NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: The Duel
–Zoey Lynch, you are first. Please step up with your partner…– Frost ordered, but at first no one answered. A long silence formed as everyone looked around, waiting for someone to step forward. Zoey had frozen in place, but it was Scott who was trying to bail out, forcing her to react and grab his hand to not let him escape. As he grew impatient, Frost noticed why he wasn’t getting a response shortly after Scott tried to sneak out. He spotted the two arguing and garnering more attention to themselves in the process. But before repeating himself, Zoey managed to drag Scott to the front as she approached Frost fearlessly, unlike Scott, who received a couple of taunting laughs from his classmates after seeing him resist.
–Alright, we have our first match. Follow me…– Frost called for his students, who all followed behind him and Crisis as he led them to an area behind the obstacle course, the one partially obscured by the shack. Zoey had to keep Scott in check by not letting go of his hand, all while trying to remain composed since they were walking right behind Crisis. But as startled and anxious as Scott was to fight, everyone’s attention was now on the arena where they would have to duel.
It was only when Frost turned around that Scott became quiet and stopped complaining, getting a chance to focus on what was in front of him. The arena consisted of a big circle of dirt with a large weapon rack on the other side of where they were standing, with bleachers on the left and right to host all of the student and even the few soldiers that stuck around to watch the upcoming matches. The students were left in awe once again, but they couldn’t contain their excitement this time, and since they weren’t the ones who had to fight yet, they immediately looked around for a good seat to witness Zoey and Scott’s duel.
–Yea, let’s not waste any time. Take a seat and pray you don’t get picked next so you can learn something from these duels…– Frost ordered casually, but most of the students were already sitting down, mainly in the front rows to get a good view. Frost stayed right in front of the arena with Scott and Zoey while his teammates positioned themselves across the arena, next to the weapon rack, which Scott focused on for a brief moment. While his classmates were eager to watch the fight, Scott started panicking once he saw the several deadly weapons that they would apparently have to use, but there was nothing they could do now. Zoey remained calm, but even she got slightly nervous once Frost nonchalantly walked over to the weapon rack, though she just sucked it up, not like Scott, as he saw that as an opportunity to negotiate.
–C-can’t you just teach us the rules first or something to make an example for the rest s-so they know what to do?– Scott asked nervously, with Zoey trying to shut him up but failing. It did seem that his desperate plea to be saved from an unwanted fight with his friend was ignored by Frost at first as he continued walking towards the weapon rack. Once he reached it, he took his time to look for good weapons, ogling some large, sharp axes in particular.
But as everyone waited keenly for his pick, they were slightly disappointed to see him walking back with two wooden swords. Despite how harmless the weapons looked, Scott still feared that the duel would be deadly and too much to handle, but since his attempt to talk to Frost was useless, he became irritated, especially at his own classmates, since they were just cheering for the match to start. But as he looked around for a way out of this situation, he noticed that Zoey didn’t appear to help him or show any support anymore; she just looked at him awkwardly, giving a hopeless stare that finally made him realize they really had to go through with the duel. But once he realized this and got a chance to accept his fate, it was already too late for him to assess the situation.
–Nope, the point of this lesson is to determine what your combat level is. It would be dumb if I taught you without knowing how truly awful you are, so let’s see if you prove otherwise…– Frost finally replied dismissively, catching Scott off guard, not only with his answer but by tossing the wooden swords to both him and Zoey from across the arena. She managed to grab it instantly, but Scott remained too nervous and almost dropped his. Now with their weapons in hand and the impatient crowd roaring for a good show, Zoey walked into the dirt circle to get in position. But instead of walking with her, Scott froze in place, with his helpless eyes following Frost as he stepped out of the arena and walked back to his teammates, though he quickly noticed that Scott wasn’t ready like his partner.
–Now, if you want to fight me instead, I’m not complaining…– Frost added in a teasing manner, giving Scott a depraved grin that scared him into getting in position. He couldn’t stare at Frost for too long, nor could his own classmates, as they all started laughing collectively at him. But with his focus now on Zoey, he stood on the opposite side of the ring and stared at her for a good second.
She gave him a last look of mercy but then instantly smiled enthusiastically, and although she was cheerful about it, Scott could tell she was excited to put up a real fight and give it her all. He couldn’t comprehend the weight of this duel and was unable to settle his mind on a goal for his performance. He looked uncomfortable holding the wooden sword, struggling to grip the handle properly as it slipped through his sweaty palms. In his nervous state, he found every excuse to delay the inevitable, even cleaning a bit of the mud from his face. But all his distractions were cut short when the preparation time ran out and Frost gave the order.
