Darian didn't start immediately. He took his time to stretch and pace the floor. Jake watched carefully, but he was itching to go. He stood in the doorway and maintained a defensive stance until the waiting got to him. Unfortunately, Jake dropped his guard. This was when Darian pounced. He moved with such blinding speed Jake didn't have time to react. Darian's hands were around Jake's head before he could lift his arms. Those hands twisted, snapping Jake's neck. Jake crumpled to the floor.

"Jake!" Shaylie screamed.

Darian stared down at him in disgust. He circled Jake's body, shaking his head. "I told you not to disappoint me. This was the best you could—ARGHH!!" Darian yelled as a chi blast nailed him in the back.

Darian fell face-first to the floor with a thud. Shaylie saw and smelled burning flesh. A gaping wound covered most of Darian's shoulders, leaving his ribs exposed. As Shaylie looked up to see who had attacked, her mouth fell open. Jake stood there, alive and well. She looked down to see where his body lay and found the spot empty.

"How?" Shaylie asked.

Before Jake could answer, Darian stirred. To Shaylie's horror, Darian's wound healed itself. The skin stitched together, and the burns disappeared. He pushed himself up and deflected another shot from Jake. The energy Jake fired at him redirected across the room, destroying half of Darian's bar.

"That was a cheap trick. Under normal circumstances, you might have gotten me with that one, but I'm not normal. Not anymore," Darian said as he rose. "Where is your yellow mage friend? Who created that illusion? I told you to come alone."

"I came alone. My friend is downstairs," Jake replied. He didn't strike again because he realized he needed a new tactic, but Jake didn't lower his defense this time. He stepped warily into the room with his hands raised.

"No more gimmicks. Let's fight for real this time," Darian said and once again moved so quickly that Shaylie's eyes couldn't follow him.

A blur of punches put Jake on the defensive and sent the fight into the hallway. Shaylie remained strapped to the chair, wishing she could see what was happening. She heard breaking wood and crashing vases.

It took everything Jake had to dodge and move. He needed to slow Darian somehow because he knew he wouldn't last long at this rate. Jake led him toward the expensive decorations in the hallway and positioned himself so that each of Darian's blows struck something behind him. Darian's fists smashed through statues and crushed mirrors, leaving his knuckles bloody. The problem was that the cuts kept healing.

"Now, who's using tricks?" Jake asked.

"This is no trick. You cannot hurt me."

"Jake, be careful. He's..." Shaylie yelled, but Darian cut her off.

"Shut up, girl!"

The momentary distraction gave Jake an opening. He nailed Darian with another wave of energy, knocking him off balance. Jake shoulder blocked him to the floor and stomped on Darian's leg, causing a loud crack. He kept the flurry going because he knew Darian would heal. Jake targeted every vulnerable joint he could think of, but Darian hardened his skin to absorb the punishment. He had Darian on the ground, but it didn't matter. Jake took deep breaths as frustration threatened to overwhelm him.

A calm filled Jake, but Darian did something to break that peace. He channeled fire at Jake, making him back up a step. Jake's shocked reaction elicited a laugh from Darian. Darian charged at him, but Jake grabbed him, and they grappled. Their bodies slammed against the wall, denting and breaking it. Jake tried to use Darian's momentum against him. He tossed him against the window at the end of the corridor. Jake did again when a small crack formed. He became so focused on his task that he almost didn't notice what came next. A chair lifted and flew through the air. Jake moved at the last second, and the chair shattered against the wall above him. Darian was using all three types of magic. Jake cursed to himself because he understood why Darian was able to do the things he was doing. Darian had already injected himself with Isaac's blood.

"You've realized you can't win," Darian laughed when he saw the fear in Jake's eyes. Jake put some distance between them and caught his breath. Sadly, Darian didn't need the rest. He seized the opening and created a volley of chi blasts. Jake deflected as many as he could, but some tore at his skin, leaving gouges and welts. Blood dripped from his arms. As Jake clasped a hand to one of the deeper cuts, Darian surprised him with a fireball. It ignited Jake's sleeve, but Jake ripped off his shirt and threw it away. This only left him more open, and Darian sent him crashing into a wall. The strike was so quick Jake didn't have time to defend himself or harden his skin. A mirror broke against Jake's back, causing more damage. He felt the blood running. "Do you still think these are tricks?" Darian asked.

