End of an Era [Nako >>]

[carcinoGeneticist]

The sight of blood gushing from the rival Jack's nose made Vikenti smile to himself. It wasn't the first time he'd taught the boy a much-deserved lesson, and he intended to teach him a few more before this was all done. Yes, Vikenti was waiting to be bested - but that didn't mean he was going to make things easier on Aleah. After all, the boy needed to learn. Their Warren was the best in all the lands (at least, that was how Vikenti's pride saw it), and it would need a strong defense.

This was just a means of preparing the boy for what was to come. It was also the only way that the Jack's soul could really be at rest.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as Aleah recovered from the blow, turning to face the other man and fingering the shaft of his weapon. Such a trusty thing. With the years of practice Vikenti had in using it, he moved with it as if it was as much an extension of his body as Aleah did with his claws and razor. As the younger darted forward, Vikenti adjusted his grip on the weapon and spun it in a sharp downward jerk, aiming the blade low enough that a proper parry would be difficult.

Whatever advantage Aleah had in number of weapons, Vikenti had in range. There was time for Aleah to see the swing and he span to avoid the blade, but it wasn't fast enough to completely avoid the entire swing.

The blade sliced down, possibly nicking the other Jack's chest and its shaft slamming down hard against Aleah's forearms. Vikenti paused for a fraction of a second before aiming a powerful kick directly at the younger Jack, grunting quietly with the force of it.

[Nako]

An annoyed hiss escaped Aleah's mouth as the pain lanced across his chest, forming a gash that mimicked the false ones across his neck. The true pain was the blunt one across his arms. He hadn't expected it, and his grip compulsively loosened on his much coveted weapon. Damnit!

Stooping to get it was out of the question. He staggered back as the tail end of Vikenti's kick caught him in the chest, winding him slightly and knocking him back. He squared himself, gathering his wits and sizing up the man again. He needed to get Vikenti out of his comfort zone. He was a solid enough wall with an impressive reach with that weapon. Aleah's almost playful demeanor was quickly melting away and a grimace crossed his muzzle. He spat the blood that had accumulated in his throat out onto the ground.

Playtime was over.

Aleah lunged once again, his youth an asset that fueled his thin body as he moved within range of that damned pike. The tip still stuck in the ground, Vikenti was swinging it up with a spray of dirt and grass. Aleah's claws were out in an instant, ducking under the blade and using the blunt end of his claws to slam the weapon upward with all of his might.

And the blunt end of that very pike was coming at his face. Dodge. A swing of his blades at Vikenti's torso only to be intercepted by the blade of the pike. Sparks flew as blades met steel. Blade, pommel, blade, pommel. A spinning motion of the weapon that was dodged or deflected in such a flurry that it could hardly be made out to any onlookers. No true contact was made before Aleah jumped back again. His chest was beginning to rise and fall more rapidly as a true exertion finally began to kick in.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Even with his enemy disarmed, Aleah was still quite a threat to Vikenti. A single kick could finish the fight, but the Czar realized that his son had still not come to terms with the final goal in this matchup. He would discover it in time.

But there was no time for thought.

For the first time since Aleah had reappeared in the Warren, Vikenti sensed real moxie in the boy. He laughed out loud at the sudden flurry of blows, only years of experience letting him meet each of Aleah's deadly slashes with the steel of his own weapon. The speed of their movements was difficult for the elder Jack to keep up with, and he knew that if this went on for too much longer he would let down his guard at least once. But for now, in a strange way, he was almost enjoying himself. Things had been peaceful for far too long. Every blow he managed to parry was returned, and he was delighted to find that his son was able to keep up with the exchange.

Finally, the rush of blows came to an end, and Aleah regained his composure. Not quickly enough, for as his feet hit the ground again, the larger Highlander charged forward, thrusting forward with the pointed tip of his weapon. If Aleah used his claws to deflect that threat, as Vikenti hoped would happen, the boy would find the Czar's shoulder slamming into his body, all of the man's weight behind the charge.

[Nako]

Aleah would probably never admit it, but he hadn't expected the sudden rush toward him by the older Jack. Every fiber in him told him he should have, though. Especially after the flurry of blows he'd sent the Czar's way.

Deflect? Vikenti was going far too fast for Aleah to want to be in that man's way at all His eyes widened with no small amount of alarm before hopping off to the side, avoiding being lanced by the weapon. He'd been making all the attacks so far, but now things were picking up. They were truly fighting now, and all bets were off.

He spun off to the side, almost pirouetting as his body twisted full circle with all the force he could muster. The back of his hand flung out with the force of his motion, aiming for what would be a hell of a painful backhand at the Czar's head. With the weight of his claws, it would be more like a punch if it connected.

[carcinoGeneticist]

With Vikenti's forward momentum, it was impossible for him to actually stop in time. All he could do was attempt to redirect the force of his charge, which he did by planting a foot and spinning around in a rather uncontrolled sweep, the blade of his weapon pointed directly at Aleah.

There was no more time for play, now. The rush of their battle was leaving the older Jack feeling tired and strained, his heart beating erratically in his chest. There was no way this was going to end with anything less than a proper death - he would not die of a heart attack, before he'd fully tested his son. Pure willpower and spite would keep Vikenti going if it came to that. He had been unable to see Aleah's own movement until it was too late, and he spun right into the blow.

The hand smacked into his face, claws hitting hard enough to actually split the skin below the Czar's eye. He managed to follow through with his own swing, but only because of his earlier momentum. Vikenti let out a bellow that was somewhere between pain and rage, staggering to regain his balance. Shit. All he could do was hope that his hit connected, giving him time to recover.

