The Grand Tournament
Chapter 5
Duran gaped at the sight of his newly powered opponent. Kaioro grinned a bloody smile, his teeth stained with the fluid.
"What's wrong, don't tell me that such an experienced fighter such as yourself has never seen a berserker!" he snarled. Duran could only stare, feeling Kaioro's power rising steadily. Kaioro grinned and raised his katana, unmoving. Duran suddenly heard the crowd gasp and wondered what was going on.
"What the hell are you doing? Attack me already!!" the Swordmaster growled. Kaioro grinned.
"I did."
Blood began to trickle down Duran's cheek, and the warrior froze in surprise. Kaioro chuckled.
"As you can see, I'm faster than you ever will be, so why don't you just put your hands behind your back and bow your head so I can cut off that ego-filled head of yours?" Duran hissed and charged at Kaioro with a war cry. His opponent disappeared as Duran slashed his sword and was kicked in the back by the Berserker's strong leg. The Mana Hero fell forward with a cry and swirled around to deliver a lower slash only to miss once more as Kaioro jumped high into the air and landed behind Duran ten feet away.
"So slow...and yet you're working up such a sweat! Here...let me cool things down..." Kaioro lifted his hand into the air and began to chant familiarly. Duran quickly recognized the spell and prepared to evade.
"ICE SMASH!" Kaioro screamed, sending a blast of hard ice at the Swordmaster, who rolled out of the way just in time to watch the attack slam into the arena wall. Duran panted and looked back at Kaioro.
"Whoops. I missed. Well, there's always this time!!" the fiend rose his hand up and sent a beam of frozen slush at the Mana Hero. Duran evaded again only to find his opponent's attack following him from behind. Duran ran quickly to avoid the attack but soon found himself making a circle with the spell. He was frozen in a cylinder of ice.
"Trapped like the rat you are!" Kaioro sneered, "You have ten seconds to get out of there before I slice it open and turn you into sushi."
"One..."
Duran thought quickly; he tried to bring his sword down on the wall but it only bounced off with a ring.
"Two..."
The Swordmaster looked around only to find his own desperate reflection stare back at him.
'Reflection...? Wait a minute! This spell's ice is just like a mirror...meaning...' Duran's reflection turned from desperate to thoughtful. He ran to one side of the cylinder and readied himself to jump.
"Three...four..."
Duran took a running leap to one wall of the ice and jumped off the wall to the other side, repeating until he reached the top at last and landed back onto the arena floor. Kaioro raised an eyebrow.
"Impressive. Seems you're not as stupid as I thought..." he snorted and raised his katana, "Yet now...you die!" Duran kept his eyes on the first Ice Smash Kaioro send out on him as the Berserker raced towards him. This time, Duran evaded each slash, remarking Kaioro's speed. The cursed one flipped over Duran and landed behind him to attack, yet Duran rolled out of the way just in time. He looked up to find Kaioro in front of the ice on the wall.
'Perfect.' He thought, and began to chant. Kaioro was slightly confused at this and waited to see what the boy would conjure. Sparks of lightning began to appear around Duran as he lifted his sword into the air.
"THUNDER SABER!!" He yelled and a pure bolt of lightning struck the sword, filling it with the power from the sky. The blade glowed a green shade as Duran prepared his attack. Kaioro smiled.
"Well well...looks you have somewhat of a skill after all...not that it'll be enough to beat me!" The Berserker charged forward and Duran countered with his charged sword and pushed Kaioro back. Then, raising the broadsword up, he swept it down, sending a bolt of lightning to his opponent. Kaioro merely stepped out of the way and grinned smugly. Duran grinned back and Kaioro soon realized his mistake.
He turned around only in time to have the bolt strike him back, sending him flying to the other side of the wall with a bone breaking snap. Kaioro fell to the ground, his neck at an odd angle.
~*~
"I don't believe it!" Heath shouted, looking at the match from above, "He used his magic to rebound off the ice wall and send it flying back to Kaioro...what a strategy!" The entire box fell into laughter and cheer. Koren smiled.
"Yes...seems like I'll have to watch my back if I ever fight him myself." He said, clapping along with his company.
