Un-Chain

Uteu clawed at Oscar's hands around his throat. He could feel the pale man's hands growing hotter as he struggled.

Briefly, he could hear Grello and Harlin struggling against Lina. Guilt rushed through him as he thought about Harlin. Going into all of this half assed and ignorant was harming people around him. He felt terrible for attempting to make her his Link.

"Hey, little Drelden. Don't get all distracted on me now." Uteu refocused on Oscar, the lazy smile on the man's face grew.

"Chains and Links, I really hate them you know?" Oscar drawled out.

Uteu could feel the hands tighten and breathing became more difficult.

He found himself choking out, "Why would I care?"

Oscar grinned in response to Uteu's words. He flicked his wrists and tendrils of flames licked at Uteu's neck. Uteu felt dread and broke out into a sweat as he struggled harder to break free from the man. The smell of burning flesh and searing pain overwhelmed him.

An anger welled up inside of him. Why did he have to be involved like this? He was a normal person unrelated to all of this just a few days ago.

He heard a clink and he weakly looked up. He could see his chain to Grello floating somewhere above Oscar's head. Like a hint to him, he could see lines of lightning running up and down the chain.

Could he use that too?

Uteu closed his eyes, if he couldn't do this then he was going to die. Uteu thought fast because he could no longer take in any air. If he could chain together buffs... perhaps he could-

Something clicked and he opened his eyes. As if he was urging Grello and telling him what he wanted, a spark, and the crackle of lightning surged forth and surrounded him. It wrapped around him like a snake before surging forth towards Oscar.

Oscar yelped and dropped him. Uteu greedily gulped in air and massaged his throat. He could see flames engulf the surroundings around Oscar. The other man was preparing a bigger spell to retaliate against Uteu.

Before Oscar could unleash his attack, Harlin shoved him aside and into Grello, who was already glowing with a faint powder blue glow. Feeling the burn around his neck recede, Uteu concluded that his Link was healing him.

Lina was quick on them, slamming her crowbar down at Grello's head. Uteu, on instinct, grabbed Grello's arm, the one that was healing him, and sent a bolt of lightning right at the weapon. Lina was quickly paralyzed as her weapon was used against her. It conducted the lightning and sent it straight up her arms.

She gritted her teeth in pain and couldn't move. Small sparks of lightning went up and down her body. Her body shook as she tried to force it to move.

"That feels strange..." He could hear Grello mutter. Uteu turned his attention towards the man.

"It feels like you're drawing upon my spirit and pulling out my abilities."

Uteu balked. That sounded terrible!

Grello quickly reassured him, "Nothing bad, doesn't seem like any side effects so far. Seems pretty convenient to me. You're able to pull out my spells and buffs on your own in a different way."

He paused as he pulled Uteu away. Harlin and Oscar came barreling past them. They blurred together, flames hurled and daggers thrown.

"You need to understand that I can't do this. Getting the lightning to aim straight? Sure. Shooting off lightning while healing someone at the same time? Not without accidentally shocking my patient. Getting it to wrap around someone like a snake? That, dear Chained One. I have never been able to do."

Grello gave him a crooked smile, "Seems interesting. No current side effects that I can feel right now. I don't feel any strain-"

Grello immediately stopped talking, turned and ran towards Harlin. Alarmed.

Uteu turned his head to see what had caught Grello's attention and felt his heart drop into his stomach. While they were trying to understand more about their connection, Lina had gotten away from them, no longer stunned.

She was behind Harlin, who had just rolled away from a fireball. Her crowbar landed squarely onto Harlin's arm. Causing it to bend at an unnatural angle from the force.

The maid had yelled out in pain. She managed to pull out another dagger from under her skirt to swipe at Lina.

Unfortunately for her, the other girl had stepped back in time. The dagger sailed past her head harmlessly. Lina had a triumphant look on her face, completely smug.

"Hah, serves you right, you bitch!" Lina seemed to savor Harlin's distressed cries and snickered at Harlin's poor attempts to get a hit back.

Grello was quick to reach them, since he still had all of the enhanced buffs on him. He immediately attempted to heal Harlin. He could only reduce the pain slightly. He would need much more time to reset the bone and heal it properly.

He frowned when his spell worked very slowly on Harlin. He seemed to have forgotten how much slower it was in comparison to his heal's on Uteu. Uteu was a few steps behind Grello. Wishing he could help them.

When he saw Lina leap over and Oscar raising his hands, he saw his opportunity.

Grello seemed almost surprised when Uteu dragged out a lightning spell from him and aimed it towards both Lina and Oscar. While the two were stunned, he took advantage and continued to tend Harlin's arm.

Oscar seemed enraged, "You freakin' cheats! This is why I hate you guys so freakin' much!"

He continued ranting, "Can't beat me on your own so you gotta use cheap cheats!"

Uteu looked at him unimpressed, "How is this any different from you two ganging up on Harlin?"

"HAH! That's a riot! No one can combine and mess with other people's abilities! Its freakin' unnatural! You're scrambling another person's very being you sicko!"

Uteu frowned at Oscar's words. Was... was that what he was actually doing? He gave Grello a glance. He watched as Grello gave Harlin painkillers and made her a quick splint. The other man had obviously not heard a single word, too worried about his maid.

"No way am I ever going to be a dumb a.s.s Link for someone." Oscar continued to say as he moved his fingers, obviously regaining feeling in them.

"All of you Chained Ones... you all make me sick to my stomach. Undel especially."

Oscar spat out his words venomously. The hate on his face distorted his looks.

"You're his brother... be good and let me vent."