Michael flew into the air as three glowing orange cards collided with where he had just been, causing a massive explosion that shook the room. He tried closing in on Ramond, but he was forced back every time as a thrown playing card cut off every path.
“You’re never going to win this, Michael. Just give up and I’ll make it painless.”
“You’re finally using my actual name? What did killing your business partner finally make you wake up to how fucked you are?”
“Ha! You gained my respect, but nothing more. You still aren’t going to live to see tomorrow.”
“We’ll see about that!” Michael shot like a falling meteor while activating his regeneration and tanking an explosive card and a glowing purple one that cut straight through his wrist bone.
He crashed into Raymond, knocking him down and destroying the throne, and sending him flying back. He landed on his knee, sliding back, and threw two more explosive cards that slammed into Michael’s face. Michael analyzed his options, had his face knitted back together, and his left eye popped into its socket.
Raymond frowned. “How the hell did you get so many powers?”
“Corpse disposal," Michael roared as he slammed his palms to the floor, and it liquefied.
Raymond tried to jump away, but his left leg was still caught in the floor as it solidified once more. Michael charged, preparing to take his head off.
“Damn it! Raymond shouted, severing his trapped leg and leaping back before Michael could strike.
“Still think you’re going to win this?” Michael taunted.
Raymond sighed. “To think you, of all people, would force me to this point,” he said, shaking his head. A vibrant blue light began glowing from his leg, and a construct formed to replace the missing limb.
Michaels’s eyes went wide.
Raymond smirked. “What don’t tell me you thought my power only extended to cards?”
Michael returned a smile, and his body shrank back to its normal size. He moved into a combat-ready stance. “Shall we continue?”
Raymon tipped his hat. “Eager to die, are we?” A glowing purple sword appeared in his hand, and he swung with full force, aiming for Michael’s head.
He ducked the strike before grabbing hold of Raymond’s arm, twisting it back, and, with a swift motion, breaking his wrist and forcing him to drop the weapon.
Raymond let out a grunt of pain, and a ball of orange energy appeared in his restrained hand, exploding and sending them flying back. Michael groaned in pain as the left half of his body knit itself back together. He stared down at Raymond as the man coughed and wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. He let out a wet, wheezing laugh.
“If you want to live, you should give up now, kid. Cuz I would bring this entire fucking building down, killing us both, before I ever let myself lose to a useless, no good goddamn null!”
“Fuck you!” Michael roared, pushing back to his feet.
Explosive cards flew at him, and he tried to dodge out of the way, but most of them still found their target. The damage caused by any that hit him healed in seconds, but the searing pain remained. He charged, growing closer to Raymond and leaving a trail of blood and viscera in his wake. He screamed with every step. His body had grown black and charred, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward anyway as fresh skin appeared. His lungs burned, his limbs ached, but there was no way he would lose this fight.
Raymond gritted his teeth as a suit of glowing armor manifested around him. “Give up!” he gnashed through clenched teeth as more blood spilled from his mouth.
He swung frantically, but it was obvious the man relied far too much on his power to overwhelm opponents and had almost no experience when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Michael dodged strike after strike and delivered a right hook as his hand exploded into a mace made of bone. Raymond’s armor shattered, and the strike continued, plowing through his face. Teeth flew from his face, and his lower jaw shattered as several spike-like protrusions embedded themselves in his cheek and the roof of his mouth. He screamed in pain as Michael sighed, staring him straight in the eye.
“Yuh... muh’er... fuh’er…” Ornge light began radiating from Raymond’s body.
“This is for my mother and father.”
A bone spike shot out of Raymond’s other cheek.
“And this is for me.”
Another spike shot through the roof of his mouth, protruding from the top of his skull. A vision entered Michael’s mind as an intense sense of euphoria filled him as the orange light faded away. He was finally free. He was finally the hero he had always dreamed he would be. He was finally saved. Footsteps echoed down the staircase, and Michael turned, preparing for another fight. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Good work, kid,” Tom said as he walked into the room, examining the scene of carnage. “I knew I was right to keep you alive. We should celebrate!”
“If it’s all the same to you, I would rather celebrate alone.”
Tom frowned. “Fine. Let me at least walk you out then.”
Michael shrugged. “Fine.” He walked up to Tom with a fake smile, activated his precognition, and saw exactly what would happen to him if he walked with the man. That sniper was once again waiting for him.
Tom threw his arm around him and let out a yelp in pain as a spear of bone shot through his side.
He let out a wet laugh and pulled out a cigarette. “Saw through me, huh?”
Michael nodded.
“So, how do you expect to get out of this mess? You can’t kill me, and there is no chance you’re getting out of this building alive.” He screened as electricity shot through his body.
