The Grand Tournament
Chapter 9
Koren used all his strength to keep the pillar of flame towering above him. His eyes seemed to reflect the fire, turning from their natural ocean blue to a hellish red.
"I AM NOT WEAK!" he roared and pushed the pillar down upon Jagan, still giving a battle cry. The vampire's black shadow disappeared within the flames and as they died no trace of him was found.
Panting, Koren kneeled down to one knee. He kept his head bowed, sighing in relief at the death of his opponent when he realized in dread that bloody rain continued to fall.
'What...?' He thought, and looked upward to fall into shock at the sight of Jagan soaring above him.
"Wow! I don't believe this I bet you don't either but it seems Jagan has somehow avoided Koren's Explosion attack! What great maneuvering!" Shouted Shichi, and the crowd roared in anticipation. Koren readied himself to dodge Jagan's speeding attack and rolled out of the way as the dark magician slammed into the stone ground. Standing up, Koren looked at the cloud of smashed granite and quickly dodged again as the vampire came dashing out, claws at ready. Jagan screeched to a stop and faced the Crimson Wizard.
"Do you really think a simple fire spell would ward me off?" Jagan sneered, "Need I remind you I am from the darkest depths of the Underworld where brimstone burns and souls bleed? I see every move you will make before you make it...I see your soul Red Mage! And I see your end now!" Jagan rushed forward again, barely giving anytime for Koren to dodge. One claw slashed into the magician's shoulder, leaving a trail of blood in mid-air. Koren gasped in pain and clutched his shoulder before turning and firing a lightning bolt towards the vampire. Jagan seemingly disappeared the moment before the spell hit, and reappeared on the other side of the arena. Quickly turning, Koren tried again with the same spell, missing again.
'This isn't working...' his mind rushed, 'He knows everything I'm going to do!'
~*~
"This is really not good!" shouted Hawk from the box. Darkshine's eyes were so bright the room obtained a violet glow and Angela was nervously tugging her hair.
"Come on Koren! Don't lose to this wimp before you have to fight me! Come on!!" Duran shouted, slamming his fist onto the windowsill, "You must have something he doesn't expect from you!" Heath paused and then gasped.
"You're right Duran! There is something Jagan doesn't expect from Koren!" he exclaimed and stood up to get closer to the window. Angela realized this as well and followed the suit.
"That's right! All that Jagan knows is that Koren knows black magic, but I bet he has no idea he has some Wisp spells in his book too!"
"Exactly." Replied Heath, looking below anxiously, "A Saint Beam would certainly finish him off!"
"Yeah...but..." chimed in Hawk, "it looks like any spell from Jagan might finish Koren off..." The Darkshine Knight growled.
"What're you talking about? Koren's doing fine!" The Knight grumbled but Hawk shook his head.
"No. He isn't. His physical condition and his mental condition are near the breaking point with the entire spell casting and dodging he's had to do. He can't hold out much longer in his state! If he's going to cast a deciding blow it has to be soon!"
~*~
Jagan grinned maliciously at the blood dripping steadily from Koren's shoulder. Faltering, Koren raised both hands, despite the pain. Jagan sneered more.
"Go ahead...use the last of your energy! When you die I'll feast on that delicious blood dripping from your body!" The vampire screeched and reared back. Dashing forward, he opened his mouth widely, "You're mine, Koren of the Red Lotus!"
The Crimson Wizard focused hard, remembering a single white spark in his mind. The spark glowed and shimmered before turning into a silver silhouette, then turning into Heath. Heath winking, Heath smiling, Heath turning towards him...
A pure explosion arced through Koren's mind.
"SAINT BEAM!!" he screamed and brought both hands parallel to Jagan's open mouth. The monster had not a second to scream before the holy light penetrated through his body and then dissipated. The vampire's corpse fell to the ground, twitching in agony before it gave a last shudder and died.
"What a conclusion! And the winner of the match is...Koren! ...Koren?" Shichi yelled, looking at the exhausted wizard. The Red Mage watched the black blood flow from Jagan's wounds, and then felt himself spiraling, spiraling downward into the dark.
~*~
"He used what little mental strength he had left to use the Saint Beam...most experienced magicians can perform it without such energy drain, but..." Angela trailed off, looking down at Koren's barely breathing body lying in his bed, "...his physical self was so weakened, he had only enough strength to pull it off."
