Chapter 26: Standoff

Adriana summoned Smoldersap immediately, and was ready to fling it when Davos gasped and said, “What have you done to Mykos?”

Synto’s lip twitched. “He did that to himself, and I’m glad he did. It brought us right to you. Now, do you want to give up your Divinity peacefully, or should we leave you a smear on the floor?”

Behind them, the behemoth let out a deep, bone rumbling call before it slammed its spiked ball into Apollo’s office again. Between the still burning Smoldersap and the demolished side, the half-broken building was a lost cause. Some of the people who had been inside fled through holes and gaps in the destruction before the second floor collapsed entirely.

“So it was you who sent the monsters,” Adriana said, glaring directly at Mykos. She remembered then the Maw divinity she’d left on the sand.

The teen’s eyes glowed sullenly. “It was. And now I’m more powerful than you could ever dream.”

“The woman with that Divinity last time thought the same,” said Adriana. “I burned her to ashes. You think this monster’s going to save you?”

“Adriana, no, we need to -- “ Davos started, but it was too late. She flung a black glob at Mykos, and this time Synto didn’t stop it in time. It hit, clinging to his chest and cloak, and burned the boy.

However powerful he thought he was, he wasn’t prepared to be on fire. Mykos dropped his knives and pulled at his cloak. The behemoth went nuts and abandoned the demolished building in favor of swinging its nose wildly. Davos tackled Adriana to the ground in time to save her from being smashed.

“Stop panicking and get the damned cloak off,” Synto ordered Mykos before stalking forward, club out.

“Get off me, I can take him,” Adriana said, shoving Davos off her to the side.

He got up and, seeing Synto closing the distance, brought his hands together to summon a powerful Gust to push the man back. The second the Gust left him, his opponent rolled to the side and brought his club down. It hit Davos’ forehead with a dull thud. His eyes went blank and he collapsed to the ground. His hands grasped blindly for nothing before he collapsed.

Adriana inhaled sharply. The blow hadn’t cracked his skull, but there was already a nasty lump and some blood across his temple. “I’m going to kill you for that,” she said.

“Just that?” Synto laughed and sprung into action. Adriana barely managed to duck the swing. She unleashed a Flamespitter where he’d been a second before, but he stayed moving. “If Davos just fucked off and abandoned you, we’d let him live.”

“No you wouldn’t,” Adriana hissed before striking the incoming club. Her fist met the gnarled head, and they pitted their strength against each other. She was stronger, but he had leverage.

“Normally you’d be right, but he’s likable enough.” Synto pushed and Adriana tumbled to the ground. She tried to sweep his legs, but he just hopped over her leg like he expected it, and brought the club down on her stomach.

All the air left her. Adriana crumpled in half and she gasped for air. Tears welled in her eyes as she struggled and her body screamed for oxygen. She met Synto’s eyes, and fear consumed her at the wicked smile he wore.

Screams sounded from all around them. The big gray behemoth trumpeted Mykos’ rage as he finally got the cloak off and stomped the sap out. While fights like this weren’t common in Mykarkos, people knew enough to get away at the first sight of a monster or Heroes fighting. But they weren’t the only ones remaining.

As Synto raised his club again, a burst of orange light hit Synto and blasted him into the empty street behind them. Adriana looked up to see Apollo holding a bronze scepter with a topaz on the end of it. He still wore his silver shield, but also now sported a sleek helmet and armor, all shimmering with the obvious touch of a Builder.

“Synto?” Apollo called out. “Is that you, alive and well? And apparently with Divinity again, too. Step away from my prize.”

“Who the hell are you?” Mykos shouted. “Leave now, or my beast will end you!” The behemoth roared again.

Adriana rolled over to her hands and knees. She punched the ground. Air slowly returned to her, but the panic still raged strong. It took everything she had to fight against it and not lose her cool. She looked between Apollo and Synto, then over to Davos, who seemed to be stirring. If he could get up, they could get away. She just had to keep them alive until then.

“Stand down, boy,” Synto said as he got up. He collected his club and dusted himself off. “It’s been a while, Apollo. It seems you’ve met my former underling.”

“Her?” Apollo laughed. “How is she still alive?”

“I know, right? She’s a tenacious bitch. I’ll give her that. But her Greater Divinity is mine. I saw it first. Help me out and maybe we can do business after.”

Apollo was joined by some of his surviving guards. Others helped get the few remaining customers out of the rubble. He looked around, making sure his numbers were suitable, before he twirled his scepter around in his hand. “I don’t know about that, Synto. Last time we met, I seem to remember you giving up all your Divinity in exchange for your miserable life.

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“And not only that, but your boy there seems to have destroyed my place of business. I can’t say I’m particularly happy about that, but I could be persuaded to overlook it, in the right circumstances. Namely, give the girl and her True Divinity to me, do a few jobs to pay for the damage, and I’ll set you up for life.”

While they argued over who got to kill her, Adriana crawled over the dirty stone street to get to Davos. She could mostly breathe by now, but her limbs trembled. She couldn’t fight like this. “Wake up,” she whispered in Davos’ ear. “They’re going to kill us!”

Davos grumbled and looked somewhere over her shoulder. “Head hurts.”

