Chapter 11:
Connor woke as the sun was starting to light the sky. He put on a pair of shorts, workout shirt, running shoes and picked up his staff out of his bag. Maria was still asleep on the bed next to his. He gently bent over and kissed her head and then headed out the door. A different guard was positioned at the end of the hallway. He looked tired until he noticed Connor walking towards the elevator. Connor could tell the man was speaking with someone at the other end of a secured audio device. Connor was in the elevator before the guard could react. Rather than worry about what would happen he took Maria's advice and went about his business. When he got outside he could feel the early crisp of autumn in the air. There were very few people out on the street and Connor began to jog.
As he hopped his way through the street he spun his staff and took the approach of the stag. Despite his constant activity on the yacht and even at babushka's he hadn't consciously attended to any cardiovascular exercise for quite some time. His legs were willing to keep the pace of the stag, but he could feel the heavy air weigh on his lungs. Connor pushed through the pain and ran in a charge like the boar. He needed to get some productive training in before the tournament. A city was not the ideal location for training, but he remembered training around the port cities in England and the difficulty of staying conditioned.
The charge of the boar was almost out of fuel when Connor noticed an odd structure that almost looked like it had a circus top as the roof. Men were pushing carts of produce into the building and Connor crossed the empty street to investigate the building. Connor jogged right past two men unloading a truck and entered the building. The building was busy with vendors setting up tables and stocking shelves of produce, fish, and meat. Connor transferred his rapid breathing into sharp, quick movements. He shifted in and out of the moving crates and boxes. He cris-crossed his way through the building trying to leave no trace just as a fox. After circumventing the building Connor darted in a straight line across the center of the building back outside.
On the other side of the building Connor found himself in front of a large park with tall trees succumbing to autumn tones and winding paths. Aside from the benches and paths he felt like he was home in the forests of England. Connor gently surveyed the area as his heart rate started to decrease. He quietly stalked his way to an open grassy area like the cat and laid his staff down on the ground. He kneeled and closed his eyes and thought of the forests around Nottingham. He opened his eyes and saw a hawk flying above the trees. Connor clutched his staff and held it high above his head. He jumped to his feet and raised his knees to his chest staying in the same place. Clutching and stepping he felt the power of the hawk.
As the hawk screeched in the morning mist he caught scent of an enemy. He turned to see one of the guards from the hotel stumbling to catch up to Connor. Connor raised the staff high above his head in the stance of the bear and returned to the form of the stag and raced through the park. Connor scarcely looked back to see if the guard was keeping pace. The rhythm of the park transcended Connor into staff master form. He knew he would get in all the conditioning he would need and that no one would stop him.
After several minutes of running cross country across the park, Connor found himself in front of a very large statue. The iron lady held a shield and sword in her hands high above her head. Below her were other monuments to past wars that were rusted and tarnished by time. The victorious lady sparked a surge of energy in Connor. He saw the pride of the country he stood in and could feel the freedom she fought hard to obtain. Billy's face came to his mind and he darted back into the trees to finish his training.
The trees thickened and Connor's movements became more precise. He used his staff to knock branches out of his path and relied on instinct to navigate his way back to the hotel. His cross country training ended when he found himself on a sidewalk in front of a small apartment building. The sun was shining to Connor's right and he knew instinctively to turn left to return to the hotel. Conforming back into a jog felt effortless as Connor steered through curvy streets until he found himself across the street from his hotel. He darted across the increasingly busy boulevard and back into the hotel. When he entered the lobby, Billy and Takeo were talking with some of their security guards. Connor walked towards the elevator until Billy's familiar voice hailed him.
"You have been busy since we last saw each other." Billy's voice escalated.
Connor turned around with a rejuvenated smile. "What do you mean?"
"My people seem to think you are trying to avoid entering the tournament." Billy cut to the chase.
"Why would they think that?" Connor shrugged his shoulders.
Billy smiled at Connor's response. "I have no idea."
Connor could tell Takeo and the guards were all carrying guns. He clutched his staff tight. He was less than ten feet away from Billy.
"I should probably go shower. My trainer is waiting for me." Connor winked at Takeo.
"I'm sure she is." Billy's voice echoed a tone of filth, disgrace, and lust.
Connor took a step towards Billy while the guards clutched for a potential conflict. Billy calmed them with his hands.
"She is my trainer and she will not be disgraced in public by you or any other man." Connor fumed.
Billy chuckled. "I am not disgracing her, she has already disgraced herself."
"Surviving your pungent world is not disgraceful!" Connor retaliated.
Billy bit down on his lower lip with his teeth. "Training a cut rate stick fighter is."
Connor burned with rage as he was finally hearing the true feelings Billy had for him and Maria. "Which... speaks volumes of your abilities to intoxicate opponents before you fight them."
Connor took a step closer to Billy while Takeo simultaneously advanced to position himself right behind Billy.
Billy raised his hand as he felt Takeo's presence. "I am the best canne fighter in France!"
