Kurt’s body lay motionless on the cold concrete, blood pooling beneath his pale face that stread from his eyes, nose and ears just before death.
Around him, bubbles drifted lazily through the air, popping softly, releasing an invisible death that hung heavy in the atmosphere with each burst.
Lizzie’s green aura flared brighter, her healing ability fiercely working to purge the poison coursing through her veins. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her breath ca in short, controlled bursts.
She shifted, positioning herself firmly between Rayner and Sam, her newly acquired gun raised with trembling determination.
"Look, I don’t know what’s happening," Lizzie said, her voice breezy but edged with panic, "but you’re not getting anywhere near her. She’s Raven’s Crow."
Without hesitation, she fired.
The green projectile shot forward, but almost instantly, a shimring do of bubbles materialized in its path, absorbing the blast harmlessly. The bubbles flickered, then popped with a faint hiss, as if mocking her effort.
Behind Lizzie, Sam stood frozen, tears streaming down her face. Her gaze was fixed on Kurt’s lifeless form; the blood, the way his hand remained curled, as if reaching for sothing just out of grasp.
Rayner tilted his head, thodically rubbing sanitizer into his hands. His eyes locked onto Sam, narrowing with cold curiosity. "Curious. Very curious. The poison should have killed her by now. It should."
***
In the workshop, Rook swung his hamr with a force that could crater concrete. Joshua t the strike by crossing both arms in front of himself, blocking it with barely a flinch.
The impact unleashed a shockwave that rattled tools from the walls and sent Joshua crashing through a nearby section of the workshop.
"Ow," Joshua said flatly, his tone carrying zero sincerity as he pulled himself out of the hole in the wall and twisted his wrist.
Rook’s eyes widened as he caught sight of the thin, nearly invisible threads wrapped tightly around Joshua’s torso and arms. And with a subtle flick of his fingers, Joshua manipulated the threads to slice through the air with surgical precision.
Reacting instantly, Rook released his hamr and threw himself sideways. The threads didn’t hesitate, they bisected the hamr cleanly, the two halves clattering to the floor in perfect symtry.
Rolling to absorb the fall, Rook’s hand was already moving to the combat knife strapped to his leg In one fluid motion, he drew the blade, spun, and hurled it toward Joshua’s head.
But before the blade could reach its target, a net of threads materialized mid-air, catching it effortlessly.
Without missing a beat, Joshua wove his hand again, sending five threads shooting forward in a cleaving arc. Rook arched his spine backward, knees sliding across the ground as the threads passed re inches above his chest.
Yet, the threads pressed on relentlessly, carving clean lines through steel and wood alike. The workshop wall behind them collapsed with a deafening crash.
Screams erupted from deeper within the guild as panicked mbers scrambled away from the destruction.
Breathing heavily, Rook straightened, jaw clenched. "No more holding back." He slamd his hand against the concrete floor.
Instantly, his skin rippled and hardened, stone spreading across his body like living armor. Muscles bulged beneath the rocky surface, and even his eyes turned to solid grey stone.
Joshua raised an eyebrow, a hint of intrigue in his voice. "Hm. Interesting."
***
Across the warehouse, in a section of the guild that had been reduced to rubble and twisted tal, Cassandra and Riley clashed.
Riley spun mid-air, her leg wreathed in heat as she delivered a devastating roundhouse kick aid at Cassandra’s head. The air twisted around her foot, distorting from the sheer temperature.
Cassandra raised her blade casually, blocking the strike with the flat of her sword. Ice spread from the point of contact, crawling up Riley’s leg, and Cassandra swung the blade in a wide arc.
A glacier erupted from the ground, massive spikes of ice that moved like a wave, encasing Riley in seconds.
But the ice didn’t hold.
Riley’s body glowed faintly red from heating up her essence to not just raise her temperature but improve her physicality, and the ice shattered in an explosion of steam.
She burst free, spinning again, delivering a rapid combination of punches, tail strikes, and kicks that forced Cassandra backward.
Cassandra deflected each strike with precise movents, her blade weaving through the air like a conductor’s baton. Parry, sidestep, block. Her expression remained cold, detached, as if she were watching soone else’s fight.
