DW tournament: Alvaro versus Ranyx!

"My, my!"
The man gave an astonished look to his surroundings, his eyebrows raised. Despite the casual tone in which he uttered those two words and the calm, though not unimpressed look on his face, his head was working quickly, and he found himself, before he could even think of stopping it, murmuring his thoughts as he carefully took one step before the other.
"What have we here...."
His eyes grazed the once white walls of something, which might or might not have been a house. He ran his dark fingersover the surface, but the dark red brownish thing stayed on the wall, as though it belonged to the stone.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it might even be...."
Against his better knowledge, he licked his glove, but tasted nothing of whatever he had just touched, just the leather. Well, to be fair, it was a very dominant taste.
How had he gotten here? It seemed to be a dream, but he could not, in any way, imagine why he would dream up... this. A sharp, cold wind blew through the streets, made his coat swing in a, if he might say so himself, most elegant manner.
He found himself kneeling, inspecting the ground. Let the white dust run through his fingers. It wasn't snow, that was for sure, but it wasn't sand either... It was.... dust. Like powdered bones. Snow white and soft to the touch. His thoughts went through the numerous poisons looking remotely like this, but now why should he dream up a desert, if that was what it was, of poison? Then again, why would he dream up anything not involving at least one breathtakingly wonderful companion? His dreams normally followed a kind of pattern, and it didn't involve ruins smeared with... something that looked like long dried blood, deserts of whatever-it-was, or purple skies. Well, all right, some did involve purple skies, but those were normally for romantic effects, while the ones he was looking at here were.... terrifying. And, if he might add so to himself, by himself: "Horribly beautiful.... What dark elegance. Why, there surely must be someone bewitching me, or else I wouldn't dream up something as horrifying and wonderful."
Then, listening to his own words, it struck him: He was not alone!
And whoever was here with him was coming closer. Before, the silence had been dead, but as someone who spend most of his time trying not to be found, this man had gotten a certain... sense for when someone was nearby. And right now, someone had appeared.
Normally, such a thought would make him glad, for that meant he wasn't alone any longer, but this didn't seem like the place for a nice bit of small talk. Deserts of crushed bones, poison or whatever else the substance was, ghosttowns and ominous skies were all the way up on his list of "Stay away!" places, right after heavily guarded mansions and marine bases. And persons in "Stay away!" places were normally not very nice.
Out of reflex and experience, he dived behind one of the old ruins walls, the most shadowy place he could see, and waited. Damn his dark clothing and skin. He'd stick out the moment he stepped out of his hiding place..... That was, if he gave his new guest time to notice him.

Someone was stumbling about, cursing lightly and stretching, as well as nursing his rear end. "I swear, that is the last damn time I let Gael convince me and Ti'ar to..." He was about to finish his sentence, but he stopped before hand. He knew he could never win against Gael. Especially not in an argument. It was only after the apparent pain had faded that Ranyx noticed his surroundings. "Okay... never seen a place like this before... that's really blasted odd." He looked up at the sky - what a sickening looking color. "What the..." He then nearly tripped into a big pile of white stuff. "Oh my... what happened here?" He tried to grab the stuff, but it simply fell through his fingers. Like... dust. White, almost bone white, dust. He needed to stop himself from puking.

And there were buildings here too... he was about to investigate when he heard the rustle of movement and whipped toward the sound. "Hello? Anyone there?" He called, making a makeshift megaphone with his hands to amplify his voice. He waited for a response, his body unnoticeably tensing in case he was ambushed... he didn't know where he was, and he REALLY didn't know if it was safe.

((Oh god, this reminds me of the Imperial Warren from the Malazan Book of the Fallen... I'm LOVING it.))

