Chapter 32: Warrior Stars

“It’s high time we went on to the quarterfinals of the Galactic Maximus Tournament of Champions!” screamed the announcer, and he was right, five times over. There had been a brief delay in action to allow the fighters to catch their breath, but once the intermission was over, the fans were growing impatient once again. The next movement in the Tournament would be getting ready to start at any minute, and from the looks of the lineup, not a one of the fights would prove to be a bore.

“It looks like you’re up next,” said Greg as he looked up at Stone. The Seraph calmly nodded his head.

“Yes, myself and Master Atman. I must admit, Sir Gregory, that this upcoming fight nerves me. I know how good and noble the Master is, and I will certainly give it my all, but after what happened in that last fight, is it folly for me to even attempt a struggle?”

“Perhaps,” replied the enigmatic Gauntlet. “Uncertain. Efforts ... Best!”

“Ketra’s right!” smiled Melena as she slapped Stone’s arm cheerfully. “You oughta get in there and give it your best! Go all out! See just how far you can get! Who knows, you may even topple the champ!”

“I would not think so,” chuckled Stone. “Although I must admit, it will be a supreme honor to be in the ring with Master Atman. Just think, to even have the privilege of fighting against this age’s greatest warrior! Such an occasion does not happen every day! Indeed, though I may lose, I will not go down without showing the master what he has to contend with!”

“I look forward to it, then,” came a soft and scratchy voice from behind. Stone turned around and placed his finger on his brow, in what must have been the Seraph’s greeting. Atman returned the gesture and bowed to everyone else. “You fought well against the Kobrian in the previous match,” he said. “It took great skill to realize that weakness. I applaud you.”

“I should be applauding you, Master Atman!” grinned Stone. “I don’t think there could be anybody else with the skills to defeat that Malecanthrite! I can scarcely believe it, and I have seen my fair share of fights!” Atman hummed thoughtfully to himself, carefully judging how he should respond to such flattery. The man was an excellent fighter, but he was very humble as well, and did not take compliments readily.

“In order to win, you must keep focused and concentrated,” he said eventually. “Never go into a fight thinking you can win. Always consider the option that your adversary has the ability to defeat you, no matter what the circumstances. Know what fear is, then learn to master it, and in doubt, eat until the food solves the problem.”

“Eat?”

“Do you not eat?”

“ ... Well, I...” The unusual maxim had caught Stone off guard. He blushed and stammered as he tried to make reason with Atman’s logic. “Uh, aye, I do, but what does...”

“When in doubt, do what you think is best,” replied the master with a shrug. “Anyway, I’m making no sense. A bad effect from all this age that’s been placed on me. Seraph Stone, I wish you to fight to your best in the next match.”

“And I you,” smiled the Seraph. Atman didn’t go anywhere after the conversation ended, though Stone and everyone around him thought that he would. He simply waited, until the announcer called him forth.

“Well, it is time to test our skills,” he said to Stone as they went up on the platform. “Let us see what you have. Hold nothing back, my good Seraph. Fight me with all your mind and soul, and I shall see if I have the ability to defend myself.”

“As you wish,” said Stone with a confident smile. The two warriors bowed to each other, and with the blast of a gong, the match started. Stone leaped towards his opponent, using his wings to carry him further into the battle. He swung his fist, and swung it again--again and again, swiping his balled-up hands at his opponent as quickly and as fiercely as he could.

Atman seemed able to dodge the attacks, barely, as Stone threw punch after punch. The Seraph certainly was no master martial artist, but he knew his way into a battle. He had had years of experience, and could fight well even without a weapon. So far, he was leading the fight with his numerous attacks: again and again, taking shot after shot, one to the face, another to the chest, a few swipes at the ribs, a sweeping kick to the feet.

Atman avoided them all and kept his body free from injury as Stone hailed his assault. Suddenly, a flash of flesh and a sickening Crunch sound could be heard, and Stone flew back across the ring, and skidded to the floor. The side of his face had been hit, but not very hard, and a small trickle of blood was coming out of his mouth. He merely wiped it off, smiled, and went back to his feet again.

