*Thoughts**
~Sound effects~
+”Whispers”+
+++++
Chapter 41: Underground Fight
K+”What the fuck are you doing here!?”+ Kyle shouted while using the whisper function
N+”No, what the fuck are you doing here?! You fought yesterday!, today is my turn!”+
K+”The old guy at the entrance tricked me and I was too tired to argue with him from the fight I had before.”
N+”So what now, do we fight against each other?”+
K+”No I don`t want to, this fighting ring is fucked up!”+ Kyle said with anger
N+”I know what you mean, while fighting I saw roasted enemies who were still quite lively, I don`t know how this is possible, but it crept me out and after defeat everyone just vanished into thin air!”+
“NOW FIGHT!” The announcer shouted but none of those two listened to him
*Wait, he said that they just disappeared, this has to mean that the fights weren’t to the death* Kyle thought before he
K+”You don`t know anything”+ Kyle said in a knowing voice while thinking *At least we won´t fight to the death* and then he came to understand what Neuron meant so he continued while being astonished: +”Don`t tell me you haven´t asked anybody about the mechanics of the fights?!”+
N+”No, I just wanted to fight a bit”
*Sigh, this is Neuron, not a care in the world* Kyle thought while shaking his head and then he said+”Each hit in this arena just reduces your Hp by a set amount while DPS is negated but you still can get broken bones.”+
N+”Why make it so strange?”+
K+”They apparently wanted to make it fair, but I believe they only wanted to draw out the fights and make them as bloody as possible”+
N+”hey Kyle what’s their problem?”+ Neuron asked while he pointed towards the Spectators who seemed to have a fit while a really loud voice shouted:”FIGHT ALREADY DAMNIT”
“SHUT THE FUUUCK UP!”
Kyle shouted back making everyone do what he told them to
K+”So what do we do now, they seem ready to lynch us if we don`t fight”+
N+”Well if we refuse to fight each other for real so we just have pretend but I don`t know how”+
K+”you are able to throw your weapons while causing only scratches to your enemy, so let’s just do that”+
N+”Yes, each hit counts after all!”+ Neuron said finally understanding why that little scratch he received could reduce his Hp by 5%.
K+”Don`t talk, throw something for starters then I will move around seemingly to dodge everything but you will just miss!”+
N+”Alright” Neuron said while he began fumbling with his belt and then he threw a shuriken at Kyle who just crazed his skin, then a system message appeared.
* You have been hit!
Due to the special magic working here you lose 5% Hp
As soon as it appeared Kyle put some distance between himself and Neuron while moving around to make the audience believe that he is able to dodge everything which Neuron hurled at him.
*Wow, he is good; despite me moving around so erratically he always misses by a hairs breath, how good is his aim?!* Kyle thought astonished
K+”Alright, I lose 5% Hp with each hit, so now hit me with everything you got till I reach 20% while I will try to attack you but you simply stay out of range!”
N+”You Evaded everything I threw at you” Neuron said while emphasizing evading “so the audience won`t believe if I suddenly manage hit you. So why don´t I just hit you with a healing arrow in the leg, you drop down and just can´t move anymore and then I finish it?”+
K+”Why does it have to be me, why can´t it be you?”+
N+”Because then it would look even more fabricated, since I am a speed type”+
K+”hey, I am a speed type too now!”+
N+”Yes, but, oh well let’s get over with it, the audience is smelling something”+ Neuron said and indeed the people looking began voicing complaints since everything the fighters did till now was one throwing stuff and the other evading it.
*Why does it always have to be me who gets to be hurt, even within the dungeon of that forgotten archer I had to trigger all those damn traps, hmm we should fight against the skeleton sometime soon I want to know if we improved from our last match.* Kyle thought while going off topic and then he steered clear: *Hey wait a little, Neuron is a range type fighter who can also move fast so how will I be able to get close to him without it looking to easy, everyone knows that he is good at throwing stuff,….. damn, this is going to hurt like hell* Kyle thought finally acknowledging Neurons idea and then he said: +”Alright, I will just charge towards you, be sure to evade, and make sure that you defeat me quickly after you shot my foot, I hate pain!” *I already got my fair share yesterday* after he finished talking Kyle charged straight towards Neuron who jumped over him to evade at the last second
*Holy crap is he fast!* Neuron thought after he witnessed Kyle’s speed firsthand, and then he landed on the ground the bow already in his left hand and the other one at the quiver to pull out a healing arrow, at the same time Neuron was jumping over his opponent Kyle put on the breaks and turned around to charge towards Neuron again as soon as he landed.
