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Tinman panted hard in the twilight, a slight wince of strain on his muzzle as he rubbed at one of his arms slowly, staring at Zerrex. The reptile was panting hard as well, wincing a bit but still holding a firm ready pose, the two facing at odds. Today's training had been especially harsh for them both... and the badger couldn't help but marvel at the ideas that the reptile came up with.

Today was target practice: Zerrex would attack and destroy simple targets set up around the area, placed atop metal stands that the Drakkaren had thankfully allowed Tinman to grab from his own home's metal shop. He'd also picked up the belt of stuff he wore, at Zerrex's request, feeling horribly awkward at the massive advantage he'd thought it would put him in over the Drakkaren... but Zerrex had said softly that he wanted to train hard, and that he wanted Tinny to attempt to stop him using lethal force as necessary. Then he'd smiled and said he trusted that the badger wouldn't kill him even if he got him into a death-grip... then grinned in that mischievous, god-taunting way he had and said he wouldn't blame him if he made a mistake, though.

The two had just finished off yet another round, and Tinman was panting from setting the targets back up that they were using: heavy, concrete bricks, of all the things available. The reptile had been firm on this, even though Tinny had pleaded with him to at least choose something easier... but so far, Zerrex had shown no trouble with smashing every last one of them to fragments and dust. Gods knew where the reptile had managed to snag all the materials from they'd been using, but he'd certainly been busy getting them while Tinny had taken an hour or so off to collect the things he needed from his house and shop. Had the badger known Zerrex had sprinted to a nearby construction site, then ran back dragging most of the load of concrete bricks on a cart... he likely would have forced the reptile to sit down and relax for at least the next hour while lecturing him on overstraining his body.

So it was simple practice: eight bricks set up in a circle, on stands that had originally been intended to be heavy, twisting ivy-designed braziers for decorating outside his home or as a gift for Cindy and her weird natural healing tastes... but now they made more than passable stands for the reptile's training use... or maybe the word he was looking for was 'abuse.' So far, though, Zerrex had been especially careful to avoid damaging the stands in the slightest, and only attacking the bricks atop, as Tinny had attacked him; at first holding back, but steadily pulling out more and more tricks.

The belt around his waist was a combat-belt that he'd assembled over the years: it was a heavy, construction-style thing, lined with heavy rawhide pouches and sidepacks, all with magnetized metal buttons that the badger could open and close using his powers only with ease. Inside he had everything from nails, to steel wire, to caltrops and, in the largest pouch at the back, a few specialty items he hadn't yet used.

"Can you go one more round, Tinny?" Zerrex asked, and Tinman smiled at the concern in the reptile's voice: it was still something relatively new that he was getting used to, the fact that now the reptile was actually showing more worry for him than simply cold consideration for his health status, from a military point of view. The reptile was gazing at him, and Tinman mentally checked himself over before deciding he had enough strength left to give the reptile another good run for his money... yet he couldn't help but wince at the reptile's own state.

"I've got enough to go one final round..." he stopped, then straightened as he shook his head, asking quietly: "But what about you, Boss? I mean... I'm amazed by the fact you're... you know..." He stopped, feeling awkward and blushing a bit at the fact he was almost questioning someone who, in his mind, was still his commander, Captain, and superior officer... as much as his admired friend.

Zerrex however, merely smiled a bit and nodded, glancing down at his muscular body... which was covered in a variety of scratches, most of them shallow but a few fairly bloody. Dried blood spotted his chest, and he had a few fresh bruises as well, especially on his hands. His knuckles were badly scraped from pounding and smashing through concrete, and his entire body felt sore as hell... not to mention the fact he had more than a dozen nails and screws sticking out of his body. Tinny had been playing nice, though... most of them were stuck in his arms and a few in his legs. They throbbed dully, but he'd had worse... and he knew that the badger could throw them far harder than he'd been doing. He was also aware that most of them were nails... another hint of the badger's gentility and the fact he wasn't going all-out yet. Screws hurt a lot more... and since they weren't smooth, they wouldn't come out anywhere near as easy as the nails. "Yeah, I'm fine, Tinny. I just look worse than I feel..." he paused, then added gently: "But I need you to give it your all this time, alright? Treat me like an actual enemy, instead of your friend or commander." He stopped again, hesitated a moment, then added quietly something he normally wouldn't... almost for fear of being made fun of for sounding kinda cheesy. Tough or not, cruel as he was, and strong as he could be... he did admittedly feel more vulnerable when with his friends. "Honor me by giving me everything you've got, Tinman. Let me see how much you care by how hard you try to kill me... you get what I'm trying to say? I need this training to be as vicious as possible... because Requiem's far stronger and a universe more experienced than I am. I need every edge I can get."

He felt a faint blush rise in his cheeks at his words... but then Tinman smiled and nodded, straightening before he closed his right hand into a fist and took on a firm salute, raising it over his heart as he said firmly: "Yes, sir, Captain." A pause, and then he let himself go to ease as he made a gentle gesture towards him. "I'll do my best as your friend, too. And it's me who's really honored by that, Mr. Zerrex."

"Just Zerrex." The reptile smiled a bit in return, though, then he nodded firmly and changed his stance, pushing one leg out behind him and raising one arm in front of his face, keeping his fingers straight and raising the other above his head in an L, hardening his features as he shouted a simple, strangely-joyful order: "Make me bleed, Tinman!"

Immediately, Tinny nodded and gave his own grin in return, the usually-soft features of the badger firming as well as he snapped his hands down like a gunslinger about to draw, and the pouches on either side flew open, a coil of steel wire flying into one hand and a handful of nails into the other: the badger immediately jumped forwards as he threw the latter out in front of him, spreading them through the air in a simple raising motion. Zerrex's eyes widened as they froze at random points in midair, the sharpened tips gleaming in the fading light, and he immediately threw himself to the side.

The reptile ducked as the tips followed him, watching as Tinman brought his now-empty hand swishing down, then he kicked off and spun his body rapidly in the air as he heard a crack like a shotgun blast: a moment later, he felt pain spreading its way through his shin and tail, the force of the blow against his leg enough to cause his spin to reverse and him to fall backwards. He managed to twist his body firmly and regain control, however, landing neatly in a crouch with one arm out and wincing at the pain in his leg... but then his eyes widened as he saw an almost invisible gleam, seeing the badger's other arm had already thrown the wire towards him and outwards, delicately holding the end of it.

He's fast! Was the only thought the Drakkaren had, marveling at Tinman's speed, even as he looked straight up before letting himself fall backwards to the ground: he was almost too slow, however, as the steel wire that had formed a loop around his neck snapped closed and tore a shallow cut along the end of his muzzle. The lizard winced as he hit the ground, and he rolled quickly to the side as his instincts yelled at him: this time, he managed to avoid being caught by the wire's whipping attack, and he pushed firmly off the hard soil as he kicked his legs up, going from handspring to full flip and landing with his back towards the badger in a crouch.

