Chapter Eight

Jason leaned low over the bike as he broke out of the heavily populated area’s and entered the outskirts. Finally free of the heavy traffic, he opened up the throttle raced toward his destination at full speed the few remaining vehicles quickly clearing out of his path. Less than a minute out he received another update this time it was Knox’s frantic voice in his ear. He and Mills had been monitoring the strike team comms from the investigative branch headquarters. “Teams in trouble you have to hurry,” The normally steady director said voice laden with concern for his people. “Almost there,” Jason replied leaning even lower over the handle bars. “Doors are blocked go in from the side. That’s where they breached,” said another unfamiliar voice helpfully. “Got it,” Jason answered then cut the connection, his destination finally in-sight as he hurtled around a corner. Screaming into the parking lot he swung around to the right side of the building nearly running down a few stragglers from the evacuation of the upper floors in the process. As he entered the ally to the side of the ware house he spotted an opening in the wall about fifty feet away.

When he was almost parallel to the opening Jason threw the bike to the left as hard as he could the aetheric stabilizers humming in protest as they were pushed to their limits trying to keep the bike upright, carrying Jason through the gap and shedding half his speed in the process. It was a maneuver only a psionic could pull off. Non-psi’s were capable of controlling the bike through traditional controls, but without the ability to directly link to the JXR and manipulate the stabilizer output directly via a special psionic interface it was impossible to push it to its true limits.

Fifteen feet from the breach in the wall a twisted humanoid shape that seemed to be made of tar was crouching over the final member of the doomed assault force. Noticing Jason when he shot through the makeshift entrance it straightened up to meet his headlong charge. With ten feet between him and the abomination he initiated maneuver another only possible, if still highly inadvisable, with psionic gifts. Over riding the aetheric safety device that kept him locked to the seat, Jason leaned back placing all his weight on his feet and then through the bike into a full brake the forward stabilizers overloading as they tried to hold the bike finally stopping it a mere foot from the downed agent. With the safety devices overridden there was nothing keeping Jason locked to the bike. As his ride rapidly shed momentum he continued forward pushing off with his legs to carry him over the handlebars sending him rocketing at the daemon at almost sixty miles an hour. Reaching out to the aether with his Will a psionic barrier enveloped him just before slammed into the grotesque creature.

The jarring impact brought Jason’s momentum to a halt as the daemon was sent staggering half a dozen feet back. The psionic barrier preventing it from using its semi-corporeal nature to avoid the collision. Momentum halted by the collision Jason fell to the ground in a half crouch with his left hand on the ground and his right out to the side holding the silvery stave he had removed from his back during the fall.

His entrance had granted the few surviving members of the assault a reprieve as he drew the attention of all of the daemons as well as their controller. Jason felt a slight tingle as the sole remaining cultist swept her psionic senses over the barrier encasing him. Concern crept into her previously confident expression as she sensed the strength of the barrier and spotted the gold etched silver rod in his hand. “Forget the others she ordered, all of you kill him.”

Before the creatures could react to the command Jason surged forward gripping the ornate but powerful stave halfway down its length. Charging the daemon he had previously collided with, Jason ducked slipping under a blow from an impossibly elongated arm then used the aether to push him sideways to avoid an axe like chop form its other limb. Missing Jason the blow slammed into the floor leaving a dent. Passed its guard Jason struck out with his stave. The blow struck it in the shoulder knocking it off balance as a concentrated burst of aether erupted on impact. Reversing grip, he followed with a low blow knocking it of its feet. Facing a disadvantageous position, the daemon’s form went intangible as it transformed into a black mist. Seeing the abomination play into his hands Jason had a savage grin as he went for the kill. Drawing on the aether with his Will Jason twisted it to a complex form then channeled it through the stave which in turn greatly amplified the energy coursing through it.

The stave Jason used and others like it functioned on a fairly simple principle. They used a special miniaturized aether generator to form a constant flow of easily malleable aether within the staff that automatically latched on to any psionic technique that passed through the stave amplifying it up to a point. However, there were certain limitations. The stave could only increase the power of a technique by four times its original strength, and it had a maximum power output that some of the strongest psionics, Jason included could match or even exceed on their own. This made their true value lie in the endurance factor. Using an amplifier stave even the strongest psionics could unleash blows equal or near their max capacity dozens of times instead of exhausting themselves in one or two strikes. Jason thrust the stave into the black mist just as a ball of aether positively crackling with power formed on its tip. Just after the stave penetrated into the daemon there was a soft whoomph and then the floating mist lost cohesion and fell to the ground uselessly.

In the couple seconds it had taken Jason to dispatch the first daemon the others had all disengaged and were rushing towards him like a grotesque black tide. Jason reveled rush of battle, even if it was not the one he hoped for, after so much anticipation; then leaped forward his stave crackling with power as he met the charge. Jason laid about savagely with is stave bursts of aether erupting with each strike as he attempted to inflict enough damage to force them back into their mist forms so he could disrupt the spell that bound them. Unfortunately, after the first couple fell the cultist ordered the daemons to stay solid at all costs forcing him to use additional energy to disrupt and destroy them in their solid forms. He was constantly ducking, twisting and leaping to avoid blows as he constantly shifted positions to avoid being surround. Damn these things are persistent, he grumbled internally as he glided sideways to avoid a strike then surged forward his stave piercing into the offender to deliver a fatal strike leaving less than a dozen of the abominations remaining. With half his opponents down, the pressure eased giving him a moment to take stock of the situation. A dozen left, my Will should last, barely, he decided after a brief analysis.

