Well, after a short time to reorganize my thoughts on everything, I've finished another chapter! So, let's get to it, then!
Book I, Part I: Mortal Conflict - A Hero's Challenge
Chapter IV: Playing Games
"I can't believe I'm getting beaten around like this," I mutter to myself, pacing back and forth in the lounge. "I should be tougher than this. I've been up against pretty much everything, but these guys are tossing me around like I'm no match."
Growling a little out of frustration, I try and force myself to calm down. Anger will do me no good.
"Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. I've been waiting for them to make their moves, and then countering. Every time I do that, they put me off-balance somehow. I need to go back to what I know...what my strengths are, how I fight, how I'm used to fighting. I need some sort of plan."
Ceasing the pacing, I elect to simply lean against the wall, taking a deep breath and gathering my thoughts.
"Everyone I've seen here seems to have been mostly offensive in their fighting," I muse, rubbing my chin. "I need to go back to that. Stay offensive, get the advantage, and press it. I'm quite fast already, so Haste would be a big help with that. The longer the fight goes on, the worse it could turn out for me, so I need to try to end it quickly. But if I use up too much energy...I'll leave myself wide open. Don't want that..."
I've spent nearly 15 minutes now contemplating my plan of attack, changing from the tactical to the dangerous, and I find it quite ironic that the simplest plan is the best option for myself.
"Never been one to plan a lot. Get in there, cast Haste, and beat them down. Simple, and effective. Let's just hope it works a whole lot better in practice than it sounds right now."
As I step out into the arena for the third round match, the announcer's voice goes completely ignored for the moment, my mind focused intently on my plan. I'm unsure as to what my opponent specializes in, or even if they have a specialty, but I'm determined to end it before I even have to find out.
"Entering the arena now is his opponent, from Bevelle, Seth Anderson!"
Joining me in the arena is a man that, to say the least, looks exceedingly dangerous. His face is twisted into almost a cruel smile or smirk, his downward-spiked brown hair waving gently. His outfit is nearly entirely black, consisting of a black shirt with no sleeves and purple designs on the front, a pair of no-fingered fighting gloves, also purple in color, and a dark black pair of pants and boots. Strapped to his back is a nasty-looking broadsword, as well. Just looking at him almost scares me, as he seems to have an aura of evil around him.
Shaking the thoughts off, I blame my suspicions on pre-round nervousness, as the referee begins the round.
(Play: Force Your Way - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)
"Haste!"
The Time Magic instantly speeds my movements up as Seth begins charging energy for an attack. Both of my swords are out in a flash, and Seth has to abort his attack in order to meet my charge, both of my blades meeting solidly with his swiftly-drawn broadsword. Leaping back to give some room for attack, I stab one of my swords into the ground before raising my now-free hand at Seth.
"Flare!"
The spell quickly engulfs Seth, his sword raised in a defensive stance, but doing little to help as the powerful magic scorches him. As the magic clears, I prepare to go back on the attack, grabbing my sword from the ground just as Seth casts a spell in my direction.
"Demi!"
Another dark spell siphons off a great part of my energy, causing me to flinch as my stamina suddenly decreases sharply. The momentary sign of weakness is all the time Seth needs to take advantage, bringing his broadsword across in a powerful arc. The sword smashes into my right katana, blasting it aside and nearly out of my hand as I block the attack. A quick duel of swordplay then begins, Seth's broadsword coming back around from the other direction. Leaping back out of range, I lunge out, Seth twisting around the attack to strike with his sword. Thankfully, the flat of the blade is the only thing to connect, though it does knock the wind out of me as Seth moves behind me, our backs facing each other. At almost the same time, we spin back to face each other, Seth's sword coming down in a powerful overhead cleave that I deflect, holding my swords in an 'x' pattern to catch the blade between them. Thinking quickly, I slam a foot into Seth's chest, using the momentum to leap away and prepare another attack.
"Fated Circle!"
Spinning in place, I unleash an energy wave from the swords that Seth cuts in half, his broadsword shining with dark energy as the two pieces fly around him to explode against the ground harmlessly.
"That's all? Pity," he taunts, and I chuckle.
"I'm just getting warmed up!" I reply, deciding to try a different tactic. If sheer speed won't work, I'll simply have to confuse him.
"Cloak of Shadows!"
