Boom!
"Eeek!" I grunted.
Where I had stood a heartbeat earlier, was now nothing but a crater.
Dust surged upward.
"You move so well my friend. May I ask your name." He asked.
"Z-Zandren..." I replied bluntly.
"I am Far'zhar." He crouched for another attack. "Please give me a fun fight."
He lunged towards me, throwing his shield to block my version and appearing at my side.
He struck down hard with his mace.
I shifted in time and it just grazed the gauntlets.
"Arrgh." I groaned. "How can someone, this big, move so fast."
He jumped, using Terra to recall his shield, landing with a loud smash. And I dodged once more.
"Stop running my friend. Fight hahaha" He yelled.
He fought in such a way that his shield was more of a weapon than his massive mace.
"I can't keep dodging forever, I need an opening." I thought.
I created a distance between us by leaping backwards a couple feet, then blinked towards him.
He saw this and swung wide. I slid under his range of attack, and managed to land a compressed punch on his side. The punch was strong enough to leave a dent on his armour but wasn't enough to stop him from following up with an attack from his shield.
Just this time.
I wasn't able to dodge it.
~
Up at the pavilion, Yunok and Aurelle watched Zandren's fight.
"So is this the peasant Eimira is leaving me for?" He scoffed.
Aurelle didn't answer.
"You should answer when your prince is talking." Yunok said, authoritatively.
Aurelle responded with a strong side gaze. "Since when did you become my prince?"
"Oh I don't know? Maybe since when I was born." He mocked.
"Tsk." Aurelle continued watching.
"He's fighting a bit defensive for a gauntlet, doesn't he know how to use it?" She thought
~
Far'zhar attacks were predictable but were too heavy to be countered. He was balanced in both defense and attack but...
"What about battle IQ?" I whispered, dodging another swing.
I dashed in, landing a hit and immediately retreated as Fazhar swung his shield.
"I see it..." I cheered.
I noticed a pattern.
Far'zhar was stacked in both defense and attack but he had a flaw.
His armour.
After each swing, there was a slight delay before the next swing, which left him open for a split second.
"Let's see if it'd work."
I bounced sideways then blinked in, stopping right in front of him. And as predicted he swung widely again, giving me a chance to retreat backward a little and dash in to counter with a heavy punch.
Bang!
"Arrgh." Far'zhar grunted.
I sprung back. Then. Dashed forward. Changing direction as I got in front of him and appearing at his side.
Bang!
Another heavy punch landed on him.
"Arrgh!" He stumbled backward.
But,
I was already at his flank. Then I unleashed a flurry of compressed punches.
He swung at me, turning a complete 180. But I appeared at his back once more, and unleashed another flurry of punches.
"I can't be losing to a person without a blessing, it's not possible." He wiped off the blood on his lips.
"I shalln't be pushed back further. I am fortified by Terra!" He yelled.
Far'zhar let out a roar, then using Terra he added two additional hands to his frame, with another set of shield and mace.
"Be ready to die!"
He charged me.
Four arms. Two shields. Two mace.
I tried my old tactics, and blinked to his flank-
Too slow.
"That won't work!, hahaha!" He laughed.
A mace caught me mid-step, stunning me. Then the second mace sent me flying.
The world flipped.
I could feel myself slowly fading out of consciousness and just hoped I hit the barricade a little softly.
But—
He was already there.
Waiting.
All four weapons rose at once.
No wind-up.
No hesitation.
"HYAA!!" He roared.
All weapons came down together.
My body sank into the ground, forming a crater as the impact from the shields and mace drove me deeper.
~
Yunok laughed. "He really thought he could take down the Crownshelm family's prodigy. What a joke."
Aurelle sighed. "Far'zhar is a greater envoy holder afterall. It's a surprise a non-blessed like Zandren could even last that long."
"I would." Yunok smirked.
Aurelle frowned. "You were weaker than this just so you know. And at least, you had the best instructors and mentors, and from what I've learnt. Zandren doesn't have any training."
"That's just an excuse." Yunok said, as his smirk slowly disappeared.
Aurelle laughed. "It's not an excuse, it's just proof that Zandren is better than you, and a better match for Eimira."
The pavilion went silent.
Then a sudden burst of energy.
Blade drawn. Pointed at the heart of Aurelle.
"You, shut your mouth right this instant." Yunok threatened. His sword shaking under his trembling hands.
Aurelle didn't flinch.
Rather.
She moved close to the tip of the blade.
"Do it. I dare you." She said, eyes beginning to glow yellow.
Her familiar and vice captain got ready for combat.
She smirked. "Do it, and feel your head lose its connection to your body."
Yunok moved.
Aurelle's familiar was about to charge Yunok.
"Y'ssara. Down." She commanded, her eyes still locked with Yunok's.
Yunok chuckled dryly. "I guess you back your riches with courage and bravery afterall. Damn Saeons."
He sheathed his blade and returned to his seat.
Every attendant present at the pavilion breathed a sigh of relief. Glad the two top captains didn't battle it out.
~
I felt Farzhar standing over me.
"Next time, don't run around too much." He grunted and turned to leave.
