Down a set of spiral stairs, through halls and past doorways they reached the Secret Arena.

A tall Warehouse carved into the massive growth of the titanic tree above them. They entered into the Dark, hollowed hall, until lights bloomed from all corners. White and Yellow light cascaded down in beams and lit up the Arena.

An arena twice the length of an Olympic swimming pool and the width of one carved out of the wood and replaced with hard packed dirt, its boundaries marked with white chalk-like material. Two boxes marked the area upon which the trainer should stand at opposite ends. As Myron and Davosh both stepped into their area, they rose, one step at a time to stand above the rest on the raised dais of wooden steps.

Syl, Dakini, and Merym came up with him and stood just behind him.

Myron stared at the brick wall of a man. “I would like to keep Syl, my only Second Tier Aimon and one trained previously by another trainer, out of this challenge. Let this battle be a two-on-two.” He called and his voice echoed in the enclosed area loud and clear.

“I can agree to that, nay, I think I would have suggested it myself. There would simply be no way for a Fight between Second Tier Aimon to take place, as I have none. It’s either Yellow or Red Tier for me.”

Myron had to wonder what the man expected from him in shit fight. This was a test so the challenge presented would have to be kept at a level that Myron could react to it. Yet would that truly be the case?

Davosh could become a storm that rushes through everything he can think up, blowing past it all, just as easily as he can become a wall through which Myron can’t advance. How would that test anything but his ingenuity? An important skill to have, but still, not what got the Guild Master riled up in the first place.

“This Challenge is a Test, so I will try to adjust my Level appropriately to you. I know you have already had some live combat experience, but seeing as how you just unlocked your Class, and how you are not even Level 10 yet, and thus without a Tier of your own. I will not use any of My skills, either at you or at your Aimon, or at My own Aimon. I will also issue orders verbally to my team.”

Myron gave Davosh a thumb’s up. ‘That’s clarifies things.’

Myron sent his ideas through the bond, preparing both Dakini and Mery for the fight ahead

From behind Davosh, a massive door that seamlessly fit into the walls of the underground, or underwood, arena opened up and two Aimon stepped through it. One a being of feathers and fire, with a beak and large eyes that shone a sky blue, hair of burnt coal locked in dreads to her shoulders, and talons instead of toes and fingers. She hopped and skipped across the wood, her glinting claws digging into the wood as if it didn’t exist. The Plumage on her chest burned bright in the shape of a Heart. Her feathered wings beat along with her steps before folding behind her back, shining with a magenta luster and morphing into two large eyes to peer back at all those that stared at her.

The other was different a kind of monster all together. Tall and lanky, she cradled a pair of massive breasts covered my vines for hair, with arms that fully wrapped around her body fusing into the bark that was her back. Above her head branches full of leaves and budding seeds stretched out, her three eyes remained closed and her roots moved over the tree like rough tentacles, pushing her ever forward like the legs of a centipede, starting as they were from the bottom of the hips and opening up into a thousand offshoots.

There was the Storm, and there was the Wall. Myron remained calm and steady, his skill draining the heat of his anxiety in the depths of a cool pool of water.

“This battle is a two-on-two, Aimon can switch at the behest of a trainer only once. Guild Master Davosh shall choose his Aimon first, allowing the challenged trainer this one advantage. The battle shall not end when the shields of the Aimon run out, but instead when I intervene. Do not worry, Myron. I am capable of Healing any and all injuries at this Level.” She had noticed his affronted look and reassured him. Myron decided to take that promise at face value. He didn’t really have much choice in the matter. He may have been the one challenged into the duel, but that didn’t mean he had any right to dictate how it would play out, outside of the battle itself.

Davosh grabbed at his manly beard and nodded.

“Ferni, you go first, show them hell.”

