Riven blurred arocss, the blood-stained, dust-covered ground. His fist was inches away from slamming into the Marionettes member's face when…he vanished?
The air around him shifted, as he spotted a few feet away, the Marionettes member, reappeared casually clapping his hands, as if he had never moved at all.
"Whoa! You're fired up? Come on then, strike again…let's see if you can actually hit me this time!"
Riven frowned, a bit but he wasted no time, dashed forward again, throwing a left, a right, a wide swing hook aimed, straight for they ribs… Every strike missed.
The Marionettes member barely had to try, he kept sidestepping and ducking.
From Riven's vision, their movements felt… unnatural. It was as if the space around them had slowed down, his punches kept dragging through the air while, he moved freely. It reminded him of a glitch, a movement too quick for some eyes to fully register.
Was this how the Marionettes member had killed the Obsidian Clan's leader? Before any warrior could react, had he already they too fast to stop?
Riven skidded to a halt, his gaze locked onto the Marionettes member, who kept moving, bouncing ready stance, waiting… mocking.
He glanced down at his CAD, his fingers tapped accessing his map. In that moment, hundreds of colored dots, filled his display map, it marked the positions of everyone around him.
Among the countless light dot, only one was large than the rest?
The Marionettes member's power level sat between two hundred and three hundred…just like his own.
'An, Augment Phantom Runner… They rely too much on speed, always assuming they're the fastest. Especially me an Aegis Ward?'
He remembered, that Phantom Runners specialized in hit-and-run tactics, striking before vanishing into the fabric of space itself. Their combat style revolved around speed.
Riven had fought them before, he knew their strengths and weaknesses. But every Phantom runner similar to Exodites was different. And that unpredictability, it made them dangerous.
"Oh? Already giving up? That won't do… I can't allow that."
The Marionettes member was confident, so he decided to strike first now, he used his Phantom Runner ability 'Silent Strike'. His body disappeared, every sound was erased, there was not even the sound of footstep…no shift in the air.
Riven remain calm, his eye darted around, what he didn't notice. The Marionette member had a sharp glint of his clawed nails, coated in dark steel, curved like the talons of a beast.
He was behind him, in a blink brought upward from low, raking at Riven's throat.
He barely had time to register the shift in the air, nor the attack as before the Marionettes member was upon him, a sharp glint caught his gaze.
He didn't know where the Marionettes member was, what to do nor how to get to him, but he knew the best thing.
Cause, at that moment, a gray shield barrier flickered around him, a clink of claws connected, to his shoulder, just as the claws connected. A explosive burst of force rippled outward, sparks flew as steel screeched against glowing energy.
The impact sent a shockwave through the air, but the Marionettes member didn't hesitate. Twisting mid-air, he used the momentum to slash at Riven's flank. His speed was overwhelming, his claws flashing in rapid arcs, X cross energy connected to Riven's shield over and over.
This Phantom Runner… what's different about him? Doesn't matter. He does the only, thing he knows!
He dropped his shoulder, he swung a wide haymaker. His fist tore through the air like a wrecking ball, forcing the Marionette member to abandon his own attack and leap back.
Riven didn't give him time to breathe. He slammed his foot down. "EARTHQUAKE STOMP!" He used another attack ability.
His foot was heavy like a turle, that the ground cracked apart, violent tremors racing through the desert floor. The Marionette member lost his footing, forcing him to flip backward onto a broken wooden beam to regain his balance.
Riven smirked, he was hype as he charged forward, his body seemed to be moving like a charging boulder.
The Marionettes member smirked too, he was at ease as he used the beam like a springboard, launching forward. "Swift Pounce Attack!" His body twisted mid-air, claws stretched wide, aiming straight for Riven exposed back.
But Riven saw it coming.
At the last second, he twisted his entire body and threw his fist upward.
"BOOM!"
His fist slammed into the Marionettes member's gut. The sheer force folded him in half before sending him rocketing into the sky.
They spun wildly, trying to regain control. Blood dripped from his mouth, using his thumb to wip his blood, his eyes burned with fury. With a snarl, he slashed his claws in an X….two arcs of Exo energy slicing through the air toward Riven.
Riven crossed his forearms, summoning a double-layered shield barrier before him.
The X arcs sliced, through the air shattering the first shield, but the second held firm. Riven grunted, but it wasn't enough to stop him, so he pushed forward.
The Marionettes member landed on a fallen pillar, his muscles tense, ready to pounce again. He was apprehensive, from Riven attacks.
"Not fast enough." The Marionette growled.
Riven thrust his both hands forward, a pulse of golden energy expanding outward, his Shield. "Barrier Slam!" Another attack ability.
The force of the wall rushed toward, the Marionettes member smashing into him like a battering ram. He flew backward, flipping three times before digging his claws into the sand, skidding to a stop.
His chest heaved, spiting blood onto the sand. But he was still smiling.
"You move like an Ox but built like a turtle," he muttered, shaking his arms. "But I wonder… how long can you keep up?"
Riven cracked his knuckles, the ground beneath him trembled again.
He lunged faster than before. The Marionettes eyes widened, just before Riven fist buried into his gut.
"BOOM!"
The force of the punch was so powerful that the Marionette member created a crater into the earth, shockwaves blasting outward, sending dust and debris flying.
