2v2 The Red Hand Vs. Cipher Nex

[Christoph]

This battle will end in Three weeks. Best of luck to both competitors.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

If there is one thing I was grateful for, it's the fact that it was a nice day. There was a cool breeze coming off the ocean, kicking up small wisps of sand from the many dunes that surrounded me and tossing my raven-black hair across my forehead. Off in the distance, I could see waves breaking against the smooth shore. As the noontime sun bore down overhead, I continued to walk along the small, rough wooden bridge that weaved in between the sand dunes. The rusting of tall grass on either side of me accompanied every step, until I reached the shore.

Just a plain ol' beach... So, this is where I'm fighting today, eh?

There was no doubt that this was the polar opposite of the first place I fought in this stupid little tournament (on top of a volcano, for the uninitiated). To either side of me lay an endless, abandoned beach--there was no sign of life save for a stray seagull screeching as it flew around in circles in the bright blue sky. In front of me, nothing but the clear blue ocean. The wind picked up slightly, sending a small chill down my spine. I was dressed in my black blouse top and blue jeans, along with my vlince and leather corset. I knew it was going to be a hot day, so I left the dress I usually wore to a party such as this back at the inn. But as the cool breeze continued to beat on my skin, I wished that I hadn't.

I brushed my rebellious bangs behind my ears and moved towards one of the nearby dunes. My boots sunk into the loose sand with each step. As I sat down on the gentle slope, I rolled up my pant legs and undid the buckles on my black leather footwear, kicking my feet free after several seconds. Setting the boots aside, I laid back against the dune, locking my hands behind my head. I took a deep breath. The slightly acidic yet comforting scents of the sea filled my nostrils--I'm not quite sure, but I might have cracked a smile then.

My thoughts slowly drifted with the waves back to why I was spending an afternoon at the beach. It was a short while ago that Chistopher, the chef that I defeated in the Citadel some time ago, caught up with me in Salvar and asked me to join his little group. It was anyones' guess what exactly was going on underneath that stupid hat of his, but it involved me fighting in something that could've been loosely defined as a tournament. In the first round, Witchblade and myself somehow pulled a victory out of our scrawny, pale asses--especially when I was content to let myself get stomped on and choked by some shirtless psychopath.

But after that match, Chris pulled me aside and told me that the "other black-haired freak" was off the team. He didn't give me a reason. Creative differences? Did someone make a few sour jokes about the other's mother? Witchblade refused to clean the dust and cobwebs out of her vagina so Christopher could get his rocks off? Who knows--and seriously, who fucking cares. I can still take care of things, no matter who I'm paired up with.

The chef was kind enough to let me know that the telepath was quickly replaced. Again, since he's a bastard like that, he didn't give me a name. "Trust me, this guy knows his stuff. You'll do fine. I have faith in you." Those were the words he sent me away with, capping off his jackassery with a condescending pat on the head, as if I was his loyal lapdog or something.

I snorted as I put the image of his wry smile out of my mind. I had a battle coming up. I had to focus. The crashing of the waves did wonders to my mental state--so long as the sound didn't put me to sleep like a chaotic lullaby. It was some time after I started to relax that I could barely make out the heavy clunking of footsteps. Opening an eye, I lazily kept watch on the end of the bridge. Who would be here first? My mystery partner, or my mystery opponents?

A single figure walked from behind one of the dunes. It was a man. Simply dressed, with a neat crop of brown hair and muscles that shined in the sun, along with--

...No...

I quickly sat up, my full attention on the figure moving across the bridge. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to believe that my eyes were playing tricks on me. I blinked a couple times and furiously shook my head from side to side to try and clear my mind.

No, that was indeed Joshua Cronen. Shit! Fuck! Son of a bitch! What is that cunt doing here?

Then it dawned on me. The chef dropped a hint or two, saying that I already knew my teammate and his capabilities, which is why he wasn't terribly worried about "us" losing this round.

I was burning with hatred. "Christopher, the next time I see you..."

[Breaker]

"... you're a dead man."

The pyromaniacal chef's cryptic clues came crashing down on me like waves on the sandy shore below. Surprise frothed my brain, whitecapped as the tormented water. The strong sea breeze ruffled my short brown hair, a scalpal massage that failed miserably at calming my mind. I squinted against the grit it flung into my eyes. No use trying to fool myself. If a couple broomsticks got together with an ebony mop, bought some clothes at the local thrift store and tried to mimic human existence, the result would be the pale girl who glared down at me from the top of the dune. Throw in a bad attitude, a soiled mouth, and a nasty habit of fighting beyond dirty, and you'd get Madison Freebird.

