"Ah...ouch!"
"Sigh...Bell, you whine from that? After taking such a beating?" Naza smiled pityingly.
In the small breaktime between the fights, Naza had come with her bag to Bell to deliver him some potions. Some of them were more effective if they were directly poured onto the wound.
So now he had taken his shirt off and sat with his back to Naza who used a swab to apply the potion on his bruises.
"Ouch...It really hurts...au.."
Naza smirked. "You will be better in no time, quite remarkable to take such a beating for the girl you love."
His back straightened a bit. "And I would endure much more for her."
"I can understand you...that said, you got a pretty strong and big back."
"Ahm...thank you?"
"Hehe...I still prefer Lord Miach."
From all the girls of the Familia, Bell knew Naza for the longest time, it was pretty easy for him to talk to her and she was a dear friend.
She tapped the swab onto a dark bruise at his kidney region, Bell´s body jerked.
"Bel-"
"Oooouuuuuuch!"
"Oh...sorry.."
.
.
Ryuu was restless as she waited for the gate to open. Something was not right...she felt weird. At the edge of her hearing...there was a small sound. Like a..ring? And her head felt a bit..strange.
It was not an unpleasant of painful feeling...just strange. And she could feel her Falna...throb?
What is wrong with me?
She had taken some of the potions that Naza delivered to her a week ago, Ryuu had also taken out all of the trick tools, she would only fight with her body and swords.
The gate started to open.
Here we go.
.
.
On the other side of the arena, Ryuu´s opponent stood there with closed eyes, "the spear" leaned at the shoulder and was in deep thoughts.
.
It was back in the sanctum.
In a big hall made from stone, with giant pillars, the inside of an old temple. Except for the pillars, the only decoration was a long carpet from the front gate to the throne at the end of the hall, some plants that her mistress liked and...stone statues...all kinds of stone statues...
"Alpha...? Alpha!...Ah, there you are."
"Mistress?"
"I have a job for you."
"Whatever you desire, Mistress."
The goddess on the big throne leaned forward, so that her face almost came into the ray of moonlight, falling through a hole in the ceiling.
"There will be a tournament in Orario."
"Oh?"
"And I would like you and Venom to go there and...you know."
"If we find some of them, we will make them pay, Mistress."
"You are such a good child, that´s why I have something for your journey."
"Mistress?"
The goddess leaned back, merged with the shadow again and snapped her fingers.
A young female attendant came from the shadows and held a long box in her hands. When she reached her, Alpha opened the box and looked surprised.
"The Spear?"
"Take him with you, no one wields him better than you...and he will help you to remember the teachings at all time."
"I am thankfull for your trust, Mistress."
Carefully, Alpha took out the weapon. A bit over 1.6 meters long, with a blade like bident with sharp edges at each end, a long metal shaft with leather wrapped around it near the tips and the middle.
Alpha slowly circled the spear in his hand.
"I will not disappoint you, lady Medusa."
.
.
As the gates started to open, Alpha looked up.
.
Ryuu arrived in the middle of the arena, her opponent waited a few meters in front of her.
"Now for the second semifinale, who will win? Who will face Rabbit Foot in the finale?"
"Beeeeegiiiiiin!"
Ryuu held her swords and waited for her opponent to move...but nothing happened. Her opponent just stood there and looked at Ryuu. In the sunlight Ryuu could see, that the whole armor of her opponent was made that it looked like it was covered in turquoise scales. The helmet also went into that color, the big difference was the large green scale cape.
"Hero..." A muffled voice came from the helmet.
"Hm?"
"Are you..." The helmet tildet to the side. "...a hero?"
A hero?...Bell had called me a hero in the past...
"I...don´t know..."
The lenses of the helmet flashed.
"That´s not a no!"
Exploding from absolute standstill into a fierce jump, her opponents reaction took Ryuu by surprise.
Heavens! He is fast!
She managed to bring up her swords to block the bident tip of the spear just in time.
Due to the helmet, Ryuu could read no emotions or slight twitches in her opponents face, that would reveal attacks.
