They’d crossed the border into Rendon a while ago, and Roman could see the edge of the forest, giving way to flat grasslands that extended all the way into the horizon. He stuck close to the plane as it landed, prepared to help in case the unideal terrain caused something to go horribly awry, but to the pilot’s credit, nothing did.
Roman touched down as well, choosing to simply stand still while his body fixed itself. There was nothing that took a great amount of time to regenerate--just some snapped bones, torn muscles, and likely a bit of internal hemorrhaging. All things he could more or less shrug off. He would certainly feel it later, though.
Hanjir didn’t even bother to turn off the engines. He pulled the door open and jumped out into the grass, wasting no time in throwing another wave of destruction.
It wasn’t exactly slow, but it certainly wasn’t fast enough to hit Roman. He propelled himself out of the way, bounding across the ground in leaping strides. Hanjir tried to cut him off, but Roman just zagged away from the next attack, getting Hanjir to pursue him. He needed the Abolisher to move away from the plane so that he could capitalize on the open environment as much as possible.
Roman circled around Hanjir and engulfed the man in an invisible cage of crushing pressure. More precisely, it was a spherical, inward-facing shock wave, the very same thing he had once used to temporarily suppress an explosion from Desmond.
Hanjir gave it little consideration, however, and merely punched through. He attacked again, forcing Roman left.
Roman readied his fire. The trick of it was to set his own flesh ablaze. By invigorating particles at a concentrated point, natural heat would increase, dry out his skin, and subsequently ignite it. He found it easiest to make a tiny flame and help it spread, rather than trying to set his whole hand alight at once. And after the flames grew large enough, he could project them out with a shock wave, effectively shooting fire at the enemy.
A dark serial novel. Set in a modern fantasy world called Eleg. Mature language. Updates every day at noon PST by ~400 words.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Page 543
Hanjir wrapped one arm around the pilot’s seat.
‘Are you kidding me?’ said Voreese.
Hanjir’s hand reared back.
‘He’s not kidding me. Get ready to dodge.’
When Hanjir threw his hand forward, a path of destruction flew out of it, annihilating the windshield.
Roman avoided the attack easily enough, and he and Voreese merely watched as the cockpit depressurized, very nearly sucking Hanjir out into the sky.
‘What a fucking lunatic!’ said Voreese. ‘He’s a destruction type! He can’t even fly, and he does THAT?!’ Then to the other reaper, Voreese yelled, ‘YOUR SERVANT IS STUPID AS FUCK!’
‘Voreese, that’s not helping--’
‘No, YOU’RE stupid as fuck, you bitch!’
Another wave of destruction came for Roman, and he dodged it even more easily than the first one. ‘Okay, maybe it’s helping.’
‘DUMB SHIT!’ said Voreese. ‘HOW’D HE EVEN LEARN TO FLY A PLANE?!’
Roman hadn’t realized how obnoxiously loud she could make her supposedly soundless voice. He knew she could be annoying, but this--he was just flat out impressed.
‘Shut up and die, already!’ the other reaper was saying.
‘LAND THE PLANE SO WE CAN HAVE A REAL FIGHT!’
And Roman understood what she was doing. With a hole in the plane, the depressurization put all of the normal people aboard in danger, and neither could Roman attack without potentially blowing it up or otherwise causing it to crash. But if they could get the pilot to make an emergency landing, then matters would be dramatically simplified.
‘You idiots wouldn’t stand a chance against Hanjir on the ground!’
‘YEAH, RIGHT! ROMAN WILL MAKE THAT GUY EAT HIS OWN DICK!’
‘Hanjir, land the plane so we can kill these fucks!’
‘Wow,’ said Roman, watching as Hanjir strapped himself back into the pilot’s seat. ‘I almost can’t believe that worked.’
‘It’s Abolish,’ said Voreese privately. ‘Odds are about fifty-fifty that any given member is one of the stupidest motherfuckers on the planet.’
‘Maybe. It also helps that you’re the most irritating person who ever lived.’
‘Aww, Roman, you sweet talker. You’ll make me blush.’
Roman followed the plane’s descent toward the ground.
‘Are you kidding me?’ said Voreese.
Hanjir’s hand reared back.
‘He’s not kidding me. Get ready to dodge.’
When Hanjir threw his hand forward, a path of destruction flew out of it, annihilating the windshield.
Roman avoided the attack easily enough, and he and Voreese merely watched as the cockpit depressurized, very nearly sucking Hanjir out into the sky.
‘What a fucking lunatic!’ said Voreese. ‘He’s a destruction type! He can’t even fly, and he does THAT?!’ Then to the other reaper, Voreese yelled, ‘YOUR SERVANT IS STUPID AS FUCK!’
‘Voreese, that’s not helping--’
‘No, YOU’RE stupid as fuck, you bitch!’
