We keep moving, naturally I was angry, not angry enough to go second level but still angry, this Opal girl needed to pay, no she didn't need to die but she needs to be put in prison or something. Garnet no doubt will win, I hope, surely Opal isn't that strong. We round a corner and run into another of the painting things, it doesn't look like someone we know, in fact it doesn't even look human, it just looks like- some type of werewolf with no hair. I act on instinct and swing the pipe with both hands hearing a satisfying smack as it made contact with the painting, it slams into the wall and before it can get up I hit it in the head again, and again, and again. I decide to stop just in case more of the painting creatures decide to come over here and grab Lynx's wrist dragging him into a run.
"Do you think you'll be ok?" I ask, even though we need to stay quiet, even asking someone this type of thing can make them feel better and I want Lynx to feel better, after all I consider him my friend even if he doesn't consider me his friend and I want to help.
"Maybe- if Ryder's ok."
"I promise he will be, if he needs help we'll help him."
"Th-anks Dustin." We keep moving letting the silence consume us again. We're quickly cut off by two more painting things, I move to swing the pipe at one of them but before I can the other catches it, these two look relatively human. The one I was swinging at kicks me and it sends me into the wall leaving me winded, I look up as the second is about to kick me and suddenly water tangles round its throat and slams it into the other, before they can do anything else the water envelops them and I see them slowly getting torn to shreds by something, no doubt Lynx was doing something with the water inside that bubble. I look over at him and he's just staring at the ground and curling his hand. The painting things are torn to shreds slowly and the water makes its way back over to Lynx, Lynx is no doubt one of the scariest people I have seen, when he's like this.
"Umm come on almost there I think." He nods as I stand picking up the pipe and run round the next corner, surely enough we're met with the main room of the warehouse, Ryder, Brock, Levi and Haven are all fighting off the painting things while Garnet is dealing with Opal, Garnet can handle Opal I know that for a fact, I glance over at them and sure enough Opal is being blasted into the wall by a pink energy wave, then a blue one, then a red one, Garnet isn't letting Opal get up. I look back at the others deciding to go help them, Lynx already using the water to tear multiple painting beasts to shreds, I just need to get to the door and I can actually be a help. I bolt for the door dodging around fists, claws, feet, stingers, all manner of things as the painting beasts try to stop me but I make it with just a scratch on my arm and fling the door open flicking my wrist and bringing plants swarming through the door but as I turn I see the others, Ryder is surrounded and being beaten by multiple painting creatures, Lynx is being held back and so are the others, they're fighting against it. The painting things can strategize, if they deal with one at once then they can kill them more easily, before I can do anything I feel my mands grabbed and my arms are pinned to my back and I'm pinned to a wall by just one of the creatures, fuck, they know we need our hands to use our powers, well Levi doesn't but he can't go through them while they're moving, not at his first level. We're all forced to watch as Ryder is beaten helpless save for setting the occasional beast on fire, then he falls to the ground on his hands and knees, the beating just getting worse, some of the beasts are clearly using powers. And we're just being forced to watch helpless.
I try to fight against the beast holding me against the wall but it's too strong, I can't even move an inch and my hands are still pinned.
"Get of-" The painting thing covers my mouth, how many arms can one thing have. I try to fight more but the beast punches me in the face which slams my head into the wall, I start seeing stars as my head pulsates with flashes of pain. I feel the floor start to vibrate beneath my feet and suddenly where Ryder was erupts into flames reducing many of the beasts to ashes. Then something stands, it's covered in green and vibrant orange scales, its eyes completely black, it only has pants on, torn and burnt pants. One of the painting beats punches the thing and it doesn't even move at all, doesn't react, it just turns its head to the beast and its hand is around the beast's throat faster than my eyes can keep up with. The hand is covered in the same scales as the rest of the thing, it looks reptilian but human at the same time, claws tip each finger of the thing...Is this Ryder, peoples second power levels have been known to immensely change their bodies, but I have never seen anything that is completely changed other than the shape of the body. Ryder digs his claws into where the beast's wind pipe would be and suddenly jerks his hand forward tearing a large gap in the painting beast's neck, the painting beast is set on fire and reduced to ash in seconds. It's amazing. Ryder looks at the other beasts turning each one to ashes save for a few, it starts to walk towards the others and tears them apart using his claws, one he even kicks the head off of. Ryder keeps walking, he sees me pinned but there are various other beasts in the way, he tears three more to shreds and reduces the next to ash.
