Klondike Battle

They were locked in mortal combat: a grizzly giant of a man standing closer to 7 feet than 6 and weighing well over 300 pounds and a smaller well-toned man whose movements were more akin to a dancer than a fighter. The smaller man had provoked the wrath of his opponent by boasting incessantly about his fighting prowess and then insulting the grizzly man’s vest. Their impromptu arena was a crowded city sidewalk; onlookers, enjoying the spectacle as a break in their mundane existence, spurred them on with shouts and hoots and promises of free beers to the winner.

For several minutes they fought, the grizzly man attacking relentlessly with flying fists, his rage mounting, while the smaller man danced to the side of, over, or under every attack. The smaller man was allowing the grizzly man to expend all his energy so that it would be much easier to attack him, a strategy that had defeated many opponents before. The giants breathing became labored and his attacks visibly slowed with exhaustion while the dancing man wore a smile on his face and still had not been touched. Thinking he had the advantage, the smaller man went on the offensive throwing a barrage of acrobatic kicks, battering the grizzly mans defending arms. He could not have known that his opponent was feigning his fatigue and his surprise was complete when the bigger man exploded into motion, catching the dancer by the front of his shirt and slamming him hard into the wall of a tall building. The grizzly man brought his unkempt face right before the smaller man, let out a feral growl that caused the audience to take a step back, and gave the smaller man a look so menacing and savage that he went weak at the knees. It was then that the smaller man realized that he had sorely underestimated his opponent.

The grizzly man brought his head back and snapped it forward into his defenseless opponents face, breaking his nose. He followed with a flurry of punches and finished the combo by grabbing the man by his throat in one hand and his groin in the other, lifting him over his head, and launching him several feet into the gathered crowd. It took a minute and some help from a couple members of the audience but the smaller man finally got his feet back under him. He stood shakily, bruised and battered, blood pouring freely from his nose, but not beaten. The grizzly man stalked in, his anger not yet played out. In one swift motion, the smaller man spat in his larger adversary’s eyes, kneed him in the groin, and elbowed him in the face, sending him reeling backwards. The crowd booed at the less than honorable tactics but the smaller man just shrugged and grinned.

The grizzly man growled away the pain, his rage doubling, and charged his foe. The smaller man rolled to the side out of harm’s way, but with agility greater than anyone expected from such a large man, the grizzly man easily changed his course and with his powerful legs he sprang at the poor little man catching him off balance. The smaller man had more tricks to play however, for as the grizzly man barreled in he noticed the glint of metal in the sun and was able to stop just short of being impaled by the dagger in the smaller man’s hand. The grizzly man grabbed the smaller man’s dagger hand and twisted, causing the smaller man to let the blade fall harmlessly to the floor, and punched him hard in the gut. The smaller man then fell to his knees as he realized he could not match the sheer ferocity of his larger foe. The grizzly man took the smaller man’s head in both hands and began to squeeze with all his might. His arms reddened as blood surged into his bulging muscles and the smaller man screamed in pain. After several agonizing seconds, he heard a crack and then his skull simply gave out to the unreal strength in the grizzly man’s arms.

The crowd grew quiet, both in awe of the grizzly man’s strength and revolted by the blood and brain matter that covered his bulging arms and torso. The grizzly man let out a roar that would’ve humbled a lion and then walked away, people stumbling over themselves to get out of his path. Satisfied with his victory, he grinned, and yet, he felt a craving he could not ignore. For what better way is there to celebrate success than with a Klondike bar?