Saturday, March 16, 2019

Master of Strings Ch77: Victory

The crowd claps and claps along with Zilo's tune and the monk and Alaroc spin and slash in beat with the rhythm. They disconnected from their clashing with their muscles instinctively tensing with the claps. The monk uses his inhuman speed to the left, flanking around the side with a spinning kick at Alaroc's head.

Alaroc snaps around slashing with his dragonslayer, and the monk and him both take a heavy hit, Alaroc to his helm, and the monk to his uninjured hip. Alaroc braces back with his leg and forces himself forward into the monk's falling form.

He slams his energy blade up in an arc and downward connecting with the monk's torso and bringing him down into the ground, leaving a diagonal burning slash mark on his chest. The cavalier tries to follow with another swing from his dragonslayer, but the monk tilts to the side and suspends himself with just his arms before firing into Alaroc's chest with both legs.

Alaroc is thrown a good 3 meters up and away from the impact and slams into the wall before falling face first onto the ground. Alaroc takes a knee just in time for the monk to swing a kick down and into the warrior's exposed helm temple.

Alaroc shakes his head as his metal helmet rings. The monk hops off the ground ready to double kick the staggered Alaroc again, but Alaroc wobbles to the side and the monk has to put out his arm to catch himself. The monk spins off his arm and slashes Alaroc's midsection.

The monk pushes off the ground to land on his feet, but just before he can land Alaroc rams into him shoulder first and as he separates from the Cavalier, Alaroc brings both blades across in twin horizontal slashes across the monk's torso before spinning into a side kick to the monk's chest to make some distance.

As the two square up again the monk's chest cloth falls to shreds from the 3 slashes to his chest. The monk's body shows the burning recent cuts, but his body also looks to have clear signs of scarring from past battles. Alaroc winces rubbing his mid section and chest from the assault he received in the exchange.

After moments for self recovery the two leap at each other again clashing dragonslayer and wave blade before Alaroc stabbed in with his energy blade. The monk drops his shoulder back to let the blade pass him harmlessly before with his arm he clamps over the extended limb and holds it in place before beginning to dig his knee into Alaroc's body over and over.

Alaroc grunts with each impact and the monk smiles, knowing his advantage. Alaroc looks to the connected blades and lets out a sigh. His guard drops, giving the wave blade the freedom to hook down around and to pierce Alaroc's midsection and make the Cavalier jerk from the attack. The monk gives out a devilish smile and says,

"This is the end."

Alaroc looks up and smiles weakly, "I still have one more trick left." The monk looks up to see the dragonslayer that had been halting his wave blade falling toward the two's stalemate handle first. Alaroc lets the blade fall to his side before grabbing it by the blade halfway to it's tip. The Monk looks confused as Alaroc slowly tilts the tip of the blade down and forward toward the monk's exposed flank.

"There's no way you have the strength to fight off that wound and make a fatal stab." Smiles the monk, victory within his grasp. Alaroc smiles back and says, "It won't be my stab that finishes ya, this is courtesy of that there bard playing on my behalf."

The monk glances back at Zilo smiling and playing his violin. As he looks back the dragonslayer to his flank is covered in sparking power, lightning springing off of the blade stinging his hip before the Cavalier with the last of his strength calls out,

"LIGHTNING BOLT!!!"

The monk is blasted with the full force of a storm without any way to deflect the attack. The monk is shot up and away spinning in the center of the flash of power. He falls to the ground sparking with excess power and his skin stained with soot and burns.

Alaroc wobbles with the wave blade still pressed into his chest. He walks over to the sprawled monk, shaking with every step. He kneels down and forces the monk over onto his back, his arm wincing under the force needed to do so. The monk's eyes are open, darting all around, unsure of what just happen before focusing back on Alaroc.

The two warrior's eyes lock for what felt like forever. Alaroc looks up to the crowd and says, "I'm going to surrender." The monk's eyes flash but he is unable to open his mouth from the sparks still forcing his jaw to lock.

"I do not wish for my name to be known, do not think that this is from a lack of seeking victory. I could kill you here and now, but I do not wish to kill such an incredible warrior." With that Alaroc falls to the ground next to the monk and his eyes close.

After a few moments the monk shakes and regains his motor functions, only just barely having the strength to stand up. The Duke rises and the monk is declared the victor. The crowd explodes as the monk stares down at the fallen warrior.

The monk retrieves his wave blade and a pool of blood begins to form, but the monk takes up Alaroc's energy blade and presses it to the fallen warrior's chest wound to staunch the bleeding.

Time passes and thanks to the monk's repairing of the wound, Zilo is able to get to his friend in time to save him from his wounds. The heroes all wordlessly retrieve their items, With Zilo taking his Wand of Lightning Bolt out of the dragonslayer, undoing his spell Weaponwand that Alaroc used to take down the monk.

They spend the award ceremony making sure Alaroc regains enough strength to walk away before going to face their dwarven employer. Once the warrior can walk they begin their solemn walk out of the arena when they here from behind them.

"Warrior!"

They turn to see the monk holding a new giant blade thicker than his leg, more of a club than a sword. The blade looks angular, powerful, and of dwarven make. The monk walks forward and looks up and down at the wounded Alaroc and says.

"Do not think that this is from a lack of seeking victory. I could kill you here and now, but I do not wish to kill such an incredible warrior." The monk lifts the blade and hands it over to Cruxis before turning back toward the arena and the screaming crowd.

Cruxis examines the blade before leaning back toward Leo. Leo examines the blade for a few moments and smiles saying, "This looks to be it. HA! The fool helped us do our job!"

"He's no fool, he wasn't doing this for the prize." Says Zilo looking back to the monk walking away.

Leo asks, "Then why on earth did he even enter? He never put a name on his file, so it couldn't have been for the fame."

Alaroc lifts his head weakly and looks to Leo and says, "Isn't it obvious?" Alaroc looks back toward the arena door and before lowing his head and nodding off he says, " He wanted a good fight."

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