by Harlon Banks
"Getting shaky in the knees over glowing eyes already Slim Thick?" She teased causing Kayde to blink and look at Melissa with a delayed reaction. Kayde's confused stare devolving into an irritated scowl of annoyance as she huffed.
"Why do you keep antagonizing me!? Leave me alone!" Kayde's toned was both flustered and frustrated. Melissa sticking her tongue out in response, finding it hilarious how expressive the girl got every time Melissa messed with her. The conversation interrupted by a very irritated Delaren glaring at them from further down the line.
"Can both of you shut up? The fights about to start." He said tone vexed. Melissa looking at him fleetingly.
"No, I don't think I can Mister Easy Bake Oven." Melissa eye rolled casually looking back at Jonath while twirling a finger through her hair. The pyromaniac tilting his head in disbelief, eyes sharpening into an intense glare of provocation as the air got warmer around him and he stepped towards her.
"The hell did you call me?" He barked in a low, heated tone. "Don't think just cause you beat Icicle boy behind me that I won't roast you alive!" His tone was now primed with agitation.
"Yeah just like you kicked Orath's ass?" Melissa snorted sarcastic, not even bothering to look at Delaren anymore. Her entire body language and tone showing she wasn't scared about him attacking her in the slightest, infact she probably was daring him to do it. Kayde caught between both and their bickering, stormy grey eyes frantically looked between them and she awkwardly tried to stay out of line of sight. This was getting out of hand.
"Enough." Kelgard's sudden detached and commanding voice made Melissa, Delaren and Kayde turn their attention to him. The black-haired man's eyes still locked on Jonath with lax gaze as he spoke. Jonath looking back at him with his own gaze that gave off a more serious and neutral look. Dast the entire time, over stopping the banter himself and starting the battle right off the bat, actually found interest in the social hierarchy between the new recruits. His animalistic yellow eyes quietly looking over the main crew with quiet amusement; he'd start the battle once they all finally settled down.
"Drop dead." Delaren said defiantly to Kelgard's command. Melissa and Kayde exchanging glances before looking at the red-haired pyromaniac rebelling against the so-called 'Blood King'. Upon hearing what he deemed was a disrespectful remark for himself, Kelgard took his calm gaze off his assigned opponent in Jonath, and shifted his body so he were facing Delaren. Hands still idled in the pockets of black, baggy cargo pants, Kelgard's blood-red stare met Delaren's intense amber glare. The tension given off just by these two staring down one another causing the rest of the bystanders to mute.
"The fuck are you looking at? Want to get burned to a crisp too?" Delaren threatened raising his right hand palm open as bright orange-red flames ignited enthralling his entire hand. Wrain looking over at Delaren, still holding his chest in slight pain from Melissa' blow as he scoffed irritated like the rest of the bunch and just looked away. This pyromaniac was a serious headache to deal with.
Surprisingly, Kelgard after staring at Delaren for several long, intense seconds, merely turned his attention back to Jonath. Delaren quietly scoffing as his flames disappeared and he lowered his arm. Seemed the best way to cut his aggression was not to not entertain it, not that Kelgard cared enough anyway. With everyone finally settled, Dast looked between the two combatants with lackadaisical vigor, and cleared his throat.
"Are we finally ready to begin?"
Kelgard nodded, his posture straightening up with head tilted backwards, hands still in pockets and eyes locked on Jonath. The incoming breeze a bit harder than the others earlier, ruffling his hair and swaying the two bangs hanging off opposite sides of his forehead. Jonath taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, hands resting at his sides after having rolled up the sleeves of his jacket to the elbows and zipping it halfway up too. A creeping tension in his muscles as he waited for the word to start, eyes looking right back at Kelgard in anticipation.
