EG Monster Island Chapter 30

The singles tournament was in the same stadium as the team matches had been, except there were eight arenas set up instead of five. I wonder how they’re picking the fights? Forty eight fighters don't divide evenly, so some of us are getting byes.

Knight Kaminski returned from meeting with Sultah Aleahil and the other mentors. Librarian Narwan was conspicuously absent this morning. “Jamila, you are fighting in arena four against one of the Topraki. Lilianna, you are in arena seven fighting an Illyrian. That is all this round. Fights begin in ten minutes, so hurry over. The rest of you may go watch who you wish. The listing of combats is here,” Knight Kaminski held up a sheet of parchment.

Jamila smiled nervously, hefting her staff. Roughly half the team followed her, while the other walked with Lilianna.  Each arena had a semicircle of stands set up to allow spectators to watch. The first two rows was reserved for other competitors and mentors watching.

I was surprised to find Mentors Jameson and Granjer sitting in the second row. “We are rooting for you, Jamila,” Mentor Granjer gushed.

“I will do my best,” she responded.

“That will be enough,” Mentor Jameson said.

I clapped her on the shoulder, “It will always be enough. Now go out and kick Topraki butt.”

“Why would I kick him in the rear?” She asked, confused.

“Uh, well,” I started, when she got a sly grin on her face and laughed.

“Tricked you,” she giggled.

“Hmph,” I mock glared at her. “Fine. Go win.”

She nodded, then walked up onto the floor of the arena. A younger Topraki male joined her holding a massive broadsword. He was over two meters tall and the sword was at least one and a half. I just shook my head.

An Ashkhas elder jumped into the middle of their stage, “Your fight will be to incapacitation or surrender. If a blow would be lethal, I and another elder will be ready to intercede, but do not rely wholly on that. Deaths have occurred during this event before. Protect yourself, and do not deliberately try to kill your opponent. Do your best, fight honorably. Begin.”

The Topraki rocketed forward, his sword already slicing down diagonally across his body. The power behind the attack was immense, but it was clumsy. Jamila slid forward and to the left, redirecting the force away from her before jabbing her staff into his gut. The Topraki folded around the blow, his sword leaving his hands, but a jubilant smile sent warning bells off in my brain.

As he gasped out, his arms flung around. Jamila dodged the first one, but he caught her shoulder with his left hand and squeezed. She yelled out in pain, sweeping her staff in a circle and putting him in a joint lock, but he didn’t care. His other arm grabbed her even as she broke his left elbow, and the reflexive crushing made Jamila gasp.

She tried to force him away, but he was physically stronger than her. After a few seconds, she frowned. Three seconds later, the Topraki screamed and collapsed. Ten seconds later, the Ashkhas adjudicator walked back onto the field. “The winner is Naanva Jamila from Craesti!”

“Thank you,” she bowed to him, her broken shoulder already healed. A healer still ran out and checked on her, verifying that she was fine.

“What was that?” Jon asked excitedly when she got back to us.

She looked shyly at me, “Aiden has been telling me some of the stories from before. One of the healers he told me about had the ability to take the hurts she had healed and give them to her opponents. I have been studying how to use the healing abilities for the opposite effect. I, uh, forced his legs and arms to all break. They were clean breaks, so it will be easy to heal.” She added the last part hurriedly.

“That is amazing,” I beamed at her.

“Unfortunately, I have to be touching someone, and it takes a bit of time like you saw,” she glanced down at the ground.

“Speed at least will be solved by practice,” I assured her. “Maybe distance as well, but I don’t know. Let’s return to our staging area.”

“No need, Knight Aiden,” Knight Kaminski said from behind me. “You are fighting in arena three. Ming, you are in arena seven. Conserve your energy as much as you can. The fights are starting quickly with little recovery time.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I bowed to her quickly. Our group split, with Vaya and Jamila following me to the next arena over and Jon walking off with Ming. He winked at me, and I shrugged to him. Down the way I saw Aleks and Lilianna jogging towards me. I waved, then looked over to the other side of the new stage. Mentor Jameson and Granjer shifted to watch my fight. “Hey, it’s one of the Volk from Prince Gunther’s team. I never did get his name.”

“Well, go ask,” Vaya said, rolling her eyes.