Everyone around, covered there eyes looking through in awe, wish they could that kind of strength.
Riven, glanced at the Marionette member, who he saw eyes flickered their body moved before death could claim him, from his attack.
As he saw, at the last second, his body twisted, vanishing. He reappeared behind Riven, claws aimed at the back of his neck.
Riven at the last second, curled up into a ball shell with intricate turtle design appereared around him, when he thought it would give him time for proper attack.
It didn't stop, the Marionettes member who began moves in circles at a very quick speed every second there was a new slash attack landing onto the turtle shell sheild.
Riven gritted his teeth. 'What to do? Mira's the one who usually figures things out… She's just better in the heat of the moment.'
He hated to admit it, but Mira was the best fighter on the team.
'Whenever a battle spiraled into chaos, it was her intervention that turned the tide. Her skill, her instinct they kept us alive more times than I could count.'
Their fighting styles couldn't have been more different, yet they had always moved in sync, complementing each other like two halves of a whole.
But Mira wasn't here.
And as his shield barrier weakened, Riven knew he had to find his own way out of this fight.
'One way to stopp, them is by traps on the ground…but I need a way to slow him down'
Riven eyes widen briefly, that's was when he remembered something…a lesson he had learned during his journey before returning to Kurt.
He exhaled, he releases the shell that's when naturally ripples of energy pulse out his body in waves like water.
The Marionettes member movements suddenly dulled, like trying to run through knee-deep water. His claws barely scratched Riven's skin before his hand slammed down like a boulder, gripping the his skull.
It was his ability slow Slow Tide, that come into close contact with any Exodites they speed are gradually slow down, even their attack speed diminished.
Once the Marionettes member was stopped, in Riven grip he had no tike to react. He hoisted him into the air. And suplexed him straight into a massive boulder, behind him.
The entire rock exploded into a thousand pieces. The Marionettes member coughed violently, his became body limp.
Riven rolled his shoulders, stepping forward. The Marionettes member tried to move, but his claws twitched, he was seriously hurt.
Still, he chuckled, he even had a smirk. "Damn…" he muttered. "You really are a turtle."
Riven exhaled, his fist raised. But before he could deliver the final blow, The Marionettes Nine Lives Luck activated again, a flicker of light was caught in his eyes. He saw he was gone.
"I'll return… and when I do, remember this name Zoe of the Marionettes!"
Riven looked up to, the direction of the voice getting further away, he saw also the Blue Skin men all running away in all different directions, he started to think about the Marionettes Group, as he never heard of such people before.
But before he can have any deep thoughts he heard voices.
"Uncle, no!"
Eshara's scream shattered the silence, of the Marionettes defeat. She was on her knees, cradling her uncle's broken body. As the clan's healers hovered around them, desperate to help, but a massive splintered wood jutted through his chest told them all the truth…that he was beyond saving.
She felt his life from slipping away, his once strong body, the pillar of their clan was now broken.
His eyes flickered open, he was weak still filled with the same fire he had always carried. He smiled faintly."You're… here." His voice was rasp.
Eshara teeth was clenched, tears kept flowing down her cheeks. "Let the healer help! Just…just don't move!"
Solark bloody hand gripped her wrist, stopping her. "No… child. There is no saving me."
"No! No, you don't get to say that!" she snapped, shaking her head violently. "You told me you'd return! You promised!"
He let out a weak chuckle, his body shoke briefly. "And I am… but not in the way you think." His voice wavered, but there was no fear in his eyes, only pride. "Listen to me."
Her breath hitched as she leaned closer…his voice barely a whisper now.
"You were always meant… for more than this cursed land. You… will be greater than me… your father, even greater than any leader before." His fingers weakly touched her cheek. "You… will guide them… out of this darkness."
His words caused, her tears to overflow. "I can't do this without you." she whispered.
"You can. And you will." He smiled one final time. "Be strong… my fierce little warrior…"
With in his final words, his hand slipped from her cheeks, and his body went still.
She held him tighter, as if she could force his soul back. But he was gone. The warmth of his body was fading.
Her lips trembled, she felt a chill run down her spine. "No…"
Then when she screamed into the sky. Heart-wrenching sound…not just grief, but fury. The last person she had around, that cared for her, he was her last pillar in her life.
All the surrounding clan members, saw there great elder death and couldn't but start to cry, as they bowed their heads. The silence was suffocating.
Eshara hands shook as she gently lowered her uncle's lifeless body to the ground. She wiped the tears from her face.
She glanced over her shoulder, glaring at the Obsidian Clan member, she stood up. Her eyes, once filled with despair, were now steel. She turned toward the scattered ashborn warriors, the ones who had fought, the ones who had watched, and the ones who had betrayed.
She decided what must be done. "Gather every member of the Obsidian Clan," she commanded.
No one dared to disobey. "Every single one of them will stand trial." She continued.
The weight of her words sent a ripple of unease through the everyone. Some shifted nervously, others stiffened, but no one spoke against her…after everything they saw who will.
She turned back to Solark body.
With one last deep breath, she reached down and lifted him into her arms. His blood stained her clothes.
She carried him…step by step, back into the village.
And behind her, the ashborn clan followed. Even those of the Obsidian Clan who tried to fight back.