by L J Branch
“Problem?” Diamond could hear Jack ask as he made it back to her. “Oh…yeah, that’s a problem.”
“The catalyst is in the helmet.”
“Yeah, but this is obviously a trap, right?”
“Yes,” Diamond said and though half of his face was covered, Jack’s grimace was still clearly visible.
“We’re going to spring it anyway, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” Diamond said as two black handguns formed in her hands, the names Roderick and Isabelle each etched into one of the weapons in gold.
“Are you two about to have fun without me?”
“You know what they say, Kat, three’s a crowd,” Jack joked as he stood in front of Diamond and made his way toward the statue as she backed away. “Just stay put, hopefully, this won’t be much of a problem. Boss, you know this is going to be loud.”
“Yes, but the golems will fall if we take out the catalyst. If we’re quick we won’t have to worry about getting outnumbered,” Diamond explained.
“Understood,” Jack said before he charged forward with his fist cocked back. However, before he could land the blow the statue suddenly lunged out of the way as a crimson light began to shine from behind the visors of the helmet.
“Seriously!? I’ve seen it all now.”
“Love, this is just the beginning,” Jack said as he cracked his neck. “It’s has been a long time since I’ve seen August’s servant,” Jack mused. “If it’s the Dullahan, its weak spot is likely beneath the helmet.”
“Then get me a shot,” Diamond ordered before she stepped backward and disappeared into the shadows of the room. The Dullahan’s horse dug its hoof into the ground and charged Jack who simply raised his fists in response. Once the servant was close enough, Jack moved to the side and slammed his right fist into the horse’s front leg with enough force to make it recoil back onto its hind legs and release a pained roar. The knight swung at Jack with his blade but as soon as the blade made contact, the sword found itself stuck inside of a statue of ice that was shaped like Jack. Jack stood unscathed behind his frozen copy which was nearly immediately shattered by the enraged servant. The servant released a roar that shook the very floor of the building and raised its helmet high into air. The light behind the helmet’s visor increased in intensity before a beam of pure energy exploded from it and shot toward Jack.
“Damn,” Jack said before he raised his right hand as if to catch the beam. Arondight crackled with presence as the crimson energy was absorbed into the brand, filling the line that connected the first and second circles. The power of the attack slowly but surely pushed Jack back across the floor until his back was planted firmly against the wall. Jack gripped his wrist tightly and braced himself as he continued to absorb the energy while ice appeared on the wall behind him. When the light died down, Jack pried himself from the wall with an audible crack. A biting mist escaped his mask and surrounded his body as he cracked his neck. Jack seemed to carry himself differently as he strode toward the servant. With each step a small circle of ice constantly reformed on the ground around him.
“Frost, can you take another one of those?” Diamond asked from some unseen location.
“At my current level, no, but he’s given me more than enough power to use my second circle,” Jack said calmly as Arondight’s second circle began to shine. At that moment the ring of ice on the ground around him doubled in size as small blue circuits appeared around Jack’s brand on his mod-suit and spread to the top of his wrist. “I’ll get you that opening.”
“Don’t push yourself,” Diamond said as the Dullahan rose his helmet. Just before he could fire a second blast, however, Diamond shot up from Jack’s shadow and knocked him to the side. Diamond immediately opened fire at the servant and the horse released a pained noise as the bullets chipped away at it. Immediately, the servant switched its attention to Diamond. “Now!” Diamond ordered and Jack shot toward the Dullahan. Jack slammed his fists together and froze them before he broke them apart. Both fists covered in ice, Jack slammed a devastating right into the horse. Upon impact, Jack’s fist exploded into what looked like a storm of ice and lightning. After the horse was frozen in place, Jack slammed his left fist into the knight’s chest plate with enough force to dent it and knock the knight off of the horse. In one last-ditch effort to stop the thieves, the knight threw its helmet high into the air, the entirety of it glowing red as it prepared to take the two thieves down with it. “Frost,” was all Diamond said before Jack suddenly seized the knight’s sword from its body and threw it up into the air behind the helmet. Diamond stared up at the helmet and waited for her chance to get a good shot at the catalyst within it. Diamond quickly turned around and released a bullet toward a shadowy corner of the room. Once the bullet disappeared into the shadows, it reappeared from a shadow on the ceiling that was cast by the helmet’s light coming into contact with the airborne blade. The bullet grazed the edge of the blade before it slammed into the underside of the helmet and destroyed a large crimson crystal. Immediately the light died down as a few of the golems that stormed into the area began to break down into dust after the source of their power was destroyed.
