(Tuesday. Date: 23-04-2463)

Pumping my arms and legs I quickly closed the gap between the Wraith and the rest of my party. “Shit!” I cursed as I saw the same name identifier pop up for each head. Meaning they didn’t share a collective brain, only a body. The three Wraiths that needed to be killed were right here. “Matilda, take Josh and Jason, and swing right. Keep that head busy,” I called. The central head snarled and snapped its enormous jaws down on me, “Oh shit!” I dove out of the way, a second before the Wraith’s jaws chomped at the ground.

I rolled and came back up, spinning with my knife at the ready, and gulped. Its muzzle hadn’t crashed into the ground, it had phased through the dusty sand surface.

“Change of plans,” I yelled quickly and dashed for its left foreleg. “Climb this son of a bitch. It can phase so be careful.” Jumping, I pounced and landed feet first against the wide trunk of the Wraiths leg, and slammed my knife home. Phasing my own arm though proved difficult, when my hand phased back out a split second later in front of my face and I almost stabbed myself.

This was especially more difficult when I had to twist, to avoid a gaping maw snapping at me. Sliding off the Wraiths leg, I squatted down and ran beneath it. Stabbing upwards as I move, and tearing deep furrows in its underbelly. Those cuts I soon realised healed slowly afterwards.

I hadn’t been paying too much attention to where I stood, because one of its back legs raked across my chest piercing through my armour, and sending me hurtling with enough force to crash with a boom against the Colosseum wall.

I blinked as pain flared across my torso, -283Hp. CND: Torso: 43% Fuck! It hurt like hell. I bit back a cry and sort of slouched-crawled on my hands and knees, with no idea of where I was going. I was practically down half my health from one attack, I wheezed out a cough and slumped back onto my ankles in the sand.

Matilda and Josh, banged their weapons against their shields, the formers by far louder. As Jason hid between them, the Wraiths left head lunging towards the three with a bark. Its face a snarling rictus of impending devastation, ectoplasmic spittle flinging from its open maw.

On the other side, Hagen, Irma and Amara were working in tandem to keep the right head busy. Hagen’s right arm lifted out from beneath his new cloak, a strange device attached to his forearm with a small bolt head peeking out under his wrist.

Amara worked a binding with a red flash of bloody glyphs. My mind drawing back to her face when she looked at the black tome in the vault. I wondered why she hadn’t summoned the blood golem.

Irma swept in, her scimitars flowing around her like silvery ribbons as she spun and sliced at the Wraiths side and head.

Melody and Maggie stayed back near where we entered. The cleric managed to form a waist high spell ward, and she and Maggie ducked behind it. The latter formed bolts of Mana, each in quick succession, blasting at the central head.

Then everything rushed back into super-real focus and the sounds of my party fighting, gave me strength to push on. Climbing to my feet I mentally swam through my inventory and hit the Instant Recovery. The familiar warmth of light spread over me, followed by the blue film. Rejuvenated, I took a second to realised how perfect was position was.

I was at the rear of the Wraith. Re-summoning my knife, I reversed the grip and with a huff of air, sprinted at the Wraith once again. When I was within ten feet of the Wraiths tail I planted a foot and jumped onto the back of the Wraith. My steps became unsteady as I tried to run along its rather bony spine. Then ducking as a Mana Bolt whizzed by followed by an: “Oops! Sorry,” from Maggie and Melody.

The central head then spun and twisted eerily around on its neck; the purplish blue of its ethereal neck corded like a wrung dishrag.

Then the Wraiths entire body phased, and I fell through to hit the ground, and rolled as the Wraith stomped one of its massive paws down on me. Springing to my feet I jumped and flipped backwards activating Haste as I did so. The right sides jaw snapped bare inches away underneath and I lashed out with my knife as it past under.

My blade slicing along the surface of its snout to curved around its eye as the head barked and shook away the pain. The wound healed instantly after.

“Fuck! Anyone having any luck actually wounding this thing?”