Jake didn't answer. He stood up, but Darian tackled him through a door. The wood splintered, and they fell into a room. Darian rained down blows rapidly. He was overwhelming Jake, but Jake poured all his energy into absorbing the pain. Too many people were relying on him to go down this easily.

***

Downstairs, everyone knelt on the floor while their captors watched over them. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Maya tried to connect with Jake, but the Shark still had his mental connection. Only one person could link with him at a time. She hated not knowing what was happening. She focused on Marcus instead. Her voice filled his head, but he didn't show any outward sign of surprise at the intrusion.

"Marcus, what do we do?" Maya asked.

"Patience," Marcus replied.

"What? That doesn't tell me..." Maya started, but something stopped her thought.

A fog entered the room. It started slowly, but soon, a thick cloud obscured everyone's vision. Darian's mages reacted with shock and confusion. Maya heard them bump into each other in the chaos.

"Watch it!" one man grumbled.

"Stop moving!" another voice said.

"What is this?" a third person asked.

"Everyone be quiet and stay still. Which one of the captives is doing this?"

"They're shielded! It can't be them."

As they argued, somebody moved into the room and attacked. Maya heard the mages cry in surprise and scuffle with the unseen invaders. The new guests were getting the upper hand from the sounds of it. Then she felt her shield dissipate, meaning the mage who placed it was dead. A few seconds later, everybody around her stirred.

"Took you long enough," Marcus said.

"Sorry, sir," one of the men from Ash said. Maya recognized his voice from the training sessions. "We never got your signal to begin the second wave, so we weren't sure when to proceed."

"We were incapacitated," Marcus replied as he stood and helped others. The fog lifted while they regained their composure. Maya spotted all the mages lying on the floor.

"Now what?" Maya asked. "Are you going to help Jake?"

"We can't risk it. Darian said Jake had to go alone. We need to go after Isaac. That's what Jake said to do," Marcus answered.

"I hope he's okay," Maya said, glancing toward where Jake and Darian were fighting.

"So do I," Marcus said. "Okay, group one, stay up here and watch our backs. Group two, you're with us. We're heading to the basements."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

***

Everything not nailed down in the room rained onto Jake. Darian laughed as he sent objects flying without caring if shrapnel also hit him. Jake's hardened skin fended off most of the damage, but small cuts littered his body. Darian was taunting him more than hurting him.

"I outmatch you," Darian said.

Rage welled up inside Jake. He cried out and rushed at Darian. He was able to take him off his feet because the unexpected charge caught Darian off guard. Jake pounded his fists against Darian. He could hear cracking and see blood, but Darian healed every time. However, Jake noticed it was taking longer the more punishment he dealt. He had to tire him out. Darian must have understood Jake's tactic because the smirk slipped, and fury replaced it.

Jake knocked him back with a hard kick and sent energy waves at him. He pushed Darian back into the hallway and onto his back. Before the king could move, Jake leaped onto him, driving his knee into Darian's midsection. He poured so much magic into the attack that the floor buckled underneath him. Jake wasn't sure if the breaking sound was Darian's ribs or the tiles. Either way, he heard the air drive out of Darian's lugs, and he kept up the assault. Jake had never felt this much anger. It drove his magic to another level. The thing was that Darian kept laughing through all of it. He even laughed when Jake knocked out two of his teeth.

"Shut up!" Jake yelled and kept pummeling him.

Then, Jake looked up and saw the elevator a few yards away. He got an idea. Jake hauled Darian to his feet and threw him at the doors. They dented upon impact. Darian stood, but Jake fired multiple chi blasts against his chest. Each one drove Darian deeper into the metal of the elevator doors until they finally buckled. Sensing his goal was near, Jake put everything into his next blast, and Darian tumbled into the elevator shaft. His continued laughter echoed as he fell.

