Chapter 2- The Arena Match
Lewa rises and travels to New Vulcanus next morning, bringing with him a leather travel satchel and the arena entry scroll. The journey is long and hot; but Lewa finally reaches New Vulcanus, the village vast and bustling with Agori and Matoran, all scuffling around merchant stands and pushing their way for the Arena gates to witness the spectacular tournament soon to begin. Lewa pushes his way through the crowd and sees the front gate is crammed with viewers and participants, standing in separate lines, waiting to get their entry tickets. Lewa realizes Flame did him a favor by giving him a ticket ahead of time, and telling him where the back entry gate is.
Lewa spots the back gate and comes up casually, offering his scroll to one of the guards, who takes it and looks at it cynically for a moment; then says, “Mmm, so you got this paper from the front…or? Someone give this to you ahead of time?”
Lewa calmly responds, “Flame friend-gave it to me. Didn’t know there would be a problem…”. The guard looks at his counterpart, and is handed a book of names, which he opens and starts to flip through.
“Lets see… Flame..” he mumbles, “ah yes, Flame, the fire Agori. You must be Toa Lewa, the air type.”
Lewa smiles, “Ah, yes.. That would be me. Was I expected?”
The guard smirks and replies, “Well, we were told some big green guy would show up, and Flame asked us to direct you to his seat once you did.”
Lewa grins, “Well I would kindly-thank you for that.” he remarks wittily.
The guard shakes his head and snickers, then opens the gate and points towards stone carved hallways of the Arena which have multiple corridors that lead to rooms and seating areas; and says, “Go down that way and continue on past the first seven corridors and take a left, that should bring you right to the participant seating area.”
Lewa nods, “Thank you Mr. Guard.” he replies comically while saluting as he passes. The guard lifts a brow and goes back to work, while the other guards snicker slightly at the playfulness this air type just bestowed, laughing at him as Lewa saunters off towards the halls.
Lewa continues walking down the hall past the first seven corridors, then comes to the eighth and hears a familiar voice. When he peeps out the door he spots a red Agori chattering with a few fire types and one jungle Matoran.
Lewa naturally figures that must be Flame, and approaches, then says, “Ah, there’s my favorite red Agori…How are ya doin’ on this fine morn’?” Flame lifts his head and turns around from the conversation he was having and grins when he sees Lewa. “Buddy! Glad you could make it!” Flame peppily shouts while offering a fist to knock with Lewa‘s, who returns the greeting with a bump.
Flame smiles and puts his arm around Lewa, then leads him to a seat; “This is gonna be good, I just know it. They’ve managed to pull in some fine fighters for today’s tournament, and best of all, you get to watch others fight before you’re pinned against your own match.” replies Flame excitedly as they both sit down.
“And who will I be put against?” Lewa asks; Flame shrugs and replies, “That’s the beauty of it, we don’t know. It’s kept a surprise to bring suspense during the fights, and keep viewers glued to their seats for more.”
Lewa is only slightly discomforted by this, and responds, “Uuuhhhh…. Wellp, we shall see won’t we?”
Flame smirks, “Ah, don’t sweat it buddy… you’ll be fine.” he remarks while patting Lewa’s back.
“Pfff, of course I’ll be fine… I’m me.” Lewa responds with a slightly swagger tone.
Flame rolls his eyes and smirks, then directs his attention towards the rest of the stadium as people start flooding in and taking their seats.
Lewa leans back and starts to relax, then gets a little bored during the wait and says, “So, when will I hard-fight?”
Flame thinks for a moment then says, “Umm, lets see, that depends on how quickly each contestant tires out…”
Before Flame can finish his sentence Lewa then asks, “How many contestants do I have to wait through?”
Flame taps his foot and snickers, “Patience my friend, your time will come sooner than you know.” he remarks.
“Well of course it will come, and as for patience…. I have none.” replies Lewa.
Flame gapes with a smile and a bright glint in his eyes at Lewa’s remark. “Lewa….” he says with a slight snicker before letting his sentence linger and cut off; deciding not to spill how many fighters are before Lewa, and surprised at how desperate someone would be to fight in the arena, a sign that Lewa is still rather confident in himself; making Flame smirk all the more, with a hunch that soon Lewa may just learn his lesson after a few rounds in today’s arena tournament.
