by M E Robinson
“Poor Sery. She won’t get a chance to have her revenge against me,” said Eric, his voice tinged with mock sympathy as he glanced over towards where Seryllia sat.
“Worry about your own matches,” Jun said with an annoyed look, ignoring Eric as he turned to watch Mark’s match.
Turning to the projection, Eric focused as Halfthur began to introduce the two fighters.
“For our third match, it’s a rematch between Riptide and NRG! Representing Riptide, Mark Fogstone will attempt to become the second Riptide member to advance, while preventing the same thing for NRG. It will be up to Barns Uccisore to ensure NRG’s success. Fighters, are you ready?” Halfthur roared. Receiving terse nods from the two fighters, Halfthur smiled. “Begin!”
As the words left Halfthur’s mouth, Barns leapt forward, charging headlong towards Mark. Taking a more measured approach, Mark advanced cautiously, weighing his mace in one hand as he stared at the oncoming assassin. As Barns approached, Mark used his left hand to grab his rosary as he drew the runes for a healing spell. Gripping his mace in his right hand, he prepared to receive Barns’ charge.
Closing the distance with Mark, Barns activated a skill, darting quickly to Mark’s left and lashing out with his dagger held in a backhand grip. With a groan, Mark took the attack, striking at Barns with his mace in an attempt to trade blows. With a playful smile, Barns dodged aside, slashing at Mark with his other dagger as Mark’s mace flew wide. Activating his healing spell, Mark recovered some health, but Barns quickly responded with another strike, his dagger shaving off the health Mark had just gained. Swinging his mace wide, Mark managed to catch Barns as he attempted to retreat, spinning the man slightly and erasing a chunk of his healthbar.
This exchange clearly set the tone of the match that was to follow. Mark was the defender, standing tall as he launched crushing attacks with his mace, and using his healing spells to erase the lead Barns was attempting to build. Barns was the attacker, his daggers whirling in dizzying patterns as he danced around Mark, avoiding as many of the mace hits as he could while his daggers tore chunks out of Mark’s healthbar.
Paying rapt attention to the match, Eric and Jun watched as Barns rushed forward, his daggers approaching from two separate angles like the fangs of a viper, as he launched what could be the final attack of the match. With a smile, Mark cancelled the spellcast once more, swinging his mace heavily towards the approaching Barns. However, this time it was Barns’ turn to smile. Activating a movement skill, he flickered lightly, ducking underneath Mark’s swing. Paling, Mark attempted to bring his mace back and defend, but it was too late. With an effortless stab, Barns erased the last of Mark’s healthbar, causing him to collapse in defeat as the blue light whisked him away.
“And Barns is the winner! NRG has their second fighter through to the semi-finals, as Fogstone is eliminated,” Halfthur announced with a sad tinge to his voice.
On stage, Barns was celebrating, mimicking Hydrus in his fight against Astrid as boos filled the arena.
“Up next, for our final fight of the top eight, Jun Shinzir will attempt to avenge his teammate as he takes on Seryllia Vespin, the last woman standing! Will Shin be able to do what his teammate couldn’t? Or will Seryllia eliminate her third member of Riptide in a row? Fighters, to your places!” Halfthur shouted, attempting to make himself heard over the boos of the audience.
Unfortunately for Seryllia, Jun’s pre-fight prediction came to pass. Using his superior range, he refused to allow her to close in, dodging her aggressive charges and returning the favour with arrows. Whenever Seryllia overextended herself for an attack, diving in without care for defence, Jun would punish her for her unmitigated aggression, taking care to first avoid the frenzied assault, before returning the favour in kind as Seryllia’s attacks came to an end.
However, it wasn’t as if the fight was easy for Jun. Seryllia’s attacks were akin to those of a raging bear, with a power that even tanks couldn’t withstand head on. Every dodge saw Jun standing on the knife’s edge, precariously balancing defence with offence as he fired back at the berserk fighter in front of him.
With an unwilling glare, Seryllia fell as Jun’s final arrow pierced her stomach. Disappearing in a flash of blue light, applause filled the stadium as Jun simply stood there, as if the outcome had been predetermined and the fight had held no excitement at all for him.
