"Did you just say 'sect?'" I replied to him. "Those are still a thing?"
"Indeed. Strange times mean strange things, do they not?" He replies with that same sly tone.
I try my best to not laugh at the fact that there's a bunch of lunatics going around calling themselves a sect, but a small chuckle leaves my lips. Another sharp object gets sent flying at me immediately, but I manage to barely lean out of the way and dodge it. When I look up, the man has his index finger pointed at me with smoke coming out of it.
"Did you just laugh at our sect!?" He asks with a furious voice. "This act of disrespect means only death for you!"
He launches himself at me with his sharp nails aimed straight for my throat. I weave to the side and slam him to the floor with a grab. I observe him for a moment. No movement. I then make my way over to Clara and grab the bars to break open the cage, but it doesn't budge, even with my electric powers. That's odd. I should be able to bend metal this thin.
Instead, I reach through the bars to untie her arms and legs. She crawls towards me and I help her take the cloth out in her mouth to muffle her.
"Hey, are you okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Get me out of here!" She exclaims.
"First, give me my cloak back. You still have it. Maybe, I'll consider getting you out." She takes it off and reluctantly gives it back. Clipping it back on and securing it, I wind up my sword to try and slash the metal, but it bounces off with a clang and vibrates my hand violently. Not even the staff works.
"Nothing works? What is this metal made of?" I say with a frustrated tone. I kneel next to the cage. "I'll get you out of here soon, just-"
"Xyle! Behind you!"
I whip around and put my sword up just in time to block a slash from the man I thought was knocked out before. He uses his other hand to grab the blade of my sword and throw me back to the other side, slamming me against the railing. He was now between me and Clara again. He lunges again, the same move as before, but it's faster. Much faster. Dodging is not an option. I change Quicksilver into the staff and attack with an overhead slam, but he sidesteps and kicks my left side, sending me flying back down the fleet of stairs and landing with a thud. It hurts, but it's manageable. So far, at least. I slowly get back up and see the knocked out men from just a little while ago and see a small dagger on one of them. I grab it and tuck it away behind my cloak before making my way back up. He's standing in the same spot as before. I take the offensive this time and rush forward to attack with a flurry of slashes from my sword. He flawlessly dodges every single one while staying in a bent, crouched stance like an animal.
Possibilities raced through my mind. How has he gotten so fast? Why is he so agile all of a sudden? I shut them out and decided to focus on only the fight and nothing else. I leap backward and take a moment to take a deep breath to calm myself. I take one firm step toward him to close the distance and a single downward cut, strong and firm as if it could split a boulder in two, but he catches it between his fingers effortlessly, and he uses his other hand to break Quicksilver in half in a split second. I quickly grab the dagger in my cloak and try to stab him from the side, but he grabs my hand with his own and twists the dagger back at my face and backs me to the railing of the tower. My arms ache as it takes all I have just to keep his hands and my own dagger away, but my arms are giving out. I can't hold on much longer. I try to think of any escape plan but all the doors seem shut. No! I'm not gonna die here! Not like this! I need to save Clara and get out of here!
Info Nexus pops up. "Stormwing Tempest Activated. Sub-Enchant Master of One activated. Multiple power ups detected. Buffs have been stacked."
Flames erupt around the tower as Windborne breaks mech after mech and totals each building. Soon enough, most of the camp is covered in a red crimson as the scent of ash lingers in the air,
I begin charging electricity and slowly pushing him back as sparks sear the ground, leaving black burn marks in their wake. I shove him backward with the rest of my arms strength to get some space and compose myself. My body feels significantly lighter as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. With the stacks now buffed, I begin releasing all the spare electricity I had been storing as me and the man dash at each other and exchange a flurry of blows from my broken weapon and dagger and his sharp nails. My sparks leave only marks on his slightly torn suit and skin, but he leaves scratches and gashes on me. I'm still losing despite my buffs.
A bad swing from him lets me weave past his arm and gives me a clear shot to his rib cage, and I seize the opportunity, but before my dagger could land, a small projectile shoots out from below me, digging into my forearm like a bullet and throwing me off target. He counterattacks with a knee to my chest, causing me to gasp and fall to the floor while coughing up blood. I try to raise my hand for a last ditch effort but it's to no avail as he kicks me back to the ground. I stare at his shoes and I see one ripped open from the top. He shot his toenail at me through his shoes!? Were his nails what I was being attacked with?
He picks me up by the neck with one arm and raises his other arm, pointing his nails straight at my face. The mask is not going to be enough to protect me.
"State your name. You were a good warmup for me." He says with a cocky grin. "I haven't fought properly in a while, you see."
I grab his arms tightly and try to channel any remaining charge I may have, resulting in a blinding light and sparks flying everywhere, but it's just like a light sting to him.
"I don't need to give my name to a random cult that kidnaps girls." I say with a small chuckle.
"Very well, then. Die in the name of our sect."
Windborne flies up to the left of us and shoots a lightning blast at near-point-blank range, ripping a hole straight through the building. The man lets go of me and guards himself just before it lands, but he still gets sent flying through from the blast, landing somewhere near the edges of the camp. That should've killed any normal person, and maybe even some Enchanted, but most certainly not him. The half of the building I'm not in begins to crumble and tilt over, taking Clara with it.
"Stormwing Tempest has ended. Sub-Enchant Master of One has ended. Side effects are now being applied."
The familiar searing pain returns and most of my muscles become unable to move, but all I can think about is saving Clara as the building fully collapses. I painfully crawl over to the edge to try and view the situation and see Clara is unharmed, but she's still in a cage being carried away by a group of mechs and trucks. The man from before is riding on top of a particularly big and fancy mech while dusting his suit off and polishing his nails as though he just walked out of a salon. I look over at Windborne, thinking of sending him after her, but without instructions, he wouldn't be able to get far, and he's back in his medium form and slumped over the railing like he's half dead. And then, my eyes flutter closed and only darkness remains.