"Why are we doing this again?" "Goldy wanted to know how strong Dyly is." "Yes, but why am I involved in this equation?" "Group bonding." "What if I don't want to group bond?" "All the more evidence that you need a good ol' group bonding exercise." "But... No, isn't this unfair to the demon? Fighting all of us one after the other has to be draining!" "She doesn't seem to have an issue with it. Right Dyly?" "How do you have a nickname for her already?"
The demon in question stands readied, bouncing in place before Goldy. "All fine by me. I can recover from half dead within a few minutes, so a few consecutive fights is nothing to me." "See? It's fine." "Ugh... I'm not getting out of this, am I..."
Through the eyes of contestant number one
When was my last good battle? My father was illusory, so he does not count. We ran from the fangs of the abyss. The beast of white fur was a good match, yet did not test my limits enough for my liking. The serpentine predator would have been an equal matching for me, but that battle was cut short. This adventure has been strangely lacking in true tests of my physical limits. I look forward to the beast of melted rock below, but this battle now certainly intrigues me. This creature of flames appears weak, yet I can intuit a greater strength from this diminutive form. Perhaps this shall match my duel with the emissary.
"Ready when you are!" The creature of flames declares. "Then let us begin!" Gol Dhee responds, plunging his palm into the earth to scrape up a boulder and hurl it towards his opponent. Snap! The boulder shatters, the sound of shattering stone overshadowed by the loud crack of air, consequence of the strike that crumbled it. Not letting up, Gol Dhee continues throwing a barrage of stones, each one just as easily dodged, deflected, or shattered with precise motions. Every strike lands her one step closer, as if following the choreographed steps of a dance to close the gap. Good! Gol Dhee grins. Our warm-up is complete!
Rearing back, Gol Dhee raises his arms high in the air. Thoom! His fists ravage the ground, a shock-wave pulsing outward and filling the air with shrapnel. Heart pounding and eyes focused he grasps the air and pulls the world around them into a vortex of wind and stone. The creature of flame responds by hopping between the stones, weaving through the chaos with ease at an even faster pace. Carefully timing his motions, Gol Dhee releases his control over the wind just as she attempts to land on another stone, causing her to miss the mark and fall. Plunging his fist once again he pulls a pillar of earth from below, aimed to strike as she falls.
Her body warps, losing form as she winds around the pillar and lands safely on the ground. Her approach nearing, she picks up the pace to a sprint. Thoom! Gol Dhee slams his chest, the shock-wave of air nearly enough to push her back. Gold fur turns white and amber eyes turn pale. Around him flame coated winds pick up, forming a stable network of vortices as he prepares to meet the creature of flames head on. He strikes, a cascade of fire bursting forth from his fist. Unable to withstand the strong winds, the creature of flames stumbles back, performing a series of acrobatic flips and cartwheels to regain her balance. Hoh! A showoff after my own heart!
The creature of flames takes a sprinter's pose, her legs seeming to squeeze into themselves like a spring before, snap! She launches forward, cutting through the winds as she charges straight for Gol Dhee. Feet planted in the ground, he prepares to meet the charge head on, yet a crushing feeling in his gut commands him to defend. A harsh instinct which declares that he not allow himself to be struck by this attack. The creature of flames vanishes before him, and his palms raise to his skull. A loud snap resounds by his ear, no physical blow landing yet enough of a shock-wave to rupture his eardrum had he not beckoned the winds directly.
Landing nearby, the creature of flames lets out an audible "Tch!" before preparing to charge again, only to be halted by Gol Dhee's palm. "I am satisfied. It is clear to me now where I lack strength. Though next time we spar I expect to give you more of a challenge." "Ah, I'll look forward to it." She responds with a courteous bow. Thumping the ground, Gol Dhee presses the arena down to match its former state, crevasses closing and loose stone pulling back into place as he leaves.
Through the eyes of contestant number two
"I suppose I'll go next." Fluffy stands, stretching his arms as he makes his way over. How strong was rank three again? Did they even say? Oh well, I'll see soon. "You ready?" "Of course! Like I said, I recover quick." "Great. Though... What say we make this more interesting? Make it a game. Each of us takes turns striking the other, but the defender can't move their feet. You lose if your feet move." "I love games! Let's do it!" "Excellent! You can have the first strike." Show me what you can do, Tiny.
The pair stand within arms reach, Fluffy's feet rooted into the ground. Tiny hops into the air, her leg slackening into a whip as she spins to land a heavy swipe to Fluffy's chest. Snap! Her leg connects, the sound barrier shattering under the force of her blow and a wave of wind smashing past him, yet he doesn't budge. Giving her leg a confused shake as she lands, Tiny steps back and readies herself to defend. Based on that strike I'd say she's as strong as I was when I first came here. I doubt that's all she can do though. Fluffy widens his stance, holding his fist to his hip and, thoom! A pulse of wind fires out from his strike, his eyes widening as it lands.
