“Hey!” Briggs yelled again. “Get a grip, kid. You’re in the big leagues now.”
“It just sucks they wouldn’t let us practice with the retina battle assist beforehand,” Jackson said, his eyes focusing on the different bits of information being displayed.
“You’ll get used to it fast enough,” Briggs said. “It’s a mainstay in the Silver and Gold leagues, so you’d better.”
“Okay…” Jackson said. He let out a grunt as he tripped on a root because he’d been staring at the display in the corner of his eyesight.
“Try not to die before you reach another tamer,” Kay’s voice came from the speaker.
“Glad to have you on my side to tell me the obvious.”
“Always.”
Shaking his head, Jackson forced himself to pay attention to the real world and not get sucked in by the digital overlay. “So now what?”
“Make for the peak,” Briggs said, confirming Jackson’s early idea. “Let’s scope out the area and see where the healing and exchange points are. And leave your Djinn in their rings. Tamers will be better able to spot you if you have your Djinn out.”
Jackson found a nearby stream and followed it toward the base of the mountain. If logic prevailed, it would lead him to where he needed to go. Jackson talked to Briggs as he went, briefly wondered how crazy he must look, hiking through a forest, muttering to himself.
“But what about Asena’s hearing and smell? Don’t you think that would be an asset?”
“We’re not playing like that,” Briggs replied. “You’re the fourth-highest-ranked tamer in this tournament, people are going to be coming to you for most of the day. What we need to do is find a good defensible position that’s relatively close to a healing station and hold on to it. Preferably one in the Fire Quadrant — Asena will have an advantage there and Scrappy will be playing even. We aren’t going to use your Aquestria most of the day, anyway, if we can help it. Too unpredictable.”
Jackson huffed out a short okay in response. The hike got steep quickly, with some spots almost having him on his hands and knees. He had to save his breath for hiking. It was an uncomfortable reminder of their time back on Lombardia Archipelago, and Jackson couldn’t help but laugh at himself. He thought he was done with the whole bushwhacking through the wilderness deal for at least a couple of weeks.
As Jackson continued to climb, the trees thinned out until he found himself on the edge of a large boulderfield. It stretched about fifty more yards up the mountain side and was flanked on both sides by sheer cliffs. As he caught his breath, Jackson forced himself to scan around so Briggs could get a good look.
“Well, damn,” Briggs said. “Looks like we hit a dead end — I wish I could see the overhead map of the playing field to save you hiking around for nothing. They’ve literally got us locked in a dark room with only a screen of your retina feed and basic stat displays on your Djinn. What a bunch of overblown, hyped-up —”
The sharp crack of a stick cut through Briggs’s rant. Jackson whirled around and found not one, but two tamers staring up at him from the edge of the trees. They both looked vaguely familiar, but it took a moment for Jackson to remember their names. It was Monty Carol and Teresa Connelly, the two Fiona had called Salvage Tamers back at the Bronze League awards dinner.
For a moment, Jackson wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t expected to be locked in a two-on-one fight for his first match. But there they were, eyeing him down like a fresh piece of Bovan meat. Jackson planted his legs, ready to fight they instant they challenged him.
“Oh, hey there, Tyle,” Teresa Connelly said. She stopped on the edge of the boulderfield and look over at Monty Carol.
“Teresa, is it?” Jackson said. “And Monty, right?”
Monty laughed. “See, Teresa, I told you he was a nice guy.”
“It doesn’t matter if he’s nice,” Teresa said.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Jackson raised both of his fists as if he was about to enter a boxing ring. “Are we going to fight or not? I can’t do anything until you officially challenge me.”
Connelly snarled and flung her hand forward. Apparently she wasn’t in the mood for professional courtesy. “Anton, go!”
A bright, pulsing red light shot forward and a short, heavyset, furred Djinn with a long snout materialized on the rocks between Jackson and Teressa Connelly.
