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[b]Mentions: Vincent[/b] [@Daxam]


With one of its forelimbs reduced to a bleeding stump, the tentacle's blows had lost some of their potency. Dallas was slowly gaining some leverage in this fight. He quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the creature's claw swipe. Dallas raised his axe in preparation for a counter, but was forced to break his stance in order to dodge a thrall charging at him from the left. Dallas cursed and removed the attacker from his personal space with a devastating front kick, causing the thrall to go flying into the tentacle. The impact immobilized both foes temporarily, which was fortunate because Dallas was immediately confronted by two more thralls, which he'd so far failed to finish off.  

[color=darkorange][i]Swinging this axe with one hand is inconvenient. My attacks are delayed just enough that I'd be open to their strikes if I went in for the kill. All I can do is hold them off with punches and kicks.[/i][/color] Dallas gritted his teeth in frustration. He glanced at his left arm which was still paralyzed from the fall he took earlier. The bone didn't feel completely broken; most likely it had been fractured somewhere. However, his arm had gone completely numb as Dallas's body attempted to suppress the pain response from the nerves.

Dallas's ears detected the faint sound of hissing gas. Before the thralls had a chance to engage him, their bodies burst into flaming chunks. Dallas involuntarily tensed his body in response to the heat and impact of Princess's air strike. Seconds after the smoke cleared, there was almost nothing left of the thralls left to dissipate. He looked up and saw Lysandra's prized drone fly away, seemingly needed elsewhere, and offered his silent thanks to its operator. 

With nothing left to distract him, Dallas turned back towards the tentacle. The thrall that he sent flying was taking a dirt nap, with its body gradually evaporating into nothing. Perhaps he'd broken its neck or destroyed its organs with that kick. The tentacle was shaking its head, appearing disoriented. It snapped its head towards Dallas, glaring at him with glowing, beady eyes. The tentacle began to stalk towards him in an awkward gait, stumbling every time it was forced to balance on its stump of an arm. A low moan escaped the beast's vocal cords, causing the goosebumps on Dallas's skin to raise up. 

[color=darkorange][i]I think my arm has some life left in it. I can hit this tentacle at full strength one more time. It's gonna hurt like hell though.[/i][/color] Dallas tentatively gripped his battleaxe with two hands. As muscle fibers pulled on fractured bones, the numbness in his arm turned into a shooting pain. He bit back a curse and endured it. The tentacle was moving more cautiously now. Without help from the other Lost, the creature was instinctually wary of Dallas. That hesitation would help him now. He held his axe behind him and tapped into his inner strength, preparing to go all in with his next attack. Dallas's arms gained vascularity as his muscles bulged. 

The fight ended in a flash. Dallas kicked himself off the ground and blitzed the tentacle before it could react. Once. Twice. Three times he spun his axe. His entire body rotated with each swing as he tore the enemy apart. Flesh, bone, tendrils. It all split apart like butter. On the final spin, Dallas transitioned into an overhead slash and put his full weight behind it. The blow was so powerful that it completely passed through the tentacle's shredded corpse and shattered the asphalt underneath their feet, sending pieces of blacktop and entrails flying in all directions. When Dallas was finish chopping the tentacle up there was little more than a puddle at his feet indicating it had ever been there.

As expected, Dallas's arm was protesting fiercely. The awakened nerves were so inflamed by the pain that he could feel his own pulse. He dropped his axe and tenderly placed his hand over his damaged arm, fighting back the urge to yell or collapse in agony. For now, he focused on calming his breathing while he waited for the aching to subside. [color=darkorange][i]That sucked. I don't know what I'm looking forward to the least; getting chewed up by Lysandra or having to visit Poppy...[/i][/color] Dallas sighed at the thought of having to drink more poison on the way home.

[color=orange]"Gunner's down!"[/color] Dallas's idle thoughts were interrupted by a cry of victory from afar. Dallas had been so caught up in the moment that he failed to notice Vincent's triumph over the infernal. Furthermore, its shield generating partner along with a majority of the thralls attacking the rear team appeared to be exterminated. Damn, was Vincent THAT strong? Dallas raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

Upon further examination, it looked like Ajax had linked up with Lysandra and Desmond. Right, it had to be Ajax. If Vincent could take out two infernals by himself then he'd be a monster on par with the two ex-Cerberus operatives.

The sound of fighting had grown more distant now. Dallas guessed that most of the enemies on this side had been taken out. All that was left was to join up with Erik and the others and help them out of they were still in combat. Now wasn't the time to rest. Dallas dragged his axe off the ground and rested it on his shoulder once more, then he jogged down the street to meet up with Vincent. He looked at his hotheaded friend and noticed just how many shots he'd taken from the infernal. What a tough bastard. [color=darkorange]"You scared the shit out of me with that stunt. Are you alright?"[/color]