*Neuron sure is agile within the air* Kyle thought because Neuron just jumped up again performing a somersault and using the time to nock the arrow on the string, but this made Kyle competitive and so he thought: *would I be able to prevent him from shooting that arrow?*
*What the heck is he doing, I thought he agreed to be hit by the healing arrow* Neuron thought surprises since he imagined that Kyle would give him some time to at least aim but he just charged towards Neuron again.
Neuron on the other hand could only jump backwards and within the air he used the second jump to propel himself away from Kyle, and because of that he began to trundle around while airborne.
*Did I overdo it?* Kyle asked himself after he saw Neuron spinning around awkwardly in midair but then he felt a throbbing pain on his right tight. *What, he managed to place a shot from that kind of position!?* Kyle thought while his right knee just gave in.
* Accuracy +1
* Luck +1
*It hit!* Neuron thought while letting go of the bow and trusting in the skill cats body while Kyle just looked at him with big eyes since he performed a movement which defied common sense.
A few meters above the ground Neuron turned around magically, in fact he used the same muscle movements as a cat but no human should be able to do so.
*How did he do that!* Kyle thought astonished because he imagined Neuron to crash onto the ground while sliding since he jumped backwards so fast, but all Neuron did was somehow turn around and land with his hands and feet while they dug four lines into the ground and after halting Neuron put both off his hands into a pouch which was fastened on his belt right over his behind and pulled out two hands full of throwing needles which he threw towards Kyle while thinking [/i]*I have to make this quick*[/i]
*Neuron this is overkill* Kyle thought deadpan while his whole field of vision was filled with little twirling iron rods who came nearer and nearer and since they all nearly hit at the same time Kyle only got one system message while his surroundings suddenly became darker.
* You lost the fight!
Due to the special magic working here you have been teleported into the room from where you entered the arena.
And indeed Kyle recognized the backpack which he placed on the bench of the room before he went out to fight, but while looking towards it he noticed something wide poking out from one of its pockets. *Huh, what’s that, everything I pick up I put into the backpack, so who put that paper there?* Kyle thought while he went to look at it
It was a letter from Deltaio addressed towards Kyle which read like follow
* Kyle I have news for you.
The Bandit leader you fought and then caught is sentenced to death. The execution will happen in three days from now in the middle of the city square. I actually preferred to tell you that personally but you weren´t there so I wrote you a letter.
*Damn, we still need to get information from that guy!* Kyle thought and then the door leading to the room got opened and the Old man went through while Kyle could hear the sounds of metal chinking right in front of the opened door but he couldn´t see the cause of it, well he already got a good picture from the sounds he heard.
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*If each hit counts this has to suffice* Neuron thought while he threw every single throwing needle he had and while they still flew towards Kyle Neuron took a throwing knife in each of his hands just to be sure and then Kyle got hit and just vanished. This happened so fast that the needles which haven´t gotten in contact with Kyle just flew ahead till they dropped to the ground.
“Archer has won!” the announcer shouted sounding depressed while the whole audience whistled down on Neuron because the fight was really boring.
All what happened was them first just standing around then Archer threw some weapons at Tonan who just evaded them which became boring soon after, then Tonan finally began to try to close the distance between him and his opponent which just jumped around and then Archer managed to hit Tonan on the food and with that the match was already over while the audiences’ craving for blood wasn´t satisfied at all which it voiced out loudly since every onlooker expected to see a massacre judging from both of their performances before. After all they saw Tonan killing his opponent in a very bloody and gory manner while Archer just seemed to play with his enemies.
*They don`t really seem to like the outcome but who cares* Neuron thought while he was gathering the weapons he threw. After he was done with it Neuron went through the only metal bars which were open while thinking: *Hey this is not from where I entered the arena, or is it?* .
