As soon as the bright blue flash of the sudden magical relocation faded from
his eyes, Aladdin jerked safe out of reach of the sorcerer who had an
uncomfortably keen look about him. He backed up uneasily as the familiar
glow encompassed Mozenrath's gauntlet. Before he could even scramble for a
way to defend himself he was sent on a one-way trip to the Citadel wall
marble. He squinted his eyes in pain as his skull connected with the glossy
black surface with a crack. He rubbed furiously at his skull, a mistake as
another blue-black blast crashed into the wall a hairs breath from his skin.
He looked up incredulous as he got to his feet to see Mozenrath walking
towards him, hand ablaze.
Aladdin took a defensive stance, but any worded retaliation quickly died in
his throat as he saw the look upon Mozenrath's face.
Mozenrath's eyes were lifeless and shiny yet the intensity with which they
bored into Aladdin made his breath catch. He hesitated, unsure how to
proceed.
Mozenrath saved him the trouble of choosing an avenue.
Aladdin cried out as a sizzling ball of fire exploded onto his chest.
"Fight me, damn you streetrat."
The voice matched his eyes leaving no room for argument. To punctuate his
words, another sphere of flame formed in his palm.
Aladdin took a sprint for a suit of armor that ornamented the entrance hall
and nabbed a shield just in time to block what would have been a disabling
attack at his life.
Immediately the younger man was caught in a massive onslaught, a challenge
to keep up and alive. He felt a sort of desperation in Mozenrath's attacks
that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he parried Mozenrath's
blows. For the first time Aladdin was trying urgently to talk Mozenrath
down, but to no avail.
Mozenrath strove hard to transform his long time enemy into ashes upon the
floor but could only manage to land impartial wounds. Finally in his
agitation he managed to corner Aladdin. His coupe de grass was blocked as
Aladdin threw his shield up. The two forces pushed against one another,
frustrating Mozenrath to no bounds, as Aladdin did not give into the
pressure, as he himself refused to. In a moment of eerie symmetry, the two
dropped their assaults, realizing the futility, but the unexpected release
of force made Aladdin drop the metal to send it clattering to the ground as
Mozenrath himself was forced back a step. As Aladdin made a mad grab for it,
Mozenrath bent to do the same and rose with it in grasp, quicker than his
younger opponent. That's when his feet were kicked out from under him. He
hit the floor with a mercilessly hard impact. His eyes grew wide as his
breath was forced from his lungs. Seeing Aladdin overhead, even in his
blinking vision, he lashed out with his foot.
He heard Aladdin cry out, and managed to struggle to his feet, resisting the
urge to clutch his spinning head, to find Aladdin reeling back, clutching a
bleeding nose, the hot crimson liquid seeping through his fingers.
Mozenrath wiped away his own that was seeping from his lip.
"Is this the best you got? You being alive is offense enough, but don't add
insult to injury. Fight me like you actually have a purpose. Prove to me
you're not a joke, at least for once in your miserable life!"
Aladdin's blood boiled, any rational doubts banished, heat rising to his
face.
"You want it that way Mozenrath? Fine!"
The two combatants danced back and forth. Every attack from Mozenrath was
stronger than the one before it and Aladdin was forced to take notice of
that as the continuation of his health depended on it. Mozenrath's previous
verbal abuse bubbled and stewed in him and his temper flared to the point
that he pursued Mozenrath with just as much ferocity, trading burns and
blasts for bruises and punches. Mozenrath wanted a fight; he'd get a fight.
Sweat, blood and testosterone weighted the air.
But instead slowly wearing the sorcerer down as happened in their fights,
Mozenrath seemed to be gaining fervor, the raging black hate in his eyes
alight; More intent, more vicious. But Aladdin was hurting, and he knew
Mozenrath had to be. While Aladdin was sure his skin on his stomach would
never grown back and his head would permanently ring, Mozenrath's mouth
poured blood freely, and a rib had to be broken. He just didn't seem to
care. Every time he managed to get in a rare strike, Mozenrath would shrug
of the infliction instantly. He had to do something before the tide turned,
because he knew he would receive no mercy if he lost this battle.
His thoughts were interrupted as a hand encircled his throat, a blazing
gauntlet ready to maim him.
A loud pop was heard as Aladdin overexerted his strength to wrench
Mozenrath's arm from him.
