Date: Friday, May 21, 2011, 9:21 pm
Location: Cactus City, Texas
"So, Mr. Casanova is a mutant as well, is he?" Taskmaster's voice was a low, speculative hum from behind his skull mask, his gaze never leaving Julius. "Is this who you were looking for, X-23? Your little prize?"
Laura didn't reply. She was in shock. The mutant she had been searching for, the Omega-class mutant who had so evasively escaped the X-Men's surveillance, was Julius. Julius, the boy who made her laugh and smile. The boy who was kind and sweet. The boy who had shown her a sliver of normalcy and warmth. Her mind reeled with the revelation, grappling with the impossible convergence of her mission and her burgeoning feelings.
However, right in front of her was no hesitant boy, but a man ready for battle.
Julius readied himself, dropping into a tight boxing stance. He was an experienced fighter, having trained rigorously in wrestling and MMA for years. Yet, after witnessing both Taskmaster and Laura's brutal efficiency, he understood. Taskmaster was a master combatant forged in life-or-death scenarios; in a purely physical battle, Julius knew he was no match.
He was going to do the one thing he was trying to prevent. The one thing that would expose him, make him an outcast, and potentially cause him to lose everything he held dear in his everyday life. He would have to fully reveal himself as a mutant.
Many in his shoes would hesitate, perhaps even refuse such a sacrifice. But Julius was different. Without a flicker of hesitation, his intent solely focused on saving Laura, he threw a quick straight and cross. Both attacks weren't fists, but tightly packed balls of flame, scorching the air as they shot towards Taskmaster.
Taskmaster, instantly sensing a disadvantage in range, didn't recoil. Instead, he rushed forward, raising his vibranium shield to block the incoming gouts of heat. The flames dissipated against the impenetrable surface with a hiss. As he closed the distance, Julius kicked the ground with a mighty stomp, raising a mound of earth that surged like a wave directly at Taskmaster. Taskmaster, ever the tactician, attempted to leap over it, not knowing its true nature. But as he was airborne, Julius stomped the ground again, and a pillar of earth exploded from beneath the initial mound, a jagged, earthen spear about to ram into Taskmaster mid-jump.
Taskmaster, with reflexes born of a thousand copied fights, was able to quickly bring his shield up, blocking the attack. The vibranium hummed, neutralizing the immense kinetic energy of the earthen pillar, but the force of the impact still lifted him and pushed him back several feet.
He landed gracefully, skidding to a halt. After a few seconds of assessing the chaotic, unexpected turn of events, Taskmaster's voice, tinged with a predatory interest, cut through the din. "So, an elemental, huh? Looks like this might be tricky."
Not wanting to give his opponent a break, Julius decided to maintain the pressure. He launched an uppercut, sending a nearby chunk of rock hurtling towards Taskmaster. Before the mercenary could fully react, Julius followed with a straight shot of flames, and then a powerful karate chop that unleashed a knife-sized blade of wind at him.
Taskmaster, abandoning his shield for the moment, slung it securely onto his back. He grasped his long sword with both hands and charged once more, aiming to close the distance. He deftly dodged the rock, then sprang out of the way of the flames. The blade of wind he met head-on, slicing it apart with his sword. Now, he was just three feet from Julius. He lunged forward, blade extended, attempting to impale Julius's chest.
But Julius did the unexpected. He didn't block or dodge. Instead, he met the blade with his bare hand, letting the sharp vibranium pierce his palm. Then, with a grimace of pain and an astonishing surge of will, he clenched his fist, trapping the blade within his hand, refusing to let it budge further.
"You better clench your teeth, asshole!" Julius stated, his voice a low, furious rumble. Ignoring the searing pain in his hand, he launched an uppercut with all his might.
Through years of countless battles, Taskmaster's instincts screamed at him. He knew, with chilling certainty, that he couldn't take this hit directly. He tried to rip his vibranium blade free from Julius's unyielding grasp, pulling with a desperate strength that bordered on frantic, but it was useless. Julius's grip was like a vise. With no other choice, Taskmaster yelled, "FUCK!" and instantly let go of his prized blade. He twisted his body, barely dodging the powerful uppercut aimed at his chin, the wind of the blow pushing him back.
