Act 1 - Arc 1 - Chapter 10

Foil launched from his lowered position to sprint head-first at the massive boy in front of him. His arms pumped with force but he did not close his hands into fists, allowing both of his ungloved hands to stay agile. Cynthia and Aleksandra closed the gap between them, forming a tight triangle pointed directly ahead. The two were to all external watchers ignoring Floak’s support. The tall boy and the girl began channeling Essence before the firework had even gone off, and they both appeared to be Manifesting. Floak himself, however, lifted his leg into the air like a sumo wrestler and slammed his foot into the stone slab, cracking it. Time seemed to slow as Foil extended his senses towards the two wielding Essence. He was waiting for a sign. The first one to attack. The two were in almost perfect sync, about to launch ranged attacks together to funnel all three of Foil’s team into Floak. But nobody was perfect. The boy on the left, ever so slightly, nearly imperceptibly, a fraction of a fraction of a second, twitched his fingers.

Foil’s body reacted before anyone’s. He twisted his right foot 90 degrees, sliding slightly before bursting from the heel towards the tall boy. His delay had cost him only a moment, but which caused Aleksandra to not only catch up but to cross between him and the tall boy. The boy, though targeting all three of his opponents, hesitated for the same moment as he adjusted to Aleksandra’s frame. He was wholly unprepared to see Foil sprint through Aleksandra’s Voided body and close the distance. The two had not coordinated the move; Aleksandra reacted to Foil’s movement with alacrity and Voided herself as he had trusted her to do so. Foil’s shoulder took the boy in the chest and they went down together. Floak reacted quickly, spinning to follow the two boys and crush Foil in between them. The Worst Offenders girl reacted faster, crackling light blue energy from her palms as Cynthia reached her. But it was Aleksandra who was the fastest of all; she grabbed Cynthia’s outstretched wrist, and swung her across her body.

The enemy girl’s sparks turned into a cascade as from her hands emerged a gleaming strand of Essence that whipped towards Cynthia’s midsection. As it reached her, it passed through, leaving Cynthia unharmed and striking Aleksandra’s cheekbone as the girl readjusted to the Voiding. At the same time, Cynthia lashed her foot out and kicked the girl across the chin. Aleksandra released Cynthia’s hand through gritted teeth and the smaller girl flew across the arena towards the dogpile. Floak nearly snatched her out of the air, but Cynthia twisted and spun in an improvised mid-air pirouette that moved her hips just out of reach. She landed on her feet closer to Foil and the tall boy than Floak was, sprinting before leaping again. Foil and the tall boy were in a desperate grapple. Foil had the advantage, fighting with his fists as well as his consumptive Aspect. The tall boy had to avoid being pinned, during which Foil would slam his head against the tiles, but he had to also avoid being touched by Foil’s seeking fingers. The boy was wearing layered, dark cloth that was both long-sleeved and frilly, almost certainly an attempt to Foil from reaching his skin.

Unfortunately for the tall boy, his clothes created ample space to grab and twist and restrain. Foil felt Cynthia running, and at the last moment spun downward, lifting the boy up as if it were he that had pinned Foil to the ground. The boy reacted too slowly, and Cynthia’s heel connected just under his eye. He went sprawling, and Foil scrambled to take him out of the fight completely. Before he could reach the dazed boy, however, an illusory dagger arced through his chest. Foil let his legs fall out from under him and dropped immediately, scraping his knees and elbows as his momentum carried him forward. He was lucky to have received only scrapes, though, because as he fell a huge chunk of stone hurtled overhead. Aleksandra had been the one to suggest an ambush signal and Foil thanked Ells profusely that she had. He did not turn around to watch Floak (he assumed), lift another piece of tile to throw at him. Instead, he turned sideways to let his body fall and continued by rolling before popping back up as he reached his target.

The tall boy had mostly recovered in the short time Foil had been forced to slow his chase. His right eye was swollen shut, possibly ruined. But his left gleamed with pain and rage. He thrust his hands out once more and Foil felt a force roar in his ears before blasting him away. He tumbled in the air before colliding with Floak, who had been stomping towards the duo. Floak caught him in both hands (each of which could nearly wrap around Foil’s entire torso) and lifted him higher. Before he could slam Foil into the ground and disable him completely, Aleksandra dove between his legs. She turned, jumped up, and in part climbed up Floak’s boots and arms to grab Foil by the ankle. He felt his body tingle and numb as she Voided every part of him but the area around the heel she was holding onto, then the cold, alien touch of the inside of Floak’s hands and arms as he slipped through them. As Aleksandra pulled him out of Floak’s grasp, he copied Cynthia and tried to yank on one of the hulking boy’s tusks.

