194. The Earth Must Bleed part 9
CL-CLANK!
Myrkblade bounced off Killer Croc's skin.
He merely sneered, landed in a crouch, spun towards me, and swung a massive forearm.
SWOOOSH!
I backflipped, hand-sprung, and cartwheeled away from him. I ended in a slide across the wide-open ellipse of the arena that was now available to the four feuding lot of us. People cheered and lights shone and speakers boomed as Hull and Wildebeest went at it on one side of the arena and a mutated reptilian man rushed towards me on my side.
"Show me that bloody heart of yours so I can start chewin' on it!" Killer Croc hissed. He rushed in with a raised hand full of clawed fingernails. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" SWIIIIPE!
I ducked. A few strands of black hair were yanked out painfully.
I winced.
"HRESSSH!" he slammed his foot up.
WHUMP!
I was caught in the ribs.
I keeled over, sputtering.
Killer Croc leered over me, brought his two hands together, and slammed his elbows into the small of my back.
THWUMP!
THUD!
I landed chest-first in the dusty floor of the arena.
"!"
The crowd cheered.
Killer Croc snickered. He raised a sharp heel and prepared to slam it into my pelvis.
I took a shuddering breath.
Black eyes under my goggles opened and poured loose murk.
Okay then……
Kara's due for a leather purse this Christmas.
FWOOOOSH!
I vaulted up in a column of smoke, Myrkblade spinning in an ceiling-ward slash.
"What the!" Killer Croc's words spilled out and then slammed repeatedly into the broadside of my spiraling katana. WH-WH-WH-WH-WHAP!
I spun one last time in the air, snarled, and flew a smoke-trailing boot into the mutant's face.
WHAM!
He toppled backwards, rolled one and a half times, and ended in a crouching slide against the edge of the arena.
Cheers and lights erupted around him from behind the protective sheathe of plastic.
"Nnnnngh….," he looked up with slimy green eyes. A fresh red welt on his pale cheekbone.
TH-TH-THWISH! I twirled Myrkblade at ready. Panting. Standing firmly in place with a cascade of smoke.
'Normally, Noir, I'd call that cruelty to animals. But I think I'm gonna make an exception in his case.'
I breathed out of my nostrils.
Way ahead of you……
"Hresshh….heheheh….now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Killer Croc licked his spiny teeth and came charging at my figure. "Warm those succulent muscle-strings for me!"
I stood my ground and charged smoke into my blade.
Speak to the stick, shitface.
SWOOOOOSH!
We converged with growling leather and swinging wood.
CLACK!
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"Oh fuzz! Oh fuzz almighty!" Jinx pulled at her pink hair. "Uhm…..erm…."
"Hexxxx….," Pulsade snarled.
"R-Right…I uh…..dang it!" Jinx leaned awkwardly over the railing and flung a dim streak of pink light. "Haaaa!"
Pulsade watched through a special viewfinder at the explosive action below.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
SHVVVVVVV-CLACK! Hull froze his blade in place and ran at Wildebeest with the sword.
Wildebeest blocked with a heavy forearm.
Hull leapt with a flailing leather jacket and slashed his weapon to cleave the large combatant's limb in two.
FLASH! A splash of pink light.
CLANK! Hull's weapon merely bounced off of Wildebeest's arm. The stranger's blue eyes narrowed.
"Nnnngh!" Wildebeest took the advantage. He jabbed his other hand out.
GRIP!
Hull wheezed in Wildebeest's large meaty hand.
With a snort, the monster slammed Hull repeatedly into the ground like a living club.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Hull winced and struggled in the pummeling grip. And yet he didn't break a sweat or bleed one bit. He swiftly vanished his blade, stuck his hands out to the side—FLASH!—and produced the two staff halves from earlier in a dual shimmer of silver. He twirled the metal chunks and jabbed them into opposite sides of Wildebeest's forearm.
TH-THUNK!
"NNNNNGH!" Wildebeest moaned like a cow in labor. He drop-kicked Hull across the arena and stumbled back, gripping his bleeding wrist.
FW-FWOOSH! Hull flipped, landed in a slide, and replaced his two shards—FLASH!—with a pump-action shotgun. Ch-Chtung! He narrowed his blue eyes, took aim at the beast, and—BL-BLAM!
The shot flew in a heavy lead spray at Wildebeest's torso.
FLASH!
Pink light.
The shot parted ways and miraculously fanned to either side of the large combatant, completely missing him.
"……," Hull lowered the shotgun from his sight and stared quizzically.
