Chapter 42

  Revenge At Its Finest

  Just when I thought things couldn’t get any odder, life always has a way of throwing curveballs at you.

  There I was, forced into a “right step pose” where I oddly enough had taken a right step forward from the base position and was forced to hold that step. I’m assuming I was supposed to understand how I was both balanced and unbalanced at the same time. My feet were able to balance out my stance going forward and backwards, but I was more vulnerable than ever from interference from my sides. Fortunately, Markan and Mr. Yi were standing on both sides, making it so I didn’t have to worry about any unwanted or unexpected forces from those positions, and I could just focus on my stance.

  Again, I was thinking that there were some universal truths being noted in this, something about the act of expanding forward makes you vulnerable. The reason you are vulnerable is that your muscles are not robust enough to handle the position on its own. Thus, the focus on improving these core muscles, so that moving while striking would feel more natural and provide less openings for an opponent.

  At least, that is what I was thinking should happen.

  I was so lost in my own thoughts on this odd experiment that I almost missed the moment when Lucia brought down the contestant from my side, Leah again.

  For her part, I expected her to make a few comments and move on. Yet rather than commenting on my pose, something along the lines of hang in there, or you’ve got this, instead she surprised me.

  Seeing me, she moved to where she was about five feet in front of me, then proceeded to stand perfectly straight. From there she waited until I looked up and locked gazes with her, at which point she nodded her head in acknowledgement. Then in one fluid motion she both bowed and cupped her hands together in a respective posture, straight right hand resting upon a clenched left fist. Then bowing to an almost ninety-degree angle, she proceeded to state, “please watch over me.”

  I nodded, a gesture she apparently caught out of the corner of her eye, even while bowed to such a degree.

  “Already chummying up to the healer, good call! You’ll need it!” Her opponent, Gale something, called out mockingly from the ring. One would expect this type of pageantry from this type of event that is half sport, half entertainment, but hearing her comment and seeing Leah’s clenched jawed reaction, it was clear that this might have been a little personal.

  Sneer.

  I saw the normally beautiful face of Leah turn an icy cold, as she straightened up and went into what could only be called kill mode. Like a switch had been flipped, one second nice and respectful, the next angry. For a moment it looked like Leah was about to turn away, to face the ring and her opponent, but out of impulse she paused and turned back towards me.

  “Also, please forgive me for any damages I might inflict on my opponent,” this last comment of Leah wasn’t said with the same reverence as her first request, but it was clear she was not going to go easy on her opponent.

  As she left, I could all but see Markan beginning to dance excitedly, as his feet began to move and bounce in an odd way. I almost assumed it was an attack pattern, one that his body had performed so many times, that even now it went to those movements subconsciously.

  “Oh man, don’t blink, she is not going to play around with her ex-student,” Markan exclaimed excitedly.

  Ex-student? I wondered, but then seeing the way she walked up to the recently constructed ring with its blast proof shielding back in place, I could see she meant business. Something about the way she waddled confidently forward in what looked to be little more than a glorified bathing suit with a few pieces of metal in place.

  Again, pageantry at its finest, as each section that was removed revealed rippling muscles everywhere. I thought I was in shape, until I saw these fighters, and realized I had a long way to go. Perhaps that is the other point of this, to point out that there is always someone stronger, and faster, but you just need to be more prepared.

  Getting into the ring, the apparent ex-student kept rubbing in the fact that these two ended on bad terms.

  “You doing okay? I heard you got knocked out by your new student last night, must be losing your touch,” Gale continued.

  The more she spoke, the more Leah just seemed to focus. Not relax, but rather she let her body get loose. Then as a way to seemingly calm herself down, she would take deep breaths that made her lungs fill up fully, causing her body to rise an inch, and then release that same breath quickly.

  For a moment, I fooled myself into thinking this was a natural calming method, the way one would use to forcefully relieve stress from their body. While that might have been a natural side effect, I could see something different happening.

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  Breathe in, trickle of silvery mana. Breathe out, that mana should have dissipated, but it didn’t. Instead, it just sort of lingered there, floating to the ends of her body.

  Breathe in, trickle of silvery mana. Breathe out, more build up of that silvery mana within her body.

  My mind was buzzing, as I could see and tell that something was going to happen, but I couldn’t quite explain what would happen, nor why it would happen. Instead, I was there a prisoner to the moment.

  It was only once the referee got into place and stated, “take your marks.”

  There was a pause as both warriors got into their stances, Leah even offered her fist out of a sense of duty to the sport.

  Scoff.

  Gale her competitor just scowled at the offered hand, as if she had just been offered a dead cat as a prize.

  “OHH!” The crowd was abuzz with the insult. But at that moment, all I could do was see how an unflustered Leah just removed her hand and took in a deep calming breath.

  “Begin!” The referee called out, that’s when it happened.

  Exhale.

  Blur.

  As if anticipating the timing, Leah waited with her full breath, and exhaled right as the referee’s hand chopped down, slicing through the air between the two competitors. That exhale triggered a chain reaction, as I watched as all the silvery flecks energy that Leah had been building up and accumulating with each long breath flared to life, burning up in a microsecond, but giving Leah’s body power and speed that were unavoidable, especially at such short distances.

