Chapter 38-The Gambino Crime Syndicate, Part Two

"IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE TO FIGHT, LIL' BRO!" Anemoi cackles.

"RIGHT!"

"Wind Charge, Level One: Crescent-Moon Slash!" Anemoi shouts as she swiftly draws her katana then swings it outwards, firing off a crescent-moon shaped projectile of wind from her slash, which tears into the guards, causing them to howl in pain as they're shredded up by Anemoi's attack, before dropping to the ground in pools of blood. Anemoi sheaths her katana after.

"Water Charge, Level One: Bullet Rain!" I shout as I thrust my hands to the air then twist them.

Nothing happens.

"Crap, we're indoors!"

"Noah, duck!" Anemoi orders as she spins around and palms my head, shoving me down.

"WAHHH!!!" I cry as I double over.

"Wind Charge, Level One: Crescent-Moon Slash!" Anemoi shouts as she swings her katana outwards again, firing off another blade of wind, and knocking them all out.

"Is that…all of them…?" I ask as I take a look around.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Anemoi answers as she sheaths her katana.

But then…Anemoi and I hear some clapping, causing us to flinch.

Anemoi and I then turn to where we heard the clapping, watching as a short, plump man around the same height as Doku, with a messy black toupe, blinged out in golden jewelry slowly claps as they approach Anemoi and I from the right.

"Excellent work, Wind Charger and Water Charger!" The man booms as they twirl their pointy mustache, "I had no doubt that my guards couldn't stand up to your might!"

"Gambino…" Anemoi growls.

"Wind Charger," the man smirks.

"THIS GUY is Gambino?!"

"Right you are, Water Charger," Gambino smirks, causing me to tense up.

"How do you know who I am…? The Land of Wind should have no knowledge about who I am…"

"Huh?" Gambino asks as he cocks his head at me, "Why wouldn't I know who you are? You're the Water Charger, you're famous!"

I'm silent.

"Ohhh…that's right!" Gambino exclaims as he knocks a fist into his palm, "You're talking about the rumor where each Land has no knowledge about one another because of their borders! Well…that's not true. My intelligence unit knows EVERYTHING about the affairs of the Land of Water, and mafia groups in the Land of Water know EVERYTHING about the Land of WInd. I don't know how your group got through the borders, because those guards get paid good money not to let anyone through, except for who we tell them to, and vice-versa."

"But you just said-" I begin to say, but Gambino cuts me off.

"Well…I DO know how you got through, it's just a matter of speech, is all."

"SERIOUSLY?"

"And I've been expecting you, Water Charger," Gambino then smirks, "I knew that you would run into the Wind Charger in Harbor Jungle, and that you'd accept her deal to come here."

Mine and Anemoi's eyes widen.

"No…way…"

"And now that you're here…" Gambino begins to say as he rubs his hands together, "YOU'RE MINE, WATER CHARGER! I CAN GET GOOD MONEY FROM YOU TWO!"

Anemoi swiftly enters her Charge Stance.

"Oh, and Wind Charger?" Gambino then says, causing Anemoi to falter.

A devious smirk spreads across Gambino's lips.

"That medicine I gave you for your friend…IS POISON!" Gambino booms, "I only agreed to give you that damn "medicine" to keep you hooked on as a recurring customer!"

Anemoi's eyes widen as she grits her teeth, and her entire body begins trembling.

"Anemoi…?" I softly ask as I peer over at my ally.

"As for you, Water Charger-" Gambino continues, causing me to flinch, "I am going to capture you as my slave! And while I'm at it, I may as well kill that old man Flint Grovel, and take Mary Bloodsworth and his daughter as my slaves! They're awfully cute…"

My eyes widen. "I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!"

A wide grin spreads across Gambino's face. "Now THAT'S what I like to hear, Water Charger!"

But then…Anemoi unclenches her hands as she breathes out a long sigh.

"Noah…" Anemoi growls as she peers up at Gambino with glossed-over eyes, "We are going to defeat Gambino."

"Yes we will."

