Erudite
by SMYGO4EVA
Dreadwing knew that it was inevitable that they crossed paths. He tried his hardest to stop his lip from curling with disgust—the Autobots showed honor in combat, and yet there were still those from which he sensed a façade.
But he still knew warriors when he saw one, and the one that stood before him, the one who they called Ultra Magnus, servos ready, his guard upright, had indeed seen much of war to be regarded as such.
"So glad we could meet, Ultra Magnus," Dreadwing said, biting back a smile. "I trust that you wouldn't hold back when we show our prowess in battle."
"Perish the thought, Dreadwing," Ultra Magnus responded, his optics narrowed.
They both knew that warriors were seasoned in carnage and warfare, knowing that death would be inevitable, but it didn't need to be said. All they needed to know was that battle was what a true warrior had to survive through, in order to make it to the other side. Having grasped in which they feared the most was what gave them an edge, from turning their sparks grey and black.
And besides that, Ultra Magnus and Dreadwing knew that this was a good cover to fight and stand once the skirmish was over.
With one swift movement, Dreadwing ran forward and Ultra Magnus followed suit, with delicate carvings upon their clashing weapons, spark firing between them. They hated how they had to fight, how they had to shed Energon. They had no other choice. They had to use such erudite methods in warfare, what they had learned. They had to fight. It was better than succumbing to their worst fears.
The scent of scorched metal upon the moment of death that permeated the air not long after…