Chapter 213: Carried Away

"Brick...What is this?" 

The mountain of muscle scratched the top of his bald head while staring at me.

"We have a saying, nothing is stronger than a brick shit house. So, If nothing is stronger than a shit house made of bricks, then how strong is one of those bricks alone?"

Brick put his finger to his chest and tapped it with a goofy grin.

"You know I like you, Brick is good. A bit of a backhanded compliment, but it was worded so that I can hardly fault you for the joke, HAHA! I know what you mean, and we will go, come," Brick said, waving me to follow.

I nodded to Brick, but I turned back around to my friends.

"I'll be back, I just want to go have some fun with this guy, but I don't want to…" I tried to say, but they all laughed at me and pushed me back around, and followed me as I started to jog to catch up.

I didn't want them to get hurt, but this would be the safest they would ever be around me with their size, but the comment of how many were itching in my skull. Just how many was I allowed to drink at once? What would happen if I drank the same one?

Goddammit! I had to concentrate on the fight, but I wanted to be drilling Xelios with questions! Okay Hyde, get your shit together, there is a giant hairless ape that wants to turn you into mush!

The storms were starting to darken and I could feel the rain start to come down on me. I was being led to a blasted part of the forest the size of two football fields put side by side. This place looked like it was used often by big hairless monsters that liked to beat the shit out of each other, righteous! 

"Okay guys, please stay back, I'm about to go hulk!"

I jogged out to where the big guy was waiting, but then something happened. My body started to shrink, and suddenly I was back to the same size as normal. Holy fuck Brick was big! This put a fucking twist on things, but I still jogged up. The gates must make me burn through it faster, I'm going to need a waterboy!

"What is going on? Why are you so small? The others have been here longer, and I know you use those drinks, but they last longer than that?" Brick boomed down to me.

"I have a high metabolism, which burns it up too fast. Was my first time trying it, pretty freaking cool, but I don't need it. You ready?" I asked, pulling off my shirt and tucking it in the back of my shorts, go time!

"Are you serious? I will end you in one hit! BWAHAHA...what?"

I snapped the Gates open as I cracked my fingers, sending my own shockwave out, cutting the giant off, mid-laugh. 

"Ready?" I asked, doing a couple more stretches, the ground cracking every time I flexed.

He was fast, but he was still huge, and I hopped to the side and got a left cross to his right jab before his fist could connect with the ground. The most dangerous part would be the flying shit he knocked up and I would get knocked back if I tried to block, so I would have to be quick. Brick rubbed the back of his and looked at it with a bit of admiration, rubbing it.

"This is the first time in my life that anything has ever made me hurt, even a little bit. AMAZING, THIS IS SO EXHILARATING! I will not hold back Hyde! Now I am ready!"

I sunk my fist into his face in slow motion, with a big grin.

"Me too!" 

The giant was sent tumbling across the clearing. I had jumped at him while he was jabbering, and I didn't feel bad about it, he wasn't really a bad guy, but I hate soliloquies with a passion. 

"You gonna fight or should we have tea and talk about it first?"

Brick was back on his feet and he leapt at me with blinding speed, and I had to leap out of the way, but he turned on a dime and thundered after me. I jumped to the side and did a round-house kick to the back of his left hand, making him trip and fall, but he slammed his hands down and then launched into the air. Uh-Oh.

I ran as fast as I could and jumped just before the cheater punched into the ground like a meteor. Fine,  you want to pull this shit, lets fucking go. I transformed into a dragon with the ground exploding out in a fifty-meter diameter from the impact point, and I looked to my friends to see if they were okay, but they had moved back quite aways already.

That wasn't very cool, and I was about to go and torch Brick for doing that, but he had his hands up waving. I lowered myself to him, and I was a bit bigger, but I was a dragon and he seemed to understand that. He even had the decency to look unnerved, but I wasn't sure if all that was an act.

"Sorry, that wasn't right, I have broken the rules I set out for the challenge and I am forfeit. You can head to the next challenge," Brick told me while bowing his head to me.

"Challenge? What challenge? This was a challenge? For what?" 

"The relic?"

"What relic? This is the first time I am hearing about this relic!"

"Wait...you just wanted to fight me...for fun?" Brick asked, looking like he was about to pop a breaker between his ears.

"Huh? What do you do it for? My friends are all alive, so you didn't fight them, just like I didn't ask to fight any of your villagers. I want to fight with strong people because it makes me stronger, and I was hoping that was going to be with you, but you got carried away."

"Interesting, well don't worry, I am not strong, I am just big and the gatekeeper for the others."

"Others?"