A Dragon’s Curiosity

 

 

Leonard Highpass used his staff with grace and ease.

Every time one of the metal ends whirled through the air, a weapon was repelled or their user was threatened into retreating and taking back a blow.

Despite facing the highest number of opponents, the noble warrior easily broke their offense into individual struggles and prevented them from ganging up on him.

When the pressure mounted, he retreated from his position and forced the other contenders to catch up with him, meeting them in a situation of his choosing.

The Butcher did not fancy his chances of turning over the situation with his inclusion, the situation shifted too often for him to take advantage.

It was not like the beautiful named fighter did not fight back either, his foes were already bruised and beaten in some spots, their only saving grace was that the heavy staff did not have a blade or edge to make them bleed, or they would have already lost the competition.

In the hands of a skilled user, a battle staff was not short of a heavy mace or blunt instrument, easily breaking bones and bruising flesh with regular hits and maiming with strong strikes.

Ralf’s physique was rather poor, and a vicious strike of that metal capped staff might take half his life away, so the Butcher went for the other big fight going on right now.

‘Sharp Blade’ Jason did not lag behind in the slightest, each of his strikes sent his foes stumbling back and forced them to back off.

This was especially impressive as he wielded his weapon of choice with only a single hand, yet the one handed sword still performed as if it was a greatsword or similar large piece of equipment.

Uninterested in protecting his body from harm, Jason did not chose a shield either, his free hand merely rested in the pocket of his armor.

If a competitor threatened him with an advance, he either used the sword to meet them in a head on clash or sought to trade injuries for a life.

Bringing his sword to bear on the aggressor, he would likely end up injured, yet at the same time his strike was more powerful and would cause a bigger injury in return, so most had to give up and retreat instead.

It was the first time Nisha saw a style where the moves only consisted of a single obsession, offense at all costs.

She found his moniker rather fitting, ‘Sharp Blade’ Jason truly appeared as if he was willing to trade his life if the opponent did not wish to stop either.

Most of the regular fighters would have been more than happy to take down a big name with them, as it would boost their own renown and offer them more opportunities, but it was not worth it to exchange a minor boost to their fame for a grave injury or even their life.

Unwilling to make that trade, his foes had no choice but to alter their offense into a defense instead and ward off Jason’s sword.

 

Nevertheless, the effect was awe-inspiring, particularly so for a certain dragon in the audience.

Using offense as defense was a concept she was willing to test out, it gave her the feeling that it would mesh well with her own combat style.

Currently, the elf was still figuring out her preferences for weapons and her own talents in regard to combat, so it was not a bad idea to learn from the different schools of thought displayed in the arena and pick out the best parts for herself.

Apart from the all-out offense displayed by ‘Sharp Blade’ Jason, the girl also admired the staff technique wielded by Leonard Highpass.

Instead of its might, it was the fluid change between advance and retreat that flawlessly allowed the noble warrior to go where he pleased and ignore the foes that surrounded him and wished to bring him down.

With every swing, the staff drew a new border and denied the opponent’s space and intent.

He did not need the greatest strength or the fastest speed, yet Leonard Highpass still managed to stay in control of the situation and exploited every mistake of his opponents to deal them a hefty blow in return.

With three fighters set against him, he still came out ahead and placed them exactly where he wanted the others to be, showcasing his talent in strategy and combat at the same time.

Nisha wished that the fight would go on longer, as she wanted to analyze the two different displays of skill for a longer time, yet unfortunately, her wish was very unlikely to come true.

With the collapse of balance around ‘Fierce’ Olaf and Ralf the Butcher roaming free, the end of the event was creeping closer inevitably.

This was further compounded by Ralf the Butcher, who closed in on his next target.

Around Leonard Highpass, the three figures rapidly circled around and moved hence and forth in accord with the noble warrior's movements, therefore it was not a very suitable destination for the hunched-over lunatic.

‘Sharp Blade’ Jason, on the other hand, nary moved from his spot, only turning left and right to deal with the two foes that sought to flank him.

His one-handed slashes and swings were comparable to the full power blow of a greatsword or other two-handed weapon and left the two fighters reeling every time they had to block an attack.

Right when another offense failed due to the constant barrage from the named warrior, the Butcher succeeded in sneaking behind the stumbling man.

 

As a result, ‘Sharp Blade’ Jason and the remaining nameless participant both had a change in expression, though neither of them ended up warning the unlucky victim.

For the former, it was pointless to go out of his way to assist someone he had no connection with and he did not believe that a warning would change anything, it was pointless to be a fool and still receive a moniker, a title had to have the corresponding strength to be acknowledged by the audience.

For the latter, the change simply happened too fast and there was no chance to interject before the cleaver in Ralf the Butcher’s hand slammed down again.

The weapon directly sheared the collarbone of the unfortunate soul in two and dropped him to the ground in agony, much to the delight of the deranged Butcher.

Grinning at his blood-stained blade, he eyed the screaming warrior on the ground and dissected him into many parts in his mind.

Yet before he could transform his fantasy into reality, Ralf had to dodge the furious sword of ‘Sharp Blade’ Jason.

