The assassin, full of himself, dashes at the young man, Katana in hand, looking for an opening to finish this tomfoolery and return to deal with the doctor.
Zephyr is startled by how fast his opponent is and stays on the defensive.
In terms of combat prowess, the young blacksmith holds his own against the trained killer. It's in his favor that the hunter is at a physical disadvantage because of his leg. The blacksmith is shorter, slower and lifts a blade that weights a ton. Assassins are combatants Zephyr rarely faces, only encountering thieves, explorers, and sub-par fighters.
He remains focused and keeps his sight on his assailant, although a voice in the back of his head pleas with him to run away. It's a lot of danger to expose himself to.
He supresses the inner dialogue to evade one strike that almost cuts his nose off. He takes a few steps back.
Alister is chasing after his prey. Zephyr's good at playing catch, more impressive due to holding that massive weapon.
When it feels like there's some good distance, the hunter bridges the gap in an instant. Zephyr has no time to think or strategize. Ruthless assault, barrage of attacks.
Another strike that pierces the ground this time. However, the blade stays stuck.
A moment to strike.
Zephyr takes that chance and charges one powerful swing towards his opponent.
"Take THAT!"
Zephyr's swing hits a dead end. The assassin is able to grab his katana and dodge before being sliced in half. The impact of that blade on the battlefield is devastating.
Although he can see the hunter's head move a bit, probably in an effort to breath in and out, it's hard to discern how his opponent's doing under his helmet.
Zephyr's tactic is working. The hunter can't find a single opening.
Even in the rare moments that the blacksmith tries to attack, as soon as he fails, he uses this nonsensical sword as a shield when stuck on the ground. Here, the term nonsensical refers to the weapon's height, a claymore modified in appearance and function. For a teenager, it takes a special kind of strength to deliver a killing blow with a sword the same size as any other human beings.
This blacksmith's the real deal.
The hunter's tibia isn't pleased by this.
All movements must be calculated and careful. The assassin cannot dash as fast, and he's limited in his arsenal of moves because of this. The moment he places his foot on the ground, a jolt of pain shoots out. Under the helmet, Zephyr can hear the assassin grunt, enduring the frustration. It's baffling.
An unexpected turn of events is the last thing the hunter needs with this contract, especially when it reveals itself at the last second. It has not been long enough since he fell into a storm of bad luck, at the tail end of a mission no less. There is but a meek number of fighters that stood against him willingly, and a challenger of this kid's caliber shouldn't appear out of the blue, but he just did, and it's something to be upset about.
If it wasn't for that toddler, the doctor would be dead by now.
Approximately 2 minutes have passed by since the beginning of the fight. Zephyr too is heavily exhausted, and he can't hide it. Clearly, the boy lacks experience. He has to after all, he's not even an adult yet. The assassin starts pondering, for it helps dealing with the hurting leg. This blade the kid owns must be a burden. Doesn't look well balanced either. Zephyr too is fatigued. This fatigue is the flaw in the blacksmith's strategy. An opening, finally.
The hunter is ready to gamble his way to victory. He'll think about the state of his bad leg later. He'll use every fiber of his muscles to kill this blacksmith.
The hunter whispers to himself "Only five seconds is what I need", as he suddenly jumps backwards to give himself some distance between him and the boy. They are now about 10 meters away from one another.
Zephyr is confused by his foe's act, and in that confusion, he tries to get a feel for the next move. He's not quite sure what to do and…
Five seconds passes.
The assassin propels himself forward and dashes straight at Zephyr, running at full speed while ignoring the increasing damage in his leg.
His velocity is far beyond the young man's comprehension, going so fast he's close to breaking the sound barrier.
He's shortening the distance between them in less than a single second.
By pure reflex, Zephyr does a big diagonal swing upward, slashing the air violently in the hopes to stop this approaching danger in the process.
The assassin sees this attack coming, bewildered, and dodges at the last moment. the blade scratches the helmet, almost breaching it and brushing the assassin's left cheek.
The assassin is now behind Zephyr and despite his leg damaged, he's getting too impatient. His anger grows in response to how much his body screams for him to stop moving. The hunter shouts to ignore the pain.
"Damn it! Boy, this is gonna end bad for you, I'm serious! You're not the one who deserves this, but you're leaving me out of options! Go back to your dumpster, and everything will be just fine!"
"Don't underestimate me!" Screams back the young man.
The assassin yells his frustration outward.
"So fucking stubborn! You can't say I didn't warn you." Whispers the assassin to himself.
He holds the katana in both his hands, going for another strike at abnormal speed.
Before the katana of the hunter can reach him, Zephyr places his torch blade on the ground between them.
The hunter, thinking he will catch him off-guard, moves to the left and tries to slash Zephyr's head off.