Lewa sits there confused and simply looks at him naively and goes, “What?…Wha…?”
Suddenly the announcer speaks over the intercom with a powerful and exited voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to New Vulcanus! Have we got a show for you today; fire, water, air, ice, the elements pinned against each other in an intense and colorful battle of power, just another great day at the arena! The lucky winners will be rewarded with grand prizes after the fights; question is, who will win in today’s exiting match? Only one way to find out, tune in and get ready as we open the ring for our first contestants!” The crowd cheers loudly as the large arena doors open; Flame sits on the edge of his seat and grins with excitement.
Two female Glatorian enter the ring, one fire type and one ice type; “Ohhh, what have we here folks?! Give it up for Fira, the flame dancer; and Natasha, the fierce ice warrior from the mountains!” the announcer passionately continues. The two fighters wait, then the announcer signals for a gong to be hit, and shouts “Let the battle begin!”.
Fira smirks and Natasha coldly glances at her as the two ready themselves for combat, Fira twirling her blade with playful concentration. “Natasha…? haven’t seen you in awhile, assassination business treating you well?” Fira asks quietly. Natasha says nothing at first, just dashes towards Fira swiftly, her ax clinking against Fira’s blade. “You know not to ask about my business, Fira. Regardless of whether we’ve worked together before, it’s no ones business to know my business.” grumbles Natasha. Fira nods and lifts her blade up, then makes a swift back kick and causes Natasha to trip. Fira comes in, her swords ablaze, but Natasha isn’t down yet; she back flips before fully losing her footing and coats the ground beneath them with ice, making it harder to fight. Natasha smirks at Fira who must stand deeply to keep from slipping. Fira shakes her head and says, “Trying to give me the slip, are we?” Natasha coldly grins, then lunges forward and jumps for a final blow; but underestimates Fira’s abilities, and finds herself suddenly wrapped in Fira’s scarf, a hot blade dangerously close to her throat. Fira whispers in her ear, “You are a great fighter Natasha, but you must be careful not to lose yourself to overconfidence as so many have. You’re good…better than this, but have failed to observe your enemy, only paying attention to the main weapons, when you should really be paying attention to the smaller elements of surprise. Your downfall was made to my scarf, and if this were a true fight, you’d already be dead.” Natasha knows she’s lost, and willingly yields to Fira with respect. The two bow and are brought out of the arena through separate corridors.
The announcer waits for a moment while the crowd gains their breath, then says, “Wow! Talk about an icy- hot match. Looks like Fira still has a spark or two left, and sure does know how to wrap up a fight.” he says with a snicker near the end of his sentence, referring to Fira’s scarf move. That gets a few laughs from the crowd.
After a five minute break the announcer speaks once more, “Well folks, you must be exited from our first match, and I just got news that Fira is ready to fight another contestant before resting time. Lets see how well she stands to our next fighter; please welcome Hycronum the water warrior!”
A blue armored Glatorian runs out from one of the arena corridors and waves to the cheering crowd. Fira casually walks to her mark and nods with greeting to this young man, so eager to try his skills against her. Fira feels like this is rather comedic, as though they decided to pin a less experienced fighter against her, assuming she may be a little tired and needing an easier match. Fira shakes her head and lightly swings her swords as a signal to start. The bell rings and the two lock in battle.
Fire and water bolt back and forth as the two deal moves at each other; Fira gets tired of these water blasts, but is surprised at how swift this water type is, very smooth and flexible, like his element. Fira senses another blast coming, one that’s large and flooding; but Fira acts quickly and holds her heated sword in front of her, causing the mighty wave to become steam, which shrouds she and Hycronum in a thick haze. The crowd goes quiet, tense and unsure of where the fighters are in this massive cloud of steam; all they hear is the sound of foot steps and the spine tingling echo of a blade dragging against the stone ground. All wait uneasily as the vapor disperses to reveal the two fighters; both who stand across from each other, Hycronum breathing heavily, and Fira quietly standing with her head bowed and swords hidden beneath her cloak. The crowd sees the two fighters are waiting, calculating, but most of all they realize Fira is about to reveal her specialty move.
