Which meant that he could at least watch hers.
Especially since it’s with Mr. Stupid. Need to be here for this one.
“I’m just as certain as you are that he’ll do something, but I’m at a loss as to how you hope to change that fact, Chosen One,” Locke said.
Whatever. I’ll figure out something. I usually do.
“Oh, yes. You usually do figure out something. It’s a wonder how your mind works sometimes, Chosen One,” Locke said. “I rather enjoy your thoughts at times.”
“Welcome one and all,” called a voice from somewhere off to Ash’s right.
Looking around, he only now realized that there was a platform over there.
Master Zha, Gen, and a number of masters he didn’t know were all standing atop it.
“Welcome to the first talent tournament held under my authority,” Master Zha said, flashing her perfect white teeth at the crowd. “I expect you all to perform to the utmost of your abilities and strive to be the best. Now… due to a number of dropouts as of late, the cutoff point will be lowered to three percent rather than five.
“I’m sure you’ll all work hard to be number one, however.
“Now, it’s my sincere pleasure to welcome the Inner Sect Headmaster, Master Peng. Master Peng, is there anything you’d like to say?”
Turning partially to the side, Master Zha gestured to a small man who looked to be early middle-age with short, black hair and light-brown eyes.
Ash really couldn’t get a read on the man, but considering he had to have known what was happening in the Outer Sect and did nothing about it, he was likely an enemy.
“Ah, certainly,” said the man smoothly. “Best of luck to everyone.”
That was the speech? Really?
It was dumb.
“It was obvious.”
It was pointless.
“It was… short.”
I… loved it.
“Mm, there’s something to be said for brevity,” Locke said.
“Though, I will offer one last thing. I would be delighted if some of my masters could participate as the referees,” Master Peng said, turning a smile on Master Zha.
“No,” Gen said simply, leaning on his cane. The much older master had spoken out of turn and didn’t seem to care in the least. “No, though I appreciate the offer. My people need to learn how to do this and I feel that this is an opportune time for them to learn.
“You and your masters should simply enjoy the festivities. I personally recommend the cactus juice.”
There was a soft chuckle from more than a few of the disciples in the crowd.
The cactus juice was absolutely disgusting and was reserved for those who didn’t know any better or had lost a bet.
Even Ash knew that, as he’d been warned by Na and Mei both.
Gen’s wolf-like smile took over the older man’s face. The backhanded insult to mind their own business as an outsider was obvious to everyone.
“I’ll… have to try that, yes,” said Master Peng, clearly not understanding the context.
Which succinctly proved Gen’s point.
“Get to it,” Gen said and stamped his cane down with a rap. Turning, he began walking off the platform.
Master Zha hurried after him, leaving Master Peng to stand alone on the stage.
Snickering to himself, Ash looked at the ring.
Mr. Stupid and Chunhua were facing one another in the center of it. Standing not far away was one of Gen’s referees.
“I do enjoy Master Gen’s humor,” Na said from Ash’s left side. “Don’t you, Master Sheng?”
Of everyone in their party, Na had somehow managed to completely remove herself from the tournament. Ash didn’t quite understand how she’d managed it, but she’d gotten herself and Rou excluded from the tournament outright.
“Gen’s funny, yeah. He’s also a dickbag,” Ash said. “I kinda like him more for the dickbaggery than anything else. Tells it exactly as he sees it.”
“I haven’t known you that long, but that seems unsurprising,” Rou said from Ash’s right. “You do seem like the type that enjoys some schadenfreude.”
Ash quirked his brows at that.
The word had no equivalent in the language here. It’d been a word straight out of his homeworld.
“You speak like an Outlander at times, Rou,” Ash said in English.
“I… I—you… you really are from the same place then?” Rou asked, also in English.
“I would assume so. I don’t think there are many people in the entirety of the kingdoms who speak American English,” Ash said. “I take it you learned it from your father?”
