Chapter 20 - Debut Fight! Grandmaster Division

Warning: Violent Chapter

8 September 2041 (Real Time) - Institute of Blades, Second Reality

Hunter had spent what remained of the previous evening in meditation. Following his conversation with Drayton, he was anxious about his debut fight and had excused himself from the group to cultivate. Sat in his room, Hunter first reflected on the matches that he paid attention to during the Masters division.

'Based on what Master said, my aura will give me a fighting chance but it's hard to say how much effect it will have against Grandmasters.' Hunter thought.

Hunter was torn between being the aggressor and being reactive during the coming matches. In street fights, he had never felt threatened enough to be on guard. In the wilderness, he was either aggressive or in full retreat. These were the kind of things that he contemplated as he visualized his training using Drayton as a sparring partner.

He had a great eye for detail developed throughout his art days and he put these to good use, picturing a stronger teacher each time. Without the need for sleep, he meditated from evening after dinner until the following morning each day.

knock knock

"Bro... are you ready to go?" asked Arron at the other side of the door. Hunter opened his eyes as he exhaled. It was already morning.

"Yeah. Give me a minute, I'll meet you downstairs." Hunter reached out with his senses. He could feel a presence heading downstairs to a group of individuals. He was still unable to identify them.

'Sigh. I was being a little too egotistic in thinking I could bring my level of understanding another notch up... in what... days?' Hunter chided himself. A few days ago he reached the early stages of understanding nature's components, allowing him to sense presences nearby.

Rummaging through his father's wardrobe, Hunter decided on a matte black leather jumpsuit. He found it to be a comfortable fit as he went through the forms, checking to make sure it doesn't hinder his movements.

He grabbed the combat belt that came with it and he attached the sheath for two blades on his lower back with another pair on each thigh. It was no different from how he first set out for the wilderness. Conversation stopped in the living room as they spotted Hunter.

"Daaaaaammmnn Hunter bro. You look goooooood!" said Corbin. Gilman and the boys had stupid looking grins, a contrast to the women who were staring with unrestrained lust.

“Yeah man, for real… no homo.” added Gilman.

Hunter smiled and said "Time to go."

**********

"It's day 3 here at the Institute of Blades yearly Sword Arts Tournament! Welcome back folks. It's a beautiful day and no doubt we are all expecting some great things in today's matches." boomed Flynn as he made the opening announcement.

Hunter opted to isolate himself before his matches. He planned on using this time to meditate and calm his nerves in preparation for the fight. The rest had decided to go up to the first floor and camp at their usual spot. Since the quarter finals was scheduled to take place after lunch, the women too were present.

It was a nerve wracking waiting period, both for Hunter and the rest of the group. The matches were well underway, each one making them more anxious. The cheering from the crowd was audible from where Hunter sat in his meditative state.

"Fuck man. These fights are on a whole different level..." said Foxwell. The boys were sweating. Aside from Arron and Darell, the others had seen Grandmasters fight in previous tournaments. However, the difference when they wield real blades and aim to kill was vast.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" asked Darell. He was a little pale. No one had an answer for him since none of them had seen Hunter in a serious blade fight before.

"Next up!" said Flynn as he looked at the list of names. "Hohoho! Attention. Jarred Simril to stage 3. I repeat, Jarred Simril to stage 3."

A long pause followed and the crowd began to wonder what's happening. Some have begun to catch on, informing their neighbours that this could be the announced debut fighter.

"Today, his opponent will be the newest member of the ranks of Grandmasters. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Hunter Markell!" shouted Flynn.

GOOD LUCK NEWBIE! FIGHT ON! DON'T DIE SO QUICK!

As Hunter made his way to the stage, fingers pointed in his direction as comments and expressions floated among the crowd.

"He's so young...", "Six blades!? Is he for real!?", "Oi oi, he's a Markell... one of those families!", "Looks gangsta!", "Kyyyyaaaaaaa!", "Have my babiesss!", "Don't lose!", "Show us what you got kiddo!"

