Chapter 141 - 137: Lion KO

Chapter 141: Chapter 137: Lion KO

I’m grateful that Philippus didn’t hit the arena floor and turn into a deconstructed sculpture. Hopefully, Philippus’ safety will inspire leniency in Atum.

A low, bone-chilling roar from Atum squashes that idea on the spot. [You’re dead! Both of you.] Panting, fur puffing out aggressively, he bares his teeth and prepares to strike.

Of course, this is just playacting. He has to make it look real. And he’s doing a bang-up job.

Lobo snarls, all teeth and claws. [What’s the matter? Lost your weapon? You mean the king of beasts can’t take us on by himself?]

Playacting. Posturing. Talking smack to conceal the thrown match. Philippus and Atum already agreed to take a powder.

Naturally, Kesi and Satemi are ingenuous in this regard. Kesi glares, her beautiful Egyptian-like profile strong and dignified. Satemi raises a fist, and with the other hand, directs energy at and through Atum.

As for me, I’m panting hard and my amulet has turned into just a pretty, lifeless ornament. Kaline sags, clearly needing a power-up. Gussie wings her way down, carrying a tiny basket with a potion in her beak. Whenever did she learn to do that?

The announcer reports, "Thanks to the amulet around his neck, Blaze has altered the course of this game. But his tamer, Miss Kaline Riddlehoeven, appears fatigued. Not only that, my eyes in the stands tell me that Lightning, Blaze’s mate, is exhausted, and her tamer Lord Hans Lammermoor, linked to Blaze and Miss Riddlehoeven, seems to need a rest. Of course, elves have greater stamina than humans, but young Lord Lammermoor is still growing in his power and strength. As for Blaze himself, he is still standing and strong, but it is fortunate that he has Lobo and Minette Riddlehoeven to support him in his offensive against Atum the Ruffed Lion of House Nitakret."

As the announcer narrates all this, Kaline seizes the potion offered by Gussie and drinks it. Ahhh. The warmth spreads through the bond. Lightning sighs in the link, happy. [Ohhh. I was about to nap for a hundred years.]

[And I was, too.] Hans’ yawn is loud and long in the link. [The next time you use that amulet, give me at least a month’s warning. By the way, Niall says he will need to recharge it. I do not know how, but luckily, he knows. Even my father bows to his knowledge.]

Niall’s expertise is beyond golden. He is, after all, our resident curses and artifact coach. [Well, I don’t need to recharge now. I need to beat Atum so I can rest. So we can all rest This first day is almost over, isn’t it?]

Contemplative, Kaline glances at the ceiling of the arena, which has turned into a replica of the night sky to show that it is, indeed, the end of a long, long day. She stares at the swirling simulation of stars, her eyes reflective. [It is. And not a second too soon.]

She’s not kidding. Weariness is a permanent resident in my bones, and this after just one fight. But on the other hand, it was also the buildup to the fight, and System’s psychological cruelty, and the coaching on the sidelines for Gussie, Peridot, Demos, and Einswine. The worrying about Lightning and the cubs.

CRASH.

Lobo knocks Atum backwards, and I rush over, hemming him in. Atum will not escape.

SWIPE.

Atum’s claws shred the air, making a screeching sound as they come close to me. Rolling aside, I rotate to face Atum diagonally. His tawny eyes bore into me. [I want to take you down. For Philippus. He was humiliated.]

I bow my head. [I know. But that’s the game.]

Baring his teeth, Atum regards me with respect. [Did you have to knock him off the platform? He hates falling. He has a fear of heights.]

I circle him while Lobo tracks us both. [I did not know that. But it could have gone either way. I meant to knock him out of the competition, one way or another.]

Lobo bares his teeth, and Minette conjures up a shimmering aura around both of them. Of course, this is a trick I recall from practice. The Aura of Repelling. It should keep Atum off balance while I fight him. Meanwhile, Kaline, although conserving her renewed vigor, pushes her power through me so that I can attack Atum and make short work of him.

At least, I hope that is what happens.

Come on, Lobo. Come on, Minette.

WHOOSH.

