Leo couldn't get used to that pre fight anticipation. Standing around and waiting for the announcer to call the start of the fight was like placing yourself at the whims of another when bungee jumping. You had to wait for them to drop you. He needed to seek constant reassurance with Jun, catching the big man's gaze over and over until he gestured for Leo to focus on the battlefield. Once again, they had no idea where their opponents waited, but Leo understood that even knowing would mean no difference when Firosah could seemingly teleport at a moments notice. There was very little they could do to prepare. So they waited, weapons drawn.
'Begin!' cried announcer Bijan. This time, the devilish host of the bronze colosseum waited atop a floating platform made of the same crystal as parts of the battlefield. The crystal flashed like a headlight shone directly in Leo's eyes. He responded by throwing his back against Jun's. The two of them pressed together, turning to the right like two hands on a clock.
'Are you certain they did not make a sound or gesture when they disappeared?' Jun grumbled. Leo shrugged against him, but realised the man couldn't see his gesture.
'No. I didn't see them do anything.' He curled his fingers around Nameless' pommel, aiming the blade at suspicious crystals or where he swore he saw flashes of light. His shoulders prickled when a shape moved across a crystal, reflecting from somewhere beyond. The shape of a person moved through one, then leapt to another. It moved around much faster than what should be humanly possible. This was definitely one of them. He couldn't recall her name, but one of their opponents could apparently move inhumanly fast.
'Move!' Jun's meaty hand yanked Leo aside in time to avoid someone dropping from above. Riding jets of hellfire was a woman wearing a long black puffer jacket and fitness gear underneath. Jun met her fist with the flat of his blade, making an ear-splitting clang. She landed, flexing her fingers and readjusting her brass knuckles. She threw another punch at Jun, but he gripped her wrist, throwing her aside before bringing his blade down. Using the momentum, the woman rolled aside and gritted her teeth. The blade fell on her, but a splatter of holy water was faster, and apparently strong enough to shunt the weapon and Jun to the side.
Across the field, like a dot in the distance, long magenta robes fluttered like a bird coming to rest. Slender hands pressed together, the last of the holy water splattering to the ground and vanishing. Firosah had managed a shot from some absurd distance and without any special gear. Who were they?
'This might be what they want,' said Jun as he blocked another punch from the hellfire woman. 'However, you need to chas–' he grunted, three more fiery blows and a watery bullet barely missing him.
'On it!' That was enough for Leo to understand. He barrelled behind the nearest crystal and cut between a stone valley. Sliding beneath a low-lying crystalline cove, he rounded a bend to get a view of the spot Firosah hid. They were gone. Of course they were. He tried to think of what could draw them out. They didn't seem the type to be angered by insults, so yelling wasn't a good idea. What could possibly work? He decided it best to just throw himself into the open. At least there he could see if Jun was still being shot at.
'Let the earth meet you,' he muttered to himself. It was something Selaphiel had said when describing her powers. So Leo willed for the earth to meet his feet, and imagined a staircase appearing as he walked. It worked perfectly, earthy platforms appearing under his feet, studded with beautiful ore. He made it to the top of a tall crystal, and whirled his blade a few times just because it felt satisfying to do.
Across the field, a giant crystal cracked as Jun and the fire jet lady missed one another simultaneously. They clashed and disappeared behind the crystal.
'We can see Leo must be up to something,' Bijan called from above, gasping with fake exasperation. 'What is he planning?'
Nothing, apparently. Leo whirled his blade and realised that maybe Firosah was too focussed on Jun to see where he went. He needed to get their attention. Remembering something he'd seen in a video game on Earth, he loosed lightning from his blade and thrust it onto the crystal. The well of Raphael's lightning powers ran deep, and Leo was determined to see just how far it would go. Strands of electricity wrapped over the crystal's exterior like brilliant blue tendrils. The crystal refracted the light and shone outwards like a lighthouse on a shore. That was certainly enough to get anyone's attention on this field–or Firosah was blind.
'That is incredible, Leo!' Firosah's voice echoed from nearby. They were atop a geyser of holy water that brought them to level with Leo's height. 'It reminds me of the villain Bolt Master's final superweapon at the end of the first Masters of the Seven Elements game!' That immediately piqued Leo's interest, and the lightning stopped.
'You played that game too?' Leo sauntered to the edge of the crystal. 'That's where I got the idea!'
'Played it? I was the lead art designer.' Firosah laid on their side, as if proudly presenting themselves. Leo couldn't believe it–that game was legendary amongst game developers for its enormous success despite being from a three-person development team.
Leo wanted to say a whole bunch of things at once, but in the end, it just came out as, 'just so cool!'
Lifting their hands, Firosah smiled that gentle and ethereal smile before saying, 'now, we're not here to discuss work from Earth. We have a fight to finish and a deal to uphold.' They swung their arms, and holy water surged towards Leo like a tidal wave.