"Nice dodge." He states, returning to a defensive stance. "Nihihi, thanks." She replies, leaping once again. Her crystalline body shimmers crimson as her leg rears to strike again. Just as her blow is about to land she vanishes and, snap! The strike hits from behind, the unexpected force on his neck enough to make him hunch over but not enough to disturb his footing. Clever... But you'll have to do better. He cracks his neck, shifting stance as she returns to place. It's a bit mean, but... This is well within the rules. Fluffy ducks, swiping his foot in a wide arc at her legs with enough force to leave a crater behind his strike. As his foot nears its target, Tiny's body warps, everything but her feet flattening and bending around his attack before snapping back into place.
"Gotta say, I wasn't expecting that." He compliments. "Like I said, liquid body!" She responds, wibbling her body like jelly to show off. "Well, it's your turn. Don't keep me waiting." He chuckles, rooting his feet again. With a nod she leaps once more, raising her arm high. At the apex of her jump her arm turns bright red before swiping down by his ear. Snap! A brief flash of light erupts from the crack of her whip-like arm, the explosion of sound resounding through the cave. As she lands her eyes widen before leading into a sigh. "Ah, I was expecting that to work..."
"I can see what you were going for. Rupturing my cochlea would have taken me out of the match. The loss of balance would have been too much for anyone to withstand." "Yep. That's pretty common for sound based organisms like you guys." Sound based? What is that supposed to mean? "Say... Could I ask a favour?" Fluffy raises an eyebrow, stroking his beard as he listens. "Shoot." "I'm out of tricks. I don't think anything I can do would work on you unless I did something petty like attack the ground you're standing on." Ah... That was my next idea... "So would you mind finishing this with your strongest attack? I'm curious to see where I stand."
Fluffy takes a moment to think, to consider her request. "Hmm... I'm afraid not." "Ah..." "It would threaten the structural integrity of the cavern." "Oh..." "I'm still probably stronger." Fluffy shakes his head, ignoring the chittering behind him. "Still, I'll give you the best I can without causing a cave-in." "Great!" Fluffy breathes in deep, his body relaxing as he exhales. Calm your nerves, your breathing, your thoughts. Focus on your body. Every bone, every muscle, every nerve.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Tense the left flexors and abductors, leading into the soleus and gastrocnemius. Next, the quadriceps and hamstrings, and twist with the vastus lateralis and psoases. Finally with this angular momentum I can activate the pectoralis, push forward with my biceps, tense with my wrist extensors, and...
Thoom!
Aether surges through his body, every muscle brought beyond its peak and leading to a catastrophic strike which carves into the dense stone like a knife through flour. A veritable tempest erupts around the nexus of the blast, the air practically burning from the intense friction as the air repeatedly oscillates between explosions and implosions in an attempt to regain some semblance of stability. Dust and molten rock scatter across the cavern, the fallout obscuring any view of the pair before being pulled away by Muscles from behind.
"Wow! That would've hurt!" Tiny announces, observing the crater of boiling rock from behind Fluffy. "When did you get there?" "I have a good reaction time. The moment I saw you break the sound barrier with your toe I decided to get out of there. I suppose that means you win then!" I suppose I should've asked how she got here so fast instead. "Then it'll be Lil' Blue's turn." "No way! I'm not taking part in this!"
Through the eyes of contestant number three
I'm sure of it! This is some evil ploy by the demon to trick us in some way! I can tell she's putting on a face by the look in her... Are those even eyes? Even they look fake! "Aw come on Lyly, it'll be fun!" "Nope! Leave me out of it!" The demon turns her eyes to Lyla's, tapping the tip of her arm to the side of her face before her eyes turn crescent. I knew it! She's grinning! This demon has something up her sleeve for sure! "That's a shame." The demon sighs. Eh? "I was really looking forward to it too. I suppose I'll never know how strong you really are. I'll just have to assume that Fluffy is stronger."
Is she seriously trying to bait me into this? No, but what if she isn't? Then I can't let this slide, but... What if that's what she wants me to think? She could be trying to triple bluff me. Make me think she's trying to bait me so I then think she isn't, or... was it to make me think she was... I'm confused... Wait! What if this is all some distraction from some greater plot! A means to confuse me so I don't see what she's scheming! Ooh nice try, slightly taller than me demon. You can't trick this spider. I'll accept your taunt, but only because I'm smart enough to know your true plan! Fuehehehe...
"You're on!" Lyla declares, swaggering her way over, which for spiders apparently means walking in an extra spindly manner. Noted. "Tell you what! I'll let you attack me uncontested, and if you can manage to injure me at all it'll be your win. I'll even do any one thing you say. But if you can't put so much as a scratch on me, you have to do one thing I say." How do you like that, huh?! Not so fond of the risk of me exposing your plans, are you?! "Sure! Sounds fun!" Eh? Is she confident I can't expose her scheme with one request? Or... does she actually think she can injure me? Ooh this can't do! I'll show her!
