Six Warriors

Underground Second Phase - (Arthur)

"All right, crazy bunch! The names have been drawn and will be released now! Ready?" Loire announced.

"Yes!" The audience responded in an uproar.

Arthur stared at the narrator intently, as well as the other remaining competitors, he frowned, wondering who he was going to fight.

"Names will be announced now" shouted Loire in her horrible voice "Glayig versus Drhael," cheers from the crowd, "Norv versus Garm" more cheers and cheers "Reedik versus Baloar" more cheers and applause "Arthur versus Faugn," and once again there was applause "Musushi versus Zaab and finally Laci versus Faruk!" The crowd roared one last time.

The first fight would be a boy named Glayig against Drhael. Drhael was a boy with dreadlocks and earrings, he was portly and wore a vest that bore the name of his club, called Delta Tramp. Glayig entered the arena. He was a strong boy, but short, he looked between fifteen and nineteen, it was hard to tell, he had dark skin, black buzz hair. He was shirtless, just wearing red shorts and white sashes wrapped around his belly, and also on his hands, like a glove. Drhael exchanged taunts with Glayig, who looked focused. In this phase magic techiniques would be allowed. Drhael advanced with a lunge of his body and his shoulder created dangerous thorns formed of stone, but Glayig just dodged, tripped his opponent and as he fell the boy just landed a powerful knee to the opponent's head, which was instantly knocked out. Glayig was the winner and the audience enjoyed his fight.

Norv was a guy...or maybe a girl, it is unknown, his face was hidden under a big red scarf and he wore a big beret that hid the rest of his face, his body was also almost completely covered. Garm... well, there was no need for introductions, he came in as the main man in the place and didn't even shed his white overcoat for the fight. Norv advanced with attacks that it seemed to Arthur were kunai and wind shurikens and only someone with great insight could see that, it was good technique, but Garm dodged it quickly and kicked Norv the back of the head left unconscious. Garm wins.

The third fight would be between Reedik and Baloar. Reedik was a bald young man, wearing a black T-shirt with a red pate cross embroidered on the back, he wore a braces and black leather boots. Baloar was one of those guys who didn't look very human, he was quite big and quite fat, with animal features, goat horns, hairy legs and his feet were split hooves, his skin was slightly reddish and he was very hairy in the arms and chest. Baloar was a difficult opponent, he had a very strong physical strength, Reedik tried to take advantage of his greater dexterity, but the tactic did not work when Baloar held him in a strong bear hug, about to have his bones crushed, Reedik used a technique called "Poisonous Breath" which left Baloar confused and weakened, which Reedik took advantage of to win the fight.

The fourth fight of the night would be his, Arthur's fight.

"Now the fourth fight of the night" announced Loire "the rookie Arthur Coast the Stone Bull, recently famous for his rookie club Phantom Lord, against... Faugn McConnell, the Mad Leprechaun of the Blue Ogres, A tournament veteran, who has already was vice champion three times, and now he wants to be the real winner!" Everyone yelled in approval. “Faugn, Faugn!” they screamed. What bad luck. Right off the bat, he was going to pick up a tournament veteran. Faugn was a third-year boy, about sixteen or seventeen, and they said he played dirty and hit bellow the bell. Only when he saw the boy did he understand the joke. Faugn was a halfling, or as they called it in that world, a Fiore, with thick sideburns in his face.

The two fighters entered the arena.

"STAAAAART!" Ordered Loire, in an eardrum-blasting voice. The fight was tough, little Faugn was agile and quick as a hare, but his blows were too light and Arthur was too tough. The chosen one had only to hit him with one punch and Faugn was already in trouble. Still, the little fighter rose and cast a serious look at Arthur.

"ATTACK OF THE GLOWING CLOVER!!" His fists gleamed and he fired a string of two simultaneous punches and then he backed up for a more powerful attack, a bright flying kick with his feet too big for his small body. Arthur blocked the blows, but he didn't come out unscathed, he needed to finish that fight fast, save strength for the stronger guys. Arthur concentrated magic on his arm, preparing to summon his attack, but Faugn would not let him rest, "GALE OF GLOWING CLOVERS!" A flurry of dozens of small clovers of light element magic rushed at Arthur, who dodged the attack by rolling to the side. He growled at that, tried to refocus his magic, but Faugn repeated his technique. Arthur had to dodge the attack by rolling to the side again and then just forged ahead without thinking about the consequences, summoning the rock crust on his arm.

