by M E Robinson
Regarding each other warily, Astrid and Hydrus took up their positions. Nodding towards the announcer’s booth, the two fighters gripped their weapons tightly as they waited for Halfthur to begin the fight.
“Let the fight begin!”
The words had barely left Halfthur’s lips when Hydrus surged forwards, his greatsword trailing behind him as he rushed towards Astrid. Nocking an arrow, Astrid sighted on the charging fighter, loosing a shot which tore through the air towards Hydrus’ face. With a sneer, Hydrus brought up his greatsword, the long blade cleaving the arrow aside as he continued his rush.
“And Hydrus deflects Astrid’s first arrow! Will this fight be a repeat of Hydrus versus Tanix?” Halfthur speculated, causing boos to rise from the stands.
Not panicking, Astrid began to retreat, moving backwards as she sent arrow after arrow soaring towards Hydrus. Unlike Halfthur’s prediction, Hydrus was not able to deflect every arrow Astrid sent his way. Learning from her first shot, Astrid varied her arrows, sending some high and some low, forcing Hydrus to either take the shot, or pause as he awkwardly swung his greatsword at the projectiles. Hydrus’ enormous sword worked against him here. Unlike the shorter, lighter swords preferred by Eric and Ryan, Hydrus’ greatsword was huge, causing him much more trouble when he had to move the blade quickly to block an oncoming blow. Astrid used this to her advantage, aiming her arrows in such a way as to force him to move the greatsword the maximum distance possible if he wanted to block. As such, Hydrus was forced to expend much more stamina blocking Astrid’s arrows than he had Tanix’s spells.
Spying an opening, Astrid activated a skill, a blue light swirling around the tip of her arrow as she loosed it towards the opening Hydrus had provided.
“And Astrid lands a Frost Shot! Hydrus’ charge is slowed - this should give Astrid time to get more damage in, and perhaps even eliminate him!” Halfthur shouted excitedly.
“Hydrus allowed that shot for a reason - he’s close enough now that he can simply corner Astrid should she try to hit him with any more arrows. It’s imperative for Astrid to reposition now if she doesn’t want to meet the same fate as Tanix,” Wavesun analyzed, watching as Hydrus closed in on the blonde archer.
As Hydrus’ healthbar decreased past the halfway mark, Astrid’s breathing began to quicken. At this point in time, Astrid’s concentration had reached its peak. Drawing more arrows from her quiver, she loosed arrows as fast as she could nock them, backpedaling steadily to keep Hydrus from reaching her. As Astrid loosed arrow after arrow towards her foe, aiming carefully to avoid letting Hydrus deflect them, the crowd began to cheer, chanting, “Astrid! Astrid! Astrid!” as Hydrus’ health continued to fall.
So engrossed was she in her grim task, that she failed to realize she had almost reached the edge of the stage. Taking a step backwards, her foot encountered the raised stone lip of the stage. Windmilling her arms quickly, she managed to regain her balance, but the damage was done.
“I caught you, little scrub,” Hydrus said, giving Astrid a vicious smile as he descended towards her, his sword glowing a baleful red.
“And Hydrus lands a Power Blow! Astrid can’t take many more hits like that; she needs to escape now!” Halfthur commented urgently.
Unfortunately for Astrid, Hydrus did not give her that opportunity. Whirling, he brought his sword across in a horizontal sweep, catching Astrid as she attempted to dodge, throwing her backwards.
Scrambling to rise, Astrid was halfway to her feet when Hydrus’ foot lashed out, catching her and sending her flying across the stage. Instead of following, Hydrus simply watched her in amusement as she jumped to her feet, his greatsword hanging loosely in his grip.
“I think I’ve figured you out now, little scrub. Your aim might be amazing, but in terms of combat experience, you’re just a newbie. You said there are many strong fighters in Novanalba - well why don’t you try taking a few more shots before I end this fight? I’ll let you see just how wide the world really is,” Hydrus told her with a sneer.
Astrid’s face froze as a look of rage slowly began to form. “You’re despicable,” she swore.
“The weak always despise the strong for their strength, rather than blaming themselves for their weakness. Come, let me show you a good time.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Astrid vowed angrily.
