by M E Robinson
Not daring to waste time, Eric had already completed his first Wind Dart, firing the spell towards Hydrus’ left side, and away from where the greatsword could slash it in two. Not even pausing to see if his first spell had hit, Eric was already running, moving laterally as he fired spell after spell towards Hydrus.
“And Kyp scores first blood! Hydrus is unable to parry the Wind Dart as he did Tanix’s Flaming Sphere. But it’s going to take a lot more than just one Wind Dart to take down Hydrus!” Halfthur commentated.
“Kyp seems to have learned from the mistakes of Astrid and Tanix. Notice how he’s not simply retreating, but instead moving to the side? That forces Hydrus to cover more distance and gives Kyp more room before he runs into the edge of the arena. His spells are also hitting Hydrus in places that are hard to block using a greatsword - Kyp’s taking this fight extremely seriously,” Wavethur added.
As another Wind Dart smashed into his leg, Hydrus frowned. Eric was taking full advantage of the increased casting speed effect that the Quickwind Dagger gave to wind spells. Despite the increased difficulty that the dagger added to casting, Eric’s training with Lucy allowed him to ignore this downside, making his casting speed nearly unrivalled amongst players at this point in the game.
Unable to allow Eric to continue casting spells unimpeded, Hydrus let out a roar. As he did so, his form took on a hazy crimson glow, the tip of his greatsword emitting sparks as it trailed on the stone floor behind him.
Casting another Wind Dart, Eric paused in horror, as he watched Hydrus’ speed increase by nearly half. Where before he’d been lumbering along, a mighty juggernaut that demanded those in front move out of the way or be crushed, now he was like a runaway train, barreling towards its target without pause. Doing some quick calculations, Eric groaned. Hydrus had only lost a quarter of his health so far, and the most damage Eric could do before Hydrus caught up to him would be another ten percent or so. It appeared that he would have to take this fight into melee range after all.
“Kyp lands yet another Wind Dart! But Hydrus has finally caught up to him. Will this be the end for Kyp?” Halfthur yelled, standing up as he attempted to follow the fight below.
Catching up to Eric, Hydrus leapt forward. As he did so, the crimson glow enveloping him transitioned to his sword, which glowed with a baleful light as it thundered towards Eric’s head.
With quick movements, Eric avoided the attack, the greatsword kicking up shards of stone as it left an enormous gouge in the floor of the stage. Quick as a cat, Eric jumped forward, attempting to get inside Hydrus’ range and prevent him from using the greatsword’s superior reach and power to his advantage. Unfortunately, it seemed that Hydrus was prepared for this tactic. As the Quickwind Dagger neared his ribs, he let go of his sword with one arm, catching Eric unprepared with a backfist to the face just before Eric’s blade could pierce his armour.
Flying backwards, Eric unleashed the Wind Dart he’d prepared, catching Hydrus in the head as he moved forward for another attack. Rolling once, Eric pushed off from the stone floor, sending him into another roll as Hydrus’ greatsword crashed into the place he’d been only milliseconds before.
“Kyp avoids Hydrus’ Orc Charge! He attempts to strike back, but Hydrus repels him. But Kyp was ready for this and lands a spell anyways! Kyp’s in trouble now though, he’s on the ground and Hydrus is approaching with an overhead slash,” Halfthur paused, watching in disbelief as Eric dodged the attack. “And Kyp dodges yet again! This is an incredibly high level fight between these two otherworlders. Both fighters are striking fearlessly towards each other, as if they don’t fear the other at all!”
“That’s not quite the case,” Wavesun cut in. “Kyp is clearly watching Hydrus, he’s making absolutely sure that that greatsword comes nowhere near him. Despite the minor hits that Hydrus has inflicted upon him, Kyp has managed to avoid taking any critical strikes from Hydrus’ greatsword. Hydrus is also being far more careful than we’ve seen in his other fights - he’s managed to keep all but one of Kyp’s Wind Darts from striking vital areas, and Kyp’s been unable to use his sword or dagger to do any damage at all. Both fighters clearly respect each other’s potential, and are doing their best to minimise the damage they’re taking.”
