The Aequitas Chamber

[Godhand]

If the commando had been a hawk hunting a dove, then Godhand had been the eagle hunting the hawk. They'd matched up just right; the shots were still difficult but they were moving in more or less the same direction at more or less the same speed. Godhand smiled as he unleashed a rain of lead on his opponent, but amazingly enough the bullets failed to have any effect on Joshua. They drew blood, certainly, but Godhand wielded .50 caliber handcannons and he expected bones to break and flesh to rend when he landed a shot. They'd always done so before, anyway. What was so different now?

He kept firing even as his adversary advanced on the helpless mystic, and it was only by an incredible stroke of luck that Sei managed to avoid a fatal head stomping. And then a curious thing happened. The commando couldn't seem to breathe; pretty soon he was writhing on the ground and choking to death. Whether it'd been the soot and smoke of the arena-turned-volcano, or the shredded glass permeating the air, or a previously-unknown spell cast by Lillian, Godhand couldn't tell. It could have been a myriad of other things, as well. Perhaps a failsafe put into place by one of the vanquished competitors? In any case, his sheath seemed to be protecting the mercenary for now.

He watched, mystified, as Joshua ambled away from Sei before seemingly committing suicide by leaping off their raised island into the magma below. Godhand immediately thought it some sort of ruse, but sure enough he heard the sizzle and smelled the smoke when the commando plunged into the burning liquid. It was possible he could have survived. He definitely didn't put it past him, seeing how little effect his bullets had had on the man. Still, something told him he wasn't going to emerge from the lava. At least, not by his own power.

Afterward, he heard Sei's voice in his mind, asking someone, anyone, to be his mercy angel. Godhand didn't quite know how to react. He could have put a hole in his head right then, sure, but it just didn't seem right. He wouldn't call him his friend exactly but they shared history and at his age that's something you valued. Anyway, he justified it to himself by considering that if the wounded paladin had his way, Sei wouldn't be around much longer.

Just then, a geyser of magma soared into the air and some sort of inhuman elemental monster formed out of the molten rock. Jesus Christ, it never ended with these people. He swung a fist made of lava towards the mystic as Godhand opened fire yet again, the lead melting inside the creature almost as soon as it penetrated. And then he'd attacked Lillian with another wave of magma, and there was nothing he could do.

He'd always wanted to believe otherwise, but it seemed that he was the type of man that when faced with a chance to either protect his protege or destroy his enemies, would pick the latter.

But life was all about self-improvement, right?

He flipped in the air and landed feet first against the wall, immediately using his superior speed to run across the vertical surface before gravity could take effect. He dashed madly across the arena, firing at the creature all the while as he raced towards Lillian, but it was to no effect. He grew desperate and holstered his Magnums, instead pulling out his muramasa and cutting a burning thread that stood in his way.

It was a stretch, but he was almost there. He could do this. He could make it. Just a little more...

And so he leaped, hoping he'd manage to tackle Lillian, his own personal hero, out of the way.