It was a stupid move, especially dealing with an opponent like Tinny... but then Zerrex grunted, straining the muscles in his legs as he straightened and kicked off the ground at the same time, gracefully arching his back and flipping upside-down with his arms out, flying surprisingly-high into the air, and grinning as Tinman's expected attack swept underneath him, tugging gently at his hair - a pair of sawblades and a slash of the wire. For the reptile, time seemed to freeze as he saw the shock on the badger's features, then it returned to normal, as he flipped fully and landed.

Instead of remaining still, however, the reptile immediately moved into a series of backwards handsprings, dodging another slash of the whipping wire before it suddenly curled around his hand as he reached down to shove off the ground. The reptile blinked, then he let out a grunt as it tightened painfully around his wrist and tore him to the side, sending him down to the ground as Zerrex twisted his body to at least see the badger, watching as Tinny rose the wire above his head with two fingers, causing the wire to vibrate and slide viciously against the reptile's wrist, cutting deep into it and sending out a fine spray of blood. At the same time, he held his hand out to his side, a cluster of screws flying into it before he began to make an over-armed throwing motion.

The exaggerated movement gave Zerrex the time he needed to roll to the side, however, getting both hands under him and pushing off before Tinman could rip his hands out from beneath him: he landed on his feet, then grabbed the metal wire and jerked hard on it, ripping it out of Tinny's grip and causing him to squawk in pain as the metal dug into his fingers, his concentration interrupted just as he released the screws - instead of firing at the reptile's new location, they instead shot down into the earth in front of him, and Zerrex grinned to himself before lunging to the side again, at the same time ripping the metal loops free from his bloody wrist. Then he kicked off the ground and spun in midair, bringing a foot up at the same time and smashing it through one of the eight concrete blocks that surrounded them in a circle.

Tinman cursed under his breath, his eyes widening as Zerrex landed behind the brazier, then he suddenly snapped both hands forwards. Immediately, the decorative ivy that laced the single metal pole leading up from the stand at the bottom shot out, like living tendrils of a real plant, and wrapped tightly around the Drakkaren: the twisting metal vines were each more than eight feet long, and more than long enough to seize the reptile around the waist and wrists, making the reptile release a grunt of surprise as the metal leaves and small steel bumps on the ivy squeezed painfully into his body. This exertion, however, left the badger winded for a moment, as he reached into one of his hip packs on either side of his waist and pulling out several small metal knives.

Zerrex snarled, powerful muscles flexing before he simply stepped forwards and jerked his arms downwards, bending at the waist: the metal vines binding his body were no match for his strength, shattering into brittle pieces of steel before the reptile used the momentum from his bursting of the ivy coils to take two large steps before leaping forwards and swinging a fist down in a vicious hook, smashing apart another concrete brick before dropping to a shoulder roll to the side. He threw an arm down at the last moment and spun on the spot, sending up a puff of grass and dust as he faced once more towards Tinny.

The badger immediately threw the knives out at Zerrex, then he forced them to curve upwards in midair as the Drakkaren leapt straight upwards, snarling in concentration as he controlled the triangular knives like homing missiles: but Zerrex grinned as he snapped one arm outwards, using his own impressive strength to slap the knives away and making Tinny stumble to the side, his powers working against him and dragging him with the metal objects for a moment before he mentally 'let go' of the weapons before catching them again and throwing them at the Drakkaren's back.

Even in midair, however, Zerrex ducked... then one of his arms whipped out, catching one of the knives before snapping his limb upwards as he landed, flicking the knife neatly back at Tinny. The badger's eyes widened in surprise, and he dropped the other knives he was puppeting to push both hands out and halt this one in midair.

He immediately threw it back at the reptile and forced it to spin violently, but Zerrex jumped backwards and leaned to the side, the knife only managing to dig a small cut just above his waist. The reptile grinned, then blinked as he suddenly felt something wrap tight around his leg, realizing he'd landed with almost right next to a brazier. The vines squeezed painfully through his pants leg, ripping the material and cutting into his scales as he snarled and felt it dragged back against the brazier.

Tinman reached quickly into the large sidepack directly in front of him with both hands, yanking free the five remaining sawblades - two in one hand, three in the other. But even as he cocked his arms back, his eyes widened as Zerrex slammed an elbow into the concrete block atop the brazier he was trapped against, before throwing his elbow down and causing the metal construct to crunch under the blow, the pole in the center bending violently enough to cause several of the vines to detach.

Immediately, the badger whipped the sawblades out in a fanning motion, and the air whined with their passage as they shot towards the reptile... but the muscular Drakkaren threw himself to the side, rolling out of the way. Tinman, however, had expected this, immediately leaning to the side himself and making a wide gesture towards the reptile, following his movements before causing them to circle the Drakkaren, buzzing around his face and digging shallow cuts along his shoulders, cheeks, forehead and muzzle, bits of white hair floating down through the air as the reptile snarled and stumbled, Tinny moving his fingers as if making a puppet dance with one hand and pushing the other down towards his leg, causing the vines to tighten painfully.

Zerrex staggered backwards, letting out a hiss of pain as one of the sawblades snapped down and ripped a gash through his cheek, and the badger's eyes flashed as he saw the reptile's throat exposed, immediately drawing two sawblades back in a wide circle before shooting down towards it: Zerrex, however, grinned at this and went into a graceful spin on his heel as he ducked at the same time, his feint working perfectly as he spun towards one of the other braziers with a concrete block on it. The sawblades missed by mere inches, passing under his muzzle as he turned before they smashed into the ground and sent up bursts of soil and dirt.

Then he simply dived over the brazier, the other sawblades that had buzzed him shooting at his body but missing narrowly, one of them slashing the top of his tail as Tinny let out a curse, slumping for a moment as a wave of dizziness passed over him at the exertion. It gave Zerrex more than enough time to land with the concrete block curled tight against his chest, then he threw it down before slamming one fist straight down and reducing it to stone debris.

Tinman shook his head quickly, then rose his hands and caused the vines still wrapped around Zerrex's leg to slither up his body: the reptile reacted fast, however, suddenly curling one arm against his chest, as if wounded. As the vines slithered up towards his neck, leaving shallow marks through his scales, they travelled over the reptile's limb... and then the lizard simply snapped it outwards, shattering the brittle vines and sending fragments of metal raining down, causing Tinny to stumble backwards and grunt, the sudden destruction of the manipulated object causing his powers to recoil back, almost hitting him with a punch. Then he slumped a bit, panting hard, as Zerrex forced himself up, bloody and ragged... and they grinned widely at each other, a flare of joy going up through both their battered bodies.

"You should get serious." Zerrex remarked, as he straightened and glanced around the battleground: he had already destroyed half the targets, but Tinman was positioned nearest them, with the reptile on the opposite side of the circle the eight formed. Empty - and in some cases, broken - braziers surrounded him... and concrete targets surrounded the small but impressive badger.