He had been heard.... What fine senses this newly arrived man must have...
Alvaro's head was aching. Rarely was he in a situation like this. He was at the absolute disadvantage, why with him depending on not being seen. If he moved, he'd give up his safe position. If he didn't, then this visitor (he had already claimed this place as his possession) would surely find him sooner or later. And then there was the question wether or not this man was actually hostile.... Though it didn't really matter, it was better to avoid a fight, seeing as the circumstances were.... special.
There was really no better way to explain it. He let all this go through his mind, then took a quick decision. If this man was hostile, and he didn't aggress now, he'd be at the disadvantage, but if this man was friendly, then he'd be the only one in who knows how far, and Alvaro was a very social person. He had started feeling lonely already. Soooo....
He slowly drew his short sword. No reason to go overboard. He'd just have to find out whether this person was a fighter, and aggressive. Not actually fight to kill. Especially since there wasn't any payment.
He jumped out of his hiding place, barely more than a shadow. This was his top speed, or at least almost his top speed, and he was certain only a very skilled fighter could avoid being hit.
Of course, he wasn't aiming to kill or even injure his newfound companion, but a little intimidation couldn't hurt. Pushing him to the ground would do... threatening him a bit, finding out what he was doing here, then deciding what was to be done next.
Some of the white... stuff flew up when he pushed himself off the ground and leaped towards the man. They'd most likely both be down, but he'd be over his opponent, and in his experience, that was better than being under said adversary. Unless, of course, his opponent somehow dodged. Then he'd have to start all over.

Ranyx heard something else, a light scuffling sound. Maybe... the thing he had heard was really shy. "Hey, I'm not going to..." Ranyx never managed to finish his sentence, as he caught something dashing at him out of the corner of his eye. He turned to try to see what it was, and that movement saved him from bodily harm. Well, to be honest, not all harm. The moving object collided with him, knocking him back and into the dust. He looked up at the object, and realized it was a man. A rather handsome man, at that, holding... was that a freaking sword? "Woah! What the heck? I didn't do anything!" Yet. Unless, of course, this man was extremely territorial or something. "Aaah, sorry, am I on your property?" Ranyx scooted back a bit and then tried to stand up.

((Agh, both of our characters are flirtatious gentlemen (well, one gentleman and one very polite fellow) who have interests in the same gender. How will we actually get them to FIGHT?))

Hmmm, good reflexes.
If the man was able to use them to aggress, then he could be in trouble. But that thought was pushed back a little. He had been curious about what kind of person would be at a place like this, and now he actually got a good look at them.
His dark brown eyes took in the stranger's dark hair, light skin and muscles. A fighter. And not too shabby looking. But a threat was a threat. That was, if this man was actually a threat, and he didn't look like one, why with him scooting away from him all apologetically. No, he was either a good actor, or he really didn't want any trouble.
"I must say I am so sorry, I did not mean to harm you, my acts were solely intended for self defense."
If he could avoid a fight, then he sure would. He wasn't getting paid for being here or killing this person.
Slowly, he stood up and dusted off his pants a bit before bowing down to the stranger, who was trying to stand up and offering a hand. Of course the fellow would be able to stand up by himself, but it was basic manners. One could say it was basic manners not to jump on people as well, but.... whatever.
"If I may introduce myself, my name is Alvaro Del Bosque. And no, you are not, in fact, on my property... Unless, of course, you're saying you want to be, which would be a different matter completely. Now, if I might ask..."
He was still holding his sword, just in case, but had the decency to hide it behind his back a bit. On his face, there was his usual smile. No need to be too rude, even to a possible opponent.
"Who are you?"

((Exactly! It's horrible. And wonderful. Horribly wonderful!))

Huh, misunderstanding, it seemed. "Fair enough, sir. Everyone just wants to feel safe, I understand completely." He accepted the man's hand, even though he really didn't need it. "I'm sorry if I scared you somehow... I was... occupied... by my boyfriend and then... I don't have a clue what happened." He opened his hands suddenly. "POOF. I'm here. And I doubt he'd have brought me here..." He then shrugged. "Anyway, I've been blathering for far too long, and I haven't even given my name." He bowed politely and said, "My name is Ranyx Hadmeas. I'm glad to make your acquaintance." With a light smile on his face, he took a closer look at his new companion. He was handsome, to be sure, and his fascination with leather clothing was a good fit for him. "I must say, Alvaro, your taste is impeccable." He folded his arms and his smile broadened. "Have you any idea where we might be, sir?"

