The air between them snapped with heat as the two hybrids closed in.
Firelight cracked off their weapons, the camp around them already in chaos. Arden flexed his fingers, fire gathering along his veins as if eager to be released.
"So," he said with a half-smile, "two against one. Guess you learned the last time you ran, huh?"
The bandit leader sneered, flame rolling over his gauntlets. "Keep laughing. You'd be ash when we're done."
The lean hybrid beside him didn't waste words. He flicked a device on his belt and smoke hissed out, clouding the air.
Arden's eyes narrowed. "Tricks already? Fine." His aura pulsed, burning the haze away in a rush of heat.
Then the fight began.
The leader swung first, his gauntlets erupting in fiery arcs. Arden caught the blow on his forearm, Core Pressure Mantle turning the impact into a dull quake that rippled through the dirt.
He didn't even flinch.
