The Brawl, Part 11

       The IH prodded it's way into the minds of his two captives, there very souls (well one soul, Fox seamed to be lacking anything the IH reconsigned a soul) open to it's control.

       This first part of it's task was completed, the humans were his, and laid bare. The IH now needed to take there minds into it's own. It had to attacked there very being, and destroy it.

       It posed to be an easy task.

       A stiff wind blew accost Fox's face, a slight taste a moisture carried along with it. He also detected a slight bitterness that wasn't there before. It gave him a bit of a shiver.

       Casting his gaze around, he took in his surroundings. He was standing on an infinite plain, knee high in some kind of grass that was bending with the wind.

       The last thing he remembered was crawling under then table with Brian, then a very large tentacle reached out of the ground. Then a vague recollection of lots and lots of pain.

       "Pleasant, isn't it?" I deep voice asked from behind him.

       Fox twisted around. Standing maybe ten feet away was another person. Human, standing about six feet tall. He was in a pair of black jeans, a black shirt and a black trench coat that snapped in the wind. He smiled at Fox, his eyes pure black. In a very slow move, he reached into his coat and removed a deadly looking long-sword. He held it to his side, ready to spring at any moment.

       Taking this all in, Fox raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you? A reject from _Highlander_?"

       The man chuckled. "No... but it is close enough for you. I am your hell."

       Fox snickered. "Hardly, you have to good of a face... and missing the pins."

       The man just raised an eyebrow.

       "Where is this?" Fox asked, motion with his hand.

       "The battle field of your mind."

       "My mind?" Fox glanced around. "A bit sparse isn't it?"

       Then man chuckled, his laugh seeming to surround Fox. "It is your serenity. Which I will destroy. Prepare yourself." The man raised his sword, holding it above his shoulder.

       Fox bend down, and picked up something from the grass, holding it strait into the air in front of his body.

       The man burst out into laughter. "A yardstick! You would fight me with a yardstick?!"

       Fox smiled, then with a twist of his wrist swung it around, twisting it though the grass, at the end of the arc, he raised it to lay level in front of his face. Over the cut of the blade he watch the man's reaction as the stick how now become a sword.

       "Impressive."

       Fox chuckled. "You ain't seen nothing yet." He said, then with a flip, reversed his grip on the sword and plunged it into the ground.

       The plain exploded in a massive roll a thunder. The ground heaving in convolutions. There was a snap as the ground separated and lifted the man into the air on top of massive pillar of earth.

       Taking three steps back, Fox held his sword at ready.

       The man whisked through the air, landing in a crouch five feet away. He stood, brushing the dirt of his coat. "You control your mind well."

       Fox smiled. "Thanks, let's rock." As the last word left his lips, he lunged, bring his sword down in a sweep accost the man's body. The man vanished as the sword would have past right through him.

       Drawing back, Fox paused for a second. He filtered through what happened for a second, then twisted, bringing his sword up to block the man as he chopped down of Fox's head. The force of the impact sent Fox falling into his ass, but he still held the man's blade back.

       The man skidded his sword down Fox's blade, causing a shower of sparks. He pulled it back up into a ready position, drifting back a few feet. "Very good!" He comment.

       Fox pulled himself up. "I've been trained."

       The man flicking his sword in a quick circe in front of his body. "No enough." He said, then lunged, swinging his sword around.

       Fox blocked again, the swords coming together with a sharp clang. The man pulled back, and swung again, forcing the Fox back. He was relentless, force the attack on Fox, moving him farther and farther back to defend his position.

       Finally, Fox was forced back against the pillar of earth. The man gave a wicked smile and made a final lunge, his sword smashing into the dirt of the pillar.

       He yelled, pulling his sword back and flinging himself around. Fox was standing about ten feet away, panting. "You learn quick." He comment.

       Fox smiled. "Ya... always have."

       The man raised his sword. "You can't win you know. Not here, not against me. Why don't you give up now?"

