Zelriane's feet shifted uneasily as Jeff sped through the air. His body tensed up immediately, taken to a new stance, wider. His hands were open-palms, each finger aligned with the next as if he were prepared to slap at his foe. His feet turned outwards, and his elbows were high. With his palms faced outwards, the currents and change in atmosphere guided his fist. The [i]sound[/i] made him shudder for a moment, but he didn't falter. He rolled his fingers back and cocked his newly formed fist behind his head. Zelriane was able to pick out which one of Jeff's bodies was the real deal, not based on his energy, but based on his [i]smell.[/i] Zelriane coated his fist in a green mist... Of course, all of that happened in less than a second. With a resounding thud, Zelriane's fist crashed into Jeff's face, pushing the wind sage flat-out of his dash, and into the ground. The sudden burst of speed, unlike what he'd shown before, was more compact, making his attack impossible to evade. Of course, Jeff speeding directly at him didn't help. Pain began to spread through the inventor's body, originating from his face, and crawling through his soul like a nest of venomous vipers that bit and bit at his insides without stopping. The pain was like none other he'd felt before, it was paralysing. Zelriane felt the same pain sting his body, but shook it off and took a step back, resuming his stance. [color=007236]"The eyes are not the only tool for observation,"[/color] He taunted, [color=007236]"Though, if you'd been more careful, that might've been bad news for me."[/color] Slowly, he peeled his eyes open, and returned to the stance he was using earlier in the battle. [color=007236]"I don't [b]need[/b] my eyes to predict your moves if you insist on resorting to such predictable methods of attack."[/color] He turned to Shaidra and Bruce and narrowed his recovered eyes. Shaidra cocked her head to one side and began to crawl around Bruce like a curious animal. She kept on like this for a few moments, before standing in front of him, back straightened, and demeanour tightened. She stood with a stern presence, demanding attention and respect. It was uncanny. [color=black]"What do you plan to do with this research?.. I'll s[color=6ecff6]h[/color]are it wi[color=6ecff6]t[/color]h the [color=6ecff6]w[/color]orld... What do you need? What do we need? What are they asking for? What does he want? What do you want me to do?"[/color] Shaidra's eyes flickered. A flash of marine blue shone through the thick black mist within her pupils for the shortest of moments. While she spoke, her stance shifted, from stern and cold, to excited and empathetic, until she dropped back down onto all fours and answered Bruce's question in an unfamiliar, feminine voice. [color=6ecff6]"[color=black]Proof[/color]"[/color] Zelriane appeared behind Shaidra like a deathly apparition, and clutched her shoulder, his hand releasing a green mist for less than a moment. Shaidra lurched forwards, shrieking in pain before spinning to face him. [color=007236]"Home."[/color] Shaidra looked at the ground and nodded, but took her sweet time in preparing to release them from her little pocket dimension. Zelriane glared at Bruce. [color=007236]"Now, I'm going to defeat [i]you.[/i]"[/color] Zelriane took up his stance, and Shaidra began to gallop away pathetically, like a dog that had just received strict punishment. [color=007236]"Consider this a high stakes duel. If you lose, you and your friend die."[/color] Zelriane glared back at Jeff. [color=007236]"Don't worry about him. My [i]Agoniki[/i] only inflicts pain that surpasses what living nerve endings can handle. He'll live if his heart doesn't give out first. Even then, he won't be able to move."[/color] He paused and looked back at Bruce. [color=007236]"Now that Rajaka isn't around, I can finally enjoy myself. Don't worry, I won't be using that energy on [i]you.[/i] That would be [i]Boring.[/i]"[/color]