((I have a suggestion for a solution. Timeskip us having a nice conversation, and eventually coming to the realization that it doesn't feel like the real world. Then maybe a theory that they're sleeping, and then jump to dying/forced unconsciousness as a way to wake up... then a gentlemanly contest to see who should go first. Something like that, maybe.))

Oh, quite a charmer, this one was.
"Charmed, that's for sure. And may I say, your boyfriend is a lucky man to have someone such as you by his side."
It wasn't even a lie. His companion seemed well mannered, not to mention not too shabby looking. And his taste in clothes was, though lacking a bit in elegance, certainly good.
He returned the smile with one of his own, then turned away from his companion, Ranyx, what a strange name, and looked around them once more, even though he had already inspected their surroundings.
"I was actually hoping your arrival would give me some elightenment to those quetsions, but no such luck, it seems."
He still had his sword in his hand, just in case.
"Why, I would have almost thought it was heaven, until I recalled what it looked like to the people who invented it. Believe it or not, the place I was before is much worse.... Much, much worse."
He wanted to leave it at that for now. No reason to spit out every personal detail.
"Well, since we are here, we might as well use our time wisely. To me it seems this village, if that is what it was, was located in a desert... Unless, of course, you see anything in the distance looking remotely different from this... sand..."

((Wanna go for my idea? Or do you have something planned?))

Ranyx blushed a little bit, grinning before rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "No, really, you flatter me, Alvaro. I'm the lucky one, really." He walked forward to stand beside Alvaro, his hands going into his pants pockets. "Well, Alvaro, I will tell you that I am much older than I appear, and in all my years, I have never seen a sky like this... except perhaps in dreams." Or nightmares. Either made sense. "Hah, a gentleman like you? I can't possibly imagine a reason for you to be placed in a more... disturbing location than this." He then looked around. "I could get a bird's eye view for you, if you'd like. I'll scope out the surroundings, if you have no objections."

(Let's go with your idea, I don't have any plans.)

"What?"
Alvaro said, with obviously fake shock in his voice.
"You're not twenty five any more? My heart... it breaks..."
Grasping his chest with one hand, Alvaro acted out his immense pain at the thought of this man being older that him, much older. How bad could it be? Alvaro himself was in his late twenties, Ranyx looked about thirty, so he was... what? Thirty five? Fourty maybe? Certainly not more than fourty five.
He carefully avoided answering the implicated question about the own personal hell he had until recently been caught in and skipped right on to the next thing Ranyx said. To think he'd offer to show his abilities before a fight by his own free will..... Was he planning something, perhaps? Well, Alvaro wasn't the one to turn down an advantage when it was so openly offered to him, but he would have to be on guard. Though, as he though to himself, if that blush back then was the real thing, and not just some extremely good acting, he already had an advantage. A very welcome advantage.
"Are you a devilfruit user, then? Will you grow wings, fly up into the sky like an angel? If you want to, certainly. Just don't forget to come back down here, it would be a shame to lose such a delightful companion."
He hesistated. If he had the ability to fly, and saw that sky up there.... Well, it certainly wouldn't be his first bad choice, but....
"And perhaps... you should be careful. Those clouds do not look exactly welcoming, I would almost say dangerous. Not that I do not trust your abilities, but I have seen better men die for less, and I really do not want you to throw your life away for something as stupid as that. You might still need it. And so do others."
That had been deep. But the man was good material. Charming, mild mannered, goodlooking, and strong as well, it seemed. It would even have been a shame to lose such a being if he would get payed for it.

