by R. J. Batla
“That’s doable. High, but doable,” Anton said. “It’s his Quantum we have to worry about.”
“That’s right. He’s a five in Adaption, a ten in Agility, and a six in Rebound.”
“That’s all?” Katy said. “Remember Jay, with Adaption, you’ll have to get him the first time you use any technique, as he will learn and instantly adapt to that type of attack. Power or otherwise.”
Sonora said, “Agility helps with that, too. He’ll be hard to hit. Almost like trying to tie down air.”
Troup said, “And then the Rebound.”
“And then the Rebound...” I said.
“Five minutes, Dragon!” the guard called from the doorway.
Royn shook his head. “Dragon of the East. Honestly, Jay.”
“What?” I said with a grin, which he finally returned. “Anyway, how long after the fight do the shields go down between the fighters and the audience?”
“Immediately,” Troup said, “assuming there are no active powers in the air and no fighters who would pose a risk to security.”
Royn glared at me. “Why?” he asked, his eyes narrowing even more, though I don’t know how.
“You all know about the bet I made,” I said.
Katy snorted, “Yeah, that was a dumb move.”
“Jayton, you’d better not be planning something stupid,” Royn said.
“No promises,” I said simply, but with a grin.
Everyone left shortly afterwards.
As always, Leona was last, and she hugged me harder than last time. The kiss on the cheek lingered longer. I was back in her good graces, but it wasn’t fair to her.
She couldn’t feel for me.
She couldn’t, because if it continued like this for much longer, I wouldn’t be able to hold back.
I didn’t want her hurt if I was killed.
Which I very well might be in the next five minutes.
Or in any other fight, especially against the Uland.
After almost two minutes, the guard leaned his head back in. Only then did she finally whisper good luck and hurried to catch up to the others, looking back down the alley at me as she turned the corner to the stairs.
Chapter 34 – Jayton Baird
ALL RIGHT, JAYTON, get in the game. You’re about to be in a death match here. Your opponent is Pecos Sinton. I thought about my opponent. He was athletic and a good fighter. This isn’t gonna be easy.
The scanner beeped and the door opened, the noise of the crowd hitting me with an almost physical force. I waved and smiled, then saw Pecos on the other side, with the metal collar around his neck.
All right. No playing around here.
“On the north side, standing six foot even and weighing in at one hundred and ninety pounds, the Dragon of the East...Jayton Baird!” The announcer stretched the name out like always, giving the crowd time to cheer. Drawing my sword with a flourish, I gave a deep bow and got into a ready position, pulling my goggles over my eyes.
“And his opponent, also standing at six feet even, and also weighing in at one hundred and ninety pounds, from our neighbors to the west...brought to you by the honorable Lord Escobares... Pecos Sinton!”
Pecos simply saluted and dropped into a ready stance to match mine as the crowd roared. Was he mocking me? And wait – was he mocking me or was he mocking me?
Ugh. I shook my head to clear it. Focus. Must focus.
“Fighters, ready?”
We both nodded, not losing eye contact. I pulled in power. This fight wasn’t going to be easy and I needed every advantage I could get.
And this time, I was actually trying not to kill my opponent.
I was still on the fence about the wisdom of that decision.
“Fight!”
With a burst of speed, I zigged left then right, avoiding a column of flame that appeared in the space I’d just vacated, then again where I’d pivoted. I stopped and another column roared directly front of me, right where I would have been if I’d kept my pattern the same.
Adaption. Damn, this was ridiculous.
“Knee Knockers!” I said with a low-sweeping kick, sending a dozen flat rocks at knee-to-ankle level rocketing toward Pecos.
He dodged them all easily, but I was on the move, following the last one in.
“Earth Shield!” I said, as dirt particles flew up and solidified into a round shield hovering above my arm guard as I slammed into Pecos, pinning him against the wall. “Pecos, you listen up,” I said, sending more earth to hold his legs and arms as he squirmed with my entire bodyweight pressing him into the wall, not allowing him to breathe. “You need to give up. When I put you down, you stay down, got it?” If I could end this now, or talk him into giving up, it would make it a lot less risky for me.
