The Whetstone Fist 2

by Brian K Declan

  Last and most important it showed him that Damien was not going to win the tournament. He’d been outplayed and should have lost. The only reason he didn’t was because Alicia let her guard down instead of blasting him until the fight was over. Sure he had a top tier Blessing and considerable skill, but he was reckless. He might not lose in the next round or the round after that but against a methodical and proficient fighter like Val’n Dare or Liam Santi he didn’t stand a chance.

  For the next round of betting Lock decided to make one major change to his strategy. Don’t bet on Damien. Place three bets instead of four. First up was Liam’s fight, then Gwen and two fights later Val’n Dare. The odds for Liam and Gwen were similar to the previous round. 5 to 1 and 6 to 1 odds in their favor. Not the best opportunity to earn but with a full silver talent the payout was good enough.

  After their fights he came away with eight silver shims on top of his silver talent, and next up was Val’n Dare’s fight. It was no surprise that Val’n Dare’s match had the best opportunity to earn with 9 to 1 odds against him. If he won that fight, Lock would be a little more than halfway to earning enough to pay for everything he would need.

  Before placing the bet, Lock checked to see who Val’n’s opponent was and found a name he recognized. Ronald Slick. Lock didn’t recognize Ronnie because he a famous fighter or celebrity or anything. He knew him because Ronnie was a pick-pocket who grew up in the slums down the street from Lock. He was less than a year older than Lock and from the looks of it; he’d moved up from picking pockets and snagged himself a Blessing.

  Lock didn’t know much about Ronnie’s Blessing, but he knew Ronnie. And he knew this was not going to be a fair fight.

  Ronnie entered the arena with the widest grin Lock had ever seen, and it confirmed that he had some trick up his sleeve. Val’n Dare on the other hand was as stoic as ever. He stood motionless in the center of the arena waiting for Ronnie. As he waited, he kept his arms neatly folded across his chest. His spellrod rested gently across the length of his arm. On anyone else it would have seemed like a casual stance. But Lock recognized it as a stance his father fell into when he sensed there might be trouble. It was yet another hint that Val’n Dare was more than your average fighter.

  The arena was forced into silence by the snap of Magister Tempo’s fingers, “Val’n Daré versus Ronald Slick… Begin!”

  Tempo hadn’t even finished speaking before Ronnie jerked to the side and flung an arc of raw mana in Val’n Daré’s general direction. The attack was lightning fast but Val’n wasn’t fooled. He shifted his back leg a half step to the side and twisted his body with casual grace. Val’n stayed in that odd pose until Ronnie’s attack flew past him then he returned to his stood upright again.

  “This isn’t a street fight. A sucker punch will not bring you victory,” said Val’n Dare.

  “You calling me a sucker? That’s fresh coming from the guy who can’t use his Blessing. That is if you even have one,” replied Ronnie as he twirled his wrist.

  Val’n cocked his head to the side, “Where I come from only fools flaunt their ability.”

  “Whatever, keep talking,” said Ronnie then with a sudden flick of his wrist he shot three mana bolts seemingly at random. Then they curved in mid-air and honed in on Val’n from three different angles. It was one hell of an attack, lightning fast and perfectly aimed.

  Val’n backhanded two of the mana blasts as he spun to the side then smacked the last one at Ronnie with a forehand swing of his spellrod. It was a good counter but Ronnie simply raised his spellrod and the mana bolt broke apart into tiny motes of light.

  “An impressive three-pronged homing barrage,” said Val’n as he raised his spellrod in a traditional dueling stance, “For a self-taught street thug.”

  Ronnie took a slow breath and began to circle Val’n, “Don’t worry there’s plenty more where that came from.”

  “Prove it,” said Val’n and for the first time all day, he went on the offensive. The sudden shift in fighting style would have caught most fighters off guard but Ronnie had the borderline paranoid reflexes that came from a life as a pickpocket. As soon as Val’n rushed forward, Ronnie dashed to the side. The quick movements kicked up clouds of dirt and made the intricacies of the fight hard to track. But it was obvious that Val’n was trying to close the gap, while Ronnie kept putting distance between them.

