The sword pierced his chest, Norbert's strike clattering against the armour as he felt the flames course within his body. Swiping again, his opponent's hand came up, grasping onto the blade as it was pushed further in, the hilt of the flaming sword reaching his body. Looking down, he knew his clothes would be ruined entirely once again.
Growling in frustration, Norbert grasped the sword stuck in him, banging his hand down and feeling the vibrations up his body. Now, not needing to concentrate on not healing his hearing, Norbert just let it go full throttle.
Pulling his body out to the side, his ribs breaking as it did so, Norbert came down with his fist against the helmeted person. Feeling it ring out down his arm, Norbert pulled his fist back again, sending another blow to the head.
He felt the metal give way under the force; Norbert pulled back a third time. The sword came in from the side, aiming for his cocked arm. Norbert spun his body, allowing the two swords to meet again.
Hearing the clang resonate as it moved up his arms, Norbert moved his eyes slightly to the side, seeing the other two picking off his last two teammates. Karr pumped everything he could into the fire mage. A geyser of flames was constantly shooting out as the two slowly backed away.
Focusing back on his fight, Norbert's blade slipped as he ducked, letting the opponent's blade go overhead. Going to one hand, Norbert moved his feet out in a spin, sweeping one of the opponent's feet out of the way, causing him to slightly change his balance.
Jumping up like a spinning top, Norbert moved forward, holding the blade towards his body as it grazed against the armour. He moved his body out of the way so as not to hit himself, needing to jump into the air as the opponent's blade came at him.
Coming to the apex, Norbert extended his legs again, feeling the flames on his feet as he looked down at his foe. Standing on the blade, the flame licking at his feet as the two locked eyes. Norbert finds himself getting lost within the sockets once more.
His platform fell as the sword was pulled out from under him. He was slicing down Norbert, hitting the helmet off the head, seeing the half remains of flesh trying to cling onto the skin.
Norbert freaked out momentarily, the flesh looking worse for wear, more degraded and only hanging on in tatters. Norbert felt the flames continue on the sword as the flesh ate away a bit more, falling off the body.
Aiming the sword straight at the skull like a bat, Norbert dropped it as the skeleton's sword came up in time, stopping the blade. Letting it go, Norbert let the weapon spin out, cluttering away. Stepping forward, Norbert wrapped his hands around the head as he dropped his body, taking the two of them down to the ground.
The skeleton cannot hold them up as they tumble to the floor. Norbert moves around his body as he grapples, grabs his arm, and places his legs in an arm lock around the torso.
Leaning backwards, Norbert pulled the arm back as he put pressure on the arm joint, going the wrong way. Norbert pulled back on it, hearing it creak. His opponent still did not tap out but instead reached up his leg for a dagger and pulled one out.
Not wanting to let go, Norbert pulled the arm further down, hearing it crack as it broke under him. A blossom of pain came out of Norbert as he looked down, one of his throwing knives sticking out of his thigh, the blood flowing down as his ability tried to push it out, the skeleton holding the blade in, not allowing it to come out.
The pain subsiding as his ability stopped it from overpowering his mind, twisting his leg out, the blade remaining still as it carved a chunk of his flesh out, Norbert instantly trying to stand up and put weight on it, only to crumple back down onto the skeleton.
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The dagger went into Norbert's ear as he stood there, feeling it poke around. The skeleton shoved him to the side, spinning it around and turning Norbert's brain to jelly as his vision came to darkness. He wondered what happened to his helmet to allow the side of his head to be struck.
***
Opening his eyes, he saw the ceiling far above him as he tried to remember the last thing he was doing. Bolting upright, he remembered the battle, his hand on a dagger, ready to pull it out.
His heart slamming in his chest, he calmed his breathing down, wondering how he had made it to the bed. Feeling the energy within himself, a stream compared to the torrent, Norbert knew he could normally make it when needed. Trying to press it to go faster, nothing was coming to him, the energy having been used up.
He groaned as he stood up, holding onto the bed frame as his head spun from the movement. On the bed beside him, Norbert saw both Karr and the fire mage looking at him.
"Did we make it?" Norbert asked, landing back on the bed. He sat with his legs over the side as he focused on breathing, the splotches of darkness clearing from his vision. Looking down at his body, Norbert looked at his tattered clothes, knowing he would need to have them replaced again.
"Somehow, we did. Or, more precisely, you did." The fire mage spoke to Norbert.
Nodding his head as he wondered what happened, "After fighting the skeleton-"
"Litch", Karr squeaked out to Norbert.
Norbert nodded in thanks before wondering if that was a glitch and if it had the same connotations as he was used to. "The litch, I can't remember anything. The last thing that happened for me after getting stabbed in the side of the face was me waking up here," Norbert stated.
Karr and the fire mage looked at Norbert in amazement. "Simply put, you tore through everyone else like a beast." The fire mage told Norbert.
Sitting in thought, he wondered what had happened. He nodded as he thought back to the training ground, where he had defeated the dirt monster and then walked through the desert for who knows how long until becoming completely catatonic.
"Thanks for being here. Are there any more fights planned for today?" Norbert asked.
The fire mage shook his head. "Not since we have less people left than the organisers expected. Hate to be the organisers needing to re-arrange everything, but we're in a much worse position." The fire mage stated.
Norbert's head no longer spun as he nodded. He stood up, looked at the bed, saw his helmet in the two usual pieces, and picked it up for inspection. Norbert saw the two pieces having minor damage. Placing them together, Norbert sees them still clicking into place, with only a slight warping of the metal on the left side.
Wondering how the pitch would have removed the helmet from his body. Combining and removing the pieces several times, the mechanism or spell it used was still in position, and Norbert clasped it over his head. Breathing in and out, he heard a faint whistling sound from his left ear, where the warp was in the metal.
Breathing out again as he covered it, the sound going away, removing it again, the whistling coming up, hoping it wouldn't get too annoying. Adding onto the next thing to do was repair the helmet. Taking off the back piece as the mask still held onto his face, not seeing a place to put the other side, Norbert combined the two pieces, hearing the whistling sound again.
Turning to his two companions, picking up his sword as he did so, Norbert asked, "Are you two staying here for the night?"
Receiving nods from both in response, Norbert gave a wave as he headed towards the exit. He did not see Vivienne standing there as he walked out, heading up the spiral to exit the colosseum.
As he made it to the top and still saw no sign of the witch, Norbert looked out, seeing a line of Kreevss waiting for him.
Sucking air into his lungs, his helmet whistling once more as he stepped out into the light, feeling the wind blowing on his stomach from the ripped clothes.
Standing straight in front of him was the golden Kreevss, the blinding one from the other day. Norbert grasped his sword blade, not pulling it out, as he shouted, "You're still going to try and get me after seeing what I did?"
"We will never stop until you breathe your last breath. Only then will our honour be returned."
Norbert just looked at the golden creature, raising a single eyebrow at the statement and sighing in annoyance that he wouldn't have an easy way out of there. He only felt the trickle within himself. Cursing for not having anything to replenish his stock, Norbert knew he would need to end this quickly, his usual tactic of delaying as long as possible not seeming to work out.
His final thought was correct as more Kreevss came out to him, filling the streets and rooftops. All eyes trained on him.