Ranyx chuckled. This Alvaro had quite the sense of humor. He then shrugged in response to Alvaro's question regarding the Devil Fruit. "Nah, it doesn't do that that, Alvaro... it does this." Ranyx seemed to disappear, and Alvaro quickly felt some sort of tug on his coat. Where the elder Ranyx used to stand, a six year old stood instead. "Ah can do thish..." the child said before sticking his thumb into his mouth, and then the child changed. A teenager stood in his place, quickly removing his thumb from his mouth. "Practically every age I've ever had is accessible to me." The teenager grew once more, to someone who looked like he was just getting out of his college years. "Luckily, I look different enough to get places where I couldn't normally." Another change, and he looked in his late thirties, exactly like before. "I won't go to my real age... I'm afraid I'm gonna turn into dust." He shook his head. "Anyway, I'll go and take a look around. I'll be fine." He crouched, and then shot into the air, spinning as he went. He took advantage of his spinning momentum to look over half of the area, and used Geppou to help him scan the rest of the horizon. Just... white. White dust, white dust, those creepy buildings, and what else was that? Oh yeah, white dust.

He let himself fall, hitting the ground with a thump - and then feeling the dust slide out from underneath him. He fell face first, barely able to protect himself by extending his elbows and performing Tekkai. "There's nothing around us for miles... I've never seen anything like this." He rolled so that he was on his back and looking up at Alvaro, his hands moving to create a little nest for the back of his head. "Well, we seem to be stuck here for some reason neither of us knows. What next?"

This was certainly... interesting. And explained a lot.
Alvaro quietly shook his head, smiling. That devilfruit was quite a thing, indeed, but seemed about useless in a fight. But that jump... If he was not completely mistaken, there was some Rokushiki mixed in there. Bad. Or good. It depended on what he made of this man.
"Impressive. Rokushiki, I presume? Truly impressive."
Alvaro himself had never learned Rokushiki, nor did he see why. Killing people in their sleep did not necessarily need the ability to walk over air or harden the body... Though disappearing into thin air would be useful, most likely....
"Though it is truly disappointing that this really is as big a place as it looks."
Finally, he sheathed his sword. He did not want to appear an enemy, in a fight face to face, there was a possibility of him losing. After all, he was just a human with a lot of weapons and a trained body. Ranyx was a devilfruit user with rokushiki.
He would have offered him a hand, but it did not look like he wanted to stand up. So he kneeled down next to him instead, not letting him out of his eyes for a second.
"However much I appreciate not being in the place I was before, and on top of that being in your company, I do not think we can stay here. So let's ask ourselves: Where are we? How did we get here? Most importantly: How do we get out of here...."
Unless this was some new form of torture and the guards had carried him here in his sleep, Alvaro did not know what this could be... Unless...
Alvaro looked at the buldings, at the sand and the sky.
"Ranyx, have you ever seen anything like this, anywhere?"

Ranyx sighed and shook his head. "Not a chance. Not while I'm awake, anyway. Ti'ar and I were... entertaining ourselves at our usual meeting place, and after said... entertainment was concluded, I found myself here. Not exactly sure what happened." Then he remembered what Alvaro said about Rokushiki, "Aw, thanks, Alvaro. I appreciate it. Rokushiki was my pride and joy when I first began using it, and I'm glad it's persisted all these years." Ranyx moved his right hand out from underneath his head and twirled his pointer finger in a circle. "Who knows? We both seem to have just appeared here, as if we were..." He stopped, his finger freezing in midair. He sat up suddenly. "Of course. We're dreaming. How didn't I realize this sooner?" Oh, but that was problematic. Though he knew he was dreaming, his attempts to summon Ti'ar or Gael to his position were failing. He wasn't dreaming lucidly, but he was aware of his condition. "This is odd. No control over it... and I can't seem to wake myself up." That meant... there was only one way to wake up.

"Shit. I think I know how to get out of here, but it's not pretty..." Either death or something that felt like death. Unconsciousness would work, perhaps... but only if he was right.

"Entertainment, huh?"
A smirk appeared on his face, the devious kind. He could stop himself from saying something along the lines of: Let me join in next time, and instead just chuckled.
Haah, it had been a long time. Impel Down was a nasty place to stay, no romance, no beauty, no chance for entertainment. Then again, this wasn't Impel Down anymore, and he needed to focus on that for now.
"A dream, you say..."
It certainly did make sense.
"And you're implying that..."
Alvaro knew when someone was implying a readiness to have some fun with him, and he knew when someone was implying something to do with death. This was the latter, sadly.
Though he was ready to kill Ranyx, it seemed a waste to him that he'd lose a companion and be alone again... And he really didn't want to leave just yet, either. Better no companion than those in the cell opposite from his. And better this world than the one he had been in those last few weeks. Had it been weeks? Months? Maybe it had just been days...
"So, should I do it? I understand that you have better things to do than waste your time here. I, on the other side, might just be better off staying. And when it comes to such things, I am a professional, it will be quick and painless.... Or maybe you want to decide this some other way?"

