Chapter 66: Drunken Fist
After stumbling for a bit, Beni Niro attacked Astraeus once more. But unlike before, Beni's attacks were much faster and less predictable. Yet Astraeus managed to hold his own, while Beni briefly stopped and fell backward. Loud snoring noises followed, prompting Astraeus to walk over to Beni who was lying in the grass.
As Astraeus prepared to stab him, Beni suddenly got up. "You fell for it, didn't ya?"
Surprised, Astraeus jumped back. Unfortunately, Beni was faster and managed to send Astraeus flying after several punches. He landed on his back, and watched Beni slur several words before collapsing once more. Cautiously, Astraeus got to his feet and walked toward Beni.
"Ya keep fallin' for the same trick!" Beni abruptly said as he immediately returned to his previous stance. "Yer so dumb, ya know that? And I don't even know who you are…or why I'm here…"
Feeling his knees weaken, Beni sat down and contemplated his situation. Meanwhile, Astraeus noticed the metal flask on the ground and picked it up. After taking a whiff, he recognized the scent of whiskey. After Beni collapsed a third time, Astraeus attempted to stab him with his sword but every single jab was avoided until Beni caught the sword between his feet. Taken aback, Astraeus watched Beni spin around and get up before attempting to strike. Yet no matter how hard Astraeus tried, his sword couldn't hit Beni.
"Dance of the Cistus* (Dance of the Camellia)!" Astraeus announced as his sword jabs became quicker and deliberate.
Yet Beni managed to dodge most of these attacks, and even managed to land a direct hit on Astraeus which sent him flying back. In the process, his sword was knocked away.
"Looks like I have no other choice," Astraeus muttered as he removed his jacket.
Underneath, the three swirls on Astraeus' collar-bone became crescent-shaped marks that covered most of his chest. Then from his forearm emerged several sharp bones.
"My Gift (Kekkei Genkai) is being able to manipulate my own bones," Astraeus explained while Beni wobbled in confusion. "I'll sober you up with these soon enough."
"I'm not drunk!" Beni insisted as he attacked Astraeus. "First of all, I'm a minor, and—
Before he could finish, several sharp bones came out of Astraeus' ribcage and two of them scratched Beni's cheeks. This caused him to back away and fall downward. A few seconds later, Beni groaned and touched his forehead.
"Ow…my head hurts," Beni muttered, touching his scratched cheek. "And where did this wound come from? Guess I must've been drunk or something."
As he glanced at the blood on his palm, Beni looked up at Astraeus in surprise.
"Strange, isn't it?" Astraeus said casually as a new bone emerged from his ribcage. "With this Gift of mine, I can create more bones than there are in the human body."
"So? Bones are still bones," Beni objected. "That means they still have a breaking point!"
Then Beni rushed at Astraeus, who blocked his kick with his bone-encrusted forearm. Surprised, Beni moved several feet backwards.
Those bones were much harder than I expected, Beni thought. Are they even human?
Unable to come up with anything, Beni attacked Astraeus from behind who said, "Cypress Dance (Larch Dance)!"
This caused several bones to pop out of Astraeus' back, which cut Beni's side and finger sending him flying backwards. But Beni still managed to get up, even when Astraeus was walking away.
"Wait!" Beni shouted, getting Astraeus' attention. "I'll fight you for real this time!"
Intrigued, Astraeus turned towards Beni.
Unwrapping one of the bandages on his arm, Beni broke into a sprint running in circles around Astraeus. As he did this, the bandage wrapped tightly around Astraeus' body allowing Beni to run towards him. But before Beni could kick Astraeus with his foot, the bones from Astraeus' ribcage blocked him.
"Your speed is unsurpassed, but it didn't do you much good," Astraeus noted. "Now die!"
As he extended his palm, another bone emerged from it. But then a blast of sand came between him and Beni sending them both flying backwards. Before Beni's rear touched the ground, though, a bed of sand cushioned his fall.
"Who're you?" Astraeus demanded.
Curious, Beni looked behind him and saw Tarma (Gaara) standing there. This time, his previous black T-shirt and pants were replaced by a crimson overcoat and a long white sash that wrapped around the burlap sack (gourd) he still carried.
"Tarma…" Beni uttered as Tarma walked in front of him. "What're you—
"I'm your ally for the time-being," Tarma answered bluntly. "My brother and sister are helping other members of the Tony Retrieval Squad as we speak."
"Tarma? Is that your name?" Astraeus flexed his fingers as small bullet-shaped bones emerged from the tips. "Bones of Gaia*(Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets)!"
As these bullets flew towards Tarma, the sand from his sack moved and blocked them.
"Pathetic," Tarma murmured and looked over his shoulder at Beni. "Last time we fought, you were much faster and stronger."
Grunting, Beni stood up. "No offense, but because of you…I was out for a while."
"I see."
While Tarma's sand made its way back into the sack, Beni asked, "Is there a particular reason you've decided to help me now of all times?"
"Let's just say I have a few debts to pay off," replied Tarma.
Nodding out of respect, Beni attempted to charge toward Astraeus but was tripped by Tarma's sand. Yet once again, his fall was cushioned by sand.
"Let me take care of this," Tarma offered as he stepped forward. "You're clearly in no condition to fight right now."
"Please be careful," Beni begged. "As you saw, our foe can manipulate bones at will by creating extra ones and extracting them from his body."
"And as I far as I can tell, you, Tarma, have the power to control sand," Astraeus interrupted. "This should be an interesting fight."
End of Chapter 66
*Cistus is a flowering plant that grows in the Mediterranean area
**After Zeus flooded the earth, the only two people left were Deucalion and Pyrrha who had to repopulate the world by throwing the 'bones' (stones) of 'their mother' (Gaia, the Goddess of the Earth) over their shoulders which became humans in turn