Ash's eyes snapped open a half-second before the boot came down on his chest. Not a warning tap. Not a testing shot. A full-force steel-toed boot to the ribs that lifted him clean off the stone palm and sent him sliding toward the edge. As his sword flew away on the opposite direction.
He barely got his arms up in time to stop himself from going over, nails scraping against ancient rock as his legs dangled over.
Blood filled his mouth before he even knew he'd been hit.
He blinked up at them - two silhouettes backlit by distant stars. One massive, bare-chested, knuckles wrapped in rusted chain. The other skinny, holding a whip, with curved blades attached all through it.
Then the whip cracked.
Ash barely rolled in time. The stone where his head had been exploded into dust as bladed segments tore through it like paper. He came up spitting teeth just in time to see the big one charging like a bull.
No time to think.
Ash ducked under as the wind from the punch ruffled his hair. He drove an elbow up into the exposed armpit - felt cartilage crunch - then immediately had to jump away as the whip came singing back around.
He wasn't fast enough.
Three lines opened across his back as the bladed tips kissed him. Ash screamed and fell down. He barely got his arms up before the giant was on him again. A knee to the chest. An elbow to the spine.
For half a second, Ash had the angle.
Lightning danced down his arm as he drove a palm strike straight into the giant's solar plexus. The air cracked with the impact. Two hundred pounds of muscle went airborne, crashing down hard enough to shake the whole platform.
Ash allowed himself one breath.
Then the whip wrapped around his ankle and yanked.
He hit face-first, chin bouncing off stone. Before he could recover, a boot stomped down on his sword hand. Bones popped. Ash screamed.
The skinny one leaned down, his breath hot in his ear. "That all you got, hero?"
Ash headbutted him in the nose.
Blood sprayed as the grip on the whip loosened just enough for Ash to twist free, coming up with a knife he didn't remember drawing. He slashed upward - not aiming to kill, just to make space - and got it when the skinny fucker stumbled back holding a new red smile across their chest.
No time to celebrate.
A blow like a train hit him from the side. He hit the statue's thumb hard enough to break it. His knife was gone. His sword was five feet away.
The big guy cracked his knuckles. The skinny one wiped blood from their face, whip coiling like a living thing.
They came at him together.
The giant led with a right hook that could level buildings. Ash slipped inside the swing and drove two quick jabs to him. The giant grunted but didn't slow, grabbing Ash by the throat and slamming him down so hard his vision whited out.
Stars swam in his eyes as fingers like iron bands squeezed. Ash clawed at the wrist, legs kicking uselessly. His lungs burned.
The skinny one got impatient.
The whip came down where Ash's head had been a second before. Instead of splitting his skull, it wrapped around the brawler's forearm. Barbed segments bit deep. The big guy roared, grip loosening just enough for Ash to twist free.
He hit the ground gasping, just in time to see his opening.
The attackers were tangled - literally. The whip-user tried to pull his weapon free from the giant's arm. The giant looked ready to murder their partner.
Ash didn't wait.
He lunged for his sword. Fingers closed around the hilt. Lightning coursed up his arm, through the blade, into the stone platform-
and the whole world turned white.
When the spots cleared, both attackers were down. The giant twitched, smoke rising from his hair. The skinny one rolled to their knees, one arm hanging useless.
Ash stood over them, sword tip dragging sparks across stone. Blood dripped from a dozen wounds. But he was smiling.
They looked up at him. He looked down at them.
The giant shook his head like a dog, clearing the stars from his vision. The skinny one spat blood and wiped their mouth with the back of their hand. Both of them looked pissed.
The skinny one came first, whip slithering across the stone like a living thing. Ash dodged left- wrong move.
A hand grabbed Ash by the collar and yanked him up. Ash swung his sword- too slow. The giant headbutted him. Blood poured down his face, hot and sticky.
He swung again, wild and desperate. This time, the blade bit deep into the giant's shoulder. The big man roared, grip loosening just enough for Ash to wrench free.
He hit the ground running.
The skinny one was waiting.
The whip lashed out, wrapping around Ash's sword arm. Blades bit into flesh. Ash gritted his teeth and yanked, pulling the skinny fucker off balance. They stumbled forward- right into Ash's fist.
SMACK.
The skinny one's head snapped back. Ash turned just in time to see the giant's fist coming at his face.
He ducked.
The punch sailed over his head, straight into the skinny one's jaw. He hit the ground like a sack of bricks, out cold.
The giant blinked. Ash blinked. Then Ash kicked him in the balls.
The giant made a sound like a deflating balloon and crumpled to his knees. Ash didn't hesitate. He reared back and smashed the hilt of his sword into the back of the big man's skull.
Ash stood there, panting, blood dripping from his nose, his arms, his back. His whole body felt like one giant bruise.