For two days, whatever groups that have been clashing in the streets have managed to avoid Amelia and I while we’re running around everywhere else dealing with other problems, but enough is enough; we’re going to take care of it tonight.

  “I’m freezing.” Amelia complains. “And because I’m in this power armor, I can’t even stick my hands somewhere to warm them up. I blame you.”

  “I take full responsibility for you feeling cold and my own building migraine.” I say doing my best to track everything going on around us while I manage the headache.

  I’ve spent more power in the past few days than I’ve spent in entire weeks, and both physically and mentally I’m hitting my limit.

  On the bright side, I’m pretty sure I don’t run out of power. It’s just like a river always flowing.

  I know that I need to sleep soon. I’m running on empty, but with everything going on, I can’t bring myself to do that. I need to protect people. Which also means I need to make more progress on throwing my power in reverse.

  At least I can practice a little bit while we’re waiting for our what I’ll generously call a trap to spring.

  “Are you sure this is the best idea?” Amelia asks, putting a hand on my shoulder and breaking me out of my reverie.

  “No, but what’s better, dealing with the gang of criminals that have been fighting constantly or wandering around stopping folks who are robbing gas stations?” I shrug, keeping my focus on the area around us.

  “It just feels wrong to abandon people,” Amelia admits.

  “It does.” I agree. “But I don’t think Asher’s wrong that two groups of super criminals are doing smash and grabs while also fighting each other constantly.”

  “It is fun that because they’re a group, we get to actually fight together instead of you giving me unsolicited advice while I’m fighting,” Amelia says, shoving me lightly.

  “It was one time, and you asked for my opinion.”

  Amelia glances at the sky, considering something for a moment. “If I caused a massive blizzard, you think they would stop long enough that we could get some rest?”

  “Probably not, but it does sound tempting, doesn’t it?” I agree as I trace the loops of power flowing through me.

  “That really doesn’t help me when it comes to my desire to do it because if there’s a slight chance that it could work, I would really want to do it,” Amelia grumbles.

  I let out a noncommittal sound of agreement as I imagine the river of energy flowing into my hand and the glove wrapped around it.

  Just like all the times before, I imagine the energy being pulled instead of pushing. Before my eyes, it looks like my hand darkens. To me, it looks like it’s absorbing all light into infinite nothingness.

  Now, if I could get to the point, I could move or do anything while I’m in this state, I could say that I’m making improvements in? usable power development.

  “Still working on the reverse phasing thing?” Amelia asks, not content to sit in silence.

  “Y-” I trail off as my power flickers off back to normal. “Yeah, I’m trying to figure it out.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to learn the whole air-walking thing or phasing parts of people instead of reversing your ability?” Amelia muses.

  “Maybe, but it’s the one thing that I’m making progress on and…” I pause as I feel a group of people enter the edge of my range. It doesn’t exactly mean that they’re going to be part of the criminals fighting with each other, but I’m on edge regardless.

  “And?” Amelia asks, unable to perceive what has set me off.

  I’m about to respond to her before I feel another group enter, heading directly on a crash course to the others.

  “I feel two groups careening towards each other,” I say, standing up and forcing my focus back to the matter at hand.

  “You think it’s them?” Amelia asks, already ice boarding her way in the direction I was looking at.

  “I really hope so because I’m tired.” I say running in the same direction.

  “Are you sure we should be trying this without Miracle?” Amelia asks as she takes a sharp turn. “You’ve told me how well having to do hero stuff without him there to help and this seems pretty important.”

  “He’s working just as blind as us, so I don’t know how much he could help. Besides unlike you and me, he doesn’t recover nearly as fast.” I say, making sure to keep my breathing measured despite the desire to be gasping for breath. “Besides, I have you at my side, right? We’ll be okay.”

  “I have a slight correction.”

  “Oh?”

  “We’re going to be hella awesome.”

  As we close the distance, I make sure to retract my senses so that I can get everything in higher detail. Hopefully, the amount of firearms I’m feeling is a closer sign to this is who we are looking for over how unsafe everyone is beginning to feel.

  Part of me keeps poking at the sensation that maybe if I went out in public as a hero instead of trying to skulk about, we could make people feel better.

  “Oh, I was thinking.” Amelia says, her voice strained by the concentration, ice boarding as fast as she can. “I wanted to do a day patrol tomorrow and let people see that there’s a hero around making everything better. I hope it can help.”

  “That’s a good idea. But when are you going to sleep?” I ask already trying to figure out what I can do at the same time.

  There’s gotta be somewhere I can sneak into and start taking people down and have an actual impact. Maybe if we capture any of the crooks fighting right now, I’ll be able to figure out the options I have.

  “I’ll catch up eventually. Besides, I’m not close to bottoming out my powers, so it shouldn’t be that bad to keep going?” Amelia says lying to me.