Wildebeest merely cracked his head, grinded his feet, and charged at the stranger with his horned head tilted forward. STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!
Hull let out an exhale. He replaced his shotgun with—FLASH!—his sword. SVHHHHHH-CLACK!
He met Wildebeest's two massive horns with the curve of his blade. CL-CLANK! Sparks flew.
Wildebeest shoved Hull across the arena.
Hull held his ground on grinding heels, forming two shallow trenches in the dusty floor as the two shuffled beneath the flashing lights and pumping noise.
Meanwhile….
"HRESSSHA!" Killer Croc pounced at me and gripped my shoulders.
I held my breath and shoved Myrkblade up horizontally against his chin.
He snapped at me with his slobbery, serrated jaws. They glinted in the arena lights like sharpened silver daggers. His mucousy green eyes blinked and fluttered animalistically as he inched his snapping mouth closer and closer to biting my nose off.
"HRESSSSH!" CLAP! CLAP! "HRESSSHAAA!"
I panted, struggling.
Now why does that sound he's making strike me as familiar……?
"RRGHHHHH! Freakin'….go….DEAD….already!" he blabbered and headbutted me.
WHAP!
I winced from the wracking pain and stumbled back.
"YAAAAAUGH!" he swung a gnarled right hook.
SWOOOSH!
I ducked.
GRIP! I gasped as his left hand grabbed a black ponytail, yanked me up to his face level, and gave me a VIP preview of his esophagus.
"Hressh….gimme some of them salty brain matter of yours….," he exhaled with fish breath as his massive jaws closed down—
'Put the metal where his mouth is! PUT THE METAL WHERE HIS MOUTH IS!'
I snarled mutely and shoved my left prosthetic into his orifice.
CLAMP!
"Snnktkk-snkkkkt—snkkkktt!" he chocked and gagged.
I gritted my teeth, struggling.
I had half of my left, titanium arm shoved down his throat. The material of my prosthetic was just hard enough to hold his slicing teeth at bay. At least at the time being and in the awkward position that he was in.
He coughed, sputtered, gagged, and tried to pull his neck back.
I took a breath and shoved my fist further.
"Nnnnnnnnghhhhhh!" he wheezed.
My fingers dug into his meaty throat. My fingers wriggled, found his uvula, and clamped mercilessly onto it.
"MMMMMMMFFFFF!" his whole mutated face clenched.
'Hahaha! Take your medicine!'
I shuddered and swung Myrkblade up.
Damn straight.
THWACK!
I uppercutted Killer Croc with my sword.
He jerked back, spat my metal arm out, and stumbled back.
I ignored the momentary chill in my prosthetic, twirled my weapon, and spiraled towards the reeling freak with a merciless fan of blurring Myrkblade.
THWACK!
WH-WHACK!
SW-SW-SWISH-WHAM!
I juggled his body with a multitude of smoking impacts before spinning around and giving his lopsided, leathery hide a firm side-kick.
WHAP!
He ragdolled across the arena.
People cheered.
Killer Croc sat up and immediately gripped his throat.
With a hoarse voice that even made me cringe, he wheezed: "F-F-Frickin' cyber-yahoo! For that, I'm gonna enjoy suckin' your sorry ass liver of all its-"
WHAM!
Killer Croc was plowed over by the joint, tumbling and wrestling figures of Wildebeest and a blade-spinning Hull.
"Nnngh!" THWAP! SMACK!
SHVVVVV-CL-CL-CL-CLANK!
And they were tumbling towards me.
My black eyes widened under my goggles and I sweatdropped-
WHAM!
All four of us tumbled meatedly across the arena.
The crowd cheered.
The lights flashed and strobed.
I stumbled up to my feet, dizzy.
I found myself staring at a recoiling Wildebeest with a random fist flying.
SWOOOOSH!
I leapt it, blurred through the air in a flip, and came down with a slashing Myrkblade.
THWACK!
Wildebeest stumbled back, shaking his silver-crowned head annoyingly. His teeth showed and he made to charge me-
WHAM!
Hull dove with a jump-kick across Wildebeest's face.
The animal recoiled.
Hull landed, flicked his wrists out—FLASH!—produced two pistols and aimed them at us on either side of him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Wildebeest ducked so that the bullets bounced off his crown.
I twirled Myrkblade, deflecting the shots.
A flash of silver light.
'Watch yourself!'
I looked forward.
Hull was charging at me. The pistols dissolved in his fingers and a shotgun appeared in its place.
THWAP! He slammed the butt of the rifle into me at the end of his charge.
I stumbled back, wincing.
