by Aaron Oster
It gave Morgan the chance to grab onto his other hand, twisting the wrist away and trying to force the Beast King down, but his counterpart went with the motion, twisting through the space between his arms and coming back up to their starting position.
All of this took place in the span of just a few seconds, and as Morgan stared into the slitted eyes of his opponent, he grinned.
Getting to fight oneself – especially a version who could maximize your potential – was the ultimate test of strength. It proved that you could overcome all obstacles and that you understood yourself, not only on an emotional level but on a physical one as well. This wasn’t just a battle of strength. This was a battle of strategy.
Grappling was a series of moves and countermoves, trying to stay ahead of your opponent and outthink them. Whoever could accurately predict their opponent’s next move would be the one who would win the fight. And, in a fight against oneself, one had to think not only as they normally would, but try and think differently.
In this fight, Morgan knew that trying what he normally did wouldn’t work, just as the Beast King did. The biggest problem with being unpredictable was that Morgan would have to go against his training, fight against years of honed instinct, and if he faltered for even a second, he would lose. Because, if he were fighting a beast or another fighter, Morgan knew that that was exactly what he’d do.
The Beast King wrenched his shoulder to one side, then threw his weight forward, and instead of pushing back, Morgan allowed himself to go down. They were fighting in the air, not on the ground, so this gave him the opportunity to kick one of his legs up and throw the Beast King over himself.
Morgan then moved in quickly, throwing a straight elbow. However, he didn’t throw it at the Beast King’s face as he normally would, instead aiming for the center of his chest.
It was a stupid place to hit, as it was well defended by cords of dense muscle. It would also leave his own face open, but if he wanted to land a hit, this was a risk he would have to take. The Beast King winced as the blow connected, but as Morgan predicted, it didn’t really do much else. The Beast King retaliated, but instead of going for his face as Morgan had hoped, he went for his left clavicle – likely trying to render the arm useless.
Morgan twisted to his right, and the punch hit him center-mass, threatening to tear his grip from the Beast King, but he used the momentum to swing around, wrapping an arm around his neck.
Of course, being him, the Beast King managed to get a hand between his neck and Morgan’s forearm, but when Morgan’s legs tightened around his waist, he knew it was only a matter of time. In this position, the Beast King couldn’t reach around to strike at him.
Morgan’s cheek was tucked against his opponent’s shoulder and his body was directly behind his, which didn’t give him much wiggle-room.
The Beast King’s other hand came up, trying to work under his arm as well, but Morgan locked in his chokehold by grabbing onto his left bicep and curling his hand behind the Beast King’s head. His hair was unexpectedly sharp and prickly, as though it had strands of metal woven into it, but Morgan’s Constitution was high enough that it didn’t really bother him.
“Sneaky,” the Beast King said through gritted teeth as Morgan began tightening his grip.
“You’re the one who wanted to grapple,” Morgan replied, pulling back hard as the Beast King tried to buck free.
The hand that the Beast King had managed to get in the way was annoying, but if he squeezed hard enough, it wouldn’t really matter. The Beast King’s hand would be just as good at cutting off circulation to the brain as Morgan’s arm was, and while the Beast King had a hand free, it wouldn’t do him any good.
The Beast King brought his hand back, trying to reach Morgan’s fingers so that he could loosen his grip, but Morgan just pulled harder in response, tightening his grip with his legs as well and trying to force what air he could out of his opponent’s lungs in the process.
The Beast King roared and tried to shake him off by taking a headfirst plunge toward the ground, but Morgan wasn’t about to let go. Even when they slammed into the forest floor, getting buried up to their shoulders in dirt and stone, Morgan only squeezed harder.
The Beast King tried to shake him off by flipping over and driving Morgan’s back into the ground next, but Morgan doggedly clung to his back, slowly pulling his grip tighter and cutting off his airflow and the blood going to his brain. The Beast King continued to try working his way free, reaching back and trying to pinch him.
Morgan growled in annoyance as the sharpened claws punctured his skin, but otherwise, ignored him. The Beast King’s struggles were beginning to weaken by now, and Morgan could see the end in sight. Then, the Beast King’s strength surged, and with a single heave, he completely broke Morgan’s grip.
It took Morgan less than a second to realize that the use of skills was now on the table, and he used his own Maximum Increase so that he could match the quadrupled speed and power of his opponent.
His hand flashed up, catching the Beast King’s fist an inch from his face, but the momentum still drove them back through the air, until Morgan’s back collided with the massive tree.
“So, you’ve finally decided to stop playing,” Morgan said, slowly pulling the Beast King’s hand to the side.
“I was getting bored,” he replied, throwing another punch that Morgan caught.
“Do you know what I think?” Morgan asked, holding the Beast King in place as the two of them struggled against one another.
“Enlighten me,” he growled.
“I think that you were about to lose and panicked,” Morgan said with a savage grin. “Had we remained as we were, you would have been unconscious in another fifteen seconds and the fight would have been mine. So, you decided to pull a fast one.”
“Aw, are you angry that I used a skill?” the Beast King taunted.
