by Kelly A Nix
“I especially liked the part where you disarmed her for like the hundredth time,” Marqee says between chuckles. “And she got so mad that she broke your arm, trying to get it back.”
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have held it over her head like that.” Sloan shrugs.
“You think?” Atae says. “I’m pretty sure taunting your student is the least effective way to teach.”
“Atae, you literally bit off a chunk of his ear,” Jeqi says. “I don’t think you can blame that on Sloan’s teaching method.”
All four of them burst into laughter, and even Beast finds it amusing. The warning siren blares to life, and straggling competitors sprint for their assigned bases.
“Here we go again.” Atae sighs as her camera zips by her face. Jeqi pats her friend on the back with an encouraging smile.
“We can do this. We are Kaji.”
Atae glances at her with a contemplative expression. She opens her mouth to speak but decides against it and just nods. She peers out over the arena in time to see Skiska and Frack’s giant holographic heads assemble. Frack throws his arms into the air and announces in a boisterous voice.
“It’s time for round three of the Sula Academy Tournament. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by our competitors in round two.”
“As was I,” Skiska says. “They were all rather ruthless toward the end.”
“And I expect nothing less from this round, folks. So get ready to see some blood.”
“Yes, round three is going to prove far more difficult, I think. It seems each pack has an assigned base on the perimeter of the arena.”
With Skiska’s words, the domes encircling each base flares green before returning to their translucent hue.
“Yep, and each group must gather as many flags as possible from the energy platform in the center of the arena,” Frack says. The white disc hovering over the massive mound of dirt glows bright red for a moment.
“Once a competitor has a flag in their possession,” Skiska says, but Frack interrupts.
“And don’t try to snag more than one at a time. That’s considered cheating, and you’ll get a nasty surprise if you do it.”
“Good point, Frack. It’s important to grab one flag at a time, but feel free to steal from competitors. You won’t earn any points this round for incapacitating a competitor, but you can earn a hundred points for each flag you steal from a competing base.”
“But you have to get it back to your base,” Frack says. “There are two goals for this round. Gather as many flags to your base as possible, and survive the longest.”
“That’s right. You see, as soon as you get your first flag back to your camp, you have to defend it. And not just from other competitors.”
“Nope,” Frack says. “It’s the hordes that you have to worry about. Once your base is established with your first flag, you have to keep the horde from entering your base. If your base is overrun, then your pack is done.”
“Hordes of what?” Marqee asks.
“Nothing good,” Jeqi, Atae, and Sloan chant together.
“The twenty packs that last the longest will advance to the next round. For each small member of the horde killed, packs will earn five points plus fifty points for the big ones. Once your pack is overrun, your dome will reactivate. You can retreat to safety until the round ends, or you can continue earning points by fighting the hordes,” Skiska says.
“At that point, you can’t steal any more flags, but other packs can steal your flags. So you better not leave them unprotected,” Frack says.
“Well, I think that’s everything you need to know about this round.”
“That’s right. Let the bloodshed begin!”
As the two giant heads disappear, a sheet of rain falls from the energy dome above, soaking everything within moments. The rain beats against the energy field above their base, and Atae glances at Jeqi. The blonde has always enjoyed the sounds of rainstorms, but with her tail wrapped around her waist, she doesn’t look happy about this new obstacle. The base domes remain active while a small jungle takes shape below. Branches and leaves sprout from the ground and cover the valley. Roots crawl up the hillside and latch on to rocks and boulders. Giant logs hide among fallen leaves and bushes. A fog appears and swirls between the camps and the platform, creating an ominous feel. As if the arena is replicating a murky day in the wilds, the rain slows to a drizzle, and the lights dim into a lazy haze.
“It’s a jungle made of energy constructs,” Jeqi says. “Neat.”
Atae agrees with her packmate, but Beast snuffs her nose at the imitation. The blue hybrid smirks at her counterpart and swivels to face her makeshift pack.