Haven is being held by another of the beasts , Ryder tears the thing off of Haven and reduces it to ash in his hands, there is another behind Haven, Ryder doesn't give Haven chance to move, he just grabs him and tosses him across the room and sets the painting beast on fire.
"Next time move you fuckwit." Ryder doesn't even sound like himself as he glares at a now terrified Haven that is crawling away backwards, his voice is deep and raspy, way deeper than before, and this Ryder, it isn't acting like Ryder either. The rest of the beasts are turned to ash until there is only the one pinning me left, Ryder makes his way over and stabs his hand through where the painting beast's stomach would be, I look down and see his fingers curl around the opening and latches on to the painting beasts body and pulls backwards this time flinging the beast across the room and reducing it to ashes.
"Now I'm going to kill the little girl." I hear him say under his breath, I grab his arm stopping him in his tracks, he turns and stares at me, anger evident on his face.
"You can't kill her, she might lead us to someone higher up." He just throws me to the floor.
"You can't stop me you weakling, fucking touch me again and I will kill you too." He starts to walk away again, groaning I grab his leg and he turns to me again, he picks me up by the back of my shirt and flings me into the wall.
"What did I just say you shit." I feel the wind get knocked out of me as he kicks me in the stomach slamming me into the wall. My back hurts like hell.
"Why do you even want her alive, because she might help you find someone else? People like her don't talk now do yourself a favour and stay the FUCK DOWN." He shouts the last two words and I feel my stomach flip, he's terrifying and a completely different person, I see Lynx and the others running over already but before Ryder can walk away again I grab his leg and pull myself up using him, he lets me but slams me against the wall with his hand on my chest, I can feel it starting to burn.
"I can't let you kill her."
"Then I'll just kill you too." My chest immediately starts to feel like thousands of tiny knives are raking their way across it, just where his hand is, nowhere else. I let out a cry of pain nto being able to stop myself.
"I'll burn my way to your heart you fucking dipshit, then I'll tear it out and-"
"RYDER STOP." The pain stays but doesn't worsen like it was before.
"Why the fuck should I?"
"Nobody is dying today Ryder, nobody." The voice is Lynx's, he sounds calm, very calm.
"Especially not one of our friends, babe, just take your hand off of him." I feel the pressure on my chest lighten a little, but his hand is still there, pushing slightly against me keeping me in place.
"She needs to die and he WAS IN MY FUCKING WAY."
"I know, I know how you feel, but Ryder we need her for information and Dustin is our friend." Ryder moves his hand down to his side.
"I'm going to kill her still."
"No Ryder, you know we can't let you do that." Lynx makes his way over standing in front of Ryder.
"We need her alive and she's not worth it." He embraces Ryder in a hug wrapping his hand gently around the back of Ryder's head. I hear Ryder let out a scream that sounds more like a roar until his skin returns to normal, thankfully his pants hadn't burned away. I can hear him crying into Lynx's shoulder.
"I'm sorry Dustin." He's almost too quiet to hear.
"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's ok." My chest still feels like it's being stabbed and clawed at, I have to bite down on my lip a few times to stop myself from crying out.
"My second self, he takes over, all it is is anger and hatred, I didn't want to hurt you which is why I was able to hold back at first but- I don't know I'm really sorry Logan do you think you can forgive me?" I nod.
"Yeah, just maybe, don't burn my chest." I look down, there's a hole burned through my shirt in the shape of a hand and the burn looks like my skin has been torn off but hurts a hell of a lot more, I bite my lip so hard that I can taste blood, thankfully we have a nurse at school that can heal this, but for now we need Opal.
We all look over at Garnet and Opal, Opal teleports behind Garnet and uses her speed to go to punch her, she doesn't connect. A light green shield surrounds Garnet and before Opal can do anything else she is flung into the wall by a yellow energy wave, a white energy ball hits her in the head and she falls unconscious going limp on the floor, Garnet pushes her glasses properly onto her face and walks over to Opal's unconscious body, picking her up with ease no doubt using the last of the energy she absorbed for strength.
"Let's get back to the school, we don't have time to waste, no doubt we're all injured if even a little and we need healing." She doesn't pause, she just walks for the door. Brock runs over to me concern evident on his face.
"Are you ok? Does it hurt."
"I'll be fine don't worry about it, and yeah a little." It fucking kills.
"Let's hurry and get you to the nurse, it looks real bad."
"Brock you don't need to be so concerned." He's not as bubbly as normal, but I guess that makes sense considering they all almost died. One question keeps ringing through my head. Who the hell is this person that wants me of all people...
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AN: Another short-ish one but eh oh well xD I hope you enjoyed
Shocker aesthetic^^^