The thief made the first move to step forward. Lelan causing the wall to collapse and dislodge the chains . . . that could be taken care of. He could snap the chains back taught and weave them through more-- or skewer them both-- or--

The thief, however, was knocked back. He let out a grunt as he stumbled back, the chains loosening all around them, including the one around Eld's arm. As Lelan dragged him back, gravity dragged it off. Usually, the thief had a hold on at least a few of the chains when Eld attacked him, as weak as the attack may have been by Eld's standards--but this time, it had struck a different note. In the darkness, the thief clutched his chest in pain.

Lelan cleared the darkness in an instant, dragging Eld out with him. It didn't matter if it was demeaning or not. They had managed to get out alive, that was all that mattered. Had they stayed within the darkness for much longer, they were guaranteed to die.

Once they were clear of the alleyway, Lelan--still holding onto Eld--released a sigh of relief. It was only after that when he strained briefly while pulling up on Eld to help him stand back up.

"Whew . . ." Lelan sighed again, "That could'a ended terribly . . ."

Escaping imminent death was a hell of a feeling sometimes.

Eld was a bit surprised at the difference in the reaction to his attack--to him, it'd felt the same as the other ones, but this time the thief didn't stumble, instead doubling over like he'd been punched. In his panic, did he accidentally change how he attacked, or was it another case of his Qi being out of his control again?

He didn't dwell on it much; as Lelan finished dragging him out of the alley, he took advantage of the loose chains to detach himself from the one around his arm. He'd have to be wary of that in the future if he caught any of the chains again.

"Yeah," he replied, agreeing with his temporary partner. He didn't realize Lelan's Gaiasoul could be so dangerous in confined areas; he wondered if even Lelan himself thought to use it like that, or if he even could.

Since it seemed they had a moment to catch their breath, Eld asked, "Did you see my scythe anywhere? He wasn't holding it, but I'm sure that darkness is from it, so it must be nearby."

If he could get Kageko back, it would not only put his mind at ease but make the thief that much less dangerous. And if she had enough strength to lend him her power, the fight would be as good as over--there would be little chance of the thief hitting him with the chains if he could read his every move instantly.

Lelan released a sigh of relief. Now that they were out in the open, it was going to be a lot harder for the thief to catch them. Granted, they were still unarmed against a man wielding two Gaiasoul weapons, which in no way had them standing in a favorable light, but they were at least slightly better off out in the open. Here, they could move more and dodge in general. Likewise, Lelan could actually participate in the fight better, since his dodgy, jumpy maneuvers--which Eld only once caught a glimpse of--weren't restricted anymore. Lelan could fight without a weapon, just not in a confined space.

"No," he shook his head, "I couldn't see a thing in there."

Eld had been better off than Lelan in the darkness. His eyes were used to it, Lelan's was not. Lelan had essentially been going off of what he could feel around him; he couldn't see a damn thing.

"Shit--he's coming!"

Chains rattling marked the thief's arrival in the street. He had left the other chains collapsed and limp and apparently withdrew several others--mainly those that were loose and unconnected to anything in particular, such as the one that once held onto Eld's arm, and the one that had jabbed through a house elsewhere. Withdrawing ones from walls took time, and would inevitably collapse the alleyway anyways.

The thief stood beyond the shadows, his arm out, chains still connected to the gauntlet and leading straight into the alleyway--and the darkness within. He had recovered from the last blow, and it was unlikely he was going to let that happen again.

Lelan slid his left foot back and stood on the balls of both feet, his arms at his sides, but ready to move at any given point. Now was when he could be on his toes--and when he absolutely needed to be on his toes. The both of them did. Surviving against this foe would be otherwise impossible.

"It has to be around here somewhere," Eld murmured, but before he could take a better look around the thief emerged once more, having enough free chains to be a credible threat again.

While the confined space had only hurt Lelan, it was nearly as much of an advantage as a disadvantage for Eld. He was stronger than he was fast, and with his Qi weakened to such an extent he wasn't going to do any damage unless he could get in close. If it hadn't been for the thief's unexpected ability to break walls with the chains, he reasoned he could have beat him in there, with his opponent more hampered by the tight space and darkness than he was.

