Fire on High

[Sea]

Gwen stopped Cyndon. His energy was red with anger.
"Cyndon.. what's wrong? What's going on with you?" Her tone was slightly angry. "We won. You have no decent reason to be mad. Besides, you were awesome. That was amazing." Gwen's voice lacked an edge now, and she slid his hand into his. She carefully kissed his cheek, and through her arms around his neck. "I don't like you being mad. That's my job."

[Cyndon]

Cyndon was shocked by what she began to do and immediately forgot his anger. He looked over at Gwen with watery eyes as he also looked back to the people carrying the two of their opponents away in stretchers.

"He knew it would hurt me to do that to him. He was banking on my feelings to win him the match... and i wasn't about to let that happen." There was a slight edge to his voice but he quickly forgot that as he looked back over to Gwen and decided to try kissing her in return. He kissed her first on the cheeks and then went to kiss her on the lips. As their lips touched he forgot where he was, and everything else disappeared. He had given in to his feelings for her and he loved every second of it.


((oooo romance in the tournament! now to see Cyndon get slapped... Aren't i the pessimist?))

[Kerrain]

"He's overconfident. He hasn't yet realized why you fired that celestial gun at him."

"And that will be his downfall. As long as he is in that demon form, I can see him perfectly. If he's going to be gathering strength, the energy will leak out. I'm feeling better already, and I can hold this state as long as he's in that form."

"Checks and balances, eh? Smart move."

"I know. As long as he doesn't revert back to his original form, I'll keep this sun up as long as it takes for the real sun to come up. But he's in a bind if he does revert back, because I'll pin him with my knives."

"You could always bring me out. That would finish this."

"No."

Kerrain still had his knee on the ground, letting his grin fade away and using his state to recycle the energy he absorbed from the celestial gun's effect. He was breathing heavily, looking old and tired. However, he was faking it with an actor's zeal.

[Sea]

Gwen held back the instinctive slap, as she enjoyed this. She hadn't ever felt like this. What did people call it anyway? Something crazy, that's for sure. She simply wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. She leaned into the kiss, though she knew not why. Everything she was doing was instinctive, as though it were programmed for her do this. But she knew she would slap most people.. So why except Cyndon? It confused her, but she cared little. Such a crazy little thing this emotion was.

[Cyndon]

The two of them stood in each other's embrace, it was as if time stood still. Nothing else mattered to Cyndon as the people around them watched with interest. At the end of the exchange Cyndon looked at Gwen with a smile on his face.

"And here i thought you would slap me." He chuckled openly as he was on cloud nine. He looked around at the rest of the people watching.

"What? Haven't seen people kiss before?" He laughed as he jokingly berated the others for staring. He realized too late that it may have made Gwen a little more nervous about it. Still he continued to hold her in his embrace for as long as she wanted to be there.

[Sea]

Gwen rested her head on his Cyndon's shoulder, sighing with relief.
"This was the last thing I expected when I signed up for Kerrain's crew. Heck, this is the last thing I would have expected when I teamed up with you to begin with." Her eyes were fluttering shut. "I'm tired, Cyndon. How much time do we have before the next match? I want to sleep."

The demon yawned. This was boring. But Guil'tee's energy did not come from the sun. If he was to fight it with the moon, he would be stronger, he would have his own power intensified and have actual time on his side. A flash of black lit up the sky in an eerie wave. The stars poked their heads out of the black, and the moon was directly overhead. Maha-Raja phased back into view. Guil'tee still had energy.. he could sense it. The moon shone brighter, the spikes once again drinking in the light. Quite suddenly, white spikes began to shoot up from the ground, everywhere. Maha-Raja delicately leapt atop the only slanted one, gaining his footing his long, cruel claws. The arena was transformed into a forest of white spikes. Maha breathed out a faint white substance, a fog, that cloaked the field. The moon was charging him up. As the last tendril of mist left his maw, he let a wave of white energy flow about. It emanated from the air, the ground, the spikes. It was icy cold in the arena, and the energy had that feeling of burning cold.

[Cyndon]

Cyndon nodded to her and led her to the seats nearby to let her rest. he sat at one end of the seats and she lay down along the entire thing, resting her head on his lap as he absently put his hand on her arm, looking down at her golden hair. He never would have expected that she would fall in love with him the same way he had for her. He was ecstatic about the whole thing.

"The feelings were sudden but strong. I love you, Gwen, there's no way past it!" Cyndon smiled serenely as he continued to watch her fall asleep. The tournament almost seemed eerily silent as the two of them sat in the waiting room. Gwen was so peaceful as she slept and Cyndon wouldn't move to save his life.

'I wonder who our next opponents will be, anyway...' Cyndon wondered to himself as he watched the other groups rifle through their own posts on the tournament board waiting for their turns. Slowly the teams seemed to disappear as their matches came and went, and Cyndon was particularly interested in a fire elementalist and water elementalist team facing off against two tricksters. Soon there were only three groups left, including Cyndon and Gwen.

[Kerrain]

"It failed."

"I know, but I absorbed enough energy. Are you ready? I need to end this quickly so I can get to the Imperial quarter."

