by M E Robinson
“For our final fight of the round, we have Boreik Griffinwing, representing Riptide! He is the sixth representative of Riptide today, and the only one who hasn’t yet made it to the next round. Will Riptide have a perfect record? Well it’s up to his opponent, Seryllia Vespin! Representing herself, this fiery lady will need to work hard if she wants to prevent Riptide from being the second organization in the top sixteen with a perfect record!” said Halfthur, introducing the two fighters to the audience.
“I’m still annoyed that all three of Hydrus’ group made it through,” Ryan commented, flashing a dirty glance towards where Hydrus, Barns, and Grott were sitting.
“Just be glad that all of us made it through as well. Your match was a little dangerous at the end there Ryan,” Mark replied.
“I just really wanted to see if I could get a cooler kill than Jun did. That last shot was sick,” Ryan replied, looking enviously towards Jun.
Jun laughed. “Dumbass thought that I couldn’t hit him if he got behind me.”
Chuckling at this, the group turned their attention back to the projection, where the fight was about to start.
Rushing forward, Seryllia activated Charge, blitzing across the stage with her axe held high. Not wanting to take a full power strike from Seryllia standing still, Griffin activated Shield Rush, charging out to meet her with his shield held in front of him, the boss gleaming brightly in the afternoon sun.
With a loud roar, Seryllia swung her axe, the curved axehead whistling through the air towards Griffin’s helmet. Raising his shield, Griffin caught the axe, deflecting it wide and sending it crashing into the stone floor. Swinging his sword, Griffin howled, activating Wild Strike as he attempted to punish Seryllia’s vicious attack. With a howling sound, the illusory wolf claws appeared, accompanying Griffin’s sword as it swung downwards towards Seryllia’s exposed flank.
Ignoring Griffin’s attack, Seryllia let go of her axe with one hand, using it to conjure a Flame Strike which she launched towards Griffin’s face as she used her other hand to bring her axe back in preparation for another strike.
“And they both land a hit on each other! Boreik eats a Flame Strike as Seryllia takes a sword skill to the side. Wavesun, what skill do you think that was? I’ve never seen anything like it,” Halfthur commented, passing the buck over to Wavesun.
“Well Halfthur, it looks like a wild skill. A skill imparted to those who are considered friends of the wilderness. From the appearance of the claws, I would guess it’s a feline or canine type animal that imparted this skill to Griffinwing. But it could be that he created it himself, having been inspired by an animal. Either way, it’s a very impressive skill, and Seryllia cannot be feeling too good right now,” Wavesun replied, his magically amplified voice filling the stadium.
As the two commentators discussed Griffin’s skill, the fight below raged on. Seryllia ignored defence, using a combination of axe skills and fire magic to pressure Griffin relentlessly, forcing him on the backfoot. Fortunately for Griffin, his knowledge of Seryllia’s skills was fairly high thanks to Tom’s tutelage. Thus far, he’d been able to hold on, repelling her strikes with his shield, and counterattacking with a mix of Wild Strike and more basic tank skills to throw her off balance.
Seeing an opportunity, Griffin blocked another strike with his shield. As Seryllia began to cast another Flame Strike, Griffin stepped forward, hacking downwards with his sword, aiming for Seryllia’s arm that was still holding on to her axe.
Even Seryllia couldn’t ignore this strike. Letting go of her axe, she launched the Flame Strike at Griffin, throwing herself bodily at him as he went for another Wild Strike.
Not expecting this sudden turn of events, Griffin was knocked down, Seryllia landing on top of him as she attempted to pin him, her fists showering his face with punches. Using his superior size to his advantage, Griffin rolled, throwing Seryllia to the side as he staggered back to his feet.
Rolling lightly, Seryllia grabbed her axe from the ground, rising to meet Griffin’s charge with a blow of her own.
“Neither Boreik nor Seryllia will give in! They’re both going at it non-stop! Who do you think has the advantage here, Wavesun? Boreik’s looking pretty strong, Seryllia’s taking a lot of damage from these trades,” Halfthur commented.
“Boreik seems to be forcing himself to trade with Seryllia. I was watching him in the earlier rounds, and he generally preferred to take a more calculated approach. I feel that Boreik’s giving Seryllia too much respect - he’s being sucked into her pace. If he’s not careful, then Seryllia will overwhelm him with her aggressive playstyle,” Wavesun analyzed.
