Ranger took aim with an indifferent gaze. Leo wasn't sure which of the conjured would attack first, so he'd strategically placed himself in the middle of the two at a distance, making sure there was still space left behind.
That way he had a clear view of them both while not being backed into an unescapable corner, in the tiny window where they would wind up he found some time to collect his mind now.
'Fatty over there is a problem... that spear is too long, how am I supposed to get up close?'
He shifted his gaze to ranger with a more relaxed look in his eyes.
'He's also got something to hit me from a distance... they're both just as bad!'
Waiting patiently was a sensible strategy right now which he took hold of. There was not much he could do in the situation, the knights were too unpredictable and dragging his body through a fight with all of them present would be foolish.
'I need to keep off untill the big one is gone for good.'
Leo contemplated his options before the action took off. His heart was slightly wavering and his hands shaking, infact they were so the whole time. But his will to survive was greater than anything else, keeping his cool was a given here.
The two opposite were ready now, clearly winding up their attacks Leo tensed up slightly.
Spear took a step in as if in preparation and at the same time ranger slammed his finger down on the various buttons and latches on his weapon.
The attack had begun.
The air shook as a small pellet left the barrel, on it's way out a translucent coating leaked off the surface of the barrel followed by a starry pattern engraved in the liquid.
It zoomed through the air as it headed straight for Leo, pushing air and dust out the way.
'Here it comes!'
Leo readied his body with both feet planted and eyes peeled for fatty, he was ready to dodge in whichever way would win him the battle. In his mind this was the opposite of the attack direction – since just like the brute, being behind the enemy was an excellent advantage, especially when dealing with a spear.
But before he could dodge the bullet a swirling sound stepped through the ground.
"!!!"
Leo's eyes widened and his nose overflowed with air. Danger was fast approaching.
Spear took his second step forward and lunged at Leo with great skill, his spearhead twirling at the extreme speed it was being put under.
At the same time the ball mere inches away from him exploded with the starry extract ruining the ground. A sudden burst of crackling and bright lights filled the room as the liquid caught fire – causing hundreds of tiny explosions to create a wall that blocked his vision.
'Fatty!'
An unmistakable noise, the spear was flapping so violently there was no way anything else made that whiplash sound.
They fooled him, ranger was just a distraction for the real attack. A dirty tactic but nonetheless one that worked, Leo was too familiar with this kind of underhanded battle tactic, he'd seen it more than a few times happening.
People from the slums would do anything to have the upper hand, carry rocks, poison, sand, whatever they could get their hands on.
That's why he kept a close eye on Spear, he wasn't quite sure the dead held any real honour – turns out they don't.
With his free hand Leo tried clearing the smoke away, trying not to veer off too much incase both hands were needed on the sword.
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'It's gonna be here soon.'
From the cloud of smoke left behind a sign of an attack showed, a pointy steel object protruded through the blanket and nearly into his skin.
'There it is, from the left!'
His eyes locked right on it, and with the positions now affirmed he pushed the sword forward, attempting to parry it away just before impact.
Clash!
Sparks went flying as the two clashed, Leo's body convulsed at the hit. It far exceeded his limits and expectations, it simply didn't make sense!
Why did that heavy chunk of metal get shaved clean off but the spear sent him flying through the ground?
Spears whole body appeared out the fog and so did its weapon, Leo parried the blade but the sheer force exerted on the clash sent him sliding to the other side of the arena. Keeping him relatively in the same position as before, in between the two.
All three gladiators stood down motionless.
Leo's heart pumped hard, his momentum had been broken and his composure wavered slightly.
"Huff, Huff."
He looked to fatty as if for an explanation.
"What the hell was that..."
The trick all lied in the spinning of the weapon, the two never collided in a head on clash, infact Leo never parried the hit. The spinning of the weapon slid against his blade and instead of 'clashing', the spear parried his sword away instead.
Click.
Thud, Thud, Thud.
Thud, Thud, Thud.
Two sets of chants resounded, fourteen soliders banged their swords against the floor surrounding the four main battlers.
In all its glory the cobalt armour of the knight illuminated the room against the silver flames, it was coursing down its body with great endurance as it spewed out from every crevice of its armour. The flame was travelling down uneven, its right side was being swallowed whole while its left side unbothered.
The oceanic plates charred under the pressure, turning a bright white steel colour. Reaching down to his legs it ate away at it; forcing the monster on it's knee as its leg gave way, it was only a matter of time before the whole body would finally fall into a mess of fancy armour.
Thud, Thud, Thud.
Thud, Thud, Thud.
Its second leg gave way, the knight was fully on its knees with its sword stabbed into the ground acting as the only pillar holding it up anymore.
The flames raged on, bringing the fire to the steel and ripping away its stitches with utmost violence.
As this all went on, the hands on the clock budged in place. The thick arm vibrated, it tried moving from its spot, tweleve-, tweleve-. It wouldn't move, the others wouldn't dare shaking either.
'Whats going on now? Did it break?'
It wasn't budging.
The arm tried spinning the other way in hopes of finding an exit, still it refused to move.
'It's got something to do with the kneeling one not moving anymore...'
He payed close attention to the clock and his enemies, the thick one was first to move, first on the clock and also corresponded to the first of the knights.
As the flames grew heavier all the arms tried moving to their corresponding places, but none would budge, the thickest arm shook and twisted faster and faster every second as the flame took more from its victim.
'This is my chance, if they can't move without the sticks moving then I have nothing to worry about!'
Leo took his calculations in mind, deducing a simple strategy:
'The spear will be real trouble and I'd rather not see what stupid tricks it can do, if I get close to the other one then his axe and balls will be easier to fight off.'
He bounced off the floor, heading straight for the spear as he weaved around the piercing fang. Being around eight steps away from his target the goal was now in sight, even if the clock started working again a singular hit was guaranteed.
The thick arm began violently shaking from the pressure building up, it was trying everything in its power to move. The movement was so harsh infact that in the next moment it vibrated the clock along with the whole area around and exploded right off!
Shrapnel from the thick magical arm ricocheted across the room, striking every wall until finally coming to a rest at the feet of every bystander, shattered in a million pieces.
At the same time the heavy knight lay on the floor beaten. As the material of the clock broke off so did it, its armour crumbled at the event, revealing a pouch of empty air and chainmail being embered by the white flames inside.
The plates on its shoulders and legs violently exploded off their rivets to reveal what little remained of what was once human. Its already molten flesh degraded further, oozing with a pale radiance as the flames took over.
All until there was nothing left but the scraps remnant of a warrior.
The only thing left behind, after the ashen glitter took its soul away, was the ragged armour charred by battle and flame along with some rings and an embroided toolbelt.
'...wow.'
Leo looked at the sight in disbelief, he knew it was over for the beast as soon as he got a hit in, but in such a gruesome and explosive manner he did not expect.
He was particularly distraught by the sight, after all he grew up with no sympathy for the wicked.
Now that the he was gone, and the first of the arms was no longer hindering progress. The other two began to move with more vigor than ever.
Tweleve, Three.