Chapter 167: The Viper versus The Wolf!
"I should warn you," Alma teased with a confident smirk, raising her right hand and twirling her fingers. "That my magic specializes on nature itself, and you don't seem to possess magic."
"Nature magic referring to the combined elements of Earth and Water. Yes, it will grant you quite the advantage in this location," Reta's eyes scanned the environment, noting the density of green surrounding them. Numerous thorned plant life amongst toppled dark wood, fractured tree limbs, and an abundance of vines hanging over their heads like curtains. Not to mention the murky brown waters that seemed ankle-deep, with a feeling of mud under her feet. Her eyes landed back on the teal blue eyes of her opponent. "But casting magic takes a level of concentration to maintain for spell casting."
"Not all spells require focus." Alma added.
"But the most powerful ones, certainly the kind that manipulate the environment, they tend to need incredible focus." Reta corrected her.
Up high on the tree hut, the crowd eagerly watched the two women face off. Felix and his friends were on all fours, hunched over the platform hole to get a closer look.
Felix turned to his friends. "Is that true? Back in the circus, Arcaye didn't need to chant any spells in order to cast them."
Janette was about to respond when Nyitzcha leaned atop her head, ready to answer the young man. "Spell casting ain't de same fer everyone depending on what level o' profession an' skill you 'ave."
He blinked, seemingly puzzled. "What?"
Janette pushed the dwarf off her. "When people say the name before casting said spell, it's often a weak spell. Drawing a casting sigil or symbol on the ground means the spell uses constant focus from the user to manifest, that's usually required when the spell caster is manipulating the environment for their means. It's temporary and the effect is lost once the user loses concentration. Arcaye used that staff of his as a conduit, a battery that stores concentration and makes spell casting easier for the user."
"I see," Felix hummed, glancing back at the arena below. "Ghenki needs concentration too."
"Which might be why Reta is opting to fight without it." His friend pointed out.
Felix nodded. "She's not very good with magic, so fighting without it means keeping her energy reserves."
He held his breath, keeping a keen eye on Alma.
Alma crossed her arms, somewhat bothered by her opponent's words. "Is there a reason you seem keen on giving me this advice?"
"I desire a good challenge and would prefer you not to make it easy for me." Reta sneered, annoying the Elf in return.
Alma leaned forward, grinning as she planted her feet apart ready to make her next move. "Really? Well then, as you say, so it will be."
Reta anticipated Alma to drop down and draw a spell circle in a hurry, believing her opponent to be a more common level spell caster. But to her surprise, Alma's index and middle finger pressed together as she began forming hand signals. She completed the effect by clasping her palms together, attracting numerous murky brown drops of muddy water to her. They rotated in a spiral around her outstretched hand, forming a cluttered brown ball levitating an inch over her wide hand.
"Is that... some sort of water ball?" Felix leaned in from above.
Reta narrowed her gaze, watching Alma manifest this muddy water ball.
Alma smirked and raised her hand up high, then swung it down in a scooping motion before launching the muddy blast toward her opponent.
Reta hesitated briefly, jumping to her right as the projectile sunk into the waters behind her.
Alma didn't seem fazed by missing this attack, she was quick to manifest another mud ball and sending it to the Wolf once more. Reta dodged with relative ease, even performing a backflip as if to taunt the elf by making this into a sport.
But she didn't count on Alma betting on this reaction, for the next projectile sent her way suddenly burst into a brown gooey splatter, its reach catching Reta. Despite her raising her arms to guard herself, some of the mud pasted across her left side, blinding her eye and dripping down her ear. She flinched in disgust, feeling the mud cling to her blue hair as she wiped her face with the back of her arm.
Only to notice Alma had dashed forward and caught up to her.
Reta's eyes widened as Alma struck her with a blow to the face, forcing the wolf to stumble back several steps. Alma was swift to press with the advantage, launching a flurry of jabs and hits while pushing Reta further back. Those attacks were met with Reta's raised arms shielding herself, but the momentum forced her on the retreat.
