Shattered

Chapter 23

Watching people fight each other was something Ronin was always fascinated in.

Even at a younger age, where his anger issues were more reactive and less tiring and bitter tasting, sometimes he'd be able to force himself to sit back from a fight and watch as the other participants danced around each other.

And he'd learned that, if the fighters were good enough, it was a dance.

And that every person had their own style.

So really he couldn't help but observe the other's styles while they were fighting each other, him having gotten himself to land on one of the raptors above with his wings so he could watch without being Sparta-kicked in the sternum.

Thomas was simple, quick, and efficient, even with his strengthened arm he didn't do anything elaborate or unnecessary to draw the fight out. It might've been the military training in him or it might be his brain being able to actually decode the most effective way to complete a task and going for it. Either way, his style was filled with grapples, stabbing and shooting at weak points, with quick and brutal punches. All of it without losing focus, all while keeping eyes on his opponent and potential others, all of it with a slight haze in his eyes. Not quite like he was dissociating from what he was doing but like he wasn't seeing exactly who he was fighting.

Skylor was somehow similar but the exact opposite. While Thomas disconnected himself from who he was fighting, Skylor actively engaged and riled up the individual. Maybe it was something she learned from her theatrical father or maybe it was something she learned as a defense for the situations he put her in. But either way, she loved to poke and irritate her opponents, destroying her targets confidence, self-esteem, self-worth so that she could strike against them at their weakest point. He was reminded of a viper, manipulative and sneaky and cunning and dangerous, and Ronin was curious as to what would happen if he was truly against her in a fight. Not the bickering that they do as of now, but how much has she already gathered on him just from these few days to use against him? She's an information gatherer, he knows that for a fact, so how much does she know?

That was a question for a later date.

Lloyd, both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, fought exactly like a killer. He was fast, efficient, and brutal with his attacks, directed and pointed like he didn't care about the inhumanity of the moves he was doing, or the injuries they would inflict, just that the person he was fighting needed to be incapacitated in whatever means necessary. However, he realized that Lloyd's style was strangely adaptable depending on the situation or the individual, maybe it had something to do with his multitude of backgrounds and environments he could've learned? Either way it didn't entirely matter, but he could see little bits of multiple different people's fighting styles in the way he moved. He had a little bit on Skylors, cocky and teasing and sarcastic, using his opponents emotions against them, a little bit of traditional ninjitsu which he assumed came from his father and uncle whenever they were teaching him, some pure brutality and strength and cruelty as well. That's probably from his time in Darkleys and on the streets.

(Just the thought of what he had to go through, what he was forced to do in that school and afterwards made Ronin a little bit sick to his stomach)

There were others too, he assumed from the ninja, but he didn't know them well enough to individually decipher what style goes where. But either way it was fascinating to watch and astoundingly dangerous to anyone he has his eyes on.

How well would he do as a mercenary?

Again, another thought for another time.

Now while Thomas reminded him of the army, Skylor of a viper, and Lloyd of a killer, Amelia reminded him of ice when she fought. She taught herself to fight, not having the outside forces helping her like the others did, so she was able to choose a fighting style that worked the best for her, and that meant slow, creeping, destroying everything and everyone in her path without them even realizing she was doing it. It was like she was trapping them, forcing them back against an invisible cliff with moves that were subtle and pointed and a little bit unnerving, and just as her opponent thought they had the upper hand...