Silverbolt VS Temple Guardian

I really love this battle

When Constance heard about Silverbolt's daring plan, she swore and tried to stop him. "I forbid it. You have nothing to prove to me." She stood in front of the magical barrier that surrounded the temple. "Once you step in there, you're on your own."

Silverbolt handed her all of his expensive and irreplaceable gadgets. He paid no attention to the gathering crowd. "I know. I'm a superhero. It's my job to take on the impossible to protect others. Someone took something from the temple. It was dangerous enough to activate the guardian."

"You don't know that for certain."

"There's only one way to find out." Silverbolt stretched himself out to ease his nerves. He wrapped the meteor hammer around his waist.

Constance tried to hand his gear back, "You could be seriously injured..."

"Don't do that," Silverbolt snapped, "It's not like I kept my intentions a secret. One way or another, this fight was going to happen."

"I didn't expect us to become friends."

"Neither did I, and my life is a little better for it."

"Then why do this?"

"Because the right thing is supoosed to be hard," Silverbolt said. He took a deep breath and marched toward the magical barrier meant to keep the guardian trapped.

Constance put her hand on Silverbolt's chest and said, "Don't die." She had a strange look in her eyes. "You have more work to do."

"Don't be weird." Silverbolt pressed a hand against the magical barrier, and sparks raced over it. The energy cracked, then shattered like glass and vanished into nothingness. "I'll be fine, in theory."

A loud bellow tore through the air, and shrieks and shouts came from the surrounding area. People hid behind curricles amid the slams of doors and windows. Another mournful wail scared birds away from the rooftops.

"That sounds like a moose," Silverbolt said. He took a moment to survey the area. Pillars and statues ringed a fountain of the All-mother, holding her basin. Not a drop of water came from the bronze figure. "I forgot this is your house. I'll try not to kill your pet or wreck the place. It's the least I can do."

If size mattered in nature, the Temple Guardian was the undisputed ruler of everything, at ten feet. Hooves like anvils thundered against the ground. Moss green fur stretched over the powerful muscles. The giant head sported the bulbous moose nose and a titanic rack that could pass for a small bulldozer blade. The rear flanks had runic lettering, and the triple spiral of the goddess, the antlers bore similar markings.

"So you're the temple guardian, huh?" Silverbolt said. He ran a hand along a baton, "I won't be using these. You're too big." He unwrapped the meteor hammer. "Give up, you overgrown hatrack, you can't win."

A ruk-ruk sound came from the guardian, and it stomped the ground while the head bobbed up and down. Was it laughing at him?

Silverbolt rushed forward. Energy gathered around his fist, "Time to ride the lightning." The guardian didn't move and watched him. Silverbolt's glowing knuckles struck the forehead. The skin and fur ruptured, and blood poured from the open wound.

The massive rack glowed bright, and the tear started to knit itself together. The laughter stopped. Its blood-red eyes scanned the area before they focused on Silverbolt. The guardian sniffed him and drew its head back with confusion.

"It's not magic, you big dope. I'm superhuman." As the last word left Silverbolt's lips, he drove a fist into the beast's eye. Once again, the antlers glowed, and the wound faded. "So that's how it works..." A stray hoof tagged him across the helmet. Silverbolt flew and bounced off the stone path. Spiderweb cracks rendered the visor useless. He tossed the helmet aside and backed away from the lethal beast.

The guardian backed up and pawed the ground. The anvil-like hooves screeched across the stony surface, ready to charge. Tufts of steam puffed out of the nostrils. Disdain dripped from its jade-green eyes.

"The antlers have to go," Silverbolt mused, "I have to get above it." He waited for the beast to thunder toward him. The meteor hammer twirled at his side before it shot out and got tangled in the guardian's bony crown. "That's not good."

The great head yanked back and tore Silverbolt from his feet. The chain wrapped around the antler further until Silverbolt himself slammed against the great forehead. Every attempt to tug the chain free failed.

At some point, the guardian realized his unwilling passenger's predicament and laughed with a ruk-ruk noise. He turned and faced a marble statue. Hot air blew up Silverbolt's pants as the moose picked up speed.