"So should you. You're only half done, after all..." Tinny smiled a bit, his features softening for the moment, then he straightened up as he rubbed at his sore side: he had to admit, however, that it was impressive how the reptile's pure physical strength could override even the hardest of his attacks so far. He paused a moment, however, hesitating... then he asked gently: "Permission to reveal my trump cards and use lethal force attacks?"

"Permission granted." Zerrex replied softly, then he smiled a bit and tilted his head, before surprising the badger as he asked in return, with equal respect: "Permission to respond to such as situation requires, even if it means response in kind?"

The badger swallowed thickly, feeling a faint tremble run through his being at the reptile's words, at the sudden treatment, as if he was the superior officer... and then he gave a wide, bright smile, nodding slowly as he clasped his hands and silently bowed to the Drakkaren, half-kneeling and letting the back of his neck show in a gesture of complete trust and appreciation. "Permission granted... and thank you."

"The pleasure is mine." Zerrex responded quietly, waiting for Tinman to straighten... then he bowed low in response, crossing an arm over his body and letting one gesture widely outwards, ignoring the throbbing pain throughout his body, and the taste of blood in his muzzle. Then he straightened as well, slowly rolling his shoulders before raising his hands in a basic ready stance, his smile still on his face, eyes still alight.

Tinman, too, was smiling... and then he reached carefully around himself, into his back pouch, feeling gently for one of the objects resting within before pulling it out. Then he smiled a bit, and pulled it free, making the metal snake come alive and slither up his arm and then rest on his shoulder, the steel serpent's small glass eyes seeming to flicker with life. It swayed from side to side, only a foot or so long and made of multi-sectioned joints.

The two faced off as equals, with respect and happiness... then Tinman's hands snapped down, steel wire flying out of the pouches on either side of him before he threw them outwards like whips, the wire unfurling rapidly of its own accord and lashing out towards the Drakkaren. In response, Zerrex immediately backstepped, but Tinny stepped forwards as the wires reached out, almost like feelers, and the reptile winced, crossing his arms over his chest defensively as they suddenly rippled and snapped at him.

The moment they struck the reptile, they wrapped themselves firmly around his arms, yanking him forwards and causing him to snarl as several loops of wire tightened around his limbs. He jerked hard back, but Tinny held firm, the ends of the wire firmly in his hands and supported by his powers as he grunted, and then the wires tightened even further, forcing the Drakkaren to stumble forwards as they slithered down his arms like snakes-

Zerrex's eyes widened as he flicked his gaze up to Tinman's shoulder: the snake was gone, however. Then, suddenly, Tinny jerked him forwards and the steel wire bent upwards in a U as he stumbled towards the badger. He suddenly found his arms pinned to his chest as each U flipped over his head and then tightened hard, leaving him with his arms tightly bound and crossed, held tight by his own thick neck where the wires crossed in an X. He snarled in pain as Tinman released the wires and made a gesture as if to hug himself, and suddenly the steel wires wrapped tightly around the Drakkaren's throat twice over before each wrapped around his shoulders, then tightly around his thick biceps and body, effectively hogtying him while leaving his legs free, before they began to tighten viciously almost immediately, already ripping deep enough to cause blood to leak down from the Drakkaren's neck, arms, and chest.

And then the reptile felt the snake, crawling up his leg and then rapidly gliding over his scales, small hooks on the bottom of the creature digging into his body and letting it move up him with ease as he choked and gargled, collapsing to his knees, Tinman still tightening the wires. He felt his world turning gray, and then the snake was crawling over his muzzle and then he could taste steel in his mouth as he heard the click of razors, felt sharp metal cut his tongue... and he knew exactly what was supposed to happen. The snake would worm into him... and rip apart him inside out: just like Cherry's whip, every part of it felt sharpened, and he could feel it pushing through his teeth and into his muzzle...

A flash, and Zerrex flexed his body and strained against the steel wire, snarling as he chomped down on the metal snake: it writhed like a living thing in his mouth, and he felt his cheeks and tongue being slashed by it before he whiplashed his head and spat it out, the pain in his mouth a thousand times worse than the wire digging steadily into his body. Through the haze of gray and pain, he saw Tinny holding a hand out, fingers open and palm towards him, forcing the wires to rip into his body even as he used his other hand to puppet the snake back towards him... and then the reptile's eyes flashed as he dropped to a crouch, then straightened his body and threw every ounce of strength he had into ripping his arms free as he arched his back.

Steel wire snapped like string, blood bursting from every area it had shredded through scale and into his body, and he roared as he arched his back: but at the same time, Tinny let out a gasp and staggered, his eyes bulging and his arms flying out, gasping like the reptile had just slugged him in the gut. He fell to his knees as Zerrex fell to his own, spitting blood from his muzzle before he forced himself to stagger upwards. He panted hard, but adrenaline and the sensation of victory overpowered the pain and lightheadedness, despite the fact he was almost dyed red with his own blood, and he rolled one of his shoulders once as he crushed the steel snake underfoot by complete accident, grinding it into the soil.

Tinny coughed and shook his head, falling on all fours for a moment before he grunted and once more reached behind him for his pouch... then he stared upwards as he heard a loud cracking sound. He was amazed to see that the reptile had already stumbled to the nearest concrete brick and smashed it to pieces, watching as fragments of white concrete hailed down and the lizard stumbled and fell... but then Zerrex gamely forced himself back to his feet, and the badger could almost feel the reptile recovering his strength, even as he continued to bleed.

Tinman still had a few tricks left, though... and so he quickly reached back into his back pouch and concentrated on sifting out what he wanted, even as he turned and staggered upwards, trying to at least get between the Drakkaren and two of the other blocks. He could see that the reptile was already almost at another of the blocks, and that his movements were smoothing out... and so he quickly decided to use it as bait instead of saving it, throwing the objects in his hand high into the air and then grunting as he concentrated hard on the five tiny, metallic birds.

For a moment, nothing happened... then they fluttered their metal wings and all but came alive, immediately divebombing the reptile just as he reached the next block and drew his fist back to smash it.

The first bird cut a long gash down his muzzle, and the reptile stumbled before covering his face with his arms as the other birds flew in, their wings and beaks cutting into him like knives. They swarmed his face, but the reptile recognized this tactic from earlier, almost the same as the sawblades... except they were much faster, they were far harder to see. Zerrex stumbled backwards, then he felt the metal ivy of the brazier trying to stealthy wrap around his foot... and so he snarled, quickly kicking out and knocking the metal stand over as he whipped out a hand at the same time, catching the concrete block in mid flight before he spun around and smashed it outwards on a vicious arc.

It struck the swarm of metal birds, knocking two of them to the ground but three of them actually sticking in the block, and then the reptile turned towards Tinny and cocked his arm back, snarling and muscles bulging. The badger immediately squeaked and dropped, and Zerrex grunted as he hurled the block over his head, into one of the other concrete blocks, and both of them exploded into fragments. It left only one... but Tinman was quick to jump up and leap back towards it, walking backwards until he had his back pressed against the brazier.

