Fortuna, YE 40
"And we're heading into the last seconds of round fourteen in the debut of the fighters Axium Mandrake and Dreamsweeper-54 in the first ever NO-CBL All Contender Finals! Holy hell, look at the parts fly!"
Cheers erupt through the newly erected NO-CBL arena, countless members of the colonial expanse rising to their feet as the powerful ID-SOL Axium delivers a bare-knuckle strike to Dreamsweeper's body, the super-soldier's sweaty torso glistening alongside the whine of his light punchrig, the metal-striker bands across his knuckles acting as a way to nerf the insane punch power but still be effective against the machine.
The blasting of the arena's round-end allows the four-legged Freespacer to back away, its three arms whirring so its metal boxing-glove shaped fists were disengaged and it could stagger away from a barrage of five explosive thudding blows. Axium's smirk tore wide, watching his opponent retreat to his corner where two small suit-clad Freespacers were already climbing up and performing repair services to the Freespacer's damaged limb. Cuts and gashes adorned the ID-SOL's arms and chest, even bearing a nasty cut across his jaw. But this was the way to feel alive, raising both of his fists victoriously as he turned and moved to his corner. The massive logo on his back bore the logo of SAW, the massive ID-SOL a part of the Warden division and a fighter in his breaks."And we're heading into the last seconds of round fourteen in the debut of the fighters Axium Mandrake and Dreamsweeper-54 in the first ever NO-CBL All Contender Finals! Holy hell, look at the parts fly!"
Cheers erupt through the newly erected NO-CBL arena, countless members of the colonial expanse rising to their feet as the powerful ID-SOL Axium delivers a bare-knuckle strike to Dreamsweeper's body, the super-soldier's sweaty torso glistening alongside the whine of his light punchrig, the metal-striker bands across his knuckles acting as a way to nerf the insane punch power but still be effective against the machine.
"Great job out there Axium!" One of his fans screams actually reached him, drawing a return wave before the massive man moved to sit down in his corner's chair. Only then did his trainer come up into the ring, the medical corpsman of his unit stepping up and tending to the cut as the pair met eyes.
"Did you see me out there Captain? I'm messing this bot up!" The ID-SOL's confident smirk diminished to a grin, raising his glove for a fist bump. But it never came, so he lowered it with a scowl. "What's up with you boss? What do I-"
"Finish 'em, Axium." The smaller and old Nepleslian reached both his hands out and took the young ID-SOL so that they were eye-to-eye. "If you don't, then the first champion of the ACF title won't be the finest warriors Nepleslia ever saw... understand?"
The somber tone conveyed exactly what Axium needed to hear. The ID-SOL's steely green eyes narrowed, nodding as the hiss of biofoam was applied to the cut to finish an impromptu seal. The medic turned and slipped out of the ring, just as the whirring of Dreamsweeper's servos signalled his rise from the ground, his trio of arms cycling around and extending forward as Axium's trainer left. It was Axium who rose next, looking over his broad shoulder at the crowd of aliens. Everyone here was Nepleslian in spirit, even if they weren't in body... and they had all come out here for an improved and glorious leap of progress. They came to see him.
Raising a glove in salute, he smashes his gloves together to activate the full-power of the robotic harness loosely fitted around his arms. Turning and waiting, his helmet knocked off last round gets tossed right back and pulled on.
The crackling of its electronics fills his ears, the cracked visor smeared with lightly-cleaned specks of his blood from before. But that visor darkens and the ID-SOL raises his fists in his boxing stance with a powerful chuckle.
"Let's see what a tin-can can do... Dreamsweeper, Axium is going to come for you!"
The two fighters quickly advance on one another, the camera feed broadcasting the fight out across the Nepleslian News Network, as both start attacking with powerful strikes right off the bat. The fifteenth and final round was set to begin. From the viewing boxes above, a group of yellow-clad men and women were smiling and managing the broadcast. NYRDS sponsoring the first showing of the NO-CBL was profitable and helpful in many ways. This was yet another new activity like racing that could help promote Nepleslian pride. It was what they wanted to help develop a new generation, to bring about the change that had been promised to Nepleslians for so many years despite the hardships they had fought against and survived through.
And as Axium and Dreamsweeper collided - the machine scoring a catastrophic punch that dropped the ID-SOL to the mat with his helmet falling into pieces - the success of this endeavor and the hopes to bring about greater change was beginning. For where the Greens had been the strength, it was those of the Yellow and Blue faction that supported them so long ago.
And now they would again, all of them rising to their feet in a booming cheer as Axium rises yet again from the arena floor. It was the eighth time he was knocked down, the eighth time his Nepleslia pride refused to break. His punch-rig was already beginning to fail, sparking and steaming from the pair of energy packs on his upperback, but he refused to fall. One of his eyes was completely closed from a new cut atop his eyes drenching it in blood, but he only needed one eye as both fists raised. Striding forward despite his tired body, he dared to fight for what it meant to be Nepleslian with true grit.
And as his metal-braced hand smashed through the jawline of the Freespacer's head unit, sending it staggering away, he delivered another punch that sent one of its arms flying away to thunderous applause. Dreamsweeper whirred its right hook in, just as Axium screamed alongside a left jab to meet the arm. The sheer force of their colliding fists buckled the arena's foundations, but not before Axium teetered into the machine's guard mid-fall, throwing yet another punch to the machine torso.
This time, as Axium fell to his hands and knees mere moments later, the strike did the trick. The Freespacer blared in their machine code language, its right legs giving out as it fell first down and then over. Its arms clutched at its body as the two others returned, the bells ringing in an ending as Axium rose for the ninth time.
The first champion of the NO-CBL All Contender title was born. Axium Mandrake, littered with bruises and cuts and likely sporting some broken bones, raised his fist once more to let the world know. Of the ten individuals handpicked, all of them had fought their fights to the last round and left the arena either proud of their bloodied defeat or standing over their rival after waging a physical war beyond anything but the fires of life and death combat could bring. Regulation didn't stop the dangers of how hard they took hits, the lack of weight classes for the tournament allowing even the common Nepleslian Joe to fight his way to the semi-finals.
"If I can do it, why not you kids out there!? Grow strong! Fight Harder!" His tongue felt heavy, even carrying a slight lisp as his lip swelled lightly. "Today wasn't my victory or Dreamsweeper's defeat! It was a glorious win for all of Nepleslia and the kids out there who want a better way to fight back against the crime of your neighborhoods! Be proud of being Nepleslian!"
And then Axium fell to his knees, the medic and his trainer leaping up and rushing across the arena as officials rose. Axium's hands fell open, a smile on his face as he slammed down to the mat unconscious as the super-soldier reached the end of his ropes at last. He had fought his way through the qualifiers and the semi-finals to get here. Forty-five rounds that he threw himself to fate and put his Nepleslian grit to the wall.
It was time to rest and let all the nerds at NYRDS and the NO-CBL do the rest to bring him just as worthy competition in the future.
Last edited:
