Escalate

"Nothing much, just wanted to lose some steam, and you're an easy target, right, Oboete?" Kioku looked behind him, a boy making himself known. His black hair cascaded over his green eyes, making it almost impossible to see his gaze, his smile never leaving, forever sculpted on his face.

A crowd started to form around them, students staring with looks of curiosity and excitement at what's to come, trapped in a circle of scholars forced to play this game of rooster.

"Wait, huh? Are they serious?!" Kaluar looked around frantically, confused as to what's going on. "Wait, wait, hold on a second! Let's just talk this out!"

"And what would be the fun in that? If you don't want to fight, you're free to go, but are you going to really leave your friend alone?" Kioku cracked his knuckles, getting ready to charge.

Kaluar looked at Mirai and then back at the two of them, a sigh escaping his lips, calming himself down for what's to come.

A moment of silence was shared among the group. Mirai looked at Kaluar as he made his decision. His hand trembled with fear, but his choice was certain; he pulled his goggles down over his eyes, a sea of red moving out of the way to accommodate the sudden shift.

"Ok, let's do this," Kaluar muttered, his hands balling into fists.

Mirai watched as his eyes sparkled in admiration, the panging in his heart no longer from fear but from happiness and excitement.

"Right!" Mirai agreed, looking at their opponents.

With no more need for words, both Kioku and Oboete charged at them, their speed picking up the more they ran. Kaluar tried to back away, but in no time, he was confronted with Oboete, his hands spread as wide as they could possibly go, tiny sparks exiting his palm thrusting it toward Kaluar.

Kaluar's eyes widened as he realized, trying to step out of the way, leaning to the side to avoid Oboete's assault, causing him to stumble to the ground, his smile growing wider. He raised his hands to the heavens, his palm still emitting sparks that flickered wildly in his hand.

Kaluar backed up, an odd feeling overflowing him.

"Kaluar, duck!" He heard Mirai's voice echoing through the noise of battle; instinctively, he listened, ducking out of the way, a blade soaring over his head, cutting his fiery red hair and returning to the hands of its master.

"Ah, I missed," His voice gave off a sound of disappointment, but his face tells a different tale.

"Are you trying to kill me!?" Kaluar shouted, irritated and scared of the lengths they were willing to go.

"Maybe I am," He teased, pointing the blade at Kaluar, its figure not something widely seen. Unlike the traditional sword, this one gave off a more steampunk aesthetic with grinds and gears residing within the blades and handles.

He charged in once more, his feet heavily stomping against the concrete floor as he took off, swinging his sword for an attack once he reached the distance. Kaluar dodged the attack, shifting his weight to the side, his gaze scanning his opponent for any way to attack, but he couldn't find any. For now, he kept dodging, hoping to land something.

His movements soon slowed, and his breathing heavy, yet his opponent kept going strong, swinging his sword like it was an extension of himself. With one swift swipe, he struck upwards, cutting just under Kaluar's eye, a wound deep enough to leave a scar.

"Argh!" He exclaimed in pain as he stepped back, holding his wound.

'My magic is weak here, and I don't have my musket, how can I even,' Kaluar's thought was interrupted by Oboete who came in for another strike, his eyes emotionless, and his smile gave off a sense of bloodlust. Adrenaline rushed through the two of them as they continued this dance of high stakes.

Oboete raised his sword to the heavens once more, striking down at his opponent who dodged once again, stomping on his trusty weapon, forcing it out of his grasp. He looked up at Kaluar, his fist colliding with his jaw, causing him to stumble back onto the floor.

Kaluar picked up the sword and threw it away, his gaze set back on his opponent.

"No more weapons!" He declared, blood dripping from his fists as his gaze fell on Oboete, his unwavering and determined gaze.

Oboete smiled, picking himself up from the floor, wiping the crimson that oozed from his lips.

"You sure do run a lot!" Kioku shouted, and he blasted fire at Mirai, "But that's what's fun about fighting you, hahaha!"