The two faced each other... then Tinny put his arms out, concentrating, eyes not leaving the Drakkaren's. Behind him, the ivy covering the brazier reached up and wrapped securely around the concrete block, and then Tinman lowered his arms, reaching behind himself and into his pack.

He paused as he found nothing for a moment... then he smiled a bit as he found it at the bottom of the large rawhide pouch, producing a thin metal dragonfly. He held this out on the palm of his hand, then concentrated before it rattled its metal wings, then flew up into the air and buzzed around his head before flying straight at the Drakkaren.

Zerrex's movement in response was lighting fast: he snagged the dragonfly out of the air a moment before it rammed into him, and then smiled in return at Tinny. Then he blinked as he realized the badger still had his hand out before he suddenly clenched it shut, and the dragonfly buzzed once in his hand before exploding like a bomb.

The badger stared at the smoke cloud, lowering his arm and wincing a bit... then blinking slowly as Zerrex coughed and waved smoke away from himself, wincing and lowering an arm that he'd barely managed to get up in front of his face in time. He had to admit, though, it had been a hell of a trick... the badger had mixed some kind of explosive compound into a liquid steel, but fortunately for him, the metal itself had acted as a suppressor and severely weakened the explosive power.

Tinman coughed a bit, the two looking at each other... then the badger smiled slightly and said softly: "I've got one more trick up my sleeve... and I think I have just enough energy left to use it. Shall I show you, Boss?"

"Of course." The Drakkaren rose his fists gamely, mentally checking himself over: he was badly injured, yes... but he didn't think he was bleeding too heavily anymore and the fact he was covered in his own blood didn't exactly mean he was in horrible shape, really... after all, he had more blood to go around than most people, with the size of his body, and he'd had his ass handed to him far worse before. He smiled slightly at this, emerald eyes flashing. "Let's finish our little game."

The badger nodded in response, then he set himself firmly before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes... then he made a slow rising motion with his arms, until his hands were stretched skywards, palms facing up and fingers out towards the reptile. Zerrex felt the ground shudder, felt the badger's power flowing around him, and he glanced around as metal twisted and bent, curled and then rose skywards as well, snarling a bit in surprise as it slowly began to gather above the badger's head.

All the metal in the environment, from the braziers to the torn pieces of steel wire, was pulled into a ball of metallic debris, and for a moment the reptile wondered if the badger was simply going to drop the giant sphere on him that it formed, as it slowly swirled and revolved... but that wouldn't make sense. They'd done things like that already, and it was clear that his strength would win out over the heaviest of the badger's attacks... even when they'd been training with tankers and other massive metal objects, which doubtlessly weighed more than the planet of junk currently floating above. Then Zerrex stepped back slowly as the ball descended with a gentle movement of the badger, Tinny's small muscles bulging and veins standing out through his fur as he concentrated.

The pile of junk rumbled... then began to spin rapidly as it assembled itself, shifting and changing, metal grinding into metal and sparks shooting up, bits and pieces here and there glowing red with heat, electricity jumping from other segments as it assembled itself into a form as tall as the reptile. Then he could see an arm form, and a body... a massive blade... and Zerrex grinned slowly before letting himself relax as he realized what was going on, saying softly: "You're improved a lot to be able to do that on the spot."

The badger didn't reply... but the flow of metal finally stopped and unveiled a skeletal warrior that bore strands of steel wire for hair, a muzzle shaped like the reptile's, and a body composed of nails and twisted tops from braziers. The arms and legs were also recognizable but strange, mostly skeletal with a few bits of metal plating here that formed part of a forearm. The hands were little more than claws on large sawblade-palms, and one clutched a long, makeshift-metal sword that was six feet long, composed of a steel pole that had been flattened out past the cylindrical hilt into a thin but wide blade, and serrated with screws and nails.

The eyes were sockets, and the teeth inside the muzzle were made of nails, forming a creepy grin... the tail was made from broken segments. It was amazing that the badger had put this together on the stop, as he fell to a crouch and panted hard... but then he forced himself to stand with a grin, whispering quietly: "We'll have to make this quick, Captain... I can only hold this together for a minute more at most."

"Then let's go." Zerrex nodded and rose his hands gamely, grinning slightly... and immediately the metal version of him stepped forwards and swept the sword out in a wide, hard slash. Zerrex immediately ducked low, going into a half-splits, then he leapt forwards and slammed a punch into the half-formed plate-breast of the creature.

Immediately, steel wire snaked out of the gaping metal ribcage, wrapping tight around his arm to restrain him, and Zerrex snarled as the metal golem brought its hand up to choke him, the other arm straightening out before stabbing its sword inwards towards itself on an arc: the reptile was able to quickly shift to the side, however, and the metallic being only succeeded in running itself through with the sword as Zerrex reached up and snapped the wrist of its other hand, sending a few screws and bits of twisted steel pattering down before he leapt backwards, ripping the steel wire with him out from the golem's chest. It staggered forwards a bit at the force, and the reptile quickly shook his hand, the pieces of wire falling to the ground before he performed a quick reverse handspring as the golem drew its sword from its chest and swung hard at him with it at the same time.

Tinny rose a hand, and the metallic being did the same... then Tinny made a slight shoving motion, and steel wire shot from the wrist of the outstretched limb and snatched at the lizard. Zerrex refused to be caught by this trick yet another time, however, and instead rose one of his arms: the moment the wire wrapped tight around his body, he grabbed the steel wire with his free hand and spun in a rapid circle, snarling, muscles bulging as he yanked the golem around in a wide circle.

Immediately, the badger was yanked off his own feet, connected by his powers as he was to the steel being he'd spawned: the moment he hit the ground, grunting in pain, the metal creature shattered into pieces, and Zerrex toppled heavily onto his own rear, panting hard and wincing as parts of the metal golem flew across the lawn, scattering far and wide and leaving him gripping nothing more than a few pieces of bloody metal string that quickly unraveled from around his wrist.

He winced a bit as he looked at Tinman, who has panting hard, laying flat on the ground with his arms out and face buried in the soil, and then the reptile forced himself up to his feet and staggered slowly past him, carefully stepping over the serrated sword that the golem version of himself had wielded. He winced as he looked at the final concrete block, covered as it was in metal ivy... then he simply drew a hand back and punched it as hard as he could, staggering forwards from the power of the blow as the brick all but exploded, pieces of metal and stone flying outwards like a shotgun blast.

Then the lizard turned slowly around and walked over to Tinny, sitting beside him and looking at the badger with a bit of a grin. Slowly, Tinman turned his gaze to look up at the reptile in return, and then he smiled a bit himself and said faintly: "You're a masochist."

