Arena Battle! Monster Take Down!
Alex started to feel an intense wave of regret for not being more cautious after Lydia's warning the previous day…
"You're going to Joy Land?! Why?!" Lydia had exclaimed, her voice tinged with upset. Alex hadn't divulged his conversation with Elder Wendigo to her, unprepared for the inevitable awkward or emotional discussion about their relationship. Elder Wendigo had later advised him to have that conversation, but uncovering his past was more pressing.
Choosing his words carefully, Alex replied, "I'm just going to look for Scarface and talk to him about a book he owned. Elder Wendigo said he might know something that can help me remember my past."
"Ah… your past." Lydia's tone softened, understanding dawning on her. She frowned sadly, then tugged on Alex's sleeve. "Can you… can you not go to Joy Land?"
"Lydia…" Alex said gently, placing his hand on hers, "I know what you want to say, but I have to. I promise to come back safe and sound."
"That's not what…" She stopped herself, then shifted her words, "I understand. I know it's important to you. But be careful. Joy Land is more dangerous than you think."
"Why do you say that?" Alex asked, worry mingling with curiosity.
"Scarface and his people don't just fight with other communities or amongst themselves," Lydia said with a complex expression. "In fact, most of the time, their role in our district is protection." She stared into Alex's eyes, her gaze serious. "They protect the district from the monsters that occasionally come from the Outer."
"Monsters?" Alex's eyes widened at the strange revelation.
Lydia nodded. "Yes. Monsters. I've seen them before, and I can't even begin to describe them. They come in so many strange forms, and they're very dangerous creatures. And the only ones strong enough to fight them are the Psychos or the Shifters." Fear crept into her tone as she clutched her hands. "But the problem with the Psychos is, they don't just fight the monsters to protect us. They fight them for fun. They even go out of their way to capture them and use them to train their people."
"That's quite extreme..." With each word from Lydia, Alex's worry deepened about meeting Scarface at Joy Land.
"I don't want you to go to Joy Land, but I understand how important this meeting is for you. Please be careful with Scarface and his people. Considering how you beat him the first time, I'm almost certain he'll bring out one of those monsters to see if you can fight them..."
…and sure enough, there it was in front of him.
As the gigantic figure lumbered into the arena, the crowd erupted into a deafening roar, their voices blending into a single, thunderous chant, "Troll, Troll, Troll!" The sheer intensity of their excitement was intense, electrifying the air with anticipation.
From Alex's perspective, this was no human; it was a living monster sprung to life. True to its name, the creature resembled an actual troll. Its body was grotesquely disproportionate: an enormous, broad torso supported by muscular yet unnervingly thin arms. Its legs were thick and hairy, almost comically oversized.
The troll's skin was a mottled mess of rot, with tufts of grey, decaying hair clinging desperately to its flesh. Drool oozed from its gaping maw as it fixated on the two combatants in the arena. With a bone-chilling roar, it bellowed into the air, sending the crowd into a frenzy of heightened excitement.
Junior suddenly stood by Alex's side, his eyes fixed on the monstrous troll. "So, Alex, think you can handle this guy alone?" Junior chuckled, a strange, conspiring glint in his eye.
"W-What? No way! I can't fight that thing! I'll die!" Alex retorted, slightly annoyed with Junior for even suggesting the idea.
"Heh. Figures." Junior shook his pipe in front of Alex's face as he grinned, "We better work together, then."
"Say what now?" Alex was confused by the sudden shift of attitude in Junior, but before he could make sense of it, Junior pointed towards the troll. "Incoming, sucker."
The troll lunged forward with surprising speed. Junior dodged with knowing grace while Alex instinctively jumped out of the way before its massive fist came crashing down where Alex and Junior had been standing just moments before. The ground shook with the impact, and dust and debris flew everywhere.
"So, what do ya say, Alex?! We do this together or what?" Junior shouted at a distance, readying his stance for an attack.
With not much of a choice and time to recompose himself, Alex hurriedly agreed, "Fine! Let's do this!" and Junior sprang into action.
Alex and Junior split up, each aiming to distract and confuse the beast. Alex darted to the left, drawing the troll's attention with quick, calculated movements, while Junior circled to the right, ready to strike with his pipe.
The troll swung wildly, its immense strength causing the air to ripple with each missed blow. Alex ducked and weaved, his heart pounding. He needed to find a weak spot, something to exploit. His eyes scanned the troll's body, searching for any sign of vulnerability.
