The two men stood a meter apart, facing each other. With fierce expressions, they regarded each other in a tense silence. One was much bulkier than the other, standing at over 6’5. He had a barrel chest and arms that looked like they could crack a watermelon in half. His opponent, on the other hand, was much leaner. His bare arms boasted almost no visible fat, but every muscle was packed with power. Although he was much smaller at first glance, something about him screamed danger. There was a lethal glint in his eyes that told me that he was no stranger to the more gritty side of the streets. Over his chest, embroidered into the black tee shirt he was wearing, was a golden crest. The big man also sported a crest, but I could tell that it was a different one.
Behind the men were rows of thugs, each armed with various makeshift weapons. They all glared at the opposite side, their bloodthirst so potent it poisoned the air.
“Last chance, Edgar. Surrender now and save yourself a world of pain,” the small one said, his tone dripping with arrogance.
The big one laughed, the deep rumbling sound echoing around the empty parking lot. “You took the words right out of my mouth. I don’t know how you suddenly built up the courage to challenge us, but whatever it is that you’re basing your confidence on will not be enough. The Crowned Tigers have ruled this corner of the city long before you were born, and we will continue to long after you die.”
The small one smirked at Edgar’s words. “We’ll see about that. Men, let’s show these pampered princes some real pain!” With a rallying cry, both sides charged at each other, starving animals let out of their cages.
A thundering crash sounded out as the men met, the ringing of metal against metal cutting through the screams of the injured. Steel pipes and crowbars rose and fell as the men battled ferociously. But the most interesting spot in the chaotic battlefield was easily the center. The small man and Edgar had been the first to clash, and so far, they were locked in a stalemate. Although Edgar clearly had the advantage when it came to raw power, the small man was a tricky fighter. He used his speed very well, always managing to dodge Edgar’s blows by mere inches. And with every blow that he dodged, he managed to land at least two on Edgar. Unfortunately for him, Edgar’s defense was as impressive as his offense. Despite the countless blows that he was tanking, Edgar hardly seemed fazed. At least, that was until the small man finally revealed his hidden ace.
The small man had patiently waited until he was perfectly positioned in front of Edgar’s face, with Edgar’s arms too far to block. With the perfect hole in Edgar’s defense, the small man released a single punch that, at first glance, seemed no different than the rest. However, the power contained within the punch was enough for Edgar to realize that he couldn’t afford to take the blow head-on. Throwing his head to the side in a last-ditch attempt to dodge, Edgar managed to mitigate some of the power behind the punch. Instead of it landing right on his nose, the fist caught the side of Edgar’s jaw. Despite his efforts, the force of the punch still sent Edgar skidding a meter back. Through sheer willpower, Edgar managed to stay on his feet, but anyone could tell that the blow had done its damage. A small trickle of blood leaked out the side of his lips and down his chin.
The small man grinned as he held up his smoking hand. “Like I said, Edgar. The Crowned Tigers fall tonight.”
“Flux, huh? I didn’t think you were talented enough, Leo. But if you think a little Flux is going to help you win, you’re sorely mistaken,” Edgar said as he rubbed the side of his jaw. But despite his confident words, the worry could be seen in Edgar’s eyes. And I didn’t blame him. Fighting against a Flux mage was nigh impossible for someone who couldn’t use it. Even if they had much more power physically; Flux was just that potent. Even a brand-new user, whose Flux veins would be needle-thin, would still receive a massive power-up in their overall strength.
Leo wasn’t planning on taking it easy, though, even now. He was smart enough to know that even with his Flux, he was better off not getting overconfident. He immediately rushed Edgar, raining blow after blow on him.
Now that Leo had revealed his hidden ace, I was ready to make my appearance. Ren and I had been observing the battle from the rooftop of the strip mall that lined the edge of the parking lot. It had taken us all day, visiting at least a dozen run-down bars and pubs - and some other, less tasteful places - before we had finally heard promising news. The Crowned Tigers and the Street Lions, two third-rate gangs, were waging a week-long turf war that was rumoured to reach its conclusion today. It had taken some more persuasive – and slightly threatening – questioning before the location of the battle was given up. The poor man Ren and I questioned had directed us to this parking lot, where we had found the scene before us.
Casting a grin over to Ren, I got up from my crouch and stood at the edge of the roof, overlooking the brawling men.