Then he coughed hard, and the reptile frowned as blood spewed from the badger's muzzle. Slowly, Tinman forced himself to all fours, then he rose a hand, grabbing at his head as he shook it slowly. His skull ached... his body hurt... and he felt incredibly weak... then he blinked and let out a squeak as he felt himself easily hefted into the air, glancing up as Zerrex stood and easily carried him towards the house.

He smiled faintly, blushing slightly at this treatment, but the reptile shook his head quickly and steamrolled the badger even before he had a chance to speak. "You helped me out a lot today, Tinny... and it looks like you've gone and pushed yourself too hard."

"Yeah. Because I'm the one soaked in my own blood." Tinman retorted, and Zerrex rolled his eyes before dropping the badger to his feet as he squirmed again, then catching by the shoulder before he fell. The smaller male laughed faintly as he let himself rest against the much-larger one, then he glanced up quietly and idly reached up to squeeze an ear, saying quietly: "It's happened before... used to happen a lot before I was in the Goth Legion, when I was building bridges and working with construction between being in the hospital... it's not a rupture or anything, I just need a good night's rest. Besides, I've picked up some pretty quick regeneration from hanging around with V... with some of the other members of the Legion."

The Drakkaren nodded, then he patted the badger on the shoulder, not bothering to bring up the past as he pulled the back door open and gently pushed Tinny inside ahead of him. He watched his movements carefully, not liking the slight stumble in the badger's step, but then Tinman glanced up at him and smiled faintly. "I'd normally offer to take the nails and stuff out of your body... but I know you don't want me puking on you and I don't want to just end up making things harder. Will you be okay taking them out yourself, or should I call someone?"

Zerrex mused to himself, then he shook his head and laughed quietly. "I'm gonna take a bath and get all this blood off my body... then I'll deal with pulling the crap you've stuck in me out. If there's any in my back, I'll need you to take them out with a hammer or something, though."

Tinman winced at this, but he nodded, then he laughed a bit and rubbed his head slowly. "Okay, Zerrex. And I'll do what I can to help with stitching you up, if that's necessary." He paused a bit, then added: "Would you like me to put on supper?"

"Nah... wait until after I get out of the tub, alright? Just relax for now, and eat something yourself if you're hungry." The lizard nodded back and nudged the badger gently, then he headed to the bathroom and pushed inside. He paused for a moment in the door, however, then looked at the badger and added softly: "Thanks for that, Tinny. I really enjoyed it, and I was truly impressed. I'm proud of you and honored that we're friends."

"Me too, Boss... thanks." Tinman positively beamed at these words, his innocent eyes sparkling, his smile wide across his muzzle... and Zerrex laughed a bit before stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind himself. He closed his eyes, relaxing against the door for a moment before reaching down to undo his pants, dropping them around his feet and then pushing down his boxers, wincing a bit at the feeling of the tight waistband catching on a nail that was buried in his shin before he kicked them off.

Then he sighed and walked over to the tub, plugging it before turning on the taps and hitting the button that would activate the filtration system he had in the tub; he didn't like bloody water, and there were quite a few reasons that the water would end up bloody in this household. He smiled a bit at this, then pressed another button beside the first, on a waterproof control panel that was installed next to the taps. This was a recent addition, along with the other thing he'd just activated.

A small motor began rumbling busy, and for a few moments the tapwater turned a light, pleasant blue, turning the water in the tub the same pale color for a few moments before the motor clicked off, and the water ran clear once again into the huge tub. Zerrex examined himself in the mirror as the tub filled, knowing he had about ten minutes before he'd have to turn off the taps for the large, custom-built tub.

He had... okay. A lot of scratches and cuts... and maybe thirty or so nails stuck into his arms, shins, and various other parts of his body... and his face looked like he'd been curious about what the inside of a meat grinder looked like and he shoved his head inside. He winced a bit at this, but fortunately it didn't hurt too much to make different expressions... only his cheek really ached, where Tinny had caught him good with one of the sawblades. That looked like it might even need stitches... but he hoped not. Usually he did heal ridiculously fast, after all... but even if he did, he thought that he'd still be able to take them out by the time he met up with Requiem. Nothing else seemed really severe... well, except for where Tinny had tried to all but cut off his wrist and where the wires had torn into his neck.

He shook his head slowly, then he tugged lightly at one of the nails in his arm and winced a bit at the spurt of pain it sent through his body... right now, it was just a dull throb where they all were, and if he left them in over the course of the bath, they'd stop him from bleeding too much out those holes... and hopefully his muscles would relax enough that he'd be able to take them out without too much additional pain.

The reptile made a bit of a face as he spent a few more minutes poking and prodding at himself before turning to the tub and turning the taps off. He examined the water for a moment, and then nodded a bit at the bluish tinge. Zerrex rubbed the back of his head slowly, looking at it uncertainly, then he shrugged and carefully stepped in with the leg that had been shredded by the fake ivy.

As expected, it hurt like hell, and the reptile winced and tensed, his hands clenching into fists. Then he forced himself to relax and just breathe, watching the constant swirl and bubbling of water it was vacuumed through the venting system and then run through a filter that got rid of the blood and filth and sent pure water back up through the opening on the other side. Well... water and antiseptic, which was the blue stuff that had gone in the tub as well. Cherry had insisted that he might as well spend the money to get some kind of extra health additive if he had a filter and all the venting equipment built in anyway... and she had finally nagged him into hiring a health care company and getting them to install some cutting-edge crap. Crap that he was now both glad for and cursing, as he put his other leg into the tub and sat down, sinking most of his body into the water and contorting his face with a pained expression, mumbling furiously under his breath.

He wasn't exactly sure what else was in the chemical stuffs that he'd added to the water... but after a minute or so of itching, maddening pain that made him want to jump out of the tub, he found his body turning pleasantly numb, and he let himself sink deeper into the water, until finally he closed his eyes and submerged even his head... then straightened rigidly, sitting up with a bark of pain at the sudden burning in his cheek. He slapped at his cheek lightly, then looked at the door as he heard Tinny knock and asked in a muffled but clearly concerned voice: "Boss? You okay in there?"

"Fine!" Zerrex snapped back, then he forced himself to calm as he slid back towards the water, looking flatly at the wall across from him as he called loudly: "Just the... surprised myself, is all. Water has that stupid... wound cleaner stuff in it."

"Oh." Then there was silence from the other side of the door, and Zerrex sighed, sopping hair covering his face and muzzle and making the deep cut on his face ache all the more. Then he slid beneath the surface of the water once more, closing his eyes and ignoring the pain, waiting for his body to finally relax and his nerves to... die or get numbed or whatever the hell happened. At this point, he didn't care, so long as it stopped aching so he could frigging relax after the harsh training session with Tinman.

Eventually, the ache and tingle faded away, and Zerrex breathed slowly in and out through his nose, keeping the rest of his body under the water, fingers laced together and enjoying the quiet sound of the vents working, and the feeling of the swirl of liquid around his body. After a short while, he found himself actually wondering if he could install a music player into the control panel or something... he could certainly afford a fancy treat like underwater speakers or some crap like that. Maybe after I deal with Requiem... Cindy would like that, anyway...