The entire team had crowded around the magician's bed, watching him in fear of his heart suddenly stopping. A spell had been casted on him to keep enough oxygen in his blood by covering his body in an unearthly green glow. Heath was the nearest to him, trying to hold back tears. Everyone else was holding his or her breath.
"Yes, all of his energy has been drained, except enough to keep his heart beating. But that won't last long unless we keep this spell on him." Spoke the doctor who tended to Koren immediately after his collapse. The group turned to face him, expressions blank.
"The thing is, the young fella might not even make it." Everyone stopped breathing, "It's not his injuries from the fight, they will heal fine...but the anorexia has somewhat compromised his ability to recover. I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but without a drastic change in his behavior, Koren will die within a month."
No one exhaled, except for Heath who burst into tears. Biting her lip, Lise walked over and touched Heath's head gently. Crying hysterically, the Mirage Mage took no notice and simply gripped his boyfriend's hand tighter. The doctor bowed his head and left the room silently.
"I...I don't believe this..." Hawk muttered, shaking his head, "Why would he die so soon?" Angela wiped a tear away and sniffled.
"It's because he's dealt with this disease ever since he was twelve Hawk!" The Nightblade turned around in surprise, "I've known him for the longest time and he's been struggling for so long..." the princess began to sob harder, "I don't care what he's done...he's still my friend!!" With that, she fell to her knees and cried louder. Duran knelt down and patted Angela's back.
"I know. I judge a person based on their own merits...but he's still a great fighter. I've made mistakes too, but great fighters don't deserve to die like this." The Swordmaster spoke and kissed Angela's forehead gently. Kevin cleared his throat.
"We must go now. Leave Koren to rest..." he spoke, and turned to leave the room, the others following him. Duran and Angela were the last to leave, except for Heath who remained by Koren's bedside. Duran began to speak, but Angela put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. Nodding, Duran followed her out and they closed the door behind them.
~*~
Angela lay in her bed, crying silently in the night. Memories flashed through her head, each painfully reminding her of her friend like a needle pricking her finger.
"They say Angela, Victor and Koren are in detention again..."
"Angela! Hey! Forget this, let's go shopping!"
"Koren...you're not eating..."
"I'm so ashamed of myself for doing all of this..."
"We're not friends anymore, okay? So just forget about it Angela!"
"He might die in a month..."
"Angela! Hey Ange!" An eleven-old Koren called out, standing at her doorway with Victor behind him.
'He was more then...' Angela thought.
"Come on, let's go! The theater isn't running the show forever you know!" Victor called out playfully, causing Angela to giggle and stand up to follow her friends.
'That was before...before everything happened...'
"...so anyway, that's what I heard about Christine and Joey," laughed Koren, same age, sitting at lunch with his group of friends including Angela and Victor. Everyone giggled before one boy stepped over to them, sneering.
"Hey, Koren, guess what I just heard!" he said, smirking. Koren turned around, innocently, and smiled.
"What?"
"I overheard Tyrius talking about the dance, and when we suggested he take you, he thought you were to fat to take to the spring dance..."
"Get out of here Quist!" Victor shouted. Koren wasn't moving.
'That was when it began. Just a simple comment about his crush calling him fat...even though he denied it later. I found Koren making himself throw up dinner that night...Oh god, Koren, what did they turn you into? What did they do to you?'
Angela cried harder into her pillow, cursing everything that could have caused her friend's illness. Pounding into her bed sheets, she cursed herself for being so selfish...
~*~
"He's no longer unconscious, but in a very deep sleep right now. He should wake up by tomorrow morning." Said Lise, leaving Heath and Koren's bedroom, reporting to Hawk. Hawk crossed his arms and sighed, looking out to the window at the end of the hall, early morning sunlight seeping through the curtains
"I feel kinda hypocritical feeling bad for him. He's the one we're supposed to be fighting, and yet here we are losing sleep over him." The Nightblade spoke, shaking his head. Lise shrugged.
"Right now, we're separate from our quest for the Mana Sword, okay? Everything aside. He's an ally for now, and he's injured..." Lise paused, "But wait...wasn't Heath's fight today?" Hawk looked up.
"Yeah...it was...should we remind him?"
"Don't bother, thief." The two warriors turned around to find a young man with long green hair pulled back into a high half ponytail leaning against the wall behind them. He had a bow and arrows strapped across his back, and wore a simple green tunic with black pants and boots, "They postponed the fight because of the psychological condition your whole team is in. Stupid rule managers." He stood up straight and turned his yellow eyes on them.
