Mana Wells

Boris had gotten himself a large double-sided axe, and Kurt simply drew his sword. The crowd was going wild. The trio of goblins had made their way out of the encircling. Kurt had basically picked this fight. He didn't like the way Boris had spoken to him, and maybe the whole act as a Lord, be treated as one got to him. It seemed lords in Minotaur society acted more than spoke to prove themselves.

The crowd of Minotaur created a large enough circle for them to fight in, it was obvious some of them wanted to participate as the walls, pushed him back. Kurt would have to stay away from them. He wasn't sure how much the Minotaur allowed for the 'pushed back in the ring' rule, but Kurt felt it was very lenient on the force they could use.

Kurt felt calm, somehow he knew it was going to lead to this anyway. What was he supposed to back down from his taunts? He didn't know much about Minotaurs, but he definitely felt that would have led to a worse outcome. Kurt grabbed the rope tied to the string they would break to signal the start of the match, he grabbed far enough down, he didn't know much if there was a strategy for the start so he started with the distance.

Kurt's seemingly normal attitude seemed to enrage Boris. Like an ant challenging a wolf. "You sure you want to do this, we will stampede that pillar when I kill you."

"Yeah, what else am I doing today?" said Kurt.

"You'll all kneel, or I'll make the ones that don't," said Kurt, "Are we talking all day?" Shaking the rope in his hand.

Boris grabbed his rope very close to the string, as close as you could without passing it. Boris pulled hard, the string snapped immediately, and Kurt dropped the rope in his hand. Boris made a mad dash at Kurt.

Boris gave a big overhand swing where Kurt was, at the last moment Kurt took a simple step left out of the way, turned a bit, and took a step back to the right. And ended up behind Boris back to back. Kurt never bothered to raise his sword. Just as Kurt expected, he was going to rush him, it's like he's making this easy.

Kurt ducked as he felt Boris twist behind him, and the axe whooshed above him. This time Kurt took his blade and stabbed Boris cleanly in the side and jumped away. Boris seemed to just brush off the wounds, his bull head snorted, bringing his horns to point to Kurt he came at him again, with another slash of his axe. As he came in with one hand Kurt deflected the axe, and with the other punched Boris right on his face with a water fist uppercut.

Kurt was feeling an intense battle flow, unlike in sparring, mistakes were serious, but at the same time, the pulse that alluded him, slowly poured into his senses and muscles. He wasn't overpowering Boris, he was matching the intensity.

Boris continued to wildly swing at Kurt who seemed to effortlessly dodge the attacks, a few steps here a few steps there, and swings hitting nothing but air.

Boris gave a vertical slash toward Kurt, which Kurt blocked, and their blades held bound in the air. Boris started breathing hard, straining his muscles. Kurt gave a shove and pushed Boris back. Causing his axe to swing up and back. Kurt used the opportunity to take a shallow slash into Boris's chest.

"That's it," said Kurt, "this is a Minotaur's strength."

Kurt hadn't really even begun, he had used no magic, no real attacks. He was given another opportunity to thrust from Boris and took it during their next exchange. Boris staggered a bit from the next exchange that left a slash on his thigh.

"I'll show you how strong we can be," Boris said. Gripping his axe, he made another volley of swings that were deflected or just dodged.

The crowd hushed itself, it was clear Kurt was winning. Boris seemed to be unable to get anything in, he was slower and weaker. His size advantage wasn't helping him as it normally would, like trying to swat a fly, Kurt was just out of reach.

Boris made another attack, and Kurt ducked and gave a leg sweep hitting Boris's shins hard, tripping him over, making him fall right on his face. Kurt got up and dusted himself off, as Boris came to his feet to face him again.

"What if I do this?" Kurt put out a crescent wave slash. And Boris had to take a defensive stance to block the wave, but another was behind it, and Boris barely got out of the way, rolled, and Kurt was in his face when he got up, with a punch to the abdomen, that made Boris's upper body lurch forward.

Kurt was actually trying not to kill Boris now, he was holding back a lot. The reality was that he could have swung those slashes at close range, he basically practiced 200 swing barrages of them daily. Kurt sheathed his blade, "Are we done?"

"You think I'd give up that easily!" roared Boris.

Boris made a charge at Kurt. Kurt stood unimpressed. Was this their only tactic, to rush the opponent? Just, 'me strong'? Kurt waited until Boris came a step away, in mid swing Kurt caught the handle of the war axe, below the blade, stopping it. Kurt then made the handle twist in Boris's hand, causing him to release his grip. Boris, watched in amazement at the ease he was stopped. A red water fist formed in Kurt's other hand and as Boris turned back to look at Kurt, he was welcomed by a haymaker punch that took him off his feet and threw him at the crowd that encircled them, causing some of them to fall over, when the flying body hit them."

"You should stay down if you are even conscious," Kurt said loudly. Kurt looked at the surrounding Minotaur, who were all speechless, "kneel or step up." After one, then another, then many, then all of the Minotaurs knelt before him.