by Jake Daniel
“Good to know. I’d prefer you not step in as well.”
Amos rubbed his chin and nodded slowly. “Hmm, yes, we shall see about that. I don’t think you quite grasp how important it is for me to win this tournament, and on its one hundredth anniversary. I’m not about to lose my investment, nor suffer my brother’s wrath for a third year in a row.” His hand shot down to his pocket and he scavenged around inside for a few seconds before pulling out two small bottles. “Here, take these potions.”
I reached out and he pulled his hand back, keeping them from me. “On second thought, I think I’d like to see what you are capable of first. I’m going to save these. If by some miracle you’re successful in your battle, I’ll think about giving them to you.”
I stared at the man, and the only thing I could think of was how much I wanted to punch this bastard in the dick. “So what now?”
Amos pointed to the ceiling. Small bits of rock and clouds of dust shook free and fell down to the dirt ground. “Hear that? Listen.” He paused and I could clearly make out what sounded like a drum, but I soon realized it was the gathered crowd stomping their feet in unison. “The trials have started.”
The fighters stopped practicing and the gathered men and monsters stood silently against the wall in anticipation of what was to come. I craned my neck toward the goblin. “You doing alright back there, FJ?”
“FJ? I love that.” He said it quietly a couple times to himself before replying. “Yes, I’m ready. There looks to be some pretty strong competition here.” He pulled a small knife out from a sheath on his hip. “I’m ready to show them what I’ve trained my whole life for.”
I reached down to ensure I still had my knife as well. I almost regretted leaving my rifle, but I knew there was a good chance that whatever I’d face would be fucking bulletproof and it wouldn’t ultimately matter any way.
For the next several hours, there was a constant flow out of the large waiting room. I spotted Sven as his time had arrived. He gave me a small nod which I returned as he gave his leather chest armor a couple of sturdy pounds with his fist and ran out into the arena.
Fresh rounds of cheers rose often, signaling the end of each fight. I could always tell when a crowd favorite won, and even more so when one loss. The boos and hisses shook the arena, and there were several times I was convinced the whole place was about to collapse.
I took advantage of the time, cultivating as much as I could while inside the waiting room, although with the sheer amount of spirit that flowed around the arena, it was nearly impossible to do so effectively and avoid the massive amounts of tainted spirit, as well.
I anticipated my turn, but soon realized that Amos must have pulled some strings to ensure I was last to go. I was more disappointed that I couldn’t size up future competition from the potential winners, than the fact that I was going to be the last to go. A straight-faced man with pointed ears looking straight out of a Tolkien novel was called, leaving me as the only remaining fighter. A few minutes later a loud cheer rose from above, signaling my turn.
The four dragon women walked up the tunnel ahead of Amos, their wings tucked in neatly against each of their backs. The man walked with an exaggerated, almost cocky limp as he followed. “Alright Logan, time to earn your keep. Don’t make me regret making that deal with you.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The spirit was flowing stronger than I’d ever experienced. My skin felt like it was crawling as strand after strand assailed my body, as if desperately seeking my core.
Fapplejack shifted his body and reached back to tap my shoulder. “Logan, sir?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you feel that?”
I wondered if the goblin was actually feeling what I felt at that moment. I was unbelievably calm, given the situation. Maybe it was the years of guiding hunters when a trophy bull elk stepped out from the scrub oak fifty yards away, begging them to take the shot. Or the trained calm I had to maintain, not to pull that trigger myself. I walked up the hallway and could hear the buzz of the crowd grow with every step. I trained my eyes on the exit and cracked my neck to the left and right. “What are you feeling, FJ?”
“Victory.”
Chapter Ten
I reached the door and took a deep breath before stepping through. I was met with a cacophony of sounds, unsure if it was cheering, jeers, or both. I scanned the crowd and caught a slight flash to my right. I looked up and spotted Gwen immediately. She gave me an enormous smile and blew me a kiss. I gave her a small nod and pulled my knife from its sheath and readied it in my right hand.
The arena had a single arched doorway on the opposite side. The floor was composed of dirt and the blood of those who’d experienced the trials already this evening, although there was no sign of the bodies of the deceased.
I saw Fapplejack’s arms raise into the sky as I turned in a small circle to survey the crowd. He was definitely living his best life.
A low rumble came from the door across from me and I knew whatever was about to come through it was going to be massive.
I tightened my grip on my knife and started toward the door. I wouldn’t let whatever was about to burst through that door have a running start at me. I bent my knees slightly, ready to evade or strike, whichever presented itself first. I closed my eyes and all I could see was a giant glowing blob rushing toward the door across from me among the trapped spirit flying in every direction.
The rumbling died down and the first of the creature’s legs exited through the door. It was long and spindly and followed by another before the monster’s head exited from the door.
She had the face of a human, except with eight eyes, most of which were covered by strands of her bluish grey hair. Chitinous armor covered her arms, chest, and her large breasts, but left her flat stomach exposed.
I didn’t need my Sight skill to tell me what this woman was.
