Chapter Text
One had to give Ghost some credit when they had told their newest idea. It had seemed fun at the time. It would be entertaining, to watch all their friends (and enemies) battle it out in a friendly competition. Ghost had received one response at the proposal.
me: guys wanna have a tournament
theangryone: no
Oro’s reply seemed to be everyone’s answer. That was, until Ghost announced there was a prize.
me: theres a prize lol
theangryone: i’m gonna fuck everyone up
yeeshaw: seconded, i’m in
Currently, Ghost stood in the booth high above the stadium. Lurien, Monomon, and Herrah were seated next to them, acting as the commentators for the event. Each had a list of the randomly-picked matchups.
The Colosseum of Fools was usually bustling, and today was no different. In the Warriors’ Pit, each combatant gathered to have one final moment of relaxation.
“I cannot wait to kick all your asses,” Tiso bragged, lounging on the bench. Hornet, who was next to him, glared as she sharpened her needle.
“Says you,” she said with a wry smirk.
Tiso hissed. “Hey!”
Cloth smiled at the pair from afar, turning back to observe her competition. God Tamer was talking with Pale Lurker, Grimm, and the ghostly trio of Markoth, Xero, and Revek. All of them could be trouble later on, if they managed to get past the first round. Meanwhile, competitors like Myla, Zote, and Broken seemed rather weak, with their small stature.
Quirrel, who had opted out of competing, was handing out drinks and wishing everyone luck. Brumm was providing music throughout the event while Sly was in charge of filming the event. Sheo and Nailsmith were going to be providing bugs with armor and weapons as needed. Lemm was in the stands with the Pale King, the White Lady, and Elderbug.
“Alright! First matchup will begin in 2 minutes!” Lurien’s voice echoed across the stadium. The competitors all perked up.
“Good luck!” Quirrel called as they all headed to the stands. Tiso grinned as he sat down, eager to watch the first matchup. No matter who won or lost, he’d still get to see a good fight, especially when the losers battled each other.
“The first matchup will be… Zote vs Markoth!” Herrah called. The stands exploded into cheering. Tiso could see Zote puff out his chest as he stood up.
“Kick his ass, Markoth,” Xero whispered, pulling the moth in for a quick hug. Markoth sighed heavily as he pushed the other bug off, giving a nod in response.
“I almost feel bad for Zote,” Cloth commented, sitting back as she spared a glance towards Myla.
The miner nodded quickly. “Ye-yeah… I heard Markoth was a pretty strong fighter.”
“To be fair, Markoth looks like he wants to be anywhere but here,” Mato said with a small smile, watching as the two bugs walked out onto the field.
Zote withdrew a small channeled nail, pointing it at the moth. “Are you ready, cur?” he asked tauntingly. “I’m going to beat you to the ground!”
Markoth didn’t reply with words, simply holding out a hand. With a burst of golden light, his Dreamshield came to life, the flower-like shield popping out. Several golden nails manifested next to Markoth as the shield began to spin around him. His eyes gleamed. “We shall see about that.”
“An interesting first round!” Monomon said with a laugh. “Let’s get it underway! Begin!”
Immediately, loud cheering filled the air. Zote wasted no time, lunging forward. Markoth stepped to the side and grabbed one of his nails. He spun it for a moment before lunging at Zote, bringing the nail in a downward slash. Zote’s eyes widened and he parried it quickly before withdrawing his nail and dashing away to gain space.
When Zote tried to go for another attack, he kept his nail close. At the last second, Markoth moved and the clang of nail against shield filled the air. Markoth swept his leg out, kicking Zote’s feet from beneath him. Zote looked up and yelped as he saw the golden nail looming above him. He rolled to the side and the nail embedded into the soil next to Zote’s head.
“It looks like Markoth has the upper hand here,” Lurien commented as the two began to dance around each other. “What are your thoughts, Herrah?”
Herrah nodded to herself. “They both have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s obvious Markoth has more battle experience, but Zote’s small size makes it easier for him to dodge hits.”
“And that’s the beauty of battle!” Monomon chimed in. “If Zote can tire out Markoth before he takes enough damage, he has a solid chance of prevailing. I doubt he can take many hits from those golden blades.”
“You can do it, Markoth!” Xero cried from the stands, cheering his boyfriend on adamantly.