Aleksandra had not been ready for him to try, so his hands passed through ineffectively. But the attempt caused Floak to rear back, and he managed to knee Aleksandra in the stomach as she remained stretched upwards. She should have been Voiding herself, but she may have been straining her muscles to grab Foil and needed the physical leverage. It could also have been that Floak had so much Essence channeled in his knee that he was able to overcome Aleksandra’s and nullify her ability. No matter the cause, Aleksandra was slammed backwards and Foil dropped to the ground, hard. He was corporeal again, and bruised. He heard Aleksandra retching on the ground as she reeled from the blow, but she had little time to recover as the tall boy blasted her away as he had done to Foil.

A shadow flitted above Foil and he dove from his prone position. A crushing stomp broke the tile underneath him as Floak pursued. Foil rolled and twisted as Floak continued to stomp his feet over him, but he never had the time to reposition safely. Cynthia cried out in pain. Foil saw through Floak’s legs that the enemy girl had managed to wrap her whip around Cynthia’s forearm. It seemed to be releasing the same blue sparks as the girl’s fingers, and was clearly burning the skin underneath. Foil’s breath caught, and the distraction nearly cost him his life as Floak changed tactics and kicked outwards. Foil did not have time to shield his chest with his arms, but managed to reinforce his body with Essence. Fast as he was, Floak’s kick still drove the breath from his body and sent him flying. Foil landed limply, rolling until he reached the edge of the arena. His left arm and head dangled over the small distance to the packed dirt ground. His entire rib cage felt like it was broken, and several sharp pains jabbed in his lungs as he coughed blood onto the ground.

Foil watched the droplets of blood sink into the earth. The dry, sandy ground greedily drank of his life and gave little in return. Then, awareness returned. He gasped and with his right hand pushed himself up and away from the edge. Another broken piece of tile crashed into where had just been, but he turned not to Floak and instead towards Cynthia. She had been brought to one knee as the red-tinted girl dragged her inch by inch using her whip to close the gap. Aleksandra was struggling far less; she had her arm wrapped around the tall boy’s neck and was squeezing with all her strength. Floak was charging towards Foil, Essence building up within and around him. But Foil’s vision was completely narrowed. He saw only Cynthia in danger.

Foil channeled his Essence. His reserves were large after stealing even the small amounts he could from the tall boy and Floak. As he channeled the energy, the pain in his ribs faded, as did his fear. His breathing slowed, and he felt lighter. Foil was a Conduit, which meant that he benefitted from taking energy. From ingesting it. From stealing it. He multiplied anything he could take into himself. Techniques that required giving energy away, like Manifesting or imbuing, were incredibly difficult for Foil. Even when he succeeded in creating and releasing energy, his output was a fraction of the effort and power he had put into the attempt. He preferred in nearly all cases to either use his Essence to reinforce himself or Manifest explosive bursts of energy at extremely close range. In nearly all cases.

Foil closed his left eye and extended his right arm. He kept his index and middle finger straight to form an impromptu gun shape with his hand, and he sighted down his upright thumb. He kept his Essence within his body as it trailed down his arm to begin forming a small glowing sphere at the tips of his fingers. Foil’s raw energy Manifests were especially vulnerable to the outside world, and the power behind ranged attacks dropped exponentially as it traveled away from him. That meant that in order to reach across the entire arena with enough force to help Cynthia, he would have to Manifest dozens of times more energy than someone with a different Aspect. Foil was more than happy to do so.

The world around Foil dimmed as the glowing sphere grew larger and larger, engulfing his hand entirely in a golden light. Foil felt the pressure build within his body as his very being fought against allowing Essence to diffuse through his skin. A deep hum reverberated through the air, but it was cut short by a soft sucking sound. The energy around Foil’s hand swelled before squeezing tight into a bright, solid ball of light the size of a marble. One breath, then another. And then he released his Essence. The golden light shot out from his hand like a beam, neither growing in size nor shrinking as it cut through the air. It did, however, dim noticeably and quickly. As it flew past Floak, it wavered in the presence of his Essence. The beam slowed considerably, coasting over Cynthia’s head. It was only then that the red-tinted girl sensed the attack. With her free hand she tried to swat it away, but was too slow by seconds.

The beam of light, weakened and dull, slammed into the girl’s forehead. Foil had packed enough energy into his attack to kill her, but at range the Essence was weaker than if he’d simply thrown a rock. But the rock was aimed perfectly. And it exploded. A bright flash burst from the concussive force and snapped the girl’s head back. She managed to retain consciousness, but her focus lapsed for just long enough that her whip slackened. Cynthia reacted immediately, grabbing the burning thread with her other hand and ripping it off her arm. Though it continued to burn her, Cynthia yanked on the thread to pull the girl off balance. As she stumbled, Cynthia delivered a jumping kick to the side of her head. The girl crumpled, and her whip dissolved away. Cynthia fell on the prone girl with a fierce onslaught of kicks and strikes.

