Behind the Armor

Sun caught up to Buchanan and swept him off his feet with his sword. Buchanan landed on his hand pushed himself into the air and away from Sun. Then he threw a sphere made of his condensed mana. Sun blocked the attack with his sword with the impact strong enough to send Sun flying. His back slammed against a cellar door, and inside the cage were goblin children huddled together at the rear wall. "Grab him!" Buchanan ordered.

The children's collar began to emit a colorful rainbow light, and the stone pulled their bodies towards Sun. They grabbed by the leg. "What the hell?" Sun was unsure what to do about the situation.

Buchanan did not let this opportunity escape. He charged towards Sun with his fist glowing bright blue. Sun blocked the punch with his sword and mana. His back slammed against the iron cell, and both he and the iron bars began to fall. The children underneath them did not move despite knowing their impending demise by getting crushed under the weight of heavy metal.

Sun will not let this happen, so he used every inch of his muscles along his abdomen to his calves and pulled himself back upright. While he launched himself forward, he headbutted Buchanan on the nose. "You fucker!" Buchanan took a few steps back while stopping the bleeding in his nose. "If only I had my helmet! You wouldn't even be able to hurt me through my armor."

"You're helmet won't save you. I'll cut you down and the stupid armor you hide behind."

"Hide behind. This armor is not just something that protects me from vermins like you! This armor is the symbol of my power!" Buchanan slammed his hand on his chest, "This armor is what makes me cut above all of you scum of the earth!"

Suddenly, a large explosion erupted outside the barn. The children let go of Sun's legs and returned to their corner, scared from the explosion. "What was that?" Sun yelled.

Buchanan bolted towards the window. Sun was now free and immediately ran after Buchanan and raised his glowing blue sword and slashed his back. His sword stopped at its tracks once it hit the armor, giving credence to Buchanan's statement. His armor is truly formidable.

"You dare attack me from behind!" Buchanan turned around after feeling the attack behind him.

"You're one to talk!"

Buchanan elbowed the sword off his back then punched Sun on the face, sending him flying. Sun landed on the floor and rolled to his feet, ready to lunge back, aiming for Buchanan's neck. "All of you pin him down!"

Around Sun were numerous cages, big and small. Inside them were vulnerable goblins sitting inside the tight, cramped space, with no room to stretch their legs or even breath. Their body was thin and frail, and their eyes were devoid of life. Most of them were pregnant women that could barely stand on their feet, but they must move because the stones in their collars compel them to move. And they all rushed towards Sun.

Sun ran to Buchanan before the goblins could reach him. The children were far more agile and caught up to Sun. They tried grabbing his legs, but Sun dodged their attempts to trip him, and he quickly reached Buchanan.

Buchanan knew Sun was aiming for his head, and he was no stranger to foul play. Buchanan grabbed one of the children chasing Sun by the hair and used her as a meat shield. She raised her in front of his head just as Sun was about to swing his sword.

"No!" The young girl screamed, and Sun stopped in his tracks.

He clenched his muscles as hard as he could to stop himself from swinging his sword. And with his guard down, Buchanan punched him in the face, and Sun fell on his face. Buchanan dropped the child on his back, and the rest of the goblins proceeded to jump on top of Sun. "You're weak, and you dare declare you can cut through my armor." Buchanan spits on the floor, "Stay there until I'm done outside."

Sun, embarrassed about being pinned by the misfortunate goblins and unable to stomach kicking them off his, yelled at Buchanan to come back. But the Captain of the Black Crows had a bigger fish to catch. "Come back, you coward!"

Buchanan ignored him, and he jumped off the second-story window. And when he got down, his eyes saw a scene he only ever thought of as the worst possible scenario. Bret Hart was relaxing while the combined army of Maston and Orgut goblins fight his men at arms.

And in the middle of the field, surrounded by their giant Tungstree wall's rubbles, were two individuals resembling Sun. One of them was fighting his soldiers, and another was standing over the body covered in blood. "Great! There's more of you!" Buchanan's eyes traveled across the wreckage and down at the fallen soldier and noticed the fallen man was his Vice-Captain. "What the hell?" His white skin began to boil red in anger, "You're dead meat!"

"Smoke, watch out!" Rock yelled while he was busy fighting a group of soldiers.

Smoke saw Buchanan running to him when suddenly he disappeared and reappeared in front of him with his boot raised to kick Smoke's face. Smoke blocked Buchanan's front kick with his warclub.

The kick sent Smoke's body flew back and hit the debris Bret Hart was sitting next to, and the dust cloud rose from the landing. Rock did not hesitate to charge against Buchanan. "You little shit!" The earth beneath Rock's feet shook as he runs. Buchanan raised his hand and shot a burst of mana at Rock, but with his fists up in the air and blocked the attack with his bucklers. Then he delivered a jab straight to his chest with his bronze buckler.

