One hundred and twenty arrows shot into the air; the bandits of Noins had ample time to prepare for the Machado siege.
“Are those bloody Goliath’s ready?!” Yav yelled, pulling an arrow out of a quiver nearby.
Two giant men about twelve feet tall walked into view. They were hidden behind one of the taller and wider buildings. Possibly the town’s school, they cradled bunches of tree logs, each one sharpened to points.
The first Goliath grunted at Yav and positioned his legs wide apart, tensing every muscle in his legs and right arm; the first Goliath threw one log towards the siege.
Yav’s head moved with the log as it spiraled in the air. “Second round, FIRE!”
He pulled back on his bow and fired the second shot into the air.
///
The first barrage of arrows were starting to rain down on João and his army.
“Shields, Jo,” Nuada commanded. His retainer nodded, turning his head back towards his faithful and issuing the command.
The army who were a few meters away from him yelled and pulled their shields off of their backs.
João looked back towards the town and chuckled as he saw the two goliaths appear and start to throw logs at them.
“Let’s go, girl,” João’s legs squeezed Aenbharr’s sides, and the mythical familiar let out her own battle cry. Speeding her way ahead, Aenbharr created a great distance from her master and the army.
The arrows were upon João who, with his own riding expertise and the help of his mythical horse effortlessly dodged through the pelting rainfall of arrows.
Jumping to the right, zigzagging back to the left, accelerating forward, braking quickly—these were quick movements that stopped Yav and some of his men.
“This gotta be some fluke,” the angered bandit general said. He looked at the first log smashing into the ground near João. The movement of the earth, the shakes or even the shock of a fucking Goliath throwing their entire weight into giant handmade spears, didn’t even phase the young man.
A freak of nature.
That’s all he could think as he saw the leader of this army drift on his horse to dodge the log spears. Not losing speed or momentum in the process of his drifts.
Another log flew in the air pinpointed directly towards the infantry that had caught up to their leader.
Nuada was about to say something but before the words could come out his retainer had pulled on the reins and darted back towards his army. He leaned his body closer to Aenbharr’s head, trying to pick up more speed.
“I know you can go faster, girl. You're the greatest horse I ever rode,” João whispered the compliment into his horse ear.
Aenbharr yelled out another neigh as if replying to João “DAMN STRAIGHT.”
She burst forward in front of the log spear neighing out once more. João lifted his left hand up to his face, his gauntlet hand.
Starting from his pinky, he slowly closed his fingers individually until it made a fist and then he reeled his arm back.
“Give’em a good old Celtic straight,” Nuada said, the tone of his voice radiating excitement.
As the log spear was about to make contact, João let out a battle grunt as he swung his fist towards the logs spear pointing.
His arm was like the barrel of a gun, firing an explosive point-blank punch of wild green energy.
He didn’t use any special powers or abilities. He just used his fist and pulled with all his might; it was just a tree. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle as a retainer.
But the bandits of Noin couldn’t believe that any man could do what the young army leader had done.
Asking for the number of soldiers they had and then promising to send the same. The first psychological blow.
Having their army on standby and giving the bandits time to prepare. The second psychological blow.
Their leader, racing ahead, showing his horse-riding skills and dodging their attacks effortlessly. The third psychological blow.
Annihilating their Goliath’s thrown attack, the giant log spears by simply punching it as hard as their leader could. The fourth psychological blow.
Some of the bandits started to whine, “It’s over, it's over.” Yav grabbed one of the complainers and slapped his face, violently shaking the man in place.
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“We still have the Goliath’s and everyone else here. All they done is neutralize our long-ranged attacks.”
Yav let go and then gave the command to prepare for close quarters combat. More log spears had slammed into the ground, sending the gravel and rocks flying through the air. Soldiers were hit from the debris, knocking them to the ground.
“We need to neutralize those damn Goliaths,” Nuada said. “Goliaths were always annoying for regular humans to deal with, just ask the Israelites.” Nuada chuckled.
“So we have to deal with them.” João smiled and patted Aenbharr’s mane once more.
“You hear that, girl? Only me and big bro Nuada can deal with those big buffoons. Can you get me there?”