“Who says you can put me down?” His blue eyes blazed, his curly hair whipping in all directions as air whirled around us. Uh oh. “Boom Blast!”
Energy exploded right in front of my shield, sending me flying end over end away from Pecos. I managed to roll it out and come up on my feet in time to block his sword coming down at me. Immediately, I had to block another strike from the left, then parry a thrust as Pecos pressed his advantage.
His attacks came quick. I had to parry and dodge fast. Another thrust, a backhand swipe I ducked under, and I stepped back. Extending his left hand, he sent an energy blast at me, but I deflected it off my energized sword. It was incredible – each strike was perfect, timed and placed exactly. I had to be perfect as well, and I had to work hard at it.
I flashed the Ignis to maintain my defensive position. The crowd didn’t see it, but they still went wild with the dynamic display of swordsmanship. I was trying to not be the aggressor, to not tip my hand, and that made it all the harder. Damn his Quantum Agility and Adaption.
We traded blows back and forth with swords, neither gaining a true advantage. I pushed him back, then he would Adapt and push me back. Two minutes of intense swordplay went by in a flash before I decided I wasn’t going to beat him that way. Time for some ingenuity.
“Wet and Sandy!” I said, pulling water from the arena’s streams with a swipe of my hands. Water gushed, fully hydrating the dirt around us. At the same time, I’d changed the composition of the ground into sand, worsening his footing and making it harder for him to move. I kept a covering of earth energy around my boots, allowing me solid footing.
It slowed him down. But not as much as I had hoped.
“Air Whip, Water Blast, Air Whip!” I said, each word accentuated by an arm motion. The last whip of solidified air managed to loop around his right foot. I jerked and he went down hard. Sheathing my sword, I dove on the kid, rolling him over and getting him into a chokehold while using my Strength to pin both his arms before he recovered, his sword skittering away.
Any slower and I would have been skewered. I was showing too much of my powers, I knew, but it couldn’t be helped – he was too good, and I couldn’t afford to make a mistake.
“Pecos,” I said, “make it look good. I’ll choke you out. You can be free.”
“Liar!” he gasped and threw his head back, slamming into my nose. Then he literally bounced off me, breaking my hold. He was out of reach, gasping for breath while slogging through the muddy sand toward his lost sword.
Rebound. But that was just a taste. Speaking of taste, there was blood coming from my nose. Odds were it was broken, so I took half a second to heal it with purple energy so the pain and blood wouldn’t distract me.
“Fireball. Water Jet,” I said, sending each his way, and each came right back at me, so I was the one dodging. There was the Rebound again. Remember that old saying from when you were little? “I’m rubber, you’re glue...”
Well, he was rubber. When activated, my attacks came right back at me. I flung energy balls as fast as I could, and they all bounced off in random directions before exploding, their sheer volume keeping him from directing them towards me.
“Incinerate!” I heard him say.
&
nbsp; Oh hell, that ain’t good.
BOOM! BOOM! Bombs exploded all around me. He must have been planting them this whole time; energy laced with fire. Huge plumes of white flames erupted from various places around the arena, the ground shaking with the force of so many blasts in a confined space. Each one was as powerful as a stick of dynamite even though it didn’t hurt him at all with the Rebound. It was so hot and there was so much noise that the ground dried and solidified where I’d liquefied it. He would have equal footing with me once again. In addition to the flame, smoke and debris were tossed in the air, creating a cloud so thick, I couldn’t see through it.
When the dust cleared, I wasn’t there.
Hehe.
Good ol’ Earth Drill. Too bad I had to use this so early; it was a dang good evasion technique against non-earth Senturians. I had covered up the hole, so there was no trace of where I’d went, while through my hands and feet, I felt his vibrations above me and knew exactly where he was. It must have looked odd. I heard the audience muttering through the earth as Pecos picked up his sword walked around, unaware of just how close I was to him.
Perfectly hidden, I waited until he was directly above me, then I shot upward, propelled by a column of rock. “Earth Uppercut!” Cheesy, I know, but I don’t name the techniques. I caught him right on the chin, and he flew back against the wall.