Swiiiish-Ch-Chtung! He aimed the barrel at my forehead.
I exhaled-
FLASH!
Pink light.
Hull's shotgun exploded in his grasp. Shot spilled at his feet from the random hex-impact. He seemed stunned for half a second, his blue eyes blinking.
'Worry about your ego later. HIT HIM!'
So I did.
WHAM! My blurring foot slammed into his chest.
He flew back into the embrace of a pissed Wildebeest.
"Nnnnnnnghhh!" Wildebeest grabbed Hull in a reverse bear hug and proceeded to squeeze the stuffings out of him-
"HRESSSSSSSSH!" SWOOOOSH! Killer Croc dove in with a mutated 'cannonball' and bowled both of the combatants over.
WHAM!
All three went sprawling across the dirt of the arena.
Audience members jumped up in the strobing lights and cheered and whistled.
I held Myrkblade, breathing hard.
I watched Hull and Wildebeest struggle on the floor while Killer Croc easily jumped up, roared in hysterical bloodlust, and grab for Wildebeest's flesh.
'Process of elimination. Take out the ugly ones first.'
I nodded.
Best idea I heard all night.
So I twirled Myrkblade, summoned smoke into my limbs, and blurred over to Hull….
Hull just stood up. There was a glint of swinging Myrkblade in his eyes. He lifted his fingers—FLASH!
SHVVVVVVV-CLACK!
CLANG! My blade impacted with his suddenly solidified sword. We struggled with each other's weight. His blue eyes and my black goggles nearly touched. He gritted his teeth. I steamed black vapors.
And then he flicked his wrists.
CLKKK—SHVVVVVVVV!
His blade rotated on his weapon's circular hilt.
THWISH! Myrkblade was immediately shoved off.
My body recoiled.
He let out a grunt and jabbed his buzz-saw of a sword at me.
SHVVVVV!
I held my breath. FWOOOSH! I turned into smoke form.
The spinning blade swam through dancing, onyx fog.
Hull lumbered forward—
FLASH! I solidified on the blind side of his lunging shoulder.
WHAM! I struck his upper arm with a metal karate chop.
"Nnngh!" he teetered towards me.
I danced around him in a spiral and swung Myrkblade low at his legs.
THWACK!
He fell painfully down to his knees.
I twirled my sword, took a breath, and jabbed at the top of his spine.
He jerked his weapon over his ducking head—
SVHHHHHH-CLACK!
He blocked in reverse with his sword locked still.
I pressed harder and harder down on him with Myrkblade.
He took a breath….FLASH!
His sword disappeared.
Unguarded, Myrkblade's tip sank towards him-
GRIP!
He grabbed the body of my wooden blade with a reverse right hand.
His left hand solidified an upside pistol and shot in reverse.
BANG!
The bullet whizzed at my head.
I gasped, jerked Myrkblade out, and dove backwards as the hot projectile streaked over my nose in slow motion.
SWIIIIIIIIIIIISH!
THWUMP! I landed—panting—on my back.
A wrestling Killer Croc and Wildebeest lumbered behind me as I saw Hull get up.
The denim-clad stranger spun around, frowned, and produced his sword. FLASH! He set the blade spinning and ran towards me. SHVVVVV! He dug the buzz-saw-action of the metal along the arena floor on a cutting path towards me. SNRKKKKKK!
I held my breath.
I rolled to the side.
SNRRKKKKKK!
The sparking blade spun past me.
Hull slid, pivoted, and swung the spinning sword back down at me like a razor-edged pendulum.
I rolled to the other side.
SNRRRRKKKKK!
A corner of my metal mesh slacks tore off amidst sparks.
Hull raised his sword, locked it into place—CLACK!—and reared his grip of it to stab down at me.
I rolled towards him, bumped into his leg, transformed into smoke form, cycloned up his body, and solidified with a pair of vaulting boots off his torso. FLASH! WHUMP!
Hull stumbled back.
I flipped through the air of the arena. As I descended, I grabbed a fan of razor-edged playing cards in and tossed them in mid air at his blue figure.
SWIIIIIIISH!
Hull spun his blade and slashed it left and right. SHVVVV! CRACK! He deflected one. CR-CRACK! And two more.
Plant! I landed in a reverse slide to the arena's edge. Sweating, I launched a third card.
SWIIIIIIIIIIISH!
Hull jerked his blade aside with one hand and stretched a bare palm out.
FLASH! His silver-tipped fingers absorbed the card on contact. A breath. He jerked into a crouch and flicked his wrist. FLASH!
SWIIIIIIIIIIISH!—The card flew back at me.
