Phase 5, part 4

20 5 0
                                    

It's here

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

It's here.

The weather is already getting cold before winter, but despite being dressed in leggings and a sleeveless top, I don't shiver. The inner fire is keeping me warm.

Yesterday, I won all three matches (and I had finally a chance to kick Red Queen's butt in the third round) and advanced into the top three. Today, I won one of two matches, which was enough to make it to the finale since the third participant lost both battles.

All faces on the screen are grayed out, except for two.

Me and my opponent.

I fought him about an hour ago and it was the fight I lost. Python already won several Skirmishes and even fought in Third-league tournamments which almost makes him overqualified to fight in Skirmishes. Almost.

His mere look is intimidating. Hence his name, he's stylized like a snake with tattoos resembling scales all over the top of his bald head and eyes surgically changed to yellow with thin slits. He's dressed in a vest made of authentic snake skin.

And also his secret weapon matches the theme. His left, artifical arm can stretch to three times its normal length and attack exactly like a snake. Jabbing forward, assaulting legs and, most importantly, constricting.

To be honest, I didn't even know what's happening during the qualifier fight. Before I could even react, I was on the ground with his extended arm, resembling a hosepipe, wrapped around my neck. The INF system saved me from the worst, but it was still difficult to breathe.

After the Fatal point was scored, he released me (the rules told him so, otherwise he would just keep strangling me) and we continued the fight. Before I could figure out how to fight his snake hand, it was over. Three quick jabs were enough for three Clash points and Python's final move was wrapping my legs with the snake arm, lifting me up and slamming me to the ground.

And me? I managed to score three Clash points, and that was with the huge portion of luck.

Now it's time for a rematch and I have no idea what to do. I'm even thinking about giving up, but that would throw my hard-earned reputation back to the times where I cried on the ground after the first hit.

What should I do? His artifical arm is like omnipresent, quick, deadly. Once he wraps it around his opponent's body, there's no chance to escape. Well, in the qualifier matches, I've seen one of the big and strong Champions loosening the grip with their own hands, but something like that is impossible for me.

All I have is my legs.

My legs...

Maybe if I utilize them right, I'd be able to counter Python's constriction attacks somehow. I remember my first training match with Odin, where I escaped his grasp by triggering the Counter-gravity engines in my heels. Maybe this one has a similar solution.

Tempest: The ChampionWhere stories live. Discover now