The Mind of A Killer

I stood there, looking at the man and back at Sasha. She didn't look hurt; she was just asleep, but I didn't like how this man looked at me. 

"I love your all-black look, but I would prefer to see the face of the man who stole my employees."

His employees? I wasn't sure who this guy was, but I knew it was best to play nice, especially with another floor of prisoners to save, plus Sasha. I stood up straight and tried to look menacing and calm as I took down my disguise. 

"Ah, one of our new hires. It isn't every day we receive someone who joins without us employing a woman in their life." He looks down at Sasha. " But I guess we did without knowing. I take it upon myself to learn the names and faces of everyone we hire. I am Uriel Levers, but some call me 'The Peacemaker.' However, I suspect your name is not Hudson." 

"I am Healer of Worlds. My mission is to save the abused. You use the power you have to take women and force their families into servitude for your bottom line. I will not stand by any longer. I can take these women with me or take your heads first."

I hoped that sounded as badass to them as it did in my head. I stood with my arms folded and a neutral expression. I wanted him to believe I was sneaking around to prevent getting my hands dirty.

"Strong words from someone who sends their girl as a distraction. I could have killed her a hundred times by now."

"You could have, but you are a coward who needs a bargaining chip. You expect me to give you back everything I took in exchange for Sasha." I teleport to her and then to the portal at the farm, bringing her to safety before returning to her captors. "What will you do without her?"

"Heh, but I do..." Uriel turned to where Sasha was a second ago. His face turns even more sour than it already was. "I see; you are fast. Why not kill us when you had the chance?"

I wasn't going to reveal my hand. They weren't close enough to any teleportation spots for me to strike them all down fast enough. On top of that, the army outside isn't going to stand down just because I kill their boss.

"Hmm, you expect me to believe I can kill you and not have an army storm the tower? If I'm going to save the girls on the last floor, we have to work things out man to man."

"I like you, Mister Healer; you show guts, strength, and intelligence. I could use you on my team, but I can't trust you. Hopefully, your whore can run your little brothel you stole from me without you."

The two huge men charge toward me. Time slows down, but they still come at me very fast. I have enough time to draw my swords and move out of the way. After slipping between them, I slice at their backs. Their suits were made from a strong material; the swords didn't leave a mark. I turn and make my way to Uriel. Before I reach him, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I'm thrown backward. I focus magic on my feet to stop before sliding into the wall. 

Uriel slowly claps and starts to laugh manically. 

"Very good, you are faster than I thought. You almost broke through."

"You'll have to give me the name of your tailor. I need to get me one of those suits. Your attack dogs should be split open."

"Seeing swords is interesting, but anything you try against them will bounce right off."

I was racking my brain for ideas. When I killed the cyborg, I ran some magic through my blades, but I'm sure the suits were also magic-proof. The large men slowly walked toward me. Murderous rage covered their faces. They kept their arms down, but a sweet smell filled my nose coming from their direction. I realized it was a sedative coming from the bodyguards' hands. I charged forward, but this time, I sheathed my swords.

The first man swung at me. I used the magic in my feet to quickly stick to the ground and change direction. I grabbed the man's outstretched arm and used his momentum to push his fist into the other man's face. I heard bones crack, but I kept using my body to twist the first man around. I held onto his other arm and shoved it into his face. 

The sedative didn't do much to the first man, but it entered the bloodstream of the other through his broken nose. He stumbled forward, trying to hit me before falling on his face. I was still holding onto my first attacker, but he shrugged me off. He came at me full force and tried to tackle me. I waited for him to get too close to back away.

I thought about a technique Bryanna had shown me. It was possible to turn the tips of my fingers into microblades. She had used this ability to perform minor surgery. It was also helpful to remove splinters from the catapult repairs.

With the elf's memory fresh in my mind, I turned the tips of my fingers into scalpels and shoved them into the attacker's eyes. The man screamed as his eyes were instantly crushed. I stepped out of his forward movement and twisted my fingers, pulling his head back. The scream reached a new pitch as he fell backward. His head bounced off of the floor, and I ended his agony by crushing his head under my foot. 

Uriel was stunned. I watched as a dark spot formed at the front of his pants. He fell back onto the floor and crawled backward to the elevator. His bloodshot and unblinking eyes didn't stray from my gaze as I drew a sword and pierced the unconscious bodyguard's head before walking to the two dead men's boss.

"Wait, wait, wait, please don't kill me. I can give you anything: money, fame, power."

"I have already taken all of that from you. What do you think your pleas will earn you?"

I see him reach into his pocket for a communication device. I reach out with my magic strings and yank it from his hand. I put it in my pocket. It might come in handy later.

"Please wait. I am just an employee, too. I am only here to serve my boss. If I knew you were so strong."

I cut him off by grabbing him by the throat. I decided to try a new power I had been waiting for an opportunity to use. I grabbed Uriel by the back of his head and looked deep into his eyes. I poured magic into our minds and attempted to access his memories. It wasn't easy, but then I got it to click, and suddenly, I found myself in a room lined with doors. Some were open, and I could see some of Uriel's memories behind them. Others were covered in various quantities of locks, and some looked highly complicated.

"What the hell? Am I... inside his brain?"