by Simon Archer
“Oh, Gerry,” Barth called out.
Seemingly against his will, the gnome stopped in his tracks and spun around. “What?”
“Thank you for getting the papers,” Barth said.
Gerry’s face softened. “You’re welcome, Barth. I’m going to keep them in my room under my bed in case you need them.”
“We will,” Barth announced. “Soon.”
“Soon?” I jumped in. “How soon is soon?”
“This weekend,” Barth said. He pulled his feet out of the water. The elf gave them as little shake before getting up. He picked up his shoes and slung them over his shoulder as he walked past me towards Gerry.
The whole time he did this, I watched him dumbfounded. Could he mean it? I was going to get to fight as early as this weekend? That was less than three days away. I might be in the ring that soon.
“We’re going to try to get you into the Heavyweight North tournament,” Barth said as casually as if he were making dinner plans. “The sign-ups are this weekend, so we’ll leave for the city tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I balked. I blinked a little, trying to process everything Barth was saying as fast as he was saying it. “I have to leave Deity?”
“She can come with for all I care,” Barth said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “But the three of us are leaving tomorrow. I’ve rented us a small apartment we can share while the tournament plays out.”
“That’s going to take weeks,” I said. “What about the animals? The farm?”
“Look, Rico.” Barth paused his trek and put a hand on my shoulder. “I get it, I care about this place too. As much as I don’t like to admit it, this country life has grown on me, but it’ll take too much out of you to have to walk back here every night. You want to still do this, right? You still want to fight?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
“Then find someone to take care of the farm while you compete in this tournament,” Barth concluded. He tapped my shoulder once before removing his hand.
I closed my eyes and recognized a pinch in my chest. I didn’t like to tell anyone this, but I hadn’t been away from the farm for more than two nights. The tournament would take weeks, especially if I did as well as I planned to. I didn’t even know who I could ask to take care of everything.
Deity was the first person to come to mind, but I really wanted her there with him. However, if she were there, then she would know I wasn’t competing as myself, but as a half. She would know I was lying.
I rubbed my forehead as we walked back to the farmhouse, Graham leading the way proudly. The dog, gnome, and elf went to the barn to check on the new calf who was growing nicely. I went the alternate route and figured it was best to talk to Deity now, especially if we planned on leaving so soon.
I made my way into the kitchen where Deity stood, bent over with her head practically in the oven. I coughed to get her attention, and she jumped a little.
“Walden, Rico,” Deity said with a powdered hand over her chest. “You scared me.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, “I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay,” Deity said with that memorable smile. “What’s up?”
“I…” I stuttered, unable to think of how to start. “I need to go away for a while.”
Deity’s expression snapped to one of concern and worry. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
“No,” I quickly said, realizing that hadn’t been the best way to start. “Nothing wrong. It’s a good thing, actually, but I need a favor from you.”
“Well, tell me the good thing, then ask me the favor,” Deity instructed. She was good at that, giving me a clear path on how to explain myself. I appreciated that about her.
“Barth got me a chance to fight,” I said, purposefully being vague. “There’s a tournament this weekend, and I get to participate.”
“But, I thought humans weren’t allowed to fight?” Deity checked with a raised eyebrow. “Did something change?”
“It was Barth and Gerry,” I answered. “They made it happen. I get a chance to compete.”
“Wow, Rico, I mean, just, wow!” Deity said, fumbling over her own exclamations. “Congratulations!”
She wrapped me into a hug, grabbing me about the middle. I reached down and hugged her back, maybe a little too tightly.
“Thanks,” I muttered into her hair.
“What do you need me to do?” she asked as she pulled back. She still held me, but now looked into my eyes with a sincere determination. “Whatever you need, just say the word.”
“Could you watch the farm while we’re gone?” I wondered, letting the words fall out of my mouth without too much thought.
“Absolutely!” Deity agreed. She slapped my chest playfully. “You know I’d do damn near anything for you, Rico. Especially so you can go off and make your dreams come true. I’ve got your back.”
Right now, I bent down and gave her a fierce kiss. I threw all of my gratitude and hope into my lips as they melded with hers. She sunk into me but only for a few seconds before she popped back out of it.
“I’m just so amazing that they’re letting you compete,” Deity said straight to my face. “You’re going to be the first human fighter! How exciting is that!”
Deity squeezed my sides in excitement, and I looked away, though I plastered a smile on my face. I was saved from having to answer her because a nasty smell slid between the pair of us.
We wrinkled our noses and tried to identify the substance. Deity’s eyes suddenly grew wide.
“My banana bread!” she cried.
The female flew from my arms and dashed for the oven. I watched her fan away some smoke and pull the charred bread from the fire. Even in her panic, she was gorgeous. I hoped, right then, that I was doing the right thing by not saying anything.
19
The apartment Barth arranged for us only had two beds.
“If you think I’m sleeping on the floor, you’re sorely mistaken,” Gerry informed us as the three of us stumbled inside.
“I thought the couch would be suitable,” Barth said with a gesture to the couch which was really more the size of a loveseat.