The aura expands outward, shimmering purple and pink and blue, then changing to white and blue like the Riddlehoevens’ favorite colors. Both Lobo and Minette look encased in an impenetrable bubble.

Skating back on his nails, Atum bares his teeth. [You think that will save them? The energy field did not save my colleague Philippus.]

[Maybe not. Maybe it’s just one more weapon in our arsenal.] I crouch low to the ground on the platform, and he mirrors me. [But the energy field preserved Philippus for several minutes, and allowed you both to make your move. So, that’s what this does. It buys us time. Time that you are running out of.]

Baring his teeth, Atum lets out a vexed roar. [Maybe so. But I am doubly determined to make you pay for what happened to Philippus. You would be no different f it happened to the wolf.]

[Oh, believe me, you have no idea. I would burn the place down.]

My words have a particular bite, because if Lobo had been knocked out, it would be game over for us. No reprieve, no do-over, no further discussion. And the bleak enslaved future that System painted would already have taken effect.

Lightning and my cubs sent to cruel masters. The Riddlehoeven family destroyed. Lobo and I and our friends sent God knows where. It doesn’t comfort me that we wouldn’t remember our previous lives. How do I know that System hasn’t lied about that? It’s lied about everything else.

[Lobo.] I communicate with desperation. [Lightning. Whatever happens, we have to win. System probably lied about us not remembering our past lives.]

Lobo doesn’t react, but I hear a slow hiss from Lightning through the mind-link. [Of course.] Lightning’s fury is cold and quiet. [That deceitful AI or whatever it is. Of course it would lie about that. And then we’d have to live as slaves remembering being human and the life before. Blaze, Lobo, WIN! Cut the chatter and crush Atum!]

BOOOOM.

The bubble pushes outward from Minette and Lobo, propelling Atum backward, his claws scrabbling a panicked Morse code on the hard platform surface. His tail waves in a manic way, darting here, there, and everywhere, and then he somersaults backward.

Perfect moment. I have him in my sights. I smell blood and desperation. And so, I pounce.

CRASH. I drop onto Atum, nearly crushing him beneath my weight. A swipe of my paw knocks him on the head, and it lolls to one side. A puff of breath and a "mrrrp" of surrender spell lights out for Atum. He’s down!

Kesi and Satemi are copper statues, standing in defeated dignity. Atum lies unconscious. Lobo and I bow our heads out of respect. Gracious in victory, Minette and Kaline attempt to make nice with Kesi and Satemi.

The announcer shouts, "HE’S DONE IT! Blaze has knocked Atum unconscious. House Nitakret is now eliminated from the competition. House Riddlehoeven and the House of Lammermoor advance to the next round! And THAT, ladies and gentlemen and boys and girls of all ages, concludes the first day of the Beast Taming Elimination Tournament! Give all of our champions a huge round of applause."

The deafening cheers could raise the swirling holographic roof of the arena. Thunderous applause. The entire audience rises to its collective feet, praising us. "HOUSE RIDDLEHOEVEN. HOUSE RIDDLEHOEVEN!"

We aren’t the ultimate winners, yet, but we certainly gave the audience quite a show. That is why they are cheering us.

The platform slowly sinks back to its original position, resetting for tomorrow. And suddenly, Lightning, the cubs, Gussie, Demos, Einswine, Peridot, and even Dag join us, clustering around us like a living victory laurel. Hans, Elandior, Lamant, Vedette, Niall, Maartenwitz, Kasz, and Tomas also cluster around us. The cheering really does threaten to blow the roof off this place. Somehow, thanks to our astonishing finish, we have become the face of this competition. This world and the real world are watching.

Lightning’s warm fur and the cubs’ fur surround me, and I melt into them. Lobo licks my ear. Gussie pokes me with her beak. Finally, after a day that makes me want to sleep for a week, I can rest. Until tomorrow when the fight begins anew.

Kaline crows. "Blaze, Lobo, I just knew you could do it. We are going to win this tournament!"

"It’s not about that, my daughter," Lamant says, a typical fatherly reminder.

Oh, how wrong he is. It’s all about winning. But not tonight. I’m half asleep and don’t remember heading back to our quarters.