No. 25:...We'll Stand Tall

No. 25: ...We'll Stand Tall

Cliff was starring down the blade of a samurai sword, held by the leader of the invaders. The guy in the trench coat.
"You'd make a fine prize." The man said, making Cliff turn his head using his sword. "I've never seen a Water Elemental do what you just did. It was very impressive."
Cliff glared at him for a minute.
"Want me to show you how it's done? I'm sure death would look real well on you." He spat.
The man's eyes flared with anger as his sword dug deeper into Cliff's throat, making it impossible for him to breath.
The sword was suddenly pushed out of the trench coat's grasp, when a body rammed into his body.
He immediately scrambled for his sword, but found the tip of something cold digging into the back of his neck.
"Turn around." A voice said, one so tinged with anger, he knew in an instant who it was.
He turned around, and looked lazily up at the boy standing over him. His curly black hair falling into his gold eyes. Cursed eyes. He was holding an odd glass looking sword in his hand that looked so fragile, one hit and it would shatter.
"Well hello brother. We wondered where you had gone off to." He stated plainly resting on his elbows.
Cliff's eyes widened as he registered what the guy had said.
"Stryder..." He said slowly, struggling to get into a sitting position. Cradling his hurt arm close to his chest. "He's your...brother?"
Stryder's eyes momentarily glanced Cliff's way and Sage took the advantage to knock the sword away from him and dive for his own.
Stryder took a step back as his brother pointed his sword at him, but didn't back down like he use to when he was a little boy.
"Yeah, unfortunately he is." He answered Cliff's question through gritted teeth as he starred his brother down.
"Wow..." Cliff said slowly. "and I thought my family was messed up." He marveled.
"Cliff, shut up." Stryder ordered. "I suggest you get your brother out of here, this could get ugly."
"Why? Do you plan on fighting me, little brother?" Sage asked with a sly grin.
Stryder jut out his chin in defiance.
"Yeah. I do. I'm not the same little brother you remember Sage. And I'm not going to let you kill anyone here today." He said with a tone of determination that surprised Sage, and even got him worried slightly.
But then he threw that worry off like a coat and scoffed.
"Tough words, but that's all they are. You always had a bark that was bigger than your bite little brother."
"We'll see about that." Stryder muttered.

Cliff was helping Venn to the mansion when Kaleigh jumped off the roof, with the help of Brandon, and ran up to Stryder.
"Stryder, what are you doing? Who's..." She sentence hung there when she turned to Sage. Though he was no longer a little boy, she could still see the resemblance of the little boy she had seen Stryder play with in the clips the Professor had shown them all.
"...Oh." She said. "Nevermind." She added hastily. A crooked grin crossed Stryder's face as he readjusted his grip on his sword.
"You're forgetting your manners I think, little brother." Sage said, eyeing Kaleigh that made her shift uncomfortably, so she was behind Stryder slightly.
If she was honest, this was probably one of the most bizzarre things she had ever seen in her life.
Two brothers, shooting daggers at each other, swords in hand, on the verge of killing each other, and the older brother wanted introductions.
Stryder rolled his eyes.
"Yeah well that's not happening. Kale get out of here. Help the others."
She looked up at him in alarm.
"What?"
He looked her in the eye sternly.
"Go."
Kale crossed her arms and stepped back several paces then planted her feet there, giving him a defiant look.
He sighed and knew that was as good as it was going to get. He knew she'd come to her sense eventually, when she realized her friends needed her help.

Stryder returned his gaze to his brother and quickly sized him up. He was tall, lean, muscular, and strong. That didn't leave him with a lot of options. But he did have a couple of tricks up his sleeve.
"Well, if you're that sure little brother."
"Stop calling me that." Stryder snapped. Sage laughed and gave him a look that said 'fat chance'.

He waited anxiously, like he had been instructed too so long ago when he actually took sword lessons. Back then, he was smaller and weak. And he knew that Sage would still expect him to be, he wouldn't expect the sword to be his primary weapon. He didn't know he had been training with it every day for twelve years in secret whenever he could, just so he could be his brother's equal. There was a lot of things Sage didn't know.