Ranyx shrugged. "Well, I'm thinking that something that FEELS like it might work too. I've found it hard to kill others recently... Gael must be rubbing off on me." He managed to get to his feet. "Since there are no real repercussions for anything we do in here, I'd like to request something: a gentlemanly duel." Then Ranyx chuckled. "Well, to be honest, just a regular old fight. The one who wins just has to wake himself up his own way. I'll probably age myself into dust." He suddenly seemed apologetic, "But only if you wanna do it that way."

Ah, so that was what it all came down to?
"I must admit, I'd have prefered an assasination, but if you want to face me in face to face combat instead..."
He grabbed his short sword again and got into fighting stance. He didn't necessarily want to win this. But if he lost, it was back to Impel down. To tell the truth, he didn't even plan to end himself if he won... Later, maybe.
"Have at me, then."
It was unusual for him to let his opponent get the first hit, but he felt this man had deserved it. Also, when Ranyx was attacking and not minding his defense, it'd be easier for Alvaro to find weak points.

((Shit! I've been reading Shortpacked so much that it's absorbed my life, I'm so sorry!))

Ranyx smiled and shrugged. "Everyone's comfortable with what they're used to." He tugged on the edge of his glove, making sure it was on nice and snugly. "And a fair warning. I hit hard. Very, very hard." He then took a deep breath, "Tekkai Kenpo!" With his body hardened by Tekkai and still able to move, Ranyx became a very dangerous opponent. He stepped forward and then lunged, attempting to catch Alvaro with a sudden change of speed. His fist lashed out, and since he didn't want to screw up Alvaro's face - no doubt he'd need that later - he aimed the crushing blow for his shoulder.

Woah! Surprisingly fast!
Maybe leaving the first hit to his opponent hadn't been such a hot idea after all. Alvaro jumped aside as quickly as he could, the fist of his opponent barely missing him... That had been close! That was why he preferred assassinations! The people he fought rarely fought back most of the time.
He felt the ground under his feet again, and hesistated not a moment. He had gotten a bit of distance between them, and if he wanted to win this, maybe he should focus on not getting any closer.
The knives in his hand gleamed darkly, mirrored the clouds as he threw them at his opponent. They made a slight swishing sound in the air.

Ranyx was not too surprised that Alvaro had managed to evade his punch: Alvaro was an assassin after all... or so he implied. Assassins needed agility and speed to do their job properly, or they'd die pretty quickly. And since Alvaro obviously wasn't dead... well, you could guess Ranyx's line of reasoning. And speedy Alvaro certainly was... Ranyx swore he hadn't had those knives like, two seconds ago. Ranyx twisted, hoping he could avoid the knives. Luckily, he managed to dodge all but one. However, that one happened to hit him in the side, somewhere near the stomach. Ranyx's Tekkai had been enough to stop it from getting all the way through, but still - it hurt. "Alvaro, you've got some pretty good aim with those knives! I'm impressed!" And he certainly was: there were a lot of idiots who thought they knew how to throw a knife, and it usually got them killed.

"I'd see about learning some Rokushiki, if you haven't already. It's damn useful, as shown... here." Ranyx pulled out the knife and threw it at the ground, letting it embed itself where it landed. He then leaped into the air, doing a mid-air somersault and launching a large Rankyaku at Alvaro, hoping the man would be able to dodge. Maybe he should try to stick to Tekkai Kenpo...

