A black blade stabbed through the man’s chest its point stopping so close to Three-sixteen’s eye that if he blinked it would cut his eyelid.
Three-sixteen was released as the blade pulled back and the man stumbled.
Blood poured from the wound in his chest as he looked around for the assailant. Three-sixteen, still gasping for breath, searched for his savior as well. Whoever it was, was invisible and completely concealed from everyone except for maybe Talent.
The boy seemed to recognize the blade and when it struck again, cutting across the raven man’s waist, Talent shuddered and ran for the flickering barrier.
Ravens pressed themselves against the barrier, pounding, shouting, and some even sending spells to crash against it. Three-sixteen was both surprised and grateful that it held even as the mysterious man lay bleeding on the floor.
Talent opened his hand, a ball of fire already forming in his palm, and thrust towards the barrier.
Ivy ran to the dying man’s side, her face a complex web of incoherent emotions. She bent down to peel back his shirt, revealing his chest. His wounds had already healed over but he didn’t appear to be breathing.
Beside Talent, shadows bent and twisted into the form of a man, grabbing the young lord’s wrist and holding it firmly. His other hand held a black blade, glistening with crimson. He looked like some kind of ghost, yet he was clearly not. “Do you have it?” He asked simply.
Talent’s eyes were wide as saucers as he shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, instead he simply looked at the man bleeding on the stage.
Three-sixteen didn’t understand what was happening. He should have been dead, yet he was alive and still standing. Ivy seemed concerned for the dying man in front of her, but Three-sixteen found himself curiously focused on the newcomer.
Who was this stranger and what was his relationship with Talent? Why did he kill the raven man?
Grunting, the shadow figure released talent and glided towards the dead man. He pushed Ivy aside and began patting the man all over.
“It better not be in another dimension,” he grumbled.
The dead man’s eyes opened. In the same instant his sword arm slashed up, cutting the shadow man in half. Rather than fall dead, his body broke into little black wisps that faded into nothing.
An eerie laugh echoed and a man said, “So that’s why they call you the immortal Raven.” He laughed again, sounding genuinely amused, “This will be fun.”
As the shadow man appeared again on stage, this time behind the raven man, the latter dashed toward Three-sixteen, a pair of black wings unfolding from his back as his sword came up to strike.
If the blow landed, it would be fatal, Three-sixteen was certain, but there was nothing he could do to defend himself. Even with his enhanced speed and reflexes, he wouldn’t be able to dodge or block a blow like this.
A shadow figure collided with the raven man and the two hit the floor in a tangle of limbs and metal.
Three-sixteen seized the opportunity. He raced past Ivy and joined Talent in his attempt to break the barrier, only he had no magic. All Three-sixteen could do was bang and pound on the still flickering surface. The barrier was clearly unstable; Three-sixteen thought it just needed a little more force before it would burst. He was worried about the ravens on the other side, but he figured he’d leave those concerns for later. He focused instead on applying just enough pressure to make it give way and release them.
As Three-sixteen concentrated, he realized he could feel it like a solid object; one made of slippery fluid. Three-sixteen couldn't tell where its weakest points were, but he could feel where it was strongest.
When he put his attention to the strongest part of the barrier, Talent called out to him, then cursed as he flung more fire at the barrier and used his fist to try and punch through it.
Three-sixteen, ignored him and focused on one point, pushing hard against it. A spiderweb crack spread out from his fingertips, radiating outward across the barrier like lightning. When it reached the ends of the dome it shattered, leaving just a few large shards standing in their way. Three-sixteen took the moment of shock to sprint into the crowd, ducking under arms and forcing himself forward through a tide of bodies bent on his destruction.
Talent managed to get away without so much as a scratch, but Three-sixteen found himself wishing he were anywhere else as claws and fists struck out at him, scratching his skin and bruising his flesh. He endured for several long moments before someone grabbed his arm and pulled him through the crowd toward the exit.
