The Edge Of Space

Chapter 10 - Verilik.

The man emerged from the alleyway covered in blood. In his left hand, he held the hair of the bartender that gave Vontaine the name.

The man laughed and threw the head down to Vontaine's feet.

"That's your doing, if you weren't asking questions, he wouldn't be dead," the man laughed as he pulled two katanas out of their sheaths.

"We would never do this to innocent people!" Merca snapped, her blades getting sharper by the second.

"But you did, meddling in shit your not supposed to, should have kept your hands clean because now I gotta cut 'em off!" the man yelled running at Vontaine.

He prepared himself as the man closed the gap between them, knuckle busters ready. Merca moved in close to Vontaine, her blades ready to intercept any dirty tricks.

When suddenly the man vanished, leaving in his place a swirl of dirt.

*what the* Vontaine thought looking around frantically.

They turned their backs to each other gaining a defensive advantage.

When suddenly out of the corner of her eye, Merca saw the man moving at rapid speed flying towards her, katanas ready to Slash.

She threw her blades up in front of her body, blocking the attack.

His blades made contact with hers, making a ferocious scraping sound as sparks flew.

Vontaine quickly wheeled around and send a fist at the man's head to no avail, he dodged with ease disappearing again.

"We're sitting ducks if we stay in the one place, this guy's too fast," Vontaine whispered.

"What's the plan?" She replied searching their surroundings.

"let's move to the rooftops, he may be slower up there," Vontaine said jumping up to the roof of a nearby building, Merca following close behind.

"Tryna get away from me aye!?" The man's voice came from their left, Vontaine instantly turned to see him rushing in.
*Just gotta grab him* he thought as more of his flesh morphed into machinery.
His entire arms now changed to synthetic muscle, armour plates and reinforced shoulders.

The attacker grew closer in seconds as Vontaine moved slightly to the right, his arms ready to grab at the man's wrists.

Once he got in range Vontaine grabbed at the man but he dodged it again, this time his katana made contact with Vontaine's flesh slashing his across the chest as he flew past.

"Ahh, shit" Vontaine reeled, seeing blood seep out of his wound.

"Don't worry I got him?" Merca said as she ran closer to Vontaine.

"What?" He asked in shock looking at where the man had landed.

He stood still for a while then turned to them. A giant cut ran across his body from his chest down to his left foot.

"Good hit," he said before disappearing again.

"What? I was sure the cut ran deep" Merca cursed in shock.

"Dont worry, at least we know our attacks have some effect," Vontaine said as the man came back, sprinting across the rooftops toward him.

"This guy doesn't give up," Merca snapped morphing her blades into separated claws.

Suddenly he lashed at Vontaine who grabbed the blades with his metal hands, slashing at his cybernetic limbs had barely any effect at all. He gripped tightly around the blades refusing to let go.