  However, since she’s not calling out my lies about how fine or not fine I am, I don’t have many legs to stand on for my concern.

  “While you’re out touring the city, I’ll see if I can uncover anything. Finally, try and check the lab to see if they have sold off everyone in there.” I say as I begin to slow down as we start getting closer.

  “I don’t think I need you to lead me anymore.” Amelia says, skidding to a stop and spraying snow at me for no other reason than her own amusement. “I can hear the blasts of energy and gunshots now.”

  “Loud and fast?” I ask, darting over the roofs, forcing her to start moving again.

  “Is that the one where we just barrel into them and presume that they can’t hurt us?” Amelia asks. “Because that’s the only plan I remember at this point, and if they can cut through super ice and my armor, they can have my fleshy bits at this point.”

  I grunt in agreement as I crest a building to finally see what looks to be an action movie taking place below me.

  Energy blasts, a guy with a sword cutting through concrete like butter, a giant butterfly person the list goes on.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “You want to go first, or should I?” I say, crouching around a corner so that they hopefully don’t see me.

  “Well, the phrase is ladies first.” Amelia points out as I see snow begin to drift in front of me. “So I’m going in!”

  Glancing up, I see the armored form of Fractal bound over the air, crashing in an explosion of ice and snow into the center of the battlefield. “You all have the right to give up? Not sure. But yeah, please surrender?” She asks ice constructs forming around her.

  Since Amelia appointed herself as the loud one, I suppose that leaves me to be fast.

  Target picked out, I barrel into the back of one group and begin taking down what I think are regular gunmen by the second, metaphorically tearing through them as fast as possible. The bullets might not bother the two of us, but what about all the gang members here?

  Or, even more importantly, what about any civilians that happen to be in the area?

  The confusion of me rocketing into the back of one of the groups only lasts for a breath before the melee starts again, weapons and abilities flying.

  Everything seems to be moving in our favor as I strike down someone who looks to have their hair on fire.

  I hope that they don’t burn themselves with the fire hair; otherwise, that’s going to really suck.

  I spin around, blocking a hit from a crowbar before lightly jabbing them in the stomach as I take the crowbar from them before phasing it through the ground where it can join the other weapons below.

  Twisting around, a lunge, I phase a hand to reach through someone’s back and take the gun out of their hand.

  I keep myself solid as someone slams into me to protect the gang member I just disarmed.

  I don’t however remain solid once they’re lifting me into the air.

  Dropping through them, I go through the effort to trip them before lunging off in the direction of the next person.

  My focus is on staying mobile and using my powers to the best of my ability to disarm and take people out quickly as Amelia fends off the bigger guns in the game who seem real keen on taking out the newest hero in the city.

  Amelia seems to be significantly better about this whole superhero banter thing than I am, but whether that’s because of who she is or if she has been practicing secretly, I’m not sure.

  “My grandma always told me to not run with scissors. Do you think that applies with swords too? Because I do, and you really should stop running with that thing. I mean, look at how much ice is on the ground; you might slip and stab someone.” Amelia rambles as she plays keep-away with a guy with a giant sword.

  I glance over in that direction to see the sword cleave through a barrier of ice and a deep groove into the asphalt below. “You want to trade dance partners at least with the sword guy?” I ask ducking under another swing before kneeing the invisible person in the stomach.

  Poor invisible guy ended up facing a terrible match-up in me, so at least I can take him out quickly so he doesn’t feel entirely useless.

  “Yeah, that would be nice. There’s also some crazy loon who keeps putting ice and snow everywhere. You know how much work it is for me to clean it all up. Criminals, my man. No sense for other people’s time.” She says as she slams a boot into the ground, releasing a wave of ice energy, creating an ice rink in the middle of the battlefield.

  “I’m sure.” I say, leaping over someone currently stumbling on the ice to place myself in front of the swordsman. “Uh, hey?” I try before going to punch him.

  Alas, sword guy is far more prepared than I was in that moment, and he brings up his sword to block my fist.

  In an effort to not get stabbed, I phase my hand through the sword before turning my knuckles solid again as they collide with his sternum.

  He says something at me, but with him not having a communicator in my ear that will let me hear everything, I can’t make out what he says before he begins trying to cut me up.

  Despite what the movies have taught me, fighting someone with a sword is in fact not easy. And the fact that he’s stronger and faster than me isn’t helping.

  The sword, so far having been able to cut anything without trying isn’t helping the situation either.

  Between the skill and reach of the sword, I can’t get close, and while I could phase and rush him, the thought of him catching one of my not-phased bits and tearing off a chunk of me isn’t exactly helping me.

  It needs to be done, though.

  Scrambling back, I make some space before darting forward low to the ground, hopefully my ability to more easily navigate the winter wonderland we’re fighting in enough that I can pull off my scheme.

