The Savage Brawl [Round 5: Battletopia]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

---

"You there! Have you forgotten about me? This accursed giant may be dead, but with his brain still intact, I can't escape! Release me at once!"

Konka Rar was momentarily taken aback by the voice. But he soon recalled it. It was the god.

He reflected on the battle. It had seemed strange at the time that the giant had taken notice of his miniature opponents, but with a god trapped in his mind, and the magical knowledge he had displayed... yes, it should be entirely possible to use a god's powers to view even the tiniest of details.

And now, Konka Rar had the opportunity to do the same. He had no need to make a deal with the god - if he could simply examine the brain and check the seal himself, he might be able to replicate the procedure. He could wield a god's powers, and be unstoppable.

It was tempting. And yet, in some way that the lich could not explain in words, it was also suspicious.

He decided to respond.

"Very well, I shall investigate the seal holding you in there. One moment."

Konka Rar began chanting, and the giant soon rose to unlife.

"Lower your hand to the floor."

The zombified giant complied. Konka Rar entered its open palm.

"Now, raise me up to your ear."

The hand slowly raised upwards, to the giant's shoulder. Konka Rar stepped off the hand and made his way into the ear canal.

Diego's face broke into a grin as he heard the noises of Konka Rar's footsteps and realized his prey had entered the earhole. But he would have to wait. If the lich were too close to the outside of the ear, he might be able to escape the torrent of blood. He would have to wait...

But, Diego was suddenly struck by a new concern - the lich was no fool. If he had time to think, he might turn back, or perhaps even find some way to escape with the aid of his spells once the trap was sprung. A distraction was in order... and the 'god' might just be able to provide it. He began focusing on the voice again.

Konka Rar continued deeper into the ear. He did not realize that his every motion was being tracked, nor did he realize he was on a wild goose chase. The booming voice spoke up again, imploring him to move faster.

"What's the hold-up? Do you have any idea how many years I've had to suffer in here?"

"Be patient!" the lich yelled back. "However long you have been trapped in that brain, one more minute will hardly make any difference."

Besides, he thought to himself, this is the most freedom you will have for a long time. You should savor it.

It was almost time. Diego began preparing the spell. It would take some time to gather enough air, but the lich would soon be in too deep for that to matter... Just a few more seconds, and it would be time... His grin widened...

[background=#000000:2otclyhr]"What's got you in such a good mood? Did you just think of something funny?"[/background:2otclyhr]

Diego panicked. How did Calm manage to catch him by surprise?

But he soon realized his mistake. He had been so focused on killing the lich that he had all but forgotten to keep track of the other fighters. He silently cursed himself as he tried to think up an excuse, or at least of some way to escape.

He cursed himself again when he realized that the surprise of Calm's interruption had distracted him at the key moment, and he had released the air needle sooner than he would have liked. It probably wouldn't make a difference - he had been waiting for the moment when he was absolutely sure the lich would die, this just made it less certain - but he still cursed himself for making such amateurish mistakes at such a critical time. As he nervously mumbled to Calm, he refocused his attention on the lich, trying to check if he had succeeded despite the errors...

The sudden noise surprised Konka Rar. He was even more surprised by the sudden wave of blood exploding into view mere feet away from him, and headed his way.

He turned to run, but knew it would be futile... however, there was one advantage he had.

The giant, reanimated by his magic, obeyed his commands.

He grasped the floor with his cybernetic arm, and yelled an order.

"Lie down on your right side! Immediately!"

The giant complied. Everything seemed to turn sideways, and the blood, now fighting against gravity, slowed in its approach. But fundamentally, it was still being propelled by pressure, and gravity alone could not stop the torrent headed towards the lich, now unable to even run.

But the small delay had bought enough time for magic to do the rest.

"Freezing Storm!"

Konka Rar raised his skeletal arm, and a rain of icicles seemed to come from nowhere, flying towards the blood. They struck the incoming wave and exploded, freezing it in place.

The lich lacked adrenaline or sweat glands, and as such, quickly regained his composure.

"Get up," he ordered the giant. He felt the 'room' turn as it complied. Konka Rar picked himself up and looked at the frozen wall of blood behind him.

Something caught his eye. An unusual piece of circuitry, significantly more advanced than anything he had seen in his world...

But not more advanced than what he had seen in this contest.

Had Hoss set a trap for him? It seemed unlikely, considering the cyborg had been provided with ample opportunities to kill him before.

Konka Rar reflected on his earlier experiences. He and Gormand had answered Hoss' question about the pattern of civilization in their respective world... Had Hoss spared them just to learn that information? And this attack... The one advantage Rar could see to killing an opponent in this needlessly complicated way was that there would be no witnesses. It could be passed off as an accident, or blamed on whichever competitor was convenient. And Hoss might still be able to work with Gormand.

It seemed the most likely explanation. Yet, there was one significant flaw - Hoss had known Konka Rar would reanimate the giant. He had even suggested it himself! Why go to so much effort to set a trap, only to give your victim a clue to escaping it? Did he think it would be impossible to escape, even with that advantage?

Rar decided to say nothing of the incident until he could learn more. For the moment, he had control of the giant. He began his walk out of the ear canal, intending to get a better view before he issued orders to his new minion.