High Stakes

Hisoki is a little shaken seeing Nozomi again so soon. She is the host of this challenge. She’s making the rules. No one here is ready for the kind of imagination she has. He knows it, and even he’s not sure if he’s prepared, stepping back a bit. “Hey, what’s got you looking scared right now?” Vic nudges him as Sight Spheres descend upon this arena.

“We might be in trouble here.” Hisoki declares a little too loud.

“The hell are you talking about?”

“Just listen.”

Nozomi has been letting everyone discuss among themselves after her declaration, not for them but to give her time as the ground beneath her and outward forms an elevated square of stone. Looking just like a ring you would see in a tournament. No ropes or guardrail, just tiles. “This is how the tournament will go. You need to win two matches to be granted a slot in the third and final challenge. If you get two losses? You’re out. If you win one then lose one, you’ll go into sudden death with another person who has. You will never fight the same person twice. I’ve watched all of you fight in your challenges and have picked out appropriate opponents for you in advance. If your feet touch the floor outside of the ring, you’re out. If you are out cold for a count of ten, you’re out. If you die, well, you get the idea. Killing of course isn’t forbidden, but I may determine if I want a contestant spared.”

Everyone murmurs about these rules when she yells “Kelet versus Michaelangelo!” two people, approach and climb the ring. Kelet is a rough looking woman with two huge daggers connected by a chain at the handles. Michaelangelo is a man with two swords that glow quite bright. They look like a mirror polish. “Begin!”

Michael begins by leaping and yelling as he comes down with both swords, causing Kelet to dodge and try to slip the chain under his chin but he bows his knees out, slipping his head back, making the chain miss so she anchors one of the daggers into the tile of the ring, attempting a stab with the other but Michael blocks it. She steps on the chain which is taut from the anchor, giving her more weight to use since Michael is on his knees. Pressing down harder, Michael lets her dagger through to stick his shoulder. So that he can slice across her chest and make her focus on that while he moves to address the knife in his shoulder. She grabs the anchor and yanks it out of the tile, tugging the chain to bring Michael closer. The moment he gets close he swipes with his swords and she easily ducks and moves so she can grab him. She reaches for him; Michael, in a last ditch effort kicks the wound on her chest which hurts so bad she is kicked straight out of the ring and onto the floor.

“Winner, Michaelangelo,” Nozomi declares as he pulls out the knife in his shoulder, hopping out of the ring. “Second match. Sadi versus Lycogalia.”

Vic looks at Lyco as he enters the ring. “That’s not good…”

“No, it’s not.” Melleni agrees.

Sadi climbs into the ring. “Hello there, Lyco.” she says playfully.

He just draws his sword that was previously broken, but now looks brand new. “Because of what I saw in that forest… I won’t be letting you make it to the next match.”

“How sweet! Oh, I hope so. That would be so… delightful.” She looks as though that would be heaven to her.

“Begin!” Nozomi says.

Sadi walks to the center of the ring, Lyco begins to circle her before taking a swing. She dodges with a lean, he swipes again and she taps the flat of the sword to push it into the tile instantly without any effort. He struggles to pull it from the tile before leaving it and heating his arm to bash her with it, she catches his arm, beginning to crush the armor. It’s actually bending and cracking in her grasp. “You know I cast fire magic, right? I’m practically immune to fire,” she says, pretty disappointed.

“I know. I just wanted you to touch me,” His arm turns a cold blue, she gasps even as ice spikes stab through her hand. She can’t move her arm or herself out of this close distance. Right where Lyco wants her. He begins to beat her with his free hand, she doesn’t really have much in the way of defense right now. Her protective enchantments only help against projectiles not crushing blows and cold which is what Lyco continues to hit her in the stomach with. She doesn’t want her other hand useless either, she presses her hand to the side and blasts him with something, it wasn’t fire, but, the force was enough to send him to the edge of the ring which broke the ice off of her hand.

She rubs her damaged hand with a bit of healing magic and the wound is gone instantly. “Sadly, it seems I’m gonna have to peel you out of that suit. I don’t like protection on my partners when we play.” she touches the handle of his sword and atomizes it with her intense heat.

