The Tunnel of Fate

Hello once again people of the internet. Today, I bring you the next installment of The Tunnel of Fate. I am completely out of words to say, soo…what time is it? ...story time! I'm sorry, that was terrible…

Author's note: I don't own A.T.

Chapter 6: A Long Day

The crowded exploded into raucous cheers as yet another fighter collapsed onto the wooden floorboards. A thin green man had made his way out from the backroom and took an empty seat at the bar next to Finn. The man seemed to be about three years older than the hero, if that. He looked to be constructed of some type of forest vines. Large vines ran vertically down his torso and legs while smaller vines highlighted his skin and made his head. Small black eyes stared out at the fight beyond. This was definitely one of the most interesting constructs that the young hero had ever seen. The thin green man just pulled out a large canteen as he took his seat.

"Looks like that poor guy didn't see his opponent's left hook." the green man said. The young hero just muffled a laugh, amused also by the man's inability to dodge the deadly punch. This guy seemed nice enough to start a conversation.

"You know, when I had entered this tournament, I had sort of expected something a little more… dignified, than fighting in some dark, dank bar." the hero remarked. This earned him a few seconds of laughs from the green man next to him.

"Seriously?!" he replied with quite a bit of surprise, "This is the Saar-Sven Fight Event. It has never been the most glorious of the fight events. Now, the Platinum Gauntlet… there is a prestigious fight event. Those people are the best of the best; hand-selected by the king of the Nature Kingdom himself. In order to get in though, you must either know the king personally, or you must prove yourself worthy through many trials of dangerous and rigorous testing." the green man said. He almost sounded like an expert on the subject.

"Wow…" the hero almost felt like a young kid again hearing about such a grandiose tournament. He was left with wonderment and a newfound determination to prove himself worthy of participating in this… Platinum Gauntlet.

"I know, I hope that one day… I will stand in that open arena while people shout my name. This is my dream, so today, I must win to secure it. That tournament is in a few months but I'm waiting to enter until after I've acquired a little more fight practice." he stated. The hero noticed the determination in the green man's eyes.

"How long have you been fighting?" he asked

The green man's determined eyes instantly faltered and changed into those of surprise. It was as if he had not fully understood the question. Slowly, the green man grew a sheepish grin.

"Ugh… well… I train all the time with wooden dummies… but I've never really fought hand-to-hand with anyone yet." he nervously responded. Now it was Finn's turn to be surprised.

"What?! Then why are you here? You can't get serious training from enemies who can't even move!" the hero was exasperated by the green man's mental reasoning.

"You didn't even know anything about the Fight Events around the land. When did you become a legendary fighter?" he retorted

"I've been in way too many fights in my life. I've won some… I've lost some… Each fight brings new knowledge, new skills, and a new chance to learn from mistakes. Nothing prepares you more than genuine fight for your life." the hero stated with absolute conviction. However, the green man could not see the piercing blue eyes that stared at him from under the hood of the shrouded hero's coat. The hero's words did not have their full effect on the green man.

"Maybe… I don't know. I have studied as many techniques of martial arts as I possibly can. Shouldn't that count for something?" he asked

"Studying technique has its place and usefulness. Honestly, I never truly became a decent fighter until I began to research and study technique; however, a book cannot teach you everything. There are two essential parts to fighting; identification and action. Only knowing what to do in a situation does not necessarily mean that you can act on it. You must be able to physically perform what you know or else there is no point to your knowledge." The green man took notice to the young hero's stare. Although he still couldn't see his eyes, the green man was sure that the hero was intently watching the ongoing fight in the center ring. The hero almost seemed to be talking to the fighters rather than the vine man beside him.

"Trying to perform an action without properly analyzing your opponent leaves you open to attack. You become your opponent's own personal punching bag because you cannot read into their movements. I cannot count how many times I took hits because I attacked when I should have blocked; blocked when I should have evaded. Do you understand?" the hero asked. The vine man seemed to be starting to understand; nodding his head slowly periodically. The hero broke from his trace to watch the vine man's head sink along with the rest of his facial features.