“We don’t have long. What’s the plan?” Atae asks.
Everyone stares at Jeqi, and she huffs.
“Get a flag. Meet back here. We’ll reassess after that.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sloan says.
Everyone faces the arena and waits for the dome to drop. Ready to run at her side, Jeqi slips in next to Atae. Atae grimaces at another wave of anxiety from Beast then makes a decision.
“I need you to stay away from me, Jeqi.”
“What?” Jeqi steps back in surprise.
“I need to do this alone. I need to prove that I can do it alone.”
“Of course you can do it alone, but you don’t have to. That’s why we’re pack.”
“I know. But this…I need to do it alone. To prove that I am strong enough,” Atae says. She emphasizes the word ‘prove’ so that Jeqi will understand to whom she is proving her strength. The camera buzzes close to her ear as a reminder of the thin line she walks with Solum looking over her shoulder.
“Okay.” Jeqi shrugs with a frown. “I understand. I know you’ll do well. With or without me.”
Beast’s anxiety surges into a flood of golden panic that crashes throughout Atae’s mind, and her heart rate picks up from the adrenaline rush. She smiles at her packmate, hiding the storm within. Then the energy fields dissipate, and everyone rushes into the jungle. When the dome drops, Atae gasps at the icy cold rain that pelts against her skin. Sucking in a freezing breath, she steps off the base onto the energy ramp and falls flat on her face. The slick rain makes traction on the smooth energy field nearly impossible. Sloan and Marqee skim past her with a loud cackle from the darker heir. Atae catches a glimpse of Jeqi disappearing into the thick fog and wonders if going it alone was the best choice.
Atae ignores the snickers from her inner counterpart and scrambles back to the solid ground of her base. Once she gathers herself again, Atae runs toward the ramp and leaps. When she lands, her feet slip down the slope, and Atae adjusts to stay upright during the ride. When she hits the slick mud below, her momentum and the steep grade of the hill combine to pull her further than she expects. With a smile, she surfs down the knoll until a rock crosses her path, and she tumbles.
Atae pulls her arms in close and rolls into a ball, but the force of her fall is painful. She scrapes across gravel that digs into her exposed skin. A low-hanging branch whacks her in the face, and her eyes tear up. A root the size of her head reaches up and slams into her knee halfway down the hill. Atae cries out in pain until she rolls to a stop against a large, hollow tree trunk at the bottom of the small valley.
Get up, Beast says. She barrels through Atae’s mind with a searing, orange flash, but the hybrid gasps for breath as she stares up into the domed sky. She swats at the camera buzzing in her face, and the dribbling rain pats against the thick mud that’s caking against her arms and legs. Deeply embarrassed, Atae wonders what it must be like for her father to watch her clumsy fall, and she envisions him shaking his head in shame. Several younglings run past her, but the large bush growing out of the hollow log hides her prone body well. A sudden, white spark lights off the dim sky, and Atae furrows her brow.
What is that?
When screams explode from the direction of the platform, Atae jumps to her feet. The fog and dim lighting prevent A
tae from seeing further than a few steps, but she can hear the panicked screams and other younglings scampering past. She pulls her hilt from its holster and activates it. The light from the small energy blade glints across her mud-covered face, and she grimaces as a large cut on her cheek scabs over.
Ignoring her throbbing knee, Atae marches through the jungle in the rain and mud. She pushes forward until the tail blade of a battle beast swings out of the fog and straight for her head. Atae drops to the ground and rolls to the side under a large bush, expecting the purebred to be on her heels. Instead, she can hear it growling and snapping inside the mist. Beast warns her to run, but Atae waits for the Kajian to step forward. She listens to it crash into the plant life all around and rustle among the leaves and mud. When an alien screech pierces the night, Atae realizes that the battle beast is fighting something else, something big.