"Wait...aren't you that guy who's going to fight Heath? Quinn Ravenlock?" Lise asked, and Quinn nodded.
"That's me. I came here to see how everything was going."
"What do you care?" Hawk spoke defensively, crossing his arms, "Just leave the two of them alone okay?" Quinn smirked.
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that. See, I want those two as far apart as possible." The elf explained, a spark in his eye, "The first time I ever laid eyes upon that silver haired God and I knew it was love. So why don't you just let me mosey on in and convince him to give up on that corpse?" Quinn stepped towards the door but found Lise's spear holding him back.
"You bastard. Get away, don't you see that Heath loves Koren?!" she shouted, eyes narrowed. Holding both hands up sarcastically, Quinn stepped back.
"Now, now missy, no need for that. If you want me to leave, just say so--"
"Then get out of here you needle-eared freak!" Hawk shouted and shoved Quinn away from the door. Glaring, Quinn turned around and began to walk away.
"Fine. But you'll see, when our fight comes, I will make that healer boy mine." And with those words, the elf simply disappeared into the shadowed hall. Hawk relaxed and then bared his teeth.
"Okay Lise, if we consider Heath and Koren our allies, I'm not going to let that creep ruin their relationship! I am the Soldier of Love!" he spoke dramatically, plunging a fist into the air. Lise smacked him over the head with the butt of her spear, sighing.
"More like the Soldier of Stupidity. Shut up and lets leave to keep things quiet around here, okay?" the Starlancer proclaimed and stepped off in the opposite direction. Hawk got up steadily.
"Hey Lise, wait." Lise stopped and turned around, "What...why do you think Quinn is here? I just thought about it...aren't Elves forbidden from human contact?"
Lise paused and thought about it. "That is weird, Hawk. Maybe he isn't from the Lampflower Forest...maybe he's from somewhere else entirely. But we can't think about it for too long, okay? Now, let's just go."
Hawk relented his fight but took one last look back where Quinn last was. Glaring, he walked on.
*~*
With the Mana Team morale slipping as quickly as Koren's fading health, will Heath be able to compete in time to still stand in the tournament? And who is Quinn, the mysterious archer from nowhere?
*~*
Chapter 9
Koren used all his strength to keep the pillar of flame towering above him. His eyes seemed to reflect the fire, turning from their natural ocean blue to a hellish red.
"I AM NOT WEAK!" he roared and pushed the pillar down upon Jagan, still giving a battle cry. The vampire's black shadow disappeared within the flames and as they died no trace of him was found.
Panting, Koren kneeled down to one knee. He kept his head bowed, sighing in relief at the death of his opponent when he realized in dread that bloody rain continued to fall.
'What...?' He thought, and looked upward to fall into shock at the sight of Jagan soaring above him.
"Wow! I don't believe this I bet you don't either but it seems Jagan has somehow avoided Koren's Explosion attack! What great maneuvering!" Shouted Shichi, and the crowd roared in anticipation. Koren readied himself to dodge Jagan's speeding attack and rolled out of the way as the dark magician slammed into the stone ground. Standing up, Koren looked at the cloud of smashed granite and quickly dodged again as the vampire came dashing out, claws at ready. Jagan screeched to a stop and faced the Crimson Wizard.
"Do you really think a simple fire spell would ward me off?" Jagan sneered, "Need I remind you I am from the darkest depths of the Underworld where brimstone burns and souls bleed? I see every move you will make before you make it...I see your soul Red Mage! And I see your end now!" Jagan rushed forward again, barely giving anytime for Koren to dodge. One claw slashed into the magician's shoulder, leaving a trail of blood in mid-air. Koren gasped in pain and clutched his shoulder before turning and firing a lightning bolt towards the vampire. Jagan seemingly disappeared the moment before the spell hit, and reappeared on the other side of the arena. Quickly turning, Koren tried again with the same spell, missing again.
'This isn't working...' his mind rushed, 'He knows everything I'm going to do!'
~*~
"This is really not good!" shouted Hawk from the box. Darkshine's eyes were so bright the room obtained a violet glow and Angela was nervously tugging her hair.
"Come on Koren! Don't lose to this wimp before you have to fight me! Come on!!" Duran shouted, slamming his fist onto the windowsill, "You must have something he doesn't expect from you!" Heath paused and then gasped.