'Dead man's hand!'
My black eyes bugged under my goggles and I ducked-
THUNK!
The card pinned me to the wall of the arena by my outfit's sleeve.
I struggled to get loose.
Hull let out a grunt, charged at me, and coiled his spinning blade behind me for a heavy upswing up my center. Shvvvvv!
I jerked and jolted and fought to get loose.
Hull came closer.
SHVVVVVVVVV!
I took a breath. I pulsed murk into my legs.
"Nnngh!" he slid to a stop in front of me and swung the blade up diagonally.
SWIIIISH!
I vaulted my lower body up the ground-
CL-CL-CL-CL-CLANK!
The spinning blade ate into the metal epidermis of the arena wall where my abdomen was.
My legs came back down-
THWUMP!
I had an ankle on either of Hull's shoulder.
He stumbled from the weight.
I gritted my teeth and bitch-slapped him with my left boot.
WHAP! WHAP!
I then held my breath, shot smoke energy through my body, and twisted my entire being.
WHAM! The last solid part of my leg flew across Hull's body as I teleported. FLASH!
TH-TH-TH-TH-THWIP! He spun horizontally in the air before—WHAM! Landing hard on the floor. His sword clattered on the ground beside his sprawled figure.
FLASH!
I teleported in an on-all-fours crouch on the arena floor, freed from the playing card and the wall.
I took a breath.
I re-gripped Myrkblade and streaked towards Hull's prone figure.
FWOOOOSH!
He wearily looked at me. He wasn't sweating, but his blue eyes were thin.
SLAAASH! Myrkblade came on the warpath.
He grabbed his blade at the last second and—SVHHHHH-CLACK!—deflected.
I pressed against him.
He took a sharp breath, grabbed his circular hilt with both hands, and twisted.
YANK!
I forced to the side, stumbling.
He hopped to his feet with a breath, replaced his sword—FLASH!—with a pair of pistols and unleashed lead on me John Woo style.
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
I held my breath, hopped, teleported, streaked, and flipped over each expertly placed shot.
Hull's denim-clad legs paced across the arena as he aimed carefully and fired merciless shot after shot, each hand's pistol alternating around the other.
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
I found myself with less arena space on my side of the battlegrounds. It became increasingly harder to dodge the bullts with what little room I had. So I held my breath, blurred up the transparent shield lining the arena floor, backflipped, silhouetted myself against the waving crowd of audience members and strobe lights, and spiraled down towards the blue stranger with a swish-swing of Myrkblade.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
I deflected a volley of bullets back.
He ducked his head, knelt, and aimed his pistols out again.
I landed, Myrkblade at ready.
Hull pulled the triggers—Click-Click-Click.
A beat.
His blue eyes opened wider.
"…..," I panted.
'Thatta boy! Go challenge his second amendment!'
I nodded. CHIIIING! I held Myrkblade up and charged him.
Hull stood up slowly.
I streaked towards him.
He flicked his hands to the side—FLASH!—The pistols disappeared.
I brought Myrkblade back, ready to speedily strike.
Hull took a breath and flicked his wrists again—FLASH! The pistols were back.
Reloaded.
And I was on him as he raised the refreshed weapons at me-
SLAAAAAAASH-SMACK!
Wildebeest's hulking form flew back into the pair of us.
THUMP! WHUMP!
Hull and I went collapsing separate ways.
In the meantime, a recoiling Wildebeest regained his foot, snarled, and swung a meaty paw at Killer Croc.
WHAM!
Killer Croc took it in the face. He stumbled back, smiling. Mutated lips curved under a trickle of blood.
"That's it, Bessie! Hit it where it counts! Hahahaha!"
Wildebeest snarled. He charged forward with a raised foot.
WHAM!
Killer Croc stumbled back.
Wildebeest's white eyes narrowed as a heavy fist flew then at the mutant's torso.
GRIP!
Killer Croc grabbed it, drooled evilly, and brought his elbow forward into Wildebeest's snout.
WHAM!
Wildebeest's horned head doubled back.
Killer Croc then hugged the lumbering beast's arm like a body pillow, lifted his lower body, and slammed both feet into Wildebeest's torso pro-wrestler style.
THWUMP!
The bovine combatant fell down hard.
