From the umbrage, a stealthy apparition weaved its way down the alley. A rogue in his element, the shadow cautiously bent at the waist, scurried out into the exposing light, but darted back to the protective embrace of blackness at the sound of his own footfalls. Within the concealing darkness, the ghostly silhouette distinguished itself as the form of a man. His chest rhythmically heaved to recover the humid air lost in either pursuit or flight. The man craned his neck to scan his surroundings and cocked his head with an ear to the sky. The stirrings of the night stopped in wide-eyed anticipation; all fell silent, save the electric buzz of a nearby streetlight. Reassured by the results of his check, the cloaked man stepped into the center of the alley and proceeded with brisk strides to the point of intersection with another street.

For no apparent reason, the figure halted abruptly and crouched close to the wet pavement. In one fluid movement, the man broke into a dash back down the alley. From around the corner, a hulking beast lumbered in pursuit of the fleeing man. The creature resembled human form, but was clearly larger with less proportionate extensions. The smaller figure reached the end of the alley and turned to face his aggressor, though he seemed hardly a match for its imposing brawn.

The behemoth came upon the man and smothered him with his clear weight advantage. The grunting bulk wrapped an enormous hand around the man's leg and another around his neck. The giant hefted the man off the ground with little effort and cast the scrawny body against a wall, knocking loose some crumbling bricks. Before the man had time to focus his eyes, the beast was upon him again. Any man would have been pummeled to an unidentifiable carcass under the flurry of blows dealt by the creature.

Much to the surprise of the beast, the cloaked one raised his legs, lodged his feet into the girth of the monster, and extended his legs with such force that it hurtled the bulk across the alley into a group of barrels. The smaller fighter raised himself to his full height and, with palms facing upward, he seemed to absorb the power of the darkness surrounding him. His teeth reflected a pale glimmer and dim lights shone in his palms. When the lights brightened and peaked in intensity, he cupped his hands. The hulking figure bent in a defensive posture. His face betrayed the fear welling from the core of his being. He crossed his arms and a weak blue light appeared to form a shield of sorts. Intense beams of light grew stronger in the cupped hands of the smaller man and they cast strange shadows on his high cheekbones and rigid goatee. Brilliant spears of fire seeped between his fingers and pierced the fabric of the night. In an instant he removed his hands and released a radiant sphere that shot forth to the beast, shattering its incommensurate light shield and embedding itself into the corpulent belly. The beast bellowed as it was gored, and the victor stood comfortably out of reach. In one final, vengeful effort, the monster groped toward his slayer, convulsed violently and then fell silent on the ground.

The sphere burst out of the carrion and returned to its master. A snicker arose from the champion, as he inspected the body of his vanquished opponent. As the master of fire rid himself of his earthly garments, barbed profusions on his head revealed his identity. As the blood of the giant grew cold, the clip-clop of cloven feet ricocheted off the walls of the concrete battlefield. n