The Grand Tournament
Chapter 8
"MEANIE KEVIN TRAPPED CARLIE IN DOOR!!" screeched a soprano voice at 3 in the morning the next day, waking everyone within a 50-foot radius up. The male shrieking and evil laughter that followed didn't help.
"Y'know..." started Angela, putting her pillow over her head, "I'm starting to think we need to get that kid on medication..."
"You're just starting to think that?" retorted Duran, fingers in his ears.
"Not really."
***
"Someone...please...shut those two up..." pleaded the Deathjester, his head against the doorpost. The Darkshine Knight, his new roommate (since Heath and Koren began sharing a room due to uhm...reasons) hung over the chair in despair.
"We need to get some medication for that kid."
***
"Heath."
"Yeah?"
"It's not very romantic with that brat screaming in the background."
"I know. I need to get some medication for her..."
***
"GO OUTSIDE IF YOU TWO ARE GOING TO CREATE A MELEE LIKE THIS!!" Lise screamed at the tangle of limbs and blonde hair that was Kevin and Carlie. Still biting and scratching the two rolled out into the hallway, and Hawk slammed the door behind them.
"Great Goddess, does that kid ever run out of energy?" the Nightblade cried and plopped back down on his bed.
"She needs medication. Badly."
~*~
Everyone was an exact image of the living dead at the breakfast table. Kevin was covered with bruises and had a black eye while Carlie had scratches everywhere on her face from the Beastman's claws. Duran had fallen asleep in his toast and eggs and Angela was pouring orange juice into her cereal. Everyone else was focusing on putting one thought ahead of the next.
"So..." muttered Lise weakly, barely lifting her head from its position on her arms, "Today is your competition with that one guy..." Koren looked up sleepily.
"Yeah. That one guy...the guy."
"Yeah."
"Yeah it is." Finished the Red Mage, and nestled himself back into Heath's hair, who was sleeping soundly on his plate. The Darkshine Knight, seeing the position everyone was in (including himself) decided that it was his responsibility to wake everyone up. Standing, he unsheathed his sword and stabbed it in the middle of the table, causing the half-asleep Mana Warriors to sit up in alarm.
"I don't like bein' the one to bring about news like this..." started Darkshine, whose eyes had significantly began to glow again, "But I believe we have about half an hour before the fight starts."
"Oh right..." replied Duran, and shook the food away from his hair and finished his juice. Koren rubbed his temples and sighed.
"Fine. I'll get ready." He said and stood up to head back to his room. Heath followed obediently, pestering Koren from behind with a plate of food. Lise shook her head.
"He never gives up, does he?" the Amazoness asked aloud. Hawk smiled.
"If you want something badly enough, and if you try hard enough, you will always win." He spoke, and stood up as well, "Heath wants Koren to be strong again, as do we all..." Duran grunted, "...deep down inside."
Duran snorted and then shrugged and stood silently and went up stairs to his own quarters.
~*~
Standing before the gate leading to the arena, Koren began to doubt himself. Was he strong enough? Did he have enough courage? Could he even defeat Jagan or make a dent? Heath stood beside him, arm around his waist.
"You'll be ok, right?" the Mirage Mage asked gently, tightening his grip slightly. Koren sighed and continued to stare at the gate.
"I don't know anymore. I don't know how I feel or what I want."
A long silence.
"What do you think strength is?" Koren questioned innocently, looking at his love. Heath turned to him and smiled.
"Strength is having the power to overcome the hardest obstacles that face you. And I'm not just talking physically. Strength is the one thing that separates people who give up and those who wish to continue on. And I know that you have a lot of strength, Koren. So use it." Heath brushed his lips against Koren's until Kevin stepped up from behind.
"Time. Go Heath, we must leave area. Fight start near." The God Hand commanded. Heath gave one last look at Koren before leaving with the Beastman. Kevin turned around and smiled.
"Strong. Go out and win." He exclaimed and waved goodbye. Koren returned the smile and then turned to face the gate and took at deep breath in.
~*~
"He's gonna be ok, right? He's gonna ok...yeah? Ok...Ok...Heath?"
"DARKSHINE." Heath hissed for the thousandth time and looked at the Black Knight with agitation, "Trust him, ok? He's the general of the Altenian army for a reason." Darkshine exhaled and turned to Angela.
