It had been a minute since Sophie had gone inside. While Terran did not know much about her abilities, he knew enough that he was not worried. Maybe it was because of how easily she had left the guard sprawling on the ground the other day. Perhaps it was because she was a blessed that often braved the harshness of the wasteland, or maybe it was just the confidence she had when entering her apartment. Either way, he was sure the intruders would not stand a chance.
To pass the time, he took out the phone Sophie had gifted him and opened the camera application, hoping to catch a good shot of the sunset. Although unfortunately, they were only on the third floor, while the view was not exceptional, it was neither terrible. Sadly, before he could aim the phone, a voice that was directed at him interrupted his actions.
"Excuse me, kid, I think you should put the phone down. You won't be needing to make a call to law enforcement since we are already here."
A man wearing a suit and holding a badge walked up from the stairwell.
"Call? Why would I need to make a call?" Terran responded, tilting his head with a confused look on his face.
"Oh, I thought you knew. We got a report that some intruders broke into one of these apartments, but you won't have to worry as I've arrived to catch those intruders."
"Ah, so you were mistaken Mr., I was just taking pictures, see."
*snap* *snap* *snap*
"Damn, these didn't turn out very well; I was hoping to get the view. Would you mind moving out of the way? You're blocking the shot."
As he continued to take pictures, the well-dressed man's face soured.
"I'm going to have to ask you to delete those photos, or I'll have to confiscate your phone. You are interfering in an investigation."
"Sorry Mr., I just got the phone today, and I haven't figured out how. It's amazing how much this little device can do! There's no way I could learn everything in just under an hour. If you show me, I can try though."
*snap* *snap* *snap*
Hearing Terran's response, the man's face lightened, and he put on a fake smile. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. But first, let's step inside, I believe your mother was the one that called, and I need to make sure she's ok."
Yet, before he could make it all the way over, Terran spoke again. In an innocent voice, he asked, "Hey Mr., you aren't friends with the intruders inside, are you? You see, I wouldn't want my pictures taken either if I was here to do something illegal, so I understand."
The man paused. "Kid don't joke around like that. Someone might think you're being serious."
Again, Terran tilted his head in confusion. "Oh, but Mr., I was being deadly serious."
The man's face frowned, "I see, well to answer your question, I'm not affiliated with them."
"Are you sure? I don't think Miss Sophie would have called you. You see, she went in there to dispose of them herself, and even if I ignored that fact, don't you think arriving in under a minute is a little suspicious?"
At this point, the man was shocked. Did the boy in front of him have a death wish? Even if he had his suspicions, why would he not run away and call for help? But then it hit him; they had been following them earlier in the day and had seen them visit the Federation of Blessed Individuals.
"Hahaha, I understand now. So, you just found out you are a blessed, and now your ego is a bit inflated. Well punk, do you know what happens when things get too inflated? I'll tell you; they pop!"
Without warning, the man's fingers began to morph, elongating into long slender blades at least a foot long. "But don't worry, I have just the tool for you to let out some air!"
As soon as the blessed's claws extended, fear rushed into Terran's eyes. "Wait, hold on a second Mr."
"Ha-ha, now you're scared, huh? You're just like the rest of those little shits, acting like you're the king of the world until someone stronger comes along." The man rambled on, continuing to laugh maniacally.
At this point, Terran was sure he was not the only one with a few screws loose in this city. While he did not identify with this kind of crazy, at the same time, in a weird way, it made him feel more comfortable with himself.
"Uhhh, Mr. that's not really what I was thinking. Actually, I was just wondering if you'd let me put my phone down before we fought. You see, Miss Sophie spent quite a bit of money to buy it for me, and I could not face her if I accidentally broke it on the first day."
The man was too stunned to speak. Not missing the opportunity, Terran gently placed the phone next to the apartment door. "Ok Mr., I'm ready! Are you done monologuing?"
While Terran was not looking forward to getting stabbed by the man's claws, pain was nothing new to him. It was the only thing that kept him company for two years, and if he had to spend a few more minutes with his old friend to make Sophie's job easier, he would not hesitate to do so. In fact, he was a little excited, not because of the pain, but because he could finally pay back some of his debt. He had not even spent a full 24 hours in the Oasis, and he was already feeling weighed down by how much Sophie had helped him.
"Tch, whatever punk, it's your death wish, not mine." The man said, snapping out of his stupefaction.
Following that sentence, the man charged, swiping with his claws. While the man was fast on his feet, he seemed to still lack some control over his swings, allowing the extra weight of his claws to pull his body.
Terran was also fast on his feet. Unfortunately, he currently had zero fighting experience. Meanwhile, although the man could not be called skilled, it was clear he had been taught some combat style and could at least be called proficient.
After noticing the skill gap and accumulating a few scratches, the difference between them was evident to Terran.
"Come on troublemaker, where is your confidence now? Why don't you use your blessing? Do you even know how?"
Hearing the man's words, Terran couldn't help but wonder who bullied him in middle school for him to turn out so self-deprived that he acted like this as a grown man.
Terran sighed, "I didn't want to cause a scene Mr., but I guess you leave me no choice."
"Oh? So, you have a flashy blessing, huh? Well, let's see it then, do your worst."
Without waiting for any more words to be said, Terran charged in a straight path towards the man.
"Is this kid retarded?" The man thought. Considering the kid's confidence, he had believed he would use some fancy ranged attack, expecting something along the lines of lasers or ice spikes. They had already engaged in a close scuffle, and the kid had not used a body-enhancing blessing, but now, he was simply charging into his own death.
The man waited for Terran to try something, but in the end, he just ran right into his outstretched claws. He was so shocked, in fact, that he attempted to pull his claws away. What dumbass would purposely turn themselves into a shish kabob? Only then did he realize that Terran was still charging at him, and his claws were currently pinned in between Terran's ribs. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remove the claws with their current angle.
With his momentum and center of gravity, Terran was quickly pushing the man back. At the rate they were going, they were rapidly approaching the balcony's ledge. In fact, only a meter lay between the man and the ledge, and that was before getting pushed back. Meanwhile, the railing was relatively short, only reaching the man's waste.
"You suicidal bastard! What the hell are you thinking? You're going to get us both killed!" But the man's words did not slow Terran down or cause him to rethink his actions in the slightest.
In the next second, they slammed into the railing, and at the same time, Terran pushed off with his feet, causing the man to topple backward over the bar. But, of course, as his claws were still lodged in Terrans ribs, Terran was also pulled over the edge.
"Ahhhhhh!" The man let out a terrified scream as he plummeted headfirst towards the ground. Only now did his claws revert back into fingers as he grabbed at the air, doing everything in his power to stop his fall. Unfortunately for him, there was nothing in his power he could do, and in the next moment, a loud splat rang out on the street below.