by Jakob Tanner
Max’s thoughts were interrupted when he saw the shadows of two figures stretch across the floor in front of him.
He looked up and saw the tournament ambassadors standing outside the doorway.
“May we come in?”
Hermia instantly felt sorry for the human team upon entering the hospital room.
The three kids—the three lowest members of their team—had just had the leaders and most powerful people on their team wiped out in seconds.
She couldn’t imagine what they were going through.
“We’ve come to discuss a delicate matter with you,” said Regulus to the three human climbers who were not unconscious on a hospital bed.
“Yeah, like how you’re going to disqualify the mercenary team,” said Casey, crossing her arms.
“Not exactly,” said Regulus, choosing his words wisely.
Hermia smirked. She had a feeling these three were not going to be convinced easily by Regulus’ decision.
“Tomorrow, we will announce that the mercenary team is the winner of The United Floors Alliance Tournament,” said Regulus.
The three humans looked stunned at her colleague’s words.
“You can’t be serious,” said Casey.
“But they cheated!” said Sarah.
“Is there no other way?” asked Max.
“Yeah,” said Casey. “There must be another way. We can nominate someone else, can’t we? We could get Sakura here real quick. I’m sure she could take on that creepy old grandma lady!”
Both Hermia and Regulus shook their heads at that.
“Not possible,” Regulus explained. “Leaders aren’t allowed to fight, too much of a diplomatic headache. Also, no new replacements or substitutions can be brought in at the last minute. You have to fight with the team you started with. I’m sorry.”
The three climbers didn’t have a response.
“We’re sorry what’s happened to your teammates,” said Regulus. “I hope you three will still come to the closing ceremonies tomorrow. It would be the gracious and respectable thing to do. To stand tall and proud in the face of the mercenary team’s questionable victory.”
Regulus nodded at them all and took a step towards the hall.
Hermia followed behind.
“Wait,” yelled a voice.
It was the boy’s.
Max.
Both Hermia and Regulus turned back.
“You said we have to fight with the team we started with,” he said, his fists clenched and shaking. “Does that mean one of us can fight their A-ranker on Harold’s behalf?”
Regulus’ eyebrows furrowed quizzically.
“In theory, yes,” he answered. “But you can’t be serious. None of you would volunteer for that. You’ll be killed without a doubt.”
Before Regulus could even turn back around to continue his departure, the boy spoke up once more.
“I’ll volunteer,” Max declared. “I’ll fight in the final match!”
Hermia smirked.
This kid really was full of surprises.
64
That afternoon news of Blake’s showdown with the mercenary team’s B-ranker spread quickly across the Caesarian capital.
All the coffee shops and restaurants were buzzing with chatter on the technicalities and whether the mercenary B-ranker’s injuring of Harold Swiftstriker was an illegal move.
Then, like a second breeze, more news traveled across the capital. First through hushed whispers of surprise, then in declarations that it couldn’t be true.
Oliver and Will both raised their eyebrows in the Elestrian outpost when they heard the news.
“The human team can’t be serious!?”
The sentiment was similar amongst the Boldrin and Flaron teams.
“But that’s suicide!”
The cat-folk were slightly less surprised.
“Under normal circumstances, it would be crazy,” said Mirabel to Gregoire. “But that damn kid’s ability does give him a fighting chance.”
Such thoughts were echoed amongst the frog-folk, U’lopp in particular.
“Those humans—especially Max and Casey,” he said. “They never give up!”
But the most surprising response to the news was in the chambers of the Caesarian soldier’s training hall.
Tiberius leaped to his feet and slammed his hands on a table when he heard the news.
“That kid is going to do what now!?”
After the tournament ambassadors had left the hospital, Sarah and Casey berated Max.
“How can you volunteer for something so dangerous?” Sarah cried.
“Because he’s a bozo, Sarah, that’s why!” said Casey, crossing her arms. “Doesn’t care that he’ll die and leave us all alone.”
“I thought you would want me to fight,” said Max, looking at Casey. “You were so mad about the mercenary’s foul move before.”
Casey crossed her arms. “I thought the ambassadors were going to give us the victory on the technicality, not the other way around!”
Their debate was cut short by a knock at the door.
Max, along with Casey and Sarah, turned to see who it was.
They had another visitor.
An unlikely one at that.
Standing in the doorway was none other than the Caesarian team’s A-ranker, Tiberius.
“What are you doing here?” asked Max.
The man gulped, clearly swallowing his pride. “I’m here to help.”
“If by help you mean convince Max not to fight, then great,” said Casey. “If not, get the heck outta—”
Tiberius raised his hands and tried to keep the tenor of the conversation calm.
“How about a compromise?” said the Caesarian. “I’m not going to stop him from fighting; but I have a way of keeping him alive, even if he chooses to fight.”