       "Where's the fun in that. This is a great workout." Fox said, but did agree with him. As far as he could see there was no way he could beat this man. Not in a fight. He thought he had a way to out smart him though. As the fight progresses the deep blue of the sky was starting to fade in places.

       If this was Fox's mind, he was betting that he was seeing how ever this man got in. What ever way he was hiding it, it was fading the longer the fight lasted.

       Fox started to get an idea.

       "Who are you?" Fox called, his breathing coming easier, "and how are you in _my_ mind?"

       The man laughed. "Oh silly silly human! You're mind is wide open to me. It is my play ground to do with as I will, to re-build as I wish. I just need to get rid of you!" The 'you' echoed with deep resonance, shaking Fox to his bones.

       The man started a slow walk towards Fox. "You see," he explained, "this is my great goal, I've worked towards this for untold eons--"

       "Or was that two weeks." Fox quipped, the words siding out of his mouth before he even knew he said them.

       The man chuckled, now five feet away. "You are mine, body and mind."

       Fox brought his sword into a ready position. "Funny, this isn't where I expect to hear those words at."

       The man laughed. "You are dead."

       Fox shrugged. "Hardly." Then lunged, this time attacking first. He smashes his blade down hard against the man's forcing him a few feet backwards. The man was surprised, going back farther then he would have liked, sliding a bit in the dirt.

       Pulling back, Fox swung again, this time though, then man reacted first, stepping out of the way and bring the flat of his sword down on Fox's back, slapping him to the ground.

       Fox landed hard, losing his bearings for a second. As he recovered he turned over, only to find the man standing over him, his sword pointed at his chest.

       "You are foolish." The man said, an look of contempt on his face. "I do hope the other one poses a bit of a challenge."

       Fox reached over, and rested his sword against his chest. Then twisting the hilt in his hand, he swung it around and threw it at the man.

       The man easily dived to the side, the sword flying past his ear. He started to laugh, "Futile last attempt human."

       With a slight shake of his head, Fox smiled. "Not really." He said, and watched as the sword flew farther then it should have, breaking apart as it went, turning into a boiling streak of light. It flew fast and true, gliding though the hold in the sky. Fox felt it as it left his mind, saying a quite prayer to himself, hopping that it did what he hope it would.

       The man smiled one last time at Fox, then with a lunge, plunged his sword down, and through the humans heart.

       The IH, in the form of the man laughed in delight as Fox's mind died, falling apart under his onslaught. His mind was now totally at the IH's mercy, and it felt good.

       Thrysten sighed, looking down at the hole in the ground. It was like a cheep special effect, blurring and twisting, it's edges almost none-existent.

       She could feel magic pouring off of it, but had no idea what to make of it. She glanced at Kalindra, it had only been a few minutes sense the others left and no one had any idea of what to do now.

       Suddenly she was thrown back onto her wings by a force of blue light bursting through the interdenominational rip. She wasn't the only one either. Both Kalindra and Lythandi ended up on the rears. Zen had simply split and let it pass through him.

       The light twisted and boiled in the air, it moved off to one side, and settled to the ground. It started to shrink, pulling into itself, a shape appearing inside it's mass.

       The light condensed down, pulling into the figure. It pulsed with light, and then in a silent explosion it was gone. Left in it's place was a human, a female human. She was dressed in a tight pair of jeans and a white shirt that accented her bust, which was actually of a normal size.

       Thrysten ran over to her, placing her paw against her cheek and brushing the girls hair off from her glasses. The gryponess bent down and listed to her chest, at the same time checking her pulse.

       "Who is this?" Zen asked, flitting around her head.

       She sighed, sitting up. "Jen, it's Jen."

       "And she is?" Kalindra said.

       "She is a sigh that Foxeris is in trouble, big trouble."

       There was a collective pause after this statement, the four looking at each other. Suddenly Kalindra's eyes slammed shut, her face pulling tight. She let out a ear splitting scream, then fell into Lythandi's arms.

       Lythandi looked at Thrysten and Zen. "I don't like this."

       Thrysten turned back to Jen, touching her cheek. "None of us do..."