"You're right Duran! There is something Jagan doesn't expect from Koren!" he exclaimed and stood up to get closer to the window. Angela realized this as well and followed the suit.
"That's right! All that Jagan knows is that Koren knows black magic, but I bet he has no idea he has some Wisp spells in his book too!"
"Exactly." Replied Heath, looking below anxiously, "A Saint Beam would certainly finish him off!"
"Yeah...but..." chimed in Hawk, "it looks like any spell from Jagan might finish Koren off..." The Darkshine Knight growled.
"What're you talking about? Koren's doing fine!" The Knight grumbled but Hawk shook his head.
"No. He isn't. His physical condition and his mental condition are near the breaking point with the entire spell casting and dodging he's had to do. He can't hold out much longer in his state! If he's going to cast a deciding blow it has to be soon!"
~*~
Jagan grinned maliciously at the blood dripping steadily from Koren's shoulder. Faltering, Koren raised both hands, despite the pain. Jagan sneered more.
"Go ahead...use the last of your energy! When you die I'll feast on that delicious blood dripping from your body!" The vampire screeched and reared back. Dashing forward, he opened his mouth widely, "You're mine, Koren of the Red Lotus!"
The Crimson Wizard focused hard, remembering a single white spark in his mind. The spark glowed and shimmered before turning into a silver silhouette, then turning into Heath. Heath winking, Heath smiling, Heath turning towards him...
A pure explosion arced through Koren's mind.
"SAINT BEAM!!" he screamed and brought both hands parallel to Jagan's open mouth. The monster had not a second to scream before the holy light penetrated through his body and then dissipated. The vampire's corpse fell to the ground, twitching in agony before it gave a last shudder and died.
"What a conclusion! And the winner of the match is...Koren! ...Koren?" Shichi yelled, looking at the exhausted wizard. The Red Mage watched the black blood flow from Jagan's wounds, and then felt himself spiraling, spiraling downward into the dark.
~*~
"He used what little mental strength he had left to use the Saint Beam...most experienced magicians can perform it without such energy drain, but..." Angela trailed off, looking down at Koren's barely breathing body lying in his bed, "...his physical self was so weakened, he had only enough strength to pull it off."
The entire team had crowded around the magician's bed, watching him in fear of his heart suddenly stopping. A spell had been casted on him to keep enough oxygen in his blood by covering his body in an unearthly green glow. Heath was the nearest to him, trying to hold back tears. Everyone else was holding his or her breath.
"Yes, all of his energy has been drained, except enough to keep his heart beating. But that won't last long unless we keep this spell on him." Spoke the doctor who tended to Koren immediately after his collapse. The group turned to face him, expressions blank.
"The thing is, the young fella might not even make it." Everyone stopped breathing, "It's not his injuries from the fight, they will heal fine...but the anorexia has somewhat compromised his ability to recover. I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but without a drastic change in his behavior, Koren will die within a month."
No one exhaled, except for Heath who burst into tears. Biting her lip, Lise walked over and touched Heath's head gently. Crying hysterically, the Mirage Mage took no notice and simply gripped his boyfriend's hand tighter. The doctor bowed his head and left the room silently.
"I...I don't believe this..." Hawk muttered, shaking his head, "Why would he die so soon?" Angela wiped a tear away and sniffled.
"It's because he's dealt with this disease ever since he was twelve Hawk!" The Nightblade turned around in surprise, "I've known him for the longest time and he's been struggling for so long..." the princess began to sob harder, "I don't care what he's done...he's still my friend!!" With that, she fell to her knees and cried louder. Duran knelt down and patted Angela's back.
"I know. I judge a person based on their own merits...but he's still a great fighter. I've made mistakes too, but great fighters don't deserve to die like this." The Swordmaster spoke and kissed Angela's forehead gently. Kevin cleared his throat.
"We must go now. Leave Koren to rest..." he spoke, and turned to leave the room, the others following him. Duran and Angela were the last to leave, except for Heath who remained by Koren's bedside. Duran began to speak, but Angela put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. Nodding, Duran followed her out and they closed the door behind them.
~*~
Angela lay in her bed, crying silently in the night. Memories flashed through her head, each painfully reminding her of her friend like a needle pricking her finger.
"They say Angela, Victor and Koren are in detention again..."
"Angela! Hey! Forget this, let's go shopping!"
"Koren...you're not eating..."
"I'm so ashamed of myself for doing all of this..."
"We're not friends anymore, okay? So just forget about it Angela!"