  As the two fighters danced around each other, it became clear that once again Val’n was fighting a battle of attrition. This time instead of wearing down his opponent’s mana he was wearing down Ronnie’s stamina. If he kept it up, Val’n would be in for a rude awakening. Ronnie, like most pickpockets, was no stranger to running from the city guard.

  Val’n surely had an advantage over most of the other competitors with his physical training but that was not going to work this time. Not against someone who’s stamina came from running for his life. He had to change tactics and fast.

  Thankfully he did. Val’n dropped into a sideways roll and slipped below the rising cloud of dust. He was only obscured for a split second but it was all the time he needed. He caught Ronnie cutting the wrong way and closed the gap.

  The two of them exchanged a quick series of glancing blows. For a moment Ronnie held his own but it only took a couple attacks for Val’n put him off balance. When he saw the opening Val’n kicked Ronnie in the hip. Ronnie tumbled onto his side, and should have lost the fight. But Val’n stopped his assault and folded his arms, “Is that all you’ve got.”

  Ronnie shook his head and blinked a few times to recover his senses. As he rose to his feet, he tossed his spellrod from his right hand to his left, “Well, I do have this.”

  With a little flick of his wrist a second spellrod slipped out of Ronnie’s sleeve and into his hand. Val’n Dare’s hands slipped to his belt, but it was pointless. His only weapon was now in the hands of his opponent.

  “Not just a street thug but a thief as well,” said Val’n. His tone was as calm as ever, but his hands twitched with anxiety. Or was it anticipation. Either way the fight was about to end.

  “A win’s a win,” replied Ronnie as he raised both spellrods, “You going to give up? Or are you going to make me beat you with your own weapon?”

  “That spellrod makes no difference. Since you were kind enough to offer surrender. I will give you the same opportunity,” said Val’n as he turned his shoulder toward Ronnie. It was a simple trick to present the smallest target possible and a clear sign that he was about to strike, “Put down my spellrod and walk away. Or…” Val’n raised his hand and formed a fist. As his fingers closed around his palm a gentle purple aura formed around his hand, “be carried out.”

  Val’n barely finished speaking before Ronnie attacked with another barrage of mana bolts. Just like before the mana bolts flew in random directions, swerved in mid-air and homed in on Val’n all at the same time.

  Val’n didn’t move a muscle, but the purple aura around his fist expanded to form a half dome around the top half of his body. When the mana bolts reached the aura they didn’t explode or veer off course. They simply dissipated into nothing. It wasn’t flashy but it was effective.

  The moment the last mana bolt dissipated Val’n lunged forward and jabbed Ronnie in the chest.

  It was a simple quick jab to the chest. The blow looked like was barely enough to knock the wind out of him. But the result was devastating. Ronnie dropped to the ground like a limp puppet and his whole body began shaking. It was as if lightning was arcing through his body. Foam leaked from his mouth and if Val’n hadn’t rolled him onto his side he would have started choking.

  The fight was over.

  “Victory goes to Val’n Dare!” boomed Tempo.

  But still the arena remained silent, shocked. In that stunned silence Val’n picked up his spellrod and walked out with his eyes fixed straight ahead. Not an ounce of pride, or remorse. The guy was stone cold and terrifying.

  Chapter 9:

  Once again Lock wait
ed in line to pick up his earnings. Normally he would have been shaking with excitement but this time his mind raced to come up with his next move. Val’n’s victory was great in that it gave him more money, but he was still only halfway to his goal. Worse Val’n showcased that he not only had a Blessing but he had an extremely rare and powerful one. According to Clare he used void mana to dispel Ronnie’s attack. Which was uncommon because even with a Blessing void mana had a tendency to cause physical damage to the user.

  Perhaps that was why Val’n waited so long to tap into it. Regardless, now everyone knew he could which meant two things. First the odds were no longer against him. Potential to earn from his victories was a fraction of what it was in his previous fights. Second and more important, his next opponent knew what they were up against.

