The black blade swished low, trying to take Xalan's feet. The kage-kitsune leaped over, the strike and his claws slashed in at the bounty hunters face. Zangulus blocked the attack with the hilt of his weapon. Zangulus started to push forward with, when his opponent twisted and pushed off the block. Xalan flipped behind him and kicked out as the bounty hunter ducked.
Zangulus was turning about to try and attack while his opponent was still in freefall. He hadn't considered the possibility that his opponent could get in a second kick in before he landed. That dazed him, the the third kick as Xalan landed sent him into a tree.
Zangulus was an experienced fighter, and the weapon Martina provided him had enhanced his reflexes and strength as well. Unfortunately his opponent was also magically enhanced, and Xalan's speed and strength had been incredible to start with. To top it off, he was countering every move Zangulus started. It was as if the boy used the same style he was using.
Zangulus rolled away as the kage-kitsune slashed into the tree with his light weapon.
"Where'd you learn how to fight?" Zangulus demanded as he blocked again, he settled into a pattern of defense until he could figure out some weakness.
"I've always known how," Xalan shrugged. Zangulus considered an opening in Xalan's stance. It closed. Zangulus eyes narrowed as he processed this information. Zangulus considered a maneuver, Xalan shifted stance to accomdate the counter. It didn't take him long to realize that his opponent didn't even realize what he was doing.
"So I see," Zangulus smiled.
Sherra saw the same shower of shadow and force spears and teleported out of the way. Reappearing beneath, and what she assumed was behind, the shadow. The mazoku smiled as she launched an energy blast through the shadow. She frowned as the blast really did go through, instead of impacting inside like it should have. The mazoku began to scan for her opponent and a burst of darkness and shimmering light erupted in her face, blinding her. The next thing she felt was multiple force spears slicing into her. The shock and pain of the injury brought her back to the ground.
"How's that for a surprise!" Xina yelled as she charged forward and stabbing out with the narrow end of her staff. Xina was surprised when the mazoku grabbed the weapon and stopped her cold. Sherra's girlish form stood up and smiled, the blood was already ceasing to flow from her wounds. "I'm in trouble aren't I?"
"How'd you guess?" Sherra asked, pushing forward with full mazoku strength. Xina managed to maintain her grip on the staff, but she still had to deal with the hard impact with the ground. Xina used her own mazoku born strength to slow herself down, gripping the ground with her feet, before she lost her balance and tumbled.
As she cleared her head Xina saw Sherra approaching her with drawn sword. A wall of force rose up before the mazoku, and Sherra laughed.
"You don't seriously think this can stop me?" she asked, slashing down with her sword the wall shattered. Prepared for a stronger resistance, Sherra tumbled forward with a comical look of surprise. Xina rushed forward and snapped down on the off-balance mazoku with her staff. Sherra teleported out of the blow's way, and it was Xina's turn to stumble forward in surprise when her target was no longer there.
The kage-kitsune had sense enough to cast a shell of force around herself to absorb Sherra's attack. She didn't have any more time than that before the blade smashed into her protection and she fell flat on her stomach.
"You're impressive for a half-breed," Sherra spat. "Not even as dangerous as your human mother." The shell about Xina flowed off of her and speared through Sherra's form. The mazoku cried out and dropped to her knees giving Xina time to regain her feet.
"You're afraid of my mother, aren't you?" Xina jibed. Sherra snarled as the force spear shattered and she began heal. Xina looked about quickly and noticed that their fight had carried them to the edge of the larger battle.
"A dark lord's general afraid of a stick of a girl?" Sherra snapped. She lunged forward, snarling as Xina dodged out of the way.
"You haven't seen my mother recently, have you," she asked calmly.
Don't listen to her!
"What do I care about that flat-chested little bitch?" Sherra snapped, ignoring the sword. She slashed out and growled as Xina dodged and laughed again.
"As if you're one to talk," Xina laughed, as she checked her position. "Poor little mazoku jealous over a mere human."
