The torch lights flickered across Hector’s cheeks. He glanced between his friends, licking his lips. They couldn’t afford to get too caught up in a fight. It had to end quickly. “I’d suggest we ambush them—but it won’t work in a space like this. Instead, I’m just going to charge straight down the tunnel.”

  Lincoln frowned. He turned his head to Nyx—Jodie would probably ignore anything he had to say. “That can’t be a good idea, right?” He said, getting on his tiptoes and peering past Hector. “By that logic, we would have to keep running full sprint down the entire tunnel just to catch everyone off guard.” He dropped back to his feet. “Hector, I agree with you, but that’s a lot.”

  Nyx shifted on her feet and turned her head to Hector, raising an eyebrow. Did she see it the same way Lincoln did? Surely not. With her Gravity Forging Four cultivation, a run down this tunnel would hardly slow her down.

  Hector turned, taking a step forward, crunching dirt beneath his feet. “Just keep up.” He kicked off, taking off into a light sprint down the tunnel. Lincoln had voiced protest, but Hector didn’t doubt he’d keep up. They didn’t have time to argue. Lives were at stake.

  As Hector moved down the tunnel, his rapid footsteps echoing off the walls, the Farmhands came into view. There were four of them; three in their typical green robes and the fourth… Hector almost paused as he saw the boys’ clothes.

  Scruffy brown pants, a brown shirt overlaid with a torn brown jacket. That wasn’t a Farmhand. As Hector moved down the tunnel, the four of them paused, a look of confusion passing over all of their faces.

  They were probably wondering who he was with and why he was running down the hall. Not that they’d figure it out before they were put into the dirt.

  “Hey you, what are you…” The Farmhand froze as Hector leapt off the ground, aiming a foot straight at his chest.

  One foot slammed down, then the second taking the boy off his feet. He flew back, slamming into the dirt, his back thudding against the dirt. Hector swivelled, his fist blurring forward. But the scruffy-looking boy blocked it.

  Hector leapt back. The air whipped past his ear as he dodged the boy’s follow-up punch. This one had some teeth.

  “I take it he’s not one of yours then,” the boy said. His eyes ran up and down Hector as if trying to figure out if he’d seen him before. One farmhand moved next to the boy, while the others went to assist his friend.

  Lincoln walked next to Hector, Jodie, and Nyx a few paces behind. “I take it your ambushing plan worked,” Lincoln said. Hector resisted the urge to punch him. Now was not the time.

  “Do you guys just let anyone in?” the scruffy-haired boy asked. Before anyone could reply, Hector shot forward, crunching the dirt beneath him. The scruffy boy raised his arms. Hector pulled back.

  He would just block again. Hector stepped to the side. Lincoln and Jodie blurred past him, gunning for the other Farmhands. Divide and conquer it was. The scruffy-haired boy glanced at them. Bad choice.

  Hector shot forward, slamming his palm towards the boy’s nose. The boy jerked to the side, practically falling over his feet. Hector raised an arm and whipped his fist down, slamming it into the boy’s block with a thud.

  The boy braced and pushed Hector back. He then darted forward and grabbed Hector’s wrist. With a crack, he slammed his forehead into Hector’s.

  Stars danced in Hector’s vision as he staggered back. The boy closed in again, but Nyx was there, knee smashing into the boy’s block. He stepped back, skidding to a stop as he stared wide-eyed at Nyx. The boy’s lips split into a grin as he raised a hand and beckoned her forward.

  This guy is not a Farmhand. If he is, then I’m the king of this world. Who the hell is he and what is he doing here? System scan him.

  ————————————————

  ///: Acquiring target stats…

  ————————————————

  ///

  Cultivation level: [Gravity Forging - 3]

  Talent: [None]

  Talent Fragment: [None]

  ///

  ————————————————

  Hector shook his head. It all made sense now—well, at least his strength did. Gravity Forging Three. That could have gone a lot worse. But if he’d used his Talent, the boy wouldn’t be so smug.