He quickly recognized Ivy as she dragged him through the hall. They ran through several halls until she pulled him into a room and slammed the door. It burst open again as she tried to lock it and Talent crashed through. Not far down the hall a horde of angry ravens stampeded towards them.
Ivy pushed the door closed again, locked it and sealed it with an earth spell.
“I need to find that crystal!” Talent said as he grabbed Ivy forcefully. “You know him well, where would he keep it?”
Ivy gasped, looking offended.
Three-sixteen shrank back against the wall, but he found himself curious about what this crystal was that Talent spoke of. It seemed likely to be the same one he was supposed to find. Her crystal, although he didn’t know who she was.
Ivy pushed Talent back roaring, “I don’t have a fucking clue and if you touch me again I’ll cut off your fucking arms, got it?”
Talent scowled at her, but she held his gaze with a threatening glare until he finally turned away in a huff.
A fist banged on the door and Ivy rushed to seal it with another spell. “There’s another way out, but we’ll need to be quick and silent.” She pointed at the tablet laying out the table, adding, “Turn it on and ask for the service access.”
Talent gave her a sidelong glance, then a lopsided smile before doing as instructed. A moment later the wall slid aside, revealing a long tunnel leading into darkness.
Ivy left first followed closely by Talent who whispered to himself, “Fucking thing must’ve planned to get me killed.”
Three-sixteen wanted to ask what he was talking about, but another bang on the door drew his attention. He quickly followed after the others into the tunnel as the spells on the door crumbled.
After closing the entrance behind them, Ivy led the way. Three-sixteen fell into step behind her and Talent followed suit a few paces back. Three-sixteen was skeptical of both, but he had no other choice than to hope for a good outcome.
A distance explosion shook the walls and dirt rained down on them as the passage collapsed behind them. Three-sixteen lost his footing, but caught himself quickly, then hurried forward to keep up with Ivy as she darted ahead into the darkness.
They soon reached a wide open space with four separate passages branching off in different directions. Ivy chose one and Three-sixteen followed, but Talent ran ahead of her and blocked the path. “Where are you taking us? To my crystal?”
Ivy’s jaw clenched tight with irritation and her hands curled into fists. She tried to shove past him. Talent was bigger and his magic quite powerful; he stood firm and conjured a barrier behind himself that Ivy could not pass.
With a growling groan, she said, “I told you before didn’t I? You may be hot shit outside of this nest, but in here, you’re just fucking garbage. You have no chance of getting that crystal back, so no I’m not wasting my damn time. I’m going to the garage to hijack a Land cruiser and get the hell out of here before they tear us apart.”
Three-sixteen noted how similar Talent's expression was to Ivy's—hands balled into fists and eyes locked onto each other like a predator fixing on their prey. He could almost see little flames bursting from both their ears and if this moment stretched on for too long Three-sixteen worried they might be caught.
“No, I will not leave here without my crystal,” Talent replied simply. “And I won’t let you go any further until you tell me where to find it.”
Ivy’s nose twitched as her eyes narrowed to focus on Talent.
She spat out a string of curses, then muttered to herself, then paused when Talent stepped forward aggressively. Three-sixteen instinctively moved between them before either could attack the other. He held up his hands defensively, expecting both of them to attack him when they turned their attention.
Fortunately, no blows came. Instead both yelled, “Move!”
Three-sixteen stayed in place. “We don’t have time for this,” he began, his words directed at Talent. “These people have already overpowered you once. And I don’t think any ruling you issue will affect them.”
Talent opened his mouth to rebut, but closed it again without speaking.
Turning to Ivy, who wore a proud grin, Three-sixteen added. “If you know where it’s at, then just tell him. He can go get it himself if he wants to.”
Ivy made an irritated grunting noise, then bit her lip like a child who just had her candy taken away. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Three-sixteen and Talent in turn before saying, “The room where you met him. It’s in there. Think you can make it back?”
Three-sixteen felt uncomfortable between the two; a current of electricity passed between them, yet they made no move against each other. The whole situation left him unsettled and nervous.
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He stepped aside and stood on his own as Talent released his barrier and began sprinting in the opposite direction.
