Chapter 48: Chapter 48
Aquila
New York City
They were watching intently, wanting to get the work done before the sun even rose. So, they watched this building closely, hoping for a moment where they can strike. To the normal eye, they were like a bunch of goons waiting for their target to walk out of his home and then attack. This is what the vultures, in human skin, planned. Colter would not be able to expect their attacks yet they braced for a battle nonetheless. He was not called the ‘roaring inferno’ for no reason.
Aquila motioned with his hand for one of his minions to circle the area as he felt Colter’s presence moving, there were no other spectators right now as it was barely sunrise. People were still sleeping soundly, one of the perfect moments to strike at an unexpecting foe.
They heard a door creak open and slam and they saw him, their quarry at long last, Colter was stepping out of this dwelling and was preparing to take off.
“Now!” Aquila and Dyron, who was watching them through his animus screamed and the group of vultures jumped at him.
---
Colter
New York City
He felt the air change at once, danger was imminent and his battle senses had not betrayed him, he saw a human charging at him with monstrous speed.
“What the hell…?!” Colter muttered, barely being able to dodge the apparent claws that whistled past his cheek.
“These aren’t humans!” Colter thought to himself, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
He launched his left leg forward, which caught one his attackers squarely in the stomach. He gave out a pitiful squawk of pain as he was lifted into the air.
But Colter realized there were many of them, he felt a malingering presence all over the block.
“PRINCE JULIIIIEN” one of the roared crazily, slashing at him wildly with bare claws.
The prince blocked it easily with his arms but felt the nails bury into his flesh, blood gushed out and he grunted in pain, angry that he was being caught off guard.
“Fuck. Vergil would be pretty pissed right now at me being ambushed” Colter said, remembering how he and Vergil always sparred back in the day and that getting ambushed is the biggest dishonor one could take as a warrior.
The prince felt two presences close in on him from both sides, now feeling the rush of battle he pointed his arms sideways and released a jet of flame.
They were instantly caught in it, as their howls of pain filled the air, another one jumped at Colter.
“HOW MANY ARE YOU?!” he asked frustrated, barely being able to block the last attacker.
“Give up.” A calm voice ordered him, Colter looked at the direction from where it came from and saw a human staring at him emotionlessly. He had a corpselike look, pale and eyes were blackened to an extent.
“Give up and you will not be hurt anymore” the fake human told him and Colter smirked in annoyance.
“Shut the fuck up and come on!” he taunted, motioning for his enemy to charge at him.
But this foe of his, the leader probably, did not give in to his provocations.
Cursing his lack of focus, he felt a heavy stab in his back.
Colter suddenly felt heavy and his vision twirled badly, they had injected something in him but he did not know what.
“What the fuck…” he whispered as the enemies closed in on him, his vision slowly darkened as he thought of everyone.
King Malik.
Gian.
Flora.
Queen Regina.
Tessa.
Vida.
With a burst of anger and adrenaline, he suddenly gave out a roar of anger and charged into them. He had managed to grab one of them by the hems of their clothes and slammed them violently into the concrete.
The fake human let out a gasp as blood spurted from his mouth, but Colter did not care, he lifted up his foe in the air once more and shot him towards the other attackers.
“I can’t last long, I need to finish quick” Colter thought deliriously, launching himself at full speed towards one of the attackers.
He had connected into one of their chests, there was a sickening sound of bones snapping as he had managed to shatter their rib cage. But he was not finished, as his hands connected, he let out a powerful stream of fire.
The target was incinerated on the spot, and his comrades screamed and howled in pain and anger. He had died instantly, burned into dust.
With a small grin, Colter dusted his hands off, as if to wipe off whatever remained of his foe from his hands.
“You should know that I am the roaring inferno” he announced, though his words were slowly slurring.
---
Aquila
New York City
His rage boiled over at the loss of one of his comrades, the poison they had prepared had not acted quickly as they thought. The prince was as tenacious as they thought, even the strongest of poisons could not immediately take him down.
“You should know that I am the roaring inferno” Colter told them in a tipsy voice, and Aquila realized they were on the cusp of winning.
“Do not stop the onslaught” he ordered his fellows and they all charged at him.
Colter had managed to block three strikes from them but he was too caught up to block Aquila’s strike.
He had used the three other vultures to distract the prince and managed to land a violent punch into his face.
An aura of flame erupted from the prince, triggered by his pain and rage, but they noticed that it flickered in and out of existence. He was falling. They just had to keep attacking. The poison was now seeping into his veins finally.
“FUCK YOU!” Colter roared defiantly charging blindly at them but that was it.
Aquila darted forward and landed a blow straight into his solar plexus, Colter gasped loudly and lost consciousness.
The flames that enveloped him had vanished but not before creating various burn marks on Aquila. Before the humans could interfere, they grabbed the unconscious prince and carried him off, towards the last known vicinity of the portal.
---
King Dyron
Kingdom of Havocc
The King of darkness laughed triumphant; he had seen from various spies that Vergil the torrential ocean was still about to cross the portal. His vultures had now returned from the human world, managed to evade the Howard sentries and are now approaching his kingdom.
He saw their figures from the horizon, it was a flock of vultures, minus one, carrying a motionless figure in their claws.
“I now have the roaring inferno in my grasp” Dyron said greedily, “While the torrential ocean is about to search for him in that alien world. Malik’s kingdom is now forsaken!”
His minions behind him cheered blindly at their success, Dyron now had Howard by the neck. With that, there was only one to worry about and that one was the weakest of the three problems.
“The one they look for is now in my hands” Dyron announced to his creatures, “They shall find themselves wanting and searching, until they realize that it is the one tearing down and burning up their walls”
The vultures, who he had complimented nonstop dropped the prone and unconscious prince in front of him. He was not moving, breathing lightly.
“Welcome to my place, Colter Howard the roaring inferno. I may have some use of your blaze” Dyron said to the unhearing prince sweetly, while the minions around him prepared and looked apprehensive as he might wake up anytime and start setting them ablaze.
King Dyron immediately sensed their terror, in a show of force, he put a foot on Colter’s body and let out a war cry.
“This is the first of our conquests, my beloved allies. The apparent champion of the commonfolk, one of the three threats from the Kingdom of Howard now lies prone underneath my boot.” His minions flinched as Dyron stomped on the prince, “This is what happens to my enemies, they will be struck down by my own strength. But like I said, I am not to execute this boy, no, we have use of him. The roaring inferno will burn down the very walls that his father built.”
Motioning for one of his servants, Dyron took off his foot on Colter and asked for him to be propped up. “Behold, I, Dyron the Conqueror will show you powers beyond your comprehension and powers beyond this world.”
He put his hands on the Prince’s head, “Imperium venenum!” he chanted channeling his dark energies into his hands, they immediately flowed into Colter, who let out a scream of pain as he suddenly felt the jolt of this dark poison coursing into his blood.
“Be my right hand, be my sword and strike down all those who would stand against Havocc and King Dyron!” Dyron continued chanting as the prince continued to howl in pain.
A shock wave erupted afterwards, knocking all the minions down and Colter’s body fell in a huff, unmoving and not even breathing.
“It has been done.” Dyron said nastily, there were beads of sweat on his brow, using such magic on a powerful being had taken a toll on him, “Now let us wait for the results as the imperium venenum courses through his veins”