by Jake Daniel
Everyone turned and faced Dahlia, even Fapplejack, all with surprised looks on their faces.
She shifted her eyes between us and shrugged. “What?”
I shot her a small smirk. “It’s official, we’ve corrupted her.”
“Me? Corrupted? Impossible.” She held a hand to her chest and shook her head with a smirk.
The rest of the trip up was uneventful as we travelled down the clogged road packed with vendors, sponsors, and fighters working their way up to Kilney.
Fapplejack made his presence known as we continued along the road, loudly pointing out different landmarks and things of interest to him like the rock that reminded him of his sister. After a few hours, he perked up and stretched out a finger excitedly. “Logan sir, over there, in the distance, do you see it?”
I followed the goblin’s outstretched hand and squinted my eyes. A large round building stood off by itself in the distance, with several enormous flags flying spread out across the top. “Good eye, Fapplejack. Looks like we’re getting close.” A stretch of mountains created a very picturesque backdrop behind the arena. A tent city stretched for as far as the eye could see, just like tailgaters at a Denver Broncos home game during their heyday.
The sun was setting by the time we parked the wagon, but many torches lit the sky brightly, spreading plenty of light across the city.
Gwen pointed out a group of men who were taking turns practicing their attack moves on each other. The largest of the bunch looked very familiar. It clicked as he turned and I glimpsed his face. I jumped out of the wagon and approached him. “Sven?!”
The large man turned around as he heard his name and faced me. I’d wondered if he could make it back to his family after he brought us our replacement wagon and horses, especially after his brother, Ferdius, was not as fortunate. He let out a hearty laugh. “Well, I’ll be buggered! I didn’t expect to see you again.” He leaned his large ax against a stump and held out his hand. I accepted it and he brought me in close for a bear hug. “It’s because of you, that I still have my wife and children today. Unfortunately, so many others were not as fortunate. A couple weeks back there was an attack on Striker’s ship. I heard all the men died.”
“Oh, I’m aware.” I said with a straight face, my eyes focused on his.
The smile on Sven’s face faded slowly. “You don’t mean. It was you?”
“Yes, but to be fair, Striker didn’t give us much of a choice.”
“My brother, Ferdius, he was on that ship.” Sven let out a long breath.
“Things didn’t go as planned.” I paused and remembered how Striker killed Ferdius just because he could. “I owe a lot to your brother’s sacrifice.”
“I tried to warn him and the others, I did, but to be honest with you, I’m glad you blew that damned floating nightmare up.”
I could tell from his expression that he was being genuine. “Why is that?”
“Word had gotten out that I made a deal with you. I was already on Striker’s list, and he made it known that he didn’t take kindly to traitors.” He used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. “I still don’t trust that he isn’t in the shadows, waiting for his chance to take me or my family out.”
I took a quick glance around. “So, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you take your family and get somewhere safe?”
“Well, I was, but then I heard about this year’s prize for the tournament. The winner will have more coin than they can spend in five lifetimes, and the new addition this year, the Mystic Vale, I’d be crazy to pass it up.”
“There can only be one winner though, right?”
Sven nodded and stretched from side to side. “True, that’s why we came early and have been getting plenty of practice in.”
“What if you don’t pass this trial to get to the tournament? I heard they kill all the losers?”
Sven shook his head and pulled out a small red crystal heart. “I’ve got that covered. I’m going to give it my best shot, if I fail, I return to my family and we get the hell out of Necross.”
“What is that?”
He held up the small heart for a second before slipping it back into his pocket. “It’s a hearthstone. I set it to return home if I should need it. I just need to make sure I activate it before I’m killed.” He laughed and pointed a finger at me. “Now, don’t go thinking you’re going to be stealing it from me. Not that you would, but I know there are many out there who’d kill for one of these stones.”
“I don’t plan to take it, unless you don’t activate it before you die, then all bets are off.” I gave him a small smirk.
Sven chuckled and picked up his ax. “Deal.”
I nodded. “Good luck Sven, I hope for you and your family’s sake you’re successful.”
The large man swung his ax at a large wooden target with all his strength, shattering it into four separate pieces.
I returned to the cart and was met by Fapplejack’s sad eyes. “I suppose you want me to stay here, Logan, sir. That’s fine. Maybe Fap’zak will bring me back next year to watch the trials.”
I couldn’t find it in my heart to leave the poor bastard in the cart when he was so close to his life’s dream. I grabbed the old cloth that we had used to cover him the day before and cut it into two long strips. I fastened one around my midsection and turned to Gwen. “Load him up.”
Gwen squinted and cocked her head. “Load who up?”
“Fapplejack.” I pulled on the strip already fastened around my ribs. “Wedge his bottom half in here.” I handed her the second half of the cloth. “Face him out and wrap this over his chest. I will tie it up front to strap him in.”
Fapplejack’s entire expression brightened and a smile rose across his face. “Logan, sir, are you sure? I do not want to be a burden.”
“You’re going to be my backpack, and my eyes for anything behind me.”
“Your backpack, I don’t understand.”
Isobel let out a small laugh and moved toward the cart. “You’ll be the eyes in the back of his head.”
