Chereads / The Warrior's Journey / Chapter 14 - The Warrior Tests, Part 5

Chapter 14 - The Warrior Tests, Part 5

Electricity crackled as the roaring announcer swung her hand down to allow the fight to commence. Riba swiftly dodged the oncoming attack from his competitor and stanced himself once again.

"Just as I thought," Doron growled, "how'd you learn to do that?"

Riba ignored his question and went on the offensive, closing in on him. Doron shot another beam of sizzling electricity toward Riba, who proceeded to dodge and roll once again. The match continued on like this. Riba acrobatically avoided Doron's ranged attacks, while trying to process a strategy.

'I can't touch him! He's keeping me away...' he thought, '...he's being cautious...'

'I can't take any risks, he's improved, and I haven't been able to read his moves...'

'Maybe if I - AAAGH!!'

Riba was suddenly struck by a bolt of static and collapsed to the ground. Slight streaks of steam rose off of his still body.

"Nice try, but a couple fancy flips won't do you any good." Doron sighed and rolled his eyes.

It was silent.

"Um...Riba is -" Ms. Bayora went to raise her hand.

"Who said...all I had were fancy flips...?" Riba wheezed, staggering to his feet.

He clutched his chest, where he was struck, and stood firmly.

"You're only delaying the inevitable."

"I don't care...I'll continue to fight..."

"So be it." Doron's hair rose slightly and slowly fluttered in the air as his magic electricity crackled to life once more.

Riba proceeded to dodge, slower this time, but still effective. Then it hit him. Every once and a while, Doron would stop using electricity and throw tiny blades to keep Riba away.

'That's it... he can only use his electricity for a certain amount of time..once it runs out he uses blades.'

At that moment, Riba had instantly thought of a strategy. He waited for Doron to disable his electricity and -

"GUST SPEED" He shouted.

Doron hurled a blade, but Riba had already vanished from where he once was.

"Behind you." Came a whisper.

"What the - OOF!!" Doron swiveled and received a powerful strike to the face, stumbling backward. Riba wasn't going to give him time to find his footing, and uppercutted him to the chin, sending him soaring backward, and collapsing to the ground as if rock were hurled upon rock. Doron felt as if he were falling in slow motion, slowly descending down..and down...

'H-How...he...he hit me...' He thought.

He was feeling pain. Actual pain. It hurt. He had felt this pain before, another time, in the past. This was the same kind of pain. The kind that made him angry. This pain angered him because of the one dealing it to him.

'He was nothing more than a weakling a couple weeks ago...how...?'

The hard collision with the ground shook him from his painful absorption.

"I don't want to be reminded of this pain...I have to beat you....so it stops..."

"What...?" Riba inquired softly

"Nice try..." Doron groused, hobbling to his feet and wiping blood from beneath his nose.

The crowd gasped as Riba and Doron barreled at each other, fists clenched and ready to swing at close range. They both threw punches and kicks, both as well dodging and blocking. It was as if both equally measured up. Each of Riba's swings was full of hatred, and if it hit, then a bit of it vanished. Each of Doron's swings was full of hatred, and if it hit, he got angrier. Both had an equal amount of loathing for each other that couldn't be described, and yet they were so alike. Doron finally locked Riba's arm in his armpit as he swung, and placed a palm on his chest. Riba was blasted by a bolt of lighting before he could react. He soared like a bird on the wing, and flipped in the air, until finally crashing into the wall. The impact made a loud, chilling cracking noise, like a bone snapping in two, and he collapsed to the ground panting and wheezing. His ears rung with the sounds of Doron's footsteps as he approached. He was going to lose...

...but he refused.