The crowd winced, but Krez waved off their concern, struggling to his feet with a pained expression, a deep cut on his scalp.
"Stop the match," Lance called, stepping into the ring.
"I'm fine!" Krez protested, though he clutched his side.
"You're not," Lance said firmly, kneeling beside him. He already noticed that blood had started leaking from his skull and soaking his hair.
Placing his hand on the young goblin's head, Lance used his healing magic, or rather, ability. A soft golden light enveloped the injured goblin, and the tension in his face melted away as the pain vanished.
The crowd murmured in awe as Lance helped Krez to his feet.
"Take a break," Lance said, his tone gentle but firm. "You've done well, but there's no shame in resting."
Krez hesitated, then nodded, his expression filled with gratitude. Well, in the end, he would have to heal the other goblin who was Krez's opponent, if not, the match would not be fair.
By the time the final match began, the air was electric with anticipation. The two strongest warriors in the tribe, at least, amongst the younger ones, were about to showcase their strength, Rikka and Dran, squared off in the center of the ring, their wooden weapons raised.
"Begin!" Rynne called for the match to begin as she stepped back.
Rynne leaned toward Lance, her smirk widening. "This should be good."
This match was not at the same level as the previous one. It was going to represent the strength of the two tribes that had now become one. In their earlier meeting, Dran had lost to Rikka because he underestimated her and was unprepared, so he too was more than motivated to prove himself.
The match began with both parties charging at each other fiercely. While Rikka wielded two daggers, Dran wielded a sword. A classic showdown between swords and knives.
The match was fierce, both combatants displaying the full extent of their capabilities. Rikka's speed and agility were matched by Dran's raw strength, their movements a blur whenever they exchanged attacks at close distances briefly, clashing again and again with tactical minds and decisions.
The crowd erupted into cheers as Rikka executed a flawless feint, dodging Dran's strike and landing a solid blow to his side using the hilt of her knife. The crowd cheered even louder when Dran absorbed the blow with gritted teeth and countered with a sweeping strike, forcing Rikka to retreat.
The fight continued for several minutes, both warriors refusing to yield, but it was evident, the fight would not last much longer.
Finally, with a well-timed strike, Rikka disarmed Dran, sending his weapon spinning into the dirt as she rushed him with a flurry of aggressive combination attacks, fully utilizing her speed and agility to target his blind spots as best she could.
Dran managed to block a few at first, but he was soon overwhelmed. Not taking the fact that he was not speed oriented, he was also tired and his body could barely achieve the same level of output it could at the beginning of the match. With one final powerful nudge using her shoulder, with one leg behind Dran, Rikka sent him to the dirt, lying face up to the sky and leaves.
The crowd roared as Rikka stood victorious, her chest heaving but her expression triumphant. She glanced at Lance, a toothy grin on her face before she looked away to celebrate with the crowd.
'Not bad, she actually remembered that move I taught her.' Lance thought to himself with the smile on his face.
He himself had no idea what the move was, he had simply seen it back on earth in different places, and once, while he and Rikka were together, showed it to her. Unexpectedly, she was fascinated by the move, even though Lance didn't see how it would help during an actual battle where she would have to kill her opponent, but seeing it being used now, he understood. Not all battles lead to deaths.
…
As the tournament came to an end, and the crowd had celebrated enough, Lance stepped forward, raising his hands for silence.
"You've all done incredible work," he said, his voice carrying over the murmurs. "Today wasn't just about winning or losing, it was about showing what you're capable of. And you've proven that you're stronger than ever."
The goblins cheered, their pride evident in their faces.
"But this is just the beginning," Lance continued. "We'll keep pushing, keep growing. Because out there, the world isn't going to wait for us to catch up. We need to be ready for whatever comes our way."
The crowd erupted once more.
…
Later, as the camp settled into the quiet of the evening, Lance sat by the fire outside his tent, relaxing and just taking in the view for once. He noticed Rynne approaching, her figure unnaturally attractive to him more than usual.
'Huh? What is this?' Slowly, the feeling faded, leaving Lance a little confused.
"Feeling motivated enough to start training more?" Rynne said, dropping down beside him.
"Thanks, but I just need a little more time, there's no way I don't have any talent for magic," Lance said, hiding the subtle pain in his voice.
"Sure, sure. Even then, I still expect you to improve your body and fighting skills, mana is not infinite. When you run out of it and don't know any other way to fend for yourself, you're cooked. I can understand if it happens to be Lina or Mira in that situation, it would be really sad if you're the one, wouldn't it?" Rynne said, a rather thoughtful look on her face.
Lance understood her very well, and honestly, he still planned to train himself physically, he just needed more time to figure out this magic situation he was in. "You're right. I just want to see what I am capable of with magic, then I'll return to training seriously." Lance said.
"If you say so. Just don't get comfortable and end up taking too long, comfort, can sometimes be detrimental, you know?" She said.
Listening to her, Lance felt a little bit of happiness and content from within. He could see that she truly cared for him and wanted the best for him and his future. He already knew this, but moments like this where it shows in a clearer form, made him happy to be with her and the others. More than anything, it was filling and empowering.
"Huh? Is that Kaeli?, she looks rather awful," Rynne said, looking over to the side.
Before Lance could comment though, Lina called for Rynne and she had to leave while Kaeli walked up to him looking almost like a ghost.
"Hey, Lance…"