He smiled a bit to himself, nodding slowly, his hair floating around his head as he idly reached up to run his fingers over his scalp, careful to avoid irritating any of the cuts on his head. After a few more minutes of soaking, he finally rose out of the water with a sigh, keeping his head tilted back so that his hair fell down behind him instead of slopping onto his face. He shook his head a bit, brushing back a few errant, clinging strands that insisted on sticking to his muzzle anyway, then he idly hooked one of his toeclaws into the chain that hung from the stopper and yanked upwards.

The plug came loose, and the water began to drain as Zerrex stood, water dripping from his muscular body. He paused for a moment, then reached up and lightly tugged one of the many nails stuck in his body. It stung a bit... but the hot water had relaxed him as hoped, and it came out with far less pain than expected and far easier than if he'd tried to rip it out earlier. The reptile smiled a bit at this, looking at the bloody end of the steel nail before he stepped out of the tub and onto the mat on the floor, scales shining gently in the light as he reached out and placed a stopper into the sink, then putting a bit of water into it before dropping the nail in.

The reptile then went about the business of prying the other nails loose from his body, which wasn't too bad... and the screws hurt like a bitch, but not as badly as he'd expected them to. Finally, he was only left with the nails buried deep in his tail and leg... and the reptile muttered as he looked down at these. Three were sunk entirely to the head in his shin, probably scraping alongside the bone - maybe even going into it, in one case, although it didn't hurt that much to walk - and then there were two in his tail that looked nasty: one looked almost as though it had been countersunk. On the bright side, he'd never had much use for his tail anyway... it was a bit too short for his body, and not very flexible, so he never even thought much about it. A fairly common defect, but not really something he liked to advertise about himself, nonetheless.

Zerrex instead turned his attention to drying off, picking up a towel and quickly using that to tousle his hair and give it a good rubbing, finally leaving it around his head as he grabbed another towel and wiped off his body: it left a good sprinkling of blood on the towel, but he thought that it would be fine. He'd soaked towels worse before and they'd still been clean... although he was definitely surprised by how little he'd bled, all-in-all.

Then the lizard wrapped the towel around his waist, picking up his bloodstained, shredded pants and figuring they were worthless now anyway, before walking out into the hall and wandering first downstairs, throwing his pants into a corner before he approached his tool shelf and examining it. Finally, he picked up a small prybar for removing nails, and searched one of the drawers of the worktable until he found a suitable knife with a thin but supple blade. Armed with these tools, he returned upstairs and walked into the living room, where Tinman was sitting on the floor and watching some children's movie.

He smiled a bit, then silently turned and walked into his room, letting the towel drop from around his waist before he grabbed a pair of boxers and pulled these on, then eyed them mildly. They'd be loose on a normal person... but on him, they still bulged rather obviously. He rolled his eyes a bit, then instead turned around and rubbing at his head with one hand and carrying the tools he'd brought in the other.

He cleared his throat as he entered the living room, and Tinny jumped before looking around at him almost guilty. The reptile smiled slightly, though, then he nodded towards the kitchen as he sat down on the floor, taking the towel from around his head and shaking his still-wet, somewhat uneven hair out, saying mildly: "Do me a favor, huh? Grab a pair of scissors... I'll need you to cut my hair once I'm done with this crap. I hate having it uneven."

"Do you want me to grab a first-aid kit or anything, too? Wouldn't hurt to bandage you up." Tinny asked, looking awkward as he reached up and squeezed an ear nervously. Zerrex thought of saying no... but then he shrugged and nodded, and the badger looked relieved before heading quickly past the lizard and towards the bathroom. Zerrex figured he was probably right... and besides, the medical kit had a nice pair of trimming scissors in it.

The reptile looked down, then sighed and figured he'd get the worst one first, picking up the narrow knife and positioning it near the wound, putting a foot on his tail so it didn't twitch once he got to work. Then he put his other arm into his muzzle and turned his attention to the television, relaxing his body as best he could as he watched the plot unfold. Happy looking, sexless cartoon people pranced around the screen, wearing weird, bright clothes, happy, happy, happy...

Zerrex stabbed the knife firmly down into the wound, then twisted and pried firmly upwards with a growl and a wince, blood spurting out of the new cut, but managing to catch the nail under the blade of the knife and pop it upwards out of the wound. His teeth sunk into his arm and irritated the wounds there, tasting blood in his mouth from the small holes there left by other nails and giving a muffled: "Son of a bitch!"

Then he tossed the knife aside bad temperedly, his tail-tip spasming a bit as he shook out the arm he'd bitten into and reached down with his other hand, grabbing the exposed end of the nail and tearing it out with another grunt of pain, wincing. The tail was always such a goddamn sensitive area... it almost made him want to cut it off, but then he knew he'd end up regretting it when his balance went to hell. So instead he shook his head, then glanced up and over his shoulder at Tinny, who was looking at him like he was stupid. He looked back sourly, then asked waspishly: "What?"

"This isn't the battlefield... you do have all kinds of needles and pills and medical supplies scattered around here, Zerrex." Tinman reminded him calmly, then he walked over and sat on the table, dropping the small plastic first aid pack beside him and opening the box up as the Drakkaren rolled his eyes, picking up the prybar and positioning it firmly under another nail with a wince and spurt of blood.

"I hate crap like that... furthermore, it never works on me. Freezing's never worked since I was a kid and had to go to the dentist..." he muttered, then pried firmly upwards to jerk the nail free, letting out a hiss through his teeth and wincing.

It only took the reptile a few minutes of cursing and irritation to get the rest of the nails out of his body... including one that was indeed buried in the bone. Then he sighed and allowed Tinman to bandage him up after the badger carefully checked his body over for any more wounds or damage. Finally, Zerrex found himself sitting on the couch - still feeling uncomfortable in only boxers - as Tinny held one of his large fists in one of his own hands, scrubbing at his scraped, damaged knuckles with a sponge.

"You're really going to end up hurting yourself..." he said finally, looking up at the reptile compassionately, and Zerrex glanced back down with a bit of an amused smile at the badger. "I mean, even when people train to punch through wood, they don't just go and do it right away unless they want to hurt themselves... and yes, I know that concrete is to you what a soft wood is to other people with how strong you are, but nonetheless..."

"It's okay, Tinny." The Drakkaren said gently, then he laughed a bit and smiled slightly. "Look. If it'll make you feel better, I promise not to do anything else tonight. We can just... relax, and let both of our bodies recover. Then tomorrow we'll stick to doing a basic strength workout. After all..." Zerrex softened and glanced down. "It's been... four days now. Tomorrow is day five and... then on day six, I promised Cherry I'd rest. Then on the last day Requiem will want to meet me at the usual time."

