CHASE

Chase slams into the training facilities' padded wall, slumping down in frustration.

He can feel Hira's healing warmth numb the pain of his most definitely broken wrist.

"He's a mad man! No one should enjoy beating up a bunch of fourteen year olds!"

Vince mumbles, wiping the blood from his stark, white hair.

"It's not like we're even allowed to leave the city anymore. The Elites don't even handle wall threats like they used to."

Chase gives his childhood friend an annoyed look, what does he have to complain about? He's the cadets shining star… the next Asher, is what they say. Plus, it was Chase who took the brunt of his uncle's wrath.

He twirls his wrist, Hira's power was truly remarkable. His wrist was a little sore but the bone was mended.

"You better not, Chase!" Hira yells at him, as Chase gets to his feet and heads back to his patiently waiting uncle.

"Don't waste your breath.That kid has a death wish… big shoes to fill i guess." Vince says, as he snickers under his breath.

Hira glares into his soul and he quickly changes his demeanor.

"Some of us have it easier than others…. Chase…. He has the world on his shoulders, one day this city will be his. He has to prove himself to these people that he is worthy. Stephen, Mina, Asher……. Their powers demand respect, Chase doesn't have that luxury. Sebastian pushes him…" She watches Chase climb into the fighting ring.

"One day he will show everyone that he is the greatest of them all."

Vince chuckles. "Maybe… but that's only if he survives training."

Sebastian shakes his head as Chase squares off before him.

"You think in a real fight someone will be there to fix you up sobrino?" He lets out a big sigh.

Chase hangs his head in shame, he hates disappointing his uncle. The man basically raised him along with an array of caretakers. His dad might as well be a ghost, haunting the upper levels of the pyramid, only appearing when he absolutely had to. He couldn't really blame his mom, the city became her responsibility. She showed up when she could, and he knew she at least cared about him.

He was with his Uncle everyday, if he had to prove anything to anyone it was him… He was more than an Uncle, teacher, and master, he was basically his father. So, when he messed up or let him down, it carried extra weight.

"Sorry Tio… never again." He says, bowing his head.

Sebastian chuckles.

"It is ok, Chase." He plays with his goatee as a flash of inspiration hits him.

"Here is your final lesson of the day. There will be times where brute force won't work. There will be times where you will face foes even larger than myself. No matter how hard and how many times you hit them they will not be stopped." He points to many parts of his body.

"Attack these points, underneath the flesh is a network of nerves. Attacking these points will stop your enemies in their tracks." He shows him the spots once more.

"Come, this will be the final lesson of the day!"

Chase nods to his Uncle, and slides into an attack stance.

Sebastian waits patiently for his nephew's assault.

Hira and Vince watch with awe as they violently dance around the ring. Sebastian would dodge and block Chase's relentless advance, occasionally counter striking, sending Chase flying into the ropes.

Sebastian give Chase time to catch his breath, he wants him to learn… he see's Chase as his protégé but he can not take it easy on him. The boy must learn how to break through his defenses… if he was going to land a blow on him, he would have to earn it. He can see the frustration in his face, but then the locked eyes. It wasn't frustration, it was will, it was drive. The look sent a shiver down his spine, He let out a small grunt and smiled.

Chase flew at him, his attacks were different… wild but precise. These were not moves that he had ever taught him. He smiles as he blocks the flurry of punches and kicks.

"The boy is changing, coming into his own." He thinks proudly.

He throws his massive fist into Chase's chest. He is shocked… the boy doesn't move, he eats the blow but locks onto his arm.

Sebastian pulls back but Chase doesn't let go. He watches his nephew's eyes stare at his newly exposed target.

Chase slides under his uncle's arm and delivers a quick pointed strike directly into his armpit. He thrusts the heel of his foot into the side of Sebastian's knee, he lets out a grunt of pain as he loses balance. Chase lets loose, hitting as many of the points his Uncle showed him. He revels in it, he had maybe landed one or two blows on Sebastian in his many years of training.

Dazed, Sebastian collapses to his knees.

Hira and Vince shout out in excitement, never have they ever seen their teacher taken down. Not even when the other Hardwynn Elites came for special show cases.

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Chase winds up and throws a haymaker right at his uncle's jaw.

Smack!

Chase is horrified as his Uncle catches his punch with his hand. He stands up, wobbling a little. Chase is frozen in disbelief, as Sebastian pulls Chase towards him.

Hira and Vince wince in anticipation, fearing the worst for Chase.

He lifts him up in a giant bear hug.

"HA! YOU DID IT HIJO!" He shouts with pride as he squeezes the breath from him.

He puts Chase back down, takes a step back and bows. Chase follows suit, the confused, but elated smile, is impossible to hide.

"Carry this lesson with you always… and Chase… You make me proud." Chase watches as his Uncle wipes moisture from the corner of his eye.

TILLY

The building moans, as it collapses into a glowing orange pit. Tilly is silent, as she methodically burns the Slaver Colony to the ground. She saw the pair who had freed her from that damn machine helping captives flee while fighting off slavers attacks. They had offered her help, but she refused. They were probably just more scum, here to steal from these sickos. Plus, one was wearing stupid goggles and the other had a weird, purple costume… who wears capes?