Jonath didn't know much about the guy, hell he didn't even know much about himself. From what he could tell however based off what Melissa said coupled with the brief sneer he got earlier from him, and the exchange Kelgard had with Delaren just now, was that Kelgard was a very confident person. Nothing seemed to surprise him, unnerve him, or catch him off guard. He doubted the man would show any hint of struggling during the five minutes about to come; Jonath couldn't allow himself to be embarrassed though either. He had to at the very least, make Kelgard work for his win if not outright beat the proclaimed 'Blood King' in the time limit.
Jonath took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he let his instincts take over; if he could fight as good as, if not better than when he fought Liariana in the underground ruins he'd have a good chance. In Thrainry, at least. Dast raised his left hand up, Melissa, Kayde, Wrain, Delaren, Orath, Lee and everyone else focusing on nothing but those two now.
"Ready?" Dast said.
Kelgard popped his neck, Jonath bended at the knees slightly with pale fingers flexed and pale eyes focusing on his opponent. That ghostly pale glow in his eyes intensifying by the second from vague to noticeable; Melissa raising a brow at him.
"Set."
"Here goes nothing..." Jonath's mind emptied, his eyes transforming again like before as he felt a sudden surge of strength and vitality in his core just like before fighting the snakes.
Another breeze blew over the night sky and terrain of the facility, the full moon dipping behind fleeting cumulonimbus clouds again as Dast swiped his hand downwards.
"Begin!"
The ground cracked beneath Kelgard's feet from the recoil of his takeoff, having moved almost too fast to be seen as he appeared over Jonath with his left leg raised already mid motion for a nasty axe kick. The bystanders for the most part, visibly surprised by the immediate intensity of Kelgard's movements! Jonath looked up with narrowed, mystic eyes as he immediately, and instinctively jumped backwards without knowing, effectively dodging a potential one hit knockout. Landing with a skid across the pavement, Jonath regained his balance as Kelgard landed on his right leg calm as ever. His hands having never left his pockets as he merely canceled his downward kick when he noticed Jonath dodged.
"That, was the right way to dodge..." The blood hued eyes of Kelgard seemed momentarily impressed, his raised leg touching the ground and posture back to its original lax aesthetic. Melissa crossing her arms over her chest and leaning her weight to one leg with a smirk. The fact Jonath managed to dodge so quickly definitely caught her eye; perhaps she wanted him to do well because he had enchanted eyes like herself? A victory wanted out of similar association, so to speak.
"Kid's got some insane reaction times." Dast thought quietly to himself as he looked over both combatants. Eyes locked on Jonath initially but then turning to Kelgard shortly afterwards. "He's up against the same guy that..."
Jonath crossed his arms over his face in a combat stance, crescent-shaped pupils watching his opponents movements with insane fluidity and precision. It was strange, Kelgard had attacked him much faster than those snakes did back at the ruins yet Jonath dodged it completely. His powers had improved significantly, his body moving with minimum conscious thought response. Guess multiple near death experiences would do that to him, funny enough.
It had only been a few seconds after his initial attack that Kelgard began to walk towards Jonath with a confident yet detached movement. Jonath focusing again as soon as he saw him approaching, now was the worst time to get lost in thought. He had to stay on his toes, this guy gave him vibes just as potent as Liariana, he could probably end Jonath in one move if he screwed up.
"Now then," Kelgard said calmly, bended at the knees as he withdrew his left hand out of his pocket. There was an eerie, dark red hue of flushed blood dancing across his fingers beneath the surface. A noticeable, red tinge to normally pale flesh following from constriction of blood vessels beneath the skin. Jonath's eyes darting towards the exposed limb, what the hell was that?
"Let's c
ontinue."
Jonath's eyes widened, a breath hitching in his throat as Kelgard blitzed him again with that terrifying speed! Hand sweeping low, almost scraping across the ground with Kelgard's low slung lunge forward. A swipe upwards from his own left boot in a diagonal across his intended targets body up to Jonath's left shoulder, Kelgard attacked! Jonath this time dodging much more narrowly than before, his head sweeping backwards as he fell down into a recovery roll some feet away. It was a really bad idea to let this guy be the aggressor, Jonath had to take control. He had to fight this guy and take the reigns of the fight before he gets his ass handed to him.