Max looked the man over.
Their fight in the semi-finals had been impressive. The Caesarian climber was no slouch that was for sure.
Max considered the fact that tomorrow he would be fighting someone a full two ranks above him.
He would take any help he could get.
“So,” said Max. “How can you help us?”
The man walked a bit further into the room until he could lean comfortably against a wall.
“Do you even know what that old witch’s trait is?”
Max shook his head.
“Neither did I, at first,” said Tiberius. “You see, during the first round when we played capture the flag, she escaped us and, at first, I couldn’t understand how she had done it. But the Caesarians can be a very team-oriented race and so the best technicians and analysts broke down the coverage of the fight to figure out what that wretched woman known as Mother had done.”
“And?” asked Casey.
“Her trait is a very powerful form of illusion magic,” he said. “If you look her in the eyes, even for a millisecond, you could be trapped in an imaginary environment and you won’t even realize it.”
Max nodded.
Illusion magic, huh?
That sounded incredibly powerful. He did not like the sounds of it.
“Do you have any idea how to fight against it?” asked Max.
Tiberius nodded.
“That’s why I came,” he said. “After I faced off against her briefly in the first round, the Caesarian technicians worked on building a device that could go up against the woman’s illusion magic.”
Tiberius then materialized a silver headset with a single glass lens that would go over one’s left eye.
“This is that device,” he said. “I want you to take it. “
Max couldn’t believe it.
“Are you serious?”
“Have I not made that clear by coming to visit you already?” asked Tiberius. “Now remember: this device is not super powerful, but it will allow you to break out from her trait, but only once. So you need to make it count.”
“Can you at least tell us why you’re do
ing this?” asked Max.
The Caesarian A-ranker let out a deep sigh.
“You showed me—all of you—what it meant to fight for those you loved and what you believed in rather than in spite of the people you hated,” Tiberius said. “I’m a better soldier for having met you. For that, I thank you.”
Max nodded at the man and retrieved the special device from his hands.
“Thank you, Tiberius,” said Max.
“Don’t thank me,” said the man. “Win.”
The next day was a sunny clear day and every seat in the arena was filled.
Max strode out into the gravel arena pit with Casey and Sarah walking behind him.
The crowd cheered and clapped as he entered.
The betting market didn’t give Max good odds, and yet he was still the underdog favorite now to win.
Everything rested on his shoulders.
He was fighting to avenge Harold.
He was fighting to protect his friends.
He was fighting for the well-being of humanity.
He was fighting to win.
65
Regulus, Hermia, and Sabriel stood in their viewing chambers as the two final contestants walked onto the fighting square.
The crowd cheered.
This might be the most tense final round of the tournament in the course of alliance’s entire history.
“I still think this is a bad idea,” said Regulus. “The stunt the mercenary’s pulled is already a diplomatic tightrope. Now the humans are sending in a C-rank fighter to fight someone two full ranks above them? The humans will place the blame on us, say that the blood is on our hands. Just when diplomatic ties with them were starting to get friendlier.”
“The thing I like about humans,” said Sabriel, “is they’re so full of surprises. You can’t predict anything when they’re around.”
“Agreed,” said Hermia.
Regulus shook his head. “I don’t care how talented this kid is. He’s walking into his own death.”
Max did not look at his opponent standing across from him.
Instead, he kept his eyes firmly locked onto his shoes.
“LET THE FINAL MATCH BEGIN!
Even with the announcement, Max kept staring at his feet.
Remember, he said to himself, by no means, can you look the woman in the eye.
Staring at the ground is not good enough, he decided.
He shut his eyes tightly and charged blindly at his opponent.
Max moved forward, using all the senses that he could still utilize.
His ears.
His nose.
And, most importantly, his mana sense.
Without even looking, he could perceive where Mother was situated and moved in that direction.
“Darling,” taunted the old woman. “I see you’ve done your research; but you’re still a C-rank wimp. You can’t take me on!”
“You know I never thought in my life I’d hit an old lady,” he said. “But in your case, I’m more than happy to!”
With his eyes shut, Max threw out a punch right where Mother was standing.
“Go Max!” cheered Casey and Sarah.
Casey had even decked out Toto with miniature pompoms, which he was enthusiastically raising in the air to cheer Max on.
The crowd was roaring along with them.
The final round didn’t waste any time getting started with Max rushing at the old woman with his eyes closed, and the leader of the mercenaries proving to be more agile than her wrinkly frame might suggest.
“Do you think this strategy is really going to work?” Sarah asked Casey with concern.
Casey watched Max swing his fists at the mercenary woman with all the determination she’d become so accustomed to seeing since Max and her had become friends.