“N- no,” I heard Amara grunt from the other side of the Wraith. “But- I can’t… keep it bound… any… longer,” she grunted again, and I could hear the obvious stress in her voice. It was helpful, if only to just buy us a few seconds and halt the Wraiths movements

Amara’ binding broke a second later and the Wraith hound whipped about, striking both Matilda and Josh with its back legs, kicking into their shields and sending them sprawling. I ducked out of the way, dove for my left as the Wraith skidded on the ground and all three heads snapped down at me.

I spotted Irma pulling a tired Amara away, towards Melody and Maggie. Hagen’s wrist contraption turned out to be a wrist bow. The Wraiths sudden momentum halted, and a glass bolt shattered harmlessly against the left head. There was a muted pop followed by the hiss of smoke pooling out the shattered glass.

The Wraith sneezed and all three heads barked at each other and backed away. A figure leapt from out of nowhere through the smoke and swung what looked to be a plain two-handed maul. It crashed down against the right head and I heard an audible crunch of bones breaking and teeth shattering, as the head twisted downwards with the blow.

The Wraith yelped and its other two head barked angrily as the third went limp. Then with a wrenching twist it snapped back, and the impact sign from the maul reformed.

Davis hit the ground and flopped to his ass, seemingly unaccustomed to the new weight of the red cuirass he was wearing. The Wraith heads darting in and he was just saved as I used Telekinetic Reach to pull him out of their path. Irma came sliding under the outstretched heads, her scimitars flashing as she sliced open their necks.

The Wraith barked and stumbled back from us, but otherwise seemed fine. There was a flash as a giant sizzling bolt of Mana sent by Maggie impacted the Wraiths rear and sent it stumbling towards us.

It growled and then vanished completely. “Where did it go?” We all asked in worriedly in unison, stumbling into each other and looking about.

I drew up my Magical Sight and decided to keep it active for the remainder of the fight. The Wraith had taken quite the beating and yet seemed perfectly fine, I wondered how many times it could heal like it had.

The ground beneath us lit up an instance later and the Wraith phased through from beneath us and snapped its jaws catching a few of us in a burst of motion. Joshua threw me aside and the central head bit through him, swallowing half of the warriors body in a single bite. The tearing snap of the armour and shield being crunched and Joshua’s bloody frothing mouth as he yelled briefly in pain and I paled.

The left head caught Davis’s arm wielding the maul, tearing the arm up to the elbow and weapon from his grasp. The usually silent man shouted a shrieking cry of pain and collapsed, clutching at the stump of his elbow. The right head tore Jason’s right leg clean off as it phased through and bit up to the thigh. Then he was whipped about and flung like a ragdoll to crashed uselessly in the dusty sand.

I blinked, caught completely off-guard by the sudden brutality, and the loss of life. Joshua was gone, swallowed by the Wraith. Jason wasn’t exactly dead yet, but the man would be soon if not treated. Maggie and Melody were rushing around the Colosseum to aid those wounded. Which left Matilda, Irma, Hagen and I to face the Wraith.

“Alright. This asshole really needs to die,” I growled out. The Wraith backed away and phased into the wall, going through and disappearing. I scanned the whole Colosseum, “there!” I called out and pointed towards the north side stands as it burst through in a haze of purples, and blues, and lunged at us.

I flung out both my hands and dual casted Telekinetic Reach -60Mp and caught hold of seemingly ethereal Wraith hound. A prompt chimed in my head afterwards. The Wraith barked, growled and snapped in surprise, as it struggled in the air momentarily, it thick legs kicking four feet off from the ground.

My fingers and mind started to ache and cramp as I continued my hold onto it, “what the heck are you guys waiting for? go attack it… now.”

They charged at the Wraith and I managed to hold it for several more seconds, but the spell failed, and I lost my hold. Then I saw something as it hit the ground on its side, and stumbled to its feet. As it phased, I caught the flicker of a red light within its purplish-blue ethereal body. My mind recollecting back to the charm strand I’d seen inside Matilda.

