“You are aware that I’m not supposed to help with this right?” Loki said.

My eyes and ears told me he was still beside me, but my radar sense told me he was actually in the rafters above us. The smug bastard had a bowl of popcorn in his lap too. I replied, “Yeah, it’s our trial. Besides, it isn’t like you need much help to get out of this since you weren’t trapped like the others.”

The serpents weaved back and forth slowly, watching me for any movement. I knew my normal motions wouldn’t be fast enough, but with my kinetic enhancement I might be able to keep up. Personally I wished our two heavies were here, but they were still outside the range of my senses. “It’s not like we aren’t still here you know,” came Arya’s voice in my head.

Oops, I forgot about the mental link. That was good though, because it meant she could see what I saw and relay it to the group. I just had to survive two giant snakes and Lachesis; wait, she was already gone during the distraction of the snakes appearing. “Don’t worry about it; Zero is coming in to back you up with the snakes while Omni, Schattenstein, and I are following Lachesis. She’s headed in the direction of the docks so finish up and meet us there.”

I crouched slightly, ready to spring as I ‘saw’ Zero move to the edge of the hole in the roof where she had fired before. My hands blurred as I threw the spikes in my hands at the eyes of the snake on the left. They both hit but didn’t sink deep, but I was leaping into a roll to my left as the second snake uncoiled in a blindingly fast strike at me, jaw opened wide and fangs glistening with poison. The snake I had struck had reared back, its tongue slithering out to catch my scent. A shift of my hands locked the blades on my bracers out and I pushed off the ground in an aerial flip, over the strike from the wounded snake, while twisting to land facing back towards it. The blinded snake collided with the other snake and they ended up in a twisted heap for a moment, but neither attacked the other. The distraction did allow Zero to line up a shot and an arrow of ice flew down from the hole to pierce the blinded snake’s skull, as they were reorienting on me, and pinning it to the floor. Its body flailed in death spasms, but that didn’t stop the uninjured one from uncoiling at me again.

This time I was focused on the line of its trajectory as it moved, my body moving at a speed that almost kept up with my mind, as sprang forward a inches from the ground. Twisting in mid-leap I brought the blades up into the softer underside of the things jaw and used the momentum of our leaps to drag the razor sharp edges along its body in a gutting stroke. Blood splattered me and I was battered about as my back hit the ground and I slid towards its tail. The tail was flailing madly, but before I could get to my feet I saw the line of its trajectory coming down at my body in a way that wouldn’t allow me to roll aside.

“Fuck,” I said as I prepared myself for another trip to see Thanatos.

Instead of being crushed by a flailing tail I saw Loki suddenly appear and smack the tail away with a casual flick of his hand. Letting out a breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding I began to climb to my feet and said, “I thought you weren’t supposed to help?”

“It was already dead,” he said with a smirk.

I wasn’t going to try and argue semantics with a being who was known to be a trickster.

Zero dropped down from the roof next to me and said, “We need to hurry before she gets away.”

I nodded and looked to Loki before saying, “You coming along or going to watch from afar?”

“I’ll catch up, best I let my compatriots know I am alive and free,” he replied.

Once again his physical body started to move away while an illusion of him remained where it was. I reached out and rested a hand on his actual shoulder, halting his walk, and I said, “Let me rephrase. Please stay within my range until this is dealt with or one of the other two can confirm you aren’t a usurper.”

“Do you think you can stop me if I choose to leave?” he asked.

“Maybe, maybe not, but you’re a known trickster. I wouldn’t put it past you to use our perceptions to gain yourself a place in the castle by tricking us into helping you,” I replied.

He smirked again and said, “Very well, I will remain within your range, but will not aid you in your conflict. I will however leave should Lachesis gain the upper hand.”

Zero piped up, “Fair enough, now let’s move.”

* * * * *

The docks were not far away, but the sounds of combat carried far. Zero had taken to pole-vaulting with a spear of ice from rooftop to rooftop while I sprinted along the street. I could smell salt water as I ran through stacks of steel shipping containers. “Alex, get down!” Arya’s voice shouted in my mind.

Without hesitation I dropped into a baseball slide as Schattenstein and what looked like a giant black hairless gorilla slammed through the containers on my left. I leapt through the opening to see a wooden hull sailing ship straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean at a more modern dock. Omni was hiding behind a truck taking shots with his pistol at the guy from the cemetery who stood at the bottom of the gangplank, while he was blocking the shots with a shield made of swirling shadows and throwing bursts of black flame back. Delphi was facing off with the ninja twins from the warehouse, and seemed to be holding her own unarmed against a pair of blade wielding badasses. The gorilla had probably been conjured by the guy Omni was fighting, but that still left Lachesis who was nowhere to be seen.

I heard the sound of wind over wings and ‘saw’ Thanatos land on the stack of shipping containers followed shortly by the appearance of the older gentleman from the park. Both were carrying fucking drinks and snacks as if this was a movie theatre. Loki hopped up to where they were sitting and was handed what looked like a beer bottle by Thanatos. I guess that answered my question of whose side he was on.

“I hope you guys are entertained,” I grumped as I looked for the best place to jump in.

Zero landed from her latest pole-vault a few containers down and began rapid firing frozen shafts at the ninjas who were surrounding Delphi, which meant I needed to jump in and help Omni. I sprinted forward each step accompanied by a thrown spike at the dark wizard. His shield deflected the projectiles sending them to smack into the wooden hull like nails. I saw Omni pop up from his crouched position and grab a box out of the back of the truck before ducking down, but I couldn’t focus on him as Darth Wannabe was flinging black flame at me, and I didn’t have cover. Each blast of fire had a trajectory line but I could tell didn’t have enough mass for my defensive techniques to stop, so I was forced to dodge while keeping up the pressure. Unfortunately I had limited ammunition as my spikes quickly ran out, and while I had a utility belt with ball bearings those wouldn’t last long either. My only chance was to get close enough to take him on in a hand to hand fight, and hope Lachesis didn’t suddenly appear.

My opportunity came a few moments later when the guy staggered slightly, the flame he was about to throw fading as he fought to steady himself. I wasn’t certain what happened, though I had my suspicions, but it was my chance. I rushed forward, every ounce of effort I had going into my speed. He recovered quicker than I expected though and the shadow shield morphed into the shape of a sword, set in the perfect position to gut me with the force of my own run.