Chapter 15: What it Means to be a Raptor Warrior

The realization that humans were no longer the lone sentient form of life in the universe took me a long time to accept. Seeing that our fate now hinged on the mercy of alien races that seemed keen on destroying us, I asked my father for encouragement. He told me that sometimes your would-be enemy today could become a potential ally tomorrow. He also said that they could become an even worse enemy than you imagined. I guess it all depends on the circumstances.

Ryan was thoroughly enjoying himself. Not only had he passed the Test of the Flames, albeit unknowingly, but he had just scored a position on the same team as the girl of his dreams. Everything seemed to be looking up. And yet, despite Ryan’s optimism, he had a feeling that something was coming, something that he couldn't explain. Whatever it was, it reminded him of the day his parents died, and it permeated his mind with an ominous dread. Ryan then decided not to let some abstract feeling of doom keep his spirits down, so he walked into the cafeteria whistling.

            The cafeteria was an impressive structure built into a giant yellow-leafed tree. By far, the most sophisticated tree house Ryan had ever known. Elevators took attendees to different levels of the tree, each level offering different menus. Service droids buzzed cheerily as they served guests and cleaned up messes. Holographic games whirled all around the tables for entertainment.

The bathrooms weren't too shabby either, shined to perfection with toilets that massaged his buttocks as he disposed of his business. And best of all, the food tasted amazing. The cafeteria’s selection offered a wide assortment from alien delicacies, like space worm eggs, to more classic human meals, like pizza, though some of the pizzas had eyeballs instead of pepperoni.

After living off scraps for five years, in Ryan’s scientific way of thinking, he reasoned that he should eat more now to make up for lost time. With his plate piled so high that bits of food kept spilling from his hand, Ryan hummed merrily, drawing many sidelong glances. Most of the other Grunts in the cafeteria were much younger and they regarded him warily, or at least seemed baffled by his unhealthy helping of the potluck.

Some things never change.

Ryan sat down at an empty table, eager to partake in his very large meal when he noticed how quiet everyone became. The silence seemed perpetuated more out of fear than contempt. It took Ryan a few moments to realize the source of their fear came from a large shadow cast by a very large person behind him.

Ryan turned around slowly to stand face-to-face with an eight-foot-tall lizard man in gleaming red and silver armor with symbols of titanic clashes of mythological creatures painted on his breastplate. He had blue scales that shined prominently from his exposed head and tail. Wingless Dragons his father had called them. The earthbound Drakes of Sauria. The Wingless Dragon’s azure eyes pierced Ryan with the intensity of a predator. Ryan gulped loudly.

Then the thing spoke in a voice so deep that it shook the table. “So, you’re the upstart. They didn’t tell me that you were descended from my people. I’ll test the fire of your blood and your heart soon enough.”

“Uh …”

Apparently, ‘uh’ seemed to be some kind of insult for giant, psychotic lizards, because the Wingless Dragon sneered at Ryan, showing him his fangs. “Stop mumbling like a Borvanian Weremouse! You got something to say, then say it, and don’t waste my time with meaningless doddering!”

The guy obviously didn’t know the meaning of the phrase ‘inside voice’ as he yelled more than spoke. “Can I help you, Mr. Wingless Dragon, sir?” said Ryan as meekly and respectfully as possible.

“Wingless Dragon,” repeated the lizard man before bursting into laughter that made Ryan’s whole body vibrate. “It’s been an age since I heard someone refer to my people in that way. We call ourselves Saurians, or sometimes Earth Dragons. Outsiders often refer to us as Raptor Warriors as we share a common ancestry with the most cunning and fiercest of dinosaurs from the elder days. You may … for now.”

“Ah! Okay,” started Ryan, trying not to feel rebuffed at being called an outsider. “So, Mr. Raptor Warrior, sir. Is there anything I can help you with … sir?”

“You are in my chair.”

Ryan tried to be indulgent to the belligerent being. “This chair. Oh, I had no idea. Let me just move my stuff. I’ll … uh … dust that off for you … get it nice and clean. I really am sorry about this. If there is anything else you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Ryan knew that he was babbling, but he tended to do that when he got nervous, and a fully-grown Wingless Dragon tended to have that effect on people. He gathered up his stuff and gave the chair a nice brush off in the hopes of appeasing the brute.