"STONE PUNCH!!" He growled aggressively, ready to hit that little leprechaun, but the opponent just moved his hands and yelled:

"GLOWING CLOVERS TORNADO!!" Arthur saw a tornado of bright green shamrocks appear under his feet that made him whirl up into the air and then drop him to the ground with his legs in the air, which drew laughter from the audience. "Give up, you can't win the Mad Leprechaun!" Faugn laughed in a high-pitched voice.

It blatantly exposed some of Arthur's combatant shortcomings. He was a great melee fighter, but at long range he left something to be desired, despite appearing harmless, Faugn's clover attacks were considerably destructive. His technique was usually to throw a punch with the rock crust in his hands and then that crust would immediately fall apart, it was a technique of just one strike and then end. He managed to keep the scab a few times, but it took a lot of concentration. That's what Arthur needed, to keep his technique for some time, so he could use the stone gauntlet as a kind of armor against long-range attacks, even better if he kept TWO of his hands with those powerful rock gauntlets. It was going to be difficult, but Arthur needed that evolution...

"I just need to keep attacking you from a distance, right?" Faugn laughed and restlessly Arthur attacked again "GALE OF GLOWING CLOVERS!" Arthur slashed at Faugn's barrage of small beams, the attack ceased at once, but Arthur's rocky gauntlet also splintered to smithereens.

"I still have that attack...the earthquake...maybe it can...no. I need to evolve now, create a new type of attack!" Arthur thought when he concentrated the magic in his hands, everything was passing quickly, but for Arthur it was as if time was slow. He focused power in both of his hands and the crust of earth took over them and his forearm. It was quite difficult for Arthur, concentrating the power in his hands, it was like trying to catch sand that ran through his fingers, but when Faugn attacked once more with his light attack, Arthur moved his hands reflexively and the stone gauntlets blocked the attack. They didn't fall apart. They remained. Arthur had reached a new level of power. He gave Faugn a sidelong glance and then said,

"I'll finish you off. STONE FISTS!!" Arthur shouted advancing against Faugn who tried to use all the strategies, even running away, but to no avail, Arthur reached him and unleashed a wild sequence of blows until Loire yelled at him to stop, as it was enough. Victory was Arthur's. As he walked out of the arena, Amy came to congratulate him, meanwhile Arthur felt Garm watching him, sitting snugly with his girls and his dog. When he saw Arthur look him in the eye, he looked away in contempt.

The next fight of the night was between Zaab and Musushi. Zaab was a weird guy, he had somewhat elven features, he wore a kind of flashy blue leotard and green superhero cape and on this cape he had a kind of symbol, it looked like one of those Blue Ogres. Musushi was an Asian looking guy, his hair was pulled back in a bun and he wore a pink kimono. Zaab started winning the fight, he had a magic that made him fly around the arena and then he attacked Musushi in different ways, which gave him an advantage, but after taking so many blows, Musushi found some kind of inspiration, he had a technique in which he did a kind of "knifehand strike" and wind cuts went through the air, which hit Zaab several times, knocking him out of the air and defeating him.

The last fight was Faruk against the mighty Laci Swarstigan. Arthur paid close attention. Faruk was a focused-looking guy with tanned skin and wearing a beige robe. They started to fight, Arthur realized that Faruk was a formidable guy and very powerful, the way he moved and attacked was a true warrior, yet he seemed to be no match for the powerful Laci, the Bloodyy Coyote. Faruk attacked in several possible ways, but Laci blocked or dodged almost all attacks, moreover Laci counterattacked and Faruk wasn't as lucky to block his attacks. Still, it didn't seem that Laci's advantage over Faruk was that big, for Arthur, it did look like Faruk had a chance of winning. Faruk attacked with a magical technique called "Tail of the Flaming Lizard" and he whipped that rope of fire at Laci who dodged the blows but at one point was constricted by the attack so Faruk screamed; "Flaming Lizard Pounce", a large lizard made of fire appeared, it seemed to completely engulf Laci's body, which disappeared in huge, impressive flames, Arthur hoped that by that the Bloodyy Coyote was finished and some other spectators seemed to share this idea... but these were the ones that they had never seen Laci fight before. When the flames ceased, Laci appeared again, apparently intact, with no trace of scorching even on his clothes, but he was enveloped in an aura of neon green light, which soon faded, then Coyote attacked with quick, lethal blows, Faruk had no chance now and was simply defeated.

