The Dream Shifter

Chapter 189

An awkward breeze strode through the jagged forest. Settling groans from the wood were all the sounds that left. Gathered in the cluster, a mass of wood concealed an uncertain answer within their husks. Nearly everything from the surroundings disappeared in order to create the strange giant tree. The only signs gave were the trails of blood from several points streaming away from the center complex.

Miltiades raised a hand out in the air as a log rose from the ground. His hand attached firmly to the side pulling at his body until his feet no longer held contact with the ground. A swing of his leg latched onto the pillar and brought him to a greater height. The tenacity of his opponent had forced his hand to unleash a stronger attack than he planned. 'Did he survive after all of that?' He knew that he could not let things end until being certain of his enemy's defeat.

The thought of approach to confirm Seiji's fate played through his mind. He knew that even a reckless action during this moment could be fatal for him. Caution had to remain paramount. Miltiades tapped his feet along the surface of the trunk and leapt up to the top.

From the top, his view did not improve any, but it was not as though he expected it to be easier. 'He doesn't seem to be the type to play a feint… Maybe after all this time he is actually…' A rolling tap of his gloved fingers signaled the release of the upper canopy of logs. Protesting and complaining, the trunks pulled away and disappeared. His view gave him a clear eye on Seiji, laying on the platform of wood. Miltiades' eyes widen in shock at the sight. 'It can't be!'

Blood painted the uneven surface of the wood that held Seiji. It coated through his course tunic and made tendrils down his arms, legs and face, one would only think Seiji to be dead or mortally injured. Yet from all appearance by Miltiades, he saw mostly torn cloth. Only numerous cuts and gashes existed from everything sent at him.

Miltiades subconsciously leaned back a little taking it in. 'I caught him off guard! How did he get his defenses up in time?' A flicker of movement by Seiji sent Miltiades retreating a few more poles. He needed his room.

"Urgh…" groaned Seiji planting his hand to his head feeling dazed. "Damn that really hurt…" He caught the heavy copper smell in the air from his arm and focused on the blood. The sight took a little by surprise for a moment. "Where'd all this blood come from?" However, the corner of his vision found Miltiades and his single-track mind found the lost path. "…right…" His pedestal shrank to the ground leaving him to stand back on his feet.

Seiji looked up in the distance at Miltiades with a bit of a different look in his eye. He rotated his arm at the shoulder a little stretching and warming up a bit. A narrowed stare filled with intent covered him. "You know I had a thought. I'm not getting anywhere trying to chase after you. Which had me thinking how I'm going to catch you when you're jumping around like a monkey? And then it hit me! You see I don't need to play your game. It's time I make you play my game!" A grin accompanied by a knowing look grew in Seiji along with a little pride in himself.

The forest had mostly returned already with the dozens of pillars surrounding him. He stepped forward to the next trunk placing his hand on it. His hand patted the rough bark as though it were a pet. Seiji glanced back over at Miltiades through the weaving swarm. "The others don't think I've figured it out, but I've noticed. I know my body isn't the same anymore. The last attack by you gave me the final wakeup call I needed. My body's tougher than normal, but more than that…" His body focused back on the column giving its full attention. Seiji coiled back his muscles with his striking arm pulled. "I'm stronger too!" He released his fist with his arm rocketing towards the trunk in front of him. Streaking through the air the percussive blast and ripping a deep gong sound shot out before it was clear his fist rammed into the wood.

Bark flew up along with splinters. The entire column shook for a moment before settling out. As the ringing settled out, it seemed all was for show and naught. Seiji fist rested with a firm dent in the wood and nothing more. A sparkling glow flashed for a brief moment from the carved up tree. It signaled another ripping even deeper than the last. The sound bounced off the logs making it back to Miltiades, still confused. His understanding came too late.

The pillar tilted and then leaned before collapsing to the ground. Seiji bent over resting his hand back on the felled tree. A thinned glance out of his eyes met with his opponent. "It's time to change the rules!" He pulled out his other hand gripping both hands on either side of the base and began to lift.

'Impossible! Even if he has a cutting power that tree belongs to me! The weight and density are determined by my field and laws!' Sheer stunned awe forced Miltiades to watch what played out before him. He could not believe he was witnessing Seiji hefting the ten-meter long trunk by nothing but his strength. 'How can he be lifting it?'

Seiji lifted it up to a resting position on his shoulder with a smirk that grew wider. The drying blood on his arms only added to the imposing stature of Seiji at that moment. "Let the games begin!"

It took him a full minute for it all to finally sink in for Miltiades that he could react. However, in that time he had lost his advantage and position. The giant hammer like swing from over head came down. A moment before impact, the looming shadow from the trunk darkened out Miltiades. He fell back as he looked up seeing the mass of wood slamming down. It was all that saved him. Miltiades dropped over the column as it pounded into the top like a hammer to a nail.

Splintering wood and showering bark came from above as Miltiades fell woke him fully. He latched on to the surface of the column getting his feet in place to slide down spiraling around. The force from Seiji's strike split the wood sending the force down through the pillar. Miltiades rode out the shockwave like burst with the trunk falling apart all around him turning into a downpour of wood chips.