“No,” Morgan replied with a wide grin. “Because it’s exactly what I would have done!”
The Beast King’s eyes widened just a hair, before Morgan lashed out with a powerful kick, releasing both his arms at the same time and sending his other half right into the Sand Cyclone he’d summoned as soon as he’d felt the Beast King weakening.
There was a shout of rage, then he vanished, caught in the whirling, tearing destruction of the skill. Morgan knew it wouldn’t finish him, not even close, but this would give Morgan the time he needed to prepare for the next part of this fight.
Morgan could feel the Beast King trying to break free using his Gravity Rift, but using his own skill, Morgan was able to keep him from activating it. He had perhaps a second, maybe two, before the skill would be blown apart by something more powerful. They might have the same skills and abilities, but the Beast King always chose the more aggressive action when it came to fighting.
Having already planned for his escape and subsequent actions, Morgan was preparing two more skills. The air around the Sand Cyclone was filled with small Spatial Rifts, but Morgan already knew those would be closed the instant the Beast King saw them, which was why, above him, Morgan summoned his Massive Meteor.
Gigantic pieces of stone tore themselves from the ground, pulling into the air and all but blotting out the sun. There was a roar of rage from within the Sand Cyclone, and a moment later, it was blown apart in a blaze of burning light – Sunblast, if Morgan wasn’t mistaken.
Four Stormforged spears flashed into the Rifts as soon as Morgan heard the roar, and even as the Cyclone blew apart, violet streaks of light began hammering him from all directions. The Beast King roared once again, and the Rifts shattered, the spears being deflected off a shield he summoned.
But even as that was happening, Morgan pulled the Massive Meteor down from the sky. The Beast King shattered the last of his spears, then turned his burning eyes on him. Despite the fierceness in his counterpart’s eyes, Morgan winked.
The gigantic mass of stone slammed into the Beast King, driving him into the ground and creating a
crater so massive that Morgan was sure it would damage the tree. He was pleasantly surprised when the tree didn’t so much as budge even as the ground was blasted away, stone and debris flying in all directions and powerful winds kicking up in the wake of the explosion.
Like Morgan had known, this fight was a series of moves and countermoves, and since the very beginning, he’d already been two steps ahead. Now, he was four. All he had to do was keep playing the game right, and within a few more moves, the King would fall.
59
Elyssa had been beyond shocked when she realized that she was still alive and had been even more so when she realized that she was safe and sound in Katherine’s castle. When she’d awoken about an hour ago to find that she felt better than she had in weeks, she’d thought that she’d met her end and was now in the afterlife.
When a tall human woman, looking harried and overworked, came bustling in and asked her to attend a meeting with Katherine and the other rulers of the Five Kingdoms, however, she knew that her life on this realm had been spared.
She’d spoken with the human healer who’d patched her up, and he’d told her that she would make a full recovery, so long as she got plenty of rest and did no fighting whatsoever for at least a week. In fact, the man had been absolutely shocked when he’d first found out how long she’d managed to stay alive, what with the state of her infection.
The bandages were still in place, but when the healer had removed them, Elyssa had seen that the discoloration had faded, and her ribs were healing nicely. The salve the man had used was wonderfully cool, and he rewrapped her chest with fresh bandages, once again making sure that she knew that fighting was out of the question.
A dress had been procured for her, and a servant had been sent in to help wash her off, as she was unable to get into a bath with her current injuries.
The dress actually fit quite nicely, and when she asked about how they’d had something in her size, the servant sheepishly replied that this was something worn by children between the ages of twelve and fourteen.
Elyssa might have been embarrassed had she not already thought of the humans as freakishly tall beings with overdeveloped hips and breasts. Her kind was more refined, slender, and athletic. If humans generally stopped growing between the ages of twelve and fourteen, they might look the same.
Now, Elyssa strode into the room where the meeting was to take place. Oddly enough, Katherine had seen it fit to hold it in the healing bay, instead of up in her throne room. Elyssa was the last to enter, and when she did, Katherine did something very unexpected and gave her a wide smile.
“It’s good to see you alive. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it for a while there.”
“Yes, neither did I,” she replied, her eyes sweeping around the room.
She saw Beatrice there, as well as the ruler of the East Kingdom, Le’vine, with whom she was familiar. Grace, Morgan’s apprentice, was also present, as well as a man she did not recognize, but assumed to be another ruler. There was someone who was conspicuously absent, and judging by the burning anger and redness in Le’vine’s eyes, she guessed as to what had happened to Hilda.
Elyssa felt an unexpected sorrow at the loss. Sure, they had only known one another for a few weeks, but the woman had saved her life. Besides, Elyssa had spent almost all of her time in the human lands with Hilda, and losing an ally like that was a terrible thing to bear.
“I am sorry for your loss,” she said, inclining her head to Le’vine. “I know it is of little comfort, but we will have justice for those who took her from you.”
She had no idea what had happened with the attack on the bunker, as she’d passed out after the first big attack, but she knew she’d find out the specifics once this was all over.