My loins gave an unsavory twitch, the exact opposite of the feeling I got upon encountering most women. Rather than swelling towards freedom the boys begged me to return to the bazaar and inquire about an adamantine cup. Sand shifted beneath my black boots as I sauntered up the steep hill. I stopped a few feet shy of Madison, the uneven terrain placing us perfectly at eye level. Staring into those poisonous blue eyes, I knew the same thoughts that raced through my mind filled hers. Memories of our past, and questions about our future.

We first met on a muggy day in Scara Brae. Madison had challenged me for my warrior rank in the Dajas Pagoda. We both shed our share of sweat and blood, until I locked her into a triangle leg choke. The compression technique, while highly effective, had placed Madison's snapping jaws too close to my groin.

With an effort, I managed not to wince at the memory.

By some miracle I had come back from the brutal pain and defeated her by arm bar. Unfortunately, Madison was as gracious a loser as a fighting cock. She never forgave me for doing my job that day. Months later we had both spent a short time working for Imperial, I the superior officer and her resenting me all the more for it. At first I tried to be friendly, but we never successfully spent five minutes together without sniping away. A lone seagull squawked overhead. If the poor bird had made the mistake of flying between us its feathers would have melted off. Somehow, I didn't foresee any change in the correlation between Madison and I.

The sun shone strong, and sweat sprang from my skin. I had dressed simply, as always. Loose fitting khakis pants and a wifebeater to match, lightweight clothes that whicked away my perspiration. The heat reminded me of the pyromancer who had roped me into this affair. When Christopher Knighton approached me to fill a void in his team's tournament roster, I wasn't surprised. Mainly because it had happened before; only weeks prior I had subbed into an empty slot in the Concordia Tourney. Being a successful Pagoda warrior made me a notorious battler throughout Corone and Scara Brae. Christopher Knighton spoke eloquently for a warrior chef. He had filled in so many details about the tournament, the rewards, and the ambitions of Cipher Nex, but left out the name of my partner. A talented fighter, he had told me, and like a fool I signed on. Christopher Knighton: that bastard.

The concept of Cipher Nex had captivated me. Knighton described it as a group with strong motivation and heavy ambitions, the first of which innvolved winning a tournament.

"Cipher Nex," I mused, "what is it with megalomaniacs and weird names?"

I longed to question Knighton about the prospects of his power group. Preferably using torturous interogation methods. He deserved it, for putting me in that situation. Fighting on the same team as Madison Freebird probably ranked up there with the rack.

There was no point in hoping Madison and I were opponents. A toasty trickster had teamed us up. She knew it, and I knew it, as sure as the sifting sound of wind through long grass. I inhaled then sighed, long and obvious. Then I broke eye contact, turned my shoulders and stared at the rickety wooden walkway. I had purposefully avoided the thin-planked installation, fearing it wouldn't support my weight. I lifted a finger and pointed at the bridge, then at Madison. My digit wavered between them like a dubious diving rod.

"Are you two related?" I inquired, curiosity feigned in my features. I scrutinized the raven girl's angular form. "I definitely see a family resemblance."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

((Sorry for making you guys wait))

Earlier--

In the blink of an eye, the tournament round was over. Recalling the events of the first round match-up left the ghoul with a blistering headache. Something had happened, something extremely bad for the ghoul not to be able to remember anything about the last few moments of the battle. Lorenor thought hard about that match, concentrating on the fine details and sequence of events as his fragmented memory allowed him to recall. Flashes came forward and he recalled barely evading a powerful maneuver by one of the girls he was fighting. Lighting filled the air, its energy increasing the temperature of the wind ever so slightly. Arcane substances crackled with power.

At that precise moment, the only thought on Lorenor's mind was the successful evasion of the incoming attacked. It had worked, but come at a great price. The rest of the battle was a blur of combat. Lorenor barely remembered anything past that energy ball that was launched at his individual person. He saw in the Citadel's medical facilities. Oak walls surrounded the ghoul in either directions, paintings depicting the Thaynehood and events of Corones tumultuous past were hanging upon the wall. Other injured rested on beds nearby to the ghoul. A thick, acrid scent of medicine and other concoctions swirled about Lorenor like a swarm of hornets. The ghoul coughed despite himself. How the hell did I end up here?!