Recalling his attack style against Liariana back at the ruins, Jonath when he recovered back to his feet rushed Kelgard with his own offense in action now! His instinct worked great on defense, however he had to rely on his real consciousness for offense.
Time to see what he could do...
"You want to fight up close and personal I'll give you just that!" Jonath barked low and keeping up the façade he was confident in his ability to match, if not take down Kelgard head on. Closing the distance in a second or so as Kelgard simply looked at him unfaltering and bracing himself to take on Jonath's challenge! The two instantly engaging in a quiet, yet aggressive display of hand to hand combat with intent to end it all in an instant.
"Oh shit now this is getting exciting!" Melissa exclaimed now more interested in the fight than ever. Kayde looking on with concern in her features, that attack Kelgard had nearly tagged Jonath with looked extremely dangerous. Jonath didn't seem like he was at his best either given his bleeding eyes earlier, she hoped they both would be ok after all of this. Delaren looking unimpressed, whether that was genuine or he were playing off the fact he was actually, begrudgingly impressed by what he was seeing was anybody's guess. His face showed nothing to go off. Wrain showed a bit more expression, his cyan hued eyes looking between the two combatants engaged in rather fluid, intense close combat with strong attention to detail.
Kelgard knocked away a vicious right kick that spun off the ground from Jonath with the back of his left forearm, countering with a grab attempt towards Jonath's throat while keeping utterly quiet and focused with an unmoving, monotone stare. Jonath ducking under his attempted seize and hopping backwards gaining some distance before attacking again once the two were on neutral terms again. Each movement of both opponents seamlessly integrated into a seamless back and forth, almost as if the entire fight had been choreographed beforehand.
"They're fucking going AT IT!" A random Nightborn in the group cried out getting the jitters from how intense the two were. A plethora of cheers and chants with Melissa the only one of the main crew joining them in it. She seemed to be getting a high off the intensity, her jumping up and down and excited expressions only solidifying the assumption Melissa had a liking to violence. Dast counting the seconds in his mind while quietly drowning out the chatter and watching both fight. Jonath drew a bit more interest than he had thought he would.
Jonath and Kelgard kept fighting, their exchanges of blows only getting more and more intense the longer they engaged. Jonath's close combat style a mesh of mainly reactionary movements to Kelgard coupled with improvised, fluid and acrobatic counters that were heavily reliant on him being fleet-footed and capable of improvising irregular patterned counters to try to throw off Kelgard. As well as Jonath was doing however, Kelgard always seemed to counter every offensive movement and put the amnesic right back on defense.
Kelgard's fighting style completely betrayed the overpowering lax, and confident demeanor he possessed in some aspects. The bulk of his attacks rarely ever being closed fist movements but instead sweeping, fluent open palmed thrusts two finger strikes with his hands or wide sweeping, fast kicks with his legs. As if Kelgard were targeting very precise parts of Jonath's body like a surgeon in trying to land the one blow he needed to do whatever it was he intended.
That scared Jonath, who during the entire time never blocked or took his opponents blows head on; opting to either parry them away or dodge them completely even if it meant backing off like he did earlier. Kelgard tried to grab Jonath again by the arm, the silver-haired amnesic sucking his teeth while lurching his arm back and pivoting off to Kelgard's flank hopping backwards away again to catch his breath. Kelgard choosing not to pursue, his posture relaxing as hands lowered back to his sides and he turned to face his opposition. Jonath still having his arms cross guarded over his face and knees bended, his breathing labored, but slight. Kelgard didn't seem to be breathing hard at all though.
"It's a clear difference in martial skill between them. Jonath is holding up pretty good all things considered but he can't get any real offense going at this rate." Wrain noted calm as frost left his throat. Melissa nodding in agreement as she calmed down some time ago now watching on in a more reserved way.