“I’ll just be going then,” Ryan told the Wingless Dragon before walking away a little too quickly.

The Raptor had apparently not been appeased. “Was your father really descended from the proud race of the Saurians?”

Ryan froze. This guy has just entered the territory of no return.

“Because if he was, then he must have seen you as unworthy of learning our ways, for surely there has never been one born of our blood as weak and feeble as you. One so obsessed with avoiding conflict that he would beg and grovel to someone who has so blatantly dishonored him.

“It should not matter the size of your opponent; anyone possessing a true warrior’s heart would not flee like a coward at the first sign of trouble. You are a cringing cur possessing neither ferocity nor vindication.”

Ryan felt uncertain about what some of the Raptor’s words meant, but he got the general sense that he had insulted his father. No way would he let that slide. Ryan dropped his plate, turned around, and marched boldly to face the towering Saurian. A staring contest of epic proportions ensued between them.

“I may not be entirely sure what you just said, but I get the feeling that it's an insult. So, will you kindly take back what you said about my father and about me being a cur, because I'm pretty sure that I'm not … a cur … whatever that is.” Ryan tried to sound confident, a difficult undertaking when he barely stood higher than the guy’s kneecap.

The Saurian smirked in amusement. “So … the timid has some fire after all. But is his strength a match for his tongue? Honor demands a response.”

“If you want honor, pal, then you got … I’m sorry, but can you give me like five seconds real quick. It’s really hard doing this stare-down thing with you … literally staring down at me. Plus, it’s kind of giving me a crick in my neck.”

The Raptor seemed perplexed before asking, “Well then, what do you propose?”

Ryan held out a finger before heading to the table next to them to do a little rearranging. He dragged a table to sit in front of the Raptor and stepped up onto the table, but soon realized that it still wasn’t tall enough. Ryan then jumped down, grabbed a chair, and set it on the table.

Ryan became aware of the very awkward silence that settled over the area as the Raptor crossed his gargantuan arms impatiently. As Ryan stepped up to the table and the chair, he finally stood eye-level with his opponent as the confrontation resumed. 

“There! Now, as I was saying. If you want honor, pal, then you got it.” Ryan tried to sound as intimidating as possible while standing on top of a makeshift foot ladder.

The Raptor chuckled slightly before saying, “Amusing, little one. But ‘as I was saying,’ honor demands action. So again I ask, what is your response?”

“Just … give me a moment to come up with something, huh?” asked Ryan, racking his brain for something cool to do.

“Battle rarely waits for the weak,” retorted the Raptor without even twitching.

Does he always have something to say that sounds freakin’ awesome!

Ryan then noticed the floating chandelier hovering just above the Raptor's head. A thought occurred to him, but before Ryan had time to consider how stupid the thought was, it came true. The guidance system suddenly exploded in a shower of flames and the chandelier spun out of control. Ryan wasn’t sure how he'd done it by just imagining it, but things didn’t go exactly as he had fantasized.

First off, the chandelier didn’t just fall on the Saurian’s head; instead, it started zooming all over the place in an uncontrollable descent, knocking away tables and young Elementals in its path. Food went flying, most of it piling itself on the Raptor’s head, making him look like a giant, scaly pastry. The chandelier finally stopped flying, and then crashed down into the Wingless Dragon’s back. He staggered, but otherwise seemed unfazed.

 “How’s that honor taste now, bub,” gloated Ryan unapologetically, feeling cocky, even after being grazed by a little ketchup from the food frenzy.

            As Ryan jumped down from his perch, he accidentally stepped on the Wingless Dragon’s tail which wagged on the floor next to him. For future reference, it is the worst possible outrage for a Saurian to have someone step on his tail, especially when he'd just gotten a good taste of the morning’s menu all over his armor. Ryan didn't learn until later that stepping on a Wingless Dragon’s tail was the equivalent of touching a man’s unmentionables. 

Barely containing his rage, the big Raptor shouted a curse in an alien tongue and said, “You mock me and then you have the gall to besmirch my honor by laying your filthy feet on my pride as a warrior!”

“What?” asked Ryan, soon realizing where he stood. “Oops. I didn’t know you guys made such a big deal of your tails.”

