Paving the road: Mortal Kombat!

Job Details:

Standing outside the gates of the tenth annual Road Fighters tournament Mashyuu gripped the invitation and looked up at the wooden sign. Memories that flooded his mind told him that he had won the battle in the team division last year with a woman. He wasn't sure how he did it or what the reward was but this year's reward seven thousand jewels and that alone was worth trying to win. He pulled his brown gi tight and yanked the straps of his red belt, keeping it close to his body while he walked past the front gates, handing the invitation to a man who was giving out numbers to fighters. Something about figuring who would fight who on each round. The rules seemed simple enough, no outside weapons or help, only your skills as a fighter and Wizard. Not an issue to Mashyuu in the least. He looked at his number and smirked. He would be going first and he didn't want it any other way.

Mashyuu walked up to a stage, surrounded by seats in wooden bleachers that went up some twenty feet. He checked the arena, stone blocks made up the arena that was twenty by twenty meters in size. Mashyuu looked around and started to bounce on his heels while someone in a tall announcement box shouted through a magical voice amplifier. "Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the first match of the Road Fighters competition! Our first match will feature last years Champion, sporting a new look. Mashyuu!!! His opponent is a former champion with a chip on his shoulder after Mashyuu took him out in a single well placed blow last year. Wyvern! Get ready.... and fight!"

The older man in white standing before Mashyuu charged, his brown hair in a long pony tail flowed behind the man as he started to close the gap the man made a fist with his left hand, pulling it back and covering it with his right palm. Mashyuu remained unmoving, watching for the attack until he felt the man get close to the earth wizard. "Earth Gods Sand Leap." Mashyuu whispered just as the man went to attack. Mashyuu exploded in sand and appeared behind him, both fists swinging straight out, slamming into the man's back and knocking him off balance as he crashed to the ground. "Heh, good try old man but you can't beat me with moves like that." Mashyuu jumped back as the man on the ground swept his leg, trying to hit Mashyuu and take him down.

A series of flips sent Mashyuu halfway across the arena before he came to a stop. Hidden a few meters before him was a trap that was laid, something Mashyuu called "Earth Gods Explosive Field." Mashyuu muttered, watching Wyvern charge the Slayer. He grinned as the old man stepped on the ground only to realize that it was too late to avoid the spells effect. The ground lit up and exploded in a violent light, throwing the old man aside before the ground reset and remained glowing faintly. "I don't suggest you do that again old man. I have plenty of attacks like this just to throw you off guard." Mashyuu boasted while standing up straight and getting ready for the next wave of attacks.

WC: 553/8000

The old man wasn't playing around after his attacks had so far been either dodged or stopped with a clever spell placement. His stance changed as he sprang up and flipped in the air. His legs started to spin at a rapid pace and Mashyuu blinked with confusion but quickly recovered. The old man rushed Mashyuu, his legs spinning so fast that he managed to avoid the spell in place by simply hovering right over the range of the magic. Mashyuu took his mountain stance and focused on the ground outside of the arena. Slowly it started to rise and lifted up, flying towards the Earth Wizard. "Earth Gods Extension!" He called out and let stones sail towards him and stop a few meters away, mimicking both his arms and legs they floated and followed the same motions he made.

Mashyuu howled as he lifted his arms up in an uppercutting motion. The stones flew up and slammed into the head of the old man, knocking him out of the sky and sending him crashing to the floor in a heap of bone and flesh. Mashyuu started to run at the man as he was picking himself up off the floor. On his hands and knees the man coughed up blood but found the side of his head getting kicked as Mashyuu slid across the ground and drove his stones into the the mans face. Flipping across the ground the old man rolled to the edge of the arena but managed to catch himself before falling out of the ring. Mashyuu rolled backwards and stood up while Wyvern stood up and took a strange stance, the air rushing around his fist just before electricity started to crackle around his palm. Mashyuu knew the move, it was Wyvern's signature move and maybe his most powerful but unlike the other attacks he used, this one took time to focus and use. Mashyuu rushed forward and jumped up high into the air. His hands went backwards while he spread his palms. "Improvised attack: Earth Gods Rail Gun!" His body came to a landing just in front of the man then sprang up while throwing his palms up, slamming his palms into the mans chest, knocking him high into the air and out of the ring. Mashyuu stopped and looked down at his foe, a wide grin spread over his face while he lifted his arms up high. "And the winner of the first match is Mashyuu!"

WC: 416
Total: 969

Sitting on a bench, Mashyuu finished off a bottle of water, he had watched the rest of the fights and some men and women seemed to be very skilled, the lesser fighters easily being knocked around. As it stood, Mashyuu had what would be considered the roughest fight of the first round and he wasn't even hit, no he had ended up fighting someone who was skilled in combat but old enough that he couldn't hope to match Mashyuu anymore. Masters however, Wyvern's rival and friend had not stopped giving Mashyuu a death glare after he had won his battle with a man Mashyuu couldn't remember the name of. The man seemed to have the same attacks as Wyvern but was only a little older than the Earth God, making him a far better match, the two would end up fighting soon. But as it was his next opponent wasn't Masters, no it was Chun, a detective from over seas. He had watched her fight carefully, seeing her use her rapid leg strikes alone to dispatch her foe. It didn't tell Mashyuu much but it gave him enough info to be able to judge his foe to a respectable degree. The announcer called the two to the arena and Mashyuu made his way to a mix of cheers and boos.

