Chaos in the Gears

by LucidTech

Chapter Four

“Once you’ve had enough, say when,” Inventor said, looking at the man he had pinned to the ground with a wooden sword. His mechanical appendage was fully visible as it held the practice blade stiffly against the neck of his opponent, as the sleeve of the shirt had been torn off before the sparring match took place. Several guards looked on worriedly, but Inventor didn’t pay them any attention. He was busy looking at Dex, who lay on the ground staring up at the madman who bested him in combat.

“Step back, boy. I’ve had enough of this nonsense.”

Inventor glanced over his shoulder as he took the wooden sword back, letting Dex rise from his position on the ground. Stone stared back at Inventor with a dark glare. He'd brought with him two new swords, steel, sharpened to a pin point. Instinctively, Inventor knew what they were for, but he thought he'd let Stone answer the question that Dex was about to ask.

"Stone, what—?"

"I'm sick of seeing this fool run around thinking he can do whatever he likes, boy. I want to let him know his place." Stone grabbed one of the swords in his mouth and tossed it hilt first towards Inventor, who caught it expertly in his metal hand. He swung it through the empty air a few times before holding it out in front of him flatly, loosening and tightening his hand around the hilt to see how quickly it would tip towards the ground.

"Fair enough, then…" Inventor said, watching as Stone moved to grab the other blade in his mouth.

"Wait, Stone. Why steel swords?" Dex looked between Inventor and Stone, whom glanced back at him. Inventor waited for Stone to answer, but Stone merely looked at Inventor.

"Because, this is a lesson in holding back, isn't it?" He looked to Stone, who nodded. "If I'm as good as I think I am, according to Stone's line of thought, I should be able to stop short of any fatal or lethal wound while still showing dominance in the battle. This isn't about winning; this is about subduing. If I would have to resort to killing him, then that simply means I'm better. If I can defeat him without killing him, that means I'm better on a higher level."

Inventor looked to Dex for a minute to see if he understood, then looked back to Stone. "I assume you'll be playing by the same rules?" Stone nodded.

Inventor took a step back and tightened his grip on the blade. "Back of the hooves, heart, and head. Anything I’m missing?"

"No. Wrists, ankles, heart, and head. Anything on my end?"

"Nope." Inventor watched as Stone picked up the sword in his mouth. He moved it around a bit by clenching his jaw, then nodded towards Inventor.

There was something like a blur as Inventor lunged forward from his standing position, bringing his blade in a sideways arch and aiming for the shoulder of his foe. Matching the speed, Stone managed to block that attack. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, judging each other silently. Inventor blinked first and pulled back from the attack. He took a step further back to avoid the counter attackStone attempted to pull off without giving up his defensive position.

Inventor glanced darkly at Stone, contempt in his eyes. He swung again, mimicking his previous attack move for move. Stone blocked again, easily. His sword unwavering even under the force of the swing, sparks flying from the blades at the point of contact. "What's the matter, boy? That magic arm of yours reach its limit? I suppose you can't really flex the muscles, can ya." Anger sparked in Inventor's eyes as he pushed on the block with additional force, sliding Stone barely a centimeter before he reinforced his stance and returned the force in kind, causing the stalemate to come back in force.

"Want to see me flex?" Inventor asked with a dark tone. There was a whistle of steam as it burst forth from around his shoulder area. "Let me show you how I flex." Inventor pulled his blade back again but neglected to step back for the counterattack. A shallow cut decorated his lower torso, cutting cleanly through his outfit.

Inventor, however, didn't seem to care. Another blow was already coming for Stone and he only just managed to get his block up in time to stop the sudden retaliation. He clenched his jaw tightly around the hilt, but felt a much stronger force behind the hit than time. However, old soldiers don't stay enrolled by seniority, and he managed to withstand it easily.

As Inventor went for another attack, Stone went for an easier target, hitting his opponent in the leg before immediately sliding into his guard again, blocking the attack that was already coming down towards his shoulder. Inventor felt the force of the block and took it as a queue to swing once again. He could barely feel the wounds on his body accrue as he swung again and again. "You think me a fool?!" he shouted angrily. "I'll show you what a monster I really am!"