“And Seryllia falls, Shin advances!” Halfthur shouted. “There will be a brief intermission as the top four matchups are decided. Don’t go anywhere, we’ll be right back with the first match of the semi-finals!”
Inside the viewers lounge, a raven-haired attendant was instructing the remaining three fighters to use their arcane keys. “- Infuse your mana into the key like you did the first time, but don’t drop the connection this time. Continue to infuse mana into your keys while we project the image to the audience.
“Don’t we already know our matchups? We all saw each other’s keys earlier,” Eric commented.
“This is more to hype up the fights for the audience,” the attendant explained. “It’s all part of the show. We can’t rely only upon the fighter’s performance - proper showmanship is necessary to create a true spectacle.”
“In that case, shouldn’t we wait for the other guy? The woman beater?” Barns asked, completely ignoring the fact that Hydrus had beaten Astrid only two fights before Jun had defeated Seryllia.
“There are only four of you - we can determine Jun Shinzir’s opponent by process of elimination. But yes, we will be waiting for Mr. Shinzir. I simply want to confirm that you all know how to use the arcane keys.”
“Tch,” Barns swore, looking annoyed.
Hydrus simply looked bored, taking out his arcane key as the attendant prepared the crystal recording device that Halfthur had used previously. For his part, Eric was flipping his arcane key in the air, watching as it spun before catching it at the last second.
As Jun finally arrived, the attendant quickly headed to his side, commanding him to activate his arcane key before nodding and snatching the crystal recording device from the couch where she’d left it. Turning the device on, she smiled brightly.
“Hello! I’m Leela Faespring and I’m here with our four semi-finalists, Erick ‘Kyp’ Kystfyr, Jun “Shin” Shinzir, Hydrus Mortang, and Barns Uccisore! It’s been one hell of a tournament so far, with more than a thousand fighters registered, but now we’re down to our last four. As I speak, the fighters are preparing to reveal who they will each be fighting in the semi-finals, is everyone ready?” she asked, directing the question towards the four.
As a wave of noise swept through the lounge from outside, Leela smiled. “It looks like the audience is certainly ready! Now then, each fighter has an arcane key with a semi-circle on it. Whoever has the other half of their circle will be their opponent for the semi-finals. The owners of the circle split horizontally will fight first, while the owners of the circle split vertically will fight second. Now then, shall we see who will be fighting who? Mr. Uccisore, if you would please activate your key.”
With a scowl, Barns activated his arcane key, causing a bright violet half-circle missing its top half to appear in mid-air above his palm.
“It looks like Mr. Uccisore will be fighting first, now then, who has the corresponding half-circle? Let’s see, Mr. Kystfyr, would you activate your key?” Leela asked, flashing Eric a bright smile.
Returning the smile, Eric sent mana into his arcane key, causing the right half of a circle to appear in front of him.
“Well, it appears that Kyp will not be fighting Barns. Who will have the honour of participating in our first match of the semi-finals? We’re about to find out! Mr. Shinzir, would you please activate your key?”
Obliging her, Jun activated his own arcane key, the top-half of a circle appearing in front of him as he did so.
“And we have our answer! For the first match of the semi-finals, Barns Uccisore will be fighting off against Jun Shinzir! And of course that means
that the second match will be between Erick Kystfyr and Hydrus Mortang. I hope everyone is ready, because these promise to be two absolutely spectacular matches! Back to you Halfthur,” Leela said, looking directly into the crystal device. Maintaining her smile, she made a quick motion with her hands, cutting off the mana flow to the device. With a dull whir, the device began to fall, dropping gently into her hand as she turned back towards the four fighters.
“The first fight will begin soon. Mr. Uccisore, Mr. Shinzir, if you two would please follow me?”
Wordlessly, Jun and Barns both stood up, following Leela out of the lounge as they headed for the arena stage.
