“O'Brien!” The guard said. “Get up! There here to transfer you.”

“Right right,” Danny said, getting up. “Got to go to another prison for the trial, right? Doesn't make any damn sense to me, but sure whatever.”

“Hands through the slot,” The guard said. Danny offered his hands and the guard placed handcuffs on them. Then the door was opened, and Danny led out of his cell.

Do it! The efreet shouted in his mind.

“Not yet,” Danny muttered.

“What was that?” The guard asked, as the door to the prison slid open.

“I said it's better to wait until you open the door,” Danny said.

“Wha--” the guard said, but Danny was already grabbing his face.

His arm from the elbow down was so hot it glowed white. He'd melted through the cuffs, and where he grabbed the guard crackled and sizzled immediately with the heat. The guard let out a gurgling scream, but when he tried to grab Danny's arm to pull away he only succeeded in burning off his own fingers. His head cooked in a matter of seconds, at which point Danny tossed the charred corpse casually aside.

“That was fun,” Danny said.

They're shooting at you, the efreet told him.

“Do I need to care?” Danny asked.

No.

The bullets were vaporizing in a flash of white heat inches from his body. Danny laughed, walking through the gunfire towards the idiots who were dumb enough to shoot at him.

Don't forget what we're here for, the efreet warned.

“Yeah yeah,” Danny said, grabbing a guard by the wrist, burning through skin and bone until a charred hand fell twitching to the floor. “This is all just a warmup. This is where the real fun gets started.”

“That was so much fun!” Jenny said, hanging on to Kyle's arm. “I think I like dances.”

“I still don't,” Kyle smiled. “But hanging out with you all night was pretty fun.”

“We hang out all the time anyway,” Jenny pointed out.

“Yeah but this was different,” Kyle said. “This was a date. Now, if...”

What had been a distant noise, easily ignored, was suddenly right beside him. The firetruck blasted past him so fast he thought the siren was going to tear him open. And it wasn't the last, police cars and ambulances and more firetrucks streamed past it in desperate hurry.

“Ow,” Jenny rubbed her ear and said when the screaming fleet of emergency vehicles had gone by. “Where are they all going?”

“I think over there,” Kyle said, pointing to where an orange glow was beginning to taint the night sky in the distance.

“A fire?” Jenny craned her neck. “What's over in that direction?”

“The jail,” Kyle said. “There's a huge fire coming from the jail. Where Danny is.”

He wasn't surprised in the slightest when his phone rang.

“Tanya,” he said as he put the phone on speaker. “We're seeing it too.”

“It has to be O'Brien,” Tanya said over the phone. “He wasn't just a carrier for the curse. He's made some kind of pact with the efreet.”

“So what do we do about it?” Kyle asked.

“I think I know where he's going,” Tanya said. “If his pact with the efreet was completed, he'd never have stayed in jail this long. They can't complete it until they meet in person.”

“He can't just do a circle like Betty and her cat?”

“No, this isn't a familiar bond, it's something deeper. They'll have to meet up. But if the efreet could move, it would have gone to meet Kyle at the jail. He must be too injured from his fight with you still. And the most likely place for him to be, given everything we know, is the ruins of Danny's house. I'm going there to seal the efreet, I should be able to do it on my own when he's weakened.”

“What do we do?” Kyle asked.

“Delay him,” Tanya said. “Sealing a demon takes time. Buy me as much as you can.”

“Got it,” Kyle nodded, though of course Tanya couldn't see him.

“Kyle,” Tanya added, “just...be careful, okay?”

The phone clicked off.

“That was nice of her to say,” Jenny said.

“Maybe you should...”

“Don't you dare say head home!” Jenny cut him off. “Do I need to remind you how useful my sparkly eyes trick has been? Besides...”

“Yeah okay,” Kyle said. “Climb on my back. We're about to see what colossal-node physical enhancement is good for. And hope we can catch up to Danny before he hurts anyone else.”

Danny threw a burning, molten car through the second story window of a nearby building, laughing like a madman.

Which, it suddenly occurred to him, he probably was. Not that he cared.

