10-16-2015, 12:35 PM
With a carefully controlled thud and a puff of dust, the dragon-man hit the earth. A lunge took him behind one of the stone barricades, leaving Shang Tsung alone in the open. The sorcerer didn’t have long to ponder his next move before the crystal shard in his shoulder started to thrum.
Dirty, singed fingers clutched at the now hot piece of compressed carbon, and with a grunt, Shang ripped the jagged stone from his arm just as it exploded into a giant cloud of burning gas. A wave of heat washed over the man as he was thrown backwards by the flash-bang of force that erupted from the enchanted crystal. Unlike the more graceful drop of his foe, Shang hit hard and rolled for several yards before coming to a stop against one of the stone barricades.
Righting himself as quickly as he could, the sorcerer sprung to his feet as the hulking red creature swooped down at him. His giant weapon arched down, hungrily veering toward Shang’s neck before it was intercepted by an arm-blade. The dragon’s mouth fell open, but before he could belch up another spout of flames, Shang’s fist slammed into his scaly jaw. The impact smacked away his adversary’s mouth, causing the fire stream to roar into the empty air.
With one arm still occupied by his foe’s blade, the sorcerer reached behind his shoulder and drew his broadsword. As Shang swung the weapon toward the exposed neck before him, his opponent’s wings lashed forward. The blast of wind was disorienting, but Shang remained standing as the dragon-man flew back out of melee range.
“So what are you?” Shang inquired as he retracted the arm blade and clutched the jian with both hands. “Some sort of half-dragon?”
“Axorn, King of the Draconians.”
“I knew a half-dragon once before... a good soldier,” Shang replied as a grin spread across his visage. Part of him missed Prince Goro—that dumb, stupid Shokan had been the solution to many problems. “But I’m being rude. I am Shang Tsung.” With a small smile, Shang held out his hands and dipped his knees a little. “Resume?”
Instead of a verbal response, Axorn stepped forward and released an impressive mouthful of flames at Shang. Mouthing a curse, the sorcerer jumped backwards, dropping behind one of the stone barricades as the stream of flames scorched the air above his head.
Rather than wait for a rebuttal, Axorn rushed forward behind the force of his flapping wings. The great sword he held in his hand cleaved through the air and smashed down onto the stone barricade as Shang slipped away once more. The sorcerer was quick to regain his bearings and dash forward, his blade at the ready.
After acting as highly mobile pieces of artillery, the two warriors now exchanged sword blows with one another. Despite his size and bulk, Axorn had no problem adjusting his stance and maneuvering, even as Shang tried to assail him with a quick flurry of short, rapid swipes and thrusts. On the other hand, the draconian found himself equally intrigued at how the seemingly small-framed human withstood the powerful swings that came raining down at him from all directions.
For their part, the audience watched the little display and seemed to hang on every motion of the two mismatched warriors. Sparks danced into the air with every jarring clash of steel upon steel. Even though neither was making any progress, the pair was unwilling to yield. It wasn’t until Shang had been backed up to within a few feet of the great yawning crack in the earth that he had to change plans.
Knowing he was near the edge, the sorcerer continued to let himself be driven back by his foe. When one of his heels brushed out over the edge, he blocked against the oncoming attack and pushed himself backwards into the trench. With Axorn still taken aback by what had happened, Shang dropped his weapon and held out his hands. A rapid succession of telekinetic bursts cushioned his descent to the bottom of the trench.
Hoping to press an advantage seemingly born from nowhere, Axorn pushed forward and dropped down toward an apparently stunned foe. As the half-dragon moved to the edge, he caught a glimpse of the smile on Shang’s face as the sorcerer’s mouth fell away. There was momentary flash of orange in the human’s throat before the geyser of flames burst up into Axorn’s chest and face.
Dirty, singed fingers clutched at the now hot piece of compressed carbon, and with a grunt, Shang ripped the jagged stone from his arm just as it exploded into a giant cloud of burning gas. A wave of heat washed over the man as he was thrown backwards by the flash-bang of force that erupted from the enchanted crystal. Unlike the more graceful drop of his foe, Shang hit hard and rolled for several yards before coming to a stop against one of the stone barricades.
Righting himself as quickly as he could, the sorcerer sprung to his feet as the hulking red creature swooped down at him. His giant weapon arched down, hungrily veering toward Shang’s neck before it was intercepted by an arm-blade. The dragon’s mouth fell open, but before he could belch up another spout of flames, Shang’s fist slammed into his scaly jaw. The impact smacked away his adversary’s mouth, causing the fire stream to roar into the empty air.
With one arm still occupied by his foe’s blade, the sorcerer reached behind his shoulder and drew his broadsword. As Shang swung the weapon toward the exposed neck before him, his opponent’s wings lashed forward. The blast of wind was disorienting, but Shang remained standing as the dragon-man flew back out of melee range.
“So what are you?” Shang inquired as he retracted the arm blade and clutched the jian with both hands. “Some sort of half-dragon?”
“Axorn, King of the Draconians.”
“I knew a half-dragon once before... a good soldier,” Shang replied as a grin spread across his visage. Part of him missed Prince Goro—that dumb, stupid Shokan had been the solution to many problems. “But I’m being rude. I am Shang Tsung.” With a small smile, Shang held out his hands and dipped his knees a little. “Resume?”
Instead of a verbal response, Axorn stepped forward and released an impressive mouthful of flames at Shang. Mouthing a curse, the sorcerer jumped backwards, dropping behind one of the stone barricades as the stream of flames scorched the air above his head.
Rather than wait for a rebuttal, Axorn rushed forward behind the force of his flapping wings. The great sword he held in his hand cleaved through the air and smashed down onto the stone barricade as Shang slipped away once more. The sorcerer was quick to regain his bearings and dash forward, his blade at the ready.
After acting as highly mobile pieces of artillery, the two warriors now exchanged sword blows with one another. Despite his size and bulk, Axorn had no problem adjusting his stance and maneuvering, even as Shang tried to assail him with a quick flurry of short, rapid swipes and thrusts. On the other hand, the draconian found himself equally intrigued at how the seemingly small-framed human withstood the powerful swings that came raining down at him from all directions.
For their part, the audience watched the little display and seemed to hang on every motion of the two mismatched warriors. Sparks danced into the air with every jarring clash of steel upon steel. Even though neither was making any progress, the pair was unwilling to yield. It wasn’t until Shang had been backed up to within a few feet of the great yawning crack in the earth that he had to change plans.
Knowing he was near the edge, the sorcerer continued to let himself be driven back by his foe. When one of his heels brushed out over the edge, he blocked against the oncoming attack and pushed himself backwards into the trench. With Axorn still taken aback by what had happened, Shang dropped his weapon and held out his hands. A rapid succession of telekinetic bursts cushioned his descent to the bottom of the trench.
Hoping to press an advantage seemingly born from nowhere, Axorn pushed forward and dropped down toward an apparently stunned foe. As the half-dragon moved to the edge, he caught a glimpse of the smile on Shang’s face as the sorcerer’s mouth fell away. There was momentary flash of orange in the human’s throat before the geyser of flames burst up into Axorn’s chest and face.
![[Image: Shang.jpg]](http://www.omniverse-rpg.com/images/Shang.jpg)