In any other situation where his partner was hurt, Skulduggery would have objected to their offer of cover - strongly. But this wasn't any other situation, a fact confirmed when Gabriel summoned a spear seemingly out of the light that was still emanating from his center. And without another suggestion for warding off a race of metaphysical beings, Skulduggery left Gabe to his magic and turned back towards the mountain.
Music, he had to admit, was a little more powerful than he'd imagined at first.
The Faceless Ones might have been repelled by the bright and soothing melody, but the same couldn't be said for their pets, which Skulduggery had forgotten about until now. Two of the skinny, tattooed creatures must have already been hidden nearby, because they dropped down into the front room as soon as he ducked into the building.
Skulduggery wasted no time in rushing the pair; slamming a fist directly into each narrow head, catching them by surprise, and flipping the right one over onto its back before it had a chance to react. The left one recovered from the punch fairly quickly, broadsword suddenly in hand, and it swung the blade toward Skulduggery's head. The detective ducked out of the way, grabbed the offending sword hand, and snapped it. An unearthly yowl was the only indication of any pain it felt; it continued its ferocious fight one-handed, and now its partner was getting to its feet. Skulduggery dodged back and snapped both palms out, sending both of the creatures flying up onto the stone wall and holding them there, pinning them with the air.
Robbing them of oxygen, unfortunately, didn't seem to do anything. Skulduggery had tried that too many times to count. The intricate robes, however, were flammable, if you got them to stay still long enough. Palms still outstretched, Skulduggery slowly snapped the fingers of each hand, and the bottoms of their robes alighted. Minutes later, they were both in flames, and no longer a threat. Skulduggery let them drop.
He only took a moment to marvel at his new-found ability of manipulating two elements at once. It was the only natural outcome of so much time to practice, after all. Given a few more months, he might really have been able to fly, just like he'd predicted to Gabe.
The building, thank God - Skulduggery checked himself, made a mental note to ask about the phrase later - did have a cave in the back, and it did seem to lead into one of the tunnel systems. They had never worked as successful hiding places before, but... well. Suddenly, many things were happening to Skulduggery that had never happened before. Maybe all he needed was a little bit of faith.
The cave was also free of anything living for at least a mile ahead, as the undisturbed air drifting against his fingers confirmed. Skulduggery made his way back to the building entrance and called out to Gabe, a wary eye out for any more surprise parachuting riders. "I was right. Let's go."
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Music, he had to admit, was a little more powerful than he'd imagined at first.
The Faceless Ones might have been repelled by the bright and soothing melody, but the same couldn't be said for their pets, which Skulduggery had forgotten about until now. Two of the skinny, tattooed creatures must have already been hidden nearby, because they dropped down into the front room as soon as he ducked into the building.
Skulduggery wasted no time in rushing the pair; slamming a fist directly into each narrow head, catching them by surprise, and flipping the right one over onto its back before it had a chance to react. The left one recovered from the punch fairly quickly, broadsword suddenly in hand, and it swung the blade toward Skulduggery's head. The detective ducked out of the way, grabbed the offending sword hand, and snapped it. An unearthly yowl was the only indication of any pain it felt; it continued its ferocious fight one-handed, and now its partner was getting to its feet. Skulduggery dodged back and snapped both palms out, sending both of the creatures flying up onto the stone wall and holding them there, pinning them with the air.
Robbing them of oxygen, unfortunately, didn't seem to do anything. Skulduggery had tried that too many times to count. The intricate robes, however, were flammable, if you got them to stay still long enough. Palms still outstretched, Skulduggery slowly snapped the fingers of each hand, and the bottoms of their robes alighted. Minutes later, they were both in flames, and no longer a threat. Skulduggery let them drop.
He only took a moment to marvel at his new-found ability of manipulating two elements at once. It was the only natural outcome of so much time to practice, after all. Given a few more months, he might really have been able to fly, just like he'd predicted to Gabe.
The building, thank God - Skulduggery checked himself, made a mental note to ask about the phrase later - did have a cave in the back, and it did seem to lead into one of the tunnel systems. They had never worked as successful hiding places before, but... well. Suddenly, many things were happening to Skulduggery that had never happened before. Maybe all he needed was a little bit of faith.
The cave was also free of anything living for at least a mile ahead, as the undisturbed air drifting against his fingers confirmed. Skulduggery made his way back to the building entrance and called out to Gabe, a wary eye out for any more surprise parachuting riders. "I was right. Let's go."