Ivy walked to the edge of the tunnel leading to the surface and a wide open night sky. Her gaze was distant like she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings at all.
Three-sixteen wanted the crystal as well, but something told him it would come to him no matter what. Letting Talent go off on his own was just an easy way to divert some of their pursuers. If he couldn’t find the crystal and lost his life in the process, so be it. It would be well deserved for one who spent his life on a gilded throne, looking down on those who served him and killing or abusing others whenever he wanted.
Talent hadn't thanked Three-sixteen for his help; he simply disappeared down the tunnel without a word or even a glance back. It was fine though, probably better that way.
Ivy wasted no time when the barrier came down. Like Talent, she offered no thanks, and if Three-sixteen hadn’t hurried after her she’d have been gone from sight within seconds. He was a bit annoyed by her haste, but he kept up fine and they soon arrived at an exit that led into an empty hallway.
There was no one around as Ivy pulled him through a long tunnel until they reached a wide open bay area where rows of Land cruisers and personal craft were parked. Ivy dragged him along at breakneck speed until they arrived at a particular craft, seemingly at random. She shoved him inside then stepped back to close the door and say, “Stay put until I get back.”
Three-sixteen considered moving away while she wasn’t looking, but something told him he shouldn't run away just yet. He wouldn’t get past the guards at the gate on his own and even if he somehow managed, he wouldn’t know where to go after that. Besides, he still didn’t have the crystal.
With nothing better to do, Three-sixteen sat back and watched Ivy climb up a ladder to a platform overlooking the landing bay. She walked up to a lever mounted to a control panel of some sort. After fidgeting with a few different levers she seemed satisfied with whatever she'd done and pulled the last lever.
A low hum vibrated through the floor beneath Three-sixteen, followed by the sound of clanging metal and grinding gears as large panels on the roof above opened and sunlight poured in.
The rumbling continued as the Land cruiser began to rise and move towards the roof exit. Ivy descended the ladder quickly, then jogged back to Three-sixteen through lines of hovering vehicles as they rose from the ground and took to the air, moving into position in rows leading upward toward the open ceiling.
By the time Ivy arrived at the craft, the vehicle was already in motion, drifting forward on some predetermined track. She slid in through the open door beside him and strapped herself in.
One by one the cruisers accelerated blasting out of the bay like bullets from a gun. Several craft flew in formation, wing tips nearly touching as they moved up through the tunnel like a swarm of insects leaving a hive. Ivy gestured with her hand and Three-sixteen braced himself for the moment of fire.
Three, two, one…
He squeezed his eyes shut, but the vehicle didn’t shoot forward. Three loud thunks shook the rear of the machine. Something exploded behind them, sending the tumbling out of line. It lurched forward from a sideways orientation and smashed into a wall before falling onto its belly then skidding forward for several dozen meters until finally coming to a stop.
Three-sixteen wobbled back and forth in his seat, clutching the straps tightly and hoping nothing else would happen.
Ivy unbuckled herself, pushed off her chair, and said, “We need to get out of here! Whoever made that shot is going to be on us in a matter of seconds!”
As she went to grab hold of him, Three-sixteen heard something like the click of a trigger being squeezed in the distance. He wasn’t certain, but he thought the shot was aimed at him. He dove forward, pushing Ivy out of the cruiser as a bullet tore through the hull, grazing Three-sixteen's shoulder and ripping a hole in his jacket.
There was a brief pause then another shot rang out. This time Three-sixteen turned sharply to avoid the bullet and lunged for Ivy on the ground beside him. He pulled her back inside the craft and pinned her beneath him as more shots rang out in rapid succession, striking the hull multiple times.
The smell of blood filled his nostrils as a searing pain burned across his back. His arms buckled beneath him as he fought against his own weight, holding Ivy down with all his strength until the last of the rounds came to an end.
A sudden silence filled the air, broken only by Three-sixteen's own ragged breathing and Ivy's rapidly beating heart. They lay still, Three-sixteen staring intently at the cracked and shattered windshield above them. When the seconds passed uneventfully, Ivy finally bucked beneath him, whispering, “They stopped. You can move.”