She decides to maneuver around the fight without interrupting. Unable to see through the fog, Atae uses the sounds of the scrap to keep her distance. When she’s far enough from the noise of snapping and tearing, Atae breathes easy and continues toward the center of the arena. At least, she thinks it’s the center. It’s tough to determine direction through the thick fog and rain. Atae follows a trampled path through the leaves, pressing deeper into the jungle. It isn’t long before she notices a red light maneuvering through the mist.
Atae can hear the light rustling through the hidden bushes before it disappears into the fog. Another one appears a moment later from a different direction, and Atae ducks low to the ground to let it pass her unnoticed. Beast’s low-humming anxiety isn’t much help in deciphering whether or not the red lights are threats, so Atae opts to slip past them undetected whenever possible. She avoids three more red lights before bumping into a massive wall of mud. Atae glances up to find a red light hovering above her, but still hidden by the fog. She jumps out of the way, and a hybrid with green hair lands in a crouch with a red, glowing rod strapped to her back.
A flag.
The green hybrid darts away and disappears into the fog. Beast grumbles from within a churning brown and gold swarm of particles as Atae spins back to the massive mound of mud. She grabs the nearest branch sticking out from the slick slope and pulls herself up to reach the next foothold. She scrambles up the slippery wall, digging her fingers into the gravel and clay until she reaches the top.
Heaving herself over the edge and onto the white energy platform, Atae rolls to her feet and scans the area for an immediate threat. No one else is on the platform, and the mist stops below the lip of the disk. Atae wipes rain and mud from her face and peers out over the low-lying fog. She spots Jeqi climbing the ramp to their base, and Marqee bursts from the jungle to follow in her footsteps. Beast catches sight of several unconscious Kaji scattered along the platform, and she warns Atae to be cautious.
Another competitor climbs onto the platform and spots Atae. The purebred snarls at her before darting toward a row of white rods protruding from the center of the platform. The flags line a large black circle, and the competitor tugs one rod free. Upon his touch, it glows red, and he uses the attached strap to swing it around to his back. Atae steps forward to grab a flag, and the purebred decides to snag a second. When the second activated rod touches the first, an explosion erupts from the two flags. The blast throws the unconscious and badly marred Kajian over the edge of the platform.
No cheating.
Both Atae and Beast snicker as the blue hybrid swings a flag over her shoulder. Before she has a chance to leap off the platform into the fog, another white spark explodes in the sky. She glances up as the pretty sparks dance through the air then fall into the night. Again, she wonders what it means. Then the black circle at the center of the platform slides open, and the most massive clamox beast Atae has ever seen crawls out.
The massive, fur-covered arachnid towers over Atae with its eight hairy legs and slimy jaws. The creature ducks its boney head to point its long, sharp horn at Atae and charges. The hybrid springs to the side, hoping to outmaneuver the gigantic beast, but its long legs make it far more agile than she anticipates. It twirls to face her and spits a spray of webbing that burns at the skin across her face. She screams and rips it away as Beast blasts her psyche with commands to run from the clamox.
You are too weak to stop it. Let me kill it, or run and cower.
No. I am Kaji. Atae darts toward the giant arachnid with her hilt drawn.
When the creature spits another spray of acidic webbing, Atae dodges to the right and jumps toward an unsuspecting limb. She slices through the appendage as close to the abdomen as she can reach. The clamox screeches as green blood spews from the severed leg. It whips the stump around, coating the platform in the sticky fluid. Another leg slips in the slime, and the creature stumbles, slamming its abdomen into the ground. Atae uses the opening to leap onto the clamox beast’s back and drive her blade deep into its lean body. It screams and flails as Atae runs her small sword through the length of the creature.
As she pulls her hilt free of the carcass, Atae steps down into the green pool of blood as it mixes with the light rainfall. She grimaces at the foul smell and swats as her camera buzzes her ear, but she inwardly gloats to her counterpart. Beast ignores Atae’s claims to victory and watches the dead creature from within a purple and brown swirl.
