Eld started to roll out of the way almost as soon as he landed, but he stopped abruptly as Lelan's tackle knocked the hooks off course; the last thing he wanted to do was dodge into the attack. Even then, the hooks landed rather closer to his head than he was comfortable an attack being.

He was already getting up on his own by the time Lelan jumped back to him. He was showing obvious injury and fatigue, whereas Eld was still in fairly good condition. But by the same token, Lelan was having a much easier time getting in and landing hits. While it was true that Eld could end the fight in one good blow, that wasn't much of a consolation if he couldn't even land that one.

Which was why, as much as he wanted to be the one to tear Kageko out of the thief's grasp, it was a much better strategy to let Lelan try it. "Hey...let me get in there to draw his attention," he said quietly. "I'm not quick enough to get in close and get her--I mean, the scythe back. But you can probably do it."

It was difficult to admit, but he was paying the price of relying too much on his powers--lacking both his full Qi and Kageko's aid, he was hard-pressed to fight effectively.

"Your girl, right," Lelan nodded.

Though, now really wasn't the time to make jabs at Eld or anything. Truth be told, he wasn't even trying to. That was just how he knew Kageko--one of Eld's "girls." Whatever people were calling girlfriends nowadays would work. Lelan couldn't care less either way. It was just easier than saying her name all the damn time.

He knew what--or who, rather--Eld was talking about, anyways. Lelan knew well what was in the scythe; he wouldn't have been hunting it otherwise.

The thief took up a defensive position once he recollected himself. The chains each perked up, hooks ready to strike at any moment at anyone who came in the vicinity of their attack range. It was a good strategy with that type of weapon, actually. Lelan knew that long range attacks only worked when there was an element of surprise, and he could barely control the directions of the chains.

"Well, guess you're up, then," Lelan whispered to Eld. If he was going to be a distraction, then he'd have to start distracting quickly, while the thief was still playing a defensive game--just as long as he was out of breath, at least. Lelan had punched the wind out of him, after all, and he couldn't be very aggressive when he could barely breath.

Eld didn't respond to Lelan's "your girl" comment; truthfully, he wasn't trying to conceal Kageko's nature or anything, he just felt a bit weird referring to a weapon as a "she." After all, she was in the scythe, but the scythe wasn't actually her body or anything.

And to the notion that he better get going, he just nodded his head and took off, gunning straight for the thief. He knew it wouldn't be long before the thief started striking, and once he did his movements would be limited. So he had a plan...

As soon as the thief attacked, he'd step to the side, but instead of entering another long chain of dodging and advancing, he intended to grab the chain as it pulled back, just for one second, long enough for him to jump with it and get airborne without a burst of strength.

It was a risky maneuver; he was very vulnerable in the air, but at the same time he would be hard to ignore. A falling attack on the the thief would hit hard even without enhanced strength. Eld wasn't likely to come out of it unscathed, but it would likely give Lelan the opening he needed.

Of course, as soon as Eld was in range, the thief attacked . . .

The moment Eld was in the air, the thief had his eyes on him. By this time, he had gathered his breath back. He could attack offensively again. Before he could get in close enough to land a downward, mid-air blow, a chain would intersect with his chest, boasting the strength of a steel pipe, and carrying with it the potential to wrap around his body once it struck him--a potential that could further lead to the launching of Eld down the road as hard as possible--and after a blow like that to the lower chest, he wouldn't be landing on his feet gracefully, or on his feet at all . . .

Whether or not the thief managed to pull it off, he'd look down after the fact only to find Lelan before him, and less than a second later, pain. Chest pain. Horrible, paralyzing chest pain. Lelan Jericho had nearly broken the thief's sternum with a single, hard, running blow. When he looked down, all he could see was Lelan moving away from him, and even then, he couldn't see the boy's face. Only his hair; it was down in his eyes-- and he wasn't really moving away from him. The thief was simply . . .

Falling.

The thief stumbled back into the alley, letting out a series of loud hacks, horrid coughs that sounded like they were going to be accompanied by a lung plopping out onto the ground; agonized coughing that merited the tense holding of his chest with both hands, especially now that they were free--

He'd let go of the scythe as soon as the pain hit him, a scythe which now rested within the capable hands of Lelan Jericho.