Spotting an opening below her guard, Alma swung her knee up and struck Reta's stomach. Reta felt the wind knocked out from her lungs, but she composed herself and spun around, catching Alma back with a back elbow strike to her cheek.
That strike left a red bruise on the elf's face, but she refused to back down. She retaliated with a swinging kick against Reta's right hip, landing right against the hourglass curve of her waistline just under her ribs. Reta fell on her side, coughing and gasping to get her breath back. She looked up to see Alma lift her leg and swing her heel down, but she managed to roll off the side to dodge it.
Reta rolled below some long hanging vines. Once she got back on her feet, Alma jumped up and clung onto the vines to hold her weight before throwing in a left kick. The Wolf held up her forearm, bracing the impact only to be met with another kick on the left. Block! Then a kick on the right again, another block! She landed enough kicks that it broke through the wooden armguards.
Block! Block! Block!
Alma struggled to land an attack, hanging by the vines and furiously attempting to break through Reta's defense. Reta would switch her arm stance, bending her arm down and keeping her palm against her fist to keep a strong guard. Each kick was met with a different arm stance, keeping up the defense. It didn't matter if she tried breaking rhythm and performing several kicks with the same leg, Reta would block it in time.
Having had enough, Alma dropped down and charged a heavy right-hand blow forward, hoping to break through Reta's guard, but Reta fell on her right hand to dodge, leaving Alma leaning forward and out of balance.
Only Reta switched into a handstand, utilizing it to turn her hips and swing a raised leg kick that struck Alma's right cheek hard!
The blow landed on the same cheek bruise left, deepening the color from red to purple. Alma lost her footing, dazed and stumbling back. While Reta recovered her stance, Alma felt her anger boil as she lashed out with a fierce war cry behind a swinging kick.
"Hrrrraaaaahhh!!" She swung the back heel hard, with Reta crouching and responding with a leg sweep like before. Alma recognized the attack, managing to jump in time while Reta swung around from the missed sweep. When Alma landed, Reta kept the same spinning momentum, picked herself up with a left hand in the mud, and delivered a double kick on Alma's torso, sending the elf several feet away before landing on her back with a splash!
"YYYEEEAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Nyitzcha cheered with a two-foot jump, throwing a fist in the air.
The response from the audience was conflicted. Most of the elders and Rangers shared nervous looks, uneasy with the current victory kept by Reta. While the children clapped their hands, bounced around giddy with excitement from the performance.
Felix sighed, shaking his head. He felt Janette's hand on his shoulder, trying to calm his nerves. He offered her shy smile and head nod. He wanted to enjoy this moment just as his friends did. But magic was still a foreign concept to him, and he worried over what surprises Alma would have in store.
Reta flicked her arms back and forth, waving off the burning sensation resonating off her forearms from Alma's numerous kicks. Gone was the cocky grin she had on her face before, her eyes kept their focus as she waited for Alma to get back on her feet. She was locked in, the crowd cheering above was mute to her ears. The moment of rest did give her ample time to wipe off any remaining mud glued to her face, keeping a clean face and then taking the opportunity to tie her hair back. She was taking this seriously, regardless of how it seemed she was winning.
Alma shuffled up on all fours, her head bobbing up and down as she coughed out some saliva. She took her time, staring at the murky waters as if she were somewhat distracted. She picked herself back up, rubbing her bruised cheek. Just a touch made her eye twitch in response. She glared back at Reta, breathed in deep, then took several steps back.
Reta raised her brow, curious to know why she was expanding the distance between them. Her thoughts were answered when Alma clasped her hands together, then directed them below.
"Natures Grasp!" She called out, keeping a deadly stare fixated on the Wolf. Immediately, a sigil glowed bright through the brown pool as a swirl of magic attracted around her hand, forming the same sigil to signal the concentration toward the spell.
Without warning, large roots burst from the mud as if an explosion detonated from underground, with their trajectory aiming straight to her! Reta gasped and stepped back, wondering when Alma was able to cast a sigil to perform such a spell. She threw herself into a backflip just as the vines dug into the mud where she previously stood, only to sprout back out to follow her.
