//------------------------------// // True Nacht Jäger: The finale of the Labyrinth // Story: Equestrian Throwdown // by Hex Mark //------------------------------// Balrog smiled at the decision the human made, a soft chuckle leaving his mouth. Trixie glanced over, not nearly as amused as her familiar, and tilted her head. Sensing the impending question from his summoner, Balrog looked to Trixie. "Things are about to get a lot more interesting..." Balrog concluded as Skylark tensed up, clenching his teeth as he just barely kept his footing. He brought his left hand to his right arm, just below his shoulder, as he breathed through his teeth. His legs finally caved and the human fell to his knees. Rajah did not make a move, he was at too much of a loss of the results of the human's actions to take advantage of the situation. Sweet Solstia, this hurts... he thought, his eyes shutting tightly as his breathing became faster and faster. It was as if somebody had been stretching his muscles past their limit. Finally seeing his opportunity, the tiger rushed forward, his left hand glowing a blazing red. Yikes! H-Hey Skylark, you ok? Erubetie asked, but was ignored as Skylark looked up to see Rajah running right at him. “If this is your idea of 'cutting loose', I’m sorely disappointed!” Rajah roared, thrusting the blazing hand forward. “Looks like the tiger is ready to take off the human’s head! Whatever Skylark did, he must have had put a lot of faith in it to create such an opening!” the announcer called. The sounds of a tiger's roar, bone snapping and flesh being torn asunder echoed in the stadium, followed by the collective cringe and shocked cheer of the audience. Rajah shared this shock, staring down at his abdomen. His arm had been torn off at the elbow and rammed into his abdomen, the intense heat from the paw cauterizing the wound instantly. ”That was the same trick you used on Taurus, right? Pretty nasty if I say so myself, but somehow you manage to make it look ridiculous.” Skylark commented calmly, standing behind Rajah with his back facing the tiger, sharpened canines showing just behind his lips. His right hand was bleeding at the finger tips, blue-mana escaping them and shaping itself like a set of claws. "Poor Rajah didn't even know what hit him! Skylark not only evaded his attack, but clawed off the tiger's arm and stabbed him with it!" Twilight shuddered at the visceral imagery, thinking about the sudden change in temperament. Skylark uses his Nacht Jäger by tasting blood...but if what Balrog said is true, and the taste of someone else’s blood brings out it’s full effects...No wonder he has been afraid to use it, he goes wild... she pondered. "Ok, that's pretty cool!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, much to her friends' astonishment. "Oh come on! The way he slipped past that overgrown cat and turned his own move against him? Even if he didn't rip his arm off, it's still a sweet trick!" "I didn't hit any vital regions, so you won't be dying anytime soon." Skylark taunted Rajah as he focused on cauterizing the torn portion of what was left of his arm. Spreading his arms open, the human walked away from and turned his face towards his opponent. “All the better for the audience. After all, we we’re summoned here to entertain...Why don’t we give them a bit of a show?!” he asked, his fierce-gold eyes locked on the fire-tiger. Balrog began to applaud the rookie with a smile on his face. “Attaboy, Miles!” he laughed and encouraged the Athelinian, much to Trixie's bemusement. "Trixie doesn't understand why you'd be cheering like that." the mare admonished her familiar, who didn't even flinch. "Much like you enjoy proving you're the best among unicorns, I enjoy proving myself among strong fighters. The more of a challenge the fighter brings, the more satisfying it is!" Balrog reasoned. "So you got a lucky shot in! "I thought your eyes could see everything, but you can't see how badly you're about to lose!." He mocked Rajah, swinging his right arm as the tiger was just barely more than an arm's length away. "Attacking early isn't going to confuse me you-ACK!" Rajah stopped as four long gashes were made on his chest. What?! How does he keep hitting me?! The tiger questioned, but he had to back away once the human rushed forward at him, swinging the makeshift claws. He struck me when he was more than an arm's length away. Human hands can't create such a wound, not on their own... Rajah thought as he tried to combat the human, going back to the offensive while his eyes glinted. Three seconds before the human acted, he'd see those actions. SHIT! Rajah thought as Skylark began to avoid him accordingly. He's faster...and he can follow my movements now...What in the inferno is going on here?! the tiger's eyes locked to see the fierce-gold irides. His eyes changed again...when we last fought, they were yellow...but then they faded to blue, that's when I was able to dominate him... another futile exchange of blows, both fighters missing one another. Neither would relent, Rajah too stubborn to call it quits, while Skylark was just having too much fun. His eyes changed when...could that really be it?! he wondered, flashing back to the moment the human licked the blood that had splattered on his face. He put himself into a blood-rage! That's how he can keep up with me. Rajah concluded, immediately breaking away from the fray and began to run down the bridge. "Oh no, you get back here!" Skylark shouted with a tone of maniacal glee, chasing the cat and gaining on him. Bearing his fangs, the tiger turned