From that time onwards whenever a battle sprang up, both of them were there to fight it out to the end. Brandon lacked the strength to carry a victory on his own, but Ryan lacked the extensive medical treatments that he required all too frequently in battle. Things were going quite well between the two of them, though Ryan was reluctant to be put through the experiments and observations that Brandon claimed was to ensure his safety. Deep down Ryan knew the truth, that the other was curious for he was the last of his species. Ryan played along, so long as he wasn't reduced to being reduced to a slave once again. The pair became like brother's, both shared the pain of being completely lost in life and they were the best of friends.
The times changed however, and Brandon became plagued with dreams of a specter wanting Brandon to slay his friend while he slept. It claimed that it would be best if Ryan were destroyed, because he was suffering according to the specter. Brandon of course informed Ryan of the event, whom immediately set out for the location where the specter was believed to be hiding.
It was time for a final showdown between the two superpowers, for Ryan was tired of this demonic being causing his friend pain. The battle waged on for the better part of an hour; each warrior scanning the other for any hint of weakness. The Elemental found paydirt by casting magical spells on the warrior; who was weak against magic. The battle swayed towards the demon's favor, until Ryan charged the elemental with all of his strength, not caring how much pain he had to endure to subdue this vile creature. With one swift blow he sliced the elemental in half; but before it was vanquished it uttered a curse to Ryan. The curse made him have no control over his fear and anger, forcing both to be completely random upon him.
When Ryan failed to report back, Brandon came looking for him; only to be drawn into a long, bloody battle that left the young warrior in a puddle of his own blood. If Brandon were unable to subdue the cursed warrior, then both of them would have died, for Brandon would have been destroyed by Ryan's destructive path. Ryan would then die somewhere from losing his mind. It took the process of a few days of constant research, but thankfully Brandon was skilled in the art of Magic. A few words were chanted and the curse removed, now it was contained within a shimmering red ruby that glowed with the power of the curse. The crystal was powerful indeed, but if it should shatter, then Ryan will be re-infected with that very curse. The crystal had three powers to it, but Ryan decided to put them to a more practical use. The crystal was modified to use the crystal as a power source instead of his own body heat. This gave the warrior a drastic improvement in the combat limits to the armor he dawned. No longer did he tire and weaken during prolonged combat. With the vast amount of power generated by the crystal, those energy weapons were more powerful, and easily fired rather than taking entire minutes of charging.
Brandon soon squared off against Ryan once again, only to be beaten with the greatest of ease. A secret that only Ryan had known was leaked out of his memory thanks to Brandon. During those long hours of being scanned, critical memories were copied and implanted into Brandon's mind. Ryan had the power of merge with his armor to become one perfect warrior. This was what seperated his generation from the previous ones. The power to assimilate into one superior being.
Brandon desired to see Ryan at the peak of his power, who agreed when Brandon faced him with a life or death situation. With great reluctance the transformation started. Soon the ground was soaked with his glowing, neon blue blood, for the armor was forcing itself into his body. A look of anguish took upon his face as he coughed up a fair amount of his own blood. His back arched while he let out a scream of pure agony, for his genetics were changing as well. Each and every cell in his body took in a sample of the armor, forcing his skin to harden somewhat and fade into a charcoal tint. His left hand dawned five long, silver claws that seemed to drip with potent neurotoxins. One swipe with them and the battle would be over, for the neurotoxins worked to stop the victim from running away. It wasn't lethal. No, Ryan didn't fight dirty like that. But he did enjoy toying with his prey. The right hand was used for holding his sword or other weapons of choice. His height spiked a few inches, as he grew heavier by thirty pounds or so. However, he was faster than ever before, thanks to being formed into one universal being. Though it looked as if he had no mouth, he did. When it opened one could see the multiple spiked teeth that seemed to drip with neurotoxins as well. One thing that Brandon failed to consider was that he lost his mind while in this form.
Brandon found himself in a struggle of life or death himself, being easily battered around like a toy. No matter what he tried against the mutated warrior, nothing worked. Everything was either dodged, or blocked. For he saw the world as a computer grid, rather than with his own two eyes. After a few magical spells against the warrior however, Brandon soon got the upper hand against Ryan. After one great attack, the warrior was slammed through four walls of the laboratory, legs dangling halfway out the other side. He was definately knocked out, for the armor was starting to melt from his body, seeping through every pore in his skin. Brandon left him there to return to his own ship to recover from his injuries, not to be seen again for nearly a year. The process for the armor to free itself from the flesh took little more than two days, but Ryan wouldn't be able to fight for about a week, since he would be in the worst of pain until his own battered body healed. With a gentle push he fell from the stone wall, lying upon the rubble. It was there where he spent the next week recovering, too weak to move.