Its head crashed into Matilda and sent the Knight stumbling backwards. She just managed to get her shield up in front of her when it stomped its paw down onto her, in an attempt to crush the Knight. She grunted painfully as she strained against the intense pressure, using her sword to fend off the right snapping head.

Irma tried to lunged for the foot and help the Knight, but just as her scimitars struck and nicked, her feet were wrenched out from under her as the other two heads each grabbed a foot in their jaws.

The dark green-haired beauty, screamed as she was tossed up into the air, her scimitars falling uselessly to the ground as she cried out in pain and shock. The two heads squeezed against one another and opened their jaws wide to catch her she fell down. A bolt send by Hagen, streamed over the falling woman and burst into a net that caught and tugged her off course.

She still smack hard into the ground and instantly went unconscious. Melody’s going to be pissed at all the healing she’ll have to do, I thought, and drained.

Then the other two heads swung over to Matilda, and just as they phased to strike her, I saw the red strand in their make-up and reaching out mentally, I quashed it and squeezed tightly. The Wraith didn’t- couldn’t phase as long as I kept my hold on its strand.

Rearing back and summoning my knife, I threw it while simultaneously activating both Disabling Strike and Haste. The Knife boomed as it leapt from my grip and vaporised the Wraiths leg crushing Matilda. Apparently I also stopped its healing as well, which suited Matilda just fine.

With a roar, the Knight wasted no time and kicked out rolling backwards onto her feet, where she bashed her shield into the seemingly stunned collection of Wraith heads. Then she tore them apart with a fierce war cry.

Right head separated from its neck as the Knights great sword swept through and dug into the thicker neck of the central head. Matilda bashed her shield out, snapping the left head off course as it lunged for her. The head hit the dirt, and Matilda kicked her armour-clad foot out and stomped on the neck, breaking and snapping it in two.

The central head let out a whimper and Matilda dropped her shield and with both hands pushed the stuck great swords blade slowly through the neck of the last head. The head hit the dusty Colosseum sand, and all went still.

The Knight coughed and sniffed as she stumbled away. She was liberally coated in a viscous layer of ectoplasm. She then past out falling flat on her back.

I felt exhausted myself, and I had barely done anything. Realising I still kept my grip on the Wraiths Strand, I eased up and felt pressure build along the bridge of my nose and forehead.

My vision spun briefly, as my throat went dry and a sickness swelled in the back of my throat. I collapsed to my knees and gagged to the sound of two-level up chimes resounding in my skull. Congratulations [Player] Level up: x2 and completion the Gateway quests.

~*~*~*~

We left the Gateway a sombre crowd, those of us too injured to go home left in ambulances, as policemen and Eden New Government officials interviewed and recorded the story, us few who were still conscious could tell.

Luckily for me, we had all agreed to hide that I was Gifted, and that I’d also killed Drake Sembrane. We claimed that his Princeliness had died against the Wraith, as had Joshua Gilbert. Steward Osul had passed earlier on, with Raymond Delwater after that. The two remaining members of Josh’s team, Jason and Maggie were immediately rushed to the hospital. Jason for his missing leg, Maggie to stop the doctors from taking other limbs from the poor man. Melody had managed to restore Davis’s arm, and heal Irma’s feet.

All in all, it was surprisingly anticlimactic and all of us were in sombre mood as we left feeling unfulfilled. I was struck by this moment deeply. I’d always pictured leaving a completed Gateway with tons of loot, new weapons and armour, a team all save and sound and a smile on my face. Reality was so much bleaker. None of us were laughing, all dazed by our introspective thoughts on what had happened.

Matilda and Melody left together, the former driving the latter back to her place. Irma, Davis and Hagen agreed that we should all meet up in the coming days to discuss what’d happened in the Gateway. I planned to give them a contract and then if they signed, we would discuss going forward. My thoughts drawing to founding my own guild, I had the money, power I could literally share with others. Maybe even a purple Gateway we could go through.