“Yes. He thought it’d be good to have a language only we could speak amongst family. Mother didn’t think it was that strange,” Rou said. “She already knew it, too. Or… something like it.”
“You two are speaking in a foreign tongue. You will draw notice, Master Sheng,” said Na with some sternness in her voice. “You may look like an Outlander, but for all intents and purposes, you are kingdom-born. When you don’t speak Kingdom, you make yourself an obvious Outlander.”
“Ah, that’s very true, Na,” Ash said, swapping back to Kingdom. “I’ll teach you how to speak English later. It’s… probably a good thing for us to have our own language. Just as Rou pointed out.”
“I’ve already taken the liberty of putting together an entire ‘English’ packet for you. Complete and full of all the colorful euphemisms, colloquialisms, and anecdotal type stories one could expect with it, Chosen One,” Locke said.
“—understand the rules as I’ve stated them?” asked the referee looking from Chunhua to Mr. Stupid and back again.
“Yes, Master,” Chunhua said, her eyes stuck to Mr. Stupid. There was visible disgust and uneasiness in the young man’s face as he stared back at her.
“Of course,” Mr. Stupid said.
“Then begin,” declared the referee.
Chunhua launched herself backward, away from her opponent. At the same time, she flung a hand out in front of herself.
The very air itself became solid, forming into a chest-high construction that divided the arena in half.
Mr. Stupid was stopped cold before the fight even began.
“And what is this? Are you just going to—uufff,” groaned Mr. Stupid, spinning around to the right like a top.
Chunhua had grabbed hold of one side of the air construct and flipped it around at her foe.
Not responding to the verbal jab, she continued to work at her sorcery.
“Huh,” Ash said. “She’s using it far better than I expected.”
Bringing her hands together, Chunhua clapped both sides of the air construct together, smashing Mr. Stupid between the ends.
Moving her hands back and forth in a rolling motion, Chunhua grinned with one corner of her mouth.
There was a grinding noise as Mr. Stupid was then rolled back and forth between the two ends. Like a kid playing with playdough.
Abruptly, there was a tearing noise as Mr. Stupid threw out his arms. Both sides of the air construct tore away from him as if they were little better than twigs on a tree.
Frowning, Chunhua didn’t waste any time. Reaching down with her right hand, she mimicked grabbing something and then flipped it toward her left.
The back corner of the area tore away from the ground and slammed down atop Mr. Stupid, smashing him into the ground.
“Holy fuck,” Ash murmured, shocked at the violence of the attack.
Everyone around the arena was staring at the white-eyed woman who had just more than likely murdered her opponent.
Chunhua lifted her left hand and began hammering at the thin air with it.
A massive mallet of air began to crash down onto the huge slab of earth, pounding it—and likely Mr. Stupid as well—flat.
Slamming at the air like it was her job, Chunhua continued to brutalize her opponent.
“It’s not doing very much. She’s already realized he’s
far and away above her in strength,” Locke said.
Wait, really? It’s that bad?
“Yes. It really is. If you fight him head-on, you’ll lose.”
Flicking out her right hand, Chunhua grabbed at something only she could see and then brought her hand down in front of herself again.
A column of water leapt across from a fountain a considerable distance away and began to pound down into the earth. Soaking it thoroughly and adding to its crushing weight.
Chunhua staggered a step to the left and looked like she was going to fall over.
Panting, the young woman stood there, taking heaving breaths.
The referee hadn’t stopped the fight, though. In fact, he hadn’t moved from his spot. He’d just watched the entire tirade and seemed to be curious.
But nothing else.
There was no hint from the man that he was planning on stopping the fight.
Slowly, with a grinding noise that sounded like rocks being smashed together, the pile of soggy mud began shifting to one side.
Standing up out of the middle of that disgusting heap of mud, was Mr. Stupid.
“I’m…going…to kill…you,” gasped Mr. Stupid.