"SHUT UP!!" Sherra shouted, the fox-girl was swallowed in shadow, still smiling, as the mazoku leaped through the supernatural darkness and rolled up to find herself surrounded by shifting shadows. "YOU LITTLE BITCH!! YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME!!!"
The mazoku began to tear into every shadow she could see, and there were a seemingly endless number. Jolrael came running from further down the line, he moved to follow the enraged mazoku, when he felt something that stopped him. Xina dropped down from a tree to his side and yawned.
"I shouldn't bother, but, why does it appear as that a mazoku has joined the battle on our side?"
"Sore wa himitsu desu."
Xalan desperately dodged another close shave. Suddenly it seemed as if Zangulus knew everything that he was about to do. It seemed as if the hunter knew what Xalan would do before Xalan did. His enhanced and inhuman strength and speed had so far kept his footing more or less even with that of the bounty hunter's., but only just.
"You have some impressive talents, boy," Zangulus laughed. "But they are easily turned against you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Xalan snapped. He slashed forward with the three light blades of his gauntlet, following his instincts as always. Zangulus barely dodged out of the way, but more importantly snapped a kick into Xalan's face. On impulse he let himself fall backwards and slash upwards with the claws, scraping across the hunter's torso.
"You're just a copycat," Zangulus laughed. "You're no warrior."
Both fighters took a moment to recover. Neither had managed to lay a deciding blow on the other, and it was only the effort of battle that had them panting hard. Even the slashes across Zangulus's chest were only minor.
"I'm giving you a tough battle."
"You're some kind of mind reader," Zangulus continued. "A maneuver hits my mind and your instincts move to counter it." They were flashing strikes and blocks between each other, Zangulus slowly but surely gaining the advantage.
"Whatever it is, it works."
"But think of a maneuver and wait for you to counter it," Zangulus indicated, thinking of a heavy spin. Xalan lunged forward, and was wide open when spin didn't happen. Zangulus let him pass and slam into a tree.
"You're only prolonging the end," Zangulus told him, laughing quietly. He had paused to let Xalan catch his breath and taunt him further. "Then your sister will be easy prey. I've been looking forward to skinning her inso..."
Xalan launched forward, growling, cutting Zangulus comment short. The hunter hesitated only a moment before raising his sword in a block. He didn't anticipate the snap punch to his throat. In horror, Zangulus realized that he had given up the initiative with that last taunt. He was trying to recover his breath and thinking of anything he could do to regain control of the duel.
Xalan snapped down with his claws of light downward and the stumbling bounty hunter cried out as he felt his arm sliced off. The bounty hunter dropped to his knees, as the kage-kitsune destroyed his dropped sword. Xalan stared down at him and let the light claws vanish.
"We're going to deal with this necromancer," he said. "Then I'm taking my sister back home! Got it? We just want to be left alone, okay." Xalan caught a sniff of an approaching scent and turned to look to his left, where a collection of shades were running from the battle at large. In that instant he saw what looked to be a fifteen year old girl burst from their midst, ripping them to pieces. With his enhanced senses he identified her easily as a mazoku. He heard Zangulus getting up and leaving, but didn't care. Even Tinuviel could handle him now. Well, maybe not Tinuviel.
Sherra finished off the last of this pack of shadows and cast about for more. She'd find the girl's true hiding spot soon enough, she couldn't run forever. In scanning for more deep shadows she caught site of a young man standing over a defeated warrior. Instantly she saw something familiar in the narrow eyed gaze that he was regarding her with.
Do you realize that she just tricked you into helping her friends? Sherra wasn't paying attention, she was looking at the young man before her. Imagining him without a tail, imagining the red hair with purple streaks was completely purple. Everything else seemed to be the same, including the narrow eyed angry gaze adopted for a serious battle.
"You must be the son of Xellos Metallium," she said shyly.
Oh, for Shabrinigdo's sake, you're not going to fall for him now!
"And what do you want out of me?"
"What I want? I..."
"Xalan! Watch out she's a mazoku!" Sherra whipped her head around to look at the descending dragon. She considered blasting it out of the sky, but that would hardly endear her to the dragon's friend. Cursing, the mazoku teleported away, again.