Unexpected Detour (Razgriz x Wingshadow)

"Nothing in particular," Ruby shook her head, "I've been trying... to conserve my energy. I thought I felt a male nearby. That is why I came up and saw you here. I'm glad I did."

She smiled then blinked, "Oh, that's right... Something did happen a short while ago... Perhaps it was a week ago. Perhaps it was a month. I cannot say for certain. There was a group of centaurs. They came in great numbers across the plains. They often move about, for they are nomadic. This time seemed different. They were hunting, but in earnest. They might have been looking for someone or something."
 
"I'm glad you came too, it's nice to see you again" he replied; it was the truth too. He found it funny that he'd met five previous lovers from his past exploits. Meeting Talbor, Sasha and Vivian later on once again would account for everyone; well, everyone that mattered anyway. He didn't remember the Alraune, only waking up feeling extremely tired and hazy; he did remember the Doppelganger, Leviathan and spider-woman that attacked him, though. But he didn't count those two, as they both respectively raped, raped and attempted to rape him. They weren't lovers, they were depraved beasts.

However, his tide of less-than-pleasant thoughts was broken when Ruby mentioned that a group of centaurs had moved across the plains, apparently hunting earnestly for something. Or someone, as Ruby suggested; Sam's initial thought was that it was Talbor's group, but found the odds too unlikely. Then again, he did run into Ruby all the way out here. He wondered if Talbor had seen him get pulled under by Marina; that would be a likely theory as to why she would be 'earnestly looking', if it was even her group to begin with. But then again, their encounter was under less-than-desirable circumstances, as in they were both fairly drunk. He wondered if she worried about him at all.

"A group of centaurs, you say?" Sam replied, his mind in deep thought; his brows furrowed as he derived the probability that it was Talbor's tribe that was roaming the plains. It all boiled down to one thing: He couldn't know with one hundred percent certainty that it was her or not unless he went there himself. "Would you happen to know where this group of centaurs is currently?" he then asked Ruby.
 
"I believe they set up their tents a bit west of here," Ruby replied softly, "At least, I think so. I hear their hunting parties in that direction, sometimes. There are quite a lot of them. It makes me wonder if it is a meeting. Perhaps a meeting of several tribes. I do not know enough about Centaurs... to say for certain, that is. Its hard to learn a lot about them... While underground. They keep to themselves a lot."

She could gather from his words that he was likely looking for one of the centaur leaders, and perhaps she was one of the tribes that was gathered at the assembly. It was beyond her exactly why the centaurs would come together in such a fashion, but it was clearly a matter of great importance. The various centaur tribes that roamed the plains understood and respected each other's territories, and they would generally only meet and converse via messengers. However, if there was a matter which presented a threat to all of their kind, their leaders would sometimes call together a large assembly in order to pool their knowledge, resources, and numbers. Ruby was ignorant of many of these details, however.
 
"I see" Sam replied; when he'd seen Talbor's tribe, there were a lot, but not as much as there could have been he supposed. He knew Ruby wouldn't lie about something like that, but it still made him do a figurative double-take on the information. Given the information that he had available, he could only imagine that the tribes were gathering because something threatened them. Safety in numbers, one of the most basic and at the same time most important survival instincts.

As to what that threat could be - if there was one at all - Sam had no clue; the first that came to mind was the Pharaoh. Mist and Flo did say that she was more active than usual; then again, they also said she was gathering humans, not natives. But that didn't rule out the possibility that she didn't capture other monster women for her army. However, all of this made things all the clearer: He needed to go see this tribe - or tribe gathering, if what Ruby said was true - and try to glean some information. Plus, he needed to know if Talbor was there; to call it curiosity would be a bit crass. "Can you lead me to them? We don't have to go all the way into their camp, just enough until we're in sight of it" he said; he remembered that Ruby said the centaurs weren't too approving of her when they first met, and didn't want to cause her undue stress.
 
"I... I Suppose I could do that much," Ruby was acting a bit reluctant to even get close to the centaurs, given that the two races never got along very well in the past. She still reached out and carefully took his hand, helping him up to his feet before she began walking to the west. Gnome hurried along behind them, not sensing even a hint of lust in Ruby's demeanor. Apparently the slime was very good at keeping herself in check, or she was honestly not interested in feeding off of Sam... Either way, the earth spirit was glad to see that Ruby was behaving herself.

