Chapter 13

There was no time to think. There was nothing to think about. Instinct took over Reptile's mind and he leapt towards Jade, soaring over a swipe of her staff and kicking her to the ground. He pinned her head beneath his hind talon, but before he could crush her skull the robotic ninja struck his back. The Raptor rolled to his feet, prepared to defend, but to his surprise Smoke didn't press the attack. Instead, the grey cyborg seemed contempt to kill Jade. A steel fist burst into her stomach, and then a knee into her nose. Green-staff stumbled back in a daze. Smoke lifted Jade up by the throat with one hand, the other fist prepared burst through the dark skinned Edenian's chest. Reptile roared in anger.

Jade was suddenly released from the grip. When she hit the floor, she wheezed and coughed for breath, and thanked the gods for freeing her from that clutch. She looked up, still short of breathe, to see Reptile struggling against Smoke. The Raptor had a scaly arm wrapped around the robot's throat, two legs around his waistebut try as he might he couldn't wretch the head from its body.

Smoke seized Reptile's arm and, shifting his weight, flipped the Raptor to the ground. He dropped a heavy foot, which Reptile was forced to roll to avoid. The scaly warrior spun on the ground and tried to smash his shin into Smoke's leg. However, the armor plating proved too strong, and Reptile roared in pain. Smoke grabbed his long tail and began to spin him, eventually smashing the lizard over head and into the ground.

Jade thrust her staff into the joint of Smoke's left knee cap, black foul smelling blood dripped out of the open wound. This distraction granted Reptile the time to force acid up his throat and spit it onto the robot's face.

Such a wound should've downed a normal opponent. Even earth's champion had been incapacitated by a wad of the spit to his face. But Smoke seemed hardly fazed. Pain was a feeling that did not compute in a cyborg's system even as the acid ate away at the armor and exposed a sliver of the human that lied beneath. He took Reptile by the throat and lifted him off the ground so hind claws dangled helplessly.

Reptile first tried to break the cyborg's arm, but found the grip near inescapable. Smoke struck his chest, cracking a rib in two. Reptile wheezed in pain. Another blow and another rib shattered. This time not broken, shattered.

The world spun, and just when all seemed lost, the Raptor saw it. His acid had destroyed enough of the helmet to expos organic skin. Smoke was originally a human after all, and never became completely robotic. Beneath a nearly indestructible shell, was a soft fleshy human form. Reptile lifted his hind claw and broke away at the helmet desperately. He quickly worked a chunk of armor away before he was smashed into the ground again.

Reptile let a wet growl escape his throat. The force of crashing into the ground rattled his muscles and bones. He tried to get up. He couldn't.

Smoke turned his attention to Jade. She swung her staff into the cyborg's head. A large crack formed in the helmet and exposed more of the soft organic flesh beneath. She pulled her shaft back and plunged the tip into the cyborg's armored stomach, then brought an uppercut to his chin. Shards of hardened plastic andmetal rained upon the ground as more and more of Smoke's pail human skin began to show. Jade struck him again, and again, as he slowly moved closer and closer.

Smoke suddenly caught Jade's swinging shaft and forced it away from her. He struck her with her own weapon, knocking her knees out from under her. The dark skinned Edenian recoiled into herself, her arms defending her head, as Smoke battered her with the shaft. She ground her teeth against the pain, as she thought of some way to escape.

Reptile struggled to his claws, his body aching from his affair with the ground. He shook the pain away and picked his Kirehashi blade from the ground. He stalked to the cyborg, who's attention was still focused on Jade. The Raptor touched Smoke's shoulder and spun him around. With all his might, Reptile shoved his sword into the tender exposed flesh of Smoke's face. Black fluids gushed between skin and bone and steel. Gallons of the foul smelling liquid poured onto the ground.

The cyborg made no whimper of pain as his body gave way and he collapsed into a deep pool of black blood.

Reptile pulled his sword from the corpse. He kicked the staff to Jade, who took it quickly and entered her stance.

Reptile was almost sad as he entered his own stance. Long ago, very very long ago, he had worked closely beside her. It felt good to fight alongside such a skilled creature again. No matter.

She thrust her weapon at Reptile who swiftly stepped to his side. His hind claws erected, springing him into the air. He pushed his Kirehashi forward, the cold steel tip driving into Jade's dark skinned belly. She cried in pain as hot blood pumped out of her.

She slowly rested her head on his shoulder, his scales scrapping her cheek. Such a strange position, so much like the one she'd taken when he taught her, so many years ago. It was strangely compasionate, so unlike the pure anger she so oftenly showed. It was sad that only as death dangled before her eyes could she display her respect. "It was nice," she managed to whisper. "To fight alongside you again. So long, since I had a good fight." Her head drooped to rest over him and her eyes finally closed.

Reptile claimed his sword and let the body of his rival fall.

Behind him, the gentle foot falls of Nitara. He turned to face her. "Where is the demon in white?" he hissed.

"Unconcious, I saw no reason to kill so a fine warrior as she. Saibot is dead though. Here." She handed the Raptor both the dagger and her pendant that allowed passing through the realms. "You know the incantation?" she asked.

"Yes."

The vampire settled over the body of the dark skinned Edenian. "She's not dead," Nitara confirmed. "Why?"

"Long ago we were allies. And today we fought together," he said simply. "Tell her, if she survives. Tell her I'm dead."

"Then you're going?"

Reptile nodded.

Nitara smiled slightly. "Good luck, my friend."

Reptile opened a portal to the earthrealm, and disappeared into the void.