"Maybe it was a mistake then; thinking I was ready for this." the man said with downcast eyes

"Maybe… or maybe not. You said yourself that you know what to do in many different types of situations right?" the hero said

"Yeah, but what if you are right? What if when it comes time to fight… what if I can't perform the needed actions like you said?" the green man's voice was slightly cracking. Finn could just barely here it over the roar of the crowd.

"It is possible… but how would you ever know unless you tried? When you step out into that ring tonight… you need to be as confident in yourself as you were when you first sat down in this bar stool." the hero indicated to the man's seat

"I'm not feeling too confident any longer to be honest." the man admitted

"But everything that you feel right now is all mental. You have not physically changed. Look, if you had gone out without knowing of what could happen… then how could you prepared for it? You're at a greater advantage now. You now know what it's going to take to win. A foolish man does not prepare against his enemies and feels confidence; but it is a wise man who prepares for his enemies before he feels confidence." the hero repeated. This had been a quote, word-for-word, spoken to him from his wise mentor Rattleballs. The green man turned his head to find the piercing blue eyes of the hero gazing into his face.

"What is your name?" he asked out of awe and respect

"Finely Jacobs!" the announcer shouted over the microphone, "…and Marius Portorello! Please report to the center stage and prepare for immediate combat!"

"Looks like that's me" the green man said rising from his seat, "I cannot thank you enough. It was nice speaking with you, uhh…"

"Finely Jacobs" the hero said with a smile, "…and the pleasure is all mine." he said while pushing off his seat and walking to the ring; the surprised and slightly intimidated Marius followed shortly behind.

Pulling himself up onto the designated stage for fighting, Finn turned around and offered a hand. Pulling Marius up with him, he began to speak to the green man.

"Marius, if this is truly to be your first real fight, then allow me to say that I am honored to be your opponent."

The green man was absolutely stunned

"What?! Why?" he asked utterly perplexed. The hero sighed.

"Right now, you need to face me with as much strength and as much confidence as you can hold in your body. I need you to go all-out."

"Why?! You're so much more experienced than me. You're probably just going to beat me anyways, I could just forfeit." Marius reasoned

"No! How long have you dreamed to be in the Platinum Gauntlet, Marius?"

"I've had that dream since I was a little boy. It is the only thing I have truly wished for every day of my life."

"Then don't ever… ever… give up on that dream. You need this Marius. You need to fight me. You need to prove to yourself more than anyone that you have what it takes to achieve your dream."

Finn walked calmly to his side of the ring and fell into a fighting stance.

"You can't give in, you need to go all out… because we both need this victory."

The hero slowly reached up and removed his steel knuckle from his fist and tucked it away into one of his concealed pockets. The man in front of him was honorable, he deserved a fair battle. Looking at Marius's fighting stance, he looked a little tense; however, deep behind his eyes, the hero could see a blazing inferno of determination. Finn smiled inwardly, seeing that his words had few words had made such an impact on Marius.

The crowd was roaring with anticipation, a man was yelling out for last minute bet-placing, and finally… the ring of a bell. Time seemed to slow down for the hero. The yelling onlookers became more of a dull murmur until they were completely forgotten about. Eventually, all that was left was his opponent and the floor beneath them. Finn was ready, but from the look in the green man's eyes, it seemed that the hero was not the only one. They both prepared for one of the best fights of their lives.

oOo

The scene was spectacular. The two figures danced in perfect rhythm. One would swing while the other would side-step. Then the roles would be reversed. Punches and kicks were thrown, swung, blocked, evaded… with only the rare occasion that they would connect with their intended targets. Finn may have addressed his adversary on his excellent display of technique had he not been so immersed in the fight.

The entire time, the green man had kept the young hero on his toes. Both fighters had realized that one mistake could cost them the fight. It was the young hero who had noticed that he had always had the upper hand. Many times he had found small openings in Marius's stance. Using his honed abilities of dexterity, the young man could have leveled several kicks or punches into Marius's chest. However, the hero each time did not allow himself to finish his opponent, instead laying only quick punches to his appendages. Marius had some unbelievable skills for someone in his first real fight. The man was not nearly as agile as Finn, yet his thorough knowledge of fighting technique allowed him to identify and block the hero's attacks efficiently. This was, if he was quick enough. As much as he needed to win this battle, the young hero felt it would be a great disservice to not give his adversary the good fight that he deserved.

