After a few minutes of prepping, August and Jasper are now standing face-to-face in the center of the room.
“Alright, are you guys ready?” Void asks.
“Yeah,” August answers as he cracks his neck.
“Of course!” Jasper yells eagerly as he takes a stance, “I’ve been waiting for this moment from the first day you got here.”
“I almost forgot to say it, but usage of your powers is restricted. So you’ll have to fight using only the weapons. And also it’s a stop-short match so please don’t hurt each other that much. And without further adieu, you may begin!”
They waste no time and rush toward each other, but Jasper moved faster than August so he starts to attack first. He swings one of the swords at August but he easily blocks it with the polearm.
‘This is right here is what I live for!’ Jasper thinks as they both cross blades.
August positions himself close to Jasper as he twirls the polearm and deflects another of Jasper’s attacks. And in the same motion, he thrusts it at Jasper. But his quick footwork saves him as he moves just out of the weapon’s range.
‘As nimble as ever I see…’
They move toward each other again and their blades clash fiercely. Having two swords is great for Jasper as he holds August at bay with one and attacks with the other. However August is too smart for such a simple ploy.
He knocks away Jasper’s sword and blocks the other. Using this chance, Jasper starts attacking with the two swords non-stop. August holds his ground and blocks the unending barrage of attacks.
‘Jasper’s attack speed and potency are levels above August. And he probably has more experience being a monster hunter and all. But I don’t believe that alone can take down August.’ Void watches over the match carefully as they both start to get heated.
They’re now locked in a fierce melee with neither side yielding ground to the other. But after parrying one of Jasper’s attacks, August sneaks in a hefty forward. The kick hits Jasper right in the chest and he staggers back.
Gaining the advantage with that move, August doesn’t let up. Before Jasper can regain his composure, August moves in. He swings the polearm at Jasper, which he blocks sloppily.
‘Jasper is a great warrior, but facing a calculative and cunning adversary like August he’s at a clear disadvantage. He needs to work on his recovery. Because once August finds a weakness he exploits it at just the right moment to mess you up.’
Jasper’s now being pushed back by an unrelenting August. He’s barely able to stave off his aggressive onslaught.
‘August’s main strengths are his tenacity, cunningness, and his eyes and brain that calculate his opponent's every move. He also has great control of his body and weapon. Another thing I’ve realized about August is that he has an unbending will. He’s really like an apex predator built to be the strongest with profanity for extreme violence.’
August takes a step closer to Jasper and prepares a powerful upward slash. Jasper realizes this just in time and blocks the attack by using his two swords. Now locked in a power struggle, Jasper does the best he can to hold off August.
However, August lessens the amount of strength he’s using to lure Jasper into a false sense of security. And he falls for it.
Just as Jasper believes he’s overpowering August. August turns the tables and uses all his strength to catch him off guard. He easily pushes Jasper away and bears down on him once again.
“How about we change the game a bit?!” Void shouts with a grin.
The suddenness and volume of Void’s voice bring their match to an abrupt halt. They both turn to him with confused looks on their faces. He uses the control panel to change the shape of the room.
As the floor shines a bright red color that envelopes the entire room. Floating platforms rise beneath both their feet as some slowly descend from the ceiling.
“What are you getting at old man?” Jasper asks angrily because he interrupted the match.
“It’s simple really. In a real life and death battle your surroundings are subject to change. So why not train that way as well?” Void explains with a mischievous grin, “And in this scenario, you guys are fighting above a volcano while using the gravitational stones as footholds. So the first to fall to the ground loses.”
“So the floor is lava, eh?” August says interested.
‘This is gonna be interesting!’ Jasper thinks.
They both waste no time and dive back into the fray. They maneuver their way to the same platform and cross blades once again. However, it doesn’t take long for Jasper to gain the upper hand.
With a sneaky leg sweep and backward spin kick he forces August off the platform. But luckily enough, he lands on one of the lower platforms. Jasper doesn’t give him a second to breathe and dives after him.
Seeing an opportunity to turn the tides in his favor, August uses the polearm like a javelin and throws it at Jasper. And using his two swords he deflects the polearm. However, by doing so he left himself wide open for an attack.
August leaps into the air to meet Jasper. He grabs him by the collar then spins and throws him over his shoulder. And with that move, August secures his victory as Jasper falls and hits the ground.
“And that’s the match.” Void says as he starts to clap, “Well done, both of you. That was a splendid match. I loved the way you both used the terrain to your advantage. And also, August, that last move you made was a reckless one but it was still executed perfectly.”
“Yeah, it was. And it’s my loss.” Jasper says.
“Well yeah, but if you hadn’t jumped the gun on that last move you made, you could’ve won,” August says as he helps him up.
“It was one of those ‘spur-of-the-moment things. My body just moved on its own and I went with it. But how do you know how to use that polearm so well? Have you used one before?”
“Yeah, I have actually. I think it was a few months before I got here. At that time I was down south in the Khamet desert.”
“With the giant scorpions?” Jasper asks.
“Yeah… That one…” August answers nervously.
“We really need to go on a road trip.”
“How about this winter?” Zachry asks as he gets closer to them.
“Definitely.”
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