~*~
"And the winner by death is Duran of the Grasslands Kingdom Forcena!" Shichi announced, raising up her stick-like arm to lift Duran's muscled one. The crowd erupted into cheers as Duran grinned widely and did a little step dance on the arena floor. The crowd cheered and then subsided as Shichi held up her hand.
"The second fight will occur in one hour, but the team this young man is from shall be able to rest until their next fight tomorrow! Same time, same place, same blood!" she said enthusiastically, patted Duran one more time on the back and led him off the arena.
~*~
"Dude! That was awesome! THAT WAS AWESOME!" Hawk screamed, hopping onto Duran and rubbing his head to ruffle his hair. Duran laughed and cheered as the rest of his friends dove upon him. Koren, Heath and the Darkshine Knight watched from afar, chuckling slightly. When the dog pile ended they approached the Swordmaster with congrtulations.
"That was a very smart thing to do m'boy!" Darkshine chortled, whacking Duran on the back making him sputter, "Using the ice as a mirror. Never would've thought of that myself!"
"Excellent job Duran!" Heath cheered bouncing up and down. Koren smiled and patted Duran on the shoulder.
"Yes...smart move. Who would've guess that you could think up of that?" the Mage chuckled. Duran growled slightly.
"Look blondie, I bet I could've beaten him with my own two hands if he hadn't go berserk on me!"
"Yeah, he did though, and it turns out your brain is functioning after all. Need an asprin? Thinking hurts."
"Shut up you jerk! You and me, right now! Let's go!" Duran wound up to throw a punch but Koren teleported away and reappeared behind him, pushing Duran off balance with his hand. The Swordmaster fell to the ground in defeat. Koren smirked.
"No fighting!" Kevin shouted, "Good times! Happy times! Duran win! Celebrate tonight! Big party! Yeah?" the Beastman cheered and everyone else agreed. Duran fought to get himself up and got ready to shout at Koren one last time except he was walking back to the rooms with Heath.
"Huh...where's he going?" Duran asked aloud before being trampled by his friends one more time.
~*~
Koren collapsed onto the bed panting slightly, his legs shaking from so much stress. Heath looked on with concern. Koren was unimaginably weak from the day's events and was breathing hard. The Mirage Mage put a hand on his friend's shoulder. Koren turned his head and looked at Heath.
"I'm sorry. It happens when I do too much stress in one day...all I need is some sleep..."
"All you need is some food."
"No..."
"Koren," Heath sighed and laid down next to him, "You have to try to get better, this is a battle you have to win yourself..." Koren's eyes darted away from Heath's. The Silver Wizard sighed.
"If I may ask you a question..." Koren's eyes flicked back to Heath, "...Why did you do this to yourself? What made you want to do this?" Koren stared helplessly and sat up slowly, holding out his hands.
"These." He spoke softly, turning his hands around looking at them intently, "These hands of mine. Gallons of blood rest upon them, the blood of innocent people...the blood of thousands...this is my sin. This is my sin I must repent for. So while they suffer knowing what I have done...I suffer knowing what I am doing to myself." Heath sat silently. Koren began to laugh and cry at the same time, choking.
"Ha...see? See the blood? They're...they're dripping with it..." Koren's tears began to flow faster, "Blood...their blood...I have...to get rid of this...blood!" The wizard stood quickly and scampered into the bathroom, turning on the water and rinsing his hands furiously. Heath walked slowly towards him, his eyes full of concern and helplessness. Koren scrubbed harder, taking out brushes and wash clothes and scrubbing as hard as he could. Heath shook his head.
"No...No Koren, no," he whispered and took his lover's hands away from the water. Koren began to cry again, "Listen to me. You are strong and you don't need to do this to yourself, you are stronger than this...LISTEN TO ME!" Heath shook Koren, "You need to try...and it's not your fault that this blood is on your hands. It's your job as a General, you can have no guilt..."
Koren's cries turned into hard sobs.
"It's okay...it's okay..." Heath comforted, bringing Koren into his arms and kissing his head gently. Koren relaxed and traced over Heath's chest before touching his own, letting his thin fingers slide across his rib cage.
*~*
With Koren in an emotional trap within his own mind, the reamaning warriors prepare for tomorrow's fight. What will happen then?
