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Protect.

Melee class.  Front line.  To defend his party - that was his job.

And yet Clive was murdered right in front of him.  Lillianna was at death's door.  All because he wasn't strong enough - wasn't fast enough.  And now he was left lying in the dirt, yet again.

Zell coughed up blood as he sat up, spat the sanguine onto the ground and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.  He was just in time to see the giant of a monster charge past him.  Seems the Gods of this universe enjoyed shitting on outsiders, because this was just fucking overkill.  He looked around and felt his blood boil when he laid eyes on the ninja.  His hands formed fists so tight, his knuckles went white.  Spite and fury fuelled him now.  He had very little else left in the tank.  But it was enough to get up, his breathing heavy as he struggled to control his rage.  First, some stupid bastard of a bus driver took everything from him.  Credit to Zell; he'd accepted that almost immediately on finding out.  But now; This motherfucking tin can was taking the only people he had left here in this world?!

Well fuck that!

He looked across the battlefield, his eyes darting left and right for his sword.  When he saw it, he ran for-

The metal ninja's movements drew his attention.  Movements toward MacKensie.  Zell's eyes flared, his stomach turned, his heart skipped two beats.  "No," he murmured breathlessly.  "Not [i]her[/i]."  There was no time to grab his sword.  He instantly changed course toward the Ranger, his boots kicking up dirt as he ran.  But once more, he was too far away.  The ninja was too fast.  He could see he wasn't going to make it.  [i]Not again![/i]  He couldn't bare the thought of being powerless to help again.  From the pit of his soul came a gutteral noise that started as a mere shout but grew into a thundering roar.

"NoooooOOOOO-

Reality distorted from sheer desire.  Zell mid-sprint disappeared.  The very next moment - the very [i]SAME[/i] moment - he reappeared right by MacKensie and the ninja, his speed and momentum unchanged, the once-large distance between himself and the Ranger all-but gone.  An instant transmission of mind, body and soul to his desired location.

Teleportation.

-OOO!"

He crashed into MacKensie, tackling her and sending them both flying out of the way of the ninja's deadly strike.  The sword barely missed Zell's head, cutting nothing more than a few brown hairs that fluttered away in the wind.  The two adventurers hit the ground, Zell first, then rolled a few times, over and over eachother until finally coming to a halt with Zell straddled on top of MacKensie.  The swordsman's expression was wild and frantic as he stared into her blue eyes, an inch away from her face.

"Y-y-you okay?" he blustered out.  No jokes. No dumbass comments.  Nothing about lives saved and drinks owed.  Nothing but a need for an answer that she wasn't hurt.  He rose up a little and looked down to see if she'd been stabbed.  No wounds.  He let out a breath of relief.  "Holy shit, thank fuck," his gratitude came out a wheezing whisper, a smile quivering onto his face as he met her eyes once more.

He kicked himself up into a handstand, then half-flipped onto his feet.  Seeing the bare-chested big guy close by to his sword, he shouted across the battlefield. "JOJI!"  When his fellow swordsman met his eyes, Zell pointed at, "My sword!"

His fiery anger came back instantly as he looked side-on at the ninja.  Joji, reliable as the night-following-day, threw his weapon over.  The sword span hilt-over-point towards Zell who was too damn angry to take his burning gaze off the ninja.  Pure instinct - he held out his hand high to one side and caught the sword by the hilt perfectly.  As stated; Zell didn't think much about anything.  He just did stuff.

"I swear on god; if it is the last. Thing. I [i]Fucking[/i] do...!" then he turned to face him proper.  "...I'm going to cut your fucking head off!"

And with that he rushed the tin can with what may have been the last bit of energy he had left.  Stone stance.  Slash, thrust, high, low. Combinations, probing for a riposte that he could counter-counter.  And again!  He would not let up until the ninja stopped him or he decapitated the freak.