Chapter 45: Chapter 45: CryBaby

"Maybe it's time I stop being useless."

The wheat-skinned boy slowly wobbled to his feet, a silent rage brewed within his lifeless eyes.

He was only a leg-stride away from the man-child in front of him.

Potentially the most powerful foe he had ever faced, at least... on his own.

"Without Oz here..." the boy muttered

Zee slapped himself in the face causing a loud WACK to echo out through the cave, 'I can't only rely on Oz.'

A thick stream flowed from the boy's noise, causing a strained wheezing sound to drift around the dreary passageway.

The soft glowing aura from the man-child's arm poorly illuminated the figure's face, casting a haunting shadow onto him and painting him akin to a monster that he and Oz had faced previously.

Zee, now in a fighting stance across from a stranger who was trying to take his life, stood there anxiously.

The passageway's earthen smell was polluted by the heavy stench of blood that oozed from the man-child across, slithering toward him like a thick miasma, threatening to strangle the young boy to death if he was careless.

"Hehehehe," Zee peeled his eyes as a high-pitch cackle sounded out from his opponent.

"Heh..." finally, as the laughter died down, a dangerous smile was still plastered across his face, "Nice thinkin', but I'm done wasting time!"

WOOOOOSHH!!

With that, he stepped forward to deliver a powerful punch, his right arm fully coated in the translucent aura coated around his arm.

'Ugh!' Zee's eyes widened.

His fight or flight instincts were combating against one another, 'do I freeze and die, or do I... MOVEEEEE!'

WOOOOSH!!

BAM!!

Zee barely side-stepped the punch as a large explosion went off right next to him, sending his body flying through the air.

"Ugh!" he cried out as his black slammed into the jagged cavern wall and slumped onto the floor.

The soft mud beneath him caved from the weight of his aching knees.

Wicked laughter rang through as smoke further concealed the dreary passageway.

"Heheheh!"

DUN...

DUN...

DUN...

Solid footsteps thundered towards him as the voice called through the smoke, "damn, you really are useless."

Zee's lips quivered as his eyes began to sting once more, "u-useless?.."

As the man-child approached him with the promise of a bitter release to the afterlife, Zee thought back to his reunion with Oz, how the 2 somehow made it out of the Trade Square.

How they had fought off the guards that could wipe out every single participant of this "game" with just a sneeze.

And... how they had made it back home.

But most importantly, how they had trained.

How they had sparred, bled, and pushed each other to their absolute limits.

He thought back to one of the last of the few training sessions they had together.

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Huff

Huff

A collective pair of panted breaths could be heard under the cheery blue sky.

The day was alive and vibrant, with the luminous light splashing the grassy green lands in majestic rays of comforting warmth.

In these grassy fields and not too far from a towering wooden house were two boys who were reclined within the lofty pastures and gazing up into the heavens above.

Sweat dripped from their faces, and their drenched clothing stuck to their bodies like a web.

However, despite all this, as they gasped for air, bright smiles could be seen on their faces.

Zee, who was beside Oz, struck his fist into the air and enthusiastically screamed out, "We're gonna ace this competition, ace the academy, and then ace graduating!"

He then kipped up onto his feet and squealed out in excitement, "We're gonna be the best!"

Huff

huff

"Ughhh..." he then collapsed onto his face from exhaustion which incited laughter from Oz, "bahahaha, Nana warned not to move too much after trainin' this hard, dummy."

He then shifted on his bottom and looked at Zee with a soft smile, "Ya know, Zee..." Zee looked back and met his gaze with a questioning look, "You really are talented, ya know that?"

Zee, with a confused face, pointed at himself, "Me???"

 

Oz chuckled as he nodded his head, "Yup, you."

 

"Heh." Zee peeled his eyes at Oz suspiciously.

Oz held back his laughter as he asked, "Woah, what's that face?"

 

"Heh. Then how come I could never beat you in a spar?" He then grasped his head and screamed into the sky, "not even once!"

 

The two then looked at each other and fell into hysterical laughter.

Their laughter rang through the gentle meadows and blended with the melodious winds that breezed against the tall grass.

Finally, as their laughter died down, Oz got up onto his feet and put out his hand to help his friend up.

However, just as Zee was about to grab his hand, Oz spoke to him.

