Chapter 30: Drowning in Defence; a Desperate Duel

Kara-Throwing in Kaiohdrahl Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fanfiction.

Featured Music: "Ranked Amongst the World's Best"The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass OST. Chapter Briefing.

"Cheerful Music Selection#2" - Tenchi Muyo OST. Scene 1 (Second Half).

"Character Select" - Street Fighter V (Vanilla) OST. Scene 2 (First Half).

"義侠の華" - Judgment OST. Scene 2 (Second Half).

"Pledge of Demon" - Yakuza 0 OST. Scene 3.


Rather surprisingly, round four of the opening qualifiers to the Kaiohdrahl martial arts national championship ends in a fairly quick and speedy finish; after the incredibly long and well-rounded match-up they both shared in the Palashian Premier a mere month ago, the surrounding watchers of the championship all expected a much closer set. Something even that the commentators themselves soon comment on. With round one, two, three and now four under full swing, round five now begins in another head-turning match-up; Barkner Elbrus VS. Ragnar Romanov.

While round three's match in which the hapless Zayne Wyeford found himself fundamentally outmatched by the bold and mysterious Ragnar, Barkner hopes to utilise his infamous defensive and even more surprisingly his offensive skills against the relatively unknown Draerithian yet it will not come easy. Having been known in niche circles within the underground fighting community, Ragnar's reputation has very quickly become one of dominance and fear; in his run through indie competitions and tournaments, Ragnar has managed to end many men and women's careers and fairly harshly at that.

Perhaps an after-effect of the legendarily mysterious figure that is said to have taught him; the Draerithian martial artist that once mentored the world's greatest soldier, Sun Hui.

After Barkner's shocking victory over his close companion Alwyn in round one, while the weights still lie in Ragnar after his impressive and incredible debut, the odds for both winning the upcoming match are still anyone's guess. Yet still for gamblers and bookmakers all over Aurelia there has to be; an answer all within the sports industry look for, not just for entertainment's value, but for rupees'.

In more light-hearted news however, following the rather comical wager that the impetuous Vassia broached with her fiancé and now having lost it by a significant margin in comparison to what she was initially expecting, Link is now successfully free and clear of the engagement she so ruthlessly pushed upon him following his recent marginal defeat to her in Palashia; a fact that leaves him relieved and reassured.

Yet still he stays anxious.

With no answer still from his missing raven-haired rival Raynard and in his surprisingly rapid advance past the once-commanding strength of Vassia herself, Link finds himself troubled once more. While he's able to reason with himself on his advancement thanks to the Sorcerer's increase during the crisis with Velkarez, it is Raynard's curious disappearance after his ill-fated duel with Lyna that concerns the young Hero of Time.

At last, events in his recent victory however allow him to rest his worries and focus instead on the upcoming round five; his close companion Barkner VS. the elusive and fundamentally-intimidating Ragnar...


Scene 1

"Incredible! In a match-up that we all expected to last at least an hour after their hellish duel in Palashia, Firbrand not only breezes through his round four runback with princess Palashia, but with shocking speed at that!"

The sound of Mr. Marshall's baritone echoed out, knocking powerfully against the walls of Tiverpool Arena and melding well with the deafening yells of the surrounding audience.

"I see whatcha did there, Marsh," the ever-grinning Tasty Seth clicked his fingers in the older man's direction as they stood up from their commentating seats, grinning in his area as they began to march up to the arena itself. "'Breeze'!"

Marshall, a little irritated at having his anecdote pointed out dead centre for everyone to chuckle at, found himself casting a half-annoyed frown in the youth's direction before he at last re-faced the front as the pair of men approached the young blonde winner of the recent match-up.

"Very well done to you!"

The surprised Link swung his risen-eyebrow head to his top-right and left before soon realising who the voice and steps belonged to. As the smiling referee holding his small hand eventually let go, presumably to leave, she nodded toward the approaching men and left toward the competitor's box as if to allow them room to interview the boy.

