COI C81
The duels continue on as the rogue continues her fighting streaks. It ended after the total of five duels, the first three duels where she figures out how to use the rules. Finally understands on her own rules, she gains a unique trait after fighting the mage. The last two fights were as difficult as the last one. She soon finds out as her head spinning from her last match. The last opponent was the support who uses earth magic as his defenses, the replay was short as in only three turns. He made a soothing quick end of her. She gives up as her pain gains a concussion. This will be her night as her debut rises high as she heals herself.
Heist had waited enough and his rules are made between him and Illtended. Across the audience within this floor, where nobody is left are fighting in their top conditions. Heist had made a mistake in hesitating. The sounds of footsteps come dropping down to the arena. More fighters are willing to join. They look at Heist as they were interested to fight, they are mostly elves now. Who were left the arena to deal some other businesses with the citizens, returned and motivated, they said to him,
“I see you made your own rules, if you like us to see it, we might ask a duel with you”
The other elf ponders them “If not, we would challenge you that girl’s rule instead?”
Heist picks up a glass from one of the tables in a flash then back, gulps it down, and replied “Really? Wait a minute, are some of you demons?”
The elves tilt their heads to one of them, there is a demon. The female elf walks forward. “I guess you want the easy round first, huh?”
The elves come here, because of the mage fought the Rogue. It wasn’t for that other demon. They wouldn’t come to fight a simple duel. Now they know the demons are in disguised from what the citizens were told. The female elf looks at him strangely as she smells something alluring, but kept to herself.
The ring of the bell from the authoritarians, they are starting to announce the ending of the duels. “It’s been more than an hour and half. It is best to collect your votes to whom is the most entertaining. There are only two category winners. Either be the fighters or the one who is making the best unique rule within this duel. The reward is decided between us the leaders of this fort. You have time until the other hour is up . . .”
Everyone receives pieces of paper to whom they vote, they have to imprint with their finger tips and think who or what rule they enjoyed. Then they would place it on the box.
The students kept looking at the replays from the Rogue, their eyes stick closely as they were hypnotized through their choreographed moves. It was addicting to see, and lose its realism as if they already know what they do next. But the finale of her last duel was anticlimactic in short moves. The support swings his mace around, it was so close to hit her but she disappeared. Then she accidentally reappeared at the end of the swing. Between luck, the support with his injured upper torso from the previous duel had made a loud cracking sound when he hit her head. It was sudden brutal hit, and the students couldn’t stop hearing it.
Andui and her friends reach out to them as the time is nearly past their curfew. “It’s getting dark, I hope you guys would like to go home before your parents are getting worried”
The students calmly respond “It’s fine, Joanne said that we will be staying one of the vacant houses”
“Vacant house? Where?”
Silfa hears them about the vacant house whereas Sanquin explains it to them. “There’s an underground chamber underneath here. I know it sounds uncomfortable but I kindly show them later on. The fight gets boring when everyone is harmed”
Coral isn’t bored yet, but her concerns focused on them. “Yeah well, I’m just glad none of our guys keeping their injuries”
The adventurers and the students are tired from the excitement of the Rogue’s fight. The rogue walks up to them while Illtended carried her to them.
“Hey! They told me you guys know where the vacancy is. I don’t know why but our magic seems block off to go back to the city”
Andui and the others thought it would happen, they check the time as it already reached curfew. All magic transportations are ceased in this island. They worriedly said,
“Maybe it is because of what happened in the shrine”
Stranded on the fort as its name suggests, they can still ride a ferry home. Sanquin continues their discussion.
“That is not likely, this place is a fort. We have special facilities to anyone who are strong enough to break through the security. I’ll let myself remind you again that this place is our embassy, and not your friendly neighborhood outpost. It is something would be done easily when you ride your ferry back home”
Sanquin begins to guide them where the house is. The adventurers and the students follow her where the runes doorway lit up as it is formed a portal.
“I guess the dwarf had made a doorway. Go right inside, I’ll be staying here for a bit”
As they about to leave through the portal, Ruby stops a bit and ask “Are you still waiting for him?”
“I have my responsibility to accompany him”
“Ah, you make women so easy”
“It is still a date”
“A date that all of us come along with you”
“You could think that, but you will learn to value the smallest moment time with them. Even you are surrounded with great people, because in this world. How long will they last?”
Ruby stops arguing with her as she wants to stop her ridiculous lady persona. She felt regretting it “I hope you know what you are doing”
“Gladly”
The people who are left on the balcony are Sanquin and Silfa, but one student stay behind as Sanquin turns her cheeks. “You look rather hesitant”
The student froze up as her gaze pierced through him. The boy automatically raised his shields out of nowhere. Silfa notices him from his quick reaction.