  Nyx shot forward, her heel slicing through the air like a knife. The boy sidestepped, throwing several wild punches at Nyx. She ducked by them, practically swimming through them, taking careful steps back as she moved.

  She slapped one fist aside. Ducking under the second blow, and slammed her palm forward. The boy leapt back, holding his stomach as he staggered to a stop. The torchlight flickered across his features. He shook his head, spitting on the floor before launching back in.

  A scream split the air, raw and desperate. Hector glanced past the fighting and down the tunnel. It came from further in. He glanced back at Nyx. She was holding back, that much Hector could tell.

  Fine. I guess I can’t keep holding back. She’s keeping her strength hidden, even—

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  A grunt sounded in the hallway. Hector’s head snapped to Lincoln, who was on the floor with a ‘Farmhand’ about to stomp on his chest. Hector barely thought. He pulled on both his new Talents.

  The air soaked with static in an instant, electrical energy buzzing all around as tiny blue motes of energy floated about. That same static buzzed down his legs, energising his muscles. It was like a dam had burst.

  The world blurred around Hector. He was on the Farmhand in seconds. His fist shifted. The Farmhand flew off his feet, smacking into the dirt, static buzzing off his cheeks. Hector’s head snapped to the second, locked in a fight with Jodie.

  The world shifted around him again. His foot whipped up and crashed into the boy’s stomach. The Farmhand shuffled back, his face tight as his teeth chattered. Jodie stepped away, a look of confusion overtaking her features.

  Hector stepped forward. His fist blurred again, slamming into the Farmhands’ stomach. He hit him at least five times, static building as he did. The boy went to swing for him. But it was slow. Almost as if he wanted Hector to dodge, and so he did.

  He ducked under the blow, and with a whip of wind, Hector’s foot cracked into the side of the boy’s head. Static exploded across his body as he flew to the right. He slammed onto his back, spasming on the dirt.

  “Hector,” Jodie said. He took off again, leaving the last Farmhand to the two of them. He didn’t have time to let Nyx play about anymore.

  His legs pumped. The scruffy-haired boy and Nyx separated. Now was a good chance for him. He was next to the boy, and before he could realise it, Hector’s fist crashed into his side. The boy staggered back, a look of confusion on his face as he grabbed at his rib.

  Hector exploded off the dirt, feet aiming straight at the boy’s chest. He’d try to dodge, but Hector wouldn’t let him. He willed the little static that was in the boy’s body to erupt. The boy paused in discomfort. That was enough.

  Hector’s foot slammed into his chest, then his second whipped around, his heel slamming straight into the boy’s cheek. His head snapped to the side. Hector landed, spun on his heel and his fist blurred, cracking straight into the boy’s chin, and taking him off his feet. He slammed into the dirt, twitching as static exploded all over his body.

  Nyx looked at Hector, her eyes wide with confusion. Even though she’d held back, he’d still taken the boy down with relative ease. It was something that someone at his level shouldn’t be able to do. She would have some questions for him, but she wouldn’t get her answer—not unless she felt like sharing her own.

  Hector stepped next to the scruffy boy. The chattering of his teeth was beginning to fade, but Hector couldn’t have him getting up. Not yet anyway. Hector’s foot cracked across the boy’s face, knocking him unconscious. He then glanced up.

  Jodie had dealt with the last Farmhand—probably an actual one—and the other two lay unconscious nearby. Jodie glanced at him. He could guess what she wanted to ask. The air just over a meter around him still buzzed with static energy from [Static Field], and [Volt Runner] would still be active for an hour. Her question would have to wait.

  “Search them,” Hector said, dropping to one knee. He patted down the scruffy boy’s clothes, snaking through the folds. Static arced off his body into the air. Hector’s finger slipped into a pocket, brushing against some metal. He pulled his hand back, and with it, around six silver coins.

  If Hammond is making these Ham pills, like I think, then is this guy one of the people who buys them? But who is he?

