A Dragon's first fight: Andferne Vs Arcana

Sweat started to fall down Andy's brow as he continued to pound against the heavy bag. Strikes leading into strikes, it was all about the combination, setting up the first technique to lead into the next. Always thinking, always moving five steps ahead. His left hand slammed into the bag with a short jab as he followed with with his rear hands for a reverse punch, centered square and hard. A quick step to his left brought him closer to the bag as he landed a devastating hook, then with lightning speed a roundhouse came up from the other side and crashed into the bag. Bending it in two and sending it flying back and forth on its chains.

Taking a step back Andy wiped his brow and heard the foot steps on the stairs. It was Jeeves coming down with the water as requested, and the file. The last few months had been busy for Andy. Ice Dragon's were back in charge and it was his personal responsibility to train and examine each member. To sort out the many new recruits and see who was the real deal and who needed to go back home and leave it to the professionals. Every since the super human registration act the government has been stricter on who they would let train and who they trusted to do that with. Andy had managed to convinced them that he would see to it and take full responsibility for all of them if he could keep their identities a secret to everyone but him. This way the superhumans had someone they knew and trusted and the government did as well. Someone to police their own is how they saw it, but Andy, he saw it as a way to keep a war from breaking out once again.


Pulling off the sweat soaked white shirt he threw it down on the table just as Jeeves entered the training hall. "Good afternoon Mr Summers, Sir. I have the file that you requested and Miss Chandresh shall be arriving any minute Sir".
Placing the bottled water down her glanced throughout the room and let out a long sigh. "Sir if I may, you have been pushing your body too far. Let someone else help you evaluate these recruits, perhaps Mr Paladin could assist you from time to time. Going through half a dozen or more each day is taking a toll. You need to rest Sir"


Reaching out Andy grabbed the bottle of water and cracked the lid open. Placing it to his lips he guzzled down a few large gulps and took a seat as he looked to Jeeves. "I can't, you know that. It has to be me or the government will come and take it all away. Could spark yet another Civil War. If it takes me years I will evaluate and train each and every person who walks through those doors. It has to be done this way, or else America will crumble. I appreciate your concern Jeeves, but that will be all. Show Miss  Chandresh down when she arrives". With that Jeeves turned and walked away as Andy flipped through the filess on his newest canadite.


Andy's mind raced through everyting he had just read. Miss Chandresh was 19, young for anyone aspiring to be a real hero and put their lives on the line day in day out. She was born Marseilles, France but resided here in America now. A free spirit he chuckled, another pacifist wanting to save the world. But would she get her hands dirty if the job called for it? This is what he had to find out. Impressive, the Vukresh, her family has a very rich line up of magical blood. Those card however worried Andy. If these things were as powerful as the file was stating, what if they fell into the wrong hands... Another concern was that she had no formal combat training. There was no telling if she could stand the pressure, or if she would freeze the first time she saw her own blood. Or worse yet, the blood of an innocent because she did not react fast enough. He would have to pay close attention to this one, watch not only her movements and reactions, but her involvement with others. How she carried herself.


Setting the file back down and finishing the bottle of water he walked over to the cloths rack and began to dress in a more fitting attire. The Vibranium suit covered his body almost completely from head to toe. The large star displayed proudly across his chest. His custom visor rested on his face against the nose that was specifiaccly designed to him by his old friend Nighthunter. It gave him the ability to see in multiple visions. Normal, heat, dark, telescopic, microscopic, the works. The most recognizible part of his costume rested firmly in his left hand as he gripped the straps of the Adamantium shield. Andy wondered if he would have to use his newest addition to his arsenal however. The shiled glove could generate a proton shield of type of short durations and was even more durable than the one he held now. It could be launched but would not return to his hands.


With a flash of crimson energy Andy slowly stalked to take center stage of the room where he would await his recruit. It was time to see if she had what it takes to be a real Hero. To see if she had the integrity, the courage, and excellence to be called an Ice Dragon. Andy had not doubt that Miss Chandresh could prove to be a valuable asset to the team, but she had to get through him first. Whispering to himself he voiced his concern. "Ok Arcana, let us see how your magic fairs against a battled tested veterern. See if you can work that magic in the heat of the moment, when all chips are in. Today we find out who you are, and what you are made of"

Andy could feel her presence next to him as she entered the room. Power seemed to pulse out from her like an aura. Her voice was soft and serene, her words holding that firm yet teasing touch to them as she spoke. "Let us see, then. May this battle begin". Without turning around Andy's mind was registering hundreds of angles, then with a sudden burst of energy he exploded into action. Rearing back with his left arm his muscles tightened and he through his shield an incredible speeds, launching it from his grasp. It clanged loudly against the far corner and ricocheted off into the opposite wall. The shield was blitzing around the room like a pinball machine as Andy spun around to face Arcana.

