Chapter Four
The darkness descended and the sounds were muffled as Genji conjured the darkness again. The two opposing forces moved in. Unlike the more junior members, they moved with precision, not as much deterred by losing their sight. Arreal and Sabir moved in first with Genji behind, again flanked by Fidelity and Rent. Traedon crouched down--his long, broad blade leaned over his right shoulder--and black shapes suddenly prowled among his team members. He lifted his head and she saw his eye glowing green: tiny pinpricks of light swallowed in Genji’s darkness.
Arreal raised his right hand and a swarm of metal fragments appeared around it. Sabir hoisted two heavy hand-blades and stalked out.
The first encounter was fast. Arreal circled one of Traedon’s men flanked by two of the demon tigers Traedon had summoned. The man and one tiger charged on on his right, the other tiger his left. Arreal released a stream of fragments at the man and tiger as he leapt and spun, avoiding the second tiger. The first tiger took a direct hit and vanished. The man’s arm was cut and he fell back. The second tiger spun to attack again only to be smashed from behind by Fidelity’s hammer as she danced into range. Suddenly the ground beneath Arreal churned and he sunk in. Traedon’s man shot in and dove towards Arreal. Arreal’s fragments swarmed around him, creating a shield between him and the man. Borreal’s soldier dropped a perfectly smooth rock that rolled behind Arreal’s shield and shattered, taking out the shield and bloodying Arreal’s arm. But Fidelity leapt over Arreal and his shield and landed on the other side, bopping the man comically on the head. He dropped dramatically and waved his arms in a gesture of surrender.
Beside her Borreal chuckled.
The sinkhole holding Arreal vanished but another tiger appeared and leapt for Arreal. His good hand shot out, holding a reformed long, thin, blade and shoved it into the tiger’s mouth. The beast vanished but Arreal’s wrist turned bloody from the creature’s jaws.
Dahlia watched as the evenly matched teams silently stalked each other, briefly clashing. Arreal, his arm and wrist injured, was overwhelmed when Traedon and the tigers he led encountered him. Fidelity was kept at bay by some of the pack while Traedon’s sword clashed with Arreal’s. Traedon dodged the swarming fragments illuminated by his night vision and found a hole in Arreal’s defense. Sensing her lieutenant defeated, Fidelity faded back, pursued by the tigers.
Soon Genji, Sabir, Traedon, and Traedon’s second were the only ones still standing. Sabir and Traedon clashed. Dahlia’s mountainous first lieutenant overwhelming the slighter opponent. Traedon’s second engaged Genji, forcing him to drop his bow for a pair of wickedly long daggers.
Sabir pursued, keeping close quarters with Traedon and using his rock hard skin to simply absorb the attacks from Traedon’s pack. Dahlia could tell he was weakening though. He could shake the attacks off but they did draw blood. Sabir was being drained by all the tiny cuts. Traedon was wearing down, too. Sabir was using his immense strength to jar Traedon’s arm over and over again. Eventually Traedon would be too tired to block. The question was, which first lieutenant would wear down first.
Genji dodged his opponent then silently slipped in with his knives. Sensing Genji but unable to pinpoint him, Traedon’s man swept at waist level and countered the first knife, but Genji’s second hit home, stopping pressed against the man’s gut. He obediently dropped down, defeated.
Genji took off after Traedon and Sabir, running as swiftly and silently as Traedon’s tigers. Dahlia leaned forward in anticipation. Traedon was already weakening and his tigers had been thinned out, with two on one would he go down?
Genji curved around, trying to corner Traedon as Sabir pounded away at him. Traedon dropped back on his heels, bracing himself. He swung his arm at Genji who had just come in range then lunged forward out of Genji’s reach, straight at Sabir. The tigers leapt at Genji who had been ready for them but was thrown off balance by Traedon’s fast jab. He fell and was set upon by the remaining tigers. He waved his arms in surrender and they simply sat on him, pinning him down. Dahlia laughed at the undignified sight, hoping Genji heard her.
Meanwhile, Traedon hurtled himself under Sabir’s arms. His altered eyes allowed him to aim for a cut already opened by a tiger’s claws with his wide blade. Sabir was slightly slower but he brought down his blades as they shifted into clubs. They caught Traedon on the left shoulder and hip. With an awful pop, Traedon’s shoulder came out of it’s socket but the blade in his right hand pressed against an open cut in Sabir’s stomach. Sabir dutifully fell to his knees.
The tigers vanished, Genji got up and dismissed the conjured darkness.
“I’m not really sure, Genji,” Dahlia called out, “were those my reinforcements who just defeated your team or are you my squad? It wasn’t clear.”
Genji grinned up at her, “Captain, I am sure anyone fighting for you would be assured a victory.” He gave her a graceful salute and went to help Traedon and Sabir up.