OPPONENT STATS
Djinn: Scalant
Level: 23
Element: Earth
HP (Hit Points): 325/325
EP (Elemental Power): 195/195
Attack: 135
Defense: 105
Speed: 120
Seconds later, Monty Carol brought forth his own Djinn, a small Water-Elemental the size of a basketball with a hard shell. This one Jackson knew, all the way back from his first ever competition.
OPPONENT STATS
Djinn: Shellar
Level: 24
Element: Water
HP (Hit Points): 285/285
EP (Elemental Power): 122/122
Attack: 105
Defense: 145
Speed: 120
Great, the two Elements weak against each of mine, Jackson thought. With Asena’s Fire-Elemental Move Set, he could take down the Earth-Elemental, and with Scrappy’s Wind-Elemental Move Set, he could take down the Water-Elemental. Lucky start! And from what he could tell, neither were particularly exceptional.
Jackson punched the air with both of his fists, summoning Asena and Scrappy. As each materialized, he couldn’t help but grin — now that was a badass Djinn team!
Jackson’s wrist vibrated, and he got the official challenge notification:
Teresa Connelly and Monty Carol challenge Jackson Hunt!
Selected Battle Type: Simultaneous 2v2 Match
Jackson barely had a chance to finish reading the challenge before the enemy Djinn attacked. The Scalant scuttled over the boulders faster than he expected (perhaps it was its short legs that were deceiving), the ground rumbled in its wake. Rather than crawling, the Shellar withdrew into its shell and spun toward Asena like a frisbee.
Crap! Jackson scrambled to gather his thoughts. Asena, Scrappy, target the Shellar!
Given that Asena’s dual type of Fire and Earth somewhat negated the Elemental disadvantage of the Shellar (though if attacked with a Water attack, Asena would certainly feel the weakness) and Scrappy’s Wind Elemental had an advantage against Water, the Shellar was the obvious choice to take out first.
Asena, Earth Hunt! Scrappy, Mocking Wind!
Scrappy pulled up from his speeding flight toward the Shellar and pumped his powerful wings. A strong, purple-tinted gust of wind blasted forward, knocking the Shellar off course and into the Scalant. Asena howled and raised up on her hind paws before coming down hard on her front two feet. A pack of earthen Lobolf rose out of the ground, charging toward the enemy…and missed wide to the right.
What the…?
Asena turned around at Jackson and whined. She never missed. What was going on?
But Jackson didn’t have time to think about that. The Shellar and Scalant had recovered and were charging again. A blast of water shot forth from the Shellar and grazed Asena as she dodged aside. At the same time, the Scalant dug furiously into the ground between two boulders and disappeared. Before Scrappy could fly out of range, a boulder as large as a car shot up in the air and clipped him as well. The Scoundrook spun down and hit the ground hard.
Jackson bit back a frustrated yell. He was better than this. His Djinn were better than this.
Okay, guys, time to shake it up! Both Asena and Scrappy were better trained and more powerful than their opponents. There was no reason he needed to target one at time!
Asena, hit the Scalant with your Fire Howl! Scrappy, Feather Needle and another Mocking Wind!
Asena threw back her head and howled. The sound sent chills down Jackson’s spine — twice as loud and as haunting as it had been when she was a Lyote.
Thi
s time the attack didn’t miss. Fire curled around Asena’s fangs and blasted the Scalant full force. Hundreds of feathers shot from Scrappy’s wings like miniature arrows in flight and struck the Shellar. About half ricocheted off of its shell, but several managed to stick the soft, exposed flesh within.
The battle stats in the corner of Jackson’s eye flashed. Now that he was engaged in battle, Jackson could also see basic bars showing the HP of his opponents as well as the remaining HP and EP of his own Djinn. Asena and Scrappy were both down a third of their total HP and about half of their EP. The Battle Royale would be a real marathon — especially if he couldn’t find a healing station.
The exchange went back and forth as the two pairs of Djinn traded Elemental blows and physical attacks. Connelly and Carol weren’t bad tamers and, had they actually worked together, they might have stood a chance at beating Jackson. As it was, the attacks from their Djinn weren’t in sync, allowing Jackson to gain the upper hand. First, the Shellar fell, taking serious damage from Scrappy’s Wind attacks. Asena, though she was still struggling to get used to her new body and connection with Jackson, soon felled the Scalant as well, her Fire-Elemental abilities proving to be too much of an advantage.
