The game was over. Dorian pulled Lyannah's sword from his chest and threw it at David while he was on his knees getting up. He shielded his face with his bare hands and held slim confidence and even slimmer hopes of success. Suddenly, Lyannah voice was heard. "Nooooo!" she screamed shoving away David without warning.

When the dust settled, Lyannah was standing firm and proud, with her own handcrafted ebony sword resting in her upper torso, right up to the hilt. Blood poured from Lyannah's wound and ran down her mouth, but with no obvious pain. David saw shock and peace in her startled emerald eyes.

She glared at David and touched her sword once while it rested near her heart, taking short breaths. Every feeling apparently irritated her. Her lips trembled. "D… D-David, I don't feel so good…" Lyannah uttered, lightly with heart. She reached for David, crying out internally for him but eventually collapses to the floor, in a slowly forming puddle of her blood.

"Lyannah!" David cried. "God-damn you, Dorian! I'm gonna kill you!"

"I invite you to try."

David made a dash for Sally and swung for Dorian in a heated, sloppy manner, so amateurish Dorian had no problem stepping out of harm's way and blocking a somewhat predictable second swing. Dorian swung his bumper sword's pommel at David's face once, fracturing many of his teeth and some of his jaw, then walloping his stomach several times over.

With each strike stronger than the last, it destroyed the armour around his torso completely. A short few minutes into the fight with a rejuvenated Dorian Savage, both the bleeding and internal bleeding had tripled for David.

One final strike to his stomach and Dorian threw David over his head and sent him back down. Could barely stay awake to see the scorched red sky, Dorian stepped into view, looking down at him with great joy.

If there was any trump card David had at his disposal, it was Dorian's weakness. As he raised his bumper sword above his head to swing away, David gingerly tossed another flash grenade into the air and quickly covered his eyes.

In the sudden blast of the bright light, Dorian covered his face and staggered away, swinging his bumper sword desperately. David took his chance to get Sally and make his move. He rushed at Dorian full speed while he was just getting his bearings, with Sally tightly grasped with both hands. Dorian wasn't quick enough to recover fully, though, through his superior awareness he had some time to muster.

David cleaved and ran Sally through Dorian's torso while he countered and swung for David's chest with his bumper sword. David attacking first was better than expected, it disturbed his counterattack so much his bumper sword only struck out his waist, at the cost of his horrible aiming, he was only able to hack down his bumper sword, then grazing towards his right arm.

The recovery was sloppy, David toppled down from the sudden spurts of blood from the gash around his hip. Dorian, on the other hand, paused briefly and then fell down on his knees, from David's aggressive assault he had suffered a critical hit.

Dorian's right arm dropped off his shoulder, spurting torrents of his yellow blood all over the ground, his reaction wasn't faltered, his wound sealed up instantly. But his bumper sword was cut in two, dead in the middle, leaving the actual bumper itself as a one handed sword. Like a scimitar.

"You'll pay for that!" Dorian shouted. He picked up his new sword and approached David with deadly intentions. "You lousy, insignificant… MAGGOT!"

Suddenly, in a blinding outburst, Dorian planted both feet into the ground and launched himself into the air, far over David's head. The speed at which he was landing, Dorian ploughed his sword right on top of him. However, David quickly dived out of harm's way, at the cost of dropping Sally from the shockwave Dorian caused.

The fresh bloody wounds around David's chest stopped him from standing his balance; he had to force himself on his feet, adding to the strain on his ankles and bones. Dorian put sheathed his sword into his belt and took Sally from the ground. "Time to play can opener," he chortled, "What fleshy surprise is waiting for me under that armour of yours David?"

"Awfully cocky for someone who lost an arm, asshole."

"I'll get a new one, and you're gonna pay for it!"

Dorian went out of his way to hack at David, slowly with a large force in each swing and backhand he sent his way. Each attack sliced through David's power armour like butter. Between the gaps of the plates, Sally's edge drew blood.

