The big brute who padded into the circle looked truly ferocious. Towering over eight and a half feet and easily weighing as much as a small buffalo, I knew I had my work cut out for me. The 3 inch incisors decorating his smile, caused me pause, but it was the metallic gleem of his claws that had me worried. I realized they were artificial extensions attached to his natural ones, nasty enough in and of themselves based on what I had witnessed in the past. So much for a fair hand to hand fight...
Cautiously, I made my way to the center and executed a formal bow. My opponent did likewise, and then roared skyward elliciting an ear-shattering reply from the crowd. Slowly I bagan to circle the beastman, looking for any obvious openings or weakness. There were none. He did likewise, showing that he was an intelligent fighter not prone to judge an opponent based simply on size. Too bad, I could have used that to my advantage....
Gradually, we began to get bolder. Testing each other. He had the advantage in reach, while I was quicker and more skilled. A series of blocks, feints and blows began in ernest with one another, although neither of us landed any significant hits. In fact, I let him throw three or four strikes or kicks for every one of my own. It was nearly thirty minutes into the combat before, the beastman realized that I was showing no signs of fatigue. I don't think he was used to long drawn out martial combat, otherwise I am sure the fight would have gone on much longer.
Some internal decision was made, and he charged in, leaving me an easy opening. A quick powerful kick to his abdomen or strike to his face, a trade-off to allow him to close distance and get his arms around me. Perhaps he believed he could soak the damage, whatever he thought I shall never know. Instead, I did the unthinkable. I allowed him to grapple me in a bear hug. For a split second his maw widened into a smile, as his claws slammed into my back, stunning me slightly and dragging me inward. When I clamped my own arms, barely long enough, around his massive torso, I heard laughter from the crowd of onlookers. Their noise was replaed by a crisp sound similar to the snapping of a tree trunk, then only stunned silence.
I stepped back from the beastman's glassy eyed form, a look of disbelief reflected back at me. His body slumped to the earth at an unnatural angle. Then as I stared outward to the crowd, I roared back my defiance and victory:
"I am Ursid!
I am legend!"
| Tuesday, September 30, 1997 |
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