As soon as he turned and glanced upon her, he knew that the photo's in the file had not done her justice. That red corset laced tightly across her body, the dark purple dress flowing down her slender form. Bracelets and gems sparkeld and dangled from her wrists and hair. That thich dark lustrous hair that seemed to bounce off of her shoulders with just the slightest movement. She had an exotic beauty about her that was breath taking, Andy could even smell her fragrance  wash over his nose, which was intoxicating. The gypsy allure, he thought, seductive, yet dangerous all in one. However he also knew what her voicethat held the confidence, was not shared with her fighting stance. The ever so familiar gleam of red energy appeared in Andy's visor and within a second later an optic blast fired off towards her feet or pure concussive force, crashing into the white floor beside her as a distraction and attempt to throw her off balance. To get her mind focused on that and not the unexpected. Not on what was to come.

Quick stepping in he lead with his left foot. Taking a firm left forward stance with his hands up in guard position That front knee heavily bent to use as a shock absorber in case of blow was sent his way. His shoulders were held high to help protect his chin in case of a higher attack, his defense perfect, flawless through years of training. The first two strikes he was holding back with his speed and power. This was for him to test her skills and reaction time, to watch how her delicate muscles moved in conjunction to his movements. To see how she would react to someone being up close and personal. All the while his shield still bounced back and forth an blinding fast speeds. The noise from it striking the wall half a dozen times filling the room.

"Keep your stance firm!" he ordered as he moved in with cat like speed. "Spread your weight evenly between your legs so that you can move at any angle on a dime"."Don't look down at your feet, know where they are" he shouted as he threw those first several punches. "This isn't a game darlin, this is real and you can get hurt here" his southern accent coming out clearly as he said those last words. "You have to be ready for anything in this job, know what is happening all around you, expect the unexpected because I promise you it will happen". Like on cue from his last words the star spangled shield was now headed straight behind Arcana in a downward angle. It just needed another heartbeat and it would be upon her, barreling down at the back of her knees in a sweeping fashion to take her off of her feet and send her crashing to the floor on her butt. Andy's eyes never left her, there was no hint or clue that the shield was now headed her way. There was no glance by him to see if or when the shield was coming. Andy knew exactly when it would arrive and where. Hundreds of scenerios played through his head at once at every moment. He was a fighting machine, finely honed to the human limits. A perfect soldier.

When she had first entered the training room, Adélaïde thought she maybe had an edge, an advantage to begin with. After all, Andferne did not know she was there yet, or did he? As she had walked towards him, she had not even paid attention to the numerous punching bags, the mats lying here and there on the floor, the weights... the whole place reeked of testosterone, but Ade hadn't noticed at first. She had been drawn to Andy. He had a quality to him, a presence, was it? Perhaps it was that he gave off a sense of confidence and leadership, she couldn't tell. Still, she had been quickly proven wrong, when he reacted with unpredictable reflexes to her presence. So, the element of surprise was one less thing in the untrained woman's favor...

Out of the blue, he had thrown his shield in what could seem like a random direction. Arcana sensed there was much more to it than that, but did not have time to further investigate the matter. A blast of crimson energy hit the floor right before her very feet, making the Vukresh sorceress back away quickly. Adelaide's lack of experience was already starting to show, as she didn't exactly know what to do in retaliation. Back in her native France, she had been able to use her magical cards to perform wonders, miracles even. Still, she had been relaxed, calm and disposed at the time. This was different. This was a fight-or-flight sort of situation. She wasn't in the comfort of her divinatory tent, surrounded by the smell of incense and candles. This was war.

Before she could react, Andferne was upon her. He threw two punches at her at first, punches that Arcana had a feeling could break her skull if that was his intent, but she fortunately managed to dodge them both. In the meantime, however, she  lost her balance and half-walked into, half-fell against a punching back that had been behind her. "Keep your stance firm!" Andferne instructed her, and his mixture of attacks and advice threw her off for a moment. "Spread your weight evenly between your legs so that you can move at any angle on a dime" Looking down at her feet, Adelaide tried to analyze the way she was spreading her weight between them, rather confused, but her future leader spoke up once more: "Don't look down at your feet, know where they are. This isn't a game darlin, this is real and you can get hurt here." That last bit had become obvious to her, now. As the man kept on giving her advice, she managed to avoid most of his punches. One of them hit her straight on the shoulder, however, and she was propelled sideways, her balance almost nonexistent as she tried to immobilize herself. Seconds later, Andferne's shield hit her in the knees and she fell backwards abruptly, landing on her wrists, and, humiliatingly enough, her butt.