  If he wanted to double his money, Lock had to be very careful about placing his next bet. He collected his winnings and instead of immediately placing another bet he returned to his seat to think. Continue betting or take his money and find another way to earn.

  “What’s got you so serious? You just won,” asked Clare, “Again.”

  “Huh,” said Lock, “Yeah I know. The odds flipped before I could get in my last bet.”

  “If all you want is one more win, bet on Liam. Nobody is going to beat him, not with his Blessing,” said Shela.

  “Or bet on Gwen,” said Clare.

  “Oh come on, you really think Gwen would beat him, and risk losing her position as his retainer,” argued Shela.

  “No way she’d just give up. She’s got too much pride for that,” said Clare.

  Shela replied back with some sort of retort but Lock just tuned them out and went back his own thoughts. What was the best way to get one more good victory. If he went by straight odds, it would be to bet against Liam in the final match. If Val’n was as good as Lock thought that was likely to happen. Then again Liam was said to be really good.

  Best to play it safe and wait to place the bet. He could use that time to watch Liam fight, and see if he really was as amazing as everyone made him out to be. Blessing or not a fighter had to be competent, that’s what made Val’n stand out. He used his abilities sparingly but to devastating effect. Liam might have greater potential as a fighter but if he was not able to tap into that potential he was not going to win.

  Yeah that was a solid plan, sit back, watch and learn.

  The next round had very few surprises; Val’n wore his opponent down with a cold professionalism, Damien Castle got the shit beat out of him but still managed to come out on top and Gwen Rios overpowered her victim of an opponent without breaking a sweat. Liam’s match was the most interesting but not because of Liam. It was his opponent that intrigued Lock. His name was Rubin Fletcher and he possessed a Transference Blessing, which was some sort of cousin to Lock’s Temporal Blessing.

  Like him Rubin was able to teleport instantly to another spot but that was where the similarities ended. Rubin was able to cover the full distance of the stadium in a single teleport. More important he did not appear to suffer from Temporal Displacement but there was a downside. He had what Lucas had called an activation cooldown. He could only teleport once every thirty seconds. It didn’t seem like much but that was a major limitation and it was how Liam beat him.

  Rubin knew his limitation, so he saved his teleport until he was in trouble. Then he used it to escape and counter attack. Liam was caught off guard the first time, but his reaction time was enough to avoid defeat. The next time Rubin escaped by the slimmest margin. The third time Liam laid a trap and Rubin teleported right into it.

  That match was great, it revealed a lot about Liam. He was smart, adapted to his opponent and used his abilities in a variety of unexpected ways. He didn’t really understand what Liam’s Transcendent Blessing did. But Liam somehow used it to shield himself, cloak himself, and most impressive he trapped Rubin in some sort of paralysis.

  His Blessing was so versatile that it was no small wonder why the Transcendent Blessing was seen as the greatest of them all. The one thing it seemed to lack was speed. To create his barrier, it took between five to ten seconds. Lock didn’t keep track of how long the rest of his spells took, but none of them were fast. At the end of the day Lock had one question left to answer. Could Val’n beat Liam before he created his barrier?

  As much as he learned about Liam and his Blessing Lock also gleaned another nugget of valuable information from Rubin. He wore glasses. Not just any glasses though. Before he teleported the glasses would turn jet black. They must have been specially designed to block out his senses so he could avoid Temporal Displacement. It was a tool that Lock would need to acquire in addition to his school supplies.

  After Liam’s match there was a short interlude, so Lock decided to stretch his legs and check the odds for the final three matches. With only three matches left the stadium was packed to the brim and he felt the urge to teleport just to escape the crowd. But teleport where, there was no open spot to teleport to. If he wanted to go anywhere he was forced to use his size to muscle his way between people. Clare and Shela were happy to follow in his wake.

  When they broke off to relieve themselves Lock went to the betting booth. What he found was not good news. The order of the matches had been changed. Val’n was supposed to be paired with Damien, and Gwen vs Liam. Instead the pairs were Val’n vs Gwen and Liam vs Damien.

