Might add pictures at a later date
The one in the blood-red cloak arrived first, though nobody afterward could quite tell when he turned up, or from where. He was average sized, but his gait and posture made him seem smaller, almost shrunken. His face was hidden, and what could be seen of his hands and feet were gaunt, yellowed and claw-like. He carried no visible weapons, but anything could have been hidden in that great cloak.
His opponent showed up a few minutes late, hefting his enormous sword over one shoulder as he swaggered onto the desolate battleground. He was a tall, heavily built swordsman, and made his opponent look even smaller by comparison.
"Where's the other guy?" he demanded of the little creature in the red cloak.
"I am Red," said Red.
"You? This must be a joke."
Red nodded sagely. "Quite a funny one if I do say so myself."
The swordsman laughed uncertainly. "Where's my real opponent then?"
"I am he."
The swordsman shrugged. "Ok, your funeral."
Red remained silent, his glowing eyes blank of any discernible expression. The signal came, the fight began.
Tijin raised his sword and rushed at the crimson-clad thing with a great sweeping angular stroke, wielding the enormous blunt cleaver as if it weighed nothing. The road cracked and splintered under the force of the blow.
"Impressive," said Red, standing unscathed next to the cracked pavement.
A very confused expression crossed the swordsman's face. He decided that he had intended the first blow in warning, to encourage his obviously incapable opponent to give up without resorting to physical trauma. He raised the sword and pointed the the pavement. "That'll be your head in a moment. Last warning."
Something glinted. Tijin's instincts took over, flinging him violently to one side. He hit the ground and rolled, suffering only minor scrapes on the hard pavement. Something very small and very sharp ripped the air where his heart would have been. The swordsman rose quickly and started to circle the strange creature, sword at the ready.
Red smiled. "Ah, not only brute strength but great natural talent, if a bit unpolished. I was beginning to fear this would be boring."
"What are you?" asked the swordsman.
"I am Red," said Red, giving a little flourish with his cloaked hands. Tijin flinched, moving his sword instinctively to block a second sneak attack, but none came. Instead, Red calmly drew a pair of long, narrow knives from his sleeve and strode confidently toward Tijin. "Shall we begin properly?"
Metal and crimson flashed and blurred and sparked. An untrained eye would have been totally unable to follow the movements. Tijin's sword flashed horizontally toward Red, who lept over it with impossible agility, prompting the sword to reverse directions in midair and arc towards the crimson blur as its glinting knives lanced toward the swordsman. Tijin twisted gracefully out of the way without pausing in his swordswing and Red was obliged to parry with his other knife. The force of the impact sent sparks flying in all directions and sent Red flying back at least ten feet.
Red gave the swordsman no chance to recover but darted straight back into the fray, trying to leap and dodge around the enormous sword to strike at Tijin's back. Two, three, four times this failed and the smaller fighter was launched backward. The fifth time the sword grazed his sleeve, cutting loose a sliver of red fabric. Red was visibly tired, and the swordsman growing more confident. "Is that all you've got? You're a sneaky bastard all right, but nothing much really. Bring it on."
Red switched tactics, circling just out of range and pelting the swordsman with knives. Tijin laughed and danced out of the way, then gripped his great blunt sword with both hands and struck the pavement. A spray of tiny stone shrapnel, sharp as knifes, flew up at the red-clad figure, who stumbled back, a deeper red starting to soak through his cloak in a few places.
Tijin laughed. "Don't you wish you'd given up, old clown? I'm afraid your skull may never be the same after AAAAAUUGH" he broke off, having taken an arrogant, swaggering step forward and landed upon a very nasty, very sharp, very barbed piece of metal. A ring of them was scattered all around the swordsman.
"Clever," said Red, "but arrogant. Nothing to be ashamed of really. Pride has been the downfall of far better Reyns than you." He flicked his wrist and something red flew at the swordsman. Tijin, unable to dodge on an injured foot, smashed at the object with his sword to deflect it. The little red ball exploded into a pillar of smoke. When it faded, there was no sign of the swordsman. Red smiled behind his cloak and limped away from the battlefield.
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