YAY! Another chapter so soon!
Choices 2-4
"I'm sorry" I whispered.
I blew it.
All I needed to do was to teleport us away and instead I served us up neat as you please.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
I turned back to Lung and set my feet. I thought about Lisa, injured and completely vulnerable. My new friend for whom I was now going to die to protect. I thought about Dad, I wish I could have told him everything. He would never know what happened to me. Then I though about Mom. I would be seeing her again soon. Would she be mad at me? Would she be proud?
"Rrrriimmmeee oo eye illl rrrll" Lung reached through my flames and grabbed me by my stupid jacket, raising me up to his eye level. "Nnnowww uuurrnnnn" He rumbled.
I understood his meaning when his hand burst into flames point blank. I teleported out of his grasp and back to between him and Tattletale. I tried to slam another fireball into his groin but he batted me aside with the back of one hand, sending me sprawling across the street.
Ow.
To my relief he didn't roast Tattletale on the spot. No he came after me instead. He picked me off the ground, again by that stupid jacket and I teleported again before he could slam me into the concrete. I lay into him with more of my fire but it had no more affect than if I had been throwing pillows at him but I had to stay close, I had to keep his attention. I had to protect Tattletale.
I glanced at where she lay on the gro-
Where did she go?
My confusion cost me. Lung slammed a flaming fist into my gut. My breath exploded from my lungs and I damn near threw up into my mask. He gripped my shoulders with both hands and my world ignited. I teleported an instant too slow and landed, jacket still on fire.
It didn't burn. Or what I mean to say is the fire wasn't hot to me. My jacket was certainly on fire. I quickly shucked my way out of my jacket and cast it aside. I at least it had been good for something.
Lung spun around until his eyes landed on me, no something behind me.
I chanced a look.
Armsmaster.
Freaking Armsmaster was standing in front of where Tattletale lay slumped against the wall of a building, her hands obviously bound in front of her.
"Lung!" Armsmaster's deep voice boomed down the street. "Stop this at once! Surrender peacefully and you will not be harmed!"
Lung's grating laugh was the only answer he gave before charging his new opponent. I threw fire at his feet in an attempt to slow him down, but again he charged on through.
Armsmaster ran to the side drawing Lung away from his injured captive, drawing his famous halberd from his back as he did.
The exchange was impossible not to watch. A flurry of blows by Armsmaster was simply shrugged off by Lung keeping a careful guard up. In return Lung's fire was neutralized by a some kind of pink foam from the halberd. I guess the PHO legends had a grain of truth to it. The halberd could possibly do everything.
Except pierce Lung's skin in any real depth.
Then I noticed it. Armsmaster was being pushed back down the street. Slowly. But it was a definitely a retreat. I threw fire at lungs back but it was ineffective.
"Leave him!" Armsmaster yelled. "He's mine!"
Well fuck you too. I was only trying to help.
"Wisp."
Tattletale. I had forgotten for a moment. With a thought I was by her side.
"You have to get me out of here."
She said weakly. "I can't be caught. I know too much. He'll have me killed rather than take the chance." Her voice was quiet but the fear was real.
I glanced at Armsmaster. He had his hands full. Surely he wouldn't miss Tattletale what with Lung all over him like that. I checked the binding on her wrists.
Zip ties.
Sturdy ones, like for packaging, but these were definitely zip ties. I guess it's hard to beat cheap and effective.
A quick application of my power and the bonds snapped. Well one did, but that served the same purpose. This began another awkward and painful struggle to get properly positioned to teleport.
"I'm not going to have to grope you again am I?" Tattletale tried to tease but I could hear the fatigue. The pain was really wearing her out.
"Let's hope not." I answered.
She slid a hand to rest on my hip. "Just in case." She explained.
I focused and immediately felt my power respond. Then I reached for the feeling of wanting an escape. Needing it. There!
.
We landed on a quiet roof top, blocks away from Lung.
"You did it." Tattletale all but collapsed in relief. "Good."
I turned back to look at the orange glow of streets on fire. I needed to go back to help Armsmaster.
"Don't." Said urgently. "Don't go back."
"But Armsmaster-"
"Is a professional hero with the Protectorate to support him." Tattletale interrupted.
"But he needs help now." I argued.
"He knows what he is doing, Wisp." Tattletale's voice was pleading. "I know you want to help but your power can't hurt Lung anymore."
A burst of fire shot up into the sky.
"I'll only help until more heroes show up."
"Wisp wai-" Tattletale tried, but I was gone before she could say anymore.
.
When I landed, I saw that the fighting was even more one sided than I feared and it didn't take much to see why.
Armsmaster had lost his halberd. He was ducking and dodging his way around Lung's attacks, losing ground all the while. I looked around, it had to be somewhere nearby.
