Esone shook his head in exasperation, striking a kokutsu stance as Del Pilar reenacted the lamest piece of Earth programing to make it's way into popular media. His voice filtered through Rare Earth's speakers, hopeful in it's friendly tone.<br/><br/>"Guess we all have crazy bosses, huh? Don't suppose there's a way to settle this peacefully?"<br/><span style="color: #0080FF">-Yeah! My motherboard told me to never pick a fight. We can all be friends, right?-</span><br/><span style="color: #000000">What. Is. Wrong. With. You.</span><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Vertigo can't hear you. I hope.</span><br/><br/>Black Hole Sun Just stared, or as close an approximation to that as the blank helm could convey. Who know if that thing even had eyes. Slowly, with pointed deliberateness, the Abyssal drew a katana from the sheath on it's back. The blade was a little undersized for an Exalt's weapon, but still significantly longer and thicker than normal. Soulsteel, of course. Sun shifted to match Esone's defensive posture, taking a ko gasumi stance.<br/><br/>"A chance to spar / Is something I adore / I'm ready to fight.<br/>Let's duel, you and I / So we can compare weapons / And know who is more skilled."<br/><span style="color: #000000">Is he speaking in haiku?</span><br/><br/>Esone recoiled as the Abyssal spoke, the voice that emanated from behind the mask somehow slimy. It was as if the souls trapped within Sun's armor added to his voice, repeating his words in a chorus of Oblivion. It was an abomination made sound, and this was coming from someone who could scream enemies to death.<br/><br/>"I assume 'more skilled' is quantified by whichever of us ends up dead and bleeding?" Esone's voice was tight, barely containing his distaste.<br/><br/>Sun nodded, and as it did the blank visor misted over. The fogging was characteristic of Soulsteel, displaying the screaming faces of the souls within. This time though, the face was a grinning skull. Eddie help them all, that armor might have been forged from a<span style="font-style: italic">willing</span>soul. That gave it more power... And may all the Yozi preserve<span style="font-style: italic">everyone</span>if it was a<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Nephwrack</span></span>that gave itself to the forge.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">-Good news everyone! I've been able to integrate your Soulsteel weapons into the Yoyori structure and interface. Thanks to the weapon runtimes, I've expanded my combat perimeters!-</span><br/>Rare Earth's gauntlets shifted as Vertigo spoke, the gunmetal lamellar taking on whorls of abyssal black and writhing shadows.<br/><span style="color: #000000">Esone Shadowhands. Good strong Althing name.</span><br/><br/>"You merged with Metalica?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">-Is that what you've named it? Yes, yes I have. Your Omnitool too. What does this word that keeps appearing in your search history mean?-</span><br/><br/>"ITMEANSNOTHINGILLTELLYOUWHENYOUREOLDER."<br/><span style="color: #000000">You know the computer program is just going to Google it, right? Also, on your six.</span><br/><br/>Sabaton's warning came a split-second before Sun's strike landed home. Only drawing on The Ebon Dragon's power saved Esone from being decapitated. Rather than moving aside in a conventional sense, the Exalt’s body and possessions dissolved into tarry, writhing shadows that immediately congealed back to normal behind Sun. Fortunately for Esone, all Sun saw was a body being decapitated. Praise the progenitor of lies for illusory corpses.<br/><br/>"A most confused death / Dead before he even knew / Where I had struck from." The foggy skull looked unacceptably smug, plastered across Sun's visor. Contemptuously, it stamped down on the illusion's skull. The illusion squelched and splattered, leaving no one the wiser. With a deft movement Black Hole Sun grabbed the 'body' by the scruff of the neck, carving a blasphemous symbol into the chest with the Katana.<br/><br/><span style="color: #000000">Are you going to take that from him?</span><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">-I'm with the creepy voice. That was just mean. And unnecessary-</span><br/><span style="color: #000000">You can hear me?!</span><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">-Yes?