"Then it's a deal. Winner gets one request." "Agreed!" Hm? Dozens of chains burst forth from the ground, wrapping around Lyla and the demon. I was tricked! I forgot you should never make a deal with a demon or they'll eat your soul! Or, wait... Was it desires they ate? Whatever! Stop eating m- Oh, they're gone. Okay, don't panic. This is all part of the master plan. Gotta show I'm confident. "Do your worst demon!" Lyla declares, hopping side to side and waving her pedipalps manically.
Calmly walking over, the demon picks Lyla up by the legs. "Huh?" Carrying her over to a pool of water, the demon wades to the middle and drops her in. "Is there a plan here, or- mfrblrblblrblrbl!" Pressing her into the water the demon holds her in place, cutting off Lyla's ability to breathe. Ah! Fuck! Devious! Wait, does drowning count as injury? It can cause organ damage if it goes too far so it does! No! I've lost! And so fast! Why didn't I think of this! Lyla's writhing is interrupted by the return of the chains, seeming to constrict as she's pulled out from the water. Upon surfacing she spots the crimson chains around the demon fading into nothing.
"Hey! Why do yours go away?!" "My part of the contract is complete so my chains of sealing aren't needed for me anymore. Yours stayed because you still need to fulfil your end of the agreement." "Are they going to be here forever? They're so creepy!" "I mean... They'll vanish once you stop focusing on them, but the effects stay until you fulfil your end of the deal." Uugh... I forgot... I have to do anything she says right? What happens if I just... don't? Do I want to know? "Ugh fine! What do you- Hey! Where are you going?!" "I have one more match, right? I'll think of a request later. Teehee." Did she just fucking teehee me?! I'll have my revenge on you, trickster...
Through the eyes of a trickster
Okay, one match left. I've done okay thus far... Maybe I was a little petty with Lyla, but I held my own well enough with the other two I think. Now it's just Aleph I need to impress. Where is- Holy shit! Diala nearly startles back upon noticing the large dragon behind her, walking around to reach her place. When did she... I didn't see a thing... "It's been a while since I last had a good spar. We were on the last layer for a while so I've stockpiled a decent amount of Aether too. I don't think I can quite threaten the structural integrity of this place, but I do have a few old tricks I'd like to try out. Ready when you are." Aleph stands ahead of Diala, her tail slowly wagging behind her as she calmly awaits a response.
Okay, okay, this is fine. You were just a little startled. You've got this. "I'm ready." She responds with a bow. "Then let us begin." Crack! Snap! Aleph launches forward, jaws aimed straight for Diala as she nimbly bends out of the way, firing a kick back at the attacker who snakes around with precise control. Having missed her attack, Diala hops back only to be caught by an oncoming tail swipe just as she's about to land. Demonic Energy pools into her body and she vanishes, appearing a short distance to the side. Just as she thinks she's free to safely land gravity seems to mark her an enemy, her limbs straining as she's pressed into the ground under tremendous force.
A moment before Aleph's claw can strike she teleports again, taking the chance to back away. The pair stand a healthy distance apart, staring one another down. What was that?! I can push away Mana just fine... No... Didn't she mention Aether? Isn't that stuff criminally obtuse to use? The only Aether users I know of are... Hmm... Well I apparently have some family who use it according to Dad, but I've never met them, so... "Having fun there?" Aleph asks from behind. What?! When?! Diala leaps away, straight into an oncoming tail swipe which blows her from her feet. Illusion? A mental attack? No... Is she bending the fucking light?! No wonder she snuck up on me!
Diala takes a ready stance, her guard raised to react to any semblance of the now hidden dragon. Gol Dhee had versatility. Fluffy had raw strength. Lyla... I should probably apologise to her. So I guess what Aleph excels in is technique. Am I... out of my league? These guys are so strong! No... No! I need to get at least one good hit in. This world doesn't suppress Aura, so let's see if you can hide from this! Crimson Aura bursts forth, probing and feeling for any tinge of reciprocal will as she instils the arena with a strong intent to fight. Behind her she feels the wills of the other three members of the group, implicitly pushing back at her own, and to her right a subtle hint of intent makes itself known. There!
She launches, directing herself straight towards the slight intent and pushing every speck of Demonic Energy into her limbs. Leaping high she winds back her leg, spinning around and letting it lose its shape to form a long, wide sweeping whip. Snap! The air is torn, an explosion of sound bursting forth as her leg slices through. Crack! Aleph's form snaps back into view, her front leg taking the swipe head-on. Pop! Crunch! Crystal shatters and bones crumble, the earth below caving into a crater as shock-waves from the impact reverberate outward.
Diala hops back, her shattered leg swiftly knitting itself back together. Aleph looks at her mangled leg with an almost clinical curiosity as it glows violet and proceeds to crunch and crackle its way back into place. "Wanna call it a tie?" Fuck yes! "Perhaps we should."
The group gather, Gol Dhee prodding Diala to see if she's okay and Fluffy watching Aleph visibly regenerate with enraptured interest while Lyla stares daggers at the demon from a healthy distance. "Maybe we should avoid sparring from now. We're lucky that the only injuries are from the two regenerators." Fluffy posits. "Yea, maybe. let's just stick with games for future group bonding sessions." "Ooh! I know a bunch of games we can play!"