Using one of my new skills, the entire area suddenly blackens, while still leaving me near-perfect vision. I can see Seth as clear as day, the fighter dropping into a defensive stance as the magical darkness engulfs the area. Quickly, I run to his side and slash, causing a slight hiss of pain as he turns to face me. Or rather, where he believes I am. Even as he turns, I'm moving to where his back will be, preparing another attack. A duo of slashes connects with his back, causing him to stumble forward, and I run back to face him, kicking him harshly in the ribs as the darkness begins to wear off.
"Having fun yet?" I ask, smirking.
"Insolent...I'll make you regret challenging me. Gravija!"
My eyes widen a bit as the potent gravity-based spell slams into me, forcing me to the ground with crushing energy as another large portion of my stamina leaves me.
'Well...I think I've found his specialty,' I think to myself, wincing from the powerful attack. Rising back to my feet, I suddenly see nothing but black as Seth's boot connects with my face, hurling me away to roll across the ground with stars dancing around my vision. Reaching up and touching my nose tenderly, I let out a small cry of pain, realizing that the bone is either cracked, or broken completely.
"That's it...I'm taking back control of this fight. Right now!"
Standing back up with a growl, I rush Seth, swords twirling in my hands faster and faster due to the Haste spell. With a quick twist of my body, my left blade smashes into his upraised broadsword, before I spin and cut low with the right one, a cut opening up along Seth's thigh. Coming face to face with him again, I leap straight into the air, kicking out with both feet and blasting him from a standing position with a double straight kick.
Slowly, Seth pulls himself from the ground, holding his left hand over his likely-bruised chest, right hand still gripping his broadsword tightly.
"An admirable attack...now, try to survive," Seth begins, energy gathering around him for a spell. "Meteor!"
A rumbling fills the sky as suddenly, a magically-created rock the size of a small basketball smashes into the ground beside me, dust kicked up high into the air from the powerful impact. More and more rocks begin to rain down, a smaller one of which smashes into my shoulder and causes me to cry out in pain, dropping my left sword as my arm goes completely limp from the shock. Finally, a large rock, easily the size of a large car descends from the sky, and I dive backwards as the rock impacts, a large explosion sending me even farther back than my leap intended.
"Okay...Meteor...definitely better end this now," I mutter, standing up once again and focusing my energy for my signature move.
"Darkside Assault!"
Seth's face turns to one of momentary shock as I move fast enough to seem to simply appear in front of him, but a quick stab to the stomach with my remaining sword replaces his shock with pain. Yanking the tip of my sword out of his stomach, I slash upward, then back down, a pair of cuts tracing themselves down his chest before a third cris-crosses the two cuts horizontally. Putting the sword away, my hands and feet begin to glow as I smash him in the face with a straight punch, following up with a jab and side kick that makes him flinch, just before a powerful uppercut staggers him. Deciding to finish the move off now, I charge magic into my right hand before releasing it point-blank, the powerful Holy spell picking Seth up and carrying him across part of the arena with a roar of pain.
When the dust from my final attack clears, Seth is lying on the ground, clearly unconscious. Smiling somewhat, I take a moment to catch my breath from my rapid movement and use of attacks, kneeling down and gripping my left armtightly as I do so.
(End: Force Your Way - Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy VIII)
'That worked out for me...but if that Meteor spell had hit me more, I don't think I'd be standing right now. I thought only Behemoths and Behemoth Kings knew that skill...guess I was wrong.'
Getting up from my crouching position, I listen absently as the announcer calls my victory, instead watching as two medical officials step out and pick up the unconscious Seth, the fighter beginning to stir even as the technicians begin to head to the infirmary. Silently, I follow, the pain from my injured nose now returning in full force as the adrenaline wears off, as well as the pain from my now-useless left arm.
"Well...at least I came out in better shape than the last two fights, I guess..." I mutter, chuckling.
Around twenty minutes later, I find myself heading back to the entrance of the arena from the infirmary. The entrance opens up into a very large area, almost like a waiting room of sorts. The announcer had stated several minutes ago that there would be an intermission before the second half of the tournament began. So, I figure that Yuna and everyone else will be at the entrance.
"Hey! Over here!" I hear Rikku's voice call, and I look around the room as I walk in, finally spotting a glimpse of Rikku over near one side of the room. Pushing my way past several other people, I meet up with the group, Rikku hugging me tightly as I approach.
"You're still in, I see," Paine comments, and I nod.
