Chapitre 13: Atlas VS Zeff
"3 MINUTES REMAINING!"
That bastard's gonna fuckin kill him!… what the hell is this test.
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!"
"Volden calm down."
"CALM DOWN! HOW THE HELL CAN I DO THAT!"
This is such bullshit, fuckin pieces of shit these people are… not telling us that this was a fight ta the death!
"2 MINUTES REMAINING!"
"Here take a look," the assistant said as he pointed ta the hologram showing the battle.
"What…"
Auric was standing with his back to a tree, and Zath was knocked out on the ground.
"Seems you didn't trust you're friend there."
He's right… this whole time I've been trying ta cancel this match… I guess… I don't know him at all.
"Shit!… can ya hurry up and grab him!"
"Not until the times up." The assistant clarified.
"1 MINUTE REMAINING!"
All I could do was stand there and watch… if I knew he would face Zath I would have told him what ta watch out for…
…
-after Auric won-
"He's going to be fine," a healer said to me after I asked about Auric.
"So don't worry, you have your fight now, you don't want to fail do you." He doesn't need to tell me that.
"If anything happens ta him I'll kill ya."
I make my way back ta the entrance of the arena… what a shit show that was… why didn't they tell us the test in detail beforehand…
*sigh*
Well, nothing I can do about it now, I'll just end this battle quick, I don't trust these people with him… he's hiding something from me.
"Haha, it's quite obvious actually," I said with a snicker.
I'm not dumb ya know Auric, I saw that poster… I know it's you… I'll just wait till he tells me himself.
"Ah, you're here! You ready to begin?" it's her… the bitch who's in charge.
*STOMP! STOMP! SNATCH*
I stomped towards her grabbing her by the collar… she still kept a calm attitude.
"Save that energy for the fight tough guy."
"Are you mocking me!" I said aggressively.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not… but do know, if you touch me you'll fail immediately… okay." She said with a crazed yet cocky face.
I let go of her… she walks passed me and whispers in my ear.
"Feel free to help yourself to the armory okay… your opponent's tough." She then made a cute yet unnerving laugh afterward.
Armory… she didn't tell Auric that!
"Hey!…"
She was gone…
"I have ta end this quick… these people are insane"
I continue walking through the corridor, and I notice a door that wasn't there before… it read 'Armory' Now usually I wouldn't go through something like this but I'm currently defenseless… so I kinda need to.
I open the door and peek inside, scattered around the room and on the walls were various types of weapons… from swords ta chakrams. I quickly make my way ta the bows and grab one off the wall, along with a quiver of arrows.
"Seems it's in good condition," I said as I checked it for any tampering.
"CAN ATLAS VOLDEN PLEASE ENTER THE ARENA!" I Heard throughout the room.
I leave the armory and head into the arena, stepping into a circle on the ground… I was then surrounded by a blue mist.
"SAME RULES AS LAST TIME! ANYTHING GOES! EVEN MURDER! YOUR OPPONENT WILL BE ZEFF ZITRIO!"
Zeff! The middle child of those triplets, and, the most strange… from what I remember, he was the one who came up with that plan… five years ago.
"Hehehe! Now you're someone that I really want to kill!" said an eerie voice.
"I would like to thank you, Volden, because of you… my brothers and I have matching scars!… and how perfect they are. Little Zev has the scar on the right of his face whereas I! Have it on the left! And to top it all off, Zath has it on his nose! It's like you wanted them to look cool." Zeff said as if he was about to rip me apart.
Five years ago I did give the three of them those scars, that is the truth, I can't deny that… but, it was deserved!
"You three ruined her life!" I said with years of anger I've kept.
"We were trying to save her Volden, saving her from you."
"From… me," I said confused.
"I found you triplets over her bloodied body, you tried to kill her!" this guy, saying shit, trying to place the blame on me… they're the ones who stole her life away.
"10!"
"Seems like we've run out of time… get ready to die." Zeff said
"9!"
"You're the one who'll be dying!" I replied
"8!"