Before Melody left with Matilda, the Cleric gave me a stern look, “tomorrow, coffee?” she asked me barely standing on her feet.

“Yes,” I replied with a tired chuckle. “Go home. Rest. I’ll see you all tomorrow evening.” I waved goodbye and followed Amara towards her own car.

Amara’ hovercar was a sleek red Orion branded vehicle. The doors collapsed inwards, folding in two and shifting to make space as I climbed in, and practically fell flat on my ass. The seats might as we had been beds. They were a soft foam cream white, and fit well with the dark grey interior of the car. The Blood Witch got in the driver seat and kicked her feet up on the dark grey dashboard.

“So where do you live?” my… kind-of-stalker asked me. I thought about lying, but decided what the hell.

“I live at Complex R. A-1; apartments. Outer Ring.”

Amara nodded, “Cutesy?” The deadly Blood Witch asked in sweet voice aloud.

“What’re you-”

“Yes. I am here Madam,” came a semi-female-robotic reply.

“Take us where Rhys said,” Amara said and leaned back in her car till it lead almost flat with mine. “Just, take a slow tour of outer rim’s, city park first.”

I gave the smirking Blood Witch a look and cocked an eyebrow. “Right away, Madam. A Good morning to you, Rhys, sir.”

“Uh- yeah. Good morning? Cutesy?” I replied hesitantly, as Amara nodded in appreciation. What the fuck was I getting myself into? Apparently I was about to find out exactly that, when the Blood Witch tackled me.

Before I knew it was happening she tore off my grey zip-up hoodie, completely ignoring the actual zip. “Come on- get it off!” she whined tugging the bottom of my already torn up black t-shirt. As I threw off my hoodie and lifted my Tee, Amara started to run her hands up my lean and wiry frame. Then I felt her straddling my right thigh between her legs and slowly grinding her covered pussy against me.

She was still clothed and spend the next few seconds in a frantic rush as she moaned and ground herself harder on my leg, the friction making her noticeably wetter.

“Argh this stupid… ya know what?” I asked her. The Blood Witch was in a daze of rhythmically running her lips and clit against my thigh. I watched in a trance for a second as she rocked backwards, till her pert ass popped out from beneath her short black dress. “Do you have another of these dresses?”

My questioned seemed to confused her for a second and her green eyes stared with fascination into mine, her movements becoming slow and smaller gyrations now. She didn’t replied.

I tore the fucking dress off her, and she gasped, and shivered as her small perky breasts stood out on her chest as she arched beneath my hands. Her small pink nipples erect and tender, god damn my leg was really fucking wet now. My cock straining against the material of my skinny sweats.

I ran my hand down from beneath her jaw, down her neck, between her breasts, and down the flat of her stomach. Her pelvis arched up to meet my fingers as I slipped my hand inside her torn dress/skirt and into her wet panties. She was sopping wet and the contact of my fingers against her sent a wave of pleasure shivering through her.

She moaned as I captured her pleasure-filled response to my touch in my mouth. Our kisses were hungry, purposeful and slow. Our tongues roamed and entwined as I breathed in her gasps of exhilaration when I slid my middle finger between her slick folds and into her wet warm tunnel.

“Rhys,” was all she managed before she was sent shivering again. I moved my finger in and out of her, and captured one of her small pink nipples in my mouth. I rolled and lapped at it with my tongue and eased another finger inside her.

My other hand cupped the back of her head and I drew her down to my shoulder and I kept her there. Then the fingering increased, and I sped up, moving hard and fast inside her. The wet schlicking sounds of my movements and her gasps were the only noise that could be heard inside the car.

Her own hands were now working quickly fumbling to free my erect penis from its confinement. Both of her small hands encircling and stroking, even as she moaned and tried to free me. “I want you to fuck me, now. Please… Rhysy baby. For me?” Amara asked breathlessly.

I slid my fingers out of her slowly and licked the tips, before grabbing her thigh and flipping her around Until her ass was now pressed against my exposed cock. I flipped the skirt of her dress and admired her round pertness, and the lower back dimples barely concealed by the skirt.

