Zenith blocked the ice with a vine and it withered, he ran across the arena while Maelstrom turned to send icicles at him and hit him with a big one. He threw himself down and evaded it, the vines slithered to his feet grabbing the braces on his ankle.
Maelstrom dispersed rendering his anklets useless, he hopped down far away from him. Zenith slid on the vines growing toward him and he slashed the vine stopping him short. Zenith leapt to the other side in a perfect landing and spun discarding his armor_This shouldn't be hard. His eyes flashed running the other way.
"You're defenceless against me," He said sending an ice bombardment again. He ducked and tumbled to where Grisla was and set the cables to go both ways. She grabbed the last end and they rebounded inside a room. The walls closed and the Rubinet flashed in both their faces.
They hunkered down when pieces fell over at the huge hit.
"You were right," She said and his eyes narrowed at her graceless move back in the field.
He lowered himself "Right, observations,"
"I see they're taking a leader-follower approach. Maelstrom's being a bully and Ogsydane's lost, he's afraid that he's going to mess up without being told what to do,"
"Maelstrom's invariably light on his feet every time we launch an attack. I'll take the first leap,"
She dropped her hand and the wall opened to their opponents trying to shoot them down. "Lady's first,"
He scoffed and plunged while she waited "I meant me," She rolled out and dived stabbing the side of the wall to hold on firmly.
"In the meantime, we do what we do best," He swung around the arena and kicked Ogysdane down. Sprawling over, a root grazed across the floor and Maelstrom jumped.
"Oof!" The next vine hit him and Zenith parkoured across the vine to him swinging over it to crouch and recovered running on the thin line. The frost spread on it and it broke under his weight, he flipped before it broke free and his foot landed hard against his head. Pouncing to the top of the corridor, he turned at Maelstrom On the ground, on his knees holding his head, he leapt back and stopped halfway falling slowly, very slowly in the shock waves from the Topyx.
Grisla and Ogysdane clashed and he headbutted her, she crushed the gauntlets.
"It's unbreakable,"
"That's what I'm counting on," She said and it started to heat up, his breath quickened at the burning sensations and he made an effort to haul her to the side, regardless she held on. The gauntlets grew red hot sizzling and he screamed at the burns bubbling under them, she grabbed his arms and booted him on the chest. He fell over screaming in agony jerking on the floor, armless and she held his dismembered arms with the gauntlets hissing.
Maelstrom searched him "Where's the Emerquoise?" He asked and Zenith grinned, he appeared mystified looking all over him. He growled and the time-lapse effect was fading, he collided with Zenith after the hot spray of water.
He screeched as his body browned and started to fall apart, shrivelled and he glared at Grisla who had the Aqua-Sapphire gauntlets and his teammate writhing on the floor, he faded out of existence and his hand went up to his neck and came back up empty.
"What?" He veered around to Zenith, the medallion swung by the tip of his finger and he grinned "Bye,"
He screeched dropping to his knees and plopping over, turning to dust and the wind blew his remains off.
Zenith played the bye till level 48 unopposed, head to head with Grisla.
"We make a great team," He said puffing with his fists out.
"Ah," She said with a smile as they circled each other.
"Do you mind playing fair?" She posed in a fighting position and he hardened.
"You must believe I'm that stupid to hand you a gem," A serpent whipped around his arm and he drew it forward, she jumped and dropkicked him. The Icethyst clanged from his hand to the middle.
She hissed and he leapt over to cover it between his palms, his fists contorted at the bite and she snatched it blasting him, he tottered back and meandered over the blast, he caught a glimpse of her wobbling and puffing out cold air, she couldn't take the cold, he swerved a cable to her hair and a wisp of them was caught in its traction.
The lava crumbled and spiked hitting him from under and he went up in the air with the cables loosening and fell back. A bud sprouted and opened catching him in its white cushions, he bounced down on the ground and wrestled her when she plunged on him. He muffled at the snakes snarling at him and the Rubinet powered on, she groaned at the vine around her neck and he drew the knuckle rings from her fingertips, her eyes rounded as it tossed her back into the ground.
"Back where it belongs," He said and flipped it, the rings were void and he glared at the empty spot where she was supposed to land.
From the ground, Grisla leapt out and he supplexed her over his head, the vines pinned her down covering her mouth. The snakes snapped them off and more grew out keeping her occupied. He flicked the Topyx and she grunted sinking in quicksand.
She struggled and the vines whipped her wrists and arms down.
"Best if you died slowly,"
She cried out when a snake was frozen dead.
"Surrender the gem, there's no shame in saving your life,"
"And there's_no_honour in__ handing it over," She hushed at the tight grip on her neck.
"You take this game way too seriously," He grinned in entertainment at the swell in her hair and she spat out venom.
"Whoa," He said with a chuckle when she missed.
"No!"
He gripped the snake with ice-cold hands and pushed up the bump to its neck, its mouth opened revealing the gem.
He tottered out of the cradle and gasped, flinching. He turned over perspiring and his arms and legs sprawled on the floor. Catching his breath.
His face was ruddy and he pushed up when they helped him up. His eyes flickered at the others bringing her out of the cradle.
Sebastian's eyes closed in the control room as they shut things down. He brushed his hands across his face. Brutus nodded opening the door for him to leave and accompanying him.
Shaking, his life just changed in a matter of weeks, he shoved the sleeves off and walked out of the gaming room, a guard handed him his phone when it rang. He picked it up at the female voice.
"Did you win?"