–Go on, start already!– Frost exclaimed in an imposing but lighthearted manner as he relaxed to enjoy the fight like everyone else. But after giving the signal, Scott was dumbfounded and unable to move. He looked around in a daze, almost hyperventilating in an attempt to assimilate the place he was in. He found himself surrounded by all of his classmates wishing to see him get beat up, and even the only one that provided some comfort and a sense of safety had seemingly completely turned against him. Glancing back at Zoey, Scott watched in disbelief as she charged at him right away, running at full speed with her sword aimed forward and a genuinely ruthless expression that looked uncharacteristic of her.
He couldn’t even recognize her at first, which is why he just stood still, letting her close the distance in about two seconds. The audience quieted down in anticipation of her initial blow, but they were surprised to see her not hesitate when delivering it. She swung her sword towards Scott’s chest, going right for the hypothetical kill and ending the duel before it could even start. But after a bit of delay, Scott finally reacted and seemed to realize that Zoey was actually trying to defeat him. He looked betrayed, almost heartbroken, as her sword approached dangerously fast.
He didn’t have time to process it, but he was forced to, leaving all his feelings behind to regard Zoey as a true opponent, not as a friend. So, with the last glimpse of fear in his eyes disappearing, an instinctive sense of survival took over Scott’s body, driving him to raise his sword and block her attack just in time, saving himself at the last moment but being knocked back and almost losing balance from her powerful strike. Both he and Zoey were taken aback by his block, and for a second, they exchanged another stare, but this time, there was no kindness or sympathy between them.
–Whoa! Alright!– Frost cheered with genuine excitement, but he still sounded mocking in the way he laughed, prompting similar reactions from the audience and even his own teammates. But even though it seemed like Scott couldn’t withstand a single strike from Zoey, he ignored all of his surroundings to focus solely on her wooden blade as he adopted a resolute demeanor. Since everyone was cheering for him to lose, he started fighting for the win, and after seeing his sudden change of attitude, Zoey backed away to reassess the situation.
At first, Zoey lost focus at the sight of a new, resolved Scott, with his only goal being to defeat her to avoid humiliation. But while she showed compassion for his motives, it was thrilling to see him so determined, especially when he was about to fight her. So, while they both stayed apart and waited for the other one to attack, they remained defensive, trying to provoke each other into attacking first. And despite nothing happening at the moment, the audience was more eager than ever. They were entertained seeing the strong tension between the two, but they could also admire their patience and focus as they analyzed every single movement to know when to attack. Even Frost and Panda looked intrigued by their strategies, though there were a few in the audience who only found it boring.
–Come on, dude! Are you afraid of a little girl??– Shane shouted tauntingly behind Scott, making other students burst out laughing, and while Scott didn’t pay much attention to them, the harder they laughed, the angrier he got. He was tired of waiting for Zoey to make the first move, and with his classmates getting on his nerves, he just snapped and charged at full speed toward Zoey with his sword held high.
Instead of charging as well, Zoey waited in position for Scott to reach her, and before he got a chance to take a hit, she swiftly dodged his attack by sidestepping to his right and immediately connecting a hit on his back. For a second, Scott gave up all hope. He had been hit, but after checking Frost’s reaction briefly, he realized the duel wouldn’t end until one of the two was down, or perhaps worse, once one of them died. Zoey’s strike didn’t hurt much, and now that he got a taste of her attacks, Scott remained focused and continued fighting.
He turned around to strike back, but as he didn’t really know where to hit Zoey, he swung his sword blindly in hopes of doing some damage. But his opponent reacted quickly to his rapid assault, stepping back every time he swung at her, nearly avoiding the tip of his sword. He only managed to brush her shirt, and thanks to her small chest size, he couldn’t contact her body, even though it looked like he was getting some hits on her. At the end of his quick succession of blind swings, Scott stopped attacking for a second, stunned by Zoey’s speed and ability to dodge instantly.
But at that moment, she took advantage of his confusion to deliver a low blow, aiming for his waist since he had his eyes on her upper body and wouldn’t see it coming. However, he did manage to react fairly quickly, backing up just out of reach of her sword, though she still grazed the right side of his abdomen. Having to look down to dodge such an attack distracted Scott for a second, but not long enough for Zoey to follow up her sneaky blow. He went in for another swing, thrusting his arm recklessly to strike as fast as possible, though he didn’t have much control of his weapon. Still, he didn’t give Zoey enough time to dodge, so she was forced to block it by holding her sword with one hand and trying to use the other to shove him away.