"Noon?" the badger asked, tilting his head, and the muscular lizard smiled amusedly in response to this, shaking his head.

"No... Requiem and I always ended up having our sparring matches at one in the afternoon... after lunch, after chores were completed and long enough after an early-morning workout that the body would be stretched and ready for more exercise." The Drakkaren responded with faint entertainment, then he rolled his shoulders slowly. "I'll have to bring Blackheart with me... if Requiem and I match evenly in hand-to-hand, or if I at least put up a challenge, he'll likely ask if I want to switch to weapons combat.

"I'm training to defeat Requiem, it's true... but I'm not training to kill him in just pure hand-to-hand." Zerrex said softly, reaching up and scratching the side of his head as he looked down thoughtfully. "Maybe I could, I dunno... but even now, I just... I just want to impress him, I guess you can say. Requiem thinks weapons of any sort are below him in most situations... that only filth and scum who can't trust in their own strength and power would seek to supplement their abilities. But people who can put up a fight, who know the rules and honor of battle... there, he sees where skill with a weapon can come into play. Never a ranged weapon, but always something close-combat... and I know that if I do manage to put up a fight long enough, he'll offer to fight me with a weapon as well, to up the challenge and odds for both of us, since we'll be dueling to kill."

The badger nodded slowly: he could somewhat understand that. Then he smiled a bit and squeezed the reptile's hand firmly before letting it drop, and Zerrex looked at him curiously before smiling in return as Tinman said bravely: "Well, you're the strongest I've ever met, Zerrex, and the best CO I've ever served under. With how hard you've been working, I know that can do it... especially with that amazing strength you showed off tonight. You far surpassed anything I could do, after all!"

"Yeah. Right." Zerrex responded with a snort, then he threw an arm companionably around the badger's shoulders, making him smile widely, then blush as the reptile continued: "You threw nails at me fast enough to break the sound barrier, Tinman. And we both know I could never dream of pulling off all the tricks you can."

"Well, you broke free of the steel wire, Boss." Tinman replied stubbornly, crossing his arms and meeting the tall reptile's eyes evenly. And for the next while, the two argued back and forth until Zerrex finally sent Tinny off to make dinner and the lizard put on a serviceable pair of pants. He still worried... but the battle tonight - despite how much he frigging ached - had done a lot for his mind, and he would spend the rest of the night in peace with the badger. Eventually, he'd allow Tinman to check over his wounds again and see how he was doing, and the reptile enjoyed his company and slowly relaxed despite all the stress he felt and the way things had stacked against him lately... but somehow, he knew that his daughter was alright, that Cherry and Lone were getting along, and that things would end up okay in the end. Positive thoughts like that were rare for him... yet tonight, in the badger's friendly presence, he couldn't help but feel that way. After all, Tinman reminded him so much of Cindy sometimes... another soul too pure for the carnage that it had once endured in the past, and too good to ever use the powers he had for cruelty.

Cindy rubbed an arm as she looked over at Requiem thoughtfully, sitting at one of the wooden tables and reading by the light of one of the lamps. The Dragokkaren was sitting on the floor cross-legged, looking at a magazine, an electric lantern hung on a nail nearby. Then he put the magazine down and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and letting his hands rest on his knees, and the female Drakkaren turned her attention more fully towards him before blushing as he opened one blue eye and asked mildly: "What?"

"Um. Just curious as to... what you're doing... and... thinking, what's on your mind and all, that's... all." she finished lamely, rubbing the back of her head slowly before coughing a bit and blushing deeper, as the red-scaled behemoth merely continued to look at her mildly. She wanted to know more about him if it was possible, since she could feel the end drawing closer... and although she'd seen many feats of grace and strength by the giant, her faith in her father was still absolute... and so she wanted to... talk with him, learn about him and... act as the grand-niece she was, and so perhaps she could even better mourn him and his passing when he died.

It was cruel... the fact that she'd come to respect her oppressor so much, and that Requiem wasn't someone she could bring herself to hate or even be angry with anymore, despite how badly he'd beaten her father. She knew why he'd done it, now, and why he'd kidnapped her, after all... and all of this was really some twisted show of compassion and even love for Zerrex. A forcible way to make the Drakkaren clean his own slate, cleanse his own honor and bring himself back into good standing with whatever forces-that-be that protected true warriors... or maybe that was too poetic for the Dragokkaren. Maybe he just didn't like seeing his nephew tarnished by what to him was obviously the single most dishonorable act of his past... and that the atonement for which would apparently remove every blemish from her father's long list of crimes and sins. She had a bit of an understanding why Requiem couldn't just forgive... but at the same time, she knew herself that she would never fully understand it. After all, she loved her father more than anything or anyone else in the world, would do any act for him, just to see him smile... in spite of the fact he raped her mother. And once she was out of here, she wanted to prove that all over again, by doing anything and everything he asked... she just wanted to be close to her Daddy again, and comfort him... because she knew that killing Requiem would likely hurt him too; after all, he wasn't the heartless leader of the Goth Legion any longer. Now he had been rebuilding his honor and dealing with his tattered past.

The Dragokkaren was looking at her strangely, though... then he merely shrugged and shook his head a bit before saying mildly: "Meditation and concentration. It's good for the soul and spirit... cleanses the mind and lets the body relax. Training in honing one's mental fortitude and calming the soul is as important as lifting heavy objects, or being able to punch through a brick wall, after all. In battle, the ability to stay cool-headed is more prized than gargantuan strength... although it helps quite a bit to have both."

Cindy nodded slowly, reaching up to rub the back of her head a bit and smiling faintly. "Yeah... Daddy always says it's important to stay calm, not give in to emotions good or bad and... well... even outside of fighting and stuff, he says that it's far more important to do what's right than what's good." She stopped, feeling awkward as she looked down at her lap, clasping her hands in front of her waist and only staring at her locked fingers for a few moments... then she glanced back up and smiled faintly, continuing to speak quietly, letting herself flow as she realized that she had the giant's attention. "He... used to be so cold, so cruel... left nothing but darkness and bloodshed behind him, and caused... well, so much trouble for so many people. Hell, even for me, I guess, with how I was born and the way I know that... my birth mother suffered." She paused, then frowned a bit and glanced down. "I know it's weird how I... I don't hate him at all, how I love him as more than my father, even... but all the same, I can't help it. He's attractive in a dark knight sort of way... and you know, Daddy's always held honor close to heart. He's never let that lesson go... even when he was with the Goth Legion, Cherry says Daddy still had his own twisted sense of honor. Not much but... it was still there. And now he's working so hard to do what's good and right...

"It's... I don't know. You see, it's not even that he's really changed from who he was in the past... hell, he doesn't even keep himself in check sometimes, goes as wild as he ever did, I'm willing to bet... but he's refined himself." Cindy nodded slowly, tasting the words she'd just spoken and finding they were appropriate. "Yeah, refined and disciplined himself even more... Daddy could and would still rape and kill a family of people if it was part of a job, and he'd even torture and kill them for entertainment, yes. But now he... he likes to have a reason. He likes to try and justify his actions, to think about what he's doing instead of just mindlessly plowing forwards."

