V2Ch142 New Treant

We stood around for several minutes without a single word. The Black Hunt looked like he was getting ideas.

"For what it's worth, I hope you can continue, human. If you can't die, they won't have to stop the match if I get too violent."

"Yeah. I can relate to that sentiment. They might have to stop the match when I actually get violent. You know. Since the Bad Dog can die and all."

My taunt bothered him much more than he bothered me. A referee got up into the ring and approached. He leaned in to whisper.

"Are you actually a human?"

I nodded.

"Can you die? Are you immortal, or do you have limits?"

"No limits that I'm aware of."

He nodded in understanding. He ran off once more. Another minute later the announcer's voice could be heard again.

"Okay. Here is the rundown. The judges have decided that an extinct... well I guess humans aren't extinct if he is here so... An endangered species is NOT allowed to put their lives in danger for sport. They also decided that someone using such extreme healing to win a contest of the body is essentially cheating.

HOWEVER!

The sponsor for these annual events countered with his own argument. If the human is actually immortal, then there is no fear of loss for the species. Also, while such an extreme form of healing may seem like cheating, it can not prevent a ring out. Not to mention, special powers are allowed in the contest such as supreme beasts. If his healing is considered a special power, then it is not a violation of the rules.

The match will continue after the sound of the bell."

The Black Hunt crouched down in preparation to attack once more. I decided to take a different route. I stood tall and straight. I looked down at him in the hopes to intimidate.

*DING*

I was ready for his speed this time. I bumped up my power output and flicked the underside of his jaw as I stepped to the side. His body spun backward and flew past me, nearly sliding off of the edge of the ring. He clumsily stood up. He shook himself like a wet dog before standing.

"You want a contest of strength? Let's go."

He stomped toward me with hands above his head. His slow movements made it easy to sweep his feet out from under him. Before he could hit the ground, I planted a firm punch into the center of his stomach. He sounded like he was ready to cough up a lung as he tried to catch his breath.

I stepped back and waited for him to attack again. He got close and I backhanded his face. Again, he slid toward the edge of the ring. He would have slid out this time if he hadn't used his claws to anchor himself.

"EHRRRR. You're starting to piss me off."

"I thought you were pissed-off already. It seems more like you've calmed down. In contrast, I'm a bit upset with you. I wasn't ready to reveal the nature of my existence to the masses. I could have ended this fight with the first blow. You wanted to play with me before, right? Now I want to play with you."

I couldn't tell if he was bothered by my comment. It didn't matter. He still came at me. I continued dodging and attacking. He was slowly wearing down, getting slower and slower. The audience didn't seem amused at how one-sided the fight was anymore. I decided to end it.

The next time he leaped at me, he went for the throat. I let him make contact. His jaw was like a vice. He shook violently to do as much damage as possible to my flesh. Because he had latched on, he was within my grasp. I wrapped a single hand around his neck and pushed him away. He took a good portion of the flesh from my neck with him.

I lifted him up and threw him down with force. His back hit the ring so hard that it fully collapsed. The ring was about two feet off of the ground before. Now, it was only about two inches off of the ground.

The Black Hunt was out cold. I healed up my throat and coughed out any blood that trickled down into my lungs. The audience was quiet. My win wasn't very well received. I took a darker route.

If these people didn't have a reason to fear humans before, they sure do now.

"Oh.. Uh... The winner is Lake, The Human Newcomer! It will take a little bit to fix up the arena for the final match of the tourna...

What? Are you serious?

This just in... Lake is the tournament winner! Saphina dropped out of her own volition. Yaaaay..."

Great. The announcer lost all of his hype and made it sound like I bullied my opponent to drop out. The referees just stood around not knowing what to do. I was feeling shunned. It wouldn't have surprised me if I started hearing booing. I decided to disappear before that could happen.

I walked toward the A-group room to get my things from the locker. The receptionist seemed wary of me.

"I'm not like The Black Hunt. I don't bite."

She revealed a nervous smile and let a short but nervous chuckle escape.

I hoisted my backpack up onto my shoulders. I started to make my way out. I made a sharp left and bumped into someone.

"Lake. I saw your last match. That was amazing! You're so strong and... you're human! Oh wow! I never thought I would meet a human."

Durt stood before me. I was happy to see a familiar face that wasn't wondering if they should trust me or not.

"I always thought humans put more work into skills and teamwork. Strength in numbers. This changes everything that people thought they knew about humans!"

"No. Nothing about what you just said was wrong. I am the exception. Any normal human that tried to enter this contest would have been dead in the first round. Humans are... were... weak and frail. I just happen to be different. And now I just wanna get out of here. The people out there didn't seem to like me."

"What? No! They are in shock! A Human! A strong human! They would probably react the same if they saw a living breathing Hero of All! They just don't know how to react. I'm telling you."

"The kid is right. That's why I vouched for you and overthrew the judge's rules. I wanted to see what else you could do. You did not disappoint."

A rough older voice came from behind. A treant, shorter than most and dressed in nice clothes, was standing behind me.