Over the metallic screeches, some of Sally's iconic singing was audible. All David had to use on such short notice was Maria, and Dorian was the type to ignore small arms fire, didn't stop him from trying. David walked up to Dorian, firing several times as he went, and each shot erupted yellow splatter against Dorian's face and neck, barely stunning him. Cyborgs eat bullets. Shoot the mouth and splatter brain.

When he got in close, he nearly took David's hand clean of with one well-placed swing. As David readjusted his aim the second swing Dorian swung at him again, this time his backhand caught David's fingertips. Not only Maria was sliced in half, but he also lost his trigger finger, all the way to his knuckle. David cried and cursed loudly over the loss of his digit.

The scorned howls from David gave Dorian a smile. Such a big smile he swung at him again, this time slicing across his chest, lightly brushing his ribs. David howled and fell down on his backside, leaning on his bloody hand, covering his face from Dorian and sneaking out another flash grenade from his rear.

As things were about to fade black, he hurled it at his face again, David figured he'd catch on quick, so he didn't expect the flash to stun him. It did.

Dorian, once again was stunned and flailed Sally about, raging and cursing David's name. This was his chance to smash Dorian's face in. He pummelled away at his blind face, emptying the rage within. The amplified strength of his armour did wonders.

The recovery wasn't as prolonged as David thought, Dorian headbutted the bridge of David's nose, breaking it like it was nothing. His nose bled like a running tap. Dorian swept out David's legs by the knees and plunged Sally into his right shoulder, spraying out his blood like a fountain. He forgot to disarm him from Sally. It was shredding him into ribbons.

The pain was too great to control mentally, David's howls and cries couldn't mask the pain. Swearing it out was invalid. He gritted his broken teeth and kept Dorian from removing Sally from his tender shoulder flesh. It was all he really could do. It would mean more punishment if he kept in in the cavity, but it kept Dorian from trying to take his head off with it.

The power armour strength allowed David to contest the might of Dorian's cybernetic limb. Dorian couldn't be bothered to play David's game; he let Sally rest into his flesh and went for his neck, throwing him at his tent where Lyannah laid.

David was fading in and out of consciousness with the constant beatings, so regular he should have built up an immunity by now. While glaring upon Lyannah's body, the battered, bloody state of her person caused a spark in his mind, of a woman he once knew.

That's when he started hearing voices inside his head. There was a woman whom he loved long ago who shared a similar look. The look of a desperate woman. A woman he cared for. One he let down...

A bloodied and battered David pulled up a woman – clinging to her dear life, into a corner. She was roughly his age and had flowing ginger hair and was seriously wounded from a bullet wound. It was back in a place he used to live, before the War. Beverly Hills, with his first love, Samantha Simpson.

David…? David… I...I…

Don't talk… I'm going to get you out of here. You hear me?!

David… are we going to die?

No. You're gonna live.

I can't. I have no strength.

You got to work with me, honey… Come on, please! Even if it costs me my life, I'll make sure you make it out with yours.

David…

Sam, I won't ever give up on you. Please don't give up on me.

David's body twitched. "Sam," he mumbled. He thrived some more after that, then fell back into deep thought. "Sam… Cass..." he murmured.

Here and some time ago. David stood proud and firm in combat armour, with Cass holding him tightly from behind. It was back in their love suite. That wonderful place in Freeside. After their marriage.

What kind of bullet is this?

Hmm? Oh, that? That was is a bizarre shell that my dad personally crafted. Inside the bullet is a cancerous mutagen compound called the Progenitor virus.

A virus?! That sounds dangerous.

Definitely. They were never fully mass-produced, though, only six of them were ever made. This one I keep as a trophy and a symbol of a personal achievement.

Of what?

Of the time Dorian and I killed each other for the first time. Ironically after dying, I never felt so alive.

David's eyes creaked open a slither. "P-virus? Progenitor?" he whispered. He took out his necklace and unclipped the .475 P-viral magnum round. It was still potent. While Dorian wasn't looking David chucked his last flash grenade to distract him, hoping it would be long enough for him to load the shell into Red Hare.

It worked! Dorian hesitated and was flashed. David had one shot, and it had to count. Even if the grenade didn't stun him, the sudden pitch stalled Dorian. He couldn't risk being blinded. Either way, it stalled him for the precious seconds he needed.

The .475 magnum tore through the air and broke the sound barrier like never before, right at Dorian. The shell intended for his face curved towards his chest, on account of David's shaky aim. His left hand wasn't as good as his right and his middle finger was a terrible trigger finger.

The shell pierced straight through his heart. By now the tacky black bile was in his bloodstream, overloading his body way over the P-viral levels, he's accustomed to. His choking, vomiting and the throbbing migraines were constant from the virus' effect.

Dorian staggered all over in a hazy manner. David got back up on his feet, unslung his Remington and gave him hell. Hails of flechette scattered all over Dorian's chest and face, though he shielded his face most of the time the shells easily punched through his armour, further exposing his organic body underneath.

His armour was tenderised over the duration of the fight. The sharpened steel needles splatted yellow flesh and blood under his feet. The feeling of walking over his mangled meat was extraordinary.

Every step, every shell, every blast, brought Dorian closer to the ledge, at the tip, one more shot was needed to topple him over. However, Dorian recuperated before David could load a single cartridge, as he was about to pump he grasped the shotgun and kicked him back again.

The kick to the chest was harder than the last dozen. It sent him hard and fast to the tent behind. Dorian used his immense strength to break the shotgun in two with a single firm grasp, snapping it like a twig.

Luckily for Dorian, David was too far out cold this time to get back up. On the approach, he was too far out of it to feel Dorian ripping Sally from his shoulder. The blood on Sally was fresh. Fresh red juicy droplets of superhuman blood. Dorian couldn't resist the temptation, he ran Sally across his tongue, licking up David's blood. A guilty pleasure.

With an instant rush of pure ecstasy, he shuddered with desire. It tasted different, as human blood only with the slightest seasoning of P-viral antibodies sprinkled in. It wasn't as tasty as it used to be. During their last encounter, David's blood was rich with large traces of Prototype virus; it's regular flavoured. No different than human. It was boring.

"You're human? That's a shame. You're half the man I used to know, and used to be..."

Suddenly, as Dorian raised Sally above his head, gunfire emerged behind him. A single bullet struck Sally from his hand, tumbling him around, it was Cass. Without skipping a beat, she reloaded and kept Dorian in her sights. "You must be the big bad, Legate Lanius? I heard all about you, asshole."

"Get out of here woman! Or I'll kill you too!"

"Not happenin'."

"You're joking? I killed a Dragonborn, an ex-Demigod and this prepubescent twerp. What threat could you ever pose to me?!"

"I don't know about you but I'm a pretty crack shot, and this rifle I have here fires big bullets."

Cass unloaded her hunting rifle at Dorian without hesitation. He couldn't reach her quick enough with the P-virus weakening him; the heavy bullets toppled him over the tent's remains. He finally fell. Just when Cass thought it was over, Dorian stepped out of the wreckage and stumbled towards her, he bled heavily from his open wounds, which made him trip over his feet often.

"Didn't think you'd stay down for too long…"

He vomited more and more of his yellow blood over his hand. He reached into his armour and took out a syringe, jamming it into his neck, at the same time Cass shot it clean from his hand. It was destroyed. Spewed the liquid inside all over the ground, he was so desperate to get the chemical inside his body he even tried to salvage anything left. The liquid dried up instantly over the tent's fabric and wood.

"NO!" Dorian cursed and swore with his most furious expression, stretching over his ugly mug. "That was a mistake… Your last God-damned mistake! You done fucked it up now human!" His head twitched madly. "That serum… was… the only thing keeping… AHHH!" he screamed.

