Erin embraced the power of growth as it surged through her limbs. The fat lieutenant stood across from her and Wen, his face boiling as steam practically rose from his ears. Erin had no idea what they had done to make him so angry, but their attempt to escape was gone. Now, they had to fight if they wanted to survive.

  "You're ruining everything!" Lieutenant Cade yelled as he threw back one hand. "Dough Cannon!"

  As Erin expected, it stretched back, his arm lengthening as his fist formed into a massive ball. She remembered the man from when they had stolen the ship on Lundao. Her intelligence on him was limited, but Sayed had said that he stretched his body to fight. Sayed had also told her that he had deflected his sword, which did not fill Erin with confidence.

  "Move!" Erin dodged to the side, splitting with Wen as she did the same.

  Boom.

  The hand shot forward as it reached the end of its arc, slamming into the wall with a heavy force that shook through the entire mess hall. Erin rolled, coming up to her knees as her mind raced. She had a decent cadre of plants to call upon, especially now that her curse had reached the second grade, but she wasn't a melee fighter. Neither was Wen. If Cade could keep up his assault, neither would have time to react.

  Wen didn't give him that opportunity, lining up the man with her revolver.

  Boom. Crack-tsh.

  The shot rang out through the cafeteria, and a bullet launched into Cade, slamming into the man with a deafening crack as the special bullet cracked open against the man's skin. White ice immediately began crawling across his skin like a crawling blanket, covering his bulging belly and grasping for his arms.

  "Dough Ball!"

  Whoosh.

  Before the ice could solidify, Cade expanded, drawing a massive breath through his nose. His body grew into a massive ball, warping his dimensions as it molded into an orb. The ice broke off of him as the reaction failed, unable to keep up with his expanding body. In moments, Cade was completely free from the encroaching cold, only a red spot on his belly remaining.

  "Do you have a plan?" Wen asked as the man deflated, returning to his normal form. "I've only got eleven more."

  "I—"

  Erin wasn't Alex, and without a major front-line fighter, it would be difficult for both of them to stand up to Cade. From what Sayed had told her, he was a user of the Path of Grit. Neither could hit harder than Sayed, so breaking through the lieutenant's defenses was impossible. They weren't going to be able to beat Cade in a straight fight, so they needed to try a different strategy.

  "We need to restrain him," Erin said, focusing power into her arms and causing buds to rise from her skin. "Back me up."

  She hated the idea of going in for a close fight, but she was better suited for it between her and Wen. If she could get in close, and Wen could create an opening, then there was a chance they could get past Cade's defenses long enough for her to land a plant that mattered. She just needed to have confidence in herself.

  "Seed Spray!" Erin ran at Cade, her right hand opening as a spray of black seeds shot out of it and at the man.

  Click. Click. Click.

  Cade raised his arms to defend, though he quickly stopped as the seeds did little but bounce off his skin. Erin stopped when she was a good two arm lengths away from him, raising her hands and clenching her fists as she channeled her power into the seeds that covered the floor around Cade.

  "Thorn Garden!" she said, sending the power of growth through the seeds.

  Black thorned vines erupted from the seeds, crawling up Cade's legs and wrapping around his body in concentric circles. Erin closed her eyes as she focused, calling the vines to wrap tighter around the man. However, his body was unyielding. The vines found purchase, but they couldn't grip him. The thorns found no purchase and splintered against his skin.

  "No vegetables!" Cade grunted, flexing his arms and breaking through the growing vines. "Dough Hammer!"

  Erin released her hold on the vines, jumping back as a growing ball of a hand came down on her. The hand crashed into the ground in front of her, Cade pulling away the vines as he brought back his second hand in a long horizontal swing toward her. His arm stretched and flattened as it flew through the air, becoming a massive circle that knocked over the chairs and tables in its path.

  "Dough Pancake!"

  Boom. Crack-tsh.

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  Erin didn't have time to dodge, but Wen came in at the last moment, firing a second shot into Cade's arm and catching it with her bullet. Ice crashed over the flat side of the circle, and Erin ducked down just in time for the frozen skin to slam against her. While it didn't completely dull the blow, the frozen skin pivoted instead of slapping against her, sending the circle spinning over her and only sending her sprawling to the ground.

  Thunk. Thud.

  Erin hit the ground on her hands and knees, pain cracking through her side as she fought to keep her arms and legs beneath her. She looked up as Cade continued his swing, knocking over more tables and chairs beyond her until he completed a circle. Erin grimaced but forced herself to stand, throwing out two yellow seeds on either side of Cade.

  "Vine Whip!"

  Two yellow seeds blossomed on both sides of Cade as he pulled back his arm to shake off the ice. The two vines wrapped around his legs, pulling hard away from him and ripping him off his feet. For a moment, he was airborne; however, the vines weren't strong enough to keep him there.

  Snap. Thump.

