"Etsu..." Eld's features softened noticeably as she addressed him. It was a relief like he couldn't imagine, hearing her say his name. He'd preoccupied himself so much with preparing for today, he hadn't been aware just how worried he'd been.

But when Gestahl stepped between them his eyes immediately sharpened again. He'd prepared himself for battle...but it would be nice if those preparations were unnecessary.

"She's unharmed, as you promised. You seem to be a reasonable person, so I ask that you hear me out."

He paused for a moment, contemplating. How much did he really want to say? But...he needed to say some of it, perhaps even most of it, to have any real chance of ending this without conflict. "You and your compatriots...I gathered that you don't know much about my scythe. You seem to see it as a weapon, and associate certain powers with it. He," he nodded to Toushikyo, "seemed to think it has some power over people's souls, but it does not. If you're looking for such a thing, this isn't what you're looking for."

"Also...it isn't just a weapon. A person's soul is trapped in here. Someone important to me--it isn't something I can just give up. If you take it, it's not merely something petty like theft--it would be akin to kidnapping."

"So please, I ask you, let her go, have Illorex return everyone to normal, and leave us in peace."

And for a moment, neither Toushikyo nor Gestahl said a word.

But that didn't mean Toushikyo was not anxious for Gestahl to say something. Seconds passed, and Toushikyo turned his glare from Tsukimono to Gestahl. It was only seconds, not like Illorex who took between half a minute to two whole minutes to formulate a response to even the smallest things-- yet those seconds were still just as tense as moments with Illorex.

"I see," Gestahl declared at last, "So you are ignorant, just as he predicted."

Toushikyo narrowed his eyes upon Gestahl, while Etsu stared at Gestahl with wide eyed curiosity. But he did not present an elaboration, nor even the sparest of details. Perhaps it had been intended as a whisper, but restricted, as Gestahl was physically incapable of mustering a whisper, no matter how hard he might try.

Gestahl unfolded his arms from over his chest, and held out his right hand, palm open and facing the sky. Briefly, he motioned for Eld to approach, but only on the obvious condition . . .

"Give me the scythe," Gestahl's voice would feel as if it were shaking the very ground around them, "And the Reaper will be returned to you."

He wasn't backing down.

Eld closed his eyes for a moment, sighing. "Ignorant, huh? You're probably right. There's much I don't know, about you, about her, about myself even." Reopening them, he calming walked forward, until he was just a few feet from Gestahl.

He removed the scythe from the holder on his back, and for a few moments he shifted it around in his hands. Yes, there was much he didn't know; last night had proved that. He'd seen an entirely different side of Kageko, one she did not display for him, only for that mystery man before her. It was possible she'd never be that open with him, or that happy. It was a thought that pained him greatly.

But if he gave her up, there would never even be a chance. "But there is much you too don't know. Especially about me." He brandished the scythe, holding a battle stance. He was close now; close enough that if Gestahl focused his attention to try and threaten Etsu, he would strike him down. And all it would take was a single Qi blast to put Toushikyo out of commission in his current condition.

"I'll ask once more: let her go."

He, too, would not back down.

Slowly, Gestahl's arm fell to his side. His expression remained unchanged, never once shifting from the stoic stare, one that suggested an utter lack of care-- a similarity between he and Etsu Hikane behind him. Toushikyo, on the other hand, could only look at someone coldly-- hatefully. It was simply a matter of how much or how little he hated the person, and so far, Eldridge Tsukimono and Etsu Hikane, Hikane especially, were the supreme objects of his inner loathing.

"No," replied Gestahl.

Etsu tensed. She wanted desperately to get out of this, to try and pull herself up the naginata and escape, but Toushikyo was still nearby-- and she knew for a fact that he'd take the slightest opportunity available to end her life.

"I will wrench that blade from your hands, Reaper," Gestahl declared as he lifted his left hand, "And your soul shall be the first to taste the shadows."

Whether or not Eld anticipated Gestahl to attack from underneath of him did not matter. If he expected that-- he was in for a surprise. If he did not, well, then he'd be more than prepared for what was to come. It wasn't from beneath Eld that an attack came--

But from the front.

From Gestahl in person.