"It's always a pleasure to see a returning competitor make such an impact on our humble world tour," Marshall began, ever in his sociable smile, his baritone echoing out softly through the small Gossip Stone in his right hand. "After your last run in with young Palashia in the Palashian Premier, we expected that battle to go on for quite a while!" He claimed, smiling on as he re-opened his mouth to finish his next sentence. "What could have changed in just a single month between you both?"

The listening Link's eyebrows returned to just above his oceanic orbs and, after hearing the man's words, he couldn't help but think back to the many events that transpired since then.

Oddly enough, it wasn't that big a shock to him that he managed to overpower her so easily after finding her such a struggle in Palashia... not just after his improvements in Clearwater Institute but in his uphill strife with the invading Velkarez before even that.

If it wasn't for the Sorcerer manually unlocking what potential I had to unlock right then and there I'd probably be dead again, he thought.

Poor Vass, he added on, a small grin on his face as he turned his straw-haired head 'round as if to gauge a quick look at the still-unconscious form of his opponent.

"I guess I've just...," he began again, very slowly but surely tearing his eyes from his fallen companion to re-face the commentators. "Gotten better." The blonde youth finished in a well-meaning chuckle.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

The sound of the ever-watching Aurelians littering the stands around them filled the room up; a thunderous applause of agreement.

"If there's anyone here that does not have a confidence issue... it's definitely you," Marshall laughed, shaking his head as if in sheer disbelief before reaching down to grasp at the surprised young Hylian's right arm, lifting it skyward as the referee once did. "One more for our youngest record breaker in the World Tour ladies and gentlemen!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

The approval for his victory only fed the ever-growing ego of the newly-smirking boy; Link found himself even waving to the screaming small girls in the audience around his age as Marshall let his hand go to return his march back to the competitor's box, drawing angry glares from the watching Malon inside.

"How about that? Not a humble bone in him!" The smiling Marshall quipped jokingly, drawing some chuckles from the older members of the audience.

"My boy Fire Fist got the looks Marsh!" Seth shot back, grinning similarly. "Just listen to those cries from those girls!"

"Ah to be young again," Marshall smiled on as he briefly turned his brown-haired head to eye the slow-marching Link, soon re-facing the surrounding audience as he re-opened his mouth. "Don't move from those seats people! Round five is shaping up to be a fairly interesting one!"

Seth grinned on excitedly, pumping a clenched fist as he did. "Hell yeah!"


"Sure that's a good idea?"

Impa's sudden query, ever so firm and hardened, only made the grinning-faced Link drop his expression fairly quickly in a bout of surprise; he double-took his blonde-haired head to his front as he began to approach his companions and soon found most of them all watching him with a sense of mockery and amusement. Malon in particular stood with her small Hylian hands wrenched to her white-dressed hips, her brow furrowed furiously back at him as she glared into his own widened oceanic eyes.

It was then he realised just how angry she was.

He briefly caught the half-amused look in Zelda's eye next to the fire-haired Malon and his inward fears began to allay into the usual comfort he felt within his group of friends.

"S-Sure what's a good idea, Impa-sensei?" He chanced throwing back in his mentor's way, chuckling on nervously as he turned his head away, rubbing the back of his head. The silently-listening Barkner soon broke his respectful stillness by snorting in amusement, and rather loudly at that, drawing out a quiet-breathing sigh from the small Zoran nose of his taller companion Alwyn; the former soldier shook his injured-fin head in disapproval as the likewise-listening Shanaari let out a lightly-entertained chortle.

"Oh he did not just try to dismiss this..."

The sound of Malon's offended brought the nervously-chuckling young Link's curious-faced frown 'round on his front, only to soon widen his eyes in horror when he clocked her fast-approaching him; a speed that, quite honestly should not have been possible on the little farm girl.

Soon realising her speed came from her consistent work at Lon Lon, Link very quickly found himself panicking and scampered his feet so suddenly and abruptly in his escape-attempt that he near tangled them; an unexpected boon for the newly-grinning Malon. As she crashed her form into his and they rolled once across the ground their voices, so contrastingly amusing, made the watching group smile and smirk.