  Sword guy reacts exactly how you’d expect with the sword arcing down in the ?path to intercept me if I don’t phase, and even if I do, it’s aimed to clip my feet.

  I lunge to the side away from the sword as I throw the loose snow I picked up into his face, blinding him for a moment before slamming my boot into his side and sending him rolling across the battlefield ass over teakettle.

  Free for a moment, I cast my awareness around, seeing how the fight is going. Thankfully, between Amelia and I were quickly tearing through everyone, but both of us are slowing down.

  Amelia sweeps a bar of ice around, sending multiple people tumbling before releasing a burst of cold, freezing some kind of energy projector.

  When the swordsman gets up again, my attention immediately sweeps back in their direction. From everything I’ve felt, he’s the most dangerous super here, and it’s on me to take care of him.

  And he has about as much respect towards us having a one and one fight in the middle of a gang battle as everyone else as he charges, sword brought back for a devastating strike.

  He’s just not running towards me.

  Before I can fully process the situation, I’m already running hard.

  I scream in rage as I place myself between the sword and Amelia’s exposed back. My hand reaching up to catch the blade, I spike my power hard once more, my hand taking on the same abyssal appearance as my eyes.

  The sword that so far had sliced through anything as if it wasn’t even there slams into my gloved hand, not budging an inch.

  “Got you.” I snarl, my right fist flashing forward into the nose of the swordsman's face. “Who’s next?” I ask, looking around at the other criminals as my hand returns to its normal appearance.

  “Okay, now that sword boy is gone, I’m tired of playing.” Amelia says, and it feels as if everything drops several degrees. “Time for everyone to chill out.”

  As Amelia finishes her pun, I drop through the ground, not wanting to be there for whatever ice blast she’s about to release or deal with the fallout of how irritated everyone is about the pun.

  When I pull myself back up through the floor, a layer of ice several inches thick is covering the ground, freezing everyone to the floor except the super who did it, and she’s happily skating around.

  “You think we can take the sword as a souvenir?” Amelia asks quietly. “Now, you all are going to be waiting all nice and good for the police, right? You don’t want to become humancicles or get abyssed right?” She asks, pointing at someone who was straining against the ice.

  Turns out, getting flash frozen and watching someone with an impossible sword being stopped with a single hand was awful for their collective morale.

  As we move about restraining all the normal folk and incapacitating everyone, we know has powers, my headache begins to grow in intensity.

  Thankfully, nobody tries to fight back, and they’re all handed off to the police with most of the weapons as well.

  Who knows where the sword went? I’m sure Amelia has no idea.

  “You ready to patrol elsewhere?” I ask, stretching my left hand and trying to get over the stiff sensation that’s been plaguing me since catching the sword.

  “Long night ahead.” Amelia agrees walking off in a new direction away from the fight scene.

  “How bad is it?” I ask, walking alongside her as I feel her ice armor begin to melt away through the mind map.

  “Let’s just say we definitely match.” She laughs.

  “I’m fine.” I lie reflexively.

  “I bet your eyes are hurting enough that you are just watching everyone through your magic seeing brain.” Amelia giggles. “We just need to stick the landing right we can rest as much as we need afterwards.”

  “The question is when’s the landing?” I say, wondering if at this point it's time to ask Travis for help.

  “Uh, if we get to three days without sleep, at that point I could be convinced that we need a break.” Amelia muses.

  “So the night before we’re supposed to pick up Bianca from Cass?”

  “Obviously, just because I’m trying to be superheroes and save the world doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon our daughter.” Amelia says. “Alright, game plan for today, run me through it.” She says, leaning against me to the best of her ability as we patrol.

  “Patrol. Load up on caffeine and hot chocolate for you. You want to do a day patrol and see what’s what. I’m going to sneak into the lab. Halfway through the day, Asher will get back on, and I think that covers it.”

  “You starting to wish that you stuck with the vigilante thing and doing it all on your schedule?”

  “Nope. I’m chilling.”

  “That wasn’t funny.”

  “It was hilarious.”

  “I’ve had enough of you.” She laughs, pulling away. “We’ll split here. I’ll take old towne today, and you explore that a way?” She asks, making a gesture in the general direction of away from old towne.

  “Got it.” I say, turning and beginning to run in that direction.

  I make it all the way to the top of a building before sagging down, needing to sit for a moment.

  Expanding my awareness out to the full distance, I slowly parse through all the information looking for something I can help with.

  Mugging.

  Robbery.

  Speeding.

  Pack of animals running through the street pulling a sled with some guy on top of it.

  That last one’s definitely for me. With a groan, I push myself to my feet and begin free running towards animal lord.

  One foot in front of the other.

  Discord

  Patreon