“Hey, you must be the kid my younger sister talks about”
“Who? Me?”
“Yeah, the one who wants to talk to Haw. You’ve been talking about it in school. What do you want from him?”
The young boy can’t move as Sanquin’s stare pierced through him, without the time to reply. She pulled to her side, uses her magic to puppeteering his body.
“Silfa you go right ahead. I’ll be bringing him along with me”
“Are you sure? How about Heist?”
“I would love to have another awkward chat with you, but I don’t like people are slow or incompetent in this fine night”
Silfa watches them going down the stairs to the arena. She looks straight down the fight as it gets dark where injured fighters carelessly challenging themselves keeping the fight longer. Her motives speak in her whispering voice.
“Why are you still there, Haw? The duel is getting dark”
The student is walking at Sanquin’s side. She looks stunning as she pulled him closer, her strict tone is charming as he can’t interpret between serious or temptation.
“I admire of you trying to reach your teacher. Care to explain why you won’t be telling him right now?”
“Yeah that . . .”
The puppeteering grants his back a sensation both forced and relief. Sanquin shares a bit of her strife for him getting charmed by walking next to her. The student feels her body as she gripped closer to her like they both cling together through magic. His conscience is stern and quickly answer with an exaggerated voice
“. . . IT IS BECAUSE I WANT TO JOIN HIS GUILD”
They reach the floor as she breaks of her magic. His face turns to face her serious eyes with her hands touch his face.
“Why is that?”
The student feels her hands touch his mana flow, leeching his mana as a cold air feels through the touch.
“My uncle went to the city guild sphere and met a couple of tech savvy Enders. If I join Haw’s recruitment, I’ll be provided the real use of mana”
The student feels her hands turn warm. He stares to her eyes as she grinned that reminds him his mother.
“Ah” Sanquin slowly in awe to hear a citizen is interested, she leans closer to his eyes, so close as their foreheads touch.
“I’ll pray for your success”
Heist and Haw sees them interacting. Heist is about to go after them, the thought of misunderstanding piled up from his imagination. Haw pulled him but he is too strong as getting dragged with him. Sanquin and the student hears ruckus as both of them turn and see what happened. Heist nervously said
“What are you two doing?”
“This youth wants to join my guild”
“Your guild? But I was asking to . . .”
She pleasantly laughs with her smiles is teeming with joy. Haw shook as he heard her, then said to the student.
“You are?”
“YES!” The student instant said it out his excitement. The two left the couple as they talk about more of the student’s decision.
Heist was relief “Joining your guild? Why not ask us to join?”
“Apologies, but we have certain conditions. I hope the kid would stay”
“Stay? You mean him residing in this world, permanently?”
“That’s the plan”
“But he probably wanted to learn and train to become an adventurer. I know some of my guild want to learn just to survive”
“I understand, but there is time when people changed. Your people want to go but never left. Few months ago, they were excited to leave but now here we are”
Heist looks at the student as if he already given up going home, but he already knew about that school. Heist begins to argue with her
“No, that’s not right”
“Hmm, how so?”
“My friend has a younger sister. They didn’t reside the part of the city. I know that many of them had a trip going here. Then we were summoned, the students know they have no parents brought to this world”
“I heard he has an uncle”
“Sure, there are relatives with them but staying here is not the reason to join your guild. You know many people are getting attacked from the first weeks when they are here. I am not saying I am right on this, but at least listen to the student first”
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The female elf appears to them as she told Heist about their duel. “It is time man with cat ears”
“Oh right, I’ll be there. So about me fighting a duel, do you still keep watching after our argument”
Sanquin sees herself concern what he just said, but she picks something from her shirt collar and pulled her handkerchief. Heist is sweating after that talk. Sanquin is left to do is wipe him off from his forehead. She sighs but slowly relief herself.
“Here, we are still dating but it felt right to talk to me like this. Too soon, but once human and become a demon. I feel your concerns”
She looks disappointed but her action to take care his inappropriate manner about the student they both didn’t know.
He feels her touch as it is gentle, he felt glad it didn’t ruin their date. Memories piling up to his experience compared to her and his interaction with other girls. He is not ready to face a graceful woman like her. Her voice comes in as she places his hand to hers with her handkerchief.
“I know you are hesitating after our first argument, Heist. I’m glad that you are doing this to impress me. For one night won’t have any woman close to you”
Heist’s heart knows she still rejects him, but . . . It still feels great to have this moment with her, such short moment.
