[Winter Contest Entry 2013] - Cold, fire and gauntlets

Snow, snow and more snow, it never seemed to stop up here. Xenon brushed the snow off his black coat for the fifth time in as many minutes, realizing as he did so could barely feel his hands anymore. This made his entire body shake briefly at the prospect of dying out here in this frozen hell. His tanned skin and dark hair made for an interesting contrast with the snowy landscape. Sensing he was being watched, he annoyingly turned his head to meet the staring emerald green eyes of his companion. She was giving him that look again with her monotone expression and snow-white hair. He had learned over the time they had spent together to detect the slightest of changes in her expressions to deduce what sort of face she was really making. This was the "How can you be cold when you are able to channel flames and heat?" look which had started to crop up far too frequently since the snow began to fall.

'I told you,' he said annoyingly. 'It doesn't matter what affinity you are born with, you can still get cold. If anything it is even worse for me, so stop giving out that aura of superiority already Medzy.' She gave no response and instead nodded towards the horizon. Following her gaze he spotted an collection of lights in the distance, a city! They had finally reached their destination.

Although calling it a city might have been a going too far, but it was indeed the place Medzy had received information of where their next target was at. No matter how unlikely it may seem to him, he had come to trust her instincts. If he was here they would find him. However before they could do anything they needed to find a place to take refuge at and warm up, at least that is what he managed to convince Medzy that they needed to do. Begrudgingly she relented and they made their way to the huge building at the edge of the town with a carved sign that said "Tavern". Brushing off the snow off his coat for the hopefully last time tonight, Xenon entered cheerfully, toe in toe with Medzy who remained as stoic as ever.

Instantly the smell of smoke and cheap alcohol bombarded their senses followed by the typical laughter and noise you would normally find in such an establishment. This was easily made bearable due to the reinvigorating warmth of their heating system which promptly embraced his frozen body. The tavern was filled with nearly a hundred people who had also sought refuge from the cold. A roaring fire was displayed at the end of the room , enhancing the atmosphere of the place. As the pair moves through the crowd, it soon becomes apparent that several people have stopped what they were doing to turn and watch the new arrivals. where they just curious or did they hold hostile intent he thought to himself as he unconsciously tenses up, assuming the worst.

They managed to find a empty table and Medzy enthusiastically began to order from the waitress who seemed just a little too eager to get away. He shook his head, was he just imagining things or did the entire place seem unnerved around them? As a second waitress arrived with their drinks and Medzy started to reach for a glass, he finally realized why and sighed heavily.

'For heaven's sake are you trying to get us thrown out of here?' He asked angrily while pointing to the pair of oversized armored gauntlets the size of tree trunks. They covered her hands all the way up to her elbows, encasing them in various stone and metals. Ignoring him she comically lifted the delicate glass and sipped its contents carefully. Having gotten used to how she kept her mineral affinity activated indefinitely ever since after they had first met. As a result he tended to forget that this was by no means normal and how it would draw unwanted attention to them. No wonder everyone was looking at them, they might as well have walked in with a case of explosives.

He knew it was pointless though, she was already giving him the "I am eating" face as she somehow managed to pick up a fork and knife and began cutting into the plates of food that had just arrived by another nervous waitress. In spite of himself, he couldn't help but be awed at the level of dexterity she could employ while wearing those things.

As if on cue a group of men appeared behind Xenon at their table. Leaning back in his chair looking up at them they all seemed to have had just a little bit too much fun with the all you can drink menu. Leaving Medzy to her plates of food and drink, he left his seat and faced the surrounding crowd while giving a menacing smile.
His left hand suddenly erupted in flames as he twisted it into a fist. 'Normally I would try and talk things through, but I have been traveling for three days in this snowstorm, so if you want a fight just bring it on!'
The men seemed to hesitate and for a moment it seemed like the last few days bad luck was coming to an end. That was the last thought he had before the room started to spin and then everything turned black as he flew into the opposing wall.

Through extraordinary willpower and an unfortunate history of experience of being knocked out, Xenon regained consciousness just in time as he saw his attack coming in for a second hit. He threw himself hastily to the side as the stone wall behind him was pummeled into pieces in his stead. Finally coming face to bearded face with who had attacked him, the same face that was on the wanted poster of the target they were chasing.

