Arrow Inferno
Chapter 86: Jeremy Stanton vs. Ryan Hicks ~ Feral attraction in the midst of hatred… The warlock strikes!

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Vincent looked up when he heard sudden screams from the people that he and his team were leading to safety on the park beside the Wyatt fortress. They were prisoners of the Wyatt Clan. Vincent had thought the prisoners would join them to fight the Wyatt Clan but they all seemed so weak he'd decided to rather keep them away from the fortress till the battle ended. Besides, the plan was to burn down the fortress after the battle so the prisoners needed to be taken off the property. Some had been prisoners for centuries, some were mortals, and some were even children. There were fifty-seven prisoners in all.

"What's going..." But Vincent never completed his question. He was hit by an energy ball that threw him high into the air and sent him hurtling onto the ground. He was dead before he hit the ground.

"Run." Another werewolf screamed at the prisoners even as he shifted into a large wolf and bared his teeth at the white-haired warlock who suspended in the sky not too far above them.

"And what do you think you're going to do, wolf?" Reynard Wyatt roared as he let loose a succession of energy balls, instantly killing all four remaining wolves who were all part of Vincent's team. "Hello, my lovelies." The smile he directed at the frightened prisoners would give anyone the shivers. "Where do you think you're going?" Reynard couldn't believe the audacity of the werewolves. How dare those mutts release his souls? When he'd seen the empty dungeon, rage had burned through him, igniting a vicious bloodlust And when he rushed outside and saw those werewolves leading his souls away, he'd seen red. He'd never enjoyed killing more. With a wave of his hand, a number of long thick steels appeared and surrounded all the prisoners, keeping them confined. "I still have use for..." He trailed off when a loud anguished scream split the air. "Look who decided to grace us with his douchedom." Reynard laughed. Ryan stared at the dead werewolves on the ground and felt rage that was laced with grief. When his eyes landed on Vincent's still form, his fists clenched and he had to fight down the rising bile in his throat. He slowly turned to look at the crazed warlock suspending in the sky across the field. Ryan's chest heaved as an icy lump settled in his gut, guilt eating through him like acid. He felt responsible for what had happened. If that man was his sperm donor, then he was just as guilty as he was. He had to make things right. He had to avenge the dead...his pack. Rage, the magnitude that Ryan had never felt, filled him. And that was when he noticed that the prisoners were actually dying one after the other. They would scream in agony and then fall down, dead.

"Don't look so surprised boy." Reynard grinned. "They are all linked to me. I use them as my source of strength." Where the fuck was Troy when he finally needed him to make himself useful...give up his life force to enable him deal with his fellow wolves, Reynard thought. Now, that was some aura. "You have no idea what you're up against, do you?" A child's spine-chilling scream split the air, followed by another.

Something broke free inside Ryan.

'Everyone should stay out of sight immediately.' He instructed his pack on their mind-link even as he directed a force field in the shape of a bubble, towards the prisoners who were already sealed within the confines of Reynard's magical steels. The shield was not only meant to protect those inside from magical attacks but it was also meant to deflect any magical attack back to the enemy.

"Hey come on, those souls are mine," Reynard shouted when the energy he was drawing from the life source of the prisoners instantly ceased.

"Ever created life?" Ryan couldn't help but retort.

"Yes. You." Reynard laughed. It was obvious that he was intentionally trying to irritate Ryan.

'Don't let him get to you, Ryan.' Deloris said over their link.

'But he already has, Deloris.' Ryan responded. 'I'm boiling right now. No one is to show themselves unless I tell you it's okay to, please.'

'Ryan...' Gloria began but Ryan cut her off.

'This is my fight.' He said quietly. He could feel his wolf going crazy inside him. It wanted to come out and face the enemy. But Ryan knew that for the battle at hand, his human form was needed.

Deloris had just one piece of advice though. 'You can do anything you set your mind to. Just believe.'

"You really shouldn't have come, son," Reynard said smugly.

The head of the Wyatt Clan knew that for as long as he remained within his protective shield and refrained from sending any direct attacks Ryan's way, he was okay. All he had to do was frustrate the wolves till they left the fortress. Then he could get everything back to its original status.

"You've sentenced all these people to their early graves like those five dead mutts down there." Reynard had a look of mock concern on his face. "Why don't you just give up now and leave? Unless of course, you lot are ready to meet your maker...Luna, right?"

"That's a chance I'm just going to have to take," Ryan growled and then opened his hands to direct an unending powerful wave of energy at Reynard.

Initially, Reynard kept laughing. He didn't seem bothered. But soon, his laughter began to fade when he realized that he had to direct all his energy into keeping his shield intact, thereby losing his control over his levitation. Before long, his feet were on the ground. That wasn't good, Reynard thought to himself. The power that Ryan was packing was even greater than he thought possible. But Reynard knew that although Ryan was supposed to have the powers of his six dead siblings in addition to his own...which made him very powerful, he was also unknowingly drawing strength from the land on which they stood, thanks to the Spiritual Nexus.

"Damnit," Reynard muttered to himself.

He hated to admit it but it would be better to live and fight another day, he decided. But when he attempted to disappear, he realized that he couldn't move his feet. If felt as if his feet had been encased in concrete, rooting him in place. He looked up in alarm. What the fuck? The only positive thing was that his shield was still intact. Well, he was the great Reynard Wyatt. And he couldn't just stand there and do nothing, could he? It was time to manipulate the elements, he decided.

With a loud cry, Reynard looked up and raised his hands to the heavens. Lightning split the sky, followed by the roar of thunder. The sky filled with thick, dark, stormy clouds. He almost burst into laughter at the look of surprise that appeared on Ryan's face. His bastard son obviously didn't know what he was up against, Reynard thought as he heard the frightened shrieks of the prisoners. Next time, the faggot would choose his battles wisely. With some weird chanting, Reynard directed the dark clouds towards the prisoners, smiling evilly when the heavens opened and the bubble began to fill with rainwater. Yes, he couldn't get to the prisoners by using his magical powers, but rain was a natural phenomenon. It could do the job just fine.

Ryan stared at the prisoners in horror. If he removed the bubble which was shielding them, they would become easy pickings for Reynard. And if the rate at which the bubble was filling up was anything to go by, the prisoners would drown in some few minutes...which would still give Reynard the powers he needed. Ryan knew he had to act quickly but had no idea what to do. Reynard Wyatt was obviously not only strong but smart too. And the only way to defeat him would be to drain him of his powers. But how?

'His blood runs within your veins, moron.' Ryan heard his wolf say inside him. 'Be creative.'