Struggling out of the mess, the man marched toward Chunhua who was clearly out of gas. She’d used everything to try and beat him outright at the start.
The sorceress had held nothing in reserve.
Reaching Chunhua, Mr. Stupid lashed out with what looked like a haymaker.
Moving to the side, she lightly deflected it to pass by her, then struck out at Mr. Stupid’s arm, her fist connecting at his wrist. Then she brought her left elbow around and drove it down into the man’s shoulder.
Kinda glad we included all the hand-to-hand training we could. Maybe she can—
Mr. Stupid ignored both blows and then kicked out at Chunhua.
The crack of her leg splintering apart from the blow was loud. Crashing to the ground as if she’d been struck by a truck, she bounced twice and then slid across the ground for several more feet.
Leaping from where he stood, Mr. Stupid landed atop Chunhua’s back before she could get up and drove a fist down into her shoulder.
Which also made a hideous crunching noise.
Before Bartek could do anything further, the referee was there. He grabbed Mr. Stupid by his drawn back arm and then tossed him, as one might a stone, across to the other side of the arena.
“Idiot boy,” growled the referee, staring down Mr. Stupid. “Are you trying to kill her?”
Thank you, Master Gen, for your damned impressive foresight to make sure they’re your referees.
Na had already leapt into the ring and was dragging the moaning Chunhua over to Rou.
“Oh, goodness. Oh, dear. I… I guess that means it’s my turn, doesn’t it?” Rou muttered, shaking her hands back and forth and looking rather concerned. “I can do this. I can do it. Just like… just like all the other girls. Just as easy.”
Na got Chunhua over to Rou and set the sorceress down.
“I’m sorry, he’s just so strong,” Chunhua got out between her clenched teeth. Her face was as white as bleached flour, her shoulder hanging oddly in its socket.
“Don’t worry about it,” Ash said, deciding at that moment he was going to kill Mr. Stupid. One way or another.
He’d gone after Chunhua to maim her. Having Rou on hand and arena-side was a turn of events that was beyond the definition of luck.
Which pill?
“I believe if we wait—”
Which-pill?
“Yellow pill, in the yellow medical box, top left drawer,” Locke supplied.
Yanking that pill out of his storage ring, he pushed it into Chunhua’s mouth even as she spoke to Rou.
Flinching away and sputtering once, Chunhua only relaxed when she realized it was Ash. Taking the pill, she stared up at him and swallowed it.
“You did as well as you could, given the circumstances. Good job,” Ash said. Then he stepped into the arena. He was going to go over there and kill Mr. Stupid right now.
“Ashley Sheng, stop,” murmured the referee, stepping up to Ash’s side. “I understand your concern. I assure you that he’ll pay a price for what he did. We both know that your Qi Healer will make it as if nothing had ever happened, though.
“This is not the time or place.”
Glancing to the man, Ash realized it was one of the people they’d brought back from the Open Hand.
“Your match is next anyway,” said the man, giving Ash a tight smile. “And I do believe that Bartek has the backing of someone in the Inner Sect. It wouldn’t be wise to make your move right now.”
“Should kill him. Here and now. Damn anyone and everyone else,” Ash growled.
“And if that’s what you decide, we will assist. As will Gen. But it would cause us losses. Wait. Plan. Then attack,” said the referee.
Ash felt the truth in the man’s words. They would gladly throw in on a fight here and now. But if they had to fight Inner Sect masters, it’d become problematic.
“Fine. I’ll have my match here,” Ash said. He wasn’t planning on leaving Chunhua’s side.
“As you will it,” the referee said, moving away.
Going over to the side that Chunhua had turned into mulch, Ash stood there, waiting. His eyes were locked on the spot where Rou was working on Chunhua. All he could see was Rou’s face and head, Na, and not a bit of Chunhua.
“She’s being put back together. Have no fear. Rou is doing a very good job. Chunhua will be back in action after a week, I’d say. Which means you can’t invite her to your bed.”
