Valen and Bianca stood opposite each other on the beach, the moonlight catching on the steel of their oversized tridents.
The referee raised his hand and barked, "Begin!"
Bianca wasted no time. With a splash, she dove straight into the water, her form vanishing beneath the waves.
Valen, however, remained exactly where he was.
He shifted his stance, digging his heel lightly into the sand. Yeah, no. I can't even breathe underwater. And how the hell am I supposed to fight down there? What do these fish-brains think I am, Aquaman?
The referee blinked, completely thrown off. The duel had started, yet Valen hadn't moved an inch. Instead, he was poking around the beach with his foot as if searching for something.
Is this kid… retarded? the referee thought, trying not to gape.
Moments later, Bianca shot back out of the sea, water dripping from her hair and eyes blazing with fury.
She had plunged in first to get a head start, only to discover her opponent hadn't even entered the water.
"What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted, voice cracking with rage.
Valen smirked, lifting his shoulders in a casual shrug. "Well… I can't breathe underwater, obviously."
Bianca's scream tore through the arena, her temper finally snapping. She charged forward, waves breaking around her legs as she thrust her trident straight at him.
Valen, however, tossed his own weapon to the side without hesitation.
Right now, with Bianca half-submerged in the water, her strength surged, maybe even exceeding his own.
The only advantage Valen had was his scrappy street-fighting experience. He'd never fought someone with blades before, sure… but hey, there's a first time for everything, right?
Bianca lunged, her trident slicing through the air with a vicious hiss.
Valen twisted his body just in time, feeling the wind of the strike brush his side. He shoved the shaft of the weapon away, forcing it off-line.
Before she could recover, he surged forward, closing the distance. His hands snapped up around her neck, iron-tight, and in the same motion he drove his knee into her stomach.
The impact was solid, the dull thud echoing against her ribs as Bianca gagged from the blow, water spraying from her lips.
Yeah, Valen smirked, forget the trident. A good knee to the gut works every time.
Bianca choked from the knee to her gut, but instead of crumbling, she snarled and shoved forward, water splashing as her trident came swinging sideways in a vicious arc.
Valen ducked low, the blade whistling past his head, close enough that he felt the wind cut his hair. He snatched a handful of wet sand and hurled it straight into Bianca's eyes.
She screamed, staggering back, blinded.
Valen didn't give her a second to breathe. He charged, slamming his shoulder into her chest and knocking her flat into the shallows.
But she was slippery, her trident stabbing upward- steel bit into his arm. Blood sprayed, the crowd roared.
Pain lanced through Valen, but he twisted free just in time, Bianca's next swing cleaving the air where he'd stood. She hacked at him wildly, feral with rage.
Valen ducked low, his foot nudging against the object he'd been searching for earlier, a conch half-buried in the sand.
Perfect.
Bianca lunged again, her trident flashing like silver lightning. Valen dove sideways, scooped up the conch, and rose with a grin.
Bianca blinked. "What the hell are you-"
Valen didn't let her finish.
Crack!!
He smashed the conch against her jaw. Shell splintered, teeth snapped, and blood sprayed.
The crowd roared in outrage.
He caught her again.
Bianca staggered, shrieking through broken teeth, her fury burning hotter than her pain. She thrust the trident like a spear, the tip grazing Valen's ribs and carving a bloody line across his side.
Valen hissed.
Bianca screeched like a cornered animal, her claws leaving bloody trails across his skin. She bucked wildly beneath him, legs thrashing. One kick slammed into his ribs with bone-cracking force, nearly dislodging him.
No way! If she gets free, I'm dead.
He hissed with pain, but his grip on the shattered conch tightened.
Fine, fish-girl. You want brutal? Let's go brutal.
He crashed forward, skull meeting skull with a brutal headbutt. Before she could recover, he rammed the jagged edge of the shell into her shoulder. Flesh tore. A scream tore from Bianca's throat as blood sprayed through the air.
Her trident clattered into the surf.
Valen grabbed her by the throat, forcing her down into the shallows, the water foaming around them. With his free hand he pressed the jagged conch against her cheek, close enough to draw blood.
Bianca clawed at him, sharp claws raking bloody lines across his arms, but Valen's grip was iron. He shoved her deeper, bubbles rising as her screams turned into gurgles.
The crowd was a storm now, some chanting for Bianca, others for Valen, most horrified.
Valen's vision blurred from blood loss, but he didn't care. He tightened his grip, snarling through gritted teeth, low and savage. "Thanks for the handicap, fish-brains."
Bianca thrashed one last time before going limp, her bloodied face floating beneath the water.
Valen staggered upright, chest heaving, the broken conch still in his hand like a dagger.
The referee looked frozen, unsure whether to call victory or step in.
The arena fell into silence, broken only by the waves crashing against the shore.
The patriarch descended onto the arena, his presence cutting through the stunned silence like a blade.
The referee scrambled to Bianca's side, checking her vitals with frantic hands. Relief flickered across his face. No fatal wounds. Brutal, yes, but not deadly. He had wanted to step in before, but this was a sacred duel. To interfere would have been heresy.
The patriarch's footsteps crunched against the wet sand as he approached. His gaze swept over Bianca's battered form, then lifted coldly toward the referee. "She alive?"
"Yes…" the referee confirmed, bowing his head.
The patriarch's eyes narrowed. His voice was calm, but sharp enough to cut stone. "Then the duel is Valen's victory. As for the wager- the loser will fulfill what was agreed. That is final."
With that, he turned, his robes dragging through the sand as he strode toward the hotel without sparing Valen a single glance. His eyes, however, those were glacial, heavy with unspoken judgment.
The woman who was at his side, rose gracefully, her voice carrying above the restless murmurs. "The meeting will resume after dinner," she announced, then followed her husband inside.
The beach erupted.
Shouts, laughter, anger, disbelief, it all crashed together in a storm of noise. Some cheered Valen's name, others cursed him as a savage. Families argued, factions split down the middle, voices colliding with the waves.
And in the center of it all, Valen stood, bloodied and breathless, the broken conch dangling from his grip. Blood trickled down his arm, dripping from the jagged shell like a grotesque trophy.
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Our first poll is here!!!
Should Bianca really end up running naked, or should some kind of power swoop in to save her from total embarrassment?Drop your votes/comments below! Poll closes… uh, whenever I decide (probably tomorrow), so be quick! ⚡
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Now onto something exciting- Powerstone Milestones! Since you guys keep voting and showing support, it's only fair I give something back. Here's the deal:
50 power stones = +1 chapter
100 power stones = +1 more chapter
200 power stones = +1 more chapter
500 power stones = +2 chapters!!
I will try to deliver the bonus chaps within 24 hours of hitting each milestone