He kicked forward with his right foot, following through with his l-- no. He didn't even need to. The force of his kick alone was enough to propel him forward, airborne, lifted from the ground by only a foot, carried by momentum alone, as he brought his left arm across his body, and would swipe the instant he was close to Eld-- to swipe not at Eldridge himself, but at the wooden pole of the scythe.

So, they knew what he was after all. At least in part. Perhaps if they knew the whole of him, they would hesitate to fight him, but he wasn't about to tell them. There were precious few people he would ever relay that secret to.

For a moment it would seem like Eld hesitated, or perhaps he was too slow--but in truth, he was only waiting for Gestahl to get just close enough. He knew he could attack from the earth suddenly, so if he telegraphed anything too far in advance it would likely be interrupted. As long as his feet were on the ground, his best bet was to react.

Just before Gestahl's hand reached the scythe it was pulled by behind Eld, out of his reach, with one hand. The other simultaneously planted itself into Gestahl's gut, and he activated his strength burst; he was sure that, against someone of his size, a normal punch wouldn't even phase him.

And in showing off by lunging forward without planting in his other foot on the ground, he ensured he had no way to resist the blow--in all likelihood, he'd be sent flying back into the cliff wall.

Eld wouldn't wait for him to recover to act. "Infusco orbis terrarum," he whispered, "Kageko!"

Eld's fist hit with a sullen thud, roaring an echo of raw strength throughout two bodies at once, resounding a surge of power throughout Eld's arm-- and . . . Gestahl's?

Although Eld had used a burst of strength, he seemed to have very little effect. Or, at the very least, effected Gestahl's hand very little. While Gestahl may have missed grabbing the scythe, he was able to catch Eld's oncoming fist with his other hand, and envelope it within his own-- his hand, twice the size of Eldridge Tsukimono's. At current, there was no way to tell if Eld had done any damage to Gestahl's hand or not. If he had, Gestahl certainly wasn't showing it, or even paying it any mind, for that matter.

But either way, Eld had punched before he intended to speak the incantation to release Kageko-- Gestahl had caught his hand before Eld had the chance to speak it. Perhaps it would have interrupted Eld, and perhaps, for that moment, he wouldn't have had the chance to speak it at all, as Gestahl wasted no time . . .

There was a crunch, and a heave, as Eld would no longer have his feet upon the ground-- his body would be launched back, thrown behind Gestahl, far behind him, towards the cliff-side wall, an inanimate opponent which Eld would find himself drawn towards rather dangerously. Gestahl was horrendously powerful, indeed.

Huh? Gestahl must have landed just before he swiped, because Eld suddenly found himself flying through the air courtesy of a quick throw. In itself it didn't hurt very much, but it was going to be very painful if he hit the rock wall...

Fortunately, there was some good to be had from all the tumbling he'd done yesterday, as he managed to keep his bearings as he flew through the air. With his free hand he reached under his jacket, whipping something out and sending it flying through the air, but in the opposite direction of his opponent.

The sickle and chain wrapped around the naginata, jabbed precariously into the rock several feet above the ground, and rather than slam into the rock wall he changed the direction of his momentum upward. He was nearly horizontal as he ascended above it, and barrel rolled several times before landing lightly, balancing precariously on the pole of his friend's weapon, one hand holding the chain (which he unwrapped from the pole as he landed), the other holding his scythe behind his back.

It would be unwieldy to use with just one hand, so he quickly spoke the words he'd intended to before--the double ended weapon may have been most efficient wielded in two hands, but it could still be used with just one.

A chain slapped up against Etsu's naginata, ringing out the sound of metal against metal, and the inevitable stab of a blade through rock. As soon as it hit, Etsu instinctively shut her eyes as tightly as she could, hoping that Eld wasn't going to accidentally miss. What he was doing, she had no idea. Hopefully, it was something to end well, but if he missed, she'd be done for.

But when Etsu opened her eyes, she found that Eld had made his mark. He had landed upon her naginata, and balanced himself upon the end of it, standing with his back to her, eclipsing the sun-- but unlike Gestahl, this eclipse was not a frightening one. It was a hopeful eclipse. A glorious eclipse. Etsu stared up at him, not speaking for a moment, until finally whispering:

"E-- Er-rd-kun . . ."

Yet she was otherwise speechless; she couldn't do anything more than say his name, awed, truly. Eld never had the grace to make a landing like that before.