"Get her off me! Gonna lose one of my limbs!"

"You're gonna lose more than just a limb! Now hold still!"

As the pair of Hylian children quarrelled and wrestled childishly on the ground, Impa sighed on in further disapproval before turning her silver-shaded head up to face the rest of the group.

"How you feeling for your next match Barkner?"

Surprised the silver-shaded Sheikah's statement sailed over to him, the blinking Barkner himself swung his frown on her, a curious look in his boulder-brown eye.

"Next ma-?" He trailed off, head double-taking to his left before he soon realised what the group's leader was referring to; the far-off wall-leaning form of Ragnar Romanov, winner of the recently-finished round three.

The Goron matched the Draerithian's stare and found himself gawking back at the older man and winced, soon realising his mistake. The watching Ragnar's brow furrowed, his muscled arms folded boldly as if he were attempting to work out the Goron's silent intentions. Barkner ripped his gaze from his next-to-be opponent's and returned it to the frowning-faced Impa.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his rocky-bodied head in a bout of light nervousness, eyes briefly shut as he did. "I forgot."

"You should keep your mind focused...," Alwyn lightly berated his Goron companion from the front, turning his Zoran head halfway 'round to briefly eye him before very carefully watching the leaning form of the subject in question. "This guy's been taught by the world's very best mentor."

"I am still in the room you know."

The surprisingly funny quip spoken by the normally anti-social Impa made even Alwyn rise up his eyebrows in half-confusion, joined of course by most in the room. Even the wrestling Malon and Link looked up from their very briefly halted altercation to stare before, very soon, as everyone else realised the Sheikah's joke in lightly-amused chuckles, they too returned to their childish grappling together.

"Yeah I guess you right," Barkner chuckled on as he similarly warily eyed the deeply-frowning faced Ragnar to his far-off left. "That poor Zayne guy ended up in a hospital... didn't he?"

"Apparently he may never fight again."

Shanaari's words, shocking alone, made even the wrestling Malon and Link stop to swing their heads in the Kaiohdrahlian knight's direction. She frowned and folded her own armoured arms back at them all, re-opening her mouth to elaborate, as if pressed on by the group.

"Ragnar managed to break almost every bone in that young man's body," she briefly explained, turning her pony-tailed head to the ring, as if mourning for the missing Zayne. "It's not just his body that man destroyed... but the boy's spirit as well."

Her words left an impression not just on the laying wide-eyed Link but on the furrow-brow faced Barkner; the young Goron found his formerly hardened frown soon taking a softened, saddened turn. He lowered his chestnut eyes in thought to the fallen young martial artist before briefly and carefully eyeing the standing and leaning Ragnar, a kind of uneasy feeling brewing deep in his normally rock-hard gut.

This is gonna be one hell of a fight, he thought to himself.

"Better make sure I'm ready for it."

2

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! If you're just joining us we're already four rounds finished through this tantalising tournament!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

The sound of Mr. Marshall's ever inviting baritone melded fairly well with the deafening cries of the approving Aurelian audience, further opening up the pair of co-commentators to continue.

"We only three simple victories away from eternal immortality Marsh! Three!" The younger 'Tasty' Seth called out excitedly through his own Gossip Stone in his right hand. "Seth gon' need new shorts!"

Marshall and the surrounding audience watching on let out some appreciative chuckles in amusement before the older man re-opened his own mouth to retort.

"Our new contender today, Mr. Romanov has managed to instil a new sense of excitement into the very air itself of our humble Prima World Tour, ladies and gentlemen," Marshall began again, a sociable smile written across his well-held visage. "An unmistakeable streak of electricity that has shaken the core of our expectations dramatically," the man claimed, ever the wordsmith. "In today's national championship we've seen incredible upsets that has left us all gasping for more... and more we shall have ladies and gentlemen!"

