“It is much different to traditional fighting. You must be quick witted and fast on your feet. One wrong button and you are a goner,” he explained.
“Interesting.”
The deal made with Gabriel had been a win/win situation. Every fibre in Max’s body trembled with excitement. The stadium, to Max, meant leaving every Earthly problem behind, fighting for no one other than yourself.
“I’m surprised you haven’t been to this next market. It’s where every user goes to get supplies,” said Stuart.
“I was always too busy at the Pillar, plus I didn’t exactly have money, did I?” chuckled Max.
Stuart smiled in response and then jumped Maximus to his next location.
The smell of the market was delicious, the air filled with the scents from myriad cooking stands in every direction. He noticed a hexagon platform showing six street names:
Hex One
Majestic Animals
Hex Two
Woman’s Alley
Hex Three
Men’s Alley
Hex Four
Equipment/Supplies
Hex Five
Magical Items
Hex Six
Legendary Weapons
He jumped aside as a group of girls brushed past him, quickly entering the second street.
This was an extraordinary place, filled with users and powers of all sorts.
He watched a rock user creating small objects with a wave of his hand. One woman made items disappear, and then reappear in front of a group of children, who screamed with pleasure. The atmosphere was energising and exciting. People walked the streets with life in their faces, others smiling and laughing like nothing in this world could ruin their day.
“By the looks of it, though, we will get no better poison here,” said Stuart as they searched through the stores. They were careful to not mention the bronze wick, scared of the attention that would be garnered by such a dark object.
Finally, the first street caught their attention, the wares ranging from Egyptian to Australasian animals, showcasing strange cats and bunnies that Max hadn’t seen before. He shuddered and his speed quickened past the hundreds of small cases containing different spider species.
“We need food for the young pup,” said Max.
He had never cared for an animal and he smiled as he shifted his mind back to the dojo where the cub pounced around.
“I will take care of that. You get your armour sorted.”
Max returned to the hexagon, taking the sixth street and skipping through the crowds of people.
He picked the most advanced weapons shop, entering to the sound of a buzzer and a young apprentice greeted him.
“May I help you, Sir?” the young lad greeted as he stopped before him.
“I need my armour to easily hold the two parts of my hover board, two swords on my back and larger knife pockets on both sides.”
“I see,” mused the young man, studying the lightweight and strong material Max pulled out of his bag.
“That is possible; I can make it very assessable so you can put your swords and equipment in just as easily as you can take them out. Will you be wearing anything over this?”
Max pulled out his white cloak, placing it on the table next to the armour.
“I can add some leather straps, add an open pocket to clip your board into, broaden the shoulders and back. I’m assuming you’ll be using the board often, so I will also strengthen the legs to help the shock of landing. You will be one hell of a unit,” the young man smiled in anticipation at the task before him.
“Good,” Max agreed. “What timeframe are we looking at?”
The young man studied the design. “A week, tops,” he replied. “I’m assuming this is personal, so I will do it outside the store otherwise it’ll cost you thousands. Call it a favour, if you will. I believe that if you provide opportunities for various people, they will be returned,” he smiled and winked.
The week passed quickly with Max accomplishing a great deal. Hector had grown much bigger, bouncing around with more energy than he would have expected. His new armour and white cloak had arrived and more and more thugs were about to be put behind bars. He was quite impressed by the young man’s work, admiring the craftsmanship.
He wore the ensemble every day, feeling powerful and flexible. The white cloak draped over the unseen armour, with straps and casing binding the two and making them one. He drew the swords in quick succession and practiced sliding them back in one swift manoeuvre.
After a day’s training, he was now used to releasing the boards, letting them pop out just in front of him. The secret pockets he used for small knives and smoke bombs that he could use in a hurry. He left his suit hanging on a manikin, allowing him quick access, if needed.
“There is something happening down town,” said Stuart.
“Duty calls,” Max replied with a smile, relieving the manikin of his cloak.
* * *
The park was the perfect place for an ambush. It was open with lots of room to fight and members of the Dark Lord’s army began to assemble.
“I will lead him here,” said Raze.
Jonny shot him a dirty glance as he held his dark sword at the ready.
“Set the prisoners down over there,” commanded Jonny.
Ben followed his order from sheer fear and obedience, creating a rock pillar each for Hilary and Jimmy. They hung by their wrists and the rock lifted them off their feet. The dark hold on them left them apparently lifeless, in urgent need of rescue, as Ben finished his work.
“It begins.” Jonny choked as the dark power swelled within him, only one thought in his head: revenge.
Chapter 29
The Final Battle
Raze drifted through the air as he followed Max’s trail. He swooped from rooftop to rooftop, studying the flow of Max’s electricity. He licked his lips, smirking at the new challenge. It had been over two hundred years since anyone worthy had confronted him.
He watched as Max disarmed two robbers. He wasn’t about to allow Jonny the satisfaction of fighting him; he, himself, wanted to test Max’s abilities more than anything.
