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He was holding back.

Why or what was unknown, but Ruuvan was holding something back. Either way, even in his offense, Maximos kept an eye open or defense. Even if that defense was an offense.

Ruuvan continued pushing.

Maximos' sword was caught.

And that meant that all the force and space necessary was being provided. Maximos' left foot slid forward, just pass Ruuvan's. He didnt think the elf would kick, but it was regardless as the knee cap and knee, and leg were moving.

Maximos stepped in low, and slipped his sword off of Ruuvan's as he brought himself in. His left shoulder meant to impact the elf's chest, while his right pulled the man forward into the shoulder. Then he would shift his weight, lift, and hopefully flip the elf over and onto his back.

The sudden close proximity and general speed of the move should keep him from any sword slashes. But Ruuvan had been proved tricky before.

Tricky!

Exactly like that!

Ruuvan had more hand to hand skill that Maximos gave him credit for. As the shadow, his back and head pointing in the entirely wrong direction to catch sight Ruuvan's leg, had his leg taken from him just as he shift his weight to it.

He was going down, and down he went. Falling forward without a leg to catch himself on. But...he had a grip. He had Ruuvan's arm, and he wasnt soon to let go. But simply tugging the arm as he fell would only lead to the two man landing in a pile. That was...completely useless to any sort of strategic endeavor.

Instead, while falling, Maximos twist his shoulders and hips, so that instead of landing on his face, he would land on his right shoulder and roll with the impact to flatten out onto his back. As he rolled, his slipped up his left foot, aiming to plant it somewhere on Ruuvan's chest, and toss the man over him. Tugging the arm as he fell, would have hopefully made such a reach possible.

And while Ruuvan had a blade...and that made risk for the Shadow's Leg. Maximos had a longer sword, and was counting on his ability to mount a decent deflection.

He had to be quick, Ruuvan would be no less. And in a fight such as this, with a man such as Ruuvan there were no corners to be cut. Maximos' did not have some definitive speed advantage, he had only what he could carve out of the situation.

Ruuvan flew over, Maximos knew it wouldnt stun the man for long. The throw was a last minute thought. He didnt ignite his boots, he didnt force his super natural arm to crush or cut or break. The motion however did leave him with his leg near his chest. As such, Maximos immediately tucked his legs in and slapped his hands backwards on either side of his head, and kicked, performing a quick kip up.

His legs flew out and he could hear Ruuvan's rushed footsteps through the grass. His body followed the motion, he could feel the intensity in the air. And see the blade just barely miss his shoulder by a hairs breadth as he rose.

He had to be light on his feet. He had to be fast, or he'd be nothing. Maximos stood as Ruuvan's blade kissed the earth. The Shadow's feet tapped the ground, and even as they did he was already beginning to push off of them, shoving himself back as twisted at the hips whipping his body around to the right.

First would come his right arm, bent, aiming for a deft and powerful black fist as he entered his 180 whip around. Immediately following it would be his left arm, bringing Ankokuko across in a diagonal slash from his upper left to lower right. 'Meant to take advantage of the possible stun caused by the metal smack just a moment ago!

Maximos would not relent. Fights were not meant to stop and go. Terrain was meant to be crossed, footing lost and gained.

His right arm was sent up and away violently and accompanied by a hail of violet and indigo sparks and heralded by a loud metal on metal grinding screech.

Maximos' form was turned to face the elf head on, his right leg bringing his spinning motion to a stop even as his sword completed its slash. Without delay, without hesitation his right arm moved to join his left, at his right hip. The right sitting below the left, adding force, not guidance.

The Shadow burst forward, his boots digging up tufts of grass as he immediately pressed across the distance. Ruuvan would be recovering from his leap on his knees, and Maximos would be advancing forward for a powerful straight thrust at the man's chest.

Like a lance, Maximos aimed to run Ruuvan through and carry the man, on the sword straight into the tree about half a dozen feet behind him. With his glowing white, right eye, Maximos could see the Light. He was confident he didnt need to play it soft.

More light. Just when the rust was shaking off Max's fundamentals. It just meant he needed more shadows.

He'd only see this move performed three times in all of his time on Gaia. Each time it was met with unerring success, as opponents were left surprised and stunned and that was quite honestly a sad thing.

You see there were several concepts at play here. One of them was most definitely, range. Ruuvan had two short swords, Maximos had a longsword, though by length some my consider it a b*****d sword. Even if both men were exactly the same height and Ruuvan held both blades at full extension, range...was something Maximos still had.