As if cued up by his very words, nearby displayers threw up a black and white pictograph on one of the two pillars next to the competitor's box. As before, in round three, Ragnar's likeness was perfectly written up across the small wall and his fighting statistics below. He carried a younger man's face, perhaps around late twenties to early thirties, and wore the short untamed raven-haired head he sported rather well. A shaved look complimented his relatively younger complexion, the only mar on it being a scar or two as if to suggest at less than a coddled life.

Ragnar Romanov

Combination Damage: S++

Aggressiveness: S

Punishment Proficiency: S+

"I gotta tell ya Marsh; I love this new guy," Seth began fairly calmly and surprisingly, drawing a half-curious eyebrow from the listening older man. "After watchin' him in all those side-indie circuits I just couldn't get enough!"

"Hrm!" The newly-frowning faced Marshall began before rising up his brown-shaded eyebrows, bringing up his free left hand as if to gesture with. "So you're on that side of the fence, are you Seth?"

Almost immediately the comedic effect laid root and, as the audience all let loose echoing laughs and guffaws, Seth's eyes widened and he rolled his eyes in a mixture of annoyance and regret.

"Always lookin' for a segue, huh Marsh?" Seth batted back, soon regaining his earlier grin as he re-turned to face the older man, drawing out a satisfied-sounding chuckle from him in response.

"Guilty as charged my young friend." Marshall shot back, tilting his head as he snapped his fingers in response, pulling forth another amused chortle from the audience as their next pair of challengers slow-marched out to Tiverpool Arena. As Barkner clenched his rock-hard fists together at his sides in his gradual walk, he kept his boulder-brown eyes focused forward, fighting the urge to turn them back toward the competitor's box when an uncomfortable wave of anxiety washed over his spine.

This is gonna be hard as hell, he thought to himself.

His inward fears were hardly allayed when he took his spot on the right side of the arena, turning slowly to face the firm-faced and brow-furrowed Ragnar across from him.

"Red side, ready!"

Barkner briefly wandered his mahogany-shaded orbs 'round to rest on the young referee before nodding determinedly, readying his Aegir and his quieting the storm of his mind.

"Blue side, ready!"

Ragnar across from the young Goron gave only the slightest of nods, a similarly hardened look to his near-expressionless mask, short-haired head held lowly as he did.

As always the echoing sound of the arena's gong called out noisily; a powerful hue of anticipation that reverberated boldly against the very walls it was knocked within.

"Begin!"


Almost as immediately as the gong run did the narrow-eyed pair of combatants slowly circle one another, comparable looks of careful wariness in their eyes. Barkner's remained fairly non-confrontational however in comparison to the hardened, firm and near-angry look in Ragnar's; a look that followed him faithfully, even as he suddenly and abruptly leaned his whole body down to sweep-kick the wide-eyed Goron.

"Wat-AAA!"

CRASSSH

Like one of Death Mountain's many large rolling boulders knocking noisily to the ground, Barkner's heavy form ricocheted roughly against the beautifully-tiled ground beneath him, grunting out in a scrunch shut-eyed scowl as he did. Attempting quickly to recover, and to attack while doing so, the young Goron swung his left rock-bodied arm in a horizontal smash, barely grazing the wide-eyed Ragnar's face as he pulled his legs and own figure back from the earlier assault.

DROOMMM...

As Barkner widened his eyes back at the comparatively narrow-eyed Ragnar, the Aurelian audience watching on let loose an approving yell of favour for the pair, their eyes all catching the very light cut that streaked down the frowning-faced Ragnar's right pair slowed their movement down for just a second, eyes boring holes into one another, before at last one of them moved; the carefully-watching Barkner shot down one of his rocky-like legs in a quick sweep of his own, single-legged at that. Ragnar parried the blow expertly and almost as quickly as it came, a firm look in the full of his dragon-like eye.

