by David Burke
The top of the maul made contact with Kierra’s shoulder as she was caught off guard by the sudden thrusting motion. Normally, this wouldn’t have meant much since the maul was meant to generate force by swinging it. Due to Kyle’s superhuman strength, though, it caused her body to twist and then do a full spin in the air.
Kierra landed on her back, and while not as fast as she was, Kyle didn’t hesitate at all. He followed the motion of her body while it was still airborne so that he came down on top of her just as she hit the ground. His denser body meant that several hundred pounds were slammed down onto the lycan. That, combined with the impact on her back, drove all the air out of her lungs and slowed any response she might have made.
Kyle ended up straddling her legs and pressed the haft of his maul across her upper chest, just beneath her neck. He managed to pin her arms and legs completely like this, and while she bucked, his great weight kept him in place. He smiled at her but then felt a tension building. It wasn’t his objective to humiliate her and up close to her like this, there was no doubt that she was all woman.
“Do you yield?”
In response, she jerked her head up at him and tried to bite down one of his hands which was holding the haft against her. He simply pressed down harder, and she wasn’t able to bite him, but her intensity took him back a bit. Kyle was used to serious competitors, but that was for baseball. He hadn’t quite made the leap yet to fighting.
Behind him, he heard Saber say, “If she won’t yield, you have to finish it.”
Chivalry was dead in the modern world. And why shouldn’t it be? But Kyle still felt odd hurting a woman, even one with claws and arms as strong as any Olympic power lifter. One of the last things that Tess had said to him before leaving him echoed in his mind. “You open doors for me, but won’t open your heart to me. Which do you think means more?”
It was odd how the mind worked, bringing back the one failed relationship that haunted him, especially at a time like this. But Kyle realized he couldn’t fall into old habits or live by old rules. Kierra was a fighter and deserved to be treated as such.
So, he leaned in and pressed the haft down until it was squeezing against her chest. Her hands struggled to try to reach the wood to push back against it but failed. Then he slid his weight to one side and slammed his elbow into the side of her head. He felt bone crack under the blow, but knew that the flesh mages could heal her up. Besides, she had given him no choice.
“Well done, my boy. I wasn’t sure if you had it in you to finish an opponent. Just remember, Lash won’t surrender any more than Kierra would and there are worse foes you will have to face if you want to reach the top of the arena. It isn’t like it was in my time. Now, if you aren’t at least part monster, you don’t have a chance,” Saber said.
Chapter 23 - Girls’ Night
The rest of the training went by fairly uneventfully. Kyle had expected Kierra to be angry with him but if anything, she just seemed to want to avoid him. He could get that. No one liked to be reminded of being beaten. He was glad that Selma was able to heal her completely, though.
While they were both tasked with running an obstacle course that had the trainers swinging weapons hanging on long ropes, he could hear Saber yelling, “Watch your balance. You can only be as fast as you can control.”
After the first run through, Saber had looked at both of them. Kierra was staring at the ground as though the sand were the most interesting thing in the world. “Each step you take in a battle is as important as the swing of your weapon. If you aren’t balanced, then you can’t react. If you can’t react, you die.
“Lash is gonna try to keep you off balance. Kierra, you might be able to match her speed, but you never will, Kyle. That just means that you have to be even more precise with your movement. If you extend a step too far, you will be off balance and vulnerable to Lash tripping you up with her whip.”
“So, move more deliberately? But you’ve been preaching about the importance of speed,” Kyle asked.
“Of course, speed is important, but you can’t compete with her speed, so now is not about helping you grow. For this, you need to lean into your strengths. Which, in your case, is brute force. Just keep your actions smaller and more direct, so she can’t sweep you or redirect your force,” Saber replied.
“He will do fine; he is built like a rock,” Kierra declared with enthusiasm.
Kyle couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at her. “Is that a compliment?”
She shook her head nervously, almost as though she were surprised at the way she had spoken. She looked at the ground again and Kyle noticed her tail wagging as she said, “You are so strange,” then she looked at Saber and said, “I’m ready to go again.”
Kierra’s conduct had been different enough toward him that he was worried she had some deeper injury.
During a water break in the training, he pulled Nyda off to the side.
She stared at the pitcher of water in her hands as she said, “I can’t stop working. They will beat me if they see.”
Kyle felt some resonance between them. It hadn’t been there before. It was as though the core inside of him that he associated with Krig was vibrating in time with some part of her. It brought to mind what Hilde had said, but he couldn’t worry about that right now. “Just act like you are pouring me more water. I will take the blame if anyone notices.”
“Uh… they won’t hurt a valuable fighter, but I’m just a service slave. They are threatening to make me a pleasure slave,” Nyda said.
“I need you to do something for me,” Kyle whispered.
“I owe you my life. I already offered you what a man likes best.” Nyda blushed as she spoke.
“Not all men are the same. Some won’t take advantage of an unwilling woman just because she believes she owes a debt. But you can do something that would be important to me.”
“Okay, I will try my best,” came her reply.
“I can’t leave the arena, so the next time you are near the infirmary, I need you to ask Selma if Kierra was fully healed or if there was any lasting damage.”
“The lycan? Why does that matter?” Nyda asked, clearly confused.
“I hit her very hard, and I, well… It’s just important to me. Will you do this for me? I would consider us even then,” Kyle said.
“Favors don’t repay a debt such as mine. But perhaps… Yes, I will try. I am not sure if the flesh mage will answer me though,” she said pensively.
“Just tell Selma that I will help her translate more pages of the book if she answers you. She will know what I mean,” Kyle said with his confidence returning.
“I will do this for you. If only…” Nyda started to speak but then caught herself and clammed up.
“If only what?” Kyle asked. He noticed that the slave overseer was walking in their direction.
“No, I’m sorry. It was presumptuous,” Nyda said quickly. Before he could stop her, she walked away.
Kyle just shook his head and stood up, ready to get back to training. Women were confusing. Practice was universal. It was something he could throw himself into and know that he would get back what he put into it.
An hour later, Saber insisted that they return to their cells to rest up before the fights. Kyle had wanted to keep going but, as usual, once the head trainer made up his mind, that was the way it was. Thinking about it, it was probably a good idea. Besides, they sent some great food along, so he would have plenty of protein before the match. Not that he was sure his body actually needed protein, at least it would taste good.
Shortly after returning to his cell, he heard footsteps above and then saw Nyda’s beautiful face lean in through the bars. “The head flesh mage says that she is fully healed and there was no lasting damage. She wondered why you worried about it, but I simply told her you had an interest in the lycan. That seemed to appease her. I hope I wasn’t revealing too much.”
“An interest? Well, whatever. Thank y
ou for finding out for me. You can consider any debt you owe to me discharged.”
“My debt is my debt; it isn’t for you to decide if it is discharged. I swear, sometimes men know nothing,” she said with a tense tone as she moved to get up. Then turned back and said, “Oh, I almost forgot this. It might help you.” Then she tossed a small leather pouch down into Kyle’s cell before running off.
When he opened the pouch, he saw what looked like jerky inside of it, but it had a rather pungent odor. He was completely lost as to why she had given him the food. Kyle already ate very little. More and more, he found that he only ate for the taste of it, not because he needed to. This body was maintained by the essence that he was able to draw out.
Not that he had any luck with other types of essence, or with learning how to use Earth Essence. His raw essence had topped ten thousand though, and his War Essence capacity had gone up by one after the fight with Skrug. Still, he sat on the edge of his bed, bored and wishing for a cellphone to putz around on in order to pass the time.
Eventually, Hilde said, “You do know why she gave you that pouch, don’t you?”
Kyle could honestly say, “I have no clue.”
Hilde’s laughter was always a welcome sound, even at his expense. There was something so warm and, dare he say, sensual about it. After being distracted this morning while training with Kierra, though, he didn’t want his mind to go down that path. He agreed that since he had been given a second chance at life, he didn’t want to make winning be the only thing.
“She thinks you are trying to court Kierra and left you with a gift to try to woo her. It was actually very thoughtful of Nyda, especially after she outright offered herself to you,” Hilde said.
“Nyda was just nervous before. She didn’t know what to do, so I assume she just said what she thought she should. I doubt that she really meant it,” Kyle replied.
“Based on your memories that I sifted through, what was the phrase, oh yeah, you ‘hooked up’ with a not inconsiderable number of women, but yet you are so naive about how women actually think.”
“Maybe, but any woman back home who heard a guy say that she had to sleep with him because he did something nice for her would have thrown a fit. We freaking had to take sensitivity classes on things like that,” Kyle replied.
“First off, you are still thinking that Verden is Earth. It isn’t. Given all that is thrown at you, I would say you are actually adjusting quite admirably, but the sooner you can stop trying to apply Earth rules, the better. Second, saving a woman’s life in what I would call a very dramatic fashion is hardly the same thing as buying dinner for her. Finally, Nyda is a slave. She doesn’t have anything of value to offer other than her body, and technically even that isn’t hers to offer,” Hilde said.
“Well then, she is just relieved that she thinks I’m interested in Kierra,” Kyle said.
“Hardly. If I could read her at all, she was just trying desperately to do what she thinks you want. She was confused when you wanted her to check on Kierra’s well-being. That just isn’t a normal thing here. What other conclusion could she draw than that you had special feelings for the lycan, especially after you turned her offer down? Even amongst elves, she is above average in beauty, so I suspect she was highly sought-after before she was made into a slave.”
“Why would it be wrong for me to want to check on another fighter’s health?” Kyle asked.
“Again, you have all the drive to win, but you think you can win without hurting others. This isn’t your ball base game. This is combat, and you are the god of that, or you will be.”
“You mean baseball, but I get what you are saying. It is the same thing as Saber was saying. I was just sorta thinking of Kierra as a teammate rather than a rival. I guess that was short sighted. It appears there can be only one.” Kyle paused his thoughts after finishing his line for dramatic effect, only to realize that Hilde had no idea what he was talking about.
After the awkward silence, Hilde’s voice took on a mischievous tone. “So, what I want to know is if you are interested in Nyda or Kierra, or both of them? Oh, or maybe Lady Meeka? I sensed the way you looked at her assets when she walked away.”
Kyle was accustomed to being pursued by women, it came with the stardom, but he wasn’t accustomed to women who had expressed an interest in him talking to him about other women. “What makes you think that I’m interested in either of them?”
“Oh please, I may not be able to completely read your mind, but I can get enough of an idea by gauging your body’s reactions. When the little war god comes out to play, it is fairly obvious.”
“You make it sound like I’m just after them physically,” Kyle said before adding, “And what about you? Maybe my heart belongs to you.” He was trying to regain the upper hand but was surprised by the reaction from her.
Hilde laughed loud and long in his head before stopping abruptly and saying, “Wait, you’re serious, aren’t you?”
Kyle didn’t know how to take that at all.
“Uh, what else would you be interested in them for? They are only mortals, even if they may potentially be gifted ones. Mortals exist for the amusement of the gods,” Hilde said.
It was flattering to be the center of attention, but it could also become tiresome having everyone around you just trying to figure out how to please you. This felt too much like another path to living without meaningful relationships. It wasn’t at all that he was bashful about being attracted to any of the women, but for once in his life, or at least once since Tessa, he wanted it to mean something more.
“If you are being serious, then I am flattered, but the truth is that even I am a mere celestial. Once you come into your own, you will forget me. The most that I can hope for is that you will show me a good time when the mood strikes you,” Hilde said.
Kyle wanted to protest. He wanted to say that wouldn’t be him, but history said something different. He definitely didn’t want to make a promise that he couldn’t keep. So instead, he settled for, “I guess we will just have to see.”
“Just remember you don’t have to limit yourself. I can be your… hmm… What was it? Your world has some of the best expressions. Oh, I remember. I can be your wingman. I think that is how the expression goes. You know, the one who helps set you up with the ladies.”
“Uh, never had a female wingman. For that matter, never really needed a wingman. But, you wouldn’t be jealous? I mean, you know, if you and I… Well, that is if you make good on your promise about what happens after I summon you.”
“I find that hard to believe, given how clumsily you are handling this. Nyda already offered, but you turned her down. Yes, you don’t need to protest. I get it. Your sense of honor prohibits you from feeling like you are taking advantage of her. At least in that way, you are still very much like Krig.”
Kyle just sighed, “Well, as much as my love life interests you, there are more important things to discuss.”
“Indeed, war god…”
“Kyle.”
“Okay, indeed Kyle. But as you say, more important things. I assume you are referring to Lash and how best to defeat her.”
“Yes. Is she as strong as Saber implied?” Kyle asked.
“I can’t know for sure. If she was as strong as she used to be, unless you suddenly learn how to awaken a far greater portion of your divine nature, you won’t stand any chance against her. Any of the weapon maidens that I knew would wipe the floor with you, the elf, and lycan, all at the same time. At least as you are now. And I mean no offense,” Hilde answered.
“It’s okay, I would prefer that you spoke the truth than candy-coat things for me.”
“Oh, that is a delightfully provocative expression. I love it. I will have to make sure to remember it.”
“Your words suggested that she might not be as strong as she was before, however.”
“Perceptive of you. I’m glad you caught that. Yes, by all my knowledge of divine sli
vers, she should no longer be a bearer. Krig’s death and reincarnation in you broke that. What I don’t know is where that leaves her. Will she be as weak as she was before she got the sliver, or will some of the effects linger on?”
“And there is no way to tell?”
“Sure, get in the ring with her.”
“That isn’t very helpful.”
“You could always summon me to fight for you. Even back in the day, I would have been a pretty good match for her. I have to assume that I could take her easily now. But, that isn’t the true concern. The bigger question is if Begaer turned her loyalties. If so, this is a serious problem. You will have to convince her that you are truly nothing more than an elemental. Beyond that, there is the question of what she believes about you.”
“I guess we are into the area of speculating now. Nothing to do for that but wait and see. Be as prepared as I can be. Now, I think I will take a nap until the matches tonight. We will know soon enough.”
“If you want a distraction to pass your time, all you need to do is summon me,” Hilde said, with a return to that seductive voice she had mastered so well.
“Don’t tease me too often, or I may shock you by taking you up on your proposition.”
“A girl can only hope.”
Kyle drifted off to sleep to dream dreams of war and victory, but there was a smile on his face before he ever closed his eyes.
When he awoke a couple hours later, he could tell that it was almost time for the fights to begin. He had no idea how he knew. No sunlight made its way into his cell, but he was still certain. He had a feel for when a competition was about to begin.
Sure enough, within ten minutes the guards had come and lowered the ladder. He quickly found himself being led to the arena. He had expected that they would take him to the holding room first so that Saber could announce who would be fighting who. But no, he was led to the arena and seated on a bench by the side.
