How we think the fight will go

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i. Confusion was not a common feeling for Bean Delphiki, but there it was nonetheless. He and Petra were alone, a forest rising all around them. The air, if perhaps a bit thin, was breathable, and that was something. His joints ached and he was tired, but that itself was also nothing unusual. At least they were armed. “Any idea where we are?” Petra moved just behind Bean’s hulking form – something she still had trouble adjusting to. “I don’t know for certain. Based on the layout of this forest and the thinness of the air, it certainly isn’t Earth. My guess is a terraformed colony. Do you remember anything?” Bean had the rifle un-holstered, testing its weight in his hands. “I… I really don’t. Just that we’re here.” Petra was holding her rifle as well. Bean was moving slowly and carefully, “We’re armed. That’s something at least. We wouldn’t be armed for no reason. Keep on your toes.” “Always.” Petra could feel the nervous tension – so despised, yet so familiar – building in her chest. It was then that Bean first heard it, the subtle crunch footsteps in the underbrush. It sounded like two people – both very large, one more so than the other. They were taking care to keep quiet and that was enough to set Bean on alert. He motioned for Petra to be quiet and move softly. He stood for a moment, his eyes surveying his surroundings hoping for some tactical advantage. A rocky outcropping stood just to his left and the trees were climbable. With any luck, the approaching duo had not yet realized their position or their number. Through a series of motions Bean relayed his intent to Petra. He needed her at a vantage point. If he could keep her hidden, Petra’s dead-eye aim would be useful in an ambush. He motioned again for her to keep silent as she started off toward one of the trees. And now he would wait for the footsteps moving steadily closer. The man who emerged through the forest was enormous, taller still than Bean and certainly broader. He was golden hued and seemed to be made of harsh angles and sharp edges. The man held a long slingblade with practiced ease of an expert and Bean marked him as a warrior. He stopped a few paces from Bean – alone. Bean allowed his eyes to roam surreptitiously around the area. He was positive he had heard two sets of footsteps. This was not good. “You should lower that weapon, stranger.” The man looked utterly at ease, but Bean could see the coiled tension in his stance. “And just why would I do that?” Bean asked. “Because I don’t want to kill you.” The response was made as if an off-hand comment, but that did nothing to settle Bean’s growing unease. He was not quite ready to signal Petra – the moment didn’t feel right and he trusted his instinct. But it was getting nearer to the razor’s edge. “I am Darrow, stranger. The Reaper. And you do not wish to test me.” “Perhaps I do, Reaper.” Time to play his first card, “Where’s your companion?” Bean expected to see a flash of surprise in the gold man’s eyes. He did not expect to see a small smile playing on the man’s lips. “I’m just here, big man. With your lady.” The voice came from the tree to his left. Bean whipped his head around to see another man, not quite as large as Darrow, crouched in the tree branches just behind Petra’s perch. He held a deadly sharp blade pressed to her throat, Bean could just make out a small trickle of blood at the blade’s edge. “Again, lower your weapon stranger. You’ve been outmaneuvered. And Sevro is not known for his patience. It’s over.” Darrow held his ground. Bean cursed himself, he should have expected something like this. But he couldn’t risk Petra and he didn’t doubt the seriousness of this man Darrow or his companion. This particular battle may be over, but Bean was patient.

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Predicted Winner: Sevro & Darrow