by R. J. Batla
Leona nodded and they disappeared with a bang and a flash of blue light. They appeared right behind the hystrix, which were a lot uglier, meaner, and higher in number than Leona had thought from the canyon floor. Several turned their way, and Royn immediately engaged, blasting some with air slices and stabbing others with his sword.
Leona grabbed her weapon and concentrated. The small staff turned liquid for a second, then changed into a bow with energy for a string. She pulled it back and a yellow-energy arrow appeared. Timing it right, Leona used her Guide power to target the unsprang traps, and let fly. Every time she brought her fingers together, a new string and arrow formed, allowing her to fire arrows as fast as she could open and close her fingers.
She was deadly accurate and hit each trap perfectly. The first three were fire bombs, releasing an inferno of heat and flames. The next four dislodged large boulders, which crashed through the enraged hystrix. A hidden nest of auto-loading, auto-targeting ballista sprang to life, impaling a dozen more. Three ice rams slammed into the creatures, sending several off the edge, plunging to their death below.
Suddenly a hystrix appeared behind her, hissing and snarling. She managed to turn and fire four arrows into the charging beast, adding a fifth as it leapt at her. Thinking fast, she shifted her bow into a spear with a large guard just below the long blade. The hystrix’s momentum carried it into the point, and it died with a sickening squelch. Leona leaned her weapon to the side to shake off the dead creature.
Royn appeared beside her, this side clear of hystrix. “All right, now the other side.”
Another flash of blue and they were there.
This side had fewer traps, but a larger variety of creatures. A pair of ogres and a dozen orcs in addition to the hystrix. Leona triggered the traps in quick succession, and in no time they cleared this ledge as well.
Another blue flash, and the pair was back down below with General Falenlief.
“General, have the Dwarves and earth Senturians collapse the ledge ahead of the walls!” Hundreds more creatures had started to scale the cliffs where the hystrix had made a path. If they managed to flank the defenders... “Do it now!” Leona screamed.
The general gave the order and brown power burst from the valley floor. On either side, a section of cliff about three hundred yards long detached from the wall with a resounding crack and slid downhill.
The climbing creatures gave a startled scream as they were caught in the rockslide, dying by the hundreds. On the valley floor, the rocks tumbled into the enemy, crashing and squashing any in its path in a spray of blood and stone.
After a few minutes, all was quiet, as the army of creatures was now three hundred yards further up the canyon. From the wall to Malstrak’s army was a mass of broken bodies and stone.
“That should work!” General Falenlief said with a laugh. “Thanks, you two. I don’t know...”
The look on Royn’s face was concerning, his hand in his ear. “Understood, Royn out.” He turned to Leona and said, “The fourth and fifth rings have fallen at the Wall. They’re down to the last three.”
Bad news. Leona didn’t know how to react. Would the Wall be able to hold out even if Jayton won the tournament?
The general said, “Let’s hope they can keep Malstrak at bay.”
Royn turned and nodded, a look of determination on his face. “They’ll have to. You have some time, General. Use it well. Come on, Leona, time to go.” He grabbed her hand and the two disappeared to head back to the Bowl.
Chapter 50 – The Admiral
THE ADMIRAL WAS ECSTATIC: his army was moving at amazing speed, eating up ground, leaving havoc in their wake. The two alphas, always in his shadow, grinned as they ran easily beside his horse.
“Admiral, we’re almost to the Divide Tunnel,” one of the Alphas said. “What are your orders for the army when we arrive?”
The Admiral didn’t hesitate. The Divide Tunnel connected the northern and southern halves of the East Side and was one of the few ways to get through the Divide Mountains. “We get everyone inside. Once there, we bring down the southern entrance and cross through, tearing up tracks, communication lines, and power lines as we go. Once we’re through, we wreck the north entrance. That’ll cut off the north from the south, and these Easterners will be stuck in their own little areas. It’ll be that much harder for them to help each other.”
The alpha grinned, his fangs gleaming. “As you wish.”
The command was rallied, and a chorus of howls and grunts echoed around them. It took no time for the army to reach and then enter the tunnel. A troll peeled itself from the main group and began hammering on the supports and the stones of the archway. After a dozen swings from the immensely strong creature, the arch collapsed, sending stone, timber and metal crashing down just as the last of the army passed by, actually crushing the last ogre.
Running in the dark for a couple of miles, a light shone ahead. The entire army descended on the small guard shack that sat alone within the tunnel itself, quickly dismembering and then consuming the half dozen guards inside.
“Destroy the cables! All the connections must be severed! No communication must get through!” the admiral yelled, the creatures following his command. This was the hub, the main connection from the north to the south – everything from power to communications ran through here. Some telestones were powerful enough to transmit over the air, but most still had to be connected through wires. Including the train that transported goods between the north and the south. Either side would be cut off. The only way for them to work together would be long horseback treks over the Divide Mountains range. The southern cities would be on their own.
Soon the northern cities would follow.
Such foolish design, running everything through one hub. The Easterners of old had opted for ease instead of safety. That just made the admiral’s job that much easier.
