Author's Note:Hello again, fellow South Park shippers! I've finally finished the next chapter in the arc. Only a few more chapters to go until we get to the new arc, too! Sorry about the long delay, school has been extremely busy for me and I wanted to make an action packed chapter like this one good. I hope it will be worth everyone's wait! Thank you all for your loyalty and dedication, and have fun with this next chapter! I'll try to update as soon as I can to finish up this arc.
As a special note, I started working on this FanFiction around the same time last year. So happy one year anniversary to the fic! *streamers everywhere*
Enjoy! :)
Chapter 51 – Wendy's Awakening – Part III
POV: Craig Tucker
Regardless of the past, Craig knew that time was still flowing. Even now, as he stared death in the face, he kept his composure. The energy he had longed for since his fight with Trent was surging through his body once more. Craig's eyes widened in shock when Wendy's body suddenly disappeared in front of him. It seemed as if Wendy had suddenly evaporated in mid-air. Craig had to take a brief moment to digest what had just happened. Upon realization that Wendy was truly gone, panic began surging through Craig.
The dark figure quickly stopped his running and skidded an inch along the ground. He leaned slightly backwards, then pressed his feet against the ground. He gracefully glided through the air, his chain clanging lightly with the wind and his dagger lightly shining under the gray skies. He landed on the ground like a feather, making no noise as far as Craig could here.
"What did you do with Wendy?" Craig angrily eyed the hooded figure in front of him. "Tell me now…and maybe I'll spare you your life…" Craig squinted his blood red eyes.
"Perhaps I made her disappear off the face of this Earth. No telling where she could be now…" The hooded figure beamed his eyes back at Craig. Craig could imagine the figure smirking underneath his cloth mask. It burned him to the very core that somebody may have tried hurting the one he loved.
Craig furrowed his eyebrows. His rich, red eyes expressed pure hatred. His irises' almost seemed like red hot flames. He felt nothing but pure malice towards this mysterious being.
'I don't know what the actual outcome of this fight will be…but I need to be careful' Craig thought back to the time he fought Trent in the alleyway. He was so sure he would win, but Trent had proved to have more strength, and complete power over Craig. Craig remembered how Trent gripped his throat, and he felt his power seeping away from him.
'No matter what, I have to try my best not to get hit…if I become too injured…my power could disappear again…And I know one thing…If this guy did that to Wendy just now, I need to make sure to take him alive so I know how to get her back…This won't be easy…I need to analyze him carefully…'
Craig slowly spread his feet on the grass, and focused on the dark person in front of him. He carefully examined all their noticeable attributes: their clothing, eyes, and stance. Craig was most curious about the silver chains hanging from the neck of his opponent.
'I haven't seen him use those yet…does he use those to fight at all?' Craig wondered. 'I need to keep a close eye on them and find out what they're for…'
"Would you hurry up?" the figure taunted. "Or do you not care about your friend?"
Craig grinned at the figure's taunt.
A gust of wind suddenly picked up, swaying the grass around Craig. He closed his eyes for a split second.
'Focus…I need to do this not just for myself…but for Wendy too…I can't afford to lose here…'
Craig opened his eyes once more. The wind rattled the branches of the trees around him and created gentle, lapping waves from Stark's Pond. The wind gently settled, then Craig finally spoke.
"Let's go!"
In an instant Craig and the figure charged for each other. As Craig approached the figure, he noticed the figure pull his arm back, prepared to punch.
'There's his first mistake!' Craig thought.
The figure swung a punch at Craig. Craig ducked underneath the blow and stowed an incredible amount of force in his arm.
'Now!' Craig thought as he swung his punch at the figure's gut.
Suddenly, the figure disappeared from in front of Craig. Craig stumbled forward a few steps, astonished the figure had disappeared so quickly.
"You're still weak, I see. My associate was right about you." Craig widened his eyes as he realized the voice sounded like it was directly behind him. He quickly turned around and saw the sinister red eyes of his attacker just inches from his face.
'What?! How?!' Craig wondered, shocked. He watched as the figure quickly swooped up his right leg and kicked Craig hard against the chest. Upon impact, Craig couldn't believe the force behind his opponent's blow. Craig flew a few feet through the air and landed ungracefully on the ground with a loud thud. His chest was instantly shot with pain. He clutched at his abdomen as he tried to sit up. Craig huffed a few times, noticing that the figure remained stationary in front of him.
'What kind of power was that?' Craig wondered. 'How did he move so fast?'
"Are you even going to try to fight?" the figure teased. "From where I'm standing, you're just sitting helplessly on the ground. It's inevitable, stop trying to fight."
Craig gritted his teeth in frustration.
"I'm just getting started!" Craig yelled as he stumbled to get up, trying his best to ignore the now dull pain in his chest. Craig took a moment to recover and planted his feet firmly on the ground, his balance regained once more. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the next bout of fighting.
'Go!' Craig signaled himself.
He began sprinting for the dark figure once more. He was grateful that his feet allowed him to run faster than normal. It made him feel like he had become even greater than an athlete, without the rigorous training.
'I have to keep an eye out for this guy and see if he disappears like that again…' Craig thought as he approached his opponent. When most of the gap was closed in between the two fighters, Craig made a daring leap off the ground, tilting his body forward in the process. He performed a front-flip and slammed a foot down on top of the figure. The strange fellow put an arm in the path of Craig's blow, avoiding damage. A moment later, the ground underneath the dark figure burst, making a fissure in the ground and spitting up dirt, grass, and small rocks. Craig noticed the figure underneath him appeared to struggle with his balance for a second. Craig swiftly adjusted his leg and kicked against the figures arm, disengaging from contact with him. When Craig landed, he skidded across the ground, leaving an obvious trail of impact on the ground. The figure remained still again, glaring at Craig behind his cloth mask.
"You have some power, but you have much to learn." The figure lectured. "It won't be long for you though, we'll make this quicker…"
Craig suddenly noticed a glint of silver appear from the figures sleeve.
'His knife again!' Craig identified the weapon.
The figure dashed forward with an incredible speed. Craig readied himself, studying the figure's movements with his eyes. The figure raised his arm high in the air as he approached Craig, preparing to slice Craig's body down the middle.
'He's going to make a vertical slice…' Craig thought quickly. The next moment, the figure did as Craig expected: he sliced the knife down towards Craig's head. Craig suddenly sidestepped the figure's blow and quickly responded with a punch aimed for the figures chest.
Craig didn't expect to hit air yet again. The figure flashed away from Craig, making Craig's attack useless. Craig suddenly felt a presence behind him. His eyes widened in horror, he wanted to scream.
"Strike one." The figure bet, slashing at Craig without hesitation.
'Damn it!' Craig thought frustratingly. Craig quickly twisted his body around and pressed his feet as hard as he could against the ground. His force led him to fall back about five feet, briefly skidding along the ground once more.
"I have to admit, you're quite agile." The figure observed, once again remaining unmoving.
'What's with this guy?' Craig wondered. 'He attacks…then quickly teleports as soon as I go for a blow…If that's what he's doing…wait a minute…' Craig remembered just a moment ago when the figure pulled out his knife. 'I need to pay attention to when he uses that knife…it seems as if he teleports immediately after he tries to stab with it, even if he misses…so the trick to beating him might be to simply dodge, and if he teleports, land a blow against him from behind. I have to come up with something he won't expect…'
The figure's knife glimmered slightly, turning into a bright silver. Craig carefully watched the figure slowly walk towards him. In the figures hand, the knife seemed to dissolve into multiple particles, as if the figure no longer wanted it at the moment.
"It's futile, you should just give up already…" the figure mused.
"I'm not giving up…until you're lying on the ground dead." Craig threatened, even though he still remembered he needed to leave him alive so he could question them.
"What is this?" the figure taunted. Once again he pulled his knife out from his sleeve. "You're words lead to empty promises. Craig Tucker, I'm now going to prove to you…just how worthless your words truly are…"
Suddenly, Craig noticed the knife reappear in the figures right hand once more.
Wordlessly, the figure began running for Craig. Craig prepared his stance so that he could be able to dodge the figure, but prepare himself for a follow-up attack if need be. Craig watched the figure hold the knife out to his side, and slightly twist his wrist.
'I know how he's going to attack this time…' Craig assured himself. Craig's assumption was correct: the figure made a horizontal slice towards Craig's throat. Craig leaned back slightly, just barely avoiding the metal.
'Now!' Craig assumed. To Craig's luck, the figure disappeared from his sight yet again. Craig quickly turned around and tried to kick the figure sideways. The figure raised his arm to block Craig's blow. Craig quickly pulled his leg back. He took a few steps back from the figure, noticing he was still once more.
'That's another thing…he seems to remain still quite often after attacking…' Craig observed. He took a few steps back, waiting for the figure to move. To Craig's amusement, the figure didn't move at all for a few seconds.
"Now. I make you bleed." The figure threatened. Craig's eyes widened as the figure suddenly raised his arm above his head then brought it back down with staggering force. Craig watched as the silver flew directly for his chest.
'Damn!' Craig thought. He quickly twisted his body sideways, hoping to avoid the blow entirely.
To his dismay, Craig's shoulder began stinging less than a second later. He saw a few droplets of blood fly in front of him as the knife partially sliced his shoulder. He grunted in pain and gripped his shoulder. He pulled his hand away, and noticed it was covered in sickly red blood.
"We're not done yet." Craig jumped when he suddenly saw a glint of silver appear from the corner of his eye. He looked to his right to see the knife flying back towards him, in the direction of the figure, who held his hand in air, patiently awaiting for his knife to return.
'What the hell? It's like a boomerang!' Craig was too slow to react in time to the knife. Once more, the figure was successful in landing another blow and the knife sliced Craig's other shoulder, seemingly symmetrical to his other wound. Craig's arms stung as he observed the knife fly back into the figures hand. He slowly lowered his arm, keeping his knife a slight distance from his body. The tip of it was dripping in Craig's blood.
Craig began to feel lightheaded. He stumbled and landed on his knees, clutching both of his shoulders with his hands. His newer wound was stinging, Craig had to fight the urge to remain on the ground and just clutch his wounds.
'Come on Craig…focus! I remember when I attacked him…' Craig recalled running up to the figure and trying to kick him. He pictured the way the figure used his arm to block Craig's blow. He had seemed to lose his balance, but not receive any pain from the blow.
'It's like his body is made of metal…my attack hardly affected him' Craig wondered.
Blood trickled down Craig's arm and welled at his fingertips. The blood dropped onto the lush green grass beneath him, staining the strands with a dark red color.
"I told you I would make you bleed, and I'll do it again so long as you continue to fight me." The figure urged. "There's no use in trying to defeat me. If you surrender, I'll be on my way."
'This guy is full of himself…' Craig thought, still clutching his injured shoulders. 'He seems to be really fast in close combat…I wonder if there's a way I could engage him from a distance…'
The thought prompted an idea in Craig's head. 'Wait a minute…?' Craig remembered when he fought Trent in the alleyway in order to save Wendy. He recalled shooting sparks from his eyes, similar to several years ago during the Pandemic incident.
'How did I make that happen?' Craig wondered. 'Wait…I somewhat remember the circumstances…I was surrounded by sparks…and after that I felt like I could use my eyes to display my anger…but how did I get to that point? What were the circumstances leading up to that…and how is my current power different from that time…?' Craig wondered. 'Has anything possibly changed?'
The figure slowly stepped towards Craig, its malicious eyes glaring at Craig, still sitting on the ground.
"You'll make a fine subject for our leader." Craig could see the seriousness in the figures eyes.
'Leader?!' Craig thought. 'There's more guys like this one? What the hell is happening to South Park?'
Craig immediately glanced around him. He needed to find some sort of way he could get close to the figure, without putting his own life in danger. The most noticeable attribute of the land around him were the trees just a few yards away from him, as well as Stark's Pond a few feet next to him.
'How can I use anything around me?' Craig wondered. He raised an eyebrow. 'I have an idea.'
Craig grunted as he struggled to stand up off the ground.
"What's this?" the figure mused.
"Hey you…" Craig gritted his teeth as he stood up, pain shot through his shoulder. Craig huffed and raised his head. "Take a walk with me."
"Wha-? The figure wondered, confused.
Craig grinned slightly. He quickly got up and turned towards the woods. He glanced behind him as he ran, waiting for the figure to teleport or throw his knife yet again. Craig saw the figure running after him.
"Get back here!" the figure exclaimed, slightly annoyed.
Craig saw the figure throw his knife once more. Craig observed it coming straight for his face in what seemed like slow motion. He diverted his head from the knife's path. It barely scratched the side of his face, making a small slit in Craig's cheek. The dagger then proceeded to fly into the woods. Craig heard a satisfying thump as the figure's knife hit the tree in the distance.
'Now, look ahead!'
Craig moved his gaze away from his attacker and glanced in front of him yet again. As Craig had predicted, the figure was in front of him once again.
Craig smiled. 'Just as I thought…Now this is where I test him…'
Craig noticed the figure pulled out yet another knife from his sleeve. The attacker pushed his knife forward, trying to lunge his knife into Craig's heart.
'Now!' Craig ordered himself. Craig leaned his body backwards, getting lower than the path of the knife. The figures lunge went just over Craig's face. He could see the silver metal flying just past his eyes as he dodged the attack. Craig quickly gripped the figures wrist firmly.
'Now, use your strength!' Craig thought.
Craig quickly stood up and heaved the figure with all his might towards a nearby tree. When the figures body came into contact with the tree, a crunching noise was made. To Craig's shock at his own power, the tree in which the figure came into contact with instantly split in half and fell over with a loud thud. The figure kneeled on the ground, with one arm extended over his knee. Craig could hear him huffing slightly.
"Now it's my turn!" Craig yelled as he ran for the figure. To Craig's surprise, his opponent didn't resist. Craig kicked the figure hard in the side, noticing a few droplets of blood floating through the air after impact. The figure quickly stood back up, still huffing slightly.
"I seriously didn't think I'd have to use this…seems the rumors about you were true…time to put a stop to you…"
Craig noticed the figure raise both of his hands in the air.
"Come to my aid, chains of fate." The figure chanted.
The chains around the figures neck clanged together wildly. The chain flew off the figures neck and landed in both of his hands. Craig saw an aura begin to glow from the chains. They varied between colors. Craig noticed the color pattern to the chain: they would glow red, and then blue, and repeat again in brief intervals.
"What the hell?" Craig said out loud. He jumped backwards a few feet.
Craig watched in horror as the figure's chain began glowing an even darker red.
"Let's see how you like this…" Craig watched as the figure took one end of the chain with both hands. The figure raised the chain above him with one swoop then brought the chain down hard on the ground right next to Craig. It left a straight, deep fissure in the ground. The wind from the blow made Craig almost lose his balance.
The chain quickly retracted back towards the figure. It seemed to float in mid-air. Craig couldn't believe what he was seeing. It looked like pure magic, the kind of thing he felt many wanted to believe in, but could never be possible. But here was, fighting someone who seemed to have odd, mystical powers.
'This is bad…' Craig thought. 'This is really, really bad…'