The tail moved as fast as a whip and swatted him off like a rug being pulled from under him. Ryan quickly rolled backwards and regained his footing, bringing his fists up to defend himself.

Though the Raptor didn’t attack, he still looked angrier than a Dwarf at a barbershop. “I declare Voruck! We settle this dispute tomorrow at the training arena! Come if you have the courage!”

Ryan stood up proudly. “I may not know what a Voruck is, but I’ll be there! Count on it, scaly!”

What have I done? thought Ryan in terror.

“I thought we agreed no more Voruck challenges,” said Éclair, beside herself with anger as she argued with Grafael in her quarters.

            Grafael remained as stubborn as ever. “No, we agreed no more fighting. Voruck is different. It is a sacred ritual passed down by my ancestors for settling disputes.”

            “Oh, stripping down half-naked and beating each other to a bloody pulp isn’t fighting.” Éclair’s own scowl could match the Saurian’s. “Well, excuse me for having a mind, walnut brain.”

            Grafael smoldered at her. “You don’t understand! The boy insulted my honor … his superior! He was to prove himself to me, not the other way around!”

             “Honestly, what did you expect him to do?” asked Éclair in exasperation. Éclair had difficulty remembering Grafael being this angry, except maybe when she made him eat his salad.

            “I expected him to simply stand his ground from my insults, which were clearly just for show, and not to humiliate me in front of the other Grunts. And certainly not to step on my tail, the most precious heirloom that a Saurian possesses. Besides, if he survives, it will prove once and for all whether he deserves to be counted as a full member of Squad 99.”

            Éclair rubbed her head in defeat. Men are all the same no matter what species they come from. The only way for them to relate to each other is with their fists.

            “Look, Grafy, Ryan is not like those other creeps that got shoved at us,” pleaded Éclair, making one last attempt at reason. “Sure, he’s a bit of an arrogant punk, but you’ve got to admit that there’s something different about him.”

            When she said this, Grafael had a faraway look on his face, and he suddenly seemed older and wiser somehow. “I know. I saw the fire in his eyes. Men and Morlocks have cowered under my shadow, but not this half-breed brethren of mine who has not even come of age.”

Grafael spoke with grudging admiration as he thumped his tail rhythmically. “That is why I must do this, not just for the sake of my honor, but for the boy’s sake as well. I can’t fully explain why, but this must be. You know just as well as I that warriors cannot truly understand one another until they have faced each other in combat.”

            Éclair knew her chances of budging him would be slim, but something in her told her not to try. “Just please don’t kill him … and try to end it as quickly and painlessly as possible. He is still a Grunt after all.”

            Grafael seemed to grimace at the prospect of a painless fight. “I will not go easy on him. The life of an Elemental is a hard one, and now is as good a time as any for him to learn that fact.” 

Éclair frowned in disapproval, forcing Grafael to compromise slightly. 

“But I will not be cruel. I will defeat him soundly. If he passes my test, then he will be one of us and that will be the end of it. If not, perhaps the council should reconsider their decision on the boy’s future.”

That was probably the best she’d get from Grafael, so Éclair decided to persuade Ryan to reconsider. Éclair wasn’t quite sure why she acted so protective with Ryan, but she somehow felt it her duty to look after his wellbeing. Fools like Ryan Uruks needed all the help they could get.

It took him a while, but after asking around, Ryan finally managed to find the arena. Ryan also found out that the Elementals didn’t typically use land vehicles to get around even though their headquarters was the size of a city. The reason was because Elementals could move so fast on their own that they typically didn’t need land vehicles. There were still plenty of ships docking at various ports around the dome and in the trees, but no speeders or hovercraft, just a bunch of Elementals jumping around like ninjas.

So, unfortunately, Ryan was forced to walk to the arena. All in all, a fairly imposing structure. It stood on a round platform high above the ground suspended between four mountain-tall trees with cables. The trees had pink leaves which seemed a strange contrast to the otherwise savage nature of the platform.

The platform had one of those light escalators that carried spectators up through gravimetric distortion fields on a pathway made of green light. Dozens of people had already begun to float up to the platform via one such field. The arena was about the size of a football field with a coliseum-like stadium where the audience viewed the battles at their leisure. A vast, round pit filled with sand sat atop a large tree in the center, almost like a bowl. Large stone columns, each about thirty feet high and five feet wide, dotted throughout the field to be used as obstacles.