"This is amazing" Arthur thought "maybe Laci is even more powerful than Garm!"

In the end, there were six left, Glayig, Garm, Reedik, Arthur, Laci and Musushi. A new draw was made and Glayig would fight Garm.

...

"Now, the guy who's been standing out in the fights" announced Loire "he's Glayig a mighty warrior who no doubt surprises in today's tournament!" Crowd screams "against, the guy considered the most dangerous in the gym, Garm the White Wolf!" the screams from the audience were even louder and more insane. “Garm! Garm! Garm!” they shouted.

Glayig had serious expression, no doubt respecting his opponent. Garm, however, entered accompanied by two girls, and also by the white Doberman, wearing his cloak that seemed to flutter in the winds that came from tunnels in that secret dungeon. He smiled confidently. He waved to the audience and blew kisses to the girls who were there. "White Wolf! White Wolf!" He shouted at the audience for the delinquent said to be the strongest in the academy, or at least the most feared.

"Afraid?" Garm provoked Glayig.

"Never!" replied Glayig determinedly. Garm chuckled.

"You don't have to be brave, I see the fear in your eyes" he sneered "now leave me girls, it's time for me to s***k a certain guy over there" the girls left giggling.

"And the dog?" Arthur asked Amy, watching the fight from the stands. Amy smiled.

"The dog is one of his spells."

Arthur was intrigued. He hadn't seen much of Garm's powers yet.

Garm lunged forward with a clenched fist, and blasted a punch to the side of Glayig's body, but Glayig managed to parry. He then fired a jab at the White Wolf's face, which he narrowly deflected, but Glayig continued to attack and landed a blow to Garm's chest. Everyone was impressed, including the leader of the Hell's Dogs, he seemed to feel that blow. Glayig was looking at him serious and determined.  Garm lunged once more, ducked, then landed a punch at his opponent, who dodged back.

"TEN FLAMING PUNCH!!"Roared Glayig, his fists flaming as he landed ten quick punches almost simultaneously. Garm didn't even have time for anything, and when he did, he was already on the ground. He got up quickly. Arthur realized that almost no one in the audience was believing it, and that's why they had so much fun. However, no one seemed happier than Laci, who laughed when he saw his rival's embarrassment. Garm growled.

"Damn you!"

"This is a fight, Garm. Expected what? For me to give you little kisses?" The audience laughed. Garm was irate. The Doberman rushed forward at Glayig.

"KICK FLAMING AX!!" Glayig's leg spun high, ringed with fire, and then slammed down with all his strength and weight on the Doberman's head, which yelped and crashed into the light. Glayig continued to move into a fighting stance, looked earnestly at Garm.

"Okay," Garm said, "you're pretty strong." He then took off his cloak and gave a smug smile, "maybe it's time to fight serious." No sooner had he finished speaking than Garm came forward so fast he looked just like a smudge of white light blurring the air. In his hand appeared the head of a dog, which also looked like a wolf head, all made of light. "IMPACT OF THE WHITE WOLF!!" He roared, hitting his opponent square in the chest, who was thrown back hard and only stopped when he crashed into the fences. The audience was thrilled with the thrilling fight. Glayig was moaning along the ground, his hand on the site of the attack. He got up with difficulty, but managed to get into fighting position again. "Well, well, did you manage to get up after that attack? I must congratulate you." Garm made a move to clap his hands lightly.

Glayig lunged forward, bellowing, his fists starting to flame.

"HUNDRED FLAMING PUNCH!!" He yelled.