“Oh, my goodness!” squealed Melena as the fight continued. “This is the most awesome day of my life! Not only am I seeing one of the greatest fighters in all of history, I’m also looking at the most gorgeous man to ever live! (Sigh) It’s so hard to decide who to root for.”

“Careful,” warned Gauntlet as she placed her hand on Melena’s shoulder. “Remember. Calm.”

“Yeah, yeah ... it’s under control ... I mean, unless Stone takes his shirt off or something. But you know I wouldn’t mind that!!” Melena smiled brightly at her friend, but she only got a cautious look in return.

“Caution...” she murmured. “Trouble.”

“Aw, shut up! Oh, hey, look! They’re really going at it now!” Indeed, as Melena indicated, the forces of Stone and Atman were finally assaulting each other with everything they had. Their hands whirred through the air like blades of a fan, and every so often, these “blades” smacked up against their designated target, knocking their senses loose. Stone’s hands would swipe sideways and BAM! Atman’s head would jerk back, his long braid of hair wiggling in the air. Or else Atman would be throwing punches and CRUNCH! One would land right in Stone’s abdomen!

The two warriors thrashed at each other, substituting technique for unorchestrated brute strength. They did not even bother to block or guard; they just continued to pummel each other, regardless of their physical condition. Melena, ever jovial, had googly-eyes as the fight deepened. Most of her attention was drawn to Stone, who truly was giving everything he had in the fight.

“Ooohhh!! He’s so cute he’s so cute he’s so cute he’s so cute he’s so--”

“Shut up!!” barked Greg. The fight continued, each man hacking and smashing against each other, inflicting wounds but carrying on regardless. Jerwon was nearly as fanatical about the fight as Melena, what with his good friend putting up a spectacular battle, and Dustin and Minerva watched with careful eyes, positive that Atman was holding back a portion of his power.

The two warriors soared away from each other after their big assault, heaving and perspiring and dotted with wounds. Yet they both smiled, apparently content that the battle was going so well. It was clear on Stone’s face that he was honored to be doing something like this, regardless of the fact that he wasn’t exactly dominating the fight. To him, to lose against Atman might have been better than winning. Still, he didn’t want to leave the ring without pulling his trump card.

“It seems as if you’re more skilled than I!” he called out. “I am able to hold my own, but I am barely hanging on as it is, and I was giving everything I had in there! I don’t suppose you were fighting as well as you could have in there?”

“Maybe ... I did...” replied a breathless Atman. “What ... do you suppose ... will come of it?”

“I have one last attack I have been saving for a special occasion,” announced the gray-haired Seraph. “I learned it from Seraph Star, the keeper of Ancient Records. I paid a heavy price to learn this, but I reasoned t’would be worth the cost. Allow me to demonstrate to you my most blinding assault!”

“Should I be seriously concerned about it?” asked Atman. Stone gave him a grave, empty look as he rose up into the air using his wings.

“Not if you are what the legends say. If I do defeat you, I will be quite disappointed. Here it is!” Flying high up in the air, Stone clasped his hands together as if in prayer, and focused all of his energy into the space between them. A sphere of radiating golden light formed in his clasped palms, and soon it engulfed him up to his elbows. The light grew immense and powerful, until he could do little else but release it.

“Here it is!” he screamed. “I summon forth the power and will of the sacred stars, the secrets of the Seraphs, as a beacon of light and justice unto all! SERAPHIC LAW!!!” Immediately, a large beam of magnificent power blasted out of Stone’s hands, scorching the very air that was surrounding it as it crashed down to the ring. The shot was about as large as the entire ring, and the way the molecules of air sizzled around it, the beam had enough power in it to vaporize a mountain. It smashed into the ground, sending debris scattering and disintegrating upon impact. The entire arena shook, and everything in the path of the powerful attack was made into nonexistent matter.

