The Heavens Shall Fall

The moment people retreated to the edge of the arena, the surrounding energy field enveloped them too, not only cutting them off from the dueling parties but also muting their words and thoughts from reaching them. In the end, the sect did consider how beasts could talk to their masters through their contracts, and made sure to prevent it from happening in a duel if they didn't participate. Smiling to himself, Siu had quickly ignored the thought, as the wolf opposite to him had lunged for him just then.

Catching the movement was still a bit late, and Siu almost failed to dodge, rolling towards the left, where he would gain enough distance not only from Cho'Wa but also from Nokoh. It was the right decision, because a moment later, Nokoh’s palm passed through close by, almost getting him, as his strike made no sound while coming at him.

Thankfully, the mix of the Wild Cat and Wild Dog form was coming in handy now, leading his movements, staying close to the ground as Cho’Wa’s jaws snapped shut, barely missing his forearm that was pushing Siu up from his roll.

Both of them were too fast, so much so that Siu had no time to notice how Marly was doing, or whether she was airborne yet or not. Nokoh’s attacks were still soundless, but Siu heard how his foot slid across the arena tiles, which gave him just enough of a warning to change directions and dodge again. He leaned back from Nokoh’s elbow, felt the pressure behind it cut along his throat, leaving a thin, red line there, but luckily, it did not open up his skin.

Capitalizing on the momentum, Nokoh sent a low kick toward Siu’s knee, while he shifted into the Crane to keep his balance, only for Cho’Wa to lung at Siu at the same knee from the other side. Not wanting to do the obvious, Siu let his body drop, almost like he had slipped in panic. They reacted, taking the bait of the Fox Form, changing their attacks, giving Siu the chance to step out of harm's way as Cho’Wa’s jaws loudly snapped over nothing, while Nokoh’s kick passed above Siu’s shin.

And he wasn't done with just baiting them; the Crane was ready to strike, and he punched out at Cho’Wa. Even though the wolf reacted in time, Siu’s fingers still reached the wolf’s foreleg, striking the tendon just above its paw, drawing a sudden, surprised yelp out of its throat. Coming out of it, Siu watched as Cho’Wa’s leg barely buckled, the noise being more of a surprise at getting hit than of the pain he was feeling.

Getting angrier at him, the wolf’s head snapped toward Siu, the beast's ears flattened, but once again, Siu rolled away, realizing that Nokoh didn't follow through with an attack. It was the perfect opportunity to land a damaging, maybe close-to-lethal hit. But... Apparently, Nokoh was holding back... However, even then, the pressure was suffocating, not even close to how Siu felt when facing Bren or any other human.

"Rank one hundred... huh?" He thought to himself, getting a taste of it, licking his lips, and feeling a desire appear in him, wanting to break into that list, even if he didn't have what it took. Yet. Unlike when he was fighting against Seloryn, here, he could feel the gap, well, at least for now.

“Wolf coming low! Nokoh will aim high! Then the wolf will attack low again!” Marly's hurried warnings crashed through his thoughts in a loud yell, "Master, don’t fall for the open space they left you! It’s a trap!”

Siu listened without thinking about it, ignoring the open space he could dodge towards, once again, slipping out of harm's way. While doing so, Siu noticed how Nokoh's expression revealed a good amount of annoyance, and it was exactly what he needed if he wanted to have any chance. He could not beat the duo head-on anyway, but he needed their teamwork to have some gaps he could exploit for a counter.

With Marly hovering above the battlefield, using the passing wind to zoom around, she had a much better view of their teamwork. The moment she began feeding Siu their patterns, he began to see the gaps he needed to fill. When one of those finally came into reach, Siu didn't hesitate and stepped into the wolf’s charge, switching to the Iron Ox to survive the impact. Cho’Wa struck him, surprised, not even ready to bite at him, as Siu appeared in his way out of nowhere. As the two crashed, pain blasted through Siu’s chest, rattling his ribs, but he was ignoring it and grabbing onto the wolf, turning with the beast.

Siu's feet slid back on the tiled floor, while his hands gripped Cho’Wa’s neck fur even harder. The wolf’s momentum was now working against it, letting Siu get more power into his slam. When the wolf's head landed on the tiles, getting slammed down by Siu, it let out a painful yelp this time, getting disoriented and dizzy. Seeing that Siu was using the moment to aim an elbow strike at his companion, Nokoh rushed at him, his path already relayed by Marly before he even began running.

Abandoning his finishing blow, Siu twisted his hips, used the Wild Dog to reactively slip under Nokoh’s incoming punch, and drove his elbow toward his ribs instead. He did not land it cleanly as Nokoh’s knee caught it, sending both of them to skid backward, panting. Lowering his defenses, Nokoh stood beside Cho’Wa the moment after, one hand resting on the wolf’s neck, checking his pet before glaring at Siu.

“That was ugly.”

"Next time, you may think about who you start bullying." Siu smiled faintly. "Because in a fight..." He continued, his smile disappearing, "I won't hold back."

Nokoh’s hand tightened slightly in Cho’Wa’s fur, and for a moment, anger flashed in his eyes, but then, he pushed it down quickly.

“Fine,” Nokoh exhaled, "You are right."

The next exchange nearly ended the fight, because Nokoh stopped giving Siu space to think. He increased the rhythm of his attacks in a way that Siu found familiar, all having the Wild Dog as their base, making it the only reason he could barely keep up. Nokoh was too fast, and Cho'Wa was rejoining, too, finally shaking off the mild concussion he suffered.

That was when Marly dove down, and her small body cut across Cho’Wa’s eyes, dragging a surprisingly strong gust of wind behind her, so much so that Cho’Wa faltered, having to squeeze his eyes shut. He was instinctively avoiding Marly, afraid she would gouge them out of their sockets, like how a hawk would do.

