by KJ Harlow
Cal nodded at the two of them. “Can you help us prepare for the tournament? Tell us more about what to expect?’
“Yes,” Anton rumbled. “The tournament pits parties of two against one another. It features up and coming fighters from levels 20 to 40 and is open to anyone in Terrafaytum, though most of our participants are from Dresham.”
Cal brought up his and Kai’s status screens:
NAME: Callahan Rogers
AGE: 29 (Earth)
CLASS: Orc Fighter
LVL: 19
HP: 230/230
MP: 316/316
AFF: Earth (x22)
STR: 39+2%+50%
DEF: 40+1%
AGL: 44+3%
INT: 48+1%
ABILITY: Examine, Verdant Whisper
SKILL:
Earth Wall – Level 7 – Next Level in 41%
Earthquake – Level 6 – Next Level in 84%
WEAPON: Axe – Level D – Next Level in 76%
NAME: Kai
AGE: 48 (Terrafaytum)
CLASS: Werejaguar Warrior
LVL: 21
HP: 242/242
MP: 190/190
AFF: Fire (x27)
STR: 49+2%
DEF: 49+1%
AGL: 46+3%
INT: 35+1%
ABILITY: Examine
SKILL:
Flaming Spear – Level 10 – Next Level in 87%
Fireball – Level 3 – Next Level in 91%
WEAPON: Lance/Spear – Level D – Next Level in 58%
He took the opportunity to also Examine Marc and Anton:
NAME: Marc
CLASS: Brigadier
LVL: 35
HP: 372/372
MP: 400/400
NAME: Anton
CLASS: Brigadier
LVL: 32
HP: 349/349
MP: 381/381
“What if we face a pair who’s closer to level 40?” Cal asked.
“Level is just a number. We’ll crush them!” Kai responded, punching his fist into his hand.
“It won’t be easy to win, but it’s not impossible. I’ve done it before and lower level opponents have beaten us before as well. You just have to fight intelligently.”
“The spectators will also be made aware of your levels as well. They like supporting the weaker opponents. It makes for fantastic entertainment,” Anton added.
“There is one other thing as well,” Marc said. “There is powerful ward placed over the arena to negate the effects of the moons on fighters. Like you said Cal, there may already be a level mismatch. If the higher levelled opponent has an Affinity bonus, that would make things rather one-sided.”
“But we can use craft in the battle?” Kai asked.
The two brigadiers nodded. “But the use of healing items is limited. You are only allowed one mana potion and one health potion per person.” The werejaguar and the orc nodded in acknowledgement.
“That about rounds it up. Oh there is one more thing,” Marc paused. “Don’t kill your opponents. That’s an automatic disqualification. Judges, as well as Javal will be there to adjudicate the matches. When they determine that both members of one party are unfit to continue, they will end the contest.”
“Don’t worry about not getting EXP. You will get full EXP points as if you had killed your opponent,” Anton said, seeing Kai’s perplexed expression. The senior brigader turned to his deputy.
“My sword and shield please.” Anton picked up the weapon and shield, hurling them across to his boss. Marc threw his arm into the grips at the back of the shield, hooking his arm in before latching onto the sword with his right hand.
He shifted his feet apart and pulled the shield closer towards him.
“Shall we, gentlemen?”
Cal crashed into the ground, chin first.
“Seven to one,” Marc said. He stabbed his sword into the earth and tossed his shield into the grass beyond the dirt.
“Orc! On your feet!” Kai ordered.
“Shut up,” Cal said. These guys were tough. If they were facing them first up, there was no chance they would even get past round 1. Cal dug his hands into the dirt and pushed himself up. Anton stood to the side, practicing his axe form.
“We beat them once. We can do it again,” Kai said, stabbing his finger at Marc. That one time that they ‘beat’ the Brigadiers was because Anton had inexplicably lost his balance going for too expansive a shot, giving Kai an opening to him with the Blood Lance. As luck would have it, he was able to land a critical hit. Marc had forfeited that round, checking to see if Anton had any serious injuries.
