"Is that a new rule?" asked Alex.
Andreque deflated slightly. "Yes."
"I was beating two higher-ranked warriors at a time because he was trying to stop me, and now when I'm gone for three days he makes a rule about that. Does that sound fair to you?" asked Alex.
"But it's a rule," said Andreque, holding the spear steady.
"The rules only count when they're in Tormane's favor. You and I both know he's afraid to lose, and that's why he kicked me out," said Alex.
Andreque squeezed her lips together while her forehead bunched with indecision.
"Bravebear is the laughing stock of the clans. He'd rather hide in his longhouse and hear your fawning praise than have a real fight," said Alex, heat radiating off her face. Sweat broke across her forehead in beads, which she wiped away with her forearm.
She tried to dart past the tip of the spear, but Andreque blocked her. Alex knew she could take the veteran warrior, but she wasn’t ready to start a fight. Doing so would probably get her barred from ever rejoining.
"Go find another clan," said Andreque. "Tormane will never accept you again."
Quest Offered: Join a new clan (+2,000 XP) [Y/N]
Alex quickly swiped away the text. "No way."
When she did, a second pop-up formed.
Quest Offered: Find a way to rejo*in Bravebear (+1,000 XP) [Y/N]
She was annoyed that it was worth less experience than finding a new clan, but that didn't dissuade her from her task.
"You're damn right," she said, marching away as if she were leaving, but as she got out of sight, she circled around the hill to come up in a different part of the camp.
But when she crested the hill, she found Andreque waiting for her.
"Go away, Alex," said Andreque. "Tormane doesn't want you here."
"What about you?" she asked. "Do you really want a battleleader afraid of a fight, or that can't win a clan battle?"
Andreque glanced to the side. She blew a fierce breath out of her nostrils, flaring them in the process. Alex could see that the tall warrior wasn't a fan of Tormane, but sometimes people couldn't see past the hierarchy, especially one that gave them benefits, so they went along with the broken system.
"You don't have to do anything but set aside your spear," said Alex. "I'll go to the longhouse, and if I can't get him to accept me, you'll never see me again. It's not on you, it's on him."
Andreque slammed the butt of her spear into the dirt and nodded towards the longhouse abruptly as if she might change her mind at any moment.
"Thanks, Andreque!" said Alex, hurrying past the guard towards the longhouse.
Dodging around the tents, Alex ran into Blaze, who was carrying two buckets of water in each hand. His robes were drenched with sweat and smudged with dirt. He looked like he'd lost a wrestling match with a pig.
"Alex!" said Blaze, coming alive as he realized who he was staring at.
"What are you doing?" she asked, motioning towards the buckets.
"Tormane took our ranks, made us servants for the veterans," said Blaze.
"What? That pus bucket," said Alex, a rage boiling inside of her. "Where are the others?"
Blaze's chin dropped to his chest. "You don't want to know."
Alex grabbed his robes. "Tell me."
"But there's nothing you can do! You've been kicked out," said Blaze. "What happened to you, Alex? Nayiri said you disappeared right before her eyes. She was really freaked out afterwards."
The heat in Alex dissipated at the thought of Nayiri's distress. Clearly they didn't understand that she wasn't from this world. She'd assumed the NPCs, if that's what they were, would understand her absence.
"I'm sorry," said Alex. "I had to leave for a few days. I have responsibilities that can't be avoided."
Blaze screwed up his face. "Are you some kind of sorcerer that you can just up and disappear?"
"It's more complicated," said Alex. "I'm sorry. Maybe I can explain later, but for now I need to get back into the clan so I can challenge Tormane for battleleader."
"He's not going to let you," said Blaze.
"I'll give him no choice," said Alex.
"Good luck," said Blaze, though his gaze was filled with doubt. Before she left, he put a hand on her arm. His gaze was haunted with remembered pain. "Remember, if you don't get back into the clan, Tormane's going to take it out on us."
