Chapter 4: Zeth vs Lund

Chapter 4: Zeth vs Lund

Lund narrows his eyes. “Prepare to meet your end.”

“The only one who’ll meet his end is you!” Zeth shouts, charging forward.

As Zeth closes the gap, Lund throws a punch, but Zeth ducks beneath it and counters with a strike of his own. The blow knocks Lund back, and Zeth doesn’t hesitate to pursue. Lund lashes out with a flurry of punches and kicks, but Zeth blocks with his forearms and retaliates with another punch that lands hard.

Emily watches intently from the sidelines. “For someone who was in a Hawk Clan prison until just a month ago, he’s very impressive.”

“Indeed,” Kurt agrees, his tone serious.

Lund grunts and steadies himself. “A month, huh? So, boy, you must be naturally talented. But this is far from over.”

His legs begin to glow yellow, radiating energy. In an instant, he dashes at Zeth with a burst of speed. Zeth manages to dodge a few of the incoming strikes but gets pummeled by the rest. He attempts a counter kick, but Lund’s increased speed easily allows him to dodge by jumping back.

Zeth wipes a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth.

“I guess it’s time I use one of my special attacks on a real opponent… for the first time since then…” Zeth murmurs, eyes darkening for a moment.

A brief image flashes in his mind: the Magic Guard he killed. He clenches his fists.

“A special attack?” Lund questions.

Zeth leaps into the air, his hand glowing with concentrated purple magic energy. “Star Shine Blast!”

A star-shaped beam of energy bursts from his palm and launches toward Lund. Though Lund manages to dodge the direct hit by jumping back, the beam hits the floor, causing an explosion that he is unable to avoid being caught in. When the explosion clears, his armor is shredded, and blood seeps from the exposed areas of his body.

Zeth lands and smirks. “How was that for you?”

Lund roars in fury. “GRRRR! That’s enough! Time for you to die!”

He brings his hands together, which glow blue with magic energy. He releases the gathered energy in a blue wave. The wave strikes Zeth, knocking him back into a wall. Before he can recover, Lund lunges in and unleashes a continuous series of punches.

Emily’s eyes widen. “We need to help him!”

“Don’t worry! I got this!” Zeth shouts, smiling confidently even as he gets pummeled.

Hidden below Lund’s line of sight, Zeth’s right fist begins to glow purple, more intense than before. With a roar, he drives it into Lund’s face. The impact sends Lund flying, blood dripping from his mouth. He struggles to his feet and wipes his face, frustrated.

Before he can recover fully, Zeth launches another Star Shine Blast. This time, Lund narrowly avoids the explosion by diving aside.

“I’m not finished!!” he growls.

“I see. How about I use another special attack?” Zeth smirks and aims both hands at the floor. “Star Shards!”

Two glowing, star-shaped energy shards form in his hands. He throws them into the ground.

Lund blinks. “So… what was that?”

“You’re about to find out,” Zeth replies confidently.

From beneath the stone and wood floor, the shards begin tunneling upward. Lund senses movement and jumps just as one bursts out beneath him. But the distraction proves costly as Zeth seizes the moment, dashing forward and striking him hard across the chest with a jumping punch. Lund flies backward, right into the second shard, which bursts through the floor and slices deep into his back.

“AAGHHH!!” Lund screams in agony.

Zeth doesn’t stop. His fist glows red now, magic fiercely surging through his whole arm and fist. “And here is the knockout hit!”

He slams his fully powered fist into Lund’s chest. The bandit leader crashes to the floor, groaning, significantly wounded, and barely conscious. Zeth stands over him, looking down with disapproval, fists still glowing faintly.

The others rush over. Kurt stops beside Lund’s fallen body, fury etched into his face.

“How did you get this power?!” Kurt demands.

Lund coughs, struggling with his injuries. “I… I was given it by… someone with an eyepatch… I never learned his name. His power was great. Since he gave me this strength, I never questioned him… ugh.”

Joe frowns. “Someone with an eyepatch giving power to bandits? Why?”

Kurt shakes his head. “Who knows? But at some point, we must find out. I don’t like the feeling of this.”

Emily walks over to the window and peers out. “The minions are fleeing. They’re running for their lives.”

“Screw them,” Zeth says. “They don’t pose any more harm. Let’s get back to Kurt’s town and tell them the good news.”

Kurt nods. “Yes. And we’re taking this guy back with us. He has more questions to answer.”

Zeth was able to defeat the bandit leader, Lund, and save Kurt’s hometown from further trouble and destruction. But who is the mysterious, eyepatch-wearing person that gave Lund his power?

Chapter 4 END

To Be Continued in Chapter 5: The Path to Home