“Why don’t you take the couch?” Gerry countered. “Or Rico? Oh, that’s right, it’s because I’m smaller than the two of you. You decided to skimp on an extra bed because I’m short.”
“If you want a bed, Gerry, you can share with me,” I offered just to make him shut up.
“Or me,” Barth said with a grin. “But I do kick in my sleep.”
“I will take the couch. For now,” Gerry added the last two words as a caveat. “But when we win this thing and make lots of money, we better be booking three beds!”
“Understood,” Barth agreed.
Gerry plopped himself on the couch and leaned back with his hands behind his head. “So, what’s the plan? Are we going to head to sign-ups now?”
“Right now?” I asked nervously.
“The sooner we get you approved, the better, I think,” Gerry said. “Isn’t that right, Barth?”
“It is probably best to get it out of the way,” Barth suggested. “Are you alright with that, Rico?”
“Yeah, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I said, even though my voice caught in my throat in the middle of that sentence, so the words came out in more of a croak.
“Because you look like you’re about to pee your pants,” Gerry said plainly. “When did you get so nervous?”
“I don’t know,” I said as I scratched the back of my neck. I moved to sit on the bed closest to the door. “I just don’t know if they’ll buy the whole half-giant thing. I know I’m a big guy, but still, my characteristics are obviously human.”
“There are plenty of halves who have more humanness,” Gerry reasoned. “It’s the paperwork that matters. That and the magic. That’s how they’ll know. Since we’ve got that down, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” I said, more to the floor than to
Gerry. I slapped my knees and stood up. “Maybe we should just go and get it over with.”
Gerry lifted himself up to a sitting position. “That’s the spirit. Let’s head over there.”
“Do you remember how to get there, Gerry?” Barth asked as he set his bag on the unoccupied bed.
“Yeah, it’s not that far from here,” the gnome replied. “Why?”
“Because you’ll have to show Rico the way when you two go,” the elf said to his bag rather than to us.
“Wait,” Gerry said slowly, but I filled in the blank before he did.
“You’re not coming with us?” I asked Barth. “Why not?”
Gerry sighed. “Damn, Barth. You’re still banned, aren’t you?”
“Well, the fact that you never gave me credit is at least good for something,” the gnome grumbled.
“I didn’t sign up to do this without you,” I said, surprised at how accusatory I sounded. “If you can’t be there, then you at least owe me an explanation as to why.”
I held my patience long enough. I respected Barth and his privacy, and while I knew his relationship with the MFL was rocky at best, now I knew he was banned, to the point where he couldn’t come with us to the arena to sign me up. This was more of a problem than I ever thought. Something bigger had gone on here, and I needed to know what it was before I moved forward any more.
Barth sighed and set down his clothes. He turned so he could sit on the edge of the bed, and he put his head in his hands. He rubbed them up and down his face, pulling and stretching his wrinkled skin. The elf released a moan and stared at Gerry.
“I can’t tell this story for you,” Gerry said as he held up his hands innocently. “I told you that you should have said something in the first place.”
Barth looked at the ceiling of the room, and I crossed my arms in response. “What did you do, Barth?”
“As I’m sure you’ve noticed,” the elf began, “I had a drinking problem.”
I thought back to when I met him in the Blue Water Inn. Memories of his flask popping up nearly all the time surfaced. However, I recalled not seeing it lately. In the weeks that he’d spent at the farm, his alcohol consumption had lessened.
“Yeah, but not anymore?” I asked.
“Who knew that the cure to drinking was a farm?” Barth shrugged his shoulders. “Fresh air. Animals. Some responsibility for their lives. It was little Achter that finally did it for me.”
“That’s great, Barth,” I congratulated with sincerity, but then my voice hardened again. “What does that have to do with the MFL?”
“Well,” Barth said with a gulp, “Warpin dropped me because of it. He picked a different coach and left me with little prospects. My other fighters weren’t winning, and when they don’t win, I don’t make any money. As such, I had no money to support my habits.”
“This is about money?” I asked, a little surprised.
“It’s almost always about money,” Barth countered.
“I’d like to think that’s not true,” I said with a frown.
“You country folk have such bright eyes,” Barth muttered with a grimace. “It was about money. Which I needed. So I rigged a couple of fights.”
My mouth popped open to retort, but Gerry held up a hand that silenced me. The gnome’s face seemed to say, “Let him finish,” so I closed my mouth and buried my shock.
Playing the stocks was something that the elves found great joy in. They loved betting pecuns on the fights. It was a huge statistics game that brought in large piles of revenue. Some elves were professional stock players, making their yearly salary off the heavyweight and lightweight seasons.
Because of the amount of money dealt with on a nightly basis, the stocks were heavily regulated. There were severe laws in place for forgery or tampering with the stocks. Bribery and extortion were the worst crimes.
“Long story short,” Barth said with wide arms and a flat expression, “I got caught. The MFL banned me from participating ever again. They would deny any fighter I coached access to a fight.”
“So, when we went to recruit Gerry, we needed him in more ways than one,” I concluded.