            Ryan had been told that they used the arena both for training and for public events, like the challenge that Grafael had issued to Ryan. A few service droids flew around, selling concession food to Ryan's chagrin. And to add to the pressure, the stands were packed with hundreds of young Elementals all waiting to watch Ryan get eviscerated. Basically, not a great day.

Ryan did a little research and found out that Voruck was an ancient Saurian ritual in which two combatants fought with their bare hands, sometimes to the death. No tricks. No weapons. No Elemency.

Oh … and no clothes. Well, that’s not completely true. I’ll get a loincloth, thought Ryan despairingly. So not only was he about to fight an eight-foot-tall dinosaur with impeccable combat skills, but he’d have to do it half-naked too. Hopefully, Éclair won’t show up.

As if on cue, Éclair seemed to materialize right next to him.

Her appearance startled Ryan so much that he yelped before tripping over himself and falling in the dirt. With as much composure as possible, Ran slowly rose to his feet and dusted himself off. “Someone should put a bell on you, you know! Doesn’t anyone here just walk up and say ‘hi’ like a normal person?”

Éclair ignored his comment, glaring daggers at him, clearly displeased about something.

Her silent hostility made Ryan feel awkward so he decided to try and say something funny to fill in the silence. “I get the general feeling that you are displeased about something. Or am I mistaking that glare with constipation?”

Man, that came out wrong! I really need to work on my people skills. It’s not easy when your one companion for five years is a gluttonous pigeon.

“First of all, that’s nasty … and how could you say something so vulgar in my presence.” Éclair’s glare could freeze a man’s heart.

Ha! I get why she’s so cold … it’s because of the ice thing!

“Second, I leave you for five minutes and already you’ve gotten yourself into trouble. Honestly, what's wrong with you?”

Believe me, sister, I’m still trying to figure that part out, thought Ryan idly, but he didn’t say it for obvious reasons.

“Look! Jumbo was the one who picked the fight! I just don’t like being pushed around … I’ve had enough of that. If I don’t assert myself now, no one around here will ever respect me, and you know it.”

Éclair held the top of her nose in frustration as if she were teaching quantum physics to a third grader. “When you are challenged by a Raptor Warrior, you don’t challenge him back. You hold your ground, but you also don’t insult him with a chandelier and food. And you certainly don’t step on his tail, which is a symbol of manhood for every Wingless Dragon alive!”

“But he started it,” retorted Ryan, sounding like a toddler getting reprimanded by his mother.

“It’s just the way they are! Confrontation is part of their culture. It’s like a greeting for them. Grafael was just testing you, and then you made it personal.”

 “Well, if he wants to test me, he’s about to get more than he bargained for.”

“Stop acting macho and back out now. Saurians are the most feared warriors in the universe for a reason. Even if you do have some of their blood in your veins, you are still human. Even the feeblest Saurian is ten times stronger than the fittest man. Seriously, Ryan … he could kill you with a single blow!”

She called me ‘human’. She really does care!

Before he lost his resolve, Ryan gazed into Éclair's beautiful, violet eyes, and said solemnly, “Thank you for calling me ‘human.’ No one has ever done that for me before.”

Éclair looked too stunned to reply, which seemed like a good time to break away from her to confront the form of Grafael coming towards him, as well as dozens of spectators. Even Eramar had shown up, which made Ryan all the more determined to prove his worth.

Then suddenly Leon spoke into Ryan’s ear. “I have to admit … you’ve got guts, Grunt.”

Ryan once again nearly jumped out of his skin as both Leon and Rachel came up from behind him.

“Either that or a death wish,” said Rachel, though with more sympathy than Leon.

Ryan sighed. “Again with the ‘appearing out of thin air’ thing. When I finish up here, you’d better show me how you do that thing so I can try it out on you and see how you like it.”

“That is if you survive,” said Leon grimly.

Oh, joy! Someone else who thinks I’m going to die.

“You’re a real heart warmer, you know that, pretty boy,” replied Ryan, wanting at least to get the last word in if he was going to die.

