A Bored Lich

Jackal's great sword hovered close to the floor as his amount of life essence neared its limits. It flickered in and out of existence. Even though his stance was slacking, his breathing heavy, and smoke was coming from some areas of his body, he was still on his feet, eyes burrowing into his opponent. "Daniel'¦do you think something like this," he took long breaths, "Will be enough to defeat me? I promised Eugene that I would free him, and that is exactly what I intend to do."

The crowd, which was once silent, resumed its cheering. The flames had burned through the oil around Daniel's swords, which left a trail of smoke as he walked closer: "Jackal, you've underestimated me. I studied you for a long time now. I know your alchemy tricks, how you change your body to make your own fluids flammable and your skin inflammable. I may not have your skill but knowing how to counter you is enough. I've had enough of your false promises and empty words. Nothing can work on me now." He cackled as he ran in and rained down slashes.

Jackal backed away, frantically swinging his sword and flinging his body to avoid as much damage as he could. Cuts formed all over his body. Each one of his moves was sloppier and slower than the next.

Thomas couldn't help but say, "Why isn't he regenerating anymore?"

"Because to regenerate, one uses a lot of life essence and energy," Eugene said. "If he stopped healing those cuts, that means he is low on life essence. He must have used up most of it when he transformed his skin into a flame resistant material. He can't afford to use any of it lightly anymore. I am sure he is saving the reserves for a plan. He has to." His hand was wrapped around the bench's armrest, squeezing so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Molly was leaning so close that she was fogging up the orb. "This can't happen," she cried. "He wouldn't lose to someone like this. He can't."

"He won't," Dag said in his usual uncaring voice. "I could have beaten Daniel by now, and since I lose to Jackal, Jackal can beat him." A soft dripping met Thomas's ears. Dag wasn't playing with his dagger anymore. Its blade was cutting into his palm enough to draw blood.

The two swords sliced up Jackal's limbs, drawing large amounts of blood out. Jackal was nearing the edge. His feet slid over the sweat and blood, indirectly saving him from the more deadly blows. He was on full defense now, practically hiding behind his great sword because he no longer had the energy to move around. Sections of his armor covering his limbs fell off, no longer able to take the beating.

Cracks formed in his great sword which he could barely swing anymore, spreading out to the golden edges and shattering. He lost his footing and fell off the stage.

Jackal backed away. Daniel lept down: "I knew you were talking out of your ass when you challenged my family. Even though you're the son of one of our country's strongest generals, you'll never be as good as him." He raised his blades.

"No," Molly turned away. Dag's dagger bit into him and scraped against his bones. Eugene cursed at himself. Thomas couldn't tear his eyes away. The swords descended, piercing through Jackal's breastplate and chain mail before skidding off his chest.

Jackal's eye twitched as Daniel's eyes opened wide. He looked down at the two scrapes across his glass-like necklace. Before, when Jackal first walked onto the stage, he was cold. Now, he grew colder, so cold that something broke. In the fraction of a second that he spent looking down, his face morphed into various expressions: sadness, pity, fear, anger, until finally landing on a neutral kind of fury, a mask disguising a storm inside of him.

"Yes!" Everyone in the room and the stadium cheered. Jackal jumped to his feet and drove his forehead into Daniel's nose with a crunch.

Daniel groaned and healed his nose: "You still got some fight in you, don't you? But it doesn't matter. Your sword is gone. You don't have any tricks left."

A smile formed across Jackal's lips: "Oh really~" His body swayed left to right. He looked up, straight into Daniel's eyes. Although the orb was too far away to see Jackal's masked expression fall or the storm releasing behind his eyes, Thomas did see Daniel taking a step back, and his face drain of color.

Dag cursed: "That idiot lost his cool." He sat back and took his dagger out of his palm. "The fight is practically over now."

'That smile,' Thomas thought. 'It's not like Doevm's, who fights with such an innocent joy. That smile'¦there's something off about it.'

Jackal pushed the necklace away from the hole in his armor and pulled a plain sword out of his spatial ring. They circled each other, Jackal still doing his half drunken stance while Daniel's kept his body low and ready.

Jackal was the first one to charge in. Right before the two met, he flung his sword, which knocked Daniel's helm right off his head.

Daniel tried to regain his balance, but Jackal condensed a roaring mass of life essence around his legs. With each step, part of the stage broke. The wind and sand parted for him as he bolted across the stage and planted both feet on Daniel's chest, transferring all his momentum into a dropkick.

Daniel coughed out the air from his lungs as he flew back. Jackal wasn't done, however, as he rushed in again and grabbed both of his opponent's wrists. Daniel headbutted Jackal, who only smiled, which grew as his lips parted for his growing fangs, which ripped into Daniel's armor, tearing the scales and metal right off of him, then his throat, puncturing the trachea with thirty pearly white daggers, then his chest, tearing out the skin and rib cage before spitting them out, then his heart, squishing it into a meat paste.

Everyone but Dag and Thomas looked away, Thomas because he couldn't avert his gaze even though he wanted to, and Dag because the assassin only saw the act as another attack. While Jackal didn't consume any of Daniel, it was still disgusting enough for Thomas to thank the goddess he didn't eat anything like Eugene or Molly, who threw up on the seats.

"That's enough," Alexander pulled Jackal away, who bit into Alexander's arm, or he tried to anyway, but his fangs broke against a layer of golden life essence. Alexander chopped at Jackal's neck, who fell unconscious. "These new tricks always have a backlash," Alexander shook his head. "this is why I don't do any of this crap. It's just so much simpler to swing a sword." He lay the unconscious Jackal to the ground and motioned for Oliver to pick him up, who first tied Jackal to the stretcher before carrying him away.

The crowd went silent. Daniel's shredded organs and ribs still lay on the stage, blood pouring out of them. Two people, a man and a woman, jumped down from the front row seats. The woman held a hand over her mouth. The man's gaze darkened as he bent down and shut Daniel's open eyes. Alexander let them take the body into a spatial ring and walk away. Even the mages, who were standing at the sides, opened the doors for the husband and wife, lord Scoldheim and his wife, and deceased son.

"The winner is Jackal," Alexander said after a long moment of silent passed. "Now we will continue to our next round'¦"

"What was that?" Thomas asked as he looked to the group members. "That wasn't fighting. He grew fangs and tore into him like a hungry Undead. There are some things I don't know about life essence, but I do know that wasn't normal."

"I don't know either," Eugene said. "I've never seen him get backed into a corner like that." He turned to the other group members, who had their head downcast. "Dag, Molly, why aren't you two saying anything?"

Molly hid her face behind her hands, still weeping a bit. Dag put a hand on her shoulder and looked at Eugene and Thomas with a silent mix of anger and pity. ��Jackal was trained all his life to be a knight, the strongest knight in the kingdom. Just like me, he learned how to sacrifice his body and mind to achieve his goals. This state is what happens when he throws away his mind. It is just temporary and he only does it when he has no other choice."

"He has something inside of him: an instinct he created through his training he can activate at any time, like what you just saw now. I don't know exactly how he does it, but he loses himself. After, he seems'¦broken for a while. Just know that that Jackal was not the real Jackal."