It didn't take long for them to sight the tops of the centaur's tents, which were nestled at the bottom of a hill. Dozens, if not hundreds, of tents formed a ring around a central meeting area, where many important-looking centaurs were laying down beside each other and seemed to be calmly discussing various issues. There were many posted guards around the perimeter, but they had not yet spotted Sam, Ruby, and Gnome as they were quite far away. Each of the tents were brightly colored in various patterns, but the ones with similar patterns and colors were collected into different camps, as if they belonged to different tribes...

Near the center of the assembly, however, stood a single imposing figure Whom Sam could most likely recognise even from this great distance: Talbor herself, with a young centaur beside her.
 
Sam could feel the smooth, cool grass beneath his feet; it was like he was walking on a lush carpet, Gnome to his right and Ruby to his left, leading him by his hand towards the encampment of the centaurs. He had to admit, he had to admit that Ruby was indeed behaving herself; he could still remember her words when they first encountered each other, "I can't change what I am, or what I need, so please try to understand..." "Of course I need semen... Do you think I would be doing this to you, all the while hating myself for doing it, if it were any different?" Sam felt his heart twinge; he really was a jerk to her at first. And playing back through it all, he did give her permission.

When she stopped, Sam stared at the sight before him; the place was packed with centaurs, each possessing a different form of dress and style of tent. He was amazed by it all; it had to be a tribal gathering. All the while, even when he gazed upon the figure in the center and saw that it was Talbor, he was thinking about how poorly he treated Ruby. "Ruby......" he said lowly, pausing for a brief moment before continuing, "I never did apologize, did I? For those things I said when we first met...." He took a deep breath and added further "I hope you can understand that I was scared and surprised when you climbed on me like that. So....I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't realize how dire your situation was......"
 
"Its alright," Ruby shook her head slowly, "I know how utterly... Disgusted, you must have been... When you first saw me. I was starving to death, but I was afraid to die. I should have gotten your permission first. But, let's not dwell on the past. You have somewhere you need to be, right?"

She bent over and pecked him on the cheek, "Please, do what you can to bring the males back to this planet... Granted, slimes really never had males. Even so, if the males return, my daughter... I will not be in danger of starving, now would we?"

The red slime smiled and knelt down to talk to Gnome briefly, "I can feel the strong love between you... Please protect Sam. I'm sure you two will be very happy together. Just remember..."

Ruby bent forward to Gnome's ear and whispered to her, "The purity of love is the strength of water... The less pure, the less the strength."

Gnome blinked, unsure what she could have possibly meant by those words as the slime slowly sank back into the dirt and vanished from sight. Was she trying to give them a hint of some sort? She didn't know what possible reason she had told her rather than Sam if that were the case... It was quite mystifying to say the last. Just then, however, some of the centaur guards spotted them and began to approach, firm yet mildly aggressive in their stance.
 
"Even if you say that....." Sam replied, still feeling a bit guilty about how much of a jerk he was to Ruby. Even if she forgave him, it didn't excuse him from the things he said; her statement about getting his permission first confused him though, as he clearly did give it to her. However, the kiss on the cheek and her humble request to bring the males back to Deseus signified an end to the matter. "I will, Ruby" he replied, not realizing just how much of a burden he was taking on but not really putting too much thought into it.

He had looked back over to where Talbor stood, so he missed what Ruby had said to Gnome; it was likely that he wouldn't have understood what she meant either. He was about to ask Ruby to say hello to Rose for him, but found that she'd left already. He did, however, see that Gnome was looking a bit confused; did Ruby say something to her? He was about to ask if everything was alright when he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye; some of the centaurs were making their way over.

Sam took a deep breath and motioned for Gnome to follow him; he then made his way towards the guards themselves as they approached him. Soon enough, they stood only a few paces apart from each other; Sam gazed rather determinedly at them, with the guards returning it as well. "I need to see Talbor" he said shortly and bluntly; one guard's eyes widened before turning to her comrade and whispering in her ear. The lead guard then nodded and motioned for him to follow; he could feel the eyes upon him as he traveled to the center of the camp where his first monster girl encounter and lover stood. She would find him a changed man, both physically and mentally.
 
Talbor looked down at Sam, standing taller than him and certainly more imposing in appearance as she was surrounded by various leaders from different centaur tribes. She took three steps forward, her hooves padding against the ground as she walked, her face showing clear twinges of suppressed emotion. Bending forward, she reached down and touched Sam's cheek as her eyes began to water.