"Nuh ah uh" He said mockingly
"7!"
I swear I'll kill him!
"6!"
For doing that to you!
"5!"
I draw my bow back.
"4!"
Zeff seems to have one of his hands behind his back.
"3!"
"Let's have fun okay," Zeff said with a creepy smile.
"2!"
"It won't be fun unless you end up dead." he added
"1!"
"Likewise." I answered
*VIIM!*
As the mist disappears I let go of the arrow aimed at Zeff.
*SHNK!*
"AHH! SHIT!" Zeff yelled in pain.
The arrow dug into his left knee, poking out the other side… it was a clean shot.
"I'm gonna take my time, tormenting ya, until I'm satisfied." I declared to Zeff.
*SNAP!*
"Oh yeah, not if I do it first!" Zeff said as he snapped the head of the arrow and yanked it out."
"Seems I missed your vitals?" I asked, surprised that I could have missed them.
"No, you hit it alright… it's just unlucky for you… that my specialty is dealing with bow wielders."
As he says that, in one swift motion, he throws a small dagger toward me…
"It's slow…"
I dodge it easily.
*THNK!*
"Kch!"
The knife dug into the back of my left thigh…
"What the hell was that!"
"As if I'll tell you."
"9 MINUTES REMAINING!"
I draw my bow back again, aiming it back at Zeff… he begins to run toward me in a zig-zag pattern… 'Like that would stop me' When he's around a meter away I let go of the arrow.
*VROOM* it missed… he disappeared.
*SHNK!*
"KAH!!!… How… did… you… know…" Zeff said in disbelief after I drove another arrow into him with my hands… he tried to sneak up behind me.
"Because I can use that technique."
It's something I learned after a few skilled adventurers taught me it when I was training one day… they called it 'Vanish Step' it requires incredible focus ta pull off… it's done by using Wind Elemental-Type Magic. Within a split second the user must propel themselves at high speeds with a well-timed jump… stopping after is something I haven't mastered yet.
"You… can… use it?" Zeff said as he stood there coughing, holding onto the arrow I stabbed him with.
"Yep, see," I said as I gave him a demonstration, making sure not to give away my weakness of not being able to stop.
"What… how?"
"8 MINUTES REMAINING!"
"I may as well get this over with right now. I don't have the time"
I said as I went to grab another arrow.
*THNK!*
While I was distracted, Zeff jabbed something into me… I fall to my knees… tears begin welling up in my eyes.
"Ohhhh, what's this… do you still have that trauma… you know, I chose these small knives because of you… I've been craving this moment, I wanted to see that face of yours" *LIIICK* Zeff said as he licked the blade of the knife he stabbed me with.
"Huuu…"
I tried ta crawl away but ended up paralyzed. My whole body was shaking, I felt cold… as if all my blood disappeared.
"Where do you think you're going?" Zeff said as he grabbed me by my hair
"7 MINUTES REMAINING!"
"How do you expect to protect anyone if you can't even handle a little knife?"
Ever since I could remember, people use to cut me with those exact knives… those small sharp weapons were the things that gave me this scar…
"You just going to keep crying, what a joke!" he shouted while throwing me to the ground.
What the hell can I do, it's not like I want to just lay here… for the last five years I've been trying ta fix myself but nothing has worked… I've only been able to stand arrowheads… every time I see anything small and sharp I break down.
~
"Atlas! Are you alright!"
~
What… why did I think of that just now. My body slowly stopped shaking, and I began ta heat up… of course, at a time like this of course you'll help me… that's who you are I guess, goddammit Auric!.
"6 MINUTES REMAINING!"
I noticed that Zeff was turned away from me, he seemed to be talking to himself… he was describing what he was going to do with me, I don't care though, I need to finish this quickly… I slowly stand up and creep behind him, only having the quiver still on my back I grab an arrow… I then drive the arrow straight through his chest.
"ACK!" Zeff yelped in pain as he fell to the ground.
I grab two more arrows, and I stab them straight through both his feet.
"Wait… WAIT! STOP! I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP!" Zeff screamed, terrified.