“HEY!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. The sound cut through the cacophony of the battle, bringing the men out of their craze. Immediately, I felt the furious gazes of around a hundred men, including Leo and Edgar’s, on me. Instead of the fear that they expected me to feel, though, my grin only widened. “Alright, listen up boys,” I said after I had the attention of everyone on the field. “I heard that your two gangs have been fighting over this cozy little corner of the city. Well, I’m here to announce that your little argument is irrelevant from now on, as the territory of both your gangs is now under Rosefire.”
Looks of confusion spread amongst the gathered men as they searched their memory for any mention of Rosefire. Understandably, their first assumption was that I was a delegation from a bigger gang that had decided to take their territory. After all, such occurrences were common, and no one would think that someone with absolutely no backing would dare to speak to them like that.
However, when all of them came up empty with information in regards to Rosefire, Leo finally stepped forward. “If I may ask Miss, what exactly is Rosefire?” He asked in an uncharacteristically respectful tone.
Hearing his tone, I let out a hearty laugh, knowing what was to come. “What is Rosefire, you ask? Rosefire is an organization that is going to change the world. But right now? It’s an unrated gang with two members,” I answered.
A long moment of silence followed my declaration as the men processed what I said.
The moment they fully realized what I had said, however, each of them broke out in laughter. Even Leo and Edgar joined, the relief of realizing that I had no backing washing over them.
I watched them laugh for a second before leaping into action. I fell off the roof, landing gracefully on a foot. Seeing me move, the laughter quickly stopped, but before any of the men could react, I was already moving. Racing past the men, I arrived in front of Leo before he even registered that I had moved. By the time he had caught up, my fist was already sunk into his gut, the breath rushing out of him as he curled up, grimacing against the pain. Only then did the rest of the men turn towards me, finally realizing what had just happened. In their eyes, the speed I had just used was simply inhuman. For people who didn’t have the advanced senses of a Flux mage, they simply couldn’t keep up with my speed, even though I really wasn’t very proficient as a mage.
Only Leo, as a novice Flux mage, was able to see me coming before I hit him, although he still wasn’t fast enough to react.
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With Leo out of action for the moment, I immediately dashed towards Edgar. When Edgar saw me move, he instantly knew I was coming for him, and he crossed his arms out in front of him. Seeing that, I opted against meeting his defence head-on and planted one foot in front of me. The moment my foot touched the ground, I threw my other leg around behind me. The move swiftly converted my momentum into a spin that landed me on Edgar’s side. My leg, still extended horizontally, completed the rotation and crashed into Edgar’s back. The force of my Flux-reinforced foot threw Edgar forward, sending him sprawling onto the pavement.
A smug smile spread on my face as I watched the realization dawn on the men that I had already taken down their leaders within seconds of my arrival. Although neither of the two were out for good, the speed with which I had knocked them to the ground was enough to inspire fear.
“Do you still have a problem with being under my leadership now?” I asked the gathered men.
“She might be a Flux user, but there’s just one of her. Let’s get her boys!” Shouted a man in the midst of the crowd. Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, none of the men were convinced yet.
With another rallying cry, all of the men charged at me, their weapons waving madly in the air. I sighed, but I knew I had to teach them properly before they would be willing to become my subordinates. I cracked my knuckles as the adrenaline began to flow through me, my grin as wide as can be at the thought of the impending battle.
Not wanting to get surrounded, I quickly dashed toward the closest person to me. Ducking under his clumsy roundhouse punch, I sunk my knee deep into his stomach, wrenching out a cry of pain. One down, ninety-nine to go, I thought to myself as I rushed toward the next person.
The majority of the men were thugs off the street, so while they looked intimidating, their only real fighting experience came from drunken brawls and street fights. Which meant they were graceless and uncoordinated, throwing random kicks and punches with openings a toddler could see through. Only a handful of them seemed to have been through some serious fights, but it was still glaringly obvious that they’d never had any real training. With my heightened senses and strength coupled with all the experience I had, the men stood practically no chance at all, despite their overwhelming numbers. This was what Flux had allowed humans to do, ever since its introduction to humanity over a hundred years ago. Before Flux, even the best fighters in the world would lose miserably if they had to fight more than five trained fighters. But now, it was different. Humans now had practically no upper limit to the strength that they could reach.
Almost five minutes after it began, the battle was already over. All except two of the men lay crumpled on the ground, most groaning in pain. Although they were all out of the fight, I made sure that there were no broken bones or fatal injuries among them. After all, it wouldn’t make much sense to instill hatred in the people I planned on making my subordinates.