  I barely managed to see the forming of a right fist, the charge forward, only for the charge to be a feint that Gale automatically reacted to, causing her guard to drop from her sides and move towards her center. That was all the opening that Leah needed, as she surged to the right, using the same footwork that Jade, her apprentice, had against her last night. This time, rather than circling behind her opponent, Leah instead took the clear opening and delivered a spinning punch right to the temple.

  Life flash.

  I could see the moment that Gale’s consciousness left her face. I saw it, a sort of light that had been there, suddenly get turned off. I don’t know if it was a factor of my high attunement with Life Mana, my new class, or some fact thereof, but I could see it. She literally had her lights knocked out.

  Before I even realized what was happening, I was up and moving. My muscles that had been slowly aching and healed over and over sprang to life. I was on the top step leading to the ring in a second. Under the ropes and already worming my way onto the ring.

  Thud!

  There was the distinct sound of another hit. For a moment, I thought it was Gale falling to the ground, but apparently Leah was not done with her assault, as she moved quickly enough to slam her knee up, guiding it directly into Gale’s falling face. After which, Gale then rolled off of Leah’s extended knee and fell on her back to the ring.

  Final thud.

  I’m guessing it was sort of personal, but I was already in and moving, trying to put myself between Leah and Gale, to prevent her from making any other unnecessary attacks.

  Blur.

  I could tell the world was moving quickly around me, but I figured most of this was part of how routine getting onto the ring was for me. How I had been here so often, that me getting up and into the ring was almost second nature by this point.

  Also, a part of me knew that look in Leah’s face. A look of complete rage that would not stop, unless someone stepped in.

  For his part, the referee looked just as dumbfounded as everyone else did. With two quick blows, Leah had taken down the younger and much more confident opponent. Still a form of rage filled Leah’s face. A rage that she just managed to mask for a moment, before it got shed off, and now she was raising her foot up high in an obvious attempt to stomp down on her downed and incapacitated opponent. The only reason why this attack would be allowed at all, was due to the fact that the still stunned referee had not given a clear anything stating to pause or stop the match while he checked out the unconscious opponent.

  Seeing her foot raised, I reached deep within me. Grabbing for my badged Running Skill, reaching for my still flowing Rejuvenation Healing to help me heal anything that might be breaking apart as I clearly push my body beyond its limits, and I push just that extra little bit deeper for one more step. For one more burst of speed.

  Then I find it.

  Thump, thump, badump.

  My feet pound on the arena mat, calling out my approach. The only thing that causes Leah to pause for a moment, with her foot caught in the air, as she is prepared to stomp violently down. Hearing my approach, she pauses and for the first moment all match, I see that look of rage on her face shatter, as her face shifts from rage to confusion.

  Confusion is good, as it gives me the moment I need to get in, use some of my recently observed observations about balance, about how taking a step forward leaves you open to attacks and pressure from the sides.

  Barreling into the side of Leah’s elevated stomping leg, I don’t pause, instead I choose to run into and through her leg. Causing Leah to spin about like an awkwardly balanced top before spinning away and letting me insert my body between Leah and the clearly unconscious form of Gale.

  The referee just stares at me. I can’t say I blame him as I likely look odd at this time, a sort of voodoo priestess, wearing a black robe and hood, arms stretched out mid cast. When really I am just trying to use as much of my body to shield the unconscious fighter, as I don’t know where or how Leah might respond. She was crazy, but I’m hoping I can take a hit.

  Silence.

  There is a complete moment of silence as the world seems to try to understand what happened. One second, Leah was there assaulting a falling body, then the next I appeared out of nowhere.

  “Call it!” I state, my voice filled with conviction as I look at the referee who is just staring at me with wide eyed nervousness, then he follows my gaze down to the still unconscious form of Gale, who has not moved since she first fell on her back.

  The referee looks down, at the form of Gale who could be sleeping for all anyone just arriving might think.

  “Knockout!” The referee awkwardly calls out, as he gets up from the kneeling-crouch he was in to go off behind me. As for me, that word was all I needed to begin healing.

  Delayed CHEERS!

  After a second, the crowd erupted into applause for the fight, as the referee no doubt went to hopefully make sure Leah did not come for more retribution against me.

  I am already healing the two major impact parts to Gale’s brain, both of which seem like they are going to cause swelling if not looked after immediately. While I am doing this task, Markan gets down next to me.

  “That was so amazing, you were like a bolt of lightning, just flashing across the arena,” Markan begins, then he says something that almost causes me to pause, “I couldn’t even see you at the end.”

  “You couldn’t?” I question, almost feeling my flow of mana fizzle out on me, as I barely remember continuing to use my two healing Skills in unison.

  “Yes, you were quite impressive,” Mr. Yi added. Hearing him and seeing that he was still standing tall behind me filled me with a sense of relief, as I knew that if he was there, then I would be safe from a retaliatory attack from behind.

  Not that I expected Leah to do so, but then again, I didn’t expect her to try to stomp a downed and unconscious opponent either.

  I am about to wonder what exactly happened, as I did feel faster in some way. For a moment, I almost wonder if it had just been a dream. One of those moments where times seems to slow down and you are filled with such adrenaline that you think you are moving faster than you actually were.

  Only a moment later, did I realize that no, I really did find something deeper within me, as I felt a fourth Skill awaken as a possible Class Skill. A Skill that seemed to answer the question of what exactly I just did a moment ago.

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