Mozenrath's dead eyes never flinched
Aladdin, stunned by his deed, gasped as Mozenrath used his newly dislocated
fist to steal a punch into Aladdin's exposed abdomen.
He grabbed the offending appendage, not daring to move as time elasticized
to make that few second of panting peace feel like forever.
Both men swayed on their feet, but Mozenrath was loosing his battle with
consciousness, as was Aladdin.
He gently pushed Mozenrath away.
Mozenrath stepped back with no resistance, refusing to let his locked gaze
with Aladdin waver however.
"I forgot to get Genie to fix whatever the hell is wrong with me, Ok?"
Mozenrath's face didn't change with the soft and tired rationale.
"Believe Mozenrath, I didn't want to know anymore than you."
And with that Aladdin turned his back, heading for the door.
Just as he reached it, he missed out on a quick and muttered,
"Bastard".
Aladdin's only reward for managing to wrench open the Citadel doors was a
grainy slap in the face brought to him by a sand filled gale of wind.
"Wha-?"
Speaking didn't seem to be a good idea as he let go of the door handle
quickly to double over, too concerned in dry heaving up the sand in his
lungs to hear the door snap shut as the storm outside sucked it closed. When
he could breath relatively well again, wincing as sore tissue and muscles
protested more fluid movements, he stared bewildered at the door.
"A sandstorm?" he asked. But that had to be the reason his friends hadn't
come galloping in on their white horses…
He stopped his train of thought, very surprised at how bitter that sounded.
He held his head and groaned.
"I've been hanging around Mozenrath too much…"
At the audible mention of the sorcerer's name, Aladdin was again reminded of
how sure he was that Allah was mocking him. Stuck in a fortress of death
with a homicidal Mozenrath out for his blood. Nobody dare face a Seven
Desert Sandstorm, but the looming doom and gloom feeling Aladdin was getting
sure made him want to be the first.
With a resigning sigh, Aladdin turned to go right back where he came from,
planning as he go. He was a bit more than surprised to find Mozenrath wasn't
where he left him, but then again, it fit into his plan, half-baked and
pieced together. He could wait out the storm here, but who said Mozenrath
had to know he was here? This was a big place; he could easily avoid him.
Now with his own fabricated confidence, somehow lessening the pain of his
slight limp, he went of in search of suitable "accommodations"…
his eyes, Aladdin jerked safe out of reach of the sorcerer who had an
uncomfortably keen look about him. He backed up uneasily as the familiar
glow encompassed Mozenrath's gauntlet. Before he could even scramble for a
way to defend himself he was sent on a one-way trip to the Citadel wall
marble. He squinted his eyes in pain as his skull connected with the glossy
black surface with a crack. He rubbed furiously at his skull, a mistake as
another blue-black blast crashed into the wall a hairs breath from his skin.
He looked up incredulous as he got to his feet to see Mozenrath walking
towards him, hand ablaze.
Aladdin took a defensive stance, but any worded retaliation quickly died in
his throat as he saw the look upon Mozenrath's face.
Mozenrath's eyes were lifeless and shiny yet the intensity with which they
bored into Aladdin made his breath catch. He hesitated, unsure how to
proceed.
Mozenrath saved him the trouble of choosing an avenue.
Aladdin cried out as a sizzling ball of fire exploded onto his chest.
"Fight me, damn you streetrat."
The voice matched his eyes leaving no room for argument. To punctuate his
words, another sphere of flame formed in his palm.
Aladdin took a sprint for a suit of armor that ornamented the entrance hall
and nabbed a shield just in time to block what would have been a disabling
attack at his life.
Immediately the younger man was caught in a massive onslaught, a challenge
to keep up and alive. He felt a sort of desperation in Mozenrath's attacks
that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he parried Mozenrath's
blows. For the first time Aladdin was trying urgently to talk Mozenrath
down, but to no avail.
Mozenrath strove hard to transform his long time enemy into ashes upon the
floor but could only manage to land impartial wounds. Finally in his
agitation he managed to corner Aladdin. His coupe de grass was blocked as
Aladdin threw his shield up. The two forces pushed against one another,
frustrating Mozenrath to no bounds, as Aladdin did not give into the
pressure, as he himself refused to. In a moment of eerie symmetry, the two
dropped their assaults, realizing the futility, but the unexpected release
of force made Aladdin drop the metal to send it clattering to the ground as
Mozenrath himself was forced back a step. As Aladdin made a mad grab for it,
Mozenrath bent to do the same and rose with it in grasp, quicker than his
younger opponent. That's when his feet were kicked out from under him. He
hit the floor with a mercilessly hard impact. His eyes grew wide as his
breath was forced from his lungs. Seeing Aladdin overhead, even in his
blinking vision, he lashed out with his foot.
