Defining Factors

Chapter 13: Powers Define You

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Short chapter. I apologize, but hey, it's a chapter. Love ya.

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Warnings: Be prepared. We've got rock slides and attempted drownings and beasts trying to rip throats out.

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Hamilton slowly stood to his feet at the front of the pack, looking across the room where James watched with mild disinterest where Howe was standing not even a second before. James flicked his skeletal hand and several undead crawled up from the ground, including a hellhound. James knelt down to her and scratched her ears with a small smile on his face, Hamilton couldn't tell that James was giving the hound instructions and then Bella ran out the door, past Hamilton and the squad.

"You're him," Hamilton said, getting over his shock. "You're the Necromancer." James looked up at him, standing and shoving his hands in his pockets, effectively concealing his hands again. The undead around him, however, seemed to almost shift nervously, blending back into the shadows as if to disappear.

"No," Thomas whispered from behind Hamilton. "No, there has to be some other explanation."

"Shut up, Thomas, you're just in denial. I think I understand now," Laurens said, stepping up next to Hamilton, "I always knew there was something wrong with you, and that smell that constantly clings to you, sickly sweet. I couldn't place it before, it wasn't strong enough. You've always smelled like death."

"Thomas," Angelica said, pushing in front of him, "Didn't you say that James died? All those years ago in that earthquake? You said he died. I don't think that's James anymore, just something wearing his skin."

James took a small step back, toward the undead behind him, who were fidgeting nervously.

"Guys, come on, what're you thinking?" Peggy asked, moving forward only to have Angelica block her path.

Thomas was looking uncertain about everything. "James?"

James looked over at Thomas, keeping his face neutral and his hands firmly planted in his pockets, he seemed to almost be awaiting his judgment. The undead, sensing something, subtly shifted closer to James.

"Thomas, James died that day. The James you knew is gone and this evil thing is something else entirely," Hamilton said. "Angelica is right. He needs to be put down.

"Now hold on a second," Peggy protested. "This just isn't right."

"He just saved our lives," Eliza pointed out.

"He set an entire army of the undead on us," Laurens shot back.

Burr was just watching everyone bicker as Hamilton, Laurens, and Angelica squared off to take James down. Peggy and Eliza uselessly protesting, James waiting, and Francis standing there, thinking.

"Francis?" Peggy asked, "You agree with me, right."

Francis blinked and looked over at her. "The dead should stay dead," he said softly.

"Not you too!" Peggy protested.

"Enough!" Hamilton called, "It doesn't matter anyway, the Society calls for his head and it's our job to deliver."

"Now hang on, killing him isn't right," Francis said. "Manipulating the dead is wrong, but that doesn't give us the right to decide he has to die for it."

"Shut up Francis," Hamilton snapped.

James took a step forward, pulling his hands halfway out of his pockets only for a wall of water to slam into him and push him back into the wall, his head hitting stone with an audible crack. He stumbled but the hands of the undead wrapped around his arms and kept him standing.

"Burr! Freeze him while he's soaked!" Hamilton commanded.

"Hamilton! What do you think you're doing?" Francis shouted.

"Making the world a better place!" he responded, going to slam James back into the wall again, but the dead formed a barrier, guarding him and keeping a cushion between him and the wall. "Burr! I said freeze him!"

"No," Burr replied. "You're being brash."

"Fuck you, Burr," Hamilton snapped.

The entire room began to shake as cracks spread through the ceiling and Angelica grunted as she brought the rubble down on top of James' head. A skeleton took the blow as it pushed Madison out of the way. James regained his footing as his vision cleared and the dizziness from hitting head disappeared. He moved, his hands unnaturally bright and eye-catching, raising, causing more dead to crawl out of the ground to defend him. Peggy and Eliza were calling for them to stop. Thomas was in a state of shock, having absolutely no idea what to think or do and even if he did, he probably wouldn't be able to get himself to move, it was all just so overwhelming. Francis looked kinda dazed, as if he was hearing something other then the battle that was beginning.

Angelica stepped forward, breaking down chunks of rock into lethal shards that sailed for James' vitals, undead barely stepping in from of him in time. Laurens had shifted into a saber tooth, bunching his muscles and leaping for James' throat, only to be disgusted as his teeth clamped around the dead instead. James moved quickly away from John's gnashing teeth, going for the other side of the room, but Hamilton was already one step ahead of him. He and Angelica wordlessly pulled off a combo move, earth jutting up and tripping James, encasing his feet entirely so he couldn't move as Hamilton force mouth into James' lungs, cutting off his air and trying to drown him.

Why wasn't James teleporting? The question never occurred to them. James was coughing, trying rid the water in his lungs, but Hamilton had him, there was no escaping him now. Thomas screamed as James clawed at his throat and fell to his knees, electricity crackling through the air.