“For our next match, Shin of Riptide will take on Barns as he attempts to eliminate a second Riptide member on his way to the finals! Shin will be looking to avenge the loss of his teammate, Mark last round, but in order to do that, he’ll have to defeat Barns first. For his part, Barns will do his best to take down his second Riptide member after defeating Mark last match. Will Barns make it to the finals? Or will Shin avenge his fallen teammate - it’s time to find out. Fighters! To your positions!” Halfthur shouted, doing his best to sound jovial as he hyped up the crowd for the first match of the semi-finals.
Cheers echoed throughout the arena as Jun and Barns appeared on stage. Waving to the crowd, Barns leered towards Jun.
“Ready to be eliminated like your friends?” Barns asked with a mocking smile.
Staring heavily at him, Jun remained silent, plucking at his bowstring as if pondering the answer to a question that nobody had asked.
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Don’t tell me you’re scared speechless,” Barns taunted once more.
“Just deciding how to slaughter a pig. I was going to do the humane thing and give it a dignified death, but I think I’ve changed my mind,” Jun replied evenly.
Barns’ face contorted. “You’ll regret that, asian swine,” he spat.
Jun smiled, an eerie, vicious look that made Barns shiver despite the warm afternoon sunlight. “Just the barking of a dog, blindly charging towards its death in a vain attempt to please its master.”
With that, Jun turned heel and left, heading for the other side of the stage. Glaring unwillingly at his back, Barns appeared to consider attacking his retreating opponent, but thought better of it, turning and heading in the opposite direction to take up his own position at the opposite end of the stage.
As the two fighters settled into ready positions, Halfthur’s voice echoed through the arena, “Let the fight begin!”
Rushing forward, Barns used a movement skill right off the bat, a pale light enveloping his feet as his speed increased drastically.
“Barns starts off with Light Steps! He’s going to close the distance against Shin as quickly as possible while using his speed to dodge all Shin’s arrows, an excellent choi-”
Cutting off mid-sentence, Halfthur stared towards the stage in disbelief. Barns was kneeling down at the centre of the stage, with one arrow sticking out of his chest and another from his neck. As Halfthur watched, dumbfounded, Jun strung another arrow. Seeing this, Barns attempted to dodge, strafing left, then suddenly cutting to the right to throw off Jun’s aim. But it was no use, Jun’s arrow flew from the bow like a guided missile, catching Barns mid-dodge as another chunk of his healthbar disappeared.
“Shin catches Barns in the middle of his jump! Even using Light Steps, Barns can’t avoid these arrows! It’s like Shin knows exactly where Barns is going to dodge even before he does!” Halfthur said in disbelief.
“Shin’s accuracy isn’t as high as Astrid’s. But his ability to read his opponent’s movements and capitalize on their mistakes is uncanny. Barns is in trouble if he can’t figure out a way to close the distance soon. Because Shin is turning him into a target dummy,” Wavesun analyzed, sounding incredibly happy over Barns’ misfortune.
On stage, Barns took another arrow to the chest. Staggering slightly, he glared towards Jun who was simply staring impassively towards him as he reached for another arrow.
“Don’t fuck with me!” Barns roared, activating another movement skill.
As the audience watched, the white light around Barns’ feet suddenly began to fade, slowly darkening in colour as it was replaced by a crimson light, similar to the flames that had engulfed Hydrus’ sword. As the crimson light fully corroded the white, Barns sped up, his speed increasing yet again as he began to dart back and forth, leaving afterimages in his wake as he approached Jun at a terrifying speed.
Staring at his opponent, Jun used a skill of his own, a golden glow surrounding the arrow that was nocked to his bow. As Barns approached, Jun held his shot, continuing to simply stare at the onrushing assassin.
“DIE!” Barns screamed, leaping towards Jun as his daggers took on a crimson hue.
Holding his ground, Jun watched as Barns’ daggers loomed larger and larger in his vision. Only when the daggers were close enough that their crimson glow could be seen reflecting off the buckles of his armour, did Jun release his skill, the arrow leaping from the bow and burying itself deep in Barns’ forehead in almost the same instant.
With a raging howl, Barns fell, his daggers falling uselessly to the ground as his body crashed into the arena floor only inches from Jun’s feet.
“And Shin wins! Barns is eliminated without managing to score a single hit against his foe! ” Halfthur shouted, with a palpable excitement in his voice.
