OoO( 23 )OoO

Torches now lit the inside and outsides of the Arena, making up for what the sun had left in its wake. Darkness covered Albion and its inhabitants, casting a spell over them that ended their work days and put them to rest in their homes.

But, some peoples work never ends. Jack stood on top of the Arena belltower, watching the two warriors go at each other like two wolves fighting over a scrap of meat. Lyle attacked Merik, then Merik countered with his second sword. Lyle then blocked the counter with his katana. It was like watching someone fight a mirror, and he was bored to death with it. But, there was one thing about Lyle that intrigued him. Such a young boy was able to conjer one of the worlds strongest creatures. Even with his own Will energy, plus Maze's, it wouldn't have been enough to summon a dragon.

But! he thought. Maybe there is a significance to the tattoo. Or, maybe the tattoo is just a cover for another power that lays deep within the boys soul. Then, his attention turned to Athena, who had done serious damage to several fighters that tried to attack her all at once and tame her wild whip. They managed to cut clean across her stomach, not deep enough to seriously wound her, but enough to effect her. The whips immediately grabbed one of the men and hurled him into another. The last didn't stand a chance. He was picked up and hurled into the cheering audience by the vicious weapon.

Whisper had taken down two others by herself, managing to kill one with a spear thrust and take the other out with a spear haft breaking his jaw. The battle raged on endlessly into the night and the early morning. Before long though, the warriors were starting to tire.

Lyle struck out with a vertical slash, but missed as Merik scooted out of the way. Eventually, Bladewing reattached his swords and hurled them at Lyle again. Lyle dodged as usual, and smiled. "Leaving yourself open for attack? You must be desperate." he said.

But, the warrior smiled back. "Wrong my friend, why do you think they call me Bladewing?" he asked. Lyle stopped a moment. He didn't know and he didn't want to find out either. He ran forward, but Merik only took a split second. Slamming his metal wristbands together, two razor sharp blades ejected from a hidden slot in his sleeve. They looked like silver fins jutting from his wrist up to his shoulder. He swung his fist like he was going to punch Lyle, but instead swung the blade at him. Lyle barely sidestepped the attack, when he was attacked by the second one. It slashed across his left arm, making it sting with pain.

He dove forward and slashed vertically at the warrior only to have his attack blocked. Merik slashed across Lyle's chest, but the armor protected him from the attack. But he still couldn't hold back Merik's next attack. The warrior slashed with blinding speed across Lyle's exposed arms, legs, stomach, and face. The audience was in awe at the speed of the immense attack.

Lyle backed off, out of breath. He stood holding several deep slashes on his arm and stomach, barely able to hold onto his sword. Merik smirked at Lyle with a look that disgusted the warrior. Pity. Then, he attacked again. Lyle smiled slightly, the raised himself upright again. He yelled out loud as pain rushed through his body like a speeding arrow, then slammed his fist to the ground with all his might. Merik suddenly stopped as the ground shook underneath his feet.

"What in Hell..." he said as he looked at the ground.

Lyle smiled. "Something like that." Then, the ground shook harder before it finally exploded with fire. Geysers of bright yellow fire shot from the ground all over the Arena sending a crashing wave of heat over the audience. Merik was surrounded by three fire geysers, unable to move because of the intense heat. But, soon he had no choice. All three of the fire fountains joined and tore the ground out from under him, which was soon replaced by the eruption.

Yelling to get his mind off the pain, Merik dashed forward and swung again at Lyle, who had been nearly drained of energy. Taking swipe after swipe at him with the blades on his arms, Merik began to tire. Lyle waited a moment then took one of the blades to the chest, forcing him off his feet and onto his back. Raising both legs, he shot them into Merik's stomach, making the warrior fly backwards some ten feet before he landed with a sickening thud inside a wall of flame. Lyle got to his feet, and couldn't believe his eyes when Merik did as well.