Silverbolt's body slammed into the marble. His vision blurred, and he heard his ribs crack. Pain racked his body, and he said, "You'll pay for that, you..." He never finished before the beast drove him into the hard stone again. The guardian went to dash him against the statue. Silverbolt raised his legs and propelled himself backward to the hairy shoulders.

The temple guardian bucked and jumped. Silverbolt hung on for dear life while he tried to dislodge the meteor hammer. He sent a charge into the beast to slow it, but the antlers glowed and negated any damage. Silverbolt managed to free the weapon, but the guardian twisted its body, and he sailed back to the ground in a heap.

Every inch of Silverbolt's body screamed for him to stay down. He let the pain subside and steadied his breath. He stood with fists raised and meteor hammer in hand. The guardian had already written Silverbolt off and turned his back. "Where are you going, you walking slab of jerky? Am I too much for you?"

A growl rumbled from the guardian, who twisted around and glowered at Silverbolt. The anvil-like hooves pounded the ground in frustration. He noted the beast's breaths were shorter. Was it getting tired?

The guardian prepared to charge and trampled everything between him and his foe. Silverbolt held his ground until it was twenty feet away. He ran up a pillar ninja style. He flipped and shot the meteor hammer downward with all possible force. The metal weight struck the mass of bone. The right antler shattered from the impact, and shards flew everywhere. Silverbolt landed and fell to his knees. He couldn't take much more.

The guardian pawed the ground where a few shards of its shattered crown lay. Silverbolt couldn't spare a moment of pity and struck the furry menace in the eye. The antlers no longer glowed, and the eye swelled shut.

"Looks like we're even now." Silverbolt clutched his ribs. He tightened the straps on his armor to hold them in place. It wasn't the best solution, but it had to do. He electrified a fist, "Stand down. We can help each other. I think you and I are after the same thing."

The guardian bellowed loud enough to shatter the glass on several curricles. Its open eye regarded him with undisguised hatred. The front hooves reared up in an attempt to trample him. Silverbolt caught them both in mid-air. The force drove him to his knees. It took all of his strength to hold the beast.

"I have to end this now," Silverbolt said. How much did the guardian weigh? Two thousand pounds at least, light enough for him to lift. A pillar sat on the other side of the beast and the fountain behind him. He came up with a course of action and prayed it worked.

Silverbolt took a deep breath and counted to three. "Here goes nothing," He shouted. He thrust upward with tremendous force. The guardian's torso hung in the air while the meteor hammer shot out from his hand and grappled a foreleg. Silverbolt dashed under the thick-muscled body, up a pillar, and flipped over the guardian while he yanked the chain taut. The effort tore his arm from the socket.

An offkey note came from the guardian, who now found itself airborne. "Fear the thunder and flash of Silverbolt," he shouted. A mass amount of energy traveled down the chain and rocked the guardian's body. It convulsed before it crashed into the fountain.

Darkness crept to the edge of Silverbolt's vision. "Please stay down. I don't think either of us will survive another round." He disengaged the meteor hammer and waited. A hind leg twitched and went still. Silverbolt fell to his knees, "You will be the yardstick to which I will measure all opponents. Sorry about the fountain." The world went black, and he fell prone.

***

Indistinct voices hit Silverbolt's ear. The garbled words didn't register with him. He focused on where he was. A soft bed lay beneath him. His hands met his sweaty skin. Why was he naked? How long had he been out? What happened to the temple guardian? He focused his breathing, and the words started to make sense.

"...Which is fine and good, but it's been three days. Why isn't Silverbolt awake yet? We paid good money for your services, doctor. We've yet to see results," Sophie's voice cracked like a whip.

"Mrs. Reynard, I've tried every healing spell I know. Magic is ineffective." A chill ran across Silverbolt's body as he felt the heavy blanket lift from his body. "His body heals at an accelerated rate. Those bruises covered most of his torso three days ago. Now they're the size of a small saucer. I've never seen anything like it."

"What you're saying is you are not required?"

"Not exactly. I administer potions."

"Potions work?"

