Elena crouched low, bow drawn, the string trembling under her fingers. Her breaths came short, ragged, anticipation braided tightly with fear.
Her pulse hammered, eyes darting between Billy's looming form and the shadows that could hide another strike at any moment.
Billy rolled his shoulder, mechanical arm hissed as hydraulic joints shifted, gears grinding beneath black steel plating. — Sparks flickered across its surface.
black steel and cables flexing beneath his sleeve. "You really want to do this, Elena?" he asked, voice cold. "You'll regret it."
Scarlett appeared beside her, twin daggers glowing faint gold, teleportation energy shimmering like liquid around her feet.
Max's jaw tightened as his needles rose into the air, hovering, poised, his telekinesis humming with restrained force.
"Funny," Max muttered, voice low. "That's what you said before you nearly killed me in training."
Billy's grin spread, cruel and empty. "And I was right, wasn't I?" Then he surged forward.
The forest trembled as his speed became monstrous, the mechanical arm a blur of lethal intent. Every step cracked roots, small branches snapping under his weight.
The first punch came fast — aimed at Max, smashing through his telekinetic shield with a sound like breaking glass.
Max was hurled into a tree trunk, blood spraying as bark splintered across his chest. He slid down the coarse bark, coughing up blood and gasping for air.
"Max!" Scarlett shouted, Scarlett blinked forward, dagger poised — but Billy's arm came up in a split-second, the collision sending sparks and shredded bark into the air.
He twisted her wrist, throwing her sideways; she hit the ground hard, leaves and dirt embedding into her skin. A small cut opened across her cheek, crimson streaking her pale face.
Elena loosed an arrow, flaring with telekinetic energy. It cut through the air in a high-pitched whistle, detonating behind Billy with a concussive boom that flung dirt and leaves everywhere. He stumbled, growling, Then twisted midair, unaffected, muscles and wires flexing as if she hadn't even touched him.
Then Blob roared, charging like a battering ram, club raised high. The massive brute swung his club, Elena ducked under his first swing, feeling the wind tear at her hair, then rolled as the club smashed into the ground, splintering it and flinging dirt into the air. smashing into the earth with such force that the dirt erupted in a geyser of soil and shattered roots.
Elena barely avoiding a strike that would have crushed her chest. Another arrow fired, slicing through his shoulder, blood spurting, the sinew beneath visible through the jagged tear.
Another swing came — a wild, desperate arc meant to end her. She gritted her teeth, raising her hands instinctively. Blue energy pulsed and surged from her palms, coiling around her like living fire.
The power exploded outward, a tidal wave of energy. Leaves shredded, tree bark splintered, and Blob's body was lifted violently. He screamed, a wet, gurgling sound, then some heavy coughs of blood.
The blue energy impaled him against a tree branch — the bark shattered, shards embedding into his body. His guts spilled across the branch, green and red, oozing down as the magical force pressed him further against the branch . Blood sprayed over the forest floor in a horrifying rain, sizzling where his blood touched the earth.
Scarlett staggered back, her face pale. "Elena… you… you killed him."
Elena's hands trembled, the energy still coursing through her veins. "I didn't mean… he—he would've killed us!" she whispered, horror and awe mingling in her voice.
Billy's eyes darkened. Not for Blob's death — but because he had been denied the kill. Rage twisted his features.
"You stole my kill!" he roared, charging with his arm ignited in a red-hot glow, electricity crackling along the steel. The ground erupted beneath him as he swung at Elena, sending a shockwave that scorched the dirt and splintered nearby trees.
Billy staggered, fury twisting inside. He slammed his real fist into the dirt, unleashing a pulse of force that froze the trio mid-motion. Trees groaned, leaves rattling violently, and the forest seemed to recoil from his energy.
He surged again. Every movement was calculated, every strike lethal. He threw Max into a boulder with a sickening crunch — Max cried out as ribs cracked beneath the impact.
Scarlett teleported, slicing at him again, but Billy's free hand grabbed her mid-blink, slamming her into a thick tree trunk. Her daggers scraped uselessly against bark, leaving shallow, burning cuts on her palms.