Heist left as Haw let the student leave first. Sanquin gazed upon Haw’s unsatisfiable eyes, she grins nonchalantly to what Heist expected.
“The boy was caught in the middle of a predicament. Troubles occurring in his neighborhood”
Sanquin didn’t expect a situation from him like that. “You mean his place got kicked out”
“More like someone owned their place through intimidation, I assume the police can’t protect that part of the area”
She thought it was that to join them, then Haw added a note from the student’s uncle. A request letter, no, the letter is begging for help.
“To anyone who can let people like us, who are not part of the community. Please give us shelter and away from the conflict that is brewing through the return of those defectors. One of them knows us and trying to frame us that we were the one of them. We’re not telling you to help us in pity, we’re asking who are capable to protect us in this misinformation. They were attacking real perpetrators, but backfires as one of them made it an excuse to harm the innocent. Please we beg of you . . .”
The letter added few pictures and with their nicknames in place. The student and his uncle side by side, she read their names
“Shield student and Kombat, they dare to believe you can take care of them”
“I have no obligation on this responsibility. The fact is that he is having trouble during the night and he needs a place to stay as his friends’ family are getting afraid of the rumors about them”
“It is for you to decide Haw, but the recruit will be in danger nonetheless”
Both of them know it would be easy to take him in, but not someone to stay in this world will be a waste.
Sanquin looks at his eyes as if she knows that he focuses solely on the mission. Haw’s eyes however are twitching where the concealment is acting up. It is absurd for him to help the student and worthless where his mind is limiting his conscious. She grabs his head and checks his condition. Overwhelmed, yet respectfully ready to fight. The arena should be his stress relief where she is not going to enjoy this. With only people left are the demon and the elf wanting to face Heist, Sanquin has an idea to have more time with Heist.
“Take out your stress in this duel. Takedown heist with these”
She pulls out her own potions and give it to him, her devilish attitude kicks up as she thought that moment with Heist is not enough for her. Haw replies from what he had expected
“The farewell?”
“That’s our romance for the night, I’ll admire his wooing performance as he shows his best skills”
The tilt on his head slowly forcing him to think than to say, with only words softening on his tongue, Sanquin carefully listens
“Classical love among warriors”
Haw’s mind is fix and continue his way to the arena. Sanquin goes to Heist to stay at his side. Forced or follow the customs, she shows to him the realization of commitment such passion.
The elves see the human demon as she tries to hold Heist’s hand, they greet again once more as she says her few words to him.
“Good luck”
Heist paused but he was happy “I will”
Few steps forward to see her expression lost her unique persona, he sees now how much effort she did for him to have an experience to be with someone. She looks beautiful as ever but wanting him to listen to her one more time, he evaded the topic she wanted to say until mentioning about the student. It is a troubling start, and he is now facing the female elf. The duel he made called ‘Free for All Gladiator*’
The same simple rules except one with allowing all weapons and magic, the main cheat is that both of them can read their minds with limited time duration in advance. The stupid replication of auto battle simulator, but they can choose to change their attacks in mid fight. The exemption of attrition that is now during the fight, the fight persists like a royal rumble until they reach execution. Once the time is up like a minute or so, anyone will come inside the arena one at the time, either defeat them under a minute or adding someone to join the brawl.
Everyone looks at the rule as the finale of their duels. Ironno and Rusic come along as they piqued their interest. All who are watching even the remaining citizens see this a good ending of the duel. The last remaining injured fighters who duel among each other went pale because Illtended and the Rogue made the rules livelier. Now Heist brings up the game and made it the last fight for all. The female elf reveals her demonic form. As everyone sees her true form through her illusive magic. The finale, he looks to Sanquin one last time. She looks impressed and kissed to her fingers then blows to him with anime like hearts popping out. Sanquin plays her role and he will show his.
First two fighters, uninjured and fresh from the start. The demon elf and Heist face to face as their minds link one another. Reading the thoughts of each other as their fighting skills determine in one plan of action throughout the short moment of time. Simple attack, continue the aggression even the opportunity such as counters and opportunities won’t trigger until the new set of commands put them to the next phase. Synchronized in advanced or be doomed by the same repeatable moves until defeated, both of them are taking their time will have the most bizarre fight.
The first train of thoughts had strolled its way in their minds. Heist reads her mind clouded with plans and ideas. The demon elf distracts him with numbers of ideas she had thought of. His rogue class provide him the real goal of his opponents as he getting caught to her mischievous plan. He was not ready and the action part took almost made his choice, then he stops and thinks. Their sense of time differs from the actual time, under those short sudden moments. The fight begins.
