Troy: The Demon Knight - Season One - Nick Venom (good books for 8th graders .txt) 📗

people in the class. Making it to the secondary round would be a blessing, especially for those who come from poor families. Being a knight had a wealthy salary following the occupation. 

Troy was paired with Cindy, a bratty self-centered noble girl. She came from an influential noble family that used bribes to get her in. All her family wanted from her was the title of a knight. Cindy went along with their plans, choosing to become a knight without real motivation.

Casper got paired with Henry, one of his jock friends. Henry was a bootlicker that followed Casper around because of his popularity and protection. However, Henry was excited to fight Casper, his eyes burning with passion. He wanted popularity and the only way of getting it would be by defeating the mighty Casper. Henry wanted it, even if he had to backstab people.

Victoria was paired with Ashlee, a shy girl with a lot of intelligence and low strength. She was indeed smart, but she couldn’t fight to save her life. She was a brunette tanned-skin girl and her voice was faint, always speaking in whispers.

Kelly was pitted against Oscar, another of Henry’s friends who was a bootlicker. This bootlicker, however, wasn’t as strong as Henry but was more loyal to Casper.

Amanda got stuck with Logan, an air-headed man who enjoyed cracking jokes, even if nobody reacted. He wasn’t as funny as he thought, annoying those around him with unfunny jokes. 

Virginia got Conner, another Casper bootlegger without morals or thoughts. He was a husk of a man who followed those more popular than him.

Marie got locked with Xavier as her partner. Xavier was a mysterious man, often hanging around Kelly and disappearing without notice. He had mastered the training of a ninja is what she believed. Mysterious, secretive, and utilizing his ninja skills; it was clear as day for her.

“I will defeat him and stay,” She muttered to himself.

Now with everybody getting their partners, Mr. Inuzuka began the elimination round. Xavier and Marie were to go first.

They stood on opposite halves of the circle, facing each other. They were equipped with a wooden training sword. Marie gripped the hilt of the sword tightly before bringing it to her chest. Xavier waved the wooden training sword like a wand, treating the duel as worthless. 

Mr. Inuzuka stood on the sidelines, his left arm sticking up in the air. “Rules are that no fatal hits are allowed, no blows to the head, and you are to fight until somebody leaves the circle,  surrenders, or is unable to resume fighting. Now... 3… 2… 1… Go!’ He shouted, dropping his arm.

Marie and Xavier clashed swords, the echoes of the wounded wood bouncing off the air. The two traded blows, pummeling each other with strikes. Xavier seemed to be at a disadvantage, but he wasn’t. His grip was tighter, his blows were heavier, and his control was better. Marie was at a disadvantage from the start.

Xavier’s carefree attitude tricked Marie, making her believe that he was weak or underestimating her, instead of being the opposite. 

Nonetheless, they continued to pummel each other, Xavier beating her hard. She was crumbling under the blows. However, as soon as she was about to buckle under the pressure, it was gone. Xavier stopped and retreated a few steps. He held his sword in front of him and dropped it.

“I surrender,” He remarked before leaving the circle. The people on the sidelines were shocked at his sudden surrender with Marie being on the same boat. Xavier would’ve won if he kept going at it, instead, choosing to surrender and lease her the win.

Mr. Inuzuka didn’t blink twice at the sudden loss, sending the next pair to the circle. The fight saw Michael and fellow classmate Addison spar.

Meanwhile, Kelly rushed over to Xavier and spoke to him. “Why did you surrender? You almost had her.”

“What’s the point?” He asked. “I will win the loser tournament without breaking a sweat.”

“Why did you let her win? Do you… like her?” Kelly asked.

“Sis, you know I work in mysterious ways. I predict that the noble girl will go far, but she wouldn’t have gotten through without some help.” Xavier explained.

“Noble? I don’t remember seeing her flaunt her status. I didn’t even know she was a noble.”

Xavier grinned, turning around to face Marie, who looked disappointed in the fight and retreated to the sidelines, before remarking “I have my ways,”

Troy watched the fight, seeing Addison beating the talkative Michael, sprawling him on the floor. As his eyes lingered on the fight, a voice echoed throughout his mind, racking up horrific moments of a burning car.“You killed them.” The voice shouted.

“I didn’t mean to,” Troy remarked before standing up and walking away, Victoria glancing at him. She stood up and followed him.

 

TBC…

Episode Seven "Elimination Round: Part Two"

Troy disappeared from Victoria’s sight, almost as if he was the Night Angel. She searched for him but to no avail. He was gone.

She returned to the sidelines, sitting with her friends. In front of her was another match. While she was gone, Amanda bested Logan in their duel. He was then shipped off to the loser tournament; the elimination spots were filling up quickly. The new match was Casper versus Henry. Jock versus bootlicker.

They stood facing each other, tightly gripping their swords. Henry looked at Casper like a caged bird, fighting to be free. Casper looked at Henry like a speck of dirt. Henry was nobody in his eyes, just another bootlicker. 

This fight would dictate the social order in their friend group. Casper was the king while Henry was a streetrat. A lowly being in the presence of a God. However, this didn’t deter Henry.

