Explosions rocked the compound as Ozzy and Emil sat under the supervision of the ever-watchful Remir. Ozzy still couldn’t believe that’s what he was called. It was like his mother had gone and named him practically the worst thing she could’ve thought of. Though Ozzy would grant he was ugly enough for it.

  It had been close to a minute since the elf had left, and the degree and frequency of explosions had only increased since then. It was like listening to the end of the world just outside of the edge slinger territory, the raucous noise occasionally interspersed by the screams and cries of what Ozzy could only assume were the dying.

  “Reinforce the others, I can handle these two.” Remir said to his contemporaries, watching them run out without so much as a glimmer of emotion before turning to look back at Ozzy and Emil.

  A look passed between Ozzy and Emil. This was an opportunity, a serious one. All they had to do was get through one dude, and they’d be smooth sailing. Sure, they’d need to make sure elf guy died in whatever was going on outside or they’d have longer term problems but for now Ozzy really only wanted to focus on the one problem.

  “You could act like this building was attacked and we got away you know.” Ozzy offered, always eager for a peaceful resolution.

  “And ave’ the boss gut me for it? Don’t think so stranger.” Remir said, shaking his head slowly.

  “Do you think we can take him?” Ozzy asked, looking over at Emil for confirmation.

  “Nope.” Emil said curtly, though he came to stand beside Ozzy, staring Remir down.

  “But we’re gonna do it anyways?” Ozzy asked.

  “Yep.”

  The first strike came neither from Ozzy nor Emil but from Remir. A streak of scalding water crossing the room at speed, heading directly for Ozzy in a steaming arc.

  Rolling to the side Ozzy dodged, a surge of adrenaline smoothing his movements as he came up to a knee in a ready to fire position. His revolver formed in his hands, the familiar weight as comforting within his grasp as an old lover.

  BANG BANG BANG

  Ozzy squeezed three shots off as the scalding water passed by him on the right, landing with force completely incongruous with any other spray of water Ozzy had ever seen. Tile blew up into the air, shards catching Ozzy on the side as he heard the telltale sizzle of something burning.

  A translucent bubble of the same scalding liquid which at this point Ozzy wasn’t sure was water popped up in front of the man, spinning faster and faster as he pulled the air like he was turning the wheel of a car. It caught the bullets, spinning them off to the sides and into the tile behind him.

  Squeezing off another three shots and reloading Ozzy watched as Emil cast his own spell, sending a ball of arcing electricity at the spinning shield. Before it could strike Remir shoved his hands out, spraying a boiling mist out in front of him like a geyser. It caught the orb of electricity in a watery embrace, absorbing the raging electricity and sending it flying right back at Emil.

  It caught Emil in the chest, launching him backwards in a spasming and scalding mess.

  “Find something to help Emil.” Ozzy said, summoning Frank who sped off towards the treasures in search of something to heal him.

  With a snap the revolver was reloaded and back up, trying to catch Remir, who was moving across the tile like an ice skater, the same scalding liquid covering his feet and propelling him forward as he cast streams of boiling liquid he’d cast earlier directly at Ozzy.

  Diving to the side he fanned the hammer at his rapidly moving opponent like he was some western action star. Bullets collided with the sprays of liquid, diverting from their original coursers and yet slowing the attacks all the same. All save for a singular bullet, flying between the attacks and straight for Remir.

  The bullet piercing an outstretched leg as Remir went to take his next sliding step, tearing through muscle, tendon, and bone. He went skidding, falling and rolling as he shouted a curse out at Ozzy.

  Remir’s circular shield was back a moment later, slapping six rounds to the sides as Ozzy rapid fired into it. He was just about to reload when a flash of light behind him caught his attention.

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  Frank was hunched over a writhing Emil, two shards and a potion set up on top of what had been a burned and injured man. He was getting a mid-fight power up from the ever-reliable Frank however, and the two shards that he was currently clutching looked expensive.

  The shard closer to Ozzy glowed and gleamed a myriad of prismatic colors, it was like the rainbow lights that always escaped those fancy prisms had been trapped and contained within the crystal shard. The second was a simple translucent color, nothing flashy or overtly magical but Ozzy got the vibe Frank had chosen it for a reason.

  Emil was up moments later, his figure glowing with power and he stretched both hands out, a minuscule beam of light stretching to reach between his hands and the spinning barrier of liquid.

  Watching in and eager for some crazy attack Ozzy was surprised and a little disappointed as nothing happened. The glowing hunter simply stood there like, still as a statue. Then Remir yelped.