It was then that a simple realization hit her: she was trying to fight like a super-soldier, but that was not who she was. She would fight like a Vukresh, she would honor her ancestors and use the abilities she had inherited from them. With that sudden enlightenment, it was no surprise to Arcana that the first card she pulled out of her deck was the Sun card. Before she had even finished getting up, Adélaïde was aiming the card at Andferne. There was an exchange of power, between the woman and the card, as both tapped into the other's powers. The rectangular card began to glow, growing increasingly brighter until, all of a sudden, three blasts of magical fire were at Andy one after the other. All three fireballs were the size of bowling balls and left trails of smoke as they flew towards their target. Already preparing her counterattack, Arcana, placed the Sun card safely back inside the pouch in which she kept her precious card and pulled out a second one, the Empress.

She would make the Vukresh proud.

Everything was playing out exactly like he thought it would. She was always in retreat, each movement leading her to where he wanted. Then it all came together when the spinning shield swept her off of her feet. Sending her crashing down to the ground and landing on her butt, Andy could not help but to have a look of sadness on his face. This entire week not one person was ready, not a single candidate had passed his tests. He was hoping that she was different, that she was going to be the surprise he needed. Just seconds after the shield took her legs out from under her it had returned to his waiting grasp. It was held firmly once again in his powerful hands as he peered down at her a small sigh escaping his lips.

Taking a step closer, he was about to offer his hand to help her up. He was going to send her home early and end this exercise before she really got hurt. But the second he had taken a step she had already reached into a leather pouch that was sewed to one of her many belts that dangled from her slender waist. Her ruffled raven hair partially hiding her face that now held the confidence her voice did at the beginning. Retrieving her hand from the bag she held a card that started to glow with power, they seemed to feed off of one another's strength and then massive white light exploded from the card, almost blinding the unexpected hero. Blasting forth from the card were three balls of magical fire. These fireballs were radiating a ton of heat as if they were tiny suns themselves.

Instantly Andy recovered from the blinding light and fell back into a defensive position. His shield was held out in front of him acting as his make shaft wall. The first ball of fire erupted against the shield. Fire licked and flickered across its surface as the pressure from the blast knocked him back almost a dozen feet. Not only were these magical fireballs as hot as the sun it seemed, but they also packed a punch. Andy swore that he had just been hit by the Hulk from that blast. The onslaught of fire continued to rain down upon him as the second blast made its way to him. His shield was out of position to be able to deflect it like he had done the first one. His only option was the dodge it by tumbling out of the way. Quickly Andy dove to his left, using his shield to break his fall as he rolled up into a ball and narrowly escaped the blast. Fire erupted against the floor and left scorch marks among it.

Andy was on his knees and knew that he had no time to waste. That third fireball was headed straight for him, staying low he tried to stay as tucked in as he could so the blast would have a small target, but he was not able to get his shield up in enough time. The fireball crashed into his upper right chest and once again he was sent flying backwards. Luckily for him his Vibranium suit had absorbed a lot of the heat, but even it could not stand the test of magic. Smoke was smoldering off of his shoulder as he regained his feet. Slowly rising up and searching the room for Miss Arcana. A smile crossed his face as he realized how wrong he was about her now. Maybe she did have what it takes, that smirk it was time for him to try a trade mark maneuver. One he had used on the likes of Nighthunter and Gambler, warrios who intincts were honed as well as his.

His shoulder was still sizzling from the fire, as the smoke cleared from the impact of it his shoulder was exposed. The fire had eaten its way through his suit and into his skin. It was swollen and red, blisters were begining to form from the heat. But none of it mattered, the pain never hurt. Andy was a firm believer in mind over matter. If you do not mind, then it does not matter. This time his attacks held no lectures, there was no tips or advice, it was time to step things up a notch. Lessons were over, it was test time. Rearing back once again with his left arm his muscles clinched tightly as he flung the shield her direction. Spinning round and round it was thrown straight for her midsection, but then just before it reached her, just short of a feet, his visor lit up with that crimson energy and a optic blast fired off. The blast easily caught pace with the shield and smashed into its top. Perfectly playing on the angles once more both trojectories of shiled and blast changed. The shield was now knocked lower and headed for her knees once more, the optic blast richoceted off the shield and went straight for her delicate face...

The second Adélaïde resorted to using her magic instead of trying to fight like someone she knew she wasn't, she knew she had made the right decision. With her cards, everything just felt right. The Sun card was a particularly impressive one, and she knew that her first attacks would not be wasted with it. Indeed, the three fireballs hit their target and did some considerable damage, damage that a pacifist like Ade instantly felt guilty for. Although she wasn't foolish enough to simply run to the man's help,  she mentally promised to herself that she would heal him, after the fight, using the same magic that had hurt him in the first place. Indeed, the Temperance card could heal most injuries, and burns and blisters would be dealt with in no time.