Fortunately, Eld was prepared for the blow; he was the distraction, after all, and he hadn't expected his attack to succeed. But being prepared and being able to actually do anything about it were two different things.

He managed to "block" the chain hit, reducing the impact on his chest, but he couldn't do anything to prevent being flung down the street. He bit back a cry of alarm; there wasn't much he could do to control his fall, he just had to tuck in, cover his head, and hope for the best.

Landing hard on his side, he managed to roll a bit and lessen the impact, but it still knocked the wind out of him and hurt like hell. He was going to have a gigantic bruise there; he just hoped he didn't crack a rib again or anything.

But as he regained his bearings and climbed to his feet, he saw something he dared not hope for: Lelan holding the scythe. His already racing heart sped up even further, and he began to sprint towards the collector; it looked like the thief was out of commission. All that was left was to get Kageko back, and make sure he stayed that way while Lelan got his gauntlet.

There was a certain degree of accomplishment to be felt with this; a small little victory, and a large one as soon as Eld had the scythe back. Lelan intended to give it back. That was part of the deal, after all. They help each other get their weapons back; he wasn't going to renege on the deal. Of course, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to pursue the scythe again later, but that was something to think about later. Eld would be lucky to get six months of leeway. As a collector, Lelan was pretty adamant--but, unlike the thief, he'd actually treat Kageko decently.

These thoughts went through Lelan's head as he watched Eld approach, only to be cut off when he heard an agonized roar bellow from the thief. First, he looked to the thief, and then back to Eld; it was already too late. Chains erupted from the alleyway and cut through the tall structure just across the street. They threaded in an out rapidly, wrapping around each other in places as they crafted a thick wall, separating Eld and Lelan, completed just as Eld was in range of them.

Eld's only chances of reaching them entailed a really, really high jump--or going around the block, the former of which was extremely risky, considering what he had to clear, and the fact that both of them now had the thief's full attention.

"Go around!" Lelan shouted to Eld urgently.

That . . . was the only option, now. Lelan knew perfectly well that he couldn't use this Gaiasoul as it was; he needed to bond with it first before it could become remotely useful to him. As is, it was just a double-bladed scythe . . . and nothing more.

Eld practically skidded to a halt as the chains burst forth, separating him from Lelan...and more importantly, Kageko. They formed a wall a good three stories tall--even if Eld could clear that with a strength burst, he'd probably break his legs trying to land. Not to mention he'd be completely vulnerable to any attacks coming at him while he was in the air.

"Alright," Eld conceded; there wasn't anything else he could do for now. "But don't you dare lose her!"

While he couldn't jump the wall, the one story buildings in the area were another matter. He moved as fast as he able; he didn't know why the thief could use Kageko's powers, but Lelan couldn't; it wouldn't be much use in helping him defend himself.

Though in reality, with his agility, he'd still fare better than Eld would if the thief tried to attack him instead of Lelan...

"Thanks for the concern! I'll be fine!" Lelan shouted, sarcastically, back at Eld.

Well, now wasn't really the time for sarcasm, either, but Lelan could manage sarcasm in the most dire of situations. The day that he lost the ability to look up at a dull sky and say It's a beautiful day out! was the day that he died. Hopefully, that wouldn't be today.

By that point, though, Eld was already half-way down the street. Unfortunately, though, it was a large block. Not the largest in town, but this was a large town altogether; it had long, wide blocks. They took a little less than a minute to circumnavigate on foot.

"Well, guess it's you and me for now, huh?" Lelan grinned, goading the thief on.

He could dodge the thief's attacks pretty decently; his legs weren't harmed, so he was fine. Even when he was hit a few times in the shoulders, he could still move like before. So long as his legs went undamaged, he'd be fine.

"aNd HEr."

"What?" Lelan asked initially, only to feel a stabbing pain in his side. For a brief moment, he felt like vomiting blood. "Ghhh!!"

Lelan threw down what he thought was a scythe that instant, leaping back immediately. But . . . there was no scythe, not anymore, just a dark figure stumbling after a hard push . . .

