Sael raised his arms at the last moment catching the huge furred forearms of the Amazon as they crashed down. Lunging to his feet he pushed her back while she watched as his charred and blackened skin peeled away showing raw flesh that healed so quickly it was unnerving. Shaking her head she stopped to stare at him. "What exactly are you! You're as tough as the mountains, are able to heal faster than I can wound you, you even have wi…"
Sael lunged forward interrupting them with a straight jab to the face. Her nose splattered spraying blood that flowed down her face. "Oh shit, Sorry I didn't mean to hit you in the face!"
He moved forward, feeling bad only to go stumbling back when she popped him in the nose back. Suddenly he was fending off a flurry of punches or claw attacks as her hands rapidly shifted. "Don't tell me you're one of those types! You better not be holding back because I'm a woman!"
Sael's eyes watered from his nose being broken and healed repeatedly before he kicked out catching her in the stomach and pushing her away. He lunged forward locking hands in a struggle of power. "This is a fight! I've no qualms with hitting a woman. I just didn't want to mess up your pretty face!" He pushed forward starting to bow her back. Her arms once again changed to those of a giant gorilla as she pushed him back.
"What is that a complement in the middle of a fight? You expect me to blush and let you win now? HA! Stop playing around and show me what you've really got, if you are man enough!" Her legs shifted becoming huge and thick as she started pushing him to bend backwards.
In response his arms and legs swelled up as the muscles bulged and they were pushed back to a stalemate. Suddenly she revered her stance pulling instead of pushing and as they toppled back she kicked him in the gut knocking him airborne as she fell on her back. She spring boarded back to her feet preparing to attack him while he was mid air only to be interrupted by his shout of. "Stone Breaker!" Her delicate face bounced off the hard sand as he streaked back down faster than she expected with the kick before he landed on her back. His arm snaked around her neck putting her in a choke hold.
"Sorry, I don't have many fancy skills. Just brute force. So, I'm going to need you to give up! Be pissed at me all you want but I don't want to pummel a woman into the ground like I had to for your brother." Sael locked his arms pulling his forearm back against her throat. Beneath him the Amazon went wild struggling to get free, elbowing him in the gut, even shape shifting her arms and legs but he refused to let go. Her face slowly turned red, then purple, and finally started to look blue before the stubborn woman started to go limp.
Once the moderator called the fight he quickly let her go and was glad to see her cough loudly before sucking in a huge breath. "Asshole… You didn't fight me with everything you had! You think I'm that weak?" Her voice was raw, raspy, and angry.
"Nope, I'm the weak one here. Sorry I couldn't give you the fight you wanted, but just can't bring myself to go all out against a woman. Even one as strong as you." He gave her a crooked smile in apology.
"That stupid mentality will get ya killed." She collapsed back still gasping. "You'd better change that way of thinking before it's too late. Damn, Here I was looking forward to having your kids. I'll get stronger, you owe me a rematch at least. No more of this chauvinistic bullshit next time. I want you to go all out or I'ma break you!"
He stood up and offered here his hand. "Deal. Now about our bet. You've got to tell me how you did that shape shifting! And that mud stuff. Oh and that lightning?"
"Shouldn't you buy a woman dinner before you ask all her most intimate secrets?" She took his hand and he looked embarrassed for a moment making her give a bellow of a laugh! "Just kidding with you. You low landers are so soft sometimes. As for your questions, I'll answer em but you'd have to agree to join the Grey Mountain tribes first!" Her bloody face split into a grin.
Around them seeing the fight ending in an amicable manner compared to the last one the crowd seemed pleased. People chanted both fighter's names in almost equal measures. 'Well the crowd is happy. What a messy fight. It's a lot harder to beat someone strong without killing them.' Sael thoughts wandered as he waved to the crowd before exiting.
**********
"Ugh please tell me you aren't adding another girl." Beth greeted him with her hands on her hips as he entered the stands. "And what is this about having kids with Nee?"
"What? Who am I adding? What said anything about kids?" He decided playing dumb just one more time wouldn't hurt. Before turning to Dego. "Dego! What is with these fights? I thought this was going to be super easy. I mean, sure I don't have many skills but Granite Fist felt like he could take a nuke and be fine. If it weren't for my Combat Awareness skill Becket would have mopped the floor with me. And now I've got someone shape shifting and hurling lightning at me. That shit hurt by the way."
"Hey man I said you'd be able to win. Not that there wouldn't be any challenge at all. I didn't expect that demon attack to make most of the weaker fighters leave. The only ones left are the strongest of the strong." He shrugged starting to worry about his own fights he'd be starting after the lower brackets completed.
"Well… I did get two ranks of shock resistance. Plus now I know how badly I need some skills. I wonder why she stopped with the mud and lightning? Think she ran out of mana or something. If she hadn't I'd have been screwed." No one seemed to know about the reason she'd stopped and was shocked that she even had such skills.
'Damn, maybe I should have looked into what my opponents could do. I expected this to be a walk in the park. Skills and magic make too big of a difference. I might have way better stats but if they can match them with a skill like her shape shifting then it doesn't do me much good.' Sael was sitting down letting Beth do her dry cleaning thing when he spotted one of the workers heading his way.
