BOOOOOM!
Nathan took a hammer strike to his left side.
The impact folded him sideways and sent him skipping across the broken ground like a stone across water. He hit a concrete barrier, went through it, and came to rest in a pile of broken debris on the other side.
He lay still for a moment.
Everything hurt. That last attack was too strong.
'Get up. I can't lose here like an idiot.'
He pushed himself to one elbow. His left arm wasn't responding normally, the fingers slow to close.
Looking down, he saw the sleeve of his gear had burned away from the heat cycling. Beneath it, skin along his forearm was split open, blood running freely down to his wrist.
'Get up.'
One knee first. Then the other. He straightened slowly, breathing through his teeth, and found his opponent already walking toward him through the dust with the same unhurried pace as before.
No urgency. Just a man finishing a job that was nearly done
Nathan raised both arms.
The vents sputtered.
PSSHT — PSSHT —