Right now, however, Arcana needed to push her ideals aside and focus on the situation at hand. Andferne, seemingly completely unaffected by his injuries, was on the move again. Indeed, he threw his infamous shield once more, headed straight for the young sorceress. Before she could even think of reacting, however, he fired an optic blast that ricocheted off the shield and changed both of their trajectories. Adelaide now had two things coming towards her, and fast. The card she had pulled out of her deck last was the Empress, which allowed her to summon vines and branches or otherwise manipulate plants. She probably wouldn't have enough time to take out another card, however, so she would need to do with the cards she had been dealt, ironically. Mentalling deciding that the blast to her head was the main threat, Ade turned around and ducked in one single move, her long hair flying around as she did so. At the same time, she activated the Empress' magicks, and, in a split-second, thick roots grew out of the floor and surrounded her backside, as she stood, still crouched.

The optic blast flew right where her head had been mere nanoseconds earlier, but luckily it only grazed her hair. A strand of Arcana's dark, curly hair fell down softly, still smoking from the energy blast that had cut it off. The young Vukresh did not have time to worry about her hairstyle, however, as the shield hit her in the back. Thankfully, the roots absorbed most of the impact, but the sheer momentum still propelled Ade forward and she landed on her wrists for the second time. She heard a suspicious noise in her right wrist, so, losing no time, she banished the roots and placed the card back inside its pouch with her left hand. Without looking, for there was no time, Adelaide pulled out a third card, and was relieved to see that it was the Chariot.

Instantly, Arcana tapped into the Chariot's powerful magicks and her eyes narrowed as she planned her next move. Suddenly, four dumbbells that were lying around were surrounded in a blue aura. All four of them began to float, hovering for a moment before flying straight at Andy. Instead of simply being thrown at him, however, the dumbbells began to swirl and fly around Andy, all at different heights. Their speed constantly augmenting, the weights all began to, slowly but surely, fly closer and closer to Andy. This, hopefully, would buy Arcana some time. She needed some time, after all, to catch her breath. And then, when she would have a moment to think and to breathe, she would win this.

Andy's eyes followed the strand of raven dark hair that fluttered to the ground. She had managed to duck underneath the raging optic blast but in doing so a portion of her thick hair was sliced off. She had managed to avoid his attack though, he was impressed.  Then all of a sudden vines somehow appeared out of no where. The roots reached up and created a shield or perimeter around her back side. It was the card she held in her hands, it must be. His shield crashed into the roots and absorbed a lot of the blow, but still there was enough force that flung Arcana forward and once again onto the ground. Andy's shield however was now stuck in those roots, embedded deeply, it almost seemed as if they came alive and latched onto it, keeping it from returning to him. Then as quickly as the roots appeared the vanished as Arcana reached for another card.

A blue magical aura surrounded four dumbbells in the room. They began to fly into the air as the mystical energy engulfed them. At first they appeared to just be hovering there, but then they blasted into motion and came flying straight for Andy. For a moment he thought of trying to grab one of them as they got closer, but that idea was soon removed from his head as the weights began to spin dangerously fast in circles as they flew his way. At first all for of them came crashing towards him high and fast, on instinct he ducked into a diving roll. Tucking his knees in he rolled into a ball and across the floor. His eyes glanced towards the ground close to Arcana, his shield laid there not but a few feet from her. Then the four dumbbells came at him again, this time however his custom made visor flickered with that crimson energy as a blast of pure concussive energy erupted out. The blast was fast and aimed right for one of the weights, meeting it dead on the power collided and a spark of blue energy exploded as the weight was flung backwards and into the far wall. Digging into the steel and sticking there.

However there were three more to attend to and he had no time to get another shot off. He would have to rely on his reflexes to dodge and weave through them. Faster they came this time as Andy side stepped the first one at the last possible second, then bending backwards into a hand spring to avoid the oncoming second one. Using his momentum he catapulted into the air after that and brought his legs up into a splitting kick as the final one soared dangerously close under his legs. Landing back on his feet Andy ran for the near wall to gain more distance as the dumbbells turned again, this time spinning faster and faster. His visor was clocking the speeds at an excess of 120 mph. Once again that familiar gleam appeared on that visor and another optic blast was shot out from it, colliding with the closest weight and causing it too to spark with a blue eruption and fly backwards from the impact. The two remaining weights came in hard and fast, Andy's left hand clenched for just a second to apply the proper amount of pressure and in an instant a glowing force shield appeared around his arm, looking exactly like the one resting on the floor near Arcana, but transparent. Raising his arm he aimed for the nearest dumbbell and clenched his first tightly, the almost see through force shield launched off of his wrist at incredible speeds. To clashed against that weight and a combination of red and blue energy erupted from the collision as the shield disappeared and the weight fell harmlessly to the ground..

