ONE TOUGH GUY by Kondoru
Standard disclaimers
Thanks to JP for Betaing.
"What do you think?" smiled Kosagi.
"Pretty well matched, eh?" Kuina gave a sidelong glance at his female subordinate.
The Dragon Knights were on the surface. This was a day of hard combat; something they could not do in their dungeon city.
They had spent the morning in flying practice, in sensory hide and seek, and in spin weaponry battles.
After a leisurely dinner, consisting of roast Nonseagull, they were practicing with their quarterstaffs, a weapon none of them used much anymore. "But it's always good to keep in practice" Kuina had said.
Today it was Tobi against Isuka.
And Kosagi was right, they were evenly matched.
Tobi darted about like his namesake; While Isuka whirled, trying to keep up. He could not land a decisive blow. Tobi found his way though his friends defences again and again, but could not strike hard enough to make an impression on Isukas layze shielded fat.
Sparks flew every time the reizu quarterstaffs clashed, along with a bigger bolt of energy when one of the combatants hit the others pipeline.
Isuka took another tack; one the Knights rarely used, he grounded his staff on his rival's pipeline, diverting the flow of reizu to his own body.
All watching breathed in, this was pushing it.
This would have been successful...if Tobi hadn't set his feed to a trickle.
Tobi rammed his staff in Isukas fat belly before that individual started leeching reizu off his body.
Isuka pushed Tobi off with a grunt and tried to hit him over the head with his staff.
Tobi dodged, only to lose a braid to the energy staff.
He tried Isukas tactic of pipeline grounding.
The fight degenerated into a wrestling match with each Knight trying to grab the others pipeline with their bare hands.
This would have been funny if they hadn't been risking serious injury.
"Break!" called Kuina. The two Knights parted, each looking warily from each other to Kuina.
"You've been fighting two hours solid." Kuina told them, "quarter of an hours rest?"
"Oh, come on, Kuina," Tobi waved his staff; "we can keep this up all day and night if we wish!"
Isuka dismissed his staff. "I could do with a break." He stepped back to Atori who wordlessly handed him a canteen of water.
"You won't get a break in real battle." Tobi protested.
Everyone knew a real battle would not last that long.
Isuka drained the canteen in one gulp, "How would `you` know? You have never been in a real fight."
"Since when did you kill a Destructor, Mr Big gut?" Tobi folded his arms and put on his `Don't you guys dare question my Data` look.
Fukuro shushed him "It's not funny."
Tobi reached for the canteen of reizu water Fukuro held, "I want that."
"Apologise." said Fukuro in a no nonsense tone. He raised the canteen well above Tobis grasp.
Tobi leapt up and grabbed the desired item with both hands but Fukuro held steady. Tobi was left dangling.
"I've not seen you in serious battle of late, Tobi," Isuka smiled.
Tobi and Fukuro had to smile. Fukuro let go, and his small companion dropped to the ground.
Tobi turned around. "I'm the best...If I wasn't always put on monitoring duty to prove it."
Isuka shook his great head; "And me on ground support. Kuina...Next Destructor is all ours!"
Kuina shook his head. "Tobi, Isuka, if I catch you two getting in the way of the others in battle I'll personally drag you off to the penal level by your umbilical's, gettit?"
Fukuro stuck his nose in the air; "that's after we have finished with you."
Karasu stepped up, "and you come out of med bay. Cause we will personally make sure you end up there."
"Oh, thanks for all the big threats!" grumped Isuka.
"Threats? Those are promises" Kosagi shook her head.
It wasn't that Isukas was a poor fighter; he was one of the best.
But he was not agile, was a poor flyer, nor did he have an instinct for long range combat.
His role in battle was simply that of ground support, along with Kuina, whose spin weaponry (one of the early, experimental ones) worked similarly. If a Destructor got to the ground, Isuka would simply step up to it and give one good punch with his mighty fists, thus bringing the argument to a premature close.
He didn't even have to summon his Reizu Beast. (An extremely risky affair.)
A dead Destructor was pretty much a cert when Isuka got his hands upon it.
Spin weaponry was dependent on an altered nervous system, and so the Knight with the biggest body got the most powerful weapon. Tobi simply wasn't in the running.
However he had different strengths.
Tobi could spot a force fielded Destructor from a mile off, without provoking it into premature firing as would happen if someone tried an experimental energy bolt.
He could assess the energy levels of the Destructor
Tobi when not monitoring would be placed in the safe mass of a platoon of soldiers. He could shield them from laser blasts. (Tobis spin weaponry was mostly designed for defence.)
And yet, though Tobi knew his own considerable worth in the Quantum Realm, sometimes he wished he was a big tough guy like Isuka.
As predicted, the two combatants fought each other to a standstill.
"Stand down!" Ordered Kuina, "let's call this a day."
This time Isuka did decided to end it. He flopped to the ground with a thump.
Tobi leaned on his staff, breathing heavily. He eyed the prone Isuka with a deal of disdain. Tobi yawned, wrapping his habit tighter around him. "I think I am tired." He grudgingly admitted.