Barkner watched him again, taking a safe step backward as he did and barely saw the counter-attack coming; a rapid lightning-quick stabbing high-kick that saw the wide-eyed Goron gasping and stumbling a few steps backward. Barkner shot up his left arm to block in the same direction in a desperate ploy, easily worked around by the narrow-eyed Ragnar's next offensive; a second simple high-kick, this time directed the young Goron's immediate sharp-left.

CRACK

Like a hammer to rock itself, Barkner's very skin began to crack and break within even as he stumbled on backwards wincing. He pulled both arms back as he recovered and narrowed his eyes forward, as if to concentrate. Like magic, a small translucent field of Aegir circulated 'round him and, sure enough, a pair of rock-coatings filled up both of his already muscled arms.

Essentially a buff to his physical strength and defence.

Ragnar quirked up an eyebrow in curiosity, as if unsure and opted to allow his opponent to make the first move. Barkner, of course, did just that; in his advance forward he grunted out in effort as he swung his massive rock-coated arms in the air in what seemed to be wide and spacious haymakers. Even so however, the savvy-eyed Ragnar merely back-stepped and side-stepped each long and telegraphed assault, watching the scowling Goron with careful intent. As Barkner risked a step forward in pursuit, Ragnar narrowed his eyes as he vertically kicked up at the air, almost as if to prevent him from stepping forward any further.

Barkner shot up both rocky-coated arms and the strength of his opponent's kick sent him skidding a few paces back, bringing up freshly-laid tiles beneath him. The wily young Goron grunted out as he counter-attacked with a low-hanging sweep, drawing the Draerithian before him to short-hop up to avoid it. Ragnar shot his left leg in a swift 'roundhouse that the frowning-faced Barkner easily blocked with his buffed-up right arm; the pair remained steadfast together, eyes boring holes into one another as the calls and screams of the surrounding audience watching them both. As Barkner attempted to respond with a powerful but fairly slow forward punch with his remaining left hand, Ragnar merely swerved his scowling face to his left to avoid it before quickly firing his own right fist dead-centre into the wide-eyed Barkner's lower chest.

CRACCCCK

"Gurgh...!"

Barkner coughed out a hefty dose of pain as he suddenly slumped over in a standing position, his earlier steadfastness soon failing him; a display that saw some within the audience all calling out in surprise.

"That's got to hurt," the watching Marshall commented on with a notable wince, re-opening his mouth to continue. "I don't envy our poor man Elbrus."

Seth frowned on as he leaned forward in his chair, pointing a finger toward the arena and at Barkner in particular. "Ouch town, population you bro!"

His quip brought out small laughs within the listening Aurelians surrounding him.

Just as with a magician itself, Ragnar's very counter-attack itself lit up; a very visible use of Aegir, as it was planted within the wide-eyed Barkner's lower chest.

FWOOM

Barkner's scrunch-eyed yelp followed along with him as he came pelting back the way he came, careering quickly through mid-air. Very quickly, as he began to land, he started to roll backward savagely; like a very rolling rock from Death Mountain itself, wrecking all within its ill-fated wake and leaving the poor Goron himself reeling from the assault. The narrow-eyed Ragnar took off almost immediately, a hardened scowl to his face as he shot through mid-air, his very form almost gliding with the intense speed he utilised.

Barkner, perhaps in desperation, grunted out as he snapped open his boulder-brown eyes and used one of his rock-coated arms to push back up off the ground with in a recovering back-flip. As he landed in a small thud, drawing tiny vibrations from his sheer Goron weight, he slammed one of his free fists down ruthlessly into the ground beneath him.

SMASSSH-DROOM

As if by command, the earth-elemental Aegir that flowed within him gave rise to an earthen shield of rock and rubble, effectively placed in between himself and his opponent. Rather than opt to go around it, however as most fighters and tacticians would, Ragnar instead chose to go through it.

A method that won him the even higher-pitched cheering and screaming of the audience.

"Wat-AAAAAA!"

KERRRASSSSH

In a beautiful show of stone and debris came the wide-eyed iron kick that Ragnar delivered to his younger opponent's defensive technique; a brutal yet somehow gorgeous vertical flying high-kick that left the watching people enthralled and further excited.