“He does not know of war and death. What a challenge will he be,” mused Raze.
The other half of his split mind tore through his head then, leaving behind raw thoughts and experiences. Raze embraced it, letting his other side speak.
“I want him dead. Any chance of a rebellion could prove troublesome to us,” growled Raze’s split personality.
His condition was a result of war after war, battling for the Dark Lord for hundreds of years. Raze had been a projection of the Dark Lord’s mind and, when split again, formed into another, separate mind set altogether.
“You are right. We attack,” he replied to his other half. The fury he suddenly felt towards Max was staggering and he covered the distance to Max in a split second, colliding into him.
The attack had been too quick even for Max’s particles to respond, leaving him defenceless, and he struck the rooftop like a rock. Immediately, though, the roof’s surface softened beneath him, dragging him down like quicksand and Max grappled in vain for a hold. He glimpsed a dark-robed man close to him and groaned in despair.
“Lord Dartholemue.”
His heart had seized with fear and he realised that the timing of the attack had been too soon for him: he was not yet strong enough to face such a foe. The heavy weight of futility struck him down and he stopped resisting.
Raze bared his teeth, quickening the suction, and Max stiffened, almost paralysed.
“Weak,” Raze muttered.
Maximus reached deep into his dwindling pool of energy, jolting to the building opposite him. The jolt was quick, jerking Max out of his prison and making Raze adjust his blurred vision as he strode closer to Max.
“His gaze sickens me,” said Raze.
“He may present a challenge, after all,” replied his other half.
Max eyed the hooded man befo
re him, seeking an explanation for his erratic behaviour. His sparks flickered around the dark figure, trying to absorb as much information from him as possible.
“Who are you?” asked Max. He knew this wasn’t the Dark Lord; his demeanour was completely different. His voice cut like razor blades from a face that was invisible beneath his hood.
Max’s vision began to blur as Raze rapidly split himself into eight clones, each with an identical sword, who surrounded Max, making his particles run wild. One after the other, they glided over to Max and he knew they would throw all the elements at him.
The first attack came with fire, and he jumped aside to launch a counter attack. His sword caught the clone off guard and pierced the clone’s heart. Max watched him to fall to the ground and simply dissolve.
Water, ice, rock, wood and fire hurtled at him, giving him split seconds to react and as little time to recover. The attack bounced off his force field with an almighty explosion and he dodged and parried sword strikes as the clones pressed their attack.
Max maintained a three-hundred-and-sixty degree defence, hanging on for his life. He managed to grab a clone’s wrist and kicked another in the head as he swung around, creating space.
He targeted the water user, waiting for him to use his power before socking him with electricity.
Six clones remained, circling his position, waiting for a mistake from him in order to pounce. Because of the large number of clones, each had a relatively small amount of energy, however, which allowed even an exhausted Max to slowly overpower each one. One by one, the vanquished clones returned to the main body.
Both of Max’s scars had burned bright on touching each element, creating small spikes in the second black scar that he had received from Cleon, although Max was still unclear as to what new power he had given him. He raised his sword high and Raze hissed.
“His neck,” spat Raze, observing his scars. He had had no idea until now what he was dealing with but now his eyes widened with excitement as he finally understood.
“I have waited a long time for this. I have slaughtered whole villages, demolished entire armies, waiting for you,” he cooed, beckoning Max forward.
Max jolted with immense speed, dodging Raze’s sword and racing behind him. Raze couldn’t react, Max’s movements a blur, and he felt a sudden cut across his back. His screech echoed between the buildings and he was forced to retreat to recover from the attack.
“I am not afraid!” screamed Maximus, ready for another strike.
“Clearly,” Raze replied, calmly. His cut had already begun to heal, leaving only a thin, pink line, and he laughed. Max charged an electric ball in both hands, firing them at Raze without hesitation.
A lava wall formed in Raze’s defence, absorbing the impact of the balls as they exploded. Lava spread across the rooftop as Raze leapt into the sky.
“Got you,” muttered Max, raising his hand, but found his hand caught by Raze. He gasped as he realised that the manoeuvre was a decoy and the clone disappeared in mid-air.
Raze held his other hand by his ribs, releasing a shock wave that launched Max into a side of a building. The windows shattered on impact as the apartment shook with electricity.
When he inhaled, Max’s ribs throbbed with pain from the impact. He coughed, then winced. Then his determination burgeoned within him and he rose, wiping the blood from his head as he shook off the attack.
Raze’s satisfied expression turned sour and he glared at Maximus, hovering close to the building. No one had ever lasted this long. The only person to defy Dartholemue had been the great Philo. His felt his thoughts being invaded by the true Dark Lord, the anger roaring within him as he sank to his knees in pain.
“It’s Philo’s son,” Raze whispered, as his mind linked with the Dark Lord’s for a moment.
The gravity around him became heavy and he felt the Dark Lord’s power swirl.