Beast flashes orange in warning, and Atae spins back to the dead clamox to find dozens of smaller versions of the creature erupting from the egg sack hidden within its fur. The smaller clamox are the size of Atae’s head and much faster. They scuttle toward her and latch onto her legs before she has time to move. Kicking and screaming at them, Atae shuffles backward and over the edge of the platform with her camera zipping after her.
Chapter 36
Atae lands hard among the leaves and mud of the jungle floor, and fog swirls around to meet her. Stunned from the impact, she tries to suck air into her lungs, but they refuse to respond. She rolls over to find two clamox smashed under her body and a third crawling across her stomach. She scrapes it off her body, and it tumbles away. As the small creature climbs to its eight long legs, Atae scrambles for her hilt. She finds it lying to her left and snatches it, activating the blade. The clamox launches into the air toward her face only to be met with Atae’s energy blade. She spears the arachnid into the mud.
Expecting the remaining horde to follow, Beast growls at Atae to move. When her lungs recover, Atae jumps to her feet and sprints into the fog with her red flag glowing against her back. Atae catches sight of a red light peeking through the mist straight ahead, and she unsheathes her blade, hoping to dispatch the competitor and move along. Breaking through the fog, Atae leaps at the unsuspecting purebred and finds a long energy sword waiting to deflect her attack. Sloan pushes Atae’s blade aside with a flick of his wrist and tugs the hilt out of her hand.
“How many times have I told you not to attack at that angle? It sets you up for an easy disarm,” he says.
“Sloan? What happened to you?”
A grotesque mixture of green slime and mud drips from the dark heir’s face and neck to cover his chest. The drizzle, too light to wash the filth away, makes the sticky mess worse. Sloan flashes a crooked smile, and Atae grimaces at the green between his teeth.
“Did you bite one of them?”
“You’re one to talk about biting. Speaking of which, here’s this back,” Sloan says. Atae takes the hilt from his offered hand and smiles in realization.
“You were the battle beast that fought the first clamox. You almost took my head off with a wild tail strike,” she says.
“Yeah, that thing was mean. But the little ones? They are creeping me out. Don’t let them bite you.”
“I don’t plan on it.” Beast huffs at her inability to stop the small arachnids so far, and Atae hangs her head. She grimaces at the memory of her hastened retreat that ended in a graceless fall.
Maybe, you’re right. Maybe, you could do better.
Finally, you see the truth. L
et me free to destroy our enemies, Beast says.
The horde breaks through the fog in a wave of angry hisses. Atae jumps back onto a fallen log and swipes at the arachnids with her hilt. The energy blade cuts through them like butter, and they shrivel up into balls as she hacks away at them. But they keep coming, no matter how many she kills. The living creatures climb over their dead comrades until a pile of corpses lay at Atae’s feet. She notices Sloan having similar problems at her side.
When Atae steps back from a particularly aggressive clamox that jumps straight at her face, she stumbles off the log and lands in a thick pool of mud. Staying focused, Atae manages to slice the attacking creature in half mid-flight, but she struggles to keep the remaining horde off her fallen body. One arachnid pierces her leg with its venomous jaws, and she cries out in pain before raking her energy blade through its prone body. Sloan pulls her from under the horde by her uniform and drags her to her feet.
“Come on.”
He points at a nearby tree the size of a house. She tries to run after him, but a searing pain lances up her injured leg, and she stumbles. Catching herself on a nearby branch, Atae hobbles after Sloan as she swings her blade at the pursuing horde. The thick fog conceals everything but a few steps ahead, so Atae yelps in surprise when she stumbles on to two younglings lost in the mist. Sloan and Atae dart past their competitors, who jump in surprise.
“Hey,” a purebred named Quin calls out, but he changes his tune when the horde converges on them. Atae hopes that her classmates will distract the arachnids long enough for her and Sloan to escape up the tree. Just as Sloan and Atae reach the base of the massive tree, the ground gives way under their feet, and they plummet down a steep bank of mud. Their fall is short, but the muck, gravel, and leaves that they dragged down blocks their path out.