Synto laughed, loud and obviously fake. “I know better than to make a deal with you. I’ve never met anyone as good at dangling a carrot as you, but you’ll only ever pay all the way if you’re forced to. I know better. Walk away, and Mykos’ beast won’t kill you. Last chance, old friend.”

She had to do something. Adriana paused and asked herself what Davos would do. It came to her in a flash, and she stood up and cleared her throat. “Just to be clear, which of you is killing me and taking my Divinity? Who am I fighting?”

“Me!”

“Me, obviously.”

They shared a glance, and Synto said, “You know the worst part, Apollo?”

“I do.” Apollo chuckled and shook his head. “We both know exactly what she’s doing, but it works.”

“Does it?” Synto scratched the back of his head with his club. “We could always kill her and then start the fight over with each other after.”

“Wouldn’t be much of a fight, I’m afraid. I see what you have and it’s impressive, but you couldn’t beat me.” Apollo leveled the weapon his way, then turned it to Adriana. “It’s not too late. Side with me against him and you can kill him, and then we’ll make the trade. I’ll forgive the damage to my building and the disrespect, and you will walk away a God.”

Adriana looked around. After the initial shock of the monster attacking and destroying a couple of buildings, people came back to watch the argument. They filled the narrow streets on both sides, blocking the way out. They kept their distance but there were too many people here to be able to name and blame them for the damage. She and Davos had to get out of there.

“What if I sided with Synto?” she shot back. “And the two of us and their monster took you down? You could take any of us down, but you can’t take us and the big thing on.”

“She raises a good point,” said Synto. “Mykos?”

“Yes, Father,” he said. Father? Things suddenly made sense. The beast slammed the ball into the ground, shattering the stone street.

Apollo didn’t flinch, but his men did. He threw his head back and laughed. “C’mon now, you know you can’t trust him. He’ll backstab you before I’m cold. Come, old friend. Let’s kill her together and solve this dispute after, before we’re interrupted.”

Uh oh. Adriana checked on Davos. Focus had returned to his eyes and he stood, just in time for them to die. She continued to go with what she thought he’d recommend: bullshitting her way through. “I am tired of not being taken seriously? You want me? You want me? Aarrrrggggh!”

Adriana flung Smoldersap wildly. Again and again, she threw and not once did she actually hit any of the people surrounding her.

Apollo’s men threw themselves in front of their master, ready to shield against her attacks. Everyone said she was an angry, petulant child, so she gave them what they wanted. She didn’t stop until the entire area around her had patches of the black tar and she huffed and puffed with the exertion. She smiled and looked around at the ten feet or so around her without any. That would probably do.

“Well done, Adriana,” said Synto. “One last childish tantrum before I crack you open and take the prize inside. Any last words?”

“Adriana?” Davos slurred.

“Plan Epsilon Plus.” She gathered a handful of Flashfire. Louder, she said, “Yeah, I got one word for you, Synto. Boom.”

“Boom?” He cocked his head to the side.

“Boom.”

Adriana lobbed the Flashfire onto the patch of Smoldersap right in front of Synto. His eyes widened and he threw himself against Mykos, away from incoming attack. The ground exploded, and that blast detonated three more, and again until a ring of destruction formed around them. She threw herself over Davos and shielded him from the debris. Rocks and dust assaulted her, but she waited only a second before she ran, pulling him alongside her.

A second later, he Lightened himself and ran on his own, towards the waiting spectators. The nearest of them was an old woman, who screamed. They all ran away from Adriana and Davos, which suited them just fine.

“Get her!” Mykos shouted, just barely on the edge of hearing.

She didn’t look behind her, but she didn’t need to. The behemoth came at them from behind, each massive hoof slammed into the ground, making it rumble with every frenzied step. It wasn’t fast, but it came at them with all the inevitability of a storm front. When the street curved and narrowed, the behemoth tore into the nearest houses with its massive tusks and carved out entire sections of homes and businesses in pursuit of its prey.

Second by second, it gained on them. Or rather, it was gaining on Adriana. She knew Davos could leave at any time, but he wouldn’t. Not if it meant letting her get killed by a giant monster. By Mykos of all people. She refused, and put on an extra burst of speed, pushing her enhanced body to the test.

The docks came into sight. They didn’t have their Bestia anymore, or anything to show for this outing. It galled her to lose everything, but if it meant leaving with their lives, she understood Davos a little more clearly. But she had bigger problems than Synto and Apollo. If the power broker was telling the truth, everyone would be after her. She needed Divinity fast. But first, she had to make it to the boat.

A blazing light shot over and behind them, towards the mossy behemoth. Adriana looked over her shoulder to see a flying woman, wreathed in flame, drive a spear into the creature’s eye. It howled in pain and swung at her, but she zipped through the air like it took only a thought. It didn’t come close to her.

Davos muttered, “Oh shit,” and came to a stop.

“What?” Adriana reluctantly joined him, keeping an eye on their pursuer, but it stopped after the attack.

Another came a second later, as a bolt of lightning crashed into its left tusk and shot up into its skull. A tanned young man with his hair pulled back in a ponytail held a Spirit Bow. As he pulled the drawstring back, another arrow of lightning formed and loosed against the monster. Neither did any obvious damage, but it drove the beast back a step. He laughed and lined up another shot.

“The Children of Stephanos,” he said. “We’re saved! Or screwed. Either way, we’re fine for the next ten minutes.”