However, instead of forcing his sword down until Zoey yielded, Scott immediately tried to swing again, leaning all of his body into the attack to apply as much weight to her as he could. Zoey resisted and tried pushing his chest away with her free hand, but as Scott slammed his sword as hard as he could on hers, he used so much force that he pushed her sword all the way down to ground level, almost hitting the dirt floor. Zoey wouldn’t let go of her weapon, so she found herself in an uncomfortable position. With Scott leaning down to keep her sword lowered, solely focusing on her only offensive tool, and her resisting his weight with only one hand, she tried to use the rest of her body to keep her balance. She had to raise her left leg high in the air to be able to keep herself standing as Scott pulled her right arm down to the ground, though she couldn’t last long in that position, especially with how little strength she had to push back Scott’s sword.
Scott was committed to his one trick, trying his hardest to disarm Zoey, to the point where he completely neglected any other weak point or opening to attack. He could easily bring her down with one light push since she was standing on just one leg. But as he seemed scared to hurt her or overpower her with strength alone, Scott stuck to a technical method of dominating his opponent. He didn’t have to put much effort into pushing Zoey’s sword down, though he was surprised to see how well she was able to resist, but he failed to see that it was because she had something else in mind.
Using her awkward position to her advantage, Zoey noticed that she had access to Scott’s entire right side as well as his back since he was basically leaning into a crouching position. He was more vulnerable than her at the moment and couldn’t realize it. He was blinded by his overconfidence when Zoey let go of her sword and had managed to disarm her, but before he could even see it, Zoey used her other hand to hastily grab Scott’s right arm. He tried to push her off but was stunned as she not only supported herself but also used his arm to boost herself and position herself right behind him.
She didn’t have a weapon to hit him, but it seemed like there was no need for one, as Scott only reacted instinctively, trying to pull his sword back when Zoey grabbed him. But since she was pushing half her weight on his right arm, almost locking it in place, he couldn’t even lean back to see what she was doing, let alone get her off of him. He tried turning around, but in the process, he let out a painful groan. Just as he realized that she had locked his arm, she jumped on his back, not letting go of his arm once. And as he tried to jump to get her off his back, she used that as a boost to pull his arm upwards, the same one holding his own sword, which ended up striking himself in the stomach.
–Oh wow! I should try that!– Frost exclaimed in enthusiasm, being sarcastic as usual but sounding genuinely impressed after seeing Zoey successfully overcome the size and strength difference. The audience erupted in cheers as they realized Zoey just landed a hard hit on Scott using his own sword, stunning and making him drop his weapon instantly. They began cheering loudly, and Zoey took that as a chance to show off, finishing her move with a dazzling half-spin as she jumped off his back and landed elegantly.
She stood in awe, with a big grin on her face, as she watched everyone praise her. But her attitude changed quickly when she turned back and saw Scott holding his stomach in pain. He couldn’t stop groaning, not paying attention to the duel anymore, just trying to deal with the impact of Zoey’s blow. He almost lost complete balance, about to fall to his knees if he didn’t react fast enough, and planted one hand on the ground to support himself. But as he was barely able to stand up, he began taking deep, strenuous breaths, the likes of which began worrying Zoey after a few seconds. She slowly approached him, dropping the hostility and forgetting to pick up her sword, the one lying right next to him. And since she could only see him from the side, she wasn’t able to measure his pain until she noticed some tears falling straight to the dirt.
–Are you okay? I think I hit you too hard…– Zoey asked with a concerned, soft, almost frightful voice, as she got more anxious the closer she got. She kneeled to take a better look at the damage inflicted on his stomach, her remorse slowly surfacing on her scared face. She looked back at Frost and Crisis to see if the duel was over, but as none of them had stepped into the arena to stop the match or even showed concern for Scott except Candy, it looked like Zoey would have to finish him in the most harmless way possible.
She kept staring in Crisis’ direction as she thought of what to do next, but right as she placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him, she was caught off guard by Scott suddenly regaining all of his energy and strength. He immediately pulled an unexpected move that prompted a couple of gasps from the audience and even some genuine surprise from Frost. As Zoey approached Scott, he slowly reached for his dropped weapon, and once he reached it, he waited for her to get close enough to strike. And as soon as he felt her hand on his shoulder, he didn’t hesitate to take his chance.
In a split second, Scott not only stood up but also pushed Zoey away with the same arm she was trying to comfort to distract her. He didn’t waste his opportunity as he already had his sword in hand, ready to strike at the first sight of an opening. But since his move was so fast, he only ended up swinging blindly at her and leaping at her for a more powerful attack. He had caught her off guard, but amid gasps of shock and horror, Scott was just as surprised as the other students when he saw his sword heading directly toward Zoey’s face.
