The Fearless' previous form had been able to take over host bodies and fill them with his strength and power. Audrey Price had described a gruesome scene to him where a warrior had been used as a puppet like that, forced to move far beyond the body's actual abilities. She'd said it looked like a doll with broken strings dragged along by an invisible power.
Nothing of the sort was possible with the android. The Fearless could use it like the Chali did, but no more. It could only use the body, it wasn't able to make it any more than it was.
The Fearless was limited to what the android could do.
It should have made the fight easier, but it did not. Braen didn't remember a battle like that in his life. Every second seemed to be stretched into an eternity, an endless moment after endless moment, walking on the edge of a blade.
One slip of concentration and he would have been dead. More even than when he'd actually fought the Fearless' past form, Braen had to push his body to limits that hadn't been properly tested in years.
When he'd first met the monster on the cold, dead field, he had been able to trick the Fearless. Once it bit down on him, it could no longer get rid of Braen and the general only had to endure. It had been less of a fight and more a battle of willpowers.
In the darkness of Naima's room, it was nothing like that.
The Fearless was showing everything it had learned over the long ages of its life. Like sparks of lightning, the thoughts shot through Braen's mind. He thought he recognized an ancient fighting stance, favored by a species the Brions had wiped off the face of the galaxy a long time ago.
The Fearless had probably fought them.
More than anything else, it was punishing to fight the monster. Every blow Braen delivered was met and blocked. The android was made out of some alloy that barely scratched when Braen aimed to dent it.
One after another, the hits did more damage to him than to the enemy. An android couldn't feel pain, it was free to ignore whatever passed for a survival instinct and the Fearless didn't have one to begin with.
For Braen, his hands shook every time he struck a blow home. It didn't make him stop, only push on harder, but it wasn't something he could keep up forever. There had to be a turn in their duel or the general knew that flesh and bone would yield before metal did.
What am I missing?
The chance presented itself with a realization that he was approaching the fight all wrong. In war, it was vital to know your enemy. If the opponent happened to be powerful and fast like the Fearless was, it was the first move to make sure it couldn't use those skills to its benefit.
It meant going after the weapon.
Braen changed his tactic, letting the monster come closer at the risk of losing his head to one of the lightning fast arched strikes. More than one time, he could feel the blade go by his face so closely that it hurt without ever truly touching. The general blocked rather than struck, making it look like he was driven back.#p#分页标题#e#
It shouldn't have worked, but if the Fearless had one weakness, it was pride. With a victorious howl, it advanced, hoping for an easy victory and assuming that Braen had become weary from the fight. That was the difference between Brions and the beast, Braen concluded. He not only learned from his mistakes, but never underestimated his enemy.
Along with being immortal, the Fearless was also endlessly prideful.
The Fearless came closer and Braen already felt a wall against his back when he ducked. His heart seemed to beat a million times per second. He didn't hesitate for a second.
The monster was fast, but Brions were the greatest fighters in the galaxy. The battle hormones beating in Braen's blood boosted his already considerable stamina and speed, pushing him on to move under the Fearless' guard before it even saw him.
His blow fell, clean and true, right on the shaft of the enemy's spear. It was built so well it didn't immediately break, but the cut was deep enough for it to be useless as a weapon.
The Fearless knew that too, throwing its head back and roaring so loudly Braen felt the floor shake beneath his feet, mechanical crackling reverbing through the android’s voice.
The monster grabbed him in the next second, the android's cold hands pressing down on his throat. The spear in his hands was at an awkward angle, impossible to maneuver in the way he needed. Without a second's doubt, Braen let go of it and grabbed the white-red metallic arms trying to strangle him.
They fell together, hands locked as the rematch turned more vicious than the first round had ever been. More was at stake than survival.
Braen realized the danger when the cold hands against his skin suddenly turned icy and then beyond even that. He gritted his teeth, cursing the Fearless for remembering that the Chali androids had all kinds of gadgets and skills built into them. The same method of heat transfer that had saved Naima's life was now going to kill him, freeze the blood in his veins.