I found it stuck blade first into the side of a car. How did that get there?
I gave it a skeptical look, I'm not sure I could pull this this out. But nothing to it but to do it I guess. So, bracing one foot on the car I pulled with everything I had. It slid out of the car like a knife through butter and I nearly fell on my ass from using too much force. Holy shit this thing must be sharp. I needed to get this to Armsmaster.
I teleported as close as I dared and called out to Armsmaster tossing him his weapon at the same time.
The distraction cost him.
Lung, never one to pass up an opportunity planted a foot into Armsmaster's chest and sent him soaring into the side of the building where the Brockton Bay Hero crumpled onto the ground still clutching his returned weapon.
Lung threw back his head and roared victory to the sky. Heat shimmered off him, distorting the air with its intensity. Flames flickered to life on his arms.
Oh no.
I knew what was coming and there was nothing Armsmaster could do to stop it.
I had stopped his flames once. Could I do it again?
Lung threw his arms forward leaving me no choice.
I teleported between them and threw everything thing I had into my fire. Azure flames exploded from my outstretched hands and intercepted Lung's blast.
It wasn't enough.
My flames were slowly being pushed back. I backed up a step. Then two. Then I was in a full retreat until I was standing over the fallen Hero.
"Armsmaster get up!" I yelled over the roaring clash of fire. "Get up or we're dead!"
Lung was approaching slowly. We played this game before. He knew his victory was all but guaranteed and, the bastard, he was in no hurry.
"Armsmaster!" I yelled again.
Lung doubled the pressure of his flames and I fell to one knee straining to keep them at bay only a foot away.
"ARMSMASTER!" I screamed desperately.
Lung was standing over us now. Flames pouring off his whole body and it was all I could do to shield us with my own. A silver blur passed by my right ear so close I all but felt it brush my hood.
Lung jerked his head back in surprise and I could see one eye put out by a silver dart.
Lung's flames vanished abruptly and I nearly collapsed from the fatigue.
Another flash of silver and a dart pinged of the metallic skin of Lungs cheek.
"Move." Armsmaster shoved me to the side and thrust one end of his halberd up into Lung's open maw. There was a distinct 'psssshhhh' sound and Lung reared back it what appeared to be pain.
What the hell?
Lung took another swipe at Armsmaster who threw himself into an awkward roll to avoid it a grunt of pain as he did so. Lung followed with a few staggering steps took a clumsy swipe at empty air. Armsmaster struggled to his feet, leaning hi weight firmly on his halberd beat a slow retreat.
Lung shook his head like a dog shaking off water.
I raised my hands intending to blast him but Armsmaster stopped me.
"Don't!" He barked. "I dosed him with all I had. If you rile him up again there's no stopping him."
Lung made a few more staggered steps to lean on the nearest building but he wasn't shrinking.
Armsmaster cursed. "What?!"
I looked over to see Armsmaster with one hand pressed to the side of his helmet. "I've got him here, now! This is the best chance we have!"
I assumed he was yelling into his radio.
Lung continued his way down the street by way of shaky, halting steps. He was getting away. Slowly, but all the same.
"No! it's unacceptable!" Armsmaster roared and slammed the butt of his halberd into the ground. The effort sent him to his knees. "No, I can get back on my own." He growled and lowered his hand.
"Aren't you going to arrest him?" The words were out of my mouth before I even realized I had thought them.
"No," Armsmaster ground out through gritted teeth. "If backup would have been here like they were supposed to then I would have had him."
If? I looked down the street at the shrinking Lung. "We could take him." I offered.
Armsmaster shook his head and pressed one hand to his chest where Lung had kicked him. "He is only disoriented from tranqs. I doubt its enough to do more than mess with his senses for another few minutes."
The screech of tires grabbed our attention as a Jeep careened around a corner, narrowly missed jumping the curb and slid to a halt near Lung. A fucking get-away vehicle.
Or so I thought.
Something silver and bright, bounced against Lung's chest with an audible ring even from here. He Roared in pure anger before slowly freezing in place, flaming arm reaching for the jeep. The air around him seemed to distort, slowly loosing color until in place of where Lung had been there was an impossibly black sphere.
A loud, screeching cackle drifted from the Jeep before it peeled away.
What the fuck just happened?
Author's Note: I hope this chapter makes up for the cliffhanger in the last chapter.
Action writing is not really my forte as you can probably tell. It's something I'm trying to work on. Constructive criticism is welcome. Of course, praise is always welcome too. Wink wink nudge nudge.
Should be seeing a costume change for Wisp coming soon. So, yay no more stupid jacket!
Thank you to you whom Fav/Follow!