by Atlas Kane
Taking in the crowd anew, Cade noticed dozens of garments spread throughout the ranks. No wonder they’re happy she won. She is single-handedly clothing the entire population.
Not missing a beat, Ketzal strode toward the next stage in the competition. “If you’ll all follow me, I’ll explain the second trial in the Casmeer Games.”
Everyone did so willingly, Tessra somehow finding herself walking beside the towering Dan.
They were an odd couple by all physical standards. Her fur was bushy and caramel brown in the sunlight. Her long and bushy tail twitched behind her as she padded along. Dan stood over two feet taller, his entire chest, shoulders, and head looming above the squirrel woman. His body was angular and harsh where hers was soft and yielding. Even his fur was a study in opposites. It jutted out from his elbows and joints, the wiry hair shining like polished threads of steel making hers look all the softer as it whirled around in an endless sequence of cowlicks.
A short distance way, perhaps a third of the way across to the opposite wall, Ketzal stopped before the massive stones.
Gesturing with a flourished hand, Ketzal explained. “This competition is easy, and will favor brute strength above all else. The task is simple. Hoist each stone into the cupped surface of its accompanying log. Just in case we have more than one winner, this event will be timed. Who wants to go first?”
Ronden and Dan both raised their hands enthusiastically.
Ketzal chose Dan, and after a few curses, Ronden backed away.
Dan prepared himself for the bout by hunching over, curling his spine and then shaking himself. Am I the only one that just sees a huge dog walking on two feet? Cade wondered, but kept his observation to himself.
“Begin!” Ketzal shouted, and the wolf man darted forward.
With infinite ease, he plucked the first stone from the turf, a stone the size of a basketball, and plopped it into the log that stood above.
Moving along the line, Dan lifted each of the stones easily, but slowed as he went along. The second-to-last stone was bigger than a microwave, and as the lycan growled, struggling to tilt the stone over his knobby knees, a few of the villagers involuntarily took a step back. He was a terrifying sight, and quite determined.
After thirty seconds of struggle, he finally began to rise with the great stone and dropped it into the cup-shaped log.
The final stone refused to do more than wobble as he attacked it from all angles. After a minute of this, he finally stood and sighed. Looking to his huge friend Ronden, Dan nodded. “I cannot lift it.”
Ronden took his place eagerly, and again, Ketzal called out, “Begin!”
The giant man made the first three stones look like foam props. He stood somewhere around six foot ten, if Cade’s guess was right, but his broad body and limbs were twice as thick as Dan’s. The term barrel chested was misguided. Ronden had a broad chest with muscles that were more disturbing than handsome to look upon. The only part of him that was barrel-shaped was his gut.
Rippling with twitching rows of muscle, Ronden’s cut bulged outward like a powerlifter’s. His neck was hidden in a forest of trapezius muscles, and his waist was non-existent. Yeah, this is definitely his event, Cade observed, thinking of the Strong Man competitions he’d watched on television as a child.
The fourth stone did manage to slow Ronden down, but only just.
Methodically, he ratcheted the stone up and over his knees. Then he rested a second before rocking back once more and standing. He set the stone down and moved to the last.
Giving his big wolf friend a wink, Ronden gripped the edge of the huge rock.
By the looks of it, just over three feet in diameter, the stone must have weighed hundreds of pounds. It would have been a mystery how it had been moved there but for the boar tracks nearby. Bellows had done his part in preparing for the Casmeer Games as well. He’d need to be rewarded with some extra rations.
Thinking of the great battle boar, Cade wondered where the brute had gone off to that morning. He’d finally stopped growing and was a sight to see. The horns on his head embellished his impressive size, but even at the shoulder, he stood perhaps fourteen feet off the ground. Each leg was as thick as a palm tree, his hooves as wide and dense as the middle stone in the game. Moving the rock that Ronden was currently struggling with would have been like rolling a ball across the ground with his snout.
