CHAPTER 30: To Level Up
“Your way?” asked Det. Baker.
“Tom, Lucas, Randall and Joseph, grab shields. Get in there and protect the hostages until I make an exit,” Adam started.
“How are you making an exit?” demanded Det. Baker in a panic.
“Nick and Carlos, get to the back of the store in case someone tries to leave. Kill them if you can, track them otherwise. Safety over everything. Mages and Lamar, wait until I get them outside and then open up on them. Ignore me and bombard them,” Adam continued.
“How are you getting the elves out of the store?” sighed Det. Baker, not expected an answer. Yet one came.
“I’m going to give them a love tap,” Adam smiled at him as he caught the sledgehammer Lucas had tossed his way.
Not wasting any time, Adam stood up. Smoke and flames still obscured the front of the store. Helmet and vest on, shield in his left arm and hammer in his right, Adam walked forward. Four shield men followed behind. The scouts were behind them ready to dash into the alleys with their inhuman agility.
Det. Baker was shouting at him as he strode forward, smacking arrows out of the air. With each step he walked faster and faster, creating space between him and the shields. Right as three arrows came at him at the same time, a slight red shine to them showing they had used skills, Adam pulled back his sledgehammer and started to swing it, then pushed off with his foot. He vanished from sight, appearing past the smoking hedges and at the shop window. The hammer continued its swing, the shaft hooking the neck of one of the elves, throwing him outside the building.
At that moment, the scouts split off and the shield men, except Lucas, rushed to get past the hedges and window. Lucas took his shield and slammed down on the stunned elf, pushing with all his force as the elf, on its back, grabbed the shield and pushed back. “Wind Shaper [12]” showed above its head, and Lucas could tell that what was forcing his shield away from the elf was not its arms, but cushions of air. Strength was not the problem here as the air was trying to angle the curved shield to the side. Balancing it was taking more control than Lucas had, while still squashing it to the ground.
BOOM!
The ground shook as an impact from inside the building was enough to shake everything. Lucas spared a glance up as he saw the side of the building collapse outwards. Bricks and stone blocks were pulverized, and the whole building shook. Joseph was climbing over a pile of rubble into the narrow alley, as he led the six hostages out of the building. Randall came after them, followed by Tom.
The shield beneath him quivered, and Lucas looked down to see that the elf had freed its hands and was grasping a squiggly knife, trying to press it through the shield. The tip of it had punched a tiny hole through the shield, and Lucas did not want to know how sharp it was if it got through this.
The elf wore clothes layered in different shades of dark green, like a camouflage. It has a hood that had fallen away, showing its beige, rough looking skin. Its hair was a rich green but looked more like a seaweed salad than human hair. A flat nose made its face look like a carving while pointed ears peeked out from its hair. A lack of lips made its jagged teeth easy to see its sneer. These elves were clearly meat eaters and predators. A slight, willowy frame showed that it favored agility to strength, and Lucas knew it would be too good at dodging for him to fight it head on.
“MOVE!” Adams voice bellowed from inside the building and Lucas took no time to pull back his shield, causing the elf to open its eyes wide in surprise. The wind that had been pushing against the shield helped throw Lucas to a standing position as he then ran to the hostage group that was hurrying to the police car barricade.
Before Lucas got two steps away, another elf came soaring out of the building and bounced onto the already downed elf, tangling their limbs as he was trying to stand. “Wind Stepper [13]” was above the new elf’s head.
The elves got to their feet, but only had time to ready their squiggly knives as a terrifying roar sounded out. Everyone froze; elves, hostages, policemen…even the reporter and camera man that were across the street. The group carrying shields immediately dropped them, grabbed the stunned hostages under their arms, and ran to the police cars.
Magic spells cast by the mages, and Lamar’s arrows, flew towards the two elves as soon as the roar sounded out. However, more threatening than the projectiles, was Adam’s monstrous visage that came out of the shop. His skin was tinted red, steam was rising from it, the hammer that collapsed a wall in a single swing gripped in one hand, and the body of a third elf in its left. He no longer carried a shield, for someone this terrifying did not need one.
Just before Adam reached them, the elves looking at him with terror, the projectiles arrived. The wind stepper took Lamar’s arrow to the back of its shoulder, but the bolt had enough force to pass clean through. A [Water Ball] also hit it in his back, too weak to harm him but strong enough to tilt him towards the oncoming man. The wind shaper took a [Earth Shot] near where a human would have a kidney, and the fireball blew outwards upon contact, setting his clothes on fire.
There was no time for pain, as the elves activated wind spells that created barriers around them. The spells blew out the fire and pushed them out of the way of the incoming hammer that swung down at them. After dodging the downward hammer strike, the fight began in earnest.
Everyone watched, mesmerized by Adam as he engaged the elves. They had skills and magic boosting their movement speed that allowed them to pull away from strikes without having to physically dodge. Their knives struck out towards Adam, the stepper using one in each hand. With one positioned on each side of Adam, the elves showed experience and coordination as they thrust and slashed at Adam.
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Adam dodged by dropping down, took a big step to the right, spun his hammer so the shaft would parry or block the knives, turned his body as a knife went past him; he danced in ways the rest of the humans had never seen before. More projectiles came in and it seemed Adam was luring the elves into their paths, the wind shields reducing the impact.
Seconds ticked by. At the speed the fight was moving it felt long, and the exertion by the combatants looked extreme. The normal humans were at a loss as to how the fight was going, but Adam’s group did not hesitate. The vanguards were approaching with shields and machetes, while the rangers continued to shoot.
Thirty seconds passed, usually a short amount of time, but during such an intense fight it was an eternity. No sweat was seen on Adam, instead steam and heat radiated from him, showing his level of exertion. The elves were concentrating so hard on Adam that they failed to notice others approaching around them.
