I look around, analyzing the people around me and how I could possibly take them all on all at fucking once. Since my focus is on the man holding Kal at the moment, its too late when I notice a man coming in to attack me from my right side. He swings the metal rod he is holding which is completely eroded. If it hits me, I would have no choice but to get a tetanus shot. Left with no choice I send a light gust of air to his feet which should be unnoticeable by anyone else but would hit him with enough force to trip him.
As soon as he lands on the ground, A ripple of laughter erupts from the group of people behind me.
"Man, how the fuck did you trip on air?"
"I am so embarrassed for him."
"He was always a weakling."
"Definition of too cocky."
I smirk at all the compliments his so-called comrades are throwing his way. Well that's what you get for trying to launch a sneak attack on me.
"Attack her at once." someone calls out and I quickly dive for the rod the man dropped and once I have it in my hands, I attack the man nearest to me. Swinging the rod at his head, I take pleasure in the way blood spurts from the side of his eye before his lifeless body falls to the ground. Oops, looks like I hit a nerve.
Boos and howls go up around me and it actually feels like they are celebrating their fallen friend, what the fuck did I miss?
Two more men come in on me using the booing as a distraction so that's what it is. Well looks like I am gonna stop paying attention to anything other than the men coming in on me. Throwing a leg out for one of them, I swing the rod on the other and then take a roundabout turn before smashing the rod against the man on the ground.
4 down, 12 to go.
I am panting by the time only three people are left standing. Weapons of all kinds are scattered on the ground. My hand is holding a knife which I switched midway because I am more agile with it.
The only ones standing are the girl, the pot bellied man and the man holding Kal who is surprisingly still unharmed as if these people are testing how far I would go.
"I am amazed at your talent." The man says with a tone I don't really get.
"Whatever that means, feel free to keep it to yourself."
"You have got an attitude."
"For a reason."
"You are right, I suppose." he says looking at the bodies lying around us.
I look at the girl to find her staring at me with an intensity in her eyes. She hasn't made a move yet and I doubt she would. She is too detached to fight.
"Well let's wrap this up, shall we?" I raise a brow the slack in his voice. He isn't preparing for a fight, that I can tell. If he is planning something, I don't know what I would do. I am tired from the continuous fight even though I am not wounded much. A few scratches here and there, that's about it.
"It could be helpful if you sped it up." I say mockingly and am answered with a gunshot.
I turn around to see Kal clutching his abdomen.
"Scar… Run." I gape at his words.
I take a step in his direction and I am not even surprised when the man who took Kal hostage holds up a gun to his head.
"You move one step and I will blow his head away."
"I am already halfway to hell Scar, just run, don't mind me." The resignation in Kal's voice gnaws at me and I am filled with a whole other level of conviction to save him.
"If you leave now Scarlet, know that, you will be bowing down to us and you would be equal to our gang's dog or rather a fucking bitch." The pot-bellied man hisses and I can feel my anger rising and my blood boiling. I don't want to have to use my powers but if left with no choice I would use them to protect my friend. Mother would be disappointed and probably make me participate in a duel if she ever comes to know that I used my powers publicly. I am torn between letting him die and putting myself in a potential dying situation. Not going to lie. I love my life. So even the thought of losing it makes my mouth sour.
But as I see him standing there bloodied, all the moments from our past few years together start flashing in front of me. I distinctly remember the time when we had just met. We were so awkward around each other because he didn't know how to trust a girl to do dangerous jobs and I wouldn't take a job if it wasn't challenging enough. We used to quarrel over it all the time until I proved to him my worth. That's when things started getting better and we fell into a rhythm.
It went on that way for a while before we both discovered our passions for chess. And then chess brought us closer.
We had never discussed the circumstance of us dying. Neither him nor me. We just never thought that we would even be in the same place outside of the confines of our warehouse, let alone in a public place which could possibly put us in danger's way.
Right now, I have the potential to save him. The need to save him thrums in my veins along with my magic waiting to unleash from under my skin. There is something else I can feel running under my skin but I can't figure out exactly what, so I choose to ignore it.
Well then damn my mother.
I chant a spell that makes Kal fall unconscious along with the short girl from the black market. Something in my heart tells me not to hurt her and well call me whatever you want, I tend to listen to it, no matter what it says.
The men look at the unconscious bodies and frown at their sudden fall. For a second I look at them as they contemplate and try to make sense of what they saw. Then their eyes snap up to mine and I smile sweetly, innocently and I wonder how fake it looks.
"What did you do, Scarlet?" The pot bellied man calls out using my nickname that goes around in the black market.
"Me? I did nothing man. Not yet at least." I say before charging straight for him with the knife in my hand.