And with a shudder, the world crashed down.

Life wasn't perfect, but it was better than prison. I slept without worrying about getting shanked and the food was so much better than Soy Rations. Keith took to the job like he was made for it, and Hector loved him.

Emma was… well, as disgruntled and moody as usual, but with the addition of a private shower, and all the food she could eat, she was certainly as content as she was capable of being.

Two days after we had gotten our communal living space, we were working a busy Tuesday night. Emma had come to help me out front.

The rain seven levels up was seeping down, ice cold water making its way to our level gradually and many denizens had decided to take refuge in Hector's small store.

"Three orders up!" I called, sticking the ticket into the window as Emma handed me a tray of five more bowls, each steaming a trail of hot vapors as I stepped to a table, keeping my senses closed as I did so. With the place this busy i didn't want to get distracted

With fluid movements I side stepped a child as he ran by me to the bathrooms, setting the bowls down at the table.

Setting the five bowls down at the table, I smiled at one of the customers and nodded as they thanked me.

I could see the crowd thinning out steadily as we put orders through, across the dining room, Emma set down two more bowls and was heading back to the kitchen.

I began cleaning up several tables, stacking a good dozen or so bowls into my hands, feeling them wobble as I headed towards the kitchen so I could get them clean.

Scrubbing them quickly, I set them aside and headed back out front to find the room mostly empty by now, seven or eight dirty tables. And signs of the customers leaving early.

Icepick stood in the entryway, along with another escaped convict, Fredric.

Icepick looked like your typical gangster type. A rough, scarred face, shaved head, and an everlasting look of disrespect for anyone around him. The heavy jacket concealed most of his features.

Fredric looked like the cheap muscle he was.

Three armed men I didn't recognize were with them, each holding crude weapons, one a knife, one a Metal bat, and one held a machete.

It wasn't great odds, Icepick could create ice, as long as he had water, and Fredric was a Vanguard, which made him extremely dangerous.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see your punk ass, Sam" icepick sneered. "You wanna do this here? Or the streets?" He asked smugly, a spear of ice rising from the ground and into his hand.

"Hector, stay here, and stay safe" Keith told the older man, as he stepped from the kitchen, Emma stepped along with him with her predator's smile.

It was my crew versus theirs.

They didn't seem surprised that they were here with me, which wasn't a great sign. I was hoping he'd assumed I'd be alone. His aura was a mix of malice and pride.

"Fine, let's take this-" I was cut off as the spear of ice lanced towards me, but I was moving before he had even twitched, his aura giving away the attack. the spear slamming into the wall behind me "-outside" I finished. My body relaxed as my fighting instincts clicked in.

Keith charged Fredric, the table that was in his way was turned to splinters as he hit the vanguard. A mighty punch from Keith rocked frederic and sent him spinning, despite the fact he had blocked the blow. The armed thugs dodging out of the way as frederic was sent sailing out the door, shattering the wood and glass door.

In the light, I noticed Keith's dark skin turning a shade of murky grey, but filed this away for later.

Me and Emma charged forward, icepick slid back out the door to put distance between him and Keith, who was stomping out the building towards Fredric.

Keith wouldn't last long against the two of them working to bring him down, we had to get out there.

That left the three armed thugs in our way.

"Emma! Get on Icepick!" I ordered, trusting her as I grabbed the wrist of the bat wielding thug, letting the small woman slip by.

Her aura was pulsing with bloodlust and excitement.

I opened my senses fully, the three of them were filled with anxiety, worry, anger.

They knew we were paragons, and they weren't.

With a twist of my hand, I placed a hand on one's shoulder and rotated my hips, a simple move that sent him crashing to the ground, his head impacting hard on the wood of the floor, i lifted a foot to stomp on his head.

A flash of intent spiked in the aura of the knife man, a heart beat later he swung the knife where I had been, instead of where I was, but i hadnt been able to finish of the bat boy

I could see fear in machete boy's face and aura as I smashed a palm into his face and swept his leg in a smooth motion, making him trio backwards and letting me slam his head into the remains of the front door.

The man started to convulse, his body shaking as his hair started falling out rapidly.

“Goddammit” i cursed.

I felt bad for Hector, poor guy.

Another spike of aura behind me, I moved directly backwards and reached up, grabbing the man by the forearm before his knife even fell.

