Chapter 34

Several hours earlier.

Zoe jammed her short golden blade into the side of the tree, wiggling it, careful not to warp or break the knife. The sap from the tree was dark red with golden flecks. They shoved the small iron tap into the open wound, sending the liquid stream into Ivy's red metal bucket.

"What?" Ivy asked, noticing how Zoe kept glancing down at her, giving off her usual nervous energy.

"I just want you to be careful."

"I'm always careful."

"No, you aren't."

Ivy shrugged, pulling the bucket away once it was almost completely filled. Cahya had suggested they each drink a cup of the sap, as it would make them feel rested and energized before their confrontation.

"I was thinking right, the power that guy chose, Kiari, he's the most dangerous one," Zoe said.

"More than Kurt-Adam?"

"His whole ability revolves around explosions and such. There's no real utility with a power like that. It's meant for destruction and killing. Truly repugnant."

"The jig is up. You have a zero chance of winning," Kiari said in a bored tone, watching Ivy struggle to her feet again.

Her voice was raspy. It hurt to breathe, much less talk. "I don't care," she spat. "I'm still standing." Her clothes were caked with dirt and blood. When she opened her mouth, Kiari noted that several teeth were missing.

Kiari looked down at himself. His clothes were torn, and his skin was scratched. No new wounds had been made from Ivy's attacks. He looked her in the eye, her aggressive stare never leaving his. Her hands were by her side, tightly wrapped around the brass knuckles. It was as if she were leaving herself totally open.

They were several yards away from each other.

"Alright then, I guess I was wrong. I may have to try after all," he said, holding his hand out in front of him, fingers wide and extended. "Though I am curious…. How did you manage to unlock your energy in such a short time?"

"Jashin…he helped." Her throat burned with every word. "And I worked until I was almost dead, then my body activated it to save me."

'She used the same method Kurt-Adam used,' he thought.

Within a second, he was inches away, his hand reaching for her face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ivy's arm moving, winding up to hit him. He lurched backward, avoiding the incoming strike. But it wasn't aimed at him. No. Her fist slammed into the side of a nearby tree. Splinters and bark flew into Kiari's face, catching him off-guard and briefly blinding him. He swung wildly in the direction where he last saw her, touching nothing but air.

Blood ran down the side of his mouth as he hunched over. 'Ugh, right in my stomach. Damn, she can hit!' He looked around, finally spotting her. Back in the same spot as before. Several yards away. Behind her, the glare from the store windows threaded the needle through the trees, shining right into Kiari's eyes. 'I guess I'll just kill her then. I'm sure the other ones will give up some information once they see she died.'

He calmly strutted towards her. Feeling more confident with every step. He reached forward, only able to snag the front of her t-shirt. Using it to toss her through the clearing into a row of nearby houses.

'What the hell! I've blown multiple chances to off her! Is something distracting me? Maybe I'm too tired; I used too much energy against those two. No…that's not it,' Kiari thought. Ivy looked on, noticing that the man's entire demeanor seemed to change in under a second. He looked down at her, a dark shadow over his face.

For a split second, his energy flared up. In a blink of an eye, his palm was wrapped around her face. He held her high into the air with one arm. Struggling, she punched and kicked, trying to force him to let go. "What do you think would happen if I were to activate my ability right now? If I quite literally blew that smile off your face? If you were to somehow survive…hundreds of thousands of dollars for reconstructive surgery. That wouldn't be the worst of your issues. Your eyes will be obliterated; no hope of ever seeing light again. You'd never be able to breathe normally again…not that you'd know, the brain damage would most likely leave you in a place of—Ah!"

Ivy wriggled from his grasp, biting down on his hand as hard as she could. Ripping his hand away, he sent out a kick, pushing her back.

"What the- what the hell is wrong with you? You're a little monster; you know that?" He screamed, massaging his hand.

The next hit sent her airborne through a home's front yard, ending next to the small convenience store that Zoe and Colson had been at several days prior.

