13 FISTS UPON FISTS

Location: STREETS OF ZENARLI, VENDARYA.

*Demons are great energy conduits and their soul bonds are equally powerful in that regard.*

The weather had turned dark in a matter of seconds. The bright scorching sun was consumed by dark clouds, ridding the sun of its previous glory, the winds came into play, blowing feather-light covers and dust particles into the air. The fireballs in the sky had long stopped, replaced by dark threatening storms.

Adriana knew the weather change was no slouch, Anlai was probably ravaging the city, with whatever demons he commanded at his beck and call. She was in no mood for a rematch, judging by the amount of firepower he now displayed, she knew that no matter what skills she had, it all paled in comparison to the forces on his side.

Today was a day for running. She would run, to fight another day. Yes, that was the only way to survive... But how long before they caught up to her was the real question.

Unfortunately, Adriana didn't have time to dwell on avoiding Anlai. Upon turning a narrow alleyway, with Kali taking the rear, she was met by three men standing opposite them, barring their escape from the alleyway, causing them to an abrupt stop.

"Where do you think you are going?" One of the men says drawing out a baton.

Kali recognized them, the whole lot of them, notorious gangsters, that acted as bounty hunters more than anything. Only the gods knew what they were after this time. But he had no time for that now, so he pulled out his trump card.

" By order of King Hattori, I command you to leave or face bitter consequences." Kali shouted over the winds, his hair was blowing in his eyes and he constantly had to push them behind his ears.

The men exchanged amused gazes and re-enforced their glares. Maybe they didn't hear him. Kali thought.

" By order of King Hat-"

" We don't care," The one in the middle growled, his hoarse voice cutting through Kali's.

"Give us the girl and you are free to go," The man on the left spouted, his red hair pulled in a short man bun.

" Or we can take her and hurt you," The man on the right said fingering an axe, his eyes dark and calculating. " Either way, we get the girl,"

" I'm above negotiating with bounty hunters" Kali whispered to Adriana.

Her eyes widened. So that was what they were. Bounty Hunters. For whom? Anlai? But he was here already and with an army of the Unseen ( a group). No, it couldn't be, Anlai was far too obsessed to leave his work to petty bounty hunters. Then who?

Adriana chanced a glance at Kali, he was staring hard at the three men that stood at ease waiting for their response. The hunter on the right was staring at her hard and ever so often his eyes would flick to the sky before darting back down to her.

Something about the upward glance geared Adriana to do the same and she noticed movement atop the buildings. Of course, if they decided to run back, they would be cornered. It seemed Kali knew or guessed.

Either way, she couldn't wait any longer, if these lowlife bounty hunters could find her, who knew how long before Anlai did.

" So, what's it gonna be? " The man in the middle growled once more, pulling out a club strapped to his back.

Adriana and Kali shared a knowing glance, the muscles on Kali's mouth twitched as he stared back. Lightning flashed across the dark sky and thunder followed with a deafening boom.

In response, Kali crouched into a fighting stance and for some seconds, Adriana stills herself in the acceptance of Kali's determination to help her, before mirroring his stance.

" We were hoping it didn't have to get to this," The man in the middle sighed. With a snap of his fingers, the dude on the left drew out his weapon, a baton.

A teardrop of rain splats on one of the men's faces, another on Kali, another and another, until the rain began in earnest, the howling wind accompanying its onslaught. With that, the brawl began in earnest.

Without warning, Kali shot forward towards the man in the middle. The leader of the hunters to his credit, reacted fast and swiped his club towards Kali's head. Ducking, Kali dove and tackled him to the ground, rainwater splashing all around, Kali delivered a punch to his face and they tossed around trying to topple each other, sending punches and kicks at each other.

Seeing as their master had taken a punch to the face, the other two men jerked off to help him but Adriana was two steps ahead and had them by the scruff of their clothes and pulled back with all the strength she could muster.

The result wasn't what she had expected, both men were stout and their musculature balanced their fall, so they only managed a stumble and in the process turned their bodies to face her, before regaining balance to face Adriana.

A bounty hunter with an axe drove forward, his axe coming down on her head, with a sidestep, she avoided the fatal swing only to be hit in the stomach by a baton.

Of course, they wouldn't okay fair... Two against one.

The wind gets knocked out of her for a moment and Adriana gasped, her back hitting the cold slimy surface of the building wall. A yell of anger caused Adriana to look up and double over in time to avoid another deadly swing that would have decapitated her head.

In her bent position, Adriana chanced a glance at Kali, and her breathing stills. Their leader had him in a chokehold and Kali was desperately trying to pull away the thick hand grabbing his neck but to no avail.

Taking a calculated risk, Adriana lashed out her leg at the closest to her and was glad her heel connected with the man's legs, knocking him off his pedestal and onto the wet ground.

With a messy start, she pulled upright and directed a clean uppercut to the axeman, who was then distracted by his fallen partner.

Without waiting to see whether the axeman had fallen down or not, she gathered a spurt of energy, propelled by the adrenaline rush in her veins, and charged for the leader who was by then on the verge of ending Kali.

But before she could reach Kali, a blur of movement drew her attention, and before she could think to avoid or duck. A spinning kick to the head knocks her down to the ground, her face drenched further by the falling rain.

" Nice fighting girl, but you are no match for us," A gruff voice states, and one of the men pulled Adriana by the hair before she could stand up, her hair damp and soggy beneath strong hands.

With a last furious attempt at escaping, she jerks her elbow back into the "house" of the man behind her and it connects and the man groans upon impact, clutching his lower abdomen, falling to the ground. On her left, the guy with the axe was rising and he was not happy to have had been clouted in the face.

With a snarl, he sends his axe swinging fast at Adriana, with only some seconds to spare, she threw herself down, the axe whirring past overhead and lodging itself in... Kali's leg. Kali screamed and fell to the ground, blood spilling red and tainting the transparency of the water.