《The Gamer's core》Chapter 12: Great! now what?
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Damian stood in line, waiting patiently to receive his meal, doing his best to ignore the gazes of malice surrounding him. When suddenly, a shadow from out of the line enveloped his small frame. "you must be lost. What is a filthy human like you doing in the Shattered bone?" the source of the shadow was another prisoner.
Name / Level Mual Jhaartael / Level 14 Rank/Title Bronze Prisoner / Loud Hammer Health 188 / 188 Stamina 157 / 157
He has some muscle on him, but his LVL was barely above Damian, which didn't scare him at all. "So you are the human I heard about, you will make a nice entertainment for me." the prisoner said as he tried to size Damian up. "-I guess a prison is supposed to have this kind of idiots splattered around-" Damian barely spared him a glance before returning his attention to his empty plate which looked more entertaining than the mindless sack of meat standing before him.
The prisoner got furious at the gesture and grabbed Damian by his front color, lifting him about a foot off the ground " I guess you need some training before you can act as a proper servant." the urge to break the arm holding him and punching a hole in the face of this prisoner was very tempting "-disgusting.. giving him a good beating will serve in teaching him a lesson and might prevent further harassments. Also, a stress relief-"
Just before Damian attempted to make his move, a young voice spoke from behind him. "shouldn't you be picking on someone your own size Mual?" the voice belonged to a rough-looking blond young elf that looked not much older than Damian himself. "stay out of this Teran. This human is mine. Get your own pet someplace else before you get a beating as well."
Name / Level Teran Respen / Level 10 Rank/Title Bronze Prisoner / None Health 90 / 90 Stamina 121 / 121
Not paying much attention to young Teran, he continues to tighten his grip on the collar some more, which really started to tick Damian off. "you're holding the line Mual, why don't you let the young man off the hook for now " this time an old elf spoke, and it was from behind the young elf. The moment Mual saw the old elf, he froze for a moment before letting go of Damian, "I guess I can still play with him in the arena"
"Why don't you grab this and join us?" the Teran shook his head, aiming at a plate with strange contents, gesturing Damian to pick it and follow them. Not seeing the harm in it, he did as he was asked, yet as he walked behind them, he was not sure if this meeting was a stroke of luck or the other way around.
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Sure, in the heat of the moment, he could have beaten Mual into a pulp and let off some steam, but it would only bring more enemies, causing more trouble in the future. Still, looking at the old elf's tag, this doesn't seem like a better idea either. After all, the human race did kill the elven king. Even if Damian didn't take any part in it, he is a human none the less.
Name / Level Garrik Durlan / Level ??? Rank/Title Gold Prisoner / Dim Fang
"-Other than the fact that this Garrik uses a wooden cane to move around, he also had a wooden stick for a leg. I still don't get how he's this strong.-" After tagging along, the three of them sit at the end of a long wooden table where other inmates scattered around it silently with their eye shooting towards Damian like spears at the ready.
"What is your name, young man ?" Garrik spoke right before a spoon found its way to his mouth, buried between his long mustache and beard. "..Damian." Damian replied, struggled to state his name for some reason, "an awkward name..., and why are you imprisoned here, Damian?" suddenly, a threatening presence engulfed the boy. It was none other than the Garrik. It was as if Damian's head was jammed into a bear trap, and any wrong word would set it off.
"I defended myself against a couple of post-guards" Luckily, his answer was nothing farther than the truth. "...and have you taken a life? " the old elf's gaze remained the same as he asked yet asked another question. "other than a few goblins in the woods, ...just a horned rabbit I guess" another composed answer, setting the others in silence, before the entire table burst in laughter.
" Ho ho ho, we have quite the capable one here" Garrik said, as he laughed like Santa Claus. "Teran, I'll leave his training to you if he survives the arena first." he continued before tossing another spoonful in his mouth, "I will train him till his bones break, now eat up my pupil, ha ha ha" Teran laughed. Damian was still confused when Teran patted his back but shrugged it off as his hunger got the best of him.
After eating, a bell rang, signaling the end of mealtime, and the prisoners stood to leave their plates. Damian followed Teran as he entered a massive dome. tables and chairs were scattered around the sides while the middle was surrounded by weapons and shields hanging on wooden boards. "You should pick a weapon and fast. I am sure that Mual is looking for you by now" by the time Teran looked over his shoulder, Damian was already equipped.
"Just like old times" Damian whispered to himself while he admired a wooden round shield and a broad sword. "try not to get beat up too badly. I do not want my first pupil dying on their first day, got that?" Teran advised. not much later, Mual steps into the same arena Damian is in, holding a two-handed hammer. "I will enjoy this?" he growled.
