Chapter Text
Oro barged into the arena, his large nail slung over his shoulder. Across from him, Emilita hummed to herself, swaying side to side idly.
“Are you ready to fucking die?!” Oro roared across the field, hoisting his nail off his shoulder. The blade dropped to the ground, creating a little puff of dust as it hit the dirt.
Emilita huffed as she shakily raised the thin nail she had chosen from Sheo’s selection. It was obvious she didn’t know how to use it. She gave a single nod, the weapon held in her trembling hands.
Ghost tapped Lurien, who had zoned out. They narrowed their eyes and grabbed the microphone before pulling out an airhorn and blasting it into the mic. Lurien shot up with a yell, grabbing the mic. “Be-Begin!”
Oro wasted no time making the first move, using his signature Dash Slash to cross the distance between him and Emilita in no time. Emilita yelped as she was forced to dodge, getting up in a hurry to dust her fancy clothes off.
“Careful with that stupid thing!” she snapped at Oro as the nailmaster pulled his weapon back to him.
Oro laughed with a mean glare. “Aw, did the dust ruin your fancy dress?” he asked in a mocking tone. “Oh, no! I might shed a tear!”
In the stands, Grimm shook his head, not even paying attention. “Such a short show has no need to be observed,” he commented, pulling out a newspaper from his cloak and opening it.
Myla looked over at the troupemaster. “He-hey, do-don’t s-say that…! She- she might win!”
Tiso let out a raucous laugh at that, one that was shared amongst almost all the other competitors, the only silent ones being Mato and Broken.
“She’ll have a chance when hell freezes over,” God Tamer said with a laugh.
“Indeed. That girl has one skill, and it’s being able to recite the extensive dictionary of insults to call others,” Revek agreed, observing the “fight.” Oro had begun the chase Emilita, screaming all the while.
Emilita looked over at the stands. She flipped all of them off. “Hey, fuck you!” she called, giving Revek and God Tamer glares. “Especially you two!”
“Don’t get distracted, idiot!” Tiso called, somewhat helpfully, and laughed. Emilita turned to see Oro looming above her, a maniacal gleam in his eye
“...Shit.”
-
“Well, that fight was over pretty quickly! Oro moves on!” Herrah snickered as she called the fight. Monomon had to unplug her mic and was in the process of losing it, as was Lurien. Ghost was banging the table. “An-anyways…! Next up, we have Tiso vs God Tamer! Take the field!”
Tiso was excited as he stepped onto the familiar field. He had been here before, before these bugs, standing on these exact sands. He was used to the loud cheering and bright lights. He smirked to himself and spun his shield idly, waiting for God Tamer.
When the other bug appeared, she wasn’t alone, riding on the back of her usual beast. She lifted her visor and goave Tiso a small wink.
“Hey! Not fair, it’s two against one!” Tiso cried up at the booth, fearing for the fight.
“Who’s the Champion here, bucko? Me! My arena, my rules!” God Tamer yelled. She patted her beast. “We’re gonna kick your ass!”
Tiso’s eyes narrowed as he readied his shield, touching the small but sharp blades on the edge. As soon as the announcement for the fight to commence rang out, God Tamer charged forward with her beast with a yell, raising her lance. As Tiso avoided the beast, God Tamer hopped off, swinging her lance down. Tiso blocked the hit with her shield and kicked at God Tamer. She hopped back, grinning as her beast landed behind her.
The beast curled up into a tight ball, rolling at Tiso again. The ant dodged and ran at God Tamer, sweeping his arm out in an attempt to hit her with his shield. God Tamer blocked with her lance, then pulled it back and went for a low strike. Tiso jumped over the blade and heard the sound of God Tamer’s beast above him. He moved back and the beast landed where he once stood.
God Tamer hopped back onto her beast and the creature charged. Tiso yelped as he scrambled to run away. God Tamer cackled as she gave chase, her lance raised and ready to strike. As the pair got close to him, Tiso turned and used his shield to block the lance. He quickly slashed at God Tamer’s beast with the sharp edges of his shield and the creature cried out in pain.
“How dare you?!” God Tamer screeched, outraged by the thought of her beast being hurt. She hopped off as the beast charged again, rolling past Tiso as he barely dove out of the way. Seconds later, God Tamer’s lance came down and barely nicked the side of Tiso’s face. Tiso’s eyes were wide as God Tamer pulled it out, seeing red and in blind rage.
Tiso rolled to the side and kicked God Tamer’s legs out from under her. As she went down, he scrambled to her feet and dodged the beast. He should really focus on the creature- he could take God Tamer on her own, but when she had help, he was screwed.