* * *
“Alright, it’s down!” Kat cheered as she watched the purple wall dissipate.
“And I can see. Hold on a second, kitten,” Abbie said as she brought down the laser grids and took over the security cameras. “You’re in the clear.”
“Awesome,” Kat said as she proceeded to take the objective.
* * *
“Gotta say, your trick shots have gotten a lot better,” Jack praised.
“Yes, but that took way longer than it should have,” Diamond muttered as she looked down at her gloved hand. “I should have been able to end that in one shot.”
“Baby steps, you’ll get there eventually. We’re just lucky I was able to understand what you wanted,” Jack said as he stretched his arms.
“A perk of our bond,” Diamond said as she faced him.
“Which one?” Jack asked curiously. The question made Diamond’s eyes widen ever so slightly but before she could respond, a sharp intake of breath caught their attention.
“Wait, I’m pickin’ somethin’ up. I think someone’s…” Abbie’s voice trailed off as the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the room.
“Well, what is this? Someone actually managed to break in here,” a voice said as they turned just in time to see a young man with black hair and blue eyes walk into the room. The man was garbed in a gray suit and he looked more amused than anything as he spotted the thieves. “Though if it’s you all, that’s to be expected, you never cease to amaze me. With each encounter, you rookies seem to grow by leaps and bounds.”
“Xavier…” Diamond trailed off as anger filled her golden eyes.
CHAPTER 6: Xavier Romero Magnus
Santa Monica, Magnus Financial Bank
“Xavier? Please tell me you didn’t just say Xavier,” Kat pleaded as she took the safety deposit box. “Guys! I’m on my way, try to keep him talking!” Kat said frantically as she ran out of the room with the box under her arm. A feeling of dread filled Abbie as she had never heard Kat sound remotely scared before. Abbie began to type frantically as she explored the systems in the building and tried to see if there was anything she could do to help from her end.
“Kitten, listen to me. I’ll direct you through the fastest route,” Abbie said as she looked at the bank’s layout.
* * *
“It was cute before, but now you are disrupting family business. I’ll have to take you down. I, Xavier Romero Magnus, son of the late Arch-Mage Romero Magnus and head of House Magnus shall face you,” Xavier said with a dramatic bow. Xavier frowned as he did a quick head count. “You’re missing someone, or has her stealth just improved that much?” Xavier wondered before he looked over at the destroyed servant. “Either seems possible seeing what you’ve done to August’s servant, that’s the enforcer’s job right? Defeating servants?” Xavier asked as h
is eyes landed upon Jack. “You’re getting strong, brother.”
“I am a lot of things, Magnus,” Jack began calmly. “But don’t you ever call me that,” Jack said before he shot forward and released a punch at Xavier who caught it effortlessly. A blue light that surrounded Xavier’s body flashed ever so slightly as the mage looked at Jack with visible disdain.
“I actually felt that against my shield,” Xavier praised before he slammed a quick blow into Jack’s stomach that made Jack double over in pain. “But you’re still too slow,” Xavier said before he unleashed a barrage of rapid punches into Jack. Each blow knocked Jack back until Xavier ended his onslaught with a vicious right hook that knocked Jack onto his back. As Jack quickly recovered and climbed to his feet, the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the area as Diamond released three shots at Xavier. The blue light flickered around Xavier’s body as each shot bounced harmlessly off of him. “I was wondering when you were going to step in your highness. Shame there are only two of you, I was hoping today would be the day you all could actually make me use my staff, I’m curious to see your growth.”
“Did he just shrug off gunfire!?”
“It’s his shield, I need to get to them so I can take it down!” Kat explained.
