A bright green flare shot into the air to signal the start of the battle. Gideon watched as it rose on a slow ascent, hit the top of the arch, and then began its descent. His anxiety increased with the rise and fall of that flare. The speed gradually increased as it plummeted back to earth. The anxiety shattered as it hit its peak, the inevitability of circumstance brought on an icy calm. He was ready. The flare struck the ground with finality. On contact, an amplified voice of the Headmaster projected over the battle field. “Begin.”
A burst of fire erupted and lit up an area nearby for a short time. Was that Blake or some other fire user? Should I go hunt him down, maybe see how I compare now? No, that would be a boneheaded move. He was here to show what he could do, not get petty revenge. A scream could be heard from somewhere near his location in the arena, the anguish evident. A voice spoke to the field again after a short period of time. “Elimination.”
Gideon saw movement on the road below. He crouched, doing his best to lessen his silhouette. Maybe standing on a rooftop with a sword isn’t a great idea, especially while others can throw fireballs. This wasn’t the best of my ideas. “I have to do better!” He chastised himself aloud for not thinking about tactics ahead of time.
He watched where he had seen the movement, looking for anything that would give the person away. It was the Titus boy from earlier. He crept up behind a girl Gideon hadn’t seen before. Her hands glowed with a power too them. The glow highlighted her dark hair and foreign features. She looked to be searching for a target. Or maybe she was looking for somewhere to hide, he wondered? She could be trying to avoid being a target instead, not everyone here is a fighter. He was torn on whether he should help her. His instincts made the decision for him, “Look out! Behind you,” he called out. He was too late, he watched as shadows swirled about in a burst of movement. The boy surged from those very shadows with great speed and hit the girl with a flurry of blows that eviscerated her in seconds. A void shield suddenly sprung up around the girl.
The voice rang out again. “Elimination!”
“You always were soft. Let me help you with a better view.” A boys voice said from behind. Gideon felt a kick to his back. His armor absorbed the impact. However, while his ability allowed him to hold his ground, his surprise left him startled and off balance. He jumped to his feet and turned around too fast, unable to keep his footing. He teetered on the edge of the building, trying his best not to go over. He got his first look at his attacker, Grifter. The boy looked at him quizzically, “You are just full of surprises aren’t you? It was a neat little trick, but no matter. Bye bye.” Grifter said sardonically as he reach out and tapped Gideon’s chest. Gideon found himself falling. High above the street he watched Grifter casually wave to him as he struck the ground below.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Ouch,” Gideon moaned. The ground hurt, a lot. My stagger resistance did nothing for falling damage. It must only stop damage from momentum coming at me, not the damage from my own momentum. The wind was knocked from him as he landed. He laid sprawled out on the ground, unable to move. He was trying to catch his breath when he saw Titus above him, looking down. The boy drove his daggers down at Gideon’s face. He rolled to the side and swung his shield up at his attacker. One of the blades bit deep into his shoulder, finding the weak spot in the crease at the joint between the links. He felt the blade scrape a bone and cut through the muscles, but he gave as well as he got. He felt a thud as the shield grazed Titus on his back swing. Not a solid hit, but a hit.
The pain in his shoulder was intense. His counter attack had created some space between the two combatants. Gideon rose to his feet, his shield hanging at his side, the shield arm no longer responded. He called his sword back to his hand, the angry blade glowed in between the two fighters. He took a fighting stance and taunted Titus. “As Maximus said, Lets do this!” The adrenaline was flowing now and Gideon was ready. Titus looked to him and the void blade in his hand. A bruise was forming on the boys face, his jaw looked broken. A better hit than I thought. Gideon saw the boy hesitate, he took that moment to press his advantage. Titus reacted to his movement, he went low and came sliding in toward Gideon. Was this an attempt to hamstring him? Without his shield to block, he would need to rely on his armor and movement to avoid any further damage. Gideon adjusted his grip on the blade and prepared to counter the movement.
A woman with graying hair suddenly appeared before Gideon, opposite of Titus. Was someone interfering in his fight? It was not fair, he instantly became frustrated . They were trying to take advantage of his weakness. Not today, this was his moment. He adjust his attack to target the new combatant. Then the gray hair registered, followed by the dark blue gown that flowed around her like water in the wind. She looks majestic and graceful, maybe a professor? Why is she here though? She extended her hand toward him and opened her palm with a flick. The loudest sound Gideon had ever heard boomed into his ears. The concussive blast struck him in the chest and overwhelmed his armor ability and void shield skill.
His void armor shattered and he found himself flying through the air at a startling speed. He crashed through a wall and his momentum carried him into another one behind the first, where he came to a stop. He slumped to the ground, battered and broken. Everything hurt. He stared at the woman in the blue dress. Who was she? Why had she interfered? He obviously had a long way to go before he would be the most powerful. If this is what real power looked like, he was far behind. The battle certainly was quick. He hurt everywhere as he tried to remain conscious, tried to recall what had just happened. He hadn't done well, the only impression anyone would remember about today is how well he flew. He looked at the hole he had created as he lay crumpled on the ground, a hole created by a simple flick of her finger. He smiled at the woman as he lay there, unable to move, covered in dirt and debris. At this, she gave him an awkward look. The view of this powerful woman nonchalantly standing there was the last thing he saw before the darkness took him.