Stepping up the stairs, Mashyuu looked across the ring and grinned at Chun. "It will be a shame to have to beat up such a pretty woman. Sorry for what is about to happen." Mashyuu gloated before the fight even started. Instead of waiting for the announcer to let them fight, Chun rushed Mashyuu as he knew he would. He ducked fast, dodging Chun's opening move, a kick that had started the downfall of her last foe. Mashyuu quickly pushed his palm out and struck the woman in the abdomen, not doubling her over but surely making her regret the first miss of the fight. Chun recoiled and took her stance, a heavy breath left her lungs while Mashyuu came up to a stand again. "If you use the same opening move in every fight you won't last long out in the real world. Take that home as your reward for coming this far." Mashyuu let his body go limp then rushed the woman, spinning around and sending a suddenly ridged and firm spinning back fist straight into Chun's face. The woman was fast though and moved her head to the side while lifting an arm up, dodging the strike and blocking at the same time. This time it was Mashyuu who took a step back, not for the need to avoid an attack but to make sure Chun couldn't grapple him and start to counter.

WC: 458
Total: 1427

From the rapid series of strikes Mashyuu and Chun had exchanged a surge of excitement rushed through the crowd. This was the first fight the people had seen where attacks were dodged, blocked and delivered. Chun jumped into the air, moving at Mashyuu and landed while pushing her arms out. "Motion Cannon!" she shouted, sending a slow moving blast of energy at Mashyuu. To counter Mashyuu aimed his arms to the ground and lifted them while commanding the earth. "Earth Gods Stone Wall!" Mashyuu summoned up a wall of stone, blocking the blast and started to laugh when he saw his wall had barely been damaged at all. The crowd went silent for a moment, clearly not expecting such a defensive spell to be pulled out of nowhere the way Mashyuu had done so. "With the arena made of stone itself you have no chance of beating me. There is nothing wrong with that Chun, just surrender now and save yourself the pain of having to battle me any longer."

Chun was clearly not having any of that and decided if she couldn't blast the wall she would simply go over it. Her feet patted the ground rapidly as she charged and sprang up, flipping over the wall and landing behind Mashyuu, sending a strong kick into his spine, making Mashyuu twist with the sudden jolt of pain in his back. He whirled around and drove his foot hard into Chun's chest, making her flip backwards and spring up on her hands in a low stance. "You have a surprising amount of strength in your body. Clearly not a natural strength. But I don't sense any active magic radiating off of you. What's your secret?" Chun asked. "If you win the battle I'll tell you my secret, but the fight is already over Chun. Earth Gods Combo: Part One!" Mashyuu called out. Three pillars of stone shot up and slammed into her back, knocking Chun into Mashyuu, who was already jumping and tossing his knees up to drive them into Chun's chin. She cried out in pain and fell to her back. Mashyuu continued his attack by rolling past her, spinning around and placing his hand on the ground. "Earth Gods Combo: Part two!" The first time he had used this spell and it would end a battle for him. The ground lit up and started to explode. Chun gasped in shock as the arena split open and swallowed her down to the neck, constricting around her. Squirming in the sudden trap of a spell, Chun called out. "Alright! I surrender, you win!" With the victory declared loud and clear Mashyuu strolled off the battle field and canceled his spell, letting the ground spit Chun up and dump her on the ground. "As expected."

WC: 472
Total: 1899

It was amazing, somehow a man named Hibiki in a pink gi managed to make it to the third round of fights. Mashyuu had missed his first two fights but the man was clearly a terrible fighter. Somehow he managed to beat two other foes, both of witch should have easily bested Hibiki in any sort of fight, even if they weren't taking him seriously. It appeared the man simply had nothing but luck on his side. Mashyuu had heard that the man had somehow got two ring outs but he doubted that Hibiki could budge Mashyuu at all. When it was their turn to fight Mashyuu walked to the center of the ring and stood still, not even bothering to take up a fighting stance. Mashyuu tilted his head, looking down at the man who glared at the Earth Wizard. "You making fun of me or something!? You better take me seriously or I'll puch your head off punk!" Hibiki screamed at Mashyuu, spraying spit in his face. Mashyuu wiped his face clean and chewed his bottom lip for a moment, annoyed that the little man would dare to spit on anyone.