“Zote, I have 200 Geo riding on you, beat him into a pulp!” Emilita screamed. She shared a glare with Xero. “Piss off, red boy. Zote has this in the bag.”
“Wanna bet?” Xero asked slyly. “200 more Geo.”
Emilita blinked. She turned back to the fight. “Zote, I now have 400 Geo on you! You better not lose!”
Zote tried his best to tune out the commentators as he swung his nail again. Markoth blocked it with his shield, then used it to push Zote away. Zote skidded back, using a hand to right himself. He barely had time to recover as Markoth charged, swinging two nails while his shield spun around him.
Zote bobbed and weaved through the golden blades, parrying one with his own nail. His eyes narrowed as they met Markoth’s. “You will fail, cur,” Zote hisses out.
Markoth gave a small chuckle. “The tides always change, little bug. And they will be in my favor.”
Zote hissed and hit his blade up. Markoth pulled away and jumped back to avoid the overhead arch Zote was performing. The red moth summoned about six golden blades, which all rushed Zote a moment later. Zote managed to ward off two of them before he was forced to dodge, the blades barely missing their target.
“Another advantage in favor of Markoth is his ghostly abilities,” Lurien said from the booth. “He has no limit on the amount of nails he can use.”
“That may be the case, Lurien, but you’ve forgotten about the SOUL it requires to summon said nails,” Monomon replied with a grin. “Zote can do this all day if his opponent runs out.”
Zote grinned to himself as he heard this. He lunged again, watching a nail as it zoomed towards him. Zote positioned his blade so the golden nail acted as leverage, Zote’s feet landing on it for a moment before the small bug pushed off it.
His moment was short-lived as a single strike from Markoth sent Zote skidding across the arena ground. The audience winced and Zote coughed as he looked around for his nail. He spotted it behind the approaching shadow that was Markoth.
“This looks bad for Zote. Could it be the end?”
Zote’s eyes narrowed and he grinned to himself. He had something Markoth didn’t- patience and the tendency to be annoying. Zote pushed himself up and placed his hands on his hips. “Hey! Cur! I’d be ashamed if I were you!” He smirked. “You’re obviously out of touch.”
Markoth stopped his approach at that, his shield’s spinning slowing and the nails lowering. He inclined his head. “Are you seriously trying to trash talk when you’re in such a position?”
Zote snickered. “Indeed, I am, you worthless moth! Your knowledge is obviously inferior to mine, for I am the creator of Zote’s 57 Precepts! Let me tell you to them!” He cleared his throat. “Precept One: Always Win Your Battles. This one is simple enough, and it shall be shown at this precise moment!” With these words, Zote tackled Markoth to the ground. The moth wasn’t expecting it and went down easily. Zote dashed for his nail, grabbing the hilt and swinging it into the air.
By now, Markoth had gotten up, blind rage in his eyes. Several golden nails manifested and flew towards Zote. Zote dodged all of them and lunged towards the moth. He kicked hid leg out, sweeping Markoth’s feet from under him, and pointed his nail at the moth’s head before he could rise.
“And that seems like a win! Zote moved onto the next round!” Herrah’s annoucement sent the crowd into cheers.
“HA!” Emilita laughed, turning towards Xero. “Pay up, fucker!”
Xero sighed as he pulled out his pouch of Geo to pay. Oro was gawking as Zote and Markoth shook hands, a friendly gesture of condolence between the two. Sheo was cheering, proud of his adoptive son.
“What the fuck? He won?” Tiso asked aloud, absolutely shocked. “How?!”
“For once… we can ask the same question,” Hornet muttered, looking down at her needle.
Ghost clapped as they nodded to the Dreamers next to them. They signaled for the next match.
“Alright! Next up, it’s a match between two very skilled fighters!” Monomon’s chipper tone rang out across the arena. “On the right side, we have a gal who isn’t scared to bash her enemies! With her mighty club and mighty skill, it’s Cloth!”
Cloth perked up as she heard her name being called. She smiled as she stood, placing her hands on her hips as she waited to hear her opponent.
“And on the opposing side, we have someone from beyond the grave! Don’t call him a traitor, don’t call him a fool, call him Xero!”