Thoughts filled his mind now. His eye sockets drifted towards a particular painting that showed someone who looked strangely familiar to him fighting off an army of orcs. The ghoul shook his head. It was a mystery that he couldn't bother himself with. Round 2 was going to be upon them soon! He knew that much, but he hadn't realized exactly how much time passed since Round 1 and Round 2. Weeks? Months? Years?! It didn't matter to him at all. Lorenor stood up from his bedside and noticed that his equipment was waiting for him next to his bed. Was Tenki anywhere nearby? How had his friend fared? Many thoughts filled his troubled mind.

He knew one thing, he was still active and kicking. There was a letter resting on the bedside furniture. Lorenor picked it up and read its contents carefully. With a brilliant smile, the ghoul nodded to himself casually. It basically stated what he wanted to know: The Gol'bron had been declared the winners. Lorenor nodded with a self satisfied smile of accomplishment as he placed the notice of victory into his possessions.
Soon, they would win the entire tournament and give thanks to the Thaynehood for all their blessings. Giving a silent prayer to his goddess, the Dark Mother, Lorenor gathered his belongings and prepared to meet up with his partner for the next tournament round. He hoped Tenki was okay.

As he stood up, an individual dressed in the robes of a Clerical Priest walked over to his person. The man placed a hand meant to comfort upon his shoulder. Instinctively, Lorenor shrugged the hand away. "Don't touch me, Priest. I know what those hands are capable of doing to people like myself." Lorenor said, a hint of anger in his voice. The Priest took a step back and let his hand waver in the air for a moment before letting it settle down upon his side. "I meant thee no harm. I just came to congratulate thee on thy impressive win. You fought against superior opponents and came out victorious."

"Why can't I remember what happened?"

"For some reason, we lost control of the illusions in your chamber for a time during the last few moments of the bout. All attempts to reach thee were cut off. When we regained control of the chamber, only the Gol'bron was left standing. You'd apparently fought a hard battle. We found thee terribly injured and emotionally upset."

"You lost control huh? Figures it would happen on my watch. How long was I gone?"

"A few days Sir." The young Priest said. He was a layman for the cathedral of the Thaynehood. His hands glistened with power. He was a tall lad, standing at six and a half heads tall. He wore robes that were white and gold signifying an allegiance to the Thayne; Lady Y'Edda. She ruled over the Concordia Forest. Lorenor noticed the familiar symbols and sigils and that were etched all over the man's robes. The ghoul nodded. Too long. I was gone for entirely too long. Adjusting his equipment, the ghoul relaxed himself into a normal stance and looked carefully upon the Priest. "What is next?"

"Round two. You and your partner will be fighting members from a group calling itself Cypher Nex." So we have a new enemy. Lorenor sighed audibly but prepared himself for the situation at hand. "Do you have the information for our next battle grounds?" The ghoul asked. The Priest nodded in return. "You will be fighting..."

And that's how it all began.

*************

...On a beach in broad daylight! Those bastards! Thanking the Golems for his UASU artifact, the ghoul made sure his uniform was on tightly against his epidermis before he left the Citadel's compound. The Monks agreed to teleport Tenki and Lorenor to the location of the beach so that they wouldn't have to waist time on an lengthy travel. Feeling the heat beating down upon his body, the ghoul felt his powers weaken dramatically. This is going to be a tough situation. He looked up and stared at the brilliantly glowing disc in the sky, it shined golden hued like a coin.

Lorenor turned to his companion, Tenki. His teammate had proven to be an excellent partner in the previous round, and the ghoul assumed, future rounds as well. He was a skilled fighter and a great survivalist. Lorenor turned to his companion. The world was a monotone of silver and cloudiness, etched with a darkness that turned everything gray. He could see within a selected radius, turned considerably smaller within an sphere of about two feet thanks to his daylight weakness. Without the UASU artifact, the ghoul would flare up into dust and the match would be over before it started. How embarrassing would that have been? Lorenor wondered to himself. As he stared at his companion and observed the tremendous heat of the daylight hours, the ghoul spoke up. They were approximately a few yards away from their two opponents.

"This isn't gonna be like last time. Are you ready? We got lucky last time, the Thayne blessed us. I sense something familiar in the air. Its faint but I think we will be having a rough time ahead of us. We will have to work more closely together to overcome this new challenge."

A subtle scent laced the air. It was a scent that was intensely familiar to the ghoul. A scent that he hoped he would have chance to encounter again in his lifetime. He found himself thinking of his days as a Dajas Pagoda Warrior. He grimaced when he thought of all the losses he'd acquired to his combat record during that brief stint in the Pagoda. Though he'd lost many times, he'd come out of the Pagoda, a better trained warrior. Looking at the general direction of their opponents, Lorenor pointed to them. "They are called Cypher Nex. I recognize the scent of one of them. His name is Joshua Cronen. I fought him once before, he is a skilled warrior. I have been eagerly awaiting a rematch with him. I donot recognize the other scent. We have to more carefully help each other out this time. Good luck my friend. And may the Thayne guide us to victory." Lorenor said casually and prepared to impress the world once again with a victory.

