I reacted instinctively.

I simultaneously created a gust of wind that sent the grenade flying toward the window on the other side of the room and a gust of wind that slammed the bathroom door shut.

A loud piercing explosion sounded through the hotel room within a fraction of a second. Shrapnel from the grenade stabbed partially through the bathroom door, luckily stopping before they stabbed me in the face.

I looked back and saw Moriti and Aria seem frozen in fear. There’s flight, fight, and freeze, and they chose the third option.

Once I knew we were safe for a moment, I stepped back further into the bathroom. I tapped my earpiece, signaling for Mac’s help.

“Weaponsmith knew our plan somehow, and he’s had a trap set before we even got in! We need you to get here as soon as you can!” I yelled into the earpiece, talking to Mac. I was careful not to use his name so we wouldn’t incriminate ourselves.

I was lucky I had moved back. As soon as I had spoken into the earpiece, two sharp blades pierced the bathroom door. They were moving around to break open a hole, which eventually they did.

On the other side, Weaponsmith looked in. His eyes were in a crazed frenzy, darting all around.

I sent a blast of wind at him with the strength of a tornado, breaking down the door and sending Weaponsmith flying into a wall on the opposite end of the room. The blades he was holding were knocked out of his hands.

He needed to take a moment to recover, which I took advantage of. I exited the bathroom, signaling Moriti and Aria to come with me.

As I entered the main part of the room, I saw the destruction we had caused.

The grenade I had pushed away blew open an entire wall and a part of the floor, allowing the cold winds from the outside to seep into the room.

As I was analyzing the damage, I saw Mac. He was on a hot air balloon, but the strings were only connected to him, it lacked the basket area. He turned his right hand into a chainsaw, popping the balloon and pushing himself into the hotel room from the outside.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

This distracted me, preventing me from attacking Weaponsmith. Due to this, he conjured a pistol from his hands and shot Aria in the abdomen.

Enraged by this, I used my wind manipulation to blow the gun out of his hand and out of the room through the massive hole in the wall. I ran at him and tried to kick him, but he created a sword and stabbed through my side.

Fueled by adrenaline, I pulled the sword out of his hand and out of my side. I tried to stab him back, but the armor on his hero costume prevented the sword from getting through.

Mac quickly intervened, and his arm transformed into a machine gun. He pointed it directly at Weaponsmith’s head. Weaponsmith then produced a shield from the side of his head and knocked it into the machine gun. This made Mac stumble, which Weaponsmith used to his advantage.

I was shoved away as he tackled Mac and jumped out of the explosion hole.

Without thinking, I ran and leaped out of the room. The changes in the wind, as I fell, were messing with my wind manipulation, just like it messed with Jasmine’s wind manipulation in her fight with Riot.

All the odds were stacked against me but I knew what to do.

I began to move my arms in circular patterns, causing the wind to conform to the pattern. The building was being destroyed by the strength of the winds, and rubble and debris began to make up the winds. After a few seconds, it was clear what I had created.

I created a tornado.

Mac and Weaponsmith were caught in the tornado, colliding with the debris. I didn’t know how to control the tornado, and if I stopped Weaponsmith might get away.

I had to fly into the tornado and deal with him, but that’d be easier said than done. It’s already not easy to fly normally, but with those strong winds, there’s no way I’d be able to. I had no other options though, so I descended into it.

Smaller pieces of debris hit me as I entered, but I ignored them. I had to focus completely on my flying or I’d get sucked into the vortex.

I lunged at Weaponsmith and held him still as the tornado kept spinning. I held his head right next to the spinning debris, making a loud cracking sound every time a piece hit him.

My breathing was heavy, my heart was pounding, and my teeth were gritted.

After the first hit, he was knocked out cold. I was holding him, and I realized what was happening.

I was absorbing his power. The conditions were met.

I felt him become a part of me.