Chapter 31 - Preliminaries (3)

Thong stared as Nisham and Silvia both raised their weapons. Silvia brought her whip down, while Thong immediately moved to the side to avoid it, only for Nisham's staff to hit him on the head.

Carrie: Hey look, that guy isn't very good at dealing with staffs. You'll be able to beat him, no problem.

Remy: I would want to believe that, but he's against two people. Anyone would have a hard time against those odds.

Carrie: Is that so?

Before Remy could respond, a fast moving fighter flew past his vision, watching as four fighters collapsed in their wake.

Remy's thoughts: What was that? I couldn't even see what he did!

Thong raised his guard as bruises appeared on his arms as Nisham and Silvia both began to rain a flurry of strikes on him.

Thong's thoughts: They're not giving a moment to retaliate, and I doubt Hugo is in any position to help me. I need to act soon…

Thong watched closely, following the movement and pattern of their attacks. In just a slight moment, Thong sprung up, landing an uppercut on both Silvia and Nisham.

Nisham's thoughts: Such explosive power, where did this come from?

Silvia's thoughts: He's so tough, is that why he hasn't succumbed to our strikes yet?

Silvia and Nisham stumbled back as Thong charged forward. Nisham widened his stance, thrusting his staff forward in a circular motion. Thong immediately pushed the staff away, moving into Nisham's range before landing a vertical punch aimed at his chest. Nisham let out a gasp as Thong sent him falling to the ground with an elbow. Nisham fell to the ground, his staff rolling out of his hand. Silvia held her chin as she stared at Nisham's body. She dropped her weapon before raising her hands. Thong stared at her as she quivered in fear.

Silvia: I quit! I was only being paid to help him, so I have no reason to fight, so don't hurt me.

Thong's thoughts: For being proper fighters, these guys don't do very well in retaliation…

Silvia's thoughts: This guy is strong, that's my type…

Thong walked away as Silvia's legs gave out. Hugo let out a yawn as Thong walked up to him.

Hugo: Hey, Tucker, where were ya?

Thong: Did you not bother to turn around? Weren't you the one to say to help each other out?

Hugo: Well, I was getting a bit tired, so I went to take a bit of a breather.

Thong: I guess I shouldn't have expected any different…

Thong's eyes shot open as he ran in front of Hugo, pushing away a punch.

Hugo: What the?

Thong: I knew there was a fast fighter here, so I finally get to meet you.

The fighter was of a smaller build, looking at Thong as they jumped back. Without saying a word, they bolted away as Thong stood up straight.

Hugo: You know them?

Thong: Nope, but I kept catching glimpses of them when I was surveying the area.

Hugo: Man, and I thought you were fast. I guess my training really has helped improve you.

Thong watched as Hugo wore a face of pride. Thong looked around, noticing another strange fighter in the ring. His face was obscured by a mask of several horizontal lines. He wore a grey cloak, giving off an aura that was seeming similar yet different to the knight Thong had met earlier.

Thong's thoughts: A lot of people with interesting getups. Are any of these viable?

Thong watched as the man pulled out a sword from within his cloak, the lower edges were serrated. One fighter charged at the man, only for blood to spew out from his chest. The man placed his sword back in his cloak, looking around. Another man ran up to him, switching his gaze between the bleeding fighter and the cloaked fighter.

Remy: Abraham, what was that for?!

Abraham: We have no time for luxury. Our goal is to make it to the tournament, mercy is not an option.

Remy: I think we can afford that luxury!

Abraham: Remy, you chose a more gentle weapon, but I will show to my father and all the others in the Imperium that we are truly worthy of the title of the elite.

Remy: Are you getting enough air in that mask?

As Remy finished his sentence, a buzzer rang out in the stadium. All the fighters looked around, noticing how quickly the numbers diminished. An intercom turned on as the fighters began to relax.

Shizu: As expected, only the best of the brought in contestants remain standing. Everyone you see standing around you are the ones you will meet again in the main tournament. But remember, come the main tournament, there are no allies.

Hugo: Wait, so we can't partner up?

Thong: I've been telling you that from the start.

Shizu: Now, you may all head to the infirmary to recover and have any injuries looked out by our professionals. The Grand Tournament will not begin until two days from now, so get as much rest and preparations in as needed. I wish you all luck.

Thong: So we really did make it…

Thong let out a sigh as Hugo fell to the floor, looking up to the ceiling.

Hugo: Man, I'm beat.

Thong's thoughts: You barely did much…

Thong looked around, his eyes opening wide as he stared across the ring. The hair and scars stood out to him like a sore thumb.

Thong: Mike?

Thong began walking away, Hugo sitting up.

Hugo: Yo Tungsten, where are you going?

Thong slowly walked up to Mike, noticing other fighters appear around them. Before Thong could reach them, another fighter bumped into him. Thong turned to look at them, but the fighter was already up in his face.

???: What's wrong, idiot? You want to complain?

Thong was brought back from the sudden attitude from the other fighter. They were hunched over, with a cocky smile on their face. They wore a black sleeveless shirt and black pants. Their hair was messy, adding to their rude nature.

???: Don't mess with me, or I might kill ya.

The fighter walked away, Thong shaking his head before looking back at Mike, who started walking away, surrounded by other Imperium members.

Remy: I'm glad to see you all made it.

Angel: I think it was clear from the start.

Carrie: I'm so proud of you all, maybe Terry will hold a celebration so we can enjoy each of your victories.

Abraham: Father would be excited by the news.

Mike: Man, you guys are making a big deal of this. Let's just get ready for a few days from now. This tournament isn't going to be easy.

Mike stopped as he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder. He turned around, only to face Thong directly.

Thong: I… Got you.

Mike: So you were actually able to make it, huh?

Thong nodded as Mike put on a smile.

Carrie: Hey, isn't that the guy from a month ago?

Remy: Now that you mention it, I think it was.

Thong looked at Remy and Carrie.

Thong's thoughts: I remember Carrie, but I can tell that that other guy was one of the two behind me back then.

Hugo: Yo Tartarus, I'm pretty hungry, so let's go get some grub.

Mike: Who's Tartarus?

Thong: It's… a long story.