Janette gasped, recoiling from how fast those roots swung out. "Wait- when did she have the time to draw a sigil?"
"She must have done it when she was face down in the mud." Felix suggested, "That would explain why she stayed down briefly."
He watched nervously as the roots barely missed Reta once more.
Damn it! Reta cursed in her head, performing several more backflips to keep away from those roots. She landed on her feet, hunched down with her butt an inch above water, looking up as the roots tickled her nose before reaching their limit.
Alma dropped them, changing her focus and manipulating the vines from above to wriggle and squirm before wrapping amongst themselves, balling into a clumsy limb. It waved around, its mobility resembling a snake with a few flowers sprouting off its body. The vines shot down at Reta from up high, penetrating down with a fierce water splash as Reta jumped back. The impact sent some vines scattering from the blunt force, but it drew back and jabbed forward. She took the opportunity to flip forward, stomping both feet against the body only to feel her feet sink through its squishy girth. It disrupted her balance, but she succeeded in wounding this growth of vines. It tried picking itself up, but the stomp left a nasty gash into the body, causing the head to fold back from its weight as the vines fell apart.
Reta sprinted forward, ready to punish Alma back when the elf retreated to her previous target. Now that Reta had closed in, the roots had no problem reaching out just as she threw her hand back for a punch. They coiled around her wrist and forearm, then returned back into the mud to force her arm down. Reta fell on her knee, feeling the pressure drag her arm down, immobilizing her.
This was what Alma needed. Now helpless, Reta looked up with one arm restrained as Alma delivered a swift kick across her face, followed by another kick. Reta raised her left arm to block the left kick, but Alma had no trouble turning on her other leg to assault her vulnerable side. She did this while keeping the magic sigil concentrated against her hand, looking like she held it with her fingertips while holding her stance.
"Nnngh!" Reta squeezed her eyes tight, feeling her head bounce from receiving another kick.
Felix felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek; he counted twelve kicks that landed with more on the way. His friend was in trouble, and if she can't break free from the spell then this was it.
Reta's head hung down as a back heel struck her from above, leaving a vertical cut across the forehead. Her face was bruised with a bloody nose; all she felt was this burning heat under her skin as she frantically thought of a way to break free. Alma charged her leg back, preparing to launch another kick to the face. Reta swerved her head aside, feeling her foot scrape across her shoulder. She dug her fingernails into Alma's calf and scooping her leg up before pinning her down with her own weight, crushing Alma's leg.
"Aaaagh!" Alma screamed out in pain, the sigil at her right-hand disintegrating as she broke her concentration. She opened her eyes as Reta climbed up over her waist, sat down, and delivered an onslaught of punches at her face in return.
The first punch landed squarely on Alma's bruised cheek, sending a fierce jolt of excruciating pain as she kicked her legs out from behind. Reta threw a left punch, this time caught by the wrist from Alma, only to land another right punch to the cheek. This broke her hold, freeing her left hand as Alma was now forced to cross her arms, defending against this flurry of blows. It didn't matter to Reta if they didn't hit, she was seeing red. Whether it was from the cut above the eye dripping blood, or the seething anger from being caught by this elf's attacks, it was probably both.
Spi' Reto flinched, seeing the bad state his mother was in. "Come on, mom! Throw her off!"
Hearing her son's words, Alma took the risk and pulled Reta in by her collar, then slipped her feet up and kicked the Wolf back, freeing herself.
"There we go!" Her son sighed in relief before acknowledging the glare from the dwarf.
Alma gasped, panting loudly and sitting up. She pushed her tongue under her bottom lip, feeling it bruised from a clean hit. Her left cheek was beginning to swell, and she buckled when attempting to stand up. She held her knee, that wound on her leg made it more difficult for her to walk around.
Reta rolled around, picking herself up. Her face was a bloodied mess, the gash on the forehead bled down the right side of her face, dripping close to the eye. Her chin had a purple bruise below, and her left cheek shared a red hue under the skin. She pressed her fist under her chin, tilting her head to one side far enough until her neck cracked.