"Oh, I hope so." Atori was getting bored. "Its suppertime."
Fukuro piggybacked Tobi down while Atori and Karasu supported Isuka.
When they got to their quarters Isuka sat down on his custom made cot with a bang that no doubt disturbed everyone on that level. "I'm taking a nap before I eat."
Tobi was decanted into his bed a bit more quietly. He had fallen asleep on the way down in the turbolift, and had drooled all down Fukuros shoulder.
The five remaining Knights sat round the supper table.
Kosagi summoned her readout. "Out like a light!" she dismissed the glowing readout. "Kuina, does this mean we get their share of supper?"
Kuina busied himself with the gruel pot. "That wouldn't be fair, Kosagi."
Kosagi had to smile. "Life's not fair."
Kuina said nothing but divided Kosagis bowl between Tobis and Isukas. He handed both to Atori. "Go stick this on their bedside tables for when they wake up."
Atori gave the aghast Kosagi an evil smile. "I'll check their Reizu levels too." He walked out, a bowl in each hand.
"It's only right, Kosagi, Who's not done any hard work today?" Karasu added unhelpfully.
Kosagi stood up.
"Sit, Kosagi," Kuina ordered in a no nonsense voice. "No going off for a sulk in your cell."
Kosagi put on her most hateful face and sat down.
This was not improved by Fukuro choking on a mouthful of gruel. He evidently was enjoying Kosagis discomfiture.
Atori came back in. He sat down, watching Kosagi for any signs of defiance.
"How's their Reizu?" asked Kuina.
"Levels a bit low but rising slowly." Atori gave a slight laugh, "I think they are just tired."
"We will see what they are like in the morning, neh?" Kuinas agreed.
Kosagi sat in unaccustomed silence while the four knights laughed and made small talk, oh, and ate.
But it wasn't the first time she had gone hungry while others were fed.
Lacryma was harsh.
The next morning Atori was first in the common room.
He shook his head; generally it was Isuka followed by Fukuro.
Fukuro came in followed by Karasu. "Our two doughty fighters having a lay in?" Fukuro asked.
Atori called up his computer then just as rapidly dismissed it. "Both still asleep. I should have known it when Tobi didn't come barging though the wall (a terrible breach of manners.) to tell me about the days incursion forecast."
"What is the forecast, do you know?" Said Karasu. He then answered himself by checking his computer. "Looks quiet."
"Quiet, did you say?" Kosagi entered. She sounded as if she secretly fancied a battle.
"So it is." Kuina came though the main door, he had been to the quartermaster for the day's dole of gruel flakes. Kuina picked up the gruel pot and emptied the bag in, then measured in water. (Not reizu water, sadly.)
Kosagi followed him with her eyes. "It seems we are two men down." She looked at the door to their cell corridor meaningfully.
"Yes, someone's skiving." Karasu scratched his chest. Atori gave him a nasty look but was ignored.
"Isuka and Tobi need a half day off, I think." Kuina said.
"Some warriors if they flake out after a sparring match." Fukuro said to no one in particular.
"They did fight hard." Atori helpfully added but was ignored.
"Today's Isukas Patrol day...And Tobi by rights should be doing a computer check." Kuina looked wry, "I want Kosagi and Atori to do that instead."
Kosagi brightened. A Patrol in Uptown meant she could strut about at the head of a platoon of soldiers who did not belong to her...That and `liberate` stuff from shops.
But...
"Shouldn't that be the other way around, Kuina?" Kosagi said slowly. "Atori isn't as good as I am at computer checks."
Atori grunted but said nothing.
"I've got better monitoring systems." As a Scout Kosagi had been implanted with more sophisticated data systems than an ordinary soldier. She had only been given a warriors grade of Spin weapon when she proved she could use it. Kosagi was in many ways the most versatile of Knights and she well knew it.
Kuina shook his head. "It's only data gathering, you can manage that, cant you, Atori?"
Atori nodded. He well wanted the chance to prove to Tobi he could do `some` Data work.
Anyway, it would pass the time while his two playfellows slept.
Atori managed to get the Check done...Mostly, though he did take twice as long over it as Tobi would have had done.
Kosagi came back from patrol with a rat on a stick for everyone, that and a bar of soap she was assured would make her smell of roses.
It did, but sadly this did not have the desired effect on Karasu. Smell is the most atavistic of senses, and Kosagis new smell reminded him too much of his childhood.
...And Haruka...
So he spent the evening with her instead of the disappointed Kosagi.
Isuka and Tobi were as fresh as something not found in Lacryma. Everyone had to put up with their chirpiness during supper.
No one noticed how well Atori had done his check. Atori wouldn't not have minded but Tobi came into that category of `no one. ` He gave Tobi a vengeful braid pulling but even that had no effect.
Isuka spent the evening playing blow football with Fukuro, who was thrashed royally. He didn't have his deep winded friends puff.