"If you are a hero, I will beat you up! For the entertainment of my Mistress!"
What?
Alpha yanked the spear back, whirled it around and used the other side for a slice attack. Ryuu jumped backwards to evade the blade and raised her swords to block the next attack.
But her opponent didn´t follow her, instead he let the spear slowly circle in his right hand, while he walked slowly to one side. He tilted the head and slowly walked in a circle around Ryuu.
Ryuu heard a light whistle from the spear as it was turned slowly.
I wonder if will use different weapons like the other.
Another sudden attack followed the slow walk, Alpha jumped forward and sliced with one side of the spear. In the last moment he janked that side back and attacked with the other one again.
A quick succession of attack and counter attack followed, before Alpha jumped back again. This time Ryuu followed and took the initiative, whirling her swords around as she stabbed, sliced, thrusted and kicked after her opponent as fast as she could, to give Alpha no chance to counter. Her attacks followed no rhythm or pattern, in one moment Ryuu´s swords danced around her opponent, in the next she attacked with a storm of blades like a berserker. She let herself fall back for a moment, before charging forward again and using a combination of slashes and kicks. Alpha took all these attacks without making a sound, whirling around the spear to block or using his legs to counter. Ryuu was not only faster, but more agile in her lighter clothing.
Stab, feign, kick, slash, turn half around, kick in the hollow of the knee...
Highly concentrated, Ryuu changed between the styles of her friends in a random pattern, her opponent didn´t show it, but he had problems to keep up with that speed.
"Kuh.."
Then out of nowhere the spear shot forward. The tip of the blade shimmered ... was like a reflection in the mist.
All noises seemed to have fallen silent as the blade dug into Ryuu's chest ...
in all her years of fighting, Ryuu had never seen such a thrust. Managed with the elegant simplicity with which a painter lets his brush stroke the canvas. He promised death and ruin ... and a never-ending silence...
and was stopped, by the layers of adamantium threads that were sewn in crosswise to protect that area, in the last second. Only the sharpest point of the tip managed to scratch the skin over Ryuu´s chest a bit.
Then with a fierce screech of metal against metal, Ryuu parried the thrust with her swords and struck the spear aside.
That was way too close!
Of course the thrust wouldn´t have killed Ryuu, but probably knock her out.
.
"Ladies and gentlemen what is this?! Never have I seen such a blade game!"
.
The voice of the announcer was...female?
.
"Yahoooo! It´s your beloved Hell-Cat Chan! I will be the co-commentator from now on!"
"""Yeeeaaah!"""
.
Both fighter had fallen back for now. Alpha continued to circle around the spear and walking from one side to the other.
Ryuu felt a light dizziness in her had and the scratch throb.
Don´t tell me...
"It´s a matter of time now...I guessed you will not be immune, like the other one."
Poison...
That´s why he circles that spear...
The soft whispers that she heard must have come from small notches in the blades of the spear, probably filled with poison gas and liquid poison.
What a fearsome weapon..
.
.
In the waiting room, Bell was alone again and watched the fight over the mirror.
"You can do it...Ryuu."
After watching her second fight, Bell was sure that this elf out there was Ryuu. The fighting style was too familiar and the way she moved.
Why is she fighting in the tournament too? Why didn´t she say something?...Maybe she didn´t knew I would participate and didn´t want to confuse me when she saw me?
Bell was absolutely convinced, that Ryuu would win the fight...somehow.
Facing Ryuu in the finale hm...
.
.
Stay concentrated Ryuu.
She eyed her opponent from head to toe to find a weakspot.
Wait...did the hydra heads just...move?
Not just the heads, but the scales of the armor seemed to move.
Is that the poison?
Her head felt still a bit dizzy...but not so much that it hindered her fight. Somehow the effect...vanished?
Ryuu shook her head and...the effect stopped, but she felt her Falna throb again.
"Tsk...probably pleased too early...thats the problem with that stuff"
Alpha put the spear over his shoulder and waved Ryuu with the other hand.