"He might die in a month..."
"Angela! Hey Ange!" An eleven-old Koren called out, standing at her doorway with Victor behind him.
'He was more then...' Angela thought.
"Come on, let's go! The theater isn't running the show forever you know!" Victor called out playfully, causing Angela to giggle and stand up to follow her friends.
'That was before...before everything happened...'
"...so anyway, that's what I heard about Christine and Joey," laughed Koren, same age, sitting at lunch with his group of friends including Angela and Victor. Everyone giggled before one boy stepped over to them, sneering.
"Hey, Koren, guess what I just heard!" he said, smirking. Koren turned around, innocently, and smiled.
"What?"
"I overheard Tyrius talking about the dance, and when we suggested he take you, he thought you were to fat to take to the spring dance..."
"Get out of here Quist!" Victor shouted. Koren wasn't moving.
'That was when it began. Just a simple comment about his crush calling him fat...even though he denied it later. I found Koren making himself throw up dinner that night...Oh god, Koren, what did they turn you into? What did they do to you?'
Angela cried harder into her pillow, cursing everything that could have caused her friend's illness. Pounding into her bed sheets, she cursed herself for being so selfish...
~*~
"He's no longer unconscious, but in a very deep sleep right now. He should wake up by tomorrow morning." Said Lise, leaving Heath and Koren's bedroom, reporting to Hawk. Hawk crossed his arms and sighed, looking out to the window at the end of the hall, early morning sunlight seeping through the curtains
"I feel kinda hypocritical feeling bad for him. He's the one we're supposed to be fighting, and yet here we are losing sleep over him." The Nightblade spoke, shaking his head. Lise shrugged.
"Right now, we're separate from our quest for the Mana Sword, okay? Everything aside. He's an ally for now, and he's injured..." Lise paused, "But wait...wasn't Heath's fight today?" Hawk looked up.
"Yeah...it was...should we remind him?"
"Don't bother, thief." The two warriors turned around to find a young man with long green hair pulled back into a high half ponytail leaning against the wall behind them. He had a bow and arrows strapped across his back, and wore a simple green tunic with black pants and boots, "They postponed the fight because of the psychological condition your whole team is in. Stupid rule managers." He stood up straight and turned his yellow eyes on them.
"Wait...aren't you that guy who's going to fight Heath? Quinn Ravenlock?" Lise asked, and Quinn nodded.
"That's me. I came here to see how everything was going."
"What do you care?" Hawk spoke defensively, crossing his arms, "Just leave the two of them alone okay?" Quinn smirked.
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that. See, I want those two as far apart as possible." The elf explained, a spark in his eye, "The first time I ever laid eyes upon that silver haired God and I knew it was love. So why don't you just let me mosey on in and convince him to give up on that corpse?" Quinn stepped towards the door but found Lise's spear holding him back.
"You bastard. Get away, don't you see that Heath loves Koren?!" she shouted, eyes narrowed. Holding both hands up sarcastically, Quinn stepped back.
"Now, now missy, no need for that. If you want me to leave, just say so--"
"Then get out of here you needle-eared freak!" Hawk shouted and shoved Quinn away from the door. Glaring, Quinn turned around and began to walk away.
"Fine. But you'll see, when our fight comes, I will make that healer boy mine." And with those words, the elf simply disappeared into the shadowed hall. Hawk relaxed and then bared his teeth.
"Okay Lise, if we consider Heath and Koren our allies, I'm not going to let that creep ruin their relationship! I am the Soldier of Love!" he spoke dramatically, plunging a fist into the air. Lise smacked him over the head with the butt of her spear, sighing.
"More like the Soldier of Stupidity. Shut up and lets leave to keep things quiet around here, okay?" the Starlancer proclaimed and stepped off in the opposite direction. Hawk got up steadily.
"Hey Lise, wait." Lise stopped and turned around, "What...why do you think Quinn is here? I just thought about it...aren't Elves forbidden from human contact?"
Lise paused and thought about it. "That is weird, Hawk. Maybe he isn't from the Lampflower Forest...maybe he's from somewhere else entirely. But we can't think about it for too long, okay? Now, let's just go."
Hawk relented his fight but took one last look back where Quinn last was. Glaring, he walked on.
*~*
With the Mana Team morale slipping as quickly as Koren's fading health, will Heath be able to compete in time to still stand in the tournament? And who is Quinn, the mysterious archer from nowhere?
*~*