"Incredible!"

"WOOO!"

Even as the sounds of Marshall and Seth's light commentary faded so too did Barkner's earlier shield and, as it did, the wide-eyed Ragnar rose up his eyebrows to match his surprise when he couldn't seem to locate the recently-missing form of Barkner. It was only at the very last second that he widened his eyes once more and abruptly swung his figure 'round to find the re-appeared Goron rushing at one of his blind angles. Like greased lightning itself, Ragnar somehow found enough time within the last second to swerve his head out of Barkner's desperate lunging stab before responding in a second gut punch.

This one more savage and agonising than the last.

CRACCCCK

"Argh...!"

Barkner hung in mid-air, almost frozen in time itself, his mouth hung open as the effects of his older opponent's incredible strength shot through his spine and lower chest. Like a light, he was off and out; time regained its flow and the wide-eyed Goron was sent sailing through the sea-blue sky, his rock-like figure swirling and tailspinning grandly.

CRASSSH

Although he gasped in the effort to stand, even his buffed-up arms beginning to shake and a small droplet of blood displaying on the corner of his mouth, Barkner very quickly scrambled to a crouching position as the narrow-eyed Ragnar gave pursuit a second time; a quick leap through the air that saw him bounding toward the Goron at high speed. As he began to fast-approach Barkner's form, Ragnar yelled out as he threw forward an offensive air-roundhouse, leading the grunting Barkner to bring up both arms in swift defence.

DRUM...

SKRRRRRRR

Like machinery grinding against one another, Ragnar's dive-kick very quickly found itself pushing Barkner's well-defended form fairly effectively against the ground, driving up tiles and wreckage horrifying quickly. Attempting to further pressure the poor Goron, Ragnar rose up one of his free fists and shot it down on him. Barkner widened his eyes and, fearing for his own defence being broken through in a wise estimate, chose to break the hold; he dispersed not only the shield he held up but the rock coating along his buffed up arms and skid himself backward against the ground in evasion, scowling on as he did.

The audience all called out the two men's names in excitement as Barkner followed up in his countermeasure; as he back-dashed to relative safety, he attempted a counter-assault in a projectile. When he rose up both arms in a vertical swing, sudden and abrupt, a massive pair of powerful rocks and debris itself came roaring up from underneath them, both aimed at the narrow-eyed Ragnar. As they came barrelling toward him, the screams of the audience got louder still; something even the watching and listening commentators joined in on.

"Good lord he's bringing up the earth itself in that attack!"

"Yo Marsh, this match rocks!"

Although the listening Marshall wanted so dearly to sigh and roll his eyes in response to the off-brand pun, the scene before him made him swing his attention back 'round.

VWOOM

VWOOM

"Yah!"

CRASH

"Yah!

CRASH

In two incredible back-knuckle punches, the wide-eyed Ragnar shocked not only the gasping Barkner by sheerly breaking the huge chunks of debris with his fists, but also the watching surrounding people. Rather than cheer as before, they opted this time to remain in stony shocked silence; perhaps unable to bring up a word in their stunned states. Ragnar slowly lowered both newly-clenched fists to his two sides as the inevitable rain of wreckage and smaller stones came harmlessly falling around him, opening up his mouth to speak.

"Wohhh...!"

Similarly unable to find a word with which to respond, Barkner could only widen his eyes at the sheerly shocking sight laid before him; a near-impossible feat for any normal creature, let alone a man or otherwise and yet there it was, almost as if to mock him. As the two stared at one another, Barkner in his careful-eyed frown and Ragnar in his narrow-eyed glower, one eventually responded; Ragnar began to slowly march forward, eyes set firmly on his mountain-dwelling foe. Barkner took a wary step backward, his left eye twitching as if in rapid-growing anxiety.

It wasn't long before Ragnar's slow march became a quick air-leap, bounding effortlessly through the sky.

