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| AXEMS: THE TOLARIAN CHRONICLES |
| The next day, Axem Strife wakes up early and goes to the Contestants’ Room in the Coliseum. This is where the pairings will be given for the first round. STRIFE: I hope I don’t face Image first. That wouldn’t be cool. Strife arrives at the room to find that all the other contestants are already there. HUNTER: Sit down, Axem Strife. Strife surveys some of the other fighters before being seated. He looks through the room, trying to find the other Axems. Strife cannot see any, so he sits down. HUNTER: Good. As I was saying, there will be four featured matches every day of the tournament. They will be played on the center stage, while lesser matches will be played on one of the four side arenas. I will now announce the four featured matches of today: Axem Strife squirms in his seat. HUNTER: The first match is Axem Image vs. Bladewarden. Your match will begin in one hour. Strife peers around. He sees Axem Image leave at one end of the room, closely followed by a tall man with four swords in separate scabbards on his back. HUNTER: The second match is Bosh vs. Axem Midnight Blue. Your fight will begin directly after the first featured match. Strife sees a dark blue Axem walk out of the room. At the other end, a giant mechanical humanoid slowly exits, the ground shaking with his every step. HUNTER: The third featured match of today is Chakra Force vs. Mystic. Strife looks around to find both contestants. He sees a small purple crystal float out of one door, but sees no other contestant. Suddenly, the air around Strife gets cold. In a few seconds, it gets warmer. Strife feels like he just got knocked over by a gust of cold air. HUNTER: Directly after that match, Axem Strife and Axem Destruction will fight. Axem Strife slowly stands up. Across the room, he sees a tall black and yellow Axem. Strife walks to the door and runs to catch up with Axem Destruction. STRIFE: Wait up! Hey! Axem Destruction! Stop! Destruction stops walking and turns around. DESTRUCTION: What do you want? STRIFE: Good luck. DESTRUCTION: You’re the only one that’s going to need any luck. Destruction turns away and walks off. STRIFE: I guess I’ll go watch Image fight. ELAPSE TIME AND PLACE: Axem Image stands at one edge of the field. The so far silent figure known as Bladewarden stands at the other. HUNTER: Let the Tournament begin! IMAGE: 400/400 BLADEWARDEN: 550/550 Axem Image rockets forward to the Bladewarden’s side and slices at him with her axe. With surprising speed, the Bladewarden pulls a short dagger out of a hip holster and blocks the blow. BLADEWARDEN: You are weak. The Bladewarden swings the dagger in a circle, knocking Image’s axe out of her hand. He kicks her in the chest. Image flies into the fence surrounding the field. IMAGE: 320/400 STRIFE: Whoa! That bladethingy guy must be strong! Image gets up. IMAGE: What’s your greatest fear, Bladewarden? BLADEWARDEN: I have no fear. The Bladewarden throws his dagger at Image. Image sidesteps it. IMAGE: Every being has fear, whether that being knows it or not. Tell me… are you afraid of not knowing what to do? With these words, Axem Image vanishes to the Bladewarden’s eyes. However, what he does see occupies his vision. The Bladewarden sees hundreds of axes surrounding him, all taking their time. Suddenly, all of them dart inward at once. The Bladewarden feels a sharp pain in his back. BLADEWARDEN: 440/550 The Bladewarden spins around, one of his swords outstretched. He barely misses the retreating Axem Image. BLADEWARDEN: An illusionist? I’ve seen better. And I know just what stops your false sight dead in its tracks. The Bladewarden pulls a thin green blade out of the inside of his cloak. The blade holds a large sapphire at the base of its hilt. BLADEWARDEN: Go ahead. Try to hit me. IMAGE: Ready and willing. Image raises her axe to her mouth. She blows onto it. The axe lets out a thin black mist. IMAGE: You can’t see me now, can you? BLADEWARDEN: Yes, I can. Two streaks of green light cut through the mist. The black cover immediately vanishes. The Bladewarden holds the green sword in his right hand. The sapphire on it glows with a pale light. BLADEWARDEN: This sword is the Sword of True Sight, and it can cut through any illusion you can send at me. Your powers are useless. END OF EPISODE TEN |
| Episode Ten |