After spending my last day in the mountains reviewing my past experiences I set off to face Ruben. It took almost a month, but I'm finally ready.
As I reached the hills crest I looked to my left at the tree I collided with. Some of the bark was cracked and there were several broken branches laying beneath it. Strengthening my resolve I stepped passed it and marched towards Ruben's tree dwelling.
I could hear him snoring from 20 feet away. The trees hollow acting to increase the echo making it sound almost like a car engine.
Sitting down, I began to meditate.
Once he woke up from his nap and was well rested I issued the same greeting as before.
"Copper faced Ruben. I'm calling you out. My name is James Marshal ||. Come out and fight me. One on one, no holds barred. You hear me. I CHALLENGE YOU!"
And then I added. "I've trained for this and won't loose a second time."
I waited. No answer. Then I heard it "Yahahahahaha, I knew you'd come! Oh man Lenora lost big. Must be the first time that's ever happened."
Then I saw him. All 30 feet of him. Wielding his Kanabo in both hands he approached my with a smile. He looked leaner than before, his muscles more toned and his eyes fiercer.
"Your not the only one who's been training. After my fight with you I finally decided to get back into shape. It had been awhile since I was challenged after all. And I wouldn't want to disappoint you." His smile broadened as he readied his stance. He looked like a baseball player who's up at bat.
My heartbeat quickened, my mind raced and my muscles tightened. Adrenaline flowing through my veins along with the power from my soul. As I readied my stance, still using the hammer and shield, the battle started.
I immediately dashed forward. Mimicking my movements from last time.
"Don't tell me your going to try that again." Boomed Ruben's loud voice just before he swung down at me, changing his stance mid swing to match a golfers.
I dove forward and rolled towards his legs as I avoided the blow. He moved back slightly before going to kick me. I jumped onto his leg and in one motion spun around and flung my round steel shield with all my strength, while simultaneously grabbing the handle of my hammer with my now free hand and with a continuous motion spun into a strike with my hammer that landed clean to the centre of his left shin.
Both blows landed. For he was too distracted by the shield flying at his face to knock me off his shin, and too distracted by the pain to stop the shield, which struck him clean In his right eye.
While he Reeled from the simultaneous strikes, I jumped off his foot and tried to capitalize on my opening, but Ruben wouldn't let me do that and dragged his foot back to steady himself. Ignoring the sensation in his eye he swung down at me with all his strength. Blistering the ground with the shock from the blow.
I tried to cover my eyes from the debris with my hammer as I jumped backwards.
Sprinting forward while using my footwork to confuse him, as the dust settled around us, he had already lifted his weapon again, not giving me the chance to grab onto it. We then fell into a similar stalemate as the first time. Me avoiding his blows by a hair, him unable to swing properly due to my proximity.
But this time we were both faster, reacted quicker and hit harder.
He was obviously feeling the pain to his shin since he didn't put too much weight on his left leg. I may have even cracked the bone. He was also having trouble following me with only half his vision working properly. Because of these two factors I was able to pick my shield up again.
But it didn't help, our stalemate continued and he was now watching for my shield toss. I couldn't get close enough to jump on his back, nor could he wind up enough to strike at me properly. And like this we battled long into the night and the coming morning.
Every now and then he'd kick me back or swing out with his hand to catch me off guard and it worked the first time, but I was ready the second. Like this the most we couldn do to each other was leave mild wounds. When I got close enough to strike I either didn't have enough momentum or wasn't in the right stop to deal proper damage.
Our bruises pulled up and the dust started to impede my vision. But I didn't let up. I wanted to win. And with my increased reaction time and strong step in, I had effectively closed the gap between us from before. Now i just need to reach his neck and end this. As I was thinking that I looked behind Ruben at his tree. And a wicked grin marked my face.
I slowly maneuvered myself toward the tree as if I was being cornered. When I was close enough I taunted him into striking the ground by opening a little distance. The second the stones flew, so did I.
