Kael was walking down a pitch-black alley. Not a soul in sight. Felt like walking through a graveyard at midnight.
A few minutes later, Kael stopped dead in his tracks. "Alright, little fly," he called out to what seemed like empty air. "Don't you think it's about time you showed yourself?"
But barely a heartbeat after he finished speaking, whoomph… a wave of Mana pulsed out, flooding the entire area. Instantly, the alley was sealed inside a… dome, like tinted glass. Nothing in, nothing out. Inside, Kael could see golden sparks dancing in the air and hear a deep buzz vibrating up through the soles of his boots.
"Ha!" Kael barked a short laugh. "Spatial Isolation, eh? And the electric kind… Guessing that's your main element. Not bad. Not bad at all, little fly. You've exceeded my expectations." He rubbed his hands together. "Might actually get some fun outta tonight after all."
(Spatial Isolation… that high-level skill that locks down an area with Mana, keeps whatever happens inside from leaking out. But this one… this ain't normal. It's been infused with an element. Electricity, obviously. That amps up any electric-type abilities used inside here.)
(Mana… every living thing's got it inside 'em. But to control it, to pull off stunts like this… you gotta train like hell. And sometimes die trying. It comes in types: fire, earth, air… In theory, with enough training, you could use 'em all. But most folks only got talent for one or two.)
"C'mon, fly," Kael called, impatient. "Set's ready. Time to make your entrance."
Right on cue, a figure stepped out of the shadows. A few meters ahead. Tall, maybe 6 feet, but wiry compared to Kael. If Kael was a tiger, this guy was a viper. But the mask… that's what grabbed your eye. White, streaked with golden lightning bolts frozen in place. Under the rim, yellow eyes gleamed, and long blond hair spilled over his shoulders.
"Well, well," Kael said with a mocking grin. "Looks like Goldilocks followed me. For the record, I ain't no bear, honey."
The man didn't flinch. Not a muscle moved.
(Huh… looks like the bear ate his tongue. Uuhm. One thing's sure , this guy ain't weak. Pulling off Spatial Isolation and infusing it with your element… This dude's at least Top 300 global. Thing is…) Kael drew his red dagger, settling into a fighting stance. (…I don't recognize that mask. No damn clue who he is. Fine…) His eyes narrowed. (…I'll just lop off a couple of Goldilocks' limbs and ask questions later.)
The attacker drew his weapons , twin daggers. But what a difference. Where Kael's was red and sinister, these were gleaming gold, with tiny lightning bolts crackling and snapping along their edges.
When Kael saw them, his face clouded with confusion for a split second. (Shit. Those blades…)
But before he could finish the thought, his opponent moved. So fast Kael barely reacted. He managed to block the twin daggers aiming for his head with his own.
CLANG!
The impact was monstrous, slamming his feet deep into the ground like it was mud.
After the miss, the man blurred, zipping around Kael, just like Kael had done to the Drakarys… but faster. Way faster. As he circled, he slashed with the golden daggers. Each strike spat a sizzling arc of lightning that amplified the blow. Kael barely deflected them.
Schlick! Schlick!
A couple of shallow cuts opened on his arms and side.
(Damn! Gotta revise my estimate. This guy's packing Top 120 strength, easy. And that insane speed… amplified by the Isolation field, same as his electric tricks. And his daggers are…) He deflected another strike aimed at his chest.
CRACK!
His red dagger… shattered into pieces.
(…way better than mine.)
Kael was disarmed. His opponent didn't hesitate. The attacks became faster, wilder, a hurricane of gold and electricity. Kael, now with nothing to block, could only rely on his reflexes to dodge. He danced, jumped, rolled between the lightning bolts and slashes.
After an unrelenting barrage, Kael was bleeding from several deep cuts. He'd dodged the killing blows and hardened his body with Mana like stone. But he was taking a pounding.
Suddenly, the attacker leaped backwards, putting several meters between them. Kael, who'd been wholly focused on not dying, barely registered the movement.
"Lightning Eagle," the man stated flatly, his voice cold and metallic for the first time. He crossed his two golden daggers and slashed them through the air in an X.
ZZZRAAAK!
The air itself ripped open, transforming into a giant eagle forged from pure blue-white lightning. It screeched and rocketed towards Kael at blinding speed.
Kael crossed his arms, pouring every ounce of Mana into a desperate block.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion was cataclysmic. Cobblestones flew, a thick curtain of dust and debris mushroomed up, leaving a smoldering crater in the ground.
From the choking smoke emerged Kael. His face and arms were a mess of blood and dirt. His clothes hung in tatters. But… he was smiling. A huge, manic grin. And his golden eyes burned with a fierce, almost supernatural light.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" His laughter boomed within the sealed alley. "Been a long time since I had a fight like this, Goldilocks! This is seriously fun! But it's a shame…" His grin turned predatory. "Dawn's coming soon. Someone'll detect the Isolation field and come snooping. And if they see me I won't be able to move around this country as easily anymore. So..." He pulled out the badge he'd used on the Drakarys. He squeeze it in his fist. A white light burst forth, solidifying into a mask. But not smooth this mask has sharp, angular lines like stylized bone.
He slid the black mask on.
Now, only those burning golden eyes, blazing in the gloom like a predator's, defined him. He was no longer just a man. He was The Predator incarnate.
The man tightened his grip on his daggers, ready to attack. Maybe drained from summoning the Eagle, he skipped the flashy electric moves and went for close combat again. Daggers flashing lightning-fast from multiple angles as at the beginning of the fight.
But attacking a Predator the same way twice… is a fatal mistake.
When the man tried to slash Kael's throat, something happened. Kael, with impossible reflexes, grabbed his forearm mid-swing. The man froze, stunned. He tried desperately to wrench free. Too late.
SCHLICK!
A wet, slicing sound. The man's arm was no longer attached to his body. It hit the ground with a dull thud, fingers still clenched around a golden dagger.
Kael had ripped off his arm simply by pulling with his hand.
"AAAAAH!" A scream of pure agony and horror tore from the man's throat. Blood gushed from the stump. He doubled over, one knee hitting the ground, choking on the pain.
"H-h-h… how?" he stammered, staring at his severed limb with bulging eyes.
Kael stood right beside him. The black mask made him utterly terrifying. "My eyes," Kael said, his voice now a deep, metallic growl from behind the mask. "See everything. Adapt to anything. Even your speed." He leaned in slightly. "Just needed a little time." His masked face seemed to regard the stump. "Attacking the same way twice… that was your mistake."
Before the man could react, Kael clamped a hand on his head and… CRUNCH! Slammed it face first into the ground with brutal force. However fast the man was, Kael was immeasurably stronger. With the man dazed and pinned, Kael lifted his boot… and brought it down on his leg.
SNAP!
"AAAAAAGH!" The shriek was blood-curdling.
Kael slowly removed the black Predator mask. His voice and demeanor shifted back instantly: relaxed, almost conversational. A grotesque contrast to the carnage.
"Hey," Kael said, smiling down at the broken man at his feet like they were sharing a beer. "Lemme tell you something kinda interesting about me."
The man panted, pain and terror clouding his vision.
"I'm not just a Hunter," Kael continued, like it was a fun little secret. "I'm also… a empirical scientist."
"Wh… what?" Confusion warred with agony.
"Yeah. I like to test scientific theories…" Kael's smile widened into something truly devilish. "...through experimentation." He crouched beside the man, his golden eyes gleaming with malice. "And you know what? I just had a really interesting theory pop into my head."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a poisonous whisper. "I wanna find out… how many times I can jump rope with your guts..., before you tell me everything you know."