Reaching Salvation: Post-Acer

Heidi broke her concentration, scowling frustratedly. "Then get me close enough, unless you got a better idea?" she shot back. It was really frustrating, always being looked down on, like Nathan was so much better than everyone else. She knew Tom was brilliant with his Flow, and Nathan wasn't that bad either, but Nathan flaunted his power, and that pissed her off.

Had Tom not been so stoic he would have cracked a smile as the darkness consumed thieves dd exactly as he had expected. Diamond spars rose out of the earth again, this time with razor sharp edges as only diamond could hold, in between the threads of the web of darkness rooting his opponent to the ground. It instantly accelerated, rotating like a buzz saw around the darkness, Tom's trap lacerating the roots it touched.

A huge humanoid construct clad in stone armour emerged from the ground a ways away, gesturing downwards with his rock-clad fist as the hammer dropped once more, driving his enemy into the ground with extreme force. Tom was clearly not risking letting up against a foe of this level, though he thanked whoever he could for the fact that the thieves didn't have super speed to supplement their assault.

"I'm working on that!" Nathan responded irritably. He himself got annoyed at the fact that Heidi didn't seem to quite accept his advice, he knew because of their past that she thought he was being arrogant but right now he couldn't exactly verbally offer a detailed plan and a 'well done'. He was more focused on keeping her alive. With a grunt he placed his hand on the ground and formed a thick ice shelter much like the ones of earth that Tom had created during his first training fight with Nathan.

"This ice shelter won't hold up long, once we get out we're going to have to get to Tom and form a plan." He explained. "Right now he's got the right idea attacking the roots of darkness but not even his diamond can cut the actual skeleton. You're our best form of attack against them."

Darkness thudded against the ice and cracking was beginning to be heard.

---

The crystal cut through the roots quickly and effectively, but when it reached the skeleton it's process was halted completely. It didn't even push the skeleton back. The stone hammer merely cracked as it hit the skeleton which had returned to the earth now.

It's head had completely reformed and from the mouth came a concentrated orb of darkness that traveled at starting speeds. It connected with Tom's earth beast and then exploded; stabbing into the stone that formed the construct with razor sharp darkness. If Tom hadn't had been as good as he was, he would've died.

But luckily the darkness couldn't pierce all the way through the stone.

The most ironic thing Paul found about the entire situation was that Tom himself was blind and therefor saw only darkness constantly, despite his 'sight' involving his Flow. Stepping between the last row of tents between him and the combatants, Paul shook his head. Such a beast was shocking and frightening to anyone who saw it and feared death. Fitting that the blind man, the depressed woman, and the owner of the Flow were to be its opponent.

Paul had earlier issued orders not to engage the skeleton, ordering them to fall back before any more harm could be dealt to the supplies, their retreat bringing much of the vital supplies away from the encampment. The only person who strolled through the camp was Paul, who sat at the edge to watch the fight.

Heidi paused for a second in thought. "If Tom can get us up close enough, with a pillar or something, he can guard the pillar, and you can attempt to keep us from getting knocked off, while I do the blood whack stuff," she explained, before stomping her foot twice on the ground, hoping that the signal would still catch Tom's attention, even if she and Nathan were fighting with him.

The earth construct didn't even offer the limited resistance Nathan had thought it would, shattering into a thousand pieces as the earth splintered around it. These splinters reached the skeleton, shattering the ground it had been standing on to reveal a huge abyss below, the diamond still spinning fast enough to shred through any other roots that the skeleton could put out to support its weight, though it made no move towards the skeleton. If Tom's hammer wouldn't do the job, he had reasoned that gravity would.

"We'll see what we can do..." Nathan murmured as he tried to get a message through to Tom telepathically. He didn't have time because barely a second after he began to use Telepathy the ice shattered forcing Nathan to act. His body became a blur and he crashed into Heidi, picking her up in his arms and leaping upwards. Adjusting her in mid air so that it was almost like he was giving her a piggyback. Whilst they were in mid air, Nathan began to make roads of ice that they could slide on in order to avoided being hit by the missiles.

