A Simple Challenge

**Written by *"Ele"***
 Edited by *"EatSpanishMoss"*

## A Simple Challenge Part 1

A simple challenge, the first to fall unconscious or admit defeat would lose. A test to see if the overconfident prankster could actually beat off his demonic friend.

Planned for a Saturday, the school grounds empty all except for the two teachers, who had promised to square off in Hughs classroom.

Kenny looked down at his friend, concern spread across his face. It’s not that he didn’t want to spar, it seemed that it would make Hugh happy if he did, it was just that… It had been a while since he had even considered using his powers. And, really, out of all the things to do with his friend, trying to imitate his younger self's stamina was not only decently dangerous, but also would probably give him lumbar pain again, or something—

“Hugh I admire the confidence, I really do, I think it is great you want to try something new but I…” Kenny raised a finger in a slight protest “I think you will probably get really hurt. And also I am retired. And also— ”

Kenny had stopped trying to argue as Hugh nonchalantly walked around towards his window, sitting on its side. The pumpkin head’s flame increased as he spoke. It was very clear that his safety wasn’t a priority to him, only the chance to fight what was an ex-God mattered. “Kenny…no, Shan-Uzal, today you will come to understand why Liches are feared.” And with that, Hugh disappeared, as if blending into the window. The fight had started.

Kenny took a long, deep breath in preparation. Just one more time using his abilities surely wouldnt cause too much harm, he reasoned, and rushed at the window, hoping to end this quickly. Unfortunately for him, he was, as if out of nowhere, headbutted by a large deer. roughly 3/4 of his size, this very large and very annoying enemy had begun to tussle with Kenny. The larger goat demon pulled himself up, and immediately reached out to grab such a thing by the horns to retaliate, unprepared for the copy of himself stabbing him in the back.

As if from himself, a copied version of one of his chest arms had pierced Kenny in the spine in a wild and animalistic manner. Unlike Kenny, however, these two creatures were unused to absorbing fatal blows. Kenneth twisted around, very offended to see that Hugh not only used a copy of himself to stab him, but also put his eyes way too far apart— the audacity. He was sensitive about his eye placement.

Kenny grabbed a hold of the other version's horn and yanked it beneath him in a surprising show of strength he had once forgotten. Stepping onto it with its hoove to hold it in place, a slurry of his own chest arms sputtered out and grasped onto the now flailing copy. With enough effort, Kenny tore the copy in half with a spray of a dark liquid. The deer and the replica, even working together were nothing compared to Shan-Uzal, even a few hundred years out of shape.

As Kenny dropped the top half of himself and turned his attention to the deer that he had realized was currently pummeling him. His demonic appendages lifted it off him, and in one surprisingly violent motion, slammed its head into the stone wall at such a velocity, that after the hit landed, the entire left half of Hughs poor wall was now covered in even more dark liquid gore.

He hadn’t even noticed that Hugh was laughing this entire time, as Kennys head had begun spinning. As much as he wanted to reflect on how icky he felt…he could’ve sworn Hughs classroom was bigger a moment ago. As he thought about it, he realized he had already, technically, won.

Just as he turned his attention back to the window, scanning for any sign of Hugh, he saw it. A dragon, large and breathing against the window. The big lizard heaved back, before blasting a wave of incomprehensible heat into the class. Kenny could feel it melting him, charbroiling everything on him. The walls closed in more to a suffocating degree.

Amidst the heat, Kenny had a momentary thought. The pain from the fire reminded him of something. A memory from hundreds of years back, against a similar dragon of similar size. It had a breath of fire too. Even the same purplish color of heat absorbed him last time. It hadn’t hurt this much last time. It didn’t hurt this much. It didn’t hurt this much—

As if erupting out of him, a roar was released. The illusion, the classroom and the dragon, both fractured, splitting into manageable fragments. Kenny could see Hugh, holding the flame at him, still in the window.

I’m a moment, Shan-Uzal was already upon the mage. The arms in his chest grabbed the shorter man, pulling him deep into the demon’s chest. Hugh, practically magically being pulled from the mouth of the glutton, threw his arm to the head of Kenny and let out an explosion that rocked the room they were in, scorching the ceiling above. Not to Kenny though, to the demon, it was but a momentary distraction from victory. This little mage could not hurt him, and so he’d devour the fool.

Just as thoughts of resurrecting High later came to his mind, a new explosion, coming from Hugh’s other hand ringed into him. Not nearly as powerful as the first, but its effect played out onto Kenny’s face. In that moment of shock, Hugh pulled himself out, flinging himself out of the window having lost both legs from the exchange.

Hugh, now outside in the courtyard, was now astride a shadowy horse. “I figured it would work on you. Come out quickly so I can cut you down quicker.”

Kenny watched the wizard. Both legs were torn, but neither bled. He jumped down to the courtyard. He was jumping into a trap and he knew it, but at this point, he simply just didn’t care.

An old trick he had long since forgotten seemed to flutter into his memory. Kenny swiped at the air, directly towards Hugh. The slash that came out, almost as if willed by the dimension itself to go forth and devour, ate through the illusion of Hugh, revealing the real one to have been slowly flanking Kenny, hoping to not get noticed.

Finally, a straightforward fight. Kenny opened his chest, and like a black hole, the surrounding area had begun to be sucked into it. The lich’s horse dug into the dirt as it was slowly pulled in. Trees began to bend, benches started to lift, and small objects flew towards Kenny.

