NOVEL NEXT B3 | 27 - Double-Cross
Beneath a roiling sea of gray clouds, Barry shook his head at the people emerging from the prison. The traitors appeared genuinely shocked, bringing him no small amount of amusement. They’d truly thought their plans were unknown.
He glanced at his lone companion, bending to scratch her soft-furred head. Corporal Claws trilled, leaning into his touch before stretching and hunching down. Crackling lightning leaped from her body as she grinned, waiting for the order to attack.
“How did you know?” Tom Osnan Jr. asked, raising his chin.
“That isn’t important. All that matters is that your attempt failed. If you don’t mind, it will save a whole lot of violence if you calmly take yourself back to your cell.”
Tom Osnan Jr. sneered. “You may have bested us last time, but you no longer have the element of surprise.”
“Besides,” Nathan, the ringleader of this little prison break, said, stepping up beside Tom and standing tall. “You’re outnumbered.”
“Well, yeah,” Barry agreed. “But that doesn’t mean you’ll win.”
“Are you sure about that?” Nathan’s face grew serious as a blanket of chi seemed to press down on Barry’s body, making his chest tighten. “I wonder how useful your power will be when you can’t use it?”
Barry reached for his core, his brow scrunching with the effort. Try as he might, his chi seemed to be locked away, right there, yet impossible to reach.
The lightning covering Corporal Claws sputtered out, her eyes going wide.
Nathan laughed, clearly delighting in her expression. “The person who takes them out will be rewarded back in Gormona.”
Three people stepped forward, flexing their hands.
“Call me crazy,” Barry said, cocking his head, “but wouldn’t activating your ability mean that no one can use their chi?”
“I can see why you’d assume that.” Nathan looked down his nose at them, all too happy to keep talking. “But mine is no beginner’s ability....”
He clicked his fingers, and though Barry’s chi was suppressed, he sensed pockets opening up within the dulling sphere. They were centered around the escapees, blooming outward to avoid every inch of their forms. The three that had stepped forward flexed their hands as essence flowed out from their cores to flood their bodies.
“What are you waiting for?” Tom Osnan Jr. asked. “Go.”
“Kill the otter first,” lady Osnan ordered, a disgusting smile covering his face.
The three obliged, their bodies entirely unaffected by the suppression as they exploded forward.
Though Barry couldn’t bring forth his power, his senses were still heightened; he saw the following movements in slow motion.
The first step, sending them launching forward. One cultivator’s leg drawing back and the muscles there tightening. The sickening power with which he kicked out, his calf bulging as he aimed his foot for the center of Corporal Claws’s body. The other two cocking back arms and looping wide, coming toward Claws from either side. Their torsos leaning forward as their fists lashed out, carrying deadly potential. If they were to hit Claw’s body while she was under the effect of the suppression, she wouldn’t survive.
Time crawled as the blows descended, yet Barry didn’t move to intervene.
Two rows of needle-sharp teeth gleamed out at the world between Claws’s parted lips, and lightning chi gathered, bringing with it the scent of ozone. The three attackers also had enhanced senses, and though they carried too much momentum to pull back, Barry witnessed—and enjoyed—the moment of realization crossing the traitors’ faces. Smirks disappeared, replaced by sheer confusion.
Before their confusion had a chance to morph into fear, the lightning bolt struck.
It descended from the heavens in the blink of a non-cultivator’s eye, striking the street where Claws stood. She held her forepaws high like some sort of storm god, embracing the energy as it engulfed her. Given her very body having mastered lightning-aspected chi, she was completely immune to the attack.
Unfortunately for her attackers, they had no such mastery.
It was too late for them to stop, and when their limbs made contact with Claws, the electricity jumped, traveling through them into the ground and each other. Their bodies went rigid, muscles contracting and keeping them upright for a short moment. As quick as it entered them, the lightning vanished, leaving only twitching bodies, and a moment later, they fell to the ground.
“Are they dead?” Barry asked Claws, already knowing the answer to be no.
Playing along, Claws shrugged and let out an uncertain chirp.
