Ignacio vs. Ezequiel

“Sweet,” Ezequiel said.

The boy hopped down the Golem’s back, dark skin glistening in the sun. His footsteps munched against the dead grass as he ran over, still standing at Ignacio’s height.

He planted a fist into his palm, grinning deviously. “I’ve wanted to beat you up since we first met.”

“Now, now,” Koharu said, holding her hands up, “there’s no need for proper violence. He can’t even channel his abilities yet, Zeeq.”

“Eh, channel shmannel,” Ezequiel said. “We’ll start without powers then, right, Iggy?”

Ignacio tilted his head to the side. “Don’t call me that here.”

Ezequiel lowered his hands, pursing his lips. “Aw, I’m sorry Ignacio. I didn’t mean to offend you. You’re just such a cool guy and-”

Stone chunks bubbled along the knuckles of his right hand, and he swung for Ignacio’s stomach. A blaze of blue-light formed at Ignacio’s hands as he tried to block, but Ezequiel’s stone hand broke his guard and cracked him in the ribs.

Ignacio flew backwards, rolling across the grass. He groaned, staring at the bright blue sky, his vision pulsing with darkness as pain radiated from the point of impact.

“Zeeq!” Koharu shouted. “Will you calm down! Kiyomi, do something, please.”

Ignacio coughed, feeling like his stomach was in his throat as he rolled over and stood back up. He turned around, eyes widening as a stone fist rammed into his stomach. He gasped as he slammed back to the ground.

Another shockwave of pain tore through his body as he curled into a fetal position, coughing. The grass prickling his cheek was soft as a blanket compared to the pain in his gut. Blood pumped in his ears, turning his face warm.

“Come on, Iggy,” Ezequiel said, standing over him. Both of his hands were covered in cracking stone fragments, each the size of a small boulder. “Get up.”

Get up, he told himself, placing a hand against the ground. Get. Up.

The pain he was feeling; the fear, the uncertainty, it was all nothing compared to what Celeste was going through.

“Good,” Ezequiel said, taking a step back as Ignacio pushed himself to stand. “Very good.”

Ignacio licked his lip, tasting blood from his violent coughing. He flexed his hand, and frowned. His bones felt… different. Like they’d become heavier.

You’re a Ronin, he thought, a slight smile forming as he coughed again.

Ezequiel nodded. “I’ll give it to you, Iggy. You’re tough, most people would be down by now.”

“Especially on their second day of training," Koharu shouted from above. “Will you stop trying to kill him, Ezequiel!”

He waved a giant, stone hand at her, eyes locked on Ignacio. “Yea, yea. Relax.”

He charged towards Ignacio, arching his arm back as he jumped into the air.

Come on, Ignacio thought, raising his arms in front of himself in a guard, covering his head.

He looked up as something crashed loudly, stone against stone. He slid backwards on the grass, his eyes dilating as he stared at his arms. Both of them were encrusted in a deep blue stone that cracked like a dry riverbed, Koharu’s blue-light emanating from between the gaps in little tendrils.

“Yes, Ace!” Koharu cheered from above, pumping her fist.

Ezequiel glared at him. “You little…” he snarled.

He leapt at Ignacio again, roaring as he pulled his elbow back. He swung his fist against Ignacio’s forearms with a thunderous crash, the impact blasting his hair back.

Damnit he’s fast, Ignacio thought.

Ezequiel landed in front of him, swinging again and again, blue sparks flying as Ignacio blocked them with his arms, backing away step by step.

He tried swinging, but Ezequiel ducked, slipping to the left and cracking his ribs with a bang. The shot tossed Ignacio to the side, planting him face first in the grass.

He groaned, lifting his head and shaking it, spitting out dirt and grass.

“What did I tell you about absorbing my Aspect,” Ezequiel shouted from behind.

Ignacio sighed, turning onto his back as Ezequiel stormed towards him. The rocks flaked and crumbled off his hands and forearms until they were bare.

Ignacio scrambled to his feet, raising his fists again. Only this time the blue light was gone, leaving the same kind of stone covering that Ezequiel had used.

“I can’t control it,” Ignacio said, stepping back. “It just happens when I touch someone.”

“Really?” Ezequiel said, placing his hands on his hips. “That seems awfully convenient at a time when I was thrashing you. Seems like you held back until you realized you couldn’t beat me with Koharu’s Aspect.”

Ignacio lowered his hands, the rocks clustered on them crumbling and falling off. “I promise you, I’m telling the truth.”

Ezequiel scoffed, snapping his fingers. The Golem body he’d left behind trembled, and slowly stood up. It lumbered towards them, footsteps thundering in the plain.

Ignacio folded his arms. “Just keep pushing, Ezequiel.”

Ezequiel sat down, crossing his legs and arms. “We had a deal, Ignacio.”

“And I tried keeping it. I told you, I can’t control whose powers I-”

The Golem sat down behind Ezequiel, placing its gigantic arms around him and leaning its head over him. Its glowing red eyes turned dark, and Ignacio felt his bones return to normal.

Koharu landed beside him, flicking her hair from her face. “He’s not going to be happy,” she said, grimacing.

“What the hell does he want from me? I can’t control it yet,” Ignacio said.

She sighed, turning to him with narrowed green eyes. “Just be patient, Ace. We’re on the same team. This is new for all of us.”

She faded into that blue light again, vanishing as if she was never there.

Ignacio sighed, staring up at the Golem. Its head was crowned with dull brown crystals. A small crab-like insect crawled over one, its shell bright orange.

He turned to Kiyomi, walking over to her with a hand behind his back.

She flipped a tattered page in her tome, glancing up at him with her dark brown eyes as he approached.

“How did I do?” he asked.

She lowered her gaze back to the tome, her crossed leg shaking. “Awfully.”

He nodded, tilting his head to the side to see the tome. It was magnificent. A large red gemstone was embedded on the brown, scaly cover. The gem itself was inlaid with gold, a cross emerging from all around it with thin patterns that looked like tree branches filling in the four gaps.

“Ignacio,” Kiyomi said, glaring up at him. “If you turn out to be a liar, or an infiltrator, I promise you now, I will kill you.”

Ignacio rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She nodded, holding up a hand as she glanced down at her tome. A bright red apple materialized in her palm. Like it had just been emptied from a bag.

Ignacio picked it up, turning it side to side. “What, is it poisoned?”

“You catch on quick,” she said. “Try it.”

He sniffed it, then took a bite. His eyes widened, the sweetness zinging in his mouth.

“What on Earth?” he said, staring at the fruit as he chewed.

“More like what in the Ethergeist,” she said. “I just learned how to do that. Apparently that’s what real apples taste like.”