Arrow: Reckoning Part 2

Weight of the World

The blade passed inches from Oliver's neck as he jerked his body backwards to avoid the attack, feeling the air breeze against his face from the passing katana. Slade twirled his weapon around with the flick of his wrist and held it low behind his back as he hunkered low into a defensive position. The two men stood a few steps apart as they sized the other up and planned their next move. The moment triggered a memory for Slade, breif flashes of training Oliver on Lian Yu passed through his mind as he stared down his former friend. Oliver observed his enemy, searching for a weakness or anything to use to his advantage. He decided to use Slade's handicap against him, hoping that without the Mirakuru in his veins that only having one eye would take away from his edge. His feet kicked off from the ground as Oliver rushed his opponent and struck with his bow. Slade's katana easily blocked the incoming bow, forcing Oliver's attack to swing off to the side. He quickly regained his stance and snapped his bow backwards, not allowing Slade the oppurtunity to capitalize on his failed strike. The bow swiped over Slade's head as he spun under the attack and moved behind Oliver. The sound of his boots digging into the asphalt alerted Oliver as to how fast his enemy was moving. The speed of Slade's attacks was unrelenting, each strike from his katana was perfect and precise. The cling of the steel striking the bow bounced off of the containers surrounding the two battling warriors. With every impact from the sword, Oliver felt the vibrations ripple through his arms and shake his bones. The newly created notches on the outside of the bow showed just how furious Slade's rage was. Oliver threw his boot into Slade's shoulder, luckily causing him to stumble out of the fight for a moment. Slade planted his feet into the ground before kicking off with all his strength and blind fury, lunging directly toward Oliver with a powerful strike. The blade slashed through the air, barely missing the green hood as Oliver hunkered down and passed under the attack. Slade used his rush of momentum to kick off of the nearby car and pull himself up onto the cargo container beside it. The impressive feat was only made more so due to the fact that Slade was merely a mortal man now, without Mirakuru pumping through him the acrobatic manuever should have been nearly impossible with all his gear weighing him down. Oliver stood slightly in awe at the athleticism of his former mentor, not sure how he had successfully pulled off such a move. Slade caught his breath and glanced down toward Oliver.

"Surprised kid?" He asked, proudly towering over his opponent. Oliver gritted his teeth and turned toward the corner of the collection of containers behind him, running toward the point where two of the large crates met. He kicked off and planted his foot firmly against the container's outter wall where he kicked off and twisted himself around to latch onto the container roof behind him. His fingers gripped onto the rigid metal and pulled his body onto the container to meet his foe. Slade patiently awaited for Oliver to reach his feet, twirling his sword at his side while he watched the hooded hero rise from his climb. Within a instant Slade lashed out with his weapon, slashing and swiping at Oliver without hesitation. His grip on the katana's hilt was unbelievable secure, not showing any signs on loosening even when one of his strikes landed high and dug the blade into the container stacked beside them. Oliver glanced at the gash in the metal beside him, unknowingly bringing a look of ahock to his face. Slade was fighting as if the Mirakuru was still in his system, feeding his anger and rage with raw unfiltered strength and adrenaline. Oliver knew it wasn't possible, all traces of Mirakuru had been destroyed and even Slade wasn't crazy enough to risk injecting himself a second time with a drug that would almost certainty kill him. Surviving the drug once had literally stopped his heart, as far as Oliver was concerned there was no chance a second dose wouldn't do the exact same only this time it may not have the same effect. Slade couldn't possibly have Mirakuru in him, but how was he fighting in such a way that strongly questioned that fact. The man was incredibly driven and skilled, but even he had limits as every man did. Oliver continued to protect himself from Slade's endless string of attacks, moving the men all around the containers around them. All it took was a powerful strike from Slade and Oliver saw it, the reason behind Slade's unfathomable performance. Slade's katana struck hard against Oliver's bow, forcing him down to one knee as he struggled to hold the steel blade at bay. The two men locked gazes and Oliver saw the look of unadulterated hatred and rage seething from Slade's powerful glare, sending a shiver down his spine. The man's quest for revenge was even more powerful than Oliver had imagined, his time in a cell on Lian Yu had obviously added to his hunger to punish Oliver for his past mistakes. Slade pressed down with his unmatched strength, causing Oliver's grip to weaken. His bow creaked under the weight of the sharp steel, sending tremors through it as Oliver fought to hold his only line of defense between himself and the blade hovering above his head. Slade ended the struggle by forcing his boot into Oliver's chest, knocking him to his back. The sound of footsteps and the echo of impacts on the metal container snapped Oliver's attention to his opponent who was scaling the side of the container beside them. Slade easily climbed up the next to levels of stacked containers and dissapeared from sight as Oliver rose to his feet and followed after. He pushed aside every instinct warning him not follow for fear of an ambush, and focused on the thought that he may not get another chance to stop Slade before he goes after another teammate. Thea, Diggle, and Felicity were all in danger from the wrath of the madman hell bent on revenge. Oliver grabbed onto the container and pulled himself upward, using his legs to help him as he kept moving after his nemesis. He only saw flashes of what could happen to his loved one if he failed to stop Slade, knowing that this was his only oppurtunity to end this before anyone was seriously hurt or worse. He threw his elbow onto the roof of the final container and pulled with all his upper body strength, easily lifting himself onto the roof. His feet stomped down onto the metal as he pushed away from the edge and moved to stand up and find his enemy. Oliver saw the blur charge him and felt a powerful strike against his chest, knocking him backwards off of the container and into the air. Slade's kick had landed dead center of Oliver's chest, completely taking him by surprise as soon as he had cleared the edge of the container's roof. The wind whipped past Oliver as he plummeted down toward the ground, his eyes locked on Slade as he uncontrollably fell through the air. The crunch of breaking metal and shattering glass echoed out as Oliver crashed onto the roof of the car parked beneath the collection of cargo containers. The vehicle's poorly supported roof collapsed under the sudden weight of Oliver's body, creating a crater that he uneasily rested in for a moment. A firey sting shot through his back, nipping at his aching muscles as Oliver slowly attempted to pull himself from the totaled car. He glanced up toward Slade and only saw the star filled night sky hanging above the containers. Oliver growled in pain as he carefully crawled off of the destroyed roof and dropped to the ground, feeling the result of his fall stretch through his entire battered body. Failure took over his thoughts, adding even more weight to his already weakened knees as he stumbled off into the shadows.