“You’re almost there. Boss, Frost, hang on just a little bit longer!”
“Okay, let’s try that again,” Jack said as he rolled his shoulders. For a moment, the two men just sized each other up before they quickly rushed each other. Jack remained emotionless while Xavier grinned at him as they rained blow after blow down upon each other. Though Jack’s attacks didn’t faze Xavier, Jack never let up his assault as he powered through the pain. While Jack kept the mage at bay, Diamond aimed one of her guns at the back of Jack’s head.
“Frost,” Diamond called out which made Jack duck. Golden presence sparked briefly down the barrel of the gun just as she pulled the trigger. Xavier grunted when the bullet slammed into his head and knocked him back.
“Good shot,” Xavier said just as Jack slammed a vicious left hook into his face. Xavier gritted his teeth as he glared at Jack. “I almost felt that. A shame, you could have been one of the greatest mages,” Xavier began as a ball of fire suddenly roared to life in the palm of his hand. “But instead you chose to stand alongside those who murdered our father!” Xavier shouted as he swung the ball toward Jack who in turn slammed an ice-covered fist into the inferno. The resulting explosion from the two attacks blasted the brothers away from each other. Diamond used Xavier’s distraction to quickly vanish into the shadows so that she could find a new vantage point.
“He was no father of mine,” Jack said as a blade of ash formed in his hand before Arondight released presence along its edge, encasing the blade in ice. “And you reap what you sow. Want me to feel bad for him, do you? Sod off,” Jack said as he charged Xavier who released fireballs at Jack who cut through each of them with his make-shift blade. Each fireball ire dispersing as soon as they collided with his ice and their fading flames were consumed by Arondight. “He started this war, the least I can do as someone cursed with his blood is help the right-side end it. That’s the honorable thing to do,” Jack said as he swung his blade at Xavier only to be knocked back when a pulse of magic erupted from the mage’s body.
“Honor? You outnumber your opponents, fight from the shadows, and steal the belongings of others and you try to lecture me about honor?” Xavier questioned with a sneer. Soon a bright twelve-pointed star appeared beneath his feet. A blue ring appeared around the star, bearing an emblem for each of the zodiac signs which appeared above each of the star’s points. “You still have much to learn about this world, allow me to teach you,” Xavier muttered, his blue eyes shining brightly. “Sorgere, Eva!” Xavier chanted and almost immediately what appeared to be a young woman appeared behind him that floated effortlessly in the air. The newcomer had tanned skin, black hair, and glowing blue eyes that seemed to pierce through the souls of the thieves. What stood out the most about her, however, was that she seemed to be clothed only in what appeared to be a black straitjacket that stopped above her knees. Blue chains of magic wrapped around her and floated in the air surrounding her. “Bring them to their knees, Eve,” Xavier ordered as the sound of gunfire suddenly rang out. Xavier didn’t even bat an eye as bullets were blocked by the chains that surrounded Eve. Eve’s eyes shone a bit brighter as the bullets were reduced to dust before they looked up to find Diamond crouched on one of the rafters, her weapons aimed down at them. Eve’s chains quickly wrapped around the rafter and Diamond flipped off of them just in time as they were reduced to rubble. The chains retracted and floated above Diamond ominously. Diamond dove to the side and fell into a shadow just in time to avoid being caught by them before she reappeared from Jack’s shadow. Instantly, Diamond took aim at Xavier and Eve and unloaded her weapons as Ever blocked them all until Diamond heard two unsatisfying clicks.
“Amusing, you really are desperate when you’re not all together aren’t you?” Xavier mused as large chunks of the floor and nearby tables and desks began to float above Diamond and Jack. They cursed as Eve’s telekinesis seemed to extend far beyond her chains which suddenly shot forward and bound them in place. “A shame, Eve take them down.”
“Yes Master,” Eve said quietly but before her attack could land, golden cards sailed through the air and stabbed into the debris. The cards all pulsed for a moment before they exploded and destroyed both the debris and Eve’s concentration. With Eve distracted, Jack and Diamond wasted no time and broke free. “What!?” Xavier exclaimed as a shadow slipped between his legs and left a single gold card stabbed into the ground. Like the others, the card exploded and blasted Xavier away as Kat sprung out from the shadow and landed in front of her band. “Eve, get her!”