“This is fun!” Danny laughed. “I could do this all night!”

No you couldn't! The efreet snapped in his mind. I dunno if you noticed, but I can't block too many bullets at once like this. If they swarm you, you're fucked.

“Know what I think?” Danny said. “I think you're trying to talk me into something I don't need. I think I can handle Kyle just fine the way I am, and you just want more.”

Think, dammit! The Efreet snarled in Danny's mind. I was at full power when Kyle ripped me apart like this. And you're not even close to my full power right now. What do you think...

He was cut off by more screaming sirens. A cop car swerved around the corner, barreling towards him with lights flashing.

“He's going to try to run me over,” Danny laughed.

Leave him behind and go! The efreet urged.

“Nah,” Danny said. “He's gotta pay for that.”

Danny crouched down and caught the cop car by the bumper as it tried to run him over, crumpling the front of the car. The metal began to heat, and the driver dived out of the vehicle and ran away down the street as his car smoked and melted in Danny's grasp.

“Hey!” Danny called after him, ripping the bumper off the car. “Where do you think you're going?”

He threw the flaming bumper after the fleeing officer. The cop screamed, ducking under the projectile and running off around the corner as it buried itself in the brickwork of a building.

“Lame,” Danny sighed, tossing the car casually over his shoulder. There was a crashing noise as it hit the pavement, and to his surprise the sound of screeching tires. He turned to see a limousine swerving to avoid the molten car, overturning in the street with wheels spinning in the air. “Oh but wait, we might have more playmates!”

He had just started walking towards the upturned limo when the door opened and someone crawled out. That rich girl. Ammeline, right? That was her name. Once she was out she pulled out some other guy Danny was pretty sure he'd never seen before, and then yet another guy from the driver's seat. She didn't even act like she noticed Danny was there until she had them both out of the way.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Why did she have an athletic bag over her shoulder?

“Danny O'Brien,” Ammeline said. “I see. You seem to have gained some kind of power.”

“Looks like it,” Danny laughed, holding up his burning hands.

Danny I don't like this, the efreet hissed in his mind. She's too calm. Something's up.

“Then I should burn her face off nice and quick, right?” Danny laughed, charging in. Ammeline pulled her fencing sword from her bag and dropped into a fighting stance, tip pointed towards him. She stood there as calm as if the charging maniac blazing with unholy fire was no more threatening than a summer breeze.

Look out look out dodge dodge doge!

Danny sensed the danger a second after the efreet warned him. He came up short in his charge, leaping backwards as far as he could go. It wasn't quite enough. The force of Ammeline's thrust tore a strip out of his side, not deep but viciously painful. Blood was pouring down his side by the time he landed.

“What the hell!?” Danny sputtered. She hadn't even touched him. It was like the sword was wrapped in a hurricane of slicing blades.

“I don't know where this power came from,” Ammeline said, tearing off the bottom of her dress to give her legs more room to move. “It came to me after the gas explosion. I suspect Kyle may know something about it, but it never felt like the right time to ask. What I do know is that power like this must be used to defend against people who would use it to hurt others. I mean it seems obvious doesn't it? So I think...”

She dropped into a fighting stance, and all of a sudden Danny didn't think her fighting stances or her blunt tipped fencing sword looked silly anymore.

“...I think I am supposed to fight this battle,” Ammeline continued. “I do hope Kyle does know something about this. If not who am I supposed to have bask in the glory of my victory? Ahahahahaha...”

“Little bitch!” Danny snarled.

Get the hell away!

“I can take her!” Danny insisted charging for Ammeline. “Now that I'm ready for that sword...”

His plan was to grapple her before she could bring the sword into play, but she unleashed a fury of thrusts in his direction long before he reached her. Spiraling drills of energy flew from the tip of her sword with each thrust, piercing huge holes in whatever they touched. Danny was forced back again, dodging and weaving, but still one of them hit him in the shoulder, drawing more blood.

“GRAAAAHHHHHHH!!!” Danny screamed in confusion.

Do you get it now!? The efreet screamed in his head. And she's just been practicing by herself. Kyle and the others have been getting actual training!

