The guild leader cursed under his breath as he scrambled to his feet, his eyes locked on the club user. He knew he was in trouble now. He was weaponless, and the club user was closing in on him fast. The crowd was on their feet, screaming and cheering, urging the club user to finish off his opponent. The guild leader braced himself for impact as the club user swung his weapon with all his might. But at the last second, the guild leader ducked and rolled out of the way. The club slammed into the sand, sending up a cloud of dust.

The guild leader scrambled to his feet and took off running, hoping to create some distance between himself and the club user. But the club user was quick, and he caught up to the guild leader in a matter of seconds. The guild leader spun around, ready to face his opponent. But the club user was too fast, and his club slammed into the guild leader’s side once again, knocking him to the ground.

The guild leader groaned in pain as he struggled to get back up. He knew he was running out of options. He needed to come up with a plan, and fast. The club user advanced, and his club held high. The guild leader took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus his mind. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his opening.

He waited until the last second, and then he sprang into action. The club user swung his weapon, but the guild leader ducked and sidestepped. The club missed its mark, and the guild leader seized the opportunity. He grabbed the club user’s arm and twisted it behind his back.

The club user howled in pain as the guild leader wrenched his injured arm further. The crowd fell silent, watching with bated breath as the guild leader held the club user in his grasp. The club user kicked out and the guild leader let out a yell. The club dropped to the sand. The guild user to the opportunity and they started to grapple with each other and fell into the sand.

The crowd tensed watching the fight play out. Each fighter down to just their hands and feet. As they grappled in the sand, the guild leader and club user exchanged blows with their fists and feet. It was a chaotic melee, with neither combatant gaining the upper hand. The guild leader landed a solid punch to the club user's gut, but the club user responded with a swift kick to the guild leader's thigh. They rolled over each other, each trying to gain the upper hand. The guild leader managed to get on top of the club user, pinning him to the ground. He raised his fist to strike. The former club user whipped his leg around slowing the swing.

They continued to trade blows, most missing their targets and only glancing off each other’s bodies. Occasionally a kick was thrown into the mix, but it was hard to wind up the kicks for full power. As they fought they each tried to get back up but were pulled back into the sand by the other. The former club user used his weight to his advantage as he held the guild leader down and kept him there. The guild leader twisted and forced his arms out of locks and holds repeatedly so that he could attack. Many times, he used his arms and elbows to land hits on the club user’s head. The blows didn’t faze the man much as they both fought in the sand pit.

The club user grunted as he pinned the guild leader down again, a smug look on his face. But the guild leader was not one to give up easily. Quick as a flash, the guild leader leaped up and landed a series of rapid punches to the club user's torso, knocking the wind out of him. The club user retaliated with a powerful swing, but the guild leader dodged it and countered with a swift stomp to the side of his opponent's knee. The club wielder yelled out and moved to keep his feet protected. He wobbled as he tried to find stability. The guild leader kicked out again to less success.

The guild leader took this opportunity to try and get on top and above the club wielder. He pushed the other man back down into the sand with both hands and hurried away and up to his feet. The club user grabbed his leg as he tried to stand up and made a throw at his leg. The guild leader grunted. And shook off the man. He stepped back and raised his fists. He breathed heavily and watched the other man slowly get up favoring his right arm. They started to circle each other once more. This time he was the first to charge.

He ducked under the other man’s swing and slammed into the other man with his shoulder. This time his eyes were on something else. The guild leader pushed past the club wielder, putting pressure on the man’s weak arm, and grabbed hold of the club laying in the sand. The club wielder realized his mistake as he brought his arms up to block. Multiple blows came down like a hammer. With a crack, the man’s arms broke from the force. His defense only lasted a few seconds.

The crowd cheered as the loser conceded and stepped away. The guild leader returned the weapon to the club user and retrieved his own fallen weapon. It sparkled for a moment before returning to his inventory. The pair was shuffled away to be checked on by my doctors. In the meantime, the music resumed, and the different tables resumed eating and drinking.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“That was impressive!” said Eric. “The Golden Dove’s guild leader came so close to losing and the fist-on-fist fighting was brutal. I also am very happy that I bet correctly for this fight.”

“It was a cool fight, but you don’t need to brag about your winnings. Some of us aren’t as lucky as you,” said Kai.

“Only you bet against me, however,” said Eric. “All I can say is ‘unlucky you’. Better luck next time.” He started passing out winnings from the bets and left out Kai.

“Are there any more fights tonight?” asked Alex.