"He's gonna be ok, right?" All Darkshine got for that question was a smack upside the head and a glare from the Princess.
"You're hopeless."
~*~
"Welcome all to the next round in The Grand Tournament!" Shichi giggled into the microphone, sending the crowd into a usual frenzy, "Today we have two very extreme magicians fighting against each other so will you please put your hands together for Koren Ryutei and Jagan!"
Koren exhaled one last time as the gate before him opened, spilling sunlight into his young face. He took a step out and headed towards the center of the arena. He reached the destination and still did not sight his opponent. Shichi wondered about, looking up and around and even behind Koren's cape.
"Well people..." she began, "I have no idea where Jagan might be but..."
Suddenly, a clap of thunder echoed throughout the stadium, and it was as if someone had swept a cloak over the sun as the sky turned as dark as night. A few raindrops began to pelt down as Jagan's silhouette appeared across from the Crimson Wizard. The crimson eyes shone through the dark, giving light to the vampire's extremely pale complexion. Jagan grinned, baring his fangs in delight.
"I hope you do not mind, Sir Koren," Jagan spoke, and Koren hissed slightly, "I'm afraid I don't like sunlight that much."
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, now that both fighters are in their place I believe we can begin this match! Please get your umbrellas ready though, as it looks like it will only rain harder!" As soon as the young girl spoke those words, a ripple of umbrellas waved through the stadium. Even more of a coincidence, the rain began to come down in steady sheets. Both mages did not falter.
"Alright...ready...FIGHT!" Shichi swung her hand through the air and then put up her own umbrella. Both wizards disappeared on the spot and a few moments later, a spectacular light show of magic began to fly back and forth between two points. The crowd oohed and ahhed, watching Fireballs slash through the air and Thunder Bolts striking madly. The warriors appeared again, each without a scratch.
"So it appears your skills are indeed great, Crimson Wizard..." hissed Jagan, eyes glowing a deeper shade of red, "Let's see how they can hold up against this!!" The vampire cackled and disappeared in a puff of ebony smoke. Koren glanced about wildly, searching out for his opponent. It was only when he looked up did he realize that something was wrong.
A stinging raindrop fell into his and he wiped it away only to look down at his hand to find blood. The rain was no longer water; it had become blood! Koren's heart froze, his veins replaced by artic streams. He could only stare at the blood covering his hands, slowly recognizing his worst fear...
~*~
"Argh! Jagan is messing with his mind!" Hawk stood up, screaming into the glass down to the arena floor. Heath was shaking his head and biting this thumbnail.
'This won't end very well. I know Koren, and if it's one thing he's afraid of, it's seeing real blood on his hands...' Heath's mind raced.
~*~
Koren stood frozen, staring at his palms in horror.
'The...the blood...of millions...millions of people...' he thought, and a tear began to slip down his thin cheek. Suddenly, a sharp pain brought him to his senses and sent him flying across the arena, landing on the edge. Recovering he looked up to find Jagan with his inhuman hand raised, smoke rising. The vampire grinned.
"The don't call me the Earl of the Evil Eye for nothing, you know." Jagan's malicious grin broadened, "I see into your mind and into your soul to find your greatest weakness."
Koren tried to stand, faltered, then rose up and pointed his hand at the vampire. He sent a spear of pure ice hurling towards Jagan, who barely dodged it in time. It struck the wall and imbedded itself into the stone. Jagan looked surprised and proud at the same time. Koren's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"So what if that's my greatest fear. What matters is that I have the strength to overcome it!" Koren began and raised both hands up, causing a rumbling to settle in. The crowd gasped at the forming fire in his hands, which started from a simple ball and grew into a roaring pillar. "And you, Jagan, will not stop me from that!"
*~*
Trying to overcome his own weakness, will Koren be able to beat Jagan, the one creature who sees all a person's sins? How will the demon use this to his advantage...?
*~*
a/n: God, I am so sorry this took so long to get up! Mrwa. You have no idea what a wreck I am; I've collapsed twice this past week from exhaustion. Not fun. But still, I'm gonna try really hard to work on this story! Woo!
On a side note, I have realized a mistake I put Chapter 3 in my Author's Note. Apparently I typed out "Homophone" instead of "Homophobe". Many of you must be wondering what a Homophone is...well...*points to a rainbow phone next to her, with purple triangle motif numbers* That, my friends, is a homophone. That concludes this announcement.