Another wave of destruction came for Roman, and he dodged it even more easily than the first one. ‘Okay, maybe it’s helping.’
‘DUMB SHIT!’ said Voreese. ‘HOW’D HE EVEN LEARN TO FLY A PLANE?!’
Roman hadn’t realized how obnoxiously loud she could make her supposedly soundless voice. He knew she could be annoying, but this--he was just flat out impressed.
‘Shut up and die, already!’ the other reaper was saying.
‘LAND THE PLANE SO WE CAN HAVE A REAL FIGHT!’
And Roman understood what she was doing. With a hole in the plane, the depressurization put all of the normal people aboard in danger, and neither could Roman attack without potentially blowing it up or otherwise causing it to crash. But if they could get the pilot to make an emergency landing, then matters would be dramatically simplified.
‘You idiots wouldn’t stand a chance against Hanjir on the ground!’
‘YEAH, RIGHT! ROMAN WILL MAKE THAT GUY EAT HIS OWN DICK!’
‘Hanjir, land the plane so we can kill these fucks!’
‘Wow,’ said Roman, watching as Hanjir strapped himself back into the pilot’s seat. ‘I almost can’t believe that worked.’
‘It’s Abolish,’ said Voreese privately. ‘Odds are about fifty-fifty that any given member is one of the stupidest motherfuckers on the planet.’
‘Maybe. It also helps that you’re the most irritating person who ever lived.’
‘Aww, Roman, you sweet talker. You’ll make me blush.’
Roman followed the plane’s descent toward the ground.
Page 542
Exhilarating as it was to fly under his own power, it still demanded quite a bit of Roman’s concentration to sustain. He was essentially just using strong, controlled vibrations to fling himself through the air, and it all felt rather haphazard, like any simple misstep might send him whirling out of control. Moreover, if he hadn’t focused his soul into his head and strengthened his resilience there, the constant force against his skull would have left him completely disoriented. Voreese wouldn’t have let him fall unconscious, of course, but that hardly would have made much difference if he couldn’t even see or think straight.
As he drew closer, the jet’s true speed became clearer, and Roman slowed down to match it, gradually positioning himself beneath the blue-gray underbelly.
‘Fifteen souls on board,’ Voreese informed him. ‘Can’t tell if there’s a reaper with them, but if there is, then they know we’re here.’
‘Right,’ said Roman. ‘How do you want me to do this?’
‘Hmm.’
‘You don’t even have a plan, do you?’
‘I’m thinking.’
The plane banked right, hard and sudden.
‘Think faster, please.’
‘Shut the fuck up. Go around to the nose and get us a view of the pilot first.’
Roman accelerated and did as she requested. Through the window, they could see Hanjir, a burly man with wild hair. He was looking right back at them, and a reaper sat perched on his shoulder.
‘Guess that answers that,’ said Voreese privately.
‘Yeah, but now what?’ said Roman. ‘Garovel was right. If I just shoot it down, the soldiers in there will probably die.’
‘I’m sure there are parachutes on board,’ said Voreese.
‘Are you seriously telling me to attack it now?’
‘Bah. I guess not. Let’s just wait for it to land and then fight this asshole there. I hate to waste time, but--’
The pilot stood up from the controls.
‘The fuck does he think he’s doing?’ said Voreese. And then, publicly, ‘Hey! The fuck do you think you’re doing?!’
The other reaper chimed in now. ‘You morons are dead! Get ‘em, Hanjir!’
As he drew closer, the jet’s true speed became clearer, and Roman slowed down to match it, gradually positioning himself beneath the blue-gray underbelly.
‘Fifteen souls on board,’ Voreese informed him. ‘Can’t tell if there’s a reaper with them, but if there is, then they know we’re here.’
‘Right,’ said Roman. ‘How do you want me to do this?’
‘Hmm.’
‘You don’t even have a plan, do you?’
‘I’m thinking.’
The plane banked right, hard and sudden.
‘Think faster, please.’
‘Shut the fuck up. Go around to the nose and get us a view of the pilot first.’
Roman accelerated and did as she requested. Through the window, they could see Hanjir, a burly man with wild hair. He was looking right back at them, and a reaper sat perched on his shoulder.
‘Guess that answers that,’ said Voreese privately.
‘Yeah, but now what?’ said Roman. ‘Garovel was right. If I just shoot it down, the soldiers in there will probably die.’
‘I’m sure there are parachutes on board,’ said Voreese.
‘Are you seriously telling me to attack it now?’
‘Bah. I guess not. Let’s just wait for it to land and then fight this asshole there. I hate to waste time, but--’
The pilot stood up from the controls.
‘The fuck does he think he’s doing?’ said Voreese. And then, publicly, ‘Hey! The fuck do you think you’re doing?!’
The other reaper chimed in now. ‘You morons are dead! Get ‘em, Hanjir!’
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