"GLITTERING KENNEL!!" Garm bellowed, his hand suspended in midair, popping out of white mini-portals, and from within them came several hunting dogs and wolves, all made entirely of light. The dogs fired at Glayig, who threw his 'One Hundred Flaming Punches', some dogs managed to nibble on him, but nothing too serious. The problem would come later… for Glayig, of course.

"FANGS OF THE WHITE WOLF!!" roared Garm, hands splayed open like an open mouth, and a stream of light came out that looked like it had teeth. The attack hit Glayig's shoulder, as well as part of his chest, causing him to stumble backward in pain. Garm took advantage of this "WHITE FANG FIST!!" A powerful punch surrounded by light exploded in Glayig's abdomen, who roared in pain, was thrown away and was once again stopped by the fences. It was over, Garm had won. The audience roared in approval and repeated “White Wolf! White Wolf!".

"He did better than I expected," Garm admitted, looking down at Glayig.

Laci laughed as he approached Garm

"What a ridiculous performance, huh, Garm?" He mocked.

"Oh, shut up!" Garm protested, "why do you still laugh if you know I'm the one who will win the tournament?"

"With such a level?" Laci laughed. "Keep dreaming, Stinky Dog!"

Loire, who narrated everything, announced that it was time for the next fight. When he announced, Arthur's heart soared. The fight was between Mushushi and Reedik, which meant he would fight Laci the Bloodyy Coyote, one of the most dangerous guys in the academy. Arthur could only watch the fight, and try to calm down. Musushi once again started losing the fight, Reedik's poisonous puff was dangerous, but in the end Musushi came out the winner with his lethal blows. The fight ended faster than Arthur expected. Part of him was nervous, part eager for battle.

"Musushi wins the fight!" shouted Loire, the narrator. Everyone yelled in response, but Arthur was grimly silent. Now it would be his fight, and Laci was looking at him seriously.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Screamed at the audience. Laci just stared at Arthur, with a serious look on his face.

"You've been fighting Arthur well, but your participation ends here."

"I said; You can start now!" Yelled Loire at them both.

Laci twisted her mouth into a confident smile. He disappeared in quickness. Arthur didn't have time to do anything but feel a powerful punch in the back. He stumbled forward, then dropped to his knees.

"I don't know why Garm has to play so much" he said "I go with everything from the beginning."

"Great" Arthur got up and attacked: "STONE FISTS!!" Arthur slashed at the air, as Laci was gone once more.

"Claw Storm!" yelled Laci, making a movement with her hands, and Arthur felt things glowing in neon green cut into his skin and flesh hungrily.  He screamed in pain. Once again he fell to the ground.

"Where is your strength, Stone Bull?"

Arthur growled on the floor. He could hear people screaming in excitement, and Loire also counting down. Arthur rose, screaming loud and fierce like an animal. His gaze now glowed in a earthy color, he knew. Laci smiled.

"Excellent." He attacked once more, quick as lightning.

"STO... STONE... FISTS!!" Arthur yelled, his hand being enveloped in a rocky crust. There was a crash, and then they saw Laci falling, blood gushing from her face and Arthur's hand plastered to it.

"Incredible!" exclaimed Loire "Arthur knocked Laci down with one punch!"

Laci stood up, his face bloodied. The audience cheered.

"Really, a nice blow." admitted Laci. Arthur attacked again, Laci dodged, grabbed his arm and threw him away. The chosen one rose quickly.

"STONE GAOL!!" The earth took shape, and was about to arrest Laci, but Laci leapt up with exquisite dexterity. Then he landed on his feet, next to Arthur, and crouched down, his fist glowing neon green.

"COYOTE'S RISE!!!" Yelled Laci, and a neon green Coyote appeared in his fist, which punched Arthur under the chin and he was thrown up, feeling his head ready to explode. He felt like he had floated for meters, and then the fall. Eyes half-closed, he saw Laci's gaze from above.

"Laci knocked Arthur down incredibly" exclaimed Loire "does the Stone Bull escape this one?"

Arthur's body was hurting a lot, besides he was extremely weak, he tried to move but his body didn't obey and then everything started to get numb.

People in the audience were counting down, but Arthur didn't care, he just closed his eyes and fell asleep right there.