Shut the fuck up.
Locke went absolutely silent at Ash’s acidic retort.
He wasn’t in the mood for games or play. He wanted to kill Mr. Stupid.
Eventually, the referee escorted someone out onto the stage across from Ash.
It was a young woman.
Ash recognized her instantly as one of Mr. Stupid’s hangers-on.
“How fortunate,” Ash said, flexing his hands, staring hard at the woman across from him.
She was young and pretty, with auburn hair and dark eyes, and she fit this world’s perceptions of beauty.
“I’m going to break you in half and give part of you back to Mr. Stupid,” Ash said moving into an aggressive stance. He was planning on closing the distance on her instantly and breaking her neck outright.
Mr. Stupid himself wasn’t far away, watching from the sidelines.
Except, he seemed bored and irritated.
Mad in fact.
He was watching Rou on the other side as she worked on Chunhua—who was now standing up. One of her hands was pressed to her broken shoulder, but it was obvious that she was far better off than she’d been previously.
Waving a hand at Ash, Mr. Stupid rolled his eyes and wandered away from the arena.
He was only interested in what he did to Chunhua. His own person matters almost not at all to him. Is that it?
We could test that theory. Break her neck and throw her corpse at him.
Looking back to the woman, Ash could see the fear in her face. Her eyes were following Mr. Stupid’s back as he walked away from her.
Giving her up.
Whatever happened to her was apparently no concern to him.
Slowly, her eyes turned back to Ash.
Lifting her hands up in front of herself, she still seemed determined to fight. Even if she already knew what was going to happen to her.
“Begin!” called the referee.
Activating Spring Step, Ash flashed across the distance. Slamming his fist straight into the woman’s stomach and using Spring Step to empower it, he grabbed her by the neck with his other hand.
With a whoosh of air, the woman folded around his hand, her body going limp.
Digging his fingers into her flesh, Ash started to twist her head around while using Spring Step.
And then stopped himself moments before simply killing her.
“Brave little thing,” Ash murmured to her. “If you publicly call him Mr. Stupid at the top of your lungs, while on your knees, I’ll let you walk away from this without as bad a beating as I would have given you. And if you’re especially brave and prove yourself, you may join me.”
Wheezing, the woman nodded her head slightly.
“Good, then do as you’re told,” Ash said.
Standing upright, he spun the woman to the side and pushed her down to her knees. Facing out toward where Bartek had gone.
“Hey, Bartek!” Ash called out at the top of his lungs. “That is, Mr. Stupid! This was yours, wasn’t it?”
Bartek, who was much further away than Ash expected, turned around and looked back.
Standing with the woman on her knees in front of himself, Ash put his hands on top of the woman’s head.
Gasping in a deep breath, the woman groaned for a second.
“Mr. Stupid!” she called out with all her strength. “I’m Master Sheng’s now!”
Ash snorted at that and patted the side of the woman’s head.
Mr. Stupid turned a deep, dark red at that—looking even angrier than Ash hoped he would.
Ah… yes. I’m going to take everything from you. One at a time.
Once more turning away, Mr. Stupid stormed off.
“No, you’re not mine yet, but you can work at it,” Ash said patting the side of the woman’s head twice more. “You done? Ready to surrender.”
“I surrender,” whimpered the woman.
“Good,” Ash said. Then he grabbed her by the shoulder and left the stage, taking her in tow with him.
The referee said nothing.
The crowd said nothing.
No one did anything.
She was his.
In this world—in this forsaken, morally bankrupt land of people who treated everyone else as if they were bugs—she no longer existed as a free person.
Because if no one stood up for her and she couldn’t stand up for herself, she didn’t matter.
And that’s what we’re going to change.
Twelve
Walking toward the tournament area, Ash wasn’t really looking forward to the day. It’d been three days since it started and it was slowly winding its way through the matches.
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