Elena fired arrow after arrow, each imbued with energy, each explosion of light and force shaking the ground. Sparks from Billy's exposed circuits flew with each impact, embedding in trees and earth, small fires igniting along the forest floor.
He retaliated with a sweep of his arm, slicing through the air with enough force to throw Elena to the ground. She skidded across roots and stones, catching herself. Blood dripped from Elena's forehead where bark had grazed her skin.
Elena barely rolled aside, loosing another arrow, but Billy's fingers caught the bowstring mid-draw, snapping it like twine. He slammed her into a tree, artificial arm pressing against her throat. Gears whined, sparks flying from his broken joints.
"Get. The. Fuck. Off. Me. Now!" she screamed, energy flaring uncontrollably.
A massive shockwave burst from her chest, ripping through the clearing. Billy was thrown back several meters, his arm damaged, sparks flying, plating torn away to reveal glowing circuits.
Billy's arm ignited, circuits sparking violently, each movement leaving trails of burning earth in its wake.
He lunged at Elena, Forcing her into a tree, wood cracked sharply, splintering into jagged shards. He slammed her into the tree again, splinters digging into her arms and chest, and she gasped, lightheaded.
Energy flared from her palms, a pulse of raw power that sent him flying backward. He hit a tree with a resonating crash, sparks scattering from his arm plating, circuits visibly burning.
Max and Scarlett seized the moment, Max lifted debris, hurling it with telekinetic force, each rock, branch, and clod of dirt striking Billy with a thud that made the earth tremble.
Scarlett moved like a ghost, teleporting behind him and slashing wires and cables, each cut sending showers of sparks and sparks, small arcs of electricity dancing across the ground.
Billy roared, "FUCK!," staggering, rage dripping from every line of his body. His mechanical arm spasmed uncontrollably, sparks flying like deadly confetti. He slammed the ground, freezing the three in place again with an overwhelming pulse of energy. Not knowing how long he can hold them for. His chest heaved, half his arm destroyed, eyes glowing with fury.
Then, finally, he backed away, growling. "This isn't over!" he hissed, voice metallic, twisted with rage. "You'll regret this!" And then he bolted, disappearing into the forest, leaving behind torn trees, scorched earth, and a trail of destruction and the echoes of his fury lingering like a storm.
Silence fell. The forest seemed to breathe again.
The four survivors sank to the forest floor, breathing heavily, bodies trembling from exertion and fear. Blood, sweat, and ash coated their skin. Blob's corpse fell from the splintered tree with a thud, his blood dripping down, hissing against the cracked bark, the smell coppery and acidic.
Her hands shook violently.
"I didn't mean to…" she whispered, voice breaking.
Scarlett knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You had no choice. You survived. That's what matters."
Max wiped blood from his face and surveyed the destruction. glancing toward the treeline. "We need to get back before the arsehole comes for us again."
Elena's hands still glowed faintly from the lingering energy, trembling, standing unsteadily. "Let's grab Fin. Marek needs to know what happened."
They lifted Fin between them, the young scout unconscious but alive. Around them, the forest was scarred — leaves shredded, trees damaged, and the air still buzzing faintly from the lingering energy.
Each step back to camp was cautious, heavy. The forest seemed alive with every creak of branches, every crack of fallen leaves underfoot. Blood and scorched earth filled the air with an iron scent that burned the lungs.
The path back was a slow march through chaos, each moment a reminder of the raw, brutal power they had just faced — and the deadly promise that the fight was far from over.
The faint smell of blood and magic hung heavy.
Meanwhile…
Billy stumbled into Marek's camp as the sun began to sink. Dirt, blood, and sparks of scorched metal streaked his face.
Marek turned sharply eyes narrowed. "What happened to you? Where's Bob?" he barked.
"They turned on me, sir," Billy said, kneeling, his arm sparking violently. "Elena… Max… all of them. Bob tried to stop them… they killed him."
"Killed him?" Marek's voice cut sharply, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
Billy nodded, lips curling into a hidden smile. "They went rogue. You have to stop them before they come back."
Marek's jaw tightened. "Get that arm fixed. I'll deal with this."
"Thank you… sir," Billy muttered, voice low, almost a whisper, malice barely contained beneath it.