  Cade fell to the floor, face first, as the vines snapped. Erin released her hold on them and fell to her knees, the thumping recesses of pain still aching through her side from the hit Cade had managed to land. She knew they needed to keep up their attack, but a haze blurred her thoughts. It only stopped when she caught herself against the cold floor with her hands.

  "He's not out yet," Wen said, coming up beside her, grasping Erin's arm, and pulling her to her feet.

  Erin let herself be carried bodily toward the door, barely keeping her feet under her as a fire burned up her side. Then it was gone, replaced by the crackling energy of growth that welled inside her. Wen navigated them through the door as Erin regained control of her senses. Erin could finally stand on her own when Wen slammed the door behind them.

  "We need to run," Erin whispered, starting down the hall. "Maybe we can find a place to hide and lose him."

  Wen nodded, leading the way back the way they had come toward the docks. Erin kept up, largely thanks to the burning energy that flowed through her body while her gate was active. She may not have been a front-line fighter like the guys, but thanks to her curse, she could take a few hits and still walk away.

  Thud. Thud. Boom.

  A heavy weight slammed into the door before they could turn the corner of the hall. Erin didn't need to guess what it was, but she also couldn't help but turn to see Cade slam the door open in a massive orb form, his body rolling through the door like a ball. He locked eyes with her for a moment, his face stretching into a grotesque flattened smile before two arms extended and grabbed hold of the walls.

  "Dough Boulder!" Cade yelled, his arms flexing as he threw himself forward before they molded back into his spherical body.

  He shot forward, his body rolling into a blur as he careened down the hallway.

  "Run!" Wen sprinted away, taking the corner with Erin not far behind.

  Whoosh.

  Cade shot past the corner and down the hallway, rolling faster than Erin ever thought his massive form could move. She didn't take long to think about it, racing to catch up to Wen as they ran down the hallway. They needed to find a turnoff—or an office they could jump into out of sight of Cade. However, they didn't have time. Cade turned the corner, his body rotating faster, and spun into the corridor they were currently in.

  "We need to slow him down," Wen said.

  "No," Erin said, her mind racing through the options as she saw the light ahead of them. "We need to speed him up."

  It was a half-formed idea, but it was the best she had. Erin spun, lining up her hands to the corners of the wall as she focused on a plant she had found recently.

  "Sticky Barrage!"

  Thwip. Thwip.

  Several long vines covered in sticky sap shot out from her hands, connecting to the corners of the hallway. Cade continued to barrel toward her, but Erin didn't pay it any mind. Instead, she connected the vines together in her hands before sending out two more volleys of the vines. In moments, the hallway was lined with sticky vines.

  "To the end!" Erin turned and ran as Cade shot toward her vines, not ready to see the results of her gamble.

  Wen was already ahead of her and breached the end of the hallway before she did. As they stepped out into the light, Erin looked back to see the results of her work.

  Snap.

  Cade slammed into the vines, pushing through some and breaking them as others clung to his skin and slowed his rolling. His spherical form slowed as he pushed into more vines until he was covered with them and trapped in them. However, Erin knew it wouldn't be enough. He had already proven he could break through if he needed to.

  "Hrrngh." Cade grunted before he took in a deep breath. "You won't stop me!"

  Again, two arms stretched out from his form, grasping onto the walls and pulling against the vines. Cade grunted as he pulled hard against his restraints, the portion of his form that was his face burning red hot as he took in deep breaths. Erin turned to Wen as he broke the first of the vines.

  Snap.

  "He needs to lose his footing," she said, pointing toward Wen's gun.

  Snap.

  "Oh." Wen's eyes widened, and then she nodded. "That I can do."

  Snap.

  "Dough Boulder!"

  Snap.

  With a final snap, Cade shot forward, breaking through the vines and accelerating to a blinding speed down the corridor. Erin threw herself to the side of the platform as Wen lined up her shot at the hallway's entrance, her gun sounding off with a defining sound before she, too, jumped out of the way.

  Boom. Crack-tsh. Whoosh. Boom.

  Cade shot out through the entry and across the platform at a blinding speed. The railing around the platform provided little obstacle to his large bulk as he slammed into the bars and bent them before flying off into the docks. Erin did didn't see where he went, but a massive splash echoed through the stone dome moments as Cade crashed into the water below.

  "I think we got him," Wen said as she lay off to the side, smiling.

  "We did." Erin couldn't help a giddy laugh that rose through her. "I can't believe it."

  For a moment, they basked in the joy of survival. Even though neither of them was a good matchup against Cade, they had managed to get out of the fight in one piece. Now, they just needed to find a place to hide until Alex was back or find a way out so they could meet back at the ship.

  However, that moment was over when a man jumped up from below, landing beside the bent railing. He was an older man dressed in an open black and red jacket with his hat resting askew on top of his gray hair. Erin immediately recognized the tired look in his eyes as he looked over both of them, a scowl on his face.

  "What in the abyss is happening here?"

  A shiver ran up Erin's spine as his eyes locked onto her. The fight wasn't over yet.