Fight Like Your Lives Depend on It...

“Corban, look out!”

Quickly ducking under this guy’s giant arm, I tried imagining my aura flowing to my fist so I could punch him right in the side.

Utta sat on a wooden chair behind the cage I was in, calling out moves and warnings.

I go for the punch.

“YAHH!”

…

“Heh, for some reason I was a bit worried about fighting you…”

He backed up like nothing happened

“…since you were training pretty hard back there, but… you're mine now.”

“Block!”

I bring my arms to my face and focus my aura there, but his swing is too strong; it breaks my aura and smashes me into the side of the cage.

Things got blurry, but I raise my arms again and—

-

BANG

The big guy backhanded Corban right in the head. He didn’t have any aura left to block it.

“Dam, that’s one loss already.”

Hopping off my chair I go get Circe.

She was in the far corner of the room, which is where we set up camp. It's been a week since we signed that deal with that crazy man, but luckily, this place is pretty well built.

Besides from being quite large, it has a convenience store, a pub, and bathrooms, even though they are disgusting. If you win a match, they will give you some of the portion of the money from the people who bet against you, so occasionally, I would win a couple of matches to get some money for food and a bath, oh yeah! They also have a bathhouse.

I get to Circe and she was meditating like I told her to do, what I’m trying to make them master is moving their aura from one place to another.

Circe is currently moving her aura from her head to each limb, then she’ll repeat it again and again, faster and faster. I just hope she has enough aura.

“Circe, I need your help with your brother.”

She opened her eyes.

“He lost didn’t he.”

I nodded, she got up and followed me to the ring where Corban laid outside of the ring, knocked out.

Lifting Corban, Circe walked back to the corner.

“Only three more losses.”

I jumped forward and turned around. That man is really creepy!

“The odds are still in our favour.”

“Are they? Because I have no doubt that the girl can win, but him?”

He swung around and walked away.

Hmpf! I could be sleeping in my warm bed, but no~ I have to be stuck in this wet prison, with a creepy guy that wants to kidnap us!

Getting back to the corner, we started training for real…

“OKAY, both of you. Your next matches are in exactly 13 days, so before that, you will have to be able to move most of your aura to each part of your limb in less than four seconds. Once you’re able to do that, then I will teach you how to fight.”

Both put their hands to their foreheads like soldiers.

“YES MAM”

“Alright, lets do this…”

Using my mana, I locate their aura. Circe was improving fast with a small ball of aura traveled down her left shoulder and to her fingertips, then up and down the other arm, back up again and to her two legs. I counted about six seconds for her to complete the exercise.

Corban, on the other hand, took around 14 seconds. Maybe that man was right? NO, he’s just trying to get in my head. We still have 12 days…

Aura circulation is the deciding factor in a fight. No matter what type of mana ability you have, if the other person can defend it and punish their attacks, they will be the victor.

Circe almost mastered this insanely fast. Just like her mother, he got her time down to three and a half seconds.

Lacking behind is still Corban, getting down to only eight seconds. There are only ten days left, I will start Circe’s training, but if Corban doesn’t get it in the next couple of days, his speed at that time will have to do.

“Get in your fighting stance… now, every time you throw a punch; I watch you to send your aura straight to your fist. Once you punch, bring your hand back and spread your aura back out throughout your body so you can move your aura to another part of your body to defend.”

-

For some reason, I caught on very fast. This aura circle? Aura moving? Whatever its called, I’m quite good at it.

Getting in my fighting stance, which is basically putting one foot back and one forward, I throw a punch while sending my aura to my fist.

Woah, that felt powerful. I bring my arm back and spread out my aura.

“Left side, block!”

I turn my body to the right and block my face and side with my left arm, sending aura to my arm and left side of my body.

“Right side, block!”

I turn to the other side and do the same with my aura.

“Punch!”

I threw another punch, this time even harder than last time.

“I think I’m ready to fight Utta! Let me at 'em!”

I did some tuck jumps and started punching the air.

“Hold your horses, it's still three days away. Corban, it’s your turn to come up.”

I sit down and drink some water Utta got us, she must be really good friends with our parents if she’s doing all of this for us.

Corban still hasn’t gotten his aura thing down to four seconds, hopefully, his speed now is enough…

-

I only got my aura circulation time down to six seconds, much better than before, but not enough. I can’t let down Circe, not again.

“Left side, block!”

I turn to the right, sending my aura to the left.

“Right side, block!”

Turning to the left I could tell that my aura was not fast enough to defend my right side nearly the same time when I twisted and blocked with my arm.