An elf slid sideways as an arrow that Lamar shot passed his head, however instead of continuing, Adam caught it out of the air and jabbed it into the thigh of the elf thrusting at him from behind. Before the dodging elf could stop his momentum, a shield smashed into the side of his head, causing him to topple as only his legs continued in the original direction. Before he had even fallen, three machetes stabbed him in different locations, neck, chest, and leg.
Wood Elf “Wind Shaper [12]” slain. 278 shared XP gained.
The wind stepper that had been stabbed by the arrow, tried to retreat and instead bounced off a shield behind him. His balance disrupted, he moved to steady himself only to have his ankles taken out from under him by Nick and Carlos. As he fell, more machetes stabbed in.
Wood Elf “Wind Stepper [13]” slain. 312 shared XP gained.
“CLEAR!” Adam shouted for the whole block to hear as he walked over to where he had dropped the body of the third elf, “Wind Shaper [13]”, and carried it to the police lines by the back of the neck, held in a position that would be easy to see by the spectators and cameras. It was not dead yet, only unconscious. Those who were close to the other bodies started to loot them.
Det. Baker watched Adam approach, skin fading back to his natural color and the wavy hot air around him dissipating. Licking his lips, failing to get moisture into his mouth, fear clear in his body language, Det. Baker spoke to Adam. “I thought you couldn’t subdue.”
“You wouldn’t be able to handle them once I was no longer around. How much property damage would be appropriate to capture them? We need to find their base and kill them all.”
"Surely we should try negotiating first. Isn’t killing them a bit much?” asked Officer Cooper quietly.
“No!" snapped Adam, with enough anger to surprise the police, causing some to instinctively put hands on firearms. "This is a war for survival and it’s them or us. If you want to protect and serve, then you do as I say and end their lives. They attacked us and need to be removed from our planet.”
“I don’t think that is an appropriate sentiment. Maybe there are other ways,” said Det. Baker, trying not to sound like he was contradicting the brute in front of him. Adam just shrugged, sure that the hate inside was correct and not interested in a debate, while still holding the unconscious elf.
“In the meantime, I brought you a gift,” Adam dropped his hammer, pulled off his helmet, and unfastened his vest with his free hand, tossing it back to Cooper. He then pulled out his machete.
“To interrogate?” asked Det. Baker hesitantly. Taking him prisoner seemed to contradict everything Adam had just said. Adam looked at him like he was crazy.
“To level up,” responded Adam. Then he turned to the heads peeking out from behind a van with curiosity and terror. “Get over here, Emily, Meat Shield, and…”
“Gracie,” the other girl squeaked, scared that she had been noticed.
“…and Gracie. Take the machete and stab this guy where it won’t kill him.” Shock rolled through everyone there. With the threat over, people were coming from behind the fire engine and out of hiding places in the stores. The reporter and cameraman were hurrying over, lens pointed at him.
“What?!” Emily gasp. “I can’t do that!”
“Yeah!” shouted Meat Shield.
“…” Gracie almost passed out.
“I have to protest, Adam,” said Det. Baker. “You can’t just kill an incapacitated foe.”
Adam ignored them all and walked towards Emily. For the first time in her life she shrank back from Adam as he approached, but before she could respond he forced the machete into her hand and then grabbed her wrist. A jerk of his hand was all that was needed for her arm to push the machete into the elf’s stomach. The elf gasped and opened its eyes before curling up and grabbing the stab wound.
Adam took the machete from Emily, who had tears rolling down her cheeks while she glared hate at Adam, and he turned to Meat Shield. “These other people can choose not to, but you said you’d protect her,” he said as casually as if commenting on the weather, while handing over the machete.
Eyes red rimmed, clearly holding back the revulsion, William took the machete and stabbed it into the squirming elf. A hissing whine sounded from it. William dropped the machete then ran to the back of the van and vomited.
Next Adam turned to Gracie who was sobbing. He leaned down to her and she flinched when he put his hand on her head. Whispering softly to her, with compassion in his voice, he said, “I’m sorry. You don’t have to if it's too much, but it is the only way to get stronger and survive.”
Gracie looked up at him while continuing to cry. He handed over the machete and she stabbed the elf in the arm, then immediately dropped it and buried her face in Adam’s chest, sobbing loudly. A chill ran through him, and he felt Gracie shiver amid her sobs as Abbey gave them both a quick heal. She then hugged Gracie and led her away from the scene.
Turning his head towards Det. Baker, Adam said, “Last chance.”
Det. Baker shook him head. “I can’t. I’m a policeman.”
“Then you're dooming the planet and forcing children to do what you won’t,” Adam said stoically, knowing that the news camera, as well as Ed’s, was recording him.
Handing the curled up and bleeding elf behind him to Brandon, he didn't watch as a machete was stabbed through the elf’s heart.
Wood Elf “Wind Shaper [13]” slain. 312 shared XP gained.
There was only silence as Adam pulled out a cloth from their gear bag and wiped the sickly green blood from his machete. Once cleaned, he sheathed it, placed the sheath and machete in the bag, and picked up his hoodie. Everyone but his crew had stayed exactly where they had been; reporter, police, firemen, paramedics, and civilians. All eyes were focused on him and what he would do next. With a neutral expression on his face, he looked directly at the reporter, then into the camera’s lens before turning towards Andrea and Alissa.
“Please make sure Emily and her friends get home. I won’t be at school tomorrow. If anybody tries anything you don’t like then text me and I’ll come back,” emphasizing the end of the threat.
“No problem, darling,” Andrea said lightly, as if the fear and heaviness of the scene didn’t affect her.
“I need a long shower,” Adam finally muttered as he walked off down the street. “And a ton of food.”