None of the named fighters would give a lunatic like Ralf the Butcher the time of the day or agree to a one on one fight, he was just too unstable to plan around and if they really ended up unlucky under his butcher’s knife, they would likely die.

At the end of the day, the Butcher was still one of the weakest named fighters in the lower second rank bracket, hence the others in the same category never feared him, but did not get along with him either.

Ralf the Butcher was used to the hostile treatment too, and he ended up jumping back and rolling on the ground again to get out of range of the irate sword fighter.

Although he was not allowed to end his mission and cut the meat into pieces, the crimson stained cleaver was enough for now, so the Butcher revealed an innocent smile that sent shivers down the back of the spectating crowd as he escaped the range of ‘Sharp Blade’ Jason.

Perhaps because he sensed the commotion or kept an eye on the overall situation of the pit, Leonard Highpass suddenly made a move.

Until now, nearly all of the fighting was done by making use of technical skills, aside from some minor applications of elemental energy to strengthen weapons and armor.

No one brought out their trump cards early, if the contestants got entangled in a match of attrition, whoever moved first was bound to lose, even if they had a higher overall evaluation.

It was difficult to remain at peak condition all the time, especially if a brawl was drawn out and landed in a stalemate.

Rather than rushing forward and wasting aura needlessly, most of the fight was done with minimal expenditure and without big skills.

The noble warrior was about to change that.

 

“Here it is! Leonar’s signature move, [Violent Storm Staff]! Keep a close eye on the staff, or you will not even be able to see its shadows.”

As the announcer, the man equipped with the broadcast equipment did his job properly and did not disappoint the spectators.

Nisha had ignored most of his diatribe as he babbled along and only revealed regular observations that anyone with working eyes could see, she only took notice now because he revealed the name of the technique.

Inside the pit, Leonard Highpass just repelled two attacks with his staff.

Normally, he would retreat further and force the three assaulters to reposition themselves before they could find a new opening to attack and consume his physical strength.

Unexpectedly, the metal capped staff rebounded faster than any of the times before and suddenly summoned a stream of angry air.

Clad in rumbling airstreams, the heavy staff moved with the grace and weightlessness of a feather and whipped towards the third fighter, who failed to notice the change and the danger coming with it and stepped closer to keep up the pressure on the handsome foe.

The first two blows staggered the man behind his sword and shield, which were raised in a hasty defense.

Subsequently, the third blow pushed the sword down and out of the way, while the fourth blow deflected the shield and made an opening.

With the fifth chained hit, the end of the staff ripped open the armour around the shoulder portion and left a bleeding cut, not deep enough to cripple him but not superficial either.

The entire sequence was executed in one swift breath and did not give his foe the chance to retaliate or evade.

Despite the injury and loss in the compettition, the defeated man hurriedly bowed to thank Leonard Highpass and subsequently departed the battlefield swiftly.

If the noble contender had chosen to target his head or heart instead, the consequences would be terrible to even think about.

Since he had been shown mercy, he quickly showed his gratitude and left the area before serious misfortune befell him.

The other two warriors besieging the two involved in this spectacle had just fallen back and relied on the third chain in their link to keep the famous fighter in check.

To their surprise, the routine was broken and developed in a very different direction than they had expected.

By the time they noticed, it was too late to interfere and they had to helplessly watch as their companion was defeated.

It was already quite difficult to contain the staff wielder before this, and now the countdown to the end of the brawl began.

 

Instead of further retreating outward, Leonard Highpass changed directions and went for the center of the pit again, throwing off his pursuers.

By now, there was only ‘Sharp Blade’ Jason and his lone opponent, ‘Fierce’ Olaf and his hapless victim as well as Leonard Highpass and his two opponents left, making it difficult for Ralf the Butcher to pick another target.

As long as he approached either of the parties that clashed in the top, bottom and middle part of the arena, either the named fighters would react to his presence or they would interfere with his attempts to attack their counterparts.

Given that he had a certain strength with his movement technique and was not bad with the cleaver, it would not have been difficult for the man to just wait out the other small fries and obtain fourth place and the corresponding reward at least.

Unexpectedly - or perhaps expectedly for a lunatic - Ralf was not satisfied without having a goal to strive for.

Seeing that his chances to slice more meat were pretty much gone, the Butcher tossed away his blade under the jeers of the audience and voluntarily left the pit, giving up on the contest.

Nisha did not understand his motivations either, the dragon would have stuck around for more rewards, as would have pretty much anyone else.

No one knew how the chaotic events inside the arena would unfold, even if the overall path was pretty much set by now.

Perhaps he could have created another opportunity, yet for some reason, he gave up early and left.

The crowd was unsatisfied with this outcome as well, they hoped that one of the other fighters that earned a moniker would teach the man a lesson for his crooked ways.

They were only sorry that their own power was not enough to challenge him directly, or they would have gone to beat the weirdo up together.

Well, perhaps not, Ralf the Butcher was pretty scary with the cleaver and they cherished their good health, so maybe not.