Warrior Vs Warrior Part 2
"Huh?" His eyes met the misty sky and his dumbfounded groan escaped through his throat. Was he really hurled so fast and so easily that he hadn't even recognized it?
Perhaps it was good that all of his breath had escaped away. Because what followed was a jumping Hoarah Loux, who then snatched his body from mid-air and slammed it down without hesitation.
"Aaaah!" His midsection hurt so bad that it was contracting into a painful line. It was like his stomach had just been turned upside down and the taste of bile filled his mouth.
He had to move. Hoarah Loux was coming down from the air with his fist ready to smash him to crumbs.
"Move, move, move!" He forced his shocked body and rolled to the side, just barely avoiding the punch of death. On all fours, he could not avoid the kick casually raised from below and arching upwards. So he brought his shield arm up and supported it with his right arm to block the kick.
But all of it held no value as he was kicked high in the air. He could not feel his left forearm and looking at it made him want to cry.
–His shield had caved into his arm itself, while the protection brought by his arms were felled away from his body, exposing him to Hoarah Loux's hand.
The hand was large, its clutch deadly against his neck and its fingers foretelling the hurt coming his way.
He flailed his legs around, yet none of them reached Hoarah. He elbowed the wrist, but his vision instantly swayed as his body was slammed to the ground again. He truly realized that this was a ferocious battle to the death and the predator in front made him feel exactly like the young kid that he was.
Thankfully, his feet were touching the ground and so he raised a large pike towards Hoarah. He used the opportunity to heal his left arm, while Hoarah instantly decimated the pike. The ferocious warrior came for him instantly and he responded by trying to transform his right arm into the heavy beast strike he needed.
However, Hoarah Loux lowered his body and swiped his leg in a semicircle, interrupting his beast transformation. He was hit again the moment his balance faltered and he did not even register the gouging wound caused by Hoarah Loux's claw strike.
His chest had the stinging wound of five fingers and was followed up by another sideways claw strike from Hoarah Loux. The blood danced on either side.
He had to bite his own lip to whisk his painful cry away. For now he backed away as much as he could, barely evading a delayed upperslam from Hoarah Loux.
Yet the intensity was too much. His thoughts were on the edge of accepting the fact that he could not beat this warrior, as Hoarah Loux dashed at him, stomped his foot and removed the chance for escape.
He rolled away from the pikes raised by the stomp and was immediately caught by Hoarah's hand.
"Gah! Not again!" He was slammed, crushed, toyed around with. This time Hoarah dragged his body through the ground and then threw him into the air where there was no chance for defense.
Garfiel quickly protected his neck with the one hand that he could move and shut his eyes to receive the brutal powerbomb of Hoarah.
"A crown is warranted with strength, Garfiel Tinsel!" Hoarah yelled, then stomped Garfiel's midsection.
"Aaaaar!" Bile mixed with blood sputtered out from his mouth as his back was further buried into the ground. He moved his head to the side and evaded a punch, but could not avoid the other.
His eyes rolled back and he lost all consciousness for a minute. When his vision came back, his leg was grabbed and he was hurled in a semicircle, then slammed down to the earth.
His chest was bleeding with the deep wound caused by claws. His left arm was bruised, its bones crushed, and the color turning to a deep red. His back was battered with cuts, embedded with rocks, and broken through impact. And now his face was a mess; his nose broken, lips cut, and blood streaming out.
As his vision swayed between life and death, he watched the tall intimidating figure of Hoarah Loux approach him. Inside that muscled body was so much bloodlust that it would kill a normal person. Inside those large eyes was a mixture of excitement…but now there was also disappointment.
Without a word, Hoarah Loux brought both arms up and garnered power within them.
I can't beat him like this. Not now. Not like this. If I have a chance then….
"-Arrghhhhaarr!" So, Garfiel Tinsel roared out to the primal blood within him. He called out for it, let his vision turn into blood-red, and gave control to the beast within.
# #
He walked towards the beaten young kid. The kid had spirit and strength. His strength was such that he was forced to abandon his Lordship, remove his limiter, and become Hoarah Loux once again. Long had he used this name to fight many great warriors. And it had been too long since he had been forced to use this name by a great competitor.