"Yes, if you are."

Kerrain stood up and undid the hilt on his belt. As he touched the artifact, his body went under a sudden and miraculous change as a black and repetitive patterns spiraled down from his completely black left eye. The pattern curcled around his palm, and as it reached the hilt, a black light flashed into the area for a short time. The corsair jumped to the side to avoid a spike as he held the hilt directly out in the air, to the front of his body.

"Degel deSaga... ESPADA!"

The energy that was once going to Maha-Raja reversed direction, whirling and spinning around Kerrain's body. Black flames began leaping out of the hilt, licking the air, eating the energy. The night sky seemed to sway to and fro, the stars leaping across the atmosphere as Kerrain ignited the blade. The dark miasmic flames of the hilt extended moreso until it sliced right through one of the white spikes, absorbing its energy immediately. Kerrain brought the released sword close to his body as he spun, slashing through the air. A deadened wave of energy flowed across the ground and the once forest of white spikes collapsed to the ground and dissolved into the air, their energies being absorbed by the hilt.

"Do you have the energy?"

"I DO NOW!"

Kerrain smiled as he looked upon Maha-Raja, a dangerous smile. He gripped the hilt tightly as he brought the blade close to his body once more.

"Triyir lo panquit, espada, yr duidorri sheo." ("Spin the dimension, sword, and split in two.")

Degel deSaga burst into a torrent of black flames as it engulfed Kerrain's body, energy dispersing into the area at such a high level, the audience screamed in agony from the pressure being put around their bodies. The flames were doused a minute later, Kerrain holding a doubled version of the blade above his head. The hilt had made a mirror-image upon itself, thus making the single blade a double blade. The corsair was not yet finished.

"Daa ashe are ela eon ial ire kii sao teo opa KAE!" (Moon Slicer Incantation)

Degel deSaga pulsed with another blast of miasmic energy as the flames spread outwards. The blades morphed, contouring and twisting as they turned into what would appear to be two scythe blades forming a complete 'O'. Kerrain's left eye pulsed in equal power, his sights on Maha-Raja.

"You have two choices. I can either cut you in half, or I can cut the moon in half." The corsair said, his voice gaining an echoed tone.

[Sea]

Maha opened his mouth to answer, but a man came running through the gate.
"Mr. Kairrou! Mr. Kairrou! It's your mother! She's hurt! She's dying!" he yelled. Maha-Raja trembled, and the dark sabertooth peeled away, revealing the tiger man once more. His eyes were wild with fear.
"Take me to her! Now!"
"But the fight.."
"NOW!" he bellowed. He raced out the gate, tail streaming out behind him like an orange banner.

"Gwen, Cyndon, your next battle begins in five minutes."
Gwen leapt up.
"Be right back, Cyndon. I have to change.." She ducked into the nearest bathroom and quickly changed into the light blue clothes, the one with the shirt dress. She came racing out again. "C'mon!" She grabbed his arm, and hauled him down the corridor. The arena was lit up with dawn's pale light. Two figures already stood there. One was a man in a black pinstripe suit. A matching fedora was pulled down over his messy black hair, hiding his eyes from view. He held a cane in his hand. The other was man made of metal, shining in the light. The inhumane face mask seemed to hold no eyes, but Gwen could feel the sight burning into her, calculating something. Within him she sensed a great energy.
"GWEN, A MYSTERIOUS BLIND ROGUE WITH A CONTROL OF ENERGY, AND CYNDON, A WATER ELEMENTALIST OF EQUAL MYSTERY! THEY FACE RONNIE THE CITY SLICKER AND I-VON THE MAN OF METAL!"
Gwen shuddered at the audience's reception. All eyes were on I-von.
I think I should take Ronnie, Cyndon, she whispered telepathically. She could have sworn the metal man had turned towards her when she thought this.

[Cyndon]

Cyndon scoffed as he saw the "city slicker" standing there with a slightly amused look playing on his face. The man seemed uninterested in taking Cyndon on as he was practically ogling Gwen. The hungry look on his face made Cyndon peeved, he didn't like people looking at ANYONE like that, much less a person he loved!

"Hey! Focus your attention on your real Opponent!" Cyndon drew the Crystal Sword from his sheath and raced for Ronnie, the blade cutting into the floor below him as he cleared the distance between the two of them. He swung as hard as he could for Ronnie's chest.

---

Naorin awoke with a start in the infirmary. He looked at the bandages covering most of his body and he looked over at Kendra who was in worse shape than he was.

"Well, sonofabitch, i can't believe he beat us so quickly..." Naorin clenched his fist and grit his teeth as Kendra awoke and turned her head to meet his gaze.

"Urgh... she got me good, Naorin... That witch is a furious fighter..." She began to laugh hysterically as she passed out again.

"Damn! I'm still nowhere near strong enough, and Kendra paid a price for it..." Naorin began to tear up as he said this. Kendra looked so peaceful as she slept, Naorin couldn't stay angry for long.

