Zumthor crossed the floor in a burst of feral speed, claws low and eager. Chase met him head-on. Their first exchange cracked across the court in a burst of violent motion. Chase's fist came high. Jagger's claws came lower. Both missed their ideal targets by margins thin enough to feel unreal. Chase rolled with the angle and whipped an elbow down. Zumthor slipped under it and raked up for the throat. Chase leaned just far enough away and answered with a hook that cut across the space beside Jagger's head.
Jagger ducked. The air slapped across his hair.
His claws scored Chase's side in a shallow line, enough to draw more blood.
Then Jace entered.
Her kick came from the blind angle again, precise and brutal, aimed not for flesh but structure, driving toward the planted leg that supported Jagger's burst. Zumthor twisted just in time to avoid a full break, but the impact still clipped him hard enough to wreck the rhythm of the attack.
'Left!' Jagger shouted.
