Stress Release

[Kade Lazarus]

One last job. One last thing before he could feel good about anything. Stupidly Kade noticed a flyer for a fighting tournament. Was it like the epidemic of dark guilds that child had mentioned? Wow. Child. He was a child. Shouldn’t Kade be treating him with more patience, since he actually was young? Or should he stop thinking him as a child? Should he start thinking of him as a villain? Kade needed to decide, but for now he just didn’t know how.

Apparently Earl and Marcy Hunkipillar had someone they needed to find. These were unrelated things though. He was thinking about the tournament, and how he wasn’t going to enter it. He hadn’t sunk that low. He sort of wanted to enter it though. It would be a good way to let off some steam, but no. He had one more job he needed to do. He put the tournament from his mind in the beginning of this encounter, ironically.

Kade had gone to meet with the Hunkipillar’s. They were an odd pair. The man was balding, but made up for it with a mustache. The woman had on a large blue hat, which stuck out more than Kade’s blue hair. They were dressed warmly, even while Kade himself was just wearing a t-shirt and his necklace. He looked like a traveler with his back of goodies, but he didn’t draw attention to this. They did.

238/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

He wasn’t sure if he should be offended, but he wasn’t. He looked scraggly, and to be perfectly honest, he needed to shave. It wouldn’t be hard. He could make a knife out of his own magic, and he could just shave using that, heated up. He hadn’t though, it wasn’t exactly his first priority. They were an upper class family, the sort of people his parents might have liked. The sort of people who might have question the organic nature of what Mr. and Mrs. Lazarus did. The kind of people who needed Kade Lazarus’ help, and the people who were going to get it.

Their son was missing. That was very unfortunate, and he listened closely. He was the heir to their fortune. He wasn’t exactly sure what that had to do with anything, but he was willing to listen.

“We fear he may have joined an underground fighting organization,” Mrs. Hunkipillar said quietly. She’d leaned close to Kade, making sure no one else heard them. Perhaps she was concerned with appearances. Kade wasn’t really sure. He simply nodded at her concern. Mr. Hunkipillar looked grave.

“He is not an old man. He is still young, and does not know what he is getting himself into. We need him to come home. He may be headstrong, but we still care for him.”


462/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

Well that was comforting. The couple seemed to have their own issues of pride, but as long as they cared for their son, Kade could be happy working for them. He wouldn’t do anything he didn’t believe was right. He might do something that was a bit questionable, but he was not a bad person. Punching an innocent man in the head to get him to stop being stupid and listen to reason… wasn’t really Kade’s thing, but he might do it, if the situation demanded that. It did not mean he would kill someone for the greater good though. If he felt these people were treating their son like a captive, he would inform them as such, but it didn’t seem the case. Sure, they didn’t seem the most exciting pair, but what did that mean? They had a right to see that their son was safe. If he wanted to run off and fight in some tournament, well he could do it while still living at home. At least checking in with his family. If he wanted to live that kind of life he could have the decency to do it in secret. Kade was not a fan of men who scared their parents. They were lucky to still have parents.

675/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

The conversation continued on for a while, but eventually Kade had all he needed to know. He had already encountered that flyer, so he suspected he should look there. From what Mr. and Mrs. Hunkipillar said, they thought their son was boxing. However Kade wasn’t sure he believed that. He had a picture of their boy in his pocket and knew he would recognize the man when he saw him. Eighteen years old. Not too much younger than Kade, but still at an impressionable age. He hoped Daniel wasn’t involved with anything bad.

Kade found the fighting arena that night. He changed into a sleeveless shirt and some slightly torn jeans. He wrapped some shredded bandaging over his shoulder. He looked tougher this way, and no one was questioning his guild affiliation. He also tied a bandage around his forehead, keeping his hair back from his face. His necklace stayed intact though. He rarely took that thing off.

“So, you’re a new contestant?” the bored looking woman asked. Her eyes trailed Kade’s body. His muscles were visible, and he was busy wrapping his knuckles while she judged him.

“Yep. That’s me,” he told her with a grin. She rolled her eyes.

“Charm won’t win you the fight, pretty boy.”

884/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

He winked at her, “I’m not in the fight yet.” It didn’t do anything for him, but she did laugh a little, and that was more than enough. He brightened her day somewhat. Maybe he was being ornery, maybe he was being weird, all he knew was he was going to have a good time. He went to the waiting area, hands wrapped, energy high. He already found out that this was a magical tournament. He could handle a magic tournament. However it wasn’t quite that easy. First he had to encounter Dudd…

Dudd had his obvious injuries, and looked at Kade like a parasite. Kade had already thought to cover his tattoo, luckily, but this man was suspicious.

“So, what’re you here for?”

“Fighting.”

“And the purse?”

“Of course.”

“And you’ve got magic?”

“I’ve got what I need.”

“And a guild?” he asked. Lying was bad, Kade knew that… and yet….

“I’m just about the fight, man. Who needs all that drama?”

