Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Adventure

The morning rays of sunlight began to glare down its heat
upon The Dojo, warming the hearts and spirits within. Zodiac found himself
however this morning on the outside, his training beginning through the noise
in his earbuds as hands went to fists and then went to flying. His acrobatics
training beginning with an onslaught of punches and kicks aimed for nothing but
air. It was the motions he was going for: Deliberate, Quick, Lethal. Every few
strikes he would find himself making a handspring back to get distance,
regrouping opportunity before collecting himself and going back on the
offensive. 

Beads of sweat had begun to form along his brow, breathing
growing heavier with the exertion of the exercise. It was best to make him feel
alive this early in the day. “Early to wake, Early to rise.” Zodiac repeated
the mantra to himself as his strikes hit the air, visible breezes of wind
coming from his strikes as his Inhuman abilities kicked in. Force began to grow
more violent for a second before a backhand was caught with a firm grip. 

Zodiac stopped amid his training to look back, and receive
greeting from his friend Giovanni. “Training already this morning, I see?”
Zodiac looked back at the fellow admin and smirked, seeing the sunlight glint
in Giovanni’s emerald eyes, always looking so calculating at his surroundings. If
there was a day Giovanni Carter overreacted, he feared the world would perhaps explode.
Strands of Gio’s Platinum blond hair obscured his lips, though he could
practically feel the excited smile spreading over his draconian partner’s
wicked facade. And when he saw the training Gi that he was sporting, Zodiac
Knew without a doubt that it was about time for a rematch with one of his
eternal rivals.

When the two let go of their grips, Zodiac took a few feet
back and turned to face The Wickerolan with a smile before getting into a
defensive stance. When Giovanni took to a stance for a second as well, it gave
them a moment where they locked eyes. A nod was shared in understanding among
these two comrades for the moment, realizing that this was another test among
the two of them. May the better man win. 

Giovanni took to the offensive first, rushing to close the
gap between himself and Zodiac to a few inches distance before coming at him
with a slugging elbow strike to the throat. Zodiac managed to deflect it and
aim his own counter with a strike to the chest, which Giovanni managed to
deflect himself. Back and forth a flurry of strikes and counters came and went,
the two of them synchronizing with one another eventually as minutes passed
without one another giving an inch. Their locked gazes were focused, peering
into one anothers’ soul to see the next attack that lie ahead. 

It was Zodiac eventually whom broke as a kick came to strike
at his knee which he was not prepared for, causing him to buckle. He only
looked down for a second, but it was enough for Giovanni to come down with a
chop to Zodiac’s throat before stopping short of contact. It gave Zodiac pause
for a moment before he shook away the cloudy thoughts and bowed his head in
defeat. 

The silence between them broke when Zodiac shook the hand
away and got up to his feet once more in a flurry with another series of
strikes aimed for Giovanni. But with each strike came a deflection as his
opponent spun about, his movements seeming more like a dance than a complex
sequence of moves that were now making his Assault look like Child’s Play. That
moment of realization cost Zodiac as Giovanni came at him with an earnest kick
to his stomach which had The Songster doubled over in pain. 

Giovanni then knelt down, wincing a bit in sympathy as he
felt for his comrade. “Are you okay, Z? I was not meaning to use that much
power on that kick.” Zodiac simply nodded his response and stood up. 

“I’m okay, Gio. No need to worry. I just got kinda lost in
thought for a second. Lost sync for a second there.” He dusted off the knees of
his jeans and resumed a stance for combat, and it elicited a smirk from Gio for
a moment. The respect was in his gaze as Giovanni set on the Assault this time,
taking care with limits once again for his foe secretly. 

And yes, Giovanni had the strength advantage for sure. But
when it came to the speed and agility advantages, Zodiac had a leg up on him. And
even now as Giovanni was raining blows that would incapacitate an NFL
linebacker, he knew that from the focus Zodiac was displaying now that he could
not touch him with any regular attack. The two could get back to their rhythms
and motions. Feeling the energy between them begin to sway between the two of
them, telegraphing to one another what would come next. And it was that focus
that they dived into as kicks were deflected, making turns into other attacks
and counters. Gracefully the two then began to dance in a violent ballet of
melee as they checked one another’s movements even at times. 

The sway would push Zodiac back for a second, causing him to
roll backwards and out of harm’s way as he narrowly avoided a kick from
Giovanni. He could practically feel the wind from the kick itself push him back
a bit, as he shook the daze from his head. 

“I am surprised you do not stay in this style all the time,”
Zodiac exclaimed before he kicked himself back up to his feet. His spritely and
happy-go-lucky nature were a few of those qualities that Giovanni admired about
his Songster Comrade, so much so he couldn't help but to chuckle as he resumed
a defensive stance before replying. 

“Because then I wouldn't have any fun in my battles anymore.
It just takes away all the fun sometimes since it can get too crazy. Aura
control can manipulate too much of the world, and can then bring in too many
elements for some to counter. And that is why we focus on our hand to hand
combat so much. Because when we get all of those elements countered, nothing
else will matter but the Collision of fists to bodies.”

Zodiac looked at his friend for a second and nodded in
understanding, rushing back into the Frey with his comrade. They continued
their battle, energy coming to life once again as they deflected attack after
attack from one another. Eventually fatigue began to show for Zodiac after
another few minutes, and he was the next to be felled after this with a precise
punch from Giovanni to his stomach, knocking him backwards a few feet before
rolling to a stop. 

This time, Zodiac didn’t seem so spritely when he regained
his bearings, his breathing labored while holding an arm over his stomach.
Giovanni walked over to approach him and placed a hand over his arm when a
green tint came over Zodiac’s injury. A few moments passed before the injury
subsided and ebbed away. 

“That is a nifty power, Gio.” Zodiac exclaimed with a
stretch, testing how bad the damage was. But he found that the entire area had
been healed completely. The response from Giovanni came out as a bit of a
chuckle before he took a few steps back from Zodiac and gave a bow go his
sparring partner, marking the end of their training session. Zodiac returned
the bow, lowering his head to admit his defeat. It was definitely not a bitter
pill to swallow, considering his enemy was a 3500 year old Draconian Warlord.