"I understand," she said.
"I don't think you do," he said in a way that gave her chills.
He trudged off with his buckets between the tents. Alex went directly to the longhouse. She paused before the hide covering at the entrance, thinking about her friends. If she failed, they'd pay the price, while she could move on to a different clan. Would it be fair of her to leave now without putting them in more danger? On the other hand, they were already being punished for her excellence.
But feelings she had for Nayiri rose up, making her dizzy with longing.
"If she's just an NPC, why do I feel so strongly about her?" said Alex.
She pushed through the rough hide, momentarily disoriented by the heavy covering until she arrived in the smoky longhouse. The elites of Bravebear clan lounged around the firepit, drinking from mugs, laughing with each other. The stench of stale ale and body odor made her nose wrinkle.
Through the dim light, Alex spied Tormane, seated on his throne. No one was paying attention to the massive warrior at the moment, and he looked miserable, his mouth caught in a scowl. The weight of leadership was crushing him, which sparked a kernel of pity in her heart.
Until she saw Nayiri.
The diminutive girl hung in a cage behind the throne. Alex hadn't noticed her at first because Nayiri was covered in ash and curled into a ball on her side. Rage rose in Alex's belly.
"You can't be here," said an elite warrior, grabbing her arm.
"It's my right to challenge the battleleader," she said.
"Only for clan members," he replied, looking down at her with a sneer.
He started to drag her outside, and Alex knew that once she'd been pushed out, she'd never get another chance, so she struggled against him.
"Tormane the Tower! Are you afraid to fight me?"
All eyes in the longhouse turned towards her, but the warrior who had her arm wasn’t relenting as she'd hoped. Alex shocked him with Cloud Taunt, which caught her in the blowback, but made him release her arm.
Before he or anyone else could grab her again, Alex ran across the firepit, the hot coals burning her feet through her thin soles. A couple of hands reached out for her, but she knocked them away, leaping the last section to land before Tormane's throne.
"I challenge you for the leadership of Bravebear," said Alex as a pair of warriors grabbed her arms.
Tormane glowered at her from his high position.
Alex kept speaking. "Are you afraid to fight me? Afraid you'll lose?"
Tormane stared back, unblinking. She could see no amount of goading would convince him to change his mind. He owned his cowardice.
But he was only the battleleader because of his clan. As the two warriors pulled at her arms, dragging her slowly back across the room, she addressed them.
"Is this what you want? To be the laughingstock of the other clans? Why do you think he never trains you? He doesn't want you to challenge him. He's afraid," she said.
Few of the warriors would meet her gaze. They stared into their mugs or looked away. Alex wondered if the clan was a lost cause.
"All I'm asking is a chance in the battle circle with Tormane," she said. "If he's the better warrior, then I'll leave this clan forever and find another. Wouldn't that be the best for the clan? Or are the Bravebears afraid of a good fight?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nayiri at the bars of the cage. If she couldn't convince Tormane to fight her, it would only get worse for Nayiri.
The warriors had Alex halfway out of the longhouse. She thought she'd lost until she heard a voice near the front.
&nb
sp; "Let her fight, Tormane."
It was Sophia Lionheart, the beautiful dark-skinned warrior with twin hammers on her back.
"Why?" he replied. "She's not of the clan."
"Only because you forced her out," said Sophia. "Once we were a proud clan who won many clan wars, but now we're a shadow of our former selves. Let her fight. If she's not good enough, then we'll keep your leadership."
There were nods from the other warriors, not all, but a majority. Tormane looked around the room, gauging his support.
"Is this what you want? An outsider coming into our clan and taking over?" He slammed his fist on the throne. "Are you not happy with your lives? She'll change our ways, make you do things differently. You'll see. She's not about us, she's about herself. She probably wants to be the Champion of Warsong. She's just using you to get what she wants, while I'm here to protect you, to keep you safe from a world gone mad."
Sophia looked back to Alex, lips flat. "Is it your intention to vie for Champion of Warsong?"
Alex saw no reason to lie. If this went against her, then maybe this clan wasn't for her.
"It is. If you will let me, I will fight for the honor of Clan Bravebear," she said with her chin held high.
"The matter is settled then," said Sophia, who extended her arm in Alex's direction. "You must let her fight."
Alex wasn't sure what was going to happen next. But Sophia's position within the clan seemed to be well regarded, because even the earlier doubters nodded their heads in agreement. Tormane glanced around the room, a frown hitched to his lips, before responding.
"Fine," he said. "We'll fight tonight in the battle circle."
A clan membership pop-up appeared, and she quickly accepted it.
Quest Completed: Rejoined Clan Bravebear
You have gained experience: 1,000 XP
Quest Offered: Defeat Tormane the Tower for control of Clan Bravebear (Reward: Battleleader)
Once she was back in the clan, the two warriors released her. Alex marched back to Tormane.
"Let Nayiri down," said Alex.
"No," said Tormane, sneering. "If you want her down, then you'll have to win my spot. My clan, my rules."
Alex flexed her fists. She wanted Nayiri freed, but she had no leverage until she was the battleleader. Alex looked up at the ashen-faced Nayiri, who gave her a nod.
"See you in the circle."
Chapter Thirteen
Alex found the other formerly unranked at their tents. They stood up when she approached.
"She's back. I didn't believe you," said Mancalf, nodding to Blaze, who was still covered in a dirty robe.
"Convenient of you to show up after everything's gone to the Abyss," said Sorrow.
"Sorry," said Alex. "I had to leave. I just didn't expect this to happen. It's all my fault."
Mancalf punched Sorrow in the shoulder. "It's not her fault. It's Tormane's fault. He's the one that kicked her out and took away our rank."
Sorrow rolled his eyes. "What rank?"
Alex opened her mouth to console him, when they all looked past her. She turned around to see who had come up from behind.
Sophia Lionheart stepped into view, glancing around at the ratty tents with her forehead hunched.
"I'm surprised you could find this place, Princess Bone-breaker," said Sorrow, crossing his arms.
"You guys live like this?" she asked, a little aghast.
Sorrow crouched down, scooped up a hunk of mud, and rubbed it on his jaw. "Mud is a wonderful moisturizer. You don't know what you're missing." He fluttered his eyelids. "Then again, who am I to suggest that? You look like a team of servants scrubbed your ebony skin to a shine."
Sophia's eyes widened. "Is he always like this?"
"You get used to it," said Alex. "Thanks for vouching for me back there."
Sophia's nostrils flared. "We're not the clan we once were."
"I aim to change that," said Alex.
"I know."
Alex tilted her head. "I assume you're not here to give strategic advice? Though I'll take any if you've got it."
"No," said Sophia, who didn't look like she was excited about what she had to say next. "Tormane sent me with an offer."
Alex's gut twisted. She knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say.
"He says he'll let you and your friends, Nayiri included, leave Bravebear to join your own clan," said Sophia.
"And?"
"That's it," said Sophia. "Basically, if you don't fight him, he'll let everyone go."
"But if I do, and fail, then he's going to make it worse on them," said Alex.
Sophia nodded grimly.
Alex put her hands to her temples. She could start over in a new clan, or potentially start her own—though she didn't know how—and save her friends from Tormane's grip. But if she failed in the battle circle, he would torment them.
The safer thing was to leave the clan and start over, but she didn't have that kind of time. She assumed that having a clan helped earn conquest points faster. If she was going to join the Tournament of Champions in Warsong Arena, she needed to be a battleleader right now.
But the consequences of her failure would fall on her friends. NPCs or not, she felt for them. Liked them. Especially Nayiri.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked them.
"Misery is like a fine wine, it gets better with age," said Sorrow, picking at the mud on his chin.
Mancalf punched a fist into an open palm. "Defeat him."
The fire mage looked like he'd eaten a bad batch of clams.
"Blaze?"
He swallowed. "My head says you'll win, but my gut is afraid you'll lose."
"What's your answer?" she asked.
With his eyes closed, he said, "Whip his ass."
She turned to Sophia. "What do you think?"
The beautiful warrior arched an eyebrow before letting a smile spread across her lips. "You would make an excellent battleleader. But I understand your reluctance because of your friends. While Tormane's a cowardly leader, he's a brute in the battle circle. He's never been defeated in one-on-one combat."
"Then why hasn't he ever competed to become the Champion of Warsong?" she asked.
"Becoming champion takes more than skill in individual combat. The clan battles are an important aspect of the challenge," said Sophia.
Alex nodded with thought. "Thank you, Sophia."
If she couldn't beat Tormane, then how would she ever take her own clan? And she didn't have time to start over. Her life depended on it. If she wasn't a member of the Hundred Halls, then Golden Willow wouldn't be able to treat her tumor.
But she hated the idea that her friends would be injured if she failed.
Alex squeezed her eyes shut. If she chose to compete, it felt selfish. Was it fair of her to put her friends' well-being on the line? It would help if she could talk to Nayiri, but she was stuck in the cage.
Thoughts of the ash-covered Nayiri staring through the bars of the cage gave Alex an answer.
"I'm going to fight him."
Sophia seemed pleased by her answer. "I'll let him know." She looked ready to leave, but paused, looking Alex straight in the eyes. "I wouldn't try to attack his weapon like you have in other fights. He's too strong for that. You won't budge him. Tripping won't work either. You're going to have to find another way."
"Thanks, Sophia."
After she left, the others crowded around her.
"How are you going to beat him?" asked Blaze.
"I don't know yet," said Alex. "But I've got time to figure that out, right?"
The hours drained away faster than she expected. Before she knew it, the first horn called the clan to the circle. Alex had never been so nervous before a fight.
Her friends followed behind her on the way up the hill to the place that the clan was gathered. When she reached the crowd, they parted for her. She received lots of respectful nods, which was considerably different than the treatment she'd gotten before.
Alex sucked in a breath when she saw the cage. Tormane had set it on crates next to the circle so it would be a reminder of the consequences should she fail.
Nayiri stuck her hand through the bars and gave a thumbs-up. The gesture warmed her heart.
As Alex looked around the circle she saw nothing but support. Only Tormane the Tower, who glowered from the opposite side, was set apart. It was clear to her that they didn't agree with how he'd been running the clan, but no one had been able to challenge him due to his fighting superiority.
She hoped to change that.
Sophia stepped into the middle of the battle circle. "Tonight there will be no other fights. Alexandria Duke has come to challenge Tormane the Tower for leadership of the clan. Warriors, step into the circle."
They met in the middle as if it were a prize fight and Sophia was the ring announcer. Tormane stared her down as if he planned to smash her into pulp. Alex gripped her whip handle to keep her hand from shaking.
Sophia nodded to each of them before leaving. Quicker than Alex would have liked, the second horn sounded, announcing the beginning of the fight.
Tormane lifted the two-handed sword from his back, holding it in his massive hands. One hit would cut her in half.
As she twirled the whip next to her leg, she knew she had to avoid his weapon at all costs, but it was almost as long as her whip, which meant she'd be hard-pressed to hit him without putting herself in danger.
"Begin!"
Tormane leaned forward as if he were going to charge, so Alex hit him with a Cloud Taunt.
Tormane the Tower resisted Cloud Taunt!
Her stomach dropped a foot. Magical resistance was a major problem. She gripped her whip, expecting a forward attack, but Tormane lifted his massive two-handed sword into the air. When he brought it down, it hit the soil like a thunderclap, and a burning line of flame streaked towards her.
You have been hit by Sword Blast for 83 damage!
Gladiators of Warsong Page 9