Just before reaching the ground Miltiades used the rotation and speed, he built up to launch himself away. He took hold of the pillar and scrambled away. 'How is that possible? What sort of laws is he using?' Miltiades panted, more from surprise than exhaustion, from his dangling perch. He stared down at Seiji trying to figure the teen out. 'I can't let him do that again…'

Miltiades closed his eyes for a moment concentrating. 'Guess it's good that I planned ahead. Didn't think he'd push me this far…' The wood pillar that Seiji held disappeared first and then all of the pillars starting to grow dark losing all definition until being perfectly round. The black forest swallowed up the light around becoming almost glowing. 'He won't be able to catch me or do anything more now! I'll slowly pound him down until he's defeated. I can't allow their chaos to go on anymore!' Out of the formless appearance, the harsh features of the columns gave way to light. They began to shine out strongly reflecting the light of the sun.

Seiji stood before a new obstacle, one with dreading doom. He let a flinch of annoyance slip as he stared. However, it would not let it detour him. Seiji flung his hand out pointing up at his opponent. "This won't stop me! I'm going to get you! Keep changing things as much as you want!"

A slight twitch from Miltades came in response to listening to the foreign words. Even with the language barrier, the determined look from Seiji came across as clear as Miltiades needed. 'He still thinks he can win? I'll prove to him how wrong he is…'

The new change to the forest came as metal poles. Thick, well polished and strong as steel, the poles gave a resistant and stoic stance. Miltiades jumped down gripping on to the pole coming to a quick stop maintaining his usual unnatural hold in spite of the smooth surface. He walked around the pole the same as he would on the ground building momentum until lunging for the distant pole. Continuing his motion, he leapt to the next. All the while, he kept his eyes on the center where Seiji stood. The forest changed and moved with renewed life.

Cracking the ground a pole shot up for Seiji. He opened his arm in time not to take the hit, but it caught his tattered cloths and ripped through. Stiff from thick drying blood, the tunic tore free from his shoulder and arm exposing the right side of his chest. The remaining material held delicately together. His exposed skin revealed the countless scars from fighting and well-toned body built from pushing his muscles to their limit.

An excited glow came about Seiji. He felt the danger and grinned. "Maybe this won't be so boring after all!" Seiji leapt forward taking to an angled pole as he had done in the past. However, he had to keep his sights open. His peripheral noticed the incoming attacks. Everything became much clearer in his mind. "If I just think of them like fists…" Seiji flipped forward pounding both his fists at two poles from opposite sides. "Then I can treat this like a real fight!" The metal poles bent further down the shaft not meant to be taking such force over the length. Both came to a stop.

Slight unease filled a corner of Miltiades' mind watching Seiji. He knew he just needed to press the attack harder. The teenager was strong, but not invincible. 'He's no different than me…' He called for several poles to attack Seiji. Increasing the ferocity of the strikes began to counter Seiji's momentum. Removing his footing knocked him off balance.

Blunt ends of metal slammed into Seiji trying to crush his bones. Dodging the first couple only put him out of position forced to take the remaining attacks. He sailed back down to the ground crashing into the junkyard once again. As though knowing the futility of it, only a modest cloud kicked up from him. Seiji stood up on one knee leaning forward. Bruises covered his arm and chest with his legs only freed by fortune. He wiped away some of the blood that dripped from his cut cheek. "You've got some pretty strong punches, but nothing like Yuki! No one can compare to the punches he could throw!" Seiji pressed his feet into the ground, the rubble crunching a little under weight, standing up fully. "So you don't stand chance!"

'…such a confident look…' Miltiades worked to keep his focus. He had to remain undaunted by Seiji. The next swing gave him pause and a moment to breathe. His mental and physical fatigue became more acute to him, but fought to keep it suppressed. '…I can't let it end like this…'

New attacks broke free from the ground. Seiji did not have a chance to dodge or counter the sudden strike. He managed to block himself with his arms, but even that knocked him back. His back slammed into the wall behind him halting his fall. 'I don't remember a wall…' thought Seiji turning his head around.

Distracted from the fight for a moment was all that Miltiades needed to follow up. More poles burst from the earth aiming too high to actually hit Seiji, however at his feet a new platform rose up pushing him into range. Seiji only realized what happened too late and could not move in time. In his trying to dodge the attack, he avoided the worst. Yet the metal rods still met a target in Seiji. They pinned Seiji right arm to wall with his support for his feet disappearing. The full weight of his body bore down on his shoulder while the flat edges worked to pulverize his bones.

Seiji yelped a reluctant groan. All the hits he had taken before felt nothing like what he had felt in his arm. "Damn you!" he shouted through ground teeth. He pounded his free fist into the metal repeatedly trying to budge it free. Each hit only seemed to transfer into his arm stronger until finally there was a spray of blood and terrible c***k. The sound alone made Seiji face go pale for a second before the pain reached him. Seiji screamed unrestrained as the crushing press rammed bone into muscle tearing his arm up from the inside.

Suddenly Seiji became deathly quiet with a dark shadow cast over his hung face. Even as the metal pressed his arm into the wall of metal poles, no other movement came from him. His body jerked slightly with each hammering blow treated like a spent doll of no more interest to its owner.