But Stone’s victory was not long, for no sooner did the attack slam into the ground did he find himself face-to-face with Atman, who had leaped away from the blast like a jet! The master sailed in the air briefly, his braid and his red kimono billowing in the air, and with a powerful spinning kick, he sent Stone crashing away into the distant walls of the arena! Stone collided into the brick walls, shattering them to pieces and creating a good hole upon impact. Thankfully, his bones were not blown into dust, and he did not come rocketing out of the arena either, but he did touch ground before Atman landed back on the surface.

“WOW! What a fantastic battle!!” screamed the announcer, and his five heads interpreted the same. “Atman and Stone were going at it head-to-head, both of them looking like they were going to dominate the fight! Then, Stone brings this new attack out of nowhere, and all chaos broke out! But master Atman zoomed out of the way of the attack, and sent Seraph Stone flying into defeat! The former champ moves on to the semifinals!!!”

The crowd went wild, but those who were around the area where Stone had landed were a bit more apprehensive. They gathered around and examined the beaten Seraph--some of the girls squealed and fawned over him--and helped him stand back on his feet. Sheepishly he smiled at them, apologized for the inconvenience of a broken wall, and took the long flight back to the surface, where he met up with the victor. A smile was on his face the entire time.

Atman received Stone warmly, bowing his head deeply and shaking the Seraph’s hand. Stone congratulated the elder man heartily, and retold his passion about being able to participate in such a fight. He stated that “Though I lost, I have gained more from it than many other years I spent on the battlefield. This fight was well-earned, master Atman!” The mostly-bald monk merely smiled, and dismissed such words.

In the meantime, both Melena and Jerwon rushed over to see if Stone was okay. Somehow, the elusive Leduadian had managed to slip past the guards in order to see his friend; Melena, on the other hand, wouldn’t have allowed a mountain to stop her from checking up on the angelic man.

“Are you okay?” she asked sympathetically. Stone smiled at her concerned face, making her grin and blush as well.

“I am now, thanks to the concern of good friends and new acquaintances.”

“You’re not hurt?”

“The wounds I received are but badges of honor,” he declared proudly. “I consider this one of my greatest moments. It is a pity that Seraph Jewel was unable to see this.”

“Yeah,” agreed Jerwon, “cuz’ then, she’d see you on the television, and come straight to you.”

“That’s correct!!” exclaimed Stone in an excited voice. “This event must have been telecasted throughout much of the galaxy! There must be a chance that Seraph Jewel saw it, and if so, then she would have seen me, a fellow Seraph! She would be able to communicate with me! Oh, sir Jerwon, this voyage here has not been in vain!” Excited beyond literal belief, Seraph Stone gave Jerwon a fierce hug, nearly leaping up in the air because of his joy. Melena laughed at how boyish the Seraph looked, and asked if she could get a hug as well.

“ ... Why not?” considered Stone with a placid smile. “I would hardly refuse the request of one so lovely and energetic.” Stone gave Melena a happy hug as well, and the poor girl nearly melted from her own happiness. She figured that good things ought to happen to Stone more often, if this was how he reacted!

It took some time for another ring to be erected, and for the damage inflicted by Stone’s final attack to be fixed. By that time, both the Seraph and the monk were fully healed, and the next two contestants were ready to take it out in the ring. Dustin, more than anyone else in the arena (except for Melena), knew how vicious Gauntlet was, and he figured that the enigmatic Grand would not be having an easy time. Klarana thought differently. She had been the one who fought Grand first, and she had been disposed of easily, despite the fact that she was a Sepren, one of the fiercest creatures in the galaxy. It was going to be a hairy fight, no matter who stepped out as the winner.

“Up next,” said the announcer, “we have Gauntlet versus Grand, two of the most relentless fighters we’ve seen in this fight! The beautiful Gauntlet has proven herself worthy of the ring, what with her astounding defeat over Dustin Harper, and who could forget the effortless victory that Grand had over Klarana? This is certainly going to be a wicked fight, folks, so just stay tuned and see how the chips fly!!”