Mashyuu flexed his massive arms and swiftly swang an open back hand into Hibiki's jaw, sending him sailing across the arena and into the corner, where the man hit the ground and laid still, crying from the sheer sting of Mashyuu's strike. Hibiki stood up and rubbed his face until the sting went away, but the bruise of Mashyuu's hand was still on the left side of the mans cheek. "I won't use a single spell or named attack to defeat you. Good luck." Mashyuu declared and planted himself firmly, knowing that he had won his fights via ring out. This man wouldn't so much as make Mashyuu slide backwards. Mashyuu watched Hibiki charge and jump in the air, his legs carrying him in a clumsy manner through the air. His foot connected with Mashyuu's head only to spin Hibiki around and send him crashing to the floor. The blow didn't even do damage to Mashyuu who twisted around and picked the man up by the leg. "Are you finished yet you fool?" Hibiki drew his palms together and used the wave motion cannon attack, but it fizzled out before it even hit Mashyuu. He kickd Hibiki in the face and let his leg go, dropping him on the crown of his head and placed his foot on Hibiki's throat. "How many of you guys know that wave motion cannon attack? It's like everyone I've fought can do it to some degree. Hell I'll be able to do it by the time I leave."

WC: 451
Total: 2350

Mashyuu laughed hard at Hibiki, he was the worst of the worst and it was really starting to show. He hadn't cast a single spell and every spell that Hibiki had tried thus far had almost no magical force behind it. Mashyuu supposed that will some sort of real practice he could have taught Hibiki but that would require Mashyuu to not dislike the man. Oh well as it was Mashyuu was starting to feel like Hibiki was a punching bag and the Earth Wizard really didn't want to put off the end of the battle longer than he had to. It was honestly starting to look really sad. The man stalked over to Hibiki and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Would you like a ring out or a knock out?" Angered by Mashyuu's brash act, Hibiki pushed Mashyuu's shoulder and rolled past the Wizard to get away from the edge of the ring. He spun around, showing a surprising amount of speed and skill then fired off another wave motion cannon.

The blast slammed into Mashyuu's spine, fizzling away just as fast as it came. The Earth user tuned around slowly, looking at Hibiki as if he were an annoying nat that just wouldn't stay down no matter how many times you hit it. "Okay, I've had enough of this." Mashyuu stated in a dry tone. He was saving his flashiest move for someone worthy of his time but for now Mashyuu would stick with wiping the floor with Hibiki using only his fists. Mashyuu stepped forward as Hibiki unleashed a Dragon Fist into Mashyuu's jaw, the move designed to knock Mashyuu off his feet did nothing to the Earth Wizard. Mashyuu reached out and grabbed the man's wist, squeezing tight before he spun around once, twice, and on the third time tossing Hibiki across the ring. The man bounced and slid across the ground until he lay still. Mashyuu slowly drew on the man, not willing to actually exert any effort in the battle. When he got to Hibiki Mashyuu lifted the man off the ground and dusted him off. "Now let me see if I got this right... You spread your legs, bend at the knees and make a fist before jumping and yelling... DRAGON FIST!" Mashyuu dropped low and gave Hibiki a massive uppercut, jaw cracking and eyes rolling backwards, Hibiki was sent flying through the sky, only to land on his back outside of the ring as Mashyuu landed at the edge of the ring, barely getting himself counted as ringed out from the force of his own fist. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Hibiki's luck has run out and Mashyuu has defeated the man with no effort whatsoever. Who will be last years champion's opponent next? We will find out after this short break."

WC: 475
Total: 2825

"Fantastic crowd we draw your attention to the arena for our next round of action. Will Masters and Mashyuu please come to the ring, you have five minutes before the battle begins!" The announcer called out and the audience all made their way to their seats to see what kind of action the two fighters would be able to muster up. With any luck it wouldn't be so one sided and the crowd would get their money's worth this time. Mashyuu and Masters stepped onto the stone of the ring at the same time, both across from one another and glaring at their foe. "You beat my friend, but you won't do the same against me. Your battle ends here." Masters stated darkly, slowly drawing forward as Mashyuu made the same motion. Standing just a few inches from one another, the two fighters bumped fists and jumped back. "Fighters set, let the fourth round... Start!" The announcer shouted and a bell rang, indicating the start of the battle.

The two fighters charged each other and Masters opened with a familiar spell. "Wave Motion Cannon!" He shouted, throwing his palm forward and sending a shock wave through the air. Mashyuu rose his hands and let stones shot up out of the ground, forming six stone suits of armor that all rushed towards Masters. The ground swallowed Mashyuu and placed him in the shell to the left of where he was previously in. The shell he was in was destroyed by the wave Motion cannon. Masters stopped and bent his knees, swinging a Dragon Fist straight into the wrong shell, shattering it and swearing under his breath as the shells fell apart and Mashyuu trapped the ground under Masters before he could land. Mashyuu jumped back as Masters landed, causing the ground to explode, throwing Masters forward. "Sky blades!" Masters shouted while twisting in the air, using his legs to whirl around and come back towards Mashyuu. His legs caught Mashyuu in the face, snapping his head to the side and causing blood to shoot out of a wound on his face. The Wizard took a step back in order to dodge a second or third strike while Masters flipped and landed on his feet. Already the two men had given the crowd a show and the two had only landed a few blows against one another.

Neither man could help it, they were having fun. Mashyuu and Masters got almost knuckle to knuckle and started to exchange a flurry of blows. Mashyuu bending at the waist, avoiding heavy punches while Masters jumped and side stepped, avoiding various kicks that would have crippled a lesser fighter. The crowd started to scream their approval of the battle the two were having, driving both fighters to battle harder than they had in their previous fights.