  Surprise colored Ozzy’s face as he turned to look at the thug, who began spinning his water shield faster and faster. With a start he realized why, the beam, stretching between Emil and the water shield was beginning to grow thicker, and steam was blowing off of the spinning shield in thicker and thicker quantities as by the second the beam got thicker and hotter.

  Once again Remir threw his shield forward, sending it directly for Emil but this time with much different results. The beam only grew in size and power, and before the attack could reach Emil it evaporated completely in the face of what was practically a disintegration beam at this point. As the last of the shield evaporated it was once again landing on the thug, who screamed and turned away from the beam, trying to skate away on conjured water only for it to evaporate under his feet sending him sprawling once more to the floor where the attack set his clothes on fire.

  Screaming like he was getting burned alive or something Remir threw grabbed at the air around his hips and pulled, raising it up and in concert with his movements an enshrouding mist rose into existence around him, the ability serving two purposes. Dousing the flames and concealing everything save Remir’s heavy and ragged breathing.

  Perhaps not learning his lesson Emil cast a second orb of electricity towards Remir, though this time the attack wasn’t returned to them, Emir instead opting to dodge. The thug rose above the sea of mist like an avenging angel, a spout of water beneath his feet sending him at the recently arisen hunter like a missile.

  Ozzy hadn’t sat idly by waiting however, he’s crossed the room in a dead sprint, making a break for his rifle where the Elf had thrown it earlier. He hadn’t wanted to unsummon and re-summon the weapon as he would’ve had to spend the majority of his mana on a new bullet for the weapon. When he’d really just needed a break in the fight to get a hold of it.

  Scooping the weapon up he turned to spot Emil and Remir in the midst of a deadly exchange of blows. Emil had his sword out, wielding it with one hand while his other had been transfigured into a massive, clawed appendage that Ozzy could only guess was a wortle’s arm and claw. It was huge, the arm and claw nearly as wide as Emil’s torso, yet they made an amazing shield.

  Remir was no slouch however, and he railed against Emil’s defenses using a mix of burning liquid attacks and a frozen mace that left bloody gashes in Emil’s claw arm wherever it struck. It was nearly impossible for Emil to make a counterattack, so rapid were Emil’s follow up strikes, the only reason he hadn’t disengaged was probably to buy Ozzy the time he needed to grab his rifle.

  The moment Emil saw that Ozzy had succeeded in his recovery mission he disengaged, casting an orb of electricity in Remir’s face to buy time and conjuring his war shell ability. It paused their confrontation, and Remir began to bash his mace into the dome to little effect. Only turning towards the gunslinger just in time to catch the flash of Ozzy’s rifle.

  By the time the synapses if Remir’s brain had registered the image of a muzzle flash the round was making its way through his chest, punching through his side to break ribs, pierce lungs and explode just as it began to exit his right side leaving a craterous wound where his lung should have been and taking a chunk out of his arm.

  Yet against all odds, Remir stayed standing.

  With a look of rage and a silent wheezing shout he flew, activating the same waterspout ability he had used to reach Emil activating as he sent himself directly at Ozzy. Striking him squarely in the torso, the sheer force folding Ozzy’s body around him.

  The strike stole the breath out of Ozzy’s lung, and he tried to take a breath as they flew, only for a second impact to rob him of even the want of air. They collided with the massive rooms wall, spilling treasure from where it sat in alcoves and sending paintings tumbling to the ground in a cascade of shattering frames and spilling canvas.

  Remir began to hail blows down on Ozzy, his fists coating themselves with ice and turning each strike into bone breaking, flesh rending hits. Yet Ozzy was not completely without defense.

  Raising his hands Ozzy sought to catch something, an arm, an elbow, it didn’t matter he just needed something. He’d been beaten driven half to death by the time Remir was sloppy enough to let it happen. By either luck or fate Ozzy latched onto what felt like an elbow, and activated his newest ability, Powder Strike.

  Heat and a wave of force were the preludes to a scream of such pain and volume it was almost deafening, opening his blurry and bruised eyes Ozzy saw Remir get up to stand, holding the blackened stump of his left arm as he staggered back in surprise. His next scream was silenced as out of nowhere Frank appeared, latching onto his carotid artery and tearing, sending a geyser of crimson blood spraying out in an arc with the rapid rhythm of Remir’s dying heart.

  He gurgled, it was all Remir could do as he fell to his knees, looking at Ozzy with hate in his eyes. Until with a flash of steel, the thugs head was severed from his neck, ending their battle, and placing them one step closer to freedom.