Myron had to think hard on this. Ferni was some type of Fire type, that much was clear. She looked absolutely powerful. There was no two ways to go about it, the standards and resources of an established trainer and a Guild Master ought to be comparable with the Duke and the Emperor themselves. Mery had the Water Type advantage, but he couldn’t believe for a second that it would matter as much as he hoped. The problem to this match-up, is Flight. Myron took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Dakini. You’re up.” He said to her and placated Mery with a caress of her wild mane of ginger. He whispered to the Kitsune as she jumped down from the Dais, leaning over the wooden railing that had similarly been pulled from the ground. “Stall, stay away, confuse, get a read on her. Last long, and do as much damage as you can. Crunch is an amazing weapon, but remember that you’re dealing with fire here. You can’t just bit into her carelessly or you’ll be burned from the inside out. For now, let us gather information.”

It was true and tested tactic, to stall out an opponent, to get the other Trainer to make changes, to force their hand and to react accordingly. He wondered how well Dakini would pull it off, and if it would matter in the end.

“Davosh chooses Ferny, the Valiaetos.”

“Myron chooses Dakini, the Kitsune.” Marissa declared.

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The two Aimon stepped into a little circle marked out for them; just a few meters in the arena and waited. Marissa threw a majestic glowing ball into the air and it tumbled down through the air, like a balloon or a feather. “The moment this explodes the battle begins.” She called out and then watched it begin to plummet.

{POP!}

Ferni exploded forth with a great shove of her legs, the ground behind her tore up in flames, and Dakini did the same, down on all fours. They galloped forth until Ferni unfolded her wings and flapped them once, fire shot her up, and then it grew wildly from her beak. She folded her wings, and torpedoed straight at Dakini.

“Astonish!” Myron shouted and at the last moment a dark purple energy crashed into the flaming projectile that was Ferni, she veered to the right, punched mentally by the energy, and Dakini did the rest with a swerve.

“Shake it off. Turn back around.” Ordered and his will became fact. As Ferni snapped around, in two hard turns. She exploded forth towards her target, Dakini’s whole body turning smaller, dodging the attack once more, before Ferni snapped back again, with increasing speed. Her form became blurry, squeezed down by her speed, a blur of fire cutting through the air. “That’s the way, Slam into her!” Davosh nodded with a smile.

“Take flight!” Myron said and Dakini morphed wings and pushed. Only to let take her own wings away and fall back to the ground. Ferni, having corrected her course because of Myron’s order missed by a mile. That is what seemed to be the case when she spun and stopped in place, and exploded in flames. Dakini was pushed into the dirt by the explosion, she covered herself with her tails which burned up.

Floating in the sky, Ferni cawed loudly. “Flamethrower!” Davosh ordered. “Full power.” He continued and Ferni gathered her breath.

“Terrorizing Howl.” Myron called and the air reverberated with the great beastly sound. The ball of searing hot flames in Ferni’s beak pulsed and a beam of it seared the distance to Dakini. Wider, slower than it should have been.

Dakini knew to dodge without being told. “Shoot Quills!” Thus Dakini rolled out of trouble, following it with a jump, and sat below Ferni. Her back transformed into a mesh of black quills which exploded outwards.

Ferni shut her beak and stopped the attack, dodging out as the attack pushed up at her.

“Dive Down, Eagle Punch.” Davosh called out and Ferni was quick to rush Dakini.

“Haha! Go!” Myron punched in excitement and the illusion broke as a pair of sharp claws as large as knives cut into Ferni stopped her in her tracks. Dakini rolled and her tails came back around imbued with Dark Aether, and they slammed into Ferni as they Morphed into a great big Hammer and slammed her to the ground.

Dust rose up from the impact and Dakini pushed her advantage, “[Astonish]!” Myron ordered and Dakini who was preparing a [Crunch] faltered as she changed her moves on the spot. The Aether for [Crunch] dissipating and her transforming mouth returning quickly to normal.

“DODGE!” Myron aborted seeing that, but Dakini was too slow now. “[Blistering Tornado]” He ordered and Dakini was blasted back as a hot gust of wind picked up and cut into her, enveloping her till her lungs burned from her breaths even as the Hurricane pushed Dakini further and further away, it grew to eat up that distance and cause as much pain as possible.