WC: 476
Total: 3301

As the two battled they realized that they weren't getting anywhere with the current flurry of strikes. Mashyuu and Masters both jumped back, flipping in the air and landed at the same time, both men taking deep breaths and pausing to gain a moment to think. "What an exchange between these two fighters, clearly either one of them could be considered the favorite to win it all this year. Who will win!?" "Ya know, I think your buddy went easy on me and now you aren't going to make the same mistake." Masters nodded and grinned, all Mashyuu really needed to understand that he was right. Masters opened both palms and started to throw wave motion cannon after wave motion cannon. The flurry of attacks forced Mashyuu to start to dodge, each of his steps were closer to lunges in order to avoid strikes from a potentially deadly attack.

Mashyuu didn't have many ranged attacks that were super powerful but he did have a few that could help out. He chopped the air and shouted. "Earth Gods Combo: Part One!" Three pillars shot up in front of Masters, smashing him in the chest and legs hard, knocking him to his knees by driving the air out of his gut. Mashyuu dropped to a knee and caused the ground to spray up in front of Mashyuu, going towards Masters. "Earth Gods Combo: Part Two!" When the rising ground reached Masters it swallowed him up to the neck, constricting around the man. The Earth Wizard rushed forward and pulled his right leg back, swinging it forward and kicked Masters in the face with his heavy foot. Masters screamed out in pain, his head snapping to the side and the ground spit him up, leaving Masters laying on the ground. Mashyuu stopped and looked at Masters, waiting for the man to get up.

It took a moment for Masters to pull himself up but he managed to do so, even if it was on shaky legs. "Ya know, I don't think I can beat you kid. You might be the real deal. So just do me a favor and give me your best shot next." "To be honest, I only have three spells I haven't used yet in this entire series of fights and I'm saving them for a pinch. But I'll make sure the next strike is the last." Mashyuu replied. The two rushed and put their hearts into the final blow. Mashyuu driving his fist down straight into the crown of Masters head before Masters could get a blow in on Mashyuu's chest. Masters hit the ground with a sickening thud, eyes rolled into the back of his head and passed out. "And the winner of the match, Mashyuu! Only a few fighters remain but can Mashyuu manage to win it all?"

WC: 478
Total: 3779

"Only six rounds of fights remain in the tournament, the best of the best are here to battle for glory and be invited to a tournament in the future. Who will win the entire thing and take the prize home? It might be the current favorite Mashyuu! Speaking of Mashyuu and Mike Bison come to the arena for your fated bout!"

Mashyuu stood up and walked into the arena, Bison walking past him and spinning around to face the Earth Wizard. Mashyuu was no small man but Bison was easily a foot, maybe more, taller than the six and a half foot tall Sabertooth Wizard. Mashyuu had seen a few of Bison's fights, the man didn't seem to have any special attacks but he had raw power, and could take a massive beating more so than the best of them. Mashyuu grinned and made a pact with himself. No offensive spells for this battle, only defensive spells. Mashyuu started to bounce on the balls of his feet and brought his arms up. Bison did the same with a smile on his face, happy to see someone who wasn't starting a fight with a flashy spell.

"Fighters set, battle start!" The announcer called out and the bell rang. Faster than Mashyuu could have ever hoped to expect. Bison's gloved fist jabbed into Mashyuu's jaw, making tears fall from Mashyuu's face and dazed him for a moment. The Slayer shook the stars out of his head and drove a newly learned Dragon Fist into Bison's jaw, the upper cut doing almost nothing to him from what Mashyuu could tell. "OH, a solid hit, can you keep it up though tiny man?" Bison asked. Mashyuu took a step back and jabbed out, catching Bison in the ribs, only to see a left hook coming at Mashyuu's arm, clearly to try and take some power out of his strikes. Mashyuu jumped lightly on his feet, landing a half step away from the strike and avoiding a crippling blow.

Mashyuu took a deep breath and wondered if he could take many of this mans blows before he fell to the ground, or if he could even drop Bison with a normal strike. Mashyuu, being blessed by the God in his body was stronger than most mortals but it seemed like Bison was just as strong, if not stronger. He swallowed a lump of nerves and decided that using his superior speed would be the best advantage he had against Bison at the moment. Mashyuu started to sprint around Bison who lashed out with a heavy strike to try and catch the Wizard but the blow was to slow and Mashyuu stopped just as the man swung. Bison found a closed fist in his right eye for missing his attack, making the man scream and stagger to the left.

WC: 476
Total: 4255

Bison side stepped to try and gain some distance as to avoid being attacked again in rapid succession. Mashyuu didn't give him the chance to recover though, swiftly Mashyuu charged to make up the distance and jumped up, giving Bison a full on superman punch to the throat. Bison used the close proximity to attack, an uppercut caught Mashyuu in the abs, driving the wind out of him and sent Mashyuu tumbling over and hitting the ground behind Bison. Dazed Mashyuu looked up at where the sun was supposed to be but only saw an eclipse. No not an eclipse but Bison swinging a fist down at Mashyuu's face. The Earth Wizard winced and rolled away from the man, barely dodging a strike that cracked the ground where Mashyuu was laying. "Oh the little man is nimble. But admit it, you cannot defeat me." Mashyuu dragged himself up, brought his fists up and started to move towards Bison yet again.