Alma looked at her, feeling the pressure. If she wanted to end this in her favor, she needed to exhaust stronger spells but doing so would drain her reserves and she would risk falling into fatigue.
"Really thought she would go down from that." Alma hissed, slouching slightly.
"The Viper?" Reta called out, grabbing her attention. "Why the nickname? Am I correct to assume you're the one behind the poisoned arrows we've come across?"
"Your assumption would be correct." Alma admitted, "But we agreed to non-lethal tactics, you needn't worry."
Reta nodded back, wiping blood off her lip. She was the first to charge forward this time, removing the opportunity for Alma to cast a spell.
Alma jumped back, alerted by her move as they clashed between shoulder to shoulder. Alma slid back, her leg buckling, unable to sustain the pressure due to her injury. She winced and was caught with a palm strike to the face, followed by a bludgeoning fist to the gut. She hunched forward, incidentally presenting her face for Reta to spin around and land a backwards elbow blow.
Alma was thrown back from the hit, taking the opportunity to adjust into a handstand and flip backwards to create distance. Her nose was bleeding, but she wiped it off without breaking line of sight from her opponent. She lunged in, throwing a spear hand for Reta's face, but she parried it with a swipe of her hand, sliding the attack off her wrist. Alma went in for another spear hand, this time her attack was slapped aside, but it did force Reta to retreat a few steps.
The crowd watched from above as the elf kept the attack with numerous jabs and a few kicks, keeping Reta backpedaling further.
Reta felt her backside press against a tree, pinning her down. Feeling no other choice, she swerved her head and slid Alma's spear hand across her shoulder, then stepped in and struck her beneath the chin with a palm strike. She positioned her foot behind Alma's heel, grabbed her by the throat, and swung her into the ground, tossing her body aside like a ragdoll.
Alma hit the ground hard, splashing loudly. She rolled around to pick herself up, catching a raised knee from Reta with her palms and reacting instinctively with a leg kick. Only Reta was hoping for that, catching her leg in time and pinning her elbow down against the joint!
"UHHnnnGH!" Alma groaned loud, pulling away. She clasped her hands, formed the correct finger signs, but threw a punch forward. Reta grabbed it and spun around, performing an over the shoulder throw. Alma rolled across the mud this time, spinning around and sending a muddy blast at Reta.
Reta charged in after the grab, and by the time she saw Alma retaliate, it was too close for her to dodge out of the way. She bared her teeth, anger rising as she reached out and caught the blast by hand. Alma expected the projectile to hit, only Reta spun completely around, using its momentum and hurling it back to her!
SPLAT!
It closed her eyes, mud clinging to her arms and dripping down her hair. She couldn't see, but her ears picked up the frantic cries from her people above along with the thunderous splashes trailing close! Blind and panicked, Alma fell to her knee, clapped her hands, and speared her hands down before lifting a wall of mud up in front of her.
The wall rose up, knocking Reta on her backside and casting a shadow over her. Alma furiously rubbed her eyes clean, wasting no time to jump out and throw another mud ball. Reta dodged with ease, using a side spinning jump and landing on her feet. She took cover behind a tree just as another mud ball was sent her way. She was breathing heavy, the acrobatics taking a toll on her stamina, but she took notice of the sweat staining Alma's forehead.
Falling on her knee, Alma hurriedly drew another sigil into the mud, straining her muscles as she repeated the same spell from before. "Natures Grasp!"
Reta gasped, watching a spiraling coil of vines draped down around her torso. She slid down, splashing her butt in the water just as the vines squeezed over her head, catching some strands of blue hair.
When Reta sprung from the tree and made a dash toward the elf, Alma launched another mud projectile toward her. Reta stood back, held out her wide hands and took the impact this time, only managing to swing her arms up to knock the mud ball away before it exploded. The impact sent her hopping on one leg, losing balance when the vines came down and wrapped around her wrists, trapping her.
