The Awesomatic Adventures of Dexter Seagrave

RECOURSE! Pt. 05: When the Extraterrestrial Cat's Away... [Story No. 07]

In a dazzling array of stars, flames and sparkles, my powers come alive. This helps to ease the tension some, as I don't feel so helpless now.

"Alright, Bentley, you big ugly sumbitch, let's see what you're made of!" I scream while lunging at him, hoping to shove one of my flaming fists into his open mouth. Burning him from the inside should be sufficient enough to dispose of him.

"Hey now! Don't get too cocky!" warns Zuri. Despite the semi-chastising, I know she's rooting for me. I can feel it. She's correct though: I can't become too self-assure. Any number of things can go wrong, leaving me assed out.

"Trust me—I won't! I'm just trying to keep myself hype!"

Bentley engages with me, slashing with one of his massive, taloned hands, which is attached to an even more massive and long, muscular arm. Howling maniacally, he deftly maneuvers around the cramped tunnel, tactically preventing any means of escape. It's all good though, as I don't need to get out, I just need to defeat him.

"There's something you need to be aware of Bentley: I'm not trapped in here with you, you're………trapped in here………WITH ME!" And, with that (very poor) Rorschach impression, I move closer to grapple with this beastly manifestation, who takes another large swipe at me, burying his claws into my chest. It hurts like a bitch, but I'll be alright. He just gave me the opening I needed. "Time to go beddy-bye, old friend!"

Upon hearing that, Zuri visibly cringes. "Never say that shit again, my nigga! It's corny!"

"I couldn't think of anything else! SORRY!" I retaliate as I drive a white-hot fist into Bentley's mouth. Once my hand reached the inside though, I didn't imagine there'd be nothing to make contact with. Thinking quickly, I snatch my hand out before he has a chance to bite my damn arm off. "Fuck! I thought that was a sure thing!"

"See?! That's why I told you not to get too cocky, bruh! The most obvious choice is not always logical. Think harder!"

"But, I thought you told me not to think, just act?"

"I meant when it came to connecting to your mind! Not this shit! You're fighting, Dexter, so you're gonna need to be more calculated. Focus!"

I'm focusing as best as I can right now. I mean, I'm pretty much new to this. A virgin superhero, in both senses. I don't know the first thing about winning a fight outside of what I've read in comics or seen from footage of the Safeguards, none of which is helping me right now. "FUCK!"

Bentley lashes out again, getting ready to add another painful laceration to my chest, when I suddenly remembered something I could do: The X-Effect. Crossing my arms, I raise the levels of the fire surrounding them to an almost suffocating degree. The smell of smoke, sulfur and my burning skin jams itself into my nostrils, kinda taking me aback. If I hadn't smelled this mixture before, I'd no doubt be incapacitated.

Since Bentley is unaware of how this move works, he wastes no time by fiercely swiping and making contact.

KWA-BOOOOM!

The impact knocks us both back, but unlike when Brakyr and Zuri struck me, I find myself still feeling fit as a fiddle. No soreness or enervation, so I quickly rise to my feet. Strangely enough, upon looking around, I see no sign of Bentley. There's not a lot of room in this tunnel, so there aren't many places he could've gone. It's like he just vanished.