"Cut my hand and force the cut to stay open, then use my blood to fire projectiles that can stop anything that get's near us." His voice resounded in Heidi's mind.

---

Tom's plan would have worked had the two people not been completely taken over by darkness. The skeleton itself turned into one massive tendril that flew through the air without any contact with the ground. Without this Tom would have lost his vision.

More and more missiles began to rain off it as the tendril headed towards Tom's construct.

Tom's construct was pulverised into oblivion, as silent in the grave as Tom was in life. There was no response from the earth as the tendril flew away, the diamond buzzsaw gradually slowing to a dead halt.

Heidi looked a little green as she fumbled with her spear, wrapping it around her arm so she had a much smaller blade to work with, grabbing Nathan's hand, and slicing him across his palm. It was much harder to do these things when you were getting a piggyback ride from a guy skidding around on ice slides. "Aim!" she hissed, focusing on keeping the blood coming out of Nathan so the cut wouldn't heal again.

As the blood sprayed out of Nathan's hand, it clumped together, forming a point and pretty much sailing where ever Nathan pointed his hand.

Nathan aimed his hand at any oncoming missiles, but after the tendril had destroyed the construct the missiles seemed to stop coming down as much. He didn't seem to register any emotion at Tom's "death" which he knew would only irritate Heidi as he continued to aim an ice path directly towards where the skeleton had reformed itself.

Whilst he'd been leaping into the air he'd managed to give Tom his idea and he knew they'd fall for it. Directly in front of them lay what looked like Tom's dead body. The skeleton's massive sword rose up and Nathan increased his speed to make it look like he was really trying to save Tom.

The sword came down right on top of the body before they could reach it. With that one fell swoop the assassins cracked the earth, and sliced the body cleanly in two.

It remained there for a few more seconds before shattering into shards of ice.

"NOW!" Nathan roared into Tom's mindscape.

---
Forty seconds earlier.

Nathan flew through the air trying to get Heidi onto his back. Seeing what was happening he focused. "Tom... they're airborne, as soon as you feel the darkness touch the earth go as far underground as you can and wait for my signal."

"When I give the signal, cover the darkness skeleton in an armor of crystal that will stop it from adjusting shape."

Deep underground, Tom grinned, not much else visible in the dark cave. He let Nathan know his plan carefully. He had already gotten a rock into the armour of the skeleton, and thus knew exactly where they were. Nathan was made aware of the fact that the next opening in their defense, be it from Nathan's attack or one of their own, the crystal would spike out and encase them, bringing them tumbling back to ground.

Nathan took the the ice path to the floor and then smirked at the skeleton, it had seen the two of them and had risen up into the air again, heading straight for Nathan and Heidi very quickly. To this Nathan's smirk only widened as he watched Tom encase the entire tendril in crystal, it wouldn't hold for long but they didn't need it to.

He moved Heidi out of the way and watched the crystal tendril thud into the earth. To further protect them Nathan waved a hand and the crystal was turned into a massive iceberg.

"Heidi, you can do your thing now. Kill them, the ice should help mess with their blood." Nathan said with a nod, the despair was still leaking through the crystal and ice but soon that would be done.

"Tom, you can come up now!"

Tom's prison didn't need to last for very long, as in addition to Nathan's ice Tom reinforced the barriers with sheets of rock and diamond, turning the barricade into a much more solid structure.

"Now hold on a minute, I didn't do this just so they'd be an easy target for murder," the blind man warned, his voice and face stoic despite the warning tone he took.

Nathan frowned and turned to face Tom, the man wouldn't be able to see his eyes but because of the English man's inability to properly control Empathy yet, he would be able to feel his emotions. "Your pacifism is all fine and good Tom, but what are we going to do to them? Keep the prisoner? That's impossible, they're fully under control of darkness, they can't speak and their thoughts are feral."

He clenched his fist as it came to his next point. "They work for Lillian, and they've already drawn blood by killing Eithne, you may not agree with it but it's an eye for an eye."