"How's that for outmatched, you son of a bitch?" Jake said, panting as he caught his breath.

***

Marcus led his team into the Science & Research department. He held up a hand to stop them and peered through the doors. The area seemed mostly deserted. Only one lab tech worked, but he was in a room by himself, studying a chart. Marcus sneaked in and knocked the man out with a blow to the back of the head. He dragged him into a closet and closed the door before returning to the main hall. Something didn't feel right. Where were all the workers? They should have been busy with Darian's project. Marcus returned to the rest of his group and voiced this concern.

"Stay alert. This feels like a trap. I want you all to wait out here," Marcus said, pointing at the men from Ash. "Bret and Maya come with me."

They moved back into the lab carefully and searched. As they peered into each room, they discovered a skinless man, but it wasn't Isaac.

"Should we free him too?" Maya asked. "We can't just leave him."

"He might be volatile," Marcus said.

"But they're experimenting on him. It isn't right," Maya replied.

Marcus hesitated and looked through the window again. He didn't like the idea but admitted it wasn't right to leave him like this. "Fine, but let's be quick about it," Marcus said.

They entered the laboratory and approached the man. He stirred and looked at them hopefully. Maya grabbed the straps to unbuckle them, but Bret stopped her and looked at her with dawning horror.

"Wait, why would they still experiment on one of the unstable infected when they have Isaac?" Bret asked, but it was too late.

The man's eyes glowed red, and he grinned as he morphed into a normal human. The restraints broke easily as he stood because they were fake. Maya didn't have time to react. The man kicked her, sending her flying across the room. Bret channeled a stream of fire that backed the man up, and Marcus punched him. While they fought, the sound of soldiers entering the area distracted Bret. He heard gunfire as they attacked the men from Ash. Bret hoped they would be able to hold the soldiers off.

Bret had no time to focus on them. The man in the lab recovered from Marcus' punch and counterattacked. Bret and Marcus fended him with energy waves, fireballs, and strikes. The man dodged many attacks, but others singed his clothes and broke his skin. He believed he had the upper hand when he avoided a stream of Bret's fire. A grin broke out on his face until Maya redirected Bret's spell. It rebounded and set the man's shirt ablaze. He screamed and rolled onto the floor to put it out. As he thrashed around, Marcus finished him off with a hard kick to the head.

"I'm sorry, Marcus. We shouldn't have tried to save that guy," Maya said.

"It's okay. I fell for it too. Now, where's Isaac? Reach out and try to locate him with your mind," Marcus said to Maya.

Maya found it hard to focus because of the cacophony of gunfire and spells outside their location. Her face strained as she searched. "There are too many minds. It's a jumble of noise right now," she said. "Wait, I think I got him. Down there!" Maya said, pointing to the right of their room. They exited the lab and moved slowly. Maya locked in on Isaac and said, "He's toward the back of the department. Last door on the right."

"Take the lead. The soldiers are behind us, so I'll watch your—GAH!" Marcus yelled as a bullet struck his leg. He fell to the floor and held a hand over the wound, but blood poured from his knee. Marcus fired back with a chi blast, and the soldier toppled. "Keep going! I can still fend them off."

"Let me heal you!" Maya cried, but another soldier appeared.

"No time!" Marcus yelled as he fended this one off with more spells. "Go!" Maya hesitated, and Marcus glared at her. "Forget about me and get Isaac," he demanded.

"Come on," Bret said, grabbing her hand. She went with him reluctantly. Bret spotted more men coming for Marcus. He created a sheet of ice on the floor to slip them up. Marcus gave him a look of thanks as Bret and Maya moved toward Isaac's location. They reached the spot only to find it locked electronically. Another panel flanked the door. Bret looked at it, unsure what to do. He placed a hand on the panel and channeled electricity into it because he couldn't hack it like the Shark had. The spell shorted the panel out, but nothing happened.

"That was your plan?" Maya asked.

"I'm not good with these things," Bret replied.

"What's wrong?" Marcus asked, glancing at them.