Junior leapt onto the troll's back, climbed up upon its head and bashed down into it. The troll roared in pain and rage, thrashing violently to dislodge the fierce combatant. "Hang on!" Alex yelled, seizing the opportunity.
With the troll momentarily distracted, Alex charged forward, aiming for the creature's exposed flank with the makeshift weapon and struck at it. His force was so great it broke the debris and lodged the broken part into his flesh, certainly doing some damage.
The troll howled, a mix of fury and agony. Junior held on, his grip unwavering, as he continued relentlessly bashing the troll's head. The crowd's cheers grew louder, a chaotic symphony of excitement and bloodlust.
But the troll wasn't going to struggle much longer. With a mighty heave, it managed to fling Junior off its back, sending him crashing into the arena wall. "Damn it! Hey, you good?!" Alex cried out to Junior.
Junior shook off the impact, rising to his feet with a defiant snarl. "Ha! Worry about yourself, sucker!"
Just then, the troll turned its attention to Alex. It swung its fists at him, and Alex tried his best to defend himself in the moment, but as the blow made contact with Alex, it sent him flying into the arena wall. As Alex crashed into the wall, a mouthful of blood gushed out of his mouth as he fell to the ground and groaned in pain.
"Told ya! Hey~, you~ good~?" Junior sneered sarcastically.
Alex spat out the blood remaining in his mouth, quickly recomposed himself, and unwittingly answered, "Urgh… I think so."
"…HA! You're a funny guy!" Junior laughed exasperatedly, then he readied himself for the next attack, "Alright, let's do this!"
Junior charged forward towards the troll, aimed at the debris lodged in its body, and struck it, driving the debris deeper into the flesh. The troll roared, but it soon turned into a gurgle as it staggered backwards.
Alex, figuring out what Junior was doing, shapeshifted his hand into its gigantic form, charged forward at astonishing speed, and struck the same place. The debris shot out of the other side of the troll's body, effectively creating an open wound that they could now exploit.
Then, as if their thoughts synced up, Alex and Junior began to move in perfect harmony, their attacks coordinated and precise. The troll, once a formidable presence, was slowly being worn down by their relentless onslaught.
In a final, desperate move, the troll lunged at both its opponents, its maw wide open, drool spraying everywhere. But they were ready. With synced movement, Alex struck at the troll's face while Junior jabbed his pipe deep into the troll's open wound.
The troll roared one last time as it fell backwards, its massive form collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash. The arena fell silent for a moment, the crowd holding its breath.
Then, an eruption of cheers and applause filled the air, a triumphant symphony celebrating their victory. Alex and Junior stood victorious, glancing around the crowd. The arena's horns blared as it announced their triumph over the troll. But Alex knew the fight wasn't over. Junior was still his opponent, and he probably needed to defeat him next.
Alex readied himself, turning towards Junior, who mirrored his thoughts and stance. The crowd, sensing the renewed tension, began chanting for another fight. Alex and Junior locked eyes, a strange feeling of rivalry rising between them, neither willing to back down for their own reasons.
Just as they dashed forward, ready to clash, they were both blindsided by a powerful punch to the face from Scarface, who appeared out of nowhere. The force sent them flying to the ground. Junior, recovering quickly, started screaming in pain and cursing, while Alex, stunned by the blow, saw doubles.
"HAHAHA! GOOD SHOW, BOYS! WRAP IT UP!" Scarface chuckled obnoxiously as if he hadn't just punched both of them and simply showed up to close out the show.
"ARGH! SCREW YOU, SCARFACE! I WAS GONNA TRASH—MHMMM!" Junior yelled at his boss before Scarface grabbed his mouth to shut him up.
"HAHAHA! Shut it, Junior! He's here for me, not duelling with you." Scarface turned to Alex, who had recovered from the blow and was now looking up at him in confusion.
"Ain't that right, Alex? Something about the biology book?" Scarface asked. Suddenly, his tone shifted to one of a relatively normal person, starkly contrasting the crazed demeanour he usually displayed.
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Loki_Magikill
Loki_Magikill Hi there, Loki here.
Thank you very much for reading my work!
You really help motivate me to write everyday as I know someone out there is reading my story.
That being said, if you could spare me some extra time, it would help me so much if you leave a comment or leave a review to tell me what think of the story so far!
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