Leo and Edgar were back up now, but they were clearly wary of me now. Neither of them made a move to attack me, their gazes fixed on me, warily watching for any movement or warning of attack. I simply returned their stares, giving them a small smile to keep them on their toes.
“Now, are you ready to surrender to Rosefire yet?” I asked them.
Leo and Edgar shared a look, coming to an understanding. Finally, Leo took a step forward. “What would joining Rosefire mean, exactly?”
I grinned at his question. Finally, they were listening. “Well, like I said, Rosefire is gonna change the world. It might just be two people right now, but mark my words, one day we will stand atop the world, with strength that no one will dare to question.” I paused for a second, making sure that they knew I wasn’t joking. “But for now, I plan to make you lot the best fighting force this city has seen.”
By now, the thugs had begun to awaken, grumbling in annoyance at the remnants of pain they still felt. My last statement had been addressed to all of them, and the bold claim made them perk up.
“Of course, if you really don’t want to join, I won’t force you. Rosefire has no need for cowards or the ambitionless. But if you choose to remain, Ren and I will personally oversee your training. By the time we’re done with you, you will all be fully-fledged Flux mages with the collective power to bring this city to its knees. However, we will not take it easy on any of you. You’ve all lived a life that allows no space for weakness, and Rosefire is not here to save you from that life. Rosefire is not a shelter for you. We all start with weakness, but if you are content to let it control you, this is no place for you. But if you are willing to put in the work to conquer your weakness, then I will personally guarantee that I will take you further than any of you have ever dared to dream. That is my promise to you. Now, make your choice. Leave now and the world will forget you ever existed. Stay and make a mark that will leave the world no choice but to remember.”
With my pitch over, I sucked in a deep breath and waited in silence as I watched each and every man think over my words. Although I kept up my confident smile, I was incredibly anxious inside. I knew most of the men would likely leave, but I desperately hoped that at least some of them would stay.
After a long moment, a man who looked to be about fifty finally stood up. “I don’t doubt your words, little girl. But I’m simply not made for the things you speak of. I do not wish for the world to remember me, nor for strength to make others bow. As you said, I am of the ambitionless. I wish for the best of luck in your future endeavors.”
Then, the man turned to Edgar, his gang Leader, and gave him a respectful nod. Edgar wordlessly returned his nod, symbolically giving him permission to leave.
The moment that man left, another stood up and spoke. “Pah! I don’t know why you’re all actually considering this naive child’s words. She clearly doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Just because she’s a little stronger than the rest of us, she thinks she can go rule the world. She’s an idiot, and if any of you are actually thinking of following her, then so are you. You’re dooming yourselves to a dreamer's death: penniless and with no real achievements to their name.” With that, the man angrily turned away and stormed out of the parking lot, disappearing into the darkness of the night.
A murmur of assent rippled through the crowd after he finished, people nodding as the fervour my words had created finally vanished, clearing up their minds. Five more men stood up, angrily muttering as they also stalked off.
I was itching to say something, but I held myself back. I had said my piece already. It was for the best to let them make their own decisions without interfering anymore.
Seeing their comrades leaving, more and more men snapped out of their daze, the pessimism that the world had drilled into them squashing their daydreams of rising to power. I could do nothing but watch as the men got up and dejectedly left, shaking my head at their tragic inability to follow what they truly wanted.
Thankfully, Leo and Edgar both seemed to be content to stay for the moment.
Finally, after a gut-wrenching five minutes, only thirty-some men remained. I watched and waited for another minute, but not a single other person left. The silence was soon broken by Leo and Edgar, who finally made their move.
The two wordlessly made their way past all their men, stopping right in front of me. I stood my ground as I watched the two of them, wondering what their next move would be.
Their next move caught me entirely by surprise. The pair suddenly took a knee, their fists held in front of their hearts.
“I, Leo Whiteworth, pledge my allegiance to Rosefire.”
“I, Edgar Rake, pledge my allegiance to Rosefire.”
Shock rendered me speechless for a moment. I stared dumbly at the pair of them, with no idea what to say.
Before I could gather my wits, the rest of the thirty some men also took a knee, copying the pose of their old leaders.
“We pledge allegiance to Rosefire!”
The men loudly declared, their voices finally bringing me out of my daze. A warm smile spread over my face as I regarded the first group of people to join me.
“Not a single one of you will regret this decision, of that I promise on my life,” I declared, emotion slightly shaking my voice. “Tonight is a night that will be recorded in the annals of history, to be remembered for eons to come as the night the greatest organization first formed.”