D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

The shift in atmosphere was both expected, and obvious. Unlike the previous referees, this announcer was clearly making a show of things. They stamped in place, two loud booms ringing out through the sound transmission array. Once it was clear they had everyone's attention, they started to walk out onto the arena. It was a man who had an obvious hourglass shape, with their shoulders and arms being easily twist the size of their waist. Their outfit showed their bare chest, which was waxed clean without a single scar in sight and obviously defined muscles.

"WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! ARE YOU READY FOR A SHOW!" shouted the announcer.

A spattering of applause came from some of the crowd, but everyone was paying more attention now. "I SAID, ARE YOU READY FOR A SHOW!" shouted the announcer again.

A roar of applause and whistles washed over the stadium. "THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT! RIGHT NOW WE HAVE THE TWO SEMI-FINAL MATCHES FOR THE HOLY ICE WIND SECT'S UNDER 100 DIVISION. SO LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE!"

Another wave of noise crashed across the stadium and Kat couldn't help but frown in response. Even with the sound dampening up it was rather loud for someone with sensitive ears. This was made worse by the fact that the announcer's voice was wired directly to the room, and the transmission circle wasn't tuned to only capture HIS voice… but all voices. So it was nearly as bad as if they didn't have the sound dampening at all.

"THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. OUR FIRST MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN TWO HOT CONTENDERS, TWO BEINGS OF DESTRUCTION, A DWARF UP FROM THE UNDERGROUND, AND A MOUNTAIN ELF READY TO THROW DOWN.

"OUR FIRST CONTESTENT IS FRESH OFF OF A FORFEITED ROUND, SO THEY'RE ENERGISED AND READY TO BATTLE, BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU INTO THINKING THEY DON'T BELONG HERE. HE WAS ABLE TO SKIP THE QUALIFYING MELEE, AND THEN TANK A STORM OF STONES IN HIS FIRST MATCH, SHOWING HIMSELF AS THE TRUE MASTER OF EARTH.

"FOLLOWING ON FROM THAT, HE MANAGED TO TAKE ON THE NAMELESS MAN AND COMPLETELY IGNORE SAID MAN'S STRONGEST TECHNIQUE. HE WAS ABLE TO DEFEAT IT SO EASILY, HE DIDN'T EVEN REALISE HE'D DONE IT. THIS MAN MANAGED TO TAKE A TEA BREAK  IN THE MIDDLE OF A MATCH, HIS OPPONENT JUST COULDN'T STOP HIM. THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS.

"IT'S THE EARTH SHAKER AND BREAKER, THE ELF WITH ATTITUDE, BELOVED OF THE EARTH AND ENVY OF MANY. FROM EAST TO WEST, NOBODY CAN SAY HE ISN'T ONE OF THE BEST. IT'S THE HEIR OF THE MOUNTAIN SHAKER SECT! GIVE IT UP FOR BODEIR!"

The crowd roared as Bodeir came onto this stage. Apparently he was told to show off a bit because he simply stood still, gazing proudly up at the crowd as a boulder beneath his feet carried him up and onto the arena, depositing him in a clearly marked white square that would serve as his starting position. Once their Bodeir did a few more tricks, stomping on the ground to get more stone, he shattered it with a punch then let it orbit around him for a few seconds. Once those seconds were over, Bodeir flicked the rocks up into the air with a finger before swallowing them to a round of applause.

*What the fuck? Why are people cheering that? I mean… I thought it was cool up until the swallowing actual rocks part! I mean really, how is that impressive? All that's going to do is cause digestive issues, surely. And I thought Bodeir liked food! Why would a guy who's so snobby about food eat dirt willingly?*

Kat's confusion was answered when a few seconds later Bodeir spat globs of mud from his mouth and onto the stage in a surprisingly intricate display of artistry. The first glob became a detailed statue of Bodeir's fist, with the same notable vein placement and everything. The second to fall was on the opposite side and was a foot, and some of an ankle. Then the next two dropped at the same time, and looked like Bodeir, bowing to the crowd on either side. Bodeir himself, bowed towards the announcer.

[That's why!]

*I mean… it's impressive, but Bodeir is still a food snob and I'm surprised he was willing to stomach something like that.*

[Eh, maybe it's different for a cultivator? I know some media show people eating the elements their magic comes from, so maybe cultivators can taste something we can't in their elements?]

*Lily… did… did you try to eat paper?*

[Everyone must have tried it when they were a kid!]

*I'm not talking about that, even I'd dispute the logic. I most certainly did NOT eat paper as a child. What I'm asking is if you tried it recently?*

[Fine… yes I did try it… but it clearly didn't do anything for me and a spat it out. Also, what about that time you tried eating a leaf as a kid?]

*We eat a bunch of leaves, they just happen to be things like cabbage.*

[We both know that's not what I'm talking about. Who's being smart about the question now?]