He started to walk towards Joshua Cronen, and a second match. This time, he would do everything in his power to ensure that things went differently from last time.

[Tenki]

((I also apologize for the wait, I would have had a reply up yesterday but I had allergies so bad I was spent a large portion of the night over the toilet. And today was a deadline for a class this afternoon. Again, sorry for making you all wait.))

Tenki's feet shifted in the sands along the beach shore. Glad the sands had proven not too loose near the water, he'd been able to keep a decent footing even with hit boots on. One look to the dunes however, and he knew that could fade in an instant once the fight broke out. He found himself looking out at the ocean as he walked alongside Lorenor. If Lorenor looked ridiculously out of place with his anti-UV suit, Tenki merely looked odd in comparison with his long black Duster jacket over his other clothing. The fact both the jacket and his pants were black didn't help the heat of the day, but the clothings actual design did. For all it's thick bulk and dark cloth, one of the reasons Tenki had long favored his Duster was simply because it's design allowed for a heavy and durable layer of protection with very little built up heat and almost no lost mobility. Even in this location and weather, he wasn't that bad off. The hood of the Duster kept the sun and sand out of his eyes and, and the piece pulled over his mouth and nose kept the loose sand blowing from the dunes from getting into his nose or mouth. In fact, he was surprisingly comfy considering it all.

He took in Lorenor's... advice as they rounded a section of the beach and their opponents came into clear view. Lorenor's line about working closer together rang in his ears for a moment as he thought about the conclusion to their last match and the utter chaos that had been. His arms still ached when he thought about the amount of will he'd had to use. If it wasn't for the monks arriving when they had, well, he'd barely been able to hold on till then before blacking out. In their previous match, they'd been in the middle of combat when he'd loosed two low powered, but high velocity Lasair shots. Both did their job as one distracted his opponent, who had managed to snag him in a wire-like bind, and the other broke through that bind, setting him loose. However, that shot had kept going and done something long thought impossible. It collided with and shorted out one of the massive charms in their room which maintained the illusion of the field of combat. Instead of shutting down however, the malfunction cascaded through the room, causing arcs of energy to fling themselves from side to side across the room. Realizing the danger they were in, Tenki had was lucky to make his way across the room to where Lorenor had holed himself up, already wounded from his own conflicts, and thrown up two Sciath fields up in a triangular fashion, only leaving the final third sliver, directly behind them to cover as much of the area around them as he could and poured every last ounce of focus, fear, and sheer will into them to keep them steady against the arcs. He had had no time to try and gather their opponents to protect them, nor time to realize until later he may have left them to their deaths. As the stray bolts here and there pounded against the meager protection fields he had thrown up, Tenki could feel their impact upon his person as the energy took command of the room until nothing remained untouched. Just as Tenki could feel himself slipping on his control and the shields cracked and faded, the energy finally ended it's rampage. The last thoughts he had as he barely registered the sounds of the chamber doors opening up was the hope he'd done enough.

He woke up two days later. Stirring for a moment under the covers before waking with a start. He'd been soundly under, with not so much as a dream, good or bad, to aid him. He hadn't even the energy, despite his sudden shock of waking up, to get upright. Tenki got only about 1/3 of the way there before having not even the strength to move, and collapsed back down. Still his brain was wildly awake, so he begun to assess what he could. Not dead: check. From the pristine look of things, he'd say under the care of the Citadel staff. His clothes were gone, replaced by some simple, but clean long pants and shirt made of a soft, smooth fabric. This place's idea of a hospital gown, he mused.

The musing quickly changed to fear as he realized something else. Luin wasn't around his neck. He tried sitting up again but got no where at all, his spent energy and little nutrition for the last couple days catching up to him all at the same time. Landing back on the pillow once more Tenki turned his head side to side, taking stock of the room. He finally spotted a chair with his normal clothes resting on them... but no Luin. He looked the other way, but that only held an open door leading out to a hallway it seemed. He returned to the other direction, and finally took note of a small table that was beside his bed, but had been positioned higher up the length, leaving it nearly out of his sight lying down. Upon it sat a letter, and Luin in his stand by form. Tenki let out a huge sigh of relief over knowing his device was near, and reached for it just as a uniformed attendant came into the room. The girl was small and seemed demure... an illusion quickly shatter as she spoke up.

