Chương 91: Of Storm and Claw

A storm thundered over Nov Yanosk. The Spires pierced through the thick clouds, acting as lightning rods that dispersed the electric discharges in flashes of blue light. The rain flowed downwards, down streets and drains into the man-made chasms between the massive constructions of stone and steel. In one such chasm, two Blessed glared at each other. Andryi the Wrathful, the wolfish-looking man of the Hunter's Corps.

On the other side, Wretch, Collector of Wounds, with squirming flesh in a fine suit turned to ribbons. The rain washed over the street, flickering in the low light of the gas-lamps. Andryi moved first—a small explosion of arcing lightning came from his foot, and the man barreled toward him with an expression of unrestrained fury. Wretch knew the man was angry, furious even. Was he the same? He couldn't tell.

He didn't allow him to dissect and prod at what roiled within, instead the tingle of battle pulled at him, the only thing he excelled at, the only place where he had some value. He let it sweep him away in yet another soothing dance of death. Two long, bone-like blades plunged out of Wretch's forearms, drawing blood. He jumped upward as a fist shattered the ground where he had stood. He spun in the air, cutting like a whirling razor.

A bandaged fist struck out toward him, and he quickly threw up a bone blade to block. The hit made his entire body shake—the bone protrusion cracked into shards. He was sent flying into the air. His form twitched and changed as he dropped towards the street. When he hit the wet ground, his arms were massive claws with long, flowing fur. The cobblestone beneath him sprayed as the claws dug deep. Andryi walked toward him with balled fists, breathing heavily.

"If I get more into this, I really will kill you," his wet voice said over the empty street. The guards and the other Blessed had already evacuated the premises. Wretch's claws flexed, and he looked up as the rain fell on his face, cooling his skin.

"Andryi..." Wretch growled. His face contorted in a grimace. His fist slammed into the ground, and a roar escaped his throat.

"Let me just fight and die." Andryi stopped, bared his own teeth, and gave a grunt. He took a step forward, and lightning sizzled through the pooling rain on the ground. He accelerated forward at a blistering pace. Wretch's claws tore against the cobblestone, similarly launching him forward. A ring of blue light shone on Andryi's right hand, and lightning began to crackle around it.

Wretch's overgrown claw struck the lightning-charged fist with an explosion of electricity and flesh that shook the raindrops with a thunderclap. They both shot backward, Andryi and Wretch sliding over the wet stones. Long dark burns sizzled on Wretch's right arm while Andryi clutched his wrist. The Blaze found his footing first, holding out his hand as if preparing to throw a javelin.

"I do not pity you," Andryi said as lightning thundered high above. Wretch slammed a massive fist into the ground, spraying cobblestones onto the street.

"If I hadn't existed, you would have left him alone," he said with a wail toward the sky.

"He would have lived." Andryi's feet left the ground as he began to hover a few inches above the ground. A lightning strike showered the street and the nearby houses in white light. It hit Andryi's outstretched hand, and he held it—the living lightning forced into the shape of a spear that cast shadows along the street. Wretch's left claw ripped a part of the curb free. In a burst of light, Andryi lunged the lightning spear forward.

On the other side, Wretch threw the cobblestones with a flex of his conjured muscles. The lightning burned through the projectiles, crashing into Wretch and sending him tumbling across the ground. An electric shock snapped through his system. The thrown rock peppered Andryi and the Hunter's Bureau alike, cracking windows and breaking wood. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Wretch's arms shrank back into his body as he struggled to control his spasming muscles, the concentration lost. Andryi, bleeding from his forearm and leg, took a step forward, seizing the opportunity. He accelerated, shooting toward his opposition like zigzagging lightning across the wet stones. Wretch got up to his feet as Andryi slammed a fist into his side. The impact cracked his ribs. But he could withstand such things and reached with his claws for the man's throat.

Then a flash of light came from Andreyi's knuckles. A boom shook the street, sending Wretch flying through the air. With a crack, he crashed against the wooden facade of a two-story house. Splintered wood sprayed as he shot straight through. Andryi rubbed a cut on his neck with his bandaged hand, looking at the blood staining the white bandage. In the moment they had been close, a claw had grazed his neck. He walked toward the dark spot where Wretch had disappeared.