As he moved towards his doom, Ryan turned back to Éclair one last time. The silver-haired goddess looked like she was on the verge of tears, which both pleased Ryan and depressed him. Ryan then stood directly in front of the massive Saurian, whose neck muscles seemed to bulge with every breath he took.

“You actually showed up. No Elemental training whatsoever and you intend to do battle with the likes of me. I have to admit, I’m impressed.” Grafael's tone seemed to imply respect as he held his massive fists on his hips.

“We doing this or not, scaly?” said Ryan, trying hard to keep his knees from shaking.

Grafael scowled, his voice menacingly low as he said, “Very well, Ryan Uruks. It’s time you found out what it means to be a warrior … what it means to be Saurian.”

Then in one fluid motion, the humanoid dinosaur ripped off his armor and stood before Ryan with his chest exposed. If there is anything more terrifying than a Wingless Dragon in armor, it’s one without armor. He seemed beefed up enough before, but now Ryan could see the beast of an alien in all his primal glory.

Knots upon knots overflowed along his pecks and torso revealing the chiseled abs of a ten-pack. His blue skin rippled with power as every tendon bulged in excruciating detail. His arms somehow seemed even larger as he slowly raised his hands, palms forward, into a disciplined fighting stance. Here stood a creature that could crush a man’s skull with one hand, or claw. Surely no one expected Ryan to go head to head with this monster with nothing but his fists and his wits? He had barely survived his encounter with Shaver Creed, and that guy was a chump compared to Grafael T’Macor.

Just one of his arms is almost the size of my whole body … and don’t even get me started on the tail!

If Ryan didn’t know he would die before, he felt certain now. Then he thought about his parents, Hannah Lioness, and yes, even Éclair. Despite the fact that she'd forgotten meeting him, she still befriended him even though most girls like her wouldn't even be seen talking to a guy like him.

With a lot less grace, and much more awkwardness, Ryan took off his shirt to meet Grafael’s challenge. Standing bare chest in front of a crowd of spectators, especially Éclair, made Ryan feel like crawling into a hole. Steeling himself both mentally and physically, Ryan brought his fists up and prepared for the worst.

Grafael yelled something funny. “AMCHUU!”

It sounded a lot like ‘achoo,’ but faster than Ryan could say, 'bless you,' the dinosaur came at Ryan from across the arena ten meters away. It seemed impossible for someone so big to move so fast, but Grafael crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

When Grafael slammed Ryan with an open palm to his chest, it felt like he'd just been hit by a flying truck. Ryan flew at least thirty feet in the opposite direction and hit the wall with a loud thud before falling to the ground. Ryan swore he actually saw stars - either that or dancing Éclairs in bikinis - in his near unconscious state, it was hard to tell which.

Despite being on the brink of falling under, Ryan still heard comments from the others. To his dismay, quite a few people seemed to be laughing.

One guy said, “Man, he flew like a bird!”

Another said, “That was it! For all his big talk, he couldn’t last more than a millisecond!”

One sympathetic girl said, “Give him a break. I know it was kind of pathetic … but come on. That’s Grafael T’Macor. He’s tough even by other Raptor standards. Against a rookie like that, no contest.”

One other guy said, “Another newbie bites the dust. Hope he’s not dead. He was kind of funny, even if he was a half-breed.”

Ryan also heard Éclair yelling in the background. She rebuked Grafael for going too hard. Though he felt touched by her concern, she didn’t exactly demonstrate a lot of confidence in his abilities.

            Man, even she doesn’t believe in me. Though after what happened, I can hardly blame her.

Ryan almost consented himself to just lie on the ground until they took him to the infirmary, anything to keep from going back out there and getting knocked down again. But then he heard a voice that gave him pause.

“Come on! Show him! Show him you can take a hit! Show us all! Come on, I’ve seen you in action! I know what you’re capable of, so get up and try again!” Ryan vaguely realized that the voice in his head belonged to Leon, and the jerk actually had the nerve to try encouraging him after what he'd said before.

Why would he of all people be cheering me on?

Still, Ryan found it strangely motivating to have Leon believing in him like that, even if he was a prick. Slowly picking himself up, Ryan decided to continue the fight, if for nothing but the satisfaction of showing Leon that he could. No, showing them all that he could do it. Groggily, Ryan pushed himself to his knees

Grafael had his back turned to Ryan, apparently thinking his opponent to be unconscious.