Merik screamed in severe pain as fire tore at his skin like a flesh eating virus. He ran forward despite the pain and slammed bodily into Lyle, tackling him to the ground. Merik's skin was blistering from the heat, but he managed to raise his left arm and aim the blade at his adversaries throat. Lyle couldn't do anything. The attack that he had used to finish the job didn't work, and he had barely enough energy to move, let alone stop an attack. Suddenly, a familiar sound came to his ears.

Merik smiled wickedly. "Looks like Lyle is all out of tricks. My father was pathetic to lose to you." he said.

Lyle smirked, which annoyed Merik immensly. "Guess what. He's not the only one." he said. Then, like a lightning bolt, Merik's former weapon came streaking out of the geyser behind him. He never saw the attack coming, because Lyle hadn't done the attack, only lured him into it. The weapon flew and instantly impaled Merik, striking him through the back and out his chest. He suddenly grew limp as his life slipped away from him. Then, as quietly as possible, he fell over dead. Lyle rolled onto his stomach, then pushed himself up onto his knees, he concentrated on the last of his Will energy.

Focusing, he closed his eyes and a bright aura surrounded him. Suddenly, all his wounds began to seal up and heal. But, the spell was only a minor one, so it did not heal his strength greatly. He slowly got to his feet with his sword and limped over to the center of the battleground. The fire had finally stopped and the sun began to rise again, showing that the only oppenent still standing...was Whisper.

She looked back at him smiling. "Nice fireworks farmboy." she said.

He laughed a little then looked around. "What happened to that woman? She didn't..."

"Her and the others went back inside. It seems you gave them more than they bargained for." she said.

"And what about you?" he asked curiously, now able to stand at his full height.

She shrugged. "I guess we'll see, won't we?" she asked.

"Incredible! Amazing! Spectacular! They both have come from the fires of Hell itself in one piece! Both hero's, Lyle the Sabre and Whisper have survived all of our challenges! But the prize can only go to the first place winner, so what are we to do with these two?" asked the announcer to the excited mob.

"May I make a suggestion?" asked a ghostly voice from the top of the tower. Everybody looked up, and much to the annoyance of Lyle, the annoucer went off again.

"Guess who it is ladies and gentlemen! Its the famed Arena Champion, Jack of Blades! Well known for his gallant performance at the Battle of the Bloody Harvest, he has become quite famous for his sword skill. Jack may have a tough competitor though, in the form of Lyle!"

Jack snorted. "Note to self, kill announcer once plans have taken action." he said to himself. Then he stared at Lyle and Whisper, who stared back. Lyle shaded his eyes to get a good look, but couldn't make out the form from way down on the ground. He simply turned and looked at Whisper, awaiting instructions on what to do from the announcer he enjoyed so much. Jack raised his voice so that all could hear him. "Both warriors that are still standing will fight to the death to claim the prize!" he yelled. Both warriors looked at each other with stone faces.

"They can't mean that..." said Whisper.

"I think they might...this is the Arena after all." said Lyle disgruntled.

She shook her head in disbelief. "There is no way I'm going to kill you!" she said.

Lyle smiled. "That's right, cause you have to beat me to do that. And we both know that I'm going to win this one." he said.

She looked at him as if he had told a bad joke. "Confident are we?" she asked. Lyle nodded. "Alright then, no kills. Just a rematch from our last little exhibition." she said. "Winner takes all."

Lyle nodded again. "Sounds like a plan..." he said raising his sword. The crowd cheered riotously as the two warriors took up their stances for the final match of the Arena challenge, and possibly the biggest match of the century. Lyle smiled as he raised his sword up next to his face, the same stance that he took as a child, the same as the last time he fought his best friend.

Whisper took up the stance she had used as a child too. Holding her spear over both shoulders with one hand and holding the other out in front of her as if holding up a magical barrier. This time though, she didn't move an inch. She kept her keen eyes on her friend staring at her from across the dusty earth. Lyle smiled, realizing that he wouldn't be able to get her to move first this time. Stepping forward, he launched himself at her and swung his sword like a viper waiting to attack.