From the fire giants to the stormlord, how long had it been since an opponent gave him this much pleasure? But now it had come to an end.
"Thou may rest now, Garfiel Tinsel. Thou should be proud."
He respectfully raised his arms up and said his final farewell.
But then–
"-Arrghhharrr!"
The young kid let out a roar unlike anything and he had to immediately follow his instincts. He jumped back and avoided going for the strike because if he stayed there any longer then his head would have been crushed under the maw of a Great Tiger.
The roar of a beast continuously bellowed out from where the young kid had been. He knew the young kid held the power of beasts within him, but had not expected for him to give in to it.
A crater had been made and from it emerged a gigantic Tiger. Its body bulked and bulked until it towered over him and its eyes were filled with the blood-lust that only a predator could hold.
Its claws were longer than longswords and sharper than the katanas used by the warriors from the Land of Reed. Its golden fur was like protective leather and each of its arms were as thick as large trees. It opened its deadly maw and let bubbling saliva drip out. Then it roared a roar that made the air quiver in fear and rumbled the entire battlefield.
"Young kid, you.." His emotions were mixed, but there was a definite smile layered on his face. "Come then, little Tiger. I shall beat thou up to the point that the young kid will become a better opponent instead."
The Tiger charged at him with the slugginess that a large beast like it would hold. It hammered both of his arms down towards him and he used its slow speed against it.
He dashed forwards, under the extent of the arm slam, and stomped, bringing the earth up from below the Tiger. As its balance crumbled, he sidekicked an accurate shot at the knee and made it bent down to his level.
Then he punched; two quick shots to either side of the jaw, followed by an uppercut and finished with a right hook. The Tiger's face shook to the left side, but then its angered eyes quickly went back to him.
–From his right came the great open hand of the Tiger. He crossed his arms together in an attempt to block the open palm, but was easily swatted away until his back hit the walls surrounding the battlefield. The shock of the impact went through his back in a gust of wind and his feet dragged through the ground.
This majestic Tiger was highly resilient, it seemed. Its followed up charge showed no tint of any brain damage received. It swayed its large arms around in unsteady and unpredictable movements. Each attack battered, hammered, and destroyed the steady arena.
He waited patiently with naught but a smile on his face. The Tiger's claws aimed for his head again, but he stepped forwards, under the range of the claws, and then wrapped his arms around its wrist.
Stomping down and exerting his spirit through his yell, he used the momentum of the Tiger against it and slammed its body to the wall. He dashed forwards, leapt over a swipe of its left arm, and threw a heavy jab at its face once again. He stepped on its chest, brought his arms back and hammered its face in continuous succession.
But the Tiger was never knocked unconscious no matter how much he punched its face against the brunt of the wall. Its eyes glowered red and then it suddenly opened its wide saliva-dripped maw.
The teeth whistled for blood and came down together against the entirety of the upper half of his body.
With nowhere to escape from the clutches of its maw, Hoarah Loux faced sudden death. Everything slowed to a halt in his vision. All of the great battles from ancient times. All of the clashes he had shared. And everything that every worthy competitor had taught him came to him in a sudden rush.
Against the maw of death, he brought his foot up and stomped the inside of its maw!
The force burst within its mouth and its lower jaw was forced down. The bite was evaded and he dashed out before its arms could grab him.
"O, Garfiel Tinsel, thou are in there, are you not? If so then I would prod thou to come and fight me once more."
The mighty Tiger roared as if in anger at not being acknowledged.
It was odd even to him. The Tiger was a mighty foe and provided him with the challenge he sought. But for some reason he would not be satisfied unless he defeated Garfiel Tinsel.
The Tiger came at him once again and the dance started.
He dodged its wide swing, then stomped to have its posture broken. Yet the Tiger endured and continued its everlasting offense. Each swipe of its claws could mean death at any time, but he could not continue to just run around.
So he awaited an overhead slam from the Tiger's left arm and brought all of his strength to kick it away. His kick also brought a hurl of stones, one of which stabbed the Tiger's eye.
