The Fall of the Society

Chapter 3: Heartbreak

    Rose awoke as the sun was getting ready to set. Tripp was still meditating in his corner so she decided to go catch fresh fish for their dinner by herself. While walking alone the journey seemed to take a much longer time. The fish were not biting as she stared around into the woods. Just then she heard a few cracks back the way she had come from. She instantly knew it was not Tripp, he never made noise while walking. Tossing her fishing pool into a nearby bush she slipped off into the forest. She would try to sneak around behind them and alert Tripp before whoever it was found her.
As she snuck along the underbrush, careful not to make a sound, she heard more footfall all around her. Suddenly a hand grasped the back of her collar and pulled her out into the path. She then felt a sharp pain as though she was being tased and convulsed on the ground for a moment. The pain finally stopped and she rolled into her side and threw up.
"Get her up!" she heard a man yell. "Guard the perimeter! We still don't know where Tripp is!"
Rose looked around, hoping for an opening but there was just to many of them. Her entire body ached from the shock she had received and she locked eyes with a maniacal looking young woman with blonde hair.
"Names Arc," she said with a grin. "Want another hit?" she asked as electric jumped from her fingertips.
Rose glared at her but said nothing. She started to scan her surroundings again when she felt a heavy blow to her midsection followed by the tasing again. Collapsing to the ground she started crying.
"What the hell is this?" Arc shouted as a transparent barrier encased Rose. "It's Tri.." she started to shout as an ice bolt impaled her throat from the back. The ice passed clean through and shattered on the shield protecting Rose, the fragments sprayed those around Arc causing minor wounds. Arc fell forward as blood flowed from her mouth and neck.
The assailants were moving around confused. They were unsure of where the attack came from and still unable to locate Tripp. Suddenly there was a bright blast of electricity that ripped through a portion of the guards north of where Rose was located. The members of the society began panicking and breaking ranks. Ice bolts rained down across the battlefield, skewering multiple targets. Tripp was still nowhere to be seen.
A squat little man in fancy cloths then ran over next to her and hid beside her protective shield. He coward under it as much as he could as lightning shot down from the sky. The Socialites had finally started working together and had members shielding each other while others fired blind shots into the trees. Random burst had caused the forest to catch fire and it was spreading, giving Tripp less options for cover.
As the members shot blindly, a sphere of electricity shot out from the forest, aimed straight for Rose. Blasting through a group of Socialites, Tripp stood before Rose as tears ran down her cheeks. With a smile just for her he spun and cast an electric shield in front of himself to stop a barrage of attacks. Suddenly a spear made of stone pierced through his shield and caught him in the left shoulder. The attack knocked him off balance but he continued the spin and bringing his right hand in an upward motion, a wall of ice appeared across the battlefield.
Tripp reached up and pulled the spear from his shoulder as blood flowed down his arm. His ice barrier started to crack under the attacks of the heroes as they tried with all their might to get through. He roared as his wall splintered more and electricity crackled all around him. His eyes glowed yellow and his hair stood straight up.
Soon Rose could hear nothing but the crackling of electricity and she had to close her eyes because of how bright it had gotten. Tripp let loose his attack just as the wall crumbled, causing large shards of ice to cascade down across the battle field and the electricity disintegrated many unlucky heroes in its path.
Out of nowhere a hand reached through the ground, just beneath Tripp. Shards of earth shot in every direction as the hand pulled Tripp waist deep into the earth. Tripp focused inward and with a roar all the ground around him turned to ice and shattered, leaving him in a waist deep hole. Just outside the range of his attack a bulky man emerged from the earth.
"I should have known you'd be here Seismic. Where is Pierce? She did nice work with that spear you made her," Tripp said loudly.
Multiple heroes started making their way in front of Tripp, all ready for combat. There were many new faces that Tripp was unfamiliar with, so he wasn't sure what all attacks they had. He swung his arm in front of himself and lightning shot across the line of heroes, but a purple barrier shimmered into existence and blocked the attack.
"Bulwark, where were you hiding?" Tripp shouted. "I guess I have to amp it up!"
A woman in black combat gear stepped forward. "You have been exerting a lot of energy to keep that barrier behind you intact. Once you die will it fail?" the woman asked.
Trip stumbled a bit as the blood continued to flow from his shoulder and multiple cuts on his legs. "Pierce, you know I am not that careless. If I die that sphere will take off into the air and disappear."
"No! I won't leave you!" Rose shouted as more tears flowed freely. Just as she said this she turned and caught sight of the squat little man grabbing the stone spear that had hit Tripp earlier and before she could say anything he jammed it through Tripp's lower back. "No!" Rose cried out.
Tripp spun as he fell and looked up at Rose. He forced the pain back down and smiled at her. Changing his focus he looked at the man that had stabbed him. "Berox, is that you? What are you doing on a battlefield?"