"They aren't magic, but they have a limited effect," the doctor said, "I have other patients to check on. I'll return this evening. I hope he wakes soon. I have a feeling his deeds will outlive him." Heavy footsteps heralded the squeak of hinges. The door slammed.

"We know you're awake, Silverbolt," Sophie said while she pulled up a chair, "How are you feeling?"

Silverbolt opened his eyes and saw the concern on Sophie's face, "Please tell me the guardian is still alive."

"He is. Dioltach has him tied up. Which reminds us, you are now a fully-fledged member of Dioltach. We've never seen Langstaff so impressed."

"That's great. Please tell me someone investigated the temple."

"Constable Midgely and Professor Knowles are looking into it."

Silverbolt took a deep breath and asked, "How is Constance?"

"She's angry, mostly at you," Sophie said, "She didn't leave your side for the first two days. Then she remembered your armor broke and set off to commission a new suit. The armorer couldn't repair the old one."

"No one can. The materials required are beyond your science and magic." Silverbolt pulled himself into a sitting position. His entire chest ached with needles of pain. "That was the best fight ever..."

"Don't call it that. Your battle was..."

"The best fight ever. I actually had to try."

"I see," Sophie said. She smacked Silverbolt in the chest with her cane. He stiffened and winced. "You're an idiot. We consider you a dear friend, and we rather you outlived us. You have people that care about you, Mr. Silverbolt. Imagine how Constance felt watching the guardian beat you half to death. I suggest you stay silent for the first few minutes when Constance enters this room. Constance has things to say, and you will listen, or else she'll think she doesn't matter to you."

"She matters," Silverbolt said as he reached for a glass pitcher filled with cool water but found no cup. He drank deep from the spout, much to Sophie's chagrin.

"We should go over etiquette before the dinner party. You have a long way to go. We'll fetch Constance now. Remember silence," Sophie said. She rose and marched to the door and vanished into the hall.

Silverbolt took another long pull from the pitcher. His body started to ache less. "I won. Shouldn't that matter?" He was mid-sip when Constance stormed into the room with all the subtlety of a hurricane.

Her eyes were wild and alight with red-hot anger. Constance leveled her lethal gaze on Silverbolt and said, "Of course you drink straight from the pitcher. I wouldn't expect any less from a man that says, The best fight ever, in relation to his near death experience. I almost lost a friend to his foolish superhuman pride. Do you ever assess the risks? They had to find a doctor that specialized in non magical remedies..."

"I said I'll be fine in theory."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, "That's not the point. We can do a lot of good together, but that can't happen if you keep trying to throw your life away."

"I know my armor didn't survive, but what about my gear?"

"You can have it back if you plan to rest and get well."

"You aren't leaving me much choice."

"Good, now you know how it feels. I didn't have one when I watched the guardian tear you apart."

Something was off. Silverbolt couldn't quite place it at first. He raised a hand and scratched his chin, and it dawned on him. "You can see my face can't you."

"Yes, Silverbolt, I can. It's not an ugly face, by the way. The scarring around the eyes is..." Constance went to touch him, but he gripped her by the wrist.

"The reason I hid my face. The scars light up when I use my electrical power. It scared people worse than the helmet." He sent a spark down his arms, and the scars came alive with silvery light. "See what I mean?"

"Silverbolt, the world is filled with stranger things than you. The way you care is uncommon but not unwelcome..." She trailed off and stared at Silverbolt's rose-colored face, "Are you blushing? By the goddess you are..."

Silverbolt frowned and changed the subject. "Yes, I am a person. Can we please move on and get me some clothes?"

Constance took a moment to blush herself, "I suppose it is a bit awkward. You have nothing to be ashamed of, by the way."

"Just get me some clothes."

Constance pretended to think about it, "Can I trust you to take it easy?"

Silverbolt put his face in his hands, "If I promise to take it easy will you get some clothes and end this pointless conversation?"

"I accept those terms. As for the dinner party, behave yourself and I'll go with you." Constance said as she rose from the chair and headed back out the door.

"You're enjoying this way too much."

"It's not my fault. Silverbolt, the person, is more interesting than Silverbolt, the hero." Constance had that strange look in her eye again.

He waited for her to leave before he said, "This friendship is going into dangerous territory."