Heidi glanced back and forth between Nathan and Tom, deciding to side with the latter. She quickly slowed their blood down to a pace where not enough oxygen would be available to keep them conscious.

"'Our side' has already killed 'their side's person who hurt us, they're lying dead next to Eithne. Even if they weren't, killing them wouldn't be my answer. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, and besides, these might be more useful as hostages," Tom argued, before feeling Heidi's Flow. He worried for a second before feeling their breath, where he then looked at Heidi with immense gratitude on his tired face. "Thank you, Heidi."

Paul stood up, clapping his hands. Such a performance of combat and skill. Though the methods and strategy crude and ineffective for the first half, they still got the job done. Perhaps there was still hope for these people, whom Paul had ridiculed for their lack of strategy only a few days before. None the less, now he would see how conflicting opinions were handled among them.

"Let me down," Heidi grumbled a bit agitatedly, her mood made even fouler by the mention of Eithne's death. She didn't want to think about losing one of her closest friends. Hearing Paul clap, she turned around, flipping him off. "Fuck you, asswipe. You could'a tried t' help!"

After letting Heidi down, Nathan scowled and made to turn away from them all, even Paul had gathered to supposedly congratulate them. Face with internal conflict Nathan's fist trembled and he reached out with his mind and his flow. As they fell into unconsciousness those last wisps of darkness still persisted. They all thought that just cause Nathan had taken one good turn and was no longer trying to kill all of them that he was some kind of morale drive good guy. He was sick of this attitude that he should be a bigger man all the time. It was like they all forgot what he could do.

The only time they ever considered his strength was when he was being controlled by the darkness. He closed his eyes and felt those last wisps of darkness inside the crystal, ice and stone prison. Before anyone gathered could stop him he slashed both of his hands in an outward motion.

Inside the prison the darkness snaked across the two would be assassins necks and severed their heads from their bodies. The former Acer contestants all felt the flows and life force of the assassins die out.

Nathan didn't stop to survey his work, instead making to walk away. They had a war to prepare for.

Paul raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. "And suddenly you guys needed my help?" He spread his arms in questioning, "I place a little trust in you three and you can't be a little grateful when I congratulate you. Well congratulations, you beat the darkness. Congratulations Nathan, you beat yourself. Congratulations Tom, your strategies were competent and admirable. Congratulations, you three, you saved us from ruin." Paul put his hands down, only to lift one to brush the dust from his hair. Felt good to let out a little bit of stress.

Heidi hissed in anger when Nathan cut off the bombers' heads. No second thought. Nothing. She could feel their blood seeping into the ground...at least they were unconscious. Her anger flaring up inside, she grabbed the back of Nathan's shirt, clenching her fist. "What the hell, Nathan?!" she hissed, clenching her fist, readying herself to get a good whack in.

"That... was a mistake," Tom replied quietly, though he made no move to do anything. Solving problems with unthinking violence was for children, and Tom had grown up long before his time. He barely reacted to Nathan's action visibly, perhaps causing an onlooker to wonder if he really felt anything at all. He stared coolly at Nathan as he walked off, regretting the deaths but careful never to get distraught over it. Tom would let very little perturb him.

Nathan felt Heidi grab his shirt and tensed before sapping himself with a dose of empathy. By using a power to make himself stay calm he would avoid losing his temper at her. "Heidi, I'm not going to attack a pregnant girl, now let get of me."

If Tom or Paul knew Nathan anywhere near as much as they thought they did they would probably have noticed the strain in his voice as he tried to maintain his self control, having been shaken up by darkness earlier as well as having a friend die his mental state was almost more fragile than ever.

Heidi let go of his shirt, though more out of shock than anything else. She placed a hand on her stomach, before clenching her fists again. Nathan probably hadn't made the best move by announcing her secret. "What, because I'm a girl, I'm so much weaker than you?" she snapped. "Not only are you pigheaded, you're also sexist?!"

"Sweet Jesus people, and I had hope for you," Paul shook his head, picking up his gun. It was a little late for anyone to be getting upset over killing anyone.