FB: Chapter 28 – Final Battles

I logged into Exponential, waking up in an inn near the coliseum in Fang City. I made my way over there and checked in for my first match. I noted the banners that were hanging up showing me puking on a person, which made me smile.

The advertising had been worthwhile. While the coliseum would advertise on their own based on some criteria, by the time I got free advertising it would have been too late. I needed as much hype as early as possible so people would place bets on my Champion run.

The betting had finally ended at 2.41 to 1 in my favor. I had been hoping for it to be lower, which meant more people had bet against me, but the rolling betting I was doing had stacked up one side quite a bit. I also had fans now as well, and they were betting on me.

The cylinder closed up around me and then opened back down a few moments later, leaving me standing in the arena. I looked at my first opponent of the day, number 91. A swordswoman. She rushed right at me holding her shield in front of her. It was a large shield, but not large enough.

Murk Barf. The chunky vomit spewed at her and I nodded my head quickly and then began running away. “Come back here!” she screamed. I spun around and she froze, quickly bringing up her shield. I then turned and ran some more. “Ahhh!”

“Command remove antidote,” I said and grabbed the bottle that appeared in front of me. My two pointy short spears were on my belt along with my dagger to keep my hands free. I drank the antidote and spun around again. This time the woman kept charging. She got Murk Barf right in the face. She fell to the ground, losing her sword and shield while she screamed in suffering and not just rage.

Winner! 91-0
Please return to the platform for your next match.

“Foxy! Foxy! Foxy!” The people in the stands cheered. It was quite busy today with how full they were. I returned to the starting platform and was moved back to a waiting room. I took a seat and had some water and bread while I waited for my next match to be ready.

That woman had been good blocking my first attack, but her shield slowed her down. Even with the movement skill she had used, you had to open yourself up to attack. No one had tried to shield smash me yet, but it was only a matter of time.

I had a counter already planned for such a strategy. There was a chime, and the platform glowed slightly. I went over and stood on it. The cylinder rose up around me and then went back down. Putting me in the arena once again.

This time I was up against a mage, if that staff was any indication. All epic ranked skills too. He slowly walked forward. “Command remove shield.” I got a tower shield out and advanced as well.

“Flame Thrower!” The mage said and unleashed on me with a torrent of flames. I kept walking forward. My super shield tanking the magical attack easily enough. He pulled out a high ranking mana potion, drank it, and kept spraying fire at me.

My shield wouldn’t last if I let him use mana potions. Murk Barf. I aimed up and over the shield and wiggled my head about, raining Murk juice and chunks on him.

“What!” he screamed. The fact I could angle my attack made it a lot more dangerous than his Flame Thrower which only went forward in one direction.

Winner! 92-0
Please return to the platform for your next match.

The match ended. I left my burnt shield behind. It wasn’t worth repairing. Goodbye super shield, you did your job. The crowd was cheering as I left. The intermissions were filled with lower ranked fighters so they could get some public attention and allow time for more betting.

My turn came up again and I was teleported into the arena once more. This time my opponent was a near naked man with a huge sword. He was just wearing the tight boxers the system required in public spaces and nothing else.

“EMPOWERED BESERK! BOOST SPEED!” he roared out his skills. Thanks idiot for letting me know your plan right away. He rushed at me like the testosterone pumping junky he probably was in real life. That or a super nerd in their mother’s basement. It was hard to say which.

I unleashed a full blast of Murk Barf right into his face, but he had shut his eyes and mouth and kept charging right ahead. Going for a quick kill before the poison killed him. But I had already worked out the counter to such a strategy. I dropped to the ground and rolled towards him. He tripped over me and went tumbling in the sand. I got up and brushed myself off. Closing your eyes in a fight is stupid unless you have a sensory skill, which he clearly didn’t.

“Murk! Murk! Murk! Murk!” the crowd cheered as he died due to the poison damage before he could even stand up.

Winner! 93-0
Please return to the platform for your next match.

I made my way back to the platform. I would showboat for my last match a bit, but until then I needed to focus. While I might make it look easy, it was just from the countless hours I had watched the coliseum fights the last time that I knew various strategies and counters.

Coming back for the fourth match of the day, the person had pets, three wolves to be more specific. The problem with pet masters or summoners, was that the pets’ strength was based on their master’s strength, but divided up. Once dead, the summoner would struggle. For these one on one matches, summoners had little to no chance of winning. I easily hit the wolves with my Murk Barf. Even when two managed to bite me, the damage was quite small.

I then made my way over and puked on the woman who had given up when her pets failed. You weren’t allowed to surrender in the arena and logging out in the arena would have you banned for a year. You had to accept being beaten down.

My fifth opponent was a speedster with a single spear. I just kept walking towards them and unleashed my signature skill on them once they chose to commit to an attack. While they managed to graze me, I stabbed them back and puked again in their face. They weren’t able to counterattack while getting puke in their face and lost.