“Hey!” Ryan shouted from on all fours in a much louder and stronger voice than he expected.

Grafael turned in astonishment. A hush fell over the crowd. The jeers had died out.

“We’re not done yet, scaly!”

Ryan dashed at his opponent at full speed, which was remarkably a lot faster than he thought himself capable of. In reality, Ryan had put on a burst of speed about as fast as a bullet, almost the same speed that Grafael had charged him with. Ryan jumped high enough in the air to strike at Grafael’s face, but the Raptor was still an experienced warrior and he easily side-stepped the attack. Then the dinosaur turned around, and Ryan instinctively knew that he was trying to sweep his legs from under him with his tail.

Ryan leapt over the tail swipe and pulled a ninja-like kick in midair. He had no idea how he managed to pull off not one, but three amazing moves like the stuff he'd seen on the holodramas. The only thing that Ryan knew for certain was that his blood boiled and the instinctive need to defeat his opponent had taken over all other senses.

Everything seemed to move slower in Ryan's perspective, almost as if his senses had become supercharged. As Ryan brought his foot to Grafael’s face, the Saurian moved one hand to his head, easily blocking Ryan’s kick. Grafael grabbed Ryan’s foot, but Ryan kicked out with his other foot, forcing the Raptor to block, which made it easy to twist out of Grafael’s grip. Ryan then jumped back to distance himself. No one laughed anymore. Grafael smiled and seemed genuinely pleased as if Ryan’s success had all been his doing.

“Even if you are human, I can see that the Fire Blood burns brightly in your veins. You have just tapped instinctively into the martial art forms of our people.” Grafael spoke to Ryan like a teacher to a student. “It is called Vok'Gar, which translates in your tongue as Fire Blood … the blood of the Dragons.

“Even as we speak, the fighting skills of our ancestors are aiding you in this battle. But I do wonder, can you master it, little human? Despite what you may think, there are no shortcuts in combat. It takes years to fully develop mastery of this instinct, and years more to develop your own unique style of hand-to-hand combat. On top of that, you lack the training and the discipline necessary to apply these skills effectively in battle. I am still not convinced that you are worthy of your family’s heritage.”

Though he'd been impressed, Ryan knew he was still far from passing Grafael's test. Ryan decided to take on a cool stance that he'd seen in a kung-fu vid once with one hand behind his back and the other in front of his face before replying with a witty comeback.

“Well then, get over here and let me convince you.”

Grafael charged Ryan with his remarkable speed and performed a back kick, but Ryan reacted quickly. As Grafael spun through the air, Ryan dodged under his blow, and then a second time with his other leg. Ryan had anticipated both attacks. The first kick being just a distraction to hide the second blow. However, he hadn't anticipated the tail.

The attack came from the opposite direction as the legs; being suspended in midair made it impossible for Ryan to twist away in time and instantly he felt like an explosion hit him in the side. With a newfound sense of agility and balance, Ryan recovered and rolled to the balls of his feet. Mere milliseconds after he stood up, Grafael lunged at him with blow after blow of quick, precise jabs. His fists moved faster than bullets as he steadily forced Ryan back towards a pillar.

Ryan ducked under a final thrust from Grafael, causing his fist to smash into the pillar behind him. Ryan almost gasped as the thirty-foot tall and five-foot thick stone pillar shattered to pieces, dust, and chunks of rock spraying through Ryan's hair. Ryan had to jump out of the way as debris from the massive stone monument fell to the ground. Grafael just stood there motionless as stone large enough to crush a man’s torso smashed against the Saurian’s head and crumpled to pieces. Grafael didn’t even flinch, staring unblinkingly at his opponent with that peerless azure gaze.

Ryan made a small whimpering sound. Just one of this guy’s punches has that much power!

Ryan's momentary distraction gave Grafael the chance to land another blow to his stomach. Ryan wheezed out as his breath left him, but something about the blow felt too soft. The punch that shattered the column seemed much more powerful. Only then did Ryan realize something that shocked him to his bone.

He’s holding back! I’m getting my butt kicked and this guy is holding back! For some reason, it infuriated Ryan that Grafael used only partial strength against him. If I’m going down, then I’m not falling for nothing but Grafael’s best! I’ve come too far for anyone to take pity on me like this!