Foil’s vision blurred; he had exhausted himself Manifesting and was paying the price. His ribs began to ache once more and his legs felt heavy. He swayed slightly, but Floak would not wait for his recovery. Foil jumped backward as Floak’s fist flew through the space he was occupying. Foil did not dodge fast enough, and received a glancing blow to the left shoulder. That was all it took to dislocate the limb, however, and Foil grunted in pain. He continued to backstep, weaving his feet left and right as he dipped and evaded Floak’s barrage. Despite his size, Floak was agonizingly quick, and Foil could do no more than redirect the lightest punches and retreat before the heaviest ones. Over time, his movements became slower and his defenses wore down. Floak feinted before kicking forward with the base of his foot. The push took Foil square in the chest and he heard an audible krk! as his sternum broke under the force.

Foil landed on his back, knocking his head against the stone. He wheezed, blood pooling in his mouth and lungs. He lifted his head and right arm in an attempt to fend Floak off, but the attack he expected didn’t come. Instead, through his unfocused eyes he saw Aleksandra and Cynthia darting in and out of Floak’s range. He couldn’t see the two others the girls had been fighting, but they must have been defeated. Foil smiled despite himself; the first part of their plan to overwhelm the weaker members of the team had worked. The second part of the plan seemed less feasible now that Foil was nearly out of commission. He tried to force himself into a sitting position, but a sharp pain in his chest kept him down. He managed to turn on his side to spit out the accumulating blood, but he could do no more than gurgle pitifully as the girls fought for their lives.

Cynthia and Aleksandra were a sight to behold. Despite the rocky beginning, they had become the crowd’s favorite as they fought with deeply cooperative twists and kicks. Floak was having a hard time adapting to Aleksandra’s Aspect, and she made the job even harder by Manifesting rapid, fluttering illusions of shadows and light. She could only create holographic illusions of objects she understood intimately and of simple construction, which meant that she couldn’t create clones of herself or Cynthia, or even make fake versions of her fists to feint. Her technique was effective nonetheless, and Floak left his flank or limbs unguarded several times. Cynthia, for her part, was a natural acrobat. She dove between his legs, swung using his arms for momentum, and flipped away from his punches and kicks. At one point, Cynthia drove her heel into Floak’s nose through Aleksandra’s Voided fist, and the large boy stumbled backwards as blood dripped down to his mouth.

Floak paused for a moment, confused and wrathful. But he did not lose himself to anger. His tongue darted out to lick the blood off of his lips, and he smiled. His small tusks framed his mouth in a way that seemed like a ferocious predator, or a violent beast. This was contrasted by the canny intelligence in his eyes. He balled his hands into fists and placed them on his chest, crossing his arms. His Essence rolled out in waves, filling the air with power and crackling energy. As Aleksandra and Cynthia braced against the energy, a dark red bubble, about the size of a globe, appeared next to them. Aleksandra noticed first, and with a shout she tried to shove Cynthia away. The bubble exploded, spraying thorns in all directions. They passed through Cynthia to pepper Aleksandra from head to toe. She gaped as the thorns burrowed into her skin before disappearing, leaving with her dozens of small wounds that began bleeding profusely. She cast a fearful look at her body before collapsing.

Cynthia caught the Voider before she landed face-down on the concrete. She laid Aleksandra softly on her back, but there were too many wounds to staunch. Floak appeared in front of her, closing the distance with speed he had not shown up until then. Cynthia tried to backflip away, but Floak caught one of her legs in his massive hand, engulfing her foot entirely. He looked tired from his efforts, but his expression shone with victory. Cynthia screamed as Floak raised her above his head and slammed her into the ground. The stone slab cracked and shattered, leaving Cynthia battered in a crater. Floak felt a slight pang of regret; had he overdone it? No, he decided, they will live. Now for the last.

Floak turned to where Foil had been laying, but saw only a splattering of maroon blood. He turned, quickly, fearful of an ambush, but he spotted Foil farther away. He was standing over the tall boy, whose name Floak knew was Nikolai. Foil had both of his hands on Nikolai’s face, and was draining his Essence completely. Floak realized that Helli, the red-tinted girl on his squad, had been dragged near Nikolai’s body and had already been assaulted by the vampiric Foil. The sheer depravity of Foil’s actions enraged Floak, and any tiredness he had felt after Manifesting his attack was wiped away. He roared, a sound so loud that it shook the stands of the Colosseum, before charging toward Foil with lethal intent.

Foil was barely recovered. Essence did not heal, per se, as its energy was only needed for the soul. Without Essence, of course, one would die, and a large reserve of Essence seemed to rapidly accelerate the natural healing process. But Foil, sucking dry the energies of his opponents, did not have his wounds stitched together or bones refused simply by hoarding their power. With so much Essence coursing through his veins, though, he did not feel his wounds nor any pain. His perception was sharpened, and he felt as if he was watching Floak follow his own afterimage instead of creating it. As Floak’s hostile aura reached him, Foil lifted his right hand once more. He opened his palm and used his left hand to brace against the recoil of his attack. Floak closed the distance, giving Foil the advantage, and he did not hesitate to unleash a massive rush of stolen energy.