Mirai grits his teeth as he stays low to the floor in an attempt to dodge the flames as they disperse, separating into the air like petals drifting into the wind. Mirai scanned the battlefield, his eyes quickly landing on the sword that Kaluar tossed aside.

Without hesitation, he ran straight for it, his legs digging into the concrete floor as he ran for his saving grace. Kioku runs after him, shooting flames that crackled against his back as he ran, the heat giving him motivation to move forward.

Once he got close enough, Mirai slid on the floor, narrowly avoiding the flames that shot overhead, the orange hue reflecting in his eyes as he grabbed the weapon.

"Ok, let's try this again." He muttered, charging at Kioku.

Seeing this, he started to shoot more and more magic his way, ultimately missing as Mirai deflected with the sword, continuing to dance between the flames, a fine line to cross.

Once he got close enough, Mirai raised his blade, the sun shining against its golden brown hue. Kioku couldn't dodge in time; his eyes widened as he noticed what was happening.

"Check mate."

Mirai raised the sword in the air, the sun shining against its golden brown hue. Kioku's eyes began to widen as he couldn't dodge, the sudden surprise of his reflexes catching him completely off guard, or so it seemed.

"Oboete!" Kioku shouted to his partner, almost as if it were programmed in his reflexes. Oboete opened his palm as wide as he could on command, sparks emitting from it once more.

The blade that Mirai wielded with such confidence and fluidity suddenly turned against him, cogs and gears turning its shape and shifting into a condensed staff, soon shooting out into his left shoulder, dislocating his arm.

Haze corrupted his pupils as they dilated in pain, gritting his teeth to stop the screams from escaping. Falling to the ground, impacting his face as it collided with the concrete floor, its cold embrace crushing against his face, the foot of his enemy firmly placed against his skull, twisting in place to stop any attempt at raising his head.

"What's wrong? Can't you use a staff? You are hopeless, aren't you? Haha!" He laughed uproariously, taunting Mirai as he struggled to get up once more, his voice filled with malice beating down at his fracturing psyche. His fingers clawing at the cracks in the concrete for any sort of grip or foundation, he felt a desperate need to get up once again and turn the tides.

'Mirai!' Kaluar shouted once he realized what was happening, stuck in his own tug of war for victory, his face colliding with an immense force sending him to the ground when his back was turned.

He raised his head, staring at Oboete, the fresh wound stinging his senses and increasing the adrenaline surging rapidly through his body.

Oboete once again opened his palms, outstretching his fingers to the future he seeks, his trusty weapon attracted to the force of his will. Raising his loyal weapon high, the sun cast its glow, allowing it to shimmer in the light, the sight almost blinding as he struck down on the victim, the flat end of the sword hitting Kaluar's left arm.

Kaluar's arm gave in, crunching and giving way to the immense amount of force. All remnant strength was shredded into tatters from the brutal strike. Lines crossed his pupils, a small gasp for air escaping his lips, the pain too much to put into a scream; all he could do was struggle to retain any form of breath.

His vision slowly gave way to darkness, head colliding against the floor with a huge thud once more. Oboete smiled a hollow smile, his verdant gaze hidden by his hair, staring at his fallen victim, his hands battered by the weight of battle clutched the hilt of his sword as hard as he could, the steel hilt slightly giving into his influence.

'You done over there, Oboete?' Kioku called out, a smile still etched on his face after his victory, walking towards his friend, yet he stopped, a force holding him back, a force that left confusion and irritation on his face as he turned around.

Mirai clung to his foot, struggling to stand. Oboete and Kioku exchanged confused glances as they watched him struggle to stand, clearly not in the shape to continue.

The sound of cheering and mockery from the crowd around him rung in his ears as he staggered forward and back, his head hardly hanging from his shoulders, gaze set to the floor.

'You should just quit while you're ahead,' Kioku sighed, taking the sword from Oboete and walking up to him.

Mirai stared at Kioku, his eyes half-lidded, gasping for breathes desperately as they came.

'Do your worst...'