Nyne ran into the forest, gasping.
"Stop there, you bastard!" He yelled, running even faster.
They split into groups of one versus one. Going against Makr's advice and for Trys' sake, Gaia chose to put her water magic against Kiion's poison magic.
Nyne swore to get his revenge and followed Maelo into the forest. Steel faced off against earth as Makr and Akem stared each other down in another location within the forest. While the others still chose their opponents, Ivaad and Vorgard were already tearing at each other's necks.
Ivaad cried out in a mighty roar. His eyes turned red and hairs grew on his arm. Ivaad's body grew big and thick, and his skin turned dark orange with black stripes blended into it.
He growled. "Shall we!"
"Transformation magic?" Vorgard whispered, moving away from the Murder. He remained where he was, not impressed by his foe's transformation. He slid his palm over his spiked club, his magical aura seeping into the weapon.
"Incatmre," Vorgard enchanted. "Come," he said, gesturing the half man half beast.
Man versus a manly beast. Theirs was a battle of sheer strength and will. Who could overpower the other? That was the question this battle sought to answer.
Vorgard perceived a different aura around his opponent. His brows furrowed and he stayed his gaze on the enemy. He knew even a blinking of an eye will come with a dire price.
Ivaad blurred out of sight in a moment's notice. Vorgard's eyes followed and they clashed yet again, hammering at each other.
Vorgard swung his enchanted metal club at the Murder, who abandoned defense and went on a full blown attack. The Murder launched a punch that forced the pressure of the wind to jam against the face of his opponent. His beastly hands jammed the metal club instead and their struggle for power continued.
Ivaad took caution as he fought Vorgard. He was not going to be played like a fool twice. Ivaad's leg came up from under Vorgard like a missile, a kick shot to Vorgard's chin that left him no chance to think of a counter.
Blam!
The kick sent him up, his legs lifted off the ground and while midair, Ivaad delivered a mighty punch to his torso. Vorgard might have lost the first time but he was not giving up. He put his club between his torso and Ivaad's rocket fist. Even with his effort at defending, the punch still sent him flying away.
Vorgard spat blood and rubbed his trunk to calm the pain he felt. The sorcerer from Labronkath got on his feet and walked back, shaking it off.
"To take the full brunt of my fist and still move like nothing happened," Ivaad said. He paused when he realized what happened.
"I see, so that's how it is," Ivaad said, chuckling. "Then I will just have to tear that armour from your body!"
Defense Magic Art: Armour of Aer.
Vorgard clothed in his skin with an armour of Aer, so thin that it went unnoticed.
Ivaad felt a sting and looked at his leg. "I can see you got my leg too. Nice one," Ivaad commended.
Vorgard struck Ivaad's leg with his club as he landed his kick but the force with which it came was unstoppable. For that reason alone, Ivaad succeeded in landed his kick.
Ivaad quickly closed the gap between them. He swung his arm with full force at Vorgard, who crouched to evade. Vorgard moved his hands to a certain extent as he attempted to swing his club. His motion was intercepted and halted when Ivaad buried his knee into his shoulder, just as he was about to swing.
Ivaad leaned forward and yelled, "Got you!" He grabbed Vorgard by his waist, lifting him into a powerbomb position.
"Huh? What!" Vorgard uttered. He understood that the position he was in was a dangerous one. To be open to attacks from such an opponent.
Ivaad grinned. "Tiger Splash Bomb!" he cried out, hammering Vorgard's back to the ground.
Boom!
The sound of Vorgard's body hitting the ground rumbled.
"What was that?" Makr asked, glancing up.
Akem looked in the direction the sound came and chuckled. "It can only be..."
"It can only be Ivaad's," Maelo said. He answered Nyne who asked a similar thing as Makr on his end.
Vorgard's body crashed into the ground with cracks spreading outward from where he laid. A screen of dust rose and a crater was created from such thunderous impact.
"No way your spine is not broken from that," Ivaad bragged. Dusting his hands, he walked away while laughing.
"They should be done by now," he said.
Ivaad's senses tingled. He picked up something that caused him to move his body to the side. The object swung through the air in a loud swoop, clearing the dust screen as it pierced the air to strike Ivaad, who successfully dodged by his movement. It was Vorgard's spiked metal club carried with a heavy swing.
Ivaad shifted and Vorgard smashed the ground, cracking it further.
Ivaad's heart dropped. "No...way!" he mumbled. He looked at Vorgard no better than a ghost.
Vorgard stood before him with no signs of obvious injury. But Ivaad felt he was different.
The aura around Vorgard was no longer the same from seconds again. Ivaad felt a sense of pressure from him, and he did not like that feeling.
Vorgard locked eyes with him. "Ivaad Meon. This is where it all ends," he threatened.
"Tch!" Ivaad scorned, "I don't know how you survived my powerbomb..."
The half man half tiger bared his fangs and claws and surge of energy was released from his body.
"...but I'll end it here!"
Ivaad's transformation took a step further. He crouched into a four legged posture, turning into the full form of a tiger. A voracious orange beast, hairy and fierce looking. His eyes were sharp, darting and searching of an unlucky prey. Ivaad bared his fangs and roared at the sorcerer.
Ivaad wasted no time in pouncing on his prey. Its shadow swallowed Vorgard as it landed. The sorcerer jumped back, evading the potential torture of bearing that bone-crushing weight in one body.
Vorgard looked down at his chest. His cloth was branded with three jagged lines and his chest bore three fresh marks that bled. Ivaad's claws reached his chest albeit scratching just the surface of his body.
"What a voracious beast!" Vorgard exclaimed.
Vorgard became more alert. Ivaad proved he was faster and stronger. Ivaad dashed around his prey in circles, very fast that it seemed he moved as a blur even for his size.
In an instant, he appeared in front of Vorgard. Ivaad thrust his claws forward aiming for his target's face but Vorgard tilted his neck in time to get only a scratch of the sharp claws.
Vorgard's mask cracked from the scratch of Ivaad's claws and shattered, revealing his face.
The weretiger swung another limb at Vorgard aiming for the side of his face. Vorgard pulled up his forearm to block only to be forced back many steps.
"His attacks are more powerful now," Vorgard thought.
Ivaad growled. "Tsk! This brat's defense is sturdy," Ivaad thought, disappointed that he was yet to deal a heavy damage.