Although neither fighter paid any attention to it, the crowd loved the display. While the earlier fights had been focused about bashing the opponent's teeth out, the onlookers could tell that this fight seemed more. They watched as the punches seemed to get more tired and spaced out. Finn shifted his style to match Marius and they continued their movements at a slower pace.

After twenty solid minutes of swinging, Marius was relying on heavy, but slow, attacks to repel his opponent. Finn himself was feeling quite tired from his own exertion and decided that it would be best to end the match soon. Seeing his next opportunity, the hero gathered some of his reserve strength and shot his fist into Marius's chest. The green man faltered and staggered backward. Suddenly his legs gave out and the green man fell to the ground. Finn barely had enough time to grab then man's head before it bashed onto the wooden floor. The crowd cheered once more.

"And we have a winner!" the announcer yelled, "Finely Jacobs moves onto the next round!"

Finn could not have cared less at that moment; he was too worried about his new friend. The medic rushed out to meet them.

"It's fine Mr. Jacobs, he just looks like he passed out from exhaustion. He'll be alright after some rest. I'm surprised the both of you were able to last so long throwing those hits like that." the medic said

"Thanks Doc, is there a safe place I can move him to?" the hero asked

"Yeah, let's head out the backdoor, my clinic is right across the street."

Nodding his head, Finn scooped up the unconscious man and carried him to the door with the medic in tow. The announcer's voice came back on.

"Okay round one is completed. At this time, we will be taking a short intermission. The next match begins in ten minutes!" he yelled. Finn had stopped on his way next to the announcer.

"Hey, do you think you could send someone to get me when my next fight starts? I kinda need to get to the clinic right now."

"Yeah, don't worry about it kid. After that performance, I wouldn't want to have you miss your fight. The crowd loved you." the announcer said, "Just make sure you get back here as fast as you can alright?"

"Thank you" the hero replied. With that, he walked out the backdoor and into the summer winds. It was certainly not a cold day, but compared to the heat from inside the bar, the hero wouldn't want to be anywhere else. The air did well in cooling off his sweat-glistening skin. Entering the doctor's office, the hero found a clean bed and laid his friend down to rest.

"Thanks for this Doc" The young man gave his gratitude with a pat on the medic's back.

"Certainly, it is my job after all. And I also have you to thank for making mine just a little bit easier. Reconstructing appendages and facial features all the time isn't exactly a fun time for me." the medic responded with a tired voice. The medic began to root around in his bag while Finn took a seat on another clean bed. The adrenaline was wearing off and the hero was beginning to feel the full extent of his muscle exertion.

"Are you the only doctor in town?" he asked in a surprised tone. Back home, every kingdom was required to provide its towns and villages with an adequate supply of doctors and medical supplies. A clinic would usually have four to five doctors.

The doctor's face opened up with a weary smile. His eyes though, seemed much happier that the question was asked.

"No, my partner Julia is in the surgery ward right now. There was a man who was thrown through a window earlier in the competition. He was wounded pretty badly." the doctor grimaced, "Nothing a little magic healing can't solve… eventually."

Both men look up as a light above the surgery ward blinked red. The door slid back to reveal a young blue woman dressed in medical scrubs. She was covered in an orange fluid which the hero had assumed to be blood.

"How did the operation go, Julia?" the man asked his partner.

"Not as good as I would have liked. He might have some memory loss from the concussion and he won't be walking around for quite a while until his legs heal back to normal."

"At least he is alive." the doctor said. He returned to searching inside of his bag. Julia walked over to Finn.

"What are you here for? You don't look like you lost in the Fight Event." she said. She was quite on-edge due to the hero's mysterious atmosphere.

"That is because I won my match. My name is Finely Jacobs." Finn said while extending his hand. The woman took it with her own.