"The room's sealed," Bret said.

Marcus turned toward the other end and saw the men from Ash holding off the soldiers. He crawled toward Bret and Maya. When he arrived, Marcus enhanced his strength and pried at the double door. His fingers dug into the crease, and the door creaked. They watched the red glow in his eyes flare as the doors started to part. He groaned and poured more effort into it. Finally, he created enough of a gap for them to slip inside, but another bullet impacted Marcus' shoulder.

"Marcus!" Maya cried. She used her telekinesis to shove the soldier back into the entryway, where someone attacked him, but they already did their damage. Marcus was bleeding profusely from two wounds.

"Get in there," he grumbled.

Bret and Maya slipped through the opening and found Isaac strapped to a table. He opened his eyes and weakly smiled when he saw them. Maya unbuckled his straps, but she jumped in fright when more gunshots rang out. Bret turned in time to see the last thing he wanted to witness. Marcus was almost on his feet, but the shots hit him. He fell to the floor and looked into Bret's eyes. The unfocused gaze broke Bret's heart. He knew there was nothing he could do.

"G-get them out of here," Marcus said softly, but Bret heard him.

"I will," Bret replied.

"I—will fend them off," Marcus said as he pulled himself into a seated position against a wall.

"How?"

Marcus tried to answer, but he coughed up blood. However, Bret guessed what he planned to do from the look in his eyes. They still glowed red and pulsed wildly. Bret had heard of people doing this. Marcus would gather every bit of energy and magic he had left in him and unleash it all at once. "Maya, tell the men from Ash to get down," Marcus choked out. Maya sent a mental message to their leader and got a response. She nodded to Marcus, who began his last stand.

Bret felt the surge in his bones. He experienced a sensation in his gut as if he were falling because Marcus redirected the energy around him to his body. Every hair on his body stood on its end. The air around him seemed to crackle with electricity. Even the blood in his veins reacted. He hated the sensations because of what they signaled. Bret could almost hear the magic building up. "Don't look," Bret said and shielded Maya and Isaac.

There was a brief pause followed by what sounded like a mixture of cannon fire and hurricane-force winds. Even with their eyes closed and their heads turned, the light almost blinded them. They heard shouting that ceased as quickly as it began. Other than the ringing in their ears, dead silence came next. They waited for a few seconds before they lifted their heads.

Bret peered into the hallway. What he saw astonished him. The end of the corridor was a wreck. A large hole occupied the area where the entrance to the department had been. It was blackened and twisted. He spotted discarded guns and pieces of the soldiers. The sight turned his stomach. He looked elsewhere and spotted the men from Ash also peeking around the corner to see the carnage. They pointed behind Bret with sad expressions. Bret knew what they were looking at but didn't want to see. Nevertheless, Bret turned and looked into Marcus' lifeless eyes.

"Come on. We've got to go," Bret said to Maya and Isaac.

***

Jake stumbled back into the lounge. When she saw him, Shaylie's face lit up, but it fell again upon seeing all of Jake's wounds.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Jake said, breaking Shaylie's shackles. Once free, she hugged and kissed him, eliciting a groan.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Where's Darian?"

"He's dead—I hope."

"That can't be. My shield is still intact."

"I threw him down an elevator shaft!"

"He claims he's immortal," Shaylie said.

Jake stumbled and cursed before saying, "Isaac's blood worked. Dammit! We have to get out of here before he comes back."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Shaylie asked when Jake wavered again. She reached out to steady him.

"I'm fine. Just need to regain some energy," Jake said, waving her off. "Let's—he's coming! Hide somewhere!" Jake said, pushing Shaylie away from him. She ran to the back of the room, and Jake turned to face the entryway.

Darian rounded the corner with blazing fury in his eyes. His clothes were torn and bloody, but the wounds had all healed. When Darian saw Jake's state, he grinned. "Well, that fall was fun. You should try it sometime," Darian said.

"No, thanks. I'll take the elevator."

"You don't have a choice in the matter. I was holding back before, but now you really pissed me off," Darian replied and lifted his hands for another attack.