  Hector slipped the coins into his pocket with a light clink. Nyx stepped next to him, the edge of her shadow flickering in the torchlight. Hector turned his head, glancing up at her. The static buzzed around the air. None of it affected her. He didn’t want it to.

  Nyx said nothing. Her eye moved from him and she looked further down the tunnel, keeping any thoughts she had to herself. That was probably for the best. Hector placed a hand on his knee and pushed off, getting to his feet. “Did you find anything?” He asked Jodie as she walked over, Lincoln trailing behind.

  She nodded. “One of them had this key on them,” she said, holding up an iron key. It glistened in the torchlight, its surface slightly rusted in places. It looked part well cared for and part decayed. Whoever had owned it had struggled to keep the corrosion at bay.

  It was pretty moist down here. That no doubt played a part in it. Hector moved forward, taking the key from Jodie’s hands. A scream split the air, and Hector frowned, his gaze moving further down the tunnel. “Let’s keep going.” Jodie went to say something, but Hector held up his hand. She fell silent. “I will answer all your questions once everyone is safe.”

  He stepped past her, moving further down the hallway. Jodie’s head fell. She looked to Lincoln and frowned; as if wondering what he knew about it. Lincoln shrugged. Hector ignored them and shook his head. He hadn’t even told Lincoln about what he could do.

  And I still don’t plan to. The question is, what would even be a good lie in this situation? In the future, the things I can do will be even more exaggerated. What will I say then?

  The four of them continued walking down the tunnel in a strained silence. The screams and the crackle of torches were the only sound. Hector kept his pace even. It wasn’t quite a walk or a run. Lincoln had been right. They couldn’t just run, full sprint, down the tunnel—even if Hector wanted to.

  They passed by a few turns as they walked down the tunnel, but took none of them. The screams didn’t come from them. No. The screams came from one place—and it was further in. Finally, they reached the origin of the screams. Well, the door behind which the screams were located.

  “Do you think the key goes in here?” Lincoln asked, turning to Hector.

  Hector sighed, running a hand through his hair. It might, but that didn’t matter. The door seemed sturdy, but he didn’t doubt that he, or at the very least Nyx, could get through it if they tried hard enough. A scream more shrill than the last few Hector had heard came through the door.

  Whoever they were torturing before had probably expired. They’d moved on to someone else. Hector fished the key from his pocket, holding his breath as he slipped it into the lock—he didn’t want to waste any more time. The lock clicked and Hector let out a sigh, pushing open the door.

  He practically fell while charging into the room, not even wondering if there was anyone else who could be a threat. He stopped as he stepped a few paces into what looked to be a prison. Cells ran along either side of the walkway. The smell of faeces and urine coated the air.

  Groaning came from further in; sounds of desperation and pleading. “Please, I want to go home,” a voice said. Hector walked further down the path, the other trailing behind him. His face morphed into one of disgust. Many of the cells had bodies in them.

  Dead.

  Behind, something slammed into one cell. Hector turned. Jodie stood, her knuckles white as she gripped the bars, her eyes wide with a look of horror. “Sasha. Hey, Sash. Wake up,” she cried, shaking the cell door.

  No, it couldn’t be Sasha. They’d only trained together the other day. She couldn’t be here. Hector hurried over, shoving Jodie to the side and slipping the key into the cell lock. The door swung open, and he rushed inside, dropping to his knees.

  It was her.

  Her skin, once filled with life, was now dried and flaky. Sasha’s green eyes, once vibrant, and able to draw your attention from across the dojo, were now dull and grey. Blood pooled from her ears, dripping onto Hector’s arm as he cradled her head.

  “It’s not her, right?” Jodie said, her voice weak, cracking as she spoke. She dropped to her knees with a puff of dust.

  Torchlight flickered across the cells as water dripped from somewhere. Hector went to speak, but another scream came from further in. It was so close. Sasha was dead; they’d have to grieve her later. Right now, they needed to save at least one person.

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