"Yeah..." Melissa muttered focusing on Jon during the brief pause between him and the red-eyed man. "He's relying on reflex and his eyes too much; he's never going to get anywhere at this rate. Based off what we're seeing Kelgard should win out even if neither goes down when times up, simply because he's kept control of the entire fight." She craned her neck stretching the muscles in it as she spoke, raising her right hand up high with a closed fist now. "Come on pretty boy show us something amazing!" She cheered Jonath on. Kayde staying quiet as she focused on both the combatants intensely.
"They've got about two minutes left. Strange neither have really done anything outside of hand to hand though, are they testing each other out..." Dast hummed to himself narrowing his eyes. The one attack Kelgard initiated that looked beyond just physical enhancements given through his Nightborn body, was avoided by Jonath. Did he not plan to try it again for some reason? Given the way Kelgard was targeting the amnesic's vitals though, maybe he were waiting till he hit one to activate it?
Kelgard let Jonath rest all of ten seconds, as if boasting he had no concern about the silver-haired amnesic being any threat to him, tired or not. Jonath sucking his teeth aggravated, seeing that calm, aloof stare in Kelgard's eyes as if all of this was just an exercise.
"If I were really insecure I'd think you were toying with me." Jonath chuckled aloud. Kelgard vaguely widening his eyes, brow furrowing curiously as he listened.
"Oh?" The Blood King responded in a tone seemingly taken aback if only mildly by the accusation. "What makes you say that, doubting your own skills that much?" He countered resting his hands back into his pockets and easing his posture. Jonath taking this moment to lower his guard (on the surface at least) as well. Neither seeming to care about time still ticking down on their match.
"Not at all." Jonath lowered his head slightly as he closed his eyes and shook in denial for a second. Pale glowing moon shaped eyes opening again with soft glow as he continued. "Just noticed you've been pretty content with letting me break off our little up close and personal scrap when I felt like it. I'd assume you believe there's no need to worry about me getting some distance? I could have a trick up my sleeve." The amnesic sneered with a smirk. The bystanders quietly listening to their exchange, wondering where it would take them.
"If you had some trick up your sleeve then I'd be playing right into your hands by not pursuing you, right?" Kelgard closed his eyes and popped his neck as he spoke in a nonchalant tone. Blood colored orbs opening halfway as he locked back to Jonath. "I'll deal with that when you bring it out on me. For now I'm merely humoring you." He shrugged lackluster and disinterested. Jonath furrowing his brow, fist clenched as he bent his knees and crossed his arms again focusing on Kelgard.
"Humoring me, huh?" He repeated in a less than amused yet not actually annoyed tone, it was more subtle curiosity if anything. It was at this moment, Jonath unknowingly gave into his emotions. Pride, fear of looking like a fool in front of everyone, annoyance, motivation to come out on top, everything just took over. Kelgard looked as if he wanted more out of Jonath to make up for his time, that look in his eyes empty and unmotivated.
&nb
sp; "In that case..."
The air shifted in vibe, a distant coldness and emptiness falling upon the crowd shocking them.
A ghostly pale energy began to fume up around Jonath, his body cloaked in a silhouette of pale silver as his hair ruffled and swayed from the aura swirling around him. Dast tilting his head back a bit in brief alertness, the kid was finally about to show something with about a minute left. Melissa' own cerulean blue eye flaring up with mystic energy as she couldn't help but smile in anticipation.
"Looks like he's about to show us all something... About time." The woman smirked, Kayde glancing her way before turning back to Jonath. Grey eyes showing both concern and awe at the rising energy levels she sensed from him. That ghostly silver hue encircling his body like heat eerily beautiful. Kelgard keeping that same expression he had the entire time, hands still in pockets while he spread his feet shoulder length apart and erected his back to stand straight. Eyes watching closely what Jonath was about to do.
