Chapter 8 (Overwhelming force)
Kkaj bowed to the opponent he
expected to see, Moofuj. Kkaj shifted into River form with one hand inside his
Drunkzard vest and the other swaying in front of him. Why couldn’t the previous match have lasted longer?
Moofuj shook his head and pulled out
a pair of flasks. “Not against me.”
The cold stone of the ring bit
through the soles of Kkaj’s worn fighting boots. Where had Roffor found them?
With the crowd silent, each beat of his heart rang in his ears.
The judge raised his hand.
Kkaj drew his flask of gin. “I guess
not.”
“Fight!” The judge chopped the air
in front of him.
The chilled gin burned on the way
down, and Kkaj’s stomach revolted. When was the last time he had eaten? Energy
welled up inside his mind as the spirit of lust entered his body. It clawed for
control, but he confined it to the back of his mind. Storm energy flowed
through his veins.
Pure fire and earth essence danced
around Moofur’s outstretched hands. Two different elements at the same time?
That was dangerous.
Kkaj released the storm energy into
the air above him and split it in two. He manipulated the first half into a
shield of wind and wrapped it around his body. Of all the liquors, gin
possessed the most versatile power.
Fire zipped across the ring and
slammed into his shield. The flames spun with his shield, enhancing it and
obscuring everything around him.
Kkaj broke the rest of the storm
energy apart and flung it into the air. How long would it take to mature?
Something else slammed into his
shield and sent him reeling backwards.
Pure
force? He shook his head. It’s so
wasteful. He shoved his hand into his vest and pulled out the whiskey. Two
gulps.
Rage flowed into the space left by
Lust’s exoduses and pounded against Kkaj’s mental shield.
Kkaj ground his teeth, and his
vision tinted red. A low growl flowed from his throat as he released the metal
energy into the air above his left palm.
The fire in Kkaj’s shield died as
something else slammed into him, pushing him closer to the edge of the ring.
“Sorry to make you wait!” he said
through gritted teeth.
Moofuj blinked before cocking his
left hand back to throw another ball of pure, water energy. Was he a sandball
player? His pitcher’s stance said, ‘yes.’
Manipulating the metal energy into
magnetism, Kkaj grabbed the middle layer of the ring directly under Moofuj and
lifted it into the air. Good thing they
haven’t found a sturdier way to make these rings yet.
A squeal leaped from Moofuj’s mouth
as he toppled to the ground. How did his deep voice make such a sound? Thud. He
grunted upon impact, and his ball of water dissipated. In the blink of an eye,
he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask.
“No, you don’t!” Kkaj flipped the
metal plate over and let it fall while grabbing two more around Moofuj. Kkaj
flexed his mind and brought them up like clapping hands, expending the last of
his metal energy.
Thang! The collision of metal rang
through the stands.
Kkaj’s knees buckled. Why had it
been so loud?
From the left, a light blue light
indicated water energy.
Kkaj dove forward as a drill of
water ripped through the area he had been standing in. Fuck.
Moofuj twitched, his eyes starting
to glaze over. How much longer would his mind hold out against the spirits? He
drained a flask and tossed it aside rather than returning it to his vest.
A lump formed in Kkaj’s throat, and
he swallowed. Better question, how much
longer will I last? He reached into his vest and took a long draw of rum.
Greed surged through his mental
barrier.
Kkaj had to win. He needed more
money. More fame. More women. More. More! MORE! Fire energy erupted from his
hands, and he manipulated into a hulking suit of armor around his body.
Moofuj crafted a massive spear of
water and set himself in River form. “I’ll —”
Kkaj charged. The ring’s stone layer
shattered under his heavy footfalls. He shifted into Mountain form, and his
shoulders tensed.
Moofuj’s spear shot forward and bit
through the surface of Kkaj’s armor. Moofuj struck Kkaj’s chest again then
stabbed both of Kkaj’s legs.
The size of Kkaj’s armor reduced
with each hit, but he closed the distance and brought both elbows down,
shattering Moofuj’s spear. Kkaj spun into Forest form, knees bent and shoulders
hunched. He slashed with knife-hands, one for the neck and the other from the
chest.
Moofuj brought the remains of his
spear up to save his neck.
Crunch! Kkaj’s strike landed on
Moofuj’s ribs.
A grimace crossed Moofuj’s face, and
he screamed through gritted teeth as he flew backwards. He crashed into the
ring, shoulders first. His body flipped over and rolled towards the edge of the
ring. Was this it?
No.
Kkaj bolted towards Moofuj before he stopped rolling and switched to Pains
form. Kkaj twisted his hips and kicked Moofuj in the chest, sending him flying
towards the stands. “I —”
Moofuj pulled out a flask and drank
until the red aura of Greed radiated around his body. Full possession.
“Crocobear shit.” Kkaj scrambled
backwards.
Moofuj allowed the fire energy to
flow from his body, and a smoking chain appeared in his hands. The chain shot
forward like a snake, avoiding Kkaj’s outstretched arms and wrapping around his
body.
Kkaj’s armor pulsed once.
Moofuj pulled himself back into the
ring with the chain. He grinned then tightened his grip on the chain.
Kkaj’s armor pulsed again. Thump. It
exploded, sending out a wave of fire into the stands.
Screams. Crying sounds. Gurgles of
death. When the fire extinguished, the first three rows of the crowd were
nothing but specs of ash. The half of the ring that remained sizzled with gooey
metal clinging to both fighters.
Kkaj panted. His arms and legs felt
like large rocks, but he stood.
“You are quite resilient.”
“Greed, huh?”
“What are you talking about? I
cannot possibly be possessed as you
humans say.”
“It’s well known that you spirits
don’t use contractions. Besides, you just referred to us as ‘you humans.’“ Kkaj
reached into his vest.
Moofuj’s form blurred. He was
directly in front of Kkaj. So fast.
Kkaj pulled out his flask of
tequila.
Moofuj knocked it from his grip then
backfisted Kkaj.
Kkaj’s head snapped around, and he
landed on the ring, face first.
“You think I am just going to let
you fight back? No. This fight is mine.”
A tingling sensation scratched at
the back of Kkaj’s mind. He began to laugh. About
time.
Moofuj kicked Kkaj in the side,
sending him skidding across the ring.
Kkaj’s body slid to a stop on the
edge of the ring. Close. He pointed
an open hand towards Moofuj. “You should have put more into that kick.”
“Why? It’s not like you’re fast
enough to drink. I mean —”
Kkaj closed his fist, and lighting
poured from the sky like a trough of water. The blinding blue light left spots
in his eyes and a gaping wound down Moofuj’s back.
Moofuj wobbled to the left before
falling limp. Blood pooled out around him despite the heat of the lightning.
Kkaj stood and raised his hand in
victory.
The now naked judge counted to ten
then declared Kkaj the winner.
Kkaj stumbled from the ring, finding
Roffor’s and Saffer’s shoulders there to support him. He needed a nap.
Next: Chapter 9
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