Damn that rokushiki. he had actually been able to hit him, and then.... then that damn rokushiki technique had gotten in the way.
Nah, to tell the truth, he wasn't mad about it. Actually, he was a bit relieved. It would be quite a shame if the theory his charming companion had put up proved to be false, and he ended up killing him. Then again, it'd be even more of a shame to get himself killed.
And that was what would happen if that thing hit him.
Where to dodge? To the side lacked style if it was done twice, up would mean taking a huge risk. Sure, he wouldn't die but.... some could argue that what'd happen to him if he got out of here wasn't really preferable to having his existence ended right now.
His hand reached for his belt, or, more precisely, the weapon hanging from it as he leaped to the side, keeping down as much as he could in hopes of avoiding being hit by the deadly kick his opponent had just thrown at him.
He was fast, and he knew he was, but maybe it had been the small splitsecond he had been thinking about style that was to blame for the pain he felt on his shoulderblade. He knew he had gotten hit, and felt something warm on his face, which meant he was bleeding heavily enough for it splashing that far. And then there was the pain. God, he hated being injured. It hurt and blood stains were extremely hard to wash out. But he had no time to complain about that now.
With a loud cracking sound, he let the whip he had grabbed earlier come to use. It wasn't exactly his most efficient weapon, but boy did it have a lot of uses. Like right now, when he was trying to use it to slam his opponent back to the ground. All he had to do was make it wrap around any body part, preferably the ankle, and he'd have the advantage, even though only for a short time.

Ranyx wasn't sure whether to be glad about Alvaro not instantly being bisected by the Rankyaku, or upset that Alvaro was pained. Oh well, it was his fault. And it was also his fault that Alvaro managed to get a WHIP around his ankle. How the hell had that happened? "Alvaro, I swear, you're pulling weaponry almost literally out of your arse at this point." Ranyx tried to untie the whip from around his ankle. Maybe he could get free without yanking Alvaro around with Geppou.

"Everything that could come in handy, dear."
Yup, somtimes even he wonderd how he managed to carry around all that equipment when he was wearing mostly tight leather. The secret? deep pockets! That coat was good for something.
Ranyx wasn't the first one to wonder about it, he definitely wouldn't be the last one.
With both hands, and using all the strenght he could muster, he pulled on the whip, trying to smash his opponent into one of the ruins, or at least make him fall. Anything to get him down and enough time for Alvaro to get this done.

Ranyx smiled. "I can appreciate that." He blushed. "Though, I'd kinda like it if you could avoid that term when we aren't alone. I know some people who are a little... unstable. And prone to violence." While he was talking, Ranyx was blissfully unaware that the whip was bringing him towards the ground. Alarmingly quickly I might add. He tried to get out of the descent, but he smashed into a wall much quicker than he expected. He pulled himself out of the ruins, shaking his hand. He jerked his leg back, hoping to either disarm or pull Alvaro forward. Whichever happened, Ranyx had decided not to use Rankyaku anymore. "Sorry 'bout the whole air blade thing." He flung himself forward, hoping to combine Soru and Shigan into a high-speed bullet at Alvaro's solarplexus.

"If you don't want me to, then I guess I won't..."
Alvaro was throw off by a sudden pull on the whip in his hands. Damn, he tended to forget that this thing worked both ways. The pull would have made him fall, but he instinctively let go of his weapon, something he wouldn't have done otherwise. However, it did make him stumble, and for a second, he lost sight of his opponent. You never, ever lost sight of your opponent!
When he raised his head again, he felt a little shock in him when he realised Ranyx had vanished.
Instinctively, he raised his hands to protect his head from any damage, but only got to his lower ribs when he felt a stinging pain in his lower arm. Knowing how his opponent was able to use rokushiki, it didn't take a lot to figure out what had hit him. His whole body tensed in pain, it was like a bullet, a bullet he was lucky he had stopped, luckily.
"You.... You're lucky this is a dream!"
Or else he wouldn't be able to use that arm again, ever. Not even counting holding a weapon with it now would be totally irresponsible and stupid! He was losing enough blood as it was.
But at least now he could actually use some of his close combat weapons. With his healthy hand, he grabbed his short sword, quickly, but laid more effort into bringing his knee upwards aiming for his opponents abdomen. Just a moment before connecting, he hoped too little time to dodge, or even realise, he slashed at his comrades throat with the short sword.

