The Three Blessed Kings

Chapter 20: A fly swatted

"What do we have here?
Taker number thirty-two...?
...Let's see what you got."

I was ashamed of myself;
In the moment he said that,
I had froze.

But I quickly regrouped,
And shifted my weight,
From my heels to my toes.

I pivoted,
In such a manner,
Where I now faced my opponent.

On opposite sides of the room,
We looked straight eye to eye;
Bloodthirsty.

"Hey, thirty-two.",
He started off,
"Let's make this fight fun, I get bored quick...

I'm still new to proctoring,
But all of my fights...
Have been too boring."

Once he said that he changed.
His grin got wide,
But his eyes were dead killer.

He was engrossed in magic,
His electricity charged,
Glowing up.

He was building up an attack,
So I kept alert.
My gaze held firm.

I sustained my body's heat,
By whipping Stone around;
Warming my hands.

I could sense his mana.
It surged off of him,
Like a thunderous cloud.

This was by far,
The most powerful magic,
I've ever encountered.

Our preparations were done.
I was steaming,
And he was sparking hard.

"Thanks for letting me charge.
You truly are kind, thirty-two;
That's why you'll fail..."

"Your words are empty,
Until you put them into action.",
I replied.

"I LIKE THAT, THIRTY-TWO!
THEN LET'S SEE YOU FACE THIS?!
THE FORCE OF MY LIGHTNING!"

After this remark,
He pressed his hands to the ground,
And unleashed his charge.

"LIGHTNING SURGE!",
He called out his spell.
(As it concentrates the magic's flow.)

Lightning crawled through the floorboards;
Aggressively,
Coming straight towards me.

It ripped up the old wood,
As the magic roared,
Like a beast of thunder.

My balance was perfect,
But I couldn't stand still,
Or I'd get hit hard.

This spell's speed was amazing,
But not fast enough,
To enforce contact.

I grabbed Stone's blade,
And threw it to the ceiling;
Penetrating.

I climbed up the rope;
Dodging the attack,
Which had destroyed the flooring.

I flexed my core and flipped up,
Until my feet touched,
Atop the ceiling.

Pushing off the wood,
I swung straight at the mage,
As fast as I could go.

Then I kicked full force,
Hitting right at his jaw,
Which sent him flying back.

He crashed straight into the wall,
Almost going through it.
The dust scattered.

I landed on the broken floor,
And pulled Stone down,
Back into my hands.

He went quiet.
The hit probably knocked his wind out,
But he still surged.

"Not bad, thirty-two.",
He coughed ferociously,
"I had let my guard down.

I can ensure you one thing though",
He kind of sat up,
"That's the last time."

He snapped his fingers,
And five thin arrows appeared,
Made from pure magic.

He pointed at me and said,
"You're pretty nimble,
But your space is small.

There's no way you'll evade these;
But by all means,
Feel free to prove me wrong."

"Thunder arrows.",
He declared as they flew at me;
His magic weaker.

I couldn't prove him wrong,
They were too fast to dodge;
So I stood my ground.

I held just the rope,
As I flung Stone about,
Deflecting each arrow.

They were so thin,
That I could null them completely,
With just one hit each.

With Stone being steel,
Normally I would've been zapped,
By the current.

But the rope was not,
So the electricity,
Never reached my hands.

His spell was eliminated,
Like flies being swatted,
From my view.

The magic I killed,
Fluttered around me,
The mana shone like glitter.

With blood running down his brow,
He laughed low,
As he struggled to get up.

Back on his feet he stated,
"I'm impressed beyond belief.
You're special.

Every test I've had,
Ended within seconds.
I've failed so many.

I've never gone all out,
But I'll tell you this now:
That changes, today."

He was barely standing,
But he went on,
"YOU'RE MY FAVORITE, THIRTY-TWO!

KEEP IMPRESSING ME,
UNTIL THE FINAL ATTACK!",
His magic returned.

The mana erupted.
Somehow this mage,
Seemed stronger from just before.

"This is my final spell,
No test taker has seen it,
Besides you."

He called it "Thunder Gauntlets".
His hands now surrounded by,
Pure lightning.

His whole body was increased,
Through a veil of magic,
That he produced.

His hair spiked straight up,
And the house itself shook.
This was his strongest form.

He flew right at me,
As we exchanged blows;
Dangerously close combat.

I couldn't touch Stone's blade,
Or I'd instantly get,
Electrocuted.

So I whipped him around,
As he boxed like thunder,
In this small wood house.

I'd graze him occasionally.
He'd land a blow;
But none were direct

This went on for a time,
Until I got a kick,
Right at his rib cage.

He jostled back a bit,
As we both breathed in,
A heavy gust of air.

Our footing wasn't solid,
From his earlier attack,
That rocked it.

We both relaxed our muscles.
I could tell from this stance,
It'd be the last.

Whoever got hit next,
Would most likely lose,
Due to our exhaustion.

I bent my knees forward,
He did as well.
Our stances were both mirrored.

Finally the silence broke,
He lunged straight at me,
But I just sat back.

His fist went for my face,
But I slid under him,
The chewed wood clawed me.

While I was below him,
I had my rope,
Glide right through his ankles.

This pushed him to the ground,
His face flew right into,
The spiked wooden floor.

I jumped atop him.
Sitting on his back,
I reached for Stone's handle.

His mana faded.
I thought for sure he was knocked out,
But he still gasped.

"Did I lose, thirty-two?
After my most powerful spell,
I still lost, huh?"

I agreed with him.
Even though he lost,
That was still a hard battle.

"It hurts, thirty-two...
My whole body aches.",
He said almost as a whisper.

"Before I pass out,
May I know the name,
Of the first taker who's won?"

"That's confidential",
I said looking up,
"But just call me 'Tree Hopper'."

He smiled slow,
And was knocked out after,
As I sneezed from all the dust.