Now there was just one dumbbell remaining but Andy was out of options. His best weapon was laying on the ground near his opposition, there was not enough time to create another force shield or fire off another optic blast. Andy's eyes widened just a little as he realized that no matter what he did it was too late now. This was going to hurt... the dumbbell smashed into his chest dead center and doubled him over, his ears picking up the faint sound of a crack as he felt his ribs give in. A loud "Ooofff!!" came out of his mouth as he was flung backwards into the far wall. His back crashed into the wall and he slid down it. Blood started to pour out of his mouth as he coughed it up. The pain he now felt in his ribs made him unaware that his shoulder was starting to stiffen up, the heat blisters had formed and were cracking and peeling. Blood was oozing out from his shoulder and he didn't even know yet.

But a few cracked ribs and a busted up shoulder was not going to stop the american soldier. The leader of the Ice Dragons was made of sterner stuff than that. Rising to his feet he found that Miss Arcana had more than enough time to recover and most likely slip another card from that leather pouch of hers. Clenching his fist together once more he summoned another one of those transparent force shields on his left wrist. Then his visor kicked alive with energy again, a wide spread optic blast poured out from his visor and filled almost  one fourth of the rooms diameter. Widening the blast this much made it extremely weaker as it was not focused on a single area or target, but a blast this wide was almost impossible to dodge...

Adélaïde couldn't tell whether it was her fear or the adrenaline, but the Chariot's magic quickly grew out of her control. Usually, when she displaced objects telekinetically, it was steady but slow. This time, however, the four dumbbells spun faster and faster, and before long Ade knew she had overcharged that simple spell, she had panicked and had lost her... finesse. She took a mental note to herself not to let that happen again. The cards' magicks were strong and did not need to be pushed too far, or else they might go over the edge. In the future, she would exert more self-discipline, especially when fighting a future teammate like Andy.

By the time Andferne had blasted the first dumbbell into the wall, Arcana had retreated behind a large punching bag. She realized it was a stupid hideout, but she only needed to gather up her forces very quickly and she wasn't planning on staying hidden very long. Her hands traced arcane, invisible symbols in the air as she closed her eyes, addressing the Vukresh a silent prayer. Almost instantly, she felt her magical powers wax and grow, her lost energy be recovered. Now, she felt ready to keep going. Adelaide jumped from behind her punching bag, instantly catching sight of Andferne as he blasted the third dumbbell with some sort of shield-like construct. There was no sign of the second dumbbell- for all she knew Andy had destroyed it- as the fourth and last one hit her future leader and sent him flying into a wall. The violence of the act shocked Ade and she felt ashamed of herself for ever causing this, but surrendering now would only make the bruises pointless. She needed to keep going, so that all this would not have been done in vain.

She took out another card from her pouch, ready to attack when, all of a sudden, she thought she saw a flash of red light in the corner of her eye. Looking up, Arcana had no time to react as a large, widespread blast of energy hit her. Her arms bent over her face, she tried to protect her face as her feet were lifted off the ground from the sheer force of the impact. The blast propelled her harshly into a set of weights, and the young Vukresh screamed as several parts of her body cracked upon landing. She was laying in an awkward position, her right wrist definitely broken, now, and her left ankle made a weird angle. Her arms were scorched and she felt heat vibrating from them. Pain surged through her body and shocked her like a lightning bolt, keeping her from losing her senses and fainting. Before long, adrenaline made her forget about the pain caused by her injuries and she tried to get up. Passing a hand through her hair, she realized that her head was bleeding, probably from having hit something in the concussion. She was in no state to get up, but she couldn't let that show to Andy, it couldn't end like this.

Looking down at the card that she had somehow managed to clutch onto, she saw that she was holding the Fool. She managed to smile weakly as she mentally thanked her blessed deck of cards for never letting her down. Instantly, she activated the card's magic and she was surrounded in bright, white light. The light was blinding, and soon it changed form. At first looking much like a silhouette, the light was now growing bigger and bigger until it took the form or something huge, something with a long neck and a tail. The light died down, revealing a dragon so big that it occupied half of the training room. The dragon's scales were red or purple, depending on the angle of view, and its eyes were the same green as Arcana's eyes. The beast looked angry, and with a smash of its tail it destroyed a nearby column, leaving a gaping hole in the floor and ceiling where it had been and scattering rubble all around. The dragon's eye shone and, suddenly, it opened its mouth. After letting out a loud growl, a war cry of sorts, the monster turned to Andy and unleashed a torrent of emerald flames from its mouth.

As she lay on the ground, in the same spot where she had landed after Andy's blast, Arcana smiled as she tended to her wounds. Ah, the power of illusions, she thought to herself as she awaited Andferne's next move anxiously.

