Ahiga glanced over his shoulder as Charlie's horse thundered closer, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "These white folks sure don't know when to quit," he muttered under his breath. With a sharp pull on the reins, he pressed his horse forward, leaning into the wind.
Charlie, determined despite the throbbing pain in his arm, steadied himself in the saddle. He placed his left hand over his right, gritting his teeth as the sharp jolt of pain shot through his injured arm. "Damn it, stay still!" he growled, extending his right index finger and aiming it at Ahiga.
Just as Charlie prepared to fire, Ahiga made an unexpected move, pulling his horse sharply to the right and disappearing behind a massive boulder. Charlie skidded to a halt at the rock, eyes scanning the area. His horse snorted and shifted uneasily beneath him.
"What the hell?" Charlie muttered, his voice thick with confusion. "He's gone! He was right here—how the hell is he gone!?" He whipped his head around, scanning the horizon for any sign of Ahiga. "Wait a minute—"
A shadow loomed above him. Charlie's instincts kicked in too late as Ahiga leapt from the top of the rock, his body twisting mid-air with practiced precision.
"Gotcha," Ahiga said, his voice cool and deliberate.
Ahiga's feet connected squarely with Charlie's chest, the force of the kick knocking the air from Charlie's lungs in an instant. As the impact rattled through his ribs, Charlie reflexively fired his light beam. The golden-yellow energy tore through the air with blinding speed, narrowly grazing Ahiga's ear as he landed gracefully on the ground.
The beam hit with such force that Ahiga staggered, his hand instinctively going to his ear. "Ah, shit! What the hell was that?!" he barked, dropping into a defensive stance. Blood trickled down the side of his face where the beam had grazed him, his ear singed and burning.
Charlie wasn't so lucky. The kick sent him flying off his horse, landing hard on the ground with a painful thud. Dust rose around him as he struggled to breathe, clutching his chest where Ahiga's foot had made contact.
"What the—what the hell…" Charlie gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. His chest felt like it had caved in, and each breath was a battle. Inside his head, his thoughts raced. My breath… what happened to it? It's so hard to breathe. All because he kicked me in the chest—he did this much damage with one hit.
Ahiga loomed over him, smirking despite the blood dripping down his neck. He rolled his shoulder, his stance relaxed but ready, as if daring Charlie to get up.
Charlie didn't move, his body wracked with pain and his mind spiraling. Ahiga yanked Charlie up by the collar, his eyes blazing with irritation and curiosity. "What the hell was that?" he demanded, his voice sharp and commanding. "What did you just do, huh?"
Charlie gritted his teeth, wincing at the pain radiating from his chest. "I ain't telling you shit," he spat, glaring up at Ahiga with defiance.
Ahiga chuckled darkly, tilting his head as a smirk spread across his face. "You think I'm joking?" His grip on Charlie's collar tightened. "Boy, I could break every damn bone in your body in an hour if I wanted to."
Charlie coughed, his face a mix of defiance and doubt. "You're lying."
"Oh, trust me," Ahiga said, leaning closer. His voice dropped to a cold, almost whisper-like tone. "I've got the strength and speed of all my ancestors flowing through me. I could've snapped you in half already, but I didn't. Consider that mercy."
Charlie grimaced but managed a weak smile. "Jed'll come for you," he said, his voice hoarse but steady. "That old man'll put you in the dirt."
Ahiga laughed, shaking his head. "You mean that old man? Yeah, sure, whatever you say, kid. He looks like he can barely stand, let alone fight me."
He pulled back his fist, ready to deliver a blow when a sudden, eerie sound cut through the tension—laughter.
Both Ahiga and Charlie froze, their heads snapping toward the source of the noise. Two figures emerged from the shadows of the canyon. One was a rugged man with a long scar running diagonally across his face, his expression calm but intimidating. The other was far stranger—a hulking man draped in a black bear skin that covered his back like a cape, his nearly naked form revealing powerful muscles beneath. His head was lowered, the bear's face looming ominously over his own like a mask.
Ahiga squinted at them, his grip on Charlie loosening slightly. "Who the hell are you two?"
The scarred man stepped forward, his gait smooth and calculated, his hands resting loosely at his sides. "I'm Jacob," he said in a voice that was low and steady, with a slight Russian accent. He gestured casually to the larger man beside him. "And this is Paw-law. We're... travelers. Looking for something special."
Ahiga's eyes narrowed. "Travelers, huh? What're you looking for out here in the middle of nowhere?"
Jacob smirked and slowly reached into his coat, pulling out a glowing object. The light caught both Charlie and Ahiga's eyes immediately—it was unmistakable. The holy crystal.
"Something like this," Jacob said, holding the crystal up between his fingers as it pulsed with an otherworldly glow. He studied their reactions carefully. "You two wouldn't happen to have seen it around here, would you?"
Ahiga's jaw tightened, and Charlie's eyes darted to the crystal, then back to Jacob. Neither answered, but their silence was enough to confirm Jacob's suspicion.
Jacob's smirk deepened. "Ah, I see. You've seen it. Which means..." He let the crystal dangle slightly in his hand. "You've probably touched it too. And if you touched it, well…" His voice dropped, his tone turning cold. "You've got a little… gift now, don't you? An ability."
Paw-law chuckled, the sound deep and guttural, like a bear's growl. "Abilities don't mean much against us," he said simply, his thick accent cutting through the air.
Charlie and Ahiga exchanged uneasy glances, their minds racing.
Jacob raised a hand, cutting through the tension like a knife. "I'll warn you just once," he said, his voice eerily calm. "Don't make this difficult. Because whatever ability you've got, it won't be enough to stand against us. Not now. Not ever."
Ahiga's grip on Charlie finally loosened, and he dropped the younger man unceremoniously to the ground. Both stared at the two strangers, their earlier hostility toward each other temporarily forgotten.
Jacob's smirk widened as he pocketed the crystal. "Now then," he said. "Let's not waste any more time. Shall we?"