Clearly annoyed, Titus roared and attacked again. Nassus ducked under it, caught Titus in the ribs with a punch, then made to back away. Mano A Mano kept them bound, though, and Nassus couldn’t get further than a half stride from Titus if she wanted. She threw a punch instead and Titus made to block it. It was a feint, though. She pulled it, then came in from the opposite side with a hook. Titus tried to lean away from the attack but it connected with his jaw and dropped his health to fifty-five percent.
In the wake of the blow, Titus stumbled backwards. Still connected by the chains, Nassus was dragged with him for a few steps. The big man’s brow creased as he noticed that, but then the ability ended and Nassus was free.
Forty-nine percent to ninety-three percent health. That’s a heck of a disparity, Kaiden thought, not liking Titus’ prospects after the opening minute or so of the fight.
“You going to run all day?” Titus snarled. “Come on, you’ve got me where you want me. Charge-starved and down on health.”
Nassus opened her mouth to respond but Titus lunged, bringing his hammer down on her head. Even with his low dex stat he managed to score the critical hit, then another normal hit before she danced out of range. Her health was down to eighty-six percent and Titus had his shield at the ready, no doubt hoping she’d attack it.
She didn’t, keeping her distance instead.
“You hit hard,” Titus said, shaking his shoulders out but making sure to keep himself behind his shield. “But you’re so afraid to commit to an attack I don’t think it matters. You must have really beaten some pushover opponents to make it this far if this is how you fight.”
“Will that make you a pushover too, once I put you down?”
“Why don’t you come over here and find out?”
Titus stomped forward and this time Nassus flinched back, keeping her distance. Is she actually worried about this fight?
Instead of following his opponent, Titus shrugged, then turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
“Where you going, big man?” Nassus shouted at his back, then fired off an ability.
Ability: Chain Lash
A ranged attack that deals low damage.
Nassus swung an arm forward. The chains on her back followed it, whipping after Titus, but he was apparently out of range. The attack slashed into the ground, kicking up a puff of dust. An “Ooh!” broke out from the crowd at the ferocity of the attack and its near miss.
“If he can’t go to her, he’s going to make her come to him, I guess?” Thorne said, but there was no certainty in her voice.
Nassus seemed similarly confused, but she followed at a jog, wary of any surprise attacks. Titus didn’t seem to be planning anything of the sort, though. Instead he ran right up to the wall and planted his shield into it. Electricity snarled and zapped, hitting his shield mostly, but plenty of bolts arced into him as well. Titus growled as damage poured into him from the lashing, crackling storm. His armor began to smoke and sizzle and his health was chewed away.
“What the hell?” Kaiden shot to his feet in shock. “What is he doing?”
“Well, that’s probably not a winning strategy…” the announcer commented. “This is… well, this is certainly a first.”
The wall spat and crackled as electricity poured into Titus. More of it poured into his shield, though.
“He’s using the damage to charge his shield!” Kaiden shouted, the tactic suddenly making sense.
As if on cue, Titus peeled off from the wall and turned to face Nassus. His health had dropped by two percent, then six, then twelve, before he finally pulled away. He’d sacrificed a decent chunk of health, but that was only a small portion of what it would have been had he not blocked most of the wall’s damage with his shield. The shield must have absorbed triple that, maybe more.
Titus held a hand out to Nassus then made a “come at me” gesture.
“You’re real good at attacking when I can’t fight back. But let’s see how you good you are when I’m fully charged.”
Chapter Forty
“I’m not entirely sure what just happened, but I think he used the wall to power himself up. That really is a first, folks. This fight might not be over just yet!” The announcer rambled on, seeming to figure out what was happening as he was describing it. Titus was unfazed, however, already launching into an attack.
“Get over here!”
Ability: Energy Grip
He wrapped a coil of energy around Nassus’ leg, then dragged her over to him. As she slid to a stop, he put his newly gained charge to immediate use.
Ability: Rallying Cry
Ability: Hammer Smash
Ability: Shield of Rage
He rapid-fired the three abilities, and the last two dealt out damage before Nassus was even back on her feet. But get up she did, and made to put distance between them again.
Ability: Shield Slam
Titus slammed his shield into the ground and caught her with the stun. She froze in place and Titus set to work landing headshot after headshot with his hammer strikes. Fewer hit than Kaiden would have liked, but Titus didn’t have the dex of an enhanced warden.
Titus struck over and over again, his blows coordinated and quick, landing like they’d come from an expert. Considering Titus’ real-world experience, that might not have been far from the truth.
The ferocity of the barrage caught Nassus off guard. She looked shaken, her eyes wild and frantic as she dropped to sixty-one percent health. The stun wore off and she scampered away, chest heaving as she fought to collect herself.
“Ouch! I don’t think our champion feels too good after that one.” The audience hissed and booed at that, but there was no denying Titus had struck some relevant blows.
Nassus’ frantic expression calmed a bit, but her eyes were still wild.
“Not feeling so great?” Titus asked.
She growled, then opened her mouth to respond, just as a rope of energy curled around her waist.
