After traversing the city's rooftops tops for some time Ash finally arrived at his destination. It was a modest apartment building his contact lived in. Climbing down the side of the building away from the lights he made sure not to be detected. Hanging in front of the window Ash opened it up. Stepping through it inside he saw an older teen than him sitting at a table. Ash removed his mask and sat down opposite of him.
"I had a feeling you'd come." The man with the same kind of black spiky hair as Ash had blue eyes. Dressed in a casual blue shirt and jeans the person known as Riley was Ash his mentor/confidant in all matters aura.
"Since you can sense me from a few miles away I didn't bother to call."
Riley's aura abilities were more advanced than Ash's. It's how he found the raven haired teen in the first place. One day feeling a second source of life force popping he went on a mission to locate the originator. Surprised that it was a young boy he followed him discreetly home after a day at school. Still remembering the look on his mother's face when she got told her son is more special than she at first thought. It took some convincing and practice, but under his guidance Ash learned the basics including some basic self defense.
"I made tea." Ash taking a mug poured himself one. Sitting down across from him he took a sip.
"What's troubling you?" The elder guardian with his hands together prepared to listen to his troubles.
"It's about the guy I fought. It's the first time I've seen anything like him. He did things I can only do with aura. Well, the normal things like jumping and punching. Guy hits too hard for a human. So the only thing I got is that he might be another aura user."
Ash having thought about it deeply the whole day Riley gave him the bad news.
"If he was I can sense him. Ever since hearing about your fight I've been in deep meditation to pinpoint the biggest aura's in the city and see if there is another like us. And the only other that stood out is you."
"Any other clues?" So they were on a dead end. Knowing just as much as before.
"None. Whatever he used it isn't aura." If the elder guardian didn't sense anything unusual than it wasn't aura. Ash tried guessing more. It's all he has at this point.
"Another type of energy? I know the monks in other countries talk about it." Ash's hobby of studying martial arts coming into play. Reading about all types of spiritual energy fighters linking themselves to like he did with aura.
"Spiritual like chakra or chi? The amounts of mental concentration they need isn't unheard of and people in temples have shown extraordinaire feats of strength. Still nothing compared to what we can do. Possible, but unlikely."
"Mystical objects?" Ash was running down the list of whatever it was he faced last night. If he didn't know the truth soon it was going to bother him the rest of the time till he finds out.
"I've only read stories about them. But seeing how many stories there were about aura users who were considered extinct I won't be surprised at anything anymore." Again Riley told him it was plausible.
"Thanks Riley. Guess I'll go out and do some scouting to get my mind of it. See if there is anything strange going on."
"How about a patrol together tonight? For old times sake."
Riley feeling nostalgic offered to join Ash for the night. When Ash isn't allowed to go out in the midweek Riley filled in for him. Riley than took two days off to recover body and spirit while Ash took care of his patrol in the weekend. It was a nice arrangement they had going and prevented Riley getting serious injuries due to burnout.
"Sure! It be nice to go out together like old times."
Riley went into his bedroom and grabbed his gear from his closet. Like Ash it was a dark blue suit covering the whole of his body. Only difference between his and Ash is that he had gloves with small pieces of metal to increase the force of his punches when he needed it. Normally he didn't bother with it but with Ash's thief running around he might need a bit more punching power.
Since Riley was unable to make sharp aura objects like Ash he wore a belt with a metal spike. The spike was for if he fell downwards and needed to stop he will slam it into a wall. Focusing his aura in the spike and arm he has enough force to pierce concrete stopping his fall.
"All geared up?" Ash patiently waiting for Riley to show up.
"Let's go." Both of them climbing out the window to spend a night in the town together for old times sake.
The two decided to take a short break on top of a roof in the middle of town. Besides Ash his little intervention during a mugging there wasn't much to do tonight. As happy the two were there wasn't any crime tonight they got pretty bored. They were expecting a bit more to be honest.
"Quiet night so far."
"The one night we go out together there's nothing to do." Ash complained.
"I suppose we should just patrol around a bit before the sun comes out. We still have two hours left before dawn."
"Come on. I'll say one more block before we call it quits." Ash agreeing with his trainer jumped from the spit and together made their final round. While jumping between buildings Ash suddenly cried out in pain.
"ARGH!"
