“You can’t grow without a bruise.”

  -Heard by Jeb.

  Pos watched carefully out the window. His party would call him paranoid, but they never talked when he called monsters out in the dungeon.

  “Hey Possy!” Pos looked down from the catwalk to Jarod cat-calling him. “Did your sixth sense find anything besides a rat again?”

  “Shut up, Jarod! That only happened once!”

  Jarod laughed alone with the other party members, then moved back to the building's hearth. They had rented out a fairly large warehouse, it wouldn't do for his party’s main base to be attacked.

  Of course the others hadn’t thought that to be a problem. Considering they had been under disguise, there wasn’t really a way for them to be found out, especially not a newcomer. That all made good sense.

  Normally, Pos thought. But not when that thing’s involved. Pos had only gotten a glimpse at it of course, but sometimes that was enough. In all his years of adventuring, others learned how dark mankind could be. Pos learned where mankind ended.

  That thing they’d taken the Elf from was not a human. Not by a whisper, or a thunderclap. To think Tom and Jerry actually fought that thing, Pos thought. Tom had talked about its skill. Talked about how it moved and reacted. He’d written it off of course, no matter how skillful the man, six against one was never a problem.

  But that’s not a man, he thought. He wasn’t sure why that fact kept repeating in his head. A person, no, a creature, here in the city, outside the dungeon. What sort of havoc will it wreak?

  A more important question was what it was doing with an Elf, Pos thought. Elves were rare, even in Orlar. The fact that that thing had one, one that it was protecting brought several questions with it. Unless she’s not really an Elf.

  Pos looked back at the girl. She was tied up in a corner near the hearth, with such a high bounty on her, the party wanted her close. She seemed human enough, though elves weren’t human, they had the same sense. Like their souls were cousins to humans.

  He trusted his instinct, but considering her situation and age, her deathly calm demeanor was chilling.

  “Hey dollface!” Jerry said, getting the attention of the girl. “What’s a sweet thing like you doing in the city?”

  “I’m here with friends that are taking me home.” she assured, causing a hesitation to spread.

  She’s not even staying quiet.

  “W-well you seem pretty calm.” Finn said. “Don’t you know what’s happening girl? We’ve kidnapped you and are now selling you for money. Doesn’t that seem alarming?”

  The girl tilted her head, then spoke. “I guess when you put it like that. But this has happened to me before and I can tell you aren’t the type to harm me. So I guess I should just wait until they save me.”

  “Save you?” Jarod asked. “Who would be coming to save you? We’ve covered our tracks, no one seemed to follow us, and we even avoided holding up in our main base.”

  “Yeah,” she replied, looking around the room. “But they always find me, this won't be a problem for them.”

  A few snickers sounded, then the men started laughing. Pos didn’t join them.

  Jerry said, “All right dollface, well tell us about your friends, are they strong?”

  “Mhm,” she responded. “Mark is really big, and really strong. Grace can use pulx, she’s really good at it. Oh but I had some friends in the Septaroth forest too, Vicky is really strong, she can throw heavy bails of grass like nothing.”

  “Oh, really? Got any others?”

  Pos looked back out the window. He shouldn’t be focusing on something so menial. Even if she had ten or twenty coming for her. They would all most likely be regular humans, nothing a few adventurers couldn’t handle.

  “Oh yeah, Green’s stronger than all of them.”

  “Oh, and is this Green fella part of the group you were with?”

  “Mhm. He killed a Septaroth.”

  The others quieted and Pos turned back. What did she say? A bang sounded, then another.

  “Well flames, guess the pipsqueek was right.” Jarod said. “Get up, this shouldn’t take more than a minute.”

  It’s going to take a whole lot more than that, Pos thought. Someone broke the massive metal door a moment later. He stepped inside, his face and silhouette shaded by the warehouses off lighting..

  The man looked to be well over six feet, and his muscles bulged with a firm volume that was seen only by government lackeys. Great, don’t tell me this girl’s a government secret.

  Jarod grinned, then walked up to the man. Jarod wasn’t small by any means, but still looked more like a child compared. Their gazes held.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Hey big guy,” Jarod said. “How can I help you?”

  “I’m here for her,” the man lifted a gauntleted hand, pointing at the Elf.

  “You’ll have to fight for her.”

  The man nodded, then swung. Jarod stopped the fist dead in its tracks with barely a grunt, causing confusion to cross the newcomer.

  “You got something on you.” Jarod said.

  He took in a breath, extending his humanity to Pos’ eyes, then punched the newcomer's gauntleted fist. The gauntlet bent inward, likely breaking the man's fingers. Jarod then grabbed the massive man, then tossed him like a ragdoll.

  He hit his back against the wall, then landed on his feet, earning a raised eyebrow from Jarod.

  “I have to give it to you,” Jarod shouted. “You can take a hit big guy!”

  “And you’re a lot stronger than you look,” Mark replied.

  It wasn’t a lie by any means, his ribs would be tender for the next while. He looked up. How in the abyss is he that strong though? Mark thought.

  He wasn’t just strong for his size, it was inhuman the way he moved, the amount of force that let him hurl Mark as if he were a lightweight. This’ll be one flamin good fight.