There was nowhere to strike. The android was a construct, it didn't care for eyes or flesh.
But it did have wiring, the basics of its working order. Feeling life leaving him breath by agonizing breath as his throat froze, Braen aimed at a small crevice on the android's neck, between the head and the torso. There, the inner skeleton of the android was bared but a little.
The general crammed his hand into the enemy's throat, feeling as it instantly answered by pressing down even harder on his neck. Only the shoulder guard of his armor kept Braen conscious and alive. He knew it was a matter of seconds before even the armor would be of no help.
The android’s outer shell was as tough as ever and it took considerable force to reach between it. Braen didn't utter a single scream as the flesh tore off his hand, almost crushing the bones of his palm as he grabbed the first thing he could find and tore.
The enemy shuddered from head to toe and the grip on his neck eased up.
Inches from his face, the eyes of the android were as red as the Fearless', full of hatred and bitter disappointment. The monster was beginning to understand there was no fighting when the android stopped.
And it went for the mistake Braen had been hoping for.
He had endured hours of torture in the vile jaws of the beast, but the Fearless had no patience in situations like this. Instead of finishing what it had started, holding on in the hope that Braen died before the android broke, it pulled back, wanting to preserve the vessel it was occupying.
It jumped away, looking for a weapon to continue the fight. Braen was faster. His every move calculated and precise, not wasting half a moment. He could deal with his injuries later. He rolled over as soon as the Fearless was off him, grabbing the spear he'd dropped. The general was up in a second, anger spreading in his veins as he turned.
One good, unblocked hit was all he'd needed from the beginning. The Fearless rose as well, but it was too late. Putting every last bit of his strength into the blow, Braen cut through the air and then through the android.
The Fearless screamed, but not in pain as the android crashed to the floor in two pieces. With two steps, the general was standing above the upper part, slicing through the thin wrists, removing the fingers as he'd taken the legs.
“This is not over!” the Fearless gargled.
For a second more, the monster remained, thrashing on the ground. Then it was gone and the only thing that was left were the pieces of the android.
The Chali build them durable. My warriors will have to keep this in mind when we go to war. It is not a Brion's way to go by being killed by something you presumed dead.#p#分页标题#e#
Braen stood over his defeated enemy, grimly considering how it was going to be to fight a thousand of them on his way to the Fearless. Absently, his hand rubbed at his throat, feeling the icy chill of near death there.
"Naima!" he called then.
His voice was raspy and not nearly as strong as it usually was.
It took a moment for her to appear, escorted by his men. They took one look at the android and Braen waved them away.
His gesha came closer, her big green eyes wide in surprise.
"Are you alright? By the gods," she whispered. "I did say break, didn't I..."
"Will you tell me now what it is you need? You will feel better once I cut us off from the enemy once and for all," Braen said.
"I agree," Naima nodded, "but I want Alona to do that. And I need to test out something amazing. It might even be the answer we've been looking for."
Hesitantly, Braen nodded.
"If it's safe for you, I allow it," he said.
Naima gave him a sharp look, a smile on her lips that the general absolutely adored.
What she had done had brought them so much information about the Fearless. Now at least they knew what they were facing. He couldn’t imagine not trusting her judgment at this point.
"I told you," she countered. "I allow myself. I need you to disengage the glove."
Braen stared at her and then at the broken pieces of the enemy on the floor. In the android's eyes, the light of the Fearless was gone, but it was still out there.
"You can't be serious," he said. "After what just happened, the monster will hurt you greatly."
"I brought my old bracelet, just in case," Naima went on, paying him no heed. "I'll be fine. It's a risk I'm willing to take."
"For Alona. Trusting Alona," Braen said, his voice revealing more surprise and apprehension than he would have liked, as broken as it currently was.
"Yes," Naima said seriously. "Braen, you have to trust me as I trust you. I wouldn't do this if it wasn't important and if it is important, I should do it, right? That is the Brion way."