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Damian looked at Teran with an innocent expression on his face. "I'll do my best" he muttered before standing in the middle of the arena where he stood face to face against Mual. "he is not gonna survive, this is he?" Teran sighed while the Garrik entered, standing between Damian and Mual. "Go easy on him, would you?" just before Mual could open his mouth to speak, Damian interrupted him, "I can't make any promises."
Garrik was surprised at first, but after seeing the confident look on Damian's face, he laughed like an old owl as he took a few steps away. Mual, on the other hand, had a vain showing on his forehead. "I was thinking of giving you a few bruises, but now I will just kill you and be done with it," Garrick raised his hand, signaling both of them to prepare themselves. "READY..."
Damian stood sideways, spreading his weight, lowering his posture, and holding the shield covering his upper body from Mual while his sword peaked from behind his head like a scorpion's sting. Damian used this stance often when he first played Knights of Oblivion, most beasts in the game aimed at the torso or head, which made it a good way to counter them, and Mual seemed no different than a wild boar "-I won't use -Focus- this time, since it takes time to wind up, the battle experience should be better-"
"FIGHT!" the old referee signaled the start of the match. Mual charges towards Damian, wildly swinging his hammer yet striking nothing but air, thanks to Damian's agile movement and small frame. But it was short-lived when he found less and less space to run to as the crowd pushed him to the front. Mual leaped forward as a wide right swing found its way hitting Damian's wooden shield. On reflex, he managed to whisper.
-Tough skin- Active. -32 HP
Even with a shield and buffed skin, the force of the hammer felt like a speeding car sending him to the side with cracks on the shield, "-what the fuck!? he almost ripped my arm off!-" before he could reposition himself, more blows came in breaking more bits of the shield. Abruptly Mual's large frame tackles Damian forcing him on the sand.
-35 HP -34 HP -36 HP
"-Shit! this is bad... I should have used -focus- when I had the chance-" A kick to Damian's stomach knocks him a couple of feet into the air, forcing blood to gush out of his mouth. Before the boy knew it, another meteor strike was on its way to pummel his already weakened body.
-38 HP -15 HP -23 HP
Thankfully, he managed to block it with the shield. Unfortunately, it flung him back to the not so kind ground, forcing more blood out. "Where is your confidence now, boy!?" Mual bellowed as he laughed violently. Damian's body ached all over as he coughed, gasping for air, while the crowd cheered in joy, anticipating his upcoming demise.
"if I didn't know any better, I would say this human is as weak as his whore of a mother.. and I might be kind enough to treat him as such if he begged," Mual shouted and taunted as he circled the arena like a proud rooster, til he noticed the cheers fading. "I'm still standing, you ugly sack of shit."
Damian was barely on his feet "-Damn, my body hurts..-" two broken ribs "-my hand is numb, one more hit will rip it off for sure-" a broken left arm. Mual was stunned for a moment as he witnessed the state the boy was in. "I'm surprised you can still stand. Let me put you out of your misery as a farewell present" Mual sprinted to Damian with his hammer swung widely, making sure it would execute the most damage.
"I would have gladly passed out, but you, asshole, just had to bring my mom into this, didn't you?" his lungs suffered as he took a breath while holding what remained of his shield forward "-this brat is a goner, but I still have the feeling that he's far from done-" just moments before the hammer could splatter Damian, Mual heard him whisper "dash".
68 DAMAGE {Critical hit} 43 DAMAGE
An agonizing pain passed through Mual's belly as his massive body was sent back slightly, "W-What happ...." suddenly he sees Damian right in front of him pulling a half-broken shield that left a stamp on his abs, as he took a step back. "-how can he push me when he could barely stand?-" abruptly, another bash to Mual's face connected. "YOU LITTLE BRAT!!"
Filled with rage, he lifts his hammer high, wanting to end it with one strike Mual roared, as his eyes met Damian, he felt fear like never before, immobilizing him completely. Purple and blue colored smoke snuck from Damian's eyes into the air, as if smudging the wind it was in contact with.
-Terror gaze- Active 82 DAMAGE {Critical hit}
"monster!" Mual muttered before a final sharp pain pierced through his throat, as Damian spoke, "shut the fuck up, and die already" slowly, he pulled the bloody sword and gazed as the giant fell like a tree, staining the sands crimson. The crowd awed and silent as they witnessed something they could not fathom, suddenly turning into an angry mob wanting to rip the human to shreds "-great! now, what?-"
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