A cracking and squirming sound came from the darkness. Wretch stumbled out into the light from a nearby gas lamp, swaying as if possessed. Most of his body sizzled with dark burns that covered half his face and most of his torso. The destroyed suit was reduced to nothing but torn pieces of cloth. Andryi looked at him with a frown.

"You're tough." Andryi stepped closer as zipping lightning shot back and forth around his body.

"Last chance…" Wretch crouched down, digging his claws into his scalp, sputtering barely coherent words while his skin roiled in the rain. Andryi pounced as pale human hands burst out of Wretch's torso like the petals of a budding flower. The hands dug into the ground, and Wretch sprinted on a multitude of hands toward the Blaze. Andryi zigzagged with lightning speed through the rain as Wretch's spider-like form shot forward. The Blaze attacked first, a hook-like punch of electric energy.

Wretch swerved to the side. A lone gas lamp stood there, and he caught onto the vertical pole with a multitude of hands. Andryi launched toward him with another punch, but a spit of acid met him. The Blaze stumbled back, shielding his eyes. That bought Wretch a moment. His claws held out a black cross that grew in size between his fingers, extending to the size of a spear in moments.

Muscles strained as a dozen limbs pushed off from the pole, catapulting Wretch toward his opponent with the spear-like cross, striking outward like a viper. Andryi took a small step a moment before the black spike of the cross would have impaled his head. Wretch struck the earth with a crack. Andryi didn't wait, taking another step to accelerate back toward Wretch with his lightning-infused fist raised. He slammed into Wretch with another thunderclap that spread arcing electricity through the pooling rain.

Wretch was sent flying but suddenly was pulled back as if by a rope, a wheeze escaping his throat. For the first time, Andryi gave a look of surprise. As he looked down, a tail snaked around his midsection. A dozen hands, burned and jittering from electric shock, grabbed onto him. Claws and nails tore into Andryi's suit as Wretch grasped onto him like an insect. Andryi tried to pull him away, but the claws and hands held on tightly. A pale hand reached out into the air as something burned into it.

At the same time, Andryi reached out a hand in a similar way, a crackle of lightning sounding far above. The Blinking Blade and lightning itself burned into one hand each. They both struck each other in a flash of white and blue. Andryi blinked. The lightning-wielder was lying on the ground, and the rain sputtered onto his face. He gritted his teeth, noticing the blade jammed deep into his clavicle.

His clothes were burned, and even though he was seemingly immune to the worst of the electrical shock, his fingers were blackened, and the bandages torched. As the Blaze came to, his eyes shot wide. A figure stood above him. A young man with his entire body burned to a crisp, two hands ending in charred claws, rain dripping down the pale talons. Andryi sprang to his feet, stepping backwards to create some distance between the two.

Wretch didn't respond, standing completely still, not even moving as the opponent ripped out the Blinking Blade lodged into his torso. A groan escaped the Blaze, and a spurt of blood poured onto the street.

"You…" Andryi growled through gritted teeth as a vein pulsed on his forehead. Wretch took a shaking step forward, a whisper escaping his throat.

"Cap …tain." Wretch fell headfirst onto the cobblestone, his meager body producing a quiet thump. He lay there in silence. Andryi stared, one hand clutched to the bleeding wound in his chest.

"You didn't kill me?" Andryi said, brow furrowed. After a moment, he walked closer, raising a fist that began to buzz and arc with electricity. He stood over the charred body, utterly unconscious.

"Why?" Andryi spat, but Wretch couldn't answer. The rain dripped down, diluting the blood from their wounds. The man raised his fist as if to strike, poised to end it. But a strike never came. After a moment, the arcs of lightning around the hand decreased, then stopped entirely.

"What a mess," Andryi said as he lowered his fist. He stood over the body in the empty street as rain pattered against the stone beneath the spires, looking down at the two hunters.