Hydrus smiled coyly. “You’re going to try.”
Skipping back a few steps, Astrid nocked another arrow to her bow. Aiming carefully, she loosed the arrow towards Hydrus’ left shoulder, far away from where his greatsword currently hung. With a deft movement, Hydrus dodged the arrow, allowing it to soar harmlessly past. Taking a step forward, he smiled towards Astrid, a terrifying smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Try again.”
Astrid seethed, grabbing another arrow from her quiver. This time, she loosed the arrow towards the center of Hydrus’ chest, aiming to prevent him from dodging. Raising his sword slightly, Hydrus used the pommel of the greatsword to block the arrow, causing a tinging sound to ring through the arena as the arrowhead bounced off the solid metal pommel of his sword.
“That’s two,” Hydrus sneered, taking another step forward. “Your shots are so predictable - how did so many Novanalbans lose to you?”
This last line was shouted loudly, piercing through the shouts and sounds of the crowd.
“Hydrus seems to be toying with Astrid. Is he merely playing with his prey? Or is he attempting to prove his statement from earlier?” Halfthur commented with an annoyed voice. Wavesun glared balefully towards the tall fighter below as he blocked another arrow, taking another step towards Astrid.
The crowd was steadily cheering for Astrid, but the cheers had grown weaker as Hydrus blocked arrow after arrow. However, Halfthur’s words revitalized them, as if they hoped that maybe their cheers would give Astrid the strength needed to put an arrow through Hydrus’ smug face which currently filled the projection overhead.
“If you outmatch your opponent, then just end it - don’t put on a farce like this,” Wavesun said angrily to Halfthur, who nodded mutely in response.
Hydrus continued to advance towards Astrid, blocking or dodging every arrow she sent his way. Even her Frost Shot and Charged Shots couldn’t make it through his defenses, merely forcing Hydrus to put slightly more effort into blocking when Astrid activated these skills.
Finally, after more than a dozen arrows had been blocked or otherwise avoided by Hydrus, he arrived in front of Astrid. “Sorry, little bird. But it’s too soon for you to leave the nest,” Hydrus said, flashing Astrid a smile similar to a lion observing its prey.
As the crowd watched, Hydrus’ blade descended for the third time, heralding an end to the fight at last. With a great sigh, the audience abandoned their chants of “Astrid!”, watching sadly as the blue light enveloped Astrid, whisking her away as Hydrus smirked defiantly, as if asking what they planned to do about it. Seeing this, a man in the crowd began to boo, a sound which quickly spread throughout the entire arena as Hydrus laughed jubilantly.
“And Hydrus wins! Astrid Feathershot has been eliminated, and Hydrus Mortang moves on to the semi-finals. The Novanalba Reclamation Group has their first member through to the semis - can they get a second one in as well? Erick ‘Kyp’ Kystfyr, representing Riptide will attempt to prevent this, as he spars off against Bearan Grott, NRG’s second participant in the top eight. Fighters, to your places!” Halfthur shouted, straining to be heard over the boos of the crowd.
Making his way to the stage, Eric flashed Grott a cocky grin. Grott frowned at this, his thick brow coming together as he stared towards the half-elf, as if he couldn’t figure out why Eric was taunting him like this.
“Your boss made it through - I suppose NAG’s lucky that they’ll be getting one fighter through to the semi-finals,” Eric said conversationally.
“It’s NRG, and we’ll be getting three through,” Grott replied through gritted teeth.
“Oh, is it? And here I thought
you guys were just a bunch of lame nags, my mistake,” Eric laughed.
“Hmph, we’ll see how happy you are once I put a couple arrows in you,” Grott sneered.
Eric smirked. “You think you’re all that just because you’re riding Hydrus’ coattails, do you? With your aim, I’d be more worried if you were shooting at the crowd for daring to boo your precious boss.”
“As if we care about the opinion of Novanalban weaklings. The opinion of the crowd doesn’t matter, and you’re about to learn that your opinion of your skill level doesn’t matter either in the face of true strength,” Grott said viciously.
“Nice line, did your boss come up with it? ‘Cause you seem too stupid to come up with that on your own,” Eric replied, his gaze growing cold.