That opening couldn't be left unpunished. Risking being hit or caught, Siu slipped past Nokoh at the last moment. Realizing what he was doing, the boy launched a backward kick, catching Siu in the back, or so he thought at first... Then, he felt a gust of wind that sped Siu up just enough, making Nokoh think that his opponent used his wind-based affinity. Which was partially true, as Siu finally fully linked up with Marly, copying her and giving Siu an ample speed boost.

Seeing it coming down to this, activating his own, Nokoh's body lit up with a black hue, turning to follow, but Siu was already there, striking the 'blinded' wolf, sending it rolling and yelping, crashing into the energy shield at the far end of the arena. However, his moment of triumph was short-lived, as by the time Siu straightened back up and heard Marly's call, Nokoh's palm had arrived.

Siu knew then that he had been caught. Turning, as best as he could, he crossed his arms and took the hit. The impact crushed the breath out of him and sent him skidding across the platform, tearing up tiles as his heels carved two lines through the painted bird mosaic. He stayed standing only by sheer will, feeling and seeing his arms covered in a dark, smoke-like substance that felt especially cold, invading him and slowing his flow of essence within his blood.

His arms trembled more and more as his affinity flickered on and off, making him sluggish. What kind of affinity was this? Seloryn didn't mention anything about it, as she never saw him use it... But if anything, going by the books he read, it may be something shadow-related... A unique one, eh? No wonder he was on the Paragon List. Standing between the whining Cho'Wa and the now 'smoking' Nokoh, Siu knew this was most likely over.

The boy was angry, which was a given, and instead of getting haphazard or panicky, he became even more focused and ready to finish this duel, no matter what, before rushing to his wolf. He was good, that was Siu's simple assessment. He couldn't win this fight, but one day, Siu knew that he would have the power to deal with both of them. Alone. While thinking, Siu didn't even realize that he began smiling with blood on his teeth, dripping down his lips.

"You..." Nokoh’s eyes narrowed when he saw it happen. “You are enjoying this?”

“Yes.”

Nokoh did not answer him but went into a defensive posture, increasing the black smoke filtering through his skin and clothes, ready for the next exchange.

"..." Siu exhaled, calming his mind and controlling his breathing, and for a moment, the wind around him picked up strength, blowing off Nokoh's smoke that was still clinging to him. Seeing it happen, Marly felt his thoughts and froze mid-glide, catching herself on a weak current.

“Master?” She asked, already knowing Siu's next move, as he raised a hand.

“I give up,” Siu said simply, and for a moment, Nokoh thought he misheard him.

Was this... A trick? He couldn't help but look at the others, outside the arena, and notice how the foxgirl went utterly still, yet she was jumping around until now.

“What?” Nokoh asked, sounding stupid, and he knew it the moment he opened his mouth.

“I give up,” Siu repeated, shrugging, while his sash already flashed, acknowledging it the moment he spoke it.

Marly fluttered down to his shoulder at once, shaking as she was super exhausted, and trying very hard not to look relieved. Next, the arena formation pulsed, and the barrier dimmed, then dropped away.

"Giving... up? Now?" Nokoh’s eyes searched his face for answers. “You still had a chance left in you.”

“I'm not going to risk winning against you and then hurt myself badly. What's the point in that? Satisfy Merra? No, thank you. I'll take this loss over giving that bitch what she wants.”

Nokoh looked almost offended when he heard that, but Siu was pretty sure that his face turned sour mostly because of being reminded of who set him up for this fight. Stumped a bit, Nokoh just stood there, his affinity dispersing, watching as Siu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

“And if I tried and failed, Marly might get hurt." Siu added just then, "If I tried and succeeded, your wolf would get hurt worse, because I can't go against you, but I can cripple him.” He shrugged just then, shaking his head, “So I give up, before both of us develop a grudge too big to bury later.” Nokoh said nothing, just kept watching him wordlessly. "Nokoh," Siu looked at Cho’Wa’s injured body, still lying there, whimpering. “He needs treatment. He is not badly hurt, but hurt enough.”

Hearing him, finally, Nokoh’s eyes closed, before nodding and soon, rushing past Siu, reaching his wolf. That was when Siu also heard another shout, in both his ears and his mind.

“MASTER!”

Arya would have launched herself into the arena the moment the barrier was gone if Seloryn had not caught the back of her robes again. However, Quillian was already walking forward, his cane giving out the usual, loud tapping sounds.

"Now that..." He muttered, and Siu watched as he smiled proudly at him, "That is what makes a truly dangerous cultivator, knowing when to take a step back."

"Master!" Marly pressed herself against Siu’s neck. “I was brave,” she whispered, "And I did well, yes? Can I get some tasty lunch?"

"Of course, can, you did well," Siu rubbed her back. “You were brave indeed, worthy of a mini-feast!”

"Big feast!"

"Don't push it!"

"Ooookaaay..." Marly moaned, suddenly feeling much more confident than before the fight.

“Good fight, Senior,” Siu said suddenly, turning his head, looking at Nokoh, who had already gotten his wolf to stand up, and clearly, Cho'Wa's front right leg was broken, holding it up, not daring to put weight on it.

"..." At first, Nokoh said nothing, then, after a long breath, he gave one short nod. “Good fight.”

He just watched as Siu was soon surrounded by the others, and when his eyes met with Seloryn's, Nokoh felt it was time to leave... So, he just picked up his wolf, holding it in his arms, quickly departing, before the Silver Flute would have the idea of challenging him.

Not that she could... As Paragons were forbidden from challenging other Paragons who were ranked lower than them. However, at that moment, Nokoh was too confused to remember the rules.