-- James --

The steps were long and felt longer with my back on fire, and my side dripping. Every step pulled on a torn muscle or stretched the wound. I found myself hunching as I hobbled up the steps. We had only made it halfway up the steps, everyone keeping pace with my hobble. We had only made it halfway up the steps, everyone keeping pace with me.

"James, your bleeding pretty bad," Violet said concerned.

I turned to her wondering if there was anything she could do, even without energy, "Can you do anything?"

Violet looked at the wound then down at her cuffs, before shaking her head, "If we can get to our stuff. I have some healing salve."

"Bay can you do anything?" I turned to Bay seeing she was the only one free. Maybe she had some emergency healing she could use.

Shaking her head Bay answered, "I'm more likely to free your insides than heal you right now. I need better control of this level of power.

"One sec." Violet seemed to have an idea as she ran down the stairs to check the guard's pockets.

She was just finishing when I asked, "Find anything?

I heard the sound of tearing cloth coming from the room when she answered, "No. They didn't have anything on them. I thought they might have an emergency salve or potion, but nothing.

"We need to move," Rowan said impatiently. The cuffs must be getting to him, he didn't react well last time either.

"Alright, let's go, Violet," I yelled down.

She stomped up the stairs and said shortly, "James, if you fall unconscious we won't be able to escape while carrying you. So." She pulled my shirt up and shoved the torn cloth into the wound.

"Ahhh!"

She grabbed my hand and pushed it over the cloth bundle, "Keep pressure on that till we can get out."

That was rough but I held my hand on the bundle of cloth and headed up to the door. We were just reaching the door when I could already feel wetness coming through.

Rowan, turned to us, "Doors locked."

"Bay?" Violet asked as we all stepped out of the what.

"I'll see what I can do." Bay stepped up to the door running her hand over it, "Let's see a metal door, explosion? No that would hurt us, so no kinetic force." Bay began to talk to herself, and her mumbling was not comforting, "Oh! I know." Bay put her hand on the door and closed her eyes, "Air, penetrate, oxidize. RUST!" I could feel a vortex of air pass by use and flow into the door, where it visibly began to age before our eyes. It felt like it took forever as we just stood there and watched the door rust, but it was only thirty seconds or so before she had to so, and take a breath.

"Did it work?" I asked.

"Looks like it," Rowan said readying himself to ram the door.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Wait, I need a moment. We don't know what's behind there." Bay said trying to catch her breath.

I put my hand on Rowan's shoulder, he looked reluctant, but after one look at Bay, he nodded.

It wasn't long before Bay announced, "Ready."

Rowan didn't even wait as he rammed his shoulder into the door making it fly off into the crowd of people waiting for us. That door was probably the only thing that saved us, as the door flew forcing the people to dodge, it gave Bay time to duck down behind the stairs, and yell "Shackles Up!"

The three of us line up just in time to catch the first of the spells hit the restraints absorbing the fireball. I still felt the heat so my hands were burned but almost all the power was absorbed.

"Ahhh!" Rowan let out a scream. I couldn't even look over as we all let out sporadic yells from every hit. The casters were smart staggering their spells letting them continuously hit us will something. We did the only thing we could do was hold our cuffs up and hope they run out of mana or let up for just a second. They never did, it wasn't until I heard three clicks that things changed. I dived into Rowan and Violet taking the spells aimed at them in the back. As we slid slightly down the stairs, I heard a clunk.

"What the rot James?" Violet demanded

"Cuffs shorted."

"Oh,"

"Bay!" I yelled. She had been staying back below us the entire bombardment. I knew she wasn't just recovering she was preparing, and it had to have been something big if she hadn't released it yet. Now was the time.

Bay Spoke, "Reality. Encapsulate. Shatter. End. Realities End!"

Then I heard the sound of broken glass and screams of pain before I felt my body yanked back up the stairs with the others.

I found myself disoriented as a pile of bodies was under me. I felt the soft pile of bodies under me, trying to get myself back up when I felt two small hands grab my sides, and I felt my body locked in place as I began to burn from the inside out.

I would have screamed if I could, I felt every cell in my body burn, then the fire began to isolate around my back, and side. Until the burning began to dissipate, and my body could move. I took deep breathes feeling violet. I grabbed one of the hands and looked down to see Violet giving a big smile. "You're healed." Seeing me not moving she shoved me, "Get off me! We are still trying to escape."

I looked around and the guards who weren't in pieces, rot Bay what was that spell? Those who weren't in pieces or dead were getting up. There were only five guards left. Numbers were now in our favor. I was about to charge one who was standing when Rowan began to appear behind each one of the guards stabbing them in the head. He killed two before he found the knife rebuffed by one of the guard's energy fields.

He must have been able to circulate, seeing this I pulled the sword and swung it at the man, drawing a deep gash across his chest. I was able to go through his energy field but I couldn't go too deep. Rowan seeing this struck again this time ending. Behind me, I heard a loud smashing sound, that when I looked saw Violet had increased her muscle mass and slammed it into one of the guards. His chest was caved in and he was dead.

There was only one guy left and he ran. Rowan was about to run after him when I stopped him.

Rowan glared at me, "He'll raise the alarm."

"It's already raised. We need to get out of here before more people show up."

Rowan looked around seeing the gore all around he flinched.

"Can everyone move?" I saw Violet, and Rowan nodding but didn't see Bay. "Bay?"

We heard a soft barely audible word from across the room, "Over here."

Looking over we saw Bay, laying there with a couple bones protruding from her skin. The spell must have hit her the worst. Violet ran over, "This is going to hurt."

"No, FUCKKKKK!!" Bay didn't finish before Violet began working drawing a loud scream.

Rowan turned to me, "Where is our stuff?"

"I can feel it in a room over there." I pointed to a door to the side.

Rowan looked at me blankly like I had said something crazy, "Feel?"

"It's a blank thing. I can always feel which direction it's in if it's not too far away."

"Whatever, let's grab our shit while Violets working on Bay."

We went into the other room and found a chest with all our stuff before we left the room, "Rowan, are you ok?" He was being a lot shorter than I've ever seen.

"No, James. This whole thing has brought back some bad memories. Let's get out of here then I can deal." He said leaving the room bringing everyone their equipment.

Bay was starting to stand, and I realized we were in a massive home kitchen for the first time. We were in someone's house. I shook myself and we headed out, towards the inn. We needed to get out of here before we are detained again.