Aenbharr grunted and began to neigh back to João; she had an idea, an idea that surprised João but caused him to smile even wider.
“That sounds like fun!” João stood up, his right hand still holding on to the reins. Aenbharr picked up her pace and narrowed her eyes at the two Goliaths who were throwing their last few log spears.
“I’m ready when you are, girl.”
Aenbharr neighed, as she approached top speed. She lifted her hind legs into the air with force only one of the original mystical animals of creation had.
João was sent rocketing into the air, straight towards one of the hulking Goliaths.
The wind felt amazing as he tore through the air, he opened his gauntlet palm and absorbed the wind into his hand.
“Cìs suas!”
Emerald green ather rippled into and around his hand which he now made into a fist. He had activated his champion’s grace and used one of the three charges this divine will gave him.
He looked like a green comet, shooting through the air… heading straight towards a panicking giant.
The Goliath quickly threw one more log spear with all his might to stop the flying João.
João rotated his body and dodged the log spear, reached out with his leg and was able to disrupt the trajectory of the log spear so that his army was safe.
João screamed a blood curdling scream as his fist smashed into the Goliath's face. A heavy sound echoed throughout the village and into the bandits’ hearts.
“Just how heavy is this guy's fist?” Yav whispered out, watching the smooshed headless body of one of his Goliaths hit the ground.
The other Goliath took one of the log spears and swung with a raged-fueled revenge at João, who had just landed on the ground himself.
He quickly moved his gauntlet into a guard position.
“Sgiath!”
Using another charge of his champion’s grace a green shield was summoned that took the raging attack and stopped it in its tracks.
João didn’t hesitate, he grabbed the log with both hands and instantly swung the giant Goliath into the air away from the village.
The Goliath slammed into the field outside of the village, unresponsive as members of the Machado army pulled up and began to stab the Goliath over and over.
João stood staring defiantly at the bandits who looked at him, they just couldn’t believe what they saw him do.
The fifth psychological blow.
“Which one of you is this bandit group’s boss?” João slammed his gauntlet fist into the palm of his right hand.
“GET HIM YOU DAMN FOOLS!” Yav screamed as he tried to retreat, not knowing where he was going. He just knew that fighting that boy would end horribly for him.
Four “brave” bandits ran with their swords drawn out, they looked positively afraid. João felt a tiny bit sorry for these bandits, only a tiny bit.
He raised his gauntlet towards them and shouted “solas!” His gauntlet erupted into a blinding white light. He activated the charge that was in his crown so blind the enemies in front of him.
He then punched the four blinded bandits out of the way.
He whispered the summoning phase of his Claíomh Solais holding it tightly in his hand. He twirled it so that the beautiful blade of his sword of light was pointed towards the ground.
“BLÀR DEIREANNACH!”
João screamed as he stabbed his godsend into the ground. He stared at the man who tried his best to run from his gaze. But there was nowhere to run.
João pointed his gauntlet index finger at Yav.
“Tu.”
Yav froze as a diamond shaped force field barrier stopped him, it started to pull him back towards João until the two were near arm’s length of each.
The diamond shaped barrier looked like the ropes of a boxing ring. João threw his cloak off and started to shadowbox in his corner of the ring.
The speed of his fist and movements started slow, then ramped up the speed over and over until Yav could barely see João’s jabs.
“You're not going anywhere. As the leaders of our respective armies, it is our battle that will truly determine the fate of this village,” João said as he rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms.
Three of his soldiers took their positions around the sword of light, protecting the Blàr deireannach from being disturbed. His army had entered the village and had begun to push back the remaining bandits.
Yav stood in front of João with his arms on his hips, he sighed and then spat on the ground.
“Bloody fucking hell. Who the hell are you, kid?” he asked as he placed his fist in front of his face, trying his best to hold a battle stance.
“The last living heir of the Machado family.” João jumped on his toes a few times getting himself psyched for the brawl that was about to start. He shuffled forward towards Yav ready to start the brawl.