I laughed, then channeled a bit of Aether into my legs and leapt all the way to the center of the arena. Of course, I ruined the awesomeness of it by stumbling slightly. The dwarf laughed loudly at me, then jumped to a spot only a meter in front of me. Superhero landing! I exclaimed mentally as his leading knee hit the ground and bounced back into the air. “That is how you do it,” he looked at me and flexed.

I burst out laughing and then bowed, “I am Kupiec Aiden. It is my pleasure to duel you today.”

“I am Baldwin Meyer. Call me Baldy,” he gestured at his lack of hair. “Any chance I can get the same deal as Prince Gunther?”

“Sorry. This is the last event, and I can’t allow any weakness,” I shrugged at him, drawing my weapons. He smiled wanly, settling into a ready stance.

“Good, you are ready. Do not deliberately kill your opponent. Fight to incapacitation or surrender. Begin,” an Ashkhas female said curtly, appearing in between us and then leaping backwards.

Baldy slammed his fists towards me in a one-two punch. A blast of Aether shot from his punches. I rotated slightly, dodging one and deflecting another with an Aether-coated trisula. I retaliated with an Aether Blast enhanced by my Core-level weapon, then leapt forward. He absorbed it, stepping into my attack and punching at me again.

A flurry of punches, deflections, and parries followed. He hit me twice on the side, causing me to grunt, and I kneed him in the thigh. A second kick to the same spot spelled the end of the fight, as his maneuverability was compromised. Three more passes of attacks let me roll around a punch into his rear. I punched forward, using Twin Lighting Stabs to nail him in the kidney area a dozen times before he could respond. On the last hit, he fell rather than continue his turn.

“I surrender,” he said from the ground.

“Good fight,” I said, bending over and cradling my side. “I think you broke a rib.”

“Hah,” he groaned. Healers ran up, and I felt comforting Aether wrap around my injuries, including several massive bruises I hadn’t quite noticed yet.

“Thank you,” I said, bowing to the healer. She smiled, then turned and ran off towards another arena. I looked back, then reached my hand out and lifted Baldy to his feet.

“You better win this,” he grunted at me with a grin. “I want to say i lost to the ultimate winner. If you lose the next one I am going to be upset.”

“I’ll do my best,” I slapped his shoulder. “May we meet again.”

“Ja, definitely. Aether bless,” he slapped my shoulder back, knocking me forward slightly.

I shook my head, then jogged over to where the others were jumping excitedly. At least until Knight Kaminski directed Aleks and Vaya away. “Good job!’ Aleks yelled over her shoulder while she ran down the line. Vaya gave me a proud grin before jumping up onto arena six. I shifted to watch Vaya, giving Aleks a rueful shrug. Lilianna ran after Aleks, and I shooed the fourth-tiers off to watch the princess.

“Build relationships with the princess and her entourage,” I told Mentor Jameson.

“I think you will go farther than she will, but fine,” he laughed, then took Mentor Granjer’s hand and rushed off.

Vaya handily beat down an Illyrian. She broke at least eight bones and nearly cut off their leg, leaving them a bleeding mess on the ground. She glared at the lizard, clearly wanting to finish it off, but huffed and walked off, any injury she’d taken already fixed by her formidable healing ability.

Less than a minute after Vaya cleared off the stage, Xiao walked out. I waved at him, giving him a thumbs up, then turned to find out how Aleks did. Three sets of stands later, and I found Aleks smiling, watching Milenna stepping onto the platform she’d just walked off. “How quickly did you beat them?” I asked when i got close.

“Uh, about a minute. It was kind of close at the beginning, but she made a mistake,” Aleks beamed at me. “Now hush, they are about to start.”

“Have we lost any yet?” I asked Knight Kaminski.

“None yet, but that will change soon,” she responded grimly. I turned to follow her gaze and realized Milenna was up against the strongest Illyrian. Its whip slithered around on the ground, looking like a snake as its hand waved back and forth. Milenna held out her halberd, looking focused and determined. I could feel Aleks’s and Lilianna’s tension from beside me.

The fight was quick and brutal. Milenna spun her polearm, creating a wind barrier around her then stabbed forward. An icicle shot out at the Illyrian, who snapped its whip up to deflect it. The whip moved like a tentacle, wrapping around the icicle and then throwing it back at Milenna. The tornado around her diverted it, but the whip extended while the lizard man ran forward. It wrapped all the way around her defensive technique and then flared with Aether.