LOUD CHEERING

"Oh. My. God. Darron! Darron! Darron my baby is up there!" exclaimed Lashell as she jerked her husband's arm with urgency. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was so proud of her son yet so worried for his safety.

"Un." Hunter's appearance made Darron speechless with amazement, stripping him of his ability to form a coherent reply.

It was a rare thing for someone so young to reach the level of Grandmaster. No matter the results of the fight, the crowd would still favour him as a source of pride due to his association with the Institute. On the stage, Jarred stood on the far end as Hunter climbed the stairs.

The noise died down around stage 3 as the anticipation built up. Hunter stood in a relaxed stance as he unsheathed his main blade. Jarred was an athletic looking man in his thirties, clean shaven with short hair. His eyes held no hostility.

"Congratulations on coming this far in your training. As fellow Grandmaster, I welcome you Hunter Markell." said Jarred as nodded. "Please ready yourself."

"Un. Thank you...?" replied Hunter. 'Maybe things are different in this division? Or maybe this guy is just polite...' Left foot leading and knees bent at a slight angle, Hunter held his sword in a loose two handed grip as if readying himself to slash upwards.

"Match, START!" shouted Flynn.

SHUA

Hunter had prepared as much as he could for these matches. Taking to heart the advice he was given, he knew he was disadvantaged at speed games. He wasn't surprised when Jarred all but disappeared from his sight.

'Has to be another foot technique. Faster than [Speed Spirit].' he thought to himself as he spread his senses around the stage, searching for Jarred.

"There!" exclaimed Hunter.

BAAANNGGG!

Hunter turned just in time with his blade to block the overhead slash. The force was overwhelming, dropping him to a knee as he gritted his teeth. Jarred showed a hint of surprise on his face.

'Shiiittt... it's heavy! Push back! Push back!’ thought Hunter. "RRRRAAAA!"

He managed to push Jarred two steps back as he himself rolled backwards and retreated. Expecting another attack, he was quick to recover his stance but none came.

"I'm impressed. I'm curious how you managed to locate me." said Jarred as he tilted his head to the side. "I wasn't releasing even the smallest amount of killing intent, yet you saw me anyway."

Hunter was breathing deep, his chest heaving from the adrenaline rush of first contact. He felt all of his muscles shivering, fear intermingled with excitement. He calmed himself down, entering a state of mind that he had practiced using his master as the opponent.

The process was more difficult than he expected as his mind tried to wrap itself around the image of Jarred becoming Drayton. For a moment the two figures blurred, focusing in and out of Drayton and Jarred.

"I take it your silence means you don't wish to tell me?" asked Jarred. "It's to be expected I suppose. We have only just met after all. Then, shall we continue?"

Hunter only heard a faint buzzing sound coming from Jarred's direction as he completed the imagery of his master. His eyes now see what his mind projected, Jarred in Drayton's body. At the sight, Hunter smiled and his body immediately stopped trembling. A sense of comfort enveloped him and he took his stance again. In his mind’s eye, he was back by the cliffside with his teacher.

'What's he doing?' thought Jarred. It was a shocking surprise that Hunter had managed to block him. It seemed the younger generation were genuine marvels. Jarred asked Hunter about the skill he used but he didn't seem interested in giving an answer.

Jarred did not take the silence as an insult. Something was happening, he was sure of that as he saw the young man with a distant look. When Hunter smiled and took his stance again, Jarred felt something was a little different. He was more composed, his demeanor more confident.

'Hmm. Is this some type of meditation technique the principal taught him?' he asked himself before he attacked.

SHUA!

SHING SHING SHING

Since he wasn't getting any response from Hunter, Jarred attacked when he deemed he was ready. His sword left three after images as he drove the blade forward with both force and speed. Hunter dodged the first which was aimed at his throat. He twisted his body and deflected the second aimed at his chest before ducking under the third that wanted to take his eye out.