[Sea]

CYNDON! I WAS GOING TO TAKE HIM! THAT METAL GUY HAS ENCHANTMENTS ON HIS ARMOR THAT I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT! WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU? she screamed telepathically. With a sigh, she side-stepped the massive metal creature as he charged. He turned around and came back at her. Gwen lifted a hand, an energy shield glimmering into place. I-von bounced off. He glared at the glimmer. He raised a hand, and a burst of heavy metals pounded against the shield. Gwen tripped as the weight caught her off balance. She turned the trip into a graceful flip, and landed on her feet. A whip of energy twisted off her hand, and wrapped itself around I-von's left arm. She pulled her arm back, pulling it tight. The arm dented inwards from the pressure, but energy lit up Gwen's, singing her hand. As the energy released the arm, it reformed back into the polished, undamaged form it had been in before. She cursed quietly. I-von suddenly appeared beside her, and grabbed her by the throat. He shook her violently, before pausing, holding her in midair. Metal began to creep off his hand, beginning to encase her. She could see the red eyes now, as she was right next to his face. She burned the metal of her left arm, and raised it so her palm covered his face. Her hand glowed, beating rhythmically with the glow of her eyes. I-von dropped her, clutching his face, but Gwen twisted onto his shoulder. The metal released her, falling to the ground with a bang. She hand one arm around his neck for balance, then other stayed on his face. The creature shook about frantically. His armor began to glow blue. I-von fell to his knees, emitting a sound like metal scraping against metal. Gwen did not flinch. I-von fell to the ground, and Gwen stood up, brushing herself off carefully. She tenderly touched her neck, it was bruised and it ached terribly, and she glared at the still metal figure. She watched as a group of paramedics came out. They tried to pick him up, but they withdrew their hands with lightning speed. The metal was painful to touch from being overcharged with the energy.
Ronnie smiled as Cyndon came towards him. Perfect play you made there, Ronnie, he thought to himself. His hand reached out and grabbed the sword. His hand was encased in metal, and he tightly gripped the sword, making fractures appear.
"Didn't think my friend was the only person with metal, there, didya?" he mocked. He brought his foot around to roundhouse Cyndon, but was stopped. Gwen was holding his foot.
"I told you this was my fight, Cyndon. Don't you forget it." She pulled Ronnie away, but he twisted in the air and landed on the ground crouching, fingers brushing the ground. It stirred up dust, and he blew it in Gwen's face.
"That won't work, buddy. I don't see to begin with." Gwen countered him with a burst of energy to his forehead.
Ronnie smiled. Alright then. Fire swallowed the energy. Gwen scowled, and repeatedly fired energy at Ronnie. Ronnie never failed, not hurt a bit. Gwen hurled a wave of energy at him, but Ronnie leapt over it.
"Best you can do there, love?"
Gwen fought back the scowl. Only one way to beat him that she saw as easy and safe. She stepped forward, and grabbed the front of his jacket. She pulled him into a kiss, and after a moment of surprise, Ronnie wrapped his arms about Gwen. Blue energy began to glow around Ronnie. Gwen wrapped her arm about him. The glowing grew stronger. The kiss became more fierce. The energy began to pulsate. Ronnie's eyes flew open with a look of fear. Gwen released him from the kiss, and grabbed his arm, throwing him to the ground. He lay there, twitching slightly, blue energy still glowing on him. Gwen wiped her lips with disgust.

[Cyndon]

Cyndon looked at the scene with a look of fury on his face for the longest time. She kissed that jerk?! However he quickly calmed down and looked more closely at the situation. She was pumping him full of energy through the kiss, she was using it as an attack, not as showing affection. He still felt a little uneasy about it though... if this is what she could do when she needed to... she didn't even need him in this fight...! When angry she could more than easily take care of herself.

"I'm sorry Gwen, i let myself get lost in feelings. From now on, it won't happen again." He sighed "But why a kiss, i have to ask? The only thing you could think of was a kiss?" Cyndon chuckled nervously.

[Sea]

"That's the way you have to deal with those kinds," replied Gwen haughtily. "What'd you expect? 'Oh, sir, might I hold you still while I bake your innards from the inside out?' That doesn't work, Cyndon. But if you don't like it, how's this?" Gwen immeaditely pulled Cyndon into a kiss. When she ended the kiss, however, she smacked him. "That's for being possessive."

[Cyndon]

Cyndon was caught off guard with the kiss, and even more so by the slap. He held his cheek for a split second before he dropped his gaze to the ground.

"Okay, i deserved that." Cyndon looked back at her apologetically, even though he knew she couldn't see his face, he was more than confident that his energy would show his true feelings. He walked back over to her.

"Please forgive me?" He asked her.

[Kerrain]

"Sekkai rao."

The hilt was doused as was Kerrain's power dosage. The announcer was about to set the match, but the corsair stalled the verdict. His eyes gazed up at the announcer.

"Polack, wait a minute." Kerrain projected, following Maha-Raja out of the arena and trailing the tiger. He appeared next to the half-beast, two throwing knives in an upraised hand. With a quick movement, they were put back into his belt.

"A truce for now, Maha-Raja. Where is your mother?"