The young blacksmith goes for instincts again.
He ducks to dodge the strike. With all the strength he carries, Zephyr pulls a spinning back kick that smacks the bounty hunter on his forehead, sending him flying to the floor with his back facing the ground.
The kick is so impactful that Zephyr, trying to look towards his opponent, stumbles and falls on his behind.
"Oh wow, okay, I just did that." Exclamates Zephyr out loud, astounded by his accomplishment.
The assassin lays down, enraged, and dizzy. His motor functions got sent a shockwave of hurt in an instant. It's as if his entire body cannot accept it. It doesn't help that as soon as he lifts his head up, he's met with this child, sitting on his butt, amazed by his own skills. Was it something he practiced? A lucky shot? A kick like that? That is ridiculous. The hunter feels humiliated.
A teenager just sent a professionally trained murderer knock some dust off the ground with one kick. A god damn kick, for crying out loud. No blacksmith should be this battle ready. They are blacksmiths, they forge weapons, they don't know anything about martial arts that way. They shouldn't. This kid should not be this strong.
Furious.
Getting up is difficult. The hunter's leg gave up on him. He can no longer sense it, now limping and unable to walk without feeling like dog shit.
More then furious. The situation is aggravating.
"Great. No idea who you are. No idea who trained you. But man, my last reserves of patience have been dried."
The energy of the hunter shifts. Cold, brutal. His demeanor seems visceral. He points his sword at the young man. Zephyr can hear the hunter's menacing growl underneath the helmet. Despite the damage, something destructive has been unleashed.
" Now give me your name! I will remember this mockery for the rest of my existence! My name's Alister, and I'm going to kill you!"
The rage and aggression penetrating the assassin's core sends shivers down the boy's spine. The blacksmith tries his best to calm down. The killing intent palpable from miles away makes it hard for Zephyr to stay composed.
"Already told you, my name is Zephyr, Zephyr Yundath! I also told you to not underestimate me, didn't I?"
Pulling off such a coup de grâce turned the stomach of the young blacksmith upside down. He's both afraid and exhausted, hoping this will be the last time he deals with the increase of speed the assassin achieved.
It's incredible that a scientist was able to run away from him. Such agility, such ease with his own body even when broken. For Zephyr, this gives him flashes of a few opponents he and his father had to fight off Gallows, in the months prior to this encounter.
There is only one man who comes close to scaring the boy as much as Alister does.
He grabs the torch blade again. He cannot miss this chance. In this state of anger, the assassin is going to lose a war of attrition. Zephyr has a golden opportunity to focus and counterattack while the hunter's state is in jeopardy. He won't let awe afflict him twice. He can feel the burden of Gallows and his family's legacy on his shoulders, carrying it on his back.
Alister, the assassin. He comes out of nowhere and hunts in Yundath territory, the land that Zephyr's family lineage sought to protect. He is not going to sit back and watch a fool run his uncalled errands in a place to mourn the losses, the sacrifices. His blood is boiling too, but he tries his best to maintain cool. It's now or never.
Zephyr dashes towards the assassin named Alister, when suddenly he sees one of the creatures flying straight towards the hunter as well.
Eylventh, the pterodactyl, is about to snap the hunter's head.
The assassin tilts to his right, dodging Eylventh. Seeing that its assault did not work, the flying crocodile goes into hysteria and tries flying back in the sky, only for the hunter to catch it by its tail. No matter how hard it fights out of it, the assassin has a tight grip.
Alister, considering what transpired, is beyond livid.
He has been cracked open. That kick still stings. As far as he's concerned, this is his last contract. Looking at his broken leg is filling him with a sense of indignation, as he's forced to recognize that his career is over, whether he kills the scientist or not. He left himself exposed to precipitation, and his hidden agenda gave him an excuse to push his body beyond what he's capable of.
That's on him.
"Team attacks, I swear." Grunts Alister. "This is the worst day of my life and the fact that the doctor's pets are getting in my way too is..."
"I have no clue on what you're talking about, you monster! That reptile looking bird acted on its own!"
"Oh really now? I'm the monster!? Do you know how much dirt this scientist got on his hands!? He deserves everything coming to him!"
"This is none of my business! Besides, why should I trust your word for it!? People like you only do this for profit! I don't buy your noble cause!"
"Oh, for the love of the all-fucking-mighty! I will wipe you off the face of this planet first, then him! Trust me, punks living in ghost towns are the last thing I get remorseful about!"
SLAM.
Distracted. What just happened? They all hear a powerful sound that reverberates through the desert. It's comparable to metal slamming itself shut, without warning.
Both warriors stand still, shocked by the sound. They turn towards the direction of the scientist. Zephyr is the first one to panic.
"What… What the hell is he doing in the elevator!?"