"Wh-- what . . . ?" Toushikyo growled as he looked up, past Etsu and up at Tsukimono. Likewise, he hadn't seen him move with such grace before.

Gestahl, on the other hand, simply stood straight once again. He said nothing, but began to walk towards Eldridge, slowly closing the gap between them . . .

"Sorry, Etsu...it'll be just a little longer before I get you down." He didn't speak with the anger that usually rose within him when someone hurt a friend, nor did he seemed to be particularly depressed about having failed to save her the other day. Right now, what he showed was sheer determination.

Many of the times he fought, it was an act of desperation; he didn't seek out combat, so any fights he was in were usually brought to him. This time, with time to prepare, small though that time was, he was much more confident.

His eyes had never left Gestahl since he landed, and as the stoic man approached Eld leaped forward off the naginata. It was time to show just what he could do when he put his mind to it.

At first, it would seem like a suicidal move. A jumping attack did add momentum to the blow, but that would hardly matter against someone of Gestahl's strength; all he'd really be doing was leaving himself open for attack.

But when Eld jumped, he didn't come down; at least, not immediately. Instead of landing on or even near Gesthal, he glided over him, whipping the kusari-gama at high speeds to attack his back. If he couldn't beat him in strength, he would have to win with the speed of his attacks, the momentum of the chain weapon letting it strike many times faster than any melee weapon.

"I-- i-it is o--" Etsu was about to whisper shakily in response, but by the time she managed to get that much out, Eld had already kicked off of the naginata, and propelled himself forward. All she could do was continue to watch with wide eyes (or wide right eye, at least; her left could only open half-way at best!), and finish her sentence in a whisper, "--kay, Er-rd-kun . . ."

Gestahl walked slower and slower as Eld came closer. After a point, there was no need to move so quick, when he was just going to come right for him-- but was he? After a moment, Eld ceased to descend, and instead glided forward. Gestahl's eyes followed Eld as he moved towards him-- and then above him, and then, at last, Gestahl heard the chain rattle.

No man would be dense enough to leave his back exposed, and to an extent, that was exactly what Gestahl took care of . . .

Eld's sickle struck home, but it wasn't Gestahl it hit-- rather, it was the earth. Lifted earth, having torn up from the level ground and stopped when it covered Gestahl's back, defended him for a brief moment--

A moment ended when Gestahl brought his right arm back, and bore his elbow into the lifted earth, and let it fly-- fly-- fly, rocks the size of boulders, chunks of earth strewn back every which way, an absolute hazard for anyone and anything that decided to exist behind him. The entire earthen wall broke apart and launched back, in the direction of Tsukimono behind Gestahl, just as quickly as it had arisen.

Eld's sickle struck harmlessly against the rock wall, which soon became a torrent of boulders flying in his general direction. Wait...boulders? His mind flashed to the previous night, and the barest hint of a smile crossed his face. I'll have to remember to thank Emma again later.

While Kageko's senses were unable to penetrate the earth and predict attacks straight from the ground, airborne projectiles were another matter. The sheer number of projectiles was almost overwhelming, but he concentrated, focusing on the ones coming near him.

Adjusting his descent, he landed on one of the flying boulders only to immediately jump off of it, sending it hurtling into the ground and letting him regain some of the altitude he'd lost. Sailing upwards, he narrowly avoided another boulder as it passed beneath him, but as it did he flicked out his wrist, his kusari-gama finding another target.

This time, it wrapped around the boulder, and using the force of Gestahl's own attack in his favor, his arm swung in a wide, overhead arc as the boulder kept its momentum as it returned to its point of origin, as guided by Eld's weapon, unwrapping it just a split second before it struck so as not to break the chain.

The sheer amount of boulders, though-- so many coming at him at once . . .

Nnh . . . Kageko winced. Eld might have felt it, too-- a little bit of pain in the front of his skull, but at current, adrenaline might have been driving him far too much to allow for such a thing. It died down once he was no longer threatened, anyways.

Gestahl began to turn around as the last pieces of the earthen wall drifted away. He was just in time to catch a glimpse of Eld, his sickle again finding a home, a home in the form of one of the larger chunks of earth to have come from Gestahl's wall. It was coming right for him, then, and the sickle's tension was released as it was drawn back to Eld; he'd thrown the chunk of earth at Gestahl and let it go on its path.