Since Neuron expected some kind of ambush he snuck through the corridor behind it and then he came out within a room which was an exact replica of the room he was in to wait for the start of the fights, only difference was that within the room two persons stood, one of them was a really wrinkly old man and the other was Kyle.
N+”hey Kyle, you okay?”+
K+”Yes”+
N+”What is that old fart doing here?”+
K+”Don`t know, so let’s just listen to him, but beware he brought reinforcement”+
“Let’s cut the small talk, you two cheated.” The old guy said:”I don`t know how you did it since no one ever saw you two talking to each other but both of you fought with a set pattern as if everything was orchestrated” then he raised his hands because Neuron was about to say something:”I am not a fool so stop trying to convince me otherwise.”
“Alright, but could you tell me how you figured that out?” Neuron asked curiously
“hoh, straight to the point” the old guy answered while raising an eyebrow:”I like that. To answer your question, I saw many battles and I can grade any fighter. Tonan you for example move in straight lines, waiting for what your opponent does and then retaliating which doesn`t suit a fist fighter since the have to be ahead of their opponent. Archer you instead just move erratically without a pattern, if something doesn`t work you immediately switch to another tactic, even suicidal ones.”
N+”Did jah hear that, he got us quite good”+
K+”Neuron stop sounding so happy we have a problem now, unless,……”+
N+”What do you mean?”+
K+”Trust me, I will try to wind us out from that situation, just try not to say something stupid”+
N+”When have I ever said something stupid?”+
K+”………………………………..”+
“So I am right you know each other and you are even able to communicate telepathically, that explains how you managed to make up such a plan on the spot. But the question is how will you compensate me for what you did” he said in a threatening voice while he snapped his fingers and twenty guys in chainmail and leather armor appeared.
“If you kill us you won´t get your compensation” Kyle said
“Does this mean you have a suggestion, beware if this doesn`t satisfy me I will capture you and let you fight against wild beasts!”
“Scary” Neuron said deadpan while sitting on the bench in a really relaxed manner
“I told you to shut it!” Kyle shouted while becoming red:”ähm please don’t listen to him, when the gods distributed the brains he was on the toilet” Kyle said while trying to calm the situation
“What are you implying with that?!” Neuron shouted while he jumped up:”Just so you know I am ready to fight anytime!”
“Yeah, then just come at me!” Kyle shouted while he unequipped his gear and Neuron did the same and after they were done they charged at each other while brandishing their fists and afterwards it developed into a fully fledged brawl. While the guards who rushed into the room on behalf of the old man just looked at them in disbelief while muttering:
“Are they ignoring us?” “No, I think they completely forgot us”
As soon as Neuron and Kyle started to fight against each other they moved around within the room without caring for those who entered later so many had to evade them and those who weren´t fast enough got hit by either a fist, elbow or foot which wasn´t able to hit the target it was supposed to.
“Then the old guy shouted:”What are you doing stop them at once!”
“Yes SIR” they shouted and rushed in to stop them.
What happened afterwards was kept secret between those who were at the scene. Not because it was too brutal, on the contrary.
Twenty guys rushed towards Kyle and Neuron simultaneously but they restricted their own movements due to their number.
To evade them Neuron jumped upwards and landed on their heads while using them as footholds to get out. Kyle saw Neuron escaping so he coated his feet with mana and just pushed everyone aside who was in the way. But Neuron already waited for him with a high kick.
The leg who was aimed at Kyle’s head got blocked by an arm which afterwards grabbed the foot and pulled Neuron towards his opponent. Since Neuron hadn`t a chance to get free he jumped up with his left foot, placed it on Kyle’s chest and performed the second jump to push himself away from Kyle who just crashed back from where he came from a moment ago while dragging those who just managed to stand up with him to the ground while Neuron followed in tow because Kyle refused to let go of the foot.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Then the fight continued on the floor because both where trying to get the other in a hold while those who still stood tried to separate them but they only got showered with stray punches and kicks. Then one managed to grab Neuron at the back and pulled him off of Kyle who used this chance to stand up. Once he stood Kyle made a fist and tried to smack it right intp Neurons face who evaded it and so the guy holding him got cleanly knocked out.