“But... my ability...” Nathan gulped, his expression matching the Osnans’. With eyes darting around the street, he whirled on the rest of the cultivators, his face lined with panic. “Attack! All of you, attack them!”
No one moved.
Barry shook his head, letting out a soft laugh. “You said your ability wasn’t that of a beginner, right? Well, I think you’ll find that ours aren’t, either.”
“Mine is the strongest!” he whined. “How else could I have fooled you?”
“What makes you think you fooled us, friend?” a voice called from a side street. Theo stepped into sight, raising an eyebrow at Nathan. “Did you ever stop to consider that we let you believe you evaded our detection? What better way to flush out those with hearts that could be easily swayed?”
Nathan’s nostrils flared. “You’re bluffing...”
Keith and Trent followed Theo from the side street, both casting disapproving gazes over the traitors.
“You could have atoned for your crimes and joined us, Tom,” Trent said. “If not for your hubris.”
Tom Osnan Jr. spat to the side, his lip twitching. “You think I care what a whelp like you thinks? I—” The words died in his throat as a group entered the street from further east. He stared at them for a long moment before spitting again. “I should have known better than to trust peasants.”
Barry smiled as Anna and her two cultivators returned. Unlike Barry, the three looked morose, not having enjoyed their part in the ruse. Borks, Rocky, and Snips were at their side looking much more cheerful, Borks with a tongue lolling, Snips waving one of her giant snippers and resting another on Rocky, who looked ready to explode into violence at any moment.
With all the excitement, none of the traitors had noticed the fake battle to the east had ended, and they were not forced to face the truth head on.
“So it was treachery that was our undoing?” Nathan shook his head. “I should have known, you two-faced bit—”
Crack!
A sound like two buildings colliding cut off his words and a blast of force shot over their heads, so violent that winds whipped up in its passing. Nathan’s face went pale as he turned to the west, finding Pistachio with one claw slammed shut, the other cocked and aimed at him.
“Pistachio thinks your words were uncouth,” Barry explained. “If I were you, I’d probably reconsider using such colorful language to address his friends.”
“Friends?” Nathan repeated, indignation returning some of the blood to his face. “Would you also consider that demon a friend, Anna? Because that is who you ally yourself with.”
“Don’t be silly,” Theo said. “Pistachio isn’t a demon. If any of our animal pals are, that title would belong to Borks.”
Ruff, Borks agreed, shifting into his hellhound form and making the sound seem like it came from multiple beasts.
Nathan took an involuntary step backwards, needing a few moments to regather himself this time. “It matters not who you’re allied with, Anna. If not for your betrayal, this escape would have succeeded. It will only be a matter of time until—”
“Oh, you were screwed even before Anna infiltrated your ranks,” Barry interrupted.
“And even assuming your ability fooled me,” Theo added. “Which, to be clear, it didn’t—you’d still have failed. We’ve had eyes on you this entire time.”
“Impossible! I’d have felt if my ability was infiltrated.” He pointed skyward. “We all knew those damned birds were keeping an eye on us. They’re too far away to hear anything, let alone penetrate my nullifying—”
Twin honks cut Nathan off, the calls so loud that they shook Barry’s chest. Two blurs descended from above, slamming into the cobbled street and sending a shockwave outward. When the air stilled, Pelly and Bill stared at the group of escapees, somehow looking down at them despite being half their height.
Barry laughed, leaning down to pat both pelicans on the head. “You’re right—they’ve been watching, yet they were too far away to hear your plans...” He couldn’t hide his amusement as he looked back up at Nathan. “But who said it was the birds watching?”
There was a long moment of silence before a hum came from the surrounding buildings, so low that one might assume it a figment of their imagination. As the bee hybrids came into view, the hum became a cacophonous drone, more than a few flying from within the prison’s confines. They formed a loose orb beside Barry, hovering to stare at the traitors. They bobbed once, nodding as they let out a buzzed greeting.
