Crowd: “No way, that guy is so huge!”, “Is he half ogre or something?”, “I don’t care if the kid is an acolyte, a berserker like that could mow down a dozen in the blink of an eye”, “Forget acolytes he could cleave knights in full plate in two”, “So cool! I am comforted by the fact we have such a big guy in the guard to protect our village” one of the girls watching swooned.

Tower “Heh heh”

Mirio reached out his senses into his environment and became aware of the space within the training ring in preparation to make full use of it. And behind his back he flicked two fingers in a magic circle producing a handful of shining lights which he grabbed into his fist.

The tower rushed towards Mirio like a bull with his axe slung down low. Fully clad in plate armor he was a moving mass of iron and muscle, and Mirio knew it would be foolish to try to stop him.

Mirio *he knows I will move to the side, no doubt he has his axe low to swipe it upwards or to extend his reach in a spiraling counter attack*

Mirio quickly sprung forwards and threw his hand open towards the tower’s eye’s. The dazzling lights exploded with a flash, giving Mirio a split second to grab behind the tower’s head and to leap over him.

The tower quickly pivoted and slashed his axe in a spinning attack.

Mirio *so it was a spinning attack he was planning to follow up with*

Tower *dammit he threw off my timing*

Mirio’s feet pitter pattered in spiralling and stepping motions as the tower hurled attack after attack in large sweeping motions. The air sounded like it was being torn in half as Mirio barely escaped the blade, and waited to counter attack.

Mirio twisted his front foot, and braced his back leg and sprung forward with a pierce to the armpit. The tower smacked down on the blade with his elbow swatting Mirio’s attack aside, and then swung his meaty hand back towards Mirio and gripped onto his shoulder, and twisted his rear hip toward Mirio and brought the giant greataxe hurtling towards Mirio with just one hand.

Mirio intercepted the grasping mitt of the tower and slid all four of his fingers around the tower’s pinky finger and flung his body in a cartwheel through the air. The axe just barely missing and crashing into the ground where he was before.

CRACK

The tower’s finger snapped back, almost breaking, forcing him to pull back his arm in pain.

Mirio swung his sword and hit down hard on the towers wrist at the exact moment the axe pounded into the ground, blowing the axe out of his grip. He followed up with a sweeping kick to blast the axe out of the fighting ring.

Tower “hrmph, fancy move, but it won’t save you. I’ll just crush you with my bare hands”

Mirio stepped back two steps and pierced at the tower’s face in order to fend him off. The tower brought up one of his gauntlets and swatted away the blade, and grabbed his elbow with the other hand.

Mirio “shit”

He threw three fast punches directly into the towers face which hit with loud thuds, but the tower simply smirked and then lifted Mirio into the air and jumped up with him.

“No one can stand up to my SLAM!”

Mirio twisted like a cat in the air, and as the Tower’s back and shoulder collided with his front half in mid air, he wrapped his leg around the front of the Tower, onto his furthest hip. He hit hard against the weak point of the Tower’s grip, and spiralled around him. And just as the Tower flung them both towards the ground, he sacrificed himself into the throw to perform a counter throw of his own.

Mirio *Just like if you are throwing a large grain of wheat from over your shoulder, if someone were to throw it further forward than you expected, it would pull you forwards and off balance, and from mid air, strength cannot change the result, and now I am in the throwing position*

Mirio’s movement had been uncanny, throwing himself in the direction of the throw, getting out of the Tower’s grip, and then placing his foot into his rear hip. And now with his whole body weight spinning with amplified force, he could grab onto the Tower and drive him into the dirt!

POW!!!

A cloud of dust exploded as metal and meat crashed hard into the ground. Mirio jumped up from beside the tower as quickly as he could. But while the Tower was bleeding and badly injured, he reached out with his enormous arm and snatched hold of Mirio and dragged him in towards him. Mirio was helpless as the Tower, pulled himself on top of him with pure strength.

“Rawr!!!” the Tower screamed out in fury, savagery in his eyes. And he gripped onto each of Mirio’s hand and pinned them back to the ground.

Mirio looked helpless now.

Crowd: “The Tower is tough, there is no chance for him now”, “He is just too strong”

Mirio focused deeply on his breath and the white lines pulsated wildly, a dark aura started to surround the tower, and Mirio let himself fall into trance, as he began to vibrate his arms rapidly.

Mirio *ever try lifting something wobbling fast, it is harder than you would think!*

He braced his elbows in behind his wrists, and huffed with one enourmous push of his strength, and pressed with all his might and began to lift the tower off of him, until his arms were propped up straight.

Tower “Impossible!”

Mirio quickly cut his hands to one side and rolled out to the other. He then smashed into the tower with a tackle, gripping one arm around his neck, the other to his arm on the other side, and he wrapped his feet around the closest arm, and then threw his weight forward.

Mirio became like a cross as he stiffened his back. His legs held the tower’s right arm out in an arm lock, while his arms held the other arm in an arm lock, pulling the tower like one might a bow when applying the bow string.

Crowd: “What is that!”, “I have never seen a move like that before!”, “No way!”

Captain, “A crucifix!”

Mirio tugged and pulled as the Tower struggled to free himself, but it was clear that the Tower was struggling in vain, the lock was perfect technique, and too awkward to free himself with strength alone.

“Arrrgh!!! Alright! You got me Mirio!” the Tower relented.

Crowd: “I don’t believe it”, “The tower just surrendered”, “Was that an elven move?”, “What dexterity!”

Captain, “And Mirio is victorious!”

Crowd: “WHOAAAAAAHHH”

Captain, “Now for the final bout”

Mirio walked over to his runesword and picked it up and then wiped his brow, “was this your plan old man, to wear me down first, get me tired... Nice one”

The tower moved out of the circle and then sat next to Dereo with a nod, “He surprised me with that last one, I can’t for the life of me understand how a guy less than half my size lifted me into the air from a prone position like that”

Dereo, “I don’t understand it either, how did he get so far ahead of us”

Tower, “Far ahead of you maybe, he only beat me by luck, and that ungodly feat of strength”

Darius, “I honestly couldn’t have picked that result, that was one of the most impressive fights I’ve seen in a long time Tower”

Tower, “Yeah yeah smith, shouldn’t you be pounding metal”

Darius, “And miss this, are you crazy”

Captain, “Are you ready Mirio?”

Mirio, “As I’ll ever be, lets go”

Captain, “Then the final match begins!”

Crowd: “Oooh!”, “Wow, he hasn’t been given any rest and I’m sure the fight with the tower really took it out of him”, “Is it really fair to have a kid go through all of this?”, “Do you think the bandits will be any more fair, think about it, they can’t go soft on him it wouldn’t be ethical”, “I suppose we will just have to watch the last fight to see if he is as ready as they say”

Captain “How many spells was that, two, or three… From what I remember that is about your limit isn’t it from what you learned from that old hermit”

Mirio “Yeah, it was three. I’m out of my acolyte spells”

Captain: “Which is a good thing, because in real battles you won’t always have them to rely on after a long battle. I hope you kept something in reserve though”

Mirio “Guess we’ll see”

The Captain gathered up three marbles between the fingers of his left hand and drew his sword in his right hand.

Captain “Shall we”

Mirio nodded