He slid under its massive figure, went behind it, and grabbed its leg.
"Great Tiger! Thou strength is worthy, but thou will not surpass me."
Pushing against the Tiger's weight, he started swinging it's body in a circle and did not let go. It was difficult to maintain his balance while also swinging the Tiger in a circle, but it wasn't impossible.
He did not have the strength of the Fire Giants, but he sure did topple them over. Once the momentum of the swing had started, it became easier to continue it from that point onwards.
The Tiger roared, yet did not have the means to truly break free—until it did.
"Hoh?" Surprise assailed him as the Tiger struck both of its claws into the ground and grabbed onto it tight with its paws. The grip was too tight for him to continue the destabilizing swings.
So he let go with a click of his tongue, jumped up with a roar, and brought both feet against the back of it's knees.
The Tiger cried out in pain, but flipped around and kicked him equally as hard at the side.
He went at him, brought his arms backwards, and slashed at the Tiger's golden fur with a series of claw attacks. From his chest to his midsection, he continued the furious assault until the Tiger tried to bite his head off.
He ducked it, but had to block the Tiger's sides-swipe which swatted him away. This time its claws left their mark on his arms as they went.
His body jolted backwards and he rolled to kill the momentum. However, when he came back to position, the shadow of its arms finally towered over him.
"Gah!" He took the strike with his arms covering his head. The impact alone broke the earth and formed a crater under him, while its bestial strength pushed his feet against the ground. The Tiger's roar brought spittle and more strength.
His legs quivered against immovable force and his left leg bent down at the knee.
In addition, the Tiger's claws finally found his back and started digging against it in a painful manner. The pointed blades dug underneath and wrought unhealable wounds. Hot blood poured out and pooled under his feet.
He held the fight against the strength of its arms, but he was slowly losing it.
What a Great Beast! It has the strength of the Lord of Beasts itself! But I came here to fight the tarnish and to take the crown through sheer strength.
"Aarrrrghhh!"
Never shall I let something which is naught but a beast defeat me!
He pushed against the earth, stomped his feet again and again for more pressure, and imbued his body with the red aura of rage. He forcefully swatted the arms of the Tiger away and carried out a series of offensive strikes.
First came a leaping palm attack which threw the Tiger back. Then came the swipe of his leg which struck hard against the foot, and then an upward kick right at the jaw. When the Tiger tried to move, he stomped his own foot and shattered the earth to his will.
This time, an all-encompassing shockwave was sent out and it staggered even this majestic Tiger.
He used the stagger to deliver more punches to the head, more claw wounds to the chest, and more kicks to the jaw. The Tiger was caught in a series of staggering stomps and damaging attacks, while he did not have the intention to stop until enough damage was delivered. Red bruises were followed by gouging cuts that splattered blood.
As he got comfortable with the beatdown, he added more attacks. He brutally kicked the right knee that he had been targeting and made the rocks burst right under it. The Tiger's resistance was shut down by Hoarah Loux's unrelenting assault.
Its knee cracked audibly, then it fell to the ground with both knees bent in front of him. He took his distance and launched massive sidekicks against its face. The flurried and twitching movement of its red pupils displayed all the damage the Tiger was receiving.
Grabbing its face, he then brought his knees up and clashed them against its face. A flurry of knees impacted its wide head and the gusts of wind boomed out with every strike.
The embers of the Erdtree celebrated the battle, but it was far from over.
He was suddenly grabbed right at the mid-section. The Tiger's roar came right in front of his face, boomed against his ears, and numbed his hearing. It's large fingers wrapped around his torso as if he was just a kid.
Then he was hurled through the air with speed faster than he could sense. He was slammed, pulled upwards, and then slammed to the ground again. The clutch itself was unbreakable, while the Tiger's unpredictable movements did not allow for a clever escape. And so he found himself on the other side of constant offensive. His disorientation reminded him of the time the Storm Lord's true storm had trapped him in a continuous vortex.
The next thing he knew he was thrown to the air and the Tiger's shadow lingered above him. It had its hands together, arms stretched up in the air, and brought them down after a short delay.