"WIND CHARGE, LEVEL ONE: CRESCENT-MOON SLASH!" Anemoi roars as she draws her katana and swings it outwards, firing off a projectile of wind.

"LET'S GET HIM, NOAH!"

"RIGHT," I answer as I resume my Charge Stance as well.

"Water Charge, Level Two: Rapids Claw!" I shout as water begins swirling around my hand. I swing my hand towards Gambino, firing off a blade of water from each finger.

In response, a smirk spreads across Gambino's face as he reaches up and begins twirling his mustache. Subsequently, rust colored sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around his body.

Anemoi's eyes widen.

"Gambino…is an E-Charger?!"

"RUST CHARGE, LEVEL ONE-!" Gambino booms as he holds a hand out to the two of us, "DECAY!"

Mine and Anemoi's spells continue flying towards Gambino, but the moment that they touch his hands, Anemoi's white projectile and my blue water blades begin to turn that same rust color then wither away, crumbling to the ground like dust.

"Gambino…DECAYED our spells…?"

"Rust Charge, Level Two-!" Gambino shouts again as he resumes his Charge Stance.

"NOAH, GET BACK!" Anemoi orders as she resumes her Charge Stance.

"Uhh…right," I reply as I take a step back.

"Wind Charge, Level Two: Skywards Tornado!" Anemoi shouts as she draws her katana then swings it upwards, and the force of Anemoi's slash causes the wind around her to begin circulating then rise into the air, forming a tornado around the two of us.

"Woah…" I marvel as I look around within Anemoi's tornado.

"-DECAY!" Gambino then shouts as he places a hand to the ground, and instantly, the floor begins to rust and decay from where Gambino touched his hand to the ground, and a line of rust spreads from Gambino's hand over to Anemoi and I.

As the rust spreads, the rusted ground begins to wither and then crumble away, revealing a cavernous black abyss below.

"Anemoi, we need to go!" I shout as I tug on the woman's shoulder.

"Right," Anemoi replies as her tornado dissipates, only to reveal that Anemoi and I now find ourselves standing on decaying ground.

"Oh, fu-" Anemoi begins to say, but before she can finish, the ground crumbles away for good, and Anemoi and I scream as we fall into the black abyss below.

Gambino strolls over to the hole in the floor then peers down it with a smirk.

"See you later, Water Charger, Wind Charger..."

Meanwhile…

EEP!

EEP!

EEP!

The overhead white lights of the underground bunker begin to flash red as a loud siren begins to blare, causing Khione, Flint, and Mary to pause.

"What's going on?!" Khione cries.

"It seems like an alarm was triggered," Flint answers.

"Oh no…was it us?!" Mary cires.

"We haven't done anything," Flint replies, "It must have been Noah and Anemoi…"

"I hope Noah's alright…" Mary frowns.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Voices shout, and Khione, Flint, and Mary turn to where they heard the voice, watching as a group of guards charge them from behind.

"Crap, we need to run!" Flint cries.

"Hell no, let's stay here and fight!" Khione exclaims as she resumes her Charge Stance.

"We're outnumbered in enemy territory, Khione, we can't win!" Flint shouts.

"FINE…" Khione sighs as she exits her Charge Stance.

The group then turns ahead of them, where they see three passageways.

"Which way do we go…?" Mary asks.

"There are three different paths and three of us," Flint answers, "We split up."

"SPLIT UP?!" Mary cries as she peers up at Flint, "I can't be alone!"

"We're outnumbered," Flint explains, "So if we all get cornered together, it's over. If we split up…we can escape."

Mary whimpers.

"Don't worry," Khione says as she places a hand on Mary's shoulder. Mary nervously peers up at Khione, and her eyes meet Khione's tender smile, "You'll be alright. "We'll split up for now, then regroup when it's safe.

"Right…" Mary replies with a small smile as she wipes her eyes.

The guards continue shouting as Khione, Flint, and Mary stare down the three paths before them.

"I'll take the right, Khione the middle, and Mary the left," Old-Man F says.

"Right."

"And now…LET'S GO!

And so…Flint, Khione, and Mary take off down their respective paths.