Tiso slashed at the creature as it tried to get in close. Another cry of pain emerged from the thing and God Tamer let out a shriek, running towards Tiso with her lance poised to strike. Tiso’s eyes widened as he blocked the hit, but his success didn’t last for long as God Tamer forced him to the ground, putting all of her weight onto her weapon.
Tiso noticed the beast preparing the charge again and got an idea. He smirked to himself and waited for the beast to curl up. Once it did, Tiso laughed, something that caught God Tamer off guard. His laughter continued until the beast was almost upon him. He quickly stopped fighting against God Tamer and the other fighter fell forward as Tiso dodged the beast.
“Update on strengths and weaknesses, Monomon?”
“Well, the two seem evenly matched in terms of combat ability. Despite his idiocy, Tiso can actually fight, and, well, God Tamer’s not the Champion for nothing. I thought this would be a certain win for God Tamer once her beast came out, but Tiso seems to be managing his own, and perhaps even winning. God Tamer’s weakness is her rage and Tiso’s, well, I think we know.”
Tiso rolled his eyes at that. He noticed the way God Tamer seemed to be tiring out. Her movement wasn’t as agile as it was before and her swings weren’t as well timed. As God Tamer and her beast charged again, Tiso used this to his advantage, easily dodging the duo. As God Tamer swung her lance down, Tiso caught it with the edge of his shield. He jerked the shield back and the lance was sent flying, leaving God Tamer almost defenseless.
A roar from the creature reminded Tiso he had another opponent to deal with yet. The beast charged and Tiso made a dash for God Tamer’s dropped lance. He grabbed the lithe weapon and swung it as the beast charged. The creature howled in pain before collapsing.
“And in a surprising turn of events, Tiso wins this battle!”
Hornet was dumbstruck at those words. Oro gaped in awe and/or horror. Grimm made a small humming noise. “Interesting.”
Tiso puffed out his chest as he exited the battlefield. The cheering dulled down to a quiet thrum as he went to Nailsmith’s workshop, unclipping his shield. “Just a quick polish, if you will.”
As Nailsmith went to work on the shield, Tiso observed the Warriors’ Pit. Zote had fallen asleep and was on the ground by the bench. Markoth and Xero were quietly talking to each other near Zote. Tiso sat down on the bench with a sigh.
The cheers suddenly increased in volume and Tiso made a soft humming noise to himself. They must’ve announced the next two competitors, meaning they should be down here soon for weapons. The telltale bell of a complete reforge rang through the pit. Tiso stood to collect his shield, thanking Nailsmith as he grabbed the disc.
“Tiso! You did so well!” Sheo smiled as he looked over from his current painting.
Tiso couldn’t help but smirk. “Thanks, dad.” He looked over to Zote, then Xero. Two of them had gotten through and Xero wasn’t finished yet. Sheo got the pleasure of watching his sons battle, something they rarely did.
A sudden chill next to him got Tiso’s attention. He looked over and blinked at the ghostly form of Revek. The ghost was silent as he pulled out his long and jagged nail. “Just a quick sharpen, if you will.”
Tiso shuddered to himself, wondering who Revek would be battling. It was sure to be interesting, unless it was someone like Myla, which would most likely be an easy win. The ant took his shield and went to the stands once more, sitting near Quirrel, who was taking a break from his continuous cheering.
“Who’s battling next?” Tiso asked, trying to seem bored.
Quirrel smiled at Tiso. “Oh, you’re back! Great job on your win!” He turned back to the field. “Grimm’s going to be going up against Revek.”
Tiso nodded at the information. “This’ll be a show,” he muttered.
On the other side of the arena, Brumm watched anxiously. He had gotten a little distracted by the more intense fights, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to focus during this one. Brumm set his accordion down, seating himself on a bleacher to watch his Master fight. It could be an easy win, but Brumm wasn’t too sure how good Revek was at combat. He briefly remembered the ghost doing extremely well in dodgeball, being second-to-last to get out on his team, so maybe this would be a good fight.
As soon as Grimm walked out, he grinned at the crowd, waving a few times. He was used to everything the arena had- bright lights, cheers, peering eyes, and, of course, a lust for a good show. The troupemaster watched his opponent as the ghost teleported onto the field, grinning. He liked when his opponents could match his skills, and this one certainly could, judging by the teleportation and the nail.
“Greeting, friend!” Grimm called. “The crowd wants a show! Shall we give them one?”
Revek silently nodded, drawing his nail. Grimm bowed, a gesture of respect, and was delighted to see Revek copy the motion. This fight would truly be a show.
