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2022-08-04 04:10:59The match between the girls went on with the two girls evenly matched in both strength and dexterity. They displayed their combat prowess to the limit but it was like they each could predict what their counterpart was going to do next. The match finally ended in a tie which was quite shocking for some of the spectators. Mrs. Ruth nodded her satisfactorily. It appeared she wasn’t interested in who won and who lost, but displaying your prowess to the limit was her aim. And if they both did so, then it didn’t matter to her if they tied.
The next match was between two boys; one was shorter than the other. But the shorter one proved quite proficient as he overpowered his opponent after little time. The fourth and fifth matches went on the same way; there were no ties so far. However, the next person that picked from the bowl happened to pick Caesar Kroft. The boy who picked him was Clinton, a boy with a broad and hefty physique.
Clinton was one of the few people who had exceptional records in terms of strength, but even he felt his throat spasm when he saw his opponent swaggering up on stage. His opponent was not only known for his strength but his cruelty in battle. Because of all the attention drawn to him, it was only natural that Caesar would become arrogant. And on a closer look, he indeed had the strength to back it up.
Swaggering onto the stage, Caesar had a prideful grin on his lips, “Could you be any unlucky?” He taunted. Clinton, given his nature, wouldn’t simply let Caesar talk him down just like that, as he too was among the elites of the Cyphs.
“I’m not scared of you. No matter what level you are, I’ll shut you up right now!”
“Empty words alone won’t get you anywhere,” Caesar chuckled and assumed a fighting stance. From this alone, one could see that Caesar wasn’t only strong in terms of ability but also in raw combat. The match commenced at the signal, and the two immediately bumped heads into each other. This, however, turned out to be Clinton’s worst mistake.
Caesar excelled in bodily defense, and even if he didn’t urge his ability, his body was still almost as tough as metal, or even tougher. Butting heads with someone like that was the same as running into a steel wall. Clinton took a few steps back to stabilize himself. Blood streamed down his nose and head. In an instant, with just one clash, Clinton was already gravely injured. Caesar, with his signature grin, moved to follow up his attack on his opponent when Mrs. Ruth gave the signal thereby ending the match.
Caesar wasn’t too pleased by this but could only concede. He looked at Clinton with scorn and disdain, as if he was looking at a hopeless nobody. Clinton felt the gaze on him but could do nothing about it. The match had only begun but he had been injured straight off the bat. What chance did he have if he were to confront Caesar again?
Friends stepped up and helped Clinton to a corner to help him recover. Mrs. Ruth wasn’t pleased with this result, but she couldn’t fault Caesar for it either. And it wasn’t because he was important or anything like that, but because it truly wasn’t his fault. He only moved to attack his opponent but his opponent had been the one who failed to consider the areas Caesar excelled in. If anyone had to be blamed, it was Clinton for being reckless. Caesar was as arrogant as ever even before the fight but had now attained a whole level higher after his flawless victory.
The simulation didn’t center on Caesar too long and resumed, but side whisperings couldn’t be stopped. With time, it came to the 12th match of the simulation, of which, Finnian was finally called out. The one who picked him was a boy named Joel Adric, a chubby round ball of meat with puffy cheeks. Calling out Finnian’s name, and seeing the latter walking up to the stage, Joel had a light smile tugging on his lips.
Everyone more or less knew Finnian or at least heard of him. He was known for his weird behavior of stuffing weights under his clothes. And although that had stopped a long time ago, some people still saw him as that same weirdo. And his slender physique made it easy for people to think of him as frail and a push-over. Joel was one of the indifferent ones, having no particular judgment towards Finnian. And today, he was looking forward to winning this match as his display of superior skills to everyone.
Finnian, on the other hand, had a solemn expression as he looked at his chubby opponent, not knowing what to think of him. Although being in the same class with him, Finnian had seldom seen Joel in action, so he was blind to knowing what to expect from him. But this was just a simulation after all; there was no need to think so deeply into matters. No matter how skillful Joel was, as long as he, Finnian, wasn’t hurt, that would be a big win.