"Come...we will do this the old way..."
Ryuu reversed the grip on her Futaba´s and dashed forward.
Bell...I´m borrowing your idea.
.
"OOooooooh! Just look at that! Mysterio is like a whirlwind! At this point I´m sure he is a very handsome gentleman!...By the way I only lost so it won´t get boring watching me fight, Tee-hee!"
.
Right before Alpha could block Ryuu´s slash attack, she aborted her attack, jumped to the side and onto Alpha from a different direction and again aborted and feigned another false attack. Suddenly, Ryuu reversed the grip on the left Futaba and hacked with all of her strength onto one of the blades of the spear. Alpha held against it, when Ryuu applied more pressure. As suddenly as her attack came, Ryuu yanked her sword upwards to feign an attack on the helmet, then used the right Futaba to hack onto the middle of the spear from below, she planned to knock the spear out of Alpha´s hands but..
Click!
A strange noise came from the spear and it parted in the middle, not because Ryuu had destroyed it, but because Alpha used the hidden mechanism to change the spear into two weapons.
Ryuu quickly adjusted to the new situation and started a series of attacks to push back her opponent in the direction of one pillar.
The spear...It was the only name given to that weapon. Some weapons had normal or special names, but this weapon was just known as "the Spear". It was a custom made weapon, with blades of the purest adamantium. It was both, a formidable weapon and the teaching of the goddess itself. In the hands of a warrior it was a deadly weapon, but only a very skilled warrior could use it´s full potential. First was the parting in the middle and use it as two short spear-like weapons. And it didn´t stop there, the biggest part of the handles could be removed to use it as long daggers, that part also could be removed to use them as fist weapons. And even that could be changed with special gauntlets to wear them above the fist. Whatever form the weapon took, it was always known as "the spear". And that was the teaching of the goddess, no matter the form, no matter in how many parts it broke...it was always the spear. So no matter what form your attack takes..no matter how many weapons you must use...use what you have and what you don´t have to win against your opponent.
The spear didn´t belong to Alpha, it was given by the Mistress to whatever member of her Familia she wanted to for a short or long time. Alpha wasn´t even the captain of the Familia, despite being the strongest warrior. No one in the Familia knew who the captain was, only the goddess. But for now Alpha played the captain, as it happened four times already, sometimes Venom acted as the captain...or someone else.
No one outside of the Gorgon Familia understood there organization and that was also part of the teaching of the goddess. Never let anyone see through your strength or weakness...and despise heroes.
It had to do with Medusa´s past that she really...really! hated heroes. That was why Alpha and Venom were send to Orario to fight in the tournament. Find possible heroes...beat them up really nicely, because their mistress watched every fight with the mirror that every god or goddess had. The only thing that Alpha and Venom knew was, that it was entirely for their Mistress entertainment to see heroes getting beat...but was that really everything?
The goddess never told her children everything...it wasn´t because she didn´t trust them...it was her nature.
And for now, Alpha was her favorite.
.
Said goddess also watched this fight with her mirror back in the sanctum.
"I have a bad feeling..."
"Hey, hey make room for me."
Another person pushed herself against the goddess to look inside the mirror.
"Hey I want to see Alpha fight too!"
And another person...
Only two members of the Familia knew that they didn´t have one goddess above them...Alpha and...someone else. There were three goddesses, Lady Medusa and her two sisters. That´s why it was called the "Gorgon Familia" and not "Medusa Familia". And that was why they called their goddess "Mistress", the three changed roles of the lead goddess and they were always covered in shadow when one of their children was called. Due to Alpha´s...special circumstances...it was revealed to her someday.
"Sisters, not so loud please."
""Shh little one!""
Sigh...
Being the youngest of three divine siblings was not easy...
"Hey isn´t Alpha getting pushed back, dear sister?" The second goddess reached into a bowl with...snacks.
"Naaaah I bet it´s strategy, dear sister." The third goddess also reached down for some snacks.
"Let us just watch the fight okay, dear sisters?" Medusa was forced to hold the bowl.
