Nicolai settled into the very same position Pal had occupied, up until the moment he'd popped his Burst Shield with one spiritual palm strike from his bionic arm, then finished him with a stab from the bionic's built-in talon.

He really needed to get himself a shield-penetrating Artifact he could actually use in any situation, he reflected. It wasn't ideal, having to pop a Burst Shield then get them in the space before they could activate a standard shield, especially when attempting stealth. Fortunately a spiritual palm strike, if done correctly and at sufficient power to burst a shield, tended to nullify the typical "burst" portion of the Burst Shield, allowing for a rapid follow-up attack before they activated a standard shield.

That'd been how he'd taken Pal out. As to getting over here, it'd just required a combination of Cyberwarfare's work on Pal's drones, plus the Wriggler Symbiote to burrow underground. After slithering a short distance through the earth, he'd risen directly behind the merc. A little Intent delusion placed on the man from below and built up as he emerged had ensured Pal hadn't noticed even that.

'—ood plan,' Jex was replying to Psychology, who with Cyberwarfare's aid had seamlessly picked up Pal's side of the conversation, continuing what he'd been saying to Jex without interruption. 'Damn, I never thought this guy would get cold feet like that,' she added. 'Seemed like a real killer. Just goes to show.'

'Yeah, you never can tell,' said Psychology.

'Alright, he's still just sitting there,' said Jex, tone turning businesslike. In the drone feeds she was receiving, adroitly edited by Cyberwarfare, Nicolai appeared to be behind the Nara Cultivator. 'You ready?'

'Wait,' said Psychology. 'He's taken too long. She's just finishing off her guy.' The Nara Cultivator had finally delivered her kick. She'd done so almost contemptuously. The augment that'd given Joe his burst of speed and strength had worn off, and now he was on the other side of that. Slower and weaker than ever. The lightning had blasted into him and he was standing there, flexing, as she aimed her final stab for his throat.

'All the more reason to act now!' said Jex.

'No, if we shoot now she might come for us, and he's not distracted sinking a knife in her back like we hoped for. I don't know what the hell he's thinking but I don't like it.' Psychology let out the same kind of disgruntled sigh it'd heard from Pal earlier. Nicolai could feel the Module's enjoyment. Putting on acts like this among it's favourite activities. 'Both of them are over there, next to one another, and we're distant. We're taking the safe option. Hold off and see what happens.'

Nicolai, meanwhile, was frowning through his own scope, affixed to the M99. His intention had been to shoot Jex while she was looking to shoot at where she believed him to be. But she was in a slightly irritating position, poking out around one of the cliff walls. He could only see the tip of her rifle. He didn't like the odds of shooting through stone and guaranteeing a kill through all her shields either. He saw that rifle edge forward a little.

'This thing's about over anyway,' Jex urged. 'Let's just get him now so he's out of the way. I told you, I'm not too worried 'bout the Nara girl. I got something to deal with her.'

'Fine—oh wait, what's this? He's finally doing something…' Psychology snorted. 'He's moving away. You still got a shot?' Meanwhile Cyberwarfare altered "Nicolai's" position a little.

'I will in a moment,' replied Jex. She was as good as her word, creeping forward a little more, just about to come into view. Just as he'd known she would, when "Nicolai's" position shifted out of her original field of fire.

He let out a slow breath, finger squeezing lightly at the trigger. He'd fire two shots with barely a quarter of a second between them, both centre mass. That should get her through the shield.

But just as he saw the edge of her hood, there was a flash of movement, and a rattle of gunfire. Jex flinched out of view as bullets chewed at the rock she sheltered behind.

'I'm under attack!' Jex cried, retreating. In only a moment she disappeared back into the valley from which she'd come, no longer in his vision. Nicolai swept the scope sideways and saw some Earther dashing towards her, visible where he appeared in flashes through the trees, rifle raised. Some random third-party looking for an easy kill on her, but the man had screwed up and shot too early.

Nicolai sighed, lowering the rifle. The other Modules reflected his glum disappointment, though they weren't even particularly surprised. After lifetimes spent doing things like this, they were used to random chance spoiling their plans.

A flash of blue light pulled Nicolai's gaze. Looking to the side, he saw Puncher Joe had vanished. Where he'd been was an extended Artifact Blade, held by the Nara Cultivator. The moment he glanced over, she turned and stared directly at him. He understood why—she must have felt the ripple from when he'd burst Pal's Burst Shield with a spiritual palm strike. More capable and experienced in reading ripples than Jex, she would have recognised it as the brief signature of a fight nearby—and reasoned that the survivor would have eyes on her.

She launched into a run, coming straight toward him.

###

Xuejing had felt it. The ripple of a Burst Shield breaking, not far away. The realisation that others had crept up on her while she was warming up with the barbarian had caused the nerves to start working their way back, but she'd realised that something odd was afoot when no attacks came, and a careful check had revealed no Killing Intent directed at her.

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The barbarian had been cursing at her by that point, and she'd let him stumble around a bit more, just keeping out his way while she turned her focus outward.

That was until she'd spotted the watcher, or at least the hint of him. Some strange shimmer of movement some distance away. The barbarian had come swinging at her again, and, fed up with him, she'd shocked him with a tap of her leg then delivered a killing thrust.

Now, she charged at that faint shape she'd made out. She wouldn't let the nerves return, no, she was primed for combat now, and she would sweep this Tournament clean!

###

Nicolai rose, pulling his shimmer poncho off in a smooth motion and stashing it in a large pocket. He didn't want it getting in his way. For a moment, he considered putting the M99 away, and drawing his rapier. The M99 would be of no use against this Cultivator charging at him.

