Sorry for the late update... again.

For now I'm putting all of my attention on finishing this story, so my other one will be put on hold until this one's completion.

So, at that, let's get this done!

Rain could scarcely believe it.

Ermac, one of the emperor's most trusted and powerful ally, when mysteriously transported to a foreign realm did not investigate ways on returning to his home realm. Nor did he make any attempt to communicate with the Kahn.

No. Instead, the construct was shopping with some Earthrealm wench. It disgusted the Edenian.

He had been watching the two for an hour, and so far, they had been doing nothing but idly chatting as friends would do. Ermac had gotten himself a new form evidently, but Rain knew it was he, for the noise his army of souls makes was enormous.

However, Rain's soul made noise as well.

Ermac was in the midst of conversing with Ana about Outworld holidays when he felt the nearby presence of a powerful soul, and a familiar soul at that. "Ana," he said suddenly, "Stay here." He began to walk out of the small shop they were in. His newly donned trench coat flapping behind him.

"What? Why?" she called after him, "Ermac, what is it?" She tried to follow him, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay," was all he said before levitating away to the shock and panic of passers-by.

The square was crowded with people who stopped to stare in curiosity at the floating man. He floated higher into the air and shouted, "Everyone, away, if you wish to live!" He emphasized his command by sending a fountain of green souls spraying from his being. The area immediately exploded into a crowd of panicking individuals all scurrying away from the square. Soon, it was empty save for a man dressed in Neptunian purple.

"I see you have sensed me, creature," the hydromancer called out to him. The two combatants stood twenty feet away, alone in the square, both ready to kill the other.

"Your heathen soul stands out in a sea of normalcy," Ermac shouted back. "However, we are certain you are not here to compliment our abilities."

"No," Rain replied, "I am here to bring your demise. You will pay for your disgrace against me."

"We shall see," Ermac's eyes glowed all the brighter as he pulled the hood of his coat up.

In a splash of water, Rain's figure disappeared and reappeared behind Ermac. He barely ducked under the kicked Rain aimed at his head. Ermac retaliated by teleporting himself in a flash of green above the Edenian and spun his heel into his skull. Rain stepped away from that attack in turn.

Ermac landed on the ground and shoved his palm towards Rain's face. The hydromancer blocked the attack and swung his fist at Ermac's jaw, but Ermac teleported behind him and palmed him in the spine twice. Rain fell forward but rolled back into a fighting stance.

Rain raised his hand into the air and splashed away once again. Ermac saw him standing atop a building in front of him.

"Battle me up here, construct," Rain yelled at him.

Ermac scowled deeply and followed him onto the building in a burst of green. He reappeared behind Rain on the rooftop, but the Edenian expected him and slammed his elbow into the Outworlder's stomach followed by a spinning kick to the head. He tried to continue with a punch to the face, but Ermac blocked the attack and force pushed him back. Rain tumbled backwards to the edge of the roof.

Ermac floated to the Edenian, clutched him by the collar, and held him over the edge. Rain grabbed each of his arms in desperation.

"There is fear in you, half-god," said Ermac. Rain only held on to the Outworlder's arms tighter.

"If you believe I fear you," Rain replied, "then you are even more foolish than you seem." With that, the hydromancer teleported both of them away.

The two reappeared on a large metal platform in the middle of an ocean; an oil drill.

Ermac was confused at the sudden teleportation, but he was snapped back into action by a long wrench being swung at his head, sending him sprawling onto his back. He quickly rolled out of the way of the wrench's downward strike. The blow dented the metal where he just laid.

Ermac sprung to his feet and saw Rain, armed with a wrench as long as his arm. He tried to swing his weapon at Ermac again, but the soul reaper constricted it with his magic and telepathically wrenched it from his grasp. He tossed the metal weapon into the nearby ocean. He then swung his foot into Rain's jaw, spun, and kicked him in the abdomen, sending staggering backwards. Rain retaliated with two kicks to Ermac's waist and a back kick to his chest.