The match kicked off at the signal. With just two minutes to bring down your opponent, Joel wanted to move quickly to achieve a landslide victory like Caesar… literally. Finnian saw the fatty standing in front of him, but after the match began, Joel had already closed in on him, his hand balled into a fist, just a few inches away from smashing into his face.
Finnian was taken by surprise by this sudden attack. In fact, everyone else was stunned by this. For a boy as fat as Joel, the latter’s speed can be described as freakish. It was just like a ball being thrown into a wall with an insane amount of force, ricocheting at an even more freakish speed. Almost in an instant, Finnian was inches away from smashing into Joel’s meteoritic fist.
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Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit A Chubby Freakish Opponent
Finnian was at a loss for words and could feel the intensity of the fist heading towards his face. Nonetheless, in that split second before the fist could connect, Finnian ducked and swerved his body to the side, dodging the attack. Joel’s fist, though it hit nothing, still stirred quite some breeze. Just like one averting tragedy, Finnian felt that if he delayed a split second later, he would undoubtedly be thrown off the stage. And even if that didn’t happen, it would still be painful. Joel, on the other hand, had a serious expression on his face, but amid that was also a faint look of astonishment. Personal records belonging to a Cyph were a secret between the officials and the Cyph in question. And according to Joel’s record, he had agility that far outstripped the average margin despite his look. This made it ironic as well as unexpected that someone so plump and chubby could have such speed. Nonetheless, Joel was surprised for another reason altogether. Though he hadn’t used h
Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit "But I Didn't Win,"
Joel was so absorbed in blindly sending a wild flurry of punches, that he didn’t notice when Finnian had parried them all. For someone acquainted with speed, his only reaction to Finnian’s sudden change in momentum was his body’s instinctual method of telling him of impending danger. And before he could notice Finnian’s movement, the latter had already closed in on him. Unexpectedly so, Finnian tripped and stumbled past the dumbstruck Joel, falling with his face to the floor. The alarm beeped, signaling the end of the match. The whole class broke out into a burst of uproarious laughter seeing Finnian fall to the ground. They weren’t just being mean or anything like that; it was just that the way Finnian fell was indeed funny, stumbling head first into the ground. Mrs. Ruth stepped up to ease the laughter. Her expression was serious as she looked at Joel, who was still uncertain of what just happened, and Finnian who inordinately rubbed the bump on his forehead. “I pronounce Joel th
Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit Joel's Question
“Yo,” Finnian heard someone call out to him and before he could turn, he felt their hands wrap around his neck. Finnian turned to see a chubby-looking teenager, “Oh, it’s just you,” He replied. “I thought you went home already, what are you doing here?” Finnian asked as he struggled to release himself from Martin’s grasp. Martin West was surprisingly Finnian’s good friend. They had met back at the beginning of their junior years in Ravenwood High school. With him being known for being awkward in both personality and appearance back then, it was a huge surprise that someone one day spoke to him. And they’ve been friends ever since. Martin West was almost as chubby as Joel Adric, Finnian’s opponent in the simulation. He had quite an unconventional personality for someone his age, and would occasionally throw jabs at Finnian, making the latter pout or roll his eyes sometimes. “I heard Mrs. Ruth conducted the first segment’s simulation for your class, I wanted to know what it was like,
Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit News About The Simulation