Cass scoffed. "Whatever." She took aim at Dorian's face. "Let's see what you got Legion boy."

"Oh… you'll regret those words, human. Without that serum my defensive countermeasure activates, and there is NOTHING to sedate it! Status is critical… You sealed both of our fates!"

Cass gave Dorian no warning; she gave him everything she got, her hunting rifle hit hard and precisely. Dorian still had Sally and had to get in close. Cass was more than capable of facing Dorian, but his defensive countermeasure consisted of short ranged teleportation, only it was more feral and uncoordinated.

He went back to blinking, avoiding any and all of her bullets. The blinking was seemingly infinite. He'd stand still for only a fraction of a second before blinking closer and closer.

Not a single shot could land on Dorian. He was too fast and reached almost to the point of blinking prematurely as she simply aimed at him. Far too twitchy.

"Stay still!" she yelled in frustration.

Dorian chortled. "You obviously never faced a protohuman supreme."

With a short exclaim from Cass' end, Dorian blinked approximately next to her, just by her right shoulder and swiftly disarmed her. She tried to fight him off with her bare hands, but he long fisted her, the sheer speed he had projected enough force to launch her towards the tent's remains, close to Lyannah.

In the span of a single second, Cass had a fractured rib and was already worn down. Her health wasn't ideal, to begin with, now her back and ankles started acting up. She even felt nauseous.

Cass examined Lyannah. "Lyannah?" she muttered, sitting upright. "Lyannah!" She saw her blade resting through her chest and confirmed the worst. "Shit! She's dead! This is awful."

Dorian approached her with Sally sheathed in his belt. "She is the first of many. No more, no less."

"What the fuck are you?!"

"A monster. Conquest... Personally, I believe to be humankind's future of liberation." He stopped at Cass. "Great difficulty I have to achieve my ultimate goal. You humans being so tremendously thick and stubborn to accept change is making my job all the more time-consuming."

"What the ever-loving fuck are you blabbering on about?!"

"I am going to usher a brand new breed of humanity. They alone will succeed humanity as your genetic superiors, with me going down in history as their God."

"And who are you to decide that?!"

"Why none other than Dorian Savage."

Cass choked. "Dorian Savage?! Oh no!"

"The one… the only…"

"You've been trying to kill David from back in his time!"

"That would seem obvious at this point, yeah. And you wearing his armour must mean you're his significant other, are you not?" He chuckled, "He would tell you about me."

"No shit Sherlock."

"My, my… you even sound like him. Ah… is it love in the air? A dreadful bond... Compared to his first wife you're more of the mouthy type," he said, almost charmingly. "That's his type. Just like Samantha... Did he ever tell you the misery I caused his partners? His family? His friends? Huh… cutie?"

"I'm warning you once, asshole. Don't you DARE call me cutie!"

"I'll call you whatever I see fit. Now come here," he went to grab Cass' foot, but she crawls back away from him like he was some actual monster. "I'm just gonna put you out of your misery."

"Your passive aggression makes me sick to my stomach. Literally!"

"You have my glowing personality to thank for that." Cass made contact with the rear wall and could crawl no further. Dorian was able to grab her by the neck, while she protested. Her dexterity was scraping the bottom of the barrel when she had her back against a wall. "End of the line." He lifted Cass off her feet and walked towards the ledge far behind him.

Dorian held Cass over the edge; the ground was at least a twenty-meter drop. She held onto his arm for her dear life, and at the same time, she wanted to tear it off from the socket, though she'd fall before she could even try.

She settled for her combat knife, she unsheathed it and forced it into a soft spot in Dorian's arm, between the armoured plating. Dorian's expressing never changed from his default bored one, the tip of her blade just couldn't penetrate through for some reason.

Dorian's eyes lit red with anger. "You're gonna need a bigger knife, girl!"