"Julia Coppola, I'm the head surgeon. This is my partner Daron Whyte. He handles all the problems that I don't want to deal with. Isn't that right Daron?" she asked teasingly

"Whatever you say Julia." Daron had finally pulled his hand out of his bag and walled over to Finn, "Finely, take this medicine. You exerted a great deal of energy in that last fight and I'm sure you could use the boost." The doctor pushed a vial of red liquid into the hero's hand.

"Thank you doctor. Though may I ask, what is in this potion?"

"That is the oil from an opal eel. You must drink some and pour the rest onto the hurting areas for it to take effect." Daron said not really paying attention. He was currently applying another full vial to Marius's unconscious form.

Finn uncorked the bottle and looked at the liquid. It sure didn't smell great and he wasn't quite sure what an opal eel was; however, this man was a doctor after all. He took a sip of the red liquid. He tried not to gag as the liquid flowed down his throat. The taste resembled a little of eating raw fish. After drinking and applying some of the oil to his arms and legs, he could instantly feel energy returning to his body.

"This is amazing" the hero said in shock, "I can actually feel the energy returning to my body" the surgeon chuckled at the hero.

"Yes, there are some amazing natural remedies out there. It just takes a little time and a little knowledge to find them." she said

"You wouldn't happen to have a book on collecting and creating these remedies would you?" the hero asked. To be able to find and make these healing potions would be very nice to someone who tended to get hurt as often as the hero.

"Of course, you cannot keep it though, I have only one." she said while retreating behind a desk. She scrounged around until she removed a brown colored book. She walked back over to the young man and offered it to him.

"Here, you can look through it for a while if you want. I can tell that you're not from around here so if you have any questions about the different plants or animals you can feel free to ask." the woman said with a smile

"I cannot thank you two enough" Finn said to the two doctors. They both just laughed.

"We are doctors, it is kind of our job to fix up and prevent injury." Daron signed, "I got to get back to the bar. No doubt more people are going to get injured tonight."

"Good luck Daron!" Julia yelled as the man made his way out into the street. Finn momentarily noticed the dreamy look that overtook the woman's eyes as she stared toward the front door. The hero smirked.

"Have you told him yet?" the hero asked. The woman was suddenly thrown off by his words.

"What?!" she quickly reined in her emotions and spoke a little calmer, "What do you mean?"

"You both seem to be a little tired with your work. Perhaps you might find some solace within each other. Just think about it?" the hero said. He did not want to intrude much into their personal lives but the subtle hints were enough for him to know.

"Right, uhh… thank you, Mr. Jacobs." she said looking at the floor, "Anyways, I must go check on my other patients, you may stay as long as you need but please do not steal anything on your way out"

"I promise. Hero's Honor." the man responded humbly while raising his right hand. He quickly realized his mistake. He is supposed to be an inconspicuous traveler and he had just admitted his hero status. Luckily for him, the surgeon just began to laugh while she exited the room.

"Hero, good one!" she said in between her jolly laughs

"Why is that so funny?" the man whispered to himself. He chose to just ignore it and opened up his newly acquired book on medicine. The cover was brown leather and the title read, Natural Remedies and You. At least, until he was called for his next fight, the young man could rest up and discover more about the plants and animals about the land. If such a simple potion could rejuvenate him like the opal eel oil, who knew what kinds of other potions existed in this world.

oOo

Daron opened the front door to the clinic while helping in a water elemental who was limping with a broken foot. Finn saw this and quickly rushed over to lend a hand. Moving himself under the man's other shoulder, they picked him up and laid the water elemental on a clean bed.

"Thanks" the doctor said to Finn, "Though, I believe it is your time. Please be careful." the man said with worry in his voice

"Do not worry about me Daron, I shall return in one piece. I will be back to check on Marius once the event is over. Take good care of him, will you?" the hero asked

"Of course, see you soon Finely"

With that, he laid the brown leather book onto a table and walked out into the street. It was beginning to get late. The hot winds earlier had begun to cool with the approaching night and the sun had started to dive below the mountains around the horizon. The sky was lit with beautiful shades of oranges, yellows, and reds. Once again, the young man found himself thinking about the dazzling girl of his dreams. In the air, he could see whips of fire dancing around in the horizon and blanket the region it its color. Finn bowed his head and he turned a corner to the front door of the bar. He needed to win this… to go home.