Jarred’s brows furrowed. That wasn’t quite what he expected. He initially thought that he would take it easy on the young man given he is a new comrade in arms. He did not wish to destroy this talent in front of him. With Hunter exceeding his expectations, Jarred increased his speed.

BANGBANGBABABANGBANGBABANGBABABABANG!

Hunter made full use of one of nature's elements to help him keep up with the flurry of attacks. Without relying on his ability to [Focus], Hunter instead tuned-in to the vibrations in the air. The force and speed that Jarred was putting into each strike was causing the air around the blade to vibrate!

Hunter did not think. He left his body's movements to his instinct as he had done when he learnt to survive in the wilderness. Five minutes into the match and neither contestant had suffered any injuries. Hunter focused on just blocking, unable to find the right moment to counter-attack. Jarred on the other hand was getting frustrated.

'Why can't I hit him!?' Jarred shouted inwards. 'He's reading my moves like a book! Are his eyes that good!? He’s making a mockery of my speed… this brat!'

'Che. If I can't find an opening then I'll have to create one somehow.' thought Hunter.

Hunter concentrated on creating an opportunity to strike back. There can be no room for errors. A simple mistake in timing could cost him the match. As his concentration reached its peak, his mind processed every bit of information at an alarming rate. This processing speed made it seem that the world had slowed to a crawl. Everything became sharper. He could see Jarred’s blade now.

The steel blade gleamed under the sun as it approached. The speed was such as if a great force was pushing in the opposite direction. Hunter pivoted on his left foot, coming down low as he spun away from Jarred's attack. Strands of hair parted from him as the blade passed overhead. Hunter counter-attacked, slicing the air upwards as he exited his spin. He felt resistance.

"Argh!" exclaimed Jarred as he took a few steps back.

He was missing most of his forefinger, half a middle finger and a quarter of the third finger that held the sword. The resistance that Hunter felt was the body of Jarred's blade housed within the hilt. He was hoping to cut the hand off completely but he wasn't quick enough.

Jarred's sword clattered on the stage within easy reach. He had made sure that his retreat would place him near his weapon. He picked up the blade with his off-hand as he looked at what remained of his fingers. The pieces were a stone’s throw away, near Hunter.

Jarred was shocked. Hunter was just an early stage Grandmaster. Granted, he too was at the early stage but had held the position for a longer period. Anger replaced shock. All thoughts of being nice disappeared. Killing intent radiated from Jarred, snapping Hunter out of his concentration.

Hunter came back to the present. Jarred was no longer in the image of Drayton and cliffside scenery was gone. Jarred was full of rage as he stared at the bleeding stumps on his hand. His killing intent surpassed the predators in the wild and Hunter could not help but feel a thread of fear.

As his concentration broke, the noise overwhelmed him.

HOLY SHIT BOY! KYAAAAAAA! HUNTERR! DAAAMNN!

'Oh shit oh shit oh shit!' he thought, alarmed that he had come out of his trance.

Bloodlust from Jarred flowed like an unending river. A trick of the light made it look like his eyes had turned a shade of red.

"You're a dead man." was all Jarred said before he disappeared from view. Hunter immediately cast his senses out but was unable to find Jarred's presence on the stage.

'Killing intent. From above!!' he pushed off the ground, retreating.

BOOOOMMMM!

The ground he had been standing on now had half the length of Jarred's blade embedded in it. Sweat trickled down Hunter's brows. He knew he would have been split in half had he been just a heartbeat too late to react. The air around the blade was vibrating, as if it had its own aura.

Having lost his composure, Hunter kept retreating, his heart pounding against the cage that was his chest. Jarred sped after him like a silent predator, no words of rage or contempt escaping his lips. There were no taunts. There were no jeers. There only existed the cold light in his eyes and his definitive words that echoed in Hunter's mind.

BAAAAANNNNGGG!!!