"Its really you, isn't it?" she said softly, "I had all but given up hope of ever seeing you again, Sam. Come, let us speak more in private."

Talbor motioned to her attendants and dismissed the other leaders with many apologies before leading him toward her tent. It looked very much like it had when he saw it last, those great many months ago... She sat down on the ground and looked over at her lover, her young centaur child curling up beside her in silence. Gnome took a seat on the other side of Sam, feeling somewhat intimidated by Talbor's presence but realizing that she wouldn't harm the contracted earth sprit.

"I searched the coast for many long days and nights, but I never found a trace of either your garments nor body... My advisors told me that it was a lost cause, and that I should go on without you... However, fate has shown mercy to me and allowed me to see you once again. Yet, I do not believe that is the true reason for our reunion, is it?" the centaur leader was apparently certainly quite sharp to pick up on subtleties, "I have called together this assembly to gather our forces in the face of possible extinction. The last adult male of our race has died, and our child is the youngest centaur to breathe the air. I fear that if things continue as they have been for much longer, all-out war may break out among the races, vying for whatever males they may find. To that end, I have called upon my kin for our own united protection... But I fear that all will not be well unless a more permanent solution to our problem is found."
 
"Yes, Talbor...." Sam replied, letting the silence persist for those few moments as they gazed into each other's eyes. She seemed to have grown up even more in the several months that they had been apart. After that, he followed her to her personal tent; the interior hadn't changed one bit, but he did notice that it was slightly bigger than he imagined. But as he sat down, his eyes fell upon the young centaur girl curling up beside her. Sam could feel Gnome's tension rise a bit, but placed a gentle hand on her head to help relax her; though he suspected that she knew Talbor wouldn't attack her unless she provoked her somehow.

"Yes, it seems fate has been kind to many as of late" he replied; he'd found five lovers that he'd been wrenched away from by the flow of time and events. Her comment about the very real possibility of extinction made his face fall; so the last male centaur passed on. And from her words, the male failed to impregnate any of the females; that did not bode well for Sam or his mission. He'd seen firsthand the experiences of competition for males: the Minotaurus was his only experience, but that alone allowed him to really empathize with Talbor's concerns. "You, you are what I need", that is what the muscular female behemoth had said to him before she attacked.

"Believe me, Talbor, I understand the dire nature of the matter all too well" he replied to her comment about all-out war; he then heaved a sigh and added, "I've been tasked with finding the four Elemental Spirits in order to confront the Succubus. Based on everything I've heard, she is the figurehead behind this problem and thus is the main objective of my journey". Of course, that was the overall plan; he couldn't possibly account for every other thing that might come up to distract him. Needless to say, her advice about getting to the Harpy Queen had all but fallen through the cracks. He then looked up and smiled at the young centaur sitting beside her, "What is your name, young one?"
 
The young centaur looked up at her mother as if asking for permission, Talbor giving her a gentle nod in response before voicing her reply

"Tutan," the young centaur looked up at her father with her dark, glistening eyes. There was silent humility yet a raging fire inside those eyes... They were the eyes of a young warrior, one who sought to grow up and lead her people someday. Yet, as things stood her future remained uncertain at best, and grim at worst. She apparently looked up to her mother, and dutifully followed her closely both for her own protection as well as to learn the duties of a leader and to someday take her place at the head of her tribe.

Gnome, however, only vaguely picked up on these subtile details. Instead, she seemed more interested in looking over the strange fabrics that the centaurs clothed themselves in, which was strong, light, and quite plentiful throughout the camp. She had never seen such intricate weaving before, which wasn't a surprise since the centaurs (who lacked such fine attention to detail) did not actually make it themselves. Instead, they would trade for it with Juruogumo weavers, who where well-known for their skill in making strong and beautiful silks.
 
"Tutan....." Sam repeated, smiling at the beautiful young centaur. He could see the dim fire in her eyes, the same her mother Talbor possessed: One that spoke volumes of wisdom and ferocity more than any words could ever hope to express. This would serve as further inspiration for him to make this world safer: Vivian and their unborn child, Ruby, Rose, Gnome, Terra, Marina and her children, Flo and Mist and Sasha.....All them reasons to continue his journey, even though he was kind of forced into it. But from the words of Poseidon, only he could do it; And if Sasha were to be believed, taking the Pharaoh down would not only serve as a testament to his strength and determination, but would also make the Succubus that much more interested in him.