“Punch!”

Twisting my body to the left, I punched the air, fully extending my arm, but not enough aura was in my fist.

Utta walked towards me.

“Listen, your aura speed is still slow, but that’s fine, now, you have to send your aura before the block and punches. This should be fine since I doubt the fighters could see your aura well enough to predict what you are going to do.”

“Okay.”

No way everyone can send their aura as soon as they punch, I’m not jealous or um, envious of Circe, but she’s something else…

“Okay, you two, this is it, we still can lose three times, but we can get out of this place if both you win today, no pressure though.”

Circe and I turn to each other; she rolls her eyes, and I give a ‘yeah, sure’ look.

“MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE… THE NEXT MATCH IS COMING UP, SO CAN CIRCE THE CICADA, AND THE REAPER OF SOULS… BASTIONNNNN!! Come to the ring.”

“Utta…”

“Yes, Circe.”

“Why is my title a bug?”

Utta got onto a chair, so she was as tall as Circe's chest.

“It was the first word that came to mind that works with your name!”

“REALLY!?”

“What?! Would you want to be called Circe the MANATEE instead?!”

“Oh, I don’t know… maybe something a BIT MORE FERICESOME! Like Circe, the bringer of… CALAMITY.”

“…that’s, actually really good.”

“Whatever.”

Circe walked Utta, bumping into her chair a bit.

Circe and Bastion walked into the ring, and the crowd was yelling super loud…

-

This bringer of soles, got the ugliest-looking sandals I have ever seen. He was quite muscly and was wearing a type of gladiator outfit, with a leather skirt thing.

He doesn’t seem to be strong, at least aura-wise, but let's get this over quick.

“THREE… TWO… ONE… BEGIN!”

DING DING DING DING

I lunge towards him in a blink of an eye.

Dam, I really got fast.

Winding my arm back, I threw a punch right into his gut, trying to force my aura through him.

Exhaling all his air, I stood up and gave him a nice uppercut on the chin.

He stumbled back and smiled… I didn’t do any damage to him.

Getting close, he threw a right punch at my head, I dodged and landed a punch in his side.

“You need to put more aura in your punches!”

Hearing Utta made me realize something: I was so focused on speeding up my aura to move through my body faster, but to do that, I had to restrict the amount of aura I was moving, gods that makes sense! Why am I so stupid!

Quickly I threw a left punch into his side, this time making sure I put more aura into my fist, but I couldn’t move it through my body fast enough.

ARGH

I got smacked with his backhand right in the face, my back now touching the metal cage he throws a straight punch.

Ducking below I try to land another punch—

“CIRCE! FORFEIT THE MATCH!”

What? Why? I know my mistake! I just need to—

BAMM

-

The man elbowed her right on the back, just before she had time to forfeit, but thinking about it now, she probably wouldn’t have anyway.

Bringing Circe back to our little corner, we now had two losses, meaning two more would lead to our capture, even if we do win, we have a month to run away, and he never said anything about not following us.

Corban is next, hopefully he learned from his last fight…

-

“UP NEXT IS DYLAN THE DANGEROUS AND THE ROOKIE COBRAN THE CON!”

I don’t like being called a villain, I would be fine with a bug name, maybe like Corban the cockroach! Eh… maybe not.

I get in the ring with Dylan, luckily he was around the same size as me, maybe this time I have a chance.

DING DING DING

Dylan dashed towards me going left to right like a snake, I raised my arms to block as he punched rapidly, I put most of my aura into my arms but he would sometimes get past and punch me in the stomach.

He paused for a second, this is my chance!

I step forward and through a left hook, putting my aura into my fist.

BASH

Yes! I got him, wait… Scales?!

“REF, using mana is against the rules!”

Utta yelled from the stands.

“I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ASK THAT! DLYAN IS A DEMI HUMAN, AND HE CAN SWITCH FROM A SNAKE LIKE HUMANOID TO A NORMAL HUMAN, SO ITS PERFECTLY WITHIN THE RULES!”

The scales I just punched absorbed the blow, making my lower half open to attack!

Sending my aura I absorbed his kick to my stomach, I jumped back also rethinking my attack plan. Even if I do land a hit, my attacks won’t do any damage… Once I manage to hit him when his scales are gone, he would just turn into his snake form, meaning there is only one way I can win…

“I forfeit.”

“CORBAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

I heard Circe yelling at me, I expected that. My next match is in a month; I have to get stronger by then… no… I will.