Marks construct was lit up with ripples from all directions. The hail of bullets was not what Mark was worried about though. Every single fighter in this room was high-level level, but not only that they were looking for a way to kill them as quickly as possible. Even while they shot at their group, they were closing the distance. The moment Jonathan had drawn his weapon, none of them wasted time and opened fire as if waiting for the opportunity to strike.
Jonathan completely separated from their group and pushed into the smaller space, ignoring others in an attempt to get to his father. At first, Mark thought the big guy and his squad would intervene but instead, they dashed past Jonathan and headed for the three of them.
Jonathan's blade swung horizontally, attempting to separate Oscar’s head from his shoulders. A dagger appeared in Oscar’s hand and he moved to intercept the attack. When their blades clashed there was an enormous amount of force behind Jonathan's swing. At the same time, Oscar grunted, but it almost seemed like the force of Jonathan's attack was being dispersed. Never one to give up, Jonathan unleashed a series of attacks that were faster than anything Mark had seen him use to date. He was not holding back at all.
He then lost track of what was going on as Oscar’s people arrived. They slammed into Mark's barrier from multiple directions. For now, he could hold them off, but they would get through soon enough. Unexpectedly one of the casters at the back opened with Vibration magic. Instantly Mark realized they had made a mistake coming here, this was way worse than they had first anticipated.
Oscar had planned this, all of it. He had them in a secluded spot, surrounded by a large number of high-level individuals, and to top it off, he had to have researched their weaknesses. Vibration magic was probably not that rare, but it couldn’t be a coincidence that Oscar just happened to have someone specializing in that magic as part of the team.
Mark’s world rocked as the vertigo hit, but the situation was dire, and even though the caster was at a high level, their control over the magic was nowhere near Terry’s. Their team had started returning fire and blocking who they could but honestly, they were heavily outnumbered. Davis unleashed a hail of bullets but right now neither side had done any real damage to the other. That was until the big guy arrived, he slammed into the shield with the force of a freight train. Chris tried to block him with a blast of wind paired with physically obstructing him, but the guy just forged on ahead, seemingly unaffected, cracking a fist into the side of Chris’s skull, and downing him in one shot.
Mark layered a second shield over the first in an attempt to block out the sound and the veritable mountain of a man. Pulling Chirs towards the center.
Sam had been concentrating on a spell since all of this started and when she opened her eyes now the Mana glowed from behind her skin. Two black storm clouds poured from her hands and stretched out beyond the barrier. Arcs of lighting grew in these clouds like the branches of a tree. Veins of glowing plasma began to surround them like a living bramble patch of light. It was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
The Aura users that had been dismantling Mark's barrier had to back away. Those that were not fast enough, found themselves locked in place as the electricity seized their bodies using them as grounding points.
The breathing room was a godsend but it didn’t last. More fighters were entering the room and half of them began raining all types of magic down on the construct. These were not simple spells either, massive destructive magic tore further into Mark's reserves.
Glancing at Jonathan, Mark could see he was still locked in lethal combat with Oscar, but something was changing. Jonathan was panting from exertion, while Oscar looked no worse for wear. With each attack, Jonathan committed to Oscar, the Aura around him would build up a little more and Jonathan’s would shrink.
Normally Jonathan would never miss a detail like this, but he was reacting before thinking.
Mark screamed his name, hoping to wake him from his berserker state. He even tried [Telepatic link] but Jonathan seemed locked on Oscar.
The man in question glanced at Mark over Jonathan's shoulder and just grinned. Then he released all the Aura he had been storing at once, mixing Mana into the attack as well.
The attack caught Jonathan completely unaware, as a fist to the throat. Sending him hurtling back and crashing through one of the concrete supports, only stopping when his moment buried him into the nearby wall. Cuts lacerated his chest, appearing on his body in a familiar fashion.
Ethel flung curses at Oscar turning her bow on him, sending a large bolt of blue light hurling toward the man.
Oscar ducked out of the way and began moving towards them. Boe growled and began to charge, but Ethel stopped him with a shout.
“Boe no! Retreat! All of you retreat, we can’t fight them here. The situation has gotten out of hand!”
Oscar’s Aura deflated back to its normal state and he let out a satisfied pant. Cuts began to appear on the hand he had used to punch Jonathan.
“Good! You’ve been running ever since Dad died, what's new? Leave if you want, but my boy is staying here.”
At the same time, Jonathan was pulling himself from the wall. His body had taken a hit and he had clearly broken something in his chest, shoulder, and neck. Somehow though, the guy kept moving, his focus still on Oscar.
Mark sent his construct at Jonathan to heal him and pull him toward them, but something unexpected happened.
One of the casters near Jonathan put up their own shield, surrounding Jonathan, and a good portion of their side of the room in protective screen. Mark's construct immediately met resistance as the caster fought him for the space. Normally Mark would be able to crush a shield like this with raw power, but with the pressure he was already holding back it was too much.
He couldn’t heal Jonathan.
“We can’t have that Mr. Young. I’ve done my homework and you are not free from the normal limitations of a healer. Ingenuitive maybe, but nothing one can’t counter with a bit of thought.”
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Mark looked at the man and was half tempted to go over there a punch his face in himself but he couldn’t, not when that was exactly what he was looking for.
Jonathan was completely focused on Oscar.
Ethel shouted for him to return, but he just kept advancing.
Oscar looked pleased.
“He won’t leave. If you lose this chance to kill me here, you are all as good as dead. He knows that.”
Spells kept slamming against Mark's dome and he was running out of options and energy. Glancing at Sam Mark whispered under his breath.
“Together…”
She glanced back and grabbed his hand.