Whisper ducked under the attack and slammed her shoulder into Lyle's gut, sending him stumbling backwards. But she quickly wished she hadn't, for the metal plate had also bruised her shoulder. Lyle smiled and struck out again. Whisper quickly bent back slightly to dodge the attack, but cut it so close that the blade nicked her cheek. She stood and swung her spear around, clothslining Lyle's feet out from under him. He hit the ground hard, then felt pain reverberate through his entire skeleton as Whisper's spear smashed against the thin steel plate that covered his back. He quickly shook it off and placed a palm to the ground, then sprung up as light as a feather and landed back on his feet.

But the warriors attack was far from halted, for she ran and slammed the spear butt into his stomach making him double over in pain. She raised her weapon again, but when she swung it, Lyle locked it to the ground with his sword hilt. Grabbing her weapon, he jerked on it and pulled her forward. Grabbing his katana, he slammed the blade flat against the spear shaft and slid it up the weapon. Were it not for her quick reflexes, she would have lost her fingers right there. But she let go and thrust both palms against his breast plate.

Lyle's eyes widened as he felt a shockwave rip through him like an explosion. He flew backwards and hit the ground hard, the air flying from his lungs. When he drew breath again, he sat up on one knee and looked at her in shock. "What the hell was that?" he shouted.

She smiled at him as she took up a martial arts stance. "You thought all I did was practice with a spear?" she asked. "I am a world class unarmed fighter as well. You can't rely too much on a weapon or else you are lost when you let go of it." she said.

Lyle smiled as he stood up. "I agree with you. That's why I took up another style as well." he said. Whisper looked at him curiously. He raised a hand and she flew off the ground and landed on her rear end some ten feet from where she previously stood.

She looked up and gave a Whisper-ish smile. "Wasn't expecting that..." she said. "You use that sword so much I almost forgot you could use Will power." she said.

"What about that fireworks show earlier?" he asked.

"I could do better." she said.

Lyle smiled and ran forward. But Whisper was prepared. Lyle threw his hand forward, but Whisper easily dodged it and flipped over his head. His face revealed his pain as Whisper cut through the steel plate on his back like paper. His chest armor fell apart and it clanked to the ground heavily. His under shirt had taken the attack also and fell to pieces leaving him bare chested. Most of the women in the audience cheered, while the men ranted something about being shown off by a woman.

Turning back to his opponent, he smiled slightly. "You did that on purpose." he said. She smirked and took up a strange stance.

Moving her arms like blades, she seemed to dance. "Lets see if I can get the rest as well." she said. Suddenly, the wind shifted and Lyle felt it blowing towards him. He squinted for a moment before rolling to the side. A blade of wind had cut through the ground and nearly got him down the middle. He rose again and held both arms crossed. Without letting her see his mouth, he began to chant something. Another wind blade flew horizontal as Whisper struck out again with the attack. This time though, it was stopped dead by a silver shield surrounding Lyle. Suddenly, he slashed his arms across the barrier and it exploded.

Whisper almost dodged too late as her wind blade came back at her at great speed. She dove and grabbed her spear again from the dust and hurled it at Lyle. He saw it in time and grabbed it out of the air. He waited until she stood again, tapping the shaft with one finger, then tossed it to her. She caught it easily and smiled. "Getting soft farmboy?" she asked.

"We'll see." he said. He waited and she ran forward, holding the spear in one hand and held the other out as if making a spell. Lyle waited a moment longer before reacting. When she took another step, he held one arm out and held the other behind him. He ducked as she swung her spear shaft at him, missing him and making her turn around. Lyle smiled and pulled the bag he just snatched open, then grabbed a grenade. Pulling the pin on the handle, he tossed it behind him and ran.

Whisper turned and looked at him running away. "What is he...?" she said, then she noticed the small object five feet from her on the ground. She barely had time to turn before she was hurled through the air from the force of the explosion. Hitting the ground, she coughed up dust and got to one knee, trying to gain her vision back. When she looked up, Lyle was holding his sword again and approaching at a slow rate. She stood and glared at him. "I believe you have something that belongs to me." she said.