I coughed.
"Who said you could leave?"
I stood up slowly.
"You can still fight. I guess I was wrong about you." Farzhan said, readying his weapons.
Something about that loss made me fume inside. What if I had to protect Eimira when she was vulnerable, would she have just been killed like that.
I promised to protect her.
I fucking promised.
I can't fail her.
I promised.
"I promised." I whispered.
Farzhar turned."What's th-"
Bam!
"what hit me just now" Far'zhar thought
"Get up." I ordered.
Farzhan hadn't fully realised he was now on his back.
"When?" He muttered.
I took a deep breath.
"Shhhhh." I exhaled.
Bam!
Another solid punch turned Far'zhar inside out. His weapon flew out of his hands.
"Arrrggghh." He groaned angrily.
"Get up!" I yelled.
"ARRRGGGHHHH!" Far'zhar sprung up, making another mace and shield with Terra, this time he latched the mace to the shield, forming a kind of axe.
He leaped towards me.
I took a deep breath.
"Shhhhhh." I exhaled.
Vapour escaping my mouth.
"Now... you can stay down." I murmured.
The gauntlets compressed. I could feel it taking the energy I had in my body, and packing it into one single punch.
Boom!
I caught him mid air, punching a hole right through his armour and right through him.
We fell to the ground together, landing with a thud.
But only I stood up.
The ring we had both been fighting in trembled and slowly rose up to the height of the barricade.
When the ring got to the top, I saw that others had finished their fights too, and some were still fighting.
Shortly after I got up, Wryo waved at me.
"What took you so long, haha." He said, still waving.
He had finished his match without too much of a hassle, incapacitating his opponent easily. I could tell by seeing how neat he still looked.
Far'zhar coughed. "Well my friend, I underestimated you. I never expected the sudden change."
He groaned, as he tried to sit up. His wounds were pretty much healed, thanks to the healing dorm, but the pain was still there.
He continued. "The way your eyes changed. It's like you had to protect something or... Someo—"
He coughed.
"Hmm. Maybe I do..." I replied, a strained smile tugging at my lips.
"It goes both ways my friend...." He grunted as he stood up. "One who has no one to protect has nothing to lose, so they fight without a care for their life. But one who does, fights to protect themselves and those they love."
He walked over and placed both hands on my shoulder.
"Both derive strength from something. The first from dread, and the other from love." He pointed at my heart. "Always make sure to draw your strength from love."
He stretched out his hand. "I am Far'zhar, from the Crownshelm House, a greater envoy holder. I look forward to fighting alongside you in the near future."
I accepted his gesture.
"I am Zandren, pleased to meet you, and same."
At that moment, the last ring came up. And all the rings were simultaneously returned to their normal state shortly.
"You all have proved yourself well." The man from earlier spoke. " I am Sir Erald, House of Lordshire. I am the General commander, and I must say, I am impressed with most of you."
He stepped forward. "Most of you faced opponents stronger than you were, but you never gave up, but persevered and some ended up winning. I'm sure Prince Yunok and Captain Aurelle would be pleased by what they saw."
He continued. " The results will be declared in seven days. Those who won their battle today will proceed to the grand tournament to be recognised across the Academy and our nation, Terraka. There, the vanguard captains will be present. Impress them, and you may earn a place in their ranks."
We all nodded.
"Alright then, you're all dismissed. Rest as much as you can, but also do not forget to train." He turned, and left the arena.
I watched as his huge frame disappeared into the tunnel that leads out of the battle area.
I noticed Xilohe waving at me.
She approached.
"Good job, your fight was so fun to watch. I'll go get Eimira." She mouthed.
I smiled, too weak to respond.
Wryo tapped my shoulder. "Hey, Zandren, are you good?"
"My head just hurts..." I muttered.
He laughed. "Come on, let's go."
----
Wryo and I got outside the Arena, and came across Aurelle, she was standing outside waiting for someone when she finally noticed us walking out.
She rushed over. "Zandren!!!" She grabbed my shoulder and shook me.
"Ow ow ow ow ow." A tear traced my cheek. "I'm going to die, Aurelle."
She let go. "Oh, sorry."
I had forgotten how huge and strong Aurelle was. But still I couldn't help but wonder who she was waiting for.
"So who were you waiting for?" I asked.
"You, silly." She patted my shoulder. "Wanted to tell you how incredible your fight was, even though you were getting your ass beat most of the time."
As she talked, Yunok walked past with some of his members walking behind him.
He flashed a disdainful gaze towards me.
"Tsk."
"What's that about?" I frowned.
"Ehh, don't mind the child. He got his pride hurt when you won against a Crownshelm prodigy." She answered.
"You know Far'zhar?" I turned to her.
"No, but I know his family. They produce a lot of prodigy, some of which enroll at Tarrion Academy with the power level of a professor. Like Far'zhar, he enrolled here as a greater envoy." She explained.
She brought out a small cloth. "Here, use this to clean off the blood on your forehead."
"Oh, uhh, thanks."
I grabbed it and handed it to Wryo to help keep it.
"So... Why'd you suddenly change?" She asked.
"What?"