The last thing Andy wanted to do with these recruits was to permanently hurt any of them. When he saw Arcana get flung back violently his heart sunk, but he could not let that stop him. He had to push her and show her that if this was a real fight against a villain like Darkchild or some other vile fiend they would not show mercy. He could not let up on her or it might cost her, her life later on. His wounds did not matter to him, thanks to that super solider serum his body held an incredible healing rate. A few days bed rest and he would be as good as new.

From the way Arcana moved about against the scattered weights he was worried. She seemed to move generly as if she was trying to not put weight on her wrist. Worse yet was that she seemed to be leaning as if her side was injured. That impact might of cracked her ribs, his thoughts were of her safety, in hopes that none of them had punctered an organ, that there was no internal bleedind. His eyes were full of sorrow for her, but fortunately for him the visor covered them and would not show. Just as he was about to call for it to stop he saw her reaching for a card. She was showing determination, a will to go on and fight through the pain. Arcana was showing him that she had what it took to be a hero. The sorceress was showing him that there was more to her beneath her delicate features. She may not be the same type of fighter as he was, but there was no denying the fact that she was ready.

Andy's spirits seemed to lift at that thought, finally after weeks of trial and error he had found someone to pass his tests. The super soldiers eyes shot wide open as she finished her conjuration. Standing now before him was a lavender dragon who held powerful and mystical green eyes. It easily filled majority of the room and was snarling down at Andy. On instinct his force shield came up defensively, columns in the room were breaking and falling apart as the creatures mass collided with them. He could see the steam come out from the dragon's nose which was followed quickly by a giant cone of fire. The burst erupted from its mouth and washed over Andy who had quickly dipped low, covering majority of his body behind the shield. The fires licked all around and the pressure was building as to dragon continued its fiery doom.

Everything fetl so real, his muscles were tensing to keep the fire breath from over taking him, parts of the star spangled costume started to flick alive with flames, his mask was buring holes in it and he let out a scream of pain. Andy's eyes grew wide once more as he thought this was the end, his shield was flickering out no longer to take the pressure. In a final act of defience Andy gathered his resolve and the second the shield gave way and vanished a powerful optic blast erupted from his visor straight for the dragon. However instead of smashing into the giant creature it had passed through it. Then the dragon started to fizzle out like smoke as Andy realized it was all an illusion, a powerful illusion. None of those wounds were real, even his shield was still there against his wrist.

Only one word escaped his lips as he stalked closer to Arcana "Impressive"

As soon as her illusion was cast, Adélaïde tried to mentally analyze the seriousness of her injuries. Using her left hand only, she tore a ribbon off of her dress and wrapped it tightly around her ankle to keep it from moving. Putting all of her weight on her good leg, she tried her best to get up by holding onto a column nearby, and she finally managed to, but she was feeling dangerously wobbly. This needed to end quickly, and not only because her diversion would not last long against Andferne, but also because soon the adrenaline's effects would lessen and she would feel her pain in all its atrocity.

She was pleased to see that her talents for illusion-casting were just as satisfying as ever. She was particularly proud of how fierce the dragon looked as Andy fought it. Looking at the two figures battling, Ade was strangely reminded of some sort of knight fighting a mythical dragon, and she thought that the man was probably very knightly in his values and priorities, too. Still, the illusion did not last long as a powerful optic blast tore through it, revealing the mirage as being false. Seeing the hero walk towards her, Arcana quickly pulled out another card from her pouch, ready to defend herself and to counterattack at the same time. The attack, however, did not come. Instead, he kept on walking towards her and one single word came out of his mouth, sounding deafeningly loud in the room's silence, even though it was barely more than a whisper. "Impressive," he said, seeming genuine.

"No, that was 'good'. You haven't seen 'impressive' yet," Arcana replied, hoping that her voice did not reflect the pain she was in.

Raising her left hand, a new card resting between her index and middle fingers, Adelaide activated the Star's magicks. Not unlike the Sun, but also inherently differently, the card lit up with a pure, white light. The light gathered up for a few moments, forming a growing aura around Ade's hand and the card. Eventually, a ray of light, a bolt of photonic energy was released, aimed straight for Andferne. The bolt was not very big or even that dangerous, the Star being a rather pacific card in essence, but Adelaide did not care. Before it even reached him, however, Arcana tapped into the card's powers once more and surrounded herself with a bubble of white light that she willingly made as close to solid as she could. From inside the quasi-force-field, the exhausted Vurkesh sighed. She had used the Star's dual magic for two reasons: First, she wanted Andy to back away from her, fearing one more of his deadly hand-to-hand attack, against which she was pretty much powerless. However, the Star's light also had the ability to give hope and renew forces which is exactly what Ade was counting on, from inside her light bubble. Gradually, she felt her pain fade away temporarily, as the card's magic filled her mind and radiated upon her. Indeed, the Star had the power to make its target feel like they were on morphine, and before long Arcana felt relief wash over her.

