Rutaba
Member
Benjamin stayed crouched in the middle of the chamber, breathing steady even though his body was complaining. His clothes were scuffed, his back ached from the earlier hits, and a thin smear of blood marked the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away with his thumb, rolled his shoulders, and shook his hands out.
“Okay…”
He dropped lower, keeping his elbows tight and his weight centered right under him.
“I get it now.”
The flames around his fists winked out. The crackle of electricity along his arms faded. The wind that had been spinning around him settled until it was barely there.
“I’ve been fighting like I have something to prove. I’m faster, so I rush. I’m stronger, so I hit harder. I have elements, so I keep throwing more at you.” He let out a slow breath. “And every single time, I’m handing you exactly what you need. An opening.”
His eyes narrowed. Chimera Instinct kicked into overdrive. Everything started breaking down into pieces—stance, balance, distance, range, recovery windows, those tiny moments when a person committed and couldn’t pull back. He wasn’t looking for a way to survive the next exchange anymore. He was looking for the one moment he could end it.
Benjamin moved.
He did not go forward. He stepped sideways. One short step. Then another. His body stayed compact, and the angles changed by inches instead of big dramatic leaps. There were no big wind bursts and no spinning for show. His movement looked almost ordinary until he planted his foot and snapped a lightning-fast jab toward Clementine’s face. He dropped his level right after and drove a tight punch into the center of her chest, then pivoted off. His left hand came in with a short hook to Clementine’s ribs, and he used the contact to shove himself into a better angle instead of staying there and trading.
THUD. THUD.
He was already gone from that line.
His eyes shifted to Minjae. He stomped once—BOOM—and a concentrated blast of air kicked up dust and debris across the floor. He did not charge through it. He used the cover, and his footsteps went quiet as he slid along the edge of the disturbance. He came in from an angle that should not have been open, right fist wrapped in compressed air. He drove the punch toward Minjae’s sternum, followed with a sharp shot to Minjae’s shoulder, then a low kick to the outside of Minjae’s thigh. Two steps back, and his guard came up.
“That’s better.”
He lifted one hand. Fire compressed tight around the fist while water gathered along the opposite wrist. He stepped in toward Clementine and threw a flaming straight toward her chest, then deliberately pulled it short at the last second. He dropped under whatever response was coming, drove his shoulder forward, and snapped a knee up toward Clementine’s stomach.
THUD.
His hips turned. A short elbow drove into Clementine’s ribs. He planted and released a tight burst of compressed air at close range. The recoil shoved him several feet back.
“Don’t chase.”
He lowered his center, shifted his right shoulder forward, and deliberately left the left side open for a second. Then he exploded forward with a short lightning-enhanced burst, cutting across at an angle instead of coming straight on. The first strike went toward Clementine’s face, and the second hand targeted her ribs. He dropped his weight and swept low at her legs, then followed with an air-assisted rising knee into her stomach.
WHAM.
He planted and pivoted away, refusing to overextend. His right hand ignited while wind gathered around the left. He brought both together and released a compressed blast at close range toward Clementine.
BOOM.
He separated immediately and reset.
His attention cut back to Minjae. He sprinted—three steps. On the third, lightning surged through his legs and gave him one hard acceleration. A straight punch hit Minjae’s chest, a hook followed to Minjae’s ribs, and a hard knee drove into Minjae’s stomach.
THUD. THUD. BOOM.
A short elbow struck Minjae’s shoulder, then he caught himself with one hand on the floor, swung his legs through in a controlled sweep, and sprang up. Fire flashed around his feet. He launched, twisted, and brought his heel down in a tight axe-kick toward Minjae’s shoulder.
BOOM.
He landed and rolled straight off, coming up into a guarded stance.
“I’m done trying to hit harder.” Lightning crawled briefly across his fingers, then vanished. Fire replaced it, then water, then air. He switched on purpose now—fire for the impact, air for the positioning, lightning for the sudden speed, and water when he needed control or a redirection.
He dropped lower again.
“You guys taught me something. You don’t have to be the strongest person in the room if you know exactly where to hit.”
Benjamin vanished into a short lightning-assisted burst. He changed position twice before he even attacked. A flaming fist drove into Clementine’s chest, a compact elbow hit her ribs, and a low kick struck her thigh. He shifted his weight and fired a compressed air strike toward her torso, using the recoil to slide back. Before the distance could open up fully, lightning flashed again and he surged forward at Minjae—straight punch to Minjae’s chest, hook to the ribs, knee to the stomach, and an air-assisted kick toward Minjae’s shoulder.
THUD. THUD. BOOM.
He landed and disengaged clean.
He raised his guard and took one slow breath.
“Now…” The wind around his feet tightened into a thin, almost invisible current. “…let’s see how long you can keep predicting me.”