The two exchanged blows mercilessly for minutes until Rain gained the upper hand.

The hydromancer aimed a punch at Ermac's chest and another at his stomach, but the reaper was able to block it both. However, Rain used his position to shove the Outworlder's hands away, leaving him open to a side kick to the face. Ermac fell onto his back once again.

Rain front flipped, aim to land both feet on Ermac's torso, but the construct teleported behind him and pulled him into a headlock.

"You are not the only one who can change our battleground," he growled while Rain tried futilely to escape his hold. A second later, both combatants burst into green orbs and reappeared in a blazing desert.

Rain looked around, but surprisingly did not see the telepath in the barren wasteland. "Searching for a home field advantage, craven?"

Ermac's voice came from above Rain. "Rain falls where it may," all of the yellow sand around the Edenian began to glow green and rise into the air. Rain looked up to see Ermac floating above him, his hands glowing and souls circling him. "But here is where Rain will truly fall."

Before Rain could react he was buffeted by a wave of sand, tiny particles getting into his eyes, his ears, and his mouth. Ermac immediately brought another wave crashing into him, followed by another and another. He then rose higher into the air, and then swiftly flew downwards, crashing into Rain's skull with a shattering headbutt. The half-god crumpled to the sandy ground in pain.

Ermac slowly descended as the withered hydromancer attempted to regain his footing. "We win," he whispered as the Edenian glared at him with sanded, squinting eyes. Rain tried to lay an attack on Ermac, but the Outworlder grasped his entire body with his telepathy. Rain was once again trapped in Ermac's soul constriction.

"No!" he shouted, desperately trying to escape the green aura, "I will kill you creature! Devil's spawn! I will end you!"

Ermac silenced him with a tightening of his fist. "You will do no such thing," he responded calmly, "For we are going to kill you, now."

At that, Ermac raised Rain high in the air, only constricting the hydromancer's head and shoulders. He watched as his victim futilely swung his arms around, trying to free himself.

Flicking his wrist towards himself, Ermac caused Rain's head to snap harshly to the right with a loud crack; the Edenian groaned and grabbed his neck with both hands.

Ermac then opened his hand and twisted as though he were unscrewing a jar. Rain's head slowly twisted more and more until his head was facing entirely backwards and his body was completely limp. Another twist of Ermac's hand and Rain's head popped off like a cork, his decapitated body falling to the sand.

Ermac levitated the still dripping trophy towards him and reveled in his victory. He muttered an incantation to himself and many of his souls danced around him in glee, congratulating him on their victory or cursing him to death for killing an Edenian; he had both responses.

Ermac placed his palms together, preparing to teleport back to Ana, when he heard a whooshing sound from behind him. He turned around and saw a large, blue portal opening in front of him. Immediately afterwards, two Osh-Tekk soldiers walked out, one complaining that they'd "never find anything in the desert."

"By the gods!" one soldier shouted upon seeing him. Both soldiers instantly ran towards him "General Ermac, are you alright? We're from a search party sent to find you and the others."

"We are quite alright. Have you located the others?" he asked.

"As far as we know, sir, you're all that the search party has located. Would you like to come with us now?"

Ermac hesitated for a second. "A moment," he said to their obvious surprise, "there is something we must attend to first," he handed Rain's head to the closer soldier, "Here, keep this safe."

With that he placed his palms together and teleported away.

______________________________________

Bonus:

"So," one of the soldiers said awkwardly. The general had left them to just stand in the desert and await his return.

"So," the other soldier said just as awkward.

"Do you, uh, think we'll get promoted after this?" the first one asked.

"I hope so," the second one replied. He then looked at the severed head in his hands, "I'm sure we will be a-head of all the other soldiers. Heh-heh."

"Heh, good one." the first soldier said with a pitiful grin.

"Yeah."

No more words were spoken after that.