Jarred caught up and slashed at Hunter as he was retreating. Steel met with steel and Hunter was pushed back half a dozen steps further, the force sending him tumbling across the stage. Jarred was on him as he recovered.

"[Snakebite]" said Jarred.

CLINKSHICKCLINKSHICKCLINKSHICKCLINKSHICKCLINKSHICK

BAAANNGGG!!

Even as he used the vibrations in the air to determine the direction of the attack, Hunter was unable to completely deflect the strikes. The last attack in the sequence sent him tumbling another half a dozen paces away, blood splattering the stage wherever he made contact.

Arms and legs bled with multiple wounds, his black jumpsuit a tattered mess. Jarred did not relent.

BAAANNGG!

Hunter received the overhead strike while he was still on the ground on his back. His arms quivered as he held his blade above him, blocking the attack. The air pressure from the impact was so forceful that his body took the full brunt of the blow, coughing out a mouthful of blood. His own anger bubbled up to the surface, washing away the fear.

"FUCK! OFFFFFF!" yelled Hunter.

The air distorted as Hunter's violent aura exploded into the atmosphere, pushing Jarred back several paces. Jarred maintained his grim expression, though his face several shades paler. Inwardly, he was shocked as he had not come across someone with such an aura.

Hunter stood up and his demeanor was ugly to behold.

"You fucking prick. Let me return the favour!" said Hunter, his blade pointing at Jarred.

SHUA SHUA

With swift steps he closed the distance. Jarred retreated, too shaken by the outburst. His body suffered from the aura's effects, slowing him down enough for Hunter to catch up. Hunter lunged at Jarred but his blade was parried.

Hunter took a step forward with his left leg, pulling the sword back towards him while pulling out a blade from his lower back with his off-hand. As he completed the move, his off-hand followed through with a left hook. Jarred leaned back to avoid the fist, but was not far enough away to avoid the blade.

SHICK!

Hunter cut Jarred's right cheek open, the lower row of teeth visible in the sunlight. He let the striking motion continue its course, pivoting on his left foot to bring his right leg swinging around. His combat boot connected with Jarred's face, sending the man tumbling.

Jarred's face was gruesome. Hunter's roundhouse kick tore the lower flap of skin, further exposing teeth and gums down to the chin. Hunter finished the roundhouse by bringing his right leg down at a sharp angle, allowing him to throw the off-hand blade.

It was an awkward throw as Hunter had held the blade in reverse grip. The blade spun sideways towards Jarred and he deflected it with ease. That short moment was enough for Hunter to recover his stance and close the distance.

BANG!

Hunter stepped in with his left leg leading, his sword in a two handed grip as he swung upwards. Jarred blocked then immediately disengaged, retreating several paces. Hunter followed, unaware that it was a feint. As Hunter caught up, Jarred changed direction, rolling past him.

'Oh shit!' thought Hunter as he saw the ruse a little late. He forced his body to turn mid leap, bringing his sword up in front of him. His off-hand slid up the blade towards the top.

BANG!

Jarred hit him with whatever strength he had left, propelling him across the stage. Hunter's sword clattered a distance away. Jarred charged forward. Hunter came out of his backward roll into a low wide stance, right leg leading.

With a practiced hand, he deftly drew a blade from the sheath on his left thigh and threw it underhand in the same motion. He met Jarred head on, drawing the remaining blade on his lower back and left leg. Jarred's approach faltered as he dodged the projectile.

SHUA SHUA

Hunter chased after the blade with all the speed he could muster. When Jarred paused to dodge, Hunter used his momentum to slide the remaining distance. As he slid past, Hunter buried his main-hand blade just above Jarred's right knee.

"ARRRRGGHHHHHH FUCKKKK!" screamed Jarred.

Hunter recovered from his slide and sliced Jarred's hamstring with his off-hand as he drew a blade from his right thigh. Jarred was no longer nimble, his right leg was destroyed. Hunter stayed low behind Jarred to make it difficult for the man to cut at him.