As Grafael paused, apparently expecting Ryan to double over after such a strong blow to the stomach, Ryan jumped in the air and lunged at the Saurian with new-found energy. He landed a perfect uppercut right on Grafael’s jaw. His punch was so powerful that it made a loud popping noise like a gunshot as it connected with Grafael’s chin. Everyone gasped. It must have been pretty rare for anyone to score a hit on the mighty Grafael.

But Ryan had, and it made him feel a little cocky, until he jumped back and saw that the Raptor barely moved. Grafael slowly raised a clawed finger and wiped a small trickle of blood from his lips. Then he gave a grin that showed off his fangs, seemingly pleased with Ryan's progress. Though Ryan had caused a little damage by drawing blood, he doubted it was even close to fazing the Raptor Warrior. Ryan wanted to kick himself for feeling smug, even for a moment.

Of course one punch isn’t going to cut it. He’s a Saurian! He can take just as much damage as I can … probably more.

Though Grafael regarded him with a little more admiration, Ryan still felt somewhat patronized as he raised his voice for all to hear. “How dare you insult my honor like this?! Is your blood so cold that you have become a coward?!”

If landing a punch on Grafael T’Macor surprised everyone, what he just said probably blew their minds. Leon smirked, clearly understanding. Only Eramar remained unreadable. Grafael's scaly brow rose in a quizzical expression, as if he were seeing Ryan for the first time.

“Do not think me a hatchling that you must dull your claws for! I will accept nothing less than your full might! Anything less and I promise you will not prevail!” Ryan’s words didn't feel like they were completely his, and yet at the same time they were. An odd paradox.

Grafael spoke in a quiet voice, much softer than he'd ever spoken before. “Very well, brave Ryan Uruks. If you can withstand my next assault, I will concede and the battle is yours.”

Ryan blinked and Grafael disappeared. Ryan sensed a presence behind him and turned just in time to block the first attack. Grafael then came at Ryan with such quick and powerful thrusts of his fists, feet, and tail that Ryan only managed to dodge and block a few before being completely overwhelmed. Grafael really was amazing. He alternated his attacks so much between punches, kicks, and tail whips that Ryan felt like he'd been pummeled a thousand times over again before he finally went down.

Ryan panted and coughed up blood. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as much as he thought it should. Maybe he'd been hit so many times that he became numb to the pain. That thought scared him a little. Even more frightening was the darkness that followed. Try as he might to resist, Ryan felt his eyes closing and a complete feeling of nothingness washed over him. He thought he heard voices whispering in his head.

            Rachel’s voice. “Man! To last so long against Graf only to have it end like this.”

            Leon’s voice. “Come on. You’ll have to face worse if you truly want to be an Elemental, so get up!”

            Even Grafael’s voice. “Never have I beheld such valor. I would have conceded sooner, but the ancient laws forbid it. If you do not survive Ryan Uruks, I will remember you with honor.”

            And just before the darkness took him completely, he heard Éclair’s voice. “Ryan, you have to rise on your own strength. I’m sorry but I can’t help you. Come on, Ryan Uruks. Stand tall!”

That did the trick. Just before Ryan’s face hit the pavement, he stopped his fall with one hand. Slowly … painfully … he brought himself to his full height to meet the noble and proud eyes of Grafael the warrior. Ryan breathed heavily, his face bruised and cut in dozens of places, but not beaten. Ryan’s body had much more resilience than a normal human; he was of the blood of the Dragons after all.

            Barely managing to stand, much less speak, Ryan wheezed out, “I don’t care what you say, and I don’t care what you do … I am so becoming an Elemental. Just try and stop me.”

            Grafael stared down at the bloodied face of Ryan Uruks with a vague expression. Ryan was dying to know whether Grafael would concede if for nothing else but the excuse of yielding to unconsciousness.

Finally, the Raptor Warrior spoke. “I came at you with everything I had. I held nothing back. No one has ever withstood such an assault from me. Not alien or human. It may not mean much, but I hereby accept you as a comrade in arms. Welcome to the Grim.”

Ryan smiled and let himself crumple to the ground. Before the darkness took him, he heard Grafael say quietly, “But you still have a long way to go before you may call yourself my peer … before you can replace me.”