Dudd scoffed. “You’re just like the average guy who comes through here. Good luck getting through the first round, big shot.” Kade raised his hand to his head, saluting the irritable entry man, and from there he got inside. Then he’d met the girl, getting his information before letting him into the waiting area. And from the waiting area… he just waited.

1109/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

When the arena opened, Kade stepped out with confidence. Not cockiness. He wasn’t standing around waving his arms and hyping up the crowd. He was a man, and a fighter. He was trained. He could do this, and he would do this. No question. He probably should have just worn a long sleeved shirt, but that wouldn’t have been safe either. His shirt was just as likely to get torn as his bandages falling off. Maybe he should have sewn it into his skin, except he wasn’t a sociopath, so that wasn’t an option. Kade walked into the dirt pit, facing his opponent. Sue Phil Liz. Round one.

He didn’t look like much. His name was weird enough, but Kade didn’t put much stock in names. People were who they were. A name. A nickname. A title. Infamy. It was all just talk, and words, and he wasn’t interested in that. He was interested in the fight right now. His blood was starting to pump, and he couldn’t help but smirk. He wanted this, so badly. He wanted to just fight. It was unfortunate for the round one fighter, because Kade had been itching for someone to take the edge off his patience, and Sue Phil Liz was just the remedy.

1320/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

Kade examined his opponent. Unlikely he would prove a challenge. The first round of an unofficial tournament. If he were anything special he would be running this thing, or he would simply not be here. It was beyond likelihood that he were here for similar reasons to Kade. Here just to get to some end result. He was tall, taller than Kade, with red hair, contrasting Kade’s blue. Side burns and a goatee. He was just trying to look tough. He didn’t look very old though. Kade rolled his shoulders. The crowd sitting up in the stands remained silent. Really, how was this thing so secretive? Actually, how was it still running? A tournament that prohibited guild participation. In a guild run town. Was that just so that Fairy Tail members wouldn’t wipe the floor with these goons? Did the guild actually turn a blind eye to this? The Hunkipillar’s guessed about this place! Kade found a flyer. How was this even… nevermind.

Kade got into a fighting stance, knees bent slightly, waiting to see what this man would do. He pumped up the crowd. It was sad. He clearly wanted to portray his masculinity… but he went by a feminine name. If he hated being called Sue, and Liz… he should just go by… but really, Phil? Oh, Kade couldn’t deal. He didn’t have time for this. He ran up to Phil and threw a fist at the man’s face. Then a kick to his chins, elbow to the face. He felt the drain of the fighter’s poison, but the fight was over in minutes. The crowd seemed stunned at first, and then cheered. Kade did not react. He just wanted the next round.

1605/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

Unfortunately the next round was not immediately. Apparently there were only so many people. The first round showed several new contestants, some fighting each other, some fighting returning veterans. Veterans who were apparently not good enough to make the second round. The second round was smaller, and had a shorter wait. It seemed to work like this. Kade realized that meant that if he worked his way to the last round, he wouldn’t get any wait. He would be thrown into a fight with the standing champion. Oh. Goodie. It sounded like a fair fight, for sure. Well, he could handle that. He was actually looking forward to it. The more fighting the better. Bring it on.

Weirdly, it wasn’t really that big of tournament that night. Maybe it was a bad night. Maybe they really were just that low key. Either way, Kade was more than ready for the next fight. The man he met was older. Introduced as Rusty Tygart. He certainly looked older. Kade didn’t want to fight him. He wanted to talk to him. How was he a grown man without a guild. Why was he still fighting? How was he only the second round? What had he experienced? Kade actually wanted to learn from this man. Too bad the round was about to start.

1824/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

No one moved initially. Kade realized he was going to have to make the first move. He preferred to see what his opponent would do, but he supposed this was only fair. He took a few steps closer, but stayed at a distance. He needed to strike from far away, but he wanted to know what kind of magic this man had. Well, he might as well run in. So Kade did just that, finally picking up the pace to charge Rusty. Rusty raised his arms in defense and then separated them, throwing a blast of magic at Kade. Kade wasn’t the fastest fighter, so he took the blow, knocking him down to the ground. Rusty finally moved closer at this point, but Kade jumped up, making a swing for the other man’s head. Miss. Punch to his stomach. Block. Leg sweep. Dodge. Kade threw an elbow, knowing full well his body wouldn’t make contact, but the magical stars from his body went flying at Rusty and finally made contact. The rest of the fight was tipped after that movement. He got the advantage and in the end he was on the ground on top of Rusty. It was barbaric. The most plebian use of magic. This wasn’t what Kade had been trained for. This was what he’d thought of humanity when he got off on Akane Island. It was strange, but he realized the last round was starting in about a minute, so he got up.

2071/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

He dusted himself off, tightened his bandages a bit, and went back to his mark. He was still dirty and by now sweaty and a bit bruised up. It would be fine though, this was the last round, and if he won he would have free reign of the area. And oddly enough his combatant was one Daniel Hunkipillar. He walked out, dressed like a fighter, and raising his arms to excite the crowd. Oh, he was full of it. Kade crossed his arms, just watching the display. It was clear he’d been doing this a few times. Which meant he must have some good magic to be accomplishing anything.

