HavenGuarde

Chapter 63 - Inner Strength

Chapter 63

Inner Strength

- He felt it flow all around him, it was in the air and he reached out to grasp it -

Felix was gone, lost amidst the black robes.

Thonavar pushed his way past the sea of dark-robed figures, walking into the outer circle, toward the dark-robed man waiting for him in the inner circle. He pulled of his dark robe. His stomach churned nervously.

Walking slowly to the inner circle, Thonavar checked his gauntlets. They were in place, shining silver in the dim light. He saw the remaining contestants, including Gargan, kneeling and sitting by the outer circle. Gargan had his eyes closed and his feet crossed before him. He appeared to be meditating again. 

Thonavar stood in front of his opponent who was almost half a body taller then him. Thonavar studied his opponent. He was gruff-looking and slightly bearded. But his jaw was strong and his neck was thick. His shoulders were broad and muscular and he flexed and massaged his wrists. Thonavar nodded at his opponent acknowledging his presence but the man grinned at him, twitching his neck left and right. The two disrobed and the man crouched in a fighting stance and raised his fists.  

Thonavar did the same.  

The entire room seemed to spin as Thonavar waited for the command to begin. His stomach churned rapidly.

"Begin", said the sonorous voice. 

The man leapt toward Thonavar, who had anticipated this and dove to floor, swinging his leg round to trip the man. However, the man jumped up and stamped downward at Thonavar, who rolled away quickly. The man came at Thonavar with a left hook. Thonavar dodged this easily but was almost caught by a powerful right uppercut. The man came in again and launched a barrage of punches and feints. Thonavar blocked the first and the second but he misread a feint and a third punch struck him squarely in the chest, winding him slightly. His opponent smiled and approached Thonavar with fists raised, a smug look of confidence on his face. A green pair of gauntlets could be seen around his opponent's fists. Thonavar tried to remain light on his feet and bounded around the circle. His opponent's eyes flew in all directions trying to find an opening. Thonavar deliberately left the left side of his body exposed and the man took the bait, moving in immediately. Thonavar spun around and his fist snaked out to connect with the man's chest. However, this did not seem to have any effect and the man grunted in apparent glee. Thonavar tried to follow up with another left but his opponent caught his fist and twisted his wrist savagely. Thonavar spun with the twist and curled his body around to kick out at the man's head. The man was forced to release Thonavar's wrist and blocked the kick to his head with his hand. Thonavar then rolled to the side and rose to his feet once more, bounding around the circle. The man did not smile or grin now but approached Thonavar carefully. A sheen of perspiration could be seen on his opponent's forehead. He must be tiring, thought Thonavar to himself, and hope blossomed in his mind. I can do this...

Strangely, he felt alert and very much alive. The initial uneasiness and nervousness had gone. He had learned how to fight and to move as he did from a very young age, and adrenaline pumped throughout his body as Thonavar's natural fighting instincts took over.

The man leapt forward again with another barrage of punches and feints. Employing a few newly-learned wrist-flicks, Thonavar managed to block a few blows aimed at his head but another blow found his way into his chest again and Thonavar winced, clutching his chest slightly. The blow had been strong and painful. His opponent lunged forward with another attack, forcing Thonavar to step back. Thonavar saw that he was nearing the edge of the inner circle and guessed that his opponent's intention was to pin him to the edge of the ring and then come in to deliver the final blow. True enough, the man came in again but Thonavar side-stepped him and rolled past the man back to the center of the ring where he bounced up and down. The crowd whispered in response to this tactic but Thonavar focused on the fight at hand. Thonavar could see that the tactic of dodging and rolling around clearly infuriated his opponent whose breathing had become slightly ragged. It took explosive and anaerobic effort to throw those powerful punches and his opponent's energy tank was surely depleting. The man moved slowly and cautiously now. Sweat dripped from his chin but he did not stop to wipe it. The man came at with a tremendous swipe to the left and the right but Thonavar dropped to a knee before leaping upward with his fist. Thonavar's fist connected with the man's chin from below. However, again this had little effect and the man appeared slightly stunned at the lack of pain. The man was rock solid and Thonavar's punches did not seem to hurt him.