"HRESSSSSSHHHHH!" Killer Croc stood over him, raising his arms and hissing like a vampiric cobra. His mucous green eyes glossed as he leaned forward with a sneer and uttered: "Where's the beef! All over this infernal arena in about a minute! HA!" He crawled over, reached underneath Wildebeest's hairy body with a pair of pale, muscular arms, and then amazingly lifted the hulking creature over his mutated torso. "NNNNNNGHHHHHRESSSH!" He raised Wildebeest up like a weightlifter as the lights and synthetic thunder spiraled all around him from above. "I AM THE GREATEST!" He stomped over and prepared to slam the entire weight of Wildebeest down onto Hull's collapsed body. "'Ey there, handsome! BULLSHIT! Ha ha ha! Here you go!" And he began to heave-
FLASH!
A pink strobe.
The ground cracked from under Killer Croc's body.
He looked down.
"Hresh?"
CRAAACK!
He fell into an internal sinkhole as the weight of Wildebeest collapsed atop him.
THWOMP!
"Nnnnngh….," Wildebeest stirred. He got up on sore feet, reached down into a sudden crater, and grabbed Killer Croc by the leg. "Hrmpph!" He lifted the mutant up.
"RRRRRGHHH!" Killer Croc shook and struggled in the meaty beast's grasp. "Wait till I sink my teeth into your cotton-pickin' keister!"
SLAM!
Wildebeest hammered Killer Croc into the arena floor.
"Ooof!"
Again.
SLAM!
"OW!"
Again….
SLAM!
"SONAVA—"
WHAM!
"NNNNGHHH!" Wildebeest bellowed and grabbed both the head and the ankles of Killer Croc. He squeezed and prepared to rip the mutant wrestler in two-
Swoooosh—Clank-Clank-Clank!
A silver-sparkling grenade landed beneath the two combatants.
Both an angry Wildebeest and a helpless Croc looked down. Blinking.
"Rgghh?"
"The Hell?"
POW!
The two went sailing across the arena from the huge fireball. They slammed down into the ground on either side in smoke-trailing heaps.
"…..," Hull knelt with his flickering right hand extended a few feet from the grenade-crater. "Animals….," he grunted.
SWOOOOOOOOSH!
He looked aside. "Huh?"
SLASSSSH! I came with a silent scream and flinging Myrkblade.
He produced his sword and blocked—CLACK!
I snarled, forced murk through my limbs, and stabbedjabbedlungedstabbedjabbedlungedstabbejabbedlunged-
TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-THWISH!
Hull had no choice but to stumble backwards with a spinning sword outstretched. SHVVVVVV!—CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
Sparks flew from our rapid contacts.
He finally stuck a foot out and kicked my ankles during my lightning-quick-offensive.
I stumbled and stepped back, panting.
He held his blade up. Frowning. "You….," his blue eyes narrowed. "….are starting to annoy me." FLASH! In place of his sword appeared the bazooka launcher from Shepherd Plain. He aimed an RPG at my skull.
'Urinate time!'
My black eyes bulged under my shades and I dove to the floor—
PTCHHHOOOO-SWOOOOOOOOSH!
The rocket-propelled-grenade soared over my sailing body, flew across the arena, and managed to explode coincidentally close to a gasping-and-jumping Killer Croc.
BOOOOOOOM!
A huge fireball threw Killer Croc into the waiting punches of Wildebeest, and the two creatures went at it with their frames lit by the red-hot plume.
The audience cheered and screamed in horrific ecstasy.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Rexxin couldn't help but wince. He looked over worriedly at his boss.
"A little explosive, isn't it, sir?"
"Very much so…," Anderson leaned forward. "Very much so indeed."
"I think all four have proven their point. Wouldn't now be a good time to—"
"Shhhh…," Anderson whispered as if to silence the chaos beyond the balcony more than Rexxin's voice. "Give them a little more time, first."
"Sir, if we give them 'more time', there may not be any 'them' left soon!"
"Hehehe…that's what's so fun."
"……"
"WOW, Folks! Isn't this the greatest! But the—"
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"—show is not over yet! Who will win this dramatic confrontation to end all confrontations!"
"Nnngh!" SHVVVVV! Hull spun his blade up at Killer Croc.
Croc held two leathery forearms out and—CL-CL-CLANK!—deflected the spinning metal. He slid back, licked his lips, and dove-
THWACK! –only to be knocked stupid to the ground by a murking downswing of Myrkblade. I spun and jabbed at Hull, forcing him back.
STOMP! Wildebeest flew down from a tall leap and shook the ground, causing all of us to stumble as we fought or stood up. "RGHHHH!" he growled and swung his massive, meaty arms out. WHAM! Hull was slammed across the arena. THWAP! Me too. He spun to punch-
Killer Croc flew in with a snarling kick.
SMACK!
Wildebeest rolled over completely and tumbled to a stop on the arena floor beside me.