-Kurai
Chapter 8
"MEANIE KEVIN TRAPPED CARLIE IN DOOR!!" screeched a soprano voice at 3 in the morning the next day, waking everyone within a 50-foot radius up. The male shrieking and evil laughter that followed didn't help.
"Y'know..." started Angela, putting her pillow over her head, "I'm starting to think we need to get that kid on medication..."
"You're just starting to think that?" retorted Duran, fingers in his ears.
"Not really."
***
"Someone...please...shut those two up..." pleaded the Deathjester, his head against the doorpost. The Darkshine Knight, his new roommate (since Heath and Koren began sharing a room due to uhm...reasons) hung over the chair in despair.
"We need to get some medication for that kid."
***
"Heath."
"Yeah?"
"It's not very romantic with that brat screaming in the background."
"I know. I need to get some medication for her..."
***
"GO OUTSIDE IF YOU TWO ARE GOING TO CREATE A MELEE LIKE THIS!!" Lise screamed at the tangle of limbs and blonde hair that was Kevin and Carlie. Still biting and scratching the two rolled out into the hallway, and Hawk slammed the door behind them.
"Great Goddess, does that kid ever run out of energy?" the Nightblade cried and plopped back down on his bed.
"She needs medication. Badly."
~*~
Everyone was an exact image of the living dead at the breakfast table. Kevin was covered with bruises and had a black eye while Carlie had scratches everywhere on her face from the Beastman's claws. Duran had fallen asleep in his toast and eggs and Angela was pouring orange juice into her cereal. Everyone else was focusing on putting one thought ahead of the next.
"So..." muttered Lise weakly, barely lifting her head from its position on her arms, "Today is your competition with that one guy..." Koren looked up sleepily.
"Yeah. That one guy...the guy."
"Yeah."
"Yeah it is." Finished the Red Mage, and nestled himself back into Heath's hair, who was sleeping soundly on his plate. The Darkshine Knight, seeing the position everyone was in (including himself) decided that it was his responsibility to wake everyone up. Standing, he unsheathed his sword and stabbed it in the middle of the table, causing the half-asleep Mana Warriors to sit up in alarm.
"I don't like bein' the one to bring about news like this..." started Darkshine, whose eyes had significantly began to glow again, "But I believe we have about half an hour before the fight starts."
"Oh right..." replied Duran, and shook the food away from his hair and finished his juice. Koren rubbed his temples and sighed.
"Fine. I'll get ready." He said and stood up to head back to his room. Heath followed obediently, pestering Koren from behind with a plate of food. Lise shook her head.
"He never gives up, does he?" the Amazoness asked aloud. Hawk smiled.
"If you want something badly enough, and if you try hard enough, you will always win." He spoke, and stood up as well, "Heath wants Koren to be strong again, as do we all..." Duran grunted, "...deep down inside."
Duran snorted and then shrugged and stood silently and went up stairs to his own quarters.
~*~
Standing before the gate leading to the arena, Koren began to doubt himself. Was he strong enough? Did he have enough courage? Could he even defeat Jagan or make a dent? Heath stood beside him, arm around his waist.
"You'll be ok, right?" the Mirage Mage asked gently, tightening his grip slightly. Koren sighed and continued to stare at the gate.
"I don't know anymore. I don't know how I feel or what I want."
A long silence.
"What do you think strength is?" Koren questioned innocently, looking at his love. Heath turned to him and smiled.
"Strength is having the power to overcome the hardest obstacles that face you. And I'm not just talking physically. Strength is the one thing that separates people who give up and those who wish to continue on. And I know that you have a lot of strength, Koren. So use it." Heath brushed his lips against Koren's until Kevin stepped up from behind.
"Time. Go Heath, we must leave area. Fight start near." The God Hand commanded. Heath gave one last look at Koren before leaving with the Beastman. Kevin turned around and smiled.
"Strong. Go out and win." He exclaimed and waved goodbye. Koren returned the smile and then turned to face the gate and took at deep breath in.
~*~
"He's gonna be ok, right? He's gonna ok...yeah? Ok...Ok...Heath?"
"DARKSHINE." Heath hissed for the thousandth time and looked at the Black Knight with agitation, "Trust him, ok? He's the general of the Altenian army for a reason." Darkshine exhaled and turned to Angela.
"He's gonna be ok, right?" All Darkshine got for that question was a smack upside the head and a glare from the Princess.