Now both where moving again trough the room while taxing each other and then they again closed the distance between themselves and began anew while many guards had learned their lessons and just let them exhaust themselves while those who were still trying to separate them got used as human shields.
So the only thing which was to do now was to evade the two fighters who again moved their fight to the ground while placing bets, then the fight was finally over because Kyle got a hold of Neuron and refused to let him go, then Neuron tapped out and both fell to the ground exhausted.
“Hey……..Tonan, that was a great fight” Neuron said
“You too Archer” Kyle said and then he looked at the system log and said:”Hey we should do that more often, it is worth it!” and because Neuron didn’t understand he only said:”Look at your system log!”
“Yeah your right!” explained Neuron “I got +1 in endurance and sustenance, even +1 in Vitality!”
“I got +1 Strength and Vitality” said Kyle
“Now hold them down!” the old guy shouted and Neuron responded
“Come on, Kyle tell them already what you wanted to tell!”
“I couldn`t since an idiot interrupted me!”
“huh, what did cha say?” Neuron said sounding angry while the guards who were approaching them backed down again, :”Hey look at them, why are they moving backwards?”
“Don’t know” Kyle answered and then he continued towards the old guy:”Wait a moment I have a proposal to make”
“Make it fast” the old guy said while looking coldly towards his men.
“What about if we both fight together against an enemy, but for that could you turn off the magic which is working, we want it to be a real fight.”
*What does he mean by that?* Neuron asked himself but this time his mouth remained shut.
”And how are you going to do it? I know how you fight and I won`t let one of my Gladiators fight against both of you, but…real fight, that doesn`t sound half bad but be warned, if you aren´t fighting against an opponent you will have to fight against each other!”
*I knew it, he is the owner of that coliseum, or at least the figure head* Kyle thought and then he said:”Don’t worry, we will summon the enemy ourselves, so please give us 30 minutes to talk about a strategy then we will be ready to fight”
“make that 40 minutes I have to squeeze a fight into that time, but if you are not ready till then…….”the old man said and then he waved his partial injured guards to follow him outside and when everyone was he, of course, locked the door and, surely, placed many guards before it.
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40 minutes afterwards two fighters walked out from the same entrance an positioned themselves right before the door which was closed shut as soon as they went through. One of those two figures everyone was able to recognize as Archer.
This fighter was approximately 1.80m tall and had shoulder length black hair which was tied behind is head into a ponytail so that it won`t go into his eyes or intervene with his vision. The armor he wore was plain leather armor with leather armguards and shin guards reinforced with little scales of iron he made in his tailor shop. Those weren’t really great in the defense department but since they were designed to be as light as possible they fulfilled their purpose quite well.
His leather trouser which had a plain brown color was held onto his waist by a rather thick belt on which many slots for throwing daggers where sewn and of course filled, on both of his sides he had some lumps of iron hanging down which someone with great eyesight could recognize as shurikens. And over his behind a big pouch was mounted on the belt.
On his back was a long bow and a quiver filled with arrows, both of them where placed diagonally starting at his right shoulder and behind the quiver two curved wooden rods poked out.
Next to Archer everyone expected to see Tonan the Monk but in his place a fully armored guy stood.
On his chest plate an emblem was engraved which everyone recognized but never expected to see down in the sand of the Arena. This was the emblem of the Army of Agakyos.
This fighter was equipped with a war hammer which dangled down from his left side while on his back a shield was mounted which was rounded at the top and pointy at the end below while its height was about 1.30 meters. Poking out over the shield was the hilt of a weapon but no one was able to tell what weapon it was since it was covered by the shield.
After everyone saw this fully armored fighter a silent murmur run through the rows of the audience since everyone knew his description. Some knew it from assassination lists while others knew it from hearsay. And at the end it was the announcer who had the courage to say what everyone was thinking.
“Like promised here they are, Archer who amazed us with his acrobatic skills and next to him Tonan the……..” and after a rather long pause he continued:”No wait, is that really? He has to be, he matches the description: The body fully armored with the crest of the army on it while on his back a giant shield and on his waist a weapon which performs the best only for those who have sufficient strength. This is Kyle the Demon!”
