章 106: Closing Gap
Sunday 6th September, 17:55.
Bialya,
Bialyan Desert.
Stepping forward, Aqualad thrust one of his blades forward forcing Esau to lean to one side allowing the blade to miss his neck by a hairsbreadth. Yet Kaldur did not let up, following through with an upward swing with his other hand, Esau was forced to step back to avoid the strike. Seeing this, Kaldur took one step forward, planting his foot firmly against the ground and with his arms crossed over his chest, swung them both back around in slicing motion.
Yet that was when the tail moved, snaking up from behind Esau's back and intercepting the blades midmotion. It then wrapped around his wrists tightly, squeezing with crushing force that made Kaldur grit his teeth as he strained to try and free his arms to no avail. 'Damnit, this increase in strength is making things more difficult.' Though he still held an advantage in strength and speed, Kaldur would not lie that it was disconcerting to see that gap between them being narrowed bit by bit with every passing second.
Esau's growth was continuing the longer the fight dragged on and Kaldur knew it would only be a matter of time before he would begin to get overwhelmed. At that point, the only advantage Kaldur would hold over Esau would be his discipline and should the difference in physical abilities grow then even that advantage would eventually be rendered meaningless.
Kaldur knew he was on a time limit.
How long that was and how long until he reached the red zone Kaldur did not know but he could not afford to waste time.
Glaring out at his berserk friend, Kaldur shifted his footing and using the tail wrapped around his wrists to his advantage, twisted his body and used all of his strength. With a shout of effort, the Atlantean ripped Esau off the ground and swung him up into the air and then straight down into the ground. A massive shockwave erupted out as the ground cratered beneath throwing sand high into the air into a thick plume.
Aqualad was far from done though as he could tell Esau had caught himself on his hands, the tail around his wrists coming loose. But not willing to let this go, he released his grip upon his Water-Bearers letting them fall to the ground and instead grip hold of the tail. There was a single moment in which he could feel his skin being pierced by the thick bristles of the fur, feel the blood seep from his hands and wrists, but he did not care.
He once more picked Esau up into the air and threw him high up into the air.
Not taking a moment he caught his falling Water-Bearers letting the water form into a large hammer as he jumped after Esau. The speeds at which they rocketed off the ground caused the sand plume to disperse as quickly as it had formed allowing Kaldur a clear view of his friend's wildly spinning body in the air. It was an uncontrollable ascent and would be the same for the descent creating the perfect opportunity to strike, just as Kaldur had intended.
Closing in, Kaldur raised his hammer high above his head and as he passed Esau's body, swung it down with all the force he could muster. He could feel the force behind the strike, the air dispersing around them as in a single instance Esau shot down to the ground with such speeds he broke the sound barrier.
When he landed it was like a miniature nuclear explosion erupted outward as once more Kaldur found himself engulfed in a sand plume as he plummeted to the ground below. Despite this though Kaldur did not allow himself a moment to relax as he landed with a roll, quickly getting into a defensive stance as he waited for any sign in the sand for Esau. Unless he had proof that his friend was down for the count, Kaldur would and could not allow himself to lower his guard.
The increase in physical abilities was one worrisome thing.
The inclusion of the tail was another.
Kaldur had been curious about the new switch in style that Esau had shown, his berserk state clearly possessing the skills that Esau had. However, there had been an incomplete element to the new ferocious, bestial style that Esau had fought with. That element Kaldur had initially believed to be a rational state of mind but that was inaccurate.
No.
What was missing was an additional limb.
A prehensile tail.
Now that Esau had it, even without the ability to think and purely running on instinct, the fight had become infinitely more difficult. Certainly, without Esau's mind and ability to think on the fly, Kaldur found it much easier to handle, yet that did not by any means make this berserk Esau easy to handle. Every opening that he had initially seen and been able to capitalise was now being protected by the tail, it also being used in combinations that attacked him from opposite angles.
It was a simplistic use, but entirely practical.