"Nnnngh…," he moaned and stirred on the ground.
"………," I winced and helped myself up to my knees with Myrkblade planted down.
Panting, the two of us stared out across the cracked, smoking arena.
Hull had gotten up and was fending off Killer Croc's lunging attacks with a spinning blade and an occasionally solidified pistol. SHVVVVV! Bang! Bang!
"Hressshaaa! Bring it on, Fonze! YAAARGH!"
"……," I looked to my right.
Wildebeest was staring at me.
A beat.
My brow furrowed over my goggles.
He nodded.
I nodded too.
TH-THWISH! I twirled Myrkblade and hopped up to my feet.
"Nnnngh…," Wildebeest sped up into a charge. STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!
We ran shoulder-to-shoulder. Him with his furred fists raised. Me with Myrkblade dragging behind like a coiled spring.
We converged on the other two combatants at once.
WHAM! Wildebeest swung his fist hard into Croc's ribs.
THWACK! I slammed Hull upside the skull with the broadside of my sword.
POW! Wildebeest headbutted Killer Croc's chest.
SMACK! I uppercutted Hull's chin with a kick.
"RGHHHH!" Wildebeest raised his fists.
"!" I charged up a huge warbling wave of black energy into my blade.
SLAM! Wildebeest's fists came down.
SLASH! Myrkblade swung down with an obsidian explosion.
Killer Croc and Hull tumbled and tumbled and tumbled and tumbled and slammed into the far arena wall.
TH-THWAP!
Hull struggled to get up.
Killer Croc somehow managed to get to his feet, howbeit dizzy.
"NNNGHH!" Wildebeest was already charging him with a fist. WHAM! And a right hook. WHAM! And then a left uppercut. SMACK!
Killer Croc jerked every which way from the blows—head first. He slammed into the plastic shield of the arena border from the uppercut.
SWOOOOSH! I blurred over Wildebeest's back, vaulted off his shoulders, and met Killer Croc with a mid-air swipe of razor sharp onyx.
SLIIIIINK!
"HRSSSSH!" Killer Croc hissed and landed hard on the ground, clutching a bleeding cut across his ribs.
I kicked against the wall, backflipped, and landed by Wildebeest's side in a pose. TH-TH-THWISH! Cushioning murk….
Cheers.
Thunder and lights.
Wincing, Hull stood up. He still wasn't sweating. He looked at Wildebeest and I standing shoulder to shoulder with a single blink of his stone-blues and droned: "Ah. I see how it is…."
Wildebeest's white eyes narrowed.
I frowned with smoke dancing down from my goggles and forearms.
Hull jerked into fighting position. SHVVVVV-CLACK! His blade locked-shut overhead. Blue eyes narrowed. "Try me…."
Wildebeest exhaled.
I clenched my jaw-
SWOOOOSH!
STOMP-STOMP-STOMP!
We both charged.
Hull came at us, blade spinning.
SHVVVVV!
I blurred forward with Myrkblade and locked his spinning sword still. CLANG!
Hull jerked to a stop.
"NNNNGH!" Wildebeest soared over my ducking head with a fist.
SWOOOOSH!
Hull kicked me back, flipped over the punch, and vaulted off of Wildebeest's shoulder. He flipped again, replaced his gun with two pistols, and fired a volley on descent. BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
The bullets soared at Wildebeest's hide. I jumped onto his shoulder and twirled Myrkblade. TH-TH-TH-THWISH!
CL-CL-CLANG! The bullets ricocheted off into the floor.
Hull landed in a slide.
I jumped off Wildebeest as he spun around with a mooing roar and charged Hull horns first.
Hull whipped out the two staff-shards and met each of the charging beast's horns.
CL-CLACK!
SKKKKKKKKT!
Wildebeest shoved Hull across the arena. The stranger's feet bore dust up with heat and friction. When Wildebeest lost steam, Hull kicked a cloud of arena floor dirt into his white eyes and hopped back.
Wildebeest rubbed his optics, groaning.
Hull took a breath—FLASH!—produced his bazooka, and aimed a last RPG at the bovine combatant's crown.
PHTCHOOOOOO!
SWOOOOSH! I streaked in and froze with a snarling upswing. SLASH-CLANK!
I miraculously deflected the rocket up into the air above the arena. It twirled with a hot vapor cloud and disappeared into the huge black skybox.
BOOOOOOM!
The t.v. screens shattered, the box erupted with flames, and the cables snapped.
CRACK!
SWOOOOOOOSH!
The hulking electronic device fell-sparking—to the arena floor below.