3

As Ragnar's inevitable dive-kick came barrelling through the air, Barkner brought both arms up to defend and grunted out in effort as he did; the sheer strength and force of his opponent's attack sending him skidding slowly backwards, grinding up white tiles beneath him. Stone, rock and the very earth beneath even the tiles however began to stir and, as it did, it formed a small circular barrier around the young Goron, translucent in quality.

With it in his aura and his immediate person, Barkner widened his boulder-brown eyes as he pushed roughly forward to knock the wide-eyed Ragnar back, sending the surprised Draerith martial artist stumbling a step the way he came. It wasn't very much defensively but it was enough to open him up; an opportunity that Barkner opted not to let slip by. He widened his own eyes as he leapt forward and laid a carefully-placed solar plexus punch, further enhanced by his own earth-elemental Aegir.

CRACCCK

"Wohhh!"

Shocked by the force within the strike, Ragnar called out loudly as he was sent sailing through the air horizontally, his eyes widened as all his limbs splayed out directly ahead in front of him.

CRK-KRSH

The heavy sound of stone and debris shot up from underneath the tiles ahead of Ragnar's sailing figure, essentially forming a large enough wall for him to rebound off of; he grunted and shut his eyes in what seemed to be pain for the very first time as his body ricocheted roughly against it, seemingly an earthen technique of his younger opponent. When he re-opened his eyes in sharp snaps he found the quickly-approaching form of Barkner rolling toward him rapidly, his Goron form eating up the tiles below him in a savage and ruthless rapid-grind.

SKRRRRRRR

"WOHHHH!"

The watching audience, eyes all widened at the sight before them, could barely voice their shock at the brutal and barbarous display of offence Barkner laid upon his foe; as he crashed roughly into his body, his rolling instead grew even quicker in tempo and force, drawing out a wide-eyed scream of agony from the Draerith man. They remained in stasis for what felt like minutes at a time before Ragnar at last had enough; he shut his newly-bleeding mouth and lowered his scowling-eyed glare to stare down at the rolling Goron before similarly lowering his arms to suddenly and abruptly grasp at the man's form.

"Good lord!"

"YOOOO!"

The sounds of the shocked Marshall and Seth's exclamations caused the silenced audience to at last let loose their screams of approval and entertainment, all watching as Ragnar's heavy scowl carried him on in grappling at the rolling Barkner's figure. It wasn't long before the young Goron's rolling was soon halted; a feat in and of itself that left the watching audience in awe, some calling out and others merely watching in wide-eyed silence, as if unable to form words in their sheer disbelief.

FWOOSH-KRSH...FWOOSH...FWOOSH...FWOOSH...

The crowd watched on in growing quiet silence as the rolled-up form of Barkner very quickly found himself rotating in rapid gyration; essentially a seemingly endless spinning throw that the scowling-faced Ragnar held onto with great fury. As the large earthen wall behind him crashed apart as a result of the inevitable collission, Ragnar eventually widened his eyes and prepared himself for the final turn.

"This is gonna hurt Marsh!"

"Thank the goddesses for the Aegir fields we setup earlier!"

As the voices of the two commentators echoed out into the landscape so too did the yelling Ragnar let loose; he cried out in effort as he at last tossed forward the rolled-up form of Barkner's rock-like figure, sending him careering at an incredible speed toward the west side of the audience.

KERRRRASSSSSSHHH-VROOM

The audience, particularly those within the west side, all cried out in surprise and shock as Barkner's body banged brutally against the invisible wall hanging up between them and the ring before them, before another event surprised them ever further; Barkner's still rolled-up form ricocheted powerfully against the wall and came speeding back toward the wide-eyed Ragnar, drawing out roars and approval from the other members of the watching Aurelians.

Ragnar, in his fleet-footed reaction time, managed to quick-step and sway his body to his sharp-right in order to evade the fast-oncoming rock-like projectile, his raven-black eyes darting as they followed the whizzing Barkner's boulder-like form behind him.