Hycronum waits cautiously and puts his blades up, thinking Fira is going to lunge forward at any moment; but to his confusion her armor designs start to glow, and she slowly shimmies her legs, then lifts her blades out from beneath her cloak and swings them in a hypnotic manner around herself while jingling her coin belt. She lights the swords and continues spinning them faster and faster, jingling her belt in an even pattern; causing Hycronum to go into a dazed state of hypnotism at the sight of her dancing, like a moth blinded by the flame. Everyone takes a breath at the beautiful sight, but are taken by shock when Fira suddenly lunges forward and slams Hycronum across the stadium, causing him to stumble and hit the wall with a thud.
Everyone takes a breath of surprise and Flame sits on the edge of his seat and nudges Lewa. “Ooo, ouch. I feel bad for the guy… That’s one of Fira’s main moves, she’s known specifically by that one. Fair warning buddy, if you get pinned against her, don’t fall for the beauty of her dance. She hypnotizes the weak minded, and before you know it, BAM!, the match is over. Remember that as a fighting tip.” says Flame while glancing at the sorely beaten Hycronum, who’s gently carried off through a side corridor. Lewa quietly gulps and lifts his brows at the warning, realizing that could have been him.
*************
The announcer cuts the silence, “Well, that was some match, wasn’t it? Nothing like seeing Fira’s hypno-flame spin, up close and personal, and you saw it here at New Vulcanus! Seriously though, talk about a battle that blows off steam….” the announcer pauses for a moment, then clears his throat; “You probably are shaken up by our vapor filled battle, but the fighting isn’t over yet; time to turn up the heat with our next two contestants! Give a warm welcome to Ashton, the young fire spitting Toa; and Fiamma, the female flame Glatorian!” 
When the bell rings, the two bolt at each other and clash their weapons into a lock. Ashton looks strait into Fiamma’s eyes and says, “Hey there beautiful, guess you‘re not use to Toa powers like mine huh? I‘ll go easy on you, in return for a meet up after the match.” this irritates Fiamma and she stomps on Ashton’s foot, causing him to yelp and lose balance, giving her the room to push him away and cause him to stumble backwards. Ashton hit’s the ground and lands on his butt; the crowd starts to laugh, and Ashton starts to feel angry. He gets back up with a frown and swings his sword around in a showy manner, “What’s the matter, don’t like Toa? If that’s the case, than you’re just chicken, soon to become fried.” grumbles Ashton. Fiamma taps her foot and smirks, “No need to get cocky. After all, if I’m the chicken, that makes you a rooster who constantly gobbles. Now shut up and fight me buster, I’m getting bored.” Ashton clenches his fist tightly around his sword handle and scowls, “Ooo, all right, you asked for it!” Ashton comes forward and the two get into a sword fight; every strike made is wild and fire filled, flames blazing from their swords each time they move.
Their fighting continues for five minutes, filled with nothing but heated insults and sword locks; “Give it up Fiamma, I’m stronger than you.” grumbles Ashton. Fiamma rolls her eyes, “Where you make up for in muscle mass, you lack in proper skill and technique. You’re fighting abilities are worthless without training, and I know you’ve had little. You’re an overconfident, idiotic, tar ball, who’s powers have melted your critical thinking skills!” Ashton’s hands light on fire and Fiamma backs up; “Oh yeah, well lets see what you have to say when I turn up the heat, come at me you puny spark, lets see how quickly you fall to the flames!” growls Ashton. Fiamma stops and concentrates, then she too heats up, and the two chase after each other in a heated rage. Fire and blue sparks fly off their weapons; but worst of all; their bodies become so hot, the stone flooring of the arena starts to melt wherever they step, leaving lava filled footprints all over the arena ring.
The crowd watches in shock, mouths gaping at the destruction being caused, but are all at once amazed at the fight; the announcer is silent with amazement, and can’t decide whether to call off the fight. He decides to let them go a little further, feeling they haven’t totaled the arena yet, but will if they go on like they are.
