User blog:Sidorak12814/Story Blog 5

Part 5
Levuku was in a bit of a tight spot. He had challenged Zallirix to a duel, trying to keep the maniac from stealing a jetpack prototype and escaping Altronia. Just when it looked like Levuku would maybe win, Zallirix revealed himself to be easily twice as strong as Levuku. How is that possible!? Levuku exclaimed mentally. He's thinner than me!

Seeing the fear in Levuku's orbs, Zallirix continued to force the Crynok youth backward. He drew his face closer to Levuku's, until it was mere inches from the Kualsi on Levuku's face. Levuku could feel Zallirix's warm breath, smell the fetid stench of the same, and see the utter insanity in his enemy's eyes. All three unsettled him. He could also hear Zallirix grunting in enthusiasm under his breath, which disturbed Levuku in a slightly different way. Aiming to end the experience as soon as possible, the youth fell on his back and forced Zallirix over him with his legs, sending the psycho flying. Zallirix banked in midair and made his way back, Levuku realizing as he rose that Zallirix's jetpack had engaged.

I have to remove it somehow, he thought. Zallirix was too intent on divebombing Levuku to realize what Levuku was bracing for. Exactly one second after Levuku kicked Zallirix into the air, he tackled Levuku, and Levuku hung on for his life as Zallirix flew away from the wall, and over the fortress, so far below. The Crynok grabbed Zallirix underarms and twisted the maniac's torso around, then shot his hand between Zallirix's back and the stolen jetpack like a wedge. The rockets shot off Zallirix's back and died out a split second later, but Levuku's pack engaged to keep the pair in the air. He hurled Zallirix back to the walkway and followed overhead. Once above the walkway, Levuku undid the straps keeping the jetpack on his back, sending it arcing over the wall, like Zallirix's pack had, where Levuku knew Rajal and Nytrix would catch the prototypes. Levuku dropped to the wall, only to be rammed in the gut by Zallirix. Levuku slid across the walkway and hit his head on a tower wall. Zallirix advanced, raising his spear high and preparing to bring it down quickly on Levuku. "Time to slice and dice and cut you into slivers!" he exclaimed joyfully. "Then I think I'll take the weekend off. Or maybe the whole week. Karzahni with it; I'll just leave forever!"

"Like to see you try," Levuku replied quietly, trying to avoid Zallirix replying and filling Levuku's head with more random nonsense. He managed to get his staff up to block Zallirix's blow, and kicked Zallirix in the backside, sending his head into the tower wall. Levuku grunted as Zallirix fell on top of him, then, with all his strength, hurled Zallirix off him in disgust. Zallirix landed on his head with a yell, then fell on his front. Levuku scrambled to his feet and leaped at Zallirix. Zallirix lay still, leading Levuku to think the nut was unconscious and aiming his leap to land on Zallirix. Zallirix waited to the last instant to react, then thrust his feet up into Levuku's midsection. Levuku flew back, but stayed conscious, and landed on his feet. Zallirix lunged for him, tackling Levuku they rolled backward several times, striking and struggling each other all the while. Soon the stopped rolling, with Levuku on top. A few quick blows followed, but then Levuku shot his staff between Zallirix's blade and his underarm, and used leverage to fling the weapon out of Zallirix's hand.

"Eeeyagh!" Zallirix cried out in shock. Levuku then forced Zallirix's neck between the tines of his staff, and drove the staff into the ground. "There," he said, relieved. "Now I'll let you stay there until a custodian finds you still lying here, whining and yelping and laughing and--" His words were cut off by Zallirix diving at his legs, tripping him.

"Now you'll see that you're a weak moron!" Zallirix shouted. "That's my job! To make the obvious known to--" His words were cutting off by Levuku's foot landing in his mouth. The blow flung Zallirix back, but not far. He advanced, slashing at Levuku with his protosteel-tipped, clawed fingers. "Just die already! Maybe then you'll stop tickling me to death!"