The next move was Andferne's, and so Adelaide waited, a resolute look upon her face.

"No, that was 'good'. You haven't seen 'impressive' yet," her voice held that confident tone once more, but whatever she might be expressing vocally her body was denying. As a seasoned fighter all of the tells were there. Her body was wracked with pain, but so was his. Andy's cracked ribs were aching with each step, his shoulder was now stiff, the heat blisters were cracking and peeling, blood and puss was still oozing about as he coughed up more blood. But the heroes mind was elsewhere, the pain would always be there, that was a price he had to pay for putting his life on the line. That was the lesson he was hoping to drive through to her right now.

Arcana had pulled out her newest card, a bright light had exploded forth from it and engulfed the room. Andferne's eye's were quickly shielded with just a thought from the visor tampering the shades. The light was still bright however and part of it then shot from her hand towards him. The moment the light spread from her hand Andy brought his generated force shield up. The two energies collided and he could feel a warmth wash over his body as the light spread across the shield, almost as if it went through the transparent shield. The energy seemed strange, the impact was forceful and powerful however. His body tensed and twitched as it slammed him backwards several feet. As if it was keeping him from advancing, from getting closer to Arcana. Gritting his teeth and gathering his resolve Andy ducked down into a lower stance and fought his way through the blast. It seemed as if minutes had washed by as he struggled to keep his footing.

Watching through the spectacle of the star blast Andy was awed by the sight beyond. Lights began to shine and come alive around Arcana. A magical aura or shield seemed to be forming around her. It looked as if her skin was radiating white magic itself. Her dark and exotic frame silhouetted by the pulsing light around her. The entire time he was fighting back the star light blast his eyes were locked on her through the transparent shield. It looked as if all of her fears and doubts, all of the pain was being swept away by the soothing aura, she appeared calm, at peace. If there was one thing in this world that Andy could still not comprehend, it was magic and the power that one could hold with it. Then, just like that his mind was thrown back in time, a flash back of sorts. He pictured himself there by his bed with his mother knelt down beside him. Their hands folded together as they glanced out the window into the night sky, a soft whisper on their lips "Star bright, star light, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight"   ...then suddenly it vanished. Andy clenched his eyes shut in confusion and shook his head. "What was that?" then the bright blast subsided and Andy was left gathering his thoughts.

Examining the room he focused on his shield that still laid upon the ground a dozen or so feet away. Lifting his left hand he clenched his fist and fired the force shiled in its direction. The generated shield smashed into the adamantium one and kicked it up off of the ground, sending it hurtling for the opposing wall. Clanging against it the shield ricocheted off and soared back into Andy's await grasp. The proton shield vanished upon its impact with the real one and Andy was now left standing as he first started. His eyes narrowed and it was time to place his cnotingency plan into play. The visor kicked alive with energy once more but this time only a fine line was fired out. A focused blast shot with accuracy and pose. The crimson beam streamed straight for Arcana's waist, but a closer look would reveal it was headed for her belt. In particuler her belt that held the pouch and cards. He would attempt to sever her from her power.

The moment the Star's magic began to act, Arcana knew she had picked just the right card. Not only did the star light attack blast Andferne several feet away, which had been just what she had wanted, but the card's light had the most comforting effect upon her and she almost managed to forget her pain. It seemed to saturate every single one of her skin's pores, and it was bright even through her shut eyelids. Pain was soothed away, anxiety was forgotten, hope was reborn... Ade couldn't help but feel a sudden sentiment of deep attachment to her cards, which she instantly felt sort of silly for. Still, the arcana artifacts had bonded to their latest heiress on a level unseen before by any of the Vukresh.

Although she felt protected and isolated from inside her coccoon of light, it was not truly so, however, and Andferne had resisted her starlight blast and was on the move again, by now. Peacefully, the French sorceress stared as her future leader threw his shield in an apparently random direction. She knew she had been fooled when the construct hit the actual shield and it bounced back into the experienced fighter's hand, however. This was obviously not good news for her, but Adelaide was having a hard time feeling worried due to the Star's calming magicks.

Arcana was expecting her opponent to throw his shield once more, but instead the next attack came from his visor. It was a focused optic blast, the polar opposite of the radial blast he had used earlier. Ade watched as the blast reached her protective force field and she thought it would bounce off, but the blast was too concentrated, too powerful for the weak construct to hold against it. The light bubble popped and released a blinding light flash as the red energy flew right at one of Adelaide's belts. It was not just any one of her belts, however, that tore apart and fell to the ground, it was the one that was holding the pouch that contained her cards. The belt flew under the impact of the blast and landed in between its owner and Andy. Ade looked down at the Star card that she was still holding, but she knew all too well that the card wouldn't be very useful, nor very powerful if used twiced in a row. She would have to react without the help of her precious cards, apparently.

