Chapter 321 Rank 1 And 2 Mercenaries

Liz groaned as Manny turned. A male Shifter with mud and stone floating around him smiled.

"Well, well, well… I didn't get unlucky with you two, did I?" The shifter chuckled.

"Liz, are you alright?!?" Manny shouted. Liz groaned and slowly stood up.

"Dandy." Liz wiped the blood off of her mouth.

"Two on one, I guess that'll do. You two are too weak to even get close tot killing me anyways." The male shifter smiled. He lifted his hand, stones and mud binding together. "I'll end this in one shot." The huge spike flew at Manny. Liz lifted her hand, blasting the spike to bits. Mud and stones splattered across the ground. Manny ran over and placed his hands on Liz.

"Are you sure you'll be fine against him? You used your–"

"As long as I don't go into the form again, I'll be fine until backup gets here." Liz told him. The injuries disappeared and Liz felt rejuvenated. "We have to get to Lee Seng, right? We don't know how bad it is in that room. He could've gotten most of the goblins or worse."

"Then let's show them what a Rank 1 and Rank 2 Mercenary can do, eh?" Manny raised his eyebrow. Manny turned around and watched as a psychic lightning bolt flew out, destroying the earth.

"Tch," The shifter gritted his teeth. "Of course I get someone who counters me." The shifter flexed and stone armor flew onto him. He grinned and leapt forward, running straight for them.

"Plan?" Liz asked, floating into the air with psychic lightning flying around her.

"Smash him harder." Manny smiled.

"Ah, this is why I should've said something to the others about you. Your plans suck." Liz fired a lightning bolt at the shifter. The shifter raised the earth, pulling the lightning downwards as he continued forward. An earthy sword flew out of the ground as he swung straight for Manny. Manny continued forward, watching the swing. He quickly smiled and burst forward, slamming his side straight into the shifter's body and crotch area, shattering the stone armor.

'What the hell is this strength?' The male shifter gasped as Manny pushed him into the ground. Purple lightning formed above him. Manny quickly leapt away as Liz sent the lightning straight down onto him.

"Argh!" The shifter threw his hands up, a thick layer of rock and earth appearing above him. "Damn those twins! They gave me the worst one!"

'We gave you the worst one?' A voice called out in his head. 'Must I remind you, you insisted on fighting the "first person" you saw. Don't blame us.' Purple lightning sparked across the ground as Liz fired another bolt of lightning. It pierced straight through the wall, sending the shifter flying into the wall with a loud thud.

"Just give up and die, Shifter." Manny commented. Liz landed, purple electricity coursing through the ground and pulling back to her. "You don't want my partner to put a huge hole through your heart, do ya?"

Blood dripped as the shifter pulled himself off the wall. Earth pulled onto him as his glaring eyes stared at the humans.

"You think you know all about Shifters, human?" The male shifter smiled. "Let me tell you a secret… I'm not a regular Shifter." Metal flew across his skin as he shot his hand out. Metal and earth flew out of the ground as Liz shot in retaliation. The metal absorbed the lightning and crashed into Manny and Liz. The metal-earth slammed into the ground, pushing the two away.

"Argh!" Manny and Liz grunted as they crashed into the ground.

"Mass Heal." Manny shouted. Manny and Liz's bodies instantly healed. The two jumped onto their feet. The metal Shifter bounced forward, metal-earth pulling behind the man.

"Not so confident now are you, lightning woman?!? I'll make sure to kill the man first so you can't heal! I'll have my fun with you in no time!" The shifter laughed. He threw his hands forward and large metal rock snakes flew past him. Manny and Liz leapt away, watching the metal-rock crash like water against the earth.

Psychic lightning formed all around Liz as she pointed a finger gun straight at the shifter.

"Psionic Shot." Her thumb moved downwards and a concentrated attack of purple energy flew at the Shifter. He threw his hands in an X to block the attack, pulling the liquid metal-earth towards him. Psionic Shot flew straight through the liquid metal-earth and the Shifter. The three landed on the ground and the Shifter chuckled, lowering the liquid metal-earth.

"What was that supposed to do? Hurt me?" The Shifter smiled. His head started to spin. His sense of balance was thrown off. Manny ran at him striking him with a barrage of hits as the Shifter helplessly took it.

'What the hell happened?' The Shifter wondered as Manny grabbed his neck and slammed him into the ground. 'Is this it? Was I too cocky?' He let out a scream of frustration, the earth around him spazzing in his fear. Earth and metal shot out in every direction.