Riley turned around in midair and saw his partner for the night landing hard on a roof lower than the one intended at first. Seeing that he was followed by someone dressed in black entirely landing on the roof where his partner touched down. Landing on his roof he quickly jumped back down over to assist Ash. Only having eyes for the teen he didn't notice someone jumped on him and caught his leg in midair.
"What the!?" Before Riley can see who or what grabbed him his body got launched down to the same rooftop Ash crash landed. Hitting the floor just as hard as Ash he needed a moment to compose himself from such a big impact.
Ash got up and saw his attacker come at him. He quickly took his fighting stance and did a low kick the moment the figure in black came closer. The figure seeing through him jumped over him and did a forward landing behind him. Ash quickly turned around and using his aura jumped on his attacker putting him in a chokehold. While he tightened his grip on his attacker he saw Riley fighting an identical one.
"Now there's two of them!?" The black figure caught in Ash his grip struggled to get out. Ash using all his strength plus his aura held him down. No way was he getting away like last night.
"Focus on yours!" Riley formed a long staff of aura in his hands. The aura like Bo staff his preferred weapon of choice. Swinging it he had an extended reach. The figure being hit by it tumbled down on his back. Riley slamming his staff into the back of his attackers head for good measure then focused on Ash.
"Hold still."
Riley telling him to keep the figure in place shaped his staff into an aura sphere. Now holding the sphere in one hand Ash pushed the one he held down into Riley's path. The elder guardian throwing the sphere into the figure Ash held threw it and made an explosive impact into his chest. The figure falling backwards on his back right in front of Ash's feet. Nobody ever got up from one of Riley's aura spheres so Ash felt safe enough to kneel down.
"Let's see what's underneath the mask."
Finally he'd get the answer on who's been beating him. Or at least the partner of the guy he fought in the museum. Ash lifted the facemask off his opponents face. Seeing old bandages covering his face the aura users thought they were being pranked.
"A mummy? Seriously?"
Out of all the things the guardians expected a mummy was at the bottom of the list. Ash removed more of the bandages and his eyes widened. The body beneath it was rotten with loose colored skin showing. It's teeth just as rotten and missing with no eyes to speak off someone was playing tricks on them or they got hit so hard they're seeing the undead right now.
"Okay. Actual mummy's. As if this day can't get any weirder."
"I hate to interrupt, but don't think they like we know how he looks like." Riley having no clue as well had bigger things to worry about. Ash raised his head and looked around him. Now more of the masked figures they just knocked out surrounded them.
"Me and my big mouth."
Getting up quickly Ash formed two kunai, one in each hand. Riley with aura staff in hand with him. The two aura users back to back now were surrounded. Both were used to being outnumbered but with so many of these things around they might be seriously outmatched.
"I count eight of them. We take four each." Riley said to Ash with his aura staff ready.
"I say capturing them is not an option?"
"Yes. Knock them out. Hit them as hard as you can."
"It's not like you to talk like that."
Ash starting to sweat under his mask. Twirling the kunai in his hands he gripped them tight. This was going to be his toughest fight yet. One of these things was hard enough. Now eight was more than a handful.
"Ready?" Ash yet strangely excited to start kicking butt.
"Yes." Riley took his aura staff in his left hand and made a sphere. One of Ash his kunai shapeshifted into a throwing star.
"Go!" Ash and Riley leapt from their spots and charged at one each. Riley threw his sphere at one of the figures to his left forcing him to make some distance between him and his allies.
Ash threw the shuriken backwards to Riley's right, the black figure on the furthest right jumping quickly out of the way. Now with two in front of them Riley planted his staff in the roof and kicked both of them at the same time. Pulling his staff out he slammed it into the last figure standing on his side.
One of them punched at Riley and the elder guardian used his staff as a shield. Twirling it rapidly he prevented the final figure from hitting him.
Ash now with his back turned to his side of the figures, quickly did a backwards handstand and pushed himself up. Jumping over the four figures on his end he focused and threw throwing stars of aura in quick succession.
The shuriken flying through the air they embedded themselves onto the roof. Now with the four figures separated Ash quickly set to work dealing with them one by one.
Divide and conquer was the strategy.
He threw one of the kunai that embedded itself into one's chest. Soon after landing on his feet he rapidly raced over to another. Grabbing an earlier aura kunai that was stuck on the ground he threw it to his second target. The target dodging the blade lost his balance and Ash saw his change to knock this one down.