“Oh shit…” is all he can say, unable to move in time before she grabs him with one hand, a massive explosion rips from her hand, covering Lyco’s body. Pieces of his armor hit outside the ring and rain down in more broken pieces. The body is gone.

She frowns like she’s disappointed. “How sad… I was hoping for a little more.” Right as she says this, her arms are grabbed by something dark and purple. Enveloping her hands before trapping them behind her back. It’s slimy, very gross feeling. A face appears over her shoulder with yellow eyes. “You’re Lyco? You’re… You’re a slime!” She struggles.

One of the contestants yells, “Come on! Is that even allowed?”

Nozomi yells, “Anyone with human-like faculties and the urge to defend this kingdom may become a knight!”

“Now that we’ve got that cleared up….” an appendage he grows from his shoulder like a hand and covers her nose and mouth, trying to suffocate her like a slime would before eating them. “I’m going to have to remove you from this Gauntlet. Completely. You’re far too unpredictable to be a knight. Psychotic even. I’ll keep you standing until brain function stops completely.”

Sadi doesn’t struggle, she doesn’t panic. They both sit there for ten seconds before she moves a bit.

“I have your hands to prevent spells. Your mouth can’t make incantations of any kind.”

That’s when Hisoki whispers. “Vic, do you remember when Sadi vanished?”

“I’m more interested in the fact that we’ve been talking to a slime this whole time. Although… Yeah, I do remember. She teleported.”

“I thought it was teleportation, now though I’m not so sure. Why would a spell caster not care when someone gets that close? Teleportation usually requires severe dedication and-” Sadi vanishes from Lyco’s grasp.

“What?!” he yells, looking around, his voice notably softer and higher pitch now that he’s speaking it at full volume. “Where did she go?” he looks all over the ring, nothing. She’s not in the ring. “Hey, she left the ring right? She lost?”

“Sorry, but I didn’t see her feet touch the ground outside the ring,” Nozomi shrugs. “Besides, she’s still here.”

“No way…” He keeps on alert when he hears something behind him.

“You almost had me,” he hears behind him. He turns around and nothing. “Although you were interesting…” again nothing behind him. When he turns to face forward she’s standing right in front of him. Palm opened in front of his face. “Our match is over.”

“I surrender,” is all Lyco says before she can attack.

“Winner, Sadi.” Nozomi says.

“Goodness, you didn’t want to taste the same pain you inflicted upon me? How sad.”

“How did you do it? I have to know.”

“Shadow magic, sweetie. I hid in your shadow. I could even attack from it if I so chose to.”

Lyco sighs, “Ganor…” he says as his armor reappears over him, rolling his ’neck’ fitting himself in the armor properly.

“My my. You can summon that armor at will… Maybe there is more to you than I thought.” She leaves the ring and he does too, stopping beside Vic.

“Surprised? Maybe even afraid of me now?” Lyco asks Vic.

“I’ll admit, I just feel kinda lied to; but, I can understand it.” Vic admits.

“Fair enough, you can take it out on me once we have some free time.”

Nozomi steps forward to declare the next match. “Danial versus Tenzent.”

A strange old man with a staff walks into the ring, following a young man who’s devilishly handsome. The old man gives a simple bow. “I don’t expect the same courtesy.” when he looks up he’s surprised when the young man bows back.

“The elderly give us the gift of youth and beauty, I only respect those that give me said gift.”

“Tenzent, is it? Your gratitude will not halt this battle, however, it’s more than appreciated.” Vic could swear he could see tears in the old man’s eye.

“Begin!” Nozomi yells.

Danial, the old man, casts wind straight toward the handsome Tenzent. Tenzent responds by throwing up a rippling water wall that dispersed the air. He slings the wall of water toward the old man. There’s nowhere for him to turn, he looks on in horror and peace. Letting the wave overtake him. Spilling him out of the ring. Tenzent almost seems sad himself.

“Winner, Tenzent.” Nozomi says. Tenzent hops down to check on Danial.

“Old man, hey, h-hey!” he listens at his chest. “No, I didn’t mean to…” Nozomi, showing the slightest bit of sympathy walks over and offers a slight amount of comfort.

