Zero Langham
My feet stopped before my mind had time to think.
The scarred man slammed his palm against the wooden stall with enough force to shake the entire frame. Cracks spread across the support beams before the structure gave way all at once. Thick planks, broken shelves, and shattered crates burst outward into the crowded marketplace. People screamed as they scattered in every direction, but not everyone reacted quickly enough.
A little girl stood frozen in the middle of the road, clutching a basket nearly as large as herself. An elderly couple beside her tried pulling her away, but the collapsing stall was already upon them.
I changed direction immediately.
Having already cast Light Step, I threw myself across the street. In the blink of an eye, I caught the little girl around her waist and twisted my body, shielding her beneath my Academy coat as the first beam crashed where she had been standing only moments earlier. Splinters exploded against my back. The impact stung, but nothing serious.
Thankfully, I hardened my durability with PureEssence, allowing my body to be more tolerant of the impact.
Light Step allows me to move faster than I normally could. By gathering the Light Essence amidst the air and channeling it through my legs, I boosted my speed. Based on how much Light Essence you gathered, you could boost yourself further; however, the toll taken on your legs will make you think twice before doing so. This is the reason I haven't used this spell since my trial fight against Sensei Johan. That, and my injuries from the rescue mission.
Furthermore, Light Essence is a conditional type of Essence. Since the Sun has been blazing all afternoon, the accumulation of Light Essence in the space was abundant.
The elderly man stumbled backward while trying to protect his wife. Before either of them could fall, I reached out with my free arm and shoved them clear of the remaining debris.
The entire stall collapsed with a deafening crash. For a brief second, everything became dust.
"...Are you alright?" I asked, lowering the little girl onto her feet.
She nodded rapidly, tears welling in her eyes before she hurried toward her grandparents.
Only then did I turn back toward the battlefield. The scarred man hadn't moved.
He simply watched me from the opposite side of the street, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward. He looked less like someone surprised his attack had failed and more like someone whose expectations had just been confirmed.
"I knew it," he laughed.
His voice carried across the marketplace, loud enough for every Mark to hear.
"I told you he wouldn't chase me."
A knot formed in my stomach.
That wasn't collateral damage. He never intended to crush those civilians. He intended to pull me away.
The realization settled almost immediately, but it came too late. Three thieves had already broken away from the fight, disappearing into the panicked crowd while everyone else was still recovering from the collapse.
"Damn it..."
I drew my sword from my spatial bag. I tightened my grip around the hilt and rushed forward again.
The scarred man met me halfway.
He drew a short, curved blade from beneath his coat, spinning it lazily between his fingers as though we were about to begin a friendly sparring match instead of a battle.
"You've gotten lucky twice once before," he said. "Let's see how long that lasts."
Steel clashed against steel. His first strike came from above.
I raised my sword just in time, the impact sending a sharp vibration through both my arms. Before I could push him back, he twisted his wrist and drove his shoulder into my chest.
I stumbled several steps before catching my balance.
From my previous experience fighting this man, he wasn't especially powerful. He was naturally fast, meaning without spells or Essence he was already quick. He had the experience as well. Yet despite that, he wasn't overwhelmingly stronger.
The problem was everything happening around us. Another scream echoed behind me, causing me to instinctively glance over my shoulder.
That single distraction was enough for Scarface to lunge forward.
His boot slammed into my ribs before I could recover. Pain shot through my side as I rolled across the cobblestones, stopping only after crashing into an overturned fruit cart. Oranges scattered around me, bouncing across the street.
I hurriedly forced myself back to my feet.
Focus, damn it!
If I kept looking away every time someone screamed, I'd lose this fight before it truly began.
Several yards away, Toho ducked beneath an iron pipe before it ever reached him. His Future Sight had already shown him the attack moments earlier. The thief's swing passed harmlessly over his shoulder as Toho stepped inside the man's guard and drove a clean punch into his stomach. The thief doubled over, coughing violently before another strike landed across his jaw.
Toho grinned, walking him down.
"I've already seen this part."
Another man charged from his blind side carrying nothing more than a rusted crowbar. Toho shifted before the attack even began, causing the crowbar to whistle through empty air. He planted one foot, turned with the motion, and drove his elbow into the attacker's neck.
The man collapsed immediately.
"I could get used to this," Toho laughed. He let down his Future Sight, giving his eyes a rest. From the tens of seconds he had used his Innate for, his eyes already became blurry, putting him in a state of dizziness. Despite it all, he still kept his chin up and his smile wide.
His confidence lasted exactly three seconds.
A third thief grabbed a nearby merchant's table and flipped it toward him without warning. He barely managed to dive aside before the heavy wooden table shattered against the ground where he'd been standing.
"What?!"