Hull took a breath and jumped back.
I swiftly teleported out of the way-
CRASSSSSH!
Thunder and dust….dust….dust…
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The catwalks above shook and wobbled from the vibrations of chaos and applause.
Pulsade grabbed onto the railing for support.
Jinx—the perfect gymnast—remained her balance. And she giggled with a Cheshire cat smile. "Awwww….isn't it cuuuuute?" She pointed a frilled finger down. "They're working together!"
"Super….," Pulsade muttered. "This place is going to turn to rubble twice-over."
"Come on, Leslie! Cheer already!"
"Bloody ra-ra-ra. Keep providing your damned hex, girl."
"Plblblblblblblblblb!"
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Hull arose amidst a settling cloud of dust.
He walked backwards from the collapse site of the skybox and stared into the brown smoke with clenched teeth.
Something stirred.
"….," Hull's blue eyes narrowed.
Suddenly, the brown smoke billowed out towards him in the shape of a stabbing swordsman.
"!"
SMACK!
I struck him hard across the torso.
He reeled back and stumbled at the feet of a suddenly charging Killer Croc.
"RAAAAAAAAAUGH!" the bleeding mutant's green eyes flared as he swung a clawed fist at me.
SWIPE!
I stumbled back.
SW-SWIPE! SWIIIIIPE!
SLIIIINK!
I howled in mute pain as his claws grazed my right shoulder.
I clutched a bleeding wound and stumbled sideways.
"RGHHHH!" He pounced at me with a lunging mouth full of teeth.
With my wounded arm, I raised Myrkblade horizontally.
CL-CLACK!
He bit onto the wooden body of my blade. Drooling all over it.
"Nnnghhh!"
I frowned.
'Crikey! Send him back to the swamp already!'
I gripped onto the hilt with two, smoking hands.
Chew on this, you motherf-
FLASH!
I exploded a pulse of murk through my sword and into his mouth.
POW!
He stumbled back, clutching his mouth. "Nnngh!"
SWOOOOSH—Wildebeest charged through the smoke—WHAM! He headbutted Killer Croc.
"Nnngh!" Killer Croc bounced right back and pounced Wildebeest.
The bovine combatant grabbled with him, pushing his weight into the creature.
Killer Croc somehow squirmed his pale neck through the melee of limbs and bit towards Wildebeest's snout.
FLASH!
A pink hex from out of nowhere knocked him back.
Killer Croc stumbled back.
I jerked my metal hand to my belt and unleashed a playing card.
SWIIIIIISH!
The metal object sailed straight at Croc's face.
He saw it at the last second, blinked a glossy eye, shoved against Wildebeest, and opened his razor sharp row of teeth.
CLACK!
I blinked.
Killer Croc's face had jerked to the side. A beat. He looked towards me. The metal-laced playing card was planted firmly between his lips. He hissed through the mouthed projectile with a chuckle. "Hressh…Hressh….Hressh…"
Wildebeest's meaty fists jabbed forward and slammed oppositely into Croc's chin and the top of his head.
CRUNCH!
"MMMMMMFFFF!" Killer Croc's lips bled as he spat a lump of playing-card shrapnel out of his mouth. He stumbled back in pain.
"!" I blurred forward. Jumped. Reached a metal hand out. Grabbed one of Wildebeest's horns, spun up it, stretched a leg out, and side-kicked Croc across the bloody cheek.
WHAP!
He spun in place.
I swung around by Wildebeest's horn, perched on his forehead, took a breath, grabbed both horns, and vaulted over them and towards Killer Croc.
SWOOOOSH-PLANT!
I landed with my legs hugging Croc's torso. I clutched onto him with my ankles and—blurring—repeatedly slapped his cheek left and right with the swish-slash of my sword. WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM!
He stumbled backwards, spitting bloody drool.
I rid and pummeled the mutant for a good six seconds before—snarling—kicking into a backflip that uppercutted him with my right boot.
WHAP!
Killer Croc flew meatedly onto the ground.
Plant!
I landed in a crouch before him.
Panting.
Cheers. Then. Gasps.
POW!
"?" I turned and looked. "!"
Wildebeest plummeted to the ground by a proximity grenade.
Hull stood with an outstretched arm. He glared over at me with angry blue eyes.
I took a breath. SWOOOOSH! I blurred at him.
He held his ground.
I swung Myrkblade up—SLASSSSH!
He gripped it effortlessly in metal laced hands.
FLASH!
I was suddenly unarmed.
Shit!
WHAP!
His foot lifted.
"!"
I flew through the air from the impact to my chest and landed hard on my back.