A couple of hours and two more destroyed guard stations later, and the army emerged from the northern exit. The two alphas themselves brought down the arch with their bare hands, much faster than the troll did it.
Whoooo whooo!
“Admiral, a train is coming,” an ogre said, running up to him.
“No kidding, dumbass,” the admiral said, slapping the ogre on the shoulder and knocking him down. “Next time I need the obvious stated, I’ll ask you.” Then, louder, he said, “Fan out and take cover. Once it crashes or stops, attack and kill all aboard. There can be no witnesses.”
Chapter 51 – Jayton Baird
THE NEXT DAY, MUCH like other days, we strategized for the next round. Round nine. I sighed; I wished this was over. Leona was next to me, Royn and Troup across the table. Corbman sat on my other side.
Once you were defeated, you had to vacate your room – the rules didn’t say you couldn’t stay in the room of another fighter. I tried to protest, but I might as well have been talking to myself.
He’d decided to move his crew into my room, stating that since he was out of the fight, he would be a part of Team “Don’t let Jay get killed.”
I thought the name needed a little work.
Our heads turned at a knock at the door.
“Anyone expecting anyone?” Royn asked.
“Nope,” Celeste said, drawing a dagger. “And where are those guards?”
Hands fell to weapons or gathered energy as Hank moved towards the door. Behind his back he counted down from three, then flung the door wide, jumping out of the way himself.
There stood Pecos Sinton, looking a bit lost, the spear points of two guards at his sides.
“He said he knew you, Dragon, so we let him knock,” one of the guards said.
“It’s fine, guys, thank you,” I said as the guards raised their spears and stepped to either side of the door.
“If you need anything, just call, Dragon,” one said as he snapped back to attention.
“Check him, Leona,” Royn said.
She rose and walked over to him, looking him over a
nd patting his clothing in a few places. “He’s clean,” she said, walking back over to sit next to me, “And my Guide Power isn’t giving me any bad signals.”
“Come on in, Pecos,” Hank said. “What can we do for you?” He closed the door.
Pecos shuffled his feet. “I’d like to speak to Mr. Baird, sir. Alone.”
“Jayton,” I said. “Follow me. We’ll go in one of the rooms in the back.” We stepped into the first vacant room we could find, an office by the looks of it, and sat down. “So how’s free life treating you?”
“Great,” he said, “except I don’t know what the hell to do.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, well, when you’re a slave, you never get a choice. You do what you’re told or what you know you’re supposed to be doing, or you suffer the consequences. Doesn’t take long to figure it out.”
“Okay, so what’s up? Why’d you come find me?”
“Because I have a question that’s been eating at me,” Pecos said, rubbing his hands together. I watched him build up his nerve before he blurted, “Why’d you free me?”
“What? I thought I’d told you already.”
“Yeah, but why did you free me, not kill me?” he asked. “You could have, very easily, just gone on with the fight and won.” He pointed at me. “But instead, you made a bet before the fight, fought me without the intention of ever killing me, embarrassed a lord, created an enemy, and potentially increased both scrutiny and threats against you.” He looked me right in the eyes. “And I want to know why.”
I took a deep breath. “Because people are worth saving.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You knew nothing of me, nothing of my background! Not how many people I’ve killed, how many lives I’ve ruined, how much pain I’ve seen, felt, given –”
“It doesn’t matter, Pecos. Everyone deserves a chance to be their own person, make their own decisions. Humans were made with a free will, the freedom to choose. Love or hate, good or evil, salvation or condemnation. It’s always a choice. To deny that to another person is just...wrong. And like I said before, I had the ability to do something about your situation, so I took the opportunity.”
He rubbed his hands together. “But that doesn’t explain why you did it for me. What’s so special about me?”
“Other than the fact you’re a great fighter?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, other than that.”
“Like I told you before – your heart. You could have become a monster like the Uland, a killing machine, but you’ve fought it. Resisted the temptation. Did what you had to do to survive, but that didn’t mean you liked it. You talk a tough game, but I saw you sneak food to some of the other slaves. You were nice and polite to the officials who brought you food and worked with you for the tournament, as long as they weren’t Escobares’ men. You helped out that group of kids who were lost and were about to walk into an ambush.”
“You’ve been watching me?”
I nodded. “Plus, again, with you, I could actually do something.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I could make the bet and win. I can’t free all the slaves in one go right now – I don’t have the resources or the ability.” I pointed at him. “But I could free you. And you’d be surprised what one decision, one act of compassion, one example of a person reaching out to another person and showing mercy and grace will do. Simply, grace. Undeserved, yet freely given.”
He put his head in his hands and sat there a long time before taking a deep breath and rising to his feet. “So what would you have me do, sir? I owe you my life, so I’ll leave it up to you to...”
“You owe me nothing of the sort. The only thing you owe me is helping other people if you get the chance. Pay it forward. Don’t be a dick.”
“Still, I’d like your...opinion, then, on what I should do.”
I thought for a minute. “Do you know of the war going on between the East and the West?”
“Who doesn’t?”
“You know I’m from the East Side, right?”
“Of course, but...wait, no. I didn’t know that! So what are you doing here?”
