Days failed to blur together as the coliseum was doing magic to keep the populace entertained and wonders for making money flow like a river. The quarter-finals went in a flash due to a cheater and the semi-finals of the 21-25 tournament bracket had drawn close, like a dagger held to the chest. Logan had experienced so many more confrontations with other people, adding to his experience, and drawing on it, with his hunter work.
With so many applicants this year, probably due to the resurgence of adventurers wanting to protect their loved ones from the Ice King, the tournament was going on a bit longer than usual. It was already the 11th of the first month, with the 21-25 finals likely to end on the 12th.
There were a few additional matches in the brackets, causing some entrants to have 1 more fight than was necessary, but it was to be expected with the quick announcement of the tournament this year. Logan calculated there were just over four thousand adventurers for his bracket, give or take for those issues.
There was also praise gifted to the System for not enforcing any further quests on Logan while he was engaging in the tournament.
The tournament offered such “easy” experience when compared to the outside world. One-on-one matches of similar level sans the risk of permanent death. Logan could also go all-out against his opponents, with only a concession paid to mental fatigue towards the end of fights.
“We’re into the semi-finals of the 21st through 25th ranks now, folks”, Rebrin started to narrate, “A contender for the champion slot approaches on both ends of the arena.”
“The fan favourite, Logan Hall, the Guildmaster of Vip, and a Dungeon Eradicator. Versus Garentaeous, the Gallant Wall of Iron”, Strolbem continued.
“A rank 21 versus a rank 25. Beginning versus end. This will be a conflict of concise power against heightened power”, Bref explained, as they were unaware of Logan’s level-up.
“You also have to consider, this is a caster fighting a Knight. Knights have many skills to interrupt casting, isn’t that right?” Rebrin asked.
“That they do. Some Knights have even shown expertise in that area during this year’s tournament”, Strolbem answered.
“Who’s your money on?” Rebrin asked as he turned to his other commentators in the booth high up the stands.
“That is hard to say, both have their strengths”, Strolbem admitted.
“Logan”, Bref replied, matter-of-factly.
The roar of the crowd was like that of a living tide, a beastly roar from one end to the other. The air buzzed with anticipation from the crowd and the combatants, the colder matches of rain and hail replaced with a clear sky overhead that shimmered across the sweat on Logan’s brow.
Logan’s form was defiant against the naysayers and seemingly small frame when compared to his opponent. Across the sandstone arena floors was a hulking mass of steel full-plate armour, gripping onto a shortsword and tower shield. Logan was almost blinded by the reflecting light off the pristine wall of iron ahead of him.
As the armour reflected the light, so did the cheers reflect the crowd's expectations for the following match. Garentaeous was a beacon of hope and pride, there was little surprise that his eyes never failed to keep a lock on Logan’s.
A hush fell over the coliseum as Rebrin started to wrap up his announcements, with a hand raised he shouted, “Let the match begin!” chopping his hand down as if to start a race.
The confrontation began with a roar louder than that of the crowd and even the storms up high previously. Logan felt a wave of anger envelope his body, twinges in his skin and forehead sent him into a riot as Garentaeous used the Come Forth skill.
Logan would have felt fear if it weren’t for the overwhelming sensation of brutal fury that took hold. Come Forth forced him to fight the user and to abandon many retreating tactics, he couldn’t teleport away from his foe while it was active.
The Spellthief warped into his centre and blasted into being in front of the Knight, in mid-air with twin daggers drawn. The frozen lord edge and Amalia’s blade clashed with Garentaeous’s shield with a loud scratch and low-toned thud of metal.
Spellforce rushed through Logan’s veins and into his arms and legs, pushing off the shield he twirled in the air and chanted, “Air Blast”, shooting a jet of air from the sole of his foot to push his attack harder into the defensive stance of his foe.
Rebounding off the shield, the crowd could only wonder what Garentaeous’s plan was to allow such an assault to continue. Logan threw Amalia’s blade into his coat and let fly a lance of fire, the spell meeting the shield with a deafening crack. The power of the incantation sent a shockwave through the arena, threatening to blow the viewers off their seats if not for the barrier of the arena's extent.
The crowd roared again, their chants rolling over the brick walls. Garentaeous, unharmed by the blaze, flourished his shield to the side to fetter the fires away into the air. Swinging an underhanded sword slash, Garentaeous cut a blur of steel into the air, the energy beam soaring for Logan who was still mid-air from his magical attack.
As if catching a fastball, Logan held up his free hand and chanted, “Barrier”, causing the scythe of power to get blocked by sapphire hexagons. The tail ends of the slice from Garentaeous carried onwards and upwards to the arena’s skyward barrier, halting against that final defence.
Garentaeous sliced three more times, sending a trio of lined disasters towards Logan, but the Spellthief simply teleported and appeared hunched down in front of the Knight. Letting fly ice, flame, lightning, and darkness, Logan barraged Garentaeous with a horrendous display of elemental magic.
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The multi-coloured display quickly changed to a blazing fury, a torrent of fire unleashed onto the Knight’s shield as if a dragon’s breath engulfed him. Logan caused Garentaeous’s armour to turn red-hot, the heat warping the air around the Knight as it crackled from a quick change in temperature from a wintery chill.
At the edge of his fires, Logan made a solid fist and pounded harshly into the shield, the reverberating thud was louder and almost vibrated the air. Another jab, and another, Logan punched into the shield countless times as it continued to bend inward. Blood started to flow from Logan’s knuckles as he battered steel with leather and flesh.