Cloth looked over as she heard the name. Xero turned his head to lock gazes with her and both gave a nod. The two exited the stands, entering the area where Sheo and his husband awaited with weapons and armor.
“Good luck out there, both of you!” Sheo smiled at the two. “Need anything?”
Cloth pulled out her club. “I’m all set, thank you.” She didn’t wait around for Xero, figuring it would be best to give the other warrior some privacy in case he needed to have any reforging done.
Moments later, the two emerged on the battlefield. Cloth squinted at the bright lights and loud cheering. She absorbed the scenery around her, spinning for a moment, before her eyes focused on the red ghost before her.
“I wish you luck, Xero,” Cloth called from across the battlefield. “Let’s make this a fun fight!”
Xero chuckled at that. He unsheathed two glowing blue nails. They seemed to sparkle and two more suddenly appeared next to Xero’s curved helmet. “Indeed, good luck to you as well. This shall be quite the show!” His shredded cloak billowed and Cloth got into a battle stance.
“Begin!”
Cloth was the first to make a move, sprinting towards Xero with her club raised. She swung it down and Xero nimbly dodged to the side, seeming to flicker in and out of existence (which wasn’t an oddity, considering he was a ghost). Cloth noticed the crimson sheen of his armor and spun around, bringing her club with her. Xero wasn’t able to avoid it and was hit, skidding across the floor. He rose with a laugh.
“It seems both sides are evenly matched this time,” Lurien said, observing the fight. “Herrah, why don’t you give us a summary of strengths and weaknesses?”
Herrah leaned forward to the mic. “Well, as you said, Watcher, both sides are evenly matched in terms of combat ability. Cloth certainly has the better weapon. A couple good hits from that thing and anyone will fall. Swinging it around must’ve made her stronger too, so if she can pin Xero, she has a very good chance. However, doing such a thing will be tough. Xero is agile and quick on his feet, as well as being a ghost.” Herrah smiled widely. “And while we did ban complete abuse of these powers, Xero seems to know the lines and how far he can step without crossing it, phasing in and out to avoid hits. Combine that with his four nails, equally as fast and sharp? Both competitors are in for quite the battle. And we’re in for quite the show!”
Down on the field, Cloth was listening. She observed Xero, watching the way the warrior moved. He had a consistent dodging pattern, favoring right over left and down over up. She didn’t miss his quick trick of phasing to dodge, nor did she miss the couple seconds where the ghost was vulnerable, his eyes on her weapon as opposed to her.
Meanwhile, Xero was deep in thought. He knew he could only take so many hits from that club. More than three and he was in deep shit. Cloth had seemed to catch onto his little test when he had phased through the dodge. Xero’s eyes gleamed beneath his helmet and he readied his four nails. He had other tricks up his sleeve.
Cloth took the battle stance as a cue and charged again, her club dragging behind her. She swung it on the ground, attempting to sweep Xero’s feet from under him. Xero jumped over it and Cloth grinned, knowing he wouldn’t be fast enough to dodge the second sweep when he landed. To her surprise, however, Xero’s feet never hit the ground as he hovered in place, his cloak billowing. Xero wasted no time, sending his nails towards Cloth. As she dodged, he landed back on the ground, taking one nail and rushing at Cloth.
Cloth saw him coming and ducked to avoid the strike. She kicked out at Xero, managing to catch his midsection. Xero was sent stumbling and Cloth took the chance, grabbing her club and using the end to push Xero to the ground.
“This might be one of Xero’s major downfalls if she manages to pin him!” Monomon yelled.
“Not going to happen,” Xero hissed. He watched the club come down and raised his blades at the last second, the four nails parrying against the club.
From the workshop, Sheo gasped as he watched Cloth and Xero face off. He was worried for his son, sure, but he had no doubt in Xero’s knowledge. If risking a hit was what he thought was best, Sheo wouldn’t oppose it.
Cloth’s eyes gleamed as she pushed against Xero’s blades. “How long will you last?” she asked. Xero was pinned between the rough floor and her club. He was faster, she was stronger. He was smarter, she was wiser. Their flaws balanced out their strengths.