“Whenever you’re ready, boys!” Herrah called down. She leaned back in the booth, turning off her microphone. “Can’t wait to see this.”
Grimm nodded at his opponent, then opened his cloak, an arm extended towards Revek. Three fiery bat-like projectiles flew out. As Revek dodged the attack, Grimm teleported away with a puff of red smoke. He reappeared closer to his enemy and prepared his first melee attack, his arm and cloak sharpening. Grimm charged and grinned as Revek parried, the ghost teleporting away as soon as the parry had finished. Grimm, too, teleported momentarily, though he reappeared close by.
Revek flickered into vision, his nail behind him in a prepared slash. Grimm watched as the ghost put on a burst of speed, closing the distance between him and the troupemaster in seconds. Grimm twirled to the side, feeling the blade rush by him. Grimm opened his cloak again and sent out the fire bats as Revek recovered from the slim recoil, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Grimm. He could use that.
“This fight will be interesting. Both sides are almost completely equal.” Monomon’s commentary rang through the arena. “They’re both very fast and their attacks, while not relying on speed, benefit from it.”
“I agree, Monomon.” Herrah smirked as she spoke. “Now, I haven’t seen either of these two in combat often, but I can see one weakness on both sides. And I’m sure the competitors have as well.”
“What?” Myla asked, watching the two bugs spin around each other, trading attacks. “What is it?”
Mato smiled down at the miner. “Well, they both rely on their speed to dodge attacks. But that’s their shared weakness.”
“Grimm can’t move when he’s firing off those red bats, nor when his cloak is stuck in the ground,” Hornet added, watching as said cloak turned into pillars of spikes. “But notice the few seconds after Revek attacks. He has to deal with the slight recoil of the speed he must use to execute said attack. Grimm can use that.”
“They’re respectful when they’re battling,” Galien commented, folding his claws. “They trade blows and ignore openings other fighters would take.”
Grimm smiled at the additional commentary. He parried another attack from Revek. He noticed the recoil and went for the surprise attack, jabbing his sharpened cloak at Revek. The ghost noticed and twisted himself in mid-air, bringing his nail up to block the hit. Grimm pulled back suddenly and Revek was sent to the ground.
The black spiked pillars announced their arrival and Revek barely had time to dodge one, lifting himself back into the air. He noticed Grimm extending his arm in the midst of the black and was ready for the fire bats when the pillars retreated. Grimm was ready when his attack had ended, parrying Revek’s nail. As the ghost teleported off, Grimm stuck his cloak back into the ground.
The pillars shot up, and as Grimm predicted, he saw Revek’s form flicker into view, one of the spikes retreating from where it had punctured the ghost. Grimm smiled as he prepared an uppercut, dashing across the field and closing the distance quickly. Revek noticed the troupemaster in time and was able to successfully block. He teleported away quickly, reappearing behind Grimm and slashing at the troupemaster again.
Grimm hissed softly at the pain that shot through his body but recovered quickly. He teleported away in a puff of smoke, reappearing above the arena. His cloak swelled and turned spiky as balls of hellfire began to shoot out. Revek was forced to reappear and weave through the fireballs. As he was preoccupied, Grimm ended his attack, teleporting below the ghost and slashing at him with another uppercut, his leap ended in a teleport and four bursts of flame.
“I don’t know who will win this one,” Lurien commented, amused. “What do you think, Monomon?”
The scientist laughed a little. “Well, there’s many factors to consider. I won’t list them all, but I know that the jagged nail of Revek’s isn’t something that will hit lightly. Grimm can’t take too many hits from that thing. Revek has and can take multiple hits from his opponent, but as we saw earlier, the recoil and charge time for one attack can change a lot.”
Grimm reappeared on the ground, grinning at his ghostly opponent. “My, you can certainly keep in time and match the rhythm!” He clapped, a genuine gesture. “You have my applause. This dance is one of the most interesting to date!”
A ghost of a smile flickered in Revek’s eyes. He bowed his head, a slow nod, in response. Grimm knew the guardian wasn’t much of a talker and he could respect that. Revek wanted this performance to end. Grimm wanted it to last a lifetime.
“Our dance must come to an end, I suppose.” Revek spoke slowly and in a monotone voice. “All dances have their life, and when it ends, their deaths are remembered in the audience’s memories.”
Grimm gasped, half-faux and for show. He bowed, fire pulsing around his form. “I’m pleased you seem to get it.” He spread out his cloak, the fire glowing in a pillar. “It’s time for the grand finale!”