She was right, but Three-sixteen didn’t think they were out of danger yet.
“Move, unless you plan to wait for them to come and execute us—in which case, I demand you move and let me go while you wait for death on your own.”
Three-sixteen couldn’t argue with her logic. Staying put would be more dangerous than making a run for it. Three-sixteen rolled to the side, groaning as pain raced across his back with the movement.
Ivy was beside him, touching his back with her hand, but her words were lost as Three-sixteen focused on distant red glimmer, the click of the trigger and quiet red burst from the barrel that sent another bullet his way.
This time Three-sixteen grabbed Ivy by the collar and tugged her behind a thick metal support as a hail of bullets struck the ground where they had just been laying.
When the shooting stopped Ivy swore and called out, “Get the fuck down here and face me like a woman!”
“As you wish.” A woman answered as she stepped out of a dark cloud beside them. “But honestly Ivy, I thought you were smarter than this.”
Ivy ducked beneath the red gun as another round exploded from the barrel.
Three-sixteen jumped back from the woman, recognizing her immediately as the woman responsible for bringing him here.
“You shouldn’t oppose the king Ivy, it’s not smart.”
The woman fired another round, but this time Ivy blocked it with a magic shield that materialized just in front of her face.
“We all do as we please. You chose to be a whore and I chose to—”
A hail of bullets pelted the shield. Ivy conjured another as the first broke, this time moving closer to her assailant. The woman dropped her gun, although it dissolved into nothing before it hit the floor. As Ivy struck with her shield, the woman deflected with a conjured blade, spinning around to strike at Ivy in the same motion.
Ivy blocked it with her own sword, growling and bearing her teeth as she struggled to overpower her opponent.
Three-sixteen had no weapon, but he thought he might be able to… “Drop your weapons.” He commanded without considering if it would work or not.
Both women immediately complied and their swords clattered on the floor.
Ivy frowned, her eyes widening with alarm as she focused on Three-sixteen. The other woman snarled and spun around, her braids swinging and whipping Ivy’s cheek. “How? You’re just a number,” she groused.
Three-sixteen shrugged. It didn’t matter how. What mattered is it worked and that meant he could also probably use it to his advantage. “Get me the crystal you stole from Talent.”
Ivy scrunched up her face with anger or confusion, or maybe both. She didn’t move though. The other woman struggled to fight the command, but her body moved despite her. In moments she vanished through a dark cloud, returning minutes later in the same fashion.
In her hands she held the crystal Three-sixteen had been searching for. It was slightly larger than the palm of his hand and about the same shape. The red stone glowed bright with light and pulsed with energy. A thin layer of black crystal encased the whole thing like a protective casing, slightly dulling its glow.
The sight of it made him ravenous and he knew immediately that he’d do absolutely anything to eat that crystal.
“Is this why you betrayed us, you were forced?”
Ivy shrugged, her expression almost unreadable. “I don’t think I was, but…” she didn’t finish, instead she looked down at her feet then at Three-sixteen directly, studying him for a moment before continuing, “But what does it matter. I’ve come this far.”
Three-sixteen barely registered her words as he reached for the crystal.
The building rumbled fiercely, causing them to stumble away from each other. Ivy and the other woman braced against the support beam, but Three-sixteen tripped over some kind of railing and fell.
A large beast burst through the wall, thick black wings spiraling as it spun and slid across the ground. The shadow man from earlier appeared a moment later, stabbing his blade into the creature’s chest.
“Nothing is immortal!” He declared with a twist of his blade.
The beast died with a weak groan and the shadow man’s eyes found Three-sixteen’s crystal. It only took him a second to disappear and reappear directly beside the girl with braids. He grabbed the crystal before she could blink then vanished again.