KERRRRRRASSSSSH-VROOM

This time Ragnar saw theassault coming and, positioning his left back-fist facing toward the rapidly-approaching Barkner's air-rolling form, the two very soon clashed with one another.

CRASSSSH-SKRRRRR

Even in spite of stopping the fast-moving Goron's air-advance with merely a single hand and facing the opposite direction, Ragnar's hardened defence was more than enough and saw the grinding Goron's grating in a fairly well-held position; the Aegir that pulsed within Ragnar's left back-fist appeared to be an non-elemental one and, in great spite to it, was powerful indeed. At last he reacted to Barkner's incessant grind; Ragnar widened his eyes and very abruptly pulled back his fist to smash it directly into Barkner's air-rolling form.

SKRRR-FWIP-CRACCCK

"Gurgh...!"

Barkner's figure finally found its footing in the air once again and uncurled itself as he was struck by the simple yet bold counter-attack, hanging him briefly in mid-air for a follow-up. Ragnar widened his eyes as he swung his short-haired head 'round to stare back at his hanging foe, re-opening his mouth as if to voice his next battle cry.

"YAHHH!"

FROOOOOM...

CRASSSSSSSSH

Barkner's boulder-brown eyes widened but he could not voice his horror and agony; he remained in a stasis-like stature, suspended in time and air itself, his extended limbs unable even to shake or vibrate. Soon the follow-up strike that Ragnar struck him with took hold, a simple-enough looking right hook that seemed to act as the sheer finisher to the explosive and drawn-out confrontation; a strong non-elemental Aegir pulsed powerfully within Ragnar's right fist as he savagely socked it against Barkner's exposed face, sending him wide-eyed and tailspinning to his sharp and immediate left.

VWEEEE...

Like a sheer great-arrow fired from a ballista Barkner was flown careering through the air and, this time, found his weighty form not ricocheting off the invisible Aegir walls placed up to protect the surrounding Aurelian audience.

CRASSSSSH

The poor Goron's eyes widened as his weight worked against him and lowered when he soon found himself dropping down toward the ground beneath the ring itself. It was a simple-enough tactic that Ragnar hit him with but it was an effective one; now left with no other avenue or option to rely on, the desperate-eyed Barkner grit his teeth and, as he began to drop down to the stony ground below him, he extended forth a rock-fingered palm.

FRUP...!

Like magic, an earthen piece of land formed up from the man's projection of Aegir, essentially allowing him one more small space of land to work with. The audience all cried out in approving and excited cheers, even as the watching Ragnar narrowed his eyes and began to rush forward at him, first in a slow walk and then soon into a fleet-footed sprint. As Barkner landed, he very hurriedly rose up both arms and opened up his palms to face the man, crossing his rock-like arms diagonally across one another as he narrowed his own eyes past them.

It was only when the wide-eyed Ragnar took to the very sky itself in a deft dive-kick and the audience reacted with a yelling scream that Barkner himself reacted. In the ultimate display of defence, huge pointed stalactites and stone began to protrude and form from every pore in his skin; a massive level of effort in both physical magnitude and Aegir that left him with nothing else to follow-up with.

It was essentially his trump card.

As the wide-eyed Ragnar collided his high-flying kick with Barkner's scowling-faced stone and stalactite body, the aura surrounding his own body soon began to intensify; a signature of his rapidly-rising power. As it did, so too did he open his mouth to signify it.

"Wat-AAAA!"

FWWWOOOOSH...

KERRRASSSSH

In a flashy explosion of Quintessence and physical power, the watching crowd of people all cried out in half-surprise and dismay as they were unable to see the very results of the eruption. When the light washed over however, at long last, the watching people were finally given release in the form of their long-awaited results; the fallen Barkner himself lay on the stony ground beneath the ring in a successful ring out, his older opponent standing overhead on the ring's edge, eyes boring holes into his beaten foe below him.

"Ring out!"

The sound of the young referee's voice made the listening audience turn their heads, as if in search for the fallen Barkner himself.

"This set's winner... is Ragnar Romanov!"