Chapter 25 - Aven
Lyka and I are like a match made by the elements themselves; I am extremely glad for Lizbeth encouraging me, and all of my friends for making the dates we have been on together the most fun things I have ever done. I walked into the medical bay the other day and Elaxan was in there being wrapped up by the new advance classes and I was able to show them some of the pointers for the healing process that will hopefully save as many lives as it can. I know I am terrified for when a war does break out, I really still don't like seeing people get hurt: the amount of blood unsettles me, and I am pretty sure I will be in a hospital unit, the medical staff say I have handled things only a few people can together much less alone. I have been training with Lizbeth and Lyka more; the amount of gap in combat ability of those two in comparison to myself is actually astounding. I have them both beat in raw ability, I think, but the skill they wield their strengths and have shown me how to use mine it astonishing. Rowan has also taken me under their wing when the other two are busy, they are a league of their own. I just hope I don't have to fight with any of them in the tournament, especially Lyka.
Snows 44
Most of everyone has fought, some matches very even, but the others I have noticed there is a gap in the fighters that the supports couldn't keep up with. Wait, looking around the room most of the winning fighters stand in distinct groups looking out at the crowds and closer to the instructors. The only person standing next to me is Liz, looking around and find two other people waiting opposite us, Sheila and Elaxaan. Looking to the elf normally the figure of beauty he is, the concealed features show only his eyes a light with the elements grasp, his eyes a vortex of deep blues some almost green. His nod tells me he has already made the realization that he will be my opponent.
I look over to Liz and her bright golden eyes almost appear to glow as she returns the look. With a smile I say simply to her, "Come on rock head there is only two other people." I reach out and place my hand on her shoulder, my hand almost covers her entire shoulder blade, has Lizbeth always been this small in comparison to me. Liz lets out a slight chuckle and the hare jumps up from the ground onto my outstretched arm and chitters at Vado, who until just now has been sleeping across the length of my shoulders.
With a deep yawn and shudder Vado rouses himself and climbs down from my shoulders, his familiar weight has become a comfort in the latest wintry weather. I look over my side and see the two-bound following the two of us a few feet behind, this is normally where elementals actually stand but Lizbeth's fighting style has her hare engaging in the combat with her, because her fighting style is so mobile, she doesn't want to leave the rabbit behind.
The instructor now at the center of the group, I think it is Liz's uncle, speaks a chuckle trailing off at the beginning, "Will our last two groups step forward, and take the field, Unmovable Maiden and the Serpent, versus, Devil's Behemoth and Aven Coveer." While we faced off with the two bounds to the same element, I feel a calm breath over me as Liz takes a deep breath in and the air around her becomes tangible. "Begin!"
The air around Lizbeth, definitely not air the fine sand on the ground seals together into a scimitar. A few people of earth I have watched have tried to make the same sword, but it always fails, Liz's sword is quite literally one of a kind. But this match is going to be far from easy, Sheila slams her fist into the ground and as she lifts up with the fist a Warhammer leaves the ground, then calls out to us, "I feel like defense is not going to cut it, and a rematch is long overdue." I look to Liz and the monsters in front of me, with a bellowing laugh I command Vado to drop the waterfall I had been picturing in the back of me on top of the two. Water is heavy, but Elaxan is far too quick to let a waterfall crush the pair, much less a couple drops on his hair. The waterfall does something I didn't expect it simply freezes into twelve individual balls of water that begin to hover around him. Well shit.
Liz takes her first move as one of the balls intended for her smash into the ground where she had been just standing tearing the small stone pillar left in her place to shreds. This isn't like the last time we fought he is out for blood this time. I step up using water to slide each step a few feet closing the gap between the elf and me. That was a mistake. Two of the water orbs smash into either side of my ribcage stopping my progress leaving me spinning where I stood. The water flowing around me not leaving so much as a bruise on my side. With a roar, I sent myself barreling toward him, the thought building in my mind for my next move.
Elaxan moved out of my war path, and I was ready for it the water from the two orbs he hit me with spraying out from my back and hands, the distraction was effective as he uses his hands to spread out the water flying out toward his face. I shifter my weight and stopped my charge swinging wide and connecting with the elf's head. I am not small and am pretty much all muscle, so when I say this, I do not even wonder what getting punched in the ear by someone like myself feels like. I felt his neck and face go limp under my hand and a loud pop sounded through the air with a squelch of a bone leaving its socket, most likely his jaw. And the elf did . . . not go down, a flurry of punches covering my stomach and chest. Each punch felt like getting his by a ball thrown as hard as someone could possibly could, my ribs felt as if they were being turned to dust.
The sound of a scream filled the air and I caught myself looking over Elaxan's shoulder and seeing Sheila crumble Liz's scimitar reforming from a cloud of dust about Sheila's chest level. I reach my arms out in front of me trying to grab Elaxan and sure as I expected the elf began dropping to the ground to dodge my next series of blows, my right leg bounced from the ground and my knee slammed into his nose a pop, crunch and gasp from the elf left his throat and my hands grabbed either side his head. I pulled down as hard as I could slamming his head twice more into my knee as hard as I could, blood flew every direction from Elaxan's mask, his eyes fading to a distant grey and his body going limp.
The crowd with an explosion of sound cheers at the conclusion of the battle. I leaned into Elaxan and shifted my grip to each of his shoulders as I set him onto the ground. "I'm sorry and thank you my friend, I know that was fighting dirty and I don't normally fight like that, but I couldn't let Lizbeth lose." Surprisingly, a chuckle left him, and I heard the sputtering of blood welling from his throat, "I get it." Well, that's what I know he said, what actually came out was, "Ih etet." I laughed to my friend and pulled his mask up and over his face, his face was as bad as I imagined, blood covering his face from the bridge of his nose that had been split by a knee, and the right side of his jaw already turning a deep blue purple of bruising, "Don't talk you idiot, your jaw is broken, and your nose and maybe even a few teeth."
"Winners Devil's Behemoth, and Aven Coveer, congratulations to our winners they will proceed into tomorrow's final tournament. It will be fought in a free for all style, you my pair up in teams but just know only one can win. Go to medical and get treated and get some rest," The instructor called out to us. I walked over to Liz and held my hand up and she met hers with mine. "Good job you did learn something from me," she said with eyes smiling. I chuckle and smile back as much as I could in the concealing hood, until I thought about her uncle's words again. The words just left my lips and throat without a second though, "Wait tomorrow's final tournament?!" I found the infectious smile from Lizbeth finding its way onto my face.