~Chapter 8- The Sky Bandits Vs The Four~

Razan gathered his belongings together and stuffed them into his bag. After a second group of bounty hunters came, he, Lucar, and Vos decided to relocate as soon as possible. They didn't want to trouble those living on Platt Mountain.

Razan stepped out of the stone home they had been staying in and went to fetch Hopper. But when he stepped out, four individuals waited for them. Four.

"Guys! Get out here, now!" Razan shouted as he looked at The Four. Lucar and Vos hurried outside. Glares were exchanged.

A grey-haired Ralosian woman. A short, magenta-tinted Mecarne woman. A hulking Phantine in regal garbs. A purple-eyed Densius with tiny rocks levitating around it. Dama, Therma, Theo, and Amethi. These four were considered the strongest warriors of each race and were surely here for their bounty.

With a straitlaced expression, Lucar smiled at the group. "Can we help you?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

Dama pulled cuffs from her robes, "We're here to bring you in."

Lucar cocked his head, "Our bounties are no longer valid. They were cleared recently."

Theo stomped his foot forward, "That changed ever since you started robbing people again."

Vos spoke, "We've done no such thing!"

"Make this easy on yourselves," Dama urged them, "Submit yourselves, and no one has to get hurt."

Razan chuckled to himself, "Is that supposed to scare us?"

Therma scowled at him, and heat came off her body, "Do you have any idea who you're speaking to?"

Lucar calmly responded, "We know exactly who you are. The Four. Everyone believes that you four are the world's greatest, but they're wrong. We're the strongest warriors this world has ever seen."

The Four looked at each other pensively while continuing to stand defiantly in their way. Dama stood forward in front of the others and spoke sternly, "Let me explain how this is going to go-"

"No!" Razan responded harshly, "I'm going to explain how this is going to go. You're going to turn around and leave us be, or you're going to get hurt."

All was quiet for a moment. Any chance for a peaceful proceeding vanished. The seven warrior's eyes darted between each other. Razan and Lucar gave each other knowing looks from the corner of their eyes.

Without a word, the two punched the air in sync, and a radiant burst of red a blue light erupted from their fists towards the Four and concussed the ground around them. Stone was stirred into the air, and a cloud of dust formed around them.

Razan, Lucar, and Vos burst out of the cloud of dust and sprinted away. But it only took seconds before the Four came after them. The mountain which they ran across began to distort, and jagged rocks began to erupt from the terrain - no doubt from Amethi's will.

Spirals of ice, fire, and lightning struck the ground around Razan as he ran through the mountainous terrain. He looked back and saw Therma, her body spouting electricity, flames, and frost simultaneously.

Therma bounded through the air, and lightning streaked behind her as she charged at him. Razan was impressed, thinking that 'she might be as fast as me'.

Razan found Therma in his path, and the two locked eyes. Razan flexed, and his hands began to glow with radiant red light while Therma's body was enveloped in electricity. She lunged forward with a flurry of fists, and the earth around them cracked as Razan blocked each of her strikes, electricity passing through him each time.

The two darted around each other on the mountain at remarkable speeds, creating gusts of winds whenever they decided to move at full velocity. Razan went to attack, and Therma formed a barrier of electricity around her body. But it didn't stop him. Razan's fist passed through the barrier and struck her. Therma was knocked through the mountain path.

Razan looked around for the others. Lucar and Dama were exchanged in fisticuffs. The two fought in rhythm with each other, narrowly avoiding each other's strikes.

Vos was engaged by both Theo and Amethi, with his back against a stone wall. Vos kicked Theo back, but Amethi sent a series of boulders at Vos and pinned him against the wall.

Razan kicked off the ground, cracking the earth beneath him, and bounded towards Theo. He struck the large Phantine in the forehead before he had a chance to react.

Theo's head whipped back before lunging forward, grabbing Razan, and tossing him down. A small crater was formed where Razan was thrown, and the wind was knocked out of him.

Theo picked him up and threw him against a stone wall. He began to beat against him with his large fists. Razan tried to get him off, but with his size and strength, it was difficult. All he could do was block. The wall behind him eroded away with each strike Theo landed, and Razan realized he was starting to bleed somewhere.

Vos came up behind Theo and kicked him away. He followed up by punching the air and unleashing a purple Focus Burst at Dama and Amethi which struck true. It sent them both rocketing back.

Razan, Lucar, and Vos hurried further down the mountain. But it wouldn't take long for the Four to catch up to them again. Razan had an idea, "Head for the tunnels!"

The three men sprinted for the tunnels of Platt Mountain. They'd have a bit of an advantage there. They ran into the dark caverns and kept going in an attempt to lose their pursuers. Razan and the others skidded to a halt once they felt they had traveled deep enough in.

Razan chuckled to himself as he looked at his battered and bruised arms. He had a bloody lip too. The others were equally beaten, but so were their pursuers.

"They're a little tougher than I thought they'd be," Razan said while catching his breath.

"We can handle them though," Lucar remarked, "They won't destroy the Densius's tunnels, so we shouldn't have to worry about them trying to cave it in. Seems like they want us alive too."

Vos placed his hand against the walls of the tunnel, "If we keep fighting, it will cause a lot of damage. I should turn myself in."

Razan placed his hands on Vos's shoulders, "Stop talking like that man! We didn't do anything wrong!"

"Not this time," Vos responded quietly. All those years of theft were fresh in his mind. Mistakes of younger men.

"Look, we just need to get away from them. After that, we'll figure something out." Razan said, a little desperate. Without Vos, they stood no chance. "Just don't give up, alright man?"