Ronden produced those ear-splitting air noises that lifters use to push their bodies to the limit. In a few short bursts, he’d managed to lift the stone to rest on his knees.
They trembled with the effort of it, and he nearly dropped the stone. After another few moments, Ronden’s eyes went wild, and his arms bulged. The faint glow of ether around his frame gave away the skill he’d used. Roaring like a crazed savage, Ronden lifted the boulder up, crushing it against the lip of the log. Finally, he heaved a final time and it teetered over the edge, falling into the cup.
It was so heavy that the log shifted a few inches, but thankfully, it didn’t spill over.
“Complete! You finished this obstacle in one minute and thirty-eight seconds!” Ketzal shouted, and the crowd shouted their approval.
Cade was expecting the big man to out-scream them all, to make some display of brazen self-adulation. Instead, he turned toward Dan and the other competitors, placed his massive hands over his thighs, and bowed formally. What the shit? Now Ronden’s modest? Maybe he’s finally sobered up from this morning.
The others that followed were obviously less impressive. Tessra failed to lift even the first stone, and smiled shyly before backing away. Only Vrin could lift more than the first stone, but stopped dead in his tracks on the fourth. He was a strong man, but his lean body was built for long hours of combat not short bursts of strength.
Minda had waited to go last, and before she began, she walked up to Ronden. Touching the big man on the arm, she smiled and gestured. When he leaned down, the beastkin woman whispered something in his ear. Ronden’s cheeks went red and a scowl formed on his face. He remained silent though.
To her credit, Minda picked up the first stone. Her body was tiny, weighing an ounce or two above a hundred pounds. But her thigh muscles knotted, and she adopted the same tactic the bigger men had. She lifted the boulder to her legs, hugged it once more to her chest, and rocked back as she lifted it up and set it in its place.
She even growled a little as she did so, her sharp teeth flashing. Cade was both amused—I mean who in the world could be so cute—and a little turned on.
Turning to the next boulder, Minda sighed. Thinking she’d given up, Ketzal raised her hand. But a fierce look from Minda cut the demoness off. Minda walked over to where she’d set down her soul weapon. With a shake, she extended it into its full staff length, the end shining with stored power.
Then she spun on the remaining stones. Casting some spell Cade had never seen before, Minda’s outstretched hand and staff burst with green light.
The ground shook slightly, and then a massive pair of white roots burst from the soil. They coiled around the second stone like pale fingers, lifting it in the air and depositing it into the cup.
The third and fourth stones went just as quickly, and when the roots wrapped around the fifth stone and began to lift it as well, the only sound that rose above the slight trembling of Minda’s spell was an odd groan of defeat spilling from Ronden’s lips.
When the fifth stone was in place, Minda broke the spell and the roots retreated. The ground was torn, and every Casmeerian stood in mute shock. But the villagers exploded with applause a moment after.
Minda bowed several times, her lithe frame taut with excitement.
Ronden still stared at the huge boulder that had so easily been set in place. Only when Dan approached from behind him and patted his big friend on the shoulder did he snap out of his reverie.
“The final game is a spear throw,” Ketzal shouted, trying to quiet the ruckus Minda had caused. “The contestants each get three spears and must ma
ke their throws from fifty paces. The distance has been measured and marked already. Who volunteers to go first?”
Vrin stepped forward, a confident grin on his face. “If it’s spears we’re playing with, I would love to go first.” The guard’s severe features were lit up with a handsome smile. The others parted for him and he took one of the spears.
Weighing it in his skilled hands a moment, Vrin’s casual expression evaporated. Suddenly, he was the dauntless warrior once more.
Taking his shift in mood as a cue, the crowd parted, moving to either side of the range.
A hush fell and the wind played across the knee-high grass. Vrin took several steps back from the line, a furrow dug, no doubt, by the lovely Bellows. He breathed deep, the spear held gently in his right hand. Then he darted forward, and in one smooth motion, he launched the spear through the air.