Levuku didn't dignify that with a response. He simply Dodged Zallirix's strikes while backing toward his staff. He had dropped it when Zallirix knocked Levuku's feet out from under him. Soon Zallirix noticed, and stopped trying to strike Levuku and simply stood there. Levuku did the same, not wanting to leave himself open. Zallirix simply gave a goofy smile.

"What are you doing?"Levuku asked. "Why do you ask?" "You want to kill me. You're not trying. Something smells like a Ruki." "Your senses are adept," Zallirix responded, lunging for Levuku and grabbing both the Crynok's arms in his hands. "Too bad your gray matter isn't."

Levuku kicked Zallirix in the shin over and over, to no avail. Then Zallirix returned the favor, the blow much stronger then Levuku's. Levuku bent slightly in pain. Zallirix grinned maliciously. Levuku tred to head-butt Zallirix, but found the move being stopped quickll. There was a quick yank, and Levuku's mask was removed from his head. Zallirix spit the mask out. "Try to leave now."

I didn't actually think of that, Levuku realized. There's your problem.

Crynok, unlike Toa, are not weakened by a mask being removed, since all it does is add a power to theirs. Levuku hefted both his legs off the ground, then rammed his knees into Zallirix's abdomen. Levuku's enemy let go, allowing Levuku to retrieve his tools.

But he could only choose one. Zallirix was too quick to allow both to be retrieved. Which to use?

Levuku dove for the mask. Thank you, Kanahka, he thought as put it back on its destined owner's face, which was his own. It's not leaving me again.

Levuku launched a flying kick. Zallirix dodged, but Levuku teleported to the side to hit Zallirix, keeping his forward momentum. Now came the hard part. Concentrating more than ever before when using this mask, he willed himself to teleport rapidly, relocating as soon as he materialized in a given location. By doing this, and using his preserved momentum, he teleported to every angle around Zallirix in the space of one-and-a-half seconds, landing hundreds of blows to multiple parts of Zallirix's body.

As the Crynok finally landed his last blow and hit the ground, exhausted, Zallirix recoiled from the last hit, landed hard, and lay still. This time, it was no deception, or even a spontaneous change of mind. He was beaten, and had no intention of getting up. Levuku stooped to retrieve his staff, then stood erect in victory, both over his lifelong enemy and over his juvenile hatred. He no longer wanted Zallirix dead, but respected him, nd simply wanted relief from the maniac in his life. This was not going to happen, but Levuku no longer cared. Sometimes it takes a dozen near-death experiences all crammed into the fight of your life to grow you up.

He turned to leave. Zallirix watched him for a moment than said. "Kill me already. You know you want to."

Levuku turned to meet Zallirix's eyes, never glaring, shouting, or getting angry. He simply replied calmly, "If I did, you would have won, not me. I would have lost to you and myself, and you would have won in making me into your successor as resident Psychopathic Cornball of the Universe."

"It's not that. Just kill me so I don't have to live with the torment of my conscience."

Zallirix has a conscience? Levuku thought. There was no sarcasm, just surprise and curiosity. I had no idea. Still his expression did not change. "No, I'm letting you live. We all have to face the consequences of out actions, so death would be a mercy on my part. No, to give you what you deserve, I'm letting you continue existing."

Levuku walked away. He saw stirring below him. Shortly, a ladder landed next to the wall with a crack, and two figures scrambled up it toward him. The first was Nytrix, who passed Levuku with a short "Nice, kid." The second was Rajal, who stopped in front of Levuku and extended his fist. Levuku smiled and clanked his fist with the trainer's. Their eyes locked for a long time.

Levuku eventually broke the stare to glimpse Zallirix's fate. Nytrix was enraged over the theft of his two creations, and was going to show it. Ignoring Zallirix's dazed grin, he coiled his tentacles around Zallirix and heaved him into the air. Tighter and tighter the coils wrapped. Zallirix noticed the majority of the coils were around his joints. That was an instant before the pain started. First small, then great, as Nytrix superheated his unnatural appendages to molten temperatures. Targeted at Zallirix's organic tissue, the pain was excruciating, and, when unconsciousness came, it was a mercy.