Day Two: Early Morning

[Minoshia]

As the softly spoken words escaped the lips of his raven haired ally and entered his ear it took a long moment for the Konat to register what had just happened. One sentence had changed the relationship between the two men, had they happened open each other a month ago or a year ago they would have been at each other’s throats at the drop of a hat. Change seemed to be the theme of the Abyss for the Konat, for better or for worse. The unlikely duo now stood alone atop the pinnacle of a small rise, looking out towards the vast ocean that ultimately encompassed every competitor. The sun had began to seize its periodical reign over the heavens for the second time since he’d come to Dante. The brilliant colors painted the horizon with a bleeding mixture of pinks and oranges, the mad artist had once again accomplished beauty. He couldn’t help striking comparisons between his current situation and the occurrence unfolding before his eyes. The rise of the sun marks a new day, perhaps this night could mark a new chapter for us and Seventeen… But we must not be hasty; we must not let our guard down.

“Stop.” Minoshia slid his bag off his shoulder and let it fall to the ground, slapping the soft grass as the material collided with the Earth. Seventeen slowed up and looked back at the Konat, turning his body ever so slightly. A quizzical look crossed his brow; his eyes remained solid and unchanging. “Let’s rest before the heat comes.” He pointed towards the horizon; his motioning hand was met with a nod from the android, who let his bag slip to the ground in a similar fashion. The two lowered themselves to the ground in unison, both watching the other – each man guarding themselves from any foul play. Seventeen chuckled as he noticed how protective both warriors were being, Minoshia reciprocated the brief laugh.

The two sat in silence, both waiting for the other to break the ice and create conversation. Meanwhile, they each fished through their bags and pulled out small canteens of water. The Dark Prince returned to his sack after he had retrieved the water and produced a small package; peeling back the wrap he tilted his hand so his counterpart could see the rabbit meat.
“Raw?” A disgusted tone escaped the lips of the cyborg. The mohawked warrior shook his head and let out another small chuckle, he had nearly laughed on three different occasions today – that must have been a record. Ripping the meat in half, he tossed the slightly larger half to his old nemesis and laid his own portion down across his lap. Bringing his hand back in front of him, he produced a small amount of energy in his palm. Seventeen recoiled backwards and dropped his portion. Noting the reaction, Minoshia held up his other hand and signaled for the android to wait, and surprisingly he did. The amount of trust between the two had increased a hundred percent in the past few hours. Bright red flames began to flicker in his hand and descend from his palm to the grassy ground between the two partners. The fireball floated, bouncing slightly and flickering with pulsing intensity, the tongues licked upwards at the partially darkened sky.

“Now, we eat.” Minoshia locked eyes with Seventeen for a moment, before lowering his gaze to the fire and held the meat slightly above the flame – cooking it slowly. The android followed suit, and the two warriors began their small scale Dante feast. Probably the only activity, other than fighting each other, the two had ever done in the company of the other.

“It’s been a long time, Minoshia.” The android looked across the fire as he rotated his portion of meat, letting it cook evenly. The Konat nodded, a menacing grim crossed his face as he remembered the last two encounters with this warrior. The warrior opposite the fire had a similar expression, for he too was remembering their past endeavors.

“Some things have changed, as they always do.” He paused to let his eyes meet his partners, hinting at his interest in the change the ‘droid had experienced since they last met. “And some things never do…” He snarled slightly.

“Agreed.” Seventeen shot back across the licking tongues of fire. Hostility between the two had momentarily flared at the slight mention of their past rivalries. The two had each succeeded in killing the other in previous versions of this competition.

“What else has changed?” Minoshia stopped for a moment and brought the cooked meat to his lips, ripping a small portion from the rabbit and chewing it intensely. After a moment his throat tightened and relaxed, allowing the food to slide down his throat. “Still playing guardian to that herd of weaklings…” His voice hissed at the mention of his ex-alliance members, the original guard of Civil Unrest. “… and Violet?”