portal. She felt a chill run over her skin when she looked back at Duong. The young man stared at the portal for several seconds as if confused about where Sonya had gone. He frowned and tilted his head before turning to look at Marta. She clenched her fists. Sonya’s reaction had spoken volumes and the darkness around them was just as telling. Something had gone very wrong that Sonya hadn’t taken into consideration.
“Son?” The Chairman called out.
Marta whipped her head in the old man’s direction, “Chairman! Stay away!” She shouted. She started to move forward but a spark jumped off the ground and sent a charge through her muscles. She grit her teeth and pushed through the pain, she had to get to the old man!
Duong looked over his shoulder at the Chairman who froze mid step, eyes wide with confusion. “My boy, what’s gotten into you, I-”
The rabid young man raised his hand and pointed it in the direction of his father, the scent of ozone filling the air, “Blind and stupid,” came a chittering croak from the back of Duong’s throat. It barely sounded human. Electricity gathered on his fingertips in a flash of light that Marta had to throw her hands up to protect her eyes from. Healing them would take seconds that she couldn’t afford to spend.
“Chairman!” Marta shouted, “Run!”
The scent of blossoms cut through the scent of ozone like a knife. Marta heard a cry and then a clap of thunder that momentarily left her ears ringing. The light faded and she looked up to see an empty spot where the Chairman had been standing. She whipped her head around and spotted a woman a short distance away, the unconscious chairman slung over her shoulder. There was a sword in her hand. Black Lotus.
“Handmaiden! What’s the situation?” She shouted as Duong slowly turned to face her.
“He’s gone berserk!” Marta shouted back, “We need to get the Chairman out of here, Miss Chernovna and Miss Feng are in the dungeon!”
The swordswoman shot the portal a glance and a frown before nodding. “Understood!” Black Lotus responded and tapped her earpiece, “Doorway!”
In an instant an archway appeared to the hero’s left that she tossed the Chairman into. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished and Black Lotus turned her full attention to Duong.
“Hero An Set, stand down!” She shouted, leveling her weapon in his direction. “This is my only warning!”
Duong glanced back and forth between the two women. Marta raised her fists and took a step to the left, watching Black Lotus’ position. She’d attack as soon as the other did. Her legs tensed and she felt the power of her heroic strength build, amplified by Baldur's body. Black Lotus lowered her stance and bent her knees, the scent of blossoms filling the air again. Duong didn’t move, not for a full heartbeat before he barked out a laugh and the two exploded into motion. Marta drove her fist forward at his head while Black Lotus brought her weapon in a low uppercut towards his legs and knees.
CLANK!
Metal gauntlets and sword collided with impenetrable flesh. Eyes glowing with blue-yellow light flickered in Marta’s vision for a moment before her world became a thunderstorm of pain, electricity roasting her from the inside out before she was flung bodily through the air, colliding with a wall and passing through it. Another body hit the ground next to her as her flesh immediately began working to restore itself, the pain fading almost as rapidly as it came. She coughed and forced herself to her feet as the flesh of her face knitted back over her teeth, restoring lips that had been blown clean off.
Next to her, Black Lotus got to her feet as well her eyes narrowed at the glowing form of Duong as he stepped through the hole he’d made with their bodies. Lightning arced off of him in spurts while his head swayed left and right to an imaginary jaunty tune. He was humming.
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Marta clenched her fists again and glanced at Black Lotus who brought her finger up to her ear before cursing in her native tongue, she pulled an earpiece out of her ear and tossed it to the ground. “They’ll come,” Black Lotus spat, “Can you hold out?” She asked.
“He can’t keep me dead, if that’s what you’re asking,” Marta groused.
“Good enough,” The swordswoman acknowledged, “We need to keep him here.”
Marta entered a fighting stance, “Understood.”
–
Sonya hit the ground on the other side of the portal, skipping across the ground before rolling and scrambling to her feet. She spun around and was about to dart back through the portal before she froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Her hands fell to her sides. With only thirty seconds of uptime what good was she against a monster like that? She only hoped that reinforcements would come before Marta had to endure too much. Enough heroes should be able to bring him down, though now she was anticipating more than a few casualties.
She clicked her tongue,. Damn it. This is more than I expected. What happened?
She rounded on her feet and looked around, her eyes flicking up towards the top of the canyon walls and down at the dirt path that winded between them. She sighed, she hated this place so much. The gnolls were tiresome and wild creatures that had excellent senses. It made it an absolute pain in the ass to scout it out back in her past life. She rubbed her neck and searched the path ahead of her, her mechanical eyes focusing on details on the ground. Splotches of blood here and there but no bodies.