It sailed gracefully.
Only a slight wobble disturbed its passing, and it struck the target hard.
The tip of the spear sunk into the packed straw, shuddering a moment as it hit the planks of wood behind. Satemi had made a few of the targets a while ago, a way to help the villagers practice and improve their skills.
Vrin’s first attempt struck a foot off center, and by all standards, was a splendid throw.
Twice more, he drew back and let his spears fly. The second landed a few inches wider than the first, but hit with just as much force. The third managed to hit the edge of the bull’s eye. The center of the target was painted with red clay taken from the bank of the stream and mixed with berry juice. It was a foot in diameter. If Vrin had thrown the spear at a man, all three of his attempts would have killed or maimed him.
Villagers clapped and Vrin nodded tersely.
He put on a good show of it, but Cade could see the man was disappointed.
Dan shrugged and pushed to the front of the line. “I’m no good with a spear. Let’s get this over with,” the lycan said.
Sure enough, two of Dan’s throws missed the target entirely. The third hit though, and to everyone’s astonishment, it landed just an inch from a bull’s eye. The wolf man blinked a few times and then laughed, just as dumbfounded as the rest of them.
One by one, the others took their turns. Tessra tried a single throw but lacked the strength to use the weapon properly. When her spear landed halfway between her and the target, she gave up. Minda got hers closer, but though her core and legs were incredibly strong, she was too dainty to be effective. Her third toss sunk the spear into the wooden base of the target. Taking this as a victory, Minda performed another dance and stepped out of the way for Ronden.
The giant held his spear like it was a piece of kindling. After trying to grow more comfortable with the light weapon, he shrugged and chucked the spear.
The crowd gasped as the weapon flew straight, surprising even Ronden. But it was thrown with such force that it sunk into the embankment above and behind the target.
Ronden was good enough to laugh at his own mishap. The next two weren’t much better, and he stepped back after missing three times in a row, clapping as Satemi strode forward to finish the competition.
She didn’t stretch or crack her neck. She didn’t sigh or noticeably focus like Vrin had. Satemi took the first spear, took a single step back, then launched forward.
The spear streaked through the air like a lightning bolt, thwacking into the target. It shuddered in place, three inches from the bull’s eye.
Satemi picked up the second and repeated the process. Cade marveled at how her body moved. She was grace and economy, every gesture and motion both necessary and carved back to minimum effort. The woman looked as if the motion took no strength at all, yet the crash of steel piercing straw and wood told otherwise.
This second attempt struck dead center. Refusing to celebrate or even grin, Satemi took the last spear and let it fly.
The shaft didn’t wobble; the point flew towards its target in a blur. It landed between the first two.
After a moment of silence, the crowd began to cheer, and Satemi turned to face Dan and Ronden. Cutting through the raucous applause, she called out in a voice of steel and stone, “If either of you thinks to fight one another again, for any reason, I’ll cut you both down. Understood?”
Only when both of the big men had nodded solemnly and given their word, did the woman crack a smile. “Good!” she cried, her face melting into a lopsided grin. “Then I think I’ll be ready for my first request then. Which one of you boys wants to go first?”
10
Before and After the Morning Blowie
Satemi had a hard streak, but she wasn’t cruel. She’d extracted her “favor” from Dan and Ronden right then and there. The warrior queen had demanded that the two apologize for making such a fuss earlier that day, agree to help collect the necessary ingredients for the brewers to replace the veritable vat of mead they’d consumed, and go work for a single day on her next pet construction project.
The other losers, she’d told off, not begging a favor from them at all.
Minda had asked a single favor of one of the losing contestants but refused to say it aloud. When Minda had whispered the request, the woman smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
Tessra, the other contestant that had scored a single point, didn’t say anything at all. She just turned back to town, tucking a few bits of fruit into her mouth she’d produced from her tail.
“Odd little thing, that one,” Cade muttered to himself.
“Watch it. I think she’s sweet,” Minda said defensively.