-</span><br/><span style="color: #000000">HOW?!</span><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Let's deal with that later shall we?</span><br/><br/>Esone drew back his left fist, bringing it down on the back of Sun's head with a resounding roll of thunder. Crimson light erupted from the impact point, the shotgun round exploding outwards into the Abyssal's helm. Esone gave a snarling sneer, throwing a haiku back into the Day Caste's face.<br/>"Over here you fool / That was but an illusion / I am your true foe."<br/><br/>Sun screamed, stumbling forward and tripping over Esone's fake body. The Lieutenant slammed his right fist down into the small of the Deathknight's back, throwing it to the floor.<br/><br/>"Sorry, did that hurt? / That "sorry" was sarcasm / I am not sorry.<br/>That was your own fault / You should have paid attention / And looked through the lie."<br/><span style="color: #000000">Ok, that's enough. It's bad enough when the bad guys start talking like that, I don't need to hear it from you too.</span><br/><br/>The Hellbreaker grabbed Sun by the rim of it's neck-guard, hoisting it up and slamming his fist repeatedly into it's face. The hits seemed to do nothing more than annoy the creature, who oddly kept on looking over at Esone's fake body. The Lieutenant paused long enough to glance at the corpse, grinning as he realized what the mark Sun had carved was.<br/><br/>"Wondering why it hasn't resurrected yet? You're gonna<span style="font-style: italic">keep</span>wondering that for a while, bubba."<br/><br/>With that he drew back his fist, balling a massive charge of Yozi Essence for a blow that would crack the sky. The impact snarled with the black gravity of Isidoros, burned with sparks of Malfean fire, and outright boiled with pure Infernal power. Sun flew away from Esone like a comet, cratering into the far wall with a rumble of disrupted masonry.<br/><span style="color: #000000">Here's to hoping that the Protheans built for durability.</span><br/><br/>A sharp pain suddenly lanced through Esone's stomach. Glancing down, he finally noticed the Katana protruding from his gut. Silver sap-blood leaked from the gaping crack in Rare Earth, the caustic liquid splattering pock-marked craters in the stonework. Black Hole Sun must have embedded it there before the punch.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">-Structural integrity breach, central abdomen! Repair protocols are underway, but we need that sword out of your gut to finish it!-</span><br/><span style="color: #000000">Black Hole Sun is back on his feet!</span><br/><br/>Sun had Indeed extricated himself from the far wall, landing nimbly on his feet, seemingly none the worse for wear.<br/><br/>"Critical killing / Is an art unto itself / And I am<span style="font-style: italic">Rembrandt</span>." At the last word the Katana shuddered in Esone's gut, chill steel sliding out to fly back to it's master's hand.<br/><br/><span style="color: #000000">Well, that takes care of  the sword removal.</span><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">-Repairs unhindered, working at full capacity! Thank goodness you've got a ridiculous healing factor, I'm hooked into your biomatrix so those regeneration charms affect Rare Earth as well. Reduces the amount of motes I need to draw from you to fix this-</span><br/><br/>Sun inspected it's blade curiously, as if studying the steel for some secret gleaned from the brief residence in Esone.<br/><br/>"A new instrument, / Waiting for a sonata / That I will conduct."<br/><br/>The blade lowered, pointing challengingly at the Scourge.<br/><br/>"Comparisons made / But which is superior? / A tough decision."<br/><br/>Esone cracked his neck, then his knuckles. He struck Kokutsu again, wagging his fingers in a universally understood gesture.<br/><br/>"Bring. It."<br/><span style="color: #0080FF">-Won't-</span><span style="color: #000000">you</span><span style="color: #0080FF">-come-</span><span style="color: #000000">and</span><span style="color: #0080FF">-wash-</span><span style="color: #000000">away</span><span style="color: #0080FF">-the-</span><span style="color: #000000">rain?</span><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Heaven help me, you're in sync now?!</span><br/><span style="color: #000000">DO NOT BLASPHEME, PRINCE OF HELL! And yes, yes we are. At least when good music is involved.</span>