He defended with his arms, but the damage went straight through them like they were made out of rubber.
His back cracked against the ground like it was a simple weak bone, while the cut wounds from before stung and sacrificed more blood to the earth. He knew the dangerous injuries he had been afflicted with; the crushed bones, mushed up organs, and deep wounds were such that he did not imagine himself going straight to the next fight after this.
-But he also did not imagine himself losing right now.
O, Majestic Tiger. Thou strength is still great. But thou isn't enough!
The Tiger landed at a safe distance and rubbed its face. It's face was battered and bruised purple; nose twisted to the other side and one eye swollen. It limped because its right knee was shattered. The claw cuts on its chest let blood escape all the way down till its feet.
Gritting its teeth and grunting through its mouth, it then shook his head and roared its fear away. It charged mindlessly with its mouth wide open.
That's when Hoarah Loux stabbed his arms in the ground. He plunged them in and started pulling. He grinned as he watched the mindless Tiger charge straight into the range of his move.
The majority of the area around him shook and ruptured as veins of molten lava spread all over. His own strength, energy, and blood was imbued into the sacred battlefield itself, and it glowed and glowed and glowed.
The Tiger's teeth were about to reach his head….and then everything burst from right under its feet.
The energy explosion launched the Tiger to the air, charred its flesh and ripped its golden fur. He leapt towards it, stretched his left foot up and brought it down to the back of its head.
Grabbing its head by the little hair that remained on it, he slammed it face-first to the ground.
This would be enough normally. However, the Tiger in front wasn't something to be underestimated.
So he plunged his arms into the blown up remains of the arena and started pulling up again.
The Tiger stirred on all fours with shaking limbs. Its golden fur was on orange fire and blood patched the majority of his body. Molten veins formed underneath it and the glow began to cover it.
"-Roooarggghhh!" It desperately screamed in anger, but its voice was removed once the ground exploded once again.
The Tiger's large figure disappeared under rock, explosion, and smoke. He took the time to take the breaths he needed. His body was growing increasingly pale, but there was still a battle to be fought.
So he moved his aged limbs over to the remains of his armor, snapped the blue-cloak off of it, and threw it to the place the Tiger had been at.
"-My amazing self owes you an apology." He could not help his overjoyed smile at hearing the young warrior's voice again.
#
Garfiel Tinsel felt ashamed of himself as he snapped and twisted the blue cloak into a makeshift lower garment. There was no escaping what he had done.
In front of such an experienced and ancient fighter, he had chosen to run away the moment he became afraid of death. He gave up control over to the primal blood within and shamed his own fighting style.
Just looking at Hoarah Loux made him cringe because the warrior was now completely dressed in wounds.
"I–"
"There is no need for words, young warrior."
Hoarah Loux politely stepped forwards and raised his arms with the claw-stance on his hands.
After a little while of appreciation, Garfiel nodded and raised his own fists in response. He sharpened his eyes and filled his heart with the heavy stone of resolve.
"Yeah, I'll beat you this time."
"Hoh?"
"Because now I, Garfiel Tinsel, am on your level, Hoarah Loux."
Both laughed as they charged at each other and brought down their stomps simultaneously. He matched Hoarah's speed and stepped together to the side, then brought his stomp against him, matching it in both power and timing.
Hoarah raised his leg from below. This time he let it strike against the protection of his forearms, but he flipped himself along with it, chopping much of the power of the kick off and using the momentum to escape from any follow up strikes.
He lashed his fist out and it struck against Hoarah's own fist. Hoarah held more strength, but it did not matter the moment he partially bulked his arm just a little.
"Hra!" He yelled, throwing Hoarah's fist away, and dashing towards him.
Hoarah brought his arms backwards, held it there for a second, and lashed out with a claw strike.
This time he responded by transforming his own fingernails into large claws. Their respective claws met in the middle.
Their claws weren't swords yet they made the same sound. A flurry of claw strikes was unleashed by Hoarah and Garfiel met it with own transformed claws. The power of each clash wrought sparks which fought against the embers of the Erdtree.
