The wind blew hard through the trees, scattering leaves everywhere. Branches creaked under the force of the gusts, sending golden autumn foliage swirling through the air like a storm of butterflies.
Noah whistled softly from the sidelines. "With that kind of power, you don't need a fan on hot days," he commented, watching the display of wind manipulation with mild amusement.
Asher looked at him, his expression trying to figure out if Noah was joking or not.
In front of them, the bald guy gathered swirling air into his hands, forming a huge whirlwind. The compressed air shimmered visibly as it spun faster and faster between his palms.
He slammed it straight into Owen.
Owen staggered slightly from the impact, his metallic body too heavy to be blown away. His feet dug shallow trenches in the soft earth as he braced against the force.
"Are you trying to tickle me or something?" Owen said, barely affected by the force.
The bald guy roared in frustration. Veins stood out on his forehead as he swung his arm with all his might.
A dense blade of wind shot forward, slicing cleanly through nearby tree trunks before hitting Owen. The severed trees groaned as they began to topple. Owen raised his hardened arms to protect his head.
A shallow cut opened on Owen's metallic forearm, a trickle of blood welling up. The red stood out starkly against the dark metal of his transformed skin.
"Not bad!" Owen grinned fiercely. "I felt that one!"
The bald guy looked genuinely surprised. His mouth hung slightly open, disbelief written across his face. "That was one of my strongest attacks..."
"Are you done? It's my turn now!" Owen yelled as he charged forward. His metallic fists clenched, ready to deliver crushing blows.
The bald guy desperately threw more wind blasts at Owen, but they bounced harmlessly off his transformed body. Each deflection sent smaller gusts scattering through the trees, rustling leaves in widening circles.
Panicking, he used wind to propel himself backwards, trying to gain distance. His feet barely touched the ground as the wind carried him away.
"It's too late to run away!" Owen growled, closing in. His heavy footsteps pounded against the earth, shaking small pebbles with each step.
"That one was quite agile," Noah observed, watching the bald guy narrowly dodge several of Owen's heavy punches. The wind-user twisted midair like a leaf caught in a breeze.
Ridley nodded beside him. "But for how long?" His arms were crossed, analyzing the fight with a critical eye.
After several near misses, Owen finally managed to land a solid blow. The punch connected hard enough to send the bald guy sprawling to the ground. Dirt sprayed up around the impact as he skidded several feet.
But the bald guy immediately launched a counterattack while down. His hands moved in a sharp, cutting motion through the air.
"Gah! My eyes!" Owen yelled, stumbling backwards and falling onto his back as a sharp gust of wind raked across his face. He rubbed at his eyes with metallic fingers, blinking rapidly.
Seeing it work, the bald guy sent another cutting wind towards Owen's vulnerable eyes. The air shimmered with the force of the attack.
"Stop it!" Owen ignored the new cut on his cheek and punched wildly into the air where the wind came from. "You damn things!" His swings were furious but uncontrolled.
One of Owen's wild punches clipped the bald guy as he tried to rise. The glancing blow still packed enough force to make the man's head snap sideways. Stunned by the impact, the bald guy hesitated for a split second.
Seeing the opening, Owen swung his dark, hardened fist with all his strength.
The bald guy was unable to react in time.
When the punch connected, the bald guy's head exploded violently.
The impact was devastating.
Bone shattered. Geyser of blood, brain matter, and fragments of skull sprayed outward in a gruesome arc. The crimson shower painted the nearby tree trunks and leaves in macabre splatters.
The body crumpled in place, twitching once before going still. A pool of dark red slowly spread across the forest floor.
Owen laughed, shaking blood and gore from his fist.
"Hahahaha! That was satisfying!" His metallic skin made the gory remnants slide off easily.
After enjoying his win, Owen glanced sideways at the earth wall where the guy with the scar was still hiding. The barrier stood firm, though small tremors ran through it now.
"Stop hiding there, stupid!" Owen shouted. His voice echoed through the suddenly quiet woods. "Didn't you see me beating him?"
"No! Don't get close, you monster!" The guy with the scar screamed in terror. His voice cracked with panic.
He ripped a huge boulder from the ground and hurled it straight at Owen. The massive rock tore through the air with deadly force.
"Grah! You fucker! You dare to attack me after I saved you!?" Owen roared, leaping over the shattered remains of the boulder towards the scarred man. His metallic form gleamed ominously as he closed the distance.
He then hit the guy with the scar again and again and again, a relentless barrage of metallic blows. Each impact made sickening crunching sounds, bones breaking under the assault.
"You. Ungrateful. Piece. Of. Shit!" Owen kept hitting him non-stop until the figure stopped moving. The body was barely recognizable by the time Owen finally stepped back, breathing heavily.