“Kill him,” sighed the Dark Lord. His voice spread across the city and the citizens raised bewildered eyes to the sky. Maximus felt the voice inject into his brain, bringing back memories of the mansion. He panicked, suddenly questioning his powers, and shifted his weight slightly, resisting the urge to run.
“I will squash you and your friends with one swipe of my hand,” Raze threatened, as he slowly stepped closer to Max. An image ran through Max’s head and he vividly witnessed the pillar collapsing and every friend he had falling…
“You will burn before I ever let that happen!” he howled.
Cleon’s scar burned red hot and Max could feel different powers tingle through his palms as he attacked.
Fire exploded beside Raze, the shock flinging him off the building and hurling him to the ground.
Maximus leapt off the rooftop to the courtyard below, standing in front of Raze as he doggedly climbed to his feet. A flurry of ice, water, rock and fire beams shot out from the ground towards Max, but he blocked each with the same elements.
“A copy user,” said Raze.
“He is learning the attacks from us and retaining them,” answered his other half.
Raze overcame his shock and continuing to attack as the courtyard fell apart around them. His strategy changed from elements to a new strain of attacks. His physical ability had never faltered, controlling warlords and twisting armies to his bidding. Max stiffened once again, then flailed helplessly as Raze lifted him into the air.
“You may have the element powers from your father, but you are still no match for me,” said Raze.
Once more, Max felt his scar burn, adding another spike in his second ring. He resisted the effect of Raze’s power and lifted his own hand, forcing his opponent to also rise into the air.
“How are you doing this?” he spat, hovering and glaring at Max.
“My second power came from Cleon,” he replied.
It had been Raze who had made him realise the purpose of both rings. The inner ring had been marked by Philo and held the power of elements, while the second had been gifted by Cleon, there to absorb any attack, a new spike added for each new ability gained. Between them, both Gods had truly equipped him with the tools to defy the Dark Lord.
Max mimicked Raze’s shock wave attack, heaving them apart, and they tumbled down into the courtyard. Cleon’s name had clearly shocked Raze and further infuriated the Dark Lord.
Dartholemue refrained from teleporting to Max himself, suddenly worried by the unfolding events. This new power had changed everything. A day the Dark Lord had feared was coming had now arrived, announcing a new era of defiance.
“Sound the horn!” yelled Jonny.
Ben blew a huge breath into the horn he carried, the sound echoing throughout the city.
Raze and Max stop fighting, their attention grabbed by the signal that rang out, and Raze took the opportunity to lead Max to them, the end game outweighing the odds of this battle. He took off.
Max hastily followed, assembling his board in mid-air and leaping off the building. His board easily kept pace with Raze’s speed as he dodged through buildings and around cars towards the park.
Jonny’s gang came into view, watching as Max jolted after Raze. He tackled him across the park and they both tumbled to a halt.
Sparks erupted out of Max as he suddenly sensed his friends’ presence. He scanned the field and his eyes touched on Hilary and Jimmy, immobilised by the rock. He could feel the excitement of the imminent battle trickle through his body, with added adrenalin from his recent power heightening.
It was only when Jonny shifted that Max took notice of the group. His sword had been resting on his shoulders and he gripped the handle harder. A small metal chain with a spike on the end hung from the handle, swinging occasionally in the slight draft of the wind.
Max was shocked by Jonny’s appearance. His eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, submerged in dark shadows, indicating little or no sleep over the past month. His hands were a network of cuts and bruises, as if he had been punished over and over. His expression was pure hatred and lus
t, wanting nothing else in the world but to eliminate the man who had stolen his girl from him.
Max understood, however, that most of Jonny’s loathing and darkness came not from within his soul, but rather from the large, black sword that he had stuck in the ground before him. He gripped it with both hands, one resting on top of the other, as he glared at Max.
Ben stood diagonally behind Jonny, shadowed by his power. Somehow, Max found he could read Ben’s face, half-warning him as he gazed towards the dark sword. He could see that he still second-guessed himself, too stubborn to ask for help and too obedient to help a sick friend suffering from the dark power. Max’s heart felt as though it had sunk two inches as he stared at Hilary’s lifeless body dangling from the rock.
“You go too far, Jonny,” he shouted, approaching Hilary.
Her eyes flickered open and fixed on his as she began to come to. She howled and ripped at her arms, trying to free herself from the rock chains. It was useless; the rock structure was too heavily fortified, her water bending abilities completely ineffective against it. This was not the situation she wanted to be in for her reunion with Max.
“Help,” she whispered, going limp once more, pleading with her eyes.
Ben tightened his grip on her, bruising her ribs as he squeezed. Her haunting screams echoed through the park, spurring Max’s rage. He raised his hand. A ball of electricity formed in his palm, sparking crazily as he struggled to keep control.
“You have brought this on yourself,” barked Jonny. Max shifted his feet, concentrating hard on controlling his anger.
“Kill him!” shrieked Raze, inserting himself into the group.
Maximus Thatcher Page 34