He shook his head a bit, clearing his mind of these thoughts for the moment as now he needed to focus on Talbor and her problem. He didn't quite take in the detail of the weaving that Gnome did, for he knew not of a Juruogumo in the slightest nor of their mastery as seamstresses. "So it sounds like you're in a bit of a bind, Talbor......Anything I can help with?" he then asked without really thinking about how she might take it; given that the situation was a lack of males to give the centaurs offspring, it could easily be taken as a very inappropriate question, even if Sam didn't mean it that way.
 
"However much I appreciate the offer, I do not know if accepting your help would be a wise choice," Talbor shook her head slowly, "We are a proud race, and accepting outside assistance would be viewed as weakness. Once our survival in the face of our opposition is assured, perhaps then we would accept your help in furthering our race, seeing that we have few other willing contributors to that endeavor."

"You may stay here with me as long as you like," she turned toward the entrance of her tent as she spoke, "but I understand if you need to continue your journey and further your quest. If you ever find yourself in need of my assistance, I will try my best to offer you aid. After all, you have granted me something that no one else ever has... Hope."
 
"I see" Sam replied; while she obviously did her best to soften the rejection, he couldn't but feel a little sting as she denied his offer. Of course, her explanation made sense; if he did help them, other groups might see it as an opportunity to attack since it would appear that they couldn't fend for themselves. But all he was trying to do was make up for lost time; it had been a while since he last saw Talbor, after all. But she probably had her hands full keeping everything in order and looking after Tutan. She did say that Tutan was essentially the only child of the group; that couldn't be easy to deal with.

He was about to tell her he appreciated the offer when she said that he granted her hope; this utterly confused him. "Hope? What do you mean by that, Talbor?" Sam then asked, hoping it would stop her long enough so they could at least talk for a while; he knew their time together would be short, but he wanted to know that she was doing as well as she could before leaving her again.
 
"I truly believed that you had perished that day when I sent you off on a journey," Talbor gently smiled, "But when I saw you coming toward me today, I realized that I was wrong... With you simply being here, I know that even if things look bleak or hopeless, there is always a chance that things will turn out just fine. Indeed, raising Tutan on my own has not been easy, but even with all my other duties I believe I have been providing for her in the best possible way. With Tutan beside me, I have a shining hope for our future."
 
"Yeah, well, that's only natural considering what happened" Sam replied with a grin of his own; it wasn't everyday someone got dragged underwater and lived to tell the tale. And to think, he went through it twice, once with his lover Marina and once with that accursed Leviathan; though he knew Talbor was unaware of the second experience. When she mentioned that raising Tutan on her own wasn't easy, he was about to ask why the others didn't step in to help, but thought about what she just said; personal pride was apparently a huge factor in their tribe's customs, so it seemed fit to reason that it applied to family issues as well.

He then looked to his daughter once more, his smile fading a little as he then said to both Tutan and Talbor, "I'm sorry I couldn't be back sooner......" He then closed his eyes and breathed a deep sigh before continuing, "But knowing you, Talbor, Tutan will be fine. I'll do my part, too; once I deal with the Succubus, I'll work myself to the bone to right the wrongs she's done to this planet".
 
"I know you will," Talbor nodded, "I would expect nothing less from someone who has gained the blessing and love of Gnome the spirit of earth. The earth is very important to my people, for our very lives are dependent on it. Some might even come here to worship her if they were aware of her presence. As she sits here before me now, I can see why they would have such a high opinion of her. She is devoted, warm, and yet firm and strong. Her only weakness is her love for those that she cares about."

Truth be told, some of the centaur tribes revered Gnome as their goddess, although few had ever actually met the timid spirit. Talbor didn't fear or worship Gnome, but she certainly had a lot of respect for her as an elemental spirit, and for Sam both as her contractor as well as his own personal achievements. Just what sort of man could even think of challenging both the Pharaoh and the Succubus?
 
Sam was bit surprised at how Talbor referred to Gnome; though the momentary surprise was taken away as she explained Gnome's holy status among some of the centaur tribes. Who knew he was contracted to someone so important? Maybe it was his own misconception of religious beings, but he couldn't help staring at Gnome for a few moments; she certainly didn't act like a goddess. At least, not any he'd ever heard of.....All of them vain and carrying themselves in a 'holier-than-thou' fashion. If anything, Gnome was like a doting mother; well she was a mother, but that was beside the point.