“Well said, Wavesun. And just as we’re saying that, Kyp lands a strike with his dagger! He ducked in under Hydrus’ swing and managed to score his first hit with the blade all fight. But Hydrus strikes back immediately! He manages to throw Kyp off balance with a kick, and brings his sword down upon Kyp’s back! I hope everyone’s watching closely, because this is an incredible battle!” Halfthur shouted excitedly.
The audience had long since left their seats, cheering loudly for Eric with chants of “Kyp! Kyp! Kyp!” and “Riptide! Riptide!” as he traded blow for blow with Hydrus. Halfthur’s analysis of the most recent exchange had been close, but he’d missed the Wind Dart that Eric had sent directly into Hydrus after the stab. That had made it worth taking a blow from that enormous greatsword, Eric thought to himself as he checked his health.
Over thirty percent of my health gone from a single blow? Eric’s eyes shot open as he hurriedly avoided Hydrus’ attack, skipping backwards and sending a Wind Dart towards the fighter for his troubles. Despite all the damage that Eric had dealt to Hydrus so far, the man was rapidly chipping away at the lead that Eric had built at the beginning of the fight. Even though the number of spells Eric had landed already exceeded the number of attacks Hydrus had allowed throughout the entirety of the tournament up till now, Hydrus health was still just over thirty percent full. Meanwhile, Eric’s own healthbar was sitting just under half full. Still a lead, but nowhere near as commanding as it had been before Hydrus had finally closed the distance between them.
I can’t allow this to continue, Eric thought, sizing up the fighter in front of him. He hadn’t had this much trouble in a fight since his death at the hands of Grimarok several weeks ago. If they continued trading blows as they had been so far, then the result would be the exact same as it had been back then - Eric on the ground as his opponent stood triumphantly over him.
Wracking his brains, Eric desperately tried to come up with a way to emerge the victor. At the rate the fight was going right now, Hydrus would win with just over ten percent of his health remaining, and that was assuming he didn’t have any more skills hidden up his sleeve like Orc Charge. No, Eric decided. If he wanted a chance at winning, then he had to throw away his doubts, and engage Hydrus in true close combat. He couldn’t run away like he had against Grimarok.
Dancing in under Hydrus’ guard, Eric knocked Hydrus’ greatsword to the side, dodging his backfist as he sent a kick towards Hydrus’ front leg. His stance still recovering from having thrown the backfist, Hydrus was forced to step backwards, moving his leg out of the path of Eric’s kick.
This was the opening Eric had been looking for. Instead of completing the kick, Eric stamped his foot down just in front of Hydrus, entering into a stable stance as he used his left hand to launch a palm strike at Hydrus’ stomach. Not expecting this sudden change in Eric’s tactics, Hydrus was caught unprepared as Eric’s palm slammed into his gut. Doubling over, Hydrus went pale as he saw Eric’s athame approaching his face.
Jerking his head to the side, Hydrus managed to avoid taking a blade to the face, but Eric’s dagger still managed to find its home in his neck. Before Hydrus could recover, Eric sent a Wind Dart through the athame, the resulting explosion of Wind sending Hydrus flying as Eric chased his heavily wounded opponent.
“And Kyp suddenly turns the tables with an explosive set of moves! What was that skill that sent Hydrus flying? I don’t know, but the audience is definitely loving this!” Halfthur commentated. The crowd truly was loving Eric’s performance. The entire arena was now shaking with the roar of the crowd, as the audience cheered for Eric’s victory.
Using Dashing Cut, Eric rushed over towards where Hydrus lay. Hydrus’ healthbar was down to eighteen percent - all Eric had to do was
land a single combo on him and it was over.
However, Hydrus was not the type to simply lose lying down. As Eric approached, Hydrus flipped over and let out a mighty roar, the blade of his sword glowing a brilliant crimson as he launched a vicious upwards strike towards the oncoming half-elf.
Eyes growing wide, Eric attempted to dodge, but Hydrus’ swing was more than twice as fast as any of his previous attacks had been. Bracing for impact, Eric used his athame to guard, but a short dagger couldn’t do much to mitigate the damage from a greatsword. With a short scream, it was Eric’s turn to be thrown backwards, bouncing off the stage like a ragdoll as Hydrus climbed to his feet, his cold eyes glaring daggers towards the downed half-elf.