  If Val’n had to fight both Gwen and Liam back to back, it would be tough. Almost unfair. Then again if Lock bet on Liam to win it all, it was a good thing to have Gwen wear Val’n down before the final match.

  “Fuck it,” said Lock as he slapped his money down in front of the betting booth, “Liam Santi to take it all against Val’n Dare.”

  Chapter 10:

  Waiting the fifteen minutes for the match between Gwen and Val’n felt like an eternity and Lock wished he had kept a few shims to buy some food. Munching on something could always ease his nerves, which seemed to be getting worse and worse as the day went on. Still hunger was no stranger and in some ways it was a comfort that reminded him what was at stake if he failed to fund his education.

  As he waited it hit him that fifteen minutes was all it took for Val’n and Gwen to regen their mana, hp and stamina. The only thing Lock could fully regen in that time was his stamina and none of the fighters really used stamina much at all. He wondered if even Ronnie who was probably the youngest and lowest level among the contestants was able to regen in that short of a time. With that thought Lock made a mental note to catch up with Ronnie after the tournament.

  The usual echoing ‘snap’ from Magister Tempo forced the stadium into silence and brought all attention to the center of the arena. Val’n Dare walked out with his smooth gait and tighten a loop of leather around his wrist to secure his spellrod. He’d learned from the last fight, and was not about to lose his weapon again.

  Yet another trait that showcased him as a true professional.

  “Val’n Dare!” boomed Tempo, “versus Gwendolyn Rios.”

  As Tempo spoke her name Gwen stood up from the Santi’s private box, pointed her spellrod a few feet from Val’n and created a blinding orb of light. Lock shielded his eyes for a moment and by the time he could see again Gwen was standing in the center of the arena a few feet from Val’n.

  Gwen twirled her spellrod as she tucked her arm behind her back and dipped into a slight bow, “Prince of the Blight.”

  Val’n mimicked her gesture almost exactly, except he bowed only his head, “Disciple of the Light.”

  “I can’t let you progress any further,” said Gwen in a rather sad tone, “submit and make this easy on all of us.”

  Val’n released a tired breath, “You know I cannot, but take heed. Your lord is in no danger.”

  Gwen raised her spellrod, “No he is not,” then she struck. In typical Gwen fashion she attacked with a display of power that few could match. Her spellrod spewed mana bolt after mana bolt in a near constant stream.

  And Val’n
swatted them all away with cool efficiency. If he had been up against anyone else his ability to conserve his mana almost entirely would have won him the match. Against Gwen it was little more than an annoyance.

  “You’re pretty light on your feet,” said Gwen as she tightened the grip on her spellrod, “but this isn’t a dance.”

  Her spellrod pulsed three times with pure white light then she fired off a salvo of blindingly bright orbs. While her attack homed in on him, Val’n planted his feet and shifted into a low guard. The first orb he knocked straight up with a strong upward swing. The second he smashed into the ground as he bounced backwards then he sprang forward and batted the third orb straight back at Gwen with a spinning backhanded slash.

  Clearly, Gwen was hoping to overpower him, but she was prepared for a counter attack. She swirled her spellrod in a smooth circle above her head. The three mana orbs she fired broke into thousands of tiny motes of light and hung in the air for a moment then in a blinding streak they flew back to her spellrod. In all of her fights that was the most skillful display of mana manipulation she or anyone had shown, and the crowd went crazy. Lock didn’t know if it was her display of skill, the fact that she was already a fan favorite or the pretty lights, but it was clear the crowd wanted Gwen to win.

  And after her last move even Lock could see why Clare had talked her up so much. She was throwing around enough power to level the entire stadium and when her attack failed, she recollected a large portion of her mana. Val’n’s tactic of letting his opponent wear themselves down was not going to work. He’d have to beat her head on, and he’d have to do it fast.

  As soon as the light from Gwen’s spellrod faded, Val’n sprang forward and rushed her. Either she was caught off guard or she had some attack already prepared because she made no move to fight him in the slightest. All she did is stand up straight, clutch her spellrod to the center of her chest, and speak a single word, “Axios,” in a low but beautifully resonant tone.