As both contestants reached the starting position, a nervous tension hung in the air around the basin. Members of the Tribe were realizing one by one that if they lost this match, the Clangang would be over, and after the previous fight, not many had high hopes as they looked down at the lakebed below.
Some, seeing the nervous-looking young man that had stumbled his way forward, tried to convince themselves and others that it would be different this time… That Tirr really had run out of strong members, but their words sounded hollow even to their own ears and were tinged with desperation.
Standing among those of Clan Krawl, Rev’s face was twisted in fury and disgust. Those around him didn’t dare speak, not wanting to be the next victim of their Chief’s anger, having just watched him chase out a messenger from Waythe who brought word the outsiders were offering to heal the wounded warrior.
Rev hadn’t even thought twice before he sent the man away while waving his spear. Having been forced to watch one of his own warriors lose in such a pathetic fashion, the man was lucky Rev hadn’t slit his throat and left him out for the beasts the moment he was dragged back…
In fact, he probably would have done just that, but the warrior’s friends and family had begged him to spare the man’s life. Thinking about it made Rev’s frown a little deeper. Now here they were, stuck relying on Jacta and Havo while the outsiders were only one fight from winning. He unconsciously let out a stream of curses, causing those around him to inch slightly further back…
Well, there were always other options, Rev thought to himself. He’d let the last two fights play out… But no matter what happened, he had no intention of letting accepting these outsiders.
On another side of the basin, Fari, seeing the two fighters in position, quickly called out to them. She confirmed they were ready before announcing the start of the match. Immediately both fighters started forward… And then halted…
The Jacta warrior had taken a few steps forward before coming to a dead stop. He hesitated for a few moments, leaving the crowd to guess at what he was thinking about… Though, some were sure it was whether taking the punishment for surrendering without fighting would be better than whatever he was about to face…
On the other side of the lakebed, Sai had stopped as well. Or, more accuracy, he’d been forced to stop after tripping over an exposed root only moments after setting off. The fall had sent him rolling across the lakebed’s harsh floor. And he was still sitting there, holding up a bloody elbow while wincing in pain.
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The young man examined his scrape with an almost ridiculous worry, considering he was supposed to be heading into a dangerous fight. He raised his other hand to touch the wound gently but froze as he felt a heavy killing intent boiling behind him.
He turned slowly, only to see Tirr some distance away on the basin's rim. The child god was smiling down at him, the thin curve of his lips doing absolutely nothing to hide the raw insanity that was building in the child’s eyes. He stared down Sai, his eyes refusing to blink as he slowly tilted his head questioningly.
Sai could already hear the scolding that was building in the young god’s mind, having spent a week under his grueling training alongside Doron. Before the crowd could blink, he had risen to his feet, brushing himself off awkwardly while making a show of the fact he was fine…
Yet the act just made him look more ridiculous as he finished and started running again, only to trip once more… He stood up again almost immediately, His face bright red as he set off again, this time slower and keeping his eyes on the ground in front of him.
As for the Jacta warrior, he hadn’t even moved since he had first stopped. He eventually realized what it must look like for him to just stand there and started half-heartedly moving forward, but in a strange zigzag pattern that seemed to move forward very little compared to the time he spent.
It was as the warrior was still weaving back and forth like this, his hesitancy still showing on his face that he saw the jogging Sai crest a small hill. The warrior panicked sending a stone flying towards the incoming swordsman while pulling the spear from his back.
He planned to back away, thinking that the small missile attack would be a momentary distraction at best, and was surprised when the stone connected with the young man’s head. The young swordsman was blown backward, his head snapping back unnaturally before falling to the ground…
The warrior stopped, looking at the fallen fighter in shock… Something that was echoed around the basin among the watching crowd. Tirr turned, still smiling, to Doron who sat next to him… The old soldier turned away uncomfortably, unable to bear the young gods stare….
On the lakebed the Jacta warrior was only awakened from his daze when the young blade master started to slowly move, groaning as he rubbed his head and tried to crawl to his feet. The warrior wished he had put more strength into the blow but quickly decided that this was a good opening. He ran forward, activating his shard as more stones mixed with the earthen spears to aim at the still rising young man.
Sai, only just having realized what was happening, soon found himself under a deadly barrage. He had been paying so much attention to his feet that he hadn’t even seen the other man until he had already been knocked off his feet… Now as the warrior ran at him and the ground around him did its best to finish the job, Sai was forced to scramble away rolling along the sand and stone as he desperately tried to evade.
The Jacta warrior having closed in sent another wave of attacks before going in for the last blow himself, wanting to finish the fight before the young man could recover. He appeared right in front of where Sai had dodged, his spear already stabbing forward. The crowd around the basin held their breath, wild elation rising as they readied to let out a cheer…
Then the Jacta warrior slumped to the ground and lay there as the young man panted and slowly stood…