“Keep wagging that tongue. I think it’s about time you learned to respect your betters,” Grott said, turning away as he headed for the opposite end of the stage.
Glaring at the retreating Grott, Eric made his way to his starting position, drawing his athame as he waited for Halfthur to start the fight. Staring heavily at his opponent, Eric flipped his athame in the air, catching it by the handle as he considered the best way to approach this fight. Grott’s emphasis on the fundamentals meant that it would be difficult for Eric to earn a win by abusing his opponent’s weakpoints like he had in previous rounds. Maybe he would have to use that technique? Eric wondered to himself briefly. He’d originally planned to save this technique for his fight with Jun, but that was before these dicks had arrived on the scene. If he could use this technique to embarrass Grott - thus indirectly humiliating Hydrus - then it was worth revealing it early even if it did lower his chances to beat Jun.
Having made his decision, Eric stared impatiently towards the the announcer’s booth, waiting for the fight to begin.
“For the second round of the top eight, we have Kyp, representing Riptide! This man has shown a plethora of different abilities, using new skills and techniques almost every round. Hopefully, he’ll provide us with yet another strong showing against his opponent, Grott! Representing NRG, Grott looks to be the second member to qualify for the semi-finals as he uses his skill with the bow to take on Kyp. Fighters, are you ready?” Halfthur roared. Seeing the two fighters nod, he let out another roar. “Then let the fight begin!”
Rushing forward, Eric gripped his athame tightly in his right hand, using it to draw a pair of runes which glowed brightly before disappearing. Seeing this, Eric smiled, absentmindedly casting an Arcane Strike with his left hand as he ran. If he wanted to win in a dominating fashion, then he needed to surprise Grott with his technique, like he’d done to Mikasa. He couldn’t reveal it too early, or else Grott would have time to formulate a plan to deal with it. Engrossed in his thoughts, Eric almost missed seeing Grott’s first shot, barely dodging out of the way as the arrow soared through the space he’d occupied only a moment before.
Focus, Eric, he told himself, launching an Arcane Strike towards Grott as he continued his mad rush forward. Ignoring the Arcane Strike that struck him in the abdomen, Grott lined up another shot, taking careful aim at the half-elf as he steadily retreated. Paying attention to the distance, Eric gauged that he would be in range to use Dashing Cut after a few more seconds. All he had to do until then was to continue dodging Grott’s arrows as he advanced.
“And Kyp avoids another arrow! He’s certainly not as domineering as Hydrus was last fight, but the effect is the same. Grott can’t land a shot on his opponent! However, Kyp hasn’t dealt much damage to Grott either,” Halfthur commented.
“Kyp’s Arcane Strike lacks power. It’s great to disrupt his opponent’s spellcasting or aim, but he won’t deal too much damage only relying on Arcane Strike,” Wavesun analyzed.
“And Grott lands his first shot! Kyp fails to dodge out of the way completely and takes an arrow to the shoulder, but at least he avoided taking it in the neck,” Halfthur said with a wince.
On stage, Eric gritted his teeth, ignoring the arrow in his shoulder as he finally closed the gap enough to use Dashing Cut. Activating the skill, he accelerated forward, his athame ready, still glowing with the spell he’d prepared earlier.
Sighting towards Eric, Grott took careful aim. From this distance, he couldn’t miss, and stuck in the middle of his skill, Eric wouldn’t be able to dodge either. With a cruel smile, Grott activated a skill, a red glow appearing on the top of his arrow as he aimed at the rapidly approaching figure of Eric.
“Kyp uses Dashing Cut to close the distance. As the signature move of the Elite Novanalban Scout units, Dashing Cut is a great skill, but Kyp might have made a mistake here, he’s exposed himself to Grott, there’s no way he can dodge this next shot!” Halfthur shouted excitedly.
Loosing his arrow, Grott watched in anticipation as his arrow flew towards Eric. As the arrow flew, the red glow wrapped itself around the entire shaft, turning the arrow into a red bolt that streaked menacingly through the air towards Eric. With a gasp, the crowd watched in horror as the glowing streak of light closed in on Eric who was still dashing forward with his athame held high.