Suddenly the two stop and stand across from each other in the middle of the arena. Ashton grits his teeth and then smirks, “You smell that?” he says deviously; Fiamma sniffs the air and then cruelly replies, “What, your brain?”. Ashtons growls, then smiles evilly, “No, the smell of defeat.” Fiamma smirks and says, “Yeah..yours.” The two snarl at each other and charge up their elemental powers, the crowd goes silent at the sight of the heat waves fuming off the two, and some shrink back into their seats with an uneasy feeling. Suddenly the two blast each other simultaneously with a powerful wave of heat and blazing flames; the blast so great, it causes the two to ricochet off each other and slam against parallel arena walls, Ashton on one side and Fiamma on the other. The crowd takes in a shocked breath at the sight, and cringe at the sound of cracking stone and banging metal. “Ooooo…” is all that slips from the shaken crowd.
Medics rush out onto the arena floor, avoiding any smoldering lava pot holes as they go, and tend to the injured fire types. Ashton and Fiamma are carefully pulled from the pitted, black cracked walls; then placed onto stretchers, covered with a cooling blanket, and rushed off for further medical attention. To everyone’s utter surprise, the two fire types continue to gripe at one another, even in their injured state as they’re carried away.
Even the announcer must take a breath, and gapes at the smoldering foot prints left in the stone of the arena floor; then he lets out a breath of relief and clears his throat uncomfortably, “Woo… even I’m feeling a little toasty after that battle, shame break time doesn’t come till after next match; I’m betting some of you are thirsty for something nice and cold…. I know I am.” The crowd snickers and a few nod in agreement, then the announcer continues, “lets say we cool things down before we start another match, shall we?”
A messenger goes off to ask for aid in cooling down the arena; a few minutes later Natasha enters the ring once more and points her weapon at the oozing, hot floor, and blasts it with a wave of cold power, icing the arena over. Some guards come in to check over things and make sure the holes aren’t a problem before giving the ok for continuation.
Some of the crowd members return in a hurry when they hear the announcer speak again; “All right folks, looks like the arena is holding up, now it’s time for our next contestant. Word is, Fira wants one more round, guess she’s in a fighting mood today! Fira comes out and nods to the crowd, then waits for the next fighter. “Now it’s time to bring wind into the arena; yes, that’s right folks, give a big hand to Lewa, Toa Nuva of air!” The crowd cheers loudly when they hear that name, some people start whispering to each other about the Toa Nuva being legends. Flame nudges Lewa and smiles, “That’s your cue buddy, now get out there and show em’ what you got!” Lewa smirks and sing-songfully shouts, “NO PROBLEMO! ! !” as he swings himself off the side of the seating area and lands in the arena, rather than taking the subtle approach through the arena corridors. Flame face palms and snickers as the crowd cheers all the more at Lewa’s bold entrance.
Fira smirks and nods, “My respects to you, Toa. I rarely fight the wind, guess this shall be an interesting challenge.” “It will indeed, my lady.” Lewa respectfully returns. Fira nods with a smile, then swings her swords to show him she still has some spark left; Lewa smirks and readies himself for battle. Fira gets into a stance and puts her hand out, then gestures with a face that says, “Come and get me.” Lewa levitates a few centimeters up, just enough to be off the ground, but not enough for anyone to notice. In that exact moment, the bell rings, and the fight officially starts. Fira notices there’s something odd about Lewa’s stance, but can’t quite tell what it is; she prepares to make her move regardless, since Lewa had not attacked first. Her swords heat up and she starts to spin them, then dances in an odd circular manner around him, and Lewa is briefly hypnotized; he closes his eyes and shakes his head to try and break free of the effect, but before he can gain control, Fira makes a swift spin and whacks Lewa in the chest with her foot, causing him to go flying backward. Lewa slams against the arena wall and sorely grunts, then takes a breath and moans, “Ow……”
The crowd gasps, and Flame cringes, then thinks to himself (Oh, buddy, I warned you about the hypnotic dance…). Lewa creakily falls from the wall and crashes face first to the arena floor. The crowd cringes once more and harmoniously sound, “Ooooo..” in pity for Lewa’s pain.
As Lewa peels himself off the ground and stands up, he coughs sorely and dust puffs from his mask. Fira gets back into position, holds her swords up, and lights them on fire. Lewa sighs with exasperation, then takes out his air katana and twirls them around in a showy manner. Fira waits for his move, then smirks mischievously, and gestures with her two fingers to come at her.
