Chapter 144 - 140: Beware The Komodo Dragon

Chapter 144: Chapter 140: Beware The Komodo Dragon

The matches proceed in a blur. Ten beasts get knocked out of the tournament. Ninety left.

It doesn’t even seem that any time has passed before the announcer calls the next match.

"Gussie of House Riddlehoeven and Peridot of House Riddlehoeven against Magali and Karafa of House Chikat."

Recovered, Gussie and Peridot, with Lamant and Niall, climb onto one end of the floating platform while the tamers from House Chikat mount the slab along with their beasts. A large golden-and-purple eagle hovers beside a jade green Komodo dragon. Their tamers, brown-skinned husband and wife Rama and Arora, face Lamant and Niall with proud dignity.

The stats of their opponents flash across the screens and in System’s displays.

_______________

[Name: [Karafa]

[Class: [Journeyman]

[Race: [Komodo Dragon]

[Level: 4/10 [XP 55/100 STATUS: Full

[HP: 6/6 [MP: 0/0 [Stamina 100/100

[Strength: 32

[Defense: 28

[Magic: 29

[Resistance: 31

[Speed: 35

[Charisma: 38

[Luck: 29

[Skills: [Bite (Attack Skill] [Poison (Attack Skill][Crush (Attack Skill)][Shooting Stars (Skill) [Escape Power(Skill)]Super Jump (Attack Skill[Telepathy(Skill)]

_______________

[Name: [Magali]

[Class: [Journeyman]

[Race: [Golden Eagle]

[Level: 3/10 [XP 40/100 STATUS: Full

[HP: 6/6 [MP: 0/0 [Stamina 100/100

[Strength: 31

[Defense: 29

[Magic: 29

[Resistance: 32

[Speed: 34

[Charisma: 30

[Luck: 29

[Skills: [Bite (Attack Skill] [Fly (Attack Skill)] [Hunting (Skill)][Telepathy(Skill]

_____________

Lobo communicates to Gussie and Peridot. [The Komodo dragon is poisonous! You must not get bitten, whatever you do. If you do, you’ll see your body temperature drop, get paralyzed, and you’ll feel woozy from low blood pressure. Shock and loss of consciousness will follow. So, do not get bitten!]

Gussie flaps her wings. [Master Lamant already told me.]

Peridot sounds alert. [So did Master Niall. Try not to worry so much, Lobo. We will not fail.]

Just then, the announcer calls out, "3...2...1...BEGIN!"

It is on!

Karafa, the Komodo dragon, sprints toward them. Lobo advises them on strategy. [They can only run 20 km/h or 12 mph in brief spurts. So, don’t worry about a prolonged chase. Mind the jaws!]

Gussie squawks. "Can’t catch me, lizard."

She launches into the air and soars above the Komodo dragon, Karafa. Naturally, Peridot copies her. Both of them taunting the Komodo dragon. Magali, the eagle, takes to the skies too.

I warn her. [Karafa has the Super Jump.]

Lobo woofs. [Same principle as running. He can’t sustain it for long, and Gussie’s flying is innate.]

[Well, that’s something, at least. That eagle is more concerning.]

Gussie and Peridot do an acrobatic air show around Magali, who flaps around with the certainty and smoothness of a born predator. Lights glinting off his violet and golden plumage make him look like a violet and golden flame in flight. I just hope that Gussie, who loves pretty things, isn’t too dazzled by the sight.

BOOM!

Gussie hits him like a bullet shot out of a gun. He stumbles backward in the air, right into Peridot’s snare. The turquoise python traps him in her coils, trussing him up like a Christmas goose instead of a proud eagle.

Niall cheers, excited, and Lamant whistles, proud. Our section erupts in cheers and roars. From the stands, I hear Lightning roaring, then the cubs.

Peridot knows the drill. Squeeze Magali just enough to knock him unconscious without crushing him to death. I should know. My ribs still ache from the practice sessions we’ve had where all of us were stand-ins for whatever opponents Peridot might face.

Gussie hovers, keeping an eye on Karafa, who just sits there watching his teammate get squeezed like an orange. This doesn’t seem right. Why is Karafa not moving?

[Lobo?]

My brother’s eyes snap. [GUSSIE! Get out of there. PERIDOT! Knock him out and be done.]

Peridot squeezes, feathers sticking out from her coils, a jarring sight. [I’m trying, but he won’t stay still! He’s a lot more slippery than all of you.]