A giant man, easily over seven feet tall, nearly as wide as Medzy was tall, stood grinning almost childishly at the devastation he had just wrought. He looked down at the hole he had just made in the wall before turning to stare Xenon in the eyes. 'Looks like you may prove to be a worthy foe after all!' He joked as he fiddled quickly on a tablet strapped to one of his arms the same size of Medzy's gauntlets. As he did so, the metals that had previously surrounded the arm reshaped with a horrific sound, forming into something different. The bastard was using Oldtech! Meaning he either was or had access to a Relic Hunter. It seemed that today was going to be one of those days most people call a bad day and what he called just another Tuesday.

Cursing, Xenon got up and tried to get some distance between himself and the target. If he was using a close-quarter weapon his assailant would be at an disadvantage if he could create enough distance between them. Having seemingly anticipated Xenon's move however, their target was now holding a nightmarish barreled weapon. With little care for aiming or the innocent people around, he opened fire in the general direction of his opponent. Gunning down everything and anything in his sight, confirming how he had earned such a high bounty.

Barely avoiding being turned into Swiss cheese, Xenon took cover behind an overturned table. It would do little to protect against the projectiles, but at least it obscured his vision. Quickly surveying his surroundings he spotted Medzy near the bar. If it wasn't for the crowd of people she was shielding with her gauntlets, he wouldn't have put it past her to simply try and protect the food she still hadn't finished.

As the gunfire went silent, either due to having run out of ammo or overheating, he decided it was time to start the counter-attack. Trusting the safety of the patrons to his companion, Xenon expertly leapt over the table and in the same motion sent a stream of flames across the room, engulfing the giant in its fire. However the same awful noise of clicks ensued and a vapor of steam burst out, extinguishing the fire while filling the room in an obscuring mist. A cruel laughter soon followed, mocking the failed attack as the technology he possessed seemed to rearrange itself once more around his right arm.
'You'll have to do better than that if you wanna take me down Bloodwielder.' He taunted.
'Wasn't trying to.' Xenon replied as a matter of fact.

The man looked confused for a moment, then he turned and noticed the little girl was no longer guarding the frightened employees. Moving at a near inhuman level of speed, Medzy had closed the gap between the them and had landed right in front of him. Before the man could properly guard himself she launched a mean uppercut straight into his chin. The fact his skull didn't break was either the result of the implanted Oldtech or a naturally thick head Xenon surmised. Knocking him back a few steps before following through with a series of blows across his massive torso, each blow giving off a satisfying crunch. The burly man however proved tenacious and swiftly hit back with both of his hands in downward arc, hoping to smash his opponent to pieces.

Medzy saw it coming however and jumped backwards, Easily dodging the desperate attack. While landing gracefully a couple of feet away from the now broken form of their bounty. As she landed Xenon noticed that the blood stains over her clothing, she must have been wounded while protecting the onlookers from the projectiles. Just as Xenon thought it was all over, the man smiled.

Without hesitation or reservation, he leapt up towards Medzy, displaying the same speed and agility he managed to perform against Xenon earlier, as if his body was completely unharmed. Medzy was now on the defensive and quickly held up her fists in a tight guard, blocking the first strike, causing a loud sound of metals clashing that reverberated across the broken interior of the tavern. The might of the blow pushing her small frame back some distance, but she managed to withstand its force.
Wasting no time, she tried countering, but he saw it coming and simply caught both her hands with his own and Smiled cruelly. He tossed her unprotected body to the side, the ferocity of the throw made it impossible for her to regain any balance and she crashed hard into the nearby wall.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Xenon had moved in and placed a hand on the man's back. 'This time,' He spoke coldly as the man tried turning to face the attack. 'I'll try.' He promised.
At such close proximity and unleashing everything he had left into this one attack, scorched the man's entire body in fire. Unlike the first time, he now had no time to protect himself and simply fell backwards from the onslaught of the attack.

Just as Xenon exhaled from the exertion of the attack, he felt a light punch hitting him from the side. Relief and pain followed as he was glad to see his friend alive, however she seemed anything but content. Giving him the "He was my target why did you interfere?" Face. After explaining he had discovered she was wounded from before and was worried about her. Medzy seemed confused for a moment, then she went over to their former table and lifted up an empty sauce bottle with the same color on the stains on her clothing. Feeling somewhat embarrassed for his assumption and unneeded worry, Xenon quickly changed the subject.
'Well, we might actually break even this time around after all the damages are taken care of.' He sighed then smiled. 'Where to next?

It may have just been his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw Medzy actually smile back for a brief moment.