Three-sixteen would not lose his prize! “Give it back!” He roared, the raw power in his voice surprising even himself. His words trembled through the air with a visible ripple that clearly bothered both Ivy and the other Raven girl as it passed over them. The wave ruffled the feathers of the dead beast, but otherwise did not appear to disturb the corpse.
The shadow man stumbled out of the darkness, his form stripped fully of the shadows that protected him. He turned to Three-sixteen, his yellow-gold eyes narrowed with anger. “You…”
His eyes, his voice, his raw hatred penetrated deep into Three-sixteen’s heart, conjuring up nightmarish scenes of terror and anguish. He flinched away, squeezing his eyes shut until the horror faded. Three-sixteen didn’t know the man, he didn't recognize the memories, he was in control and he had no reason to fear. He turned back, his gaze hardened and his resolve stronger. “Give back my crystal.”
The man flinched as if struck. He stumbled back again, losing his balance and falling to his knees. A pained expression flashed across his face as he stared at Three-sixteen in disbelief, muttering words that were too quiet for Three-sixteen to hear.
As Three-sixteen reached out again the man placed the stone in his hand.
The dead black beast fluttered to life, immediately striking at both Three-sixteen and the shadow man with its claws. Ivy and the other girl dove to the ground as a great wing swept over them and tore through the support pillar behind them.
A portion of the garage collapsed and the next several seconds were lost in dust and rubble. Three-sixteen crawled away from the chaos and found a wall to press himself against as he began to collect his thoughts.
Blades clashed harshly and the black beast shrieked through the air. It collided with a wall behind Three-sixteen and knocked him to the floor as the room shook and dust fell from above. He covered his head to protect himself as a heavy weight struck him in the back. He dropped the crystal in his rush to defend himself, but Ivy picked it up and tucked it in her shirt before dragging him to his feet.
They ran through the dusty chaos and emerged onto the streets where a battle raged on.
The raven king was truly terrifying, shifting between a massive beast and a dexterous young man in seconds. A swing of his blade was as powerful as the beat of his massive wings and he seemed to wield a destructive energy that extended far beyond his physical reach.
A flash of red passed Three-sixteen's field of vision, striking the raven king's broad back.
It did little harm, but even if it had been fatal, experience proved that this would buy a few moments of peace before he was back in action, ripping through the skies again. Fortunately, it seemed the shadow man was capable of putting the bird on defense. Three-sixteen only hoped he would keep it up long enough for him to escape.
“Kaeleth, just let us go, you saw what he can do… you could come with us, or—”
Kaeleth, the girl with the red gun, opened fire.
Instinctively Three-sixteen shouted, “Stop!” and the woman froze in place. Her bullets remained suspended in the air held in place by some invisible force, his will? Three-sixteen wasn’t sure. He’d only heard of judges with power so unlimited. How could he be a judge though?
It didn’t matter, escape was the priority.
Three-sixteen’s moment of doubt was enough to break his concentration. A bullet grazed his arm and another his thigh.
Ivy rushed forward to aid him, but he stopped her. The sound of Kaeleth's gun roaring back to life drew their attention again.
Ivy blocked with conjured shields, but Kaeleth seemed to have an infinite supply of bullets and they tore through Ivy’s shields faster each time she replaced one. It wouldn’t be long before Ivy was overwhelmed.off
Three-sixteen opened his mouth to give another tilling, but his ears rang and he felt dizzy. The world blurred as his heart thumped in his chest and his arms felt as though they might fall .
He was only distantly aware of the various battles happening around him as his world seemed to shrink down to focus solely on himself.
He needed to do something now. The pain was unbearable, yet he could still move! He should try again. If he couldn’t win by using his power, what choice did he have?
A soft voice rang in his ear, “Eat the crystal… my crystal…”
Three-sixteen opened his eyes to see Ivy at his side. She pressed the crystal into his hand and pushed him forward as she deflected more bullets with a conjured shield.
He had no reason to refuse, aside from fear that his body might not handle it.
When he saw Talent rushing towards him with spells whirling around himself, some offensive and other defensive, he knew there was only one choice and he had to make it now. Three-sixteen bit into the crystal.