“Hydrus finally lands another solid hit on Kyp, and this is a big one! Hydrus’ Savage Strike caught Kyp completely unprepared!” Halfthur shouted.
The crowd had gone silent, watching nervously as Hydrus advanced towards Eric who was still struggling to his feet. Eric winced as he stood up - this last strike had completely eliminated the lead he’d built early on. Both his and Hydrus’ healthbars were hovering just under the fifteen percent mark, with Hydrus’ bar looking slightly more healthy than his own. There was perhaps less than a two percent difference between the two health totals. A single strike could easily decide the match.
Preparing to receive Hydrus’ assault, Eric was surprised when he instead came to a halt mere metres away, his sword hanging powerlessly by his side.
“Your most powerful skill.”
“What?” Eric asked.
“Your most powerful skill. The one you used against your teammate. Use it. I won’t have my victory tainted by those who would say you went easy on me. Use your most powerful skill so that I may break both it and you and claim victory,” Hydrus said with a gravelly voice.
“I don’t know where you’re getting this confidence from. But it won’t end well for you.” Eric’s eyes went cold. “Fine, prepare yourself, Hydrus.”
Closing his eyes, Eric took a moment to calm himself. Opening his eyes, he began to cast Multi-linked Wind Dart, taking care to draw the runes perfectly, observing each line and curve for imperfections.
Opposite Eric, Hydrus raised his sword, taking on a fighting stance with his sword raised high overhead. As the audience watched, dark crimson flames began to rise off the tip of his greatsword, more flames appearing as his blade slowly began to coat itself in flames. As the flames licked the air, the occasional flame drifted off the blade, floating into the air where it hung for a while before dissipating in a small flash of crimson light.
“It appears that Hydrus and Kyp have both come to an agreement. Both are preparing their strongest skills,” Halfthur said after a moment, not daring to blink as he observed the showdown between the two fighters.
“I hope Kyp knows what he’s doing. I’m fairly sure I recognize Hydrus’ skill, and it’s a strong one,” Wavesun muttered quietly to Alistair.
Alistair nodded. “Kyp has never once let me down. I have confidence in Lucy’s student.”
The audience had gone completely still, not daring to move a muscle as they stared towards the stage. As Halfthur’s voice washed over them, a small child cried out, “Kyp! Win Kyp!”
As if this was the sign they’d been waiting for, the audience took up the cry, chanting the three words, first softly, but then harshly, the volume increasing with each new cry.
In Tonbura Village, an enormous magical crystal was displaying the match, projecting the view of the stage high in the air above the square. Hidden near the back, Lucy’s knuckles had gone white as she beheld her student preparing his most powerful spell to go against the leader of NRG. Unconsciously, Lucy took up the cry, cheering with the rest of the villagers in the square, as they watched the two fighters prepare to attack.
“Come on, Eric,” Mark muttered, watching his friend below from their place in the stands.
“Don’t lose to that dick,” Ryan swore.
“Kyp! Win Kyp!” Gio took up the chant, followed by the rest of the group, each doing their best to make themselves heard over the roar of the crowd.
“Don’t lose, Eric,” Jun uttered, staring silently at a projection upon the wall as a priestess cast healing spells on his body. Across the room, Barns was watching nervously as he observed his boss facing off against Eric, ignoring the golden light of the spells being cast upon his body.
“Kyp! Win Kyp!” the chants shook the arena, causing the stone floor beneath Eric’s feet to shake as he finished his spell. With a grim smile, Eric looked towards Hydrus, who returned the look with an air of solemnity.
Watching closely, Eric watched as the flames on Hydrus’ sword reached the hilt, coating the blade completely in crimson fire.
“You’d better not disappoint me,” Hydrus said fiercely.
“Hmph,” Eric snorted. “Don’t regret this.”
As if this was the signal they’d agreed upon, both fighters launched their skills at the exact same time, nine Wind Darts appearing around Eric as Hydrus’ greatsword descended.
With a roar of wind, the Wind Darts coalesced, shooting towards Hydrus as he brought his blade forward in an overhead strike. With a flare of red, the crimson flames on Hydrus’ sword ignited, summoning an enormous sword of crimson flames that slashed towards Eric.