Cal stood up and looked at Marc. Over 15 empty HP potion bottles littered the grass beyond the ring. Even though he was at full health, that didn’t stop him from feeling bone weary.
“You need a bit of luck sometimes,” Marc said. After they had started sparring, the brigade leader had relaxed. His serious, guarded expression made way for calmness and focus. He clapped his hand on Cal’s shoulder. “You and Kai aren’t doing anything wrong.”
“Having one person who attacks more and another who defends more is a pretty standard set up in two-man fights. The fact that you guys naturally arrived at this sort of arrangement shows that you have what it takes to go the distance.”
Cal didn’t know whether Anton was bluffing, but he couldn’t help but feel a moment of pride at the compliment. Considering that Kai had ripped out his neck during their first meeting, they had come a long way, though if their Support level was anything to go by, their journey had barely begun.
“How long have you guys been fighting together?” Cal asked, eyeing the two men. Anton had dropped his axe and begun rolling his shoulder while walking towards the other three.
“Good question. How many cycles has it been, boss?”
“Marc put his hands on his hips and stared at a spot in the sky. “It was one-Hyten when I joined the Academy. We started sparring not soon after. That was… 9, no, 10 cycles ago.”
“Impressive,” Kai said, crossing his arms. “You guys must know each other’s styles inside out.”
“Yeah. Anton goes berserk with the axe and I defend and counterattack, as you guys now know.”
Cal winced, stretching his side. “Yes, as we now know.”
“What’s your support level with each other?” Kai continued.
“We’re A,” Anton said, giving his boss a firm nod. “The highest stat bonuses that I give Marc are a 28% bonus to STR. He gives me 30% to DEF. We also have our Fusion Attacks as well.” Anton pressed his lips together as if he’d let a secret slip.
“What are Fusion Attacks?” Kai said, catching the warning look Marc shot at Anton.
“They’re something that people who are Support Level B and higher can do,” Cal explained. The three men looked at Cal.
“How did you know that?” Kai said, narrowing his eyes. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“Because it’s not something that we can do yet,” Cal shrugged. “Also, I didn’t think that we would make it together this far without you storming off back to the forest.”
The fur on the back of Kai’s neck stood on end and he made to snap back at Cal. Noticing Marc and Anton watching him, he held back.
“I take it that Fusion Attacks aren’t allowed during the tournament?”
Marc nodded. “That’s right. You could try to use it if you wanted to in the arena, but because it relies on the power of the moons, it wouldn’t work anyway.”
“So why don’t you show us here?” Kai said. “We’re far away enough from Bracewell to not hurt any innocents, right?”
Marc shot Anton another look just as Anton looked guiltily away. “We’re not in a position to show you.”
“Why not?” Kai probed.
Marc hesitated. “Because we’re still too close to Bracewell.”
Cal turned back. The city was a dusting of lights and shadows in the distance. How powerful was this Fusion Attack?
“If we ever fight sid
e by side against a foe that warrants it, you might see our Fusion Attack.”
“But–”
“Drop it, Kai,” Cal said. “Marc and Anton aren’t show ponies. They’re here to provide us an opportunity to train.”
Marc shot the orc a weird look, as if he wasn’t expecting him to cut in. “That’s fine. I was much the same when I first entered the Academy. The more bloodshed I was responsible for, the more I realized how much responsibility I had with the power I gained and the more I didn’t want to use it unless I had to.”
No wonder he looked so severe all the time. Was he responsible for killing someone he didn’t mean to?
“When you hit Support Level B, you’ll see more about how Fusion Attacks work. Used at just the right time, they can take down a foe 50, maybe 60 levels stronger than you are.” A look of boyish excitement crept into Anton’s eyes. Kai was doing everything he could not to force the two men to demonstrate the Fusion Attack to him right then and there.
“Come back to find us when you’re ready. You should be able to figure it out yourselves, but we can provide some guidance to you.” Marc turned around and walked back to the grass. He picked up his shield that had barely a scratch on it and pulled his sword out of the dirt. “Have at you!” He roared, suddenly charging towards Cal. Anton ran back to where he dropped his axe.