"Manny!" Liz threw her hands out, electric tendrils charging the metal spikes everywhere whilst destroying the earth. Spikes pierced and cut her as she watched Manny take the brunt of the attack. Blood spilled onto the Shifter as he dizzily watched Manny get impaled.

"Hehehehe." The Shifter chuckled. Manny's grip tightened across the Shifter's neck. He began to cough. He began to panic, piercing Manny with spikes as more blood spilled onto the Shifter. "D-die!"

"Hehe." Manny chuckled. Green energy pulsed brightly onto him as he tightened his grip.

"You're… Crazy…" The shifter croaked.

"Yes… I'm batshit crazy." Manny squeezed the Shifter's neck so hard, he watched the life go out of his eyes. Manny felt another spike impale him as he continued to squeeze the Shifter's neck. "A man's neck is so much easier to squeeze the life outta him… Female Shifters make you look bad…"

The Shifter's body became lax. Manny released it and groaned as he continued to heal himself.

"Don't move, Manny!" Liz shouted. She pulled the metal spikes towards her and carefully dropped them into the ground. She released her lightning and started over to Manny.

"Manny, Liz, status?" Tiffi's voice came over the comms.

"The Shifter's dead…" Manny told her.

"How about you two? Are you fine?"

"Dandy." Manny chuckled.

"No you're not!" Liz shouted. "We need help! He got impaled like crazy and healed himself from fainting! Get some help here no–"

The Shifters body shook as a sea of metal and earth exploded out of his body. Manny and Liz were pushed in different directions. Manny slammed on the top of the ceiling, gasping as the spikes pushed in and out. Liz slammed against Evan's wall, metal and earth molding around her and piercing her as the liquid sea of metal and earth cracking the wall behind her harder.

"Ahhhh!" Liz shouted as metal washed over her. The metal and earth hardened, entombing Liz in as she struggled to breathe. The sea of metal and earth pulled back into the shifter, crystallizing him as Manny flew and slammed into the ground.

"Liz! Manny!" Tiffi shouted. Manny coughed as his vision blurred.

"Shit, Tiffi! Lee Seng!" Marcus's voice called over the comms.

"Oh, no!" Tiffi shouted.

"Update!" Tiffi's voice broke over their comms. "I've lost connection with Lee Seng!"

"What happened?" Victoria asked. "Didn't you have eyes on him? Wasn't he doing fine?"

"Something happened! The two female Shifters were getting oppressed by him and bonded together! They overpowered him and Lee Seng took off the glasses, so I can't see him! He smashed it!"

"Dammit." Victoria muttered. "Alright, how about the other two? How are they?"

"Worse for wear." Manny's voice weakly broke out. "Shifter… down. We need medical… I can't heal… Liz… She's…"

"Hold on! Help is on the way! Let's go!" Victoria ordered.

It felt like an eternity as Manny weakly kept himself glowing. He tried his best to keep the heal on Liz, but he didn't know if it was working.

"Liz… Please be okay…" Manny weakly prayed.

"Medics! Earth users, can any of you remove the metal?" Victoria called.

"I can, ma'am." Tido shouted. Tido ran over towards Manny and looked atthe spikes in him. "This'll hurt just a bit. Medics, get ready!" Tido ordered. The medics ran over and Tido counted down with his fingers and pulled the spikes out.

"AGHH!" Manny grunted. The medics immediately started to heal him as he tried to pull away from them. "Save her…" He pointed at the metal form of a body. Tido turned and darted over.

"Can you hear me?" Tido asked. There was no response. Tido sighed and touched the metal.

"Be careful." Manny told him. "I think metal went into her mouth."

"You two, support me." Tido pointed at two of his members. They nodded and moved over, lifting their hands at the metal. "You'll turn it into liquid since you can do that. You and I will help pull it out. We must be careful since metal got into her system, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, one. Two. Three!" The metal began to shift into liquid as Tido and the other member slowly started to pull the metal. They could hear Liz regurgitating like she was releasing all of the metal within her system.

"It's gonna hurt for a bit! Stay with us, alright?!?" Tido shouted. They continued their slow work for the next couple of minutes, ensuring they got all of the metal. Manny ran over as soon as he was healed. Ramirez had to snatch him and hold him back.

"Liz!" Manny shouted.

"Hey, don't disrupt their work or else something worse will happen." Ramirez told him. Manny tried to push past him with all of his might, but Ramirez easily met him, holding the young man back. "It'll be alright." Ramirez tried to comfort him. Manny's eyes watered as he watched the metal slowly peel away from her mouth. Liz coughed, sobs coming out between as Tido and the others worked hard to get all of the metal out.