But he bounced more than he should have, the damn Rebound taking effect again. He rolled back smoothly to his feet, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, which turned slightly red.
“Nice trick. It won’t work again,” Pecos said, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Smoke still hung in the air, burning my lungs, the smell of charred...everything...stinging my nose.
“I know, kid, I know.” He looked so much like an Elf, it was uncanny. After watching his fat lip heal itself, I came to the conclusion that he was part Elf somewhere down the line. “You ready to give up yet?”
“You don’t understand,” he said, spinning and throwing energy blasts each time his hand or sword came my way. I flicked them away easily. That is, if you called having to use all your concentration to not die, easy. “I can’t give up. I can’t surrender. I’m a slave, you idiot. Why can’t you get that through your head?” Pecos spat, squaring up to me and sending a three-foot-wide column of flame hurtling toward me. Oh man, he was getting emotional.
“I can get you out of that,” I said, transitioning two stone columns to ice. Oh piss, I wasn’t supposed to show that power yet. Too late now. Thin discs of sharpened ice detached themselves from the top of the columns and arced their way towards Pecos. And they kept coming. They would never make contact, but they would keep him busy as I crept closer, sending the occasional energy blast at him, further making him concentrate on defense.
He was damn good, swinging that sword so fast it was a blur, blocking ice discs or energy blasts with both it and an energy shield. My next move had to be perfect or it wouldn’t work. I’d have to use the Ignis at just the right time, for just long enough to see the gap...
Pecos smashed an ice disc and shot an energy bolt at me, which I had to dodge or be killed. He leapt at me, sword extended, ready to impale me, and that was good enough for my plan. I concentrated on the spot between my eyes and the Ignis Oculus responded, turning on, the world going white.
I had two seconds.
Since my Ignis was audio, I had to talk to it. “How do I get past the Rebound?” I asked at the speed of thought. Time slowed down. At least it seemed like it did. I had to spin to dodge a thrust coming at me and then dodge again as Pecos turned the strike into a sweep to take off my head.
“Temple strike, right side,” the voice said as I turned the Ignis off. Except I was on the left side. Time sped back up and his sword shaved hairs off my head as I ducked and swung the hilt of my sword as his temple...
And missed. Damnit.
He jumped back, fully aware of what just happened, and how close he’d come to losing. “How d'you do that? You can’t beat me. I won’t let you! If I win, I can buy my freedom.”
With a battle cry, he rushed at me, throwing a flurry of strikes my direction. But they weren’t as accurate as before. “Do you really believe that?” I said, dodging an overhead chop and sliding under a shield strike. “You think Lord Escobares would give you up that easily? You’re his money maker. His bread and butter.”
“Stop it!” Pecos yelled, face red, eyes locked in concentration, breath coming in rapid bursts. “You lie! He can’t do that. If I win, he must let me go, he promised...” I saw the fist, but couldn’t dodge it before it slammed into my face, breaking my nose for the second time. Pain burst across my face, my vision blurry for a second. But I didn’t move back. Didn’t retreat. I had him where I wanted him.
Three quick sword slices and I managed to get slightly behind him in his frenzied state. Not paying full attention. Not using his powers to his advantage.
Ducking under another strike, I leapt in the air over a leg sweep of his sword. With a spinning tornado kick to his temple, Pecos Sinton flew through the air and collapsed in a heap, not moving.
Breathing, but clearly knocked out.
The buzzer echoed through the arena and the crowd roared. Pecos’s ankle bracelets popped off, but the collar around his neck remained in place. Flashing the Ignis, I asked it for the power I was looking for. Pulling energy into my throat, I said, “Project!” With my voice magnified throughout the stadium, I said, “Lord Escobares!”
The sudden loud sound hushed the crowd, and all eyes turned to me. I waited, finding the lord in his deck suite, trying desperately to contain his fury. “Ah, there you are, my lord,” I said with a flourished bow. “You gave your word, and we placed a legally binding wager. Throw me the key to his collar. Pecos Sinton belongs to me.”
Not a peep was heard from the crowd.