The idiots who ran this place had captured her, put her in a contraption, and forced her to power their shitty little colony. She had no way of telling how long she was trapped there, but it was years… when she went in, she was only 13. They had inadvertently made her so much more powerful, and now…. Now she will make them suffer… especially him…

She sees him frantically trying to put out all her hard work. That piece of shit Hydromancer would torture her for days, he got off on it, hurting a little girl….. luckily for her, they learned early on that it was not worth the risk to assault her… not so lucky for the hundreds of other girls.

As the fire spreads, Slavers throw themselves at her, trying desperately to stop her from destroying everything. Their screams alert the Hydromancer, drawing his attention towards Tilly. He snarls at her, as they stand off in a canyon of flames and crumbling buildings. He knew deep down this was his fault, he tried to break her spirit. Make her a mindless power source for his people, since that was all she was good for. He didn't break her though, he just stoked the fire burning inside her. It would have been fine if these two clowns hadn't shown up... Rumors of these do-gooders were swirling around the Harshlands, but like most others, they laughed it off.

Bullets of fire zing past her, as she slowly walks towards him. Some evaporate from the intense heat, others break through, tearing her clothes and flesh.

She lets loose a stream of flames. He throws up a shield of water, as a cloud of steam blankets the area.

The Slaver hits her with a jetstream of high pressure water. The attack penetrates her defenses, knocking her back. The water is like sandpaper on her skin, as it carries her through the air and grinds her into the street.

One of the intruders, the guy with the cape, jumps down into the fog heading for the Hydromancer.

"NO!" Tilly screams, as she peels herself from the ground.

The intruder slides to a stop, as she watches the Hydromancer's water disappear into his strange arms.

"He's mine! Back the fuck off!" She yells, steam rises off her wet body, the water retards her flames. She blasts off towards the Slaver, dodging the first few tendrils of water whipping at her. She closes the distance, her flames sputter to life, as she tries to attack.

Splaack!

She's sent crashing into a building, as water slaps her out of the air extinguishing her flames. She curses, as she digs herself out from a pile of debris. Wet ash sticks to her body like cement, keeping her flames at bay. She's startled, as hand reaches out to her. The guy in the purple cape again… What's his deal? What does he want from her? She slaps his hand away, sharp pain shooting through her body as she gets up.

"You sure you don't want our help?" The man asks, through a stupid mask.

"Shut up… leave me alone, I can do this… I have to do this..." She says, limping towards the hole she just made. She could feel his eyes on her, pitying her. She could also hear the Hydromancer cackling out in the street… it made her stomach turn… his awful laugh taunting her all those years.

"A tip, at least?" He says, walking behind her.

She snaps her head back at him. He could feel the heat flowing off her and he puts his hands up as he takes a step back. The pain in her eyes puts a lump in his throat.

"I understand… But please, his powers are your weakness. You can't win against him like that. Plus, he's expecting you to come at him like that. So here's what you should do…"

Tilly listens, it had been a long time since anyone had shown her kindness and compassion. She had been alone and abused for so long, she had forgotten that there was anything good left in this world.

The caped man darts out of the burning building, drawing the Hydromancer's attention.

"Stand down, she's got this." He yells to his partner.

Tilly bursts out of the building, she skates down the street avoiding his attacks.

"I can't wait to get you back into that machine, you dumb, little bitch!" He says, laughing as jets of water blast everywhere.

The caped man's words repeat in her head.

"Focus on getting in close, don't stop until you're in melee range." He shows her where to strike, tells her once he was stunned or dazed, to light him up.

Before he knows it, Tilly is in his face. She smashes her forehead into his nose. He stumbles back, jets of water spraying wildly from his flailing arms. She cocks her foot back, and kicks him in the nuts with a fire propelled kick that lifts him off the ground. She finishes with a flaming uppercut, cracking his jaw with a satisfying crunch.

Before he hits the ground, she grabs a hold of him. He tries to cover them in a bubble of water, but it's too late.

The two intruders cover their eyes from the flash of intense light, as she erupts in a pillar of white flame.

Tilly collapses to her knees, as the Hydromancer's body crumbles into chunks of carbon and ash.

The man drapes his cape around her shoulders. She pulls the cloth over her bare body. She should have accounted for her clothes to disintegrate like that.

When she was covered up, he walked around in front of her. His partner walked up next to him too.

"That was remarkable!" The man with the goggles said.

"We're the Harshland Heroes! You've probably heard of us!" He says, emphatically.

"I never agreed to that name Hu… plus no one calls us that." The caped man says.

"It's better than anything you ever came up with, Chase..." Hu says, before Chase punches his arm.

"The whole point of this outfit is to keep my identity a secret Hu! I told you never to say my name!" Chase yells at Hu, as he rubs his sore arm.

Tilly looks on in disbelief, as the pair start arguing in front of her. She clears her throat, getting their attention.

Chase pulls his mask down and smiles at her, extending out his hand once again.

"You don't have to go it alone… we are trying to build something special out here in the Harsh. We would love for you to join us." He looks at his hand, and then at her eyes.

"Well?" He says, his smile widening.

Tilly's eye's begin to fill with tears, as she reaches out and grabs his hand.