The crowd had begun to calm down a little since the hero had last seen them. Many of them were now sitting down at tables and ordering various foods and ale to last them through the night. Finn sighed mentally as he pushed his way through the crowd. This tournament would last deep into the night.

Finn made his way into the ring where he found his opponent drinking ale and chatting loudly with nearby spectators. The young man was slightly surprised to see that his opponent was wearing a full chest plate of chainmail armour. His face was concealed by a metal plate that made identifying him near impossible. The man had two iron plated gauntlets that covered both hands. Short, dull spikes stuck out from the back of the palms of his hands and curved around his fists. They looked almost like the claws of a feral beast. Upon noticing the hero's arrival, the man chucked away his jug of ale into the crowd and prepared himself to fight. The announcer came back on to announce the next fight but Finn wasn't paying attention.

"His chest, forearms, hands, and head are completely protected by armour. That leaves potential strikes to the legs, feet, upper arms, and neck; unless I can remove his armour somehow. His heavily armoured fists suggest that his swings will be slow yet very painful if they connect. Attacking straight on will allow him time to prepare for a swing. I'll have to use rely on my agility to evade and counter-attack." The hero thought. While he was forming a plan, the armoured man strutted around the ring and posed for the crowd. It was then that the young man noticed a distinctive crest on the man's chest plate. Two torches placed behind an orange shield… the Saar-Sven crest. It suddenly occurred to him that this man might be the hometown favorite. This posed a new problem for the hooded hero. With a group of spectators as disorderly as these people are, the last thing he wanted was a riot. Imagine what their reaction would be if their symbolic man was so easily taken down by a nobody like the hero. Although he looked quite intimidating with his black coat and tan scarf, in a room full of drunk, burly men, the hero barely stood a chance to the crowd. The close spaces of the bar also meant that fleeing was not possible. In order to prevent rioting and still win, he had to find a way to win the match but also win the crowd. The metal plated enemy saw the shrouded hero's heavy sigh.

"Oh? What's the matter boy? Are you ready to get a beating from last year's reigning champ?" the man yelled loudly. Some spectators let out a shout of praise toward the armoured man. The shrouded hero just smirked beneath his hood. This is how he could win some of the crowd.

"Oh I am incredibly sorry… I was just waiting for her majesty to finish. You know how long it takes woman to get ready for anything." the hero retaliated. Many people in the room began to laugh loudly while some of the more intoxicated men made their own jokes toward the metallic man.

"You can't talk to me that way you arrogant brat! You look like you couldn't last a single punch in your chest!"

"I don't need to… you won't even get a hit on me." the shrouded hero said, "You hid under so much armour, I'm starting to think that maybe you are the one who is afraid to take a real hit." the hero almost yelled. The crowd seemed to be enjoying the small exchange of insults. Perhaps it was just the alcohol though.

The metal man reached up to pull off his mask. From underneath the protection of his hood, the hero almost laughed at how easily he had agitated his opponent. The man was red with anger and his face contorted into a contemptuous frown. "You talk pretty tough for a man who hides his face!"

That had done it. The spectators now had their full attention on the fighter. They had begun to make jokes and jeer at the young man. One man even through his pewter jug at the young man's feet. The crowd was starting to get out of control. The young man's mind was rushing. If he didn't remove his hood, the crowd may start to destroy the bar; if he takes off his hood, the crowd might recognize him as a human. He could no longer be a simple yet enigmatic drifter traveling around the countryside. This could blow his cover and make the rest of his journey that much more difficult. He also did not know of these people's disposition to humans. People had tried to kill him before due to being human. Some had claimed that he should pay for the crimes of his race and the destruction of the world so long ago. Finn reached up and grabbed his hood. An old saying that he had heard Marceline use one time ran through his mind, "Damned if you do, and damned if you don't". This described his situation perfectly. Throwing caution to the wind, the young man whipped his hood off and prepared for whatever came next.