Buchanan's lead foot was dug deep in the ground, and he did not move an inch because of this anchor. But more importantly, his armor remained intact, unfazed by Rock's punch with only the mist of Rock's mana dissipating in the air present. This result relit Buchanan's confidence seeing his armor still shining brightly from an attack coming from someone as large as Rock.

Rock stood taller than Buchanan, making about six feet tall from Buchanan's estimates, making him and his punches heavier. And his armor not only withstood the attack, but its structure did not bend, nor did it break. "You have to punch harder than that!" Buchanan kicked Rock in the face.

Rock flinched from the kick, giving Buchanan the time he needed to prepare for another heavy attack. His mana gathered and coalescent into his fist. Rock could feel the massive mana gathering on Buchanan's body. He opened his arms wide open much to Buchanan's surprise. Then he bear-hugged Buchanan, but just as he got the villain in his arms, he suddenly teleported behind. "What the?"

"Right behind you!" Buchanan yelled.

Rock turned around just as Buchanan finished fortifying his fist with mana. Rock raised his guard. Buchanan clenched his blue glowing fist and punched Rock through his forearms and to his chest. Rock's body flew back, and it rolled on the dirt.

Rock placed his hand on his chest before suddenly losing consciousness. "Rock!" Smoke saw the whole ordeal after digging his way out the rubble he landed on. He ran to Rock's aid and noticed something odd.

"His heart is off rhythm," Hart told Smoke. Despite being a passive observer, he had an interest in Smoke after watching him beat the Black Crow's Vice-Captain. "He's in cardiac arrest." Hart recognized the fighting technique. A corkscrew that could slip past any guards and even stop the heart when placed in the right area.

"Then, I have to do CPR!"

"Oh, so you know what to do."

Meanwhile, Buchanan stood still across from them, unable to move. "Why the hell are you here and helping them? Unless they must be your men. I thought you work alone?"

"I do," Hart stared at Smoke while he performs CPR, "You're just going to break his ribs." Smoke stopped and looked at Hart, "Since your Kas is similar to a field medic, I'll tell you what you need to do."

"And why the hell are you helping?" Buchanan yelled in anger.

"And why are you not stopping them," Hart asked, but he already knew why. Teleportation is a difficult spell to use for both its complexity and physical intensity. Very few have reached an intermediate mastery over this technique, and even fewer can be called a master of it, and Buchanan was not one of them.

But Buchanan's confidence began to cloud his mind. "Bakacacaca!" He laughed, "It's because it's no fun unless I end it here!" He forgot about his body's limitations due to hubris. His armor was made from the strongest metal in the continent, and after a giant like Rock failed to press through, it has now inflated his ego.

Meanwhile, Hart ignored Buchanan's parade of his strength and showed Smoke about another technique equally impressive. Short waves of electricity sparkled at the palm of Hart's hand, "Imagine lightning and the heat from it in the palm of your hands." Hart clapped his hands together and rubbed them until the electricity pulsed stronger. "And then touch below his left armpit and under his right collarbone."

Smoke did as he taught, and he quickly learned the pulsating power of electricity on his fingertips. Then he performed the procedure, and the repeated short shocks brought Rock's heart to a normal rhythm. "I did it!"

"Finally!" Buchanan yelled. "Then, let's resume!" Buchanan raised his hand to the air, and mana began to circulate around him like a twister.

"That fool," Hart yawned, "He still has time to recover his mana, and yet he's willing to risk it all." He was a fool that saddened Hart. Buchanan had the natural talent to fight, but he was far too confident in things he shouldn't, making him fragile. He could easily break that armor as he did with Jackson's shield and watch the fool break from reality, but he promised he not directly intervene.

Smoke's arms were not used to this new technique and could barely hold up his warclub. "Rock, wake up!" Smoke yelled.

"Let's get the best," Buchanan stated before the back of his exploded and fire consumed his head. Buchanan shook the flames off him, then turned around and saw Sun standing in front of the doors to the barn with his hand covered in fire.

"Nice catch! But then again, your head is too big for me to miss!" Sun declared.

"You bastard!" Buchanan stopped gathering his mana from his hands and used them to teleport to Sun.

Once in front of Sun, Buchanan turned, and back kicked him on the shoulders. Sun flew back under the door of the barn. "Now, get him!" Sun yelled, and out from the window above were the goblin children with rocks and the chains that once bound them in their hands. They threw them at Buchanan.

He swatted the pitiful attack away, but what followed was too much for him to swat away. After the children were a pink figure that jumped over him, she shot an arrow with mana swirling around its metal tip.

In a desperate attempt to avoid the attack, Buchanan rushed forward into Sun's arms. Without realizing it, Buchanan entered the barn, and the doors were shut closed behind him. Shuja blocked the door and caught the children as they jump out of the barn. Artio was guiding the elderly and pregnant out through the back door and shut and blocked it off.

Buchanan was now trapped in the red barn once more, and this time, it was only him and Sun. "Now then," Sun rested his sword over his shoulder, "You said that armor is invincible. I don't know about that. I think my mettle is stronger than your armor's metal."