War and Famine in the Green [Horsemen]

[Shang Tsung]

With a grunt, Atelos rushed forward, his bronze shield held before him as Retane’s weapon bashed mercilessly against its surface. Although the green-skinned fighter tried to angle his swipes to get around the bulwark, the Spartan was no slouch with the shield. Each angle strike was met by a subtle redirection, and after a vicious series of exchanges, there was no gap to speak of between the two warriors.

Atelos’ let out a growl and slung his shield forward, catching Retane in the jaw. The warrior stumbled backward and swung his weapon, catching his adversary on the shoulder and back with two bladed segments of the kusarigama. While one of the blades clanged against armor, another sank through into flesh, causing the Spartan to roar in pain as fresh blood sputtered from the wound. The shield lashed forward, crashing violently against Retane’s face and chest, but despite the thunderous impact, the green-skinned warrior tore his weapon free and moved to strike once more.

It was then that Shang downed Retane with an exploding fireball. The impact caught the unaware fighter in the chest and sent him through the trunk of a nearby tree.

All at once, the other fighters turned to stare at Shang, and the younger man with the staff thought twice before making a silly decision when he saw the sorcerer’s other hand extend outward. “No more bloodshed.” Shang replied, his eyes moving to the younger man. “My associate gets to a point where he doesn’t know when to stop, and I’d rather not deal with that today.” The white-haired youth thought it over, his eyes moving once to the wild-eyed Spartan before returning to the calm and collected Shang. “You should make sure your friend is okay.”

Atelos turned and scowled at his ally as he clamped a hand against his wound. Once he was within whispering distance of Shang, he spoke. “I had that.”

The sorcerer nodded. “I know you did, but the last thing I need is some spar turning into a bloodbath…we’re outnumbered, if you haven’t noticed.”

Once he’d glanced around at the other individuals, Atelos begrudgingly nodded his head. “We should drop her off and be back.” With that, the Spartan and the night elf started back on the path toward their destination. Instead of rushing to join them, Shang walked over the white-haired youth. The sorcerer produced a scrap of paper from his pocket and handed it to the man.

“It’s a frequency.” Shang placed a finger on the walkie-talkie strapped to his belt. “Your friend can have another go at my friend once we’re all a little more acquainted.” With that, the sorcerer walked off to join Atelos and the woman they were escorting.