And after that announcement all hell broke loose: the audience was shouting whistling and preparing hidden weapons at the same time since his assassination bounty was nearly as high as the official bounty the smiling Chinese had on his head.
N+”Rather popular are we?”+ Neuron asked hoaxingly
K+”Your other personality is even more so, how is it called again?”+ Kyle only said while Neuron tilted his head and grinned as broad as a Cheshire cat
K+”Stop it, your creeping me out”+ Kyle answered
N+”So, shall we test our luck”+ Neuron said while he rose his finger to point at something within the air.
K+”Yes, let’s do it”+ Kyle said then he opened his system window and moved his hand to the same spot Neuron was also pointing at, and with a nod they pressed it and a system message appeared
* Are you sure to Delete the Title?
Yes/No
“Yes” both said at the same time and then they both stood motionless to wait for whatever would happen next. For a few minutes nothing happened and the stuff of the arena now had a hard time warding off those who rushed to get themselves some money, but every voice and movement within the arena suddenly stopped as soon as they heard a voice which sounded like it came straight out of a grave.
“WHO HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT ME?!”
Then in the middle of the arena the ground rose and a hand appeared in which soon after an arrow struck.
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40 minutes before:
As soon as the door was closed shut Neuron tried to speak out loud but Kyle interrupted him with a whisper
K+”Shhhhhht!”+
N+”What the heck did you mean with summoning the enemy!?”+
K+”Do you remember the Forgotten archer?”+
N+”Ah yes you mean that skeleton which used a bow I really wanted to have!”+ Neuron shouted while Kyle only shook his head.
K+”Anyway, what do you think about the idea?”+
N+”I don`t know, are you really sure that he won`t have to travel till here?”+ Neuron asked while he looked at the Title description
* Slayer of the forgotten archer
This is just a makeshift title.
Attention,
You have to use it
If not, the forgotten archer will climb out of his grave and hunt you down.
Each time he is slain, he will get stronger, till he is finally as strong as in his glorious days
K+”I don`t know, we just have to try our luck”+
N+”What if not?”+
K+”Then we fight”+ was the only answer Kyle gave
N+”Hehe, guess that is true”+ Neuron said with a diabolical smile+”But if that time comes I am going to use all of my skills”+
K+”Let’s hope that it won`t come to you revealing that you are the Smiling Chinese”+
N +”Hmmm”+ was his only answer
K +”Alright let’s make a strategy”+
N +”What strategy, you fight in front while defending and I will just use any opening that presents itself, like always”+
K +”Sounds like a plan”+ Kyle said and then Neuron asked him
N +”Hey Kyle do you want to try out a new weapon?”+ Neuron asked
K+”What weapon?”+
N+”Why don´t I attach one of my threads to a metal ball which you just swing around like crazy?”+
K+”Why a metal ball?”+
N +”Trust me, it needs to be heavy so that it won´t get deflected”+
K+”Good, so could you get me all of the iron you have with you?”+
N+”Sure here have it”+ Neuron said while he put his hands in his backpack and pulled out decorated armors and swords.
K+”What the heck, those look like high level equipment!”+
N+”Don`t worry, this is trash Lucro sold, even beginners wouldn’t use those after they know their stats.”+
K+”Then why are you taking them with you?”+ he asked while taking them
N+”I took them with me to throw them away since the room I rented is overflowing with that junk”+ Neuron said normally
K+”Holy cow in how many houses did you break into?”+ Kyle asked astonished
N+”Not too many, roughly thirty or so, anyway would you count each passerby you bump into?”+
*What the heck, is he some kleptomaniac* Kyle thought while imagining a room full with stolen goods.
N+”I could have stolen much more but I got interrupted during the second and third night”+
But Kyle wasn`t listening anymore, he pulled out his portable furnace to melt what Neuron gave him, and Neuron just bend down near Kyle to look at what he was doing.
K+”hey, do you have anything round on you?”+
N+”Why do you need it?”+
K+”To make a mold in which I can pour the melted iron”+
N+”Here”+ Neuron said while giving Kyle a mana ball. Kyle took it and pressed it deep into clay, but since it gave in Neuron made a suggestion
N+”Why don’t you encase it fully, then I just pull out the thread out by hand?”+
K+”Let’s do that!”+ Kyle explained so Neuron was now unrolling the mana ball within the clay while again rolling it together.