"Glad you decided to grace us with your presence. We'd been wondering when you'd be waking up for some time now." The attendant was very nonchalant about the whole matter as someone used to life and death normally was.

"How long..." Tenki didn't even get to finish the sentence.

"Were you out? Oh, about two days here in the room, and a couple hours with them fretting over you in critical care. They spent hours looking over you, nary a scratch on your hide, trying to figure out why you were out. Finally your overprotective amulet over there just starting barking out orders at us. Telling us you were fine but needed rest, comfort and some time. Damn thing wouldn't lets us near ya with any of our examining equipment either. Just kept insisting rest, comfort, time." The last three words were done in a flat, even tone, mocking of Luin's own voice. If he'd had the energy to spare Tenki probably would have laughed at it. Instead his thoughts turned to his other source of worry, Lorenor.

"What about..." Once again he didn't get to finish.

"Your partner? That undead thing is looking to be just fine himself. He's still out of it for now, but showing a nice recovery. I'd suspect he'll be back up in a day or two himself. Now your alls opponents. They're looking to be okay, but it'll probably be longer till they're up and about again. They'd taken a lot more hits than either of you by the time we shut off that chamber. Never in my life have I seen it go out of control like that. What happened in there?" She prattled on for a bit, but Tenki tuned her out as he slipped Luin over his neck, feeling all the more whole, and better in health, even if is was just psychologically so. He took in a deep breath and slowly wiggled some, to where he was more sitting than laying in the bed anymore.

"Well, it takes a lot off my mind to know everyone made it out of that okay. But I must say I'm feeling really hungry, is there a chance I could get some food please?" He interject over the top of the young attendant. For a few moments she seemed to honestly be unsure of what to do, like she'd gotten stuck in the idea of having someone to talk at than serve. Tenki got the distinct feeling he may have served as a sounding board while he was out. Still after a few moments the girl nodded quickly and left the room, coming back in a while later only to bring in a tray of simple foods and give him a quick run down of where everything was and how to get attention if he needed help for anything. After that she took her leave and was gone.

A couple days later and Tenki and Lorenor were back together again, this time in a side-chamber of the Citadel, where the monks had agreed to teleport the duo to their next match location so as to save them time better served healing. Tenki kept his loathing of transport spells to himself as they prepared the workings of the spell and the room itself resonated with them. He took note of Lorenor's special suit as the ghoul adjusted it nervously. He'd seen him use it once or twice when he had no choice but to go out in the day as part of a business deal or other odds and ends, but Tenki couldn't help but worry over how durable the materials were. Shortly thereafter the two were making their way up the beach, once more dressed for combat against whatever opponents the tournament would throw against them.

His attention came back to the present as Lorenor talked about their opponents some. It seemed Lorenor had some history with the fellow of the group they were fast approaching, and thus Tenki assumed the two would square off mostly amongst themselves. He took a moment to take stock of the other opponent. A thin, frail looking girl was nearby the man, Lorenor had called him Joshua, and stood nearly as stark a contrast to the bright sands and soft blue ocean as Lorenor himself did. But where Lorenor was small, muscular, and looked of power, this girl seemed barely there at all. Still, Tenki knew looks could be deceiving and had little desire to be of guard, he kept himself on edge, and waited for someone to talk, or move, all the while ready to call Luin into play from around his neck.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

I shot the brunette bastard an annoyed look, focusing on his ugly mug for a few seconds before glancing at the bridge, which I guess he was trying to compare me to. "If your fighting nowadays is anything like your insults, then it's no wonder that the Pagoda monks gave me your Warrior spot." The words poured out of my mouth like venom. I turned my nose up slightly at him before propping myself against the soft sands of the dune with my arms and returning my gaze back out to sea.

An unearthly silence hung in between us, broken only by the soft crashing of waves running ashore. I just couldn't get my mind off of the stunt Christopher pulled by forcing myself and Cronen to fight together. He must've known that we had a bit of a bad history, what with that unmentionable act I committed against him back in Scara Brae. But what was his reason for it? There weren't many possibilities. The megalomaniacal chef knows how good of a fighter I am--firsthand, even, seeing as I destroyed him in the Citadel way back when.

Unless...

Impossible.

Witchblade and myself proved victorious in the first round, and regardless he swiftly made the decision to replace the far more dangerous Witchblade with the dim-witted fuckstick in front of me. Shit, he even replaced Dan-with-the-impossible-last-name, who was arguably the strongest person fighting underneath the Cipher Nex banner, with some redhead. It was only a matter of time before he replaced me, too.