"Not like I haven't been trying," I retort.
"They look like they've been beating you up quite a bit," Shuyin says, the first words I've heard him say since before we stepped into the arena.
"I wouldn't exactly say I've been uninjured, no..." I say, rubbing the back of my neck.
"You should've seen it," Tidus says, cutting in. "Rikku nearly went crazy during the first fight!"
"I did not!" Rikku shoots back, spinning and facing Tidus. "I was just worried, that's all!"
"You don't have to worry," I say, looking over at her. "I'll be fine."
Even as I say that, however, I'm not completely sure I'm telling the truth. The first three matches have taken a lot of me, though I'm not willing to admit it. My body may be healed, but that doesn't mean I'm still in the best shape to continue. My endurance is also being tested, and quite harshly at that.
"Quick question," I say, deciding to change the subject, "have any of you seen anything...well...strange around?"
"Not that I've seen," Yuna comments, shrugging. "Why? Something wrong?"
"I'm not sure. I've had this weird feeling that I'm being watched for a while now. I've seen something blue watching me a few times, but I'd only get a glimpse every time. I tried to chase it down one time, but it turned a corner and just...vanished. I can't really explain it."
"We haven't seen anything like that around, but we'll keep our eyes out," Yuna says, nodding.
"Good. I've got this feeling that something bad's going to happen...and my feelings usually end up being right, unfortunately."
"You sure about that? Maybe you're just imagining things, ya?" Wakka says, and I shake my head.
"I think I'm being stalked, for crying out loud...I think my feelings are right on the money, Wakka," I retort, voice low.
"Hey, I'm just saying..."
"Well. Look who's here," a voice behind me interrupts, causing me to spin to face the newcomer. I'd know that voice anywhere.
"Darius. You joined this tournament too?" I ask, cautiously. The boy dismisses it with a wave of his hand, scoffing.
"This thing? Of course not. I'm merely...watching a friend. She entered the tournament, said she wanted to get in some training while we were here," he explains, folding his arms, his trademark smirk in place.
"Maybe I'll meet her later on in the tournament, then," I say, forcing down the bitter feelings and remaining civil. After all, he doesn't seem to want to cause trouble now, especially not in such a crowded area.
"Maybe. I'll enjoy watching her wipe the floor with you if you meet, too," he says, chuckling.
"Watch it. I'm at my best now, you know. I'm not that easy to beat," I reply defensively.
"I've seen nothing but amateur fighting from you so far," he comments, rolling his eyes. "When are you going to get serious, then?"
The previous two statements make me pause, pondering over them carefully. On one hand, he could be insulting me, as per usual. But, on the other hand, if he's serious...I'm not sure I want to find out just how much above me he might be in power and skill. Or his friend, for that matter.
"When I need to," I reply evenly.
"Just don't die in the next round," he says, turning and walking away without even waiting for a response.
'He's bluffing. He's gotta be...'
On the inside, however, I'm not so sure.
"Hello...you okay in there?"
Coming back to reality, I find myself still staring at the spot Darius was standing, Rikku's hand waving in front of my face.
"Yeah...sure...I'm okay."
"You're thinking about what he just said, aren't you?" Paine asks, arms folded. Paine's question is right on the mark, unfortunately for me.
"Well...yeah. I mean, you've seen me fighting. I've been out there, fighting better than I've ever fought before, and he up and calls it amateur fighting? Who does he think he is?" I retort, a little angry at the insult.
"He's trying to make you angry, make you make a mistake. Ignore it," Paine says simply.
"She's right, you know," Lenne interjects, looking between Paine and I. "They're just words."
"Hope you're right..." I mutter, as the PA system comes to life, the voice of the announcer carrying clearly through it.
"May I have your attention please...the second half of the tournament is about to begin. All spectators should return to the stands, and all fighters should return to the locker rooms. I repeat, all spectators should..."
"Guess our time's up," Rikku says, looking around at everyone.
"Yeah...I'll see you guys later, then," I say, nodding.
"Good luck!" Yuna says enthusiastically as I turn to leave. Looking back, I smile, taking a last look at the group before jogging off in the direction of the locker rooms.
How many of you expected to see Darius again this soon? Needless to say, he'll play a big part in this story, unlike the last one. As always, please read and review! I'd like to know what I could improve upon, in order to know how I could make my writing even better than it is now.