Squelch
The rocky golem raised its foot, looking down at the viscous strings of green goop that connected the sole of its foot to the freshly crushed corpse of an overly sized cockroach. The puppet wiped its foot against the floor, trying to rid itself of the guts from the French Bulldog sized insect, as Seth used its eyes to scan for more immediate threats.
As it turned out, fighting using his ability was tougher than expected for Seth. For one, it was impossible to concentrate when he had two separate feeds of conflicting information streaming into his mind.
One from his own body, and one from his newly acquired puppet. Whilst the puppet only gave him sight and sound, it was still enough to disorientate Seth and even just from his last few combat experiences he knew that sort of distraction was enough to get him killed.
So, rather than trying and failing to fight alongside his puppet like a dynamic duo, which was like trying to play a split-screen game by yourself with a controller in each hand, Seth opted for a better solution. The solution that, he thought, even the most hardened warriors and valiant heroes would agree is the right call.
He hid behind a desk and used his puppet to fight all his battles for him. It wasn't cowardly in the slightest, simply good tactics, that's all. Atleast, that's what he kept trying to convince himself of.
Whilst Seth hid himself in a corner like a scolded child, he was able to put the majority of focus onto Coal, which was what he decided to name his new meat shield. He couldn't go about calling it meat shield all the time, now could he?
Controlling Coal felt similar to playing one of his VR games, so he wasn't totally out of his depth. He simply had to keep some attention on himself, to make sure he didn't get attacked while he was bravely defending the back line, and used the rest of his focus to control the actions of Coal.
When the coast was clear, meaning things were still too busy killing each other to look his way, Seth darted from his current guard post and made his way closer to Coal before finding another hidey hole to squirrel himself away in. All the while clutching the glistening, extravagant looking silver spear. He could feel Angel watching him, and probably judging him, but he decided to ignore it and make his way somewhere a bit more secure.
It wasn't the most efficient method, nor was it the quickest, and certainly not the bravest. But it was better to be slow and safe than quick and dead. Speed would have its time in the future.
Luckily, for little tortoise Seth, time was on his side. Things were still battling it out throughout the entire building. Every few minutes he could feel tremors of something powerful, or perhaps different somethings. Either way he wasn't planning on finding out where on the food chain he was currently situated, He was sure that he wasn't going to like the answer anyways.
Dashing away these useless thoughts as he scampered like prey, Seth found himself a new location to hunker down in. He was just about to divert his focus back to Coal when something stopped him. A sound that somehow cut its way through the distant sounds of battle. Not because it was so loud that it overpowered them, in fact it was so quiet it was barely audible. No, this sound found purchase in Seths ears simply because it was so strange, yet familiar.
Dong dong dong
It was the sound of someone knocking on glass. He had heard it before a thousand times throughout his life, but never here. Never in an office like this, there was simply no glass around that someone would knock on. It was nothing but cubicles and drywall, nevermind quite open planned. There was little reason to knock, nevermind finding glass to do so on.
Dongdongdong
But there it was again. that impossible sound. It was louder this time, quicker too. Almost insistent and impatient. Seth quickly looked around, wondering where such a noise could have come from and why he couldn't ignore it.
But after just a few moments of confusion his eyes landed on the only glass around. The large, almost floor to ceiling windows that were a few metres away from him.
'Of course… Really I should have expected…' He thought to himself.
He sat there, crouched behind a stranger's desk, looking at the window with a look of befuddlement and awe. More importantly, he looked at the man floating on the other side of the window who was waving at him.
The man laughed heartily, although Seth couldn't hear it, as he flipped in the air and showboated. He was glowing as he gave the figurative finger to the well established law of gravity. Literally glowing. It was as if a flashlight was being held on the other side of his skin… but for his entire body. That eerie red glow that highlighted his veins and vaguely outlined his bones, even his skull. He was like a human shaped firefly, without the wings.
Seth slowly approached the window at the man's gesturing, making sure to take the occasional glance around him to make sure it was safe. Only when he was face to face with the flying man did he wave back at him.
The man laughed again, before moving his lips and speaking inaudible words. Seth frowned at him, pointing at his own mouth as he shook his head.
"I can't hear what you are saying."
***
'Huh, I can't figure out what he's saying. Something about.. flaming? Well I guess I am glowing.' Flynn thought to himself as he floated outside the office building he used to work in. One minute he had been on the thirty ninth minute of his ten minute smoke break, the next he was soaring through the skies without a care about the so-called 'laws' of that nerd Newton. It was great!
Sure, the monsters were a bit weird and people were dying. But he could fly! What kid, what person, didn't dream of being able to do this?
And he wasn't the only one. He had seen a flaming girl jump out of another building and leave a melted trail down the side as she slid down, and another dude skate down on an ice ramp.
It made him wonder why this guy was cowering behind furniture like a scared bunny rabbit. Perhaps he just didn't get a power. Oh well, it was his job as a new superhero to help out.
"Do you want me to help you get down? Go down to the ground?" Flynn repeated his earlier statement, this time slowing it down and putting emphasis on each and every word so it would be easier to lipread while he pointed downwards.
The powerless man's face showed a hint of a smile, before it dropped and he looked horrified at something. He started pointing upwards, speaking quickly. Too quickly for Flynn to catch any of the words.
"What? No. Not up, Down. Doooown." He said again, watching in confusion as the man backed away and kept pointing. Finally slowing down his speech enough for Flynn to make out what he was saying. This time it was only two words over and over.
***
"Bird! Move! Bird! Move!" Seth said in horror, not worrying about his volume as he backed from the window and watched in horror, unable to stop what was about to happen.
By the time the flying man realised what he had been warning him about, it was too late. The shadow of the over ten foot tall raven was already looming over him.
The glowing man turned in panic, just in time to have a razor sharp talon that was thicker than his arm, tear through his chest.
He was thrown back against the glass, which shattered soon after from the monstrous avian smashing against it, as his body was dragged along like a ragdoll and pinned to the ground when the beast landed. Seth watched on, utterly helpless, as he heard the man gasping and wheezing, gargling on the blood that was spilling from his mouth and filling his lungs. The man tilted his head up as he lay on his back, making eye contact with Seth.
Unable to speak, he simply moved his blood stained lips and relayed one final message.
'Run.'
He silently pleaded, before the corvid took flight once again. The beating of its wings sent powerful gusts of winds throughout the office floor, collapsing cubicle walls and sending Seth reeling. He could only watch as the glowing man became a flickering light in the distance as the bird carried him off after a successful hunt.
He no longer had to wonder about his place on the food chain anymore.