Chapter 3 - Candy Pants

Chapter 3

Brandon's legs ate up wood as he tore across the sparring room. He couldn't hear Lander but he could sense him. Feel his green sharp eyes on Brandon's back.

Though Brandon still had to hold the energy down that burned inside of his core. He didn't focus on it to much because it was slowly dissipating. Physical exercise had always helped keep his powers at bay and as he moved it becomes less and less of a struggle to hold the energy inside of him down. But on the other side of it also fed his movement, making him not only stronger but faster.

Though his feet were moving Brandon's mind was far from blank. He had no idea what he was going to do. Yet. He may have been fast and fit from months of journeying, but that would only get him so far against a power house like Lander.

What now? Brandon wondered to himself. Distance between them was good, but could he maintain that distance?

He may have been mortal, but he was capable of so much more then any mortal. And yet this fight had rules. No lethal weapons. Or Cheap shots. So what were his other options?

Brandon wasn't accustomed to praising himself though he had always believed that he was intelligent. It was the only kind thing that he actually thought about himself.

The only thing about himself that he could believe. He knew that he was smart. Really smart. That was probably the only reason he had managed to run away from the Ghouls and his other problems for so long. He just had to use his brains.

"Think." Brandon whispered to himself. He pumped his legs moving fluidly, like a breeze across a field of grass. He quickly headed towards the back of the room towards the Emergency Exit door, and the weapon table that he had seen when he had first walked into the sparing room.

Lander whooped behind him, making Brandon's heart jump in surprise. Landers longer legs were easily gaining ground on Brandon's slightly shorter ones. "Hey candy pantsI think your gonna have to run a little bit faster. ?" He taunted misreading Brandon's intentions.

Ignoring him, Brandon neared the table. And as he closed the gap he spotted and discarded various items with his mind. Things that he could use to attack Lander, but with Lander on his back like a hound he would never have time to grab. In seconds Brandon realized that he wouldn't be able to pick up any particular weapon properly and turn around to attack with it, before Lander had him pinned up and on the ground.

He had to slow him down. So with an idea of his victory forming in his head, Brandon reached down into his center and let the barest amount of energy pour into his legs. He let the Flame run down his legs. And just like that He ran past the weapons table and towards the back wall and even though he knew he was coming to a dead end he ran even harder.

Lander closed in on him, just as Brandon came to the wall, but he didn't stop. He simply lifted one foot then his other foot and his other one, until he was running completely vertical strait up the wall.

His momentum and balance and the extra energy that he let out, carried him further up then he could believed before gravity began to work its magic. Brandon kicked back and off the wall, balled up over his feet and plunged down to the ground. All of this happened in a matter of seconds. So Lander didn't have enough time to move, or jump back, as Brandon landed behind him, and finally attacked.

Using Landers own momentum against him Brandon pushed him hard and slammed his head and face right into the concert wall. Then while Lander was slightly hazed he hooked his hands on the left side Landers neck, kicked his right knee forward and pulled to the side. Lander collided with the wooden ground hard enough to break a normal mans skull, his head bouncing off the wood.

After that Brandon backed off. And knowing that he had only brought himself a few seconds Brandon regained his footing turned and ran to the weapons table.

Think! Think!

Landers snarl and the smell of his sweat were Brandon's only warning.

There! I can use those!

Knowing that he only had one chance to make this work, Brandon slammed his hands down onto the only item that could save him now, just as Landers arm closed around his wind pipe.

"That fucking hurt!" Lander roared

Instead of fighting the hold Brandon brought up the silver hand cuffs he had acquired and snapped them onto his right wrist. Lander growled as the cold metal touched him and locked into place, then Brandon took that moment to kick up off the floor.

The Crown of his head connected with Landers mouth. Pain radiated in a wave down Brandon's back in a sharp stab, but instantly he knew that Lander was in way more hurt then he was as he howled curses.

Instantly Landers hold weakened allowing Brandon to slip down to the ground, sliding out of the choke hold with some difficulty.

Then Brandon kicked back into Landers shin throwing Lander off balance. Finally Brandon heaved on the cuffs as hard as he could and pushed up and forward with his back. Lander was pulled forward across his arched back and slammed hard into the wood at Brandon's feet a second time. But before he could move this time Brandon closed the cuffs around the leg of the table and moved away. His chest was heaving as he put more than a healthy amount of space between them. And waited to see if he had indeed made the right choice.

Lander who was clutching his head where it had connected fully and painfully with the wooden floor snarled at him from the ground as he turned a hot green glare on Brandon. "Son of a Bitch!" he swore to himself.

With supernatural speed, he rolled over and tried to lunge at Brandon as he backed away, the snarl of a leopard tearing the air apart, but the table's leg wouldn't budge and instead jerked him back an inch off the mark.

The table had been welded to the ground. Something Brandon hadn't failed to notice when he had chosen the table as the place to lock the cuffs up to.

The most Lander could do was slowly stand up and rattle the cuffs in agitation. He glared at the table for a good moment before he finally looked up at Brandon again and...Smiled.

"Damn you're fast...." Lander said offering a random compliment, before he was pulling on the cuffs one more time. The metal bit into his wrist and the scent of his blood tickled Brandon's nose, but the smell of Landers blood didn't have the same effect on him that Ezekiels had. No surge of energy, no heightened awareness. Only Ezekiels essence whether it be blood or scent affected him that way.

The table groaned in protest as Lander stressed the leg as hard as he could. Until one of the weaker bolts slid up and out of place, but still the table's leg, held by three more bolts, didn't quite give in. "Dammit!" Lander barked looking up. "This is fucking cheating! I want a rematch!!" hissed, looking past Brandon and towards his brothers.

Suddenly Walter deep voice called out.

"Victory! To the 1st combatant!"

Suddenly realizing that he was victorious Brandon scoffed, bowed to Lander in a condescending manner and still panting for air, he threw up his arms and yelled in triumph.

"Candy Pants Wins!!!!"