“Mmmmh,” Halfthur replied. “That’s definitely a concern for Griffinwing. However, for now he seems to be doing well. The two fighters are roughly even in health, but Griffinwing’s defence is holding strong,” Halfthur said, turning back to the match below.
Using Shield Rush, Griffin struck Seryllia in the face, knocking her a step backwards. Raising his sword, Griffin attempted to go on the offensive, howling as he activated Wild Strike. However, as the illusory claws began to appear, the butt of Seryllia's axe slammed into Griffin’s stomach, forcing the skill to come to a halt as Griffin's sword stilled in midair.
With a groan, it was Griffin’s turn to stumble backwards, the breath having been literally knocked out of him. Launching herself towards him, Seryllia’s axehead began to glow red, descending like a thunderbolt towards Griffin’s exposed head.
Collapsing like a sack of potatoes, Griffin was whisked away by the blue light, leaving Seryllia alone on the stage.
“And Seryllia finishes Boreik off with a Power Blow! Riptide does not maintain its perfect record, as Boreik Griffinwing fails to advance. Seryllia Vespin is the winner!” Halfthur announced, the audience surging to their feet as cheers filled the arena.
With a snort, Seryllia left the stage, making her way back to viewing lounge where Eric and the others were looking depressed.
“He messed up. He didn’t expect her to feint at the end there,” Eric said sadly.
“Feint? Where did she feint?” Mark asked curiously.
“Right at the end, when Griffin used Shield Rush. He expected her to respond with an attack of her own like she’d done the entire fight, Shield Rush would’ve blocked the attack and let him follow up with a Wild Strike which probably would have won him the fight. But Seryllia feinted the strike, instead taking the Shield Rush and slamming the end of her axe into Griffin’s chest, which was what allowed her to get that final skill off without Griffin blocking it,” Ryan explained.
Eric nodded. “Yeah. Who would have expected her to feint there? She’s been going full aggro the entire tournament. If she’d reacted normally, then using Shield Rush was the right call. Griffin just didn’t wait to see if he’d blocked an attack before throwing out Wild Strike.”
“Damn. So in the end he really did lose to her,” Jun commented.
“Yeah. I’m not sure if he was giving her too much respect or not enough. But in the end, Griffin’s been eliminated. At least he made it into the elite platoon I suppose,” Mark said heavily.
Chapter 32
“With that, Seryllia Vespin is the final fighter to advance to the top sixteen. Only four rounds remain. Sixteen fighters are left fighting for the top spot. Audience. Are. You. Ready?!” Halfthur screamed.
With a resounding roar, the stadium shook as audience members responded, clapping their hands and stomping their feet to show their approval.
“Well then. Let’s not delay. Your first fight will be between Gorin Greatarm and Hydrus Mortang! Fighters. To the stage!”
Hydrus’ second fight took slightly longer than the first had; however, this was only because, as a fighter, Gorin was wearing far more armour than Tanix had. With a huge swing, Hydrus sent Gorin flying, Gorin’s club soaring out of his hands and crashing heavily onto the stage. Staring impassively, Hydrus watched as the blue light enveloped Gorin, whisking him away as Hydrus raised his sword in
triumph.
“And Hydrus Mortang wins! With an incredible showing, he has dispatched Gorin Greatarm and taken the first spot in the top eight. Can any of the other fighters put a halt to his rampage? Well, we’ll have to watch carefully as Astrid Feathershot faces off against Tamira Copperhair! Which of these beauties will advance? And which will have her journey cut tragically short? Vindammer, let me hear you make some noise!” Halfthur roared, hyping up the crowd as the two ladies entered the ring.
Just as Eric had expected, Astrid and Tamira’s match was fast paced. Not content to simply stand back, Tamira’s all-out offensive had allowed her to advance this far, and she wasn’t about to change her style now. In contrast, Astrid’s cool gaze precipitated her arrows, each bolt finding a place in the growing collection in Tamira’s chest.
Activating a skill, a watery light surrounded the arrow Astrid had nocked to her bow. Soaring forward, the arrow struck Tamira and exploded, the watery light transforming into crystals of ice that pierced her chest and assaulted her eyes. With a cry of pain, Tamira fell, writhing helplessly on the ground as she clutched at her face. Taking out another arrow, Astrid fired it pointblank into the redhead’s chest, eliminating the last of Tamira’s healthbar with an apologetic smile.
“And Astrid Feathershot wins! Tamira Copperhair is unable to even touch the blonde-haired archer as she is eliminated in the round of sixteen. Wavesun, what do you think of the end there?” Halfthur asked, turning the commentary over to Wavesun.
