Garden Of The Abyss

Watching as he rolled his shoulders and parted his fringes that attempted to obscure his eyes, she received her answer from him, "We're doing this without magic. You want a fight? Then we're doing it my way."

"Are you--"

"I'm not giving you an advantage--don't get me wrong. Well, unless you're too scared to face me fist-to-fist, then…"

"No! You're on!"

Accepting the conditions bestowed by the blonde-haired Lucrauvian, Aiko raised her silver gauntlets that never left her hands, meeting the prince's crimson jewels with her own amethyst eyes.

"Well, looks like they've settled it."

Smiling at the resolvement of their conflict, Ren watched as the two clashed--exchanging blows that never made solid connections as both of their defenses were immaculate.

Though it was clear that differences existed in their styles; Aiko's movements borrowed from the wild felines, something that reminded Ren of the style of kung-fu present back in his own world. She was incredibly agile, moving in ways that made her seem weightless, and completely unpredictable as she switched from a combo of kicks to a flurry of punches in the next moment. It was the first time seeing this style from Macheo as they spent most of their time together fighting monstrous fiends rather than other people; he remained patient, defending against the quick succession of attacks while his eyes remained focused on a goal of his own.

"Who are you betting on?"

Jae-Seong asked with a smile as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ren, nudging his arm against his to squeeze an answer out of him.

Standing there silently for a moment as he watched the battle that seemed to be going in Aiko's favor, he gave his answer, "I don't know."

"Huh? C'mon! Don't be like that!"

Whining at the boring answer, Jae-Seong ran his fingers through his curly locks as his silver chain-necklace jingled at his movements.

"I'm not going to pick favorites between my friends. Besides, I really don't know."

I have first-hand experience facing off against Aiko in hand-to-hand combat...while she wasn't exactly serious, I was able to read her movements fairly easily. It's not that her martial arts prowess is bad or anything--far from it.

It's just...her reinforcement usually stays at a constant low then peaks when she plans on landing a critical strike. If she finds one of those moments against Macheo--then she can win.

However, Macheo is a bundle of talent when it comes to his natural magecraft--his reinforcement is no exception. He might just overwhelm her completely, Ren thought.

"Hyaah!"

Stomping her foot down, a small shock wave traveled through the coarse sand as Macheo was stunned for that brief moment, being subject to a swift push from the girl's shoulder that sent the prince backwards.

Damn! She really is taking this seriously! Macheo thought.

It was still hard for him to get over the idea of hurting the girl he held close to his heart, but he resolved himself to do it.

"SHE MAY BE SMALL, BUT SHE IS FIERSOME! IT MAY BE QUITE THE CHALLENGE TO CATCH THIS NIMBLE COMPETITOR!"

Waiting as the beige-haired girl went in for a follow-up attack after knocking her opponent back, Macheo suddenly dashed forward with his hands in front of him. Taking the smaller foe of his by surprise, he gained complete control of the takedown he initiated--tackling the girl straight to the ground.

"In case you were wondering, my bet is on Macheo."

Adding in after their initial conversation, Jae-Song smiled as Ren looked up at him with a raised eyebrow as if prodding him to explain his reasoning.

"You might already have heard of this, but Lucrauv is a nation where individual strength trumps all. That's most significant when talking about the royal family. I'm sure when you found out he was a prince, you assumed he lived a privileged, carefree life...at least in comparison to our own. But that couldn't be further from the truth."

"...Huh?"

"You see, Lucrauv functions differently than most kingdoms. It isn't automatically the eldest son that inherits the throne after the king dies, but the one recognized as most fitting to rule. In most cases, that would fall on the eldest--but in Lucrauv, strength is most vital. The lives of the children of the king; from the moment they're able to walk, their training begins--day in and day out, they go through hell to become as strong as they can be."

Coming from Jae-Seong, it seemed almost odd to hear the playful man speak of something so serious, but there was no lie spilling from his lips--that much could be discerned by Ren as he looked at the man's eyes that sat behind his shades.

So you've had it pretty rough, huh, Macheo? You never told any of us, Ren thought.

"Well, if you're curious, the style Macheo uses is actually pretty similar to something that exists in our world too, Ren."

"Huh? It does?"

"Yup! It's called "Sambo". It's a Russian martial art; it actually was born from Judo. It's a pretty rigid style, but it's pretty much game over if they get a hold of you. It tends to be pretty reliant on the innate strength of the user. Losing an arm was a heavy blow to him, no doubt about that, even if he did get a replacement."

As he explained this to the white-haired young man, Jae-Seong watched alongside him as Aiko and Macheo fought for ground control.

"But like I said...what the young prince there is using is only similar to Sambo."