But Danny was too far gone to listen. Hands burning he reached down and ripped up a huge section of the asphault, bigger than he was. He threw it at Ammeline, but the fencer stood her ground. When her piercing shots only chipped off pieces she changed her stance, slashing the lump of street to rubble before it reached her.

Danny was right behind it. Inches behind it, at most. As soon as she removed it from between them he kicked her as hard as he could in the chest. She flew backwards, slamming into the side of the limo and denting in the door. She slumped, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She coughed and hacked up more.

“See?” Danny demanded. “I told you I could take her!”

Okay great! The efreet said desperately. Sure! Good work kid! Now get the hell out of her before...

“I said I was going to melt her face off,” Danny said, grabbing Ammeline by the collar of her dress and lifting her up. He raised one hand over his head, glowing with white-hot power. “And that's what I'm gonna do.”

“NO!” someone screamed, and suddenly Danny's world went crazy, flashing colors and sparkling light. He couldn't see. He couldn't even tell if he was standing up or lying down. He could tell he was stumbling, moving, but the sparkling world seemed to roll and heave beneath him.

And then pain. The pain was clear, he could make out the pain.

It was only a second later when his head cleared. He'd been punched clear back down the street, and his nose felt like it was broken. Blood was streaming down his lips. Ammeline was slumped against the limo again, with Kyle and the Jenny girl standing over her. Right, the genie, the efreet told him about that. That's why she was pinkish-purple.

Events clicked into place. Kyle had punched the shit out of him.

Again.

“I'll explain later,” Kyle was promising Ammeline.

“You'd better,” the rich girl managed weakly.

“You'll be okay,” Jenny was promising. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...”

“You didn't hit me.” Ammeline told her. Danny shook his head. He had more important things to focus on.

Like getting the hell away, the efreet said. You could just barely handle her. You can't handle Kyle. And you sure as hell can't handle him with the genie girl ready to give you another taste of that stupid light show trick.

“Alright,” Danny climbed to his feet. “Alright. Fine. You made your point.”

Finally. And hurry up. The sorceress chick is here, I think she's gonna try to seal me up.

“You didn't feel like mentioning this before?” Danny snarled.

I'm not the one who's been wasting time!

“Danny!” Kyle called after him. “Stop it! It's over.”

“I haven't even gotten started!” Danny snapped back.

“That was a terrible line,” Kyle said. “Come on man, look around. Look what what's happened to you. Look what you're doing.”

Danny looked around at the street. Molten cars were everywhere. The buildings were on fire. The only reason there weren't any emergency vehicles nearby was because Danny had already melted them. Some of the melted cop cars had charred corpses still inside.

“I know right?” Danny grinned. “How awesome is this!”

Run when it happens, the efreet told him, then without waiting for a response Danny felt the power surge. A flash of light burst from his body, blinding everyone but him. In the moment of confusion, Danny ran.

He'd fight Kyle once he and the efreet were together at full power.

Tanya reached the smoking hole that had once been the O'Brien house still wearing her shirt and pants from the dance. She hadn't taken the time to change, only to grab a spellbook and hurry to the spot. If she was right, this was where she'd find the efreet. Now if only the other thing she needed would show up...

Turned out, things she needed and things she didn't need showed up at the same time. Trevor showed up with Betty in tow, good she could use both of them. Eric, with his physical and mental enhancements, came running from the other direction. However tagging along behind him was Goldie, who Tanya had absolutely no need for whatsoever.

“What is she doing here?” Tanya demanded.

“She wouldn't let me go without answers,” Eric shrugged.

“A lot of answers,” Goldie snapped. “One minute I'm having a surprisingly tolerable evening at the dance and the next this idiot is going all “justice is calling” on me.”

“It's kind of hard to—” Trevor started to say, but Betty cut him off.

“Danny O'Brien has gained supernatural powers from a demon and is now coming here to summon that same demon to gain more power,”

Goldie stared at them.

“This is my magical cat,” Betty added, letting Moonlight poke his head out of her bag.

“Mrow,” Moonlight agreed.