A field of Earth built up, and the wind barrier collapsed. Milenna dropped to one knee, the gravity in the area increased significantly enough to overpower her strength for a second. It was enough. The whip shot out, ripping her halberd out of her hands and then cutting a line through her armor across her belly. She cried out, tried to do something, but another whip strike cur her right arm to the bone. “I surrender!” She cried out, collapsing into a sobbing pile.

The healer rushed out, and the referee blocked another attack. “She has surrendered,” he growled.

“I apologize. I was unable to stop the strike. You know how uncontrollable whips can be sometimes,” the Illyrian said smoothly, the end of hte whip flicking around.

“If it happens again, you will be disqualified and I will personally destroy your weapon. Go, now,” the Ashkhas said, and a wave of Aether picked up the lizard and dropped it off the edge of the arena. “(Name of Illyrian mentor), bring me one Azure Regrowth Pill. I know you have some.”

“Fine,” an Illyrian said, appearing in front of him and handing a small bottle to him. “Give it to the weakling.”

The Ashkhas ignored the Illyrian, stepping forward to stick the pill into Milenna’s mouth. The healer kept a hold of her, and after a minute or so, was able to help her to her feet. “You will be healed. Process the pill properly. Go, see your friends,” the referee said.

Milenna nodded shakily, and the healer helped her over to the stands where we waited. The healer talked quietly with Knight Kaminski, while Milenna was hugged from both sides by the other girls. “It pulled the Aether right out of me,” she sobbed. “The meridians in my stomach shriveled slightly, and my Pool was drained. I, I do not know if it is permanent.” Lilianna pulled her head into her shoulder.

“It will be alright,” I said. “We’ll see you stronger and healthier. Craesti still needs you.”

“Aiden, you are up again,” Knight Kaminski said, looking at a glowing piece of slate in her hand. “Arena eight.”

“Okay,” I crouched down in front of Milenna. “I promise I’ll kick that lizard’s butt so hard it will taste my foot.”

She smiled shakily at me, “Beat it into the ground.”

I nodded, no smile on my face, then ran off. A crowd of my friends waited for me, with a dejected looking Xiao standing off to the side. “You okay?” I stopped in front of him rather than continue up onto the stage

“I was matched against the number two Askhas. I lost,” he said, his normally exuberant tone muffled and quiet.

“You did your best, and you ended up here,” I gestured around us. “That makes you in the top twelve Craesti of our generation. Be proud, not lost. Work harder, and beat him next time. Five years, right? We’ll all be Core then, and can compete in the next level.”

“You are right,” he picked his head up, fire in his eyes. “I will go train now, and next time win!” He clapped my arm, then turned and ran towards the inn.

“Well, he had a fire lit under him. Go, fight,” Ming said. “You need to win twice more to fight me.”

“You do too, my friend. You do too!” I laughed, then leapt onto the stage and jogged to the center.

An Ashkhas male hopped up on the other side. His fur was a golden yellow, and fine enough that I could see the dozens of tattoos covering his body. Some made me think of the various Elements, while others I could not place at all.

“I am (name from Patreon), and I look forward to trying your strength,” he placed his left fist into his right palm, then bowed over it.

“I am Kupiec Aiden, and I look forward to trying your strength,” I smiled and mimicked his bow.

“Good. You know rules, begin,” the referee appeared, then stepped backwards to the edge of the arena.

I drew my trisula, just in time to watch (name) punch at me. Five of his tattoos flared brightly, and a bolt of Lightning shot out at me. I caught it on the tip of my weapon, quickly forming a barrier of Aether and holding it there. These are Core-level weapons. They can take anything he can dish out.

I ran forward, keeping my trisula extended, only to leap over a wave of Earth from a stomp. I landed and pulled a bar of Metal out of the arena and redirected the Lightning attack there. I knew it would only hold for a second, but I dashed forward with Gusting Northern Wind. I moved fast enough that it felt almost like teleportation, and I covered the ten meters we were apart in less than a second.

I struck forward with the Aether-charged trisula, exerting my will and forcing the Lighting back out at the Askhas. A shield formed from at least six tattoos, diverting the Lightning, while he swept my stab aside with his forearm. My left foot struck the inside of his left knee, as I successfully distracted him with a major attack.