Mashyuu ducked a jab, then countered with a pair of uppercuts, then a jab and hook, dazing Bison with the blow. Taking the chance Mashyuu started to land blow after blow into into Bison's ribs, each one cracking bone and ripping flesh. Bison started to groan in pain as blood bubbled up in the man's mouth and dripped to the ground in small rivers. He reached out and grabbed Mashyuu by the arms, spun and threw the Wizard away to give himself some rest. Mashyuu slid across the ground, almost falling out of the ring, only stopping when his back slipped off the arena, just barely stopping from getting ringed out. "Holy hell... what are you made of man? I hit you so hard that you should have dropped before you could have possibly grabbed me!" Mashyuu stood up and cracked his neck, feeling his blood boil with shock and fear. No he could drop this guy. All he needed to do was take his legs out from under him.

As swift as he could Mashyuu ran at Bison, jabbing his fist out hard into the inside of Bison's knee, cracking bone and making the man groan. Again his arm crossed over and struck the inside of the other knee. Bison tried to step back but his knee gave out, causing him to fall to a knee and hold the other. Mashyuu stood proudly in front of Bison and pulled his fist back, swinging it forward and clocking Bison as hard as he could in the nose, breaking the bone and knocking him out cold. "And Mashyuu drops Bison in a pure drag out brawl!"

WC: 438
Total: 4693

"Mashyuu and Balrog please enter the ring for your fated bout!" The announcer spoke over the magical sound lacrima. As Mashyuu entered the ring the Announcer gave him a proper introduction. "This man won the team bouts last year and is showing why he is a force to be feared in the singles bout this year. Mashyuu has wiped the floor with everyone who has come into contact with him. Only Masters has been able to deal any real damage to face him." Mashyuu stopped, the wind blew once, causing the Wizard's uniform to ruffle with the flow of wind while the sun started to set. A flash of smoke appeared, in the dark fumes a figure could be seen, three long claws held a mask that placed the mask to a tall, slender man's face. "And Balrog, a man who has yet to deem anyone worthy of seeing his face, he uses his lethal claw to strike his foes and bring a swift end to battles. Alright the fighters are set, ready? GO!"

From the could of smoke Balrog rushed, clearing the smoke in a single movement as he blurred across the battlefield. A shoulder slammed into Mashyuu's chest before he even had the chance to blink. The Earth Wizards vision shook, the air driven from his body but his stance refused to let him fall or move. Just as Balrog went to move back he found his arm grasped at the wrist, holding his claw firmly. "A strong blow to be sure, but you should have used the claw." Mashyuu's free left palm moved back then rushed forward, slamming into the solar plexus of Tagas, at the moment of impact Mashyuu let go of Balrog, sending him rocketing backwards.

Mashyuu raced forward, spinning on his heel and jumping aside. At the moment the Earth Wizard jumped, Balrog recovered and lunged for Mashyuu, barely missing the Earth Gods throat with his claw. At the same time Mashyuu pointed to the ground. "Earth Gods Combo: Part One!" Three pillars lunged up out of the arena and drove hard into the chest of Balrog, sending him into the air a few feet and leaving him open. Mashyuu took the chance and ran at Balrog, driving his closed fists down into the mans spine, making him bounce off the pillars and roll to the left to avoid a second flurry of heavy attacks.

Balrog rolled to the side, swept his claw and the magic in it shattered the pillars and cut Mashyuu's legs, dropping him on his back with a resounding thud. Balrog exploded in smoke, only to appear above Mashyuu and dive down. "Earth Gods Sand Leap!" He shouted, exploding in a manner similar to Balrog, only to appear ten feet to the side of where he was laying. Balrog hit the ground and tried to pull his claw out of the ground but couldn't get it to budge.

WC: 494
Total: 5187

Mashyuu reformed from the mass of sand he was in, looking at Balrog while he struggled to pull his clawed hand out of the arena. The man looked at Mashyuu and swore under his breath, a light appearing over his arm and ending the claw spell. Balrog jumped aside and vanished, in a puff of smoke. He appeared next to Mashyuu, sending his foot into Mashyuu's ribs, cracking bone and making the Wizard cough up blood. Mashyuu stepped backwards and threw his weight into his leg, spinning and driving his foot into the back the Balrog's knee. The sudden force caused the man to buckle and fall, slowing him down. Mashyuu jumped forward, grabbing the man's head and dropping it to the ground, smashing his face into the stone floor of the arena.