"You're hopeless."
~*~
"Welcome all to the next round in The Grand Tournament!" Shichi giggled into the microphone, sending the crowd into a usual frenzy, "Today we have two very extreme magicians fighting against each other so will you please put your hands together for Koren Ryutei and Jagan!"
Koren exhaled one last time as the gate before him opened, spilling sunlight into his young face. He took a step out and headed towards the center of the arena. He reached the destination and still did not sight his opponent. Shichi wondered about, looking up and around and even behind Koren's cape.
"Well people..." she began, "I have no idea where Jagan might be but..."
Suddenly, a clap of thunder echoed throughout the stadium, and it was as if someone had swept a cloak over the sun as the sky turned as dark as night. A few raindrops began to pelt down as Jagan's silhouette appeared across from the Crimson Wizard. The crimson eyes shone through the dark, giving light to the vampire's extremely pale complexion. Jagan grinned, baring his fangs in delight.
"I hope you do not mind, Sir Koren," Jagan spoke, and Koren hissed slightly, "I'm afraid I don't like sunlight that much."
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, now that both fighters are in their place I believe we can begin this match! Please get your umbrellas ready though, as it looks like it will only rain harder!" As soon as the young girl spoke those words, a ripple of umbrellas waved through the stadium. Even more of a coincidence, the rain began to come down in steady sheets. Both mages did not falter.
"Alright...ready...FIGHT!" Shichi swung her hand through the air and then put up her own umbrella. Both wizards disappeared on the spot and a few moments later, a spectacular light show of magic began to fly back and forth between two points. The crowd oohed and ahhed, watching Fireballs slash through the air and Thunder Bolts striking madly. The warriors appeared again, each without a scratch.
"So it appears your skills are indeed great, Crimson Wizard..." hissed Jagan, eyes glowing a deeper shade of red, "Let's see how they can hold up against this!!" The vampire cackled and disappeared in a puff of ebony smoke. Koren glanced about wildly, searching out for his opponent. It was only when he looked up did he realize that something was wrong.
A stinging raindrop fell into his and he wiped it away only to look down at his hand to find blood. The rain was no longer water; it had become blood! Koren's heart froze, his veins replaced by artic streams. He could only stare at the blood covering his hands, slowly recognizing his worst fear...
~*~
"Argh! Jagan is messing with his mind!" Hawk stood up, screaming into the glass down to the arena floor. Heath was shaking his head and biting this thumbnail.
'This won't end very well. I know Koren, and if it's one thing he's afraid of, it's seeing real blood on his hands...' Heath's mind raced.
~*~
Koren stood frozen, staring at his palms in horror.
'The...the blood...of millions...millions of people...' he thought, and a tear began to slip down his thin cheek. Suddenly, a sharp pain brought him to his senses and sent him flying across the arena, landing on the edge. Recovering he looked up to find Jagan with his inhuman hand raised, smoke rising. The vampire grinned.
"The don't call me the Earl of the Evil Eye for nothing, you know." Jagan's malicious grin broadened, "I see into your mind and into your soul to find your greatest weakness."
Koren tried to stand, faltered, then rose up and pointed his hand at the vampire. He sent a spear of pure ice hurling towards Jagan, who barely dodged it in time. It struck the wall and imbedded itself into the stone. Jagan looked surprised and proud at the same time. Koren's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"So what if that's my greatest fear. What matters is that I have the strength to overcome it!" Koren began and raised both hands up, causing a rumbling to settle in. The crowd gasped at the forming fire in his hands, which started from a simple ball and grew into a roaring pillar. "And you, Jagan, will not stop me from that!"
*~*
Trying to overcome his own weakness, will Koren be able to beat Jagan, the one creature who sees all a person's sins? How will the demon use this to his advantage...?
*~*
a/n: God, I am so sorry this took so long to get up! Mrwa. You have no idea what a wreck I am; I've collapsed twice this past week from exhaustion. Not fun. But still, I'm gonna try really hard to work on this story! Woo!
On a side note, I have realized a mistake I put Chapter 3 in my Author's Note. Apparently I typed out "Homophone" instead of "Homophobe". Many of you must be wondering what a Homophone is...well...*points to a rainbow phone next to her, with purple triangle motif numbers* That, my friends, is a homophone. That concludes this announcement.
-Kurai