Her thigh-high fishnet stockings and knee-high boots were doing it for me as well. Shifting her soaking panties aside, I stared at the smooth wet folds of her vagina and groaned as my dick twitched painfully. Amara groped behind her, one hand spreading her sex invitingly as the other held my hard cock.

Grabbing her firm ass in a rough grip, she pressed backwards angling my cock for me, and I slid inside her. With how wet she was, and my prior fingering she was still tight around me. I groaned again and I heard her light hiccupping moans as her walls clenched me briefly. Her back arched and I reached around her to cup her breasts and press her back against me.

“Oh- you feel soo goood,” she breathed. “So fucking wonderful.” Then I rammed into her, catching her by surprise as I slid out keeping only the head inside, then thrusting my hips forwards with a crack.

“OH! F-FUCK!” Her walls clamped around my shaft and squeezed with each spasm of pleasure. She took one of my hands cupping her breast and sucked my fingers to the back of her throat. We clashed against one another, in an ever-eager thrusting and joining.

She pulled my saliva covered fingers and pressed them behind to her ass, “put- your… finger inside my-” she started to say, but I already knew what she wanted. Prying her ass cheeks apart, I probed against her with my fingers as she started to buck against me.

I leaned backwards on the seat, enjoying her bouncing ass clapping against my pelvis, my cock disappearing beneath the ruffled skirt and into her tight pussy. Her bouncing pushed my probing finger inside her ass, and she shrieked a devastating cry of ecstasy. After a few more minutes, I felt my own impending climax coming.

A red hue suffused her skin as I thrust hard in her and slid another finger in her ass. We were both a sweaty mess, so I was surprised when a formation of glyphs rolled across her skin like a wheel. Going from her stomach around her back, to the other side and onto her chest.

I leaned up and saw over her slender shoulder, that she’d cast a spell. Then she tossed something over her head and I instinctively caught it, “put it in,” the Blood Witch commanded in a growl. I held up the blood red butt-plug and started to laugh.

Spitting on my fingers and I coated between her cheeks, I slowly slid the plug inside her. Amara cried a high pitch shriek and her ass and pussy clamp tight. I could feel the plug through the walls of her spasming pussy. A few seconds later Amara’s hands rubbed at my balls, cupping, rolling, and caressing them.

“Mhmmm- Fuck! I’m gonna-” I groaned and tried to pull out, but Amara clapped her ass down on me and spasmed as an orgasm washed through her and coated me. Her walls clenched and throbbed tightly as I came deep inside her.

“W-wow…” I breathed out, feeling like a sweaty puddle of mess and juices. Amara climbed off me and turned around to press a scorching kiss against my lips. Then the car door nearest to me folded open. I looked left and saw the ground floor of my apartment building. It was quiet outside, luckily with no one around.

“Thanks for the ride,” Amara retorted with a teasing grin, still a half-naked beautiful gothic mess. She still had her plug in as well, I saw. I grinned back, “Hey- oh shit!” I cried out as she pushed me out of her car and threw my t-shirt at me.

“See ya tomorrow,” She cooed as the door folded shut, and the car took off into the air. Looking up at my apartment, I frowned when I saw that roughly around my floor and nearest to my door, was a large van.

Something in the back of my mind sent warning signals to my brain. My sexually pleased and easy mood, evaporated instantly.

“I’m so going to get arrested for this.” Mumbling I jumped up and using Telekinetic Reach -30Mp I grabbed a hold of a balcony and pulled, slinging myself and shooting upwards then again once more as reached my floor in no time.

Stumbling around the corner I saw that the apartment door was smashed open and two men were standing outside It. Opposite them was the van that looked familiar, it also seemed to be armoured and privatised, with no labelling at all marking it.

The equipment the men wore, were light exoskeletal frame-suits. They each held nifty looking bullpup rifles that shot either standard or armour piercing, with a thick under barrel attachment designed for the intense heat output of plasma.