  Mark forced mana into his cloaths, gauntlets, and boots. Lets see how he fairs with someone matching his strength. He charged.

  His fist was caught like the first, this time, however, Mark’s gauntlet exploded with force, aided by the terra pulx. The shockwave forced the adventurer to let go, and a confused scowl crossed his face as he jumped back.

  “Now what in the abyss was that?” the adventurer asked playfully.

  “Don’t like my tricks?” Mark replied. “I assume you’ll show me yours if I show you mine?”

  He smiled, then shook his head.

  “No can do. That’s what we call in this profession a dead secret. Couldn’t tell you if I wanted to.”

  “A shame.”

  Mark punched his gauntlets together, then charged the adventurer. His first swing was deflected, his second smashing into the earth with the adventurer backing away.

  The adventurer kicked Mark’s side, cracking a few ribs and forcing him to stumble. The next hit was from above, with the adventurer soaring six feet into the air and slamming a hammer-like fist into Mark’s gauntlet.

  Mark’s shoulder ached at such treatment, but he pushed the man back and off him.

  The adventurer landed with practiced ease, then put a hand to his hip. “By the dungeons will, you’re strong. I can’t say any regular human has ever managed to last as long as you. And to take a hit, like flames.”

  Mark tried catching his breath. The hit to the side knocked his breath out, and the broken ribs made breathing painful. Common Mark, he thought, you’ve faced worse, this guy’s nothing.

  “Say, what’s your name?”

  Mark paused. He wants to know my name? “Why?”

  The man shrugged, “I can’t in good conscience beat someone strong without knowing their name. Ah, my name’s Jarod.”

  Mark stood up completely, putting a hand to his side. “Mark.”

  Jarod smiled and said, “nice to meet you Mark,” he got into a fighting stance. “I can take you seriously now.”

  He blitzed, Mark could only stumble back by the time he was there. He fell into the shadows the next instant. Mark moved, grabbing the man’s leg as he came out. He lifted, then tossed him. He landed with a grin, blitzing again.

  Mark fell into the shadows, emerging again only to fall right back, avoiding Jarod’s fist. He tried again, only to drop again. He tried a greater distance only to be able to thrust his fist before Jarod met him with his.

  Fists clashed and the two were sent back. They were evenly matched in strength, but Jarod was faster, more dexterous. Got to think of another way, Mark thought.

  He fell into shadow as Jarod bolted to him right after landing.

  “That was some punch!” Jarod shouted, his voice muffled through shadow. “It actually hurt. We should do it again, no!?”

  Is he crazy? Mark’s gauntlet had actually suffered damage from the collision. So did Mark’s arm. I can’t fight someone like this with hand to hand combat. I have to use something else.

  Mark began being forced from the earth. Crap. He was spat out a fair distance from Jarod, who turned immediately. Mark had to think quickly.

  In a panic, he stomped his foot to the ground, mana fled from his body, into the boots, then forced the ground to vibrate. The vibration split the concrete floor, causing Jarod to trip on a protruded rock.

  Mark paused. Had he just felt that?

  That vibration, he thought, his heart racing slightly. His face flushed in excitement for one reason or another, he wasn’t sure. But he couldn’t stop a grin from forming on his face. How invigorating.

  He stomped again, feeling the vibrations spread. Jarod seemed to adapt, however, and came closer. Mark met his fist with gauntlet again.

  The terra pulx’s vibrations shot from Mark to Jarod, not as brute force like it had been before, but traveling through the man. Mark actually felt Jarod’s limbs. The skin rippling, the blood flowing, the bones creaking.

  Mark felt something else as well, something he felt he shouldn’t touch, but he had. Jarod jumped backward, suddenly tense.

  “What in the dungeon’s depths was that?” Jarod asked, slightly shaken.

  Mark didn’t answer right away, instead inspecting his hand, trying to figure out what he’d done.

  “You ok over there Jarod!?” Another adventurer asked. “Need some help?”

  “No!” Jarod shouted, turning back to Mark. “I don't know what you did, but it won't happen again.”

  Mark smiled, “unless you can avoid touching me, I don’t think so.”

  Surprisingly, Jarod pulled a sword from his waist, then bolted. Mark fell into the shadows, coming out on nearly the other side of the building. He closed his eyes, stomping his foot. This time he focused on his pulx rather than on his opponent.

  The vibrations centered from his foot, then spread out like water’s reaction to a stone dropping in a lake. The vibrations gave Mark images in his mind, and he could almost feel as though he could affect them. Affect curtain areas.

  He will earth to spring up in spikes directly in front of him, and continue to Jarod. When he opened his eyes, the stone in front of him sprang up, though instead of a straight line, it affected a wide area.

  The stone wasn’t spiked, but Mark noticed nothing behind him was affected. He had prevented the terra pulx from going around him, instead just in front of him and to the sides.

  Jarod was on him a moment later, jumping inhumanly high above the stone. Mark attempted to meet the sword with a gauntlet but Jarod pulled the sword away in a flash, switching to his fist and landing a blow into Mark's face.

  Mark’s head jerked to the side, his muscles keeping his neck from breaking. He was about to lose consciousness when he heard the sound of doors breaking open and a man shouting:

  “Don’t move, hands behind your head!”