Sam just chuckled slightly, wrapping his arm around her and holding her close to him as he replied, "Indeed she is. Though to call her love a weakness.....I think that's a tad incorrect; if anything, her love is her strength. It gives her power and makes her stronger" Of course, this was just Sam's own thoughts based on how she interacted with him; though he that wasn't to say he wouldn't mind her noticing the flattery behind those words.
 
Gnome's face turned a nice shade of red upon hearing Sam's compliments, finding herself at a loss for words. Her love for Sam drove her to improve herself for his sake, as well as encouraging her to push Sam further to master his new powers. This much was true, but it was a different matter entirely to hear Sam openly declare it as such. Gnome cuddled up closer to Sam and kissed his cheek, trying to express her silent thanks for his kind words. True, she certainly did not act like a typical goddess, but even so she still did bear a distinctly other-worldly power which separated her from most of the other inhabitants of this planet... Except for the other elementals, of course.

"I suppose that is true as well," Talbor agreed, "Which just makes her even more of a divine being in my estimation."
 
Sam smiled softly as he felt Gnome's lips upon his cheeks; all he could say - mentally - was "You're welcome". He could tell she wanted to keep thing silent, so he would respect her wishes; plus, if he said it out loud, it might come across as condescending and self-important. His grip tightened on her shoulder a bit - not enough to hurt - as she cuddled closer to him. It was moments like this that made Sam appreciate what he had; in all honesty, even if he didn't realize, but his growing attachment to not just Gnome but every other lover he had, was going to make the ultimate decision a very difficult one indeed.

Before Sam could open his mouth, he heard some commotion outside; his head turned towards the door in confusion. "What the..." he said as stood up to go see what was going on; he then heard a loud scream.....one of severe agony. "Gnome!" he said as he rushed out, the flap of the tent blowing upward with his exit. What he saw would shock him most definitely: Three centaur guards lay badly hurt on the ground, their necks bitten and their armor punctured and dented, while other centaur archers tried to hit something, something that moved like a grey blur. "No....It couldn't be" Sam thought to himself.

The next few moments would show him the identity of the attacker; the figure tried to get in close to one of the archers, but didn't properly consider just how quick the seemingly-unstable creature was; her front hooves slammed into the attacker before spun and bucked her hind legs, slamming with all her might into the attacker's chest. The figure flew back, bouncing once before landing on his feet and skidding to a halt, allowing him to be fully seen. Sam recognized him almost instantly; it was the bastard that attacked the mermaid! "Gah! Stupid four-legged slut!" he shouted, his voice even raspier and more sinister-sounding than before. "You attack me and my clan, and now you have the nerve to insult me? You worthless pile of garbage!" the centuar, her horse body tawny-colored with brown spots and her human body a tanned, well-developed female with long brown hair, shouted as she quickly nocked another arrow and aimed. For she was Quilx, tribe leader of the Eastern Plains centaur clan, a master of the bow and spear. She then fired, the long-tested traditional projectile flying straight and true before rapidly embedding itself into the man's gut.

The man, however, didn't even flinch, letting the arrow hit him. He then just grunted in pain as he ripped it out, his blood spilling free but himself seeming unfazed by the strike. "You damn tribals are nothing fit to even wipe my ass with!" he shouted; this made Quilx shake with noticeable rage and before anyone could stop her, she pulled the polearm slung across her back forward and charged at him, intent on murdering this disrespectful blight. The man's face didn't change, feeling the earth rumble as she drew closer; when she got within striking distance, she jabbed it forward....

What happened next would make time seem to slow down for Sam and the assailant; the man just watched as the point of the spear drew closer and right before it got to his face, he leaned to one side and when Quilx's momentum made it impossible for her to turn back he struck. A fist lodged itself in her gut, making her choke out as the wind was knocked out of her lungs, loosing her grip on her weapon before a foot rapidly cracked across her chin; centaurs were tough, but this guy was something she'd never seen before. Quilx literally saw spots cross her vision as she crumpled to the ground, her polearm falling to the ground beside her; the leather-skinned man picked up the polearm and stood over her, ready to strike. "Well, you're better than my last fight....Couldn't even hit me, the weak bastard. But time to die, horse whore"