“Earth Wall!” Cal yelled. Anton collided into the slab of dirt that had risen out of the ground and taken his axe up with him. That was one of them taken care of.
“Cal!” Kai shouted. Marc was in the air, sword high above his head. The werejaguar ran on all fours and leapt into the air in front of Cal. “Raaargh!” His Blood Lance came alight as it hurtled towards Marc. Marc pulled out of the attack, drawing his shield in line with Kai’s attack. Sparks flew as metal clashed on metal. Marc parried Kai’s attack, deflecting him downwards. He twisted in the air and launched himself into horizontal spin, slashing across Kai’s back.
“Kai!” Cal raised an open palm to the earth beneath Kai. He dispersed the sand and dirt particles, making it softer but also erected a pillar that climbed and ‘caught’ the werejaguar to stop extra damage from a heavy landing. The more Cal used Earth Wall, the better he was at manipulating it, though the Craft Gloves played their part as well.
“Stay focused!” Marc yelled, charging at Cal again. Damn it, he couldn’t beat this guy one on one. He raised his axe and braced himself. Cal threw up long, narrow pillars of earth to try and knock Marc off his feet but he dodged and spun around them, moving towards Cal to deliver the finishing blow. Opening his fingers, he swiped his hand parallel to the ground.
The dirt shifted beneath Marc’s feet and he crashed to the ground. Finally, an opening! Cal ran towards Marc, his axe raised. A ball of fire engulfed him and sent him flying out of the ring. Anton hefted his axe to his shoulder. “Never take your eye off your mana bar. Eight to one.”
“Hello boys, back so soon?” Javal stood up. “And if it isn’t Marc and Anton too!”
“Just delivering them back to you, in one piece.” Sure didn’t feel like one piece.
“So, what did you think? Can they make it through Round 1?”
“They should have no problem after today,” Marc said, nodding at the Mayor of Bracewell. “They’ll need some good rest, maybe a rub down but they should be fine next moonshift.”
“Splendid!” Javal said, clapping loudly. “You two should get some rest too. I will see you in the next moonshift.”
“Karst imbues you, Mayor.”
“And you, Anton.”
The Brigadiers closed the door behind them and Javal turned to Cal. “A fine leader and an even better fighter.” He nodded approvingly. “Where has Kai gone off to?”
Cal had watched him slink off to the guest rooms. “I think he’s gone to find Katrina.”
“Aah, nothing like a bit of Succubus attention to help you recover from a gruelling fight,” he chortled.
Cal had never felt so dead on his feet in his life. He pulled a chair out from under the dining table and slumped onto it. It was a good sort of pain, though. He had been so busy trying to not get killed that he had completely forgotten about the events that transpired not one moonshift ago. The memory tiptoed back into the front of his mind, along with C’s parting comment.
“What is the matter, Cal?” Javal had taken a seat to Cal’s right and was watching him closely. “If you don’t want to participate in this tournament, I can–”
“No, it’s not that.” Should he tell him about what happened?
“There was… someone who was with Fetter the night he tried to assassinate you.” The large werejaguar remained silent. “After he impaled you, this… someone helped him escape. I don’t know how she does it, but she has the ability to teleport. I met up with her after leaving Brendan’s bazaar.”
Javal leaned back in his seat. “What happened?”
“Did you know that there is a waterfall next to the Arena? Behind the waterfall there is a stone wall but in the middle, there is a cave. We met in there and talked.” Cal looked up at Javal, eyes drooping. The lethargy hit him like a truck. “She made the ‘Exit’ button clickable. I could have left and gone back home.”
Javal furrowed his brow. “And why didn’t you?”
“Because…” Cal leaned forward and closed his eyes.
“Let’s talk about this later.” He leaned in to the orc. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I know who your first round opponent will be. Do you want to know?” He didn’t; he was fast asleep, his head buried in his arms.