“Feathershot’s aim is uncanny. Despite Copperhair’s attempts to dodge, each and every arrow Feathershot fired this match landed on Copperhair. Copperhair had the right idea at the end there, using Rockslide Rush to raise her defenses and rush in. However, Astrid countered with a beautiful Frost Shot, which did magical damage, something Tamira was clearly unprepared for. Had Tamira used Rockslide Rush sooner, I feel she might have had a chance; however, her overconfidence in her ability to dodge Feathershot’s arrows cost her,” Wavesun analyzed.
“Well said. Do you think Feathershot has a chance to defeat Hydrus? We saw him bat spells out of midair in the first round against Tanix. Can Feathershot slip arrows past his defenses? Or is she doomed to fail?” Halfthur asked.
“Tough to say. Feathershot has incredible accuracy, but I don’t think we’ve seen all of Hydrus’ abilities just yet. All I know is we’re in for one hell of a round,” Wavesun predicted.
“I agree. Now then, our next pair of fighters are up, and it’s going to be a teamkill! Erick ‘Kyp’ Kystfyr will be fighting his fellow Riptide member, Sweet ‘Hope’ Sins! It’s a battle between friends, so let’s hope that neither holds back as they each fight for a place in the top eight!” Halfthur announced, introducing the pair as Eric and Rob took to the stage.
“Sorry Rob, but I’m going to be advancing here,” Eric said, flashing his friend a cocky smile.
“Lol sure,” Rob replied, looking supremely unconcerned.
Taking their positions, Eric and Rob both looked towards the announcer’s booth, waiting for Halfthur to start the fight.
Seeing the two fighters staring up towards the booth, Halfthur let out a shout, “Let the fight begin!”
As Halfthur’s shout echoed through the arena, Eric looked at Rob. He’d fought alongside Rob for years across many different games and he knew his playstyle well. Even though they’d only played Fate together for just over a week, his understanding of Rob’s fighting style was deep. Unfortunately, the same was true for Rob. While Eric hadn’t revealed all of the abilities he’d gained from studying under Lucy, it was most likely that the same could be said for Rob. Eric had no idea what Rob had learned from studying with the combat focused Rimestone Circle. As such, this was likely to be his most intense fight yet.
Abandoning any thoughts he might’ve had about hiding his magic, Eric drew his athame, leaving the falchion sheathed as he confronted his friend.
As the audience watched, two pairs of runes appeared in midair, as both Eric and Rob fired spells at each other.
“And Kyp opens the fight with a Wind Blade, but Hope responds with a Stone Sphere! Both fighters are casting spells non-stop, it looks like we’ve got a proper mage fight on our hands!” Halfthur commented excitedly, rising from his seat as he watched the events unfolding below.
Spell after spell whistled across the stage below as Eric and Rob both attempted to be the first to break through the other’s defenses. Dodging to the side, Eric watched as a Stone Sphere sail past, slamming into the stage behind him and showering his legs with shrapnel. This isn’t going to work. His earth spells are acting like grenades. Even when he doesn’t hit me directly, I still lose a bit of health, Eric thought with a frown, firing a Wind Dart towards Rob as he did so.
Standing in place, Rob continued to shower the area around Eric with spells, aiming for his lower body to allow his missed spells to strike the stage near Eric’s feet.
“Hope’s Stone Sphere seems to be giving Kyp some trouble. His health is slowly going down with every spell he dodges. Even though he’s hitting Hope with the occasional spell, that damage he’s taking is starting to add up,” Halfthur commented.
“Yes, Kyp needs to find a way to either increase the rate that he’s dealing damage to Hope, or find a way to negate the damage that he’s taking from those stone shards,” Wavesun added, leaning closer to observe the fight below.
Eric grimaced as he heard the announcer’s commentary. They were right, if he didn’t find a way to start outdamaging Rob, then he was going to lose this war of attrition. Guess I’ve got no choice, gotta advance, Eric decided, leaving the area he’d been standing in since the start of the fight as he began to advance towards Rob. Abandoning offense, Eric began to rush towards Rob, firing Arcane Strikes at him as he ran to throw off Rob’s aim. As he ran, Eric did his best to dodge Rob’s spells, rolling and dodging to avoid the various Stone Spheres and Water Blades that Rob sent his way. Jumping, Eric twisted his body, going nearly horizontal as Rob’s Stone Sphere passed just underneath him.