Then I heard a scream, and more men stepped out from my home carrying the wriggling legs of a young girl. “Hey,” I called out to them, “get your fucking hands off my sister.”

“Rhys!” Kayla managed to scream, and I saw two more men carrying her arms, come out as they tried to toss her inside the van. The two men manning the door immediately snapped their weapons up to me and started firing.

The concrete beside my head crumbled as bullet pelted the structure. I ducked and retreated, weaving back around the wall as their guns belched fire and lead all around me.

Instinctively I went prone, lying flat on the floor, and was rewarded an instant later as the entire part of the wall where my head had been disappeared in a blast of plasma that disintegrated a two-foot-wide diameter hole in the concrete. Worse yet is that the plasma ball passed through and was now careening into the next apartment building.

“Grr, Fuck this,” I growled and sprinting out from around the corner, I jumped onto the wall and leapt off the building. The second my feet left the ground, the bullets stopped whizzing past.

I twisted in mid-air and reaching out activated Telekinetic Reach -30Mp. I latched back onto the walk way, and swung myself horizontally around to crash feet first into one the gunmen who’d been shooting at me.

His head buckled against my weight, and smashed into the wall with a solid crack. His friend didn’t act fast enough and scrambling I got to my feet and rushed him. When I was two feet away, his gun spat and sprayed me with a hail of bullets directly into my chest.

-12Hp Through his visor, I could see his eyes widen as I grin. Grabbing a hold of his rifle I wrenched from his hands, then crashed my head into his visor. He crumpled in a heap on the floor. The doors on the side of the van closed and I saw that the men were gone.

“Oh no you don’t,” I growled, and aiming the gun, I rapidly tapped the trigger. The rifle roared fire, smoke, and lead, as casings ejected and hit the ground all around me. Several splintering chinks sounded as the bullets hit the armour plating forming a web of cracks across its glassy surface.

Then the van jarred and took off. “No-no, no, no…” throwing the gun haphazardly aside, I ran for the end of my floor.

Pulling up my option’s window, I cursed. “THIS BETTER FUCKING WORK!,” I yelled breathlessly and jumped off the building. Calibrating… “COME ON!” I yelled out again as the wind whipped around me and the ground quickly approached.

Calibration… Complete. Twin white bands formed around my wrist and sunk in with a deep white glow. I punched both fists down and shot dual spells of repulsion and felt my gut wrench as I lurked back upwards.

Hovering there, I looked about for van and spotted it flying and weaving towards the inner outer district’s market. With an enclosing wave of my hands I formed oval barrier completely around me and shot off, flying after the van. I wasn’t exactly fast as the only real tethers I had was repelling the ground and binding the air. I would really have to spend some time experimenting.

I weaved past buildings being sure to keep myself low and out of sight. I followed the vehicle as they came to stop in traffic, I floated above a clothing store, and peek out to see that I was now in the outer marketplace.

I looked across and down at the van as it indicated right, and smiled. It would pass right in front of the building I was at. They’ll pay for kidnapping her, I thought and cracked my neck.

The traffic light lit amber and the hovercars flew busily by. The van bucked as I hit and dented the roof, rolling, but I quickly managed a binding of attraction and climbed to my feet standing upright on the side of the car.

The side door slid open, and a helmeted head peek out. Reaching over I curled my fingers under the chin strap of his helm and pulled the fucker out of the van. He screamed as he flailed about falling towards the busy traffic and streets below.

A staccato stream of bullets blasted out at me and I twisted away, the rounds seeming endless as they flew past like dragon fire. I slipped slightly as the van picked up speed and ignoring driving regulations, shot up into the sky and over the building.

“Stop!” a voice called from within, and I heard the chink of casings rolling around the van inside. “There’s no fucking way he’s still on us.”

“I didn’t even see a fucking car… did you?” another voice replied.

“My brother’s going to fucking kill you,” Kayla spat at them, stepping close I crouched down.

“Language Kayla,” I admonished with a grim laugh.

