Brant and Aaron raced down a narrow hallway in search of the room Ryder had just directed them to, where he supposedly stored his two sub-water bikes and sub-water biking suits. That was a sport Unterstat apparently reveled in, and neither man had heard of it before. 

"So, let me get this straight." Aaron huffed, "He has his artifact...so if we just destroy that, no more powers?" 

"No." Brant replied, "The power is in him now. But if we kill him, it'll return to the artifact." 

"So we have to destroy them both. And what can he do exactly?" 

"Manipulate water, essentially. That's currents, waves, all that stuff." 

Aaron rolled his eyes. "So like Dove underwater." 

"Basically. Only thing is we can breathe air, while water's a different matter." 

"What do you think he's doing here?" 

Brant coughed and rounded another corner. "Baird's been wanted for a long time for killing Emperor Pietrovo. I wouldn't be surprised if Cormorant came to witness the execution." 

"Oh wow, how exciting." Aaron muttered sarcastically. 

"By the way," Brant began, "will these gloves still work out there?" 

"They should. I don't see any reason why magnetism would stop working just over a little water." 

Brant snorted and glanced out a window. "If you call that 'a little', you'll have me convinced you're a fish or something." 

"You never know, man." Aaron jested. 

The two men burst into the room Ryder had told them about, with a placard above the door with the number 4 on it. Sure enough, most of the space in the chamber was taken up by a pair of substantial vehicles that resembled bikes without wheels. Crumpled in the corner lay two stretchy suits, with a pair of helmets resting atop them. 

Brant and Aaron slipped the sub-water biking suits on, and the helmets soon followed. A gentle hissing accompanied each breath they took once they engaged the oxygen tanks. After checking their uniforms for any leaks, they exchanged a thumbs-up and hopped onto the bikes. 

Brant spared one last glance to ensure the door was shut behind them, and then he pressed a button on the right handlebar to open the sliding exit door. Water rushed into the chamber and soon filled it entirely. He and Aaron jetted forward into the open ocean and swerved right to maneuver into the gap between buildings. 

Before long, they spotted Cormorant and increased speed, heading straight for him. His back currently faced them as he peered through the windows of a high-rise building. Once they got within a few yards, however, he perked up and spun. Just before they made impact, he waved his hands and sent both men careening opposite directions, into nearby walls. 

Brant grunted when his leg became crushed between the hard metal wall and his bike frame. With an effort, he got the vehicle moving again and sped back over. He used one hand to steer while creating a battle axe in the other. This time, just before he could bash Cormorant with his bike, the bald god floated upward. 

Aaron's vehicle spun into Brant's when he tried to alter course, drawing a smug grin to the aquatic god's face. Bubbles raced from his mouth as he exhaled, then he sucked more water into his nostrils. 

"He can breathe down here?" Aaron shouted through his helmet at Brant. 

Brant nodded. "He's equally comfortable either way." 

As Brant redirected his gaze to eye Cormorant again, he gasped. A wall of sharks raced across his field of vision, forced along by an unnatural current. They bared their teeth at him as they passed, but none possessed the strength to resist the force that tugged them along. 

Brant gunned the thrusters in reverse to get some distance. Then he pushed the throttle to the max and hurtled into the mass of sharks, using a shield to protect his head. The first few creatures flopped out of the way on impact, reddening the waters as they did so. But Brant's speed decreased exponentially, and he soon found himself at a stop, vulnerable to the same current himself. 

With a sigh, he rotated the bike to face with the current, deciding to go with it rather than against. He followed the arbitrary path for a while until he felt its pull diminish somewhat. Then he dove and swerved into the web of buildings. He darted through the maze and kept an eye out for Cormorant, hoping to sneak up on him. 

Sure enough, he saw the god at the end of an alleyway, sweeping his hands at Aaron, who had somehow came into fairly close proximity. Brant swallowed and transformed his shield into a spear. He studied the spearhead, squinted, and added barbs to the back. With a nod, he lurched forward. 

Again, Cormorant heard the engine and brushed Brant aside with his aquatic influence. Brant's leg suffered another blow, crushed between vehicle and building once more. However, Cormorant hadn't pushed him far enough out of range to avoid the thrust of his spear. 

The head dug deep into the flesh of Cormorant's arm. Brant gritted his teeth and pushed it until metal met bone, then he ripped it out. A cloud of red gathered around the god, accompanied by chunks of flesh. He shoved Brant and Aaron away once more. 

From where he had been flung, Brant watched with mild amusement as Cormorant shooed several sharks away who had been enticed by the scent of his blood. The chomping creatures circled around him, only barely held back by the swirling currents emanating from his hands. 

Brant navigated his bike closer to Aaron's. "Any ideas? He's pretty distracted now." 

A moment of silence lingered in the calm water between them before Aaron finally spoke. "I dunno..." he mumbled, "we're basically jousting at this point, but I haven't got a lance." 

