Arcane Anew

Footsteps thundered into the botanical garden as the Enforcers swarmed in and spread out from three directions with weapons raised. As the first few entered, flares illuminated the luscious greenery with an ominous red haze from the pollen.

Orion held his breath behind a bush, praying their goggles wouldn't help them see through the dense fog of pollen as easily as the usual Undercity smog. Within a split second of thinking that, Orion watched a thug burst forth from the foliage, howling with rage as his blade tore an Enforcer's leg clean off.

"AAAA" The Enforcer collapsed, screaming and dropping his weapon in agony. The thug raised his blade to finish him but was struck down with a shot to the chest, collapsing with a gurgling cry. 

The battle erupted into chaos. Blood-curdling screams and shouts filled the air. Enforcers left behind at each entrance picked off several charging thugs, but the pollen's haze turned the fight into a deadly, disorienting mess.

Orion infused himself with offensive magic, darting toward the nearest Enforcer with enhanced speed. The Enforcer, catching the movement, tried to whip his gun around but Orion's strike connected first, shattering his mask and sending him flying several feet back to the ground.

Channeling the magic to his legs, Orion sprinted back into the shadows to evade as several Enforcers immediately turned and fired on the bush he just left. 

Orion glanced back at the man he'd struck, pretty sure he didn't hit him hard enough to kill him. The Enforcer was writhing on the ground coughing and spluttering, clawing at his throat as the pollen visibly clung to him and entered his mask, intensifying his agony.

Focusing on speed, Orion sprinted up the side of one of the planted trees and launched himself toward an Enforcer guarding a side exit.

The glass ceiling shattered above, light refracting off the Enforcer's goggles, giving him away as he rotated and fired. The bullet pierced Orion's shoulder, but he gritted through the pain, maintaining his channel as his fist collided with the Enforcer's chest.

"AGH-" The Enforcer gasped, the sound of a chest bone snapping as he slammed against the corner wall jutting out and collapsed.

Clutching his shoulder, Orion stifled the desire to shout in pain as he resumed moving. His gaze darted to the Kirammans, his angle of movement starting to rotate toward them.

Rustle-RIP

Corina sprang from the shadows, a slender blade ripping up Orion's chest and sending him stumbling backward to the ground.

"A traitor, just like Vander," she sneered.

Her fingers wiped the blood from her blade before lunging again. Orion kicked out desperately, landing squarely in her chest and sending her flying back into a tree.

Intense pain shot through Orion's leg however as her blade embedded itself into his thigh, severing his magic channel with equally agonizing sharp pain rippling through his body. "AGH!" Orion's cry blended into the thick gunfire and screams.

Somehow she was already recovering when Orion lifted his head, hands clutching at his wound. Sparks of white dotted his vision through searing pain as he took out his gun, aiming it at her. 

Corina, coughing and wheezing in pain as she struggled halfway to her feet, returned his gaze too late.

BANG

Her blood sprayed across the tree before her body slammed against it again, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

Orion immediately scanned his surroundings, adrenaline barely holding him together as he stashed his weapon. The Kirammans were less than ten meters away as he dragged himself into a nearby bush for cover.

Orion wheezed and tried to steady his breath, gripping the short blade sticking out of his thigh before ripping it out with a pained gasp. Blood sprayed, dotting the foliage around as the gunfire in the background became less frequent.

'Fuck, I need to get out of here.' Orion cursed, channeling light-green healing magic into his leg. His chest burned, his wounded shoulder hung limp, and his limbs felt shredded from extended use of magic- pain amplified by Corina severing his connection.

The vents, still hissing and emitting pollen, were starting to quiet. Through the thick haze, Orion spotted a ladder on the innermost wall, away from the fighting. It was now or never as his exhausted figure broke into a weak jog.

Orion's legs and arms felt like someone took scissors to them, his muscles screaming in pain. His vision blurred, the haze of pain and fatigue weighing him down. Even so, he forced himself forward, his stumbling jog bringing him closer to the ladder.

He couldn't move much faster. His legs- especially his recently wounded one- struggled with sharp, shooting pains. It was closer to Fiddlesticks, or an old man with bad joints trying to move.

His saving grace was the pollen. While the gunshots had faded, the thick fog still clung to the first three meters of the botanical garden, obscuring him from view. The top half of the garden had cleared, blown out with the pressure release.

Reaching the rooftop, Orion groaned and hoisted himself up, every act of sheer willpower. Keeping himself as low as possible, he continued to crawl toward the other tightly packed rear buildings.

Once far enough from the Cultivar, he collapsed fully onto his stomach before glancing back.

"Fuck," Orion cursed aloud, his heart sinking as he realized his wounds left a blood trail. Clenching his teeth, he climbed back to his feet and resumed taking agonizing half-steps forward.

"What a fucking day," Orion grumbled bitterly, limping back to his home instead of heading topside.