“Exactly,” Barth confirmed. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. I didn’t think you’d want to work with me if you knew I was a cheater. But I swear, I won’t do anything more to hurt your chances to fight Rico. You’re good, and I think you deserve a chance as much as the next creature.”
“I appreciate that, Barth,” I answered. My thoughts cycled through my mind as I listened to the elf and his story. “You’ve done a lot for me, and I’m grateful. Plus, I can’t get mad at you for cheating because we’re all having to cheat the system just to get taken seriously.”
“Rico’s got a point, Barth,” Gerry chimed in. “We’re all tangled in this lie together.”
“We’ll handle the sign-up at the arena,” I confirmed. “Then we’ll give you a full report later tonight.”
“Thank you both,” Barth said with an audible swallow. “I promise, I’m much better than I was. You and your farm have a lot to do with that, Rico.”
“I can’t tell you how happy that makes me,” I said with a nod.
“While this confession and bonding moment is sweet and all,” Gerry interjected, “I want to get down to the arena so we can stop fretting about this hurdle and get Rico to the ring where he belongs.”
Barth got to his feet and shooed us off. “Get going. We’ll meet back here and grab something to eat afterward.”
Gerry and I left together, while Barth stayed in the apartment and awaited our arrival.
The gnome led me through the city streets with an ease I admired. I lumbered beside him while Gerry bobbed and weaved. I struggled to keep up because he was so comfortable and fast. He often forgot I was following him and would have to stop so I could catch up.
Despite all of the navigating, we made it to the arena. On the outside, MFL North was on full display in thick red lettering. The doors were open with a sign beside them. It read: MFL North Tournament Sign-Ups and Try-Outs.
“Try-outs?” I read aloud. “What does that mean?”
“Don’t worry about it too much,” Gerry assured me. “They’ll just have you do a little bit of physical stuff to show you’re fit. The biggest part is your special move which we’ve got down.”
“Right,” I said with a nod that I thought would alleviate more of my nerves than it did.
The MFL North’s arena was massive. It was so much bigger in person than on the projection. Everything was illuminated by torches and some high windows with daylight streaming in. The ring stood proudly in the center, though the ropes were missing which was quite an odd sight.
“They are replacing them before the tournament,” Gerry explained when he caught me looking. “They do it before every tournament.”
“Right,” I said, acting like I knew exactly what he was talking about.
However, it was this kind of behind-the-scenes knowledge that appealed to me. It made my inner child sing at the thought of knowing all the secrets of the MFL. Everything from how the projections worked to how the locker rooms looked. I wanted to absorb it all with eyes wide open.
The room was crowded with creatures of all kinds. Most were males, though a smattering of females stood in line as well. Different stations circled the ring. The first line and the longest was for the initial sign-ups.
“Go get in that line,” Gerry advised. “I will sit in the stands and have my eye on you the whole time.”
The gnome held out his hand, and the brown folder appeared in his palm. I took the documents gingerly. I tried to hold them gently so that they still looked pristine and official.
“I’ll be right up there,” Gerry said with a point to the stands. “Holler if you need anything, but you won’t. Just fill out the form honestly.”
The gnome gave me a wink and bounced off to claim his seat in the stand with other coaches. I watched him go and gulped. My forehead started to sweat,
and the sensation prickled at my fingertips. I put the folder in my other hand so I could wipe the first on my pants, ridding it of as much sweat as I could.
Clear of most of my perspiration, I stepped into line. I stood behind a demon who glowed purple in the firelight. His horns stretched high over his head, which made him only an inch or two taller than me. The demon turned to me, and his yellow eyes gave me a once over.
“I haven’t seen you around before,” he said with a hiss to his words. He stuck out his flicked tongue and ran it over his bottom lip. “I like fresh meat.”
“This is my first tournament, yes,” I admitted, figuring that people would know soon enough.
“It’s all our first tournament, silly,” the demon chastised. “Today’s sign-ups are for newbies only. Yesterday, previous title holders and competitors got to hold their spots.”
“Oh,” I said as I took a mental note. “Good to know.”
“I’ve competed in smaller gyms before, but nothing as big as the MFL,” the demon said, continuing the small talk. “What about you?”
“I’m a country fighter,” I confessed. My tone tried to make the country sound cooler than it did, but I failed when the demon barked out a laugh.
“Aiming a little high, don’t you think?” the demon raised a painted eyebrow. “I competed in dozens of smaller tournaments and fights before even thinking of fighting in the MFL. It’s so competitive.”
“But I want to be with the best of the best,” I reasoned.
“We all do,” the demon sympathized, “but very few of us will ever get to that level.”
“Next!” the elf at the first table called out.
The demon turned without so much as a goodbye and headed toward the next available representative. I rubbed the brown folder between my thumb and forefinger, fidgeting away my nerves. Here was the first test, staring me down with golden eyes. All I had to do was present the papers, answer a few questions, and then move on to the physical stuff, which I was good at.
“Next!” the elf called. I stepped forward accordingly.
The elven female had long shimmering brown hair which she flipped over one shoulder out of her way as she gazed at me. She offered me a flat smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Despite her flawless beauty, I could see the tiredness behind her eyes.