“And Kyp advances! He’s already covered more than half the stage, is he planning to bring the fight to melee range? We already know he’s pretty deadly with that falchion,” Halfthur speculated, watching as Eric slid underneath a Water Blade.
“I don’t think that’s a great idea. We already watched Hope take on a very good close-combat fighter in Ziral Ironbane last round. Hope’s ability to kite was absolutely phenomenal last round, and I see no reason why it should be any different this round. Kyp’s going to need to do more than just bring the fight into melee range if he wants to defeat his teammate here,” Wavesun commented.
Under the crowd’s watchful gazes, Eric arrived within five metres of Rob’s position. Coming to a sudden halt, Eric ducked as he avoided another Water Blade, firing an Arcane Strike in response which struck Rob in the chest.
“Gonna come any closer? I’ve beaten Ryan before, and he’s a better swordsman than you are,” Rob stated, preparing another spell as he watched Eric begin to circle.
“Heh, who said that I was going to use my sword? I’ve got a different plan,” Eric replied, casting a Wind Dart towards Rob.
As the audience watched, the true mage’s duel began. Both Eric and Rob fired spell after spell towards each other from only a couple metres away, the spells flashing in the sun as they crossed the short distance between the two mages.
At this distance, Eric’s spells were much more accurate, his Wind Darts striking Rob repeatedly. His dodges were also far more effective, as Rob was forced to cast spells directly at Eric in order to keep his damage output high. As a result, many of Rob’s spells flew past, exploding harmlessly several metres away.
“Ah, I think I understand,” Wavesun commented thoughtfully.
“You’ve figured out Kyp’s plan?” Halfthur asked excitedly, causing the audience to perk up.
“Yes. One of Kyp’s biggest strengths is his ability to avoid attacks. Against Mikasa, he was able to avoid almost all
of her strikes. Even earlier this fight, he was avoiding most of Hope’s spells, it was just that the splash damage from the Stone Spheres meant that he was accumulating more damage despite his fairly high accuracy with his own spells,” Wavesun explained.
Halfthur nodded. “Right. But how does Kyp advancing allow him to win? Hasn’t Hope’s accuracy improved now that Kyp’s closer?”
“Yes. But Kyp is still dodging the majority of Hope’s spells. Look,” Wavesun replied.
As Halfthur and the audience watched, Eric dodged another spell, leaping horizontally over a Stone Sphere and firing an Arcane Strike towards Rob in response. Rolling, Eric avoided another Stone Sphere, which exploded behind him, showering his back with stone splinters. Ignoring this, Eric drew the rune for an Arcane Strike mid-roll, completing the spell even as he tumbled across the ground. Rolling to his feet, Eric fired the Arcane Strike directly at Rob, disrupting his attempt to cast another spell as the runes he was drawing exploded into sparkles of light.
Seeing his opportunity, Eric activated Dashing Cut and rushed forward, covering the distance between them nearly instantly. As he moved, Eric leaned backwards, entering into a controlled slide as a Water Blade flew overhead. With a crash, Eric slammed into Rob, bringing his friend toppling down. Whirling around at lightning speed, Eric used the Quickwind Dagger as a weapon, stabbing repeatedly at his friend while he struggled to get his bearings.
As the Quickwind Dagger tore hole after hole in Rob’s robes, Rob lashed out, catching Eric unawares with a kick to the gut. Falling backwards, Eric managed to convert his momentum into a somersault, rolling to his feet and launching himself towards Rob once more.
“Kyp is relentless in his pursuit of Hope! He’s combining movement skills with low level magic to suppress Hope, preventing him from getting spells off as Kyp cuts him to pieces!” Halfthur shouted excitedly.
“Yes, Kyp’s mastery of low level magic is allowing him to get off spells in half the time as Hope. Normally, spells such as Arcane Strike are only slightly faster than Hope’s Stone Sphere or Water Blade. Against a normal mage, Hope would still be able to cast a Stone Sphere in the time it takes for Kyp’s Arcane Strike to both be cast and traverse the distance between the two mages. This is what Hope was able to do earlier when Kyp was using Wind Dart. Despite Kyp’s faster casting time, Hope was still able to get off a spell in response. However, by closing the distance and using the even simpler Arcane Strike, Kyp is managing to interrupt nearly half of Hope’s spells. Plus, Hope also has to be wary of Kyp’s melee capabilities. Even if he’s not charging in at every opportunity, just the threat of them means that Hope has to be on guard, which increases the mental burden he’s facing and is forcing him to make even more mistakes,” Wavesun analyzed.