He held up the bag and smiled. "You mean this?" he asked. Then, he stuck his sword tip first into the ground, then lit his other hand on fire and held it under the bag, just barely letting the flames lick the cloth.

Whisper's eyes widened. "Are you out of your mind farmboy? You'll blow us both up!" she shouted. But he held his place until finally the bag caught on fire. He tossed it into the air and held up the hand that threw it. Whisper turned and ran as fast as she could away from the fiery comet that now fell to the earth. But, it didn't make it far before it exploded and sent a shockwave that jarred everyones bones. The explosion cause dust and earth to fly all over the place, creating a perfect smokescreen for an attack.

Lyle's shield hardly stood up to the explosion. It shined silver again, then shattered and blocked the main body of the blast, but the rest hit him draining almost all his strength. Still he stood and jogged through the fog at an even pace. He made it to where Whisper lay on the ground, almost unconscious from the blast. But, she heard Lyle approach and quickly grabbed her spear, ready to take Lyle down. But, to her surprise, the weapons shaft shattered. Splinters showered them both as she looked at her hands where her former weapon had once been.

Lyle smiled, then held the sword up to her throat. "Checkmate." he said evilly.

The dust cloud cleared and the audience, now very shaken and excited due to the explosion, stared at the pair on the battlegrounds. They held their breath for a moment, then cheered madly.

Jack smiled. The explosion had almost knocked the bell below him off its support beam, which would have been an interesting sight to see. But it did little to effect him. He stood like a sentinal atop the bell tower and watched. He knew when Lyle had tapped the weapon with his finger, that he had rigged it. A simple matter of finding the weakness and exploiting it. He had tapped the weakspot several times, making it weaker, then gave it back to her. Very clever.

And he also knew that when Lyle raised his sword to her throat, that he had one the championship. Now, there was only one thing to do. "Finish her off Sabre, and you win the match and the prize." he shouted.

Lyle looked up at the man, then at the crowd. The mob stood up and started to chant loudly. "Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!"

At hearing this, he smirked. "Such barbarians we have here. Oh well, give the crowd what they want." he said pulling his sword back.

Whisper looked at him astonished. "W-Wait, I thought we agreed to not kill each other!" she said frantically.

His smile widened. "I don't know, it is a lot of prize money just for one life. It seems like an even trade, so lets say we finish this?" he said, then raised his sword again to finish her off. She fell to her knees staring at him in disbelief.

Lowering her head and closing her eyes, she sighed. "Very well, do what you must." she said sadly.

Lyle reached down and grabbed her by the arm, then pulled her onto her feet. "Cummon! Give me a little credit! You actually thought I was going to kill you for money?" he shouted.

She stared at him for a moment, then slapped him across the side of the head. The entire audience laughed madly at this and she walked forward glaring at him. "Don't scare me like that! I thought you had changed into that...that thing again!"

Lyle shook his head and stood up. Looking at her with a smile. "Goes to show how much you trust me..." he said. Then turned to Jack, who still stood on the tower. "Sorry, but there is no way I'm killing my best friend! I'll just take whatever money I won from the other challenges." he said.

Jack sighed and closed his eyes. "Very well."

Lyle turned back to Whisper. "Well, I'm going to go and crash for the next few years. Wake me when Lady Grey comes around." he said.

She finally smiled again. "No problem. And congratulations farmb...Lyle." she said. He smiled, then began to walk away with the crowd cheering him greatly. He made it to the door, when he heard a loud gasp from the audience. Something wasn't right...

His skin began to crawl as he slowly turned around. What he saw stopped his heart. Whisper stood with a look of shock on her face and a sword in her chest. She breathed heavily and stared at the blade protruding from her chest, then fell to her knees revealing the red cloaked figure behind her.

Lyle stared at him for a moment before realizing who it was. "Y-You...You son of a bitch!" he yelled and ran at Jack with every ounce of energy he had left. But Jack laughed slightly, then vanished. Lyle dropped down next to Whisper and checked on her, but she was already dead. Ignoring the loud yell of Thunder from the audience, he fell backwards without any care for personal injury and stared up at the sky with tears running down his face.