He stepped forward, keeping his movements compact and deliberate as he hunted for the single mistake that would give him the opening he wanted.
“Okay…”
He dropped lower, keeping his elbows tight and his weight centered right under him.
“I get it now.”
The flames around his fists winked out. The crackle of electricity along his arms faded. The wind that had been spinning around him settled until it was barely there.
“I’ve been fighting like I have something to prove. I’m faster, so I rush. I’m stronger, so I hit harder. I have elements, so I keep throwing more at you.” He let out a slow breath. “And every single time, I’m handing you exactly what you need. An opening.”
His eyes narrowed. Chimera Instinct kicked into overdrive. Everything started breaking down into pieces—stance, balance, distance, range, recovery windows, those tiny moments when a person committed and couldn’t pull back. He wasn’t looking for a way to survive the next exchange anymore. He was looking for the one moment he could end it.
Benjamin moved.
He did not go forward. He stepped sideways. One short step. Then another. His body stayed compact, and the angles changed by inches instead of big dramatic leaps. There were no big wind bursts and no spinning for show. His movement looked almost ordinary until he planted his foot and snapped a lightning-fast jab toward Clementine’s face. He dropped his level right after and drove a tight punch into the center of her chest, then pivoted off. His left hand came in with a short hook to Clementine’s ribs, and he used the contact to shove himself into a better angle instead of staying there and trading.
THUD. THUD.
He was already gone from that line.
His eyes shifted to Minjae. He stomped once—BOOM—and a concentrated blast of air kicked up dust and debris across the floor. He did not charge through it. He used the cover, and his footsteps went quiet as he slid along the edge of the disturbance. He came in from an angle that should not have been open, right fist wrapped in compressed air. He drove the punch toward Minjae’s sternum, followed with a sharp shot to Minjae’s shoulder, then a low kick to the outside of Minjae’s thigh. Two steps back, and his guard came up.
“That’s better.”
He lifted one hand. Fire compressed tight around the fist while water gathered along the opposite wrist. He stepped in toward Clementine and threw a flaming straight toward her chest, then deliberately pulled it short at the last second. He dropped under whatever response was coming, drove his shoulder forward, and snapped a knee up toward Clementine’s stomach.
THUD.
His hips turned. A short elbow drove into Clementine’s ribs. He planted and released a tight burst of compressed air at close range. The recoil shoved him several feet back.
“Don’t chase.”
He lowered his center, shifted his right shoulder forward, and deliberately left the left side open for a second. Then he exploded forward with a short lightning-enhanced burst, cutting across at an angle instead of coming straight on. The first strike went toward Clementine’s face, and the second hand targeted her ribs. He dropped his weight and swept low at her legs, then followed with an air-assisted rising knee into her stomach.
WHAM.
He planted and pivoted away, refusing to overextend. His right hand ignited while wind gathered around the left. He brought both together and released a compressed blast at close range toward Clementine.
BOOM.
He separated immediately and reset.
His attention cut back to Minjae. He sprinted—three steps. On the third, lightning surged through his legs and gave him one hard acceleration. A straight punch hit Minjae’s chest, a hook followed to Minjae’s ribs, and a hard knee drove into Minjae’s stomach.
THUD. THUD. BOOM.
A short elbow struck Minjae’s shoulder, then he caught himself with one hand on the floor, swung his legs through in a controlled sweep, and sprang up. Fire flashed around his feet. He launched, twisted, and brought his heel down in a tight axe-kick toward Minjae’s shoulder.
BOOM.
He landed and rolled straight off, coming up into a guarded stance.
“I’m done trying to hit harder.” Lightning crawled briefly across his fingers, then vanished. Fire replaced it, then water, then air. He switched on purpose now—fire for the impact, air for the positioning, lightning for the sudden speed, and water when he needed control or a redirection.
He dropped lower again.
“You guys taught me something. You don’t have to be the strongest person in the room if you know exactly where to hit.”
Benjamin vanished into a short lightning-assisted burst. He changed position twice before he even attacked. A flaming fist drove into Clementine’s chest, a compact elbow hit her ribs, and a low kick struck her thigh. He shifted his weight and fired a compressed air strike toward her torso, using the recoil to slide back. Before the distance could open up fully, lightning flashed again and he surged forward at Minjae—straight punch to Minjae’s chest, hook to the ribs, knee to the stomach, and an air-assisted kick toward Minjae’s shoulder.
THUD. THUD. BOOM.
He landed and disengaged clean.
He raised his guard and took one slow breath.
“Now…” The wind around his feet tightened into a thin, almost invisible current. “…let’s see how long you can keep predicting me.”
He stepped forward, keeping his movements compact and deliberate as he hunted for the single mistake that would give him the opening he wanted.