“João Machado.” João put his fist towards Yav waiting for him to bump fists in respect. Yav couldn’t believe that this was the slave Hughes was looking for. “Lucky me,” he said, bumping João’s fist back.
He wasn’t able to return his fist into a battle stance. João’s jab slammed into his face, causing Yav’s head to snap back. The Jab felt like a straight, it sounded like a bomb going off. That punch felt amazing and João couldn’t help but reminisce on the words of his coach, his grandpa.
“When you're in the zone, your punches are like bombs. Punches that rattle your opponent's ancestors. We built these hurtin’ bombs, Jojo. So when you feel good, when the curse subsizes for the day. That’s when you get wild, that’s when you get tough as hell. Unleash those piledriving punches and know your grandpa is proud of you, Jojo. Proud of these fists that carry the weight of the Machado family lineage. You are the man above men, remember that.”
This is how it felt to truly fight without the curse. Get wild and tough, throw those hurtin’ bombs… and win. João smiled and for a moment his meek disposition disappeared, and the boxer had emerged.
He put all his weight into the next attack and slammed his fist into Yav’s stomach, his head snapped back forward this time. Yav's body was lifted into the air, his feet begging to be back on the ground.
Time felt so slow to Yav as João unleashed a barrage of jabs that decimated Yav’s resolve. Every fist was so heavy to Yav, at one point he thought he died and João’s fist brought him back to life. He was still in the air taking over fifty jabs to his face and body, with a couple of straights being thrown with the jabs.
Yav yearned to be on the ground, he yearned to yell but the beat down he was receiving was too much for him to bear. He began to think how pathetic he truly was, could he even be called a man after everything he has done? He hurt so many people because he was always physically stronger, he was a monster to people who couldn’t protect themselves.
And when a real monster appears the first thing he does is run away. He was forced by some supernatural power to face this boy and he wasn’t even able to throw one punch at him. João stops his barrage of punches and finishes Yav off with a left hook to his face. Using his amazing reflexes João uses his right arm to hold Yav from falling to the ground.
“Pleassee… I yield… I can’t take anymore.” Bloody and bruised, the bandit general started to cry and beg for mercy. “Please, I beg you stop hitting me with those heavy fists!”
“When the people you enslaved asked the same thing, did you grant them that?” João said, this was a question Nuada had told his retainer to ask. Yav couldn’t stand anymore and landed on his knees unable to stop crying.
“N…o…”
“Then why should I?”
Yav stared at the boy… at the man that stood in front of him, whose fists felt so heavy.
“Because…” Yav's voice cracked as he continued to cry. “You are the better man.”
Yav fell to the ground and only thought about how heavy this man’s fist was. Fists so strong, that carried an immense weight, that hurt like hell.
As he stared at João from the ground, he could see the ghostly figures of thousands of men around the boxing ring of the Blàr deireannach. These men all had the same skin color of João, hair color and other features. Yav would never know who these men were, but João knew. The men of the Machado lineage, the ones who had to deal with the curse, were watching over João.
He carried their weight till the very end and was now being rewarded. João pulled the sword of light out of the ground, and as the Blàr deireannach started to fade away he saw the ghostly image of his grandpa near his corner.
All he did was nod and João nodded back.
The Machado army had won, the soldiers let out a battle cry running towards their lord and picking him up into the air. As if he won the championship belt or the world cup for his country.
“¡OLE,OLE,OLE,OLE!”
He took off the green headband and held it in his gauntlet hand as he thrusted his gauntlet into the air for the rest of the army that didn’t fight in the battle to see. The wind blowing the ends of the headband triumphantly.
“¡OLE,OLE,OLE,OLE!”
Nuada felt proud, proud to be the deity of the Celtic legend, Am Fear os cionn fir, The Man Above Men. He disappeared to let his retainer and his people celebrate. João didn’t notice Nuada leaving, nor did he notice or care that a small screen popped out of his bracer at that moment.
You have conquered your first enemy army and land. You have earned 500 CON and currently have 620 CON points altogether. Would you like to spend 500 points to gain a new champion’s grace slot charge?(You can only have a max of fifteen champion graces per Tryfing.)
“¡OLE,OLE,OLE,OLE!”