""Okay, little one.""
They called her that, because she was the youngest of the three.
.
Soon...soon...
Ryuu fought fully concentrated in a storm of blades with Alpha and pushed him back more and more. When he bumped against the pillar...
Now!
The bump surprised Alpha for a second, long enough for Ryuu. She feigned a kick against Alpha´s weakened leg...she had attacked that leg for a while now, to get her plan working.
Alpha blocked with one of the short spears and had to let his helmet uncovered. Ryuu jumped up and kicked with her full strength with her heel against the helmet.
"Ack!"
Alpha staggered against the pillar and let the other spear sink a bit. Ryuu kicked herself from a piece of rubble and kicked against the helmet a second time. From watching Bell´s fight, she had a guess how to loosen the helmet.
"Argh!"
Alpha´s grip on the weapons loosened due to the attacks on the head, so Ryuu used the Futaba´s to disarm Alpha and hammered the sword pommel against the helmet...the helmet moved a bit.
.
Her plan was to tear off the helmet like Bell had done to threaten her opponent but...the moment Ryuu tore the helmet off and threw it away...
.
"Kyaaaaaaaaah!"
The moment the sunlight hit the face of her opponent, eyes filled with horror were squeezed together. The scream that came from Alpha was filled with sheer panic.
.
Back in the sanctum the three goddesses looked worried. """Oh...that´s bad..."""
.
It was another dark elf, but this time a female. A young female dark elf that screamed in panic and covered her face with her hands as she broke down to her knees and started to shake.
.
"Oh what is happening down there?"
.
Ryuu paused...the dark elf in front of her covered her eyes with one hand and searched blindly with the other after something.
"My helmet! P-Please! Give me back my helmet!" In panic she crawled around the sandy floor and searched, the big scale cape let her look like a snake.
What is wrong with her?
"Please...my helmet!" It sounded like the dark elf was about to cry.
Maybe her eyes are sensitive to bright light?
Though she was her opponent...Ryuu felt sorry for her.
That was the big weakness of the "champion for the time being" of the Gorgon Familia. It wasn´t the sun or bright light that fell into her eyes...although the suddendifference without a helmet was problematic.
The weakness of Alpha was...she was incredibly shy. She couldn't take it when others looked her in the face, it let her stutter, shudder and blush. Alpha wasn´t able to look another person in the eyes without feeling unwell. It got only worse when other people looked at her...and with thousands in the arena and even more via magical mirrors... The moment her helmet came off,
it was pure horror for the young woman. Her behaviour changed completely, from a hard warrior to a shaking frightened girl. This effect wasn´t temporary, Venom who knew Alpha (that she called princess for that reason) the best,
realized in the past that Alpha had an almost split personality. Whenever she had her helmet off, she was shy, reserved and insecure. But the moment she put on her helmet, her true self came to light, because she wasn´t afraid anymore of someone seeing her face. The Mistress had called this phenomenon, war mask. An old teaching of her to regain the sanity of a warrior, they had trained to part their battle self and normal self, so that they could do what was needed in war, without going insane in their normal life. Alpha only managed to do that with a literal mask or her helmet on.
"Please..."
I...can´t attack someone like that...
Ryuu felt really sorry for her opponent, that she did something like that to her. Looking around, Ryuu noticed the helmet about fifty meters away, she had thrown it with more force than she intended and it had rolled a good bit further.
"My helmet...*hic*"
When Ryuu heard the first sobs, she made her decision. Ryuu sheathed her Futaba´s and went to get the helmet. In the moment she picked up the helmet...
.
Cassandra went pale.
She sat in the ranks with the Hestia Alliance and watched the fight too. When she saw Ryuu picking up the helmet it came to her, of course she didn´t knew that this elf was Ryuu, but elves were sometimes called "The fairy race".
A fairy...walking a long distance with an empty bucket in her hands...
Cassandra´s gaze fell onto the other fighter. Covered in the big scale cape and shaking from fear, she looked like a snake from above.
Walking to a shaking snake with a sorry look on her face.