The man gasped in pain and rolled to his back, kicking his knee up and smashing it into Mashyuu's neck, causing the Earth user to release Balrog and gain some distance. Both men jumped up and glared at the other. The mask on the face of Balrog was cracked down the center. Annoyed, the hitman drew his palm up and summoned up a new claw. With a new weapon in hand the man started to bounce around the ring, darting and picking up speed with every lunge he made. At the last second Balrog darted at Mashyuu, the air slicing around the Earth Wizard as he started to cast his own spell to counter. "Earth Gods Stone Wall!" He called out, sending a wall up to try to catch Balrog's fist. Instead it hit Balrog in the gut, sending Balrog up and causing the man to cut Mashyuu's face instead of rip through his throat.

The attack would have killed Mashyuu had he been any slower on the draw of the wall. "Earth Gods Explosive Field." Mashyuu shouted, causing his wall, with Balrog to explode, sending the man rocketing up into the air. Mashyuu's mana supply was running out, he needed to finish the battle now. Mashyuu called up the stones surrounding the arena to increase his range and threw his palms out. Twisting his palms the stones spun in a circle as they drove into Balrog's gut, sending him spiraling through the air and towards the edge of the ring. Flying through the air, Balrog pulled his arm back and hurled the claw at Mashyuu, digging the blade into the Earth Wizards shoulder but not finishing him. Balrog smashed into the ground, dirt, and grass shooting up where Balrog landed. A hush fell over the arena while Mashyuu pulled the magical weapon out of his arm and looked to see if Balrog actually fell to the ground. "That's it! Blrog is out of the fight! Mashyuu advances again!!! Give it up for the earth using wizard!"

WC: 473
Total: 5660

"Coming to the ring, the bold mountain of a man has endured all that has come his way thus far, barely budging an inch. Now he faces a new challenge in the form of a beauty who has yet to bat an eye at any of her opponents thus far. Now the two are about to face off just an hour after sun set. Spotlights have been placed on each of the fighters to make things visible for everyone in the stands watching. Now, Mashyuu, Cam. The fighters are ready, stage set. Fight!"

Mashyuu took the lead this time going straight for Cam who was wearing a long blue robe. As the Earth God got close the woman dropped her robe, revealing a skin tight one piece suit, the legs completely exposed while the suit hugged every curve. Mashyuu gasped and stopped in his tracks as the woman lifted a leg and lashed out at the Earth Wizard, nearly taking his head off. Mashyuu dropped to his knees and slid under the woman's attack, barely evading a lethal strike.

Cam put her leg down and twisted to face Mashyuu as he pushed himself up mid slide, glancing over his shoulder through his brown hair and grinned at the woman. "Those are really nice legs, can we do something else with those after the fight?" Mashyuu asked, flirting to try and throw the woman off guard. Instead she seemed to just get more upset, tossing her leg straight into the spine of Mashyuu and pushing her heel into his back. The point of her high heel digging into a pressure point and forcing Mashyuu to stop moving. "Umm I am not okay with-!" As he started to protest the strange attack her leg was wrapped in green energy and she smashed her calf into Mashyuu's face, sending him skidding to the ground and across the arena floor.

With shaky limbs Mashyuu pushed himself up while the announcer called the action in the ring. It only took a second for Mashyuu to shake the cobwebs out of his head while rolling his jaw. The attack really hurt and Mashyuu was honestly surprised he wasn't kicked out of the ring after that strike. "Okay, that really didn't feel good. You should apologize to me lady, then tell me what that strike was that crippled me." Mashyuu demanded and started to run at the woman. Mashyuu jumped into the sky, dodging a blast thrown from Cam's leg, just barely moving over the wave. As he landed he stomped on the woman's leg, then drove a palm into her curvy chest, driving air from her lungs and making her rock backwards while crying out in pain.

WC: 455
Total: 6115

Cam rocketed backwards while grasping her chest, trying to find air in her lungs while Mashyuu pressed his advantage, afraid to give the woman a chance to attack again and cripple him. He pointed at the ground and caused three stone pillars to rise up, smacking into Cam in both her legs, bringing her in while the last pillar slammed into her lower back, rocking her back towards Mashyuu who was already prepping his next attack. He slid to the left while keeping his palm planted firmly on the ground. The arena lit up again, exploding outward until it swallowed Cam into the arena. Stuck, she tried to break free from her foes spell but simply struggled in vain as she was being crushed. "Surrender and I'll end the magical hold on you." Mashyuu offered the woman.

Instead Cam grunted and shrugged her shoulders. Suddenly she felt a leg gain some freedom and magical power coursed through her body. Her leg kicked up, ripping through the arena itself and flipping her out of the ground while the tip of her foot smashed into Mashyuu's jaw, sending him up into the air and forcing him to land on the back of his shoulders. Groaning with pain Mashyuu gripped his jaw and for the first time in the fight realized he needed to protect himself better. Soil and dirt flew up from the arena's surrounding area and encased Mashyuu in a protective layer of sand like dirt. Cam found her footing on the hard ground as it settled after being broken, giving Mashyuu the time needed to get up. The two glared at one another again and Mashyuu couldn't help but flirt a little bit. He winked at the woman and motioned for her to attack him. Cam rolled her eyes and charged, feet carrying her unnaturally fast. Mashyuu was feeling the pain after all of her attacks but he wasn't willing to give up just yet. His hands went back as he jumped, gauging the distance between himself and her movement. Cam drove her leg, wrapped in magical power into Mashyuu's gut. His sand armor exploded, sending the woman back and into the ground but more importantly leaving her open. Mashyuu landed and shouted while slamming his fists into the ground. "Earth Gods Molten Blast!" This was the first time he had used this spell but it wouldn't be the last. His fists caused a shock wave to roll through the ground as he pulled up super heated earth from the core of the planet to roll in a wave and hit Cam, burning her legs and pelting her with stone at the same time. She screamed in horrid pain and fell to the floor, holding her legs while shaking. "I SURRENDER! PLEASE! NOT AGAIN!"