Chapter 5
Duran gaped at the sight of his newly powered opponent. Kaioro grinned a bloody smile, his teeth stained with the fluid.
"What's wrong, don't tell me that such an experienced fighter such as yourself has never seen a berserker!" he snarled. Duran could only stare, feeling Kaioro's power rising steadily. Kaioro grinned and raised his katana, unmoving. Duran suddenly heard the crowd gasp and wondered what was going on.
"What the hell are you doing? Attack me already!!" the Swordmaster growled. Kaioro grinned.
"I did."
Blood began to trickle down Duran's cheek, and the warrior froze in surprise. Kaioro chuckled.
"As you can see, I'm faster than you ever will be, so why don't you just put your hands behind your back and bow your head so I can cut off that ego-filled head of yours?" Duran hissed and charged at Kaioro with a war cry. His opponent disappeared as Duran slashed his sword and was kicked in the back by the Berserker's strong leg. The Mana Hero fell forward with a cry and swirled around to deliver a lower slash only to miss once more as Kaioro jumped high into the air and landed behind Duran ten feet away.
"So slow...and yet you're working up such a sweat! Here...let me cool things down..." Kaioro lifted his hand into the air and began to chant familiarly. Duran quickly recognized the spell and prepared to evade.
"ICE SMASH!" Kaioro screamed, sending a blast of hard ice at the Swordmaster, who rolled out of the way just in time to watch the attack slam into the arena wall. Duran panted and looked back at Kaioro.
"Whoops. I missed. Well, there's always this time!!" the fiend rose his hand up and sent a beam of frozen slush at the Mana Hero. Duran evaded again only to find his opponent's attack following him from behind. Duran ran quickly to avoid the attack but soon found himself making a circle with the spell. He was frozen in a cylinder of ice.
"Trapped like the rat you are!" Kaioro sneered, "You have ten seconds to get out of there before I slice it open and turn you into sushi."
"One..."
Duran thought quickly; he tried to bring his sword down on the wall but it only bounced off with a ring.
"Two..."
The Swordmaster looked around only to find his own desperate reflection stare back at him.
'Reflection...? Wait a minute! This spell's ice is just like a mirror...meaning...' Duran's reflection turned from desperate to thoughtful. He ran to one side of the cylinder and readied himself to jump.
"Three...four..."
Duran took a running leap to one wall of the ice and jumped off the wall to the other side, repeating until he reached the top at last and landed back onto the arena floor. Kaioro raised an eyebrow.
"Impressive. Seems you're not as stupid as I thought..." he snorted and raised his katana, "Yet now...you die!" Duran kept his eyes on the first Ice Smash Kaioro send out on him as the Berserker raced towards him. This time, Duran evaded each slash, remarking Kaioro's speed. The cursed one flipped over Duran and landed behind him to attack, yet Duran rolled out of the way just in time. He looked up to find Kaioro in front of the ice on the wall.
'Perfect.' He thought, and began to chant. Kaioro was slightly confused at this and waited to see what the boy would conjure. Sparks of lightning began to appear around Duran as he lifted his sword into the air.
"THUNDER SABER!!" He yelled and a pure bolt of lightning struck the sword, filling it with the power from the sky. The blade glowed a green shade as Duran prepared his attack. Kaioro smiled.
"Well well...looks you have somewhat of a skill after all...not that it'll be enough to beat me!" The Berserker charged forward and Duran countered with his charged sword and pushed Kaioro back. Then, raising the broadsword up, he swept it down, sending a bolt of lightning to his opponent. Kaioro merely stepped out of the way and grinned smugly. Duran grinned back and Kaioro soon realized his mistake.
He turned around only in time to have the bolt strike him back, sending him flying to the other side of the wall with a bone breaking snap. Kaioro fell to the ground, his neck at an odd angle.
~*~
"I don't believe it!" Heath shouted, looking at the match from above, "He used his magic to rebound off the ice wall and send it flying back to Kaioro...what a strategy!" The entire box fell into laughter and cheer. Koren smiled.
"Yes...seems like I'll have to watch my back if I ever fight him myself." He said, clapping along with his company.