[Nako]

Unaware of the Czar's strain, Aleah was completely in the moment of just surviving. The sound of the older Jack's howl of pain was strangely satisfying, but it was a satisfaction short lived as a searing burn cut into his shoulder. The awkward swing had come up over, missing his spine and instead come to cut into the flesh. Mostly superficial but ultimately painful. The smell of burned flesh and fur stung his nostrils as the weapon worked its telltale magic.

Damn. That had been close.. but not because the Czar had intentionally missed. The only reason that blade wasn't sunk into his back was because his swing had connected. The young Jack was slowly beginning to feel the gravity of the situation, and while the older Highland's heart beat erratically, Aleah's own heart was pumping fast and hard with adrenaline, fear, and delight. Delight? He was enjoying this fight? He knew the steely taste of fear in his mouth, but something about fear tasted so much sweeter on the tongue when one wasn't a helpless leveret. No wonder his father missed the wars.

He curled away from the blade and worked to put some distance between himself and the Czar, but not before attempting a swift knee kick into his side.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The smell of burning flesh that filled the air was almost painful, but Vikenti took it for what it was: evidence that he'd managed to land some sort of a blow on his opponent. That was a small victory for the aging Jack, his pride as bruised as his face would be in a few short minutes. He sucked in a deep breath and retracted his weapon, managing to catch his balance by jamming the butt of the pike into the ground - but only just barely.

His body was beginning to fail him. That was painfully obvious to the Jack, who knew that he should be able to recover much quickly than this. He had just managed to get his feet under him when the much swifter Aleah managed to land a blow into his side, the impact driving the air out of Vikenti's lungs. He crumpled, barely catching himself on his knee, wheezing and holding his side. Aleah's foot caught the pike, tossing it out of the Jack's grip and taking away the strongest support that the man had. His body protested his attempts at breathing, and a feeble cough left him.

Damn it, damn it! He willed himself to stand, but he could not make it happen. Not just yet, not without his weapon as a sturdy balancing force. Bright golden eyes were raised upwards to the other Jack, shining with defiance. But the face that surrounded those eyes was weak, the face of an old man who could barely catch his breath. "Aleah,[/b]" Vikenti spoke softly, then coughed again, hard enough that he was forced to lower his head. The strength was returning to him, but it was happening slowly.

If Aleah had understood by now... This would finally be over.

If not, there was still energy in him. He would show the boy. One way or another, he would have to.

[Nako]

Startled. He was genuinely startled when Vikenti crumpled so easily. His eyes widened as the man fell to one knee, his pike his only support. It had taken a half breath of hesitation before he'd given the pike a swift kick out of the man's hand. It had flown out far too easily. His ears pinned against his head.

Had he won? Vikenti looked as if he could barely stand. He felt as if he should be proud but somehow… it wasn't about that. Not at that moment. Vikenti stared up at him with the fierceness and pride of a wounded jujub. No.. fiercer and prouder than that. But his body seemed to be…. failing him. The hard look of a man fighting for his life had softened. Aleah looked concerned.

"Father…" He took a hesitant step toward the man, guard lowered in that moment. With the man's weapon kicked out of his reach, he was lured into a false sense that it was over. That he'd won. And that his former Jack and stern father…. was ill. His tail flicked with uncertainty.

[carcinoGeneticist]

One of Vikenti's ears twitched as he waited.

He could see from Aleah's movements that he did not understand yet what he was expected to do for his Father-Jack. The Czar's body was weak, too weak. It disgusted his mind, and even now he rejected it. He had wanted to finish this without Aleah being any the wiser that the proud Vikenti was in a weakened physical state to begin with. His lungs were burning, protesting every breath that he forced into them. His ear twitched again, the tone of the boy's statement finally registering with him. There was pity there, pity that made his stomach twist with outrage.

No. This wasn't how this was going to end.

The rage was a good motivator, making up for the shortcomings of his body. The larger Jack shot up suddenly with a roar of fury, hand curled into a tight fist that connected squarely with Aleah's jaw. "Spare me your pity, boy![/b]" He roared, his other hand joining the first in the pummeling of the other Highlander. "If you can't kill a weak old man, then you don't deserve his title![/b]" He punched indiscriminately, not really caring if the blows connected and where they connected when they did.

He was just... so damn tired.

[Nako]

The punch to his jaw caused the smaller Jack to stagger backwards, head swinging back slack before his body whiplashed back to receive yet another blow. Another grazed him against to cheek while another one shot him square in the collarbone, where he felt the bone give way. A searing pain went down his left arm, but he hardly noticed it. Another blow to his shoulder. Then his side.

He took the assault. Almost welcomed it. The pain was hardly registered when his mind was what was truly on fire.

The Czar was dying. This was as much a mercy killing as it was a fight. And like a dying bandersnatch, the Jack was now lashing out, face twisted with rage and pain as he, in his own way, was begging his son for release from this world. Death.

He had to kill his father.

He had to.

Aleah suddenly screamed, a feral outburst of sorrow, pain and utter rage as his good arm swung up, lurching his body toward the larger Highlander as his claws met flesh.

Sunk in to his fingertips, blood gushed down his hand as every one of his fingers save for the thumb imbedded themselves into the Jack's diaphragm.

His protesting left arm was brought up, both ends of his snapped clavicle creaking against one another in a sickly fashion as he pulled the Jack to him, ignoring any fleeting punches of protest of the embrace.

"I don't pity you, you stupid bastard…" Aleah cried out hoarsely, voice cracking with emotion. "You are not weak. You were never weak…"