“This is what it means to be a knight. He knew these risks.” Nozomi snaps her fingers and two knights appear in flashes of teleportation magic, take the body, and disappear with it the moment they have it in tow.

“Next match will be… Anthony versus Nathan.” Anthony, was the guy that was shaking, all scared as the last person to come through the door earlier. His knobby knees really show themselves in the ring. Nathan hops in the ring very confident, arms crossed. “Begin!”

Anthony is caught off guard when Nathan draws a long straight sword and runs at him, making Anthony back up to the edge! “Wait wait wait!” he begs while Nathan raises the sword above his head with both hands and swings, forcing Anthony to dive through his legs. Which makes Nathan overshoot the swing and fall off the ring on his ass. Anthony has his eyes closed while still in the ring.

“Winner, Anthony.”

“Huh? I won?” he looks around. Seeing a very angry Nathan trudge to the wall of the room and sit down. Anthony stands and leaves the ring very unsure of his own victory.

“Next match, Strom versus Gradia.” Two men in full armor enter the ring. Both carry large weapons and wear full armor. Strom carries a massive sword and Gradia carries a poleaxe. They offer a small nod of respect before the obligatory, “Begin!”

Strom slams down that massive sword against the poleaxe body that Gradia holds up in defense. Gradia is on full defense for nearly three minutes, blocking, stopping, barely dodging. Gradia finds his opening and hooks the foot of Strom, making him fall hard before pointing the tip of the poleaxe to his throat. “I give.” Strom says. Gradia offers a hand to pick him up and they give each other a one-armed hug.

“Winner, Gradia.” They leave the ring. “Next match, Ayok versus Augustus.”

Augy with his werewolf stature enters the ring and Ayok, a girl with a flare and nimble magic style makes Vic give Hisoki a nudge. “She looks like your type.”

“Now you’re trying to be funny again, huh?” Hisoki asks looking over her outfit. Ayok sports a leotard, top hat, white gloves, leggings, and reveals her weapon as a deck of cards.

Vic points and leans back a bit, smirking and raising an eyebrow at the jester. “Come on, you see it.”

“Alright, alright, I see it.” Hisoki admits defeat on the point, giving Vic an eye-roll.

“Begin!”

Augy just waits patiently, she throws a card into his shoulder. “Oh, ouch…” he removes the card and drops it and his shoulder heals instantly. Her smile she was sporting disappears a little. She casts electricity and it shocks Augy badly. There’s even a smell of burnt fur. “That kinda hurt.”

“The hell?” she casts radiant arrows to rain on him, this he dodges by rolling. “That’s something that can hurt you.” she declares.

“Maybe, or maybe I’m just seeing how you fight when I don’t let you hit me.”

“You’re toying with me?” she asks.

“With the way you’re dressed, it’s hard to take you seriously.”

“Like you’re one to talk about the way people look!” she sends two waves of radiant arrows which pierce the ring itself and a few find their mark on Augy’s back as he closes the distance. “Got ya!” she says while he stands right in front of her, four arrows in his back.

“And?” he grabs her, arms wrapped around her back, and squeezes her slowly with his arms. “How do you like some pain in your back?”

Before he even gets to squeeze while she struggles. “S-stop! I give up!” she yells and he sets her down delicately. Which surprises her. “You… Were never going to squeeze me that hard were you.”

“Nope! I was just gonna carry you to the edge of the ring and drop you.”

“Scared me…” she admits.

“Sorry about that,” he gives her a big grin and pats her shoulder, even picking up her hat that fell off of her head.

Nozomi yells, “Winner, Augustus. Next match… Yoteh and Melleni.”

Augy and Ayok leave while talking to each other as Yoteh and Melleni enter the ring. Melleni pulls out her bow from behind her back. Yoteh prepares a wand from under his sleeve. “Begin!”

Yoteh unleashes a white beam from the wand, freezing along the ground where some of the holes in the ring are from the radiant arrows in the last match. Nearly clipping Melleni as she jumps over the beam and launches two arrows at him which causes him to dodge one and catch the other with absurd speed. Melleni doesn’t look too impressed. He, on the other hand, looks quite proud of himself. “I’m a lot faster than most spell casters. I’ve reacted to lightning successfully on more than one occasion.”