Not to mention that the fur upon the tails could switch between smooth and silky, reducing friction to allow it to ensnare victims like a boa constrictor. To then be sharp, digging into skin making removing it impossible without inflicting severe damage. The magic surrounding the nature of Esau's power only made this fur even more dangerous, enabling it to even pierce his Atlantean skin though while it was only surface level and hardly anything life-threatening, that was still more than most things in this world were capable of.
A sudden movement in the sand made Kaldur spin, parrying the tail with some strain yet it was nothing more than a distraction, Esau bursting out from his other side with a roundhouse kick. Blocking with his forearm, Kaldur was forced to concede a step allowing Esau to come after him with a spinning hook-kick that he leaned back to avoid. Yet continuing with the momentum of his spin Esau unleashed a plethora of blows that Kaldur weathered with the aid of a shield he formed.
Though with one powerful punch the shield shattered and Kaldur was sent skidding backward a few meters.
This brief reprieve did give him enough time to recover though, gripping his Water-Bearers he decided to abandon any weapons, turning the water into gauntlets around his forearms. Leaning to one side, he swung his fist upward landing an uppercut on Esau's jaw before coming around with a left hook that struck him across the cheek.
Esau slid back but came around with a powerful hook of his own that Kaldur parried his own straight jab being slapped to one side by Esau, his tail then coming around to strike him. Yet thanks to his water gauntlets, Kaldur was able to grip the tail tightly without damaging himself and used that to drag Esau straight into his right cross he followed through with, slamming Esau headfirst into the ground. However, Kaldur was unable to continue as a kick struck the back of his head sending him rolling forward.
Getting to his feet, Kaldur spun to grab hold of Esau's outstretched clawed hands aimed to tear him apart. There the two pushed against one another in a contest of strength, both straining their arms as they pitted all their might against one another, feet digging into the ground creating deep groves in the uneven sand below them. Eventually, though Kaldur began to edge out a victory though it was. Hard-fought and Kaldur could tell that his strength advantage was beginning to be eaten away.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kaldur saw Esau's tail coming around, intending to pierce through his side.
Not one to stand there and take it, he stepped back and pulled, the sudden lack of resistance throwing Esau off-balance as Kaldur once more lifted Esau and went to swing him down into the ground. Yet using his tail to right himself in the air, Esau slammed a double-footed stomp to Kaldur's face smashing the Atlantean into the ground while he flipped through the air.
Temporarily, Kaldur saw stars as he felt his nose break upon impact, his head pounding. 'This is not good. I wasn't a hundred percent anyway due to the desert, but the gap between us is only getting smaller and smaller. I can't keep this up much longer.' Spotting Esau rushing toward him, Kaldur rose to his knees, still not fully recovered from the kick to his head leaving him entirely too exposed. 'The others should be here soon. I just need to hold out for a little longer.'
Before Esau was on him, Kaldur was saved by numerous Batarangs intercepting his path each one digging into the ground bringing Esau to a halt. He turned only to be suddenly struck by another handful of Batarangs that exploded upon impact. Kaldur turned seeing a dishevelled, Batgirl with her arms outstretched, giving him a wordless nod.
Kaldur returned it, taking an extra moment to recover before rising to his feet.
Batgirl seeing this quickly rushed to move further back as the smoke cleared to reveal Esau entirely unharmed and his attention firmly fixed upon Batgirl. Yet he did not move, just watching her move before they landed on the figure she was moving behind, Kaldur tensing up as Esau's features twisted.
"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
Out from Esau's mouth, a powerful animalistic roar erupted and with it came an almost concussive amount of roar that cratered the ground beneath which he stood and spread outward from his position. It carried on striking both Kaldur and Batgirl, that latter swept off her feet and sent her careening through the air, landing with such force it left her winded and dazed.
Kaldur himself managed to weather the assault, though he was sent sliding back a few meters, arms raised protectively in front of him. Behind this guard, Kaldur saw Esau crouching down, preparing to continue their fight once more and with a sigh, he prepared himself. But he knew that if things continued as they were, he would not be able to hold on for much longer, his condition was deteriorating and would only continue to worsen, especially in the desert.
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