On instinct, Lelan reached over to hold his side. Instinct demanded that one kept as much blood inside the body as possibly, even if it entailed fruitlessly covering a large wound with one's hand.

"What the h--?!" Lelan didn't even have the time to shout.

She rushed him, fast to do so. Eld was just turning the penultimate corner; he was close, so close--yet he not close enough. Not as far as Lelan was concerned. He backpedaled as quickly as he could manage, ducking under near invisible hooks and kicking the ground at times to futilely put distance between himself and the creature assaulting him. They were moving too fast for him to get a good look at her. It was a her, though. He could see that much. She had pure black skin and wore a dress.

She slashed at his chest, and this time . . . it was a hit. For a brief moment, he felt something scrape bone. Lelan flung out both hands and let out a shout of pain; one Eld would certainly hear. Before Lelan knew it, though, he had backed himself into a wall. He got another good look at her as she drew her arm back; he could see the claws on her knuckles, her scarlet eyes, and unchanging, doll-like stare. She probably couldn't even see that she was fighting someone.

Lelan ducked down to the left, stumbling in the process, just as the girl jabbed her hand forward. She'd have otherwise cut through his throat. Without a second thought, he thrust his own fist into her side. The girl didn't even let out a cry of pain. She recoiled, withdrew her clawed hand, and jumped back, putting distance between herself and Jericho on her own, or perhaps the thief's, volition.

And it was exactly that which Eld would inevitably run into as soon as he turned the corner: Lelan gasping for air, bleeding from his chest and side, hunched over with one arm across his chest, hand grasping his afflicted side, with his other arm held up in front of his face, palm open, still ready to fight--and the obsidian skinned girl standing fifteen feet from him, arms by her sides, body straight and graceful like a dancer-- and then, there was the thief, protected within the alleyway, threading chain after chain into the soil . . .

Eld didn't respond to Lelan's jab, not wanting to waste the breath he needed for running. Truthfully it wasn't that he didn't care about his safety, just that he'd proven plenty capable of taking care of himself thus far.

Unfortunately, it seemed it was not enough; when Eld made it back (after a solid minute of sprinting, not easy in his sleep deprived state), the first thing he noticed was his temporary partner bleeding. "Lelan! What-"

It took a second for his brain to even register it; he just didn't expect to see her. Even if (what he thought was) the worst happened and the thief took the scythe back, this shouldn't have been possible. And while it was true that many of his expectations were being broken today, this...

"K-Kageko...?"

...this was too much for even him to take in suddenly. He slowed down abruptly; despite all evidence pointing to something being horribly, horribly wrong, he simply couldn't register her as a threat.

. . . and in the end, there was no scythe in sight . . .

Eld's slowing to a stop was perhaps the worst thing he could have done. The thief eyed him for only a moment, before a slight quake gave way to Eld's entrapment: chains from the ground up, acting as if they had minds of their own, to wrap about his shins if he was not careful and moved, but it was unlikely that he would; to do so would be to eliminate his own shock. Kageko was outside of the scythe; outside, and beyond it. There was no scythe. It was gone, nowhere to be seen, not even hidden within the alley or held in the thief's hands. All that remained of it was Kageko, standing in the flesh, leaving footprints in the dirt-- something that never happened before . . .

"eLimiNAtE hIM, kAgeKO."

She said nothing. He wordless reply was more of a nod than anything ever could be--and she hadn't moved a muscle. There was no doubt that she was going to comply, and at least attempt to end Lelan's life.

"Kageko...how did you-?" But before he received any answers, he felt something tightly wrap around his legs. Chains burst forth from the ground, holding him place. He finally noticed the thief, just as he gave his order.

"W-Wait, Kageko! What are you doing?!" He couldn't comprehend it; they'd gotten her from him, even if she somehow escaped the scythe, she should be free. Why was she following his orders?

"Stop!" Desperately he tugged at his bindings, but it was to no avail. He was rooted to the spot.

