I Become the Baby Tiger in a Beast Taming World

Chapter 156: Chapter 152: A God Beast in the Arena

The announcer cues us again. "Blaze of House Riddlehoeven and Lobo of House Riddlehoeven against Quetzalcoatl of House Ixchel and Yaretzi of House Ixchel!"

Dogging Kaline’s steps, I sniff the air. Feathers. Serpent scales. A hint of fire, connected to the sun. No surprise: Quetzalcoatl, the god, is associated with the sun.

[Lobo! Is this the actual god of death and rebirth from ancient Aztec times?]

Lobo woofs. [Honestly. Do your own research.]

[Can’t at the moment!]

He woofs again. [Oh...right. Never mind. He is modeled on Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god. But I don’t know if he is a god or just a beast. Either way, he’s overpowered. Yaretzi we don’t need to worry about so much. Yaretzi is a poison dart frog.]

I groan. [Great. A feathered serpent and a poison dart frog.]

Like a newly whetted knife, the poison is sharp to my nose. I can smell it from here, and also Quetzalcoatl’s fire. Yaretzi hops across the arena, trailing poison scent in his wake. Orange and blue, he is not the largest of creatures, but he doesn’t need to be. Meanwhile, Quetzalcoatl hovers, his scaly coils trailing and his feathered crest drawing every eye. They head toward the platform diagonally while Lobo and I approach from the opposite side. Minette and Kaline follow, once again a mother-daughter team and happy about it.

Behind Yaretzi and Quetzalcoatl, the mages of House Ixchel follow. Shamans in swirling Aztec-style robes, carrying shamanic rattles and flutes. It makes sense. Music is part of shamanism. Hopefully, it soothes the savage Quetzalcoatl.

Lightning chatters through the link. [It’s not a god. Quetzalcoatl. In this world, he’s not a god. He’s just modeled after the one in our world. System only has distant gods like the Primal Beast. Not an actual god that might be a threat to its power.]

[You really are the brains of our little duo, aren’t you?]

A satisfied purr. [And don’t you forget it. Also, remember that there are limits to his power. Because how can System let him be more powerful than it is?]

I hop up on the now-familiar platform. My paws feel grounded walking on the hard surface. