Arc 2 - Chapter 38: Stan and Gary vs Ryan II

He nudged his head to the right. Avoiding Ryan’s attack, he squeezed his stomach and pressured his boots. Stalling his breath within his throat, he even dropped his rifle down to the ground.

Walking backward on the tips of his toes, he jabbed his right hand inside his pocket, and took out a metallic object he was familiar with. Clicking the button on the center, a spazz of light fluttered from its tip, all the while he honed the grip with his palm. Using nothing but an electric baton, he sneered his teeth the longer he stared at Ryan.

Who threw himself right in front of him.

“Take this you fucking redneck!”

Meters in front of him, Stan moved his head side to side to avoid the incoming fists. Just as one of Ryan’s punches tried to strike, he blocked it with the electric baton he wielded.

It was a clash of electricity vs rubber.

Swishing the air all around him, sparks of electricity stun Ryan’s skin. But it didn’t send him to convulse. With no current and magnetism, it was useless to try to electrocute the lich made out of rubber.

‘Damnit! My weapon is useless against him!’

Continuing to block his fists, he felt every punch crackle his baton. Knowing pushing his weapon would lead it to crumble, he jumped back, but Ryan followed him suit.

Feeling the air be pushed by the lich, he leaped to the right, as the pavement below skid his boots. With Ryan doing the same, much of his heels up to his toes were scraped against, leaving pigments of white to litter the asphalt. Flinging his arms and hands back, he readied himself for another attack.

But Stan had placed his baton back onto his holster. Placing it onto his hip, he had his left hand stashed into his pocket.

“Come here!”

“Then eat this!”

And at the same time he pulled out his left hand, he crouched down. His right hand low to the ground, Ryan didn’t notice it at the time, but Stan did. He was at the same place where he dropped his rifle, in order to switch to his gun.

Picking it up with his right hand, he had his left stall in the center. Unable to hone in his eyes at the flying lich, he had his feet loosened with the ground as he leaped back. And fired away.

Sending a storm of lead toward the lich, Ryan didn’t take the chance to even dodge. Instead, he smirked.

Allowing the bullets to hit him, they didn’t pierce through his body like any other lich. Given the physics, if swords couldn’t cut him, then what good metal does to rubber? If the same thing applied to bullets, then Ryan didn’t just eat the bullets…

“No … eat this!”

He sent them back to Stan.

Too slow to dodge bullets, he closed his eyes as the momentum of the lead was halved. But even so, the air rippled against the outer layers of the metal, as they zipped and slashed not only the wind … but his skin.

Keeping his head intact, most of the bullets punctured and dented his body. He wasn’t fully shot, but halved, as most of the lead reached the halfway point of entering his body. Coughing out blood, he was too weakened to stand.

‘Shit … I should have known this would happen…’

He heard the air rustle again. Twisting his head to the right, he widened his eyes at the incoming fist that edged closer and closer. Already feeling his body grow hot, and his breathing hardening, he felt like his world went slow…

But his hands were able to move.

Moving his right hand to his thigh, he pulled out the metal baton that was stationed on his hip. Dropping his rifle again, which clanked on the pavement, he bulged all of his biceps and back shoulders.

Once the fist collided with the stick.

“Ah!”

Because he had used the last of its strength, it crumbled like a cookie that was dipped in honey milk. Metal littering on the floor, Stan gasped in shock, as some of the metal creaked onto his palm.

And because he moved his left hand into his pocket, he pulled out a simple piece of nylon rope.

“Think fast!”

He didn’t throw a single fist, but a dozen. Enacting the power of a jackhammer, he unleashed a fury of fists that pushed the air by his very bones. Laughing erratically, boastfully smiling, it left Stan to be at the end of the barrel. Until he threw the rope, while snuggling his butt on the floor.

At the moment, it latched onto both of Ryan’s wrists. Stripping him from using his fists, it sent Ryan to leap back, even though his arms and limbs stretched.

“You fell for it!”

Gathering enough tension within his body, he tore his toes by skidding them into the asphalt. With tar latching off his feet, he pushed up a smirk, before flying through the air with a leaned back head.

Reaching ultimate velocity, Stan could still feel his world be slowed. Like he saw his movements with precision, almost as if he knew what he would do, it was enough for him to push a smile.

Once he took out a piece of crystal from his pocket.

‘Lend me your luck Luke…’

Throwing it like a speed ball pitch, he pulsated all of his muscles from his right arm. In less than a millisecond, it rippled across the air until it reached its final destination.

Falling down to the floor on purpose, he curdled his body to avoid the incoming blast. Covering his ears, covering his face, he felt a gust of air blew his hair and jacket Hearing his eardrums boom, he felt his eyeballs shake, and his bones to be rattled by the sudden explosion.

Letting his body loose, he pushed his head up from the ground. Dropping his hands from his face, he saw a cloud of smoke and dust barrage the area.

‘I think … I think that worked…’

The fog began to dissipate, leaving whoever was subjected to the crystal to be displayed. Standing in the center, was a lich having rolled up eyes, and his hands reaching low to his waist.

Seeing that he was barely able to stand, Stan placed both of his hands inside his pockets. Tucking it into his jacket, he kept his glaring eyes at him, and had them stalled like balls.

“Going to make your move?”

Ryan took a step forward, and began to fasten his walk to him like a wind up monkey. His hands low to his sides, and his calves and thighs bulging with radiance, he began his run toward the standing elf. Pulling back his right arm, he hardened his knuckles and paled his hand.

But Ryan saw the world in slow motion, as Stan brought out a bottle while he threw his fist. Seeing the logo … it displayed skull and bones, but in white and black.

Once upon a time, that same logo was seen in The Array…

Unable to pull back in time, Ryan widened his eyes as he—

“Wait!”

His fist made contact with the glass bottle, leaving the shards to scatter across the floor. Piercing Ryan’s bare feet, Stan felt the glass trickle on his boots.

In an instant, the 0-kelvin air entrapped both of their hands, freezing Stan’s blood and Ryan’s tar within milliseconds. Both of them at a standstill, they couldn’t escape. As the absolute zero air circled his hand, he took a failsafe that would ensure his survival.

‘Good thing I have a fan…’

With his right hand, he held a small fan that was already unveiled. Blowing the air to Ryan’s knuckles, up to his wrist, 90% of the air was gifted to the gasping lich.

“Ah! Fucker!”

“Desperate calls call for desperate measures.”

He felt like his throat was entrapped in ice. Feeling like his chest was being stabbed, tiny ice particles attacked his lungs, making him arch his back. Because even though 10% of the air circled his hand, it looked as if his fingers were on the edge of breaking apart.

‘I didn’t think this through huh…’

Ryan then stretched out his head, soaring two stories high. Trying to pull back his hand, it was like Stan’s hand was infused with Ryan’s frozen one.

“How about I help you out!?”

He barreled his head down, but he didn’t strike Stan’s body or head. No … he struck the place where he was glued to. Breaking the ice between them, it caused Stan to tumble a few steps back.

Once he dropped on his butt, he had his left palm facing—

He couldn’t move it.

His breath frozen in his throat, he tried to scratch the pavement with his fingers. He couldn’t feel anything, nor could he feel his palm trying to clutch the ground. In fact, it didn’t hold up his body, so what then…

“Ha … ha …”

Blood trickling the floor, it led Stan to wide his eyes the most they ever did. Moving his left arm, he saw where Ryan last struck—

—There was no hand.—

His breathing soon fastened, he began to heave relentlessly the more he saw his missing hand. Followed by his heart beating in a geometric interval, it felt like he was prickled and bit by a colony of fire ants, before he shouted. Tearing his vocals apart, he balled himself like an armadillo, while Ryan inhaled a big breath in.

“Music to my ears.”

Ryan’s hands started to regrow, as muscle and bone were molded by the steaming tar he produced. Regenerating his arteries, and finally his flesh, it was like he never had his hands cut off in the first place. Wiggling his fingers in the air, he then slid his right foot back, and pulled back both of his arms.

“I recall that you I was going to torture you, yeah? Consider this as payback for blowing me up with stupid mercury!”

His legs unable to move, or even get him to safety, they stalled frozen on the ground. His throat quivering, his face gleaming with sweat, he kept his head into his knees and chest as no pain dwelled.

Digging into the cement with his feet, Ryan had his knuckles ready. Straightening his back along with his neck, he thrusted his fists straight at the—

—He couldn’t move his body.—

“Huh?! What … what’s happening!?”

Like his whole body was turning into a mannequin, his arms, legs, hands, and feet were stalled. As if he was being entrapped in ice, the circulation of tar throughout his body drastically slowed down. Trying to move his head, trying to stretch his neck, the only thing he could move was his eyeballs.

“Who’s doing this!?”

Stan saw the lich’s body be trapped in ice, except for his head.

His eyes barely keeping him awake, he saw a figure behind Ryan. His breathing still erratic, he pressured the butt of his right palm on the ground, while his missing left hand stalled.

“Gary…”

Using his peripheral vision, Ryan seethed with rage at the man in back of him. Tar dripping from the corners of his mouth, his eyes strained tar-shot, all the while he tried to move his neck around and around.

“You piece of shit! You ambushed me at the last second!”

“I understand it now…”

He gripped a pistol with his right hand, with the paint lavished in black and loaded with bullets. Walking slowly, he turned his body to the right, and was right in the center between the two. Facing Ryan, standing in front of him, he wielded another metal object within his hands.

“In life, there’s always someone going to be better than you. Whether it be in brains or brawn.”

“Does it look like I care!? Release me!”

Gary holstered his pistol onto his right hip, and held the metal object with both hands. Looking to be an obsidian knife, the edges and tip were enough for it to sparkle under their irises.

Which made Ryan blush with paleness.

“I’m by no means strong, and Fred rivals me when it comes to inventing. But in the end, that’s ok.”

He began to slice the ice, and push straight through where Ryan’s heart was. Squealing within his puckered lips, biting the inside of his cheeks, tar lavished the insides of his rotten gums.

“I had good company once, but that was six years ago. Even now, when I felt like I wasn’t being much of use, I still had fun with Fred, Diego, Stan, Luke … even Luna a couple of times…”

Finishing the last of his carving, Gary dropped the knife to the ground. Taking a couple of steps back, Gary saw the lich’s heart open as day, leading to a piece of flesh to plop to the ground.

And with his heart wide open, Gary began to unholster his pistol from his hip. Feeling part of his fingers succumbed to frostbite, since he took dozens of seconds to slice off Ryan's chest, he ignored the jabbing pain.

“And overall, I think it’s ok to be a background character. That just means that I could live a normal life with normal goals. And yet, I’ll still cling onto my friends, if they ever need my help…”

“Hey! Hey! HEY!!”

As he honed his pistol, he aimed the barrel straight at his heart, with his finger on the side. Feeling his breath slow, and his body loose, he narrowed his eyes solely on the lich who began to…

Cry. Having it roll down his cheeks, it looked as if he was pleading for mercy.

“You remember the fond memories right!? We were friends Gary! FRIENDS!!”

He remembered him, Gemma, and Harold; before they were subjected to the cruel fates bestowed for them. The pet wolves Harold had, and the many rants he had with women, he was somewhat grateful for his entertainment. Along with Ryan and Gemma, those two were generally nice to him, and they treated him better than even Luna herself.

Looking straight into his eyes, he saw nothing within those all black irises. Straightening his back, and his finger caressing the hilt of his trigger, all he did was push out the air he had in his lungs.

—“You, and Harold, aren’t my only friends.”—

As he pulled the trigger.

Speeding right where his heart was shown, the soundwave pierced and shackled the air and into his ears. Striking his heart, splitting it into two, it made Ryan gasp and choke on his own breath.

Before he began to choke on his own tar. His eyes already flickering, and his body convulsing in the ice he was subdued in, the heat around them managed to crumble the ice. Bit by bit, piece after piece, layer after layer of limb, bones, muscle, and tissue floored the ground.

It was the same as his first death, as limbs scoured the floor where he last drew breath.

“I hope you and Harold are resting now…”

Turning his head toward Stan, who laid against a wall, he began his walk toward him. Instead of frowning, he pushed up a calm smile, while placing his gun back to his holster.

“Come on, we got to find Luke.”

But before they would go, they turned around to see Stan’s left hand. Seeing that it wasn’t connected with his body, it led Gary to be the one to walk right to it. Picking it up, he showcased it right in front of Stan, as a goofy smile littered his face.

“Need a hand?”

“Really?”