The golden light surrounded and consumed Floak as the hum began a shrill scream. The audience was blinded, and many fled their seats as the Essence did not dissipate until breaking on the arena’s walls. Foil maintained the attack, unlike the single burst of Essence before, hoping to burn Floak so badly that he could not retaliate. For a moment, he thought he felt Floak fall within his Essence. But Floak’s arm surfaced through the wall of light. Then his other arm. And then his head. Foil had indeed burned him, but only his hair and clothes; his skin was no more damaged than if he had been sunburned, and his eyes were red with fury. Floak snatched Foil’s hands with his own and lifted the smaller boy into the air. Foil’s Essence petered out and was left dangling, arms spread in a Y-shape as Floak slowly widened his grip. Soon it felt like Foil was being torn in half, and he screamed.

Floak spoke in a deep, halting voice and a clipped dialect: “You, will, suffer. For, pain of allies.”

Foil groaned in pain, but managed to smile.

“I’m… a Conduit. What else was I supposed to do?”

Another pull, and Foil felt both arms rip out of their sockets.

“You, are evil man. You, will, lose, and die.”

Pain. Pain, pain, and more pain. Foil fought to stay conscious and respond.

“You aren’t interested in learning about me? About what I can do?”

Floak was disgusted, and spat in Foil’s face. He was about to stop pulling and instead crush Foil between his arms, but he felt a strange heaviness in his limbs. Was his Manifest affecting him even now?

Foil coughed more blood down his chin and onto his shirt. “Nobody has ever asked me what being a Conduit is like, you know. Nobody has ever asked ‘Foil, what is it like being evil against your will. What is it like seeing everyone around you, even your most precious friends, as potential batteries? It must be a horrible burden to fight against your instincts all the time.’ Nobody has ever asked me how being a Conduit works.

“If they had, I could have explained to them what being a Conduit means. How my soul meshes so well with those around mine that it feels almost as if their energy is already mine. I could have explained that, contrary to the beliefs of everyone in the Academy, including my own team, I don’t need to touch my hands against bare skin at all.”

Floak was dizzy, but he knew that the danger he had found himself in was paramount. He dropped Foil, who landed upright, and swung both fists down overhead. But his arms had become as heavy as steel, and Foil neatly sidestepped the blow. As his arms hit the ground, the stone tiles barely shook. Foil’s arms were dislocated, his ribs were broken, his sternum had pierced his lungs, and yet Floak found their faces at the same height. Foil’s emerald eyes shone with emotion. Anger? No. Hunger.

“I am a Conduit. I take Essence, Floak. But that’s like saying a Seer simply sees. The way a Seer sees, or Sees, what they require, whether it’s through time or space, these are all aspects of their, well, Aspect. Everyone is always curious about them. But never about mine. So let me explain it to you.”

Floak roared again. He tried to swing his arm at Foil, but the small boy deftly leaned his body mere inches to avoid the blow. He then ground his heel into the back of Floak’s knee and forced the large boy lower. Foil now looked down at the red face of his enemy.

“I am a Conduit. I take Essence. But I take Essence from auras. The physical act of touching skin was helpful, but only for the ritual. For my visualizing. The actual act of ‘Leeching,’ as you all like to call it, can happen any time my aura touches another. I have been taking your energy since this fight began, Floak. But you had so much of it that I had to burn your teammates’ energy just to get you to release all of it. The more you use, or Manifest, the more it’s outside your soul, the easier it is for me to take.

“I can’t take all of it, obviously. I still have a normal, human body. But even if I can’t use it, I can sublimate it back into Serulea. That said, I can handle quite a bit of Essence. Anything I take never actually touches my soul, so I can hide a lot of it away.”

The large boy’s eyelids were drooping. He could no longer understand Foil’s rant. In a fit of desperation, he put all of his remaining energy into leaping, arms outstretched. Foil allowed the massive arms to envelop him, simply leaning his head back as Floak began to squeeze their bodies together. Foil sighed, and whispered only one remark in Floak’s ear.

“You don’t get it.”

Floak slipped off of Foil, arms limp. As his massive body thundered to the ground, Foil hopped on alternating feet. He then pushed off the ground, reaching a few feet into the air, before switching legs and dropping with an outstretched axe kick to the back of Floak’s skull. The ground buckled and then finally gave way as all the tiles Floak had broken undermined the entire structure. The arena gave way, plunging all of the fighters the final foot onto rubble and dirt.

All of the fighters except one.

Foil Andromedous stood alone. Victorious.