Now, getting close was going to exceptionally dangerous--the nearer he got to the thief, the more he'd have to watch every angle for an attack.

"Hey, are we near the edge of the city at all?" he asked Lelan, though he kept his eyes on the thief and his body ready to move as soon as he attacked. As Lelan pointed out, it was unwise to drop the barrier if only because people might start coming out and getting hurt; while a normal person would likely have enough sense to run away, the guards wouldn't, and he doubted they'd be much help in this situation.

But if they could lure him away from the city and drop the barrier...Eld was certain he could subdue the thief in short order if he had full access to Qi and he didn't have to worry about hurting bystanders.

Lelan glanced back behind him. No dice. "We're probably close to the mid-city right now."

It was unfortunate, but they had no chance of luring the thief outside of the city; there was too much space to cover. They'd have to beat him here, or not beat him at all. If they had to escape by virtue of difficulty alone, there was a fair chance that they wouldn't track him down easily later on. Lelan would eventually track him down, sure, but Eld probably wouldn't get the clearance to go on a month long journey with Lelan Jericho--and the last people anyone wanted to piss off in the world were the Reapers.

"All right, big guy," Lelan declared with a semblance of a smirk--

It was amazing, really, how the excitement of battle, putting his life on the line for something trivial like a weapon, could make him forget about the atrocities committed by himself and others . . . therapeutic, even.

--"Now that we're back in our element, you ready to kiss the dirt?"

The thief bought into the boast, and frowning--both in disappointment and anger--he let two chains burst from the gauntlet, both at the speed bordering on an arrow from a long-bow, one aimed for Lelan, and the other for Eld.

Lelan's response was not the one Eld was hoping for; fighting here was going to be tough, especially as both of them were unarmed. If only he could find Kageko...but the alleyway was still covered in supernatural darkness. It would take time to find it, and he wasn't certain Lelan could hold the thief off on his own, so he couldn't search now.

Their only option at the moment was to take the thief out first; he'd have all the time in the world to hunt for her afterward.

Eld dodged away from Lelan, evading the single chain shot on instinct more than anything. That was a lot faster than the previous ones. It made him nervous; he could dodge them at this distance, but if he got much closer he'd be hard pressed to avoid them. And if the thief could send them even faster...he didn't want to think about that possibility. He couldn't dodge a bullet, so if they got that fast, he was as good as dead.

As much as he wanted to charge right in, he didn't, instead trying to circle around the thief. If Lelan did the same, they could get on either side of him again and force him to split his attention.

Lelan, too, made it a point to dodge away from Eld. He was actually a little quicker on his feet than Eld; he wasn't as fast of a runner, but he dodged better overall--extremely agile, but not necessarily a sprinter. With just a few swift steps, he had ducked to the right, the chain passing seamlessly over his shoulder, with Lelan himself actually making no intensely drastic movement. He had just made a few seemingly lethargic steps and ducked down a bit; it wasn't quite a cocky maneuver, nor showing off; it was just easier.

This started Lelan off into a dash, though. By this point, Eld had cross behind the thief just a little, with Lelan closer to the thief's front than anywhere else. With enough space to move, he was better off against the thief--charging him wasn't nearly as risky of a maneuver as it was in the alleyway.

As expected, the thief devoted his attention to the one directly in front of him: Lelan Jericho. A chain shot out from the gauntlet; Lelan called for it in his mind, and without breaking momentum, turned his body to the side, showing the thief his profile for just a brief moment, before straightening back up and regaining his speed--never stopping once.

It happened again, and Lelan acted the same exact way as before, except this time, he was directly before the thief and the shot was at point blank range. Drastically, Lelan threw himself to one side of the thief's, letting the chain fire off at nothing, ultimately giving Lelan an open shot at the target. As he recovered, he lunged forward, and lurched a right hook straight into the thief's jaw. There was a satisfying crack involved, as the thief himself stumbled back at that instant.