So be it.

Gestahl held out his right hand, his arm perfectly perpendicular to him, parallel to the ground, with an open palm facing the oncoming chunk of earth. Impact was inevitable, and Gestahl's arm shook under the pressure of the blow, but he remained unmoved. The boulder broke apart in an instant and spread from there, cracking apart and spreading, continuing with their momentum and missing Gestahl on all sides. All that remained was a hefty chunk, now grasped by Gestahl.

He paid only a glance up to Eld, before rearing back his right arm and throwing the sizable chunk as hard as he could. He put his weight and strength into it, inevitably stepping forward and leaning into his throw. And the result--

M-- Master!!

In the air, where Eld could not move that quickly without momentum, he'd have no method of dodging it-- no, not an object moving that quick. It was like a gunshot . . .

But fortunately, it wasn't lethal. More than likely, it'd break upon hitting him, throwing him out of the air, and briefly winding him upon hitting the ground.

Eld hardly noticed the pain on his forehead; concerned as he was about the larger boulders, he couldn't spare any attention to the smaller pieces of rock shooting at him.

He didn't have much time to contemplate Gestahl's incredible strength as shortly after another piece of rock was sent at him, this one much faster and more accurate. I see it! Fortunately, again Kageko's powers saved him; his arm struck out in the blink of an eye, deflecting the attack and sending the rock careening off into the distance.

However, the force of intercepting the attack sent him floating backwards, out of range for his kusari-gama. He let himself glide back, dropping to the earth when he was a few feet off the ground and landing in a crouch.

He took a moment to catch his breath. Did that really do nothing to him? He could only hope that boulder hurt more than it looked, because it looked like it hardly put a dent in him. It seemed like he was going to have spend time wearing Gestahl down, but the problem was that while Eld was going to have to land a fair amount of attacks to cause any significant damage, his opponent could potentially cripple him with a single strike.

And so, Eld was grounded, and the two warriors stood upon the same ground once again. Momentarily, Gestahl leveled his gaze upon Eld, but he did not change his position. Rather, he remained leaning forward, his right arm out forward still, left foot anchored upon the ground before him. In all respects, the man could very well have been dubbed a monster. Seven feet tall, a mountain of muscles, stronger than any man Eldridge Tsukimono had ever encountered, sans one-- but that comparison even extended to Eld himself, as even a punch with a burst of strength, although caught by Gestahl, did not faze him.

But all was not lost, perhaps. Gestahl was not winded in the slightest, but his right palm was bleeding, bereaved by cuts all over, all from the breaking of the boulder.

"He will kill him, you know," Toushikyo declared to Etsu, but not quite in a relieved or confident way. Rather, he sounded . . . jealous, perhaps? Angry that he saw the victor in Gestahl, and perhaps not in himself.

Etsu did not reply, however. She didn't know how to. Gestahl was a monster-- yes, a beast. A civilized beast, but he was so far beyond any mortal man, so much more powerful . . . she had faith in Eld, but . . . perhaps . . . perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't come at all.

At Eld and Gestahl's distance, though, the two speaking quietly would go unheard by the warriors-- which was, perhaps, for the best. It meant two less distractions.

Gestahl made his next move with his right hand. He leaned forward just a little more, enough to place his right index finger upon the ground, and in that instant, the earth waned. It cracked under his finger like a brittle doll-- a physical impossibility in all rights, but an occurrence nonetheless. At that point, there was no stopping it. The earth was going to move-- it was going to bend and crack and fissure at his will, and as the ground shook under Eld's feet, cracks began to form between Gestahl and Tsukimono, deep wells, holes widening with every passing millisecond . . .

Upon closer inspection, Gestahl wasn't completely unharmed from the attack; his hand was completely cut up from stopping the boulder, but it certainly didn't seem to bother him any. Or maybe it did, and he was just good at not betraying his feelings.

The ground began to heave and crack, and Eld knew that was his cue to get back into the air. He took a few steps forward to gain momentum, and then leaped before the earth was too shaky for him stay standing. Once more he glided through the air, heading in Gestahl's direction.

Eld was willing to wager that in order to use his power he had to concentrate, especially if he was doing something on this scale; he lashed out with his kusari-gama, hoping to either score a few hits or force his opponent to stop what he was doing and defend.