Just as the point of the spear was coming down, Quilx's eyes closing peacefully as she awaited her defeating blow, an earthen prison erupted from the ground around him, instantly encasing him in rock. "That's because you sucker-punched me, you coward" a voice then said aloud, the aggravation clear. Quilx's eyes snapped open to look to the source of the voice; there she saw the green-accented robed figure that was Samuel Dellsman, contractor to the Earth Elemental Spirit, Gnome. His right palm glowed, the sigil of his contract a fluorescent green as his arm extended out, his fingers curling as if gripping something. "You, human, stay out of this....." Quilx started to to say, but Sam cut her off quite bluntly, "No". She paused, her teal hues wide with shock at the audacity of this man; however, she first noticed the sigil, then the bright green flame aura that surrounded his body, emanating raw energy. "I know your people are proud, but I have a score to settle with this one" Sam added; Quilx realized at that moment that this was not her fight to begin with.

With the bastard immobilized temporarily, Quilx struggled to get upright; Sam created a smooth wedge-like platform that rose to help her up. When she could stand again, she slowly got out of his way, leaving just Sam and the deviant facing each other. "Ah, look, it's the weak bitch I knocked out at the beach" he said, his sharpened teeth revealing themselves as he grimaced. "You're not going to surprise me this time. I don't know who you are or what you're up to, but I'm ending you here. You're going to pay for what you've done" Sam replied coldly, his earth prison's grip tightening on the man's body as his fingers curled more into his hand.

However, it would seem that fate had other plans for him; the man's body suddenly was encased in an aura darker than pitch and before Sam could react, the earthen prison shattered around him, falling back to the ground as dust and pebbles. "You think something like that can hold me? You're not just a weak bitch, you're a stupid one too! I'm Silus Vakarian, motherfucker! You got no hope of beating me! But if you wanna throw down, I'm game! Bring it, bitch!" Sam could see the sinister nature of his aura; did mermaid's blood forcibly taken corrupt a man and turn him evil? Or was he using the new power he'd gained in a way that made him this.....horrendous? Silus' eyes were like red sapphires, glinting with unrelenting bloodlust and insanity, his body had grown a bit since before, possessing a muscle tone that even rivaled Sam's. Small horns grew from the man's head, which was now bald and shining; just what creatures did he take power from? It couldn't be just a mermaid's that did this to him, could it?

(lol, Sir Leatherface makes a comebaclk!)
 
Talbor stayed back in the tent and hid her daughter behind her large body, knowing full well that she did not stand a chance against such an opponent. Not only was he much faster, but also apparently immune to damage from arrows which was her own specialty. Leaving Silus to Sam for the time being, although she did watch for a possible opening through which she could slip out and possibly rally her troops to offer him some cover-fire form a distance. Even if it didn't cause any lasting damage, it would at least annoy him and encourage him to leave should the fight with Sam go poorly.

Gnome, however, was not going to take Silus's words gently. She stood beside her contractor, the blaze of her thick green fire flaring about her as her eyes began to glow. The ground below them began to shake and she held her left hand out, palm facing downward, as she began to channel her energy into Sam. At the same time, she held out her right hand toward Silus, then quickly clenched her hand into a fist.

"Rock Fist Punishment," she spoke firmly yet softly, dozens of large fists formed from the earth below them first surrounded them, forming a clearing in which they could fight without causing collateral damage to the centaur camp, then several raised up and flew down toward Silus, one after another attempting to crush him.
 
Silus lost his balance momentarily as the ground shook; he turned his head to see the large number of fist-shaped extensions rising from the earth. "The fuck....?" he growled irritatedly as the point of his stolen spear was buried into the ground to steady himself. All the while Sam and Gnome remained as sturdy as ever; if the tribes truly did worship Gnome, they were about to get a front-row demonstration of what an angry goddess can really do against someone who gets on her bad side.

The energy exchange between contractor and elemental escalated; they were two separate beings but they fought and lived as one. His energy was hers and her energy was his, that was how it worked, a constant flux between them that grew over time as their bond strengthened. Silus' eyes widened slightly as several of the large fists suddenly lifted into the air, wrenching his spear from the ground and holding it at the ready. He glared directly at Gnome, shouting "Bring it, ya mud-slinging midget!" Just then he saw the earthen fists fly towards him; his movements would manage to crash into and shatter the first few, but the second to last one clipped him in the leg, causing him to stumble before the final fist collided with his face.