“I don’t need your opinion,” Michael said.
“Ooo, wonder if he would pop if you zap him enough,” The apparition of the electricity user said, pokeing at the screening man and frowning that his finger went straight through.
Michael ignored the spirit, focusing on how he could get out of here. He considered every route out of the building that he knew of, but none of them would get him far. Why the hell did you not install an escape tunnel, Raymond? he thought with an audible groan. He sighed and turned back to Tom who had his fist cocked back. “You’re not going to surprise me like that,” he said, sidestepping the blow, deactivating the electricity, and liquefying the man’s arm.
“Worth a shot.” Tom shrugged, moving so that the spear was no longer in his body, drawing a large hunting knife, and severing his arm above where it had liquified to allow it to regrow
Why didn’t I think of that? Michael asked himself.
Tom grinned at him. “So, do you have an escape plan yet?”
“Fuck off.”
“Just let me know when you give up.”
Michael sat on Raymond’s throne, activated his mental boost, and tried to come up with a way to escape. His first through was using precognition to dodge the sniper, but after walking to the stairs and watching a test of that theory, he just saw the bullets curve and hit him anyway. He couldn’t just stay here either. He would have to sleep eventually, and there was no chance he would service that.
“Are you sure we can’t work something out?”
“Even if I doubt you could find a way to do me in, I’m not a fan of keeping a loaded gun pointed at my head.”
The gravity of the situation finally hit him. Unless some sort of miracle happened, he would die here. He sighed as he sat back on the throne. It wasn’t like it was the worst thing in the world. He wouldn’t have to deal with any of this shit anymore.
“Go with him...” a faint voice whispered in his ear. “I will protect you...”
Michael looked around for its source but didn’t find any. There was not a chance in hell he would trust it, but it was already growing late, and he had long since come to terms with his fate. Michael got up and walked over to Tom, who had cut out a piece of his own bone and was currently whittling it into the shaper of a small sailing ship.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Finally ready?”
Michael nodded.
Tom stood and threw his arm around him again. Another spear of bone was lodged in his side and exploded into several long spikes piercing every part of the man’s body.
“A parting gift!” Michael shouted with a wave as he walked up the stairs.
“Yu ashul!" Tom shouted after him, finding it hard to speak with the spike protruding from his mouth.
Michael activated every layer of defence he could. Bone armor covered in a rocky surface covered him, and he added regeneration for good measure. He sighed as he took the last step out the door. His precognition had already shown it would not be enough.
POP!
His vision began to grow blurry, and he looked down at his chest to find a massive hole where his heart should have been. Blood poured from the wound, accompanied by the sickly smell of necrosis.
“Fuck... my.... life” he said, struggling to stay awake.
Michael choked on his blood as he fell to the ground, trying with all his might to get his regeneration to activate, but his wound would not close. His vision swam for a few more moments before the world faded. He felt what he could only describe as his soul leaving his body when the sun’s gaze fell upon him.
“Is this how you let it end? Your revenge is complete, but the world is still in a state of turmoil. Will you let these atrocities be repeated?”
A phantom pulse went through Michael’s body.
“It seems there is fight in you yet. Now return my child and walk your path. Walk it toward oblivion.”
Everything faded to black, and the strange interaction faded from Michael’s mind.
A light appeared in the void, pulling Michael’s attention. Ah, so there is an afterlife. A word appeared before him.
SACRIFICE
Three images appearing in shattered glass surrounded the word.
What the hell? Michael thought while taking a close look at the images. Each displayed a different person. The man he had gained his first power from, the old lady who had given him precognition, and the Green Egale. Michael took another look at the word in front of him.
“What is this?” he asked, but there was no response, only the same floating word and images.
With a sigh, he finally reached for his flame vent power. It was definitely the least helpful if he had to choose between the three powers, since he had another way to fly now. As he made contact with the glass shard, it disappeared, and his vision shifted. Michael screamed as he sat up, frantically feeling his chest for a massive hole. Relief filled him as he did not find anything.
“Where am I?” he muttered, finally getting a look around.
He was surrounded by trash and could smell a faint scent of burning plastic in the air. He pushed himself out of the pile and attempted to activate his flame vent power, but nothing happened. So that vision was real. He thought as a pair of wings sprouted from his back, and he took flight. He found himself in a massive landfill, and it took him a few moments to orient himself back to the city. He sighed as he looked at his old home. It is probably not a great idea to go back. He searched his pockets, but they were all empty. He groaned, hoping to find his phone so they could find a map to another nearby town.
“I’ll find something eventually,” he sighed and began flying east away from the city and ocean, using the sun to orient himself.