Slipping the Star card under another one of her belts, Arcana considered running to her pouch, but opted against it, thinking she would have no cover against the super-solider's attacks. Instead, she jumped backwards onto a thick training mat. She ducked behind a vaulting platorm and, for a moment, considered throwing her dozens of bracelets at Andy. She instantly felt silly for even thiking that, however, as he would most likely not even feel them if they hit him, assuming he did not blast them away from him. She needed something bigger. Frantic, Ade tore a ribbon off of her dress and wrapped around the largest dumbbell she could find. The dumbbell was too heavy for her to lift, but that only meant she wasn't very strong herself, so she couldn't exactly judge how really heavy it was. Pulling on the ribbon as hard as she could, she began to spin around as the weight was lifted off of the ground thanks to the centripetal force she applied on it through the ribbon. When she thought she had accumulated enough speed, Arcana threw the weight over the vaulting platform and towards Andy. Her arms were shaking from the strain and she was pretty sure she had just worsened  her right wrist's condition, but the Star's morphine-like effects were still active and she did not care for her injuries at the moment. It had taken almost all of her forces to do that one attack and one sudden, scary realization came upon her as she waited to see Andferne's reaction...

...she was lost without her cards.

The crimson energy sliced through her fragile belt, severing her from the precious magical cards. In doing so Andy thought for sure that he would of crushed her spirits. He watched as the pouch flew up into the air and came crashing down against the floor. It now laid dead center between the Solider and the Sorceress. Andy crouched down like a feline predator ready to pounce the moment she advanced on her cards, but to his surprise she showed him that she was thinking tactically. Thinking of not just actions but reactions, she was adapting how she had to fight on the fly. Once against he found himself aw struck with her intuition and her resolve.

In what he considered to be a very impressive display of acrobatics she flipped backwards, gracefully onto the training mats, quickly tumbling down behind a vaulting platform, her thick lustrous hair flowing behind her as she moved. She was keeping mobile, being evasive so she would be hard to press down. Again Andy found himself impressed, for her record and file gave him no indication that she could move with such grace. Her movements were almost as if it was a dance, flowing from one to the next, a rythem, and that is when it struck him. That is where her movements came from, dancing.

Next she had reached down to lace a ribbon from her cloths around a weight, that prurple strand wrapping around its handle. From the size and initial strain on her face there was no way she was going to be able to lift it, especially with the condition her wrist was in. But yet she spun around and around, using not just brute strength to get it going but momentum, she was thinking and fighting, now Andy knew he had something to work with. He knew that he could turn her into a fighter, she was showing him everything he needed. With a few mind rushing spins she launched the weight in his direction. At first Andy thought of trying to blast it right out of the air, to advance on her still and press the attack. But his mind started to think of that last card, of the feeling that it washed over him and what it must of felt like for her. For through that entire spectacle of poise and grace, strength and skill, she did not once wench at the pain from her wounds. Her delicate features did not cringe from the pain in her side, or at the stinging pain that much be spiking in her wrist. The card had soothed her pains and Andy knew that a card of that power was beneficial but yet very dangerous. For it would allow her to push her body beyond what it is capable of withstanding. That there was serious risk in going to that extreme.

His mind was racing with his concern for her, that he had almost all but forgot about the approaching weight. His eyes shot open wide as he realized that he was just standing there. His arms were down and he had just stood there? defensless. Andy, a seasoned warrior had just sat there and watched a weight fly towards him?... and then that is when it hit him. That he realized he was not just standing there, he was watching her, he was entranced... The heavy weight crashed into his chest, as a loud and audible "OooFff!" shouted from his lips, he was propelled backwards from the blow. The proud and heroic Solider landed on his butt  and his midsection ached in pain, he was reminded about the cracked ribs when the pain started to pound, swelling up until it was difficult to breath. The weight had then smashed into his upper left thigh and shot a sharp pain through his body as the nerves pinched from the weight. His face grimaced for just that brief second, then he grabbed the weight and flung it off of him and several feet to the side, as if it had weight nothing at all. Spitting up another pile of blood he tenderly rose to his feet, grabbing his side with one hand carefully as he held his shield in the other.

In all of the commotion he had lost track of where she was, what she was doing as the weight crashed into him. There was a small limp in his step as the pain from his leg still reminded him even a peak human body could only take so much. His shoulder was all but locked up now, it might be impossible for him to throw the shield now, but that would not keep him fom using it defensively, or from using his optic blasts. Scanning the floor he realized the cards were gone...