“It’s not going to end here,” Xero replied with amusement in his eyes and voice despite the situation. He winked at Cloth and his form seemed to fade, growing translucent. Cloth gasped and attempted to push down on the blades more. If she could prevent Xero from phasing away…
She didn’t get to finish her train of thought. The obstacle keeping her club from meeting the ground disappeared and Cloth stumbled forwards. She got up quickly, looking around.
“And in the blink of an eye, Xero has disappeared! He can’t stay hidden for too long, but that was the perfect moment to use his strengths to his advantage!”
Xero reappeared before Cloth, giving a snicker. “You can’t pin a ghost, Cloth,” he said in a teasing tone, waving a finger.
Cloth huffed playfully. “Well, I can beat one!”
The two sides rushed at each other again. Xero took two nails in hand and adopted an overhead style, using one nail to block while the other slashed. Cloth ducked and tried to hit aside a nail with her club.
Before she could try a new strategy, Xero’s foot came flying out and he kicked her legs out from under her. Cloth was expecting to see a blue nail fly at her face. Instead, two came down and embedded themselves into the dirt on each side of her head. Knowing what was coming next, Cloth kicked Xero’s leg, meant to disturb his balance. It worked and the nail came down short of Cloth’s head.
“Ooh! Both sides are playing mean!” Herrah leaned forward with interest.
“You can beat him, Cloth!” Tiso cheered. “Don’t let his ghostly tricks get to you!”
“Show her what we can do, Xero! Make us proud!” God Tamer yelled. She shared a glare with Tiso and both proceeded to yell louder to spite the other.
Meanwhile, the Pale King sat back in his chair. “This is the first time an event has interested me,” he commented.
Next to him, Lemm snickered. “I can agree. These first two fights are certainly entertaining. I wouldn’t have expected Zote to emerge victorious.”
The Pale King nodded, wings twitching. “This battle is soon to reach its peak. When that happens, well,” he closed his eyes, “the avalanche begins.”
Back on the battlefield, Xero was on the offensive, using the overhead style again. Cloth was prepared for it this time and swung her club. The nails were knocked out of Xero’s hands and his white eyes widened as the club hit him. The force of the hit sent him flying into a wall where he fell to the floor. A collective gasp swept through the stands.
Xero barely had any time to regain his composure. His eyes widened as he saw the club and his hand reacted in instinct as he pushed against the club. Cloth’s eyes narrowed and she pushed down harder, knowing she could easily overpower Xero.
Xero tried not to panic as the club slowly inched closer to his face. He couldn’t take a direct hit and Cloth was preventing him from phasing away from the hit, keeping a sturdy foot on his cloak. She’d know when he would begin to vanish and stop it. The club came closer and Xero closed his eyes, struggling to push back against the heavy weapon.
In the midst of her focus to keep Xero pinned, Cloth had forgotten about the ghost’s nails. The four glowing blades sprung to life and homed in on Cloth. Cloth yelped as they sliced at her form and she raised her club above her head. Xero took his chance, phasing out of existence seconds before the club came down. However, as he reappeared, Cloth spun, knowing where he was. The club’s edge hit Xero’s back and sent him into another wall.
The audience fell silent. Xero remained unmoving on the ground. Cloth panted but smiled, knowing this battle was won. The announcement from Lurien confirmed it a moment later. Cloth set her club down and made her way to her fallen opponent.
Markoth had beaten her to the other, helping the dizzy bug up with his arms wrapped around him. Xero took off his helmet and met Cloth’s gaze. “That was extremely fun,” he commented, sounding tired but exhilerated. “Let’s spar again sometime.”
Cloth smiled. “It would be my pleasure. I wish you luck in the next battle you have the honor of fighting.”
The words made Xero shoot a small glance towards Markoth. Right, the losers were to spar as well. He didn’t like that idea. There was a chance he would have to face off against the moth.
Markoth seemed to read his mind and gave Xero a small peck on the side of his face. “Don’t worry, Xero. There’s a good chance it won’t happen.” He began to lead his boyfriend off the battlefield, Cloth trailing behind them.
Up in the booth, Lurien turned to Monomon and Herrah. “Such exhilarating battles! Let’s hope these next two are just as good! First up, we’ll have Oro vs Emilita, followed by Tiso vs God Tamer!”
The four bugs mentioned looked up, then locked gazes. They shared a nod and a promise.
They wouldn’t lose.