The warehouse exploded into chaos.
Darven grabbed the gangster they had brought with them and hurled him across the floor.
The man crashed directly into Nerf.
"Here," Darven shouted, catching a rifle Nick tossed toward him. "These weaklings are enough for me."
Nick and Darven jumped from the buggy.
Gunfire erupted instantly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
More than two hundred men filled the massive warehouse.
Bullets flew through the air like swarms of angry insects.
Wood shattered.
Barrels exploded.
Smoke spread across the ceiling.
The entire building became a battlefield.
Darven ducked behind a crate and opened fire.
Three men fell.
Another rushed him with a knife.
Darven stepped aside, grabbed the man's arm, and slammed him face-first into the floor.
THUD!
Meanwhile Nick's eyes searched the battlefield.
"Eyrx!"
At last he spotted him.
His expression immediately changed.
Eyrx was covered in blood.
His clothes were torn.
Bruises covered nearly every visible part of his body.
Nick's eyes widened.
"How did you end up like this?"
He rushed over while using nearby crates as cover.
Bullets struck the wood around them.
Eyrx sat against a wall, barely conscious.
"I fought... that guy..."
He pointed toward Nerf.
"He stole my power."
Nick looked at the floating containers.
The green energy inside pulsed faintly.
"And Vaeryn?"
Eyrx clenched his fists.
"They sent her away."
"To Siphra."
"They want to sell her."
Nick's eyes narrowed.
Then he remembered.
Her scream.
The one he had heard on the road.
She couldn't be far.
"They won't have reached Siphra yet."
Eyrx looked up.
Nick crouched beside him.
"Listen carefully."
A layer of red energy appeared around Nick's hand.
"I'll handle this place."
"You go after Vaeryn."
Eyrx frowned.
"You sure?"
Nick nodded.
"You are injured."
"But you're still faster than me."
He placed a hand on Eyrx's shoulder.
Red energy flowed into his body.
A thin crimson aura wrapped around Eyrx.
"Take some of my power."
"It should keep you moving."
Nick pointed toward the floating containers.
"Take those too."
"Once Nerf's bubbles disappear, reclaim your power."
Eyrx slowly stood.
His legs trembled.
Still, determination filled his eyes.
"You better survive."
Nick smirked.
"Same goes for you."
Without another word, Eyrx grabbed the containers and ran.
He climbed into the buggy.
The engine roared.
Then disappeared into the darkness outside.
Darven never even noticed.
He was too busy fighting.
Nerf watched Eyrx leave.
The red energy surrounding him caught his attention.
Immediately, he understood.
"So Nick has power too."
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
He rushed forward.
Before Nick could react, Nerf grabbed his throat.
His mouth opened.
Sharp energy gathered around his teeth.
Nick instantly realized what was happening.
"He wants to steal my power."
Nick drove his fist forward.
BOOM!
The punch landed directly in Nerf's stomach.
Blood sprayed from Nerf's mouth.
He staggered backward.
His already damaged body nearly collapsed.
Yet he remained standing.
Wiping blood from his lips, he laughed.
A white aura erupted from his body.
Nick answered with his own power.
Red energy exploded around him.
The two auras collided.
The air itself seemed to vibrate.
The real battle had begun.
Elsewhere in the warehouse, Darven continued fighting.
Gunfire echoed around him.
He fired twice.
Two men fell.
Another bullet grazed his arm.
Blood appeared immediately.
Darven barely reacted.
He grabbed a nearby attacker by the neck.
Then smashed him into the ground.
THUD!
The man stopped moving.
Everywhere he looked, people fought.
Barrels burned.
Crates shattered.
Bullets flew through the darkness.
The warehouse looked more like a warzone than a storage building.
Several kilometers away...
Vaeryn stood in a small clearing near the town road.
Moonlight illuminated the area.
Her wrists were finally free.
Across from her stood a young woman with silver hair and cold eyes.
Elyara.
The woman who possessed Vaeryn's power.
Vaeryn's fists trembled.
"You thief."
"Give my power back."
Elyara laughed.
"You think it's that easy?"
"Sit quietly and maybe I'll spare you."
Vaeryn's eyes flashed with anger.
"I'm nobody's slave."
She charged.
The fight began instantly.
A kick struck one guard's chest.
Another received a punch to the jaw.
Vaeryn snatched a sword from a fallen man.
She wasn't skilled with it.
But it was better than fighting empty-handed.
Elyara drew her own blade.
CLANG!
Steel collided.
Sparks flew.
Both women exchanged strikes rapidly.
Kick.
Punch.
Dodge.
Counter.
The battlefield turned into a blur of movement.
Vaeryn managed to grab Elyara's neck.
She slammed her onto the ground.
THUD!
Elyara immediately caught Vaeryn's leg.
Both women rolled across the dirt.
Elyara laughed.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm getting dizzy!"
Vaeryn shoved her away.
Elyara crashed into a carriage.
Wood splintered.
Both stood again.
Breathing heavily.
Covered in injuries.
Then Elyara moved first.
Her sword flashed.
Vaeryn tried to dodge.
Too late.
The blade pierced her side.
Her eyes widened.
Pain exploded through her body.
Blood stained her clothes.
The world blurred.
Elyara smiled.
"See?"
"I told you not to push yourself."
She signaled her men.
"Take her."
The guards moved.
But before they could reach her—
BANG!
A gunshot echoed.
Elyara froze.
A hole appeared in her stomach.
Then another.
And another.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
She looked down in disbelief.
Vaeryn stood there holding a pistol.
Smoke rose from the barrel.
Elyara collapsed.
The remaining guards panicked.
Vaeryn opened fire.
Several fell.
The rest fled into the darkness.
Silence returned.
For a moment, Vaeryn simply stood there.
Then her legs almost gave out.
Blood continued flowing from the sword wound.
Her vision blurred.
She couldn't even heal properly.
Not without her power.
Suddenly she remembered something.
Medicine.
Bandages.
The herbs she always carried.
With trembling hands she searched her pockets.
A weak smile appeared on her face.
"They're still here..."
Nearby, a frightened horse stood beside the broken carriage.
Vaeryn climbed onto it with difficulty.
Every movement sent pain through her body.
Her hands shook as she applied medicine to the wound.
The horse slowly carried her into the dark forest.
Behind her, moonlight shone over the battlefield she had barely survived.