[i]The rounds tore into his armor as he ducked into cover, damaging some of his systems. Wood splintered from the tree he was hiding behind, imbedding itself into the ground.[/i] "Damn, it's just like when we fought JJ....gonna have to end this somehow...." [i]He decided to toss out multiple smoke grenades, covering the arena with a think fog. Zane could hardly see himself, but luckily his tracker was still active, along with the virus that Alfred had planted. He leapt up into the trees, hopping from limb to limb until he was behind his opponent. He quickly took out his rifle and fired a grenade. [/i]

[i]The grenade detonated as had been expected, but the tracker remained locked in spot. The virus was gone, either wiped out, or falling subject to something else. As the smoke cleared, the ground was empty, the earth blasted apart where the grenade had exploded, covering the otherwise green grass with dark dirt. Either the Initiate had teleported, or he'd gone invisible again, ditching the tracker. Zane would have to inspect it himself.[/i]

[i][b]Sir, it seems his suit managed to clean out the bug I planted. I can't seem to lock on to his location.[/b][/i] "Damn, this doesn't feel right...." [i]He contemplated just setting the whole arena ablaze with his thermal destroyers, but that would probably backfire somehow. Instead, he decided to stay hidden in his smoke, and wait for his opponent to make a move.[/i]

[i]Silence pervaded the grove, Zane's comments the last noise to be made other than the quiet whistle of the wind, the subtle rustle of the branches. As the smoke cleared away, Zane was left on his branch surveying an empty blast area. Left, that is, until three thermobaric rounds exploded out of the barrel of the Staff from below him, striking the branch beneath Zane. On contact, the bullets erupted in a pressure wave, causing the branch to crack and explode from that alone, but then a miniature-fire-bomb went off in the same space, erupting Zane in searing heat. The process occurred for every round, bringing cacophonous noise and possibly deafening Zane as a sort of pseudo-flashbang.[/i]

[i]Luckily for Zane, his armor and cloak were very resistant to fire. He fell to the ground from the branch breaking, his vision blurred from the concussive blast. He chose to close his eyes and relax, relying on his training to sense out his opponent. He raised his blade, ready to counter any hit.[/i]

[i]The unmistakable sound of magnetization suddenly filled the air around him, as well as the distant groaning of wood.[/i]