KILLJOY

Chapter 11: The Lackeys

Max quickly summoned a knife into his hand as he saw three of Ryder's lackeys dart towards him. He stepped back for a moment before the quick reminder of the wall behind him now became apparent, as his back hit it firmly, aching slightly as he regained his composure. As the three men got within reach of him, he quickly dove out of the way, skidding for a few meters as he dug his knife into the wall, acting as a support to help swing off of a bit as he turned around to regain his footing. He quickly discarded the now dulled blade, conjuring a fresh one in his hand and he tossed the old one at the man in the front of the group. It hit square in the forehead, making him stumble as the other two raced ahead, still blindly rushing him.

He started to run away from them, jumping over boxes and other random bits of clutter as he tried to gain some distance. He glanced behind him every now and again, seeing that the third one had gotten up and joined in the chase. He couldn't win a melee fight three-on-one, he knew that much, even though he was stronger than one of these people. He looked up to one of the shorter storage shelves, with a plan in mind. He formed a thin wooden pole in his hand as he grasped it firmly in both. Once he got close, he pressed the shaft into the ground, as if he was a pole vaulter. Even though it was a bit clumsy, he managed to gain enough height to jump to the top of the shelf, pulling himself up the final level of it as he stood on top of it. He looked down at the three ants under him, and he just smirked.
"Tell me, ever expected to die here?"

He held a hand out, as three daggers quickly formed in front of their necks. They stopped dead in their tracks, as a bit of blood trickled from one of them, not stopping in time as the tip pricked into his skin. They merely looked up at Max, while he played with another dagger. The silvery metal glowed with energy from his perspective, but to them it seemed like a regular weapon. He grasped the metal at its flat ends, feeling cold to the touch as he flipped it in the air, before grabbing the handle.
"Leave. Or else I'll stab your throats out."
He motioned to the daggers placed precariously to their necks— able to kill them if he so pleased. They weakly nodded as they slowly backed away, before running out of the warehouse. He turned his attention to the other brawl that Liam was still stuck dealing with, as he merely raised a hand in his direction.
"For you, dumbass. Get this shit over with."

— — —

He had definitely seen better days. He was breathing heavily, bruised up with a split lip, bleeding slightly as he saw a small knife appear in front of him. It floated right in front of his hand, as if it was meant for him. He knew who this was from, as he looked over at Max and smiled as he heard his rather blunt words. He didn't care though, as he grasped the weapon in his hand, looking to the two men he was still busy with.
"So, I'd say this makes us even now?"
He dashed for one of them, attempting to slash him shoulder. They narrowly backed off, feeling a wetness under their clothes as they saw a bit of blood from a shallow cut into their arm.
"Why, you little—"
He used that moment of anger from him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt as he held the knife to his throat, looking at the other man.
"Fuck off, or else he gets it."

The other man quickly raced to intercept him, but someone's voice cut the silence. It was Ryder, who seemed to still be a bit busy fighting Eli. While he had taken a couple hits, Eli was definitely the one worse off.
"Back off you two, we're already down a few men from the last Vanguard raid. Can't afford losing more of ya'."
They merely nodded as Liam let go, the knife in his hands fading away as they ran off with their allies to... god knows where.
"Thanks boss! We'll try harder next time!"
"Sure you will..."

— — —

Ryder looked as he saw his men running off, losing their fights. He expected them to butt in, when Eli yelled out to his buddies.
"This one's mine."
He looked at him a bit dumbfounded for a minute, before laughing.
"Oh? Really now, letting your pride get in the way of your safety? You're already a lot worse for wear than I am, and yet," He cracked his knuckles as he continued, "you still want to do this solo?"
Eli looked at him, then Liv, tied to her chair, then back to him.
"Well, I gotta prove that you can't take me back even if you try, right? Can't do that if I have help with it."
He was pretty amused at his confidence, seeing him beaten down already. He thought he wouldn't last much longer in this fight.
He would soon learn that he was dead wrong.