“Arachne!” Fapplejack called from behind me. “I can smell her!”
“You’re right, FJ, just be ready.”
Fapplejack tried to twist in place to catch a look of her. “Avoid her legs, and don’t let her bite you, you’ll be paralyzed instantly.”
The Arachne stepped out of the door to massive cheers from the crowd. It was obvious she was a fan favorite. I remained crouched and moved across the arena in a wide arc, ensuring I kept her the same distance away from me at all times. I looked into her eyes and they were all the same pale shade of gray as the minotaur’s were. The pain in my scar flared as if warning me of imminent danger and at that point, whether this spider woman was mind controlled or not, I knew I’d have to kill her.
She raised her eyes to the sky and yelled into the darkness. “Now, my children!” At her command, a cloud of smaller spiders exploded out from her back and covered the floor of the arena. At least a hundred offspring landed on the ground around her and rushed toward us. I ran forward, prompting an audible gasp from the gathered crowd.
I met the first of the queen spider’s children with the blade of my knife. I sliced it open easily, spilling its insides across the ground. A few wisps of spirit floated up as I spun and landed my blade into the mouth of another, narrowly avoiding its dripping fangs as it desperately tried to sink them into me. I took out the first wave of spiders without so much as a scratch. I retreated slightly as the queen raised her arms again, sending a wave of energy across the ground which doubled the size of all of her children. I ran up to the nearest one as it was in the middle of transforming to a larger size and kicked it with all the strength I could muster. It left my foot with a high pitched scream and smashed violently into the wall. It fell motionless in a heap on the ground. I was thankful the spiders looked like gigantic versions of what I was used to and not actual miniature versions with human faces. I didn’t think I could’ve killed them if they had the faces of innocent children.
I didn’t dwell though as another batch of her offspring approached. I darted in and plunged my knife into the top of the nearest
spider’s head, spinning as I pulled my knife free and gave Fapplejack a chance to join in on the action. As I spun, he held his knife out at the ready and finished them. I was slightly dizzy by the time we dispatched all five of the closest spiders, but we were damn effective as each one fell in a heap on the ground.
Fapplejack screamed as he swung his knife, catching the spiders that lunged at my back while I concentrated on the ones in front of me. I was incredibly thankful I had the goblin with me, and it was proving to be one of my better decisions.
The queen let out a scream and lowered her arms. She moved forward rapidly and nearly caught me with one of her abnormally large spindly legs, but I spun out of the way at the last possible moment. I charged forward and sunk a knife into her abdomen. She let out an other-worldly screech and spun violently, knocking me back.
I rushed forward again but froze as a sharp pain rose in my side. I glanced down and spotted a small glowing dart protruding from my side. I pulled it out and threw it on the ground. I looked up for an attacker and spotted a man with a top hat and bow tie. He slowly lowered a blow gun to his side and disappeared into the crowd. It wasn’t Amos, but it was definitely a sponsor. A sponsor that probably saw what I did to Amos’s minotaur and didn’t want me to repeat it with this spider. Of course I could stop bullets, but not a small dart.
Within seconds, my legs felt like they were glued to the ground. I let out an angry growl as I took out several more of the spider woman’s children before she returned her focus on me.
She spun and a warm sticky sensation covered my arms. I couldn’t move. There were too many of her offspring rushing forward for me to swing fast enough to take them all out. She trapped me inside her web and rendered my arms useless. I remained upright until she wrapped my legs, sending me face first into the ground. A muffled raucous cheer rose from the crowd as I remained trapped in place. After a few seconds, I felt the web tightening around me, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before I was suffocated.
I was pissed off at myself for not dodging her webs. I’d hoped I could take her out fast enough so I wouldn’t have to deal with them. Now, only my head was free. I could only watch as she lifted her arms, much to the delight of the crowd, who responded with a resounding cheer. I struggled against my bindings but was trapped as she completely enveloped me inside of her web.
The sounds from the outside were muffled and I could hear Fapplejack struggling to breathe behind me. My lungs felt as if they were being squeezed of all air. An unnerving realization washed over me as I wasn’t able to bring in another breath. I closed my eyes to calm myself and preserve enough air until I was freed or figured out a way to escape. I concentrated on my skills, but was unable to focus enough to burst the vines out from my wrists like I was hoping. Instead they came out and rammed up against the web, but could not break through.
Muffled screams and cheers came from outside my cocoon. The vibrations caused by the stomping of feet from those gathered to watch rumbled under me. The web dried and tightened around my body, compressing my internal organs and suffocating me. The muffled sounds of Fapplejack struggling on my back fell silent, and I feared the worst as his body went limp.
I desperately attempted to focus on the spirit which continually darted in front of me. I tried to remember what Master Teng had shown me about opening up the pathways within my core so the spirit could flow through my body. He said I should be able to absorb more spirit that way, although he also said it would put a ton of strain on my core the first few times. I hadn’t successfully been able to do that so far. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I was going to do it at all, but I had to try. I took in one last deep breath and let it out slowly while concentrating on the strands of spirit dancing in my vision.
