Stoicheion: Awakening

Chapter 4: The Meeting

[Arvin]

Standing from the distance, I saw Loki still standing despite being blown away by my last attack. I can't clearly see him because of the dust that decreases the visibility around me. The men that were with him were thrown off completely, and the trees around the warehouse were uprooted. The moment I glanced back at him, I gathered the air around my fists and started to charge. When the distance between us became shorter, I held back my dominant fist and launched it towards him only to be deflected by his palm. He raised his palm, and instead of landing my fist on his arms and face, I was thrown back and luckily I maintained my balance and landed on my feet perfectly.

"I see you're an Aera user as well. Show me what you got this time!" I taunted.

"Tch, really now. For a person who is about to die, you talk a lot." He retorted.

"For a snake like you, you really piss me off."

"Enough with this, delaying me with all your talk is making me sick that it makes me think that you don't even deserve to be the Rider."

After saying that, he instantaneously leaped up and delivered a kick with his left foot and almost caught me in it, hitting the ground with small rocks rising from the shock. I could clearly tell that the kick he delivered was deadly because of the shockwave and the miniature crater he created. Dodging his attack, I immediately recovered and stood my ground.

"Rider? Seriously? Are you on drugs? Your brain might be a little fuzzy." I paused for a while and continued, "Oh right, I almost forgot. Your head is so damaged it even looks like the head of a snake. You really need to have a checkup with your doctor..." And then I charged towards him with my right fist glowing with the air that I collected. ".... Right after you get beaten up!"

He tried to keep from being hit by the attack but it was too late for him to even react because in just milliseconds, my fist landed on his chest followed by my other fist delivering a jab, hitting his chin and jaws which knocked him down. He laid down together with the rest of the men that were blown away earlier and just by looking at it, I think I kind of went overboard trying to escape.

"Wow, I think I kind of did a number here. Let's call it a day."

I slowly turned back against them and started to walk away from the scene slowly because even though I gained the upper hand, I still got some bruises because of the ruckus earlier and the energy it required for me to deal such a big attack.

Just when I thought that everything was over, I noticed Loki trying to get up after that blow. It looked as if he didn't lose his cool and got up casually. Then I said to him in an insultingly,

"Look snake eyed guy, whatever the name it was. Just give up. Because you'll just be dealt again with the same attack like I had just now. And to think you would fall for such a simple trick–"

And before I could even finish what I was saying, Loki already buried his fist on my stomach that I didn't even notice that he was already there. With the heavy impact dealt against my body, blood came out of my mouth and I was thrown up really high. I could still see him on the ground but his leap was so high and fast that I didn't notice he was even beside me, only to be kicked down and fall with great force. The next thing I knew I was on the ground, struggling to be even crawling or standing up. My body felt numb and I can already feel the fatigue that has been building up on my body.

"You really talk big." Loki said as he feasted on the sight of me suffering.

"Why you—" Before I could even finish what I was about to say, he stepped on me as if I was the soil on which his foot stands.