The Night Rider

Chapter 13 - Agar

"What is it with people constantly trying to blow me up!" Hawkins yelled, emerging from the rock in a swarm of smoke.

Chunks of debris fell like meteors onto the cobblestones landing safely onto elongated pathways and shrunken rooftops. The living streets of Axis were quick to respond, narrowing the route and blocking off as much as it could to lessen the impact on the houses and the potential residents inside. Hawkins smiled, quietly thanking the city for all its work to lessen the damage.

They didn't want a major incident on their hands so Hawkins was grateful to see that Axis had chosen a mostly secluded spot full of rundown and abandoned alleyways. That didn't mean they weren't still important to it, they had steadily shuffled the more open houses outwards towards the borders of Beggars End and other less affected areas. Anything it couldn't move in time was protected with outerlaying walls created from scraps of wood and metal to lessen the impact of the collapse.

The Swarm however were not amused by the  defenses, cursing Axis along with their unlucky situation. Mantis thwacked Cull over the head for a second time, his stunned expression saying more words than he ever could. His sister, Rin sat on the ground coddling the young girl, Cricket who was completely unfazed by everything. Her unfocused stare made Hawkins shiver, looking away from the singing child. Rin's expression however was a stark contrast to her brothers. Cold and impassive yet he could see the sheer anger bubbling underneath the surface.

"But, how?" Cull said, incedulously. "You were out of Trait!"

Hawkins couldn't help but grin, dusting himself down nonchalauntly as if unfazed by the question. In reality, he was barely able to stand. But he needed to by time. His gaze flickered down to the seemingly solidified heap of rubble, smoothing the back of his hair absentmindedly as he looked for the signal within the rising dust cloud. Now.

"You're right. I was out of Trait." Hawkins said, shrugging as he sat down and made himself comfortable.

Cull sneered, brandishing a small flame in his palm much to the chagrin of Mantis.

"But he wasn't."

The mound of rubble suddenly began to shake with the wrath of the entire city, rising like a monster emerging from the deep. Hawkins grabbed two jutted out bricks, horn like sculptures as the monstrosity let out a tremendous roar. The Swarm's terrified expressions made Hawkins cackle with laughter as they were pelted with bricks and stone. Wood splintered were flung like raindrops as Cull attempted to bat them back with his flames but it was no use.

"Will you hurry up already!" A voice yelled from below.

There, beneath the rock and mud, drenched in dirt from head to foot was an extremely pissed off Sand Wraith. He was holding the entire weight of what was left of Odi's shop with a severely cursed leg and an exhausted dragon resting on his gnarled head. She was using her Shadow Trait sparingly to protect her friend and give some kind of life to the mound but Hack was shouldering everything else.

"I'm not a ruddy contracter! I'm at my limit, boyo!" Hack said, groaning with exertion.

His scales had turned the colour of a starlit sky, black ebbed into bright purple as etches of white tipped scars streaked across his forearms. Sand Wraiths were more than just sneaky. They were able to Agar with others in their clan, utilising their Traits while flaunting the power all Traited craved to have with their own kind. Unity.

Unlike Hawkins, Hack's Agar was miles away but he had not felt a niggling of an ache from his Trait in years. His leg however worsened with each step, reminding him to never forget that day. Hack let out a roar of outrage, causing the ground beneath him to swell in response as Hawkins artfully made his way across the back of the mound, the Swarm attempting to surround them on all sides and get underneath it. But Hack was rooted to the ground, submerged in earth and scales, thinking only of his kind and generous Agar who he missed every day.