Touch of Fate

Chapter 58: Rivalry

Mike dodged out of the way of the werewolf's attack. Even though the blow was faster and significantly more powerful, Mike found himself contemplating nomenclature.

[Is he really a werewolf, or more of a weredog? He did have that unidentified component to his race, so maybe he's some kind of werewolfhound?]

Despite his inner thoughts, Mike was under a lot of pressure. Whatever transformation Brenden was using, had dramatically enhanced his physical abilities. Compared to Brutus, he still had a long way to go, but Mike was definitely having a hard time of it.

Mike slipped a little on loose gravel. Patches of it had formed after repeated high intensity blows. Slightly off balance, he couldn't get out of the way of a backhand swing. He managed to guard with his arms, but was still flung against the training area wall. Cracks formed on the wall's surface, and Mike tasted blood in his mouth.

[Alright, this had gone on long enough.] He thought to himself, as he channeled mana into his surroundings.

He created an amorphous lump of clear water, which quickly grew to nearly 3m in diameter. With an effort of will, he shaped them into two, long, pseudopod like tentacles.

Brenden stopped his barrage of attacks, and now was growling warily, seemingly waiting for Mike to act.

Mike brought his hands forward, and the two water tentacles moved along with them. He whipped one horizontally towards the beastman, at waist level. Brenden responded by jumping over it, just in time to get hit by the second which slapped him back down into the ground, creating a small, werewolf shaped crater.

In seconds Brenden was back on his feet again, already moving. He no longer carried himself with the frenzied energy of earlier, and his eyes, now returned to their normal brown color, were once again full of intelligence.

[I guess whatever berserk effect he had has worn off. He shouldn't have the same strength, but I think he'll be fighting smarter.]

As if to demonstrate Mike's appraisal, Brenden immediately started sprinting in a zig-zag pattern, making it difficult for him to target the beastman with one of the water tentacles. He passed by his still firmly embedded sword, and with a combination of momentum and raw strength, wrenched it from the ground.

Mike whipped both tentacles at him, but two quick cuts from Brenden's sword severed them. A small amount of concentration was all that was required to reform the appendages, but in that brief opening, Brenden launched himself forward, preparing to deliver a diagonal slash on Mike's torso.

For a moment, time seemed to slow down for Mike. He could probably evade the attack, but that would simply prolong this fight. It had already gone on far longer than he intended. A decisive blow was necessary, so while still maintaining his concentration on his water magic, he raised a hand and summoned a powerful gale, directed at the beastman.

The aerial Brenden had no means of evade, and was flung even higher into the air. Mike whipped the water tentacles forward, wrapped them around his opponent, and whipped him down, against the ground. Another crater was formed in the training ring floor.

Using the tentacles to hold him there, Mike directed the surrounding earth to enveloped Brenden, forming a hard ball of stone around him. The beastman struggled, trying to break free, but Mike had made sure to pack the earth as densely as possible. Brenden may have been strong in his current form, but without any leverage, it was proving impossible for him to escape.

Soon, the animalistic transformation wore off, leaving a battered and weary Brenden in his standard appearance, still trapped in the ball of stone.

Excited applause arose from the crowd. Calls of 'That was awesome!' Good Fight!' Better luck next time, kid!' could be heard amongst the noise. Brenden looked a little shocked, evidently he had not expected this kind of reaction from the other adventurers.

Mike walked over to the trapped beastman. "What do you say? Want to call it here?"

Brenden sighed, "Alright, I admit it. You are stronger than me. It's my loss."

Mike frowned, and with a slight flexing of his will, released his Earth Magic. Brenden nearly collapsed, evidently still exhausted from whatever skills he was using. Before he fell, Mike caught one of his hands. He directed some healing magic into Brenden while pulling him into a standing position. After a few seconds, the beastman had sufficient strength to stand on his own.

[Apparently healing magic can be used to treat whatever drawback or side effect occurs after using those enhancement techniques. I wonder if it can be used to restore stamina. That could be insanely broken if used correctly.]