I nodded. “Exactly, you’ll hold my gun when I’m not using it, and hand me potions and any other useful items as I need them.” I stopped and smiled. “And here you thought you’d not take part in the tournament.”
“I won’t let you down, I promise!” Fapplejack clapped excitedly.
Isobel and Gwen lifted him up out of the cart together and moved his body into place on my back and strapped him in. Fortunately, he was much lighter than I was expecting, even more so than the normal gear packs I wore when guiding hunters back home. I tightened the strap and craned my neck back. “Ready to go kick some ass?”
Fapplejack held an arm out to his side and gave me a thumbs up. “Born ready.”
Chapter Nine
The sun setting behind the arena made for a picturesque evening but it was drowned out by the great number of travelers that made their way inside. I watched them for several minutes. Isobel pointed out the different fighters and filled me in on everything she knew about them. Gwen and Dahlia listened intently, nodding occasionally as they took it all in. It was apparent that Isobel had the most exposure to the races of Aurilon out of all of us. I found it interesting that most of the human sponsors who didn’t have an actual human as their champion leaned toward bear, lion, and bird-men. As with many of the champions in Dunway, most of the fighters here had the same cloudy eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder what other potions they may be under.
Amos and his dragon women exited their carriage with the same flair they had back at Dunway. The man walked over to our cart and waved his arms obnoxiously to pull everyone's attention. “Everybody, feast your eyes on our new champion!”
I could tell he still wasn’t one hundred percent behind the idea of me becoming his new champion, although I also knew he had little choice at this point.
The others looked on curiously, with several others gathering and clamoring to get a better view. Some even pointed and laughed. I kn
ew I’d get the most satisfaction of proving those people wrong.
A deep voice rose from the crowd. “You think you’re going to win with a human?! Better luck next year Amos.”
Amos looked around for the voice, waving his cane in the air. “Who was that? I demand they say that to my face!”
A large man with a blindfold and a serpentine tail slithered forward, a bright red and silver trident in his hand. “I said, better luck next year.” His words came out with a slight hiss, much like the lizard-folk back at the manor.
“You just made my list, basilisk.” Amos scoffed and held out his hands on his hips. Two of his dragon women walked over and interlocked their arms through his and began their walk up to the arena. Amos called back as they reached the road. “This way Logan, your trial awaits.”
We followed Amos and his girls, taking in the sights of all the gathered champions as we continued. As we walked I noticed there was about four times as many guards here in Kilney as there were in Dunway. Their presence was definitely not lost on any of the three women who walked at my side.
Gwen pointed toward a group of soldiers stationed atop a wooden lookout tower. “Does the King really think that sending those guards is actually going to help ease tensions?”
I nodded and continued to survey my surroundings, as if scouting a new hunting site. I wanted to note all landmarks, exits, and areas that were not guarded as well. I turned to the women as we walked. “No matter what happens, I want the three of you to stick together. If we are separated, meet back here at the entrance, and if that’s not an option, go to the cart.”
Each of the girls nodded their heads in agreement.
Fapplejack pointed out to the side to pull my attention as I walked through the crowd. “See that?”
I turned my head in the direction he was pointing and saw a pair of outstretched wings. From the looks of it, each wing was at least five feet long. “The bird-man? Are there any restrictions on flying while fighting?” I immediately remembered how Master Teng had given Wofferd a ride off of the boat by floating in midair.
“Yes, I’m glad you thought of that. They have it clearly marked inside the arena how high one may travel, by flying or other means.”
“Other means?”
“Yes, using teleportation, telekinesis, those sorts of things. Although, they’re still allowed to be in the air, but they’re only given ten seconds once there, same with ground dwellers.”
I nodded as I tried to remember if I’d seen any ground dwelling creatures until this point. “That makes sense, it wouldn’t really be a fair fight otherwise.”
“Exactly.” The goblin wiggled a bit and turned the opposite direction. “They implemented those rules years ago after humans boycotted the tournament, saying it unfairly favored everyone else, but them.”
“The flying and ground dwelling creatures still have the upper hand though, don’t they? Couldn’t they fly to a corner of the arena, shoot an arrow, land for a moment, and lift back up, rinse and repeat?”
“Yes, but anyone who knows the tournament, knows that whoever you face, is not your only enemy while inside.”
“So, you’re forced to fight more than one opponent inside the arena at the same time?”
“Well, yes and no, it gets a little crowded. It depends on how many survive to the next round, but it’s not uncommon to see two versus two or three versus three. I’d planned to ask you to fight alongside me once I passed tonight’s trial, Logan, sir.”
I smiled as I thought about how well the goblin researched everything. “Fapplejack, I’m glad you’re along, although, are they going to let me take you in if I get entered, say, a one-on-one match?”
The goblin let out a small, excited laugh. “That’s the best part. You can pass me off as your familiar or pet. Every fighter’s allowed one if they should choose.”
“Perfect. Let me know if there’s anything else I need to know, deal?”
“Deal.” Fapplejack let out a giddy laugh and rubbed his hands together excitedly.