Using my hip, I threw him over my shoulder and dropped him onto baseball bat, then stomped a foot down onto his head.

I grabbed the mutating guy, who had started screaming, and as merciful as possible, I dropped his chin onto my knee, knocking him unconscious. At Least he wouldn't be conscious for the change.

I stomped the ground again, crushing the hand holding the baseball bat as he struggled to get his unconscious friend off him.

I walked out the door, the street was practically empty, except for the piles of spiked ice scattered throughout the road.

One of them exploded, and Keith was sent sailing through it, the vanguard dashing at super human speed after him.

Huh, that was unexpected. I didn't think fredric would be a problem for keith.

I turned to help emma with Icepick, but only made it a few steps for the wash of wild intent was made clear to me.

Looking at the gap they made, I saw Emma dodge a growing field of ice, rolling to the side and directly into another cluster of ice.

"Emma! Look out!"

She was stabbed at least seven times, from thigh to neck.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Icepick smirked, and looked back towards me "I figured that bitch would've been tougher, with how she acted" he said with sick glee as another spear of ice rose into his hand.

I gave her a glance, she was still alive, I gave icepick my entire focus.

His aura was prideful, and tinged with hatred, and i wanted so badly to crush his petty pride

I heard a crunch as Fredric's arm was shattered following a howl of pain, the noise giving me a reason to smile coldly.

"Hey, pick, you realize your a deadman right?" I asked, my tone giving away nothing but threat and danger, in the way that only cold anger can give you.

He laughed, spreading his arms wide “come and try it, asshole!” he taunted.

I stepped forward to meet him.

I could watch the intent in his aura spread, a patch of water next to me exploding as I rolled away.

"What? You think you can kill me? Good luck, asshole, you'll need a lot more than some fancy punches to do that" he spat back.

He was probably right.

I dodged another explosion of ice, then leaped over the second burst of ice he had readied. Dodging the same trap that emma had fallen for.

I rolled forward, a lance of ice sailing over my head as I grabbed a chunk of spike ice from a blossom of ice. I hefted and threw it like a knife.

I rushed forward, gaining distance as he brought up a wall of ice to protect him.

“Got you, fucker” He sneered quietly.

Unfortunately I wasn't the only one who had been in a fight before, and the entire area around me suddenly froze. Ice lanced towards me as I leapt up and back, trying to minimize the damage.

Then I felt the wind pick me up and toss me away. Clearing the ice easily.

I flipped around in the air, trying to get my bearings as I slowed and hit the pavement of my feet, the wind stopping my tumble just as easily as it had started.

"Get your friend and get to safety, I got these two" a strong voice ordered me.

With a glance, I saw Azure Gale standing beside me. She had a grim look on her face.

The smile on icepick's face was far too excited, and his aura was filled with excitement.

Something was wrong.

"It's a trap!" I yelled, pushing Gale aside as I dodged, the spike of intent warning a moment before the ground burst open.

Stone Tusk, Strongman and Earth manipulation. Wearing the usual armored Green and Gray outfit

What was a Vandal doing here?

Another spike of intent warned me about the ice a moment later and I stepped back as frozen crystals exploded in front of me.

Gale was already on the move, flying into the air with a burst of wind, the chunk of street that was thrown at her sailed off course as it was buffeted away.

"I need back up! Three villains! One wounded civilian" Gale yelled into her radio.

Then she was hit by a blast of orange energy and was sent flying through the air, luckily she caught herself before she nose dived into the ground, and she landed safely

Judging by the costume, the woman in the dark, hooded jacket with orange highlights was a Vandal too.

Was this a hero hit? Goddamnit.

I heard another howl of pain as Fredric was hurled into the building across the street and watched him slide off and hit the ground into a pile of broken bones. Keith standing up from the rubble, blood trailing a wound from his head

This was bad, Stone tusk was a High C class Strongman, and Keith was at best, a mid tier D class.

"Ah! Looks like I will have some fun at this job" tusk laughed, leaping forward and punching Keith in the chest, sending him sailing through the air, luckily he was heading toward gale, maybe he could help her.

I felt the spike of intent, and dodged, but this time I was a hair's breadth too slow and felt the sting as the lance tore into my arm. "Pay attention to me, sam! I want to enjoy this!" He laughed, three lances of ice appearing around him.

