“I have to admit that your stamina has improved, Raiden!”
The sun was already gone, though Sam had been too preoccupied to tell for certain how long they’d been fighting; the air’d gone cold, howling winds in the distance stoking his adrenaline before it could manage to wane, and the desert sand had begun to irritate his eyes. Both of them had landed hits in kind, but no closer to determining a victor and for a single moment, Sam wondered if they would be out there all night, quite literally driving one another to exhaustion until one, or even both, of them succumbed to the inevitable. His grip tightened, heels planting in the dust; the extent of his own augmentations was incredibly limited compared to Raiden’s, but it was no high hurdle to tell that he was growing tired of this, too. The guard slid back from Sam’s face, revealing his usual grin.
“I’m impressed. If only I’d gotten the chance to thank the others before they died—whatever it is that you’ve learned from them, this must be the most fun I’ve had in years!”
“But even I can see... this is not a fight that can end in a stalemate, is it?” Still, there was a sense of twisted pride, almost. The first time they met, Raiden had tried his hardest, surely, but only barely managed to hold his own... until he couldn’t. Sam hadn’t been exaggerating, even if the notion was a lofty one: "when was the last time I’ve faced such a challenge, hm? Was it... yes, it would have to be him. A two-year wait—worth it. Well worth it!”
@synthons ( unprompted )