Julius pulled the blade free from his palm, a sharp grimace twisting his face as the steel slid through the wound. He stared at the gleaming weapon in his hand for only a few precious seconds, admiring its sleek, almost otherworldly sharpness and the subtle, dark gleam of its surface. Despite its obvious quality, he knew wielding it now would be foolish. His strengths lay in his raw, elemental control and his practiced physical combat, not in swordsmanship. With a decisive thrust, he stabbed the special blade into the ground beside him, letting it stand upright, a temporary marker in the chaotic scene. He'd use his powers. He'd use his fists. That was his fight.
Taskmaster, on the other hand, was furious. His prized vibranium blade, disarmed and now stuck in the dirt like a forgotten toy, fueled his rage. "If you know what's good for you, give it back right now and I'll still give you a quick death," he snarled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "If not, I'm going to make sure to take my time with you, boy."
Julius didn't reply to Taskmaster's venomous threat. Instead, his gaze sharpened, studying the masked man before him. He'd been holding his own so far, not through superior combat skill, but by consistently surprising his opponent. Each elemental burst, each unorthodox move, had thrown Taskmaster off balance. But Julius knew his bag of tricks was limited. He needed to end this, and fast, if he genuinely wanted to win.
Taskmaster, on the other hand, mirrored Julius's assessment, though his thoughts were laced with irritation. He watched, utterly vexed, as the blade wound on Julius's palm visibly began to knit itself closed.
"Rapid healing, super strength, and now... earth, fire, and wind," Taskmaster muttered to himself, his voice a low, analytical growl barely audible behind the skull mask. "This one's a package deal, isn't he? Can't just copy the form, can I? That'd require... damage. Significant damage. And where's the profit in that, eh? No, no, direct mimicry is off the table here. This requires a different approach. Annoying."
Taskmaster, having completed his rapid assessment, made his move. He quickly retrieved his vibranium shield, snapping it onto his arm, and dropped into a low, predatory stance, ready to charge. Julius mirrored his aggression. He crouched into a sprinter's start, a low, guttural growl escaping his throat as flames flickered and danced at the corners of his mouth. He took slow, deep breaths, a barely contained inferno within.
A single leaf, detached from a branch above, began its slow, silent descent. It drifted lazily through the tense air, a lone, fragile witness to the impending clash. Both combatants remained motionless, their gazes locked, every muscle coiled for explosion. Seconds stretched into an agonizing eternity.
The moment the leaf finally, gently, touched the ground, the silence shattered. With synchronized fury, the two men charged at each other once more, at full, unyielding speed.
Julius was a blur. His superhuman speed and strength were now fully unleashed, the ground cracking and shaking beneath him as he launched towards Taskmaster like a missile. The distance vanished in an instant. Once in range, he fluidly shifted his body, dropping into a tight boxing stance, and threw the most powerful punch he could possibly muster. Taskmaster was once again caught off guard by the sheer, unexpected speed and raw power Julius produced, but it was already too late to back down. He continued his charge, complete faith in his new vibranium shield to absorb the blow.
However, the impossible occurred. When Julius's fist met Taskmaster's vibranium shield, the impact was monumental. Julius's punch initially seemed to have no effect, the shield absorbing the kinetic energy. But as the microseconds stretched, and the vibranium continued to take the whole, unrestrained force of an Omega-level mutant, something began to give. Taskmaster's rigid posture faltered, a flicker of genuine shock crossing the unmoving expanse of his skull mask. He was slowly, irrevocably, pushed back, his feet scraping the ground. Then, inches turned into feet, and a guttural grunt of surprise ripped from Taskmaster as he was lifted clear off the ground, his body helpless against the force. Julius's fist, a concentrated hammer of raw power, didn't just push; it punched a square dent into the middle of the shield, a spiderweb of fractures radiating from the impact point, and launched Taskmaster a full twenty yards away, sending him hurtling through the air to land with a jarring impact.
Taskmaster lay sprawled on the ground for a stunned moment, his new vibranium shield now a testament to Julius's impossible power. He pushed himself up, his movements stiff, a low growl of pure unadulterated rage escaping his mask. He had underestimated the kid, and that was a mistake Taskmaster rarely made, let alone one that cost him his blade and damaged his "unbreakable" shield. Laura, still recovering from her own brutal encounter with him, watched with wide eyes, a mix of awe and terror. This wasn't just superhuman strength; it was something else entirely, raw and untamed. Julius, meanwhile, stood panting, his hand still stinging, but a fierce, almost feral satisfaction in his eyes. The party, the music, the frightened screams—all faded into the background. Now, there were only three combatants left in the shattered remnants of the barn: a furious mercenary with a broken shield, a battered but healing mutant, and an Omega-level power unleashed for the first time.