In front of Hugh a series of runic equations appeared, ending when he fired 3 wide shots. Each was sucked in by the black hole, but just barely all missed, hitting Kenny in both knees and the shoulder.

Each of the shots felt different from normal magic. Normally, Kenny was enough of a tank to just break though such spells at leisure, but these almost unraveled his essence as they made contact, as if eating the demon right back.

Kenny couldn’t take it anymore, he hated these stupid painful things. Immediately ending the black hole effect, he rushed the diminutive mage. He could tell he would close the distance, but each spell felt sharp. A new idea came to mind.

Kenny jumped right. Hugh stopped and his horse jumped far left. The fleeing spellcaster couldn't hide his surprise as if the matter around him choked out, and his pumpkin head exploded.

The fight was over. With such a large amount of damage, the shadowy horse disappeared. With no legs Hugh couldn’t move much. With no head he couldn’t sense anything.

And yet, the body was flung high into the air before Kenny could even get close. Floating underneath what seemed to be another summon of the mage, a large, almost sickly green mechanical spider. Throughout the courtyard, Kenny could see it now, that spider had left hundreds, maybe thousands of strings.

Hugh’s body, laying on the web far above the ground, still managed to speak down to Kenny without a head. “DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ME. NO WAY I’D LOSE TO SOME BULL RUSH.”

The body opened up four runic portals. Each fired a similar swirling magic shot to before, firing about eight per portal. They each bounced on spider webs, constantly jumping around and nearly impossible to track.

Kenny was surrounded by shots, all of them being those abhorrent, extremely annoying, magic bullets. Almost out of desperation, Kennys chest arms slammed the ground so hard it hand sent an explosion of dust up. Just after, the magic bullets found their mark, blowing the area to bits.

Hugh took a moment, holding his side in pain. The magic required to perform such a hat trick was tiring. This was a wonderful moment to rest, he could clean his friend’s body up and resurrect him la—

Just as rest was granted, the artificial web was weighed down by another person.

“How’d you survive?” Hugh could barely croak it out. By this point a new pumpkin head had arrived, and been supplanted onto his head. He could see Kenny, peppered in holes from shots all around his body, began healing through them. Kenny, if he was already tired to begin with, was now ready for a three day nap and a warm blanket. If only he was younger... He collapsed in such a way where it looked not as weak as it actually was. And he now rested against the web just as much Hugh.

Kenny spoke up, his normal, happy smile seemed to reappear on his face. “You… absolute nerd. I'm taking you to the infirmary first”

Hugh couldn’t help but chuckle. Even still, Kenny thought he had won.He dragged his arm up, the last little flicker of magic ran though, and he pointed the last bullet towards Kenny.

Kenny didn’t react, either too tired or unconcerned. The bullet fired, but for some forsaken reason from the Gods, the bullet, as if stopped by some form of antimatter shield, ricocheted off the air surrounding Kenny, and with a burst of pure white, bleeding light, everything, including the spider and the web was gone.

After a moment, Kenny stumbled to his hooves. They were back outside in the actual school courtyard, unfettered by all of Hughs wacky illusions. It was a nice day to be outside and breathe in some of that crisp spring air. The holes that he was peppered with were still closing ever so slowly. But, it didn’t matter, they were at least both fine in the end. Kenny picked up Hughs unconscious body and walked him over to the nurses office. They would both need it.

Later in the day, just as the sun began to tip into the late afternoon, Hugh slowly began to retain consciousness and felt his very numb, and very very cold body.

He was covered with bags of ice.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE FELL REALLY HARD? HE DOESN'T HAVE LEGS. WHAT WHERE YOU TWO DOING?”

Dearest Barbra, the school nurse, seemed to be having a good time.

“Barbs please! Legs are simply a state of mind, he looks fine! He can regrow his limbs, he’s a magic man.” Hugh must've moved a little bit more than he should have, because Kenny seemed to have spotted him being awake “See, look, hes waking up”

“Hello Ma'am, Hello Kenny”

“Hello Hugh!” Kenny waved at him, his usual cheeky grin plastered on his face. “Barbs… can you give us a second” He mouthed a slight plea to her, and with a roll of the eyes, she gave them a moment to themselves.

Waiting for the door to shut completely behind her, The large lad turned his head over, his face dropping from a smile to concern.

“Everything ok? You can make new legs as a magic man, yes? I don't have to make you new ones now, yeah?”

“I'm fine. I can make new legs, it's not a big deal.” Hugh laid there for a moment in silence, marinating on everything. “You are strong”

“Awww” Kenny wouldve blushed if not for him still being still in pain. “I am old. But thank you! Now… do you mind, what was up with those bullets?”

“Figured you usually ignore magic with just suped up anti magic. Rather than try to overwhelm such power, I thought that I could just undue any anti magic effects. Turns out it would tear through your body as well.”

Both laid there for a moment longer.

Hugh finally got the courage to speak up. “And, how did you destroy my head?”

Kenny took a moment, the quietness of the office a little overbearing. “I’m.. not exactly sure.” He let out a chuckle, and he gave Hugh a gentle pat on the shoulder “When I was young I thought I knew everything, but the older I get the more I realize I know absolutely nothing about anything. It’s just how it is.”

Hugh sighed. “...Whelp, you won, good job Kenny.” He held out his hand for a handshake, only to be swept into a hug by his large friend.

“Good job Hugh.”