KINETIC

After seeing a building get impaled by dozens of ice spikes, Leo lifted Connor into his arms and looked over the side of the wall.

The Royal Army soldiers had defeated the cultists and were being treated for any injuries that were received.

Seeing that the fighting was done, apart from the ice user, Leo jumped over the side of the wall and made use of Fly just before hitting the ground.

He was concerned that a rough landing might have an effect on Connors condition so he did this as a precaution.

He looked for the healer that was treating the less intense injuries and ran towards her. She was treating a soldier that had some broken fingers.

"You need to heal him, now." Leo ordered as he placed Connor on the floor beside her.

The healer looked from Leo to Connor, noticing the green veins and pale skin. "What happened!?"

"He was poisoned by an ability." Leo said. Another blast of ice erupted out from an alleyway a few street away. "I need to go help, do what you can to save, use all your Energy if you have to." Leo ordered as he took off running.

The healer started pouring her Energy into Connor and immediately his face became more relaxed, his pain somewhat alleviated.

***

After jumping from the second floor of the porcupined building, Duke Wesley was contemplating how best to stall for time.

The Imperium woman wasn't giving him much opportunity to think. Less than a minute had gone by and she was already in the same street as the Duke.

As she walked towards the Duke, several constructs made of ice appeared in the air around her.

Arrows, flat disc's with sharp edges, spiked balls, anything that could crush or cut. There were dozens of them, all varying in sizes and shapes.

One by one the constructs were flung towards the Duke. For the smaller and sharper ones, he would deflect or destroy them with his sword.

The larger and more solid constructs had to be dodged, otherwise he would be risking his swords durability.

As the woman walked at a leisurely pace towards the Duke, he continued to back away while trying to avoid getting hit.

The larger constructs proved easier to handle as they moved slower, likely due to their weight. The smaller ones were a nightmare to deal with and demanded extreme focus.

The smaller the construct, the faster it moved and the harder it was to hit. The Duke was covered in cuts from the attacks he couldn't deal with.

As the woman threw her constructs at the Duke, she would constantly create more to replace the ones she used. As long as she had the Energy, she could attack forever.

Eventually, the constant flow of projectiles became too much and Duke Wesley dived into an alleyway.

He ran down the alleyway, looking back as he did. As he reached the halfway point, the woman rounded the corner and entered the same alley.

Ice erupted from her feet, creeping along the floor and walls as it approached the Duke, threatening to consume him.

He ran for the street ahead, diving to the side as he escaped the alley. The ice stopped it's approach once it reach the end of alley, the connected walls and buildings still partially being covered.

The Duke was standing up, preparing to continue running, when someone grabbed onto him and pulled him to his feet.

"Finally." The Duke said with a sigh of relief "She's powerful, very powerful. Don't underestimate her."

"I won't. The soldiers are done fighting and Connor is injured. I don't know where Leonard is but when you regroup with the soldiers, see if you can find him." Leo said.

"I'll do what I can. Good luck." The Duke said before leaving the area.

The ice that had completely covered the alley was now partially melted, creating a path down the middle that the woman walked through.

As exited the alley, she saw the Duke falling back while an Infernai stayed behind to fight her. She seemed displeased as she watched the Duke leaving but she quickly turned her focus to Leo.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment and then lit up with a look of realization. "Your that boy from a few months ago, Number 41." The woman said.

Leo took a step back from the surprise of hearing someone refer to him that way after so many months had passed since that time of his life ended.

He hadn't paid much attention to her features till now and her face was still partially in darkness, but when she referred to him that way, Leo also had a realization.

"You're the captain from the slave camp..." Leo said.

"Correct. Though it was all fake for me. I just used that position so I could search the camp." The woman said.

"So you were already with the cult at that time... What were you looking for then?" Leo asked.

"You. Well not you specifically. I knew that the person I needed to find was supposed to be in that camp but I didn't know who it was. It's the reason I kept the slavers from killing you with their whips, I wasn't sure if you were the one i was looking for.

When you escaped I was certain you were the one but I couldn't follow you and the slavers were moving their base of operations. I left to inform the cult and one thing led to another, now we're here." The woman explained with an expressionless face and monotonous tone.

"Why are you trying to capture me? Why does the cult need me specifically?"

"You don't know what you are, do you?"

"You...know I'm not human?" Leo asked with a surprised tone.

"Of course I do, it's why we need you. You're the only on eof your kind that exists right now and we need you to free The Great Ones." The woman's lips curled into a smile as she mentioned the great ones.

"The Great Ones, what are they and why do they need to be freed?" Leo asked in a demanding tone.

"Wow, you really don't know anything at all. Haven't 'they' contacted you yet? I assumed they would be working with you to stop us.

Wait, have you been fighting us just because we're trying to capture you? Not because 'they' told you to?" Her tone became one of confusion and surprise.

"I don't know who 'they' are but I don't need someone to tell me to stop you. You came after me first, I'm just defending myself. Saving the people of this kingdom is a secondary priority." Leo said with an aggressive tone.

"I told them not to try and capture you through force while you were at the academy but no, they thought you were already working with 'them'." The woman sighed.

"Who are The Great Ones, why do you follow their orders? What exactly are the Imperiums?"

This was the most Leo had ever managed to get from a cultist. Most of them either didn't know anything important or they refused to answer his questions. He wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

"The Imperiums are just humans that were given power by The Great Ones, it's nothing complicated. The Great Ones...let's just say they aren't like us humans. Well, you're kind of like them but not exactly." The woman said in a monotonous tone.

"What does that even mean? Stop answering in such a roundabout way and just tell me what they are!" Leo shouted, his frustration getting the better of him.

The woman smiled at Leo's angry expression "Fine, how about this. You're supposed to be really strong, right? Well, if you can defeat me then I'll answer all your questions in detail." The woman said with a smile on her face.

"I just have to defeat you, that's it? And you'll answer my questions?" Leo asked.

"It's as simple as that." The woman said while nodding her head.

"Fine then."

[Fire Bolt]

A small bolt of fire appeared above Leo's hand, creating a soft orange glow that lit up the area slightly.

"Wait! Before we start, let's have some introductions." The woman said with a frantic tone. She seemed to be emotionless at the beginning of the conversation but she showed more emotion the longer they spoke.

"General Leofalor Rune of Infernum." Leo said with an irritated expression on his face.

The woman smiled excitedly "Jean Alexandra Powell, pleasure to meet you Leofalor."

"Yeah, yeah, can we just get on with it already, I don't have all night."

"Not until you say it back."

"What?"

"Say that it's nice to meet me too." Jean said, almost pouting.

"For fucks sake..." Leo said under his breath. "It's nice to meet you too, Jean. There, are you happy now?"

"Very." Jean said with a smile as she lifted her hand, sending a trio of icicles towards Leo.