"The other Heads blamed me for the failure at the headquarters so they made me come personally," he said with a crooked smile. "What I don't understand is why only used your telekinesis to protect the girl?"
"It is because he was putting to much effort into it to ensure that it worked the way he intended it too," Bulwark said stepping forward. He was a very large man, completely covered in heavy duty armor. "I do not think he intended to win, just take as many as he could to weaken your regime," he said as he stared at Berox. "You lied to us about why he attacked the headquarters didn't you?"
Berox began sputtering. "What I told you does not matter! You work for me and you will do as I say!"
Bulwark reached up and ripped the Society patch from his armor. "Not anymore." He then faced Tripp, "I am sorry, I will no longer participate but I will also not fight my friends."
Tripp nodded to him as he turned to walk away across the battlefield. There were murmurs of disgust as he went but none of the others joined him.
"You could have easily protected yourself and won this fight had you used your normal tactics," Berox said leaning in toward him. "Why did you sacrifice yourself for this girl?"
Tripp looked into Rose's eyes, "It is up to us to do whatever we can to protect the ones we love. No matter the pain, no matter the consequence. I will bare it all for her," Tripp said with a smile. "I love you." As those words were out of his mouth he started to glow bright yellow again.
"He is going to detonate!" Pierce shouted. "Nulifier!" A dart flew from the crowd as well as several other projectiles and all embedded themselves in Tripp's back.
His arms that had been spread out wide, slumped to his side and he smiled at Rose. "I am sorry, this was the only way I could think to protect you." He then fell onto his side as the paralyzing agents in the darts took effect. His powers drained from the Nulifier's attack.
"No!" Rose shouted. "I love you too! Don't leave me! I need you!" Her tears streamed as she beat her hands against the barrier separating her from Tripp. She clasped her hands and focused hard. "No!" she shouted again. The inside of the sphere glowed red and suddenly detonated, sending out a shockwave that knocked everyone back. Rose fell to the ground beside Tripp and cradled his head with her hands. Leaning down she kissed him on the lips. "I love you."
He weakly raised his arm, which took everything he had and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Thank you for saving me, in death I will find the peace that has evaded me throughout the life I had before I met you. Do not let them take my body, okay?" he said as he coughed and blood flowed from his mouth.
"I can heal you!" Rose cried. "Let me heal you!" she sobbed and pressed her face against his chest. "Tripp?!" she said as she leaned back, blood covering her face. "Tripp!" Rose cried. She placed her hands on his face, but he was gone. Leaning forward she kissed him on the forehead and then glared at all those around her. She then noticed that there was something small in Tripp's hand. Reaching down she noticed it was a small locket. Removing it from his hand she placed it around her neck.
Using all the strength she could summon, she grasped under Tripp's arms and stood him up. Burying her face in his neck she began to cry once again. Her sorrow and anger giving her strength to hold the man she loved. When she finally looked up, everyone was watching her. Her anger flared and her eyes ignited into crimson flames. The mixture of the blood on her face and her eyes glowing gave her a sinister look and her rage exacerbated it even more. The wind around her began to swirl as a fiery aura enveloped her.
Berox and the others around her began to panic and flee, but it was already too late. Rose screamed and a pillar of white fire shot into the sky. Everything around the opening instantly caught flames and the Socialites did not even have a chance to scream before the fire engulfed them. Swirling the pillar continued to move outward, destroying everything it touched. The attack only lasted a few seconds, but the devastation was immense.
Rose was now standing alone, in a crater that had been carved from the earth by her attack. Tripp was gone, she would never see him again. She fell to her knees and her tears once again poured from her as she realized that she now had no one. She reached up and clutched her heart as if she could keep it from sinking lower when her hand closed around the locket.
Looking at the locket through her tears she opened it gently. A tightly folded up piece of paper fell into her hand. She unfolded it and began reading what was written within.
"My dearest Rose, I am sorry I never told you I loved you. At the time protecting you and keeping you safe took precedent over my feelings. The fact you are reading this means that you have finally reached the first level of your potential. I am glad that I was able to prepare you in time. This locket is made of a very special alloy that can withstand almost any temperature and will protect whatever is in it. I placed a picture of each of us within it so that we can always be together. Please keep me close to your heart always as I kept you in mine.
Forever yours, Tripp"
Rose clasped the note tight to her chest and stood back up. Tripp gave her everything and never asked her for a single thing. She would live the way he had taught her, she would be strong. Placing the note back in her locket a fiery aura enveloped her and she shot into the air. She may have been physically alone, but he would always be with her, and that was enough for now. Blazing through the air and into the sky, she swore to herself that she would make the the Global Society for the Protection of Mankind pay. They would all burn, and that thought put a smile on her face as she blazed her way on her own path, into a future that they had forced her to create.