Chapter 28 - An Iron Fist meets a cluster of Thorns

The big man was now but a series of vines that extended themselves below the ground, like the roots of some ancient tree, to feel for what little vibrations of movement he could find. And though, he did hear a few rats and squirrels skimmer about, he heard no steps nor sounds that resembled that of a human. So that meant that those boys were either completely still or had gotten away.

"I suppose I don't have much of a choice now." The man thought to himself as a series of vines burrowed their way onto the surface to combine themselves once more to create the huge man. As it were now, several cuts and bruised covered his body as blood seeped into his dark cloak.

Still, the man extended his vines, which climbed on to the houses and crawled along the dirt road, to feel for any movement that they could find.

"Where are you?" the man called out, having not found anyone. "This fight is tiring, let us be done with it already."

"Who's to say you won't just hide again?" A voice replied. It was Rosal's.

Instead of using words, several vines replied in place, as they flew towards the voice, like a cobra lancing at its prey. And though he did not see it, the man felt interference that blocked the vines approach. It sounded like something was burning. A barrage of flames, he supposed, now pushed back his iron thorns which had slowly began to melt away and as such, the man pulled back his vines.

While he could withstand the raging lava, directly confronting those superheated flames was not something he could do without feeling the consequences.

This was pointless. The Gifted wouldn't fall for his trickery and return to the ground where he could ambush them from underneath.

Malice began to emerge from his skin to cover and heal his wounds that were once there. The dark smoke continued to fume from his skin as he continued forward with his eyes burning red like a demon's flame. That flame would have been identical to Rosal's had it not been for the difference in their shades of color. Rosal's power was much brighter than the darker red that displayed in the man's eyes.

"I do not like resorting to this means of fighting." The man spoke solemnly as the malice then crept along his steel plated vines and turned its silver color into a charcoaled black.

And then he transformed himself entirely, shedding his cloak to reveal a dark skinned, half-naked man that transformed into a cluster of vines that now fumed with malice but still retained the silhouette of a human.

The vines, as a collective, then launched themselves towards the sound of the boy's voice.

~

"Oi, Antos, get up!" Rosal shouted as he summoned a tunnel of flame to push back the approaching cluster of vines. Somehow, his flames didn't weren't as effective as before. The boy supposed that it was due to the dark smoke that he saw rising from the man's skin.

"So, he's finally come, eh?" Antos jumped up and leapt on to the window's sill where Rosal stood beside him, channeling a wave of his power to push back the mass of black before him. Antos met Rosal's sideward glare. "This time, let me handle it." The tall man said as he hopped through the window and landed on another house's roof. As he did so, Rosal stopped his flames and took a deep breath. Elliot also watched from within the room. This time, the fight belonged to Antos.

~

Several vines shot the tall man's body. But Antos was well versed in hand to hand combat so he dodged them with ease and those that he couldn't, he grabbed and flung them away as the thorny man detached parts of himself.

"How long are you gonna keep doing that?" Antos mocked. "Any more and you'll throw away and arm or two."

The face of the huge man appeared within the cluster of vines that continued to pummel away at the lone Antos.

"You are quite strong, aren't you? That strength reminds me of the Strongholds. And yet, your manner of speech is that of a commoner." The huge man noted as his vines struck endlessly at Antos who blocked and parried them away.

"Yeah, well…I don't really give a damn about that whole Stronghold thing." Antos said as he leapt meters into the air to land a punch at the man of metal, who dodged with snake like movements as he made distance between himself and Antos. And for good reason too, since Antos' simple punch was strong enough to cause the little wooden house to break apart on contact.

Now on the ground, Antos looked up at the cluster of thorn covered vines. "You're such a pain, ya know?" he said with a hint of frustration.

"Yes, and so are you. I could handle the flame and light but your strength is troubling." Replied the dark man.

"Ah, good to see that you noticed." Said Antos as he punched the ground with such force that a sink hole was formed along the earth that consequently swallowed the house, where the cluster of vines stood, causing it to crumble into the ground as well.

The vines quickly recollected themselves and made to climb out of the hole but not before several balls of flames shot down from above, accompanied by hundreds of small daggers made of light.

"Oi, I thought I said to leave this to me!" Antos shouted to his friends above.

"I apologize." Rosal replied. "But the sooner we get this fight done with, the better."

Antos turned away sharply and made a face of annoyance as his mouth twisted to the side and his lips bent inwards. He then shouted. "Well, at least let me have the final blow." as he jumped several miles into the sky.

He then began to descend to the ground with fist to lead as he gained momentum from the fall. As he neared the ground, Rosal and Elliot ceased their attacks to allow Antos to rocket into the sink hole with an iron fist that devastated the land as clouds of dust sprouted in every direction. The sink hole itself became twice as deep and three times as wide on impact.

Antos then pulled his fist out from the ground and looked around. And to his dismay, the huge man was nowhere to be seen.

~

He had escaped through the earth. But not without injury. Even though he didn't take the attack head on, that man's punch had consequently shattered the bones in his right arm as well as broken several of his ribs. And that was when he had been in the form of the metal vines.

There wasn't any chance that he could win that fight so he moved away from the village and ventured into the wilderness to once more fade into the blackness of the night.

But to his surprise, a man was now waiting at the edge of the forest.

"Who are you?" the huge man asked.

The little, bulky man, whose hair was thinned and nearly bald at the top, bowed to the huge man. "I am one of the informants that informed Master White of the matter with the Gifted. I escaped the village and now hope that you will take me along."

"Very well." The huge man replied and then continued, while holding his right arm that dangled at his side, with his left. The little man squabbled behind.

~

"Damn coward." Antos said as he jumped out of the sink hole to meet his two companions who were also struggling to make their way from the dusty fog that had been created.

Antos' attack had done quite the damage to many houses, including the one where Rosal and Elliot had been watching the fight.

As a result, the two of them were now climbing along the deformed land, through a cloud of dust that had formed.

"Oi, you two alright!" Antos shouted to his fellow Gifted.

"I'm fine!" Elliot replied as he emerged from the dust and Antos saw that Rosal was leaning against the golden haired man as he struggled to continue walking. "But Rosal's been injured."

Antos ran towards his companions and gave them a helping hand up to where the land was still, mostly flat. And when he did, he saw that there had been a piece of wood stuck in Rosal's leg. In addition to that, both men had suffered several bruises and cuts that now painted their bodies with stripes of blood.

"Seems like I went a bit overboard." Antos said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry."

"No need." Rosal replied sharply. He continued "You did well. If not for your strength, we all could have been dead by now."

"Regardless." Elliot cut in. "We have to get you treated. The rest of the villagers went towards the mountains. There's bound to be a doctor amongst th-"

"Arggg!" Rosal screamed as Antos abruptly pulled the piece of wood from his foot. Then the tall man tore a piece of Elliot's clothing and tied it around the wound.

"There, all good now." Antos said as he stood up and dusted off his hands.

"Antos you…" Elliot stood up, glaring at the towering man.

"What? The doctor's would have done the same thing. Better to get it out now than wait." Antos then cradled Rosal into his hands and began to walk towards the mountains where the villagers would be.

"Hey, put me down!" raged Rosal.

"Not a change, Mr. Noble. With your weak body, it'd be best for you not to walk at all. If something were to happen to you, your father would have both me and Elliot turned to ashes. So I'd rather not risk you further injuring yourself. So bear with me." The tall man said as he continued walking.

Rosal had nothing to say after that and only pouted to the side as Elliot followed behind.