"That punch from earlier is still hurting, you know."
A fist shoved into Wolfe's abdomen, pushing the breath out of his lungs as he recoiled. He wanted to grab onto his stomach and block it from further damage, but his hands were held apart, exposing his weak chest. They wouldn't budge at all, and Wolfe's dilated vision didn't help him identify why.
His consciousness had barely returned and he clung onto it with dear life. His head rang from the earlier hits that had knocked him out, sending shockwaves through his body.
"I'm gonna make sure you and that girl pay for what you did to me and my crew."
This time the punch hit Wolfe's jaw, almost dislodging it from its socket. Before Wolfe could shout for help, a cloth was shoved into his open mouth, gagging him and stopping his cries effectively.
Wolfe's vision slightly improved and he was able to identify the leader of the group who had harassed Nova standing proudly in front of him. He was rubbing his fist in the palm of his other hand to relieve the pain that came from hitting Wolfe's jaw.
The lanky and chubbier boys stood behind the leader with grins plastered across their faces. Wolfe shot a deadly glare at them, but they laughed it off since Wolfe was essentially a gazelle caught in a lion's jaws. His hands were bound tightly to two separate trees and his legs were tied to each other to stop him from moving.
The leader, taking advantage of Wolfe's distracted gaze, punched him hard in his left eye, bruising it black and blue. Wolfe's muffled screams were barely louder than whispers in the cold, breezy night.
He felt his consciousness slowly slip away once again as the boys continued brutalising him. His eyelids gradually fell over his eyes, but shot open every time he was hit. His arms, which he had been holding up this whole time despite them being tied, fell limp as he ran out of energy. His head tilted downwards as the strain on his neck exceeded the bearable capacity.
"Wake him up." The leader ordered and the lanky boy moved forward.
He grabbed the top of Wolfe's hair and pulled his head up. The boy's other hand hovered around Wolfe's eyes as he willed his powers into existence. A gushing jet of water shot out of his palm and crashed into Wolfe's forehead, missing the original target by a few inches.
The boy made sure to push the output to the maximum in order to get payback for Wolfe's [Flame Fist]. He moved his arm downwards such that the forceful stream of water attacked Wolfe's soft eyes, nearly deforming them with the pressure.
He pulled out the gag, pausing the attack for a while, and then proceeded to force the water down Wolfe's throat. He made sure to get some water into Wolfe's nose as well to completely block his breathing.
The lack of air pulled Wolfe out of unconsciousness, instantly triggering his reflexes. He took in a deep breath and clogged his lungs with water. His chest burned with agony as he tried coughing up the water but the lanky boy kept pouring more in. The ruthless pressure at which the water rushed down Wolfe's throat began scraping at the delicate flesh within, causing blood to leak into the submerged lungs.
"Stop it now!" The leader shouted, making the boy instantly cease his attack. "We aren't here to kill him you idiot. The next time you go overboard like this I'll make sure the boss gets to know."
The mention of this unknown boss made the lanky boy go pale - paler than Wolfe who had almost lost his life right now. Wolfe began coughing loudly as most of the water drained out of his mouth. A much needed breath of air forced itself into his lungs as the water evacuated it.
The lanky boy stuffed the gag back into Wolfe's mouth in an attempt to stop the noisy coughs from alerting someone.
The leader turned to the chubbier boy and gestured at Wolfe. "Have fun." he said, before taking a step back to watch the show. The boy scurried towards Wolfe, unable to hide his eager smile as the thought of agonising the helpless kid crossed his mind.
While Wolfe continued with his helpless coughing and snorting, the boy readied an attack. He held his right hand at the wrist and willed his earth magic to form a multi-layered glove around his hand. It was the earth counterpart of [Cyclone Fist] and was much stronger than Wolfe's bottom tiered [Flame Fist].
The rocks that enveloped his knuckles were jagged and propped outwards a little, while the ones covering his fingertips were perfectly flat but tapering at the ends in the form of claws.
He drew his arm backwards in order to gain momentum and sent his fist slamming below Wolfe's chin in an overwhelmingly powerful uppercut. All of Wolfe's thoughts vanished at that moment, replaced by a creeping emptiness that numbed his whole body. The world spun around him as his eyes fell backwards into his head. His empty coughs ceased as blood rushed into his mouth, tainting the wet gag with a bright red.
The actual pain began after a second as the recoil of the hit echoed through Wolfe's body, radiating outwards from his chin. It made him lightheaded and lose control of his body. The only things keeping him from falling over were the tightly bound ropes that had begun hurting his wrists and ankles.
Seeing Wolfe in a weaker state sent the chubby boy on a high. He laughed maniacally as his eyes widened with ecstasy. He wanted to hit Wolfe one more time.
Just once...He had to.
Aiming for the solar plexus right below Wolfe's ribs, the boy took his arm back even further. He shivered gleefully as he imagined the pained state Wolfe would be in once his fist came in contact with his soft flesh. His legs weakened with pleasure, but he held strong, knowing very well that the joy he would feel after the hit would be exponentially larger.
Finally losing control over his excitement, the boy swung his arm at full strength towards Wolfe's chest. The two boys behind him laughed wildly as they imagined the ghastly state Wolfe would be in soon.
Wolfe's eyes wouldn't open no matter how hard he tried, but the crazed laughter told him he was about to be in a lot of pain. A single tear dropped out of his right eye as he accepted his faith.
The sound of bones shattering tainted the air for a few moments after impact, blocked out eventually by the laughter of the three lunatics.