“Uh huh,” she shoots an arrow straight up, into the ceiling above. “Before that arrow falls, you’ll lose.”

“You really think that will-” his voice cuts off as he vanishes. Followed by a scream coming down from above. He falls straight down to the ring from above. Hitting so hard that he lays there. Completely comatose.

As Nozomi begins the ten count, Melleni explains. “I can teleport anything that touches my arrows to the last arrow I fire.” the arrow from the ceiling falls finally and she grabs it as the count hits ten. She leaves the ring.

“Winner, Melleni.” Nozomi steps in to drag Yoteh out of the ring before stepping back. “Next match will be Maiyori versus Timmy.”

They step into the ring and Maiyori gives a bow, “May Adonai bless you in this match, and keep you from harm.”

Timmy looks on with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t need your god to protect me.”

“Begin!” Nozomi says stepping back.

Timmy summons a beast made of raw elemental energy, specifically light. This beast is akin to a very large cat in shape, drawing a slightly larger than normal dagger. “You’ll be too distracted by dealing with my aspect pet.” The beast charges and slashes at the nun, scraping her shield with each swat while Timmy circles around her, seeing that she’s covered in a very thick magic shield which he stabs, shattering it by casting dispel against it. She doesn’t hesitate to grab the blade and the face of the beast. She holds tight, not with strength but with sure unyielding belief. “The hell are you?” he punches her and she bleeds but doesn’t release the knife nor his pet. She begins to glow.

“I will strike not with hatred, not contempt, but with mercy for my fellow man.” the glow gets so bright, not even Nozomi nor anyone in the crowd can look at it. When it dies down, Timmy lays unconscious with Maiyori praying for his well-being and his pet is just gone. “There’s no need for a count, he will be asleep until his next fight.” she lifts him herself using telekinetic magic, carrying him out of the ring.

“Winner, Maiyori.” Nozomi declares

Vic can’t help but speak. “That’s scary, couldn’t even see the attack.”

“Neither could I.” Hisoki confirms.

“She’s probably just as dangerous as Sadi.” Lyco adds in.

“Next match… King Patran versus Matt.”

A very regal dressed man, long flowing king’s drape that doesn’t quite touch the floor covering his arms. He opens it as he steps up into the ring; perfect white gloves, golden dress-shirt. Trousers that look as though they would cost more than several farmers entirely yearly income. Baby blue eyes and a voice that could knock girls dead. “Your king, thanks you for your attention!” he waves to the Sight Spheres.

His opponent steps into the ring, pooling black magic in his hand. Olive skin, rough voice, scars across his arms where his tattered black fingerless gloves meet his wrist. “Would you shut up? There’s no honor in showboating…” is all Matt says.

“You may begin.” Nozomi says.

Matt is about to launch his attack when King Patran holds up his hand, “Just a moment. You talk about honor? Yet you do not bow to your opponent?” he offers the first bow, showing his vulnerability first.

Matt can’t attack him like this, he stops and bows to. “You’re right.”

“Good,” King Patran raises his posture at the same time as Matt. “Now we may begin.” as though he decides when the fight commences, extending a long collapsible gold scepter. Matt begins recharging his attack, muttering incantations. Just as he’s about to launch it the scepter taps the ground. “Halt.” speaks King Patran, and so Matt does. He’s stuck in place. He taps the scepter on the ground again, “Kneel.” so Matt does, dropping to his knees.

“What is this?!” Matt yells, unable to move.

“It’s my decree, you are doomed to follow it until I release you. Now… Pain.”

Matt is swathed in intense pain, pain like no other ever experienced. Akin to his whole body being dragged through a mouse hole full of salt and glass. His yelling doesn’t help, he can’t move to have any release from the pain. He can only hear his own voice before words come from his mouth out of instinct. “I surrender!” King Patran, however, doesn’t release it until after he steps out of the ring with a tap against the ground.

“Winner, King Patran…” Nozomi says almost as if she couldn’t stand the sight of such raw pain. Matt crawls off of the edge of the ring, panting, clenching his body as though the pain still might come back.

“That’s truly horrific, your body being forced to obey commands against your will?” Lyco practically shivers in his armor.

Nozomi then anounces. “The next match is…”