I dug my naked feet out of the sand and reached for my boots. I had no intention of sticking around long enough to be replaced with a talentless freak, like my former partner had been. As much as I'd love to see it, I didn't want to be the one who would have to console a sobbing, hysterical Chris when his grand schemes fell apart. And I certainly wasn't going to be caught dead working with the one person I hated the most; the one person who humiliated me far worse than my family ever did.

I made my decision. Sand flowed down the dune as I half stepped, half slid to the shore. Two other figures were standing on the beach as well. Our--correction, his--opponents, more than likely. I didn't give them a second look as I turned to Joshua one final time.

"Have fun. I hope they tear your arms off and piss in your eye sockets."

I flipped him the hardest bird I could muster before turning away from the three and started walking down the shore, towards the infinite horizon and away from Chris, Cipher Nex, and Joshua Cronen.

Where was I going to go? Who knows.

Who cares.

I quit.

[Breaker]

The wind tugged at Madison's midnight hair, as if trying to make her stay, and then skeletal skank was gone. I couldn't make myself watch her walk away, and it had nothing to do with the unappealing angles of her scarecrow frame. My eyes devoted themselves to my opponents. My opponents; I had to fight both of them alone.

I wasted no thoughts on why Madison decided to leave, or why Knighton had recruited her in the first place. I would ask Christopher about that at a later date, perhaps with his face pressed against the burner of his favorite stove. Before Madison left, I had wanted to win the tournament. For the fame and fortune, certainly, and to prove myself. But with her parting barb fresh in my mind, I bore a new hunger for victory. A mental image of what Madison's face would look like if I won the round alone, even after she bailed out, provided more motivation than I needed. I breathed in, tasting the salty tang of sea air. I didn't feel cheated, but my opponents should have. If Madison hadn't deserted, one of them would have gotten to face off against her.

"Now you've both got to deal with me."

I emptied my mind, allowing my emotions to drain away like the receding tide. I had defeated multiple opponents before, but it wasn't easy. It required extreme focus, absolute concentration. No room to think about Freebird, or Knighton, or Cipher Nex. My world encompassed myself, my two opponents, the dune beach, and nothing else. I felt my senses increase, my vision sharpening until I could see the minute squirming of Lorenor's armor, like so many darkened maggots grafted to his skin. Lorenor and I had met once before, but I let the encounter melt from my mind. I couldn't assume anything, for the ghoul's fighting must have evolved greatly since then. Perhaps as much as mine had. Each breath of wind pushed me forwards, and I could hear encouraging words in the roar of the ocean. The sand shifted beneath my boots; unstable footing, but I could use it to my advantage. A malicious half smile stretched the scar on my cheek. I was in for the fight of my life.

Lorenor and his partner had made a gross error in not attacking immediately. I took it upon myself to point that out to them, as violently as possible.

I exploded forwards, sand spitting beneath my rapid steps. The enemies' movements seemed sluggish, for I moved with three times the speed of an ordinary human. My posture pointed me towards the thin figure of Lorenor, but only halfway there I kicked the ground and changed direction. I descended upon Tenki as a blinding geyser of sand rose towards Lorenor's eyes. Something to distract the vampire while I finished his partner.

Like a khaki-clad lightning bolt I dashed at the taller of my opponents, circling ever so slightly to put him between Lorenor and I. My right hand fired a wide, looping hook aimed for the side of Tenki's head, but I never intended to land the punch. It existed only to distract him. Before my fist had travelled half the distance my left snapped out, hand open and rigid as damascus sheet metal. I struck at Tenki's trachea with the top edge of my palm, a killing blow that would crush his windpipe.

High above, I heard the lone gull squak its approval. Death was about to visit the sunny dune beach.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Ready with some grandiose speech that never had a chance to manifest, Lorenor was going to offer Joshua Cronen an out. He'd developed a deep respect for the pugilist warrior. So when Cronen suddenly burst into an attack, Lorenor was caught almost completely off guard. Almost. Any other man would've quickly fallen victim to the seemingly superior warrior. But whereas Cronen had bulk power in his command, Lorenor had conniving schemes and clever tactics. Lorenor had the Endless. A voice ripped through his subconscious mind. Look out, it's a trick!

A burst of sand suddenly erupted sending a cloud of the particle substance up into the air and directly at Lorenor. The ghoul, caught off guard, prepared himself for the attack that never came. Tenki! Lorenor immediately thought to himself as he turned in the general direction of his companion. With his eyes shifting as he accessed the property of his heat vision capacity, Lorenor could see Cronen moving through the fields of sand. The world became a crimson stain, as clouds of ruby were crowned with a single golden gemstone. Heat poured down with radiant force as if the solar object was angry that the creature of darkness was out during its realm.