Jumping into a grapple atop the edges of the shield, Logan reared back his leg for a massive knee into the metal. Garentaeous stared into Logan’s eyes as the two met face to face, and just before Logan’s knee impacted the steel, his body vortexed into its centre.
Appearing behind the Knight, Logan chanted, “Haste”, his body increasing its speed as he threw hands like a kid angry at a wall, “Lightning Grasp”, Logan incanted, over and over. Each flat palm slap into Garentaeous’s back brought with it a horrendous burst of electricity.
The Knight’s body moved only slightly as it was coated in red, his skills protecting him just as well as his physical shield.
Logan’s rage started to subside, allowing him to jump back and recalculate his strategy against Garentaeous. Flicking out three potions, Logan downed them just before Garentaeous warped in front of the Spellthief.
Bashing Logan’s face into his shield, Garentaeous let off a disastrous vibration in the air that held tightly on Logan’s head, his teeth beginning to chatter. This was a new tactic, instead of bashing the shield to activate it, Garentaeous bashed Logan’s head into the shield to use the Chatter skill.
Logan faltered back, his vision blurry from the concussion. “Identify”, he commanded in his head to open his vaskt eyes, their sight helping to steady his vision.
Garentaeous followed after his prey, dropping his damaged shield and summoning another from his wrist. A wide swing of his sword narrowly missed Logan as the Spellthief’s speed allowed him better chances at evasion.
The Knight became a storm of steel, he hacked and slashed at Logan without pause. His shield was a wall of protection that little could break through, his sword a sharp and quick end. Each strike was a testament to his training and his hardened will. Logan had to wait out the Chatter timer if he wanted to cast his spells without failure.
As the battle raged on, the coliseum grounds became a theatre of chaos. The chaotic blasts of magic combined with the precise swipes of steel. Two men in their prime were showing just what a classed being could do if they trained.
Logan blasted into the air abruptly, causing Garentaeous to stagger somewhat. The Spellthief then used his new combo of ice and fire to coat himself in an aura of mist before shooting both water and fire at his foe to create an area of fog.
As Logan began to slowly fall to his prey his fall was sped up by a tornado centred on Garentaeous. The Knight was sucking in the air like a ruptured hole in a spaceship, the white vapour disappearing in seconds. Most likely a skill to remove poison from the air for his allies, the Knight had removed the vision blocks that Logan had set up.
The mist was then sent packing back to its creator, condensed into an icy spear from Garentaeous’s maw. Logan cut it apart with his artefact blade as his downward momentum was halted.
Garentaeous threw his shield to the side and had it fly around like a frisby, landing and staying still at Logan’s back to create a makeshift wall. At the same time, Garentaeous leapt at his foe while forming another shield and using General’s Charge to create a massive yellow visage of a lion over his body.
Logan teleported away again before he could get crushed between two bulwarks of metal, the resulting crash erupting a painful sound that caused many viewers to hold their ears in pain.
As the Spellthief formed more magic in both hands, putting his dagger back into his coat, he saw Garentaeous turn around on his shield and kick off of it. Deciding to not stick around to find out, Logan teleported again to the far end of the arena.
It was a good decision as when Garentaeous hit the floor beneath he caused a massive eruption in the sandstone. The collision was earth-shattering, the floor becoming a trap of spikes as the entire arena began to jump upwards in a wave. Stalagmites reached up to the upper ends of the barrier all the way to the far walls.
Logan blasted upwards and awkwardly twisted his body. Stabbing a newly-formed frozen lord edge into a spike with one hand, leaning his elbow on another, and resting one knee on a spike while the last haphazardly stood on a final spike.
“What kind of attack was that!” Logan cursed in his head, only just avoiding another impalement.
The terrain stayed as it was, unmoving and sturdy. Garentaeous stood tall at the opposite end of the destroyed coliseum. The man was not just a wall of iron, but a hammer that matched godly power. Cheers from the crowd certainly paid devotion to the Knight, their words only halted as Garentaeous rose his sword.
“Logan. You’re one of few to avoid that attack. Even in these arena grounds where it is harder to do so, you’re one of two. I commend your magic and your combat sense”, Garentaeous praised with a shout.
With his teeth stopping their chattering Logan replied, “Glad you recognise I’m not like other casters”, Logan teased as he held on tight to his spikey platforms.
Garentaeous chuckled, “I know a man’s merit more than their birth. Whatever was given to you as clay you’ve moulded into an amazing statue to your prowess.”
“You’re not bad yourself. Never seen this skill before.”
Garentaeous stabbed his blade into the smoother sandstone near him, “Now we’ve appreciated each other’s worth. I want to pay it further. A wager I would extend.”
“Oh yeah? I’m all ears.”
“If you win, I will join your guild. I’ve heard a bit about it from the commentators, but seeing you in action, I believe you’d be a good leader in combat.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, “I’d be happy to accept you.”
“Good. If I win, though, I will take that artefact blade off your hands”, Garentaeous asked with an outstretched hand.
Logan looked at the frozen lord edge in his hand for a moment as he dug it out of the spike, “Can I interest you in something else?”
Garentaeous retracted his hand, his changing features hidden behind a helmet, “I thought as much. You are quite a quirky caster”, the Knight rotated his arms as if to stretch out from a workout session, “How about those eyes of yours. Grant me the same”, Garentaeous compromised as he pointed to the eye slits of his helm.
Logan twirled his icy dagger in his hand as he thought, “Deal.”
The Knight dug his sword from the ground and went back into a readied stance with a new shield in the other. Logan readied himself atop the spikes.
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