Just before the arrow could slam into his skull, Eric smiled, swinging the athame towards the arrow, he unleashed the spell he’d prepared at the beginning of the fight. With a roar of wind, a Wind Blade coalesced in front of Eric, meeting Grott’s arrow only a metre in front of him. As the arrow and the spell collided, the spell structure collapsed, two halves of the Wind Blade continuing on for a few metres before dissipating, while the arrow was driven off course, shooting narrowly over Eric’s head as he continued to dash towards Grott.
Face paling, Grott attempted to backpedal, but it was too late. With a vicious stab, Eric slammed his athame into Grott’s chest, using his momentum to bring Grott tumbling to the ground. Not giving Grott the chance to recover, Eric bashed the hilt of his athame into his temple, stunning the man as Eric went to work with his blade. Recovering from the stun, Grott attempted to fight back, but in close quarters, he was no match for Eric’s martial arts.
As Grott struggled to reach for his dagger, Eric used his free arm to restrain him, using the other to continue to strip away Grott’s healthbar one stab at a time. As Grott roared in frustration, Eric grinned. “You should be honoured, I was originally saving that technique to use against Jun. Feel privileged to be the first to experience it firsthand,” Eric said with a grim smile, as his dagger descended into Grott’s exposed neck.
With an unwilling gurgle, the blue light enveloped Grott, whisking him away as Eric jumped to his feet, his athame raised in triumph. With an enormous roar, the crowd surged to their feet, showering Eric with cheers and applause.
Allowing the crowd a few moments to cheer, Halfthur smiled, turning to Wavesun. “You must be happy - NRG’s lost their first fight.”
“Any Novanalban would be happy, I was tempted to chop them all to pieces then and there in the viewing lounge,” Wavesun replied, before turning to Alistair. “You’re not really going to allow those three to join us in the elite platoon are you, Alistair?”
“They’ll be given the opportunity same as everyone else. It might do them some good to see how weak they are compared to true powerhouses right now. Perhaps they’ll learn some humility,” Alistair responded with a sigh. “But I hope they’ll decline. The other members who make it in might tear them to pieces if given the chance. And it’s not like there’s a lack of strong fighters who were eliminated earlier on. Soren Gunnarson would make a great addition, as would a few others I have my eye on.”
“I half hope that they do accept. They can be a part of the vanguard, even the archer,” Wavesun said dangerously.
“Mmmmh,” Alistair responded, giving no comment.
“As an announcer, I’m supposed to be unbiased. But I really hope that Kyp and Fogstone defeat the remaining two members of NRG so badly that they return to wherever they’re from and never come back. Novanalba doesn’t need their type,” Halfthur added, echoing Wavesun’s earlier sentiments.
&
nbsp; “So long as they can be used to Novanalba’s benefit, I’ll allow them to participate. But should they work against Novanalba and her people?” Alistair asked, looking both Halfthur and Wavesun in the eye as he spoke. “I’ll show them no mercy.”
Chapter 36
Returning to the viewing lounge, Eric passed Mark, on the way to his own fight.
“Nice fight, glad you showed those guys that they’re not all powerful,” Mark said.
Eric nodded. “You’d better do the same. I don’t want to see you lose to Barns.”
“I’ll do my best,” Mark promised, giving Eric a fist bump as he departed.
“You think he’ll win?” Eric asked, sitting down beside Jun.
“No clue,” Jun replied honestly, an uncharacteristic look of concern etched upon his face.
“I didn’t get to see too many of Barns’ fights. Was he that good?” Eric asked in surprise.
“He plays like an assassin, using a pair of daggers and a ton of movement skills. I’m not sure if Mark can heal through his damage, and I also don’t know if Mark’s mace skills are enough to allow him to fight him off. Either way, there’s no way Barns is making it past us to the finals,” Jun promised darkly.
Eric laughed. “Not worried about your fight against Seryllia at all then?”
“Maybe if she was more experienced. But after watching her fight against Griffin and Ryan, it’s pretty obvious that she’s inexperienced. Her untamed aggression is tough to deal with if you get sucked in like those idiots did. But against me, she’s got no chance,” Jun replied confidently.