Ridley jumped down beside the pulverized body and sighed. "Good job, you pretty much killed him." His nose wrinkled slightly at the gruesome sight.
"Whatever!" Owen spat, his anger still hot. "I already said they were not worth our time. Now I'm just pissed!" He kicked at the ground, sending clumps of dirt flying.
"What about Daniel?" Asher asked nervously, looking over at where Daniel still lay motionless. The body hadn't moved since Owen's initial attack.
"He's dead too," Ridley confirmed after crouching to check the body. He rolled Daniel over with his foot, revealing the unnatural conditions of the neck.
"What? I didn't hit him that hard, did I?" Owen said, sounding surprised. He scratched his head, the metallic fingers making a scraping sound against his scalp.
"Probably not. Something's off with his throat," Ridley said, peering closer as if something large was lodged there. A strange bulge distorted the skin of Daniel's neck.
"Oh man, I wonder what that is," Noah said casually. He appeared beside them, hands in his pockets as he examined the corpse with detached curiosity.
They all looked at Noah.
"What?" he smiled innocently. "I just wanted to return his phone. Who knew it would get stuck there? Accidents happen."
"Accident, my ass," Owen grumbled. He folded his arms, the metallic plates of his skin clinking together.
"Well, our mission was to eliminate them, so it's fine," Ridley said pragmatically. He stood up, brushing dirt from his pants. "But I thought you were different than this brute. I mean, instead of killing them like that, we could always torture him for information."
Noah shrugged. "Sorry," he said. But despite what he said, he didn't seem to regret it one bit. His smile remained easy, undisturbed.
Before Ridley had a chance to dig more deeply into Noah's actions, his phone started ringing. The sudden electronic chirp sounded out of place in that area.
He picked it up. "Yes, boss, we're done here too," he reported. He listened for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, let's meet up."
"What did the boss say?" Owen asked as Ridley hung up. He'd already transformed back to normal, though flecks of dried blood still dotted his clothes.
"The boss wants us to meet him at the big tree over there," Ridley said, pointing deeper into the woods. A massive oak stood in the distance, its gnarled branches stretching wide. "Let's go."
At the designated big tree, Liam, Milo, and Willow were already waiting for them. Willow fidgeted with her sleeves while Milo leaned against the massive trunk, looking bored. Liam stood perfectly still, his expression unreadable as always.
"Hey, boss! We're done with our job!" Owen announced proudly as they approached. His earlier anger seemed forgotten, replaced by his usual boisterous energy.
"Did any of you get hurt?" Liam asked, his gaze scanning the group. His eyes lingered briefly on Owen's minor cuts.
"Nah, just a little scratch. You can save your healing, Willow," Owen said, waving his hand dismissively.
Willow, who was ready to heal him the moment she saw Owen bleeding, immediately stepped back, a little disappointed. Her hands, which had begun to glow faintly, dimmed back to normal.
"And we didn't really fight," Ridley added. "So we're okay."
Liam acknowledged their report with a nod. The sunlight filtering through the leaves cast shifting patterns across his impassive face.
"Alright, let me close this mission," Liam said. He straightened slightly, his voice taking on a more formal tone. "With the information we gathered, their target was the girl with the ponytail. She has some sort of mind-reading ability, which would be pretty useful. Their mission was to capture her to gain an advantage in information gathering."
"But when they realized they couldn't finish this mission because of us," Liam continued, his voice cool, "they decided to kill the girl instead. They preferred her to die rather than let us get her. Such a crude action from a supposed-to-be-justice side." Disdain colored his usually neutral tone.
"So we killed them," Milo stated matter-of-factly. He picked at his nails, looking entirely unconcerned about the lives they'd just ended.
"Understandable! I would do the same!" Owen declared loudly. His voice echoed slightly in the quiet forest.
"You would do it either way," Ridley sighed. He rubbed his temples as if already feeling a headache coming on. "Anyway, we killed them all on our side too. Sorry, we didn't get any information."
"It's unfortunate, but we did what we came here for, so it was a job well done," Liam said.
Ridley nodded. "Hopefully this will leave a dent on the Arcane Keepers, even if it's just a little."
"Haha! They'll be crying when they find out four of their members are dead!" Owen boasted. He punched his palm for emphasis.
"I guess that's it, right?" Noah said, leaning against a tree. He plucked a leaf from a low-hanging branch, twirling it between his fingers. "Or is there anything else to do, boss man?"
"Let's lay low for now and see the Arcane Keepers' reaction to this," Liam instructed. His gaze swept over each of them, ensuring they understood. "You guys are dismissed."
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