The Burning pt. VII
It hadn't been exactly hard to determine where the explosions and flashes of power were coming from, and Shelley gritted her teeth in determination as she drew near the park. Kidnapping her-repeatedly-was one thing, but smashing up her home town? That just had to stop, and so she earned herself incredulous stares from the townspeople with better self-preservation instincts as she made her way resolutely towards the source of the noise.
She was deeply unsurprised to find Elan the guilty party as she attempted to get closer through the shrubbery, but it was something of a shock to see old Ralph there, too. Normally he's too drunk to be bothered with this kind of thing. Okay. She bit down panic, and tried to examine the situation rationally. Who attacked who? Ishamael unleashed another bolt, making the earth quake under her feet, and her mouth formed a grim line. Ralph had no quarrel with her, much as they disliked each other, so if she could hit Elan over the head, the fight should stop.
Right?
Now to find something heavy, she thought, swallowing.
Without being noticed.
Ralph's bifurcated tongue flicked from his mouth as he paused for a moment, seeing Shelley's attempt to hide. Here was an opportunity. Stopping his words for a moment, he turned his hand a few degrees to the right past Elan to where Shelley was hiding. That should distract the boy enough, assuming he still wanted the rest of his power returned... As he breathed the last few words of power, a torrent of black fire poured from Ralph's outstretched hand towards Shelley. She started backwards, eyes widening as she realized she'd been seen, but has no way to move in time, and simply threw up her arms desperately to cover her face. But she did not feel the flames, only an arm pulling her defensively close. Elan stood with one arm wrapped around her shoulders, clutching her to his chest. His other arm was outstretched, his palm towards Ralph. The black fire broke on the invisible shield like the surf on a rock-the fiery torrent rolled just a few inches from Elan and Shelley. She opened one eye, saw the burning darkness shuddering just inches from her face and promptly closed it again.
"I hate you both!" she shrieked above the roaring of the flames. Grimacing, Elan altered his weaves and cut through the flames with a broad sweeping motion of his outstretched hand. Ralph staggered back, dizzy. Taking the opportunity to gather his wits about him, Elan dropped his arm from Shelley's shoulder. He simply could not seem to catch his breath.
"Are you un-unharmed?"
"...I am really really upset!" she points out, shaking her head and not looking back, trying to shrug off the trembling of reaction. Then, she cupped her hands around her mouth and advanced a step.
This was her town... and also, coincidentally, her job, until the police arrive. "Ralph!" she yelled. "You.... you stop that!"
Ralph's shoulders shook with laughter as the light seemed to vanish from around his body. Though some distance away, his sibilant, unnatural voice carrying like a draft in a mausoleum.
"That I cannot do, Miss Winters. The dark wind blows and the tides of death rise."
Well... that was new, thought Shelley, nonplussed. Didn't even sound like Ralph at all.
"There- there will be no death! The Mayor frowns on that kind of thing!" She looked back over her shoulder, speaking between her teeth, and desperately searching her pockets for her Local Government ID. "Elan. Did you seriously attack him? I could have told you not to do that, and now look at this!"
Shaking his head, Elan began to unbutton the coat of his suit and loosen his tie. Slipping his coat from his shoulders, he whispered to Shelley, his voice wavering.
"Once this is finished, I shall restore the park, but let me assure you that he has to be stopped first."
Unbuttoning his shirt collar, Elan clutched at his throat with his hand as if he were having difficulty breathing. His face was ashen and droplets of blood mingled with the sweat on his forehead. Proffering his white suit coat to Shelley, Elan began to stagger forward.
Shelley, for her part, glanced with annoyance at the jacket in her hand, and let it drop onto the scorched mud of the former flower bed. Maybe she had made a mistake, then. Apparently, she should try and knock Ralph out. Elan was something of a distraction, although he was looking a little... peaky. But then, she knew full well what he was capable of. First hand. Silently, she bit one finger in thought. It had almost slipped her mind. She'd been getting... used to him. Horrible thought. But, no time. Was that a glass bottle over there...?
Ralph raised an eyebrow as Elan stumbled forward intently. So that was how he had managed to fight, he had been sacrificing his body to draw on his power. This contest was at an end.
"It is a testament to your will that you can even stand, but you ought admit defeat gracefully. Your body is disintegrating; you are going to die in a few minutes regardless. You have fought valiantly. Do not die like a dog."
Elan grinned to himself as he moved forward. He would show this... conjurer. The world seemed to blur for a moment. He was nearly out of time... but he could finish this. He had to.
Shelley, meanwhile, is more focused on the instantaneous result of not dying immediately, and that translates into moving as silently as she can to get behind Ralph. She raised the bottle nervously behind her head. One step. Just a few more...
Through the haze in his mind, Elan saw Ralph whispering words. He knew Shelley was there... This would not happen. Clenching his fists, Elan ran forward. Turning on his heels, Ralph turned to face Shelley and offered a hand glowing red forward towards her-his face filled with a fanged grin. Shelley screwed her eyes shut and whacked down hard on his wrist, shattering the bottle into razor sharp shards.
Snatching his bloodied hand back, Ralph hissed in rage. Muttering a few words, the man thrust his hand forward as Elan dived to push the girl sideways into the mud. He stood in front of Ralph, grinning, until, as he began to tie the final knot, the energy in Ralph's hand exploded. Elan's limp body was flung through the air and rolled like a broken doll across the muddy earth.
"Idiot!" screamed Shelley, sitting up. It was either that or cry, and there was no way she would do that. No reason. She looked up at the slightly glowing, slightly inhuman figure that she knew as Ralph with her very best glare. "I hope- I hope you have a way to explain this! Because I don't!"
With his eyebrows raised, Ralph gave out a surprised and thoughtful hiss, "He gave his life to save yours... To think that you, of all people, would be the one to fell him."
"Shut up," she said after a resounding silence, shocked and pale. "Don't- You just better go on back to the pub! You've done enough, th-thank you so very much!"
Chuckling to himself, Ralph turned and began to walk away through the ruins of the park. Job done, Shelley let herself droop down to the floor again. And slowly and unwillingly, her eyes went to Elan's crumpled body. She swallowed once, but steels herself and slowly approached him, reaching out for his wrist to try his pulse. She couldn't find a thing. Fighting down panic, she transferred her fingers to his throat, calming herself as far as she can and listening.