Javal stood up. “Girls!” A group of six succubi rushed out from different parts of the manor. “Let’s get Cal back to his chamber now.” He picked the orc up by the armpits and with the help of the she-demons, dragged him back to his room.
“Natasha.” She was looking lingeringly at Cal.
“Yes Master Javal.”
“Look after him tonight, would you?”
She smiled. “I’ll go and get ready.”
19
Round 1
20,156th Cycle
4-Karst
There was someone else in the room. Cal kept his eyes closed, rising out of his slumber.
“New moonshift, Master.”
The orc opened one eye. Natasha wasn’t anywhere to be seen, though the door was ajar. A shadow appeared on the wall outside and he closed his eye again.
“Did you sleep well?”
Cal opened both eyes and blinked a few times. “Hello Natasha. Bit early to be cleaning, isn’t it?”
“Not at all, Master Cal.”
He sat up a little in his bed. “Can you do me a favour? Stop calling me Master.” It was cute the first few times, but now it was making him uncomfortable.
“Why?”
“Just call me Cal.”
Natasha’s cocked her head slightly. Her scarlet hair had been done up into a practical bun this moon shift. Even then, she looked ravishing.
“Wait…” Cal sat up completely, his back against the bedframe. “Are those my clothes?” They were folded up neatly at the foot of his bed. “And why am I naked?” He quickly rearranged his crown jewels to not be so prominent under the sheets.
Tash came and sat on the side on the side of the bed. “You fell asleep after you came back last night, Cal.”
He narrowed his eyes, trying to remember what happened. He had been talking to Javal. He started to tell him about his meeting with C behind the Falls. That was where the footage ended.
“Master Javal and we carried you back to your room.”
“We?”
“Six of us maids.”
Cal frowned. Javal had already been so hospitable, letting he and Kai stay for this long. Cal had suggested staying at Fiends and Friends, the local inn downtown, but Javal refused to have any of that.
“Any why am I naked?”
“Well…” Tash said slowly, “You stunk quite a bit after your training, so I wiped you down.”
Cal star
ed at Tash, feeling the blood rush to his face. “Did you…” His eyes flicked down to the middle of the bed.
“Yes. I had to get a few of the other girls to come and turn you over to clean your back, but other than that, it was just me.”
Great, so now they’ve all seen me naked.
“You didn’t have to do that, Tash.”
“It was my pleasure, Mas – I mean, Cal.”
Cal swung his legs out of the bed, grabbed his clothes and hid them over his groin. “I thought that Succubi only felt pleasure when they made others feel pleasure.”
She put a fingertip in her mouth. Her Charm was on again; its effects on his nether regions were proof. He ran to the adjoining bathroom and slammed the door shut.
He quickly got dressed and gave himself time to calm down. Natasha was gorgeous and she was obviously attracted to him, even if it was in her blood. So why did he freak out like this? Cool it, Cal.
“You needed to feel relaxed before your battle today. I was just trying to help,” she said from the other side of the door.
Cal flung it open; Tash had come to the other side of the bed and was pouting.
He strode across the room in two steps and put his hands on the succubus’ shoulders, to her surprise. “I appreciate it, Natasha.” With his big hand, he pushed her chin up and planted a brief kiss on her forehead.
A complex maelstrom of emotions passed over her face as she stared up into Cal’s face: joy, confusion, anger. It was gone as soon as it came.
“Cal and Kai! It’s time!” Javal’s voice came from down the hall. Kai’s door flew open, the blue werejaguar rushing out. Cal jerked away from Tash, but not before Kai caught sight of them. He slipped his axes into his holster and without a backward glance joined his comrade.
“In Round One, you’re going to be taking on Var and Zam.”
“Wait, Var? As in the Gresshia werejaguar?”
Javal nodded at his grandnephew. “What? Only because he’s fixing and building houses, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the freedom to participate in our events.” He walked to the other side of the room, hands behind his back. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had werejaguars in this competition. Suddenly, we’ve got three in one round. It’s fantastic I tell you!”