Dex wanted to intervene, but between the clanging swords and the building headache that was hitting him in the head, he couldn't quite manage it. As hit after hit was blocked and dealt, it only grew, a migrane of pain that he could only clench his ears against. He wished Panacea was there; he didn't know why it was happening, but she would. She was always good with this.

Inventor swung and swung, whittling down Stone's defenses until the guard was forced to drop his blade, the ache in his jaw becoming utterly unbearable even for him. But not before he landed one last hit on his opponent, who was decorated with dozens of shallow and bleeding wounds over his entire body. Stains of red accompanied every slit in his clothes and he was breathing heavily as well by the time that Stone finally dropped his sword.

Inventor brought his sword up one more time and pointed it at Stone's face. "Admit it. Say it aloud. I want to hear you say it." Inventor's grip was steady even while the rest of his body shook from fatigue. "Say I won."

Stone looked at Inventor with contempt. Despite all the wounds he'd inflicted, his opponent still stood. He'd been beaten in a game of endurance. Inventor had outlasted him, but just barely. The stuck-up human had used the rules against him. If Stone had been allowed a fatal hit, he would have won. Inventor had left himself wide open after every single hit, knowing full well that Stone couldn't go for the kill without breaking the rules of engagement.

"The rules you set entirely determined the course of the battle. Killing does not represent a lesser degree of winning than forcing surrender on your opponent, as if they are on the same kind of scale. They are two entirely different win conditions that can both be achieved to pursue victory. You thought I would attempt to disarm you or wound you into submission. I chose a third route of fatigue and I won now SAY IT!" Inventor shouted, moving the blade closer to Stone's face in rage. Inventor was shaking from blood loss and anger, but he remained standing as he waited for the admission from Stone.

Instead, he got a shout from Dex who was off to the side clutching his head. "STOP IT!" he screamed. "I can't take the clanging anymore!"

Inventor and Stone shared a glance, their swords hadn't connected for a minute at least at this point. Inventor was the first to speak.

"Go get Panacea," he said simply.

"Why not you, mister speed?" Stone asked with a bitter tone, regretting it immediately after as he watched another fit of shivers rack Inventor's body and almost lose his balance.

"Guess," he said simply, a bitter tone of his own staining the word. With a nod, Stone left and went to the castle, seeking Panacea for her assistance.

After Stone left his sight, Inventor dropped his blade on the ground and fell onto his knees. He crawled over to Dex with shaking movements, barely managing even that. He got next to him and sat on his pockets, lifting Dex's head with soft movements from his steady mechanical arm and glancing into Dex's eyes.

"You remember, don't you. It's at the edge of your consciousness, but you remember."

"What do I remember?" he asked pleadingly, his mind still filled with the violent clanging.

"Well, that's a bit complicated. You see, unlike me, you care quite a lot for everyone here. Everyone in general, really. You've got more heart than me in more ways than one. Thing is, you remember one of them dying, just barely. Something changed this timeline without warning. That mirror about shattered from all the crap that was happening here. Some force is attempting to change the past, and it's doing a fairly good job. I'm here to make sure it's benevolent, since forces of time rarely are. It's already made everyone forget the old timeline. Except for you. You care SO MUCH that whatever it is can't erase it from your mind, at least not completely."

"Unfortunately, I'm barely a doctor and I don't have any sedatives on hand for you. You'll have to tough it out until Panacea gets here and helps numb the pain anyway. It's a good thing you won't remember any of this when all's said and done though, because I'm about to pass out from blood loss in a moment. That old codger didn't know about my compromised blood flow and I didn't want to tell him. Turns out, converting most of your body to machinery really puts a damper on how much blood you can have in your body. "

Inventor smiled, but Dex didn't see it. "Go figure." And then he woozily fell onto his back. His body would keep him alive, just barely, but only after it limited blood flow to other areas. Like the brain.

Author's Note:

Don't get too excited neither me nor Staple know if we're gonna go anywhere with this.

Comments

[Tri-PonyTrouble]

HOLY F***ING SHIT IT'S ALIVE!

Two whole years. *whistles*

[Atrunia]

5027469 And now it shall crawl back into its grave to sleep.

[Tri-PonyTrouble]

5566384 Damnit, not again!