The Shadows Move With Us

Chapter 4

 When he came back down, he tucked himself into a roll and snatched his second weapon back up before locking them together in an X above his head just as Errden came back down on him with her sword. Dragging her sword down, sparks flew as she freed her weapon and jabbed at him, his knife keeping the lethal blade away from carving up his chest with skilled parries that he was having to stay at his best to keep up. She wasn't letting him have a moment to himself, his earlier taunt seeming to have worked too well as she was pressing her attack quicke. She had lost the smug look on her face, now replaced with focus with no small amount of indignation. It was clear that she didn't care whether or not she subdued or killed him, one seeming to be equal to the other in her mind.  He was something she had not encountered before though, a man who could not only hold his own against her, but do so while wounded and keep her and the metallic beast at bay. 

He kicked her away from her after forcing the green tinted blade away from his face, his foot finding purchase in her abdomen to force the separation with just enough to send her flying back a couple feet. By now Ozul had a chance to actually get his bearings, the dark skinned male finding that they were actually in a cul-de-sac. There were a couple trees here and there, surrounded by a semi-ring of stone that led to small garden's and what not, but not many. The buildings around them were a mixture of stone and metal, many of which had doors that were decorated with symbols denoting which primal element of magic was dominant in the household. Fire, Water, Water again, Earth next....it went on for a couple more houses before leading to the way out to the street. Unfortunately for him, the metallic canine was standing directly in the middle of this path, hackles up and claws scraping across the ground while it stared at him with a featureless face that split sideways to reveal a maw of precise curved teeth that could rend flesh from bone just as easily as it's claws. It was cut up along it's side and across it's head, his eyes able to pick out several gears whirring and spinning in its forehead. Another curse before he glanced back at the Elf, flexing his fingers against the knife's handle. She was opposite of the beast, ready to pounce upon him at the same time. Her decorative armor was cut in several places, one deep enough to allow one to see the blood running down her arm.  All he could think of was how he didn't wish to be here anymore, how he just wanted to get back to his place and rest and not worry about fighting anyone for a little while. Steeling himself as blood dripped down his side and stained his clothes, he felt a tugging in his gut that he hadn't had since that night.

 It was slight at first, a twinge crossing his face as he grit his teeth once more when it slowly got stronger. As he closed his eyes and seemed to lower his blades, both of his opponents began getting closer as they sensed their prey seemingly getting weaker. This ,however, was not the case. If they had paid attention, the tendrils of black and grey mist beginning to crawl across the ground towards Ozul would not have gone unnoticed. They would have noticed that his fingers seemed to be splayed against his sides as the area around them got slowly get darker as if a cloud had gotten in the way.....but most of all, Errden would have seen the slightest little gasp escape his lips as he lifted his head up and his jaw relaxed. Instead, as both elf and forged creation leaped into the air to bring down their retribution upon him, they were greeted with a blast of black power that sent each one tumbling to the far sides of the decently spaced area. One slammed into the wall of one building and didn't get up, and the other was tossed into the boughs of one of the larger trees around the Cul-de- sac. 

Errden dropped from the tree with her sword at the ready, landing light upon her feet as her eyes narrowed at the magic user in front of her. Ozul was now standing tall, his body no longer showing signs of exhaustion or pain as she looked over his face. His eyes were closed, hands extended down at the ground as those tendrils of smoke wrapped around his fingers and coiled up his arms to soak into his body. It was almost as if he were clearing the air much like a filter would, though it hadn't gotten any lighter from before. Her eyes followed the many tendrils that seemed to glow with a blue-ish light emanating from the inside of each one, much like flexible pipes. Her gaze was led up the side of one of the buildings to find a majority of the smoke coming from a gaping hole in it's side, a fire having broken out and sending a steady stream of smoke up into the air. This explained the darkening of the area around them, this realization forcing her attention down towards him once more as she lifted her sword in preparation to charge him.