TO CUT A TURNING TAIL

7). THE COMBATS

At the battleground: The place where Jon once flashed from pole to pole still looks the same. The background has been supplemented with certain stuff, such as the black walls with the names of all the pupils carved on them: there is the name Jon Orient with a drawing of the tunnel he creates, which is referred to as "Orient". 

Acker Allover with a caricature of a running man and array of weaponry produced under the name, just like the other names, Larriel Ikshana and Kamaya Creeker. Similarly, there are names like "fountain" with a caricature of water, and another Allover with a basic caricature of "armory", but the caricature appears darker. Cursive, freestyle, and other writing styles may be used, depending on the wishes of the individual whose name is being written.

Jon and Larriel are observing the current fire, on one end, there is a big bulky man with a brick-like arm who is emitting sound waves known as Tumburun, which adds to his surname; Robin Tumburun. The other person holds his hands together in a defensive position and water fills into both her ears. "An uncanny invention from the strips," remarks a girl standing next to Jon and Larriel, the three of them are the mere audience standing at the parapet.

Her name is Connell, she is tall, nearly touching Jon's brows in terms of height, wears a color-coded robe similar to Larriel's, half purple and half indigo, with sparkling spots dressed over the sleeves. A lavender-coloured full-length slit dress underneath, which is covering the lower part of her body, a black pair of stocking along with it. She has wavy strands of hair beautifully wrapped into a frail, loose bun. She wears a (bridal) black face net with her facial portrait imprinted in embroidery over it. "Whoo" she shivers. Looks like the thick coating of the robe is not enough to prevent the chill surroundings. Jon walks to her and intimidatingly asks, "So, Connell, what is it that you're hiding?". Connell uncomfortably smiles when asked this question, "I told you, nothing."

A girl wearing a headband and holding a pad approaches them, this is Madonna who is long, blonde, and alluring; but she's a robot. She asks them how is everything going on for them. They approve of the fine environment they experience on daily basis. Focused back on the game, they see that the girl named Maya fountain cannot even make a fountain. She jolts towards the bulky fellow and sprinkles water on his eyes, "she's spontaneous!" remarks Jon. She simultaneously sprinkles a splash of hot water at the man. 

Tumburun can no longer handle the itching, as he starts moving, he steps on a spill of water that Maya dexterously spilled behind him. His bulky figure slims down, and his man bun complements the look even after the metamorphosis. His arm, on the other hand, looks like a brick formation despite the transformation. He tries to sway it towards Maya as he falls, but he fails. His gaze is drawn to Maya's shoe, which is adorned with frozen spikes. His man bun saves his head, while his nape's quickly created moles save his neck. He stands up and congratulates Maya, and they both begin to walk away. But how did he lose?

"Um, I know they aren't inevitable victors of a battle. And especially facing a gruesome opponent to death, in such a case, I have added secure skin to them. Whenever it appears, this means their skin has hardened. But just like a night needle (the ones Kamaya uses), many other weapons can pierce through it. So, we need them to achieve a habit of not relying on this skin, it will be a backup though. And here I count another benefit of letting them have friendly combats."

[Note: Jon's tattoo is not a protective skin, it is a part of his ken veins in a sense.]

The next names appear on the screen, the first one is Larriel. "Anyway, I gotta go. Wish me luck if you wish" she says as she spots her name. She tightens the waist rope of her robe and jumps to the ground. She sits there for a minute so that she can calm herself. The simultaneous name announced is Jon. Connell smirks and jestingly asks him "What's your worst fear?". "Losing to her" ridicules Jon. "You can't reject her eyes for long" he reasons. "Although you're the best defender for her" remarks Connell. Jon tightens his waist robe. He walks down the stairs; he starts meditating before the combat.