The Judge by Jonathan Yanez

and Zheng attacked Vercin as one. That’s all Connor had time to witness as he was met by the doctor of Karnag standing in his path.
    “Impressive. Even an Elite would be out of commission for more than a few seconds by a blast of magic.”
    The monster next to the doctor, the mindless hulk that had once been Faust, looked at Connor with a blank stare.
    “Get out of my way,” Connor said.
    “Ahhhh… but I can’t. Faust, would you please show our hero that this is no fairy tale? Show him the meaning of pain.”
    Faust grinned through sharp teeth and turned empty eye sockets toward Connor. The Elite who had once favored designer suits and the finer things in life galloped toward him with primal anger.
    Faust was large and no doubt strong, but Connor could deal with that. Faust aimed a fist at his head that only made contact with air. Connor recovered from his duck and landed an uppercut of his own. The blow would have been enough to send any normal Elite into dark unconsciousness. Faust, however, was anything but normal.
    A grunt escaped the giant’s lips as he absorbed the strike and moved forward, hurling wild blows. Connor danced around Faust, countering and throwing punches of his own. It seemed like whatever had been done to Faust had also affected his pain receptors. No matter how many times Connor landed punches, the monster of a man still came.
    A fist finally caught Connor straight across the jaw. Blood spurted from his mouth in a wide arc. He stumbled to a knee. Faust seized his chance and aimed a heavy foot at Connor’s head. The Judge rolled out of the way without a second to spare. When Connor regained his feet, he launched himself into the air behind the monster.
    Jumping onto Faust’s back, Connor applied a choke. The giant scratched and tore at the arms around his neck. It was all Connor could do to hold on as his enemy ran backwards, throwing Connor’s back into trucks and vans parked on the street.
    Connor’s teeth rattled. His spine felt like it would snap at any moment under the battering of his enemy’s strength, but still he held. Channeling all of his strength into the hold around the giant’s neck, he held. A few seconds past. The beast whose back he clung to like a backpack began to slow.
    Faust stopped running and clawing at his neck. He fell to his knees, and then like a tree toppling to the ground, he crashed to the asphalt.
    Connor slowly rose to his feet. Blood dripped from his chest and mouth. He was burned and bruised but he knew he was needed. Surveying the battleground, he was surprised to see the Elites were no longer alone.
    The fight was taking place in the middle of the street and even despite the thick mist that clung everywhere, people were beginning to notice. Cars had stopped short of the feud on either side of the two-lane street. People of all ages stood wide-eyed, watching.
    Connor realized the mist was slowly dissipating. Morrigan’s mind must be elsewhere at the moment. Her concentration needed to fight rather than mask the battleground. Connor knew he had to finish the battle quickly before someone got hurt, or worse, the police and news crews were called.
    That’s when Connor felt a sharp pain through his back. As he fell, the blow was followed up by another stab to his chest. Coughing blood, he looked up into the eyes of his attacker.
    The doctor had snuck up behind him and revealed a thin sword hidden in his cane. The point of the sword now went completely through Connor’s chest and stuck fast in the ground.
    “A pity. I had higher hopes for Faust. I think we need to do some re-engineering on his speed and accuracy receptors.”
    It was all Connor could do to stay conscious. Pain from the previous wounds dulled compared to the steel that entered his body and ran through the other side, pinning him to the ground.
    “Oh, please don’t bother struggling. You’re not the Judge Vercin was. The best you can hope for is not to die. We’ll wait here until Vercin