“Right,” Goldie said, disbelief and confusion clear on her face. “Okay, fine. Just...just give me a moment to process all those sentences you guys just said.”

“Nope!” Tanya said. “Don't have time.”

She waved her hands in the air and lines of softly glowing purple energy wove through the air, wrapping around the ruined house and forming a complex pattern of circles in circles and strange symbols.

“Holy shit!” Goldie said.

“Betty get over here!” Tanya ordered. “This is a lot more stable with two people. Other side of the circle, just put your power in I'll do the rest.”

With Betty in place the circle glowed more strongly. In the very center of it the rubble shifted, and something rancid and rotting rose from beneath.

It was the efreet, or at least some of it. Organs pulsed and oozed from the various holes in it's torso, and it the entire lower half was missing. It had obviously decayed, rotting like a corpse. If it had to try and survive much longer like this it would never make it, wasting away to nothing after Kyle nearly tore it apart. But if Danny got here...

So you're trying to seal my power, the efreet sneered in their heads. Tanya wasn't surprised it couldn't talk out loud anymore, with the state it was in. Not a bad idea. But the thing you're forgetting is, I got options.

The efreet started mumbling words, and all around them glowing orange portals opened. Dinosaur headed bugs chittered and screamed, clawing their way through them.

“Like the alley!” Evan shouted. “Remember everyone, they're weakness is being hit really hard in the head with a metal pipe!”

“That's most people's weakness!” Goldie pointed out.

“Keep them off us!” Tanya shouted. “If we seal him the portals close too, then I can help you with those things!”

“Row!” Moonlight said, leaping at the nearest monster. As he did he twisted, molding like taffy in the air. What landed on the hapless fire demon wasn't a housecat but an eight foot long black and silver stripped tiger that tore it to shreds.

“That works too!” Eric said. Tanya wasn't even sure where he'd gotten a pipe, but he started darting around smashing monsters in the head. It took a couple of whacks to keep them down, but he was doing plenty of damage. One of the creatures got close, but Goldie appeared with her own pipe and whacked it in the head until it stopped moving.

Without any special powers. Huh. Maybe these things were unusually weak to metal pipes.

“I don't get what's going on exactly,” Goldie panted, “but summon demon equals bad, right? I'll help. And then this can all be explained to me very patiently afterwards.”

“If there is an afterwards,” Eric complained. “There's a lot of these things, Tanya! We could sue some help!”

“You have it,” Trevor sighed. “There goes my sports career...”

And Trevor finally tapped into his Titanic core. She could feel him focusing it on his body. But it was more power than a body could handle at once, so it bled out of him as glowing light. Tanya cursed herself for never teaching him what to do with it...but then he seemed to figure it out on his own. The light tightened to his skin, growing duller and firmer, until Trevor stood wearing a suit of slick, sleek, head to toe armor that glowed softly in the dark.

After that, it wasn't even fair.

“Careful!” Tanya shouted a warning. “The blowback from your punches could kill somebody!”

“Duly noted,” Trevor said, his voice sounding tinny from within the glowing armor. He waded through the monsters like they weren't even there. They shattered as he walked into them, swinging punches right and left.

Still not enough, the efreet said in her mind.

“How do you figure that?” Tanya grunted. “We'll have you sealed in a second, and this will all be over.”

Because my guy is smarter than you give him credit for.

Danny's hand burst up from underneath her, erupting from the dirt with a spray of smoke and clamping white hot around her ankle. She defended herself with magic by reflex, but it still seared her skin and made her scream as she lost control of the sealing spell.

“Tanya!” Betty said. “I cannot control this on my own-!”

The spell circle burst like a bubble and Danny erupted from the dirt, throwing Tanya aside. He strode across the ruins of his old home to where the fetid corpse of the efreet hovered in the air.

Finally, the efreet said.

“Finally,” Danny agreed, reaching out to grab the demon's hand.

“No-!” Trevor shouted, rushing towards them, but it was too late. A burst of power flared from the two of them, covering the world in painful orange light.

When it cleared, Danny and the efreet were gone. In their place was...something new.