T.G._Cid hesitates for a second, his body shuddering, and giving Engar cause to think that maybe, just maybe, he put too much energy into his throw. He hadnât intended to finish the fight so quickly but if luck was with him, who is he to complain? His guard drops for less than a second but that is all the time his opponent needs.
Rising on his hands, Cid hooks both feet around Engarâs legs and yanks hard just above the ankle. Finding no purchase to hold himself up, Engarâs feet fly upwards and he falls towards the hard metal ground. Except he doesnât reach it, planting one foot against the metal Cid kicks out with the other and digs it into Engarâs side with a kick that almost blurs.
Engar lands in a sideways roll, groaning as he bangs his shoulder off the railings of the barge. One hand wearily grabs at a bar and he tries to pull himself up, his limbs aching from the strain he has been putting them under. The other raises to ward off the bright rays of the twin suns, for a second blinded by the glare, then staring into the oncoming boot of Cid.
Dodging sideways with mere inches to spare, Engar can hear the piercing groan as the railing buckles under the power of the kick. The sound pushes him, getting him back on his feet in time to sidestep out of the way of an punch that hits another railing â the dull groaning ringing through his ears as another bar bends.
He has no time to consider the strength behind the blows, one hand sweeps around in a clumsy block that only just manages to stop another punch, his left deflecting another away in a dazed manner â Engar is running on fumes. T.G._Cid on the other hand appears to be growing stronger, at first Engar had believed him to be a weak opponent but now he can see that this one is much better schooled in the ways of Ki.
âYouâre growing tired Engar, give up now and I may kill you before throwing you to the Sarlaac.â
Cid takes a couple of steps backwards, hands by his sides as he grins his mocking grin.
âFunny,â Engar takes a deep rasping breath and closes his eyes, savouring the warmth of the suns, hearing for the first time the odd noises coming from below the barge, âI was just about to say the same thing to you.â
Cidâs grin disappears in an instant as Engar charges, his hands rise to defend himself but he misunderstands Engarâs plan. Drawing on his already flagging Ki, Engar kicks off the ground with his right foot. For a second he soars, his dreams of flying achieved, and then plants his left foot on Cidâs shoulder as he rejoins reality. Engar, balancing precariously for an instant, kicks down on Cidâs face as hard as he can and then, crouching, kicks off into a backwards summersault.
Blood flowing from his nose, gashes all over his forehead where Engarâs boot scraped the skin, his left shoulder screaming from the punishment it had suffered during the fight; Cid only just manages to wipe the blood from his eyes in time to see Engar land elegantly on the top bar of the railing.
The ****y warrior tips him a jaunty salute.
âSure you donât want to give up?â
Then the railing, having suffered well beyond its limits, collapses. The post that has been kicked is the first to give way, tearing from the barge and falling out of sight along with a bemused Engar.
Cid bursts out laughing, forgetting the bleeding nose, and turns away.
Below, gripping a bar of one of the railings which twists in the harsh desert wind â only just holding onto an already bending post â Engar stares into the closed shutters of Jabbaâs barge. Glancing up at the sound of laughter, then down to where he can see the pit of the monster that would be his prison, Engar looks back up at the shutters again and grins. Calling upon the power within, Engar hammers his fist elbow-deep into the closest shutter then tears it from the window. In the next second Engar is gone, all thatâs left is the whistling wind and the swinging bars..
âWell Jabba?! Have I satisfied your conditions?! Engar is gone!â
âAhem..â
Twisting around from his position at the gap in the railings, Cid draws in a stunned breath as he spots Engar from his perch on the canopy.
âThe reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated!â
Launching himself from the canopy, makeshift staff swinging down hard with the boost of energy that adrenaline has given him, Engar uses Ki to take the shock of the fall and tries to ignore the shaking that courses through his hand as the blow is blocked by Cidâs right arm. Infused with his Ki, a golden glow surrounding him, Cid ducks under the bar as it is swung again and catches it on the return swing. It is yanked easily from Engarâs grip and folded into a ring before he casts it over the side of the barge.
The two eye each other warily for a second, both knowing that this is the final round.
Engar is the first to move but Cid, his Ki reserves still greater though he is burning them away at an incredible rate, is too quick. Before his fist has been drawn back Cid has lifted his right foot and kicked out at Engarâs shin. Moving on pure reflexes Engar kicks off the ground and for a minute time seems to move like treacle.
Engar hangs in midair; knees crouched up near his chin as he slowly sours backwards with his arms outstretched. Where his foot has been is Cidâs foot, ripples rolling across the steel as it tears right through it and punches a hole into the room below. In this moment Engar feels truly connected to Ki. He can feel the energies, see them move through the air, burn off Cid as he glows brighter.
The moment ends with the screaming from below, Engar lands skidding backwards in a crouched position with Cid growling with barely withheld rage steady trickle of blood flows down his face and trickles off his chin.
âYou should be gone, this fight should be over! I shall not lose my first fight, I shall not spend my time in the belly of that beast!â
Cid raises his hands together and for what seems to be the first time, Engar sees the Ki without needing to concentrate. Golden energy flows between Cidâs fingertips, channelling its way into the gap between both hands. Eyes closed, Cid mutters under his breath until the sphere swells to fill his hands â bright yellow light bursting out between his fingers, glowing through his skin as if he held the sun in his hands â then opens them and brings his hands around.
The sphere streaks through the air, closing the distance between the two too quickly to dodge, then â hands raised to ward it off â Engar feels the ball hit.
âGive.. up.. yet?â
Sliding slowly backwards, closer and closer to the railings of the barge, Engar is just managing to hold the ball at bay. Hands cupped inches from his face, feet desperately trying to find purchase, Engar fights a losing battle as all parts of his body scream out in pain. Itâs too much for him, the ball too strong.
And yet even now he refuses to give up.
âItâs not.. going to end like this..â
Reaching deep inside, deeper than ever before, Engar goes for that which is stronger than even Ki.
âI wonât die today..â
The energy that keeps you going - the energy of the soul.
âNo matter.. what you might think..â
Life Force
âTHIS FIGHT ENDS NOW!â
For one second â only a second for that is the most Engar can afford â he is surrounded with an aura of pure white energy. Every part of his body sings with power unimaginable. Men have lost themselves in its glow but not Engar. He has a job to finish.
Screaming, Engar flings his hands forwards with all his might, almost losing his balance, and sends the sphere burning its way back to Cid. The ball picks him up and carries him through the gap in the railings, fizzling out over the Sarlaac pit and allowing him to drop onto the sandy slope below. Jabbaâs guests, who have been watching the fight with great interest, turn their sights to the windows. The shutters draw back just in time for them to see a tentacle snake itself around the exhausted T.G._Cid.
All this is lost to Engar, his last thought as he falls face forward onto the floor is that he really hates that overgrown slug.