Mr. Inuzuka gave the signal, allowing both sides to collide. Henry clashed with Casper, the sounds of the wood cracking becoming apparent. Casper pushed his weight onto the sword, nearly suffocating Henry under the immense pressure. 

“You bastard,” Henry muttered as he was being driven into the ground. He looked up at Casper, who gave him a smug grin, and his soul started to crack. He let go of the sword and threw a punch, slamming it into his face and throwing him backward. Casper fell on his back, his bewildered eyes staring at the open sky.

Henry jumped off and grabbed his sword, pelting Casper with multiple blows. Casper shielded his face with his hands; he had lost his sword in the fall. 

Casper kicked wildly, one of them hitting Henry’s left leg. Henry let out a short yelp before crashing down. This time it was Casper’s chance to pelt Henry with blows, cracking the, now, half-broken sword on Henry. His eyes turned red as the beatings intensified. The crowd was mortified, many shielding their eyes from the sight. Henry had become a bloody mess and a few steps from death before Mr. Inuzuka stepped in. He had a healing knight nearby who tended to Henry’s wounds. 

As the crowd watched from the sidelines, the healing knight washed away the blood and sealed the gashes to near perfection. He looked brand new, but his attitude remained the same.

Meanwhile, Casper left the circle and ventured outside. Victoria went to find him when she heard her name called. Her duel was prepared. Ashlee, her opponent, was sheepishly making her way to her half of the circle. Victoria clicked her tongue before going to her half, leaving her brothers on their own. 

Troy had disappeared into an empty hallway, sitting at the desk near a corner facing the windows. He laid his head on the desk, his mind rattling with the same declaration of being a murderer. He denied those thoughts, but they were everywhere.

He wanted to shout at the world, exclaiming “I’m not a murderer”, but that would’ve exposed his secret. He didn’t want people to know that his parents died in a… 

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Amanda asked, popping her head in. She walked inside and went up to him. “You should have been watching your sister. She won her fight.”

“She devastated Ashlee,” Xavier said, his body appearing before his head. A thin mask was ripped off before he showed his head. 

“Xavier! Be nicer, that girl isn’t great with strength, that’s it.” 

“Anyways,” He said, ignoring her words. “Why are you here? Your fight is gonna be called soon. We’re almost done with the elimination round. So far, it’s Marie, Addison, Casper, and Victoria. Kelly’s currently fighting Oscar.”

“Okay,” Troy muttered, half to Xavier, half to his mind. 

“Who ya’ think gonna win?” He asked.

“Obviously, Kelly. She’s miles stronger than Oscar.” Amanda said. “She’s my best friend, so she’s gonna be stronger than anybody else.”

“I wonder if it’s the other way around as well,” Xavier remarked. Amanda looked at him, astonished by his words.

“It is,” Kelly said, entering the room. “I beat Oscar.”

“Who’s fighting next?” 

“Virginia versus Conner, but I doubt it’s going to be a long fight. Conner looks like some noble boy who got in through money without actual talent.” She analyzed.

“Perfect, sis.”

“Sis,” That word penetrated Troy’s mind, drifting into his brain. He had noticed Kelly going off with Xavier and expected that they were dating, feeling slightly defeated. He didn’t know why. Was it love or… something else?

“Who do you think is gonna win, Troy?” Xavier asked, bringing Troy into the conversation.

Troy brought his head up and looked at them. “Conner will break, Virginia wins.” He muttered before resting his head. 

“Well, even Troy agrees-” Xavier was interrupted by Victoria. She entered the room, noticing Troy.

“It’s your turn.” Troy picked his head up and left the room, going to the circle. Victoria lingered for a second to analyze each person in the room. They don't look like friends, she thought. She kept her eyes on the three before walking away.

Troy entered the facility, stepping up to the circle. He noticed a broken Conner sobbing in a corner. The husk of a man had been defeated by Virginia, his spirit being broken after losing. He rotted in a corner, facing away from the others. 

Troy stood in his share of the circle, awaiting his partner. Cindy walked up, very arrogantly, and stood in her half. She brandished her wooden sword as Troy did to his. They stood ten feet apart, each waiting for the signal. Mr. Inuzuka noticed this, delaying the signal to increase the tension.

He dropped his arm, starting the duel. Cindy took the first strike, slicing at Troy, however, he dodged the attack. Cindy glared at him like a wild dog. She lunged towards him. He continued to dodge her attacks, not using his sword aside from blocking. He was scared to fight back.

He was pelted with jabs, none piercing him. Instead, they attacked his stamina, slowly draining him.

“What a waste,” She muttered, stabbing at Troy. He ducked the attack, falling to the floor, before rolling away. The crowd was laughing at the comedic fight. Troy rolling around on the ground as Cindy tried to slash at him was entertaining for the crowd except for Mr. Inuzuka, Xavier, and Victoria. They could sense the hesitation in Troy to different degrees. 

“Fight back! Stop hesitating!” Victoria shouted.

Xavier leaned in and whispered to Kelly “something’s off with him, he’s not fighting back. My guess that he’s scared.”

Mr. Inuzuka shook his head as he eyed Troy down. Troy noticed the motion but he