They were told to meet in the middle for a moment.

“Hello Daniel,” Kade said casually, seeming unimpressed.

Daniel smirked, “Yeah, most people know who I am.” It was as if Kade hadn’t just been told his name. He ignored it. “And who are you again?”

“Kade. I had a nice chat with your parents.”

Daniel immediately looked serious, and annoyed. “What? Why? Who are you? Look, if you came here for them, you’re stupid. You’ll figure that out once she fight starts.” It seemed he was immediately unwilling to talk after that. They went back to their marks and he waited impatiently for the fight to be called into start.

2292/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

Fine, he wanted to be stupid, Kade could fight stupid. He smirked the moment the fight started. He immediately charged up, his eyes turning white as he felt the surge of power. Daniel started to emit a dark cloud. Oh, so he used shadow magic? Kade knew better than to assume physically dark magic meant anything sinister. He had a friend who used that kind of magic. But coming from this kid? He didn’t trust it for a moment.

The area around them was shrouded in darkness, but Kade’s body began glowing light.

“So you’re a light mage?” Daniel asked. He wasn’t speaking loudly, and Kade couldn’t see him yet.

“So you’re a dark mage,” Kade said, simply making fun of Daniel. He heard the man’s movements, and just before he was struck with a beam of dark energy, he erected his light shield. The mix of light and dark swirled around them, one inch of brilliant light, the next of impenetrable darkness. “Is that all?” Kade asked. Daniel scoffed, sending another blast of dark energy at Kade, but by now Kade was hyped up and ready to fight.

Kade ran forward making it close enough to Daniel to send a punch at him. The younger mage blocked, and backed up into his darkness, but Kade had plans.

2510/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

Kade raised his hands together and shot a blast of light into the area. It ran past Daniel, but that was enough to distract the less experienced wizard, and to illuminate his face. Kade sprinted forward, still propelled by the speed of his earlier boost. He got a good punch into Daniel, even while the teenager blocked it. He had to step back from the force, and Kade used this time the knock him down with his Trip Kick leg sweep. And from that his hands came together and down in a swift blinding block. Leaving Daniel pounced into the ground, and temporarily without his vision. To finish the match Kade dove onto the boy, elbow to the chest, and he knew soon that Daniel was unconscious. Good. Very good. The darkness dissipated, and Kade allowed his spells to vanish. He was declared the winner, and after some mixed reaction from the crowd, he went back into the waiting area.

He still did want to talk to Rusty, but he supposed now wasn’t a good time for that. He stretched and when he was outside he took off his bandages. Now he just had to find Daniel. He spotted the boy limping away from some figure. He didn’t know that person, but Kade got all the bad feelings from it.

2730/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

Kade didn’t have to walk very fast to catch up to the limping teenager. He carried an aura of gloom as he walked, but Kade called his name, and he sped up. Kade walked faster, getting in front of him.

“Leave me alone. You already messed up my night, now back off…. Hey! That’s a guild tattoo. You shouldn’t have even been in the tournament!” Daniel snapped, but he seemed mostly irritated about other things. Like losing, and whatever conversation he’d just had.

“Nope, you’re going to talk to your parents. If you’re so stupid to abandon them, you’re at least telling them yourself.”

Daniel moved away, but Kade grabbed his shoulder. No, they weren’t doing this. “Back off! Its my life, and I want to do something interesting with it. Not… run some stupid shop!”

“Oh? You mean like consorting with whatever dark magic you’ve been practicing? I know a girl who uses shadow magic, and it’s a pure thing. Its just an element, like mine is just an element. What you’re doing isn’t pure. I don’t know what you’re doing, but its stupid. Stop being a brat!” he snapped, getting worked up. Daniel was silent. “You want to fight? You want some fun? You go do it on the weekends, or at night. You don’t run away like a little child to live some life of adventure. Even guilded wizards have responsibilities! Now grow up and go talk to your parents. Got that?!”

2975/1000

[Kade Lazarus]

Probably not Kade’s finest moment, but he was irritated, so he was going to do whatever he wanted. There. He walked with Daniel to the Hunkipillar residence. He didn’t event let himself get distracted with just how weird their last name was. Daniel clearly didn’t want to give up on his fun, but Kade found that annoyingly selfish. He was holding to this idea that he could do what he wanted, and there were no repercussions. It was clearly his life, so he could do as he pleased. It was annoying. Kade didn’t need to argue with him though, because they weren’t actually talking. It was just the feeling he got.

When they came to Daniel’s parents’ house, Kade knocked on the door. “You’re lucky you have parents. Maybe if your parents died horribly you would realize how much you’re taking them for granted. I didn’t have the luxury of that realization when mine died,” he said. Lecturing. He didn’t care that he was lecturing, in fact he wanted to lecture. This kid needed to be lectured.

Daniel shifted a bit and just waited for the door to be answered. He was bruised up and injured, but his parents still looked extremely happy to see him. When asked how it went, Kade simply said they should talk to their son about that. With that he was paid and left.

3204/1000

[Sponsored content]