บท 108: Second Tail
Sunday 6th September, 18:00.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
The desert air vibrated with heat as Aqualad held his stance, sweat beading down his brow, his chest rising and falling in a steady beat. A stark contrast to the feral figure crouched a dozen feet away, Esau—a single tail flailing behind him—was only becoming more ferocious as sharp, blood-red eyes locked onto Aqualad like a predator honing in on its prey.
For a moment everything was silent save for the dry whisper of desert wind.
Then without warning, Esau lunged, moving in a blur as Aqualad barely had time to raise his guard, a single water shield forming to block the first blow. Esau's claws scrapped against them as Aqualad deflected the strike to one side, but Esau swiped his hand around again before Aqualad could attack his exposed opponent.
He would have hit nothing but air if not for Esau's claws extended rapidly to an absurd length. Quickly, Aqualad ducked underneath it and Esau kept up the attack with a flurry of lightning-quick swipes forcing Aqualad to pivot and sidestep keeping just out of reach. The Atlantean could feel the razor edge of each swipe as they passed inches from his skin each one coming closer than the last forcing him to use his water-blades to parry and deflect the remainder.
'His speed's increasing even more,' Aqualad thought, narrowly sidestepping a thrust of Esau's tail aimed at his ribs. 'More feral. Less predictable.' That thought seemed impossible but it was the truth, especially with the recent revelation of Esau able to retract and extend his claws to inhumane degrees.
Kaldur clenched his jaw, fully aware of the severity of his situation.
It wasn't just Esau's speed and power, the former surpassing his own and the latter nearly matching his. The addition of a tail that covered openings formed in the animalistic and wild style that Esau was using, plus the two new powers, the claws and the roar, all of it was making Esau extremely difficult to fight.
Esau's claws came again, slashing from the left.
Aqualad reacted instinctively, shifting to deflect the blow with his water-bearers, his arms moving in a tight defensive circle. But Esau's tail flashed forward in the same heartbeat, catching him off-guard. It struck like a whip, hitting his shoulder with enough force to make him stumble backwards, his footing unsteady in the sand.
Breathing heavily, Kaldur's mind raced as he continued to assess his opponent to try and find a way to shift the tide back in his favour. The only problem was that the only advantage he had was the mindless and relentless assault Esau was inflicting. There was no thought or tactic in his attacks, but Aqualad was struggling to take advantage of that now, it being the only thing allowing him to defend as he took full advantage of the heavily choreographed attacks.
A low, menacing growl filled the air as Esau readied for another assault his figure shifting in place as his shoulders rippled with power, tail lashing violently behind him. For a brief moment, Aqualad's gaze shifted to Batgirl who was crouched a safe distance away, her eyes keenly observing Esau's movements.
She met Aqualad's gaze and gave a tight nod, indicating her readiness to support him however possible. But Aqualad could sense her apprehension; she was as aware as he was of the intensifying gap forming between him and Esau's abilities. Neither of them could rely on anyone else except him to face Esau head-on—Barbara's only weapon in this fight was her mind, her analysis would be crucial to their survival.
She would have to time her intervention perfectly or else it would put her in immense danger and as things were right now, Aqualad was hesitant to believe that either of them would come out unscathed in that scenario.
Esau burst forward at that moment, Aqualad quickly shaking off his hesitation and shifting his weight, side-stepping as the first thrust of his claws swept past his face. Feeling the rush of wind, Aqualad quickly raised his arms and formed all his water into a small, thick shield to block the ferocious follow-up as Esau's legs smashed into his shield.
The sheer force reverberated up his arms almost buckling under the strike as he grits his teeth. He could see every vein in Esau's body bare to the world pulsing, his eyes wide and almost glowing with rage. Then before Aqualad could react, Esau's tail swung low striking his legs and knocking him down to one knee.
Seizing the chance purely on instinct, Esau planted his foot firmly on the ground, his chest expanding as he took a deep breath—a movement Aqualad recognised too late.
"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
The shockwave of pure sound blasted from Esau's mouth, a concussive wall of sound and force striking Aqualad with the power of a tidal wave. Sand kicked up around them, the desert ground rippling outward from the impact point. Aqualad braced his forearms against his head as he was flung through the air, smashing into the sand and bouncing numerous times across the floor before rolling to a stop.
As the shockwave dissipated, Aqualad opened his eyes, spotting Esau in the fading sand. His opponent's stance had shifted, body coiled up like a spring, poised to strike again.
Pushing himself up, feeling the dryness of his mouth, the weight of fatigue already starting to creep into his limbs. Though the sun had set, the heat in the air had leeched the moisture from it and he could feel the weakness in his body growing his Atlantean physiologies natural weakness playing against him and only further turning this situation against him.
'I have to end this soon,' he thought. 'Or he will.'
As if sensing Aqualad's resolve, Esau's body trembled with pent-up energy, body curling in on itself even further as a deep growl deepened even further. Then he roared out fully, body stretching out as the sand once more erupted outward, a second tail bursting out from the base of his spin, thick and bristling as it joined the first.
"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
Even from a distance, Aqualad could feel the power of that roar wash over him and even as he braced himself, he still felt himself slide backwards and his eyes widened. 'His power? It's only grown stronger!' The thought was horrifying.
He barely had a second to register the formation of a second tail before Esau charged forward once more, faster than ever before. The two tails whipped around with a speed that made them appear like a blur, striking from multiple directions as Aqualad parried them desperately. He then tried to parry the claws that came from above, but his arms almost gave out under the strike.
Landing in a crouch, Esau jumped up once more, his knee almost clipping Kaldur on the underside of his chin, just barely missing by a hairsbreadth. Yet Esau's tails then wrapped around his ankle, yanking Kaldur off his feet and pulling him into the air.
Aqualad was then smashed into the ground, gritting his teeth as the hairs of the tail dug into his skin and with a shout, he ripped his leg free. Landing on his shoulder, plain flared up his leg, but forced himself to roll away as Esau's claws extended, slicing through the spot where he'd been just seconds ago.
Esau then leapt at him and quickly, Kaldur formed a hammer and slammed into his opponent who raised his tails to block the strike. Even so, he managed to launch Esau back giving him plenty of time to regain his footing, his vision began to blur but he blinked it away.
'This isn't working,' Kaldur told himself, frustration gnawing at him. His strength was faltering and the dry air was constantly sapping his endurance faster than he could keep up with. Normally his strength and speed would be able to keep up with Esau comfortably even at this point, but the dehydration was robbing him of the strength to fight at this level of intensity. 'I need backup, and I need it now.'
Esau's claws extended and quickly, he parried them upward only for the tails to come next and these almost crushed him. Kaldur winced as he felt his arms buckle, but before he even had time to properly react the claws came again, which he managed to successfully sidestep once, though the second dug into his shoulder.
The tails came back again and Kaldur braced himself for the pain he knew was coming only for a familiar flash of black to streak across the battlefield. Grabbed by the arm, Kaldur found himself pulled back to a safe distance, dropping to one knee quickly to grab ahold of his shoulder.
"Yo, Aqualad!" Kid Flash grinned standing next to him, his voice steady but his eyes widened with concern as he took in Kaldur's condition. "Looks like you could use a breather."
Nodding gratefully, Kaldur took the offered bottle of water and took a deep gulp. "Maelstrom's grown stronger than I expected," he said. "And that second tail makes him nearly possible to predict."
"Well, the cavalry's here now,"
Kid Flash replied with a wink. Behind him, the rest of the team took their positions, each member tensing as they observed Esau's transformed state.
Barbara quickly approached Robin, Artemis, and Miss Martian, her voice low and urgent as she gave them a rundown of the tactical situation. "Esau's out of control. He's fast, he's unpredictable, and he's only getting stronger with each passing second. Aqualad's been barely holding him off. We'll need everything we've got to restrain him. Be aware. His claws can extend and retract with seemingly a limit of twenty meters and his roar is more akin to a concussive blast of force."
Robin's eyes narrowed as he surveyed Esau, calculating the danger. "Let's do this, then."
Superboy cracked his knuckles, stepping forward with a grim determination in his eyes. "I'll go in first. He won't know what hit him."
As Esau's gaze shifted to his new opponents, a low snarl escaping his lips, Superboy surged forward. He moved fast, a blur of power and muscle as he closed the distance, fists clenched tight. Just as Esau lunged to meet him, Superboy twisted his body, throwing all his strength into a crushing right hook.
The impact was cataclysmic.
Esau's head snapped back, his entire body jolting as the force of the blow carried him several dozen yards away. The ground shook beneath the impact, and a stunned silence fell over the team as Esau staggered, momentarily stunned.
"Nice hit!" Kid Flash cheered, pumping a fist in the air. But his smile faded as Esau's head lifted, blood-red eyes gleaming with a fury that seemed only to grow.
Without warning, Esau let out another ear-splitting roar, this one more intense than any before, shaking the desert ground and making the air vibrate. The sand beneath their feet seemed to ripple as his rage reached new heights.
Robin, Artemis, and Miss Martian immediately fell into formation, each bracing themselves as Esau charged forward, seemingly unfazed by Superboy's blow. With Aqualad recovering in the background, the team prepared for what would be their most intense battle yet, determined to bring their friend back—no matter the cost.
The team exchanged determined glances, tightening their stances and steeling themselves for the coming onslaught. The desert stretched around them, silent and vast, as Esau's two-tailed form stalked closer, his claws gleaming, his breath coming in low, animalistic snarls.
Aqualad took a final gulp of water, rallying his strength. "Everyone, be ready. He's stronger than before—and he won't hold back."
As Esau charged, the team braced themselves, each one knowing the odds but refusing to give in. This was their friend—and they would do whatever it took to bring him back.
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