Two down, two more, Jackson thought.
Though, to his surprise, as soon as both enemy Djinn were recalled to their rings, a pair a miniature hovercraft appeared over both Connelly and Carol. Jackson’s retina display flashed text over the two tamers:
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE DEFEATED MONTY CAROL AND TERESA CONNELLY.
“You have been eliminated,” the pair of hovercraft said to the legacy tamers in a metallic, female computerized voice. “Please remain in place while you are lifted from the field of play.”
“What?” Connelly shouted, no doubt getting a similar notification. “I’ve still got one Djinn left! I’m not out!”
“Me too!” Carol insisted. “I’ve got another Djinn — why am I being removed?”
Jackson looked between the pair and back at the hovercraft drones.
“Tournament rules state that any tamers who engage in battle as a pair against a single tamer shall be eliminated if a single Djinn in their team is knocked out during the fight,” a speaker from the drone blared. “You would know if you’d reviewed the rule book beforehand.”
A pit sank in Jackson’s stomach. The rules had worked in his favor in this instance, but what if he’d missed something that wouldn’t in the future? Jackson shook his head. He couldn’t think about that now. He had to focus on the task at hand.
“No!” Carol screamed as the drone approached. “No! No! It’s not fair! He told me we could beat him!”
“Monty, shut up!” Connelly scolded her partner.
“I ain’t shutting up,” Carol said. “He said we could beat him. That his Lobolf’s Bond would still be weak!”
“I said shut up!” Connelly repeated.
The two tamers’s exchange caught Jackson completely off guard, and by the time he thought to actually ask them what they were talking about, they’d already been carried away by the drones.
“Did you hear that, Briggs?” Jackson said.
“Hear what?” Briggs said. “As soon as a challenge is made, they cut off my communication to you.”
“Something’s going on,” Jackson said. “Briggs…do you think it’s possible Vega paid off some of these tamers to take me out?”
“That’s crazy,” Briggs said. “Vega should still be in holding, awaiting a sentencing. How could he —”
“The two tamers were arguing,” Jackson said, cutting Briggs off. They didn’t have a lot of time. “Monty Carol said something about how someone said they should be able to beat me, and that the bond with Asena would still be weak. Any idea who else that can be?”
“Jackson, you need to clear your head and focus,” Briggs said. “I know you saw some stuff on the island, but there’s no way Vega is in any position to threaten you — at least not so soon after he was taken into custody.”
“There’s something I didn’t tell you,” Jackson whispered. “Before we lifted off, I think I saw him on the rooftop. It had to be him — hair and suit and all. Even what looked like a cast on his right hand where Kay shot him.”
“Kay shot a guy?” Briggs said.
“Damn right I did,” Kay’s voice cut in.
“I thought it was an accident.”
“I’m embracing it.”
“I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“Kids, focus,” Briggs said.
“Okay, either way,” Jackson said, “there are too many things going on for it all to be a coincidence.”
There was a long, silent break before Briggs spoke again. “Okay, I’ll admit that’s definitely strange. But it was just one attack and you handled it fine. Don’t let it get to you — if that’s the best he can do, then we’re fine.”
“We aren’t fine,” Kay said. “Jackson, Scrappy is down to almost a third health and Asena is just about half. Both of them are low on EP, too. You need to get to a healing and exchange point right away. Have you seen any sign of one yet?”
Jackson started to tell them he hadn’t seen anything when a thought popped into his head. “Wait — yes! There was a station back where we started when the attendants first pointed out how the stations looked. I may be a bit turned around, but I’m pretty sure I can find it again.”
“Is it far?”
“I don’t…think so?”
“Good,” Briggs said. “Just focus on getting there — it’s too early in the game to be using your tonics and elixir. Get healed and we’ll go from there.”