Her expression darkened. It looks like Hyunh is holding out, she thought, putting her focus on the situation at hand. Prioritize survival, find Hyunh and make certain she’s dealt with. I’ll be a liability on the outside so I’ll stay here as long as possible. She looked down at her fingers and flexed them, Better not get changed just yet. She thought and turned her attention towards the cliff overlooking the path and started climbing. A minute later she was looking down at the path below as she moved along in a crouch, her old skillset coming in handy.
She kept her senses focused ahead of her, listening for any sound or shift. Occasionally she heard a bark or howl from one of the gnolls somewhere in the distance.
BANG!
An explosion sounded off in the same direction of the gnolls. There you are. She thought and picked up her pace, eager to catch up with her quarry.
–
People were screaming.
Marta threw her arms up again and blocked the blow coming for Black Lotus. The electricity rippled across her body in a terrible wave that was immediately soothed by the rapid healing that followed. The swordswoman darted out from behind her, her body whipping through the air like a rocket even as her movements were as languid and graceful as a feather. She murmured something and a series of pink arcs of light ripped through the air behind her, converging on Duong as she landed and darted past him.
He snarled and threw his hand out, electricity leaping from his palms and intercepting Black Lotus’ attack as he reached to grab ahold of her. Marta sprang forward and grabbed him by the wrist, the electric charge once again racing through her body as her muscles screamed in protest. She threw her back into the throw, launching him back-first at the ground with all the force she could muster. The instant he collided with the ground his body burst into a spray of sparks and bolts, scattering and sending a secondary wave of pain through Marta’s body that almost had her doubling over.
Black Lotus raced past her, not stopping for an instant as she chased him. Marta looked up to see him take two hops back and part his arms to either side of himself, lightning sprayed from his shoulders and up into the air before washing out in a wave of chain lightning that cascaded far and away from him, catching civilians who were desperately trying to get away from him. Bodies hit the ground as he whipped hand out and rings of electricity spread out from his palm, catching Black Lotus as she prepared another attack. She snarled and whipped her weapon up and down, cutting through the rings before resuming her pursuit.
Marta shook off the pain again and darted after the dueling pair. Cars exploded around them, Duong showing no interest in keeping collateral damage low. Electricity spread across the ground as if it were a perfectly natural conductor before shooting into the air and cascading out to kill anyone and anything that got close to their fight. He’s tireless! She thought, trying to figure out a way to pin him down.
Ahead of her, Duong landed on a car and raised his hands again, getting ready to release another torrent of electricity. Marta pumped her legs, moving to catch up and act as shield again when something dark hurtled through the air from Duong’s left. The mad hero barely noticed in time to step back and avoid the shadowy arrow fired from a rooftop a startling distance away. Bandit! Marta realized only to have her suspicion confirmed as a column of flame erupted from Duong’s feet that was joined by a ring of blue spheres of light around the spot, peppering down on the man from above.
A bolt of lightning darted out from the column of flame and landed nearby, reforming into Duong who lifted his head up in a sneer as Firestorm and Bluestar landed next to Black Lotus.
“What are you two doing here?” Black Lotus shouted.
“Our jobs!” Firestorm shouted back, “We brought friends!”
On cue, archways rose up from the ground throughout the decimated street. Lifesaver and Vytal stepped out of one near the back, ready to provide healing at a moments notice. Pathfinder appeared at mid range, drawing a rifle from his coat and pointing it at Duong. Then more started to come through, heroes that Marta didn’t recognize but assumed where members of the guilds located here in Nevada. Two dozen people in costume, their powers at the ready, came out to face An Set.
An set stood up straighter as his eyes swept over the crowd of heroes. Each and every one of them ready to fight to stop him. He bore his teeth, electricity racing up his face and through his hair. He threw his head back and laughed. Above them, the clouds darkened, thunder rumbled, and a bolt of lightning shaped like an eel began to course through the murky blackness.
It’s terrible roar set off the next round of the fight.
Marta kicked off the ground and hurled herself at Duong, fist reared back. She punched straight through the jittering clone of electricity he left behind and rolled across the ground, catching herself and getting to her feet. Flames, bolts of energy, arrows, concussive waves of wind, bullets, rays of starry matter, attacks of all kinds came from every direction as Duong darted from spot to spot, trying to reach the heroes with weaker defenses. Every time he landed, though, Black Lotus was right there swinging her sword with a wash of pink illusory petals floating around her.
Duong whirled, trying again and again to deliver a direct attack on Black Lotus while she danced around him, keeping him focused on her while the others rained their attacks on him. Marta dove in once more, her entire mind focused on keeping him contained as long as possible only for the madman to let loose a roar that sent everyone stumbling back. Marta landed next to Black Lotus.
“Plan?” She asked, panting.
“Hold him here as long as possible,” Black Lotus said, “Sapporo will be ready soon.”
–
Sonya stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down and watching as Hyunh fought off the gnolls that had surrounded her. Amethyst bolts of energy erupted endlessly from her fingertips as she whirled and danced in place, desperate to keep them at bay.
Found you.