Cassandra couldn´t see the elves face, but her whole posture expressed that she was sorry for doing what she had done.
"No no no..."
The first prophecy just came true.
Daphne who sat beside Cassandra looked at her friend. "Cassandra?"
"Please not so fast..."
Cassandra was sure...the first step to doom was just done.
.
"Please..."
"Hey..." Ryuu spoke softly.
She squatted down in front of the whimpering girl and held the helmet to her.
"Here...your helmet."
With a shaking hand, she felt for it, until Ryuu pressed the helmet lightly against her hand.
"Ah!"
With a joyful cry, the girl took the helmet from Ryuu hastily wiped her eyes and put it on. Immediately her breathing calmed down and she stopped shaking. Slowly the helmet turned to Ryuu and Alpha looked at her through the lenses.
"Why?..."
"Sorry...I didn´t mean to do something cruel to you...I didn´t knew that you...without the helmet..." Ryuu averted her blue eyes.
Alpha slowly got back on her feet.
"Thank you...sir."
"N-No problem..."
For a moment they just stood there.
Ryuu coughed lightly. "Shall we continue?"
Alpha nodded and went to get her weapon, Ryuu waited for the time being.
I never felt that sorry for an opponent...
She watched as Alpha picked up her weapons and united them to the spear again.
"Here I come!" The voice was completely different from the shaking girl a moment before.
.
.
In the wating room Bell smiled.
"Ryuu...I am so proud of you..."
This gesture from her just now was a renewed evidence for everyone to see what a kind girl Ryuu was...of course no one knew that Mysterio was her...except a few people.
Fight...my love!
.
.
"Whaaaaat aaaaaa gentlemaaaaaaaan! Mysterio saw that his opponent was in pain and helped him! A true gentleman!"
"And quite handsome I must say!"
"I must agree! For I am Ganesha!"
.
The god had joined his two children at the commentator stand.
"I´m sorry sir, but even with what you just did for me, I want to win!" Alpha stopped a few meters in front of Ryuu.
"I understand."
"That said...are you...seing someone...?" The helmet turned slowly to the side as if she was...embarassed?
Oh no...
Alpha coughed and took a vial out of a pouch from the belt and held it up.
"This counts as a tool."
Then she tipped it into the helmet through a tiny opening.
For a moment she shaked.
"RAAAAAAH!" With a firece warcry, Alpha jumped forward and whirled her spear around.
Here we go..
As the spear´s blade came down, Ryuu used her crossed swords and the force of the strike to push herself out of the way.
As I thought...a strengthening potion.
With monstrous speed and strength, Alpha attacked again and again, whirling the spear around like crazy.
I have t-
Ryuu´s thought was interrupted when something happened to her that she told Bell to look out for...she failed to see some rubble and...tripped. Alpha used the chance to jump behind Ryuu and thrust the spear forward.
Oh N-
Suddenly a huge wave of mental tiredness washed over Ryuu.
LION!
Before she could turn her head, Ryuu saw her shadow sharpen, due to a sudden bright light source behind her.
"Ah!"
A strange sound occured and Ryuu dropped to one knee, almost feeling a mind down.
What happened...
Slowly she turned her head...and saw Alpha lying on her back a few meters away from Ryuu.
"Huh?..."
.
"Iiiiiiiit´s ooooooveeeeeer! Mysterio beat Alpha! Also I didn´t see how it happened!"
"What was that?"
"No idea! But the aura didn´t react so it was no magic or active skill! Fuahahaha truly amazing!"
.
"Ouch..." Alpha didn't seem to have the strength to get up.
A long scratch graced Alpha´s chest plate...like from a sword slash.
What...just...happened?
Ryuu felt really tired...as if most of her mental strength just...vanished.
.
.
.
Authors Note: Hello everyone, I made the chapter a little bit shorter than I intended, I cut just a bit fighting because I had the feeling I´m writing the same stuff over and over again. At least in this chapter some important story were set-in. Wait for the next one. "Bell vs. Ryuu" and the things that will happen between these two there.