Hoarah swiped his leg, attempting to take him off of his feet, but he jumped it and lashed out a kick. Hoarah, in turn, ducked it and gave a leaping overhead leg strike. He caught it against his shoulder despite the pain of the strike and flipped Hoarah, then closed the distance with a knee strike.
Even this attack was blocked and instantly countered by a stomp. Yet the stomp was countered by a stomp of his own and the neutrality of the battlefield returned.
Hoarah leapt upwards and slammed his fist down. Though he dodged backwards, the shockwave of the slam still staggered him.
Hoarah crossed his arms together and ran at him. He was hurled through the air before he could react; his body spinning because of the force.
He knew the leaping slam was incoming, the one that had previously thrown his consciousness astray. But this time he could counterattack.
Only transforming his limbs partially was harder than just fighting normally, especially because of the blood lust within his primal blood. Still, he managed to bulk up his right arm and thwarted Hoarah away.
Hoarah Loux kept up the intensity of the rush and the two clashed on equal footing.
He shielded and blocked the claw strikes with his own transformed claws, met the stomps with his own, and used his superior agility to dodge around his opponent.
He leapt aside from a stomp, ducked under a delayed grab, and immediately used earth magic to shoot out three pointed earth shards at Hoarah's throat. The warrior immediately countered with a stupendous headbut against the shards, shattering them and immediately blocking a punch from Garfiel.
But with his stamina constantly restored through the power of the earth, he slowly held the superior ground as he darted around, mixing his normal strikes with transformed ones and earth magic.
Hoarah met it all with pure experience and instinct. He dogged lethal blows of transformed claws just barely and fired his own deadly strikes in response. He recognized Garfiel's agility and held his ground, imbuing himself with more and more bloodlust as the aura around him turned into a white mesmerizing mist.
The more the battlefield was destroyed the harder it became for the two to dance around. And soon, Garfiel found his stance broken, with a closeline coming his way.
"Shit!" Before he could even react, the wild closeline of Hoarah's heavy arm brutalized his chest and thwarted him away. He lost consciousness for but a second, and found himself in a trajectory parallel to the ground.
Hoarah darted at him with the intent to deliver the final blow, yet Garfiel had his hopes up. He had learned through the countless battles until now that the best kind of opening was one when the opponent goes for a killing blow.
He twisted his body and touched the ground with both hands. It was a minimal touch, yet it conveyed his intention.
Two thin pikes shot around the moment Hoarah's fist came close to shattering his skull. Instead of striking against the fist, they pierced right below the wrist.
"Guh!" The experienced warrior recognized the danger and pulled back.
"Now!" He pulled back in the manner that Garfiel had wanted from him.
A hand to the floor, he spun around, giving his free hand the long deadly claws he needed.
Hoarah Loux brought his other hand up for defense and took the painfully deep gouge from the claws head-on.
By then, the earth around Hoarah's legs had already ambushed his feet with the blunt compression of crudely constructed stones. Meanwhile, Garfiel got himself the straight shot to victory, with brutal claws aimed for Hoarah's neck.
"Rrhaargg!" With a sudden scream and with sudden strength, Hoarah shot his claw-stanced fist against Garfiel's face, pointing it like a sword to the head.
Right when he was about to deal the killing blow, the experienced Hoarah Loux answered with his own.
His arm was shorter than Hoarah's, so the claws would not reach soon enough. Plus, the transformation would not make it in time.
But there was one other body part he could transform quickly enough.
Thus, surprising his opponent, he opened his mouth and transformed it into his inner beast form.
Sharp fangs protruded out with violent sparks. They tore through the skin of the parts of his mouth that weren't able to keep up with the transformation.
Despite the self-inflicted pain, his teeth trapped four fingers of Hoarah's hand and snapped them off as cleanly as a cut carrot.
He tasted the vile human blood of this aged warrior and quickly spat out the chunks of flesh inside his mouth before they could be swallowed. This allowed Hoarah to flinch back, but three claws of his hand still pierced the area right below his neck.
The warrior's retaliation was stretching his upper body back to the point that the claws were pulled off from Garfiel's fingers.