He paused.

[Now that I think about it, I haven't really been physically tired since getting the Vampiric Regeneration skill.]

He filed away that thought for another time, and gave Brenden a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"That was a good fight. I can't believe how strong you've gotten so quickly. If I'm not careful, you'll definitely get me next time."

Brenden stared at him, open mouthed. "Next time?"

"Well, yeah. I assumed you wouldn't be satisfied with these results, so I fully expect to be doing this again when you feel ready for it. That's what rivals are for, right? Got to warn you, though. I'll be getting stronger, too, so you'd better be ready."

Brenden glanced down at the hand that Mike was still clasping, before looking back up. A series of emotions flashed across his face, before settling into an energetic grin.

"Don't worry, I'll be ready. Next time, it will be me pulling you up off the ground."

"We'll see about that." Mike said, returning Brenden's grin.

A warm and mature female voice interrupted their interaction. "Ah, two young warriors, bonding on the field of battle. You're right Talin, this was worth seeing. By the way, which one of you is Mitchel?"

"Michael, ma'am."

"Right, right. Michael. Yes, which one of you is Michael?" The authoritative voice was originating from a red-haired woman with an eye patch.

Judging from the way the surrounding adventurers made way for the woman, she was obviously someone important. He stepped forward, "I'm Michael."

As the woman turned the full force of her attention on him, Mike felt a slight surge of fear. Something about this woman was setting him on edge. She reminded him of Brutus, although her aura seemed more ferocious and volatile.

She hopped into the ring and approached the pair, glancing appraisingly at Brenden before returning her gaze to Mike. Talin reluctantly followed her, a slightly queasy look on his face.

"I have to say, you're rather impressive for a Rank 3. Mixing magic and martial arts is not something that many can accomplish. With a little bit of practice, and a fair amount of mentorship, you'd be a force to be reckoned with in the future."

She pondered for a few moments, as if deliberating on something. Mike was starting to feel uncomfortable being under such scrutiny.

"You're not bad looking either. So, how about it, want to become one of mine?"

"Uh" Mike wasn't really sure how to respond to that, but he noticed Talin, who was standing slightly behind and slightly to the left of the woman, frantically shaking his head and mouthing 'NO.'

"That sounds like a tempting offer, but I'm going to have to pass." He decided to trust the guard.

The woman shrugged, "Well, let me know if you change your mind. Now, if you aren't too tired, I'd like to have a little taste of your combat abilities."

"Honestly, I'm a little tired, and I really need to be getting-"

"Good to hear. Let's get started." The woman's aura intensified immensely, as she fell into a combat stance.

A shiver of fear went down Mike's spine, his instincts were screaming at him to get away. However, before either party had a chance to move, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the basement.

"Another time, I suppose." The woman said while turning towards the stairs leading back up into the main guild hall. With quick, easy motions she started running in that direction. Talin hurried after her.

Suddenly, the guild mark of every single person in the basement started flashing, as a young guild official ran up to the crowd around the training yard.

"Don't you all hear the alarm? We have an Emergency Request! That means every adventurer needs to report to guild hall for assignment."

The adventurers started moving quickly towards the stairs. Mike could see other groups streaming in from other portions of the Guild basement. He pumped a little bit more mana into Brenden to ensure he could move.

"Come on. Let's go check this out." He said to Brenden and Tal, who had remained behind to wait for them.

The trio headed back up to the main guild hall, only to be directed out into the square. They joined a growing crowd of adventurers who were milling about. The mood was grim, and the piercing noise of the alarm continued, making conversation largely impossible.

After a few minutes of waiting the alarm cut out, and a sudden silence descended. A guild official stood on the steps leading up to the entrance, holding a metal rod. He started speaking into it, and his voice reverberated around the square.

"An emergency request has been issued by Count Graveston. All adventurers are required to participate. The city is under attack, and we are being asked to defend it."