The thief didn't hesitate, but it looked like he gave up on defeating Toho. Instead, he sprinted straight past him, toward the civilians. Toho reached after him, but thick roots burst from the stone street first.
Julius exhaled quietly as his Roots flowed beneath the pavement. The ground cracked open, giving birth to more massive roots that erupted from between the cobblestones, wrapping themselves around the fleeing thief's legs before climbing higher around his waist. The man struggled desperately, hacking at them with a knife, but the blade barely scratched the hardened skin.
"Tch! Damn it, come on, break, break, break, break!" The thief repeatedly yelled desperately. His cries were heard by no one except Julius and Toho.
"You'll need something sharper than that."
Julius clenched his fist, preparing to knock the thief out; however, just before he could secure the thief completely, several loose stones suddenly lifted from the road around him.
Julius spun around, his eyes squinting.
"...An Innate Technique?"
A different thief stood farther back with both palms extended. Every pebble, broken brick, and fragment of rubble surrounding Julius began floating through the air before launching toward him like a barrage of arrows.
Julius raised a wall of roots from the ground, shielding himself from the onslaught. Most of the stones shattered harmlessly against the thick wood.
Most
One managed to slip through the tiny slits and cracks in Julius's defense and clipped his shoulder hard enough to stagger him. Another infiltrated his Root wall and grazed his cheek.
Before the third could strike, silver threads sliced cleanly through the air. The stone split neatly in half before falling harmlessly to the street. Gia landed beside him without taking her eyes off the battlefield.
"You looked like you needed help."
Julius smiled, looking at her through the corner of his eye. "Well, thank you so much, dear."
"Shut up..." Gia scoffed, lightly shaking her head in amusement.
"It would be very nice if you two could put aside the romance!" Toho yelled only a couple of yards away.
***
Terra Kincaid
From across the marketplace, I watched the battlefield unfold without rushing forward. Everyone else had instinctively picked an opponent. However, I couldn't follow that same rule. My inexperienced fighting style and support Innate Technique limited me to the opponents I could choose and win against.
Instead, I stood there, my green eyes moving from teammate to teammate as I quietly read the flow of the battle.
Julius and Gia already understood one another well. Their fighting styles fit together like a lock and key.
Toho was beginning to overextend. Although he was in close position to Julius and Gia, so it would be easy for them to watch out for each other.
Zero however...
My eyes lingered on him. He began his fight with the presumed leader, the one with the scar. From what I've seen, their fight isn't exactly in Zero's favor. The leader has been using chaos to disrupt and harm civilians, diverting Zero's attention. Zero has too many factors in his fight; the scales were tipped away from him.
Every cry for help pulled his attention somewhere new. Every falling beam, frightened civilian, and fleeing child. The scarred man noticed and used it to his advantage.
My expression subconsciously tightened. Without another word, a gentle breeze circled around her feet.
My Gale Burst Innate Technique didn't take much to use. I could withstand the aftereffects and toll well, allowing me to activate it for long periods. Julius and Gia should still be under its effects.
As my Innate Technique still flowed through me, I analyzed Zero's fight against the Scarface. I waited patiently, moving closer and remaining concealed until the opportunity presented itself. Multiple times, I almost stepped in too early, but resisted the urge. I had faith in Zero that he could hold out and present the chance to strike.
The Scarface continued using the environment to his advantage, hurling sharp or large objects towards civilians and engaging in when Zero's attention was divided. The pattern repeated; he threw another large wooden trolley, but Zero was expecting it. Zero caught it halfway through its trajectory and sent it back with more force.
Scarface, surprised, prepared to catch it immediately. Zero had already planned it out this far. He pointed his hand forward at the leader, forming a gun hand symbol by extending out his middle and index finger with the thumb sticking up, and the rest of his fingers curled inward.
A small yellow ball was swirling in different hues of yellow clockwise and counterclockwise. It appeared in front of Zero's gun-shaped hand.
From what I could make out, it seemed to be some sort of Light Spell based on the fact that it exerted much Light Essence. His mouth parted as he whispered something, then he shot it off.
Zero's left hand tightened, his sword gripped tight in his non-dominant arm to free up his right hand for the spell.
The yellow ball moved at incredible speeds, speeding towards Scarface in the hope of catching up to him. Just before the spell caught up, Scarface caught the trolley, throwing it aside to crash into a nearby clothing store.
The ringleader's eyes widened, and so did mine. Now that his front view was cleared, he could see the tiny Essence-filled ball closing in on him, Zero only a few meters behind. Just before he could move, the ball of light exploded just before reaching contact with the leader. A large, blinding light shot out from the area where the leader was. The bright, white rays shot out, expanding enough to reach the sidewalks.
With one foot forward and my left foot back, I lunged forward.
This is the opportunity!