Brant widened his eyes inside the helmet. "Really, I'm only using one of these." he said, removing his left glove and ensuring the biking suit's sleeve retained its tight seal on his wrist. "Take it." 

Aaron stared down at the glove for several seconds before finally reaching out. "If you say so..." 

"I do." 

"Okay, so I think I have something." Aaron muttered. 

"What's that?" 

"What if we come at him from two directions and corner him against a building? I get the feeling even his magic needs a little distance to gain proper momentum." 

"Maybe you're right." Brant agreed, "And even if not, it's better than nothing. We'll get a good chance to stab him, at least." 

Both men raised their gazes at the scattering cloud of sharks. Brant's eyebrow raised and heart quickened. Cormorant was nowhere to be found in the thinning crowd, and neither was there any redness in the water anymore—no trail to track him by. 

Aaron cried to his left, and Brant gasped. The green-robed god hit his comrade with a hard slap, the sound earsplitting even with layers of water, metal, and fabric between Brant and its source. Aaron flew from his bike and tumbled uncontrollably through the water, completely at Cormorant's mercy. 

Brant sped after them, but even with his bike running at full throttle, Cormorant outpaced him exponentially. The god tossed Aaron away from himself, and immediately a school of fish found themselves swept off course, swirling around him. Their formation resembled an improvised purse, containing Aaron inside like an item held for Cormorant's later use. 

Brant gasped when Cormorant darted his way, bubbles rippling behind him. The seaweed-green cloak washed over Brant's face and dominated his entire field of vision for a few seconds. He struggled to regain his sight, and when he did, he cast a desperate glance about. His heart sunk. The god had disappeared again. 

With a shrug, he sped over to the school of fish and skewered several away with a lance. Aaron swam out and held onto the empty handlebar of Brant's bike. He sped his companion back to his own vehicle just as Cormorant revealed himself again. He flung a pair of sharks at them like missiles. 

Brant and Aaron darted separate ways. Narrowly, they missed the sharks. Once they reached a certain distance from the god who had flung them, the grimacing creatures began moving of their own accord, ignoring the raging fight around them entirely. 

The two insurgents circled around Cormorant, attempting to make their eventual swerve to skewer him unexpected. But he spun in time with them, watching their every move with keen eyes. Brant finally made his move and raced Cormorant's way. As before, the god twinkled his fingers and sent a mighty current his way. 

While Brant tumbled away, Aaron got a stab in with the impossibly long sword blade in his hand. It penetrated all the way through Cormorant's muscular arm, from bicep to tricep. A wailing howl shot from his mouth and carried through the water. Aaron twisted the blade in the wound, causing the pitch and intensity of his cry to rise. 

Finally, Cormorant shoved Aaron away with a water-powered push. A large volume of blood escaped the wound as his blade withdrew, concealing the god once more in a cloud of his own ichor. 

Brant growled and raced forward, thrusting his spear into the midst of the red mist, hoping not to give Cormorant any time to escape. But the sharpened head met nothing, and his next few stabs confirmed the fact he'd eluded them again. 

A swordfish pierced Brant's ankle, and he hissed. He felt water creep into his pants and fill up his suit, only stopping when it reached his waist, where the belt kept the pocket of air surrounding his torso intact. Growling, he glanced around and finally spotted Cormorant floating above him. 

He gave chase, dodging the constant fish flung into his path. Cormorant managed to keep ahead of him, but Brant kept on his tail. Aaron would have to make the next move. 

And he did, lunging out from a space between two buildings and skewering the god's thigh. He screamed again, but this cry was mingled with anger. He snatched Aaron by the neck, kicked his bike into Brant's, and slapped his attacker into a nearby wall. 

Brant spun out of control, but once he regained stability, he witnessed Cormorant pressing Aaron into the wall, sneering. He raised his fist and punched into the glass of his helmet. The jagged lines of a new crack spread across the surface. Brant's eyes widened, and he cried out his disapproval, speeding forward. 

A second punch shattered the glass entirely. Shards floated down to the sandy ocean floor as water rushed into Aaron's face. His eyes shot open in terror, staring desperately Brant's way.

******************** 

A/N: 😱  Aaron, no!!! We can't afford to lose you right now, especially not like that! *agonized screaming* 

(Well, if that chapter did get your heart pumping, then please remember to vote and comment. Thank you!) 

I guess it's already time to ask a random question, because my brain just woke up 15 minutes ago...sorta, and thinking's really difficult right now. Anyways, what's something that really scares you? 

(This is honestly pretty stupid, but for me, it's almost any unidentified noise where I can't see the source. So whether that means the family's watching a movie downstairs, and then I hear a creaking noise upstairs when nobody should be up there, or I'm walking through the house in the dark early in the morning, and like the refrigerator clicks...again, sounds easily spook me when I don't expect them or know their source.) 

But that'll be all from me today. I hope you have an awesome week ahead, and I'll see you in Saturday's update!