“I don’t doubt Max’s strategy for a second,” Casey answered, beaming. “That’s the thing about Max. He always seems to have a plan, even when it seems like he doesn’t.”
The fight between Mother and Max was not letting up.
“I hope you have a few more tricks up your sleeve,” Mother tauntingly sneered. “Keeping your eyes closed won’t be enough to win you this match.”
Max swung a punch at where he perceived Mother’s mana, and then another to where she had moved.
“Don’t worry about me, you hag!”
The night before...
Tiberius was a few doors down the hospital hallway when a voice cried behind him, “WAIT!”
It was Max.
He ran down to meet Tiberius.
The Caesarian A-ranker raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”
“One last thing,” Max said, catching his breath. “I’m going to need more than just a method to get past Mother’s illusions. I’m going to need to do something to deal damage to the A-ranker and none of my current arsenal abilities is fully up to snuff.”
“What about that fancy flame sword you fought me with?”
“Well, that was the combined power of B-rank and D-rank traits and I lost it during my match with The Toddler,” Max explained. “I have a C-rank lightning ability that I think might fuse well with your A-rank sword.”
Tiberius smirked.
“So how does it work then?” he said. “How do I lend you my power?”
Max held out his hand and slowly went transparent, triggering his phase-out ability.
“You just need to hit me with your sword,” said Max. “And as you can see, at the moment, it won’t hurt me at all.”
Tiberius shook his head. “You’re really crazy, you know that?”
He then triggered his mana blade and prepared to strike Max.
Even though he knew it wasn’t going to hurt him, he winced and squirmed anyway.
In the end, he shut his eyes tight.
“Done,” said Tiberius.
Already? Max thought.
He opened his eyes and saw that the Caesarian A-ranker had given him the softest poke of his mana blade.
“That should do it, right?” he smiled.
“Yep,” said Max. “Do you want to stay and see what the fused ability is?”
“Nah,” he said, walking away. “You can surprise me tomorrow.”
Right there in the hallway Max added the A-rank mana blade to his arsenal of attacks and immediately fused it with his chain lightning ability.
When he took in his new fused ability in his arsenal his eyes bulged in shock.
He had been expecting a lightning sword but got something much different than expected.
Still, he grinned to himself. I can work with this.
“You won’t be able to land a hit if my eyes are open and yours are not, foolish boy!” Mother taunted.
She was dodging his punches with ease.
“Just you wait,” Max said, jumping back, retreating from his current assault on the A-ranker.
The woman was taunting him, trying to make him angry enough that he would open his eyes with rage. He wouldn’t let her manipulate him like that.
He refused to play her games.
His initial punching plan wasn’t working though. It was time to try something new.
He triggered the trait Tiberius had helped him create.
Lightning sparkled around his hands and two bars began to form between his fingers, until the blue lightning connected them into a staff.
It was fascinating. Max thought chain lightning and mana blade would have fused into a lightning sword; but it was the ranged splash damage effects of chain lightning that had the fusion go in a different direction.
And he was way happier for it.
At the end of Max’s crackling staff of electricity was a long thread of lightning, weaving in and out like a metal chain, at the end of which was a massive spiked orb of lightning.
“Let me present to you my newest move,” Max shouted, swinging his new conjured weapon. “Lightning Flail!”
SMASH!
Max swung the flail and the orb smashed right into where Mother had
been standing.
He didn’t wait to find out whether or not she’d been hit and prepared another strike.
The spiked orb of powerful lightning created craters throughout the entire fighting ring. More than that, the attack shot out ripples of lightning that headed to the nearest target.
The fact that Mother wasn’t taunting him any more suggested she was taking some of the excess lightning damage.
She was fully focused on the fight now.
“What was that you said?” said Max. “About my strategy’s inability to win?”
66
Mother scowled at the young human climber.
She then leaped away from another incoming smash attack from that lightning flail.
Damn, she thought to herself. This kid is doing better than I ever expected. I need to wait for the right moment and then I’ll finish him.
As she dodged the onslaught of attacks from the vicious lightning flail, she looked around the arena.
She was looking for something in particular.
A spark.
A trigger.
Something that would trap the boy in her web.
Hermia smiled as she watched the fight from the viewing box.
The human climber was making a mess of the fighting ring with every smash of his lightning flail.
They’d be fighting in a pile of rubble and rock in a few minutes at this rate.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” said Hermia, looking at the action.
Who would have thought that a C-rank climber would be the one dictating and controlling the terms of a match with someone of such a higher rank?
“I’m not going to lie,” said Regulus, “the human is doing a lot better than I ever expected him to. This is really something else!”
Sabriel smiled behind them.
“I hate to tell you I told you so,” the tower god grinned. “But I told you so.”
Hermia grinned as Regulus blushed at the teasing admonishment from the tower god.