Kageko continued to approach Lelan, moving at a slow, calculated pace, one foot in front of the other, walking a perfectly straight line, painfully slow. She wasn't responding to Eld. Lelan couldn't afford to think about this, though. They were calling her Kageko; that meant, to him, that this was the woman within the scythe--but she was going to try and kill him. Few other things, like who she was personally, really mattered after that.

He was beat to hell, but he could still move. Lelan leaned back on his left leg. Indeed, his legs were still in tact--he could still dodge, but there was a problem in that, now. Kageko was at least five times faster than he w--

Just as Lelan angled himself and walked as if to circle Kageko, the was gone--gone from his sight, but not Eld's. In the orange light, shadows were cast. The direction of shadows were determined by the closeness to any edge of the sphere; it was always to be in the opposite direction. Lelan's shadow cast behind him, and Eld would be the first to see a figure rising from the shadow in such a quick pace-- too fast . . .

--at least twenty times faster than he was.

Lelan felt something behind him; it tipped him off to move, but just as he did, intending to make a drastic dodge by jumping and rolling to the right, he felt himself immobilized. The Collector's eyes widened for a moment as he felt himself lifted up upon the tips of his toes. He couldn't move. Something was stopping him. Something inside of him. Within his--body? He looked down.

"nggh . . . f-- . . . fuck . . ."

Two claws jut forth through his abdomen, starting at the back, finishing red on the other side, lifting up with all the girl's strength, but never once lifting him into the air. The only points on the knuckle-claws were at the tips; they could only rip and tear if she struck with the points, the length of them, however, were just blunt weapons. Kageko's middle and ring fingers rested upon Lelan's spine; the claws had missed his spine and the nerves attached, and extended through only his stomach.

All things considered, though, he had to give credit where credit was due. ". . . c-clever . . . bitch . . ."

"N...No..." He finally got it; this wasn't her. This wasn't Kageko at all. This was all his doing; right now her body was just another weapon for him to wield with his strange power over Gaiasouls.

He twisted suddenly, shooting the thief a deadly glare. That would be the only indication of anything else happening; not even a hand gesture preempted the blast of Qi this time, one that seemed slightly stronger than the previous ones. His trap worked both ways--with his chains extending underground, he wouldn't be able to move easy himself.

When he saw the blast hit (or, if it was somehow dodged, at least saw his attention diverted), he'd pull with all his supernatural strength, attempting to break free of the hold and regain his mobility.

If he succeeded, even someone as crazy the thief would realize Eld needed to be dealt with; if he didn't redirect Kageko's attention, his eyes spoke more volumes of his intentions than words ever could.

Had Eld made a gesture with his hands, the thief would have caught on--but alas . . .

The thief let out a pained grunt as he nearly doubled over, clutching is chest in pain. The amount of abuse this area was receiving was perhaps a little extreme; it had, in fact, incapacitated him. He buckled over, falling to his knees, eyes shut tightly, greasy hair in his face. The thief wasn't the only one grounded, though. The claws jabbed through Lelan's body retracted, and he fell to the ground; his legs buckled as they hit, and without resistance, he slumped forward onto his chest. He could barely move, now . . .

In that instant, Kageko was nothing more than a slight cloud of dark mist--and nothing more. It was all that remained of her for nearly an entire second.

But then, Eld would find something aimed for him, something from below, from within his own shadow, a lance? No, it was a claw. It had been a claw all along, a single claw extended like a bullet eight feet straight, straight like a lance, aimed for his back, specifically where his heart beat against his lungs, where both could be penetrated in one fail swoop.

Seeing the thief double over was greatly satisfying, enough that it temporarily ablated the anger boiled to the surface. It wasn't a moment too soon, either. An attack was shortly thereafter aimed at him, an attack that a normal human would have no chance of even perceiving, let alone dodging, and one that would be undeniably lethal.

But Eld was no normal human, not any longer. If the thief had genuinely earned Kageko's trust, or even bothered to trick her, he could perhaps have known that he once fell prey to that exact attack--and that it wouldn't work a second time.

He moved, a quick step and turn that saw the claw pass just in front of him; as he regained his footing, he began to dash at the thief. With his chains under the ground, he was leaving himself without any defense, something Eld intended to make him pay for.