With range came time, and with time came the ability to perform this, as previously mentioned, so very rare technique. Timing had to be perfect, and it was, he waited for Ruuvan's sword and his own to meet. But more importantly, the technique had to be flawless, and it was...

...Maximos just let go of his sword...

...really it didnt take that much skill to do. He just opened his hand. Ankokuko went to the side, but it wouldnt be piercing anything at all. Not unless Ruuvan had smacked it aside so hard with his enhanced strength that he himself gave it the momentum needed to do such.

No, more than that, as his sword was unexpectedly released, in that moment of unorthodox realization, the Shadow did not, step forward. No, instead he stepped to the side. The right side to be exact, opposite his sword. His motion was quick, just enough to move his gut, and sent a line of red along his side as opposed to hole. Its exact depth was unknown, as it could have very well been a slash the full depth of the sword, but caught in the moment Maximos did not know or care.

He sidestepped, while keeping his full speed, dropped down low...and then sent his cursed right arm flying straight for Ruuvan's exposed midsection. The Elf's left arm occupied with Maximos sword, his right, was extended, that meant that a hand, far quicker and lighter than a sword should be able to get in easily. And as there was a tree, not more than half a dozen feet behind him. Ruuvan didnt really have anywhere to go.

As shown at the start of the match, the fingers of Maximos' right hand were bladed. And as shown on a tree, could be extended and retracted at will, it was a technique called...



...And as that supernatural strength, moved the arm with supernatural speed across less than a foot of space, the fingers of the hand burst forward. Maximos' hand was not in a fist, it was open, and the fingertips aligned like the blade of a sword aiming to stab clean into midsection. Once they pierced Maximos broke formation, his fingers opened, stretching the wound, but also moving the blades apart from each other so that the knife like extensions did not simply run through. They were meant to impale, and carry him back across, backwards and into tree with a wet smack!

...Maximos was far out of reach. Six feet away to be exact. The fingers of his right hand were extended across the distance, and one could feel a shaking in the cursed limb, as it tried its best to hold the weight of a man across six feet, a difficulty even for a magic arm.

Blood loss likely caused the elf a hallucination or two. Or maybe cost him a tad bit of depth perception Either way, there was an audible "shink", like the sound of a sword sheathing, as the fingertips were pulled out of the tree. Maximos held up right arm, as the 6ft extensions shrank and the hand returned to normal proportions.

Your a mess...

He said, then looked down at himself. Blood poured from several deep cuts, the chest, the leg being the worst. As infact Ruuvan had dug the entire width of his blade into Maximos' side just narrowly missing a vital organ, there were stress fractures that bled over from his fight in shadow form. He wasnt looking any better.

...So am I.

Max said with a smirk, and then a chuckle and a laugh as he reached over and grabbed Ankokuko, swinging it twice through the air to knock off dirt, dust, and leaves.

I think we're getting old.

Blood loss, no blood in brain, blood going. Hallucinations were bound to happen in such a state, no amount of training can go against the laws of biology.

Ruuvan slid down the tree as Maximos drew the blades away, ending up sitting at the base with his legs spread in front of him. Laughing at his friend's comment bought a wheezy bubbling noise, followed by a wee bit of coughed up blood. s**t was ******** up, as they say.
"I don't know... what you're talking... about..." his words came in short, sharp breaths, "I'm still in my... my prime." He laughed again.
As far as he was concerned for this bout, wherever he was, it was over for the time-being.

Maximos smirked. He bounced Ankokuko on his shoulder and looked upwards at the bright white moon, and as the white light hit his eyes it filled them until it was all he could see.

And then the world vanished.

Then it burned.

Maximos saw white and nothing else, he lowered his head bringing his hand up to block out the moonlight turned sunlight. This was was scorching, and Maximos wore jet black. A cloak which ended in a black hooded cowl covered his head, and face. A length of cloth covered the lower half of his face. His clothing was loose, and black. At his left, sheathed, was a shortblade a foot long at the most. At his right, a sword, about 3ft in length. And at his back, was a long sword, its tip over his right shoulder.

These boots were padded, made of a base shoe with leathers straps to hold it in place that went up about half way to the knee. They were made to make no sound, and thats precisely what they did. Or didnt do.

Ruuvan was looking for Maximos. Maximos was looking at Ruuvan. More directly, at Ruuvan's back. More speficically, his shoulder. Where he lunged forward, and in a blur of stealthy silent black aimed to bury the short blade completely.