Anthem's Fall

Chapter Sixty Seven

The general gnashed his teeth in ugly rage and rushed with a blistering fierceness toward him, his footfalls shaking the pavement. At the same moment Gravitas saw in his peripheral vision a recovered Darien barreling up the avenue toward him and casting cars out of his way with huge crashing impacts, blood running in a thick stream from where his fist had connected with the giant's cheek.

Better their attention on him than the city, but Gravitas was all too aware of the many years since his last actual spar. He was sure to be rusty. In the split second of their approach, Gravitas exploded into the air, the force driving downward from his legs making spiderweb cracks in the pavement around the intersection. He soared upward into the brilliant cerulean sky, the two soldiers hounding in his immediate wake.

Higher and higher Gravitas drew them away from the streets and people, until far below the very island of Manhattan had shrunk to the size of his hand. As they drew near, Hoff accelerated past Darien, twisting his midsection and cocking his right arm to launch a wild punch. Gravitas steadied himself, floating alone against the outline of the sky. His mind transported his consciousness to a day long since past, and he felt once more as if he were with Master Tolland on Mount Karlsbad. Hoff's speed was genuinely impressive for his size, and the swing was powerful enough to inflict serious damage. Gravitas remained absolutely still as the giant charged him. The enormously bulky fist was a hundredth of a second from his face when Gravitas's body snapped into a swift dodge. Hoff's fist met nothing but air, and his momentum caused him to shoot straight past Gravitas.

Darien was close behind, also pulling his arm into a punch. With a piercing crack Gravitas shot toward him. He launched a knee soundly into Darien's gut, stopping the giant in his tracks and brutally taking the wind out of him.

Gravitas reached out and wrapped his fingers around the Royal Guard's thick neck and squeezed, exploding forward and thrusting Darien back-first toward the city far below. The wind whistled in their ears as they plummeted toward the ground. The city whirled in his vision as Gravitas spun round and round, seemingly with the intention of impaling the goliath's back on the narrow spire of one of the tall buildings. Darien tried desperately to free himself from the grip of the livid fighter on top of him, but Gravitas's grasp was as unyielding as his rage.

Gravitas was holding him responsible for a lifetime of pent up anger and frustration.

As the two plunged toward the city, Hoff caught up with them and skillfully wrapped his huge arms around Gravitas's head in a chokehold. This only added to their aerodynamic instability, and the three Sejero warriors flipped and rotated in a free fall, limbs and bodies tangled and interlocked in excruciating positions. Hoff's rocklike bicep, the size of a trophy winning pumpkin, flexed forcefully into Gravitas's exposed neck between his collarbone and chin, pressing into his bare windpipe and jugular. In immediate panic, Gravitas realized the mistake of his anger. He would be unconscious within moments.

As they descended spinning and falling through the air, Gravitas desperately lifted one of his squeezing hands from Darien's neck and formed a fist. He swung upward blindly at Hoff's face, but the enormous arm around his neck prevented full extension of his strikes. He could not find his target as black dots began to fill his field of vision. He quickly changed strategy and began to maddeningly strike elbow after elbow into the general's exposed ribcage, all the while still clutching Darien by the throat and pushing him downward with his left arm. At first the elbow strikes did not weaken Hoff's iron grip, but after six or seven lethal blows Gravitas heard a number of Hoff's ribs crack loudly. Hoff roared in pain and released his hold. As the enormous Lord General rolled off Gravitas, Hoff reached out and tried to savagely claw at Gravitas's face. It worked, and his huge fingers palmed Gravitas's jaw and pulled him away from Darien.