Triggering [Joint casting] Mark matched her Will. It was the same spell they had used against Grace. Only, it came together much faster now that they both knew what they were doing. Strangely enough, their Mana seemed to mix far better than Mark remembered.
Light bloomed in the room as Mark worked [Light control] and Sam manifested the crystalline frame through [Earth control].
The attack was noticeable, sending the room into a frenzy.
The big guy charged over to Oscar and all the guards renewed their attacks on Mark's construct.
Sam helped to reinforce his control over the spell and a single heartbeat later the laser appeared once more. This time, to increase the potency they shortened the distance it would fall off at. The air split as the beam fell, liquifying the concrete beyond. It slashed diagonally through both the large man and Oscar. Two defensive skills moved into place in front of them. The first looked like a jewel and the other was made of sickly dark green energy. The laster cut straight through the first layer, but the second seemed to weaken it considerably, allowing the Aura user to take the attack directly. His skin cooked and bubbled, leaving a streak across his whole body, but he still stood. From behind him, Oscar laughed.
“Fuck! You still had that kind of card up your sleeves? You guys are incredible. Kill them. Now!”
Jonathan made a beeline for Oscar, but now his men were getting in the way, and with his injuries, he was quickly getting bogged down.
Mark called it then and there. They were leaving before things got any worse. Between Mark and Sam, neither of them had very much Mana left, but for what Mark wanted now he didn’t need a lot, he just needed help with calculating so many different effects at once.
First, he slammed down his construct, sending the outer layer exploding into the room like a tidal wave, knocking Aura users back and fracturing defensive spells. Next, he began lifting them all towards the ceiling. Sam would take care of the concrete with [Earth control]. He then loaded a [Mind spike] and sent it through the cracks in the caster’s barrier. Smashing it into Jonathan's mind and screaming the words into his head.
‘Wake up asshole!’
Jonathan flinched in pain and his eyes turned to look at them, slowly focusing. As if waking from a dream he wrestled free of the two guards grappling him and scrambled for the construct.
Oscar shouted for someone to stop him and people moved to block him. However, Sam moved what was left of the frozen lightning forward to cover his retreat. It bought him just enough time to climb onto the force disk
Oscar looked up at them as the ceiling above them opened up. He looked pissed but also calm like he knew their next step.
Jonathan's eyes were locked on his father and in turn, Oscar looked at each of them. Just before they left the room, the fighters were recovering and preparing to attack them once more. Mark made a ripping gesture and pulled at the corrugated metal of the gate. Its hinges warped and snapped free, revealing the full opening in the concrete. Beyond this room was what looked like train tracks and Corrupted came pouring into the room. The Fighters below turned to defend themselves, though Mark didn’t think they would be a real threat to a team of this skill. All the while, Oscar never took his eyes off Jonathan and Ethel, even as Sam closed the hole up behind them.
Mark turned his attention to helping Sam and they pushed the group upward, traveling through each level at an accelerated pace. Mark directed them in a diagonal path so they wouldn’t just pop out on the ground level of this place. Earth, rock, and concrete gave way to pipes and metal rebar. All of which they pushed out of the way, rising to the next level until they hit soil and tar, bursting from the ground, and out into the open sky.
Trying to get their bearings they got up and kept moving under the morning sun.
Sam took the lead.
“Shit we need to get home, prepare a response.”
Mark glanced around panting, luckily they hadn’t arrived right next to the building they were trying to escape but it wasn’t far enough for Mark's liking. That short fight had drained him of almost all his energy. The Mana was already returning, But he needed somewhere to recoup his Prana, especially seeing the state Jonathan was in. Mark looked over the rest of his group and saw Chris was still out for the count, luckily he was able to stabilize the guy with the little he had left. Jonathan would be another story. He was hurt, maybe not life-threatening but right now he was crippled and nowhere near full strength. Speaking of the guy, he was pacing the alleyway they had snuck into, to avoid prying eyes.
When he spoke his voice came out raspy, probably from the hit he took.
“Fuck he's completely unhinged, more so than usual”
Ethel snorted coldly.
“Really? He seemed about the same to me. Only now he has the power to match his ambitions. What did he do to you back there? I've never seen you lose in a contest of strength.”
Jonath shook his head.
“I wasn't watching his Aura’s manifestation, he can probably draw in other's Aura and return it, but I think he needs a condition to activate it. I am not sure.”
He was angry at himself for losing control and missing important details.
Sam looked about ready to run home on foot.
“It was most likely on attack or something. We should move from here. who knows if he has people out looking for us”
Ethel shook her head.
“Knowing him, he’ll let us run ourselves in circles trying to figure out what he’s planning. The best option is to make a big move now, while he’s still getting all the pieces in place because when he does strike it will be all at once and we won’t get another chance.”
Sam took a breath.
“Okay, then what? He still has it in with the Loyalists. They could make some bullshit up about us attacking them.”
Jonathan grunted as he sat down.
“Yeah, but he likes to frame things as he pleases. He probably doesn’t have as much say in how things are going in the faction as he wants us to believe. Remember the army still has its hierarchy. Our best bet is to find another backer we can set on him as a distraction.”
Mark had taken out a roll of bandage and was wrapping Jonathan's chest. He found it disconcerting how the army could work with someone like that, clearly, his strength made it necessary or something.
“What about the guild, can they help us, we are already a part of them right?” He asked
Ethel shook her head.
“In many cases, yes. Against Oscar, no. They are not combat-orientated, and honestly, their type of power won’t give him reason to even pause.”
Mark had a sinking feeling and Sam seemed to voice it.
“So then what will?”
Ethel paused and looked at Jonathan.
“Well, there’s only one power in the city that can match up to the loyalists, and that’s NAS”