Requiem frowned slightly, tilting his head towards the Drakkaren and asking softly: "And you see nothing wrong with what your father does? Or moreover, the things he's done in the past? Because he has one exceedingly long list of sins and crimes, many of them bordering on the insane or even evil."

But the female surprised the giant by simply smiling in return, shrugging and looking down for a moment before glancing back up. "Nobody's perfect. And Daddy... well... he doesn't try to be perfect, and he doesn't pretend to be someone he's not. It's taken him a long, long time to come to terms with himself, and everything he really is inside... from the darkness to the coldness to the light. Sure, he does a lot of bad things... and in the past did even worse things... but what's done is done, and... it would be a worse crime for him to not at least acknowledge and accept who he is and spending his life pretending to be some saint when he's not."

The Dragokkaren nodded a bit at this, looking at her thoughtfully: she did have a point. And it wasn't exactly like he was pure or free, either... he'd committed a lot of atrocities himself, most of those ordered by his brother. It made him pause to think and wonder for a moment on the nature of honor before he glanced back up at Cindy and said quietly: "When I was younger... I used to work in the dogfight pits. I think I mentioned that before...

"In any case, they were a nasty, honorless place. No rules, a small enclosure, and lots of viciousness... plus people tended to bite and claw as much as kick and punch. I gained a lot of battle experience there, though... and learned how to meet even the toughest of odds and cruelest of opponents with grace and calmness. Even though I was always in the high-bid prize fights, I was never much of a favorite, you see... because I didn't yell, or roar, or parade myself around on display as the other fighters did. I didn't like the show: but I did enjoy the combat.

"One day, however, my brother attended... and that was also the day they were advertising Lot Three, which basically meant a group of three people against one person. The high odds meant enormous prizes for anyone daring enough to bet on the solo fighter, though, if that fighter won... but more often than not, they ended up dead or dying, being kicked on the ground."

He paused and rubbed the back of his head slowly, looking down: Cindy tilted her head curiously at this. Usually, the Dragokkaren didn't bother moving much at all, especially when telling a story... she'd come to realize that he only made gestures like that when either anxious or apprehensive about something. "I drew the short straw for Lot Three... I was the solo fighter. Placed against me were two of the top contenders and some vicious newbie that liked to sneak in weapons like chains, to give him a better chance of winning against opponents that were all tougher than him. Not like that was against the rules, though... there were no rules.

"I was overeager and anxious to please... and I remember that I let that get the better of me and made the mistake of advancing right into the group instead of waiting for one of them to charge, as I should have. I forgot the basic rule: a pack of scrawny bitch-dogs will overwhelm even the mightiest dragon if there are enough of them. And I'm no mighty dragon, and was even less at that time - no, no, don't look at me like that." Requiem gave a bit of a laugh and then glanced down, and she realized he was ashamed. "I didn't lose. But I did take a few humiliating hits when usually I spent the entire match clean and unharmed... and when I lashed out, to try and show my brother that I wasn't... to demonstrate my abilities, I ended up killing two of them and paralyzing the last, because my anger and my ambition to shine got the better of me. My want to please...

"Brother, of course, was more than happy with what I'd done... but I felt guilty." He stopped and looked down, then back up at Cindy, his usual demeanor returning as he said calmly: "But I was a coward. Instead of attending their funerals and apologizing to the family and the broken survivor, I simply continued to fight. It was only years later, a few weeks before Narrius and I left for what was then the 'New World,' that I ended up visiting their graves, paying my respects, and finding the other person I'd injured. It was a bit late, though... but you get the point of the story." He stopped for a moment as he looked at the female Drakkaren, who was looking back at him with soft sympathy in her eyes. "Sometimes when we love someone, we work far too hard to make them happy... and end up corrupting ourselves or going down a path we don't want. I worry that my nephew may end up leading even someone as pure as you down the wrong path."

Cindy paused for a moment at this, then she simply smiled faintly again and replied in a gentle voice: "Even if it's a path of evil, or hate, or even down to Hell itself... he's still my Daddy. And as long as I get to be with him and make him proud... I'll be happy too."

At this, Requiem smiled a bit in return, then he nodded and laughed quietly. "I understand, all too well... and I know I won't be able to convince you otherwise. Nor am I interested in trying to do so..." He paused, then closed his eyes and then straightened his back as he relaxed his arms, and Cindy couldn't help but feel mild amusement at the way that the Dragokkaren had just ended the conversation so effectively and in his own polite manner.

The Drakkaren shook her own head a bit, but she did feel that she understood the giant a bit more, as she turned her attention back to her book. For a little while, it was quiet... and then she finally yawned and stretched, standing up and idly jingling the chain around her neck. Requiem was still meditating, however, and the noise didn't so much as make him twitch... which made Cindy smile slightly before she quietly walked over to what she'd deemed her usual bed - a pile of old but clean straw on one side of the room, which sat on a few unused, flat and large boards. It made a passable bed... obviously a bit stiff, but she wasn't going to complain.

She curled up, closing her eyes and thinking thoughts about her father, about everything she wanted to do and happen... and after an hour or so, finally fell into a deep slumber. Fifteen minutes later, Requiem too decided to retire: he stood, then quietly walked around the sawmill, putting out the lamps and letting his eyes adjust to the faint blue light that streamed in from the windows: starlight, so beautiful and so strange luminescent out away from the urban environment.

He paused and rubbed at one of his arms before idly undoing the buttons of the plain dress shirt he wore, then glanced over at Cindy. He could hear and see that she was shivering a bit, likely from the sudden drop in temperature... it did get a bit cool here, he had to admit. The Dragokkaren paused, then returned to his suitcase for a moment to put down his shirt and then pull out one of his heavy suit jackets.

The giant returned to Cindy, who was curled up, and then gently laid his suit jacket out over her body like a blanket: he watched for a few moments, then smiled a bit as her shivers calmed, then glanced up at the damaged railing that laced the second floor before shrugging and tensing his body. Gracefully, he leapt upwards and snagged the edge of the ground at the same time, arching his back to flip his body upwards even as he shoved off with his hands, grabbing the broken railing with one hand and causing it to bend and grumble... but a moment later, he'd released it and flipped his body neatly forwards, and he landed with a strangely-soft thud on the catwalk surrounding the second floor.

The giant rolled his shoulders idly, then headed towards the small area he'd been using as a quasi-bedroom with a yawn. Tomorrow and the next day would have to be days where he lived with no regrets... just in case. He smiled to himself though, as he lay down on the cool floor and put his hands behind his head, looking up through the darkness at the ceiling above: he'd lived a full life, experienced everything he'd wanted to - and much of which he hadn't... - and if in only a few days time he was to die by his nephew's hand... then at least he could die proud.