“Trying to right wrongs and prevent more people from dying.” I’d taken a gamble on telling him where I was from, but there was a method to my madness here. “So what do you think of me being an Easterner?”
He thought a minute. “I guess it doesn’t really matter to me. You seem like a good person. Plus, you freed me; you can’t be all bad.”
I nodded. “Good enough. Can you keep that fact a secret? A lot of people would pay good money to know that.”
“Good money? You mean I could just tell the right person you were from the East and get a boatload of cash?” he said, giving me an odd look.
Uh oh.
“Well, yeah, you could. But I’m putting some trust in you here by telling you that. I think you would be a good asset to the East Side and help us prevent even more loss of life.”
He searched his hands, then looked at me. “What makes you think you’re on the right side of the war?”
I started to answer then stopped. The kid had a point – from a western perspective, we could be the bad guys here. But I shook my head. “Other than I know myself, I know what the East stands for. For truth and justice and preventing the loss of life. We’re fighting off an invading force of creatures intent on killing people, both soldiers and innocent, should they get through us.”
“Does that make you right?”
“No, not really. But I think we’re on the right side of this one, and Malstrak and his army are the ones actually tearing people and families apart.”
He shook his head and rubbed his chin. “Okay, I’ll keep your secret safe. So, I’ll ask again, what would be a good course of action?”
“I think you should make your way to the Wall, find Ames Talco, tell him who you are and your story, and he’ll put you in the best place to help the Easterners succeed.”
“And fight through Malstrak’s army to get to them? You think that wise?”
“Ha! No, I don’t, but I’ve seen you fight, remember? I think it would be easy for you to slip through undetected and make it to the East Side.”
“All right, Jayton,” he said extending his hand. “That’s what I’ll do. Thank you for saving me. Now I’m going to go and save others.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “Not before you get some food and provisions, you’re not!”
We walked back into the living room.
Royn was standing in the hallway, hands on his hips. “Jayton, do you know the meaning of the word ‘secret’? Because I swear you tell everyone you meet where we’re from and what we’re doing here!”
Chapter 52 – Jayton Baird
LATER THAT NIGHT THE entire squad gathered in my room to fully recharge my energy storage bracelet. We’d taken to doing that as much as possible, as a precaution, to keep it full in case it was needed. Everyone gave a great deal of energy except Euless, who was last, and only needed to top it off, and we all went to bed.
So I was done with the hard part, right? I’d beaten the number two fighter in the tournament! Now all I had to do was fight the fourth ranked competitor. Piece of cake.
Well, then there was the ol’ number one...
We got the now familiar “Ten Minutes, Dragon” warning. Again, everyone left the room with lots of “good luck”s and “you can do this” and yadda yadda yadda. Then Leona was left alone with me.
I pulled her into a huge hug. “Leona, I –”
She pulled me tighter. “Me too, Jayton. Don’t...don’t...”
“Die?” I finished for her. “I don’t plan on it.”
We kissed but soon had to let go.
Back through the scanner and into the arena. The crowd was louder for me than it ever had been.
Okay, Jay, okay. You can do this. One more time. One more time. One more time.
“And in this corner, weighing in at a variable poundage, the slippery serpent,
the man they call Snake Eyes, Tasak Joaquin!”
He gave an elaborate wave and blew kisses all around. He had goggles on that made his eyes look like slits, but otherwise about my size, maybe a little bigger, all in black, with the cut of his duster giving him the look of a cobra. Adding to the look of “danger.”
His goggles were much cooler than mine. The bastard.
Either way, I pulled mine down, getting ready. I took a couple of deep breaths and finished loosening up.
“Fighters ready?”
I nodded and dropped into a fighting stance, drawing my sword.
Snake Eyes held up his hand and said, “Actually, not quite. Dragon, may I have a word before we commence the battle?”
Confused, I looked around. Nothing seemed out of place, so I shrugged. “What the hell...why not?”
I sheathed my sword and we both walked to the middle of the arena,
As we met, he extended his hand. “My name’s Tasak Joaquin. People call me Snake Eyes.”
I shook it. “I can see why. My name’s Jayton Baird. People call me that. Or Dragon of the East, I guess.”
He laughed. “It’s an honor to fight you. I’ve seen what you do here and have heard what you do elsewhere.” He bowed slightly.
“If you consider it an honor, then I will do the same for you,” I said, and bowed slightly. He took a step backwards. “Was that all?”
Snake Eyes nodded. “That’s all. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you, and I make it my business to live and fight with honor.”
Okay...I started walking back to my spot on the triangle, then said over my shoulder, “Any reason they call you Snake Eyes other than that crazy getup?”
He walked backwards the entire time, hand on his sword. “I guess we’ll see. Swords first, yes?”
Reaching my triangle, I turned around as we each drew our weapons. “Why not?” This was the weirdest fight I’d ever been in.
Double checking, I flashed the Ignis and saw his scorecard: fives in all elemental powers and a thirteen in fighting skills. His Quantums were Agility at six, Absorb at ten, Growth at four, and Gravity at eight. Just like we’d known — apparently he really did live by honor, including being honest when reporting his abilities.