Grimm lunged with his sharpened cloak, a trail of fire behind him as he jabbed his spear-like arm at Revek, who nimbly dodged it. Grimm ended his lunge early, entering the uppercut without much warning. He smiled as Revek floated back, silent. He knew he had gotten a hit in.
Revek was on him as soon as he reappeared. Grimm made an attempt to dodge but the attack hit anyways and sent a new wave of pain through the troupemaster. Grimm clutched his arm and hissed, realizing he had forgotten one thing about Revek. The attack took time to charge, yes, but the ghost tracked his target’s movements during that time.
“He was hiding that detail from me,” Grimm hissed to himself as he realized. “He was testing to see if I remembered…! Once he figured out I didn’t, he knew he could use that to his advantage!”
“And it was such a foolproof plan,” Revek commented, floating nearby, having heard Grimm’s words.
Despite the pain, the troupemaster smiled. “Clever, I must admit,” he said, his tone even. “It’s a shame I figured it out at the conclusion.”
Revek inclined his head. “A shame? No… I’d call it the perfect twist.” He slightly nodded at the audience, who was cheering loudly. “They seemed to enjoy the performance, but we cannot keep them here forever.”
He charged up another attack, a new gleam in his eyes. Grimm got ready, knowing what was coming. When Revek attacked, Grimm dodged quickly. However, he was not expecting the ghost to stop himself, turn, and slash again. The blow caught Grimm by surprise, forcing him to his knees.
He glanced at Revek, slightly satisfied at the red flames that licked at the ghost’s cloak. In some way, it made his opponent look more intimidating. “Well fought, my friend.”
Revek nodded slowly. He turned away, ignoring the flames. “The show is over. The actors must part ways for the time being. Wave one last time as the curtain falls.”
The ghost teleported off even before Herrah announced him the winner. Grimm stood up and bowed to the audience, his cloak billowing as he walked off the battlefield.
-
“Holy shit,” Tiso said, gawking at the two before him.
Grimm looked over, the handshake between him and Revek coming to an end. “What?”
Tiso’s eyes were wide. “That was fucking awesome!”
Grimm couldn’t help but smirk. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show.” He turned to Revek. “Be careful if you end up fighting this one.” He nodded at Tiso.
“Hey!”
Revek softly chuckled. “It’ll be something when it happens.” He sheathed his nail, looking down at Tiso. “Whoever your opponent may be, I wish you luck. It’d be something to battle you.”
Tiso watched as the ghost floated away to converse with Xero and Markoth. He adjusted his hood and sighed, leaning on the wall. “Showoff,” he muttered.
Grimm snickered. “I really, really hope you have the chance to fight that guy. Who knows, maybe it’ll be the final battle?”
Tiso smirked. “Something tells me he knows we’ll fight. He did say “when” instead of “if”.”
Grimm slightly punched the ant’s arm. “You’re too confident, you know that?”
“Confidence is key, man.”
The troupemaster nodded as he watched the others in the Warriors’ Pit. “The losers are due to duel soon,” he commented. “Some of them are interesting. God Tamer, Markoth, Xero… it’d be a treat to duel them in battle.”
Tiso laughed. “Yeah. I mean, I knew Oro would win, but Zote?” He snickered. “I’d love to knock that fool a few pegs down.”
“Well, don’t forget, there are three more fights.” Xero and the other two ghosts joined the conversation. “Myla’s going against Galien, Broken’s gotta deal with Mato, and Hornet has the joy of battling Pale Lurker.”
“Quite the reward, isn’t it,” Markoth muttered, eliciting a snicker from Xero.
“The girl has a few screws loose,” Revek said, “but she was the former champion of this place, if my memory serves me well. She must have some skill.”
Tiso rolled his eyes with a scoff. “Oh please. I doubt that girl can even swing a nail.”
“Can you?” Grimm asked in a teasing tone. Tiso grew red, something that caused Grimm and the ghosts to laugh.
“Sh-shut up!”
-
Lurien looked at Ghost. “Is your bet final?”
Ghost nodded, locking in their bet of Tiso winning this whole thing. Lurien hummed. “I see. Well, I’m sticking with my guess of Cloth. She seems formidable.”
Herrah chuckled. “I’m still rooting for my daughter.”
“Of course you are,” Monomon snarked. “I’m gonna root for Revek. May not know him, but he helped me with a few… things.”
“You mean he supplied you with tons of explosives?”
Monomon grinned. “Damn right.”
“I’ll kill him,” Herrah muttered.
Ghost shook their head, motioning for Lurien to announce the next matchups.