Throwing a powerful surprise strike that Zoey couldn’t react to, Scott seemed to regret his decision at the very last moment, but he couldn’t pull back now. Despite getting the chance to defeat her immediately by knocking her out, he was utterly scared to hit her so hard in the face, though it was too late. He tried stopping midair, but with Zoey stunned in place, it was no longer up to him to cancel his strike, so he watched as his sword came dangerously close to her face, grazing her tiny nose and blowing her hair with the amount of force that his attack carried.
Luckily, his strike missed, but since he used all of his strength in one swing and suddenly tried to change trajectory, he lost control of his body in the air, causing his sword to pull his entire body down, lose balance, and lean to his left, heading directly on top of Zoey. She couldn’t get out of the way, so she just stayed still as Scott was about to crush her, and although he only pushed her with his body, she still started falling backward. The audience watched eagerly to see who dropped to the floor first, which appeared to be Zoey since Scott was higher in the air thanks to his jump, though they didn’t see her instincts activating right before her defeat.
Before hitting the ground, Zoey saw the opportunity to grab Scott’s right shoulder to avoid falling. Of course, they were still falling, but it was only now that she had a grip on something to ease the fear. But as she grabbed his right shoulder and pulled herself up too hard, she ended up rebalancing Scott and allowing her to land on one foot. She didn’t let go, though, and even though Scott was about to catch her after she helped him land safely, Zoey kept pulling him down, even when she was pretty much on the ground.
She did manage to place one foot before she completely lost balance, and Scott tried leaning back to support both his and her weight so neither could fall. But just when it seemed like they could both keep standing, Scott found himself falling once again, this time because Zoey’s foot had slipped, accidentally sweeping his foot off the ground. He had so little support on his only foot on the ground that as soon as Zoey kicked it, he completely lost control and spun to his left, now falling on his back. Surprisingly, Zoey managed to keep her grip on his right shoulder, and just as he fell, she slid under his feet while supporting herself with one hand to avoid her entire body hitting the ground. Just as she regained balance, she turned immediately to catch Scott, but her attempt to help him ended as soon as the loud thud of his back crashing on the floor settled the duel.
–Owww!!– Frost shouted mockingly, alongside some students, as they burst into laughter and cheers. With everyone reacting so loudly to Scott’s fall, Zoey couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. She ended up grabbing him by the shirt to pull him up, but she wasn’t fast enough, nor did she have the strength to do it, so in the end, he ended up hitting the ground, pulling her with him. While she felt the fall, she had to look around for a second before she realized she was right on top of Scott.
–Oh no, I’m so sorry… I-...– Zoey immediately tried to apologize after seeing Scott lying on the ground below her, seemingly unconscious but still alive, as he kept mumbling something she couldn’t make out. His whole body was limp; he couldn’t even accept defeat, and there was no reaction to her words, which only stressed her out more. But before she could help him, Frost stepped into the arena and tried to get her off Scott’s body.
–That was better than I expected. Good job, young lady…– Frost congratulated Zoey with a condescending undertone, keeping up a more lighthearted demeanor to entertain the audience. She patted her on the back before making her face the other students, who completely disregarded Scott’s safety in preference of praising Zoey like she was their hero.
However, all the praise and support in the world couldn’t stop her from worrying about Scott, and even though she was in an embarrassing position, she tried to wake him up, growing more anxious as her light slaps didn’t do anything to warrant a response from him. But as she kept trying, Frost was done waiting and just gently pulled her to the side. She tried to resist, but he was way stronger and was able to pick her up with one arm without much effort. And although she immediately tried to return to Scott, it was only when her weight was off him that he opened his eyes. He coughed as he tried to catch his breath, and before he could process what was going on, Frost blocked Zoey’s sight of him, leaving her to hear how he was about to humiliate her friend.
–Look, I’m not going to say you were the worst fighter I’ve ever seen, but that was one of the stupidest fights I’ve seen… stupidly fun but still…– Frost said mockingly but with genuine amusement, though his words didn’t make much sense to a dazed Scott. He could only sense that he was making fun of him from the way he was cracking up, as well as the general laughter coming from both sides of the bleachers. But as he began regaining conscience, Scott noticed that Frost was being oddly cordial with him, or at least not as strict as he expected, and that only sparked more curiosity as his teacher kept speaking.
–Honestly, it was impressive how hard you failed despite having a clear advantage, so I think you deserve a reward…– Frost added between brief chuckles, struggling to compose himself as he found Scott’s confused face amusing. He still couldn’t figure out what he was talking about, only picking up a few words. But as the audience became quiet in suspense, Scott couldn’t help but get his hopes up at the mention of a reward, becoming slightly excited to hear what Frost had for him, even though it quickly became clear it wasn’t exactly a thing to be proud of.