[01] Forest Sector FIGHT

[Tamsin]

The night had finally fully taken over the wodded land below. Although the stars shone prominently in the night sky, it was the large bright moon that was the more reliable source of illlumination and that had replaced the vestiges of sunlight from before. The fact that nightfall had barely started in the forest still remained an enormous enigma, considering that it was already night at the adjacent City sector when the competition started. However,
as the moonlight penetrated the invisible dome and shed light upon their fighting ground, the two contestants had long since ceased to care of the planet`s mysteries and focused on their much graver situation.

The prodigy maid and saiyan warrior stood amidst a wide clearing in the forest, facing each other in a stalemate. The fight had barely begun, yet both of them were already suffering from serious injuries. Zulenka was bleeding from his left thigh, but the silver-haired girl harboured no illusions that the fact gave her any advantage. Although she did not dare to look, the sharp pain in her abdomen told her of heavy bruising. Considering her rather frail physique, it was amazing she could still stand. She was reminded of her master`s recent words: "It's survival of the fittest, or really it's just plain ol' survival." He could not have been more correct. The brutal struggle that was going on was not even remotely reminiscent to the combat the adolescent had faced during her training. Victory was irrelevant...either of them would be lucky if they even lived to tell what had transpired.

But the young human did not lose heart. Although she did not know what her opponent was fighting for, she was more then aware of her purpose. Suzaku had vowed to Maleficus that she would come back and find him, that she would be at his side no matter what. In spite of the situation she faced, she wanted to keep her word.... she had to. Looking at her opponent, she noticed that he was breathing heavily just like her, the cells in their bodies using the oxygen to convert blood sugar into valuable energy. Like a hunter, his eyes glittered with ruthlessness as he was ready to punish the girl for injuring him and his pride. But the maid gazed determiningly right back at him....she was not willing to be his prey.

Taking the remaining two knives from her belt, she placed their grips among her fingers along with the two she was already holding. With her weapons at the ready, she charged forth and reinitiated the encounter. On the opposite end, Zulenka went into a defencive stance, ready to handle whatever she might throw at him. As the adolescent swiped at her foe with the Ki blades, the Saiyan managed to jump backwards and avoid the attack in
time. Trying to capitalise on the oppening, he counterattacked with a direct punch. The steel knuckles and bare fingers collided with cold metal as Tamsin used her knives to block the fist. The strength of the titanium-made items was enough to withstand the sudden pressure, but it still caused the girl to be thrown back. As she regained her equilibrium, the silver-haired female saw several Vad`s in front of her. Recognising the stunt from before,
she pressed the small buttons located on the grips of her knives and all of them discharged a ki blast...passing through the images in front of her harmlessly.

Realising at that moment where her opponent was, Suzaku executed a somersault, dodging the warrior`s strike that came from behind. As the gravity forced her to fall towards the ground, she fully gripped one of her blades and aimed to strike her opponent. Take aback by the failure of his After-Image, Zulenka barely moved forward to avoid it and the knife cut vertically through the back of his breastplate...a moment longer and it would have torn through his spine. In a fit of anger, the officer retaliated by forming a blade across his forearm and swiping at the maid. He had as much success as his opponent before him, the girl barely jumping back in time for the blade to only cut through her outfit.

The splatter of liquid metal, that resulted from the swipe, hit the adolescent`s left wrist. Wanting to capitalise on the unique opportunity, Vad seized her arm firmly at that exact location. The metal suddenly formed into a tight bracelet attached to the Saiyan`s iron glove, locking the arm into place. The adult grinned devilishly, thinking he had gained an advantage...but he was quickly proven wrong. Cleverly, the girl swung herself onto his
back, forcing his arm into a bad placement across his chest and putting herself into a prime position for a crippling strike. Annoyed at how Tamsin turned the tables on him, Vad used his metallurgic powers to disintegrate the bracelet. This resulted in the maid sliping down his back...the knife gripped in her hand accidentally penetrating his shoulderguard and planting itself deep into his flesh.

A fierce howl of pain sounded sharply across the clearing, having emanated from the wounded warrior. In an almost automatic response, the elbow of his healthy arm smashed to the side of Suzaku`s head, causing her to finally fall off of him. Hastily, she jumped back onto her feet, fully clenching the grip of yet another of her blades. As Zulenka turned around to face his adversary, Tamsin aimed another blow towards his chest. The Saiyan
grabbed the blade with his hand before it could touch the armour, warm blood trickling from his fingers as a result. Fueled by his immense ail, he aimed a powerful kick into the adolescent`s thigh and the resulting crash threw her off balance. Seizing the momentum he had finally gained, Vad sent a pummel squarely into her chest. The resulting pressure supressed her lungs, leaving Suzaku breathless for a moment. For good measure, the field
officer executed a full circle movement and struck her with a high kick. Blood and saliva escaped her mouth and the last of her knives fell out of her hands as her body helplessly flew quite a distance away, rolling a few times upon impact before coming to a complete stop.

Trembling from the physical trauma, Tamsin raised her head. Her face was mauled from the hit, her left eye turning black and blood trickling from her nostrils. Pulling herself towards the direction of her enemy, she tried to get up....only to feel complete numbness in her right leg. Although she could not know whether or not her thighbone was broken, she assumed that the hit had at least supressed her nerves. In the situation she was in, it was crippling enough to put her at Vad`s mercy. The warrior himself was not doing well either. Pulling the dark blade from his shoulder and repairing his armour, he winced in pain and fell onto one of his knees. The gaping wounds he was inflicted were finally taking a toll on him, blood coming out of the openings in his armour and his stamina faltering. But his dark eyes held an almost hellish spark within them, his diehard nature not allowing him to stop until the bitter end. Gathering his strength and getting back onto his feet, he began to limp towards Suzaku...wanting to deal the final blow.

Even though it was hopeless, the prodigy maid desperatly tried to get back onto her feet. She began to sob, her agony becoming excrutiating. But she kept trying, remembering Maleficus`s words: "Come back to me. When we are whisked off to battle for combat, just promise me to find me again." She wanted to live..she needed to
live. She promised her master that she would be there for him.

"My knives..." she suddenly remembered and looked for them. They laid a distance away behind the Saiyan, some planted into the ground and others covered in crimson. Although she was trained in hand-to-hand combat, she knew she stood no chance in her state againt her armoured assailant. She needed her weapons...she needed them so badly.

The dark blades suddenly began to tremor slightly. As she began to lose herself in her pain and despair and sobber harder and harder, Tamsin`s eyes widened and remained fixed on the blades. With each step Vad took towards her, the metal objects began to vibrate increasingly violently. Vad finally came to within a foot from her and observed her with a dark and foreboding look. He said nothing as he grabbed one of his gauntlets and removed it from his arm. Fluently, the metal suddenly changed shape, forming a short blade. The warrior looked at the final product. The girl had stabbed him numerous times. It was only fitting that she would die in the same manner. Not wanting to waste any more time, especially with his wounds draining him of his remaining energy, he raised the sword to
skewer his foe...

As she faced certain death, the maid let out a scream. The Ki knives suddenly sprang to life, launched by an unknown force. As if they possessed a mind of their own, the weapons turned their bladed sides forward, speeding towards the unwary Saiyan....