They both raced at each other at the same time, swords held out in front of them. They clashed together with a high pitched ringing. Sage looked in wonder at Stryder's sword, amazed that it had withstood the impact. His sword had been made of the strongest metal known to man, it shattered other lesser metals before, and yet this glass sword didn't even show a crack.
   Stryder pushed him away and used his broad shoulders to his advantage. Sage stumbled back, but quickly retaliated with an upper cut.
Stryder took a step back, bringing his sword up as he did. The swords met once again, hard and unmoving. Stryder dropped to his knees and struck up with his heel, hitting Sage in the place that counted.
Sage crumpled to the ground and looked up at his brother, with a look that could kill.
"I didn't say it wasn't going to be a dirty fight." Stryder stated. Sage's eyes gleamed as he smiled.
"Well in that case..."
He dove into a roll and came up slashing his sword across Stryder's chest. His shirt ripped open, the skin under it pealing back as blood soaked his blue shirt, staining it.
Kaleigh screamed and he was almost scared she'd come running, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Brandon was holding her back. He met the idiot's gaze and a silent 'thank you' was passed between them. Then he focused on his brother.

Stryder used his brother's own shoulders to steady himself has he flipped over him, landing behind him with his knee bracing him. He slashed backwards, cutting his brother's back before turning around and kicking him to the ground.
"I told you. You're not killing my friends." He stated, his sword to his brother's neck.
"Stryder, you're forgetting something." Sage stated. He just saw the light bounce off the sword before it hit him on the arm, causing another cut. He staggered backwards, his face clenched with pain as he moved his sword over to his left hand.
Sage was on him, quick like a cat. He sent blow after blow, Stryder barely able to block them as he retreated. Sage cut at his legs, and Stryder jumped away, but tripped over the dried up carcass and fell to the ground.
Kaleigh was still screaming as Sage flicked Stryder's sword into the grass beyond his reach.
Stryder looked back at his brother with the same defiant look. If he was going to die, which he knew was a very viable option, even if Sage was his brother, he'd at least know he had died fighting for something!
But then he heard Kaleigh screaming. He looked over at her, they're eyes linking immediately. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she screamed. Brandon wouldn't let her go no matter how hard she pulled, but she kept on fighting.
Then he glanced around at the remaining invaders that were raining Cliff and Venn with bullets. Terra had come out at some point and was using her life Element to heal wounds they got and keeping them from dying, but also fighting with Venn, using knives she had stuck in her belt. But he saw that each one of them was reaching their limit. They had taken down many, but many more still remained. He watched as the three retreated, looking at the line of invaders, gun pointed strait at them, with despair and defeat.
Stryder watched as, Venn slipped his hand in Terra's and murmured something in her ear. She looked up at him in shock before he kissed her square on the mouth.
Cliff glanced at them, then took a double take in shock.
In that instant, dying wasn't an option. Not for any of them.
Stryder looked at Sage as his arm came down, the kill blow.

"Enough!!!!"

A strange thing happened next.
Stryder pushed his hand out at his brother, a feeling over taking his body and pulsing through him like a second heart beat. It couldn't be seen, but a wave crashed over his brother, and over the remaining invaders, a wave that made them stop cold in their tracks.

No one dared breath. The Elemental's gazed in shock at what was happening around them, Kaleigh had stopped screaming, Venn and Terra had stopped kissing when they heard the silence.
It didn't make sense.
The invaders glanced at each other, even Sage in confusion. The Elementals stood in fear, waiting for them to jump at them, kill them here and now.
But instead, Sage shrugged his shoulders, rose, and limped away, the surviving invaders following in suit.
Brandon and Kaleigh ran up to the other Guardians as they gaped at what was happening in front of them.
The invaders got in their vehicles and drove away, not taking a second glance to any of them.
"What...the heck...was that?" Kale said aloud as they all starred at Stryder.
He looked at them with a worried look, then turned to the dust rising into the air by the cars on the dirt road.