"Listen, Zee." Zee had a questioning face once more as Oz continued, "I... may not always be around, so it's important that you aren't afraid to let that potential out."

Oz then leaned forward and poked Zee in the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Zee hollered out as he grabbed his head.

Oz laughed as he replied, "I was just pointin' to your potential."

"Pshh! Potential my butt," Zee then kipped up onto his feet once more, "C'mon, let's go one more round! Just cuz you're 2 years older than me doesn't mean anything," He hollered out as he flipped around and made a bunch of fancy fighting poses.

"Ugh..." he then dropped onto the floor once more from exhaustion.

"Pshhhh, dummy!"

 

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Finally, the two walked back with Zee strung over Oz's shoulder.

The sky was now darker, and it was almost time for 'supper' with Nana and the rest of the kids.

Yet, as the two walked in a calming silence, Oz calmly called out, "Zee."

"Hmm?" Zee looked over to his friend, "wuh?"

Oz sighed and then looked into the sky as he spoke, "Try to remember what I said, alright? About when I'm not around."

Zee, who was still confused, opened his mouth to speak, yet Oz cut him off, "Just listen first. Here's my Big Bro Secret Advice for ya," he looked at Zee with a cheeky smile and though Zee didn't return the smile he nodded his head and listened patiently.

"This world can be cruel. We dunno what type of competition we're gonna have, we don't anyone there, hell we're just some kids from this part of town, and..."

 

Zee cut in, "but we got each other, bro,"

Oz nodded his head, "Yeh, I know, just..." he moved his gaze from the empty sky above to his friend's eyes, "remember what I'm boutta tell ya, no matter what. Even if you forget everything else, even the training, the sparring, anything, can ya do that for me?"

Zee nodded, ready to hear what this important message was.

Oz smiled, "Good, no matter what, no matter who. Do whatever it takes to live."

Zee widened his eyes in shock and confusion; alas, Oz continued, "even if that means biting, crawling, gouging, use whatever you have as a weapon. Hell, you're much stronger than me, so just..."

Oz looked at his friend, his "lil bro..." with a warm smile.

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As the memory faded for Zee and time seemed to slow to a crawl, he could feel the tears hanging in his eyes, the lingering feeling of death that was rapidly approaching, and the final message echoed through his mind, "...don't be a crybaby."

With that and a newfound conviction, Zee stared straight at the oncoming fist and then through the foggy smoke, that item lying on the ground.

A slight smirk spread across his lips.

BOOOM!!!

The fist came crashing down, causing another thick wave of smoke to drift through the air.

The man-child swept through the smoke, and his eyes widened in shock to see nobody there.

"Grrrr..." the man-child grit his teeth as he barked out, "where'd ya go, ya useless sack of $hite!"

 

CHOMP

Munch munch munch

CHOMP

Munch munch munch

"Huh?" The man-child quickly shifted around.

His vision was still obstructed by the veil of smoke, not helped by the piss-poor torch lights.

Yet finally, as the fog dispersed, a figure could be seen with red liquid dripping from his mouth, "heh," the man-child scoffed, "guess I did get ya pretty go-"

He wasn't even able to finish his sentence as he saw the source of the red goop.

In Zee's hand was the animal leg that he had previously been reluctant to eat.

"Heheh" a deranged voice rang through the boy, "ya know, Oz wasn't wrong. It actually tastes pretty good."

WHOOOOSHH!!

Yet, with that, he quickly dashed forward, "ugh!" the man-child subconsciously groaned out as he stepped back, caught off guard by this kid's 180 switch in conviction.

 

"Why you!!!" the man-child roared out in rage as Zee rapidly approached, "do ya know who I am? Don't get so..." he twisted his body, preparing to launch a powerful punch, "COCKY!!"

 

A powerful right-handed straight-hand punch pierced through the air, clearing out all the smoke in the cave and leaving a shallow hole in the other wall across the passageway, about 15ft (1.5m) away.

Huff

Huff

The man-child laughed in exhaustion "Heh, I got em."

Drip

Drip

"Ugh..." the man-child's eyes widened as he looked down to see a wheat-skinned child crouched down with a sharpened leg boned pierced into his gut.

The child's void-like black eyes stared into him as if examining his entire soul.

The blood from the creature was smeared across his mouth and painted onto his teeth.

Zee opened his mouth with a wide grin, speaking as if in a trance, "No... more... crybaby..."

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