K+” I don´t think I will be able to swing around such a weight easily”+
N+”Then just put some of the thread inside to make it lighter by still retaining its shape.”+
K+”Won`t the thread just burn?”+ Kyle asked skeptically
N+”Actually it is nearly indestructible”+
K+”How so?”+
N+”It is made out of pure mana”+ Neuron said while striking a pose but Kyle looked like he wasn´t getting it so Neuron explained it to him while pushing the thread back into the mould till he couldn´t fit it in anymore so he just cut off the remaining part.
K+”really, well good for you”+ Kyle only said
N+”What not even a great Neuron?”+ He asked disappointed
K+”Well what use does it have other than what you are already doing with it?”+
N+”Damn, I never thought about it like this”+ Neuron said disappointed.
K+”Stop sulking, the iron is finally melted”+ Kyle said while he turned to the yellow liquid which was flowing inside the crucible. Then Kyle took the blazing hot crucible with a really long tong and instructed Neuron to do the same.
K+”Now let’s pour the molten iron slowly into the mold, just follow my lead”+ Kyle said while he slowly went near the mold with Neuron in tow who tried to turn his body so that he won`t receive too much of the heat it was radiating. Then Kyle tilted the tong and Neuron looked away from the liquid which flowed out since the light it gave off was just too blinding.
*I will never understand how some guys like to stand inside a smithy if it gets that hot* Neuron thought and then it was finally over. After the molten iron filled up the mold Kyle poured the excess iron on the ground since it really was low quality iron like Neuron said but for something like a ball it was good enough.
Now they waited for the iron too cool off and to accelerate the process Kyle broke the mold with his war hammer and then he poured water over the iron ball that had the same size as a grapefruit.
The mana thread which was inside the mold while it was filled with iron created some beautiful blue veins on its surface which made it look like a really rare ore was used to make this ball.
After it had cooled down enough to hold it Kyle took it with his right hand and examined its weight, while he tried to equip it.
* This item cannot be equipped!
K+”Hey Neuron could you identify this, it seems like I can`t equip it.”+
N+”Give it here”+ Neuron said and after he took it with one hand it nearly fell out of it due to its unexpected weight:”Identify” Neuron hurried to say afterwards as to not let Kyle know of his hardship.
* Iron ball
This ball was made out of cheap iron but the veins on its surface are really beautifully. But other than that it is useless.
Durability: 1000/1000
N+”Sorry, it is declared as a useless item. But what durability!”+
K+”Don’t worry it will still do a lot of damage if I swing it around, anyway could you now attach a thread onto it with something to hold it at the end so that it won´t slip out of my hand?”+ Kyle asked
N+”Why don`t you just make some knots in it… and I cut it at a length of… three meters?”+ Neuron said while he produced the thread.
K+”Sounds good”+
N+”There is still one problem”+
K+”What?”+ Kyle asked while he was diligently making the knots
N+”Remember, our last fight against him, he killed me and you had to use your special class skill and then you died too. And this was with the armor Warnton made for you!”+
K+”No Problem”+ Kyle simply said before he just equipped his gear, +”and since I am doing it why won´t you too”+ Kyle said smilingly
N+”A snowballs chance in hell, I don`t wanna be locked into a cell or executed publically, I heard that daying like that reduces your level by ten and no NPC will remember you”+
K+”Alright I get it, so what now?”+
*Wait, executing, wasn´t there something….* Kyle thought but he was interrupted by Neuron
N+”Let’s just wait and see if the item description has changed now
* Iron Ball
This ball was made out of cheap iron but the veins on its surface are really beautifully on which a thread with the same color was attached. But other than that it is useless.
Durability: 1000/1000
N+”Does that mean it won`t do any damage after all?”+ Neuron asked
K+”No, how the heck can something like that cause no damage if it hits. I believe that the system just doesn`t regard it as a weapon”
N+”Then what?”+
K+”So I just have to use it as a weapon till it is recognized as such”+