The 1st Light of Dawn Tournament | Labyrinth of Champions | Phase 1 | Entrant #8 - Kuma Kurebayashi

"Welcome all, to the first annual Light of Dawn Tournament! This tournament challenges the strongest of the strong, the bravest of the brave, the most daring of champions the Six Nations has to offer!

The Avatar cannot watch the world alone; the Avatar cannot guard billions of people all at once, and so the duty falls not only to us, but to you the people to defend yourselves and each other. You must fight to protect what is dear to you, to protect world peace and balance. To preserve these lands for generations to come!

We the Dawn Crusade have started this tournament for that purpose. To weed out potential candidates. To help us fight so that there will always be a dawn tomorrow! We the Holy Paladins of Light!

Now, without further ado, let the tournament begin! Champions, brave the labyrinth and do not look back, for hesitance will only get you killed. Brave the Labyrinth and find your way to Drak'Tharon Keep...those who cannot make it...well, you will have to fight your way out of Gun'Drak.

Good luck champions, and remember: from light comes comes, and from darkness, light. Let your passion be your light in the dark."

Those are the last words you hear before you step into the stone Labyrinth and the stone doors slam shut behind you. You've got enough food to last five weeks, and some basic first aid supplies for when things get grim. Otherwise it's you, your instincts and the voice in your head telling you you can do this, you can win. Just keep walking; that's in, one foot in front of the other. Left, right, left, right, left right, shit.

A few steps in and you're presented with your first choice. Left, right or forward. The path forks into three different, new paths. Each dark and foreboding. You think you hear growling down the left path. Something down the middle path gives you chills and makes you feel cold and hopeless, while the third path...something's watch you--maybe. Maybe because you feel like something's been watching you since you first walked into this maze. But do you have the guts to face it? To see if it, whatever "it" is, is there, waiting for you?

The choice is yours Champion. Pick your path, decide your fate, and fight to the death to defend it.

Kuma felt a haunting chill go down his spine. As he took his first wary step, he began to regret everything. His life had been in a lull. Not only was he bored, but he wasn't going anywhere. He felt like he was stuck in time. He wasn't learning or doing anything new. When he heard about the tournament, he had decided it would be a nice change of pace from his everyday life. Besides, it's always exciting to clonk some heads together every once in a while. That's what Kuma expected. A tournament just like the won he had recently won. He was not expecting to be thrown into a labyrinth full of demons from who knows where, a place in which he could potentially be trapped for weeks to come.

Kuma took a deep breath. He had to find some small shred of confidence to hold on to, or he would never escape the labyrinth alive. He closed his eyes and pictured Cato, his closest, but sadly recently deceased, friend. Cato would want him to keep going. He imagined Cato by his side, encouraging him to push onward. He opened his eyes, and though Cato wasn't there, he felt stronger and more confident. Head held high, Kuma walked down the hallway.

Three paths. On the left was a growl. Definitely some kind of creature, perhaps a demonic rendition of a large cat. The middle...Kuma didn't want to go there. Just thinking about that path made him want to curl into a ball and cry for help. The right was a feeling of being watched. Kuma turned left. At least he had the most information from that direction. Yet the middle would be a true challenge for him. Kuma didn't want this to be easy. On the left and right, Kuma knew he had a fight to make. Kuma could fight. But he had no idea what he would face down the middle path.

Taking another deep breath and trying to stop his shaking, Kuma slowly stepped down the middle path.

You walk straight down the middle corridor.  Down, down, deeper into the darkness.  The chills you get slowly start to grow.  Your hair is standing on end.  Soon you discover why.  Soon, when you find yourself, the stone door slamming behind you, no way of escape, and you come face to many faces with Verimethras, the Broken One.  Once the proud advisor to the last Drak'an King, King Zul'Drak.  A wise and cunning man, it is said that Verimethras is the reason for the curse to be placed on the Kingdom.  How?  Why?  No one knows, but when you see him in his horrible twisted form, you know it must be true.

This form is his punishment.  But by his people?  By his leader?  Or by those who placed the curse on Drak'Tharon in the first place?  Who cared, right now, you want to run.  Something inside you is telling you to escape.  But the louder half, the half that says to stand and fight, is louder, it's stronger, and ultimately it wins.  The great wing'd nether-demon, Verimethras, rears its ugly head, the other faces whispering and talking and chanting in foreign languages.

