Sell you a Bridge chapter 317

June 21st 2016 Mysterious Tower, 5:00 PM EDT

I  considered carefully what I should do. I weighed my options, studied  all angles of the situation, and contemplated a plethora of clever  strategies designed to maximize our chances of escaping without  conflict. Then I decided to fuck all that noise and threw the biggest  dark ice thunder spell I could at scythe guy. I didn't have time for a  windup, but I could channel some serious power as a baby god. The black,  freezing energy smashed down at the robed figure from above with all  the force of an unholy avalanche.

The curse of shock (pun  intended) as he whirled the scythe up over his head was drowned out by  the crash as my daughter intercepted his buddy, the so called Luna  Diviner (though I wasn't sure they knew what that word meant since the  guy apparently used a giant ass sword) but I was able to see his  horrified face as his hood was pushed back. His cascade of pink hair was  knocked all over the place as he buckled beneath the onslaught of dark  power.

Apparently he was mainly a plant user, and his  defensive flower barrier didn't react well to being electrified, frozen,  and drained of life, all at the same time. I could see the panic in his  aura as he tried to pump more energy into the barrier to counter the  attack and found it to be basically a complete energy sink. The larger  he made the shield the more life the electricity drained and the more it  spread. He was pouring fuel on the fire and he didn't even know it.

He  swung his scythe with a scream of rage, shattering the frozen dying  plant barrier and glaring at me through the slowly descending shards.  "That." He snarled. "Was a lucky shot." He swung the scythe again and a  black wind whirled toward me as he faded into a spectral image, flashing  across the distance toward me to do...something. Who fucking knew. I  decided not to let him demonstrate and shifted into my incorporeal form.  My armor had already rolled over my body, and judging by his shocked  expression, he wasn't expecting me metal clad backhand to actually hit  him.

He was sent tumbling back, bleeding from his nose and  mouth and dazed as he stared up at me from a crumpled heap on the  steps. I could hear fighting behind me. and to the sides. My crew  fighting Saix or whoever he was and all the little minion things I just  realized I hadn't run into yet. They weren't heartless, I could tell  that, but their auras were similar, and they also resembled the cultists  themselves, and oddly Namine and Roxas for some reason. Considering  pink hair had implies Roxas used to BE a cultist that at least made some  sense.

I strolled casually toward pink hair as he stared  up at me, sucking my teeth. "Man, Lexeaus was WAY tougher than you. I  can't really blame you though. Ghost shit and plant powers? You're  basically custom made for me to step on. I can tell from your aura  you're a total monster power wise, but none of your shit is going to  work on me at all." As if to disprove my point he flashed forward again,  not going incorporeal this time, but whirling up that giant ass scythe  at my head like a weedwacker.

It was my turn to curse, I  flicked my hand, calling Tartarus and flicking out a series of light  blows to knock the whirling blade off course as I juked back. I scowled  at him. "Ok. Maybe SOME of your shit will work on me. But nobody likes a  smart ass." Pink hair just grinned, whirling up his blade again and  flashing forward to meet me. I had to plant my feet and endure the storm  of attacks from every possible angle.

Unfortunately for  him, I'd been using Outer Body on my fight with Lexeaus, picking up some  of that nifty stationary defense stance he was using. I wasn't as good  at it as he was, but I WAS good enough to soak and deflect most of the  incoming damage. Pink hair scowled. "That stance. You've been studying  Lexeaus? He said the battle was a short one. TO have learned so  much...truly a monster."

"Yeah." I said in as snotty a  tone as I could manage. "Well pink hair is stupid." He scowled at me,  and then his face twisted into a vicious grin. He closed his eyes and  when he opened them they flashed green. Not the irises, the whole eye,  sclera and all. As they did, vines coiled around him again, but this  time, instead of forming a shield, they burrowed under his cloak and  into his flesh, which turned green as well under the influence of the  plant magic. "Well..." I said lamely. "It looks a little better with the  green."

When he came this time it was with all the fury  and speed of a hurricane. The whirling blade was so fast I almost lost  sight of it. Only my new defensive stance gave me the time I needed to  process what was going on. Now I knew how Lexeaus had felt during our  fight. I gritted my teeth, pulling on my power and channeling speed  through my armor with my demonic energy, watching the world slow down  even as I observed it.

Between the speed and defense I had  a moment to take stock of my situation, a breath of time to adjust  after this absurd blitz of a battle. The first thing I did was form and  dismiss a clone. It was a quick burst of power but barely notable, and  it let me see the situation around me without taking my eyes off my  enemy. As expected, Rana was engaged against Saix, who was apparently  some hulking blue haired guy who might have been a werewolf. Suzie was  helping her engage, and her Fenrir was doing a hell of a job again his  big ass sword.