But after a moment's thought, he realised that though the idea of fighting her made the Thrill burn with eagerness through him, it was not wise. Not at this moment, and he'd rather keep the M99 ready unless forced to put it away, so he could quickly respond to other threats.

Jex was still out there. She might be beaten by the Earther who had ambushed her, but if not, she'd surely use the distraction to eliminate him. She had a Smartgun, the existence of which was one of the main reasons he'd been angling to get rid of her. Psychology could do a very good impersonation of Pal to manipulate her, but there were still tells and eventually those would stack up to the point she smelled a rat.

Just as he'd made up his mind to flee, red mist poured between the trees. In moments it had flowed past him. As it did, he felt the air charge, crackling. A burst of light crackled a few metres away and he felt something target him. He dove behind a tree just in time. The trunk erupted just to the side of him, and he heard its branches thrashing as it began to topple. He activated the Spectral Claw with a burst of Oma, stretched the huge hand out and wrenched himself away.

Jex was screaming to "Pal" about being caught in the red, but that she'd taken down her attacker. Psychology told her to get moving, because that was what Pal would have said.

The Nara Cultivator was mirroring him, veering around trees, leaping over scraggly bushes. Lightning crawled over her legs, which moved so fast they seemed to blur. No longer coming toward him, because by doing so she would be stuck in here for longer.

The M99 was useless, but he briefly aimed his bionic arm's laser at her, catching her with the beam. Her faint, dark skin shield absorbed it completely. He cancelled the shot a moment later. The Spectral Claw was worth a try but he doubted it would get through her heavy spiritual defences. Close combat would be the answer, if he was forced to fight.

At last he burst free from the mist, but it wasn't stopping so neither did he. So long as he was fast, he could stay comfortably ahead of it. Alas, the Nara Cultivator was almost as fast. Her black-clad form shot out from between a pair of sinuous trees and darted straight toward him. With her arms spread wide, and the flowing material of her black robes, she looked in that moment a little like some strange bird of prey, only with two long, glittering Blades at the end of either arm.

His own steps veered away from her to give himself a little extra time, meanwhile he activated the Big Mouth slid the M99 inside with smooth, hand-over-hand movements. As the Big Mouth closed he drew his rapier in a flicker of motion, left-handed.

She was only a dozen metres away and closing fast. The moment she was in range he swiped with his right hand, and the Spectral Claw mimicked the motion. The huge hand and its long, vicious talons tore at her in a monstrous slash, the kind capable of rending a Soul Sense in one blow.

She didn't even raise her Blades to deflect it, just came straight on. When the Claw hit on her solid, silvery ovoid of Soul Sense, the spiritual feedback felt like he was scratching at glass with his fingernails. A smooth surface which the Claw found no purchase on. It managed no more than drawing some faint silvery lines in that ovoid. As she came forward she actually forced the Spectral Claw out the way.

Nicolai's face twisted into a sudden grin as the Cultivator flung herself at him, her face tight and determined, her lightning seething over her body, her Blades slicing toward him from either side. He stopped, feet sliding and kicking up dust, and had time to spin around before she got to him, to present his left side. Her Blades came fast, one high, one low. But his bionic arm was fast enough to match her. He caught one then the other with the rapier, parrying both so quick that the two hits sounded as one, a high ringing.

Her eyes widened slightly, but that didn't slow her next attack. Her leg came at him in a snap kick that crackled loud with lightning. Nicolai was already sliding back and away, and the blow sparked harmlessly in empty air.

She'd gone right for the kill, no more playing. Just from that he knew she had decided to take him more seriously than Puncher Joe.

Before she could follow up he reached with the Spectral Claw, seized the ground and pulled himself back the way he'd come, toward the mist.

She spun to watch but, confused by this, didn't follow. That gave him freedom to land, extend the Claw, and pull again.

Now he was on the other side of her, she on his left, he on her right. If the Spectral Claw was unable to harm her, he'd use it for movement. He wanted to ensure she was on his left so he could use the rapier without having to reach across his body.

A faint frown marred her brow as she realised what he'd done, then they both launched into motion again. The red mist was pressing close behind.

After a few more exchanges, Nicolai discovered that even with the speed of his bionic, it wouldn't be easy to kill her. She was very good with those twin blades, and the two to his one, plus lightning, allowed her to match his speed.

However, she'd made no attempt to get around him and back on the right. If she'd had Symbiotes granting her the mobility to do so, she would've. The Spectral Claw and Pegasi rings gave him great mobility, and through controlling the space between them he could dictate the flow of combat. He decided when to let her come close, and when to widen the gap. So long as there were no external factors involved, she couldn't truly threaten him.

But eventually such factors would appear, and with her sticking on him like this she might be able to capitalise when that happened. She was a difficult nut to crack, but he'd do his level best. She dashed at him again, and as she came he anchored the Spectral Claw in a tree behind him, activating a Pegasi ring so he could float.

She lunged at him one-handed, and he pulled on the Claw. His body slid backwards just enough that the lunge fell short, and he slashed out, caught the extended Blade, flicked it wide then flowed into his own lunge, using the Claw to push himself forward.

As she swung her spare Blade up to block, he again used the Spectral Claw to abruptly pull back. The blocking Blade swished before the tip of his rapier. With a push on the Claw he darted forward again, rapier aimed at her throat.

She managed a desperate yet surprisingly graceful twist of her body that brought her out of harm's way. He pushed on the Claw again, following, but now she had her Blades back up and used both to bat his rapid series of pokes away.

Not just fast, but very skilled.

The jagged shape of red light that was Psychology's demonic war face grinned at her as he pushed on the Claw. It launched him forward, away from her and the ever-advancing mist. Scowling, she dashed after him.

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