Mana raged throughout my body, surging through every vessel, the excess spilling out of my pores.
But unlike the usual behaviour of directionless mana, this time I had control.
The mana surge twisted, travelling up my body and abandoning parts that were not needed currently. The energy poured into the muscles of my arm, shoulder and abdomen, condensing and strengthening the muscles to a metal-cable-like power.
And that's when, in the corner of my mind, an unknown place I didn't even know existed, I heard it.
A faint, soft call of a female voice whispering mechanically in my ears.
Passive: Agility (Modified) < Active: Fortify
Ability Description:
By circulating and condensing mana through the body's muscles, tendons, and bones, the user temporarily enhances physical strength, speed, endurance, or resilience. The greater the mana output, the greater the enhancement, though excessive reinforcement risks damaging the body if it exceeds what the user's physique can withstand.
I feel my emotions cool slightly at the shock and curiosity I feel towards this distant voice. Yet it does not diminish quickly enough for me to stop my actions.
BOOM
"-gah"
Before I, or anyone else for that matter, even recognises it, my hand finds its way around Joshua's neck, catching him in a death grip.
Shock covers his face for a moment. This emotion, unlike all the rest, appears real and vulnerable. And although it disappears as quickly as it was expressed, that does not lessen the satisfaction I feel in my stomach.
What he does next, though, brings me out of wonderland and into reality.
He waves the remote detonator in front of me, taunting me to take it, knowing he has another.
So I let the mana drain uselessly from my pores, allowing the laws of gravity to push my arm down, releasing the bellend from the chokehold.
"COUGHCOUGH A-ha… I know you still have that same fire within you. Oh, I wonder how far you'll go."
…
..
.
{Narrator POV}
VRUM VRUM VRU—
The deep, echoing purr of an old Suzuki Intruder abruptly cut off as its engine was killed, bringing silence back to the surroundings.
Luke was draped in the bloody, cut-up clothes his micro torture/gang fight started in. Only a thin, cheap coat zipped it all up, keeping the dried-up blood covered up inside.
He sat heavily on top of the bike, waiting for the dreadful sound of a notification.
You might be wondering, how on earth did Luke find himself on the other side of London? Why is he still out at midnight? And how on earth did he suddenly get a nice motorbike well out of his price range?
Well, all these questions lead back to a single answer.
Joshua.
First of all, the meeting with him eventually continued as all parties were able to gather their composure. But due to his outburst, Joshua was able to gain a bit more leverage, which he mercilessly used to pressure Luke and his poor family even more.
He listed his demands in a written contract, something that, even to the untrained eye, was nothing more than a slave contract.
|——————————————————/
Party One (Joshua Reeves)
Party Two (Luke Crowe)
Party Two shall work for Party One under a payment plan of 96 contracted hours a week unless all work is completed (no overtime). For this condition to go forward that week, Party One should be promptly informed and give permission to Party Two to 'down tools' for the time being.
Party Two, for as long as this party is bound under this contract, will accept any and all work issued by Party One.
Party Two is not allowed to disclose this contract, as well as any and all relationships, past or present, with anyone regarding ties to Party One.
Party One will provide Party Two with all work details and tools needed for a job to be completed before the work day is started, unless agreed otherwise the day before.
Party Two will be under observation through the use of tracking, and all jobs will be recorded by a body camera.
In exchange for obeying the contract conditions, Party Two will be paid £25 an hour, as well as having all accumulated debt to Party One forgiven.
Pay can be negotiated further into employment.
Date: 1/6/25
Signed: —— ——
________________________________________|
'Well, let's look on the bright side. At least I wasn't unemployed for more than a day. Pay is even better and all!
…sighhhh.'
Kicking up the stand, Corvo leans into the bike while sighing heavily. His problems keep coming like compound interest, snowballing his life into oblivion.
'I can't get out of this right now. My family is being held hostage, and he won't let me go no matter what, it seems.'
Ping.
A notification popped up on his phone. Details of this mission's objective and its description were written in an email.
Luke lifts himself off his makeshift seat heavily, his wounds making themselves known with each heartbeat, dragging his already exhausted body down further.
'As much as his gang has weakened since I… left… it still has too much influence to allow us to run again. This time I'll have to finish it.'
His hand lifts to his chin. And with a sudden jerk to the side, a loud popping sound rings out.
His other hand rummages backwards into the inside of his bag, dragging out a worn-out, cheap plastic skull mask, causing a small, self-deprecating chuckle to escape Luke at the irony.
"Haaaah~ let's get this done."
—//—
—//—
A/N: haha feels like I'm repeating myself a bit…. But apologies for the delay.
I have crazy busy the past couple weeks, And to add to that I had mad writers block. This chapter alone I had to rewrite like three four time to get something that I didn't think was complete shit, though still not 100% sure😫.
I cut it short a bit with the meeting, instead deciding to shorten it to get the plot actually progressing.
Once more, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.