Gwen and Dahlia flanked me on either side as we walked, while Isobel walked more toward the edges of the path, occasionally crossing the path, but always remaining about the same distance in front of us. I still hadn’t figured her out. I’d seen glimpses where she’d let her tough exterior crack slightly, but for now she had a hardened, determined look on her face.
I called up to Isobel. “Do you still expect your father to be here?”
She continued walking and responded without turning. “Possibly, but I doubt it. I think I would’ve sensed him already if he were here. It wouldn’t surprise me if they took him straight to the tournament because of his bloodline.
The roar of the crowd grew louder as we neared the entrance to the arena, as well as the smell of body odor and grilled meat. The bleachers inside the arena were already filled. I closed my eyes and saw a flurry of dark spirit flowing in and out of the arena. I turned to Gwen as we passed through the large iron gate. “There’s a crazy amount of energy here.”
Gwen nodded and glanced up to the bleachers. “Uh huh, a ton of spirit has been trapped here over the years. I can feel it dancing across my skin.”
“How does the spirit become trapped? I’d imagine this place would be a cultivator’s dream.”
“Well, yes, and no.” She paused and turned to Dahlia. “Maybe you can explain it better?”
Dahlia nodded and held out her hand with her palm to the sky. A small tree sprouted from the center of her hand. “This may help. Think of spirit as the nutrients in the ground.” The tree’s roots glowed yellow and she continued. “The tree absorbs the spirit and sends it to other limbs to help it grow.” The entire tree glowed dimly. “But, just as if you water a plant, too much at one time can drown the core and cause the tree to die.”
I held Dahlia’s hand steady and inspected the small tree. “So, basically, if someone were to cultivate all the spirit around this place, they wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Gwen snapped her fingers and nodded. “Precisely. At least, anyone without as much experience as someone like Master Teng has. Besides, Teng and others like him prefer natural sources of spirit, like the well back home. This spirit is… tainted. You do not want to bring a single strand of it inside your core. If you do, it could spell disaster.”
“Good to know.” I closed my eyes again and watched the spirit billow like a churning thunderstorm. “Seems like such a waste.”
Fapplejack interrupted. “If I may add. They say there’s so much spirit here that when someone dies during the trials their body is absorbed along with it. Supposedly, this happens before their loved ones even have a chance to give them a proper burial.”
Amos waited just inside the entrance and waved us over. “This way my Champion, say goodbye to your ladies of the night.” I held a hand out to stop Gwen from rushing forward, and Amos let out an obnoxious cackle. “You monster girls are so touchy, lighten up.”
I met Gwen and Dahlia’s eyes, both showing the first signs of true anxiety that I’d seen since we were on Striker’s ship. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” I reached out and pulled Isobel close to the others and spoke under my breath. “Keep your eyes peeled for Isobel’s father. I’ll win my trial, don’t worry about me. After I win, meet me back at the cart.”
They each gave me an understanding nod.
Gwen motioned toward the goblin secured tightly to my back. “What about him?”
“Fapplejack? He’s now my familiar. I’d not forgive myself if I didn’t let him at least taste the battle he’s been waiting his entire life for.”
Gwen held a hand out to my chest and kissed me, letting her lips linger on mine for several seconds before pulling back. “We’ll be watching.”
I gave her a small smirk and handed her my rifle. “I have a feeling I’ll not use that here, and even if I could, I’m not sure I’d want to just yet. Use it if you have to, but protect it from falling into the wrong hands.”
Gwen quickly sta
shed the rifle under her cloak before those around us could get a good look at it. I leaned forward and kissed Dahlia softly on the lips. I took her hand and pulled it up to my lips, giving it a small kiss before releasing it slowly. Her entire body trembled. “I’ll be fine.”
She took a deep breath and tried to straighten. “You’ll be fine. That’s right.”
I exchanged a nod with Isobel. She stood with silent intensity. A look I emulated often when stalking my prey. I knew she was ready to do whatever was necessary to get her father back. After seeing her constantly shifting gaze, I knew that she’d been taking in every detail of our surroundings. She reached out a hand to shake to bid me farewell. “Good luck, Logan. I’m sure you will be fine.”
Instead of shaking her hand I gripped it and brought it up to my mouth, giving the back of it a kiss. “Thank you. Please stay with these two. They mean the world to me.”
She blushed and nodded. “I know, and I will.”
“Thank you, please be safe, and keep your eyes peeled.” I released her hand slowly and shifted my eyes between each of the women one last time.
I followed Amos into the arena while the others branched off and headed up into the stands. We entered through a small arched wooden door that led into a long corridor and ended in a large room. Inside, several fighters were preparing their equipment and talking strategy with their sponsors.
I followed Amos to the opposite corner of the room. He dismissed his girls and they took up positions around us, preventing anyone from coming close. Amos pulled a chair out from underneath an old man, sending him crashing to the ground. He flipped the seat around and sat on it with his chest against the backrest. “So, Logan, my boy, do you have any questions?”
“What exactly do you do as a sponsor, other than reaping the benefits for my hard work?”
“Don’t you worry about that. Just know that I’m your man behind the scenes. If you make it to the final round, well, then that probably means that I’m doing my job.” He chuckled and shrugged. “I’d prefer not to step in, but being the King’s brother does have certain advantages.”