“I don’t exactly understand what happened, but I get the feeling that we’re dealing with something quite serious, especially if we were all asked to come here on such short notice,” said the man Elyssa didn’t recognize.
“Right you are, Hu Kiln,” Katherine said, inclining her head to the man. “In short, we were attacked by a force sent here from Faeland by those opposed to our alliance. We have little time in which to act, but before we begin, I would like to ask Elyssa to give us her thoughts on who attacked us and what their motivations are, so we’re all on the same page.”
Elyssa, having expected something like this, nodded. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before stating the facts as she saw them.
“Back when the alliance was first proposed, and we contacted the other rulers to let them know, there was some opposition. Mainly, it came from the gnome Council of Five, and although they didn’t say anything, I also know that the trolls were also unhappy, as they tend to side with the gnomes on most anything.
“However, seeing as they were outvoted three to two and would not have our help in the upcoming war, the gnomes were forced to acquiesce.
“Shortly after agreeing to the alliance, I was attacked by a band of mercenaries, and while there was no definitive proof that it was the gnomes, there really was no other explanation. So, I came to your human lands to remain in relative safety until the wedding, which would seal our alliance.
“Twelve days ago, I was informed that my husband-to-be was preparing to fight a powerful beast, and, fearing for his safety and that of our alliance, I made my way over to try and stop him. When I arrived, it was to find that he’d been sent off to fight on his own, so I set off after him.
“The beast had already been defeated by the time I arrived, but, after spending a short amount of time with my future husband, the new Pantheon appeared, attacking him as one. Morgan kicked me off the mountain, resulting in an injury that would plague me over the following days, but in doing so, he saved my life.
“I found myself halfway down the mountain and surrounded by enemies, all bearing the mark of Strangler. The battle was fierce, and I would likely have died, if not for the appearance of Katherine, Hilda, and the Southern Queen. We managed to fight free, only for Morgan to…lose his fight.
“We tried to escape, but portal travel was locked down. So, we ran for the bunker. In the process, we discovered that nearly a thousand of Strangler’s Cultists had made it here, all with the express purpose of ending my life.
“The gnomes have never been a trustworthy lot, and I suspect that the only reason we don’t have an army on our doorstep is that they’re respecting the mourning period of my supposed death. After that, the gnomes will get the war they want. As to what they had to promise Strangler to get her help, I cannot say, nor can I guess as to the motivations of gods. What I will say, though, is that the gnomes will not stop until they are all killed or get what they want.”
“Thank you for your explanation,” Katherine said as she finished.
Elyssa could tell that the human queen had a plan, and whatever it was, she was eager to hear. Both Ragnar and Gilderon would be out for blood and wouldn’t listen to reason. Not unless they saw her with their own eyes and knew she was alive. The only problem with that was that there was no way for them to make it in time. There was no portal scroll powerful enough to take them there, and there was no super or mage who could travel that distance.
“We are going to stop this war,” Katherine said, interrupting her thoughts. “And we’re going to do so by crashing this meeting of the rulers of Faeland and showing them just how alive Elyssa really is!”
***
The mountain trembled beneath the might of Breaker’s power, stone falling and melting against his gleaming scales as he pushed for the exit. It was so close now that he could actually taste it. The fresh air, light, and promise of even more power called to him as the Elder Dragon tore his way through the underground Beast Zone.
There were no more beasts in his path, none of them even daring to come close to him. Of course, that probably had more to do with the lake of magma he’d created around himself than anything else, and although he had no power over the molten stone, he enjoyed bathing in it.
&nbs
p; Constantly having his scales scrubbed by the boiling rock had definitely made his travels less boring. They now gleamed brighter than they had in centuries, highlighting the majesty that was Breaker.
A small pinprick of light shone from the other side of the corridor, and Breaker’s nostrils flared as a light breeze wafted in. He was close. A few more hours, and he would finally be free.
***
Deep beneath the heart of the Soul Well, a gigantic badger stretched its oversized claws. The ground trembled for miles around, though the tremors were nothing when compared to what this beast could really do when it got going. Normally, she wouldn’t have risen for hundreds of years yet, but Quaker had felt the power in the Well of Souls.
The tremors in the earth continued as she flexed her powerful limbs, her brilliant black and gold fur glowing in the absence of light. She could sense the others working their ways out of their various hiding places, but of all those who were awake, she was the closest. It was more a stroke of luck than anything else, but Quaker took it as a sign of favor dealt to her by fate itself and the powers of this world.
She flexed her powerful claws again and felt the tremors running through the earth. She was quite deep underground, but digging her way up and walking would not be the best use of her time. She was a badger, more accustomed to digging and far more at home in the underground than any of the others. That was why, when Quaker, the World Beast of the Underground, began tunneling, she moved sideways on a shallow incline. The distance between her and the Convergence point had already been calculated, and she would be the first to arrive!
***
Two sets of gleaming orange eyes looked around the boiling river of magma, seeing through the thick substance as though it were made of water. Ripper could sense the powers gathering, just as he had sensed the mighty presence of both a god and a beast. They were gone now, but he was sure they’d be meeting again.