“Annoying,” grunted Gauntlet, concerning the announcer. Melena agreed completely.

“Boy, you said it, sister! I wanna smack him upside his heads, all five of them! It’s too bad we can’t fight him! Hey, Ketra, you be careful in there, okay?”

“Careful? Why?”

“You know!” exclaimed the amber-haired beauty. “That Grand, he’s ... There’s something not right with him. I don’t like the way he smiles. The guy never stops grinning. He’s like a psychopathic Cheshire Cat.” Ketra Glang stole a brief glance over to look at her future opponent, and did indeed see the pale, bald humanoid grinning wickedly. His smile was like a crescent moon, bright and wide and haunting, and his pale bluish-white skin didn’t make him any less suspicious. There were some fighters in that arena worth shivering over, but Grand had them all beat down.

“ ... Understood,” muttered Gauntlet cautiously as her opponent stepped onto the ring. “Cautious. You? Cheer?”

“Oh, you know it, hon!” exclaimed Melena. “Now get up there and kick his autraivschka! Of course, if you win, you’ll be facing the champ!”

“Easy,” smiled the woman as she gave her friend a thumb’s up. Gauntlet scurried up to the ring and faced her opponent as the announcer made his introductions. Grand was standing perfectly still, grinning like always, and didn’t seem aware of the situation he had been placed in. Ketra Glang was one of the galaxy’s fiercest warriors, and for a reason. Few save Melena knew of her past; the peppy young lady used Ketra’s vast fighting knowledge to further her own skills. Gauntlet had easily taken a role as one of Ilyich Brokolov’s more dangerous assassins, perhaps the most dangerous out of them all, so she had credentials.

And yet, Grand continued to smile.

The bell sounded, and Gauntlet took the offensive. She bolted towards the motionless Grand, and slammed the backside of her fists on his cheek. She went into a vicious flurry of punches, all of them connecting to his chest, and sent two powerful kicks directly to his stomach. She then slammed her fists on his head, then yanked his skull to slam into her knee, and to finish it all off, she leaped on top of his torso and sent a hailstorm of kicks straight into his ribcage. She flipped away backwards, knocking his chin into the air with a final kick, and stood perfectly still to assess the damage.

With the exception of Grand’s head being rolled backwards by that very last attack, it looked like he had not been injured at all. In fact, after recovering, he still had that vicious grin on his face. Ketra growled, and vowed to remove that smile from his face, permanently. She ran towards him again and pulled out a few of her deadlier moves: a spinning double-strike thrust with a headbutt and a final slam into his chest, a half-nelson followed by slamming his body onto the ring, several nasty chops straight to his throat, and a spinning cycle-kick that rammed her foot against the side of his head. All these were nasty attacks that would have broken any man or woman, but Grand continued to stand there, unaffected by them all.

Using up so many attacks caused even Gauntlet to lose her breath, but the aqua-haired warrior was in terrific shape, and took only a second to gain her wind before pummeling her pale opponent again. Meanwhile, Melena looked on in awe. She had seen her friend fight many times before, and every movement of the silent woman’s body was lethal and swift. She had rarely heard of anybody lasting very long against the deadly warrior, but here was Grand, absorbing everything she had to throw at him! Melena’s cheers could only last for so long; she began to grow concerned that the fight was heading southward.

“What a cowardly strategy!” grumbled a chilling voice beside her. Melena turned around and saw her most recent opponent, Frost, standing there with his arms crossed. “For shame!” he spat again. “He means to take all that punishment and to tire her out!”

“You think so? Well, good luck doing it! Gauntlet can go for a long time before she gets winded.”

“Hm, yes, that could be true,” grumbled the icy creature. “But no matter how powerful or in-shape a person is, they will eventually reach a breaking point. Your friend Gauntlet will wear herself out in time, and then, Grand need only to push her aside to claim victory. I have never seen such cowardice before.”

