Knight of Corruption (LitRPG)

68 - Down and Out

Madsen had no intention of eating dirt like Miller did.

The gulf in experience between a nobody and a level two was clear. Madsen was light on his feet, and immediately started to control the range between us by dancing back and forth from me. He'd punctuate each sway of his body with a speculative jab from long range, again designed to keep me away from my own attack range. There was one flaw with his strategy. What Madsen didn't know was that my stats were far beyond that of any normal human. I could last longer, punch harder, and take more hits. Trying to tire me out by keeping a gap wasn't going to work. I could go for as long as I needed to.

My biggest challenge was shifting the fight in my favour. William was right, knocking someone out cold doesn't depend on their HP as much as you might think. It was entirely within the realm of possibility that Madsen could knock me silly and win the round; he just needed to land some solid hits and send my brain running for the exit. I'd be down some pretty good money if I didn't win.

His ability forced me to use a high-risk strategy. I needed to get into his space and fight back, I couldn't let him control the arena forever. I tucked my head and stepped in after one of his punches. I threw one at his gut, landing a glancing blow that didn't steal much breath. Though it did tell him that staying back and playing it safe wasn't going to be easy.

"Not gonna' lose to someone like you," he hissed. That hit hurt his ego more than anything else, because he flew into a flurry of more ill-intentioned strikes aimed at my head and stomach. I blocked as best I could, using my elbows and forearms to frustrate his attempts. He'd graze my skin, one even leaving a small cut against my left cheek that started to bleed down my face.

I studied him closely, trying to learn his tells and strategy. He'd been practising for this. There weren't any easy openings to exploit like with Miller before. I decided that my best course of action was to make things trickier for him. I started to back away towards the edge of the arena where the fence was located. Hands, eyes and legs poked through the slats, clawing and pawing at whatever came close.

He tried to hit me with a right hook. I tucked myself under his armpit and wrapped my arms around his stomach, using my strength to flip him around and push him up against the wooden barrier. He threw an elbow at my back to make me break the hold, but that wasn't where I was weakest. I thrust my shoulder into his stomach and squeezed against the wood plank behind him with all of my might. The old wood started to fray under my fingertips.

I could feel him hitting my back and shoulders, but I wasn't budging until I was ready. I waited patiently for his fight to die down, before stepping back and beginning my counterattack. He'd tired himself out trying to escape my hold – and how he had to try and stop me from hitting him in the jaw and abdomen.

I unleashed my own flurry of punches, not giving him a moment to rest and cover. The crowd around us was screaming in our faces. Egging us one to fight even harder. I got some good hits in, bruising his left eye socket and leaving a welt on his cheek. Madsen decided to give me a taste of my own medicine, wrapping his arms around my neck and wrangling me until my back was facing the fence. We wrestled for a minute straight, trying to free ourselves from the position without giving up position. Just when Madsen thought he had me locked down, I threw up my right leg into a flying knee.

The strike landed squarely on his chest and arms, and sent him flying back into the middle of the arena, arms and legs flailing as he lost purchase on the dirt floor. He rolled over several times before coming to a dead stop. I hadn't tempered my strength properly again. I'd surely fractured a bone or two. If I did, he didn't show it. He climbed back to his unsteady feet as soon as he could. There was a hideous red welt across his chest and forearms where I'd struck him. The crowd was torn between shocked silence and bloodlust fuelled frenzy. I'd bruised him really badly.