Hunter made quick work of Jarred's legs, cutting up tendons at the back of the knee, forcing Jarred to collapse on the ground. He scrambled along Jarred's back, his weight preventing Jarred from moving.

"DIE!" yelled Hunter as he leaned forward, both blades high in the air striking down on either side of the base of Jarred's neck. Chest heaving as adrenaline pumped through his body, Hunter looked up at the blue sky, arms hanging loose by his side as he sat on Jarred's back.

"Winner! Hunter Markell! Clean kill!" announced Flynn.

"What an exciting match folks! Young Markell has successfully completed his debut in the Grandmasters division!"

LOUD CHEERING

GOOD JOB BOY! WELL DONE! GOOD FIGHT! FIGHT ON! KYAAAAA!

Among the crowd, two cloaked individuals were drawing attention to themselves as they tried to pick their jaws off the ground.

**********

Waiting outside the medical bay were five guys and three women. As Hunter stepped out through the doors, Irene immediately embraced him.

"You were great out there." she said as she hugged him tight. "God we were so worried for you when Jarred went ape shit.."

"Thanks. I was hella worried too..." replied Hunter, savouring the warmth and the feeling of Irene’s chest pressed against him.

"I hope you're ready for the next round. It looks like it will be sooner than we expected. Your match was one of the longest ones, the others seemed to be decided in mere minutes. Everyone is going all out." said Camilla.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to go back and meditate. My concentration broke midway through the fight. I didn't quite expect that to happen. If that shit happens next round I doubt I'd be that lucky again." said Hunter.

Irene gave Hunter a deep kiss before she let him go. "Good luck out there."

"WooOooOoOOooOOo." said the boys in unison. Irene smiled and Hunter was a shade red from the unexpected gesture of intimacy.

"My turn!" said Camilla and Heidi at the same time.

**********

Back in the empty room, Hunter immediately unequipped his blades and set them aside on a table. Sitting cross legged, he prepared to meditate, eager to nitpick at the details of the match that could yield some insight.

"Congratulations on your first match." said Lara. "I have recorded everything in case you need it for future reference. Just so you know, the plan to break out of MediVance is underway."

"Hello Lara. It's been awhile since I last heard your voice. Good to know things are progressing." smiled Hunter.

"Did you miss me?" Lara giggled. "Is it difficult to grasp that you've been here for so long yet it's only been eight days in the real world?"

"In a way. I can understand now why the practitioners here logout frequently." said Hunter. He paused for a moment as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Lara, I'm going to need a set of blades when I get back. Is there any way you can help?"

"Hmm. I'm afraid I don't have the means to assist in this. I suggest that you speak with Graham Drayton and have him arrange for a set to be delivered to Demeter."

"Won't it be suspicious if a set of blades were delivered to MediVance?" asked Hunter.

"Silly. Your maid Nana is still at your place. The delivery can be made there until we are ready to make a move. I will make arrangements to acquire a base of operations for us. You can use it in future as your own place of residence." replied Lara.

"Wow. Thanks Mom." laughed Hunter.

"Humph! Oh and Hunter, your debut was broadcasted across MediVance as well. They’re scrambling to find out how you came to be in this world without the system logging your presence.”

‘Oh. Shit.’ Hunter thought. “What can we do?”

“Don’t worry so much. I’ll figure something out. I always do. Just concentrate on your fights and come back a winner. Well, I'll leave you to meditate. Good luck with the rest of the matches." said Lara as her voice faded into nothingness.

Hunter was pleased to hear that there was progress and was relieved to know that Lara had the situation well in hand. He didn’t know what he would do without her help. He used the good news to reignite his motivation to improve his skills while he could. He was going to go up against an unknown enemy to bail his friends out.

He doesn't know their strengths or their weaknesses and he only has one life, one chance.

There was no room for mistakes.

**********

Author’s Notes

I’ve renamed the tournament chapters to exclude the tournament day. I hope this chapter was satisfactory.

-Harven