A hush fell over the arena as the group realized that they had just witnessed a game changing spell introduced in the last few rounds of the tournament. This caused the people in the stands to cheer and applaud while a medical team moved in to check on Cam and cart her off to a near by tent.

WC: 525
Total: 6640

It was getting late and Mashyuu was done waiting for the announcer to make bold claims about how Mashyuu was a favorite in a fight, of course he was. But now the small fry were out of the way and Mashyuu had only a possible three fights left. If things went his way then Mashyuu would defeat the next two fighters and move on to the final round with little to no worry. He cracked his knuckles and stood silently while he waited for his foe to show up for the battle.Ladies and gentlemen, Mashyuu has made his name known around Fiore with his singles combat this year but now he faces a foe unlike any other. The winner of the Road Fighters Tournament every year except for last. He's here to reclaim his title. You know him, you love him. Its TAGAS!!! The arena is clear, the fighters are set. Get it on!" The announcer called out and the seven foot tall Tagas punched the air, launching a massive fire ball straight at Mashyuu.

"Earth Gods Stone Wall!" Mashyuu shouted while raising his arm, pulling up a wall of rock to block off the fire ball that smashed into his wall, singing the stone and making smoke rise from where he had hit. "OH man that big guy is strong." Mashyuu complained and sprang over his wall. As Mashyuu jumped over the wall he had to roll over the body of Tagas who was already punching through Mashyuu's stone wall, shattering it with a simple effort. Mashyuu hit the ground and kicked his leg out at Tagas as hard as he could. He felt the muscle in the back of the man's leg smash and the knee should have buckled but Tagas was no ordinary fighter. Instead the man swiftly spun around and started to attack, Mashyuu scrambled to his feet and dove out of the way. He used the momentum to twist and roll back to his feet then sprang at Tagas.

The two men clashed, forearm hitting forearm then both men unleashed a flurry of strikes so fast the untrained eye couldn't possibly see them. Mashyuu gritted his teeth together, every block hurting the bones of his arms and making the Wizard worry he might not be able to beat the man. Deciding he needed an opening to make the first big landing of the fight Mashyuu dropped his arms and waited for the incoming blow of Tagas. Just before the man made contact with Mashyuu, the Wizard exploded into sand and started to reform behind Tagas but the man was ready for the tactic and had his left hand already swinging backwards. As Mashyuu reformed a fist smashed into his chest, throwing Mashyuu off his feet and backwards to the steps of the arena.

WC: 471
Total: 7111

With Mashyuu absorbing a massive blow and hitting the ground hard some ten feet back, the Earth Wizard realized he might be in over his head a little. It seemed Tagas was just as good as everyone said he was. The brown haired God Slayer kipped up and thrust his palm out, just barely catching Tagas with the first part of his combo attack. Then Mashyuu's palm planted into the ground, causing the arena to swallow Tagas neck deep. Before the man could act Mashyuu ran forward while dragging his hand on the ground. "Earth Gods Explosive Field!" He shouted while activating his spell right were Tagas was stuck. Mashyuu rushed past the man and jumped up while spinning to face Tagas. The ground exploded, ejecting Tagas and doing a good deal of harm to the man. "Earth Gods Molten Blast!" Mashyuu called out as both men landed at the same time. The ground rolled up, super heated stone washing over Tagas who simply laid there with a straight face, even after the magma had bathed his body.

Mashyuu stood, taking deep breaths of air, and watched the spot Tagas was submerged in for any sign of movement. Mashyuu blinked his blue eyes while the once roaring crowd went silent, unsure of weather or not Mashyuu just killed their hero. Suddenly a fireball shot out of the magma and Tagas stood up, burned and bleeding but not much worse for ware. "OH hell." Mashyuu whispered under his breath and threw his palms out, stone armor flew from the edge of the arena and clamped around his body just in time to absorb a strong hit from Tagas. Mashyuu took the chance to grab the mans arm and jumped up, slamming his knee into the neck to Tagas, the extra weight from the stone armor helping to deal some extra damage to the man as he tilted to the side. With Mashyuu keeping a firm grip on the arm of Tagas, the tall fighter had only one option. He lifted Mashyuu up and drove him back first into the ground.