Here goes nothing. I followed a strand as it darted through my vision and clamped onto it with my mind. It felt what I imagined riding on the back of a feral hog would be like. The strand bounced and fluttered before coming straight for me. I nearly lost my grip on it as my vision shifted from the backs of my eyelids to my entire consciousness, shifting onto the strand as if I were riding an advanced virtual reality ride. I fought the urge to look away as the strand proceeded straight for my forehead. I clamped down tighter with my mind and maintained my hold as it smashed into me and entered my body. The strand twisted and turned, giving me an up close and personal look at the pathway by which spirit apparently travels through the body. It was all very fascinating, but completely surreal at the same time. It sped through my network of pathways and I knew it was seeking my core. Several twists and turns later, everything else had disappeared, and I swore I’d become this single strand of spirit.
An explosion of light hit me, and the strand froze, hanging suspended in place. It was as if time itself stood still as the bright light dimmed and revealed an incredibly powerful orb of energy. It rotated slowly as the strand finally revolved around it. Flashes of voices and memories from my past filled my head.
A woman’s sweet voice that I didn’t immediately recognize rose above the others. “Be brave, stay focused.” The voice faded and others rose. People I’d grown up with, and even the conversation I had with Gwen the day I found her.
I focused on Gwen’s visage and all of her features became clear, as if she was standing right in front of me. She smiled and raised her arms out in front of her chest before dissolving into the core, and spinning strands of spirit were all that remained. It was quiet, but my ears felt like I’d just shot fifty rounds from my 30-30 in succession right next to my head.
I clung to the strand with every ounce of consciousness I had remaining, but it became harder as I struggled for air. The strand slowly picked up speed, making it increasingly difficult to hold on, but right as I was about to release it, it dove toward the energized core. It slammed into the others, sending sparks flying in every direction. I was now in the core, in my core.
I didn’t know how these out of body, or in the body experiences normally went, but it was a wild fucking ride. I peered out from the surface of my core and my focus shifted up from where the strand had just travelled from. A small light appeared in the distance and grew brighter. I couldn’t look away, no matter how hard I tried.
As the light neared, I realized it was another strand. It twisted itself around several others that followed it to my core, where my consciousness now lived. One after another, I watched as they pulsed and spun themselves together, creating a vortex of light. Once the strands finished binding together, they were absorbed into my core. It was like I had a front row seat to the whole cultivation process, and it was insane.
Pressure rose in my head, low at first, but after several seconds it felt as if my head was about to explode, but the strands continued to assail my core. Coiling faster and faster until I couldn’t tell them apart any longer. A dim purple glow began to pulse all around me as the strands flowed in through my pathways. I sensed my core was struggling to accept them. Hundreds turned into thousands, all packing themselves in around my core, sending shock waves throughout my entire body.
My limbs tingled, and I was sure that all of my blood flow was about to shut off completely. My veins quivered as the massive amount of spirit flowed into my body, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My skin felt as if it was crawling with millions of maggots, all trying to eat their way inside of me. I wanted to scratch my itch more than anything, but my arms remained pinned. The itching sensation grew to where I wanted to scream. For the thousands of strands that were trying desperately to enter my core, it felt like there were ten times as many trying to escape my body. The bright yellow, pure spirit, that once filled me was replaced with every type of spirit imaginable, and I got the distinct feeling that most of the spirit inside my core at the moment was not the good kind.
This pain was excruciating. I wished I were dead. It was an otherworldly pain, a pain I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
It intensified and I was sure I was about to pass out, but before I could, I explo
ded.
Chapter Eleven
A bright white light filled my vision, and my consciousness was ripped away from my core. The pain subsided and I could feel my arms and legs once more. Even more relieving was the fact I could breathe again. A ringing filled my ears as I pushed myself up onto my knees. The spider queen laid sprawled out, dead, on the ground in front of me.
I pushed up off the ground and looked around. I still couldn’t hear anything, but my vision cleared more by the second. I blinked a few times and saw the hundreds of gathered spectators scrambling around frantically.
I tried to figure out what was going on when I felt something tug at my arm. I looked over slowly and met Amos’s eyes. He was trying to say something to me. After a couple of seconds, he pulled hard on my arm and dragged me back into the staging room inside the arena. “Come, now!” Those were the only two words I heard as he led me away from the center of the arena.
Once inside, the ringing dulled in my head and my hearing came back to me slowly. “Amos, what in the hell…” I trailed off as we reached the big open room where we’d waited our turns just a little earlier.
Amos pulled up a stool and shoved it behind my legs before pushing me to sit down. He pulled out a potion and forced its contents into my mouth. I went to spit it out, but before I could the liquid was absorbed in my mouth. “What in the world was that shit you just pulled back there?” He pulled out a handkerchief and matted his forehead. He looked like he’d taken the wrong end of a bottle rocket on the fourth of July. Black streaks marked his face and his hair was sticking up in several places. He shook his head. “If people didn’t know you could cultivate before, they sure as hell know now. You’ve put one hell of a target on your back.”