Zee and Drea were dealing with the little  ones and shielding the others at the same time. Much like heartless  these things needed keyblades to put down. but between the two of them  they seemed to have it locked down. Namine and Roxas we both holding  keyblades, Roxas packing the same Oblivion blade that Rana was using,  and Namine a copy of Drea's Oathkeeper, which seemed weird since they  had just met.

Regardless everyone seemed to be busy, with  Namine not really martially inclined and Roxas having some sort of  stroke event, so it was just me against pink hair. I was fine with that.  I wanted to make sure the others were safe, but with the girls  protecting them they would be fine, and I could let loose on plant boy  without worry. I reached for thunder again, calling for the spell, but  instead of hitting him, I aimed the dark ice lightning at me.

It  struck my armor head on, rolling across the surface of my armor,  turning my entire metallic shell into one big hazard. Pink hair, who had  been circling for another pass, flashed back, an alarmed look on his  face. Not only was the cold lightning sucking the life and energy from  the air around me, it was doing it FASTER, my armor acting as the  magical focus that it was.

"So." I said casually, starting  to slowly advance toward him. "Since I'm going to kick your entire ass  for trying to kidnap me and my new buddies, why don't you tell me your  name? It only seems right I know it in case you accidentally die when  I'm curb stomping you. I can make sure somebody remembers you after you  cease to exist."Pink hair's still green eyes narrow as he slowly backs  up.

Despite the trouble, he doesn't seem particularly  worried. Cautious, but not worried. "My name." He said solemnly. "Is  Marluxia. The Graceful Assassin." To my shock though, rather than  attack, he dismissed his scythe and stepped back. "However, you won't be  killing me today. You see, you can't afford to. We were able to get in,  which means the others can do the same. They're coming. You can stay  and finish me off, and I assure you, I can make it last, or you can run  along into the safety of the tower before you get swarmed."

His  predatory smirk made me want to bash his skull in, but thinking about  it, he wasn't wrong. I snarled but stepped back, armor still crackling.  "Rana!" I yelled. "Disengage if he'll let you. We're leaving." I knew  from his aura that this was what he wanted. He wasn't confident in  beating me, and he'd rather live than win, but he was also right. There  was no way I could take these two and the other two at the same time,  and he'd called Roxas 'number thirteen'. There were more of them, and  even I couldn't fight them all at once.

If the others had  all been wielders already. I'd have maybe taken the chance. But we had  more than a few vulnerable party members to look out for. Marluxia  smirked. "Saix, stand down." Turning so I could keep him in view and  still look, I saw the golden eyed swordsman deflate somewhat as his more  wolfish appearance faded away.

"This  isn't the plan." He said stoically. "Our orders are to restrain them.  Given our ability to find this gap in the defenses, the others should be  along shortly." He didn't say it like he was refusing or arguing, just  pointing out what the actions they were taking went against orders.

Marluxia  just snorted. "We'll have other opportunities." Despite that statement,  his aura flashed with anticipation as Rana and Suzie broke off to come  over to us. The others all headed up the steps, avoiding the  not-heartless things. I let them all pass me, not sure what his plan  was, but sure he had one. We headed up the steps, ready to leave, when I  finally figured out what the hell he was so smug about.

The  door. When Zee opened the wards they would be able to follow us  through. They didn't need to get everyone in, just one of them. They  might even be able to open a dark corridor right past us. Knowing the  plan though, I could only grin internally. I could handle that. My  abilities were well suited to maybes. We all lined up at the door, and I  turned to look at Zee. "Alright, open it quick and we can get through.  Don't let them rush us. In fact, lets put up shields." We did, several  layers of magical barriers, Jim, Zee, and myself all pitching in, but  Marluxia's aura didn't even twitch.

I  wasn't surprised. The corridors could go anywhere. The wards could  apparently stop them, but once the door was open he could warp right in.  Who knew what he could do with that access. Zee double checked the  shields and then used Star Seeker to pop open the door. Marluxia's grin  was feral as we all dashed inside, and I turned to see him vanishing  into a dark corridor, aiming right into the heart of the tower room  ahead of us.

Not  that he would manage. I reached out with my ability and PUSHED. I  didn't try to make the corridor fail, that would be much too difficult. I  didn't try to make him too slow either. All I did was push the  destination of his corridor back a few feet. The others had stumbled  through the door and they all looked horrified as he vanished, but I  just focused, shoving the truth just a little bit. There was a swirl of  darkness and Marluxia appeared, grinning evilly...a foot away from the  door, still on the stairs. I grinned back with just as much malice as I  slammed the warded stairway door right in his face. The last thing I saw  was his expression of confused rage as the wards closed up in front of  him. Totally worth the headache.