Silus' head wrenched back at a sickening angle as he flew backwards, bouncing on his back once before flipping over to skid to a stop on the hardened ground. A small trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth; he wiped it off nonchalantly before growling "Lucky shot" He then charged Gnome, appearing in front of her quick as lightning; his attack was halted as Sam drove his fist into the earth, creating the Earth Spike Wall that he'd used before as it was the technique, along with Earth Javelin. Silus had several sharp spikes embedded into his body, some of which appeared to penetrate vital organs. Silus, however, would just yell angrily and shatter the spikes that lodged themselves in him, falling free of the embrace.

As Silus jumped back to try and counter, Sam had raised some of the Earth Spikes into the air, his hand coming down to propel them forward and further complicate Silus' efforts at a counteroffensive. Sam was still a bit sloppy when it came to this technique, so Silus was easily able to dodge all of them. "Hah! What the hell are you aiming at? Here's something you really SHOULD be afraid of!" He then did something rather surprising; he flipped the spear over and without warning, threw it with all his might. The blade-tipped shaft flew like a lightning bolt; Sam could barely act as he instinctively cried out "Golem's Hide!" He didn't know what came over him, but the urge to call that out suddenly took over in that instant; it was almost like a premonition of sorts. Well, in any case, he would be thankful he did use this technique, even though he never even used it before nor had any knowledge of its existence. A sudden explosion would rain down debris and dust from where Sam once stood; when it cleared, Sam's entire body was covered in a thick layer of rock, covering him like a seven and a half foot suit of armor. The spear lay in pieces, having essentially disintegrated from the force of the impact.

A large divet could be seen, about the size of a watermelon, centered where Sam's heart was; the poor vital organ was beating a mile a minute at this point, the scared contractor's chest rising and falling from shock. That was way too close for him; he didn't expect Silus to try and end it right there, though he supposed it made sense. Silus just grimaced and shouted "What the fuck?! You should be dead!!" Sam didn't even hear a word he said, as the pounding of his heart in his ears was blocking out a very large portion of incoming sound. "No more games! Time to die!" Silus roared again, his hyper-enhanced speed placing him in front of Sam in the fraction of a second with his fist drawn back and his black aura roaring violently around him.
 
All the while, the earth spirit stood beside Sam with an intense gaze, watching Silus's every movement as she concentrated her power on her right arm for some reason. She trusted Sam to be able to hold his own against him as she waited for an opening, one in which she could land a strong, decisive blow onto the deviant. Although by her nature she disliked violence, he could hardly be called human any longer from the crimes that they knew about, let alone the ones they were yet ignorant of. Such a beast deserved not even a measure of mercy. Gnome was surprised that Sam had so efficiently protected himself using an advanced technique such as Golem's Hide, but there was little time to be impressed for Silus quickly closed the distance between them. Just then, Gnome slid in between Silus and Sam, her right fist glistening with a strange light as she trust forward, right foot slamming against the ground firmly, "You are the one to die... Diamond Blast of Fury!"

She drove her fist straight toward his chest, penetrating the dark aura around him and landing a simple strike on his chest. It seemed to be merely a punch at first, but half a second later he would discover that her body was completely encased in a thin layer of diamond, only perceptible from very close range, and dozens of small diamond shards would explode from the point of impact, ripping through his body, "No one will touch my Sam..."
 
Silus looked down as the little earth spirit seemed to materialize right in front of him; his eyes widened as he realized what was going to happen much too late. As soon as her fist connected with his chest, he felt an enormous pressure wave erupt in front of him, then searing pain as shards of superhard diamond ripped through him like a coin through wet tissue. He howled in agony, clutching his heavily bleeding chest; he would somehow survive it, but his powers would be significantly reduced to help his body heal. "You fucking....stupid mig....midget!" Silus growled out before his fist was drawn back; he then cracked Gnome in the jaw....Hard. Though her diamond shell would absorb most of the impact and he was incredibly weakened by her technique, the force would still be enough to knock her silly, if not render her temporarily unconscious
 
Gnome's eyes grew wide upon realizing that her attack had failed to kill Silus, although it did connect and deal significant damage to him. Her body instinctively hardened before the blow could land as she realized that he was much too strong to be stopped by the diamond encasing her, but there was simply too little time for her to fully solidify her body so as to be able to shrug of such an attack. His punch shattered the thin diamond shell around Gnome, the protective covering shattering like glass from the force of the impact. She let out a sharp cry of pain and fell down beside Sam, her eyes drifting up toward his face and her right hand reaching for him briefly before falling unconscious.
 
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