"You are a cheat!" Connor's voice was sharp. "If you could really fight you'd enter this tournament yourself."
"I own the tournament boy. I win whether I fight in it or not. The rest of you are my pawns." Billy sneered.
Billy stood firm as Connor looked him squarely in the eyes. Takeo meanwhile slightly shifted away from Billy after his last comment. Connor sensed the chink in the armor.
"I thought you might see it that way. I look forward to taking out your other pawns." Connor looked directly at Takeo when he said the word "pawn". Takeo once again shifted away from Billy. Connor turned to head towards the elevator.
"Don't run off boy. See this through to the end." Billy demanded.
Connor looked back at Billy with fire in his eyes. "I already have."
Billy's face was red with rage. He yelled at his guards until one of the guards quickly caught up with Connor and rode the elevator with him up to his floor. Connor smiled at the guard as they reached his floor and returned to his room with the guard shadowing his every step.
Inside the hotel room Maria had a breakfast tray waiting for Connor while she tended to tidying up her wet hair. She smiled at Connor when he walked in.
"Out training?" She commented.
Connor took a deep breathe. "I guess you could call it that. Thanks for ordering food."
"I thought you'd be hungry when you got back." Maria smiled.
Connor smiled back. "You weren't worried?"
"You took your staff; I knew you'd be fine." Maria came over to the bed where the breakfast tray was.
Connor relaxed as he took off his shoes and shirt. "I think I'll shower before I eat. Did you already eat?"
"Yes." Maria admired Connor's muscular physique. "Did you see our new guard?"
Connor silently laughed. "I think I just met all the guards."
"What do you mean?" Maria was still admiring Connor's bulky muscles.
"After my run, which I was followed on;" Conn
or tilted his head. "I got back to meet your old employer and his Kenshi goon with a bunch of guards."
Maria's senses heightened with Connor's comment. "Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine Maria." Connor reassured her. "Let's just say I challenged Billy to a fight."
"Why would you do that?" Maria’s voice was filled with anxiety. "We need to be cautious and catch him off guard."
"If I'm going to remove him from this equation I'm going to do it in a fight." Connor sounded confident. "If Shuji wanted an assassin he would've hired one. He wants Billy humiliated. He knows I'm capable of it because of what happened in El Djem, but he also doesn't want to risk this coming back to sting the other side of the Kenshi."
"Slow down... what are you talking about?" Maria cautioned.
"I just need to humiliate Billy in public, not kill him." Connor voiced.
"Have you ever thought that the Kenshi wants Billy dead and that they're using you to get that done?" Maria theorized.
"I don't think that's his motive." Connor slowly shook his head and walked into the bathroom turning on the shower. "Shuji's different when you get him alone."
Maria stood up and started slowly pacing the room. "It doesn't feel right to me Connor."
"Andre was fine with it." Connor's voice heightened as the noise from the shower steadily increased.
Maria’s voice quivered. "Andre hasn't seen the side of the Kenshi that I've seen."
"He has been a part of this world longer than we have." Connor's voice echoed from the shower.
"I'm not sure I trust Shuji. I don't like the way this is going..." Maria walked back to the vanity just outside of the bathroom. "We were going to catch Billy off guard and be done with it."
"He won't let me catch him off guard. I have to take him on in the arena." Connor's voice was resolute as he came out of the bathroom with a terry cloth robe wrapped around his broad shoulders and chiseled forearms.
Maria looked at him and her face went blank. "I'm still lost Connor. What's your mom got to do with all of this?"
"Don't worry about my mom Maria...Worry about how I'm going to get Billy to fight in public." Connor couldn't tell if Maria was embarrassed, flattered, or just uncomfortable.
Maria refocused her thoughts. "You won't be able to do it. He's too careful and doesn't fight unless he has a distinct advantage."
"We need to make him think he'll have an advantage." Connor encouraged.
"Even if you do that he's not going to fight here. He knows not to trust you." Maria countered.
Connor grabbed a shirt and pants and walked back into the bathroom and closed the door. "He needs to be forced into the arena."
"He controls everything Connor...You can't do it." Maria gazed at the door. "We need to catch him by surprise."
"This needs to be done at the tournament." Connor opened the door fully dressed. "It's the best way."
"So what's your plan?" Maria said disappointingly.
"You said Billy is planning to showcase all the great fighters around Kyiv, right?" Connor asked.
Maria shifted her attention to getting herself ready. "Yeah, so?"
"We need him to be showcased as one of the greats as well." Connor sounded excited.
"Billy has control of all the publicity and media here." Maria started applying eyeliner and mascara to her eyes. "The only messages that go out are the ones he wants to go out."
"Well... We're going to find a way. He will fight me and when he does, it will be the end of him!" Connor glared at Maria through her reflection in the mirror.
"I hope your right Connor..." Maria turned around and pointed to the bed. "Sit down and eat."
Staff Master 2 Page 12