Worn underneath his outer layer of clothing, the anti-sunlight uniform protected the small warrior from his arch enemy. But the protection came at a cost. His powers were lowered 50%, but not his skill. He could still use his skill which was crucial to his survival during this unprecedented bout. They had to take down a superior opponent. Lorenor saw Joshua moving exceedingly fast and it was almost difficult to keep up with the blurring movement. Lorenor whispered a player to the Thaynehood, most importantly, his Thayne, N'Jal. The ghoul would have to use everything in his disposal, and play dirty, to bring that behemoth named Joshua Cronen down. Joshua moved towards Tenki's side and the ghoul had to adjust himself in order to make a successful attack attempt.

Lorenor's politics would have to wait for another day. They were fighting a tournament, and the ghoul knew that his other family members in the Gol'Bron were fighting alongside him! Lorenor came up with a quick plan and prepared himself to use every trick in his arsenal. Feeling the charge from his Plasma Discharge Gun vibrate with power, the ghoul turned to face his enemy's exposed side. He quickly let off a sudden blast of kinetic energy in the general direction of Cronen's lateral side.

I hope something connects with the bastard! Moving quickly, the ghoul drew one of his masterwork damascus swords and dashed across the dune sea. Already in combat stance, Lorenor prepared to lunge the weapon skillfully in the general direction of his opponent. He would protect his companion, Tenki, with everything he had to give. He moved behind the kinetic blast of energy, keeping a respectful distance from it and lunged just when the blast was cleared. If his attack connected with the seemingly distracted warrior, Lorenor had a chance!

The Gol'Bron had a chance. He felt the familiar pressure as the endless wrapped itself around his epidermis. Lorenor lunged his sword at Joshua's side once he was clear of the kinetic blast. He hoped to connect with something.

[Tenki]

Tenki watched their two opponents side fell apart. Or more apt, simply split apart. The waif girl he had been sizing up as a possible combat opponent simply gathered herself up and, after a couple crude remarks and a gesture, turned and walked off, seemingly determined to have nothing more to do with Joshua.

His attention had little time to think about the hows and whys however as Joshua surged forwards towards Lorenor and himself. As fast as he was moving, Tenki didn't even have time to be glad at how fast Luin could shift between standby and Lancer forms as he mentally pulled Luin into Lancer form wordlessly, recognizing there simply wasn't enough time to have any flair or routine this time. This one choice was the only thing that saved his life.

As the speeding form of Joshua descended approached halfway to the pair, particles blasted up and around Lorenor like a giant pillowcase made of sand as he changed direction, using the beach itself to aid his angling. Now barreling down solely on Tenki as he reached out and grabbed the shaft of Luin's Lancer form and pulled it the weapon close. As fast as it was all unfolding, Tenki's reactions were coming of pure instinct for the moment, and his instinct in this case was to prepare for the approach and react as best he could and hope for a chance to strike back.

No sooner had he gotten even the slightest bit prepared then he found Joshua right on top of him with two swings coming down upon him. He could barely react to either blow as fast as Joshua was coming in and began to lean back out of sheer instinct. Luin however, processed the situation much faster than Tenki could, and determined the immediate danger his partner was in. In order to protect him, he processed emergency subroutines and accessed a reserve of energy kept from leftover magic taken a bit at a from each time Tenki used a spell. Pulling that energy up from inside itself Luin instantly formed a convex field of flowing energy of the same, familiar purple tint as Tenki's normal magic. The field stretched a few inches from Tenki's head, stretching from above his hair below his ribcage and solidified into being just in time to meet the force of Joshua's strikes. Designed to absorb, not redirect energy and impact, the shield flashed intensely under the impact and fluttered for a bit against the pressure as the first inch or so managed to pass right through the field before it caught them to a stop. Tenki, however grateful for Luin's assistance, still managed to feel some of the transient physical energy of the strike break through his shield, as it faltered and began to yield to the attacks power.

Tenki knew the shield wouldn't hold much longer, as it the blows launched by Joshua was much stronger than he was be able to take. So instead, he rolled with it, literally. He fell backwards from a combination of his previous leaning back and the amount of force from the two strikes overloading his shield. As Tenki fell back, he curled up and landed along the sand to come into a roll, traveling a couple yards along the beach, and all the while trying to pump a little more focus into the shield in the hopes that, instead of failing just yet, he could get the shield to possibly hold the aggressor's hand in place for a few precious moments. Of course, given the apparent power Joshua hand, Tenki knew if exerted himself much at all he could probably just shatter the field completely and be free of this nuisance. As Tenki came out of his roll he saw Lorenor beginning to engage Joshua in combat, and he began to think fast. From his opening move alone it was clear Joshua could easily prove to be too much for the two of them even working together. They needed a way to take away his will to fight, or a way to do a lot of damage to him without him expecting it.