The elf demon channels her spell and Heist immediately appearing before her. Her magic quickly sprung up as he focusing hits repeatedly, every magic she casts it automatically follow up to hit her as his sequence of attacks. As for Heist reads the spells are different as he sees random spells keep going through her chants. He got hit with multiple negative and positive effects as the next phase keeps put her into the defensive, the spells randomly affecting them both as the demon elf grinned to see her negative effects spread herself to him. Especially the fast timer boost.
Someone fires arrows on the demon elf continuously. Heist turns around as the arrows cleanse both her and him through the barrage. It was the elf who is with her, gaze upon his eyes to see that he has his expression on him. The demon elf’s magic fast forwards the rules’ timer as many fighters entered in a few seconds. A sudden appearance with tremendous numbers of thoughts sharing to whom they can’t recognized. A flurry of minds burst through their heads leaving all of them who is not mental enough to able to face who are they against.
The audience, the authoritarians, watch the match like a brawl. The demon cheats as much the rule giver never thought of the abused. The leaders’ eyes stared through their mayhem and the forced to act without patience and sincerity. A crazed bloodlust, abandonment of reasonings, the fulfillment of the desperate fighters, through it all under one rule called automation. It was hectic to the end, almost all of them entered the arena from the demons’ magic of time. The remaining fighters outside, stayed eager, as they witness the craziness of the brawl than a duel.
Heist battled out the demon elf with the elf on his side, both of their minds didn’t kind to corelate how they performed together. The demon elf looks how the situation of this fight. Everyone is fighting who and planned secrets were down by the sheer numbers of people and their minds shared all around. Her bliss remembered the time of that place, a place that hidden away from any living mortals. She got hit from the random spell from across the field, she turns her gaze to a similar demon like her, bandaged by the hand and his eyes blink the moment he sees her then back.
Heist charges forward with the lines of fire from the elf, colluded with the others being brought out of nowhere as the arena is becoming too small and crowded for more than 30 fighters. He gets hit by a random hammer, a dwarf sang his way in the middle of the chaos
“Hic* Oh I love to be in the brawl,
all around the hall,
laughing through with me,
or tonight . . . will be last you see. Laugh*”
It was Rusic and then taken down from an assassin goblin out of the chaos. Forced to continue as the goblin go to a random fighter, one stupid step at a mage’s back, a monster trap was unleashed from the ground as it carried swinging around the goblin then sink to the abyss.
“AAH!”
The fighters stop, including the people are away from the incident. A demonic monstrosity comes out from the ground had taken a goblin down with tremendous power. The mage looks at his back and see the goblin had sink through the abyss, he turns to the demon elf slightly grinning hiding the spell she boosted on to him. The next stage in mind as the mage sees everyone is focusing him. Planned like a group of mobs beating him with all the best abilities they got, the mage found the demon elf’s line of thought saying.
“Good luck”
As he replied “You too”
Every fighter charges him with the sequence of fighting planned and execution. The mage stands there letting them finishing him off, with his magic hidden buff by the demon elf left. A suicidal magic focusing to aim at the mage, hidden his demonic power but boosted by the demon elf. Such playful games force everyone on him, they break away the magic he possessed as the buff magic merge with his mana, breaking it all together and feel the destructive force of a crowd of brawlers saying
“Try doing it to all of US!”
The magic defense activated the trap as the mage’s magic was shattered, all around them with monstrous limbs arose from the ground catching them all together. The sequences activate the right time as they break through the trap easily, predictable, as they attack all together having others to get hit in the process. They don’t care, as long as the mage won’t keep using a cheap magic like that as the fight should be this chaotic as they screaming loud. “AAH!”
The mage gazes inappropriately at the demon elf one last time to see how she quickly get rid of him and not to ruin her fun. He disappears after that pile.
The demon elf is falling back, Heist and the elf worked together to defeat her as soon as possible. Heist wonders why the elf helped him but the coordination the elf did improve his chances to land a hit. The elf has his obligation to fight her and her decision she did to be with them, the other elves are focusing the fun on the matter while he focuses on playing grudge by her appearance for being an elf. Elves don’t take jokes if someone pretending to be them, the prestige is what they are driving in front of the elf leader and much other gripes in the past. The demon elf watches them attack her.
Spells coming through in every take of her magic, already causing a havoc both Heist and the elf. The persisting attacks forcing themselves to attack without a second thought, she soon gives in by the number of mind infatuated planning to the wrong people who they are facing. Heist gets randomly hit from the other fighter as the elf get caught by the dwarves’ brawls, it was something she never witness in such a duel. The demon elf’s magic is waning as other people all around using mana cancellation and magic breakers after that mage incident. Random projectiles of weapons flying over, sliding, and hitting among the fighters.