“[Body Morph].” Myron said trying to remain calm and enjoying the benefits of his Skills. The Dust that had risen from the massive attack refused to settle and thus the two of them caught a break.

Ferni took to the skies, bursting out of the dust and scanning from above, but Dakini would not let herself be found so easily. “Flamethrower.” Davosh ordered and a wide pillar of fire smacked the earth and took all the dust out of the way as she passed it over the entire Arena.

“[Crunch]!” Myron called out right as Dakini’s maw appeared right bellow Ferni’s feet and she snapped her jaws shut. She broke bone and imbued Ferni with Dark Type Aether before snapping her neck and sending her tumbling through the sky.

“[Extreme Maneuver]” Davosh seemed absolutely unbothered when Dakini tried to chase after the plummeting who righted herself in pulse of Wind Aether. “Combo.” He ordered to make sure that Myron didn’t know how to react and Ferni flashed forth.

“Latch on!” Myron grit his teeth and made a bet.

Ferni’s wings shone white and cut into Dakini who grabbed and plunged all manner of eldritch appendages into her body. [Energy Drain] begun and Ferni’s grunted in mounting pain as her veins pulsed. She spun and stopped, and exploded forth again, in an effort to get the Fox out of her feathers and where she could smack her silly, but it was to no avail.

Until Davosh’ calmness washed over her and she remembered. “Flame Charge.” He said and Dakini let go, as Ferni clad herself in a shell of flames. “Rush to the Ground!” Myron ordered and she did as asked. He sent another order as she was falling, with Ferni hot on her heals. Dakini wondered if it would work, but Myron believed it would and so she acted. Turned around and Morphed herself into a little puppy with big eyes ready to burst into tears. She whimpered and cried and cast [Dreamy Gaze].

She felt the power sent to her eyes grow bigger than ever before and consume her entire body. She radiated a fear so great, and a weakness so deep, and the tentacles of Fairy Type Aether grabbed onto Ferni and took over her senses.

Dakini cried out. [Terrorizing Howl] and sent Ferni into a spiral of confusion, the Illusion breaking but having been caught in a moment of vulnerability she faltered, her shell shattered and her speed lessened. Then she yipped and a pulse of [Astonish] slammed into her. Sending her spinning. [Crunch] She opened her mouth and swallowed half of the Valiaetos, breaking her bodies and sending devastating pain coursing through her entire nervous system.

Davosh shook his head. “Not enough.” He said and his voice reached Ferni even through her shrieking cries. “Furious Wind, bring her down.” He said and Dakini flew off Ferni, tearing her flesh apart in the process and was shoved into the ground, a big crater formed around her as all breath was taken from her body in the impact. “Drill Peck.” Davosh did not relent and Ferni was expecting it. She dove straight into Dakini, piercing her stomach with a devastating Ability, the wind howled and her body spun, her peak encapsulated in dense, drilling air.

Blood splattered everywhere and Myron raised his hand. “I substitute Dakini! Mery, your turn.” Myron pulled the Plug. While not the most optimal of results, Myron would be content if Mery could now finish of Ferni even if they lost. They had gathered information and even done a bit of damage.

Aether: 11/29

Shield: 20/52

Dakini’s Aether and Shield, the first of which had fallen to pretty dangerous levels would even had the time to recover. Myron would even be able to aid in that recovery as he still had a full pull of 38 Aether ready to share with his two battlers. He hoped though, that Mery would be able to get herself that double-U without needed much of his refills. Despite that he saw her fighting spirit.

“Mery, prepare yourself for a savage battle. We’re going to take hits, no doubt about that.”

Myron said and she nodded, he stilled himself as well. In the future, when his body had even more tenacity and might, he might try to find a way to take damage for his Aimon, though he currently had no idea of how he would go about that.

“Dakini, thank you so much for your efforts. You have proven invaluable. Do not worry about this fight any longer. Sit down, don’t even look, and rest. The Battle isn’t over yet.” He hugged her and hugged her some more. She nodded, concentrated, and plopped down on a bed of tails. Her eyes closed, her breaths calming, her hands over her belly.