Using the dust as cover sprinted straight up the side of the tree with all my might and once high enough I griped the bark before I kicked off in a wide arc. Flipping through air I watched as Ruben slowly looked up at me with his one good eye and I spun and flung my shield right at it.
He raised his hand to block it of course, but I then sent my hammer right behind it and watched as it ricocheted off the shield, went through his fingers and struck his forehead just above the eye. He barely felt it. But it gave me time to land on his shoulder and make it to the back of his neck.
With a practiced motion I grabbed the thick long rope from around my waist and cracked the other end like a whip as I hurled it to my right around his throat, barely grabbing onto the other end of it as it came around to my left side. (Something I had to practice hundreds of times on trees and full grown cave bears)
I barely had the time to do it, for he had just reached around to grab me. I leaned back as I pulled the rope upwards. His hands barely missing me as the rope found its way above his Adam's apple and below his jaw. I then pulled the rope tight and made and X as I gripped the left end with my right hand and the right end with my left hand.
Pulling the rope as hard as I could. I watched as it tightened around his neck muscles and chaffed the skin.
He was flailing wildly now, trying to pull me off his back. But with muscles like his, it was not easy. Eventually his face started to redden. Turning an even deeper shade of copper.
He then grabbed his weapon and swung it at his own back.
I wasn't expecting the impact so I was caught off guard. Luckily it hit his lower back and mostly missed me. Though I still loosened the rope for a second. Pulling it tight again I braced for a second strike. Then a third. And a fourth. These ones weren't as strong as the first, but hit much closer to home.
Pulling until the rope tore the skin off my hands and blood trickled down my forearms, I refused to give up. My head was bleeding slightly from being hit with that last blow and I'm pretty sure I cracked more than a few ribs. I didn't care, the thought of victory drove me forward and I pulled harder. Until my muscles screamed at me to stop. And then I pulled some more. The adrenaline fuelling me had numbed some of the pain.
That's when he started running. Straight into his massive tree dwelling. He made it too a full on sprint before turning and slamming back first into the dense bark of the tree.
'Crack' "NNNNGGGGGHHHHHH" I screamed through gritted teeth as he readied himself to slam into the tree again. Blood flowed from my nose, my mouth and from one of my ears. My bones were wailing in pain. But my mind hadn't given up. I pushed my souls energy through every cell in my body and pulled the rope with the last once of strength I possessed.
Ruben kept running and just as he was about jump, turn and slam into the tree, he stumbled. His left shin splintered under his weight and he fell face first into the dense purple dark of his own home, knocking him unconscious and ending the fight.
I hadn't realized what happened till a few seconds after Ruben hit the ground and didn't move. The wound I gave him to his left shin was more severe than I thought. If not for that I might be paste right now. Finally letting go of the rope around Rubin's neck I felt his body rise as he coughed slightly.
As I stood atop the behemoth of a man I lost my balance and toppled into the dirt beside him.
The sun's warm glow pierced through the clouds, lighting up my surroundings. Reflecting its rays off the water droplets coating the golden-crimson leaves and the violet bark of the tree.
I looked up at the sky. This is the feeling I longed for in space.
Not just witnessing something beautiful and moving on. But searing a beautiful moment into my mind through experience. A hard fought battle. Meeting a new friend. Defeating a hated foe. My adventures just beginning. I closed my eyes and took a deep, long breath. Focusing inward I imprinted the memory.. No! The very feelings themselves onto my soul. The feelings of pain, of happiness and fear, of loss and defeat, of triumph and determination. These feelings boiled through my damaged body, every cell a blazing flame.
I will never forget any of this!
Taking my time to get up I walked my broken body over to my shield and hammer before picking them up with my torn hands. I looked over at Ruben's sleeping form. I had nothing but respect for the the warrior who laid before me.
I had won.
It took everything I had and even more than that, but I had bested him. I fell to my knees with a smile. But before I hit the ground something caught me.
I barely saw a glimpse at what it was before I spoke. "Help him too. And thanks for coming."
It was Mikayla and Stephen. They looked down at me, awe could be seen in their eyes.
"Of course." And that was the last thing I heard before going falling unconscious.