THE ESPERATIUS: VOLUME 1

THE ESPERATIUS: Chapter 2 - Part 3

                                                                                              Section 1.

. . .

It was a stare down.

Now that Cyri had gotten the time she needed to recover, she quickly began searching for an angle of attack. 

However, with her 'sixth sense' she could tell his esper field was prime with activity, and sensitive. Her attack would only set it off.

"Y'know, you got balls. The fact that an esper with such a shit power would try and attack me is something to be praised more than anything," Zaric said, leaning down to get to Al's level. Al saw Zaric as being upside down, although he himself was resting on his back.

"I may just be persuaded to not kill your friends if you show me a good time."

"Game on," Al said, rolling onto his chest, then pushing himself up. 

From there, Al and Zaric stared each other down. Al was easily an inch or so taller than Zaric, but Zaric was much more terrifying. 

Black hair was definitely more scary than ginger in Al's opinion. 

Al felt the familiar itch of his power. It wanted him to move, quickly. Obliging, Al moved backwards just as multiple wires tore up the pavement where he once stood.

"How the hell did you see that coming?" Zaric asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Not gonna tell you while I'm so close to victory," Al said mockingly, picking up a small rock he found on the sidewalk.

"Now don't go makin' those unoriginal remarks," Zaric said as he went in for another attack. 

The itch returned, and caused Al to instinctively throw the rock as hard as he could.

At Zaric's foot. 

The Wireframe, unable to predict the attack, was unable to do the necessary precautions to redirect the rock, causing it to plow into his foot.

"FUCK," he yelled out, falling face-first onto the floor. All motion ceased for a moment as Al questioned how exactly that worked.

Zaric sat up, holding his foot. 

"Fuck you and you're unpredictable bullshit," Zaric spat out, standing up and hobbling a bit.

"Come at me bro," Al said, thrusting his arms out to the side and rotating his head around mockingly.

"What are you, a fucking comedian?"

"Yes?"

Zaric didn't respond as the itch came back to Al.

Except the itch told him to hold his hand out.

Al, too bewildered by the itch's command, felt himself getting punched square in the face by Zaric, and suddenly accelerated into a wall.

That was a few spinal issues later in life.

Al fell to the ground, groaning in pain as he writhed around a bit. He could hear commotion as Hugh had decided to attack, although he, too, was quickly dispatched by a wire nearly cutting a finger off.

In the time it took Al to stand up again, Cyri had already been formally introduced to the pavement on the other side of the street.

"Ah, can't forget. Mr. Comedian volunteered for death first," Zaric said, approaching Al and picking him up by the throat. 

"Nice knowing you while it lasted."

Just as those words had left Zaric's mouth, he suddenly choked up.