Riley scread with anguish. "Why did you leave us?! Why did you choose them over ?!"
Cassandra’s blade caught Riley’s wrist mid-punch, redirecting the montum and throwing her off balance. "You’re pathetic," she said, her voice icy. "The only fight worth having is one where your opponent is at their strongest. Silver Tail stopped seeking strength. They settled for cruelty."
Riley’s eyes blazed with fury and heartbreak. "Cassandra!"
She charged again, heat radiating off her body in waves, and Cassandra t her head-on.
***
Elsewhere in the chaos, Zaza drifted through the smoke like a ghost.
Guild mbers ran past her, shouting, panicking, their faces streaked with soot and blood. One of them; a young man, barely out of his teens, collided with her shoulder and suddenly stopped mid-stride.
His eyes went blank, and his soul simply... left. It peeled away from his body like mist evaporating in sunlight, and his corpse dropped to the ground.
A mont later, the body twitched, jerking upright with unnatural stiffness, and essence materialized in its hands, forming a crude sword and shield, glowing faintly purple.
The undead soldier turned its empty gaze toward the nearest group of guild mbers and began to advance.
Zaza didn’t wait to watch the chaos unfold. She was already moving, her eyes scanning the warehouse floor until they landed on sothing that made her stop.
Kurt’s body. Still and unmoving.
Her eyes glowed faintly purple, and she tilted her head, lips parting slightly. She brought a finger to her mouth, chewing on her nail absently, and stared at Kurt’s corpse with an expression of genuine fascination.
"Hm," Zaza murmured. "That’s strange."
***
Back in the main hall, Lizzie was losing ground.
Rayner had switched tactics. No more playful bubbles drifting lazily through the air. Now they ca in waves, dozens at a ti, and each one carried a different death.
One cluster exploded on impact, sending shrapnel-like bursts of hardened foam. Another released acid mist that lted through steel. A third detonated with concussive force, rattling Lizzie’s ribs even through her healing aura.
She summoned a healing pod, a translucent green barrier that ford around her and Sam, but the bubbles bombarded it relentlessly until cracks spider-webbed across the surface.
"I don’t know how long I can keep this up!" Lizzie shouted, firing another shot from her gun after making a small opening through her pod.
A do of bubbles intercepted it again, absorbing the blast harmlessly, and the healing pod that held against the assault shattered.
Lizzie grabbed Sam’s wrist and yanked her backward, narrowly avoiding a cluster of bubbles that popped into a cloud of corrosive mist, lting the floor where they’d been standing into smoking slag.
Sam stumbled, and as she did, another bubble drifted slowly toward her face. It hovered for a mont before popping with a faint, almost imperceptible sound.
The mist from the burst spread imdiately across her cheek and neck. Yet, to her surprise, nothing happened. The corrosive substance simply rolled off her skin like water, leaving her completely unhard.
Rayner halted mid-step, his eyes widening ever so slightly. For the first ti, a genuine flicker of interest crossed his face. "Interesting, very interesting..." he murmured, his tone low but curious.
Lizzie stared at Sam, then at the mist still clinging harmlessly to her skin. "What the hell...?"
Rayner took another step forward, bubbles swirling around him like a protective cocoon. "Tell , little girl. What makes you so special, what does?"
Before anyone could answer, a notification pinged in Kurt’s mind, though his body remained motionless.
[RESURRECTION TIR: 00:05]
Rayner raised his hand, and a massive bubble began to form above Lizzie, its surface glowing ominously. "Let’s find out, shall we?"
The bubble descended, expanding as it fell, ready to engulf them both.
[00:04]
[00:03]
[00:02]
Lizzie raised her gun, knowing it wouldn’t be enough.
Sam closed her eyes, too frightened and confused to be pissed off at the fact that she was called a little girl.
[00:01]
[RESURRECTION COMPLETE]
Kurt’s eyes snapped open.
***
A/N: I hope you’re enjoying this so far. Send a review or two. And gifts will an sothing to !
Thank you and peace!
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