Heist set his phases to the most uncomfortable fight he had ever experience, the dwarf comes out of nowhere and hits him then find another standing opponent for the dwarf to hit. A random goblin comes out of nowhere where he found him lying, as he stands up quickly, the goblin finds a new target lying around. Heist laughs all the way as his body is keep going to find his target. The next phase is happening as he deliberates his plan to just attack her. He uses his speed raised to his powers to the highest range, brings out his special hand claws, and eyes sharpened as a cat.
“Hah” A breath spew out from his mouth and nothing to lose but a random hit from the fighters. Easily breaks his abilities while charging up and persisting will power in this phase made him to go numb. The elf took an arrow and aimed on to him, a last phase of the action, and given him the recovery he needs for the next phase. Heist immediately charges forward, then a goblin appeared and trips him. Heist fell, roll over, and then charges one more time. Passing through the middle of the fight from other fighters left and right. Meanwhile, there are someone is fighting against her.
Ironno and Rusic mistakenly aim at her as the two automated to attack her, she tries to counteract the elf and Heist, but she never realized of their Enders skills. Her magic redirect to them as the pickaxe and the hammer work hand in hand to make a strong pierce through her defenses. Her magic shattered and it explodes those two as they burst away from the shield shattering. They walk back and pierced by shards of her magic, Heist comes along and finishes her as he said his abilities
“Fury Swipes!”
She takes a hit with his combos. Heist claws his way to her limbs while the elf fires his arrows coordinating impressively as the two fights on the same side in front of her. Heist’s maneuver to attack gives an opening for the flying arrow to moved pass by him, as he moves around swipes at her back, the combination from the two forcing her to hit both sides with their abilities. She can’t focus on the next phase as the impact of both assaults are hitting her head to no time for her to think but feeling the concussion.
As the last blows is needed, someone appeared out of nowhere and the ground raised an earth stalagmite breaking off the two and the ranged arrows hitting her. The unknown man raised his mace and a random potion hits his weapon in mid swing, downward, and takes out the demon elf nonetheless. The elf focused on the new target as he no longer sees the demon, meanwhile Heist let lose to himself as he doesn’t know who is targeting. Satisfied hitting the demon is enough would think that Sanquin will be happy to see him now.
Ignoring who is the threat in front of him, he chased his gaze to her as he sees him shocked to see how he did. Her lips though, is smiling even slowly raises her hand to clap to see such fight he did. He ignored everything around him as he focuses on her. Heist made her woe by his skills and the rumble that cause the demon for him to foresee his faults. It doesn’t matter for him. Someone comes to him as the automation forced them to follow through.
It seems to be the support who take his kills, with his mace and earth magic replicated his attacks to him, while Heist responds mostly defensive now as he kept his eyes on to her. Heist stumble without him knowing and ignored all else, then his eyes got hit, clouded his vision to see her in shock and frowning. Heist changes immediately, and he attacks the support by pure nuisance. He continued being beating as the next phase starts, the sensation being beating it was more than two people who attacked him. His grief turns wild as he roars at them.
A splash from the potion on to him fell into a dizzy state, he tastes the potion, it was sweet and alcoholic. He mistakenly drinks it and sees what happened before him, Haw tries to throw the potions at the support while the support uses his earth magic to block the projectiles toward him. Heist’s next phase is short and forced to act from what he is seeing in front of. They come at each other as they hit with a mace and a potion altogether. Heist intervene to the moment as the two collides.
Haw juggles up a potion and the support batter up at it then swings to Heist. The potion hits his face, no phase for him to react against it and forced to go forward. The potion breaks, the fluid on the potion sparks water vapored evaporating what energy he had, and he soon starts to feel sleepy and his body grew tired. His mind redirects to the thought how Sanquin and him talk about before, he can’t resist anymore as he said out nowhere.
“I love you . . .”
The support flips him up with his earth magic to the air, as he falls down, he raised his mace up and follow Heist’s head directly. Three hits as he makes sure.
Haw gives a finale with Sanquin’s potions, doused Heist immediately after the first toss. Now all from Sanquin potion is used, he stays stagnated until the next phase. Heist is defeated causing him to feel sleepy and his body washed up from Haw’s potion, he doesn’t know what affected him, but he sure feels like giving up and wanting to talk Sanquin a bit more. He left his own duel, leaving Haw and the support looking at each other as the next phase until one of them in the arena survived.