As he started to strafe around behind Joshua, Tenki decided to try both at the same time. It was a bold and risky plan, but if it worked, could provide a stop to the fight on way or the other. Tenki slid to a stop on the sand after a moment and placed him left palm into the sand and began to focus. Under the sand, an orb took shape, at first a inch or so across, but as more power flowed into it the sphere expanded, pushing sand down around it, managing to keep the sand on top level to the ground around it, but managing to expand to a full size after ten seconds or so, and the charge underneath the sand now sat around a similar size to a football, but still unnoticeable from above the sand. Marking the location mentally, Tenki pulled his hand out of the sand and focused harder for a moment. He kept the mental image of the sphere firmly in place, pressing it to one side so as to keep it firm and stable while he moved on to the next part of his plan. But first he needed to check on Lorenor and Joshua. He looked up and took stock of what was before him. He would also need to give Lorenor an idea about what he'd need him to do without making it obvious to Joshua. His minded turned, the focus keeping the sphere from detonating pressing against his mind like a dull headache.

[Breaker]

As Tenki's energy shield deflected the killing stroke, I felt a gentle tug at my fingers. It reminded me of an infant begging for attention, and I retrieved my hand with derisive ease. I had encountered energy shields before, and found them frustrating but certainly not unbreakable. Generally they relied on the will of the caster, and as Tenki tumbled away from me, I knew I had cracked his resolve. The shock of my power showed in his sea green eyes and porcupine haircut. I guessed the sticklike man was experiencing something akin to the realization that he had jumped into a shark tank rather than a swimming pool.

Something struck my midsection, and I flowed backwards a step like a racing river over high rocks. Lorenor ran at me in the wake of his kinetic blast, a slow motion jogger to my eyes. Whatever kind of spell he had hit me with, it did little more than draw my attention to him. The vampire's lithe form rippled with the presence of his symbiotic armor. I could not divine the strength of the entity that formed his second skin, so I would have to strike hard and true. Unlike his partner, Lorenor bore the experience of many battles. But he could still die the same as any other being, and I intended to prove that.

My backwards motion turned into a sand-spitting sidestep as Lorenor lunged, his blade at the ready. My left arm knocked the sword's seeking tip away with a low sweep block. The keen edge of the weapon carved a small chunk from my forearm, but it was nothing flesh; just skin and blood. Before the first crimson drops could stain the sand my foot snapped up, a low kick aimed for the vampire's groin. I never considered myself above fighting dirty, especially against multiple opponents.

"Besides, if Madison hadn't left she'd have gone for your balls already."

Unlike my departed partner, however, I knew the importance of finishing a fight. While my metal boot aimed for Lorenor's groin, my right hand slipped behind my back and pulled my prevaldia bayonet from its sheath. My motions flowed with such a liquid fluidity that by the time my foot returned to the ground, the dagger sought blood. I gripped it like an icepick and stabbed downwards at the area where my enemy's shoulder became his neck. If I could bury my blade there, Lorenor's battle would be with death rather than me.

The sun warmed my back as I spun around the charging vampire, like a dancer performing half a do-si-do. Tenki could not fool me; I had heard the shift of the sand, the gasp of his breath and the rustle of his clothing as he raced behind me. I refused to play monkey in the middle with them. I faced Lorenor, and saw Tenki beyond him, crouching like a boy building castles in the sand. He was doing something in the sand, unless his shoelace had come untied and he never learned the bunny ears trick. Whatever his plan, I figured as long as I kept Lorenor between us it would not reach me. Long years of experience had taught me never to underestimate a foe, no matter what, but in Tenki's case I had to remind myself. The tall man had squandered the largest advantage they had when he didn't assist his partner in immediate attack.

I kept my surroundings mapped out in my mind, the wooden walkway, or Madison's uncle, ran parallel to my shoulders not twenty yards behind me. The dunes rose and fell all around, like gritty waves frozen in time. The ocean still roared its encouragement to me, reminding me that even with Madison gone I wasn't alone. I thought about the rickety boardwalk, and how it might help me.

"If my metal weapons won't bring Lorenor down, I'll see how he reacts to a few well-placed shards of the Freebird family."