The crowd gets exited, and the announcer snickers, “Looks like Lewa is being challenged!” Lewa smirks and prepares himself as Fira circles around him, still smiling mischievously. Lewa follows her circular pattern, his air katana at the ready, fully revealed in front of him.
The two get into a fighting stance, and Fira gets ready to make her move; Lewa sees her blades start to glow, and prepares for a blast. When Fira comes his way, shooting a stream of fire at him; Lewa back flips, his katana glinting in the sun as he gracefully lands ten feet behind fira with a smug expression on his face.
Fira turns around swiftly, her blades blazing; Lewa forms a few mini cyclones to distract Fira, but that’s not enough to draw her attention away from him. Fira shakes her head, “Please, mini cyclones are pitiful things of the desert; where’s your spirit, Toa?” says Fira while walking forward unshaken. Fira lifts her blades, then comes in close and strikes Lewa with a back fist, causing him to fly backwards once more.
Lewa screams slightly as he flies to the other side of the arena, his back thudding into one of the poles supporting a giant brazier near the arena doors, causing it to fall forward.
Everyone gasps as the plate of coals falls strait for Fira; hot embers scatter around her and she tries her best to keep them off, right before the plate itself falls on her head and makes the sound of a gong. Everyone holds their breath and the announcer cringes, “Ooo… talk about being in a heap of trouble.” Fira shoves the plate off her head and lets it drop with a clang, then dizzily stagers backwards, and puts her hand up and says in a slightly drunk manner, “I’m done….that’s it..” Medics come to aid Fira and help her off to the side, everyone remains silent for a moment; then when Fira is out of sight, everyone cheers.
Flame grins and laughs, then yells out, “Get up Lewa! You won!” Lewa groans and stagers to his feet, then squints and looks around dazed for a moment and says, “Wait, what…….? Oh! I WON!!? WOHOOOO!!!” he loudly exclaims while putting his fists in the air and absorbing the crowds applause.
The announcer smiles and exclaims, “Give it up for Lewa!!! And talk about a strange match. Steam, melted foot prints…think you’ve seen it all, until Lewa showed us a new way to play coalie. Talk about a wind breaker, give it up for the spirit of air.” Everyone snickers and makes a final clap before the announcer speaks up again; “After such an intense match, some of you may need an armor change…bathrooms are down the hall and to the right, or some of you may want some refreshments to refuel; so, be back here in 15 minutes for another match!”
Lewa returns to his seat and sits down uneasily. Flame lightly snickers, then gently pats Lewa’s back and says, “Well, that went over pretty well if I do say so myself.” Lewa tiredly flops his head and moans, “Ughhh, if you say so…, I’m gonna be sore tomorrow, I don’t think it’s worth it.” Flame laughs, “Ah, come on, I’m sure you’ve been through worse battles.” Lewa nods, “Yeah….but I wasn’t the only one fighting, I was in pain with the rest of my team…”, he remarks. Flame folds his arms and smirks; “So..you’re saying the pain isn’t so bad, as long as others are suffering with you?” “Umm..well, usually Tahu and Pohatu were in more pain than me, so….yeah.” Lewa says with a snarky grin; Flame snickers and shakes his head at Lewa’s playfulness.
As they sit there and relax, a Ga-Matoran comes down the steps holding a box of refreshments. “Drinks, snacks, wet towels?”, she offers. Flame smiles and slightly glances at her as she comes their way. Lewa rolls his eyes at Flame and says, “Get your head out of the gutter.” Lewa then takes a drink from the tray and says, “Thank you, pretty miss.” The Ga-Matoran smiles and offers Flame a drink; he grins and takes it, then clears his throat and just stares for a moment before saying, “Say….you live around these parts…o..or nearby, little lady?” Lewa grouchily glares at Flame, and turns to the Ga Matoran then says, “Don’t be swept off your feet by this bozo, keep your sharp-wits about you”. The Ga-Matoran blushes and skips off with a giggle.