They sound like they're in terrible, horrible, mind-twisted, destructive, ripping pain.  It sounds horrifying, so you try blocking it out but it's hard.  The massive demon comes at you, charging, the ground shaking, the world feeling like it's going to end.  "DEFILER!" he shouts, "LEAVE OUR KINGDOM!  YOU ARE NOT WELCOME!  YOU HAVE HURT US!  DIE!"  He's maddened, he doesn't know what's going on.  He only sees an imaginary enemy that clearly you are not, and yet he wishes you dead regardless.   With rage the demon swings its head and aims to bite down on your body.

Attack Accuracy

Random number (1,10) :

4

Attack Strength: x1 Multiplier

Random number (1,7500) :

6854

Before you have a chance to defend, the Gods call down from above as a ray of light hits you.  Your opponent is frozen in mid-movement.  He will not be frozen long; just long enough for you to hear words whispered from above.  The Goddess Elounli.  She blesses you with her endless love or humans.  She seeks to help you.  She whispers to your mind.


As the light fades and the voice dies away, your enemy unfreezes.  You find your attack raised to 10,000 and your maximum health doubled to 100,000.  She could not heal the damage you have taken already, but she did all she could for you.  Go forth Champion, you are blessed and ready to fight a hundred more monsters.  But do not get comfortable; there is still a long ways to go.

Defense:

Random number (1,10) :

3

Spoiler:

[center]HP: 93,146/100,000

Kuma dry heaved as he saw the creature before him. It was by far the ugliest thing he had ever seen. He had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be the worst he'd see in the coming weeks. He shuddered to think of what was to come if this was only the first monster he was to face. He closed his eyes for a moment too long as he tried to calm his nerves. A sharp pain stung at his arm and he yelled out in pain, opening his eyes and wrenching his arms free of the creature's giant maw.

He cursed under his breath as he realized he was bleeding. He knew he would have to take care of it later. Drawing his sword and reinforcing it with ice, he charged at the creature, letting out a battle cry as he aimed to plunge his weapon through its jaw.

Accuracy:

Random number (1,10) :

10

Damage:

Random number (1,10000) :

2246

Verimethras chuckled.  He let the boy believe he had an opening.  Let him think that he was going to hurt him.  Verimethras was ancient and smart.  He was not about to allow the human the satisfaction of letting that attack hit though.  At the last possible minute, Verimethras opened his giant maw and bit down on Kuma's arm.  He shook his head side to side like a shark, swinging Kuma around by his shoulder joint before tossing him off to the side against the wall.

While Kuma was recovering, Verimethras went in for another strike.  Gathering up as much of the black, toxic, acidic liquid as he could in his cheeks, he charged Kuma, and once he was within spitting distance, unleashed a hose-like spray of the black liquid all over the area where Kuma was.  The second that stuff touched the stone it started to sizzle, bubble and dissolve the stone away.

It would do the same to Kuma; only faster.  He was flesh and bone, and therefore, would dissolve much faster than dense rock and stone.  Foolish boy.  He stood no chance.

Attack Accuracy

Random number (1,10) :

10

Attack Strength: x1 Multiplier

Random number (1,7500) :

6507

Defense:

Random number (1,10) :

1

Spoiler:

Kuma heard a few ribs crack as his body hit the wall. He slumped to the floor, lingering in and out of consciousness, giving the hideous demon a chance to strike. Kuma opened his eyes to see the black liquid. In his attempt to squirm out of the way, the acid hit his left arm, which was still extremely tender from the bite from earlier. Kuma screamed. The smell of burning flesh reached his nose, making his eyes water.

Water. That was it. He needed to make himself cry, make himself sweat, anything to generate his most valuable asset. There was very little in this room, but thanks to the fact that he was human, he could make his own. He blinked enough times to force the tears from his eyes, breathing in the awful stench. Whether this would work or not, he didn't know, but it was worth a try. Pulling from his sweat and tears, he managed to form a thin ice spike. He hurled it in the direction of the creature with his one good arm.

Accuracy:

Random number (1,10) :

9

Damage:

Random number (1,10000) :

8244