The Primordials: Retribution (Book Four)

Chapter IV: Za'Fia vs. Verin - Befallen Tragedy (Pt. 3)

       Za'Fia suddenly went alert in time to block as she was struck with intangible heaviness, with force strong enough to send her crashing through two buildings. When she got back up, she saw Verin hovering above, holding the kid by the neck as he kicked and scratched at her.

       Za'Fia felt herself slowly heat up as her anger crept higher.

       "Let the kid go," Za'Fia warned.

       "Why? If you want to save him..." Verin tightened her grip around his throat, causing the kid to let out a broken croak as his eyes rolled back. "Come save him."

       Za'Fia rocketed from the ground in a blaze of fire. She used all her available speed as she tried to reach the kid in time, but Verin sordidly increased the gravity around Za'Fia, slowing her down just enough to prevent her from reaching them without forcing Za'Fia out of the slowed perception of time that accompanied such speed. This meant Za'Fia had to watch as Verin squeezed until the kid's body went limp.

       Verin looked Za'Fia dead in the eye with a cruel smile as she did so, making Za'Fia's blood boil.

       Za'Fia felt a power surge within her. She used the built-up momentum to tackle Verin and took her far away from the city until there was nothing but desert wasteland around. From the sky, Za'Fia directed them into the ground. Enraged, she started smashing her fists into Verin's face, letting her power run rampant with the impacts.

       Verin attempted to block, but Za'Fia had the advantage and swatted her arm aside, combining super speed and strength to unleash a barrage of blows down on Verin.

       Za'Fia could feel Verin trying to gather the energy to transform, but she was relentless. She'd be damned if she was going to allow her the time.

       "Ngh! GET OFF OF ME!" Verin yelled as Za'Fia felt the pressure around her become so heavy she went flat against the ground while Verin stood, panting. Verin's face was bruised and bleeding in several spots. She touched her cheek and winced in pain.

       "You'll suffer for this..." she seethed as Za'Fia became so heavy the ground beneath her gave way, causing her to sink.

       Za'Fia fell into darkness, surrounded by the earth. Za'Fia just knew there was dirt everywhere in her hair now. She could feel Verin attempting to transform again. Thinking fast, she shot mighty columns of fire skyward, disrupting Verin's focus long enough for her to burst through the crust. When she resurfaced, she planted a flame and spirit-enhanced downward kick onto Verin, sending her deep within the crust.

       "See how you like it," Za'Fia muttered before continuing with a finisher. She quickly gathered a mass of high-temperature flames overhead until she generated a ball of fire the size of a city block. Its heat was so intense that the dried vegetation within the desert combusted in flames. Za'Fia willed the ball to explode into dozens of smaller fireballs that rained down on the earth. When they impacted, they created more columns of concentrated flames that reached deep below the earth's crust and burst again.

       Once the inferno waned, Za'Fia waited for a moment. With that much power, she was sure the damage was enough to burn Verin even through her gravity. Now, she'd wait until Verin resurfaced to finish things off.

       Za'Fia scanned the area in anticipation.

       Except she's not resurfacing...

       Her eyes widened as she quickly realized her mistake and charged downward, but just before reaching the ground, Za'Fia felt a sudden hair-raising release of malevolent, chaotic energy ripple through the air. There was an ominous laugh as Verin's spirit energy caused the atmosphere to become so heavy that Za'Fia and the ground itself were flattened. Several cracks in the ground spread over a wide range. Za'Fia struggled beneath the weight, unable to move.