“This isn’t over Dragon!” Lord Escobares roared, as a golden key flew from the stands and landed in the dirt in front of me.
I picked it up, undid the latch on Pecos’s collar, and it popped off with a hiss. Throwing his limp form over my shoulder, I addressed the crowd. “Since Pecos Sinton now belongs to me, with everyone as my witness, he is set free from the bonds of slavery and is a free man, able to choose his own path. As soon as he wakes, I will tell him this. Thanks, everyone!”
Giving the crowd a final wave, I headed for my room, catching a glimpse of my updated scoreboard as I went. Fire, water, and air powers had increased to level nine, while earth, energy and fighting skills to level ten. My Quantum of Strength was now at a level eleven, and Transition had appeared at a level seven. Earlier than I wanted to reveal that, but oh well.
As I walked, a few members of the crowd started chanting, “Dragon! Dragon!” It picked up volume and momentum; by the time I exited the arena, the sound was deafening.
Looks like I’d made an impression.
Chapter 35 – Aurora Helotus
“THANK YOU FOR MEETING me, Aurora,” Ames said with a smile and a bow as the Reka queen shimmered into view. “I assume the deliveries are going well? And our secret is still safe?”
“They are, Councilman. All the shipments have reached their destinations.”
“Excellent. I knew you would come through. We only have one more shipment. It will be the most important. It will contain an Awakening Stone, just in case the worst happens. We may need it later on.”
Aurora looked worried but nodded. “If you think it’s best, Councilman.”
“Very good. I might be wrong, but I feel like you’ve been a little more amenable lately?” he asked.
She hadn’t actually thought about it, but now that he mentioned it, several feelings ran through her head, clenching her stomach muscles and tears threatening her eyes. “Losing my parents so suddenly, all the responsibilities of being queen, the pressure to take care of my people... I don’t know, I feel like I’ve had to swallow a lot of pride and become a little humbler. Is that a bad thing?”
Ames s
hook his head. “Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, I think it suits you. Now, on to the real reason I brought you here. I have two requests.”
“Yes, sir?”
Ames drew a breath. “This one may sound odd and a bit self-serving, but I assure you it’s not. Since we are in the middle of a war, and I’m on the front lines, I need an emergency evacuation plan. If things go awry for any reason, I need to be able to get out and continue to lead the East Side if at all possible. If I have a way to signal you, and a way I can show you where to Shimmer to, would you respond, that instant, no matter what you are doing?”
Aurora considered the request. She believed in Ames and thought his genius mind was the best defense the East Side had against whatever Malstrak had planned. With that said, it meant he was one of the most valuable people in Terraunum. “Yes, sir, I will. How will you contact me and how will I know where to Shimmer?”
He smiled. “Hold out your left arm.” She obliged, and he tied a small string with a blue bead strung through it onto her wrist. He held up his own and showed its duplicate. “This is a modified form of the telestone. It will allow me to send an image from my eyes once, directly to you and only to you. When activated, the stone will heat up and you’ll get the image in your mind of where to Shimmer to, which will be whatever I’m seeing at that exact moment. Does that make sense?”
She nodded.
“Very good,” Ames said. “Now, on to the second thing I brought you here for. Have you heard that I’ve been making trips to see the leaders of the various races?”
“No, sir, I haven’t.
“Most excellent. That means I’m still flying at least a little under the radar.”
“And what are you doing at these visits, sir?”
Ames smiled. “The same as I’ve been doing with you – preparation. I’ve already talked with you about holding back some of the army and preparing for a potential siege, remember?”
“Of course, Councilman. Those arrangements have already been made.”
“Excellent. So I’ve been doing the same thing with the other Races, and all have agreed to various levels of support. The Elves are already fighting for their lives in the Trinity River Canyon, but they’re also making arrangements in their capital city of Elmendorf. The Dwarves are busy prepping tunnels and earthen areas across the East Side of Terraunum. The Aeren, Phoenix, and Manu have agreed to support as well, and are busy making preparations. Add to that the various leaders in the Rangers, Senturian Corps, and Army that are also in the know and have their orders. That just leaves...”