The jeers had stopped. The only thing that the hero could hear was his own raging heartbeat. Slowly, he snapped open his eyes directly at the man on the other side of the ring. The metal man visibly flinched at seeing the young man's blue eyes piercing through his being. The crowd also noticed the man's momentary flinch and burst out laughing at the supposedly unbeatable metallic man. Finn's ears burned as he listened to the words being tossed around the bar. He was waiting for someone… anyone… to say the word, human. To the hero's bewilderment, it never came. Did Mother Scarlett's scarf really disguise him that well? The scarf did cover the bottom half of his face, but his golden hair was still visible on his head. Perhaps it was just because these people had never actually seen a human that they could not identify him. The hero stole a glance into the crowd. Some of them looked like they were trying to identify him but with no luck. These people just went back to their meals or chatting amongst each other. One man in the back was climbing up onto his bar seat from the floor. It was odd, but the hero disregarded it.

"I'm getting real sick of this, come and fight me you coward" the metal man yelled. Finn walked forward while slipping the steel knuckle back onto his hand; he would happily oblige.

A gauntleted fist flew out at the young hero. He ducked right and planted a solid punch to the man's side. The metal here was visibly thinner and crumpled easily under the force of the reinforced fist. The young man followed up by an uppercut to the metal man's now exposed face. He was too slow to react and soon the metal man's head was forcibly directed to look at the ceiling. The heavy weight of the armour pulled him down and his body fell backward onto the floor. Most dishonorable fighters would have pummeled the downed enemy; however, Finn was not one of these. He walked to the other end of the ring and waited for his opponent to regain his footing.

After standing up, the metal man swore a string of curses at the young hero and charged. This man was no longer even being careful; he was relying on brute strength to save himself. Finn would make sure the man suffered from his careless decision. Within a second of being rammed by his opponent, the young man dove left. In mid-flight, he kicked out and into the knee of the charging man. The knee buckled and the man's balance failed him. The metal man lost control of his momentum and flew out of the ring. Those who were not laughing before were certainly now.

The metal man crawled back into the ring panting heavily. Suddenly, the metal man tore off his heavy metal chest plate. It was obvious that it was only to be cumbersome to him at this point. Finn smiled under his scarf, now it was his turn. The hero charged his disoriented foe and landed an unrelenting succession of quick blows to his chest. The metal man just stood there was he took hit after hit. Eventually, he tried to stop the beating by raising his metal-plated arms across his chest. Finn was ready though. Projecting all of his energy into his foot, the young man shot his foot into the metal man's stomach. The poor, arrogant man flew backward and landed in the crowd. He gasped and choked for the air that had been forcibly removed from his lungs. As he saw the hero approaching he found enough oxygen to speak.

"St... Stop! I give… y… you… win" the man choked out. The bar cheered. The young hero had actually done it. He had swayed the crowd, beaten out another opponent, and kept his true identity hidden. Finn allowed himself to stand with pride while looking out at the crowd.

"And the winner this round is… Finely Jacobs!" the announcer boomed

People chanted his name. He nodded to the crowd and flipped his hood back over his head. The victorious hero made his way to the backroom of the bar. For the first time in a very long time, Finn allowed himself to take pride in his accomplishments. Sitting down on bench in quiet seclusion, the hero picked a photo out of his coat pocket. A smile appeared on his nose while he looked down at an all too familiar face. A single tear rolled out of his eye and fell onto the photo's smooth surface.

Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a response or favorite or whatever.

Ooobserver: Love the movie reference. Thank you, I will probably add a few more flashbacks later on just to add more background and emotional parts. It is kinda hard to do when the pairing is so far away from each other.

kojh0124: Thanks, I hope this fight was good. Really it was my first time writing an actual fight and it was harder than I thought. Haha, I wish it had 20 favs but I'm just happy I have people following the story. It's pretty cool seeing people read your work.

Rick: Thank you so much, it's nice to see that I am still entertaining the public. I hope the fights satisfy you. Hmm… I wonder what your name is?