Giving up huh? Where did all that cockiness go? I grab another two arrows.
"YOU THREE BROTHERS ARE ALL THE SAME!" I screamed as I drove those arrows through both his hands
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Zeff now had tears in his eyes, yet I don't feel a single bit of remorse… I wonder why…
"You're… You're crazy!" Zeff said, it seems he misjudged me… I'll kill anyone that causes pain to the people I care about.
"ZEFF ZITRIO! DO YOU SURRENDER!"
"YES! YES I DO! I GIVE UP!"
Look at him, begging for his life… scum like him don't deserve that privilege… I reach for another arrow.
"THE VICTOR OF THIS MATCH IS!"
*VIIM*
I can't move, have I been frozen by someone's magic? Seems I won't be killing him today. Damn, after all that talk he ran away at the first sight of death.
"Pathetic," I said looking at the terrified Zeff on the ground
"ATLAS VOLDEN!"
…
-After exiting the arena-
"Congratulations! You passed the second test!"
It's her.
"Where's Auric!" I said aggressively.
"He's in this halls medical wing… before you visit could you ple—"
"Later," I said, cutting her off, I couldn't give two shits about what she had ta say, even if it was something I have ta do in becoming an adventurer.
…
"Let me in." I said after arriving at the room Auric was in.
"I'm sorry but we can't do that, he's still resting. Don't wanna disturb him now do we." The healer said.
He's lying, beyond that door, I can hear other people's voices, they're doing something in there… I knee him in the nuts.
"AGH!"
"Should have let me in."
Walking past a now groaning healer I open the door, I immediately notice two people over Auric, they seem ta be looking at his face. However, the second they notice me they leave the room, taking the dying healer with them.
As I get closer to Auric I notice that his right eye's open and exposed, without looking I close his eye and put his hair back over it.
"It's back to being white… we might be in trouble."
I sit down in the chair next ta the bed… 'I didn't expect them ta show up here…' It's about time I pay her a visit, wonder if she's shown any progress in waking up.
"Man, I'm tired! Maybe I should try getting some sleep." I said while closing my eyes.
…
-a little over 10 hours later-
"Wow! He sure got beat up!"
I open my eyes at the loud voice.
"Oh it's you, what're you doing here?"
It was the guy we saw earlier, the one that forced us into helping him with that request.
"Damn, I wish you hadn't woken up." He said with a disgusted tone.
"That's fuckin rude," I said, perhaps a little shocked.
"Don't go thinking I like you just because you saved me."
"Mate I ain't even like ya anyway."
On ta the more important topic, why is he even here in the first place, he barely knows us… oh, I get it!
"You have no friends don't ya!" I said as an accusation.
"HUH! Why would you say that!" he looked shocked.
I must have been right on the mark. Why… because that's exactly how I would have acted.
"Just wonderin why ya here is all."
"That's none of your concern!" he said somewhat embarrassed.
…
Well, this is awkward, we're just staring at each other…
"Anyway how long has it been since he fainted?" he asked
I look over at the clock.
"A little over ten hours," I answered.
A shocked expression appears on his face.
"Ten… that's worrying."
It's not really that long… I doubt he's in a coma.
"Ten hours is nothing…" I said, somewhat sad.
"Well, I should get going." He says while opening the door.
"If you want to help me, find me near the town gate down the mountain." After saying that he leaves the room, closing the door.
*sigh*
...
I glance at the clock again.
"Eleven hours huh…"
I sure hope he isn't in a coma, I don't think I could handle another one. Especially in this town… there's something deeper going on, and that test just confirmed it—
"WAIT!"
*JOLT!*
I jump out the chair! He… he's up.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Baitozz
Baitozz first attempt at telling the story through another, hope it was good.
many mysteries are popping up.
what exactly happened between the three Zs and Atlas.
What is Aurics eye.
and last, what's going on in this town.
now i'm not sure when the next chapter comes out, i may try and complete the oneshot idea i've started, or i might switch between the two... i guess we'll see
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone