by R. J. Batla
Morgan laughed and immediately regretted it as pain raced up her side. “That’s pretty insightful for just a Dwarf, Master Bloodtide.”
Slate grinned. “I thank you for your kind words.”
Crossing through the gate for the ninth ring, which looked like the tenth but much more heavily fortified, Slate Bloodtide directed the trio to a purple tent, clearly the healers tent. An Elf with a clipboard stood the entrance to the tent and quickly directed Morgan to two Elves and a human Senturian who immediately started healing her.
Morgan said, “Thank you for your help, Slate.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you out there, Phoenix. Manu.” With that, Slate exited the tent and, unless Morgan missed her guess, got right back into the battle. It was only now, that he was gone, that she’d realized he treated her as any other soldier. Most Dwarves despised women fighters. Her respect for the Dwarf increased considerably.
The Elves went to work on her, and very quickly she the pain subsided a little.
“This should hold for a while — don’t make any sudden movements,” a male Elf said. “When you have some time, find another Elf to fully heal it — we only did a temporary field patch.”
Morgan thanked them, and Euless helped her out of the tent to stand on the top of the ninth ring battlements, Morgan limping the whole way. Blue flashes indicated where Royn was teleporting between different places, assisting where needed.
Suddenly a dozen trolls crested over the eleventh ring, and immediately they were bombarded with elemental attacks. But it was too late: the trolls dug in their massive hands and ripped a huge hole in the eleventh ring, orcs and pyarks surging through the opening to attack the Senturians caught between the rings.
A hasty retreat was sounded, and Senturians poured into the tenth ring, and most continued on to the ninth – probably because of what Slate Bloodtide had said about the tenth not being a very good defense. The trolls that had ripped a hole in the eleventh defensive ring continued to widen it.
Morgan asked, pointing so Euless would look. “Why are they not moving forward to attack? That hole is big enough for –” The ground around them started shaking, and she saw large shapes moving toward them. “What the hell is that?”
She got her answer quickly as three elefants, mutated cousins of the elephants of old, each with three trunks and six tusks, burst through the hole made by the trolls and slammed into the tenth ring, completely obliterating it and sending metal and wood flying in all directions. The Senturians sounded the alarm, and the retreat continued to get behind the ninth ring while several Helion leapt down, the giant Ice Senturians slamming their war hammers into the elefants.
“They’re not all going to make it,” Morgan said.
Suddenly there was a Dwarf on the ground right under their position. Looking around quickly, Morgan found a rope ladder sitting on top of the wall and threw it down to the Dwarf. He saw and climbed up the steps as a pack of werewolves converged on the spot he had just vacated. Morgan sent blasts of fire and Euless bolts of energy down into the werewolves, scattering them and offering covering fire for the Dwarf to climb up the ladder.
“Thank you kindly, lassie,” he said as he threw his leg over the top rail and pulled the ladder up behind him. “I thought I was a goner.”
Morgan exclaimed, “Slate?”
He smiled. “In the flesh. Thanks again. Glad to see you up and about.” The Dwarf bounded off like nothing happened.
Apparently what Slate had said was true: the enemy’s attack stalled out at the ninth ring, and they fell back. Bombs made of pure energy melded into rocks, were ignited by the Manu all along the tenth and eleventh rings, demolishing them so that the enemy couldn’t use them, and giving the Senturians an open field of fire once again.
“I was wondering how they were going to do that,” Euless said. He motioned at Morgan’s wound. “How’s it feel?”
“Hurts like hell.”
A flash of blue light beside them indicated that their leader had arrived. “The commanding officers here say the defense is secure for the moment. And another told me you’d been hurt. We’ve done all we can here. We’d better get you back to our Elf to get you fully healed up. Are you two ready?”
Both of them nodded, grabbed Royn’s hands, and they disappeared into the blue light and compressed air.
As soon as they emerged back in Jayton’s room, Euless immediately called for Josey to come help Morgan. Apparently she was waiting for just such an occasion, because she immediately went to work and fully repaired what the Elves at the Wall had started.
Royn and Euless told the tale of what happened at the Wall, and pretty soon it was only Josey working on Morgan while they talked. Morgan relayed what had happened to Josey in more detail than Royn had given.
“I’d never have made it if Euless hadn’t found me. Manus are weird, with all that energy, but he saved my life today.”
Euless walked by, smiled, and went to his room.
Josey laughed. “Be thankful you’re alive. And speaking of things that make you feel alive...”
Gilmer had just walked up.
Chapter 12 – Katy Lavernia
“WE’RE GOING TO TAKE a walk,” Katy said over her shoulder as she, Sonora, and Celeste headed toward the door of the Dew Drop. “It’s getting too stuffy in here and it’s starting to smell like a sock. You guys need to shower.”
Anton, Gilmer, Euless, and Royn all looked up and smelled themselves in various places.
Royn grinned. “She’s right, boys. Hit the showers. You three be careful out there.”
All four men stood up, and Royn, Gilmer, and Euless walked through the lobby/kitchen of the Dew Drop and toward the rooms of the inn.
Anton stood as well, but didn’t move from the table and looked at Katy. “You’ll be okay out there? Sure you don’t need –”
Celeste drew her cutlass so fast that Katy had a hard time seeing it – and that was saying something with Katy’s Speed Quantum – and had it pointed at Anton. “Go ahead, say ‘need a man to go with ya.’ Say it and see what happens!”
Katy laughed, but Anton looked conflicted, like Celeste might actually skewer him despite the smirk on her face. Katy laughed again. “Yes, Anton, go take a shower; us ladies will be just fine.”
Without another word, Katy turned toward the door and the other two women followed close behind her, all three laughing while Celeste sheathed her sword.
The three stepped off the wooden porch of the Dew Drop and turned down the cobblestone street. The entire Bowl had decent roads, surprising smooth for cobblestones – they must have had earth Senturians smooth them out. Katy looked around and stretched her arms. She really had been feeling cooped up, and the fresh air was nice.
The Dew Drop Inn stood amongst a row of similarly false-fronted stores and shops halfway between the edge of the city in the Bowl and the Arena in its center. People bustled about the streets, ranging from well-dressed to those in rags. While there was a slight chill from the midwinter season, the temperature was warm enough and the Bowl south enough that they didn’t need a jacket in the midday sun.
The street curved slightly, one of the concentric roads that radiated out from the center of the Bowl, and the women strolled leisurely, looking into the windows of the shops and stopping to buy some pastries from a bakery.
Katy enjoyed herself, her mood lightening from the stress of being so far from home with the constant threat of being in essentially enemy territory. As usual, Anton occupied much of her thoughts. Despite the crazy situation they found themselves in, she couldn’t help her feelings for the man, and she knew he felt the same.
If he would only act on it...
While her mind wandered, she finished her pastry, and was so distracted that she ran into the back of someone. A very large someone, at least nine feet tall, with animal furs for clothes and leather armor, and an axe strapped to his belt. And he had two friends with him. Oh, this isn’t going to be good.
&n
bsp; The one she’d ran into snapped around. “Watch where the hell you’re going!”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” Katy said, backing away slowly. She looked up and realized they were at the mouth of an alley.
People around them suddenly found a different place to be, and the immediate area cleared. People in the Bowl recognized trouble quickly. Across the street, a uniformed guard watched them with little interest – the guards were mostly for decoration. As long as you weren’t stealing anything or causing damage to something important, they let people work out their issues for themselves.
“Well, what do we have here?” one of the other men said. “I think someone needs to teach you three a lesson.” They exchanged sly looks, like they were about to take advantage of three women who stumbled into the wrong people.
“And you think your man enough to do it?” Celeste said, hand on her cutlass. The energy radiating off Celeste and Sonora tickled Katy’s skin as she prepared her own power for use. Sonora started backing down the alley, and the other two followed, Celeste reluctantly – the Tempus never liked to back down from anything, even if it was strategic.
Smart. If we’re not in public, we can’t get arrested for breaking anything, so we can kick these guys’ asses.
The men, on the other hand, didn’t see it the same way. “Oh ho ho! Not a smart move there, ladies. Oy, Bob, which one you want?”
Bob, the big one in front of Katy, looked at her and grinned maniacally. “I say we take the one in front of us, lads. It’s going to be fun...for us anyway.”
They all laughed at the stupid joke while the trio of women continued to back down the alley.
Sonora whispered, “Just a little further; there’s another alley that intersects this one not too far back. Then we’ll hit them.”
The men were too busy laughing to realize what was happening.
Quickly they found themselves at the end of the alley, backed up against the wall with an open alleyway to their left and right while the men continued to advance toward them.
“End of the line, ladies,” Bob said.
Celeste grinned. “Light ‘em up!”
Katy didn’t waste any time. Using her speed to enhance her movement, Bob never saw her coming. In three quick strikes, she had dislocated each knee and hit him with a vicious uppercut that sent him reeling backwards. His head hit the stone so hard that Bob was knocked out immediately. That was almost too easy.
She turned and ran at Sonora’s opponent, watching as Sonora pelted him with a blast of air. He was on the defensive, but maybe Katy could—a reeling strike from a randomly flailing arm hit Katy in the chest, and with the speed she was going, the rebound threw her towards the wall they’d just backed into. Thankfully it was a dilapidated building, the wood giving way easily. Quickly Katy enveloped herself in an energy shield before she slammed into the ground and skidded through the rundown building — rubble and wood pushed aside, rats scurrying out of her way.
Dust filled the air as she slowly stood up, shaking her head to clear it. She turned her shield energy off and started coughing, the dust clogging her lungs as she brushed herself off. She’d gone through three walls total and ended up in the back room of whatever building she was in.
Suddenly an odd clicking noise came from her left, and she turned to see a dark green lizard, about a hundred fifty pounds five yards away staring intently at her. The creature had a slight scratch mark on the left side of its face, and his tongue flicked in and out as it watched Katy.
Well it doesn’t look threatening.
Normally she’d be at least a little apprehensive this close to an obvious predator, but all she felt was a strange calm. What the hell?
The tinge of another presence touched her mind and she flinched away from the unseen force. Looking back at the lizard, which cocked its head to the side, that calm feeling came back. Along with an urge to move forward, to touch the creature. But why? Is it asking for help? Is it trying to lure me into a trap? What does it want? Or should I turn and walk away?
The overwhelming sensation to go to the lizard won out, and Katy slowly started walking towards it with her hand out, whispering to the creature. She was about to reach it when from behind her she heard, “Where’d you go, Katy? Oh, there you are!”
Sonora and Celeste stepped through the hole she’d made in the wall, laughing. Sonora said, “You missed the best part, Katy! Celeste cut both their belts and they ended up in their underwear before they ran off, dragging the one you’d knocked out. It was hilarious. You should have –”
They both turned to see Katy and the lizard, which had now bared its teeth – dozens of sharp points, each two inches long and wicked looking. Before they could say anything else, the lizard made that clicking noise and sped off away from them, almost as fast as Katy, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of dust.
Celeste was halfway through drawing her cutlass, but then reversed the motion. “What the hell was that?”
Katy shrugged. “I think it was a lacerta.”
“The speed lizard? What was he doing here?” Sonora asked. “And aren’t those really rare? Like nobody really knows much about them?”
Katy stood up straight and continued to dust herself off. “Yeah, you’re right. That was the strangest sensation.” She explained what happened in the brief moments before they arrived. Looking back, it bothered her a little how fast and easily the lizard had invaded her mind and compelled her to take action.
Celeste looked thoughtful. “Seems like it singled you out. Why?”
“Because I’m fast too?” Katy suggested.
Sonora shrugged, the Aeren tornado tattoo between her eyes blinking as she commanded the air to finish blowing the dust off of all three of them. “Think it’ll come back?”
Katy shrugged. “I don’t know, but I agree with you. I think like it was here for me, like it found me specifically.”
Sonora rubbed her bare midriff – Katy would have been too self-conscious to wear such a revealing outfit, but it didn’t bother the Aeren at all. “Sounds like a mystery for later. I don’t know about you, but beating up idiots always makes me hungry. What do you two say about grabbing some lunch?”
Chapter 13 – Jayton Baird
“DO I HAVE TO HAVE AN escort everywhere I go?”
“A smart man, after everything you’ve seen and done, would not question the wisdom of having such an escort,” Celeste said as she walked slightly behind me. “I thought you were smart. I am beginning to rethink that thought.”
“Humph. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” I was still a little perturbed about my friends being taken back to fight at the Wall when I was stuck here, but what could I do, really? The ankle bracelets wouldn’t let me either way. But again, it didn’t mean I had to like it.
“Why are we going to see this guy anyway? He’s your next opponent. Wouldn’t it be easier to just fight him, not get to know him?” Troup asked.
“I...want to be sure of something.”
“Of what?” Morgan piped up. She was playing with a fireball.
“Just a hunch.”
“This is an awful lot of trouble for a hunch. And why are you wearing your fighting goggles? You look ridiculous,” Euless said.
“I don’t understand, but either way, here we are,” Troup said as we found the correct door. “We’ll be right outside if you need us, Jayton.”
I nodded. “All right, I’ll be back shortly.” I knocked on the door and waited for a response. My thoughts crept back to my friend Gilmer for some strange reason, who I hadn’t seen a lot since my first-round fight. Where the heck had he been?
The door flew open and three guards stood there, swords drawn and pointed at me. “Easy, fellas, easy! Is Hutchins here? I just want to talk –”
“What are you doing here, fighter? Swords down, gentlemen, if you please,” a man with orange hair said, stopping a forth guard from drawing his blade. The guards calmed, though it didn’t reach their eyes. “I’m Dean
Hutchins. If I’m not mistaken, we’ll meet in the ring shortly?” He was younger than I expected. He had bright orange shoulder-length hair that framed an oval face, a strong jaw, and was about my height and build. “I would invite you in, but alas, I fear that would not be prudent. What is it you came here for?”
Well now that he came right out and asked it... “I, uh, well...”
He chuckled, and I felt the eye rolls from my team behind me. “Is that all? You roused me for ‘uh, well?’”
“No. You caught me off guard.” I composed myself and spoke more confidently. “You’re younger than I thought. You’re barely eighteen unless I miss my guess. Anyway, I came down here to talk you out of fighting me.”
Dean chuckled again and made an odd motion with his left hand. “Dear man, why on Terraunum would I do such a thing? Jayton Baird, right?” I nodded, and he continued. “I get more gold every round I win. If I lose, or don’t fight, I forfeit that, not to mention the glory and the attention I receive with each win.”
“Well, I’m on a mission. I can’t give you the details, but basically, I’m trying to save the world. If I don’t win the tournament, life as we know it will be obliterated.”
While it was the truth, it sounded pretty ridiculous – something I was counting on.
Again he laughed. I thought I was conveying seriousness; apparently I was being a comedian. He said, “I, too, am on a mission. I plan to make as much money as possible as fast as possible so I can have as much fun as possible. That sounds like a much better mission to me, don’t you think?”