"Sorry, I know the fight just ended but the next fight had a forfeit so we will be ready for your next round whenever. No rush though you can rest for as long as you need too." The worker bobbed his head some as he spoke looking slightly worried.
Sael glanced to the others then shrugged. "I guess I can start right away. No point in drawing this out." He stood up his armor still blackened and covered in soot.
"Um, really it will be no problem if you need some time to recover."
"Naw, Let's get this show on the road." Standing up he followed the nervous worker back down below.
**********
Alan was furious. After watching the embarrassment of a fight the Twilight King had against the Amazon he couldn't wait to go out and show them all what a real fight was. Only to have his opponent forfeit. "Cowards! Have they no spine at all. At least come out and make me look good before losing. A forfeit doesn't give me a chance to show off." His pacing was interrupted by the announcer letting everyone know the next match would start shortly.
"After that embarrassment he is going straight into another fight? Is he trying to show off? He'd better do better, this time. Otherwise it will only be an embarrassment when we fight." He once again moved to watch another fight feeling even more frustrated by the energy and excitement coming from the crowd.
**********
Sael still looked a mess as he strode into the arena but he smiled and waved nonetheless. 'Alright, this time I'm facing one of these magic using twins. At least this time I know what to expect. Get in fast and end it quick before they have a chance to do anything crazy. Although a few more lightning bolts and my resistance might go up again…'
His opponent entered the arena shortly after wearing a pale yellow robe accented with silver designs. He was tall easily over six feet tall with such a dark complexion it stood out in comparison to his bright robes. His curly hair was cut short to the scalp while his right eye was a deep brown and his left a familiar prismatic shimmering silver. In his hand he held a tall polished metal staff that ended in a crescent moon shape. Floating in the center of that crescent was an orb of what looked like quick silver that morphed and changed slightly as it floated.
"I greet you Twilight King. I am the mage known as the Silver Dawn. Grandson of the Arch Magus Sele Rupa who holds the title of the Silver Dusk. I am glad it is I who gets to face you, It would be a shame for such a fighter to be defeated by anyone else!" His face split into a wide grin making his perfectly white teeth shine against his dark skin.
"I greet you back, Silver Dawn. I'm afraid I've not fancy legacy, but maybe after I beat you I can start one!" He grinned and winked back while the moderator started counting down.
The moment the moderator shouted start Dawn raised his staff and cried out "Silver Dawn!" Everyone was caught off guard as a brilliant burst of silvery light blinded them. Slowly, those in the crowd regained their vision just in time to see crescent shaped blades forming out of the seeming endless quicksilver floating within his staff to streak towards the Twilight King.
Sael was cussing up a storm as he was blinded and blinked his eyes furiously knowing an attack was certainly coming. His combat awareness warned him in time to dodge the blades but still his vision wasn't getting any clearer.
In the stands his group watched him dodge the attacks awkwardly even when the blades reversed direction and went flying back to the mage. It was Ara who then pointed out. "Look at his eyes!" Everyone looked closely and realized both of his eyes were solid pools of silver.
"Interesting. I didn't think that attack would finish you off of course. But I didn't expect you to dodge them either." When Dawn spoke Sael lunged forward following his voice. A wall rose up from the ground not of sand or earth but seemed to be made of silver. Sael skidded to a stop before he could run into the wall. "I see, some sort of sensory ability? But it's range seems limited. Maybe ten feet? Very well. I can still work with this."
Sael dived to the side while summoning in his spear before hurling it at the voice enraged at his current blindness. Another wall of silver rose up and Dawn took a step back in shock when the spear pierced through it leaving several feet sticking out the other side before it disappeared. "Damn. You are as powerful as my grandmother warned me. I really do have to make this quick."
A swarm of crescent blades shot out towards Sael but even blinded thanks to his ability dodging them was easy. Or it should have been, silver chains erupted in a mass from the ground wrapping around him. When the silvery blades struck they seemed to pass through the chains doing no harm to them but leaving horrible slash marks all over. Dawn continued to send the blades endlessly towards his opponent, cutting him apart to the shock of the crowds only for them to watch the strange fighter continuously regenerate just as fast. Screaming in rage Sael tore apart the chains and lunged towards the mage. Yet once again when he got close a wall of silver forced him to skid to a stop lest he slam into it. The moment he slowed chains began trying to grapple him again and the blades resumed their barrage.
"It is pointless. You are powerful but it seems you are lacking in the skill department. Is that all you are? All brawn and no brain? I'm a bit disappointed." Dawn shook his head as he continued his assault. Unlike most mages his spell enchanted the quick silver he utilized to repeat a set shape change. He'd used one to blind his opponent. One to continuously make chains, one for blades, and finally the defensive wall set up. He hadn't even had to use his trump card and as long as he had his other spells active even if he needed to chant a new one there wouldn't be an issue. As far as he was concerned the fight was as good as over.
'Damn it. If nothing else this tournament has shown me I've put too much confidence in my raw attributes. I really have to get some skills and learn some damn tactics.' He ripped free of the chains to try and charge forward. This time he leapt up hoping to clear the wall only to have it stretch up causing him to crash face first into it. It was probably a good thing he was blinded, as the smirk on Dawn's face would have made him even more furious.