“What the fuck, he’s still out there,” a magazine hit the deck, and I knew it was my chance.

“Then fucking shoot him, you dumb-” Gripping the lip I kicked out and swung inside of the van.

The second my feet touched the side wall, I snapped my fist out in a punch, clipping the chin of the man reloading. He went down and I dismissed my attraction spell.

“You know, I’m not even going to give you a chance. I’m just gonna kill ya and be done with it. Kay close your eyes and hum… or something,” I told them and then her. She was in the grasp of a droid, who had a sleek black snub-nosed revolver pressed against her temple.

“Hum? seriously, Rhys?” Kayla whined, yet I saw her shake her head and close her eyes.

Then mayhem erupted in the small confines of the van. Two men rushed me from behind as they unstrapped themselves and lunged bodily at me. A fist reinforced by exo-strength smashed me in the gut and I curled over the blow, -32Hp.

Grabbing a hold of the wrist I spun and launch the fucker across the tight space to bounce into the van’s interior wall. The metal dented on impact and the guy slumped in a daze.

The next kidnapper rushed me, and I flipped into a barrel roll over his diving body, as he tried to tackle me. I landed just as a gunshot hit me in the chest. The bullet pinged off my armour and ricocheted about the van.

A cry went out and the vehicle lurched violently as the entire van nosedived. The driver slumped over, with a bullet wound in the back of his head.

Binding my feet to the floor was easy, and I looked to see that the droid was unmoving and still had Kayla in its grip, though my sister was staring wide eyed at what was happened.

Somebody collided into me and we when down rolling in a tangle of limbs. A fist smashed into my face and rocked my head, but I took zero damage. Grabbing the mans arm, I squeezed and pushed against him easily as he fought back. I could hear the whining of his exosuit straining against my own strength.

With a binding of attraction I bound the mans arm against his chest; then blocked the follow up strike aimed for my neck by diverting it to my left where it hit the van floor, and I placed another binding.

Then I knee the man in the groin and sent a third binding through him up the ceiling. The man cried out as his feet suddenly lurched and stuck to the ceiling of the vehicle.

I slipped out from under him and stood. Looking out through the side door, I saw the world spinning dizzily and I had to shake my head. Blue sky and Mana-dome, then sprawling towers and a city of neon and flying cars.

There was a creak of metal and I glanced to my right to see the droid now standing. It was an inhuman thing, made of armour-plated rectangles, exposed wiring and a barrelled shaped head with a single red eye on the right.

It dropped Kayla and my sister gasped as she suddenly started to spin and fall towards the side door. I bound Kayla in a bubble of air and attached her to the floor.

The droid stomped at me and I was surprised to see it move just fine. Considering the sort heavy weightlessness of gravity pulling the vehicle down towards the city below. How far up had we gone?

It raised the revolver and barked lead at me. Summoning Heava’liku I parried the shot aside with a surprising burst of speed and slammed my knife through its chest. The crackle of electronics and the screech of whatever mechanism drove this thing, wrenched and halted.

The droids right hand dropped the gun and clamped around my neck as the left raised and small portion of the arm slid back as a tiny barrel blinked a bright violent shade of orange. Dropping my knife I slammed my fist up through the droids head and pushed it aside, the second its beam weapon let loose.

In a fierce spin the droid twisted, and the beam blasted erratically all through the interior of the van, slicing the entire back half of the van off. -482Hp I gasped as the beam blasted right through my legs and caught my right arm.

In a flash I was left with the icy burning charred stumps of my legs, just above my knees, and my right arm nothing but smoke trailing thinly from my now elbow stump.

My vision blurred as the sounds of my critical condition warning me and wind whooshed all around me, and I was flung out into the open air.

I blinked against the cold harshness of the frigid winds and then past out from a spike of pain lancing through me. The last thing I saw was the front half of the van falling beneath me, and my sister pounding against the barrier encasing her.

With a will of effort and my final thoughts, I reinforced the barrier around her. Then all was black.

End of Part One.

This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]