Ranyx gave Alvaro a shaky grin. "Sorry, Alvaro." Ranyx stepped back, leaning backwards to try to escape the slash. He succeeded, but it managed to cut across his stomach, giving him a not too deep cut, but enough to make him bleed. Ranyx grabbed at his stomach. "I'm sure that since you know of Rokushiki, you know about... the Six King Gun. Funny thing, that," He placed both fists out in front of him. "It was originally meant to be a Shigan on steroids. I'm one of the few, if not the only one, who can do... this... Rokougan!" His muscles bunched, and he fired his Rokougan, and for some reason it didn't disperse before it reached Alvaro. If Alvaro didn't move, it'd be like a half-powered Rokougan had hit him in the stomach.

Damn it!
Alvaros eyes widened a bit as he saw the attack happening. There was no time. No time to move. with this little distance between them, ducking would only lead to him being hit in the head instead, which was hardly favourable, jumping would cost him his safe ground, meaning he could be hit by any possible folowing attack. Not that it mattered, since he didn't really have time to take any such measures. Now, the best way to solve this....
He felt his arms move before even realising what he was doing. The healthy, unhurt one with the blade in his hand under the injured one. Whatever happened to the injured arm, he mustn't let his healthy arm become useless.
He felt the punch, if that was what it was, hit him, it was an unimaginable force, felt his feet leaving the ground as he was blown back, and he realised that damn it, he should have killed this man when he first had the chance to. Like every assassin who wasn't a complete rookie would have.
He didn't know how much of him was actually injured right now, as his feet touched the ground again, his bones cracked and he felt the taste of blood in his mouth. This much, despite his arms shielding him? The one which had been healthy hurt like hell, but the injured one was... much worse. He couldn't feel it at all. He took them down and stood straight again, facing his opponent, his healthy arm grasping his now most likely.... he didn't even want to think about it. The coat and the shirt beneath it had both been ripped to shreds, on both arms, and as he touched his numb arm, he felt the blood running down, felt how it burned from the impact. He didn't look at it. Before speaking, he spit out the blood in his mouth. It would be extremely rude to speak with his mouth full, and he wouldn't have that.
"I am truly impressed, Ranyx. An absolutely astonishing technique...."
More astonishing than anything that had ever hit him, at least. He swore, as soon as he got out of here, which was hopefull still a very long time away, he'd get to practicing Rokushiki. His cell was tiny, and they didn't really give him much free time from being tortured or in a state of fear, but he'd use every second of it for training this.
But right now, his problem was that he might be a weapon master, but Ranyx was a combat master. And having a strong body was most likely worth more than having a lot of weapons to make up for it.
"It's a shame I seem to be unable to do much with my arm anymore..."
He had tried to move his fingers to take the short sword into his hand, but it weighed too much for them to carry. With his mouth, he riped one of the remaining straps of his shirt from his arm, bound it around the swrod and his fingers, a process taking longer than it would have if he had two hands to do it, nigh impossible for anyone whos hands were not as... skillful as his. But in the end, it stayed in his hand, and he could move his arm a bit if he tried.
"You should see my doublehanded swordsplay when I actually have two hands to spare. This way I fear it will be less impressive."
Finally, he reached for the biggest weapon of his arsenal, and this was not one of those time when this was just a figure of speech with the aim of peaking a special someones interest in certain actions. It really was a weapon this time.
It's blade mirrored the darkness of the sky as he pulled the katana out of its sheath. It may not be very impressive to someone such as Ranyx, but to him, it really was the biggest weapon he was to weild. Anything bigger would get in the way, simple as that. It was a fine weapon though, silver with a black hilt. A true work of art, just what he had ordered. It felt wonderful in his hand.
Now with two swords, he decided to take a different route from the head on charge. Though it sure looked like one when he dashed towards his opponent, just as he was but an inch away from him, he changed his course a little so he could reach his back. With the katana, he slashed at Ranyx' chest once more, while bringing the short sword down on his back.