As Barns disappeared from view, whisked away from the blue light, the crowd’s cheers exploded over the stage, hope springing anew from Jun’s victory. Giving the audience a wave, Jun disappeared from view as he left to check his gear prior to the final match.
“With Jun Shinzir’s win, Riptide has their first member through to the finals as Barns Uccisore falls! Astrid Feathershot, Bearan Grott, Mark Fogstone, and now Barns Uccisore have already been eliminated, leaving only three fighters standing, representing two different groups. Which organization will take it all? Will one be totally eliminated in the semi-finals? Or will we witness the birth of an exciting rivalry between Riptide and NRG?” Halfthur asked, his voice quelling the crowd’s cheers.
“It will all be up to the fighters themselves. Up next, Erick Kystfyr looks to eliminate NRG’s leader, Hydrus Mortang! Both fighters have had some very impressive showings, with Riptide being the only organization to have eliminated a member of NRG up till now. In the matches leading up to the semi-finals, Erick has showcased an impressive array of archery skills, revealing his talent with a bow. However, his opponent, Hydrus, is no slouch either. In every match, he’s fought in he has shown a terrifying performance, eliminating his opponents with practiced ease as he uses his greatsword to cleave through the competition. Only one of these two fighters can advance, so let’s get ready! Fighters, are you ready?” Halfthur roared.
Chapter 37
On stage, Eric stared down Hydrus, who returned the look with a sardonic smile.
“Ready to lose, kid?” Hydrus asked.
“I could ask you the same thing. Your pal Grott didn’t exactly do too well. Hopefully you put up a bit more of a fight,” Eric sneered.
“Only a weakling like yourself would consider defeating Grott to be an achievement,” Hydrus responded coldly. “
“Funny, I don’t remember calling it an achievement,” Eric replied with a mocking smile.
Hydrus glowered at Eric, affixing him with an icy stare. “You’re about to learn that your place is beneath me.”
“And here I thought an ass like you would be on the bottom,” Eric replied, unfazed.
With a snort, Hydrus turned, making his way to the other end of the stage. Pondering how to best approach the fight, Eric did the same, heading for the opposite end of the stage.
While he’d talked a big game, the truth was that Eric wasn’t all that confident in his chances this fight. Hydrus’ skill with that enormous greatsword of his was undeniable. He’d barely had to use skills in any of his fights so far, having only revealed
Charge and a single attack skill. It was unlikely that those were all the skills that Hydrus possessed, especially considering his strength. It was more than likely that Hydrus had at least one, if not more, skills that he’d kept hidden as he slaughtered his way through the tournament.
As Eric pondered, walking across the stage to take up his position so that the battle could begin, the crowd was cheering. From what he could tell, some were chanting his name, while others were booing Hydrus and NRG. At the very least, I’d better make this match exciting, Eric thought as he imagined how the crowd would react if he lost to Hydrus in an embarrassing fashion.
It wasn’t as if Eric didn’t have any ideas on how to take down Hydrus. In his opinion, the best plan was clearly to stay far away from that terrifying greatsword. So long as Hydrus didn’t have any ranged skills that he’d kept hidden up until now, then Eric would be in no danger at all provided he could keep a safe distance. Of course, keeping that distance was another matter entirely. Neither Tanix, nor Astrid had been able to keep Hydrus’ greatsword from reaching them, and they’d been two of the best ranged combatants in the tournament. If Eric wanted to keep his distance, he would have to be at the absolute top of his game. Under no circumstances could he allow Hydrus to close the distance. Eric knew his own abilities best, and using his falchion and athame to go against Hydrus’ greatsword would be suicide.
No, he decided. Keeping his distance was the only path to victory. Nodding towards the announcer’s booth to let Halfthur know he was ready, Eric settled into a fighting stance, drawing his athame and preparing to cast a Wind Dart the moment the fight began.
As both fighters signalled they were ready, Halfthur let out a great shout, “Let the fight begin!”
Before the words finished leaving Halfthur’s lips, Hydrus was already charging forward. There was none of the relaxed or indifferent look that he’d had in previous fights. Instead, he had a look of extreme concentration, as he rushed towards Eric.