“There isn’t,” said Rich. “You are free to sign up for sparring in the pit tonight but why don’t you do that another time? Throughout the day this place will be a training center and in the evenings it will be this.” He waved his hands around. “A place for music, partying, and food. Speaking of which. Do you want anything else to eat?”

Taylor nodded eagerly. “Yes, please! I could go for some of those chicken skewers. They looked amazing.”

“Me too,” added Kai. “And maybe some of those fried dumplings.”

“Alright, I’ll go grab us some more food,” said Rich, getting up from the table. “Just keep an eye on your drinks. People can get pretty rowdy in here sometimes.”

As Rich walked away, Eric leaned in toward Alex and Kai. “Hey guys, have you tried using your powers around here? On Earth I mean.”

“No. Not really,” said Kai. “I haven’t found it useful, and it makes me more exhausted to use my mana.”

“That was then but this is now. Today the connection between the Tower and Earth got upgraded. So, to speak. We have also leveled up a bit recently. If you noticed with the fights they were throwing faster and harder punches. Consider how well we’ve been able to see the fights at this distance. Your abilities should be much closer to what they are in the Tower now. Try it.”

“Why not. Let’s see what happens,” said Taylor. She turned back to the table and focused on the potted plant in the center. She put her hand over the top of the flowers. She focused on her magic and manipulating the plant. The mana poured out of her after spinning the spell in her fingers. The flowers on the plant began to twist slowly at first before quickly snapping to look at her.

“Wow. It is so much snappier than before. During the fight in front of the beacon, my mana felt like a sludge being let out. But now it is certainly better. It is not perfect but improved.”

“Let me try.” Kai put his hand out to the plant and focused on his water magic. A second later a small spout of water erupted from his fingers and started to water the plant. He let the spell run for a few seconds before ending it. “Feels pretty good.”

Alex watched in amazement as Kai’s water magic flowed effortlessly from his fingers. “That’s impressive,” he said.

Eric nodded in agreement. “Yeah, the upgrade made a difference. It’s like we’re able to tap into a higher level of magic here on Earth. I wonder what else we can do.”

“We? What about you?” asked Kai. “We haven’t seen you do anything with your abilities. What can you do now that you couldn’t do before?”

“What do you want to see? I don’t have anything very fancy or visual for you to watch. I’m not a mage after all.”

“I don’t know. What can you show us?” asked Kai.

“I think I have something you can watch. It isn’t as nice as spinning flowers,” said Eric. “Can I borrow one of your new daggers, Alex?”

“Sure.” He summoned one of his daggers and handed it over.

Eric took hold of it in one hand and then quickly cut a thin line over his fingers. He handed the dagger back to Alex and held his hand over a napkin while the blood dripped form his hand. Eric washed it with water a few times over the next few minutes so that everyone could see the wound. Rich returned as well with the food, and they ate some more while watching Eric’s hand. The wound started to seal. Slowly at first but it sped up over time. Each time he washed his fingers of the blood every minute or so the size of the wound had shrunk by a variable amount. Soon the wounds had become pin pricks before disappearing altogether.

Rich was impressed with the skills displayed by their friend. "That was pretty amazing," he said. "I recognize some of the underlying skills you were using. I have some of them myself, which is why I became a fighter. I can't wait to be able to become bulletproof here on Earth like all the superheroes in the movies."

Eric chimed in, "I can't wait to see it as well. Maybe you should have chosen a fighter like me," he said, eyeing the others.

Taylor disagreed. "No thanks. I prefer having my spells and plants to play with. Besides, I don't want to become all muscley and roided out like you," she teased.

Rich turned to Alex, "Aren't you supposed to be a mage as well, despite never casting anything?"

Alex was quick to defend himself. "I've cast my magic. It just doesn't do much, so I've stuck with my daggers."

Eric challenged him, "Well, let's see this magic that 'doesn't do much'."

Excitedly, Taylor added, "Yeah, show us what you got!"

Rolling his eyes, Alex responded, "Ok, ok. You will see my 'magic'."

He put his hand out in front of the table, his fingers splayed. Alex focused on his mana. He could feel it slowly reaching out from his core and out his arm toward his fingers. Static sparks bounced between his fingers. Around him the lights dimmed, and the music distorted. The lightning bounced between his fingers faster and faster. Alex’s eyes widened in surprise. He moved his fingers and hands around and the lighting kept bouncing from place to place. He still felt the familiar feeling of nauseousness before his magic came to a stop.