He's pretty knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. I didn't expect it from somebody like him, Ren thought.

Listening into their conversation, Fedrin and Ju-Long looked a bit surprised at the two men before the elven man posed a question of his own, "I don't mean to pry...but by the way you worded that--are the both of you otherworlders?"

"Urr…"

"That we are!"

Answering for Ren as he was at a loss for words, Jae-Seong didn't miss a beat as he wrapped his arm around the young man's shoulder, bringing him into an embrace that Ren wasn't quite prepared for.

"I see...that is indeed a surprise."

Putting his hand to his chin, Fedrin looked at Ren for a moment as the young man didn't know what to expect from those sharp eyes belonging to the elf that sized him up with this new information in mind.

"That's really fantastic! I can't say one from my homeland gets to meet an otherworlder everyday!"

Completely dropping his stoic tone, Fedrin smiled wide as he slapped the white-haired young man on the back with a laughter that Ju-Long and Jae-Seong joined in on--while Ren was left completely perplexed.

Man, I really keep forgetting that it's just Mastorn that has a wicked hatred for us, he thought.

Returning to the showoff in the sand amidst the two youngest competitors, Macheo grabbed hold of the girl's arm--it was much thinner than his own, but the strength resisting his grasp wasn't anything short of spectacular.

Even so, as he managed to spin his position to trap Aiko's limb into an armbar, listening to the roars of the crowd at this development--his ears fell deaf for a moment as only his own breaths were heard. Quickly pulling her arm to its maximum stretch, Macheo kept his legs wrapped around both her arm and neck as the hold was as tight as a vice grip.

It hurts. It hurts. But...I won't give up! Aiko resolved.

As it felt like each strand of muscles present from her bicep to her forearm was being stretched to its limit, she gritted her teeth.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

I've heard it more times than I could care for. As a prince, a candidate for the throne--my training called for more than just learning--I put what I learned into practice.

Some were willing, some were not; most weren't even fighters themselves--but still as Father watched, I had to impress him--so, even if they surrendered--that look in Father's eyes told me one thing, and one thing alone: "No Mercy". Snap.

It's a brutal style, but I loved it. I felt unstoppable with it. But...it's destructive. Using this against someone I care about...I can't.

As these memories ran through his mind, his grip on the girl's arm loosened as she instantly took the opportunity to pull out from her compromised position.

Sorry, Aiko, but I guess I'll have to do things a bit differently than I'm used to, he thought.

Switching up his stance as he stood tall, he raised one arm up as if holding a shield while tucking in his wooden arm close to his side.

He changed his stance…? Just what is he playing at? Aiko thought.

Expecting him to follow the defensive style he maintained throughout the fight, Aiko was caught by complete surprise as Macheo pressed forward with a powerful kick that propelled him.

"...You asked for this!"

Yelling out as he shot the replacement arm of his that sat holstered and readied at his side forward, Macheo connected his fist against her abdomen as all that came out was a breathless gasp as the air was forced from her lungs.

Following up with a few, quick strikes, each hit was well-placed with precise, pin-point power used to disable Aiko's movements. Hitting her in the windpipe, he stole her breath; a jab to the chin, her sense of balance was thrown off, and a final, low-blow to her leg weakened her stance.

"Holy crap, that was pretty brutal…"

Ren muttered as he scrunched his nose at the visceral combo unleashed by Macheo.

"If you thought Macheo was simply trying to avoid fighting just because the thought of fighting the girl pained him, well, you might be partially correct. But, in truth, it's because he knew just how destructive his style is. The native name of it fails my memory...but it's called "To Face and Destroy". I'd say that embodied Lucrauv pretty well."

I see...that's why you were so reluctant to fight her, Macheo. Even so, pure hand-to-hand combat will always result in less damage than magic battles...I hope, Ren thought.

"Lucrauv, eh? I can say without a doubt the tales that reach my homeland aren't far-fetched then, ha-ha. It is said in Lubrasmel that Lucrauvians were born of snow and melded by war--making their bodies weapons. And some say they are descendants of giants, though the boy there seems a few hairs short for that."

Listening to Jae-Seong's words, Fedrin added in as his wounds seemed to be almost entirely healed up due to his assistance from the elderly competitor.

"Gyueh…!"

Grasping her throat as she took in thin, sharp breaths, Aiko began to sweat profusely at the calculated blows landed on her body.

"TALK ABOUT BRUTAL! MACHEO IS SHOWING THE COLD STRENGTH BORN IN THE LAND OF SNOW!"

My lungs...it's like fire is occupying them now; this strength...he isn't holding out, Aiko thought.

As the blows took their toll even after being launched, Aiko fell to one knee as her leg that had been hit faltered.