With those claws still stabbed in his body, Hoarah brought his upper body towards Garfiel like a loaded spring and pushed him back with a headbut to the chest.
"*Cough* Goddammit! *Cough*" He struck his chest, which looked like it had caved into lethal levels. But, thankfully, his constant healing came in clutch.
He felt uplifted despite the pain, damage incurred, and heavy exhaustion from constant overuse of his abilities. He clenched his fists in confidence and smiled at the damaged state of his opponent.
Hoarah's wheezes were heavy and the damage received could not be repaired. Yet he smiled, then brought both of his damaged arms up as if holding the very heavens themselves and roared for more strength.
He waited and waited, quietly biding his time. Because when those arms came down to slam the earth….Garfiel leapt up into the air, completely avoiding the staggering shockwave.
He aimed for Hoarah, who was bringing his arms up for a second slam, but was immediately pulled out of it the moment his exposed back was struck by Garfiel's transformed beast leg.
Stomping him down, he somersaulted and patiently waited for Hoarah's next move.
The aged warrior shook off the dust and shattered rocks around him. He slowly emerged from the crater, heaved a long sigh, then immediately stabbed both arms into the earth for his special move.
The molten veins spread everywhere. This time there was no escape and the vitality within this attack shone brighter than the burning Erdtree.
–And so, Garfiel Tinsel transformed both arms into the arms of the Gorgeous Tiger within and stabbed them into the earth itself!
How about this?!
"Ha ha ha!" Hoarah Loux roared in laughter. "Here comes the finale, Garfiel Tinsel!"
"Bring it on, Hoarah Loux!"
Both warriors were swallowed up by the shining explosion of will. From within Hoarah Loux's earthshaker came a literal wave of earth. The wave pulled the ground of this battlefield over itself, folding it, breaking it, and sending it clashing against the earthshaker.
The Erdtree groaned and the Ashen Capital cried for help. The entire Throne room seemed to dislodge and tilt diagonally.
The massive clash burst everything into a sleet of new ash and smoke.
And there, right at the perfect time and from within the blanket of ash, Garfiel was present right in front of Hoarah Loux.
Patches of his skin hung loose; torn and bloodied. Half his face was charred black and the bone of his jaws were exposed. One eye was swollen, blooded, and shut. But the other held all that was needed to be delivered to Hoarah Loux.
In one final blow, Hoarah lashed out a sluggish right hook. Yet a thin frail wall of earth arose and struck the elbow precisely, dislodging his bone.
Now there was no hindrance.
….
The completely transformed right arm of Garfiel, with bladed claws and heavy strength and all, tore a hole through Hoarah Loux's chest.
….
"Guh," it was a simple groan of pain from the warrior. Hoarah Loux's eyes were shadowed, his lips curved into a sad smile. Blood pooled out from those lips and went down to further color the golden fur of the beast arm that was through his body.
He kept his eye on this spectacular warrior's face and ignored the hand reaching for his own face.
For that hand did not have four fingers any more. But it still had a thumb.
That single thumb touched his face, right under his eye, then slowly lined a burning scar down his left cheek.
"Brave…Warrior, G..arfiel Tinsel. Thy…strength…befits a crown."
After a little, he nodded. Then he smiled. He made sure to smile as brightly and as beautifully as he could. He made sure to strengthen his smile with confidence and proclaimed,
"You too, Hoarah Loux. Your strength truly befits the largest crown my amazing self can ever imagine. And….thank you."
He solemnly bowed his head as he heard and felt and sensed the resolute passing of Hoarah Loux. His body softly disappeared into white ash and those ashes flew out in search for a new battle.
Left in the collapsing battlefield, Garfiel caressed the burning scar that his opponent had left and collapsed with relief.
Long and hard thou have fought. Now…rest, brave warrior.
Battle end!
Fight: Garfiel Tinsel vs Hoarah Loux.
Time: 35.5 minutes.
Result: Garfiel Tinsel Wins!
Poll for next fight:
Option 1: Wilhelm Van Astrea Vs Melania, Blade of Miquella.
Option 2: Reinhard Van Astrea Vs Maliketh, The Black Blade.