Just as Mashyuu hit the ground Tagas started the next part of his attack, lifting a fist and bringing it down towards the Wizard. The ground surrounded Mashyuu and four more stone shells sprung up as well. Th spell put Mashyuu in the shell next to where he had started. Just in time to see Tagas smash the place the Earth God had been laying. All three stone shells got up and moved back, the stones falling off Mashyuu and to the ground. "Earth Gods Extension!" He shouted, stones floating up twenty feet away from Mashyuu and acting as fists as he drove both into the lower abdomen of Tagas, forcing the man to squeal in pain as the gravity effect of his spell shot Tags out of the ring and into the stands, getting Mashyuu the ring out win, even if barely.

Post: 496
Total:7607

Mashyuu wasn't given much time to recover, instead he was handed a drink that would restore his magical power and a drink to heal his wounds. Moments later he was ushered back to the arena where he was already trying to figure out a plan to fight his next foe and win as safely as possible. "Okay, evade and hit force, eating as much of the arena as you can for the quick ring out." Mashyuu told himself while watching the creator of the tournament, Vega. The man stood in a red military uniform with a purple hat and cape. Mashyuu wanted that cape. It was gonna be fine, Mashyuu had come to the final round and he could deal with one more man. Or so he hoped.

Before the announcer could even give the go ahead to fight, Vega started to soar at the Earth Wizard. A purple flame surrounded Vega, making Mashyuu wish he was a fire slayer for only a moment. As Vega lashed out with a strong high kick, Mashyuu ducked down, grabbed a big bite of stone and swallowed it down his throat, then back flipped out of the way. Vega was faster than Mashyuu and thus Mashyuu needed as much space as he could get at the moment. Again Vega appeared at Mashyuu's side and this time tried to punch the Slayer. Again Mashyuu ducked and ran forward, eating another set of stone, with the lacrima given to him he could feel his magical power growing even stronger and the god inside starting to make its way out of the Wizard.

Mashyuu slid and twisted on the other side of the ring, a massive line in the arena where the man's mouth had eaten the ground dug deep. Vega lowered himself from his flying position and crossed his arms over his chest. "If allowing you to eat the ring will give you the power you need to give me a challenge then do it. I shall wait for you." Vega announced so the crowd could hear. Mashyuu grinned ear to ear and sat down, his mouth smashing into the stone as he stared to eat his fill.

The crowd watched in confusion, wondering why Mashyuu was eating stone, and how he was doing it for that matter. Minutes went by and still Vega was kind enough to continue letting Mashyuu eat until he suddenly exploded with raw magic power. He stood up, tall and proud, a dim red light flowing off of Mashyuu's body as rocks started to whip about the Wizard. "Thanks for letting me get ready. Now the fight can really start." Mashyuu said and vanished in the blink of an eye, appearing in front of Vega and uppercutting Vega in the jaw as hard as he could.

Post: 469
Total: 8076

Vega felt his teeth clank and his head get shot up from the force of the sudden uppercut that was driven into his chin. By the time Vega felt the fist leave his mouth a trio of stone pillars smashed into Vega's back, sending him rocketing towards Mashyuu. Mashyuu spun around to Vega's side and drove the back of his elbow into the neck of Vega. The man ate the arena but managed to spin around and drive his leg up into Mashyuu's chest, sending the man soaring backwards a few feet. Mashyuu caught himself as Vega got up and grinned. Vega tossed a few punches, shooting fireballs at Mashyuu, who managed to dodge and duck out of the way of multiple strikes of fire balls.

The ground rolled up as stones acted as an extension for Mashyuu, slamming into Vega while Mashyuu shadow boxed the red suited man. Mashyuu dropped low while spinning around with his leg out, the arena rolled and tripped the red suited man. Vega hit the ground and bounced while Mashyuu charged and slammed his fist into the ground. The arena rolled lava up over Vega but did little to the man who was fire resistant. Mashyuu cringed in annoyance as Vega pulled himself up and drove a fist into Mashyuu's face, knocking the man backwards.

Shaking it off, Mashyuu aimed at the ground under Vega, causing rocks to explode up and shower Vega in pain. As he tried to recover, Mashyuu tackled Vega in the chest and drove him to the ground as hard as he could. Vega gasped when his back hit the ground and grabbed the Wizard by the neck, tossing him aside and scrambling to his feet. Mashyuu got up and looked over to Vega, both men already bleeding hard. With the stones still floating and acting like fists Mashyuu decided he needed to end the fight quick.

Vega jumped up high and aimed a kick down straight for Mashyuu. The Earth Wizard jumped back last second and shouted. "Earth Gods Combo: Part Two!" The ground split under Vega and swallowed him entirely while squeezing the man. Mashyuu started to slam his stone extension over and over into Vega's face, breaking bones and swelling his face until Vega passed out from the pain. The ground spit the man up and a hush washed over the arena. "That's it! Mashyuu has won the Road Fighters Tournament in singles combat!" All at once the crowd cheered for Mashyuu, chanting his name and giving the Wizard a standing ovation for his efforts. The Wizard was presented with a check for the prize money and bathed in flowers. "Feels good to be king." Mashyuu whispered under his breath while looking on at the people who had come to watch some great fights.

WC: 470
Total: 8546