His leg buckled, my foot stepping on his calf, and my shoulder knocked him sprawling. I used his block to gain extra momentum, spun on his leg, and then kicked into his chin as he fell. The same shield formed, absorbing the blow, but it flickered slightly. I leapt back, and a wave of force exploded off it. I was carried another meter backwards, but the damage was minimal.

I landed and shot out two Earth Aether Blasts, targeting his legs. Both hit the shield like rocks dropped from a tall building, and the second one shattered it. He collapsed back onto the ground, shock from the shield breaking evident on his face. I shot forward, then drove the point of my weapon into the ground next to his head, avoiding his block this time.

“Winner by simulated death blow, Kupiec Aiden,” the referee called, appearing next to me and gripping my other elbow.

“That was excellent,” (name) said. “But you should probably see a healer.”

I sheathed my trisula then helped them up, “What do you mean?”

“You are bleeding pretty heavily,” he pointed to my leg, where a stone spike was sticking all the way through it. It dissolved into Aether just as the Ashkhas healer arrived and slapped a poultice on the wound. “I was hoping you’d dodge it and give me time to stand.”

“I, uh, barely noticed it,” I gulped, keeping my weight on my other leg.

“You will be slightly limited in your next battle,” the healer said. “I cannot fix it entirely before then.” She stood, picking me up in a princess carry and jogging over to where Knight Kaminski waited. “He needs to rest. I will work until he is called to fight again.”

“Understood,” Knight Kaminski said, glaring at me. “I would think avoiding major injury when there are still three battles ahead of you would have been a better option.”

I nodded, “Yes ma’am, I should have avoided it. He formed it fast enough that I couldn’t without giving up my attack, but I could have still beat him.”

He grunted, then turned towards the arena next to me. Ming was fighting an Illyrian. I recognized it as the one I fought on the (name of ship), and as the top Illyrian in the tournament. I watched for only twenty seconds while the lizard slashed and cut at Ming before its whip wrapped around his leg and ripped.

Ming screamed as the edges of the weapon sheared through muscle and bone. He collapsed, missing his left leg just below the knee. The whip shot back, but the referee was able to intervene.

“He did not surrender,” the Illyrian barked.

“He is incapacitated. I declare (name) the winner. Prepare yourself for the next match,” the Ashkhas growled.

The Illyrian licked its jaws, the tongue long like a frog’s. I read contempt in its expression, but I couldn’t be sure. It turned and marched off, while the healer grabbed Ming’s removed leg and reattached it. He was carried to lay next to me, the healer working a technique on his limb.

“That looked like it sucked,” I said.

“At least you won,” Ming grumbled.

I shrugged, then looked at the board, “Well, if Jon wins his next fight, he’ll fight him. After that, if he’s still in the race, I’ll be fighting him. So one of us will avenge you.”

“I want you to destroy him,” Ming looked up at me. “He deliberately hurt me more than he needed to.”

“From what I have seen, all the Illyrians delight in causing pain in others. I will enjoy shattering him if he manages to make it to me,” I glared over where the Illyrian teams waited. “Huh, their senior mentor isn’t there. I wonder where he is?”

“Somewhere being thwarted by Librarian Narwan, wherever he is,” Ming gasped, the healer doing something to make his eyes tear up. “I will be fine eventually. The healers here are best catch.”

“Got it,” I said, then closed my eyes. I dove into my center, then shot down my meridians to the place where I was stabbed. I saw the healer working to reconnect everything, and started to heal myself on the opposite side. I felt more than saw her nod, and we worked together to restore myself to full capacity.

There were still a few damaged muscle fibers when Knight Kaminski shook my shoulder, “You are up. Arena three. You are fighting the second Topraki team lead.”

“Got it, ma’am,” I said, standing. My leg twinged in pain, but it was just as strong as it should have been. It just hurt with every step. “I can deal with this.”

“Good. I expect you to win. Every win gets you more resources, and more time in the extraplanar realm. There is some secret there, and I believe your team is key to finding it,” Knight Kaminski looked at me expectantly. “Do not let your kingdom down.”

“I won’t,” I nodded, then walked off towards the next fight.