tryingwrite

Jack Wilson wasn’t planning to doom the city. He just wanted to make rent and maybe buy a better hoodie.

Then he opened a cursed file labeled “DO NOT OPEN (Lethality Rating: 9/10)”—because what’s life without a little fun? One explosion, a glowing hand tattoo, and a ramen-scented dumpster dive later, Jack is now the host of something ancient, powerful, and probably homicidal.

Now everyone wants him dead: secret guilds, rogue mages, even a talking pigeon with a grudge. Too bad Jack’s having the time of his life.

Armed with sarcasm, unstable spirit energy, and zero impulse control, Jack is about to turn the magical underworld upside down.

MANIAC HYBRID

Night cloaked West Hollow in shadows as the convoy rumbled along deserted Maglev tracks beneath Guild HQ. Armored transports hummed quietly, rune-sigils casting ghostly light across tunnel walls.

Perched high above, the Chaos Crew crouched along the rusted support beams of an abandoned maintenance catwalk. Jack's eyes flickered with reflected sigil light, the halo around his wrist thrumming softly. He glanced at Zara, who monitored the convoy's progress on her wrist-pad.

"Two lead vehicles, three trailing. Cross is in the center van," Zara whispered. "Heavily warded."

Lyra adjusted the Aetherium Heart, strapped securely to her pack. "One EMP burst will knock out their wards, but we've got one shot."

Jack nodded grimly. "Make it count. Reina, you ready?"

Reina tightened her pulse-knuckle gauntlets, eyes hard. "Always."

Patch fluttered near Jack's shoulder, nervously fluffing feathers. "You know, ambushes rarely go as planned, right?"

Jack smiled slightly. "That's our specialty."

As the convoy passed beneath their position, Lyra released the EMP charge. The Aetherium Heart flared turquoise, energy racing along runic lines. Below, vehicle wards flickered and failed, armor plates locking in place as defensive sigils vanished.

Jack launched from the catwalk, stretching elastic limbs to slow his descent. He landed atop the central transport, carbon-webbing his hand to the roof for grip. Reina landed gracefully beside him, smashing open the transport hatch with a pulse-powered punch.

Guild guards surged upward, weapons firing. Lyra arced lightning through the opening, stunning them. Jack swung inside, halo blazing to disrupt internal security.

Dr. Valerie Cross sat cuffed, eyes widening in disbelief. "Wilson—"

Jack nodded sharply. "We'll chat later. Move!" He stretched an elastic arm, shattering Cross's restraints.

Outside, Zara warned urgently. "Backup incoming, two minutes tops!"

Jack hauled Cross upward as Reina covered their exit, deflecting incoming rounds with precise bursts of chi. Patch dropped smoke pellets, cloaking their retreat in dense fog.

But then, a familiar shadow dropped before them: Elias Draven, his blades glowing dimly with repaired dampeners. "You never learn, Wilson."

Jack tensed, readying quicksilver coils around his wrists. "I'm a slow learner, remember?"

Draven lunged. Jack flowed aside fluidly, matching Draven's blows with liquid grace, each strike testing limits.

Reina intercepted, delivering a powerful chi-driven kick to Draven's side. He staggered, snarling, shadows flickering.

Jack hesitated, but Lyra grabbed his shoulder, pulling him and Cross toward an emergency tunnel. "Trust Reina!"

Jack, Lyra, and Cross sprinted down narrow, dim-lit passages. Zara guided them via comms, Patch fluttering ahead to scout.

Cross panted, struggling. "Wilson, you must know—Phase Three isn't just me. Marrick is calling in something worse. Project Oblivion."

Jack grimaced. "Another day, another nightmare."

The tunnel opened onto an empty maintenance shaft. Zara's voice echoed. "Grappling point up—fast!"

Jack stretched upward, latching onto a support beam, hauling the group skyward. They climbed hastily, gasping as the tunnel sealed shut beneath them, leaving only darkness.

Minutes later, on a rooftop overlooking the city's neon sprawl, they caught their breath. Reina emerged moments later, bruised but intact.

Reina nodded solemnly. "Delayed, not defeated."

Jack turned to Cross, his gaze piercing. "Now—talk. What is Oblivion?"

Cross shivered, speaking quietly. "Something rare with good functions twisted to catastrophic purpose. It's Marrick's final solution."

Lyra stared out at the horizon, steeling herself. "Then we prepare to stop it."

Jack clenched his fist, determination burning brighter than fear. "Together."

Chapter 23: "Convoy Ambush"