Nodding, Cade agreed. “Won’t argue there. Everyone is in love with her clothing too. But storing food in her fur like that. I mean, don’t ants come around? She has an Inventory like all the rest of us.”
Minda gave him an eyebrow so he dropped it. Curiosity drove him in another direction though. “What did you ask for? The favor I mean.”
“Shoorna is a crafter. She usually works with vines or plant fibers to weave baskets and the like. I asked if she’d work with me and see what we can come up with,” she explained, then elbowed him playfully. “By the way, did you enjoy my latest skill? I’ve been keeping it a secret until I could unveil it properly.”
“The root thing? Yeah, fucking epic. How does it work exactly, and what do you call it?”
She folded her arms, obviously pleased with herself. “It’s called Mycelium Mastery. Those weren’t even roots, not properly. I can enchant the fungal networks within the earth or any decomposing material, and cause it to grow, shift forms, do basically whatever I want. The skill is my most powerful so far, but only lasts a minute and has a twelve-hour Cooldown.”
Cade considered the implications. “Still, sixty seconds of that and you could crush an entire front line of enemies. I’m impressed.”
“Why, thank you, Archon. Your approval is all I need in this world. Better get going though, yeah? Don’t you have a meeting again tonight?” she reminded him.
He sighed, not wanting to think of the inevitable confrontation ahead. “Yeah, Cha is bound to be hungry. I’ll see you at the cooking pits after though.”
She kissed him on the cheek and before she could retreat entirely, he snatched a handful of her always-bouncy butt cheeks. Minda squealed and slapped his hand away, but when she turned around she was grinning.
The meeting progressed as usual. Cha, rather than seeming volatile and ready to fight at every move, was almost cheerful.
It scared the shit out of him.
“Yes, I agree, the Casmeer Games sounds like a pleasant way in which to encourage further bonding and cooperation amongst our citizens,” she finished, voting to approve Satemi’s proposal.
Pursing her lips, the warrior stared at her fellow Councilwoman like she was about to bite her. “Okay, does everyone else agree? I was thinking once a month might be a fun way to keep up morale.”
Cade nodded, and so did the others.
“The other item I wish to present is the amalgamations. Yes, Gemma and he
r hunters have done much to clear out the surrounding areas. But how long will that last. Their appearances are becoming more frequent. I move to make their destruction more of a priority,” Satemi pressed, her gaze hard as she looked to her fellows to respond.
Havasham answered, looking only briefly to Cha before he did so. “Yes, this makes sense. Perhaps we can organize a larger hunting party to head out soon. I don’t think any less than six should go out at once.”
“I think six is a good number as well. But since we agreed to push forward with the dungeon expeditions, perhaps only one group of hunters should leave at a time,” Cade suggested.
They discussed the possibilities for a time, and concluded that six to eight hunters, under the guidance of Gemma, would leave tomorrow to see if they could make some progress in thinning the ranks of the mutated beasts.
At last, the chatter died down, and a muted silence fell over the group.
“Good. So if there isn’t anything else we need to talk about,” Ketzal said. “Maybe we should call it done.”
Cade pressed his palms down on the tops of his thighs, preparing to stand.
But then he saw it. A pained look passed through Havasham’s eyes.
Cha held up one elegant finger, her blunted claw gleaming softly. “I believe we have one more item to discuss. The Shield Barrier and the issue of Mana Upkeep. Havasham had some ill news to share with me.”
“Yes, it is unfortunate,” Havasham followed. “I know we’ve just concluded our most peaceful and productive meeting, but ignoring this issue won’t help. Both Cha and I agree that the cost of Mana Shards is too high. We need to drop the shield and secure our safety with mundane methods.”
Satemi ground her teeth, and Ketzal glanced between the opposing sides nervously. We have the majority, and they know it. Still, if they bring this to the villagers directly, the town can vote to do whatever they like. That will only leave our position weakened, Cade thought bitterly.