“As you wish,” Eve said before she flew toward Kat, her body covered in Xavier’s magic. A card formed in Kat’s palm before she threw it at Eve who made it stop in mid-air only for it to erupt in a bright light that sent her recoiling backward as she found herself blinded.
“Looks like I made it in time,” Kat said with a laugh. “This looks interesting,”
“The box, did you get it?” Diamond asked making Kat nod.
“Yup, had to take a moment to put it somewhere safe. That’s why it took me so long, the objective comes first, right?” Kat asked cheekily which made Diamond nod. When Kat turned to face Xavier, her eyes were filled with mischief as her whip formed itself in her hand. “How about we even up the odds a bit, boss?”
“Gladly,” Diamond said before her body was covered with her presence, gold sparks coursed around it while the whites of her eyes turned pitch black. Jack and Kat trembled as they felt a powerful thunder build up inside of them as they found themselves filled with Diamond’s presence. The bright golden storm of energy ripped itself from their bodies as the whites of Jack and Kat’s eyes turned black while their irises were filled with an electric gold which was mirrored in Diamond’s eyes. The tiles of the floor beneath them cracked as Diamond’s will and presence overtook them.
“So, you’re taking control of my brother? Don’t want him to fight his own battles?” Xavier taunted when he saw the change. In response, Diamond just scoffed.
“Please, he’s a member of my band. His battles are my battles,” Diamond said as she felt her band submit to her. Like their hearts, their minds were now one as well. “Stone, think you can shut down the power? Do that much and we can get out of here.”
“Yeah, but it’ll take a couple of minutes.”
“That’s fine,” Diamond said as she tossed her guns to the side. Her weapons turned into ash and reformed in her grasp, fully loaded. Diamond backed up as Jack suddenly rushed toward Xavier while Kat dashed to the side. Eve charged forward to intercept Jack only for Kat’s whip to suddenly wrap around her ankle. Eve’s eyes widened slightly as she found herself slammed into the ground. Jumping over Eve, Kat rushed to aid Jack against Xavier.
“Master…” Eve grunted before she
floated up into the air. Diamond glared up at her as she realized she needed to take down the servant quickly. Eve fired a chain at her which Diamond caught before she wrapped it around her right arm and pulled the surprised servant toward her. Diamond quickly fired a shot at Eve that the servant managed to stop cold in mid-air before she sent it back toward Diamond. Diamond’s head was knocked back when the bullet slammed into her forehead. Diamond stumbled back as Eve landed before her but she didn’t fall. Diamond glared at the servant as the flattened bullet fell from her forehead harmlessly. Diamond then delivered a vicious head butt that knocked Eve down onto the ground as Diamond released the chain. Eve recovered quickly and knocked Diamond back with a telekinetic push. Diamond realized then that being quick wasn’t enough, she’d have to end her battle soon.
“Here goes nothing,” Diamond muttered as she continued to fight Eve. As they battled, Diamond slowly but surely led Eve away from her band and Xavier. “Give up, if I learned anything from our previous battles it’s that your reach only goes as far as your chains extend.”
“This is true, but irrelevant for you,” Eve said as Diamond backed herself into a wall. Eve’s chains rose menacingly and shot toward the trapped Diamond only to miss when she suddenly fell into her shadow. From the shadows of the ceiling, Diamond emerged and landed on the back of the now startled Eve. Eve struggled for a moment as Diamond bit the finger of her ever-present glove and pulled it off. The fight between Xavier, Jack, and Kat paused when they all saw a flash of gold light on the opposite side of the battlefield. By the time they could turn to see what had happened, Diamond had already reequipped her glove. Gone was the servant and in her place was a golden statue of Eve. Eve’s stunned expression frozen on her face before the statue exploded into a golden dust that left nothing behind except a crimson orb covered in intricate gold sigils. Diamond panted tiredly as she walked forward and picked up the orb.