FLASH-SWIIISH!
THUNK!
Myrkblade was suddenly thrown at me. It embedded me to the floor by the material of my leggings.
I sweatdropped. I tried to yank it out—
SHVVVVVV-CLACK!
I winced all over.
And…
Nothing happened.
I looked up.
The stranger's blade froze at my scarred throat. Hull stared at me. Coldly. And yet….
There was something in his eyes. Something that seemed to answer the question going on in my head.
Why didn't he drive the blade in?
Respect?
Fear?
I blinked under my goggles.
Hull's eyes narrowed. He seemed to be waiting. I could see in his blue orbs and hear from behind my prone head the punches and the grunting fight between a recovered Wildebeest and Killer Croc.
And yet Hull and I remained frozen.
With I at the mercy of his blade.
Was this it?
Did I lose?
With my life spared, and Terra—
Terra……
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
I shook all over.
The fighting forms of Killer Croc and Wildebeest froze.
And yet…Hull didn't seem affected. I saw his lips move and I read what they had to say in the manner that only a mute can.
"You and I are on missions too important to die. Both of us."
And my lips parted.
'Noir? What in the blue Fitzgerald are you doing down there? Making friends! That's my job!'
A whining sound to the speaker system.
Then….
Anderson's voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen. This fight……..is over……"
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Pulsade blinked.
Jinx's cat eyes widened. She leaned against the railing, gasping. "What?"
"Shhh….listen….," Pulsade raised a finger and craned her blonde head.
"We have told you that it doesn't get any better than this. And we meant it."
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Anderson stood proudly at the edge of his balcony, waving at the crowd while he fingered the mic and spoke into it.
"This fight is over. And we have champions to the Tournament! Four….Amazing…Champions!"
First, a rush of shock amongst the crowd. Confused mutterings. Even a few angry shouts.
Then—as planned—Anderson expertly rolled off his tongue: "And an arena full….of winning bets."
A resounding roar of approval flew through the arena and made the air deafening as never before.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
I lay on the ground, disbelieving.
Gazing past the smoke and ruin at the balcony.
My body worn and panting and sweaty all over.
'Hmmmm. Interesting. Not that I don't agree with the psychopath. You four are a bunch of believable badasses. But something's fishy like a New England armpit about this……'
I nodded to the air.
No kidding.
SHVVVVVV-CLACK! FLASH! "Get up….," a silver-tipped hand reached down to me.
"……," I looked up the arm.
A deadpan Hull was reaching down to give me a hand. "No matter what the man says, the game is far from over. I knew it from the start. This is just the beginning."
"……," my black eyes narrowed under my goggles.
He remained reaching down towards me. "It would be prudent to trust me now, Mr. Noir….," he muttered. "The tournament phase is over. And if either you or I are to get what we want, we'll need to start working with each other."
"………"
'Seriously, Noir. Do you know this guy?'
I took a deep breath.
I thought to myself: Something tells me I'm about to.
I reached a hand up.
He gripped it.
He pulled me up.
I yanked Myrkblade out of the ground, looked at him warily….and sheathed the blade. CHIIIING!
Hulk walked off, brushing the dust off his leather jacket.
I took a deep breath and gazed across the arena under the ringing noise.
Killer Croc was scratching his head as if utterly confused. Somehow it seemed like an act to me.
Wildebeest looked my way. He shrugged.
I shrugged back at him.
Wildebeest pivoted and glanced subconsciously up at a pair of feminine shadows atop a catwalk far overhead.
And I sighed and gazed sideways at the distant Hull.
What have I gotten myself into?
A beat.
I ran a shivering, metal hand through my long dark threads.
Is Terra worth all this madness?
A shaking…
Rrrrred Aviarrry……
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Rexxin took a deep breath. "So….we have the four."
Anderson nodded, adjusting his robe. "We have the four."
"You didn't mention anything to Luthor or Dagger about giving all the participants winnings," Rexxin pointed out at the audience. "You know that'll break the bank, right?"
"Yes….Pompeii may be at a financial crisis…."
Anderson spun around.
He faced away from the smoldering arena and the rows of monitors.
He smiled: "But with these four….we'll undoubtedly win back thrice our original treasury."
"…..," Rexxin nodded. "I hope this works out."
"Of course it will….," Anderson grunted. He brushed Rexxin aside and exited the balcony. "Have the four cleaned up and meet me in the arena control room. I want to have a talk with them before the ultimate briefing tomorrow night…."
"And the Vault, sir?"
"They'll get to it….if indeed they prove useful…."