*Touché*

"WHAT A SHOW, BODEIR IS CLEARLY ON ANOTHER LEVEL HERE WITH THAT FINE CONTROL. A GRAND SHOWING, BUT IF HE ISN'T TO YOUR TASTE DON'T BE DISCOURAGED. WE'VE STILL GOT ANOTHER FIGHTER TO INTRODUCE!" shouted the announcer. He clearly hadn't lost any steam.

"ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE'VE GOT THE LITERAL RISING STAR. HE'S COME UP FROM THE UNDERGROUND, AND UP THROUGH THE MELEE TO REACH HERE FOLKS. IN THE FREE-FOR-ALL HE TURNED DOWN TWO TEAM UP OPPORTUNITIES, AND MANAGED TO STAND STRONG AGAINST THE CULTIVATORS MAKING THOSE OFFERS WHEN THEY RETURNED FOR REVENGE.

"AFTER THAT, HE'S BEEN MAKING HIS WAY THROUGH ALL THE ELEMENTS. HE STARTED WITH A WATER CULTIVATOR FROM THE ETERNAL, EROSION SECT. OUR DWARF HERE STOOD STRONG, PROVING THAT HIS WILL WAS STRONGER THEN THE POWER OF THE TIDES!

"AFTER THAT, HE TOOK ON AN AIR CULTIVATOR FROM OUR VERY OWN SECT! THEY SLICED, THEY TRIED TO DICE, BUT ULTIMATELY, OUR DWARVEN FRIEND WAS UNPHASED BY THE 'GENTLE BREEZE' OUR DISCIPLE WAS PUTTING OUT. CLEARLY THEY NEED MORE PRACTICE IF THEY WANT TO USURP BING.

"BUT DON'T LET SOME WASHED UP WIND CULTIVATOR'S LOSS MAKE YOU THINK OUR WILDCARD HERE GOT THERE BASED SOLELY ON LUCK. IN A FIREY THIRD MATCH, HE MANAGED TO PROVE THAT YOU DON'T NEED WATER TO EXINGUISH A FIRE. IN A PHENOMEL SHOW OF GRAVITY CULTIVATION HE BROUGHT THE FIREBRAND TO THEIR KNEES.

"SO THAT JUST LEAVES HIM WITH ONE FINAL ELEMENT TO CONQUER FROM THE PRIMARY FOUR… BUT UNLIKE HIS PREVIOUS OPPPONENTS, BODEIR IS A TOP-TEIR EARTH CULTIVATOR. WILL HIS GRAVITY TECHNIQUES BE ENOUGH? WILL BODEIR BE CRUSHED BY THE PRESSURE? OR WILL OUR DWARVEN FRIEND PROVE TO BE THE REAL MASTER OF THE ELEMENTS?

"WELL, WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT! HE PUTS THE D- IN BOTH DWARF AND DESTRUCTION. HE ONCE LAUGHED AND CAUSED A MOUNTAIN TO COLLAPSE! HE CONQUERED THREE ELEMENTS, AND IS SHOOTING FOR FOUR. HIS SECT IS UNKOWN, BUT HIS NAME IS NOT. WELCOMING VOLDAR!"

Voldar strode out of the entrance on the opposite end of the stadium. Like Bodeir he had clearly been told to make an entrance. He walked steadily up the stairs and onto the arena floor… but his feet never actually touched the ground. He hovered a constant five feet above the ground, letting him 'stand' taller then Bodeir and the announcer.

When he made it to his own marked square, it became clear he had seen Bodeir's entrance, because he kicked the floor and summoned a swarm of pebbles. He made sure to pick double the number, and moved them through various forms. A flower, a smiley face, and a dwarven hammer before crushing them back down into the ground. With a glare, Voldar pointed at Bodeir's statues each in turn, crushing them into the ground, perhaps to provoke a reaction from Bodeir, or perhaps to show that as nice as they might have looked, they weren't very sturdy. Perhaps both.

Bodeir remained unmoved, simply staring back even as Voldar started to break out a few showy martial arts moves, all performed off the ground of course, allowing him to finish up with a spinning move that lowered him head first to the ground where he kept spinning for a few moments longer before rolling onto his feet.

Voldar was actually pretty tall for a dwarf, standing an easy five and a half feet tall and nearly as wide. His beard was thick, but not all that long and his outfit was less an outfit and more a collection of thick metal plates strung together with chainmail over a padded outfit to keep the chafing down. His weapon was a rather obvious hammer, that he floated into his hands from offstage and it stood at a solid six foot, just half a foot taller then Voldar himself.

The announcer clapped and sent to bolts of golden light towards both contestants, a quick query to Bing revealed that the announcer was restoring lost qi from the two competitors so that they were once again in full fighting form after using their qi to show off at the start.

Hmm… guess this will be an interesting match…