literature

[LUCID]Versus

Deviation Actions

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Literature Text

The sound of metal on metal echoed through the arena. Sparks flew. The air tasted like ozone.

Two figures fought in the center of the pit, lined with spectator seats raised above it. Everything was black carbon and glowing neon. The floor of the arena was a grid of small hexagons and the soft colours shining in between. Several parts of it were damaged or stained with blood, and some chunks went missing altogether, giving a view straight down into the abyss. Below were only darkness and stars.

One of the combatants was Lord Maximus, the knight in gold. His armour was damaged, but not broken, and his gauntlets gripped two ornate golden swords. His eyes glowed a fierce white inside his dragon helmet.

The other was taller and even more heavily armoured, with thick greenish plates and a horned helmet. He swung around a massive two-handed sword with impossible speed, as if it weighed nothing at all, but he too looked worn and tired.

Another swing went for Maximus’ head, straight down, but a nimble step to the side resulted in yet another scratch in the floor. The blade swept to the side, but yet again failed to connect. When it came back, his own weapons were waiting. Steel clanged against gold once more, and his free hand went to attack the now exposed knight in green.

The smaller sword didn’t make it through the thick armour. Instead, the larger knight stumbled back to recover, removing one hand from his weapon to protect his chest. It was the only opening Maximus needed. With an electric hum, the metal of his blades melted and reformed, and clumped around his balled fists. Not half a second later, the knight in gold wore heavy, almost comically large gauntlets. In a flash, he plunged them both forward.

The knight in green raised his blade, but with one hand, he was to slow. Maximus’ full weight channeled through the gauntlets into his stomach, and he was sent flying. His armoured body went skidding over the tiles, until he eventually came to a halt. The larger knight pushed himself back up on his sword, but when he looked up…

The golden gauntlets had changed shape once again. The knight with the dragon helmet now wielded a longbow, as shiny and ornate as his previous weapons. The string was made of crackling energy, and already drawn all the way back. The green knight shielded his face with his heavily-plated arm, but to no avail.

Boom.

Thunder exploded when Maximus let go. Lightning arced between his weapon and his target, and the body went flying again. There was no life left in it when it hit the wall and slumped down. When the echoes subsided, silence fell. Then, a single person started clapping.

“I almost thought he had you, there,” came his voice.

Maximus looked up to the stands, towards the source of the voice. “I had to take some risks. How did I do?”

“Five minutes nine. Eight hits. Not flawless by a long shot, but pretty fast.”

The person in the stands stood up and moved towards the edge of the ring. He went clad in black and silver robes that covered his entire body, except the face- That went hidden behind a mirror-like mask with black lines marking the left eye. His hands went tucked inside long, loose sleeves, and his feet didn’t touch the ground, if he even had any.

“And I suppose the grand Balthazar knows precisely what went wrong,” the knight in gold said to him.

“Of course,” Balthazar replied as he hovered down into the arena. The neon lines in the floor flared up under him. “Your defense was solid, but you focused too much on it. You dropped opportunities to keep yourself safe, but in doing so, you allowed him to get a bigger advantage. Also, his horizontal sweeps got you every time, but I can’t blame you for that.”

The two walked towards each other, and then passed each other by. Chunks of the floor that previously weren’t there started reappearing as they traded places. Scratches mended themselves, and the coloured lights flared up even more.

“And now you’re going to do better, huh?” Maximus suggested.

“Of course,” the one in black replied. Silver gauntlets emerged from his sleeves, and with a snap of his fingers, an aura of red energy formed around them. “It’s my turn, after all.”

As the arena neared completion again, a jolt coursed through the green knight’s armour. Slowly, he started to move again. He got up without a word, and reached for his sword. Balthazar stood to face him, and blades of red energy sprouted from his palms.

“Versus Vanguard Manus, attempt number four,” Maximus shouted from the stands. “Go.”
World-shaping reality benders also play games sometimes. Which gave me an excellent excuse to introduce Balthazar, the Silver Seer. Based on Genius1995, who also helped me coming up with ideas.
© 2016 - 2024 Deluxeloy
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Genius1995's avatar
ive read this thing a dozen times since you posted it. never bothered to comment on it before, dont know why. I think you did a great job introducing me into Lucid, and i would like to see some more of Lucid altogether. not even necessarily needs to be about me.