This time, Alma held the sigil with both hands and began to spin. The vines followed her motion, picking Reta up and spinning her around. They spun around several times before Alma broke the spell, launching Reta through several branches before bouncing off a tree, landing down in a splash as numerous vines and tree branches fell over her.
"Reta!" Felix cried out, lunging forward. Janette held him back, but she was left speechless after what she witnessed. Nyitzcha sucked in her lip, holding her breathe hoping for the best. It was hard to remain hopeful when the elves around them applauded at Reta's misfortune.
Alma fell on her knees, panting loudly. She glanced down, seeing her hands tremble from the spell. Too much essence was used, and now her vision had started to blur. She laughed softly to herself, shaking her head in disbelief. Never had she expected this one to put up such a fight. After this, she would need a bath at the Healing Waters to recuperate.
Ba-BOOOOM!!!
Everyone gasped as Reta burst from the ruins in a maddening dash, eyes feral as she closed the gap and charged in. The impact left most of her wooden armor shattered, it fell apart unable to keep up with Reta's speed. Alma barely had time to cross her arms and guard, taking the blow and pedaling backwards. Reta was pissed, launching strike after strike relentlessly. A left palm strike, a right jab, raised knee at the torso, spinning elbow, then another palm strike.
Alma sweated profusely, pushed back nonstop as she managed to catch each blow with her hand, blocking the flurry of strikes. But the wounds were taking hold, her knee ached with each step, and her hands were burning with every block. She was loosening her arms, jumping back repeatedly as Reta kept up the pressure.
It was working momentarily, but one closed fist strike sunk into her gut, followed by a palm strike into the chin. Alma was sent flying back, bouncing off the mud and landing face first. When Reta sprinted in, Alma shot up and flung her hands up to the sky.
"HAAAAA-AAAHHHHH!!!!"
Numerous blasts shot up from the ground like geysers, startling Reta as she jumped from side to side to evade. It didn't prevent her from closing in, so in a panic Alma summoned another mud wall, this time from beneath Reta's feet. Feeling the earth emerged from below knocked her off balance, but Reta reached for a close vine and spun around, falling through and swinging her leg in the air. Her leg swept Alma from the back of the head, slamming her against the wall and leaving her dazed.
Reta landed behind her, landed a quick combination of a palm strike to the cheek, a punch in the gut, and then a follow-up strike to the chin. Alma managed to swerve away from that last strike, gripping onto Reta's shoulder and stepping in with a knee strike into Reta's stomach.
Reta coughed out over Alma's shoulder. She lifted her head, lowered her arm, then delivered a palm strike under the chin to knock Alma back. Alma fell on her knee, then rolled off the side. She landed beside a fallen log, reached out and tore off a large bark of wood in time to shield herself from Reta's punch.
Reta winced and pulled back, her knuckles bleeding when Alma wielded the bark as a shield to strike Reta across the face.
Now it was her turn to stumble back. Reta was tired, her ears ringing as Alma furiously swung the bark back and forth upon her. She blocked with both hands but even defending them was leaving nasty cuts across her bare forearms.
"Just give up already!!" Alma demanded, her face red as she continued slamming the bark over her.
"Reta!" Janette cried out from up top.
"C'mon Reta!" Felix called out, "Remember what you said before about doubting yourself!"
Nyitzcha raised her fist up high. "Make us proud, Nori!"
Reta buckled down on her knee, helpless as Alma swung the bark down again and again. Her eyes sprung open, fists ready, and in one last attempt Reta swung her hand up in an uppercut right below Alma's chin, launching her off the ground.
"HHHHH-HRRRRRAAAAaaa~Aaaah!!!!"Her blood curling cry exhausted the last bit of strength she had left, sending Alma crashing several feet back with a wet splash.
Feeling her body crumble under the weight of a thousand pounds, Reta fell to her knees, staring off at her opponent. Alma struggled to lift herself up, then gave up and laid back into the mud. Reta felt a smile emerge from her exhausted bloodied state before she fell on her side, passing out from the duel.
The duel was over.