and pounced. Stepping to his left, the human ran right past the tiger in mid-lunge, slashing with the mana claws, blood spurting from Rajah's right eye. A roar of pain and the cheer of the audience echoed throughout the stadium, the crystals flashing as they all were showcasing the fight now. "In a short time, the human has turned the tables and is now toying with Rajah! Much like a dog with a rubber bone, Skylark isn't letting things end too quickly!" The announcer cheered with excitement, only then covering the microphone with a hoof to turn to his assistant. "A dog...hey, calling him 'Mad Dog' will work, right?" he asked, receiving only a nod before he uncovered the mic. "The Mad Dog practically has the tiger at his mercy! But this is still anybody's game, folks!" he added for dramatic effect. Damn it...he got my eye. Rajah thought, letting the area bleed a bit as he tried to see through it. No good...he blinded me there...but why couldn't I see some of his moves coming? he wondered, focusing his energy on cauterizing . He thought back to both times he got blasted in the face, the claws to his chest, and now the wound in his eye. Looking to the human, he blinked a few times, his good eye widening once he finally saw the surging mana at his finger tips. "You....you've been using magic?!" he asked, standing up and panting heavily. Finally cancelling the flow of mana, Skylark let his fingertips heal as he smiled. "Tell me...when did you figure out that blind-spot? Or did you just get a lucky guess again?" Rajah asked, his exhaustion evident in his tone. "You've finally started to see it then? Well, if I had to be honest, I made my theory after falling down that pit...I wondered why you had taken not one, but two of my magic missiles to the face without even attempting to dodge." "Given the fact mana glows all around my hand when I prepare it, I dismissed the idea you were unable to see it at first. I figured you were trying to toy with me and Taurus by taking the attack head on, without regarding the force behind the attack." "I see...so you thought you got me by luck." "Correct...I put my theory into practice when I took your arm off shortly after staring the Nacht Jäger with your blood. Dodging you was simple enough, but even you would have thought to avoid a counter attack in motion. When my claws severed your flesh and I rammed your severed arm into your gut, I had all the evidence I needed to make a conclusion." "Conclusion?" "Yes...Your eyes were able to see my movements seconds ahead of time. In battle, even three seconds is a long enough for you to counter the attacks preemptively...but that came at the cost of being able to see mana; the energy required to cast magic. The fact you can see it now means that you lost your three-second advantage, correct?" Skylark asked, but did not need an answer as he rushed forward. A simple sweep to the legs and a bone-shattering axe-kick to the tiger's good shoulder was enough to incapacitate the tiger, who was helpless on his back. Skylark's right hand began to glow a bright blue, much like how Rajah's paw did earlier on, the human knelt on the tiger, left hand pressed firmly against his throat. "What are you waiting for? Do it!" the tiger began to goad the human. Caressa hissed sadly, taking a breath. "Please, sstop! He'sss down...You won thissss fight." the naga-pony called out, the human's hand shuddering a bit. She's right, Skylark...You don't need to kill him...We can just take his key and get out of here. Lyra watched, her hooves together near her barrel as her eyes watered up a little. Look at him...he's struggling to decide what to do now... she thought, before Skylark shouted and thrust his hand down. Stone cracked and blood spurted...right next to Rajah's head. "The key's all yours, Erubetie." he smiled, his eyes fading to blue as the pink slime-pony slipped out of the self-inflicted wound and grabbed Rajah's key, reforming herself next to the human. "What?! Why!?!? Why do you choose to leave me in shame!?" Rajah asked, outraged at the act of mercy. "Shame? Is that what you feel when your life is spared?" the human asked, standing back up, shaking his right hand a bit. "Listen to me, Rajah...You are the toughest opponent I've fought so far. You were able to overpower Taurus, who was already physically stronger than me, and drove me to the brink of losing myself." he admitted to the tiger, offering a gentle smile. "Don't think of me sparing you as an insult...We both win in a way. Balrog won't have some of his power replenished, which will make things easier for us...and you get to use this defeat as a way to make you stronger." Skylark bowed his head politely before walking away with Erubetie, joining Caressa. Simultaneously, the three unlocked the doors and walked into the center room. Their bodies began to glow as the labyrinth around them vanished. "That concludes our second event, folks! Caressa, Erubetie, and Skylark have survived the Labyrinth and earned the right to proceed with the next challenge!" the announcer called out, the cheers of the ponies drowning out everything else. Looking up to Lyra, Skylark smiled and waved to her. I was able to keep my promise after all... he thought to himself, looking over to see Rajah sprawled on the ground. "Get him to a healer. Just because he lost doesn't mean he has to die." He told the officials, who saw no reason to argue and called over a medical team. The human locked eyes with Balrog, who was watching from the stands with Trixie. Just you wait, Balrog...I'll stop your reign soon. -To Be Continued-