“It appears you have great skill at dodging in that situation…and you took an arm, bravo I say. However, without any material weapons at your disposal, I only need one katar to cut you into pieces,” Lyx said, causally stepping forward with his single katar, the other one already jammed into the steps vertically, still large.
Faux thought it over, and found Lyx’s words to be true. Without anything to block with in a melee fight he was defenseless. He looked around for anything to use as his own. He heard steps behind him and spun around to see Kara slowly moving towards him, Ezekiel’s scythe in her hands.
“Here, Faux…use it well,” Kara said weakly, tossing the scythe at Faux and falling to one knee.
Faux caught the scythe and turned back to Lyx, a renewed hope in his eye. He was still concerned, for he wasn’t very skilled with a large weapon.
Lyx dove forward swiftly, his katar up to bare. Purely on instinct, Faux gave a heavy side swipe of Ezekiel’s scythe, surprisingly landing a hit. Lyx stopped his charge and looked down at the fairly thin cut across his abdomen. Faux also looked down at the cut, and something caught his eye. Lyx’s blood at a certain green tint to it. A smirk formed across Faux’s lips, and a tear welled up in his single seeing eye. Already the deadly poison Ezekiel’s scythe was infamous for was running through Lyx’s blood, but was the man who knew no pain able to tell the same? According to his emotionless stare, Faux couldn’t say for sure. He drew back the scythe and waited for Lyx to make a move.
The commander looked up and merely fell into a flurry of attacks, slashing viciously left and right. Faux worked furiously to hold back Lyx, using the scythe handle like a quarterstaff. As Lyx drew in with a heavy thrust, Faux tried to hook his scythe over Lyx’s neck, but the agile commander ducked under the hook and fell back a step. He came in again, wrapping his katar under the middle of Ezekiel’s scythe handle and twisting the blade out of Faux’s hands. The rogue moved to recover the weapon, but Lyx kicked it away and stood in front of its path. Faux looked to his left to see the katar stuck in the stairs. He had a direct path to it. Going on a chance, he rushed towards the weapon, Lyx’s lanky legs quickly pursuing.
Faux grabbed the handle of the katar and continued running up the steps, but the blade held firm in the steps and pulled him backwards. He rolled down the steps and flattened against the katar to avoid a downward chop of Lyx. He kicked the commander away for a moment and got to his feet. A quick flip got him behind the katar and away from Lyx. He pulled on the blade, until finally it shifted lose and returned to its normal size. Lyx looked at the katar and then at his own.
“This seems like an even match now…what fun,” Lyx said with his monotone voice.
“Wrong…I’ve still got a free hand,” Faux said, waving his left hand at Lyx.
“Exactly…we’re even,” Lyx said, his words having a superior note to them.Faux gritted his teeth and jumped down from the steps. Lyx slowly followed, suddenly bursting in a full charge and striking surprisingly hard, even giving off neutral energy with each slash, which rocked Faux back on his heels. A particular maneuver Lyx pulled off, wrapped his left arm around Faux and tripping him to the ground left Faux with no weapon and Lyx with two katars in one hand. Just as he brought them up to strike the now defenseless rogue, he stopped, dropping both of his katars and reaching for the wound on his stomach. He looked down at his stomach and then looked over at Faux with a knowing glare.
“Well played, little rogue. It seems the curtain has finally closed for this one. Keep the crowd cheering, and let the show go on…” Lyx said, his voice slowly losing power as he slumped to the ground, dead.
Faux let out a sigh of relief and got to his feet. He turned to Kara to see that she was getting to her feet as well, her weak look already leaving.
“Good job, Faux. You’re still the best at close range combat,” Kara said with a smirk.
“Hardly…” Faux laughed, rubbing his wounded shoulder. “I could barely keep up with that clown. Not to mention I’m now weaponless.”
“Well, do you know how to use katars?” Kara asked.
“I’m sure they’re not too difficult to use, why?” Faux replied.
Kara nodded to the now master less katars resting beside Lyx’s dead body. Faux reached down and picked up the katars.
“These were used to slaughter so many good hearted people…I’ll carve a new legacy into these blades,” Faux said, putting the blades on his belt.
“That’s the idea…now let’s get that Adept’s Stone,” Kara said, moving to pick up Ezekiel’s scythe.
The two walked up the steps and headed into the narrow hallway that had been guarded by Lyx earlier. They found it to be a dead end, except for a strand square button with ancient designs on the back wall. Faux pressed the button, and the platform they were standing on suddenly jerked and shot upward.
“W-what is this?” Kara asked, bracing herself.
“I think it’s some kind of elevation system using a wind-like magical device…” Faux said, not exactly sure.
“Well whatever it is, I hope it is taking us to where we want to go,” Kara said, a little worried.
“Even if it isn’t…at least it’s fast transportation,” Faux replied, sitting down.
**********
Rowe began to notice the thinning numbers of the Bladenheart soldiers and urged his own men to strive harder now that the enemy was weakened. As he sliced through a couple of soldiers, something caught his attention. Flames were bursting and swirling in the air all around a certain spot where his men were being pushed back. He quickly changed his own direction and made his way there. What he found was a single man dressed in fine clothing with a rapier which had flames coming off the tip like a wire. The curl in his fire red hair bounced with every jump he made, and his orange eyes burned brightly.
Ferlyne spotted Rowe and immediately spun to face the wind adept. “Well well, what do we have here? You seem to be a rather feisty young knight. Shall we duel?” Ferlyne asked politely, bowing and sweeping his rapier wide to draw a burnt line in the ground.
“But of course. Anything to get you off my men…” Rowe said with a grin. He readied his twin katanas and set his feet.