Since spirit magic created and fueled daemons it was naturally the ideal weapon to use against them. Lacking that option at the moment Jason was instead forced to use a massive amount of condensed aether to interact with and disrupt the spell that bound the soul fragments to their mutable bodies. It was inefficient, but for the moment he lacked a better option. Glancing over to the remnants of the doomed assault force he saw the girl that had been spared by his timely entrance looking his direction her gorgeous face creased with fear while she helped a female agent towards the door. Despite the precarious situation he found himself momentarily stunned as he looked at her.

The distraction almost cost him as a daemon fist swung through the same position his head had just vacated. Cursing internally at letting himself lose focus Jason barely dodged the strike and the two follow ups before seizing an opportunity and responding with a vicious thrust driving his stave into the abomination’s chest unmaking it with another concentrated burst of aether. However, his distraction followed by the near misses had cost him as the remaining daemons formed a circle surrounding him. Assaulted from all sides Jason moved like a dervish, aether enhancing every move as he wielded the stave like a battle staff to fend off attacks. Exchanging his physical grip for a psionic one, Jason set the stave to spinning just above his hands at speeds that made it almost invisible, then whirled rapidly to lay into the daemons. Aether burst erupted each time the stave came in contact with the daemons as Jason pushed his attackers back granting him some much-needed space.

(Elliana)

Elly was momentarily mesmerized as she locked eyes with her mysterious savior as she helped Smith out of the building. He possessed ordinary features but something about his penetrating grey eyes gave her a familiar feeling. Like she had known him forever despite the fact that they had never met. Her breath caught as she saw him suffer a series of close calls as a consequence of becoming distracted. However, the disadvantage suffered was thankfully short. Even surrounded he managed to drive back his assailants and regain his previously unstoppable momentum with ease as he leapt forward to continue laying waste to the abominations. His combat style was like nothing Elly had ever seen before. He used psionic power to enhance every movement. Aether flowed around him like a dozen different streams. Some pushing some pulling and others acting as protection. Without said enhancements half of his techniques would either leave him extremely vulnerable or just be impossible altogether.

Exiting the building she helped Ease Smith to the ground next to one of the strike team vehicles then jumped into the back of it rummaging around for first aid supplies. Finding what she was looking, for she exited the vehicle to find Sanchez checking on Smith. Next to her was the strike team commander covered in numerous injuries. Spotting Elly Sanchez gave a weak smile before gesturing to the injured commander. “He was the only one I could find alive,” He said shaking his head. Not waiting for a response, he added, “Should we stay this close? Might be safe to get further away”. “No point,” Elly responded immediately, “Even if that cultist bitch joins in, he’ll finish them off in the next couple minutes”.

Setting the first aid kit down she knelt next to Smith and began treating her injuries. “You seem sure of that. Thought it took six paladins the last time one of these rituals went off and they’re supposed to be the strongest of the three orders.” Sanchez said skeptically while moving to assist the commander. “It did and they are,” Elly responded, “or at least I thought they were.” She added weakly. Seeing raised eyebrows, she tried to find the words to explain. “During my tracker training I witnessed paladins training. I even saw them spar with the Phoenix guard and the military psi commandos. The Paladins almost always came out on top and the few exceptions were when junior paladins went against a senior member of the other orders”. “Then what’s the difference here?”

Elly was slightly surprised at hearing the gravelly voice, thinking the commander was still unconscious. “It appears the military’s been holding back,” Elly replied, “The way he integrates aether into his combat style is like nothing I’ve ever seen”. “What do you mean?” Sanchez asked still looking confused. “What she means, you dolt, is that most of his moves wouldn’t even work without psionic aid.” Smith cut in before Elly could respond, her voice laden with pain. “Exactly,” Elly responded slightly impressed. She had guessed Smith was something of a martial artist from her build and the way she moved, but now her estimation of Smith’s skill went up a notch. Even heavily injured and unable to see the aether the way Elly could she had been able to analyze the crux of their rescuer’s technique.

“Think about it like this,” Elly expounded. “The paladins and the members of the other two orders all trained in traditional martial arts developed and refined over centuries. Then, they built the psionic techniques to enhance their pre-existing fighting style.” Seeing that Sanchez and the commander were following she continued. “He’s the opposite. His fighting style took a powerful and extremely flexible psionic technique designed to enhance his movements and strength and then built a martial art around it. His style wouldn’t even work without aether, but with it, it’s terrifying.

“Then why don’t others do that?” Sanchez asked. “Developing Martial arts isn’t exactly easy.” Smith interjected, “The ones we use have been developed and refined for ages”. “The Psionic technique is even more difficult.” Elly tacked on. “Just designing such a flexible and efficient technique must have been an ordeal. It provides protection, enhanced power and movement, and the ability to maneuver in mid air all at once. Not to mention the control it takes to actually use and maintain such a complex psionic technique. His command of he will must be incred,”. “Alright enough gushing we get it the guy’s a badass.” Sanchez interrupted. “Jealous,” Smith snorted before going into a fit of coughing. Before anyone else could respond the cultist leader came flying through wall of the building. Tumbling twice she came to a rest on her back unable to move. A second later the psi commando followed through the opening he had just created.