Suddenly, Gussie squawks and hits the floor, or nearly. Karafa has lunged at her, razor sharp teeth out, ready to deliver a disabling bite. He waited until they were distracted and lulled into complacency! Luckily, Gussie is nimble.

Jaws crunching together, Karafa sprints toward Gussie, who rockets back up. Panting, Karafa pauses to recharge after two futile sprints. Gussie dances out of his way, taking up a position above Peridot and Magali, like a feathered warning beacon.

It occurs to me that beast battle is a lot like the improv class I took in law school. You have to think on your feet and be alert to what everyone else is doing. Also, you need to stay in the moment, as Gussie just discovered.

Hissing, tongue darting out, Karafa taunts Gussie with his stillness, his lizard eyes promising more attacks. However, Peridot squeezes one final time, and the wildly waving feathers slow down. Uncoiling, Peridot deposits the unconscious Magali on the platform. From here, I can see;; that Magali is asleep, not dead.

The announcer shouts, "One down! Magali is out of the tournament. House Chikat needs to push fast if it wants to stay in the tournament."

The Chikats turn on Niall. "Did you have to knock him out completely so fast?" Rama is emotional, dramatic, like a character out of Bollywood.

Niall shrugs. "It is called the Beast Taming ELIMINATION Tournament. Elimination is the name of the game. It’s nothing personal."

Simple, direct, common sense. However, the Chikats are gathering stormclouds. They definitely take this personally. Somehow, I doubt very much that they expected Gussie and Peridot to be such formidable opponents.

Lamant warns, "Better concentrate your energy on your attacks. You do not want to do what Athalie Gratin did, do you?"

Stung, Arora sniffs. "Only a weak mind would resort to such cheap tricks."

My respect for the Chikats edges up a notch.

Rama Chikat channels a steady stream of energy into Karafa, who bounces up. Actually bounces. That is, if a Komodo dragon can bounce. He rises in the air, claws out, teeth seeking a target for his neurotoxins. [Come here and face me.]

Peridot matches him, leveling out at his height, and Gussie hovers close by. Two against one, spoiling for a fight. Ready to finish this.

Karafa shoots toward Peridot and Gussie, who dance and twirl out of his path. Homing in on them, Karafa follows, but doesn’t get far before he drifts back down to the platform, running out of gas. Panting, hissing, he conserves his energy for another shot.

Gussie and Peridot play Keep Away, staying well out of his way. However, I can sense the tension. I can see the fluffed feathers indicating that Gussie is on edge, and Peridot taut as a scaly bowstring, indicating that she feels the same way. How could they not? At any moment, Karafa could deal them a deadly bite that not only would take them out of the game, but also might kill them, even though that is against the rules.

I won’t ask how many beasts have accidentally perished in this competition over the years. Maartenwitz mentioned those figures before Kaline and Vedette shut him up. All I know is that Gussie and Peridot will not be added to that list. Not on my watch! Unfortunately, I can’t control whatever happens in the next few minutes.

Gussie decides to play decoy, buzzing Karafa, staying out of range of his jaws and tongue and claws. His head periscopes up, swiveling every which way, never quite able to keep Gussie in his sights. She’s an adroit flying ace and seemingly inexhaustible, especially where life and death situations are concerned.

Meanwhile, Peridot slithers into position. Putting the old squeeze play on a Komodo dragon will not be as easy as knocking out an eagle, but it’s do or die.

Niall creates a nifty new spiral with his hands. He is always improving on his spells, but working with a serpent, he must be an old hand at spirals. WHOOSH. Peridot starts whirling like a Whirling Dervish, almost creating a funnel effect that pulls on Karafa. Hissing, he plants his feet on the platform and stubbornly tries to gecko himself to it. Unfortunately, he is not a gecko, and despite his bulk, the pull from Peridot’s wind funnel is working, slowly but surely.

The announcer is falling all over himself to report on the spectacle. "An unprecedented move, but then, we should expect no less from Niall Widdershins and his Peridot."

Someone in the crowd yells, "We love you, Niall!"

Hair wilder than ever, Niall just flashes a smile at his fans, then returns to his work. Peridot swirls faster and faster. Gussie joins in, flapping her wings as if she, too, can haul Karafa up off the platform and right where they want him. They actually succeed. We have liftoff!

Karafa rises in the air, drawn upward by these two flying menaces as if on strings. Up, up, up, hs head elevated toward them.

Too late, I notice his jaws going for Peridot. And Gussie.

[PERIDOT! GUSSIE! LOOK OUT!]