Flame slightly pouts, and mopes as he stares at Lewa; then says, “Why did you have to go and do that?” Lewa coldly responds, “Cause it’s my duty to protect Matoran from idiots like you”. Flame gapes and realizes Lewa is sore and grouchy from the fight, but never expected him to behave like this. Flame sucks on his straw, and gulps down his drink in an irritated manner, his face still pouting; then he grumbles, “I am not a bozo…!”. Lewa shakes his head and looks off into oblivion with a blank stare, then grumbles under his breath, “….Oh yes, you are…” just quiet enough that Flame doesn’t catch it.
**************
Suddenly the crowd starts to take their seats once more; then the arena announcer gives a holler and says, “All right, hope you all had a refreshing break, now it’s time to start up one more match. Lets say we get Lewa back here for a second round!” The crowd excitedly claps and cheers when Lewa jumps down into the arena once more, with his hands over his head, being highly photogenic.
The announcer waits till the crowd calms down, then continues; “All right folks, give a big hand to the beautiful female Junti, and scythe wielding champion, Venimbus!” Venimbus comes through the doors, dressed in green plated armor of astounding flexibility, and swings her scythe elegantly. She looks at Lewa and smirks when she recognizes him; then gets into a low stance, and readies herself for a fun fight.
Lewa swallows a large gulp; the very female who cornered him in the jungle was about to battle him in a match. He makes a low whistle under his breath and prepares himself, knowing how powerful Venimbus can be. Lewa had heard many things about this female, most of them quite frightening. She was said to be a professional scythe wielder, one of the deadliest fighting forms in the jungle, and has heard she’s very swift in her attacks. Her weapon was said to be tipped with poison, and from it, hung hallucinogenic string pollen on spikes at the base of her blade. Lewa’s heart starts to pound, but in his confidence, Lewa feels he can still win, and thinks to himself, “This will be fun….and I’ll try to go soft-easy on her.”
Venimbus swings her scythe around to show she’s ready, and the bell rings. Lewa makes one slight move forward and doesn’t know how to react at first, then runs towards her; Venimbus, however, doesn’t attack directly, but instead side steps and back flips just behind Lewa, then playfully slaps his hind end with a swift hand, which makes a muffled clang sound and causes the crowd to chuckle. Lewa flinches and tenses up, sputtering and scoffing at this play, but grinning slightly at her move. He chuckles under his breath as he prepares to attack; Venimbus circles around to face him, then looks at him and points her scythe forward, waiting for Lewa to make his move.
Lewa takes a deep breath, then runs forward, air katana at the ready, and makes a swift jump for Venimbus, who side steps quickly; Lewa has little time to react, and barely catches himself before landing on the ground with a roll. He gets up and dusts himself off, then his eyes narrow and he starts to take the fight more seriously, his face filled with concentration as he stares back at Venimbus. To Venimbus this is all a game, and she smirks slightly, knowing Lewa is getting riled.
Venimbus puts her hand out and holds her scythe to the side, then looks at Lewa and smiles with a wild glint in her eyes. Lewa gulps, and feels himself waver to her charms just briefly, then concentrates and forms a cyclone behind her, attempting to rid her of her weapon. Venimbus feels the wind gusts and stands deeply, then waits for the cyclone to come near, her scythe glowing a toxic green. To Lewa’s shock she dances around the cyclone when it nears her, then makes a swift slice down its center, causing it to glow green, and then disperse. Lewa gapes and shakes his head, seeing her blade contains some kind of poison which nullifies elemental energy. Venimbus turns to Lewa once more, unshaken, and still as playful as ever; she then dashes forward and swings her scythe at Lewa, making sure it skims just above his head, while causing the string pollen to hit his mask.
Lewa coughs as pollen gets into his mouth and nose; he shakes his head and staggers backwards, feeling dizzy and unbalanced. Everyone goes quiet, and see Lewa is trying to fight the effects of toxic pollen. Lewa’s vision gets blurry for a moment, but he holds up, and in shear anger, he continues the fight, feeling offended that Venimbus used her pollen strands to weaken him so soon. Venimbus observes him briefly, and thinks she has him under enough to make her attack, but to her shock he puts up his katana which clang with her scythe. Venimbus gapes and is shocked that he reacted, then Lewa pushes on her blade and whacks her middle, causing her to fall backward and stumble. Venimbus gets up quickly and breaths heavily, then puts her weapon back up and circles behind Lewa; Venimbus realizes Lewa isn’t effected the same way as other beings by the pollen, and fears for his safety even in a fight.