“What?” Finnian arched an eyebrow. “I said, how did you dodge my attacks like that? My speed in those attacks was top notch and you just evaded them so easily? I think not.” Finnian was thinking he heard wrong but Joel said it again to make sure he heard. Now, Finnian was confused, “Okay let me get this straight. Did you follow me all this way to ask me that? Couldn’t it wait till tomorrow?” “I have my reasons,” “I’m sure you do, but why were you hiding in the first place when you could come out and ask me?” Joel was clearly displeased by the barrage of questions but still had to answer. “I noticed you were friends with Martin…” “Oh… I see…” Finnian smirked. “You didn’t want people to think you were a sore loser so you had to wait till I was alone… that’s very shady.” Joel harrumphed, “Don’t go saying nonsense, or people might get the wrong idea. And besides, how can I be a sore loser when I won the math?” “Then why are you here?” “I’ve told you over and over again that I mig
Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit The Elites
Everyone quickly turned their attention toward the voice and was instantly shocked at who they saw. The strongest of Cyphs among the first-year seniors were called elite Cyphs and they were four of them. Of which, Caesar and Evan were among. However, the remaining two were said to be the cream of the crop. Among the Cyphs in general, they possessed incredible records that Centurion had to consider them special class. One of them was one called Benji Sherman, the one who had just spoken now.Benji Sherman had a big build for a boy of 15. Compared to the rest, he was considered a giant, giving him an intimidating presence that made one unknowingly submit to him. He hadn’t spoken too loudly but his words had sounded like thunder, falling into the ears of everyone present. The class went graveyard silent as his voice spread out. And even Caesar and Evan had to pay attention to this fellow.“Who are you calling ladies?” Caesar and Evan asked in unison.Benji laughed, “If you aren’t ladies,
Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit Finnian Causes A Stir
The class immediately turned their attention to Finnian when they heard what he just said, even Martin was surprised at his friend’s response. And being the one spoken to placed Martin in the hot zone as his friend, but since he had some grievances with the elites already, he wasn’t going to leave his friend behind like a coward. “He was talking to me; it doesn’t concern you.” He said. Caesar was already popping veins with Finnian and now Martin joined the fray. “I wasn’t speaking to you, was I? So until I refer to you why don’t you shut the hell up like a good girl and don’t let me hurt you.” Caesar clearly wasn’t hiding his anger as he cursed at the chance he got. He then turned to Finnian, “And you, aren’t you that freak with the weights all the time?” Finnian’s noncommittal expression quickly changed to a frown. It’s been a while since he was addressed as ‘the freak with weights’. And since it’s been long, he thought that maybe people have moved past it; apparently, he was wrong
Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit Unexpected Sight
It was the weekend…Finnian and Martin had an earlier appointment to meet up at the mall. The mall was in the fifth district or the central district. And though it was closer to Martin’s district, it wasn’t the same for Finnian.“You’re such a buzz-kill, do you know that?” Martin nagged.Finnian rolled his eyes, “Yeah you say that, but you weren’t the one to fight him.”“It doesn’t matter, I would have helped,”“What a big help you would have been.” Finnian didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm in his tone.“You look down on me too much, and I’m just wondering what you have to show off. What is your ability anyway?”Finnian rubbed his chin while giving a narcissistic chuckle. “Never mind that,” He said, and suddenly froze the moment he walked into the mall. “Oh darn,”“What is it?” Martin asked and followed Finnian’s line of sight. “Hehe, well look who we have here,”“Shhhh,” Finnian lightly slapped Martin’s mouth. “She might hear you.”“Haven’t you told her yet?”“I… I’m working on it.”
Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit The Harsh Truth
It’s been years since the emergence of Cyphs into the world. And unlike humans, they not only have superhuman physical enhancements, but also special abilities. During the many years that have gone by, thousands of abilities have been recorded by Centurion and tested for research purposes. Though a Cyph’s personal record was kept secret only between the Cyph in question and Centurion, it didn’t apply to their abilities. Cyphs were allowed to occasionally have brawls, and as such, were allowed to use their abilities if need be, although killing was strictly prohibited. In this case, there was no room to keep one’s ability a secret so it wasn’t against the rules to tell someone what your ability was because they would know sooner or later.Nonetheless, there were still some who seldom fought, not to talk of using their abilities in public. These people weren’t generally hated by anyone, but since the very concept of hiding your ability was futile, it was just seen as being either overly
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- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
District Chief Of Human Research Affairs
Finnian’s body went cold. It was akin to being seen through by the principal. Finnian was known as an unrepentant dawdler in everything. He’d always move slowly and was often taunted by Martin for being slower than a snail. Unfortunately, this habit of his affected his punctuality in school. There were times when he’d come to class after three classes were over. And some other times he’d get to school during lunchtime. By now, every commissioner working in the school had noted this behavior of his and reported it to the principal.Finnian didn’t know what to say to defend himself and simply replied,“I understand sir. I’ll do my best from now on.”The principal nodded,“That’s fine. That will be it for our little meeting. I hope to see more outstanding qualities in the next trial.”The principal beamed a smile as he sent the students off,“Seek the commissioners for more details.”Outside the office, Finnian felt relieved the meeting was over. It was sort of embarrassing being scolded
- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
A Trip To The Principal's Office
Seeing the girls enlightened faces made the commissioner smile more. Stephanie was more convinced by it than anyone else. “Of course, that has to be it!” she took a deep breath, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while; it felt like my head was going to explode.” Stephanie wasn’t the only one who shared this sentiment. They all exchanged their views about it, as the commissioner listened. “However,” her voice trailed off, drawing the attention of the students once again. “However, what?” Stephanie asked. “However,” the commissioner smiled. “It could also be that Finnian’s enhancement is as good as his ability. He could be one of those who tend to keep their abilities private. It’s not really against the rules to do so, hence we have quite a few of them.” Saying this, she turned to one of the elites, Emma Graham. “Emma, you’re both in the same class. Maybe there’s something about him you noticed that we haven’t.” Emma was surprised at being unexpectedly called upon. She thought b
- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
Commissioner Julia
“Quit your fussing,” Benji said coolly. “It’s not the end of the world if he joins us.”“Hey, whose side are you on?” Caesar fumed.“There are no sides to this. Compared to us, the girls did a better job. We no doubt messed up in the trial. The sooner you accept that the better.”Benji was no sage, but he tended to be a realist when necessary. He too had lost to Finnian but that he wasn’t fuming like Caesar didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt too. Caesar had nothing to say. Or rather, anything he said would be of no use. He gnashed his teeth silently and grumbled inside.…The winner of the female category, Feigh Omah, was also undergoing treatment in the elite ward. Her mates weren’t resentful toward her but they more or less faked smiles to ease up the atmosphere. Feigh was a decent fighter even among the elite, so although some of them had their misgivings, it was easier to accept nonetheless.“The boys are having a hard time it seems…” said Tania, one of the elites. With a height below ave
- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
After effect
“Hey,” Finnian piped up. “I’ve got a question for you.” He turned to Joel. “What is it?” “I’ve fought both you and Evan and you both excel in speed. But I’ve been wondering for a while now… who’s faster between you both?” It was just as Finnian had said, both Joel and Evan excelled in terms of speed. And although he asked this question, he knew deep down who was more problematic to deal with. Simulating his fight with Joel and Evan, Finnian found it a bit surprising that Joel posed more of a threat than the elite! Joel’s physique would throw anyone off about what enhancements he excelled in. Only by fighting him would one come to figure out that this meaty fella wasn’t in any way to be trifled with. Speed aside, Finnian also felt that Joel was a good fighter too. For someone his, he was both flexible and agile. The same thing went for Evan. Finnian simulated his fight with the elite, and though the latter was quite something, he fell short of Joel in some ways. In terms of speed,
- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
How'd You Do It?