Of course, the turnout may well have been better than if Lelan simply circled the thief: he had, after all, landed a punch to the man's jaw--a fist to the face which had the thief stumbling back for a brief moment, back towards Eld.

With the thief focusing on Lelan, Eld saw his chance, and dashed forward, putting all his strength behind a punch, one that was sure to incapacitate the thief if it hit...

Unfortunately, it did not. He didn't count on Lelan getting through so quickly, so when he knocked the thief back with a couple well-paced blows, Eld just barely whiffed his punch and practically slammed into the thief at the same time.

That...ticked him off, he couldn't deny it, but he made the best of it and wrapped his arms around the thief, holding him in place so Lelan could either get a few hits in or try and remove the gauntlet again.

Lelan smirked as soon as he saw Eld catch the thief from behind. It was the perfect opportunity. Their target's arms were up helplessly, trying fruitlessly to grab at Eld, the thief himself practically ignorant to the abuse he was about to receive . . .

Lelan stepped forward and laid into him with a left hook to the jaw, snapping the thief's head to one side, followed by a right hook, smacking it to the opposite profile, both followed up with a sudden uppercut to the lower ribcage, effectively rending the thief of all breath.

The Collector stepped back for only a fraction of a second, shaking his hands out, before tightening his right hand into a fist, drawing it back, and throwing a straight into the thief's nose. It definitely wasn't enough to knock him out, but it certainly got his attention after having the wind drawn out of him--unwanted attention, of course, as the thief reacted just a moment later:

"dIE!" the thief shouted with a wheeze.

This wasn't one to take lightly; but fortunately, it had been prompted by something. The thief had shouted at them before counter-attacking, accidentally giving Lelan and Eld both a chance to get away before what would otherwise be inevitable death. In an instant, nearly a dozen chains burst out of the gauntlet at once, six on each side--six for Eld, six for Lelan, concentrated in one general area, but spread just enough that Eld would have to let him go, and both would have to put some distance between themselves and the thief--if they wanted to survive it . . .

It seemed to work, as Eld was strong enough to keep the thief in place while Lelan socked it to him, but he knew it couldn't last. The thief's response was expected--they could surprise him for a second or two, but it was only a matter of time before he regained his senses and used the chains on them.

Eld shoved the thief hard to the side as he moved in the opposite direction, narrowly avoiding the half dozen chains that targeted him. His shove would also help put distance between the thief and Lelan, as well.

Once more he started to circle the thief, trying to keep him in between the two unarmed fighters. It was the best thing they could for the moment.

Lelan quickly leaped away from the thief once he caught out that the thief was going to react--and with good timing, too, as Eld had pushed him away just enough for Lelan to clear it with absolutely no scratches. Again, Lelan didn't circle him, this time not needing to; Eld had that covered, and was by the thief's side in no time at all--albeit at a good distance away from him, but still standing opposite to Lelan, with the thief centered between them. The thief had taken this time to regroup.

Once he opened his eyes, he opened his right hand--but at first, nothing happened. In an instant, however, the dozen chains each lifted, six aimed behind him, six aimed in front of him, but none attacking in any way. Rather, they perched up like snakes poised and ready to attack.

The darkness looming over the alleyway behind them faded in an instant, slick blackness curdling over the dirt, moving like a smog from within the alley, a thick, misty darkness, bubbling and boiling as if it truly had form of its own, gathering before the thief and filling his open hand. It continued to cling to the ground as if it didn't want to go--as if it were being forced to go, until at last, after a single second, shadows filled the alleyway no longer.

And while the darkness of the alley existed no more, the thief's right hand was no longer vacant. A hilt formed first, bubbling shadows forming the outline of a weapon, before thickening and taken a shape to differ from its primordial state, becoming polished black steel--two blades on opposite sides, separated by a long hilt, curved like an S, sending the blades themselves in opposite directions--a scythe of sorts, or something that others may call a swallow blade; one comprised entirely of darkness . . .

A familiar sight, but a truly unfamiliar ability.

"yOu ARe nOT wANteD in goD'S WORLD," the thief uttered as the chains swept down one by one, like snakes pouncing on prey, lifting up immediately thereafter and allowing another chain to attack immediately thereafter.

