It all happened far too quickly for Saleh to his head around. One moment August was walking out of the hallway, the all hell broke loose. The wind blew so hard it was impossible to hear anything. He could see portions of the metal sheets that had e doart of the lockdown shudder and beh the force of the wind. Based on Ishtar’s words, it must be someone called ‘First Wind’, he personally hadn’t heard of them but if he had to guess they were a hero and a threatening o that. That meant they were out of time. They either secured August now or they all went down.

  He chewed his lip and pulled himself free of Broadside who was still holding him by the arm, giving her a sidelong look. She stuck her to at him aiced something strange about her eyes, they were crosshairs. How had he not noticed that before? Was it only when her powers were active? He shook his head and focused on the person standing in the middle of the room. August stood like a statue, her hands over her p and her almost bored expression shifting only to look at them and Grave who was getting to his feet oher side.

  Broadside pced her hand on the wall slowly. Saleh shifted his foot to the right and ched his fists. Grave slid o bullet into his revolver.

  RRRRRMMBBBHHHH

  Like a starting shot, the building shook again and everyone moved at once. Saleh gritted his teeth and opened his right hand, throwing his arm up and g his fist. The grouh the woman shook and shot upward from all dires, blocks of stone smming into her body to attempt to restraihe wall along his and Broadside’s side of the room opened and on barrels poked out before shifting and aiming. O a time they fired, like they were on the side of an old battleship. Each slug smming into the woman and kig up dust and debris. Six shots from Grave’s gun joined in oack, peppering the cloudy spot where August stood. Saleh didn’t wait, he had felt the restraints he’d made get obliterated by the onsught. He reached out to grab onto the earth beh her again and it… resisted?

  No, it moved against him.

  “She’s attag!” He shouted and dove to the right just in time for a long rod of gold to hrough the air, nearly scratg the side of his face. He tumbled and got to his feet and shot a look back at Broadside who was hopping bae step at a time, chug as spikes of gold erupted from the ground in an attempt to impale her.

  Broadside ughed, “I didn’t know she could do that!”

  Saleh turned his attention from her, breathing hard, the blood pumping in his veins and stepped easily to the right as a spike prepared to form beh him. Yoing to have to try harder than that, I feel everythih me. He thought grimly. He o calm down, focus, if he was going to achieve his father’s goal. So far the trap had been rgely successful, only one loss pared to a full wipe out fust’s side. The only problem was that August was a mythid had clearly never left enough witnesses alive to give any hint as to what she was really capable of. He tapped his earpiece, “Guru?”

  “I’m here, young master,” Guru said a little shakily, “Madame Ishtar is handling the heroes outside, focus on your task.”

  “Could use some advice,” Saleh clipped, stepping to the side again as another spike formed. A on sh out nearby and the cloud of debris and smoke surrounding August became thicker. Somehow the mythic was resisting their attacks. He felt through the ground again aated when he felt a ge in the makeup of the floor beh him, it reading again. He clicked his tongue, “She’s ging the flain!” He shouted into the , the winds and guoo loud to get his voice out.

  “She hasn’t moved, I see a victory but it depends on your abilities young master. All I do is put you in the right pd-”

  “Mine?” Saleh barked back. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

  “Got my fu’ boot!” Grave barked back over the earpiece, “Bullets ain’t doing shit.”

  “She’s still attag and I hit her with an anti material round!” Broadside cackled, “This is awesome!”

  Saleh grit his teeth and gnced down at his feet, he took a few steps back away from the gold spreading across the ground before looking up quickly as another one of those spears shot through the air towards him. He frowned a little, w how he could feel something that was in the air as he sidestepped it and hopped onto one of the dispy cases, croug and pg his hand on the surface. Gss was hard to sehings through because of how refi was but in the end it was still sili and quartz. He felt the movements again, the shifting, the presence of the woman oher side. It was like he could feel her entire body.

  His brows furrowed but before he could give it any more thought the winds picked up again, the building shook so hard that a portion of the ceiling started to crumble inwards. He felt something else, something that tingled against his skin. He gnced over his shoulder and saw a faint glow ing from the windows. What is that? He thought as his instincts screamed at him to get away from whatever the creepy radiation was. If he touched it, August would kill him. He clicked his tongue and looked around for the others as gold tio spread across the floor.

  He paused, What am I doing? He hissed to himself and took a deep, steadying breath. I see them just fine. He thought as he spread his awareness not just towards the mythic, but throughout the room. There was Broadside, hanging from the side of a statue mouo the floor, she was firing on bsts from the base of the statue and ughing uproariously. His senses picked up on a half-barefoot Grave as well, taking a few steps away from the windows and walking steadily away from the spreading gold as he kept taking shots ihic’s dire. His bullets seemed endless.

  He took another breath, Calm down, think, there has to be a solutiohought as he gnced down towards the gold spreading on the floor. He narrowed his eyes a for the seemingly invincible mythic again. It ’t be that easy, it? He thought, his senses spreading up from the ground and through her body. It wasn’t like sensing the general shape of his hired-on allies and their positions. It was like I feel every single- “God damn it I’m an idiot!” He swore into the s before spping both hands down on the dispy case he’d perched himself on. This better work!

  “Young master Saleh?” Guru called, “Is everything-”

  “Shut up! I’ve got this!” Saleh growled, Depends on my abilities, huh? He grit his teeth and pushed, w his powers like a muscle at its limit. Metals are just a part of earth, just another material the ground is made of. Gold is no different, just pure. He felt his mind creak a little bit uhe pressure as he tugged against something that felt close and distant at the same time. He pushed his will through the gss, the floor, the gold, and he grabbed on with all his might. You will not move. He thought firmly. You will not move! He pressed his fihrough the gss, the material parting for him. Hold still!

  The sounds of crashing and the floor shifting with the creation of gold ons and projectiles stopped. Somewhere distantly he heard a voi his ear but his mind was entirely occupied with holding on for dear life as the presen the other end of his attention struggled against his grip. No, you are metal. You are mine. Another shout over his , he shook his head and redoubled his focus. He had to be rigid. Unbending. Unyielding. You are a statue! He anded, A statue! He felt one of the teeth in his mouth crack a little uhe strain when he finally felt the resistance begin to wane and then it just stopped.

  He kept his grip on it as a hand alighted on his shoulder. He blinked and suddenly noticed just how much every muscle in his body hurt, his jaw hurt, and his upper lip felt wet. He looked up to see an eerie bck mask looking down at him, two bzing pink eyes meeting his.

  “You did well, little vilin,” Ishtar rasped as a pale white glow gleamed from her palm, “Let’s get her out of here.”