Without Lewa’s knowledge, Venimbus comes up behind him with an antidote pollen strand, grabs him from behind and smothers the dust on his mask. Lewa coughs and growls, then elbows Venimbus and turns around with an irritated face, not knowing she had done him a favor. Suddenly Lewa’s vision starts to clear, and his mind returns to its normal state; Lewa looks at Venimbus confused, then offers a hand to help her up. She accepts, then smiles and yanks his hand down and thrusts him into the air with her legs. Lewa yelps and lands with a thud, then gets up and smirks, turns around, and puts his blades up.
The two get into a battle with blades; Lewa manages to kick Venimbus in the legs, which causes her to back up, but Venimbus is swift and manages to bruise Lewa in several areas of his torso, upper shoulders, and back. After ten minutes of sword fighting, Venimbus gets tired and wishes to end the fight; Lewa stands erect in front of her, no more than seven feet away. The two stare at each other, their breath heavy; Venimbus backs up and concentrates, then runs forward at high speed, jumps into the air with a graceful back flip, and holds her scythe out as she spins just above Lewa, causing her blade to just skim Lewa’s shoulder and scratch his tissue. Lewa tenses up and lets out a pained moan, all goes quiet, and Flame gapes from the crowd.
In his pain and irritation, Lewa reacts and swings his blade around, managing to just scratch Venimbus’s leg, causing her to hiss at Lewa, then hold on to her wound. Venimbus backs away and looks at the announcer, then holds her blade up to show she scratched Lewa. Lewa starts to feel ill, and falls to his knees, his blades clanging to the ground .
The announcer quickly speaks, “Oh… looks like we need to get some medics into the ring. Well ladies and gentlemen, it appears Venimbus has won with her swift moves and sharp wits… Lewa played his part of course, and every contestant gets something for participating, so…give a big hand to the winner!” The crowd claps and cheers for Venimbus, while all at once feeling pity for the Toa of air.
Medics come in and take Venimbus off to the side, then gently care for the pained Lewa, who clenches his teeth as they place him on a stretcher and rush him off to the arena medical center for treatment and attendance to his wounds, before the poison from the scythe blade takes effect over his entire system.
Flame rushes from the seating area and heads for the lower corridors, running after the frantic medics, but is unable to catch up with them. He continues heading towards the medical halls, but is suddenly stopped by guards who tell him he must go back to his seat.
Flame shakes his head and tries to explain, “Yeah…b..but I just wanted to give my friend Lewa..”
“You must go back to your seat, we can’t let you pass, you’ll just have to take the long rout to medical halls.” the guard sternly cuts in.
Flame frowns and looks down the hall with concern, then shakes his head and sadly turns around, slowly scuffing back to his seat.
Suddenly Flame hears a voice, “Hey….did you say Lewa?” Flame turns around and sees a big orange fellow, apparently a Toa. Flame nods, “Yes…, Lewa is my friend, and all I wanted to do was give him this arena gift basket…a reward you get if you win at least one fight. But, the guards won’t let me pass so I can meet him in the medical halls.” The orange Toa grins and remarks optimistically, “Well, what a coincidence, my name is Pohatu, Toa of stone, one of Lewa’s team mates. I can take the gift to him, would you like that?” Flame nods and smiles, “Yes, if you could I would appreciate it.” Pohatu happily takes the basket and says, “I’m sure Lewa will be fine, I’ll tell him know this gift is from you… what’s your name?” Flame sighs, “I’m Flame, a fire Agori.” Pohatu nods, “Flame…nice meeting you, hope we meet again soon.” Pohatu then starts to head down the hall, uses his mask power, and suddenly vanishes in the blink of an eye. Flame double takes and shakes his head in confusion when he sees the Toa was already gone.
TO BE CONTINUED…..
Life of Lewa-Chapter 1 "The Encounter"<<previous chapter/next chapter>>Life of Lewa-Chapter 3 "Flooded Fire"
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