Soul Arts

Chapter Twelve

Identical to the last, this car is barren, but well-lit by white fluorescent light panels above. The space is void of seats, tables, passengers, and even windows. Standing in front of a gigantic metal door at the end of the long and narrow corridor gazing back at her, however, is him; the one and only, Marshall. His body facing forward, hands restfully inside his pockets, and head turned slightly to his right, Marshall stares at the girl out of the corner of his eyes. He's about to walk through that door! Though he is very slender, scrawny even in physique, taller than Greiis Ringer but puny compared to Minotauria, this man is radiating an immense and unspeakable power.

Crap, what do I do now? The girl is frozen, held tight by anxiety's relentless grip as the two stare each other down. This is it, the girl resolves. Kalia knows this is now the time she must face Marshall; not in battle, but in conversation. Greiis Ringer was defeated, but so were Kalia's companions. This leaves the fate of her and the remaining unconscious passengers onboard the vessel up to him. Kalia is ready to demand answers.

A quick scanning of the scathed and rugged floor with her naked eyes leads Kalia to deduce that some fighting had taken place in this car. The girl takes a deep, elongated breath and then boldly begins to walk forward. Vehemently focused on Marshall, she notices him sigh as she walks toward him from so far away, unenthusiastic about having to wait.

Behind the girl, a faint thumping is growing closer and louder by the second. Ground is once again rumbling beneath her feet. Ash and soot that once inconspicuously coated the ravaged ground is now hopping about madly in rhythm with the vibrations. The thumping, the rumbling, and the powerful breathing Kalia can hear and feel coming from the car behind her is all too familiar. It can be none other than her. A sense of relief showering her, Kalia sidesteps out of the way as titan Minotauria cataclysmically plows through both doors.

Muscles bulging, fists clenched, and her large magnificent afro bouncing in synchronization with her movements, Minotauria is charging in perfect running form towards Marshall. The titan is destroying the ground as she walks, creating small fissures and leaving behind deep foot imprints. She is angry, fearsome, and fast, her long and toned legs allow her to move across several times more ground than the average person.

Kalia's nerves are on edge. She remembers Antagonis mentioning earlier that Minotauria was defeated and killed by Marshall once already. Minotauria is raging with massive amounts of psychical power, but Kalia is dreadfully unconvinced that raw strength alone will be enough to change the outcome this time.

Much to the girl's dismay, Marshall appears to be indifferent towards his sibling stampeding toward him for an attack. Instead of facing her, Marshall sighs again and turns his back to his raging sister. He takes a few short and calm steps forward and then presses the button on the right side of the steel door. It creeks open just far enough for Marshall to slip through. Once he does, the door gingerly closes behind him. The earsplitting ping of several latches locking reverberate down the corridor.

Minotauria reaches the door just few moments too late. She throws all her power into a body slam into the door, which does not budge. Left fist, right fist, then left fist again, Minotauria then assaults the door unleashing a barrage of powerful punches. The brutal clanking of bone striking metal repeatedly attacks the girl's eardrums just as hard as Minotauria is attacking the door. The sheer force of each of Minotauria's punches sends shockwaves of energy reverberating back down the car. Kalia's hair flutters repeatedly in the backwind.

"Hands up and start walkin', bitch!" a raspy voice orders from behind Kalia. The girl feels a cold, hard object pressing against her back.