~*~
"And the winner by death is Duran of the Grasslands Kingdom Forcena!" Shichi announced, raising up her stick-like arm to lift Duran's muscled one. The crowd erupted into cheers as Duran grinned widely and did a little step dance on the arena floor. The crowd cheered and then subsided as Shichi held up her hand.
"The second fight will occur in one hour, but the team this young man is from shall be able to rest until their next fight tomorrow! Same time, same place, same blood!" she said enthusiastically, patted Duran one more time on the back and led him off the arena.
~*~
"Dude! That was awesome! THAT WAS AWESOME!" Hawk screamed, hopping onto Duran and rubbing his head to ruffle his hair. Duran laughed and cheered as the rest of his friends dove upon him. Koren, Heath and the Darkshine Knight watched from afar, chuckling slightly. When the dog pile ended they approached the Swordmaster with congrtulations.
"That was a very smart thing to do m'boy!" Darkshine chortled, whacking Duran on the back making him sputter, "Using the ice as a mirror. Never would've thought of that myself!"
"Excellent job Duran!" Heath cheered bouncing up and down. Koren smiled and patted Duran on the shoulder.
"Yes...smart move. Who would've guess that you could think up of that?" the Mage chuckled. Duran growled slightly.
"Look blondie, I bet I could've beaten him with my own two hands if he hadn't go berserk on me!"
"Yeah, he did though, and it turns out your brain is functioning after all. Need an asprin? Thinking hurts."
"Shut up you jerk! You and me, right now! Let's go!" Duran wound up to throw a punch but Koren teleported away and reappeared behind him, pushing Duran off balance with his hand. The Swordmaster fell to the ground in defeat. Koren smirked.
"No fighting!" Kevin shouted, "Good times! Happy times! Duran win! Celebrate tonight! Big party! Yeah?" the Beastman cheered and everyone else agreed. Duran fought to get himself up and got ready to shout at Koren one last time except he was walking back to the rooms with Heath.
"Huh...where's he going?" Duran asked aloud before being trampled by his friends one more time.
~*~
Koren collapsed onto the bed panting slightly, his legs shaking from so much stress. Heath looked on with concern. Koren was unimaginably weak from the day's events and was breathing hard. The Mirage Mage put a hand on his friend's shoulder. Koren turned his head and looked at Heath.
"I'm sorry. It happens when I do too much stress in one day...all I need is some sleep..."
"All you need is some food."
"No..."
"Koren," Heath sighed and laid down next to him, "You have to try to get better, this is a battle you have to win yourself..." Koren's eyes darted away from Heath's. The Silver Wizard sighed.
"If I may ask you a question..." Koren's eyes flicked back to Heath, "...Why did you do this to yourself? What made you want to do this?" Koren stared helplessly and sat up slowly, holding out his hands.
"These." He spoke softly, turning his hands around looking at them intently, "These hands of mine. Gallons of blood rest upon them, the blood of innocent people...the blood of thousands...this is my sin. This is my sin I must repent for. So while they suffer knowing what I have done...I suffer knowing what I am doing to myself." Heath sat silently. Koren began to laugh and cry at the same time, choking.
"Ha...see? See the blood? They're...they're dripping with it..." Koren's tears began to flow faster, "Blood...their blood...I have...to get rid of this...blood!" The wizard stood quickly and scampered into the bathroom, turning on the water and rinsing his hands furiously. Heath walked slowly towards him, his eyes full of concern and helplessness. Koren scrubbed harder, taking out brushes and wash clothes and scrubbing as hard as he could. Heath shook his head.
"No...No Koren, no," he whispered and took his lover's hands away from the water. Koren began to cry again, "Listen to me. You are strong and you don't need to do this to yourself, you are stronger than this...LISTEN TO ME!" Heath shook Koren, "You need to try...and it's not your fault that this blood is on your hands. It's your job as a General, you can have no guilt..."
Koren's cries turned into hard sobs.
"It's okay...it's okay..." Heath comforted, bringing Koren into his arms and kissing his head gently. Koren relaxed and traced over Heath's chest before touching his own, letting his thin fingers slide across his rib cage.
*~*
With Koren in an emotional trap within his own mind, the reamaning warriors prepare for tomorrow's fight. What will happen then?