She slowly got to her feet, an enormous grin on her face. She had long since forgone Zoe's plan, but a new idea had popped into existence, remembering something Colson had mentioned earlier. Opening the door of the store and walking inside. Seeing cans of gasoline litter the shelves and floor. Her own idea slowly formed, but she finally understood. She let out a breathy laugh, her grin growing wider.

An explosion of boiling water erupted where Colson was standing moments ago. He was pushed back, further and further away from Marlin. Every time he got within a few yards range, Marlin would zone him out with super-heated water.

'How is he doing this?' Colson thought, 'Is he conjuring water from thin air? He only seems to be able to use it when I get too close, or if I'm standing in one spot for more than three seconds at a time.'

Marlin grinned, "Colson, you won't be long for this world if you keep this up. Tell me where it is, and I won't have to embarrass you any further."

The clearing had turned muddy. The ground seemed to grab at his shoes, making it ever so slightly harder to move.

Colson lunged forward, purposefully missing Marlin with a wide swing of his bokken. Grabbing a large rock on the ground, flinging it as hard as he could at his head.

A small wall of water exploded in front of Marlin's face, slowing the stone's trajectory so he could dodge it.

Colson was able to skirt to the side, using the rock as a distraction so he could attack Marlin's blind spot. Slashing as hard as he could, a loud crack echoed through the forest as the sword hit Marlin in the back of the head.

He whirled around, staring Colson in the eyes. Colson jumped back too late as hot water engulfed his arms. Searing them. Leaving them pink and blistered.

"Ah!" He screeched in pain, stumbling backward, tripping over a root, falling down. 'He's only used his ability when he's making direct eye contact with me. So if I stay out of his line of sight…or actually, that gave me another idea as well,' he thought. 'I wonder if he gets affected by his own hot water.'

Colson scrambled backward, getting to his feet. Just in time, Marlin's hand shot out, closing in a fist. Water where he just lay exploded from the ground, leaving a hot muddy puddle. As he did so, Marlin stumbled, his head feeling light; the veil of energy that surrounded him cracked and wavered briefly. Shaking his head, clearing the mental fog.

He held up his hand, examining his forearm. The water that normally dripped from his pores had mostly dried.

"You're all dried out," Colson said.

Marlin sneered. He lunged forward, water exploding at his feet, propelling him forward. His hand outstretched, aimed slightly above Colson's head, where water slowly formed. The liquid turned sharp and cold. The icicles fell from several feet above Colson.

He barely had time to react as the first of the barrage grazed the top of his energy's aura, only a few inches above his head. He quickly shifted to the side, the frosty spear stabbing into his left leg. It shattered once it buried itself deep inside, leaving its sharp shrapnel to frostbite him from the inside out.

Colson dropped to the ground, grabbing at his wound, sticking his dirty fingers inside, screaming in pain, trying to pick out the pieces of ice. His vision went double as he did so, the pain almost making him pass out.

A few yards away, Marlin stood. His hands on his knees, catching his breath. Sweat dripped from his face onto the ground. 'Changing the properties of the water to make it ice… I can't do that anymore. I didn't realize how much energy I've used up. I'm going to have to pace myself from now on.' He reached up, touching his cheek. His eye had almost completely swollen shut.

Colson used his bokken to stand himself up. He removed most of the ice chunks, but some were too deep to be taken out at the moment. 'His eyes are still on me,' he noted. 'Time for idea number two.' He took a few steps forward, his leg hurting more with every movement.

Before he could convince himself otherwise, Marlin was several feet below him. Colson had used all his strength to launch himself above him, thrusting the bokken down as he fell. The muddy dirt around Marlin began churning as he fell faster towards him.

When he was just a foot above Marlin, the ground exploded, with water launching at him. "Piss off, kid!"

Blasting Colson backward, with him landing on his back.

'The water was lukewarm. So that means he can get hurt by his own water. I'll definitely win this now!'