"You were getting beat the whole match, and out of nowhere, you took Far'zhar out with just three punches. Where'd that come from?"
She pressed for answers.
"Hmm, I don't know... I just felt like a failure, after I had promised to protect her. So I got angry and... That happened." I answered.
Just then, Eimira's carriage came into sight.
"Hmm, I see." Aurelle turned to see the carriage. "Looks like she's here to take her man."
She giggled. "So cute."
She came down to my eye level, smiling.
"It'd be better if you tell her to keep you close, I might steal you from her."
She turned to leave. "Rest up and practice well. I look forward to your matches. Don't disappoint"
She mounted her familiar and left with the rest of her Vanguard.
"I didn't know you were that close to Second Captain Aurelle." Wryo said.
"I didn't know that either." I replied.
He laughed. "Since Eimira's here for you, I'll be taking my leave. I'll see you later."
I stopped him. "Why not follow us?"
"Na, it's fine. I need to stop somewhere, and you need to get some rest quickly." He answered with a smile.
"Oh, ok then. See you later."
"Hmm." He waved, and left.
Eimira's carriage came to a halt in front of me and the door flung open. Eimira rushed out and immediately jumped on me.
"I heard you got your head smashed." She placed her hands on my cheek and checked for injuries.
"I got healed right away, though I'm still in pain."
Her eyes turned teary. "Ah, your entire forehead is covered in blood."
I smiled, gently patting her head. "Don't worry, it's dried, and the cut is gone without a scar too. Plus I won my match and qualified, hehe."
She sniffled. "Hmm, what about your friend?"
"Oh Wryo, he said he had something to do so he left not quite long." I answered.
She grabbed my gauntlet case. "Ok then, let's go to my place and have you cleaned up."
"Why your place?" I asked.
"Why not?"
She smirked, leaning closer. "What? You shy?"
"What? No..." I frowned.
She giggled softly. "Then hop on in."
"Also there's something I want you to see." She added
"What's that?"
"Don't worry, when we get to my house, you'll see it." She answered with a satisfied look.
"You trap me once more, my love. Let's go."
"Yay!"
We entered the carriage and I watched as the arena slowly disappeared into the distance.
"Till next time I guess." I whispered.
----
In a mansion far north of the Tarrion Academy, well outside the Terrakan territory. It was night and the Dark forest was now more active. Monsters roamed about the mansion but none dared to cross into its premise.
Seraveth was sitting in her room when she received bad news from one of her informants.
Crash!
She slammed her fist on the table. "Seven is dead?"
"Yes ma'am, he was killed by another in the village I had given him to feast on." A man answered with his head bowed.
"Do you have an idea of who it was?" She asked.
"Uhm.. yea" the man hesitated. "It seemed to have been carried out by one of your— eh children, you see."
She gritted her teeth. "Fourteen!"
"That ungrateful brat is going to be the end of us all. Shit, shit. shit. If I had known she was a bearer I wouldn't have transformed her. I made an unforgivable mistake. Lord Zyrakar will be displeased." She thought.
She sighed. "Just make sure none of the Thrones hear this."
He knelt before her. "Of course. I'm only loyal to you mistress"
She chuckled. "Oh my, you flatter me."
She pulled him up by his collar and brought him closer to her face.
"If you weren't so old..." She sniffed his neck. "I'd have gladly made you mine."
Then dropped him and walked to her large throne-like chair, taking a seat and crossing her leg.
She grabbed her wool and needle and started knitting. She whistled as she did so.
Then she stopped abruptly.
"How are things with Zyron?" She asked.
The man laughed. "That fool is probably snoring like an animal right now. He doesn't even know he has been ingesting poison for months now."
Seraveth laughed. "The poisons are from the Wisteria County, right??"
"Yes. The count, Tharn, was compliant. Thanks to master Devorakh of course." He replied.
"How does the poison work by the way?" She asked. "I never really asked since I don't really care how my love handles his work."
"It activates anytime he tries to go into a Blessing Surge. But due to how strong that bastard is, it takes more time than usual" the man replied.
"And he didn't notice until now?"
"Not a single bit. The Wisterians are very good at their craft."
They both laughed.
"So, Duke. How do you feel about betraying your best friend." Seraveth asked.
Duke gnashed his teeth. "That bastard is nothing but a kid in a man's body. He knows not, the steps to rule over a nation."
"Good, good. That means you're loyal to me and only me."
"Yes, my mistress."
"You can go now. Thread carefully and report back to me as fast as you can."
Duke bowed and exited the room.
The door clicked shut.
Seraveth sat alone, in front of the map of Terraka.
"So The Tarrion Academy and then the Palace. The two strong points of this nation. If I can take both at once, then I should be able to rule this nation with my love. And make Lord Zyrakar happy."
Seraveth hugged herself fantasizing about what life as a ruler would be like.
"The people of Terraka won't know what hit them."
"But first..."
She stood, and made a way to a door in her room
"I have to take care of that little runaway."
She opened the door and it led to a lab which had children hanging upside down. All surrounding a black stone which sat in the middle of the room.
She smiled.
"Let's make more children, shall we?"