Soaring forward, the two spells met in the middle of the two fighters, the wind and flames colliding only metres away from where the two combatants stood.
With a mighty BOOM, the flaming sword slammed into the Wind Darts. As the audience watched, an enormous explosion occurred at the epicentre of the two skills, gouts of wind and flame soaring into the sky as flaming winds engulfed the two fighters, obscuring them from view.
Watching nervously, the audience went silent, waiting for the dust to settle to determine who had emerged victorious.
As the cloud of wind and flame slowly disappeared, two figures could be seen: one upright, and one prone. Peering through the slowly settling cloud of dust, the audience let out a collective groan.
Hydrus was barely standing, blood dripped from countless wounds across his body, creating tiny trails as rivulets of blood flowed down his torn and tattered armour. His greatsword was embedded in the arena floor for support, allowing him to just barely remain on two feet. Staggering slightly, Hydrus managed to stand. Still gripping his greatsword tightly for balance, Hydrus stared towards his fallen foe.
Eric was in a worse condition than Hydrus. His leather armour more closely resembled a collection of burnt leather strips, haphazardly draped across his form, revealing the singed and bloody skin beneath. The Quickwind Dagger was still clutched in his hand, but its once polished exterior was now dirty with soot and blood. Even his falchion, unused this fight, had been unable to escape the destruction, as smoke emerged from the neck of the sheath.
Looking up at Hydrus, Eric flashed his opponent a wretched look as the blue light began to wrap around him. He’d truly thought he might win at the end there. But in the end, the slight difference between their two healthbars had been what had separated the two fighters. Hydrus had less than two percent of his health remaining. Had their healthbars been swapped before the final exchange, perhaps it would have been him lying here and Eric on his feet.
Closing his eyes, Eric allowed the blue light to whisk him away, disappearing from view as Hydrus raised his arm high in triumph.
Chapter 38
Below the stage, Eric lay motionless inside a dark, circular room made of stone. A wooden door at one end of the room was the only decoration the room had, apart from a glowing circle engraved deeply in the stone floor. In the middle of the circle lay Eric, surrounded by a slowly fading light as the magic that had teleported him from the stage began to dissipate, the runes going dormant once more as they awaited their next activation.
Lying motionlessly on the cold stones, Eric stared listlessly at the ceiling above. Suddenly, crimson flames in the shape of a sword appeared, filling the empty room with vision
s of Hydrus’ sword as Eric replayed the fight in his mind. Closing his eyes, Eric rested his hand on his forehead. He’d been so close to seizing victory. The opportunity had been right in front of him, and only his own lack of skill had prevented him from seizing it.
No, that’s not right. Hydrus was strong. Incredibly strong even. Eric rationalized. It wasn’t as if he lacked skill, Hydrus had just been…better. Every move Eric had made, every tactic he’d employed, Hydrus had countered them all. It was like he’d been able to read Eric’s movements, accurately choosing the most effective counterplay at every available opportunity. Eric had been forced to pull out all the stops just to get hits in, and still Hydrus had been able to counterattack.
Plus, what was that last attack Hydrus had used? Eric still hadn’t come across anyone else with a skill as powerful as Multi-linked Wind Dart. Rob’s enhanced and dualcasted Stone Sphere was close, but even that wasn’t as powerful as Eric’s best spell. However, Hydrus’ final attack had been on the verge of overwhelming Eric’s attack. The reason Eric had taken more damage than Hydrus was due to the explosion being more powerful where he stood than it had been where Hydrus did.
Above him, Eric could hear Halfthur’s voice seeping through the stones as he announced Hydrus’ victory to the crowd, the muted noise all that could be heard inside the dark room.
As Eric dwelt on his defeat, a soft noise from the opposite end of the room caused him to become alert. Clawing at the floor, Eric propped himself up on one arm, staring at the doorway which had been opened a crack, as a young elf peeked her head in.
“Excuse me, Mr Kystfyr? Ummm…” she stuttered, staring at the burnt form of the half-elf in front of her. Most of Eric’s skin was on display, as the armour and clothes he worn had been slashed or burnt away in his confrontation with Hydrus.
“Yes?” Eric asked, doing his best to appear nonchalant as he became cognizant of his current state.