“But ... that’s cheating, isn’t it?”

“There is nothing in the rulebook that says it can’t be done,” he answered grittily. “Tis’ a foul action he takes! Your friend may need to use excessive force to beat him.” Melena pursed her lips, and focused back on the fight, where her friend was slowly losing her energy. If this kept up, then even Ketra would be unable to defend herself, and Grand would have an easy victory. Looking over at Atman, Melena could tell that he was unnerved by the fight as well. He could tell that there was something wrong with this pale creature...

Of course, he has reason to worry, said Melena to herself. If Ketra loses, and I think that might actually happen, then he will have to fight that guy next. Huh! Glad I’m not in his shoes! I don’t think I’d be able to beat an opponent that just absorbs everything like a piece of rubber!

Fifteen minutes into the fight, and Gauntlet was now wearing herself thin. She had demonstrated her capacities as a warrior, and had performed such amazing feats that made even Atman seem astonished. Yet for all her hidden skills, Gauntlet could not make her opponent wince, or growl in pain, or even budge. Grand continued to stand there, grinning and waiting for his opportunity, taking in everything that Ketra had to throw at him.

The aqua-haired woman finally collapsed on her knee, her face splashed with sweat and her wavy hair tussled up terribly. Her entire body heaved from exhaustion, and if somebody was close enough to her, they could even see her body throbbing slightly from her thunderous pulse. Gauntlet did stand up eventually, gathering together a bit of strength, and slowly staggered over to her opponent for one final attack. She screamed, and went into a fanatical frenzy, pushing aside her weariness for one last blaze of glory. Her vicious attacks, raining down on Grand everywhere, were all in vain, and with a final kick to his throat, she expended the last ounce of her energy. As Frost predicted, Grand stepped forward and pushed Gauntlet down to the ring, where she stayed until the referee counted to ten.

“And she’s outta there!!!” bellowed the announcer. “After giving us all an astounding performance, the fighter known as Gauntlet has finally become too tired to fight! After that, it only took a simple nudge from Grand to reach victory! But let’s hear it for this lovely lady! She fought so well! Cheers! Cheers!!” The crowd did cheer, and Ketra was carried away from the ring to rest up. Practically everybody was glaring at Grand, who kept his smile the entire time as he walked away from the ring. There was no doubt that his shifty eyes were squared on Atman’s as he left.

“Ketra! Ketra, honey, are you all right? Speak to me, girl!!” Melena shook her friend fiercely, slapping her cheeks gently and giving her some water to drink. Gauntlet did eventually groan back to life, and gave everyone surrounding her a weary look.

“ ... Air,” she moaned hoarsely. “Need ... air...” The crowd dispersed, giving her space to breathe, and Melena loaned her friend a towel to wipe the sweat off. Ketra took a few more swigs of water before she finally looked ready to speak.

“Holy cow, woman!” exclaimed Melena as her friend recovered. “That was astounding! Why don’t you ever fight so fiercely when we spar?”

“Dunno,” she shrugged. “Merciful?”

“Ha, ha. You can’t beat me and you know it. But jeez, that was a wicked battle! You really went all-out that time, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Still...”

“Yeah, that guy... !” Melena growled, balling her fist up in rage, and spat out a few nasty words in her own language. “He’s such a jerk! Hmph, I hope Master Atman mops the floor with him! I wonder what his deal was, anyway! But hey, are you all right?”

“ ... Apparently,” replied Ketra wearily.

“You’re not hurt.”

“Pride,” she muttered. Melena gave her friend a lopsided smile.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Just then, the referee got Melena’s attention with a tap to the shoulder, and called her forward.

“Miss Fara’dellyn, you’re up next.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot!” she exclaimed. “I hafta fight next! It’s, uhh ... that Mask person, right?”

“That’s correct. This way, Miss.”