Jackson nodded, and recalled both Asena and Scrappy into his rings after an encouraging word and pet for each of them. He swiped his holo-watch over to the map, which now showed more details around the area he’d already walked, almost as if he was revealing it as he went. Looks like they were showing a fog of war approach with the map.
The island wasn’t nearly as big as he’d been imagining — just over a half mile in diameter with a few hundreds yards to make up the widest point of each quadrant. That meant the healing station couldn’t be that far away.
Little dots buzzed across the map indicating the other tamers, though he couldn’t tell which were which. By now, their original number was down from twenty to fourteen — six tamers, including Carol and Teressa had already been eliminated. A quick scan of the roster showed who was left, but not where. Fiona, Akamu and Danai were all still in the game.
But that raised another question: how had the two Salvage Tamers know where to find Jackson? Neither had started in his quadrant but had seemingly sorted him out from all the other dots almost at once.
He was about to tell Briggs as much when two more dots caught his eye.
They were traveling side-by-side and heading straight for him.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
It turned into a footrace. Jackson couldn’t help but see the irony in the fact that, after all the training he’d done to make his Djinn the best, his entire chances seemed to be relying on the fact that Briggs had made him train just as hard physically as his team.
Unfortunately, after a hundred yards or so, Jackson realized he wasn’t going to make it to the healing station before he was ambushed again. His two pursuers, whoever they were, had the angle and would be upon him before he reached the spot he guessed the healing station was at. Time for a different plan.
“Okay, something is definitely up,” Briggs said. “They shouldn’t be able to track you like that — especially since we can’t see any airborne Djinn in the sky that would be tipping them off about where you are. It’s time to hole up and play defense — head for the Fire Quadrant.”
The island’s Elemental Quadrants were set up like the standard Elemental Mechanics circle that showed the various strengths and weaknesses of each Element.
Jackson was in the Earth Quadrant, which meant that he had to go counter clockwise to the northeast to get to the Fire Quadrant.
He paused just long enough to take a drink of water and assess his surroundings.
Most of the Earth area he’d seen so far was nothing but trees and varying amounts of boulders, rock ledges, and open fields — terrain perfect for Djinn who relied on the ground and the plants to draw their strength. A look at the map told Jackson he’d covered about half of the total quadrant — luckily the other two tamers had come from a different area and still had a couple hundred yards before they would reach him. Given the trees, it was impossible to see just how far they were, though.
“You need to get to a healing station, Jackson,” Kay said through the speaker on Jackson’s watch.
“I know, I know,” Jackson replied, gritting his teeth. “They aren’t exactly labeled, and I can’t help it. They cut me off!”
Jackson took off at a steady speed in the direction of the Fire Quadrant. As he jogged to the north, the air seemed to grow warmer with each step he took. Then, at one point, the temperature took a ridiculous spike. He’d made it.
The trees started to wither away, and soon the ground was nothing but scorched rock interspersed with steam vents. One thing remained the same — a variety of tiers and ledges of differing heights that made exploring the Fire Quadrant almost as big of a pain as the Earth. From about seventy yards off, Jackson spotted another tamer — Danai. He felt a bolt of panic until he realized that she was a higher rank than him. Nevertheless, they drew close enough together to exchange a few words.
“Ready for a fight?” Danai asked, grinning. Jackson found it hard to believe she could remain so lighthearted and relaxed in the midst of a literal oven, but that was Danai’s style. Had been all season.
Jackson shook his head, thankful for the ladder tournament setup. “I’ve got to heal. You wouldn’t by chance know where the station is around here would you? There’s two tamers on my tail and I already fought two back in my starting quadrant.”
Danai frowned. “Two? I’ve only had one battle the entire forty-five minutes we’ve been in here so far — I haven’t hardly even seen anyone. Other than my battle against Chad Katoru, I’ve felt like a freaking idiot wandering around. How is this supposed to determine the best tamer after we spent all season in traditional tournaments again?”
Djinn Tamer - The Complete Bronze League Trilogy Page 81