Apocalypse: Fairy System by Macronomicon (fox in socks read aloud txt) 📕

tricked-out foot slipped off and rolled down the slope, disappearing off the side of the roof with vengeful finality, getting even with him for all the abuse over the last twenty-four hours.

“Hah. Hahah.” The keegan chuckled softly, shaking his head at Jeb’s pathetic showing. “I don’t know what the enforcer was thinking, sending a human. I suppose it’s proof that nobody really cares.” The keegan turned towards the children, who tensed up, their faces streaked with tears.

Forcing his eyes to focus, Jeb siphoned as much Myst as he could without damaging his Core, wrapping a telekinetic fist around the killer’s midsection.

“Wha—”

Jeb threw him off the roof.

The keegan’s eyes widened, arms flailing as he drew an arc over the edge. Jeb felt his telekinetic grip overpowered by sheer physical force a moment later, but the kidnapper was already flying.

“Ugh,” Jeb groaned, sitting up and crawling down the sloping roof towards Colt as fast as he could.

“Colt!”

“I’m fine, pops,” Colt said, waving him off, a palm on his temple as he pushed himself up.

“Not what I was gonna say,” Jeb said, grabbing Colt’s arm and dragging him off the roof. We got work to do.

Colt’s scream went high-pitched as the two of them plummeted downward.

You’ve got just over a second and a half, falling from a four-story building.

Jeb used the time to wrap a band of telekinetic force around the both of them and slow their fall to something more reasonable, approaching the ground at half-speed. Thankfully, Colt didn’t panic too bad and scratch out his eyes. It shamed Jeb to admit the kid was physically stronger.

Below them, the kidnapper had already gotten to his feet. Rather than go back for the kids, the bastard seemed to have got it through his head that the jig was up. By the time they landed, he was sprinting for the exit, jostling his way through the chaotic melee.

“Slime him,” Jeb said, pointing out the sole keegan wearing human garb.

“On it,” Cole muttered, pushing himself to his feet and holding out both palms.

It was like someone knocked the cap off a fire hydrant, only it sprayed lube instead of water. The slime spread out on its own, forming thick sheets across the battlefield, covering everyone in a thick layer of zero-friction goop.

Especially their prey, who went down in a tangle of limbs, sliding helplessly until he smacked into the nearby wall outside the front gate.

“Keep him down,” Jeb said, grabbing himself with telekinesis and skiing across the courtyard full of slimed combatants. Across the courtyard, Zlesk was using the opportunity to subdue one combatant after another.

Thankfully, the slime didn’t make objects slippery to Jeb’s telekinesis, and he was able to rip the keegan’s slimed sword from the man’s fingers. He held the tip of the blade against the guy’s neck, causing him to go still.

“Kebos O’sut, I presume. Would you mind answering some questions, maybe rolling on your friends before I kill you?”

The keegan gave an amused eyebrow waggle and snaked a hand up to the middle of the blade and twisted. The sword popped out of Jeb’s control and tumbled to the ground.

“Shit,” Jeb muttered, seeing the dimples in the steel. Faint traces of pale blue Myst retreated from the man’s fingers.

“I hate the nobles passionately. It takes all of my willpower not to empty this city of their mindless arrogance.”

“…And you don’t because you want to join their little club?” Jeb asked, raising a brow. “That seems kinda dumb to me. You get enough Nerve growing up?”

That must have struck a nerve.

“No, as a matter of fact, I didn’t,” Kebos growled, pushing himself to his feet and glaring at Jeb. The slime made his clothes hang loose, unable to support themselves by tension, but for some goddamn reason he was able to stand.

Jeb spotted what looked like pale blue Myst cleats sprouting out of Kebos’ feet.

Yipes. When Jeb made Myst-based additions to his wardrobe, they were completely manual; he had to consciously move them with his body, making everything slow and ponderous. Jeb had the impression that once these pale blue blades were fixed, they moved with the thing they were fixed to.

Jeb funneled Myst straight backwards, obscuring the motion with his own body. He grabbed his back and clothes, ready to yank himself out of the way.

He still almost missed it.

Kebos flickered, and Jeb yanked himself sideways.

There was a line of burning pain along Jeb’s ribs, and he glanced sideways as Kebos came to a sliding halt some twenty feet distant, his cleats throwing up chunks of hard-packed dirt. He had a pale blue blade emerging from the edge of his palm.

Okay, we’ve got a guy who can make swords with his mind. Mind-swords. Seems a little uncreative, but who am I to judge?

Kebos glanced down at his feet, which were still sliding to a halt in the torn-up ground. A moment later, his cleats turned into skates, and he began to loop back around towards Jeb.

“He’s fucking ignoring my slime. Again!” Colt shouted, his face red.

“No, it’s slowing him down,” Jeb said, watching Kebos approach. Compared to the burst of speed he’d showed earlier, this was—

Kebos crouched low and pushed off the ground, making an explosion of dirt behind him. The child trafficker went from thirty to eighty in a single bound, putting Jeb in a time crunch.

Damnit. Jeb redirected his Myst in front of him, attempting to make a shield that would redirect some of the impact.

Kebos bunched his legs up under him and jumped, sailing over Jeb’s head and heading straight for the wall. Not having anything supporting him anymore, Jeb flailed for a moment before tumbling into the slimy mud beneath him.

He’s still trying to get away! Jeb thought as the keegan drew a perfect arc above their