Stone tusk was taking his time, walking towards gale with a inevitable pace.

If he could sense the aura of pure bloodlust behind him, I doubted he would be laughing

Emma was awake again. That took her long enough.

The small woman's left side was filled with holes, each one pouring blood. But Instead of that blood spilling to the ground, it instead hovered in the air next to her, shimmering in the light. As it coiled and twisted in a grim dance around her.

Tendrils of blood latched onto icepick and he screamed as he was dragged towards Emma, her knife flashing as she stabbed him with it. I could see a burst of ice nearby him, but the wound to the shoulder didn't even slow her down.

I started sprinting, running past the field of ice and the screaming, helpless, icepick as he flailed in Emma's bloody embrace, stab wounds appearing on his chest each time she slammed the knife down, his own blood strengthening the symbiat,

I swear that thing had a face and was smiling just as wide as Emma was.

I ran through the field of ice, heading towards the woman, using the ice blossoms as cover as i made my way towards her.

I saw Keith standing over Azure Gale, energy blasts slamming into him as he body blocked the blasts, Gale was on one knee, using her winds to try and push stone tusk back, who was steadily approaching.

I took off my jacket, with a slight wince. It was my newest article of clothing.

I really liked the damn thing, the synth fabric was comfortable as hell.

I charged her, gripping the jacket in my hand.

"No! Stay away!" Gale warned me, but her warning gave the blaster just as much warning as me.

Once her aura changed to fear, I threw the jacket, a blast of energy ripping through it as I slid low. The blast sailed overhead.

My feet slammed into her ankle, toppling her onto the ground next to me.

A blast of energy charged in her hand, so I grabbed her wrist and redirected it harmlessly into the ground. Which created a small hole in the hardcrete, shrapnel bursting from the hole.

I didn't let her get a second shot, I grabbed her head with my other hand and started slamming it into the ground. Raising her up by her face as the back of her head cracked into the pavement.

After the sixth impact, she went limp.

I stood and checked on the other two, Gale was still holding back stone tusk, Keith was moving to intercept him.

"You two need to get out of here! I'll handle it from here! Get to safety!" She ordered, her voice didn't even quiver.

Stonetusk could likely kill all of us, me, Gale and Emma could hardly hurt him, and Keith wasn't strong enough to stop him on his own.

"Keith! Lock him down" I ordered, and he nodded.

I ran towards Stone tusk, his aura showing full of malicious glee.

If I could sense my own aura, I'm sure I would be full of fear.

Keith slammed into Stone tusk, locking arms with him and holding surprisingly well.

I almost hesitated as I felt the waves of hatred and anger coming off of Keith, and what was wrong with his ears?

Didn't matter. We had to do something

I ducked behind the huge man and grabbed his shoulder, then kicked the back of his knee.

Between me messing up his stability, and Keith's strength, Stone tusk toppled to the ground.

I ducked out of the way, and watched as the huge man hit the ground.

And sank into it.

"Goddmamit, why didn't I think of that?" i hissed

During this exchange, Gale had risen back into the air, the wind stream blowing down on us as she floated. "Get out of here!" She practically begged.

I was beginning to think that was a good idea, when the earth behind Keith exploded, and stone tusks fist slammed into his back, sending him into the third story of an apartment building.

It was definitely time to run.

I felt the intent, and dodged, but Stone tusk half glided through the earth with shocking speed, and grabbed me by the neck, lifting me like i weighed nothing at all,

"Why don't you come down here, little breeze?" Tusk asked, squeezing my neck.

I kicked and struck, trying to do anything I could to get air in my lungs

"Let him go stone tusk! It's me you want, isn't it?" She demanded.

"What? I'm just doing my civic duty, taking another escaped convict off the streets" he said, his voice a mockery of kindness.

She glanced at me, but didn't waiver. "That's my job, not yours. Now let him down" he demanded again.

My vision was going black, and I could feel my blows becoming weaker.

Then I felt the bloodlust wash over me, like a comforting blanket.

Shimmered red blood was wrapped around a knife which slammed into the strongman's neck, sinking half way in, as a gleaming green eye appeared behind him. Emma crawled up his back and grabbed him, her bloody symbiat helping strangle him.