My sixth opponent used a chain and ball. I guess their idea was to attack from a distance or something. I just slowly advanced and when they tried to hit me, I moved to the side and grabbed onto their chain. They tugged hard on the chain and realized that was a mistake, but it was too late as I was pulled towards them. They had a strength boosting skill shard of some kind. Not that it would help them. I unleashed some Murk Barf all over them, winning the match.

My seventh opponent, got out a super shield and advanced slowly on me. The turtle strategy. I got out my spare super shield as well and we advanced together. A short distance away I puked over my shield at them while dropping my shield.

I rushed forward and leapt up a bit as I slammed into the upper part of their shield. They would naturally duck down to avoid the spray of Murk Barf. But if you weren’t centered behind a large shield like this, you could easily lose control. I hit the top of their angled shield and the top quickly gave way, tilting backwards with their body as the pivot point and me on top.

“Ah!” my opponent shouted as they lost their grip on their shield as it flipped over their head along with my body. I rolled up to my feet and unleashed another Murk Barf right at them as they turned around. I then popped an antidote and they did the same with a grin.

“You can only do that twice!” they said and pulled out a sword while I pulled out an ass fruit. I took a bite and quickly swallowed the vile tasting food while running away. I then turned around puked all over the guy once I was sure his antidote timer had run out. “That…you can’t use food!” he screamed right before he lost the match.

I tossed the half-eaten ass fruit away. It was vile. The cheering was even more intense this time. “Ass! Ass! Ass!” Apparently, the fruit had already earned its signature name.

For my eighth opponent they had a magical gun. I just shook my head. Those things were utter garbage in a one on one match. Since their attacks couldn’t be boosted with skill shards or stats. I advanced and the man began firing wildly. The magical bullets were like a slow throw. They were slower than arrows. Easily dodged at a distance and each shot consumed MP.

Even if I was hit, it wouldn’t do that much damage either. He ran out of magic, only managing to hit me once. Magical guns were only useful in large quantities with lower level players trying to take down a large high level opponent. Even then using skills would be far superior most of the time. Magical guns were for scrubs or large scale battles in a supporting role.

My ninth opponent rushed at me with a sword and shield. I noted they had only junk skills equipped. Surprising, but I guess they had more money than sense to fight with such garbage. I deflected their attack and puked right in their face. They popped an antidote, but I closed the distance with a single step and knocked it out of their hand. I then put my mouth over the man’s lips as he went into a state of shock. Murk Barf. The skill caused the barf to appear right in his mouth as I broke off the kiss.

As I backed up, the origin of the puke appearing in front of my mouth made it seem like he was barfing out his guts and not me. I won the match. “Kiss of death! Kiss of death! Kiss of death!” That was going on a multiple highlight reels. I waved to the crowd, and they cheered even more. I then made my way back to the platform. I had done that to get even more drama and spectacle for the last match.

The last one before someone became a Champion was almost always bought out by someone with real skill to end a run at its height for maximum trollage. Or by a friend of the person trying to become a Champion. Or in the rare cases both, which ensured maximum drama. When I entered the arena for the tenth time today, I was surprised at who I was facing. I knew them from the future, Storm Sword, the man of a thousand blades.

“You have done well to get this far. But I will stop you, here and now Foxy Blight!” Storm Sword lifted up his sword and pointed it at me. Normally there wasn’t pre-fight banter in these basic matches, but I was willing to play along since it was my hundredth match.

“Do not worry. For even one as unstoppable as me recognizes you. Storm Sword!” I pointed at him with an outstretched hand. His eyes went wide at that and I began to advance. “Join my guild once I defeat you.”

“And if I win, will you join mine?” he asked me.

“Yes. But I don’t lose. Do you accept?” I replied and he hesitated. “I will offer fair terms but hear me out at least.”

“We will speak regardless of who wins. Come! Let me face the power of the Murk!” The guy was such a drama queen. I kept advancing.

As I got closer, I could see him frowning, probably wondering why I didn’t attack. He was hoping to use his skill Reflect, the bane of mages. It was a very expensive and hard to acquire skill. It also needed to be perfectly timed which was why it wasn’t popular. The area it worked at was incredibly small and lasted under a second even at the higher ranks. It also had a long cool down. Even with all the limitations, if timed just right it could reverse a fight instantly. Storm Sword was one of the better people at using the skill, enough that I recalled him in my memories.

I unleashed my barf attack and aimed to his side completely missing him. “Reflect!” I was right, but his aim was off. I waited two seconds and then turned my head, hitting him with some Murk Barf. He quickly drank an antidote. I copied his move, taking an antidote as well before unleashing my attack again. He tried to dodge, but he was too close. He was hit again. After that he had no chance. There was too much poison damage, and he had chunks on his body.

Winner! 100-0
Please return to the platform to leave the arena.

Champion
Awarded for winning 100 matches in a row in a coliseum.
+10% Physical Damage