Martin walked over to Finnian’s bed. He too had a couple of scratches that required attention, but not as bad as his friend. “You look horrible,” He snickered.“Yeah well… you’re fat.” Finnian couldn’t come up with a retort and snapped with that instead.Martin slightly frowned, “That’s low… even for you.”“You didn’t give me much of a choice. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be on bed rest, what are you doing here?”“I heard you were in a terrible condition and wanted to check if you were dead yet,” Martin shrugged. “Also, unlike you, I don’t badly need bed rest; I can move around as I want.”Finnian faked a smile, “Good for you, now leave me alone. With you around, I don’t think I can recover at all.”And before Finnian could finish his sentence, Martin already made himself comfortable by perching on a corner of his bed. Finnian already expected this and didn’t bother to struggle.“Sure, make yourself comfortable. It’s not like I need the space or anything…” said Finnian sarcastical
- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
Declared Winners
The students were awe-struck by Finnian’s performance in the trial. The crowd unconsciously shifted for the lad to walk through; not a single opposition. With how silent everyone was, even the slightest whisper was audible. Finnian’s expression was cut from stone; he spared no one a single glance. Bystanders obviously would think he was putting on an attitude, not knowing he currently wasn’t seeing properly. His left eye was wounded and covered with bandages while he couldn’t see with the other without his glasses. No matter the reason for it, all added to the intense bearing of his performance. Even if some people had something to say, they couldn’t say a word. Getting to his initial position, he was suddenly greeted by a slight punch to his wounded shoulder. His eyes contorted from the pain as he angrily turned to see who had done it. “What, you want to fight me?” Martin had a wicked smile hanging on his face. Seeing it was his friend, Finnian’s anger subsided, or rather; the la
- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
"Un... believable..."
The one arguing with Doyle wanted to laugh but restrained himself, “You’re taking this too personal; that’s why. It’s no one’s fault the elites are that strong. It makes no difference if you hate them or not.”“You’re not getting the point,” Doyle cut in. “The elites are strong indeed, but why can’t someone else be strong as well?” This was his argument.The crowd around them was stirred when Doyle said this. Most of them were passive toward the elites and Doyle’s statement pointed their minds in another direction. The mixed crowd was provoked into an atmosphere of intense arguments, to the point where the commissioners had to step in to maintain decorum.“Please remain silent, the counting isn’t over.” Commissioner Glenn announced. This was supposed to quell the intense atmosphere, but the reverse happened.Not yet done? Who else was left?The commissioners stepped in again and the noise died down. Over at the counting station, Finnian had a look of indifference, but truth be told, h
- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
Taking The Center Stage
Finnian’s result so far was indeed intimidating compared to that of his peers. The female category loathed him still, but they had to admit that he had taken them unawares. He was among those least expected to achieve much in the trial, and you couldn’t blame them for thinking like this. When it came to bulk physical appearances, Finnian was without a doubt at the bottom of the list. The few times he participated in school sports was a disaster. He never even made it past tryouts in most cases. One time, he tried participating in a race but his weights dragged him down and his team lost. That was the very last time he was seen near anything sporty.Teenagers had a nasty way of spreading rumors and dragging someone’s name into the mud. Finnian was the butt of all jokes for almost an entire school year. Although this didn’t lead to him being bullied, as that was against the rules, it still hurt to be overlooked by your peers. Finnian did well to develop a thick skin to all the comments
- Besieged (Book One): Rise of the Misfit
The Counting Continues
The crowd became increasingly agitated but soon became calm because another name had popped up on the screen. The counting continued!Everyone had something to say but swallowed it to not make a fuss out of nothing. After all, it wasn’t a crime if Finnian’s skill and raw combat prowess could get him this far. Some thought he cheated but even they knew that was near impossible. Anyone who could pull it off might be seen as the greatest mastermind of all time. The eleventh name was a rather promising student and the one who had been Finnian’s opponent in the simulation, Joel Adric.The kid named Joel can be considered one of the few students who drew the attention of the organization besides the elite and special class. His records so far drew Centurion’s attention because, in terms of speed, there wasn’t anyone who could match up to him, except for Evan. And even at that, Centurion couldn’t conclude who the fastest was between them. Also, in terms of combat prowess, he was among the fi