He heard Aladdin cry out, and managed to struggle to his feet, resisting the
urge to clutch his spinning head, to find Aladdin reeling back, clutching a
bleeding nose, the hot crimson liquid seeping through his fingers.
Mozenrath wiped away his own that was seeping from his lip.
"Is this the best you got? You being alive is offense enough, but don't add
insult to injury. Fight me like you actually have a purpose. Prove to me
you're not a joke, at least for once in your miserable life!"
Aladdin's blood boiled, any rational doubts banished, heat rising to his
face.
"You want it that way Mozenrath? Fine!"
The two combatants danced back and forth. Every attack from Mozenrath was
stronger than the one before it and Aladdin was forced to take notice of
that as the continuation of his health depended on it. Mozenrath's previous
verbal abuse bubbled and stewed in him and his temper flared to the point
that he pursued Mozenrath with just as much ferocity, trading burns and
blasts for bruises and punches. Mozenrath wanted a fight; he'd get a fight.
Sweat, blood and testosterone weighted the air.
But instead slowly wearing the sorcerer down as happened in their fights,
Mozenrath seemed to be gaining fervor, the raging black hate in his eyes
alight; More intent, more vicious. But Aladdin was hurting, and he knew
Mozenrath had to be. While Aladdin was sure his skin on his stomach would
never grown back and his head would permanently ring, Mozenrath's mouth
poured blood freely, and a rib had to be broken. He just didn't seem to
care. Every time he managed to get in a rare strike, Mozenrath would shrug
of the infliction instantly. He had to do something before the tide turned,
because he knew he would receive no mercy if he lost this battle.
His thoughts were interrupted as a hand encircled his throat, a blazing
gauntlet ready to maim him.
A loud pop was heard as Aladdin overexerted his strength to wrench
Mozenrath's arm from him.
Mozenrath's dead eyes never flinched
Aladdin, stunned by his deed, gasped as Mozenrath used his newly dislocated
fist to steal a punch into Aladdin's exposed abdomen.
He grabbed the offending appendage, not daring to move as time elasticized
to make that few second of panting peace feel like forever.
Both men swayed on their feet, but Mozenrath was loosing his battle with
consciousness, as was Aladdin.
He gently pushed Mozenrath away.
Mozenrath stepped back with no resistance, refusing to let his locked gaze
with Aladdin waver however.
"I forgot to get Genie to fix whatever the hell is wrong with me, Ok?"
Mozenrath's face didn't change with the soft and tired rationale.
"Believe Mozenrath, I didn't want to know anymore than you."
And with that Aladdin turned his back, heading for the door.
Just as he reached it, he missed out on a quick and muttered,
"Bastard".
Aladdin's only reward for managing to wrench open the Citadel doors was a
grainy slap in the face brought to him by a sand filled gale of wind.
"Wha-?"
Speaking didn't seem to be a good idea as he let go of the door handle
quickly to double over, too concerned in dry heaving up the sand in his
lungs to hear the door snap shut as the storm outside sucked it closed. When
he could breath relatively well again, wincing as sore tissue and muscles
protested more fluid movements, he stared bewildered at the door.
"A sandstorm?" he asked. But that had to be the reason his friends hadn't
come galloping in on their white horses…
He stopped his train of thought, very surprised at how bitter that sounded.
He held his head and groaned.
"I've been hanging around Mozenrath too much…"
At the audible mention of the sorcerer's name, Aladdin was again reminded of
how sure he was that Allah was mocking him. Stuck in a fortress of death
with a homicidal Mozenrath out for his blood. Nobody dare face a Seven
Desert Sandstorm, but the looming doom and gloom feeling Aladdin was getting
sure made him want to be the first.
With a resigning sigh, Aladdin turned to go right back where he came from,
planning as he go. He was a bit more than surprised to find Mozenrath wasn't
where he left him, but then again, it fit into his plan, half-baked and
pieced together. He could wait out the storm here, but who said Mozenrath
had to know he was here? This was a big place; he could easily avoid him.
Now with his own fabricated confidence, somehow lessening the pain of his
slight limp, he went of in search of suitable "accommodations"…