A louder tone cut through the monotonous sound of their flight, and Tom Osnan Jr. spun, turning toward Nathan with a venomous glance. Not understanding, Nathan’s body went rigid, holding his hands up in supplication, but then he looked down at his robe. Something darted from his belt, shooting up to hover before his face. Bumblebro gave the man a rude gesture, then zipped away, coming to a stop beside his progeny. The bees buzzed affectionately at him, Bumblebro returning the same vibrations.
Barry watched Nathan intently, enjoying the rapid change of emotions sweeping over his face. Realization, fear, anger, and everything in between cycled across his countenance, growing more intense with each repetition. The rest of the traitors were experiencing the same turmoil, falling to their knees—not that many of them had truly been a part of the revolt. Most of the ‘traitors’, including two of the cultivators that had been imprisoned, remained standing.
Nathan looked their way, perhaps seeking a way out, but when he noticed the guilt, sorrow, or amusement they were displaying, he froze. “You... all of you?” he demanded. His gaze settled on Zeke, who grimaced. “What did they offer you, Zeke? What price have you sold your soul for, coward?”
“What did they offer me...?” Zeke shook his head, looking down at his co-conspirator with pity. “Look around, Nathan. What fool would willingly go back to slavery?”
“I heard your words in the theater. How fickle is your heart to be swayed so easily, swine?”
“Oh, that?” Barry snorted. “My idea. I asked Anna to play the role, but she said it would be more believable coming from Zeke.”
“He was always the best actor at our school,” Anna explained, twirling a finger around the end of her ponytail. “Did I not mention that’s how we knew each other?”
“You moron!” Tom Osnan Jr, screamed, grabbing Nathan by his collar.
As Nathan stared up at the furious lord, he looked like he was going to be sick. Tom Osnan Jr. punched down, and Barry would have moved to intervene, but he felt the shift of Nathan’s ability. The bubble of protection around the lord disappeared, the nullifying power rushing in. By the time the fist struck Nathan’s chin, it was like a toddler trying to assault a mountain.
Lord Tom Osnan screeched in pain, clutching his broken hand. “You dare!”
Nathan responded by spreading his arms wide and drawing in chi. As Barry felt the man gathering power in his core, he prepared to jump in. As much as he detested Tom Osnan Jr.’s existence, he wouldn’t let him die. The power in Nathan’s core fluctuated, drawing in ever more essence at an incredible rate. It flowed on and on, somehow picking up speed. Barry’s stomach dropped when he realized what was about to happen. Corporal Claws realized too; she exploded forward on lightning wreathed limbs. Rocky, itching for a fight, made it closest to Nathan.
But it was too late.
The power rushed into Nathan’s core and exploded outward. Though the breakthrough wasn’t as strong as Fischer’s, it was still enough to send them all flying. Rocky was hit the worst, getting catapulted skyward because of his proximity and angle. Barry braced himself as she slammed into the building behind him, only the fact it was System-made saving the structure from obliteration. Claws landed right beside him, and they both rushed to their feet, gathering their wits and preparing to rush at the empowered man.
After the chi expanded outward, however, it poured back into Nathan, coalescing in a smoky orb around him. It held hints of his nullifying ability, but as its shape condensed, so too did the power. The air became gray, then black, and in an instant, a loud pop rang out. Both Nathan and the orb were gone, leaving everyone in various stages of recovery across the street.
“Frack me,” Barry said. “Can’t say I saw that coming.”
“What do we do?” Theo asked, getting to his feet.
“Pelly, Bill—go get Fischer. We can’t risk letting Nathan escape.” Barry spun toward Borks as the two birds honked their approval and tore off through the sky. “Can you sense where he went?”
Borks dashed forward, sniffing the spot he’d disappeared from. After lifting his nose and sniffing the air, he nodded.
Wasting no time, Claws leaped to his back. With her one forepaw gripping his fur, she pointed forward with the other, commanding her steed onward with a shrill chirp.
Borks howled in response, transforming into what Fischer called his ‘long boi’ form. All elbows and incredible speed, Borks dashing away to the north. Snips trailed them, oozing blue chi that shot from the rear of her limbs. All the while, Claws released a battle cry from Borks’s back, declaring her violent intent.