Chereads / Harbinger's Determination / Chapter 26 - Fighting in the dark

Chapter 26 - Fighting in the dark

[Took long enough.]

"Good luck!" Lilee gives Dimas a few supportive claps on the back. "Don't be afraid to summon me!"

Dimas says nothing as he steps through the portal. Bits of stone crunch underneath him.

Carver's blood no longer stains the field. After his match had ended, the field was 'reset' by the woman from before. Leaving it devoid of any evidence of a fight.

A scrawny man steps out onto the field opposite of Dimas. The scrawny man had dirty clothes that probably hadn't seen any soap in years. His hair was no better, it was long and unkempt. Dark circles underneath his eyes showed a clear lack of sleep. He would look around quickly with a fearful looking face as if he was expecting to be ambushed at any moment.

[Great… Another weirdo.]

Dimas almost felt insulted being paired up against Daniel. His scrawny physique would be a threat to a fly, with its wings ripped off and even that's a maybe, but not to Dimas. Not to mention Daniel's fearful nature, it looks as if he's on the verge of a heart or anxiety attack.

[Still, he made it this far which means he's either capable or his team is.]

Despite his pathetic looking opponent, Dimas doesn't lower his guard for a single moment.

The moustached man holds out a Crild.

"Heads." Dimas says.

"I want heads…" Daniel calls out with a voice even more frail than his body.

Dima rolls his eyes and shrugs. "Tails then."

The moustached man tosses the coin and it lands on the sun symbol.

"Daniel has the support advantage." The moustached man announces.

[Damn, should've stuck with heads… Whatever, just gotta end this before he can call for support.]

The bell rings and everything goes dark for Dimas. He hears the audience gasp in surprise.

Lilee stands up from the table in surprise. She sees the same thing the audience does, a black orb enveloped around Dimas's head.

[Did I just go blind? What is this?]

Dimas touches his face and eyes but doesn't feel anything that could be blocking his vision.

[Is this his Brío Arts?]

He hears footsteps rapidly approaching him. Dimas puts his hands up in defense. Daniel claws at Dimas's arms before quickly pulling back. The scratches, while not deep, still hurt and sting.

[Never thought I'd have this type of fight…]

Dimas, when he was first starting to fight, once thought that he should practice fighting in the dark after seeing it in a movie. However, with no one to train with and the low chances of ever being in that situation Dimas believed it to be a waste of time. If only he knew.

Dimas hears the sound of shoes to his left and throws a hit that connects with nothing but empty space. Dimas feels Daniel's hand as it scratches from his right cheek and towards his ear. Dimas can feel droplets of blood forming on his cheek.

[¡Hijo de perra! Goddammit, that stings!]

Dimas realizes that Daniel must've taken his shoes off and thrown them to distract Dimas. It also means Daniel would be able to move around much more quietly. Dimas strains his ears but the constant yells from the crowd make it difficult to hear Daniel. A stone hits Dimas near his mouth, breaking his concentration.

[He's throwing rocks now!?]

On Terrama, it wasn't against the rules to use a weapon or the environment because some Brío Arts are able to utilize them. However, Daniel was simply throwing rocks which can be seen as cheap but not against the rules. Everyone betting on Daniel were cheering him on even if they didn't like his tactics.

A cold shiver runs down Lilee's spine when she catches a glimpse of Daniel's face. He no longer looked afraid instead he looked like a lunatic out for blood.

Dimas shields his face from the rocks but Daniel continues to scratch at him. Dimas's arms, shoulders, the back of his neck and head become covered by lacerations. Several of them are bleeding.

Whenever Dimas reaches out for Daniel after being scratched, Daniel takes the opportunity to throw a rock at Dimas's face which causes Dimas to miss.

[This sucks!]

Dimas has tried listening to Daniel's footsteps but the crowd is too noisy. He can try swinging wildly around but that'll lead to him getting tired while Daniel just has to keep his distance. Reaching for Daniel after a scratch hasn't worked out for Dimas either, the small cuts on his face made from thrown rocks can attest to that. He could always wait for Daniel's Brío to run out but Dimas had no idea when that could be. Since Daniel had the support advantage, Dimas didn't really have the luxury to wait.

[I have to try something, anything.]

Lilee watches as Dimas stands up fully with his hands to his side. 'What are you doing?! You're defenseless?!' Lilee yells at the display. Daniel wastes no time and begins to hurl rock after rock at Dimas. Daniel moves around to avoid staying in the same spot for long in case Dimas rushes him.

Everyone watches as Dimas takes every rock throw without so much as flinching. Drops of blood begin to spill from the dark orb.

Although she can't see underneath the dark orb, Lilee imagines the damage Dimas is taking from the rocks. 'Are you planning something?' Lilee thinks to herself.

A rock slams near Dimas's right eye.

[Left]

His left temple takes a hit.

[Right]

The back of his head gets hit. This one actually hurt, he almost reached back to rub it.

[Right]

Another strike to his left temple.

[Left again… Got it. Which means…]

Dimas calls the flecks, sending them to his legs. He spins around 180 degrees on his heels and kicks the floor. He goes flying, blindly, and crashes right into Daniel.

Smack!

They both go tumbling across the floor. Dimas manages to roll onto his feet and stands up ready to fight. The dark orb evaporates leaving Dimas monetarily blinded from the sudden light. When Dimas's eyes become accustomed to the light he sees Daniel crumpled on the floor. Even though Daniel is down for the count, Dimas has half a mind to give him a few good kicks.

[Down already? That's too bad, I wanted to pay him back for all the scratches.]

However, he holds himself back because it'll disqualify him.

"The winner of this round is Dimas!"