Focusing his punch he made contact with another enemy and the force from it made him fly off the roof they were on. Quickly moving to number three he got tripped over by one. Rolling over he pushed himself up and did a roundhouse kick that's easily blocked by number three.
Number four rushed to him and swung with his left arm. Ash blocked it with his left but got kicked from behind by number three. The two standing eyed the stricken guardian. Ash spinning the gears in his head took a quick look over to Riley's. Seeing the elder aura user knocked two down as well. Looking back to his side of the roof he saw the unmasked figure from before starting to move.
"They're getting up!"
"Get over here!" Riley ordered him. Ash did as quick as he could. Jumping over the two figures eyeing him with the aura users back to back again. They needed a new plan. A plan that made sure they survived tonight. They needed a new battle plan to take these things out since hitting them hard didn't work. Not even Riley and his aura worked so they had their hands tied.
"Split up and avoid them at all cost."
"The usual spot?"
"Yes." Both aura users charged an aura object in their hands and threw it into the roof creating a smoke cloud that concealed them from the figures in black. The figures seeing two blue flashes move from the smoke all chased them.
When the smoke cleared the two guardians were still standing there. Using huge aura spheres as distractions the black figures seemed to fall for it.
"They took the bait." Ash said quietly.
"Come on. Let's go before they come back."
Rushing towards Riley's apartment they made sure they weren't followed. Quickly climbing inside Riley closed the curtains, locked the windows and took off his mask same as Ash.
"That was…something."
Ash tired from his final burst at rushing to Riley's house. Asking what on earth was going on in this town now tgat mummies are roaming around freely. Sitting down on Riley's couch he felt himself sore all over. The crash landing on the rooftop and fight afterwards wasn't doing him any good.
"Sleep at my place. We need to discuss more but I'm too tired and beat up to talk. Aspirin?"
"Yes please." Downing the pill with a huge chug of water Ash still needed to do something before he could close his eyes.
"Can I borrow your phone for a bit? I need to call my mom."
"Sure." Calling his house phone he knew it was to early to lick up.
"You've reached the voicemail of…"
"Just let me hear the peep already so I can sleep."
"Hi mom. It's me. I'm sleeping at Riley's. We're fine. We just made it a bit later than usual since we went out together. Love you. Ash."
Ash fell asleep on Riley's couch knowing that his troubles were only just starting.
Ash his eyes fluttered and he started to stir.
"Morning."
"Not really." Riley said to him.
Ash looked over to a wall clock and saw it was already after 2 in the afternoon. Lifting himself from the couch he did some stretching exercises. Feeling that everything is still in place despite the hits taken the last couple of nights he felt relieved. Sure his aura gave him more endurance and dexterity than normal people but even he had his limits.
"How are you?" Riley asked him.
"A couple of bruises. Nothing to bad." Ash told him.
"Good. Same for me. I never fought like that before. Neither the things that attacked us last night. At least we know we're not dealing with humans."
"So there's ten of them. The two we encountered first and then the eight that attacked us afterwards."
"I think it's best that whenever we go out we'll go together. If a few of them get the drop on just one of us we're as good as finished."
"I'll try and do some research in the meantime. Get some rest and clear your mind. I know how much your mother worries about you now. Comfort her a bit that all nights from now on we both go as a team. Don't try to be a hero and risk anything by yourself. I'll text you if I find something. I know I sound like your mother now but please keep those grades up."
Warning Ash not to do anything stupid the boy had just about enough of being kicked around. Agreeing that for now that there won't any major heroics till Riley texted him.
"I got ya."
Ash borrowed some old clothes Riley didn't fit anymore. The younger aura user didn't take any of his own clothes with him except his costume. Going out during the day dressed like he did at night will arouse suspicion and with the bounty on his head needed to be careful about when and how he appears. On the way home he couldn't help but think about the last few days.
Of course people at school will ask tomorrow how his weekend was.
"Let's see. I punched a mummy, destroyed thousands of dollars in museum artwork, got a bounty on my head, got thrown into a rooftop from a great height and punched even more mummies."
He sighed. Failing to come up with anything original this time round on what he did.
"Guess the old videogames and movies excuse will have to be dusted off again."
Took a bit longer than I liked. Still planning some things for this one. One of my biggest problems in writing is that I plan for these way WAY ahead. I just finished chapter 3 and I'm already thinking about 15 so to speak. Need to learn to focus on one at a time.
At least I made my monthly deadline. So that counts for something I guess.
See you around.