As the thief poised his chains to strike, Eld stopped, knowing he couldn't afford to move carelessly. With a half dozen chains at the ready, committing himself to a move he couldn't dodge out of would be suicide.

But what was far more disturbing than that was the form the darkness took, the familiar blades that he'd held in his hands often now...and more importantly, the girl whom they represented.

He felt his anger rise again, but this time he didn't let it push him out of control. Instead, he used it to focus, and as the thief started his attack Eld remained calm and dodged them one by one, each time moving a little bit forward. He wouldn't gain ground quickly, but if the thief didn't chain his tactics, he'd close the distance eventually.

And if he managed to lay his hands on Kageko again, he wasn't letting go, no matter what assaulted his mind...

Lelan did just the same. Each time a hook snapped into the ground, Lelan had already good and dodged it--albeit in much simpler ways than Eld--and moved forward just a step. This time, though, Lelan and Eld weren't close to a front of back of the man; Eld was close to the thief's right side, and Lelan to the left--with Lelan making slightly more ground than Eld was with each dodge, closing in on the thief's left arm without much of a problem at all. After a certain point, the thief's range of attack was hindered, as further attacks would have required hitting himself to get to the target.

Why?

Eld was closing in on him this time--

M-Master-- why don't you run? You'll . . . you'll die if you do not . . .

--but the proximity of his enemies had set the thief off into another attack. This time, however, each of the chains leveled out parallel to the ground and didn't budge at all; they took hard, straight forms like pipes, and as soon as the thief turned to swipe the scythe's blade at Eld, Lelan was struck immediately with what he first thought would just be a slight tap. He let out a grunt as the now taught chain cracked against his side and hurled him to the right, forcing him to land on his side and skid to a stop.

Eld, on the other hand, had a brief gap. If he dodged the horizontal swing, he'd be struck just the same as Lelan, and worse if he attempted to grab at the scythe--then, he'd not only be cut by it, but receive blunt force damage all the same.

"I won't leave you in this monster's hands!" Eld was too focused on the task at hand to "speak" just in his head, so he ended up saying the words aloud. Fortunately, Lelan was the only person around to see (and care), and he'd probably figure out who Eld was talking to without help.

Seeing his chance as the thief swung, Eld ducked under it and reached out to grab the handle of the weapon, knowing that if he could just get his hands on it he could change the tide of the battle...

Unfortunately, he was completely unaware of the second attack; like Lelan, the force of it came entirely as a surprise, more like being struck with a bat than a chain. It hit his arms just above the shoulders; had he not been reaching up at the time, it would have struck him square in the head, crouched as he was.

In addition to being knocked over, he received a nice gash on the back of his hand for his trouble. He wasn't terribly injured, but it did leave him prone near the thief's feet; not a good position to be in...

Eld, prone by the thief's feet, was in a terrible situation. He barely had any room to go; no feasible way to dodge an oncoming attack if need be, sans just a roll to one side or the other, but that could only do so much, especially against what the thief had in mind.

With very little hesitation, the thief raised each chain, all poised like snakes once again, hooks for fangs, hungry for the flesh of Reapers. It was a fraction of a second, really, as they arced up and arched forward, poised for only a fleeting moment, before diving down at the temporarily incapacitated Reaper . . .

But it wasn't to be successful. Before any could hit, each jerked back, as Lelan tackled shoulder first into the thief's side. The thief lurched back, the hooks meeting the ground just inches from Eld's face, as Lelan pushed him back unexpectedly, followed by an uppercut to the diaphragm--and another, and another, and another, before a swing of chains forced Lelan to duck once, and kicked back away from the thief to put distance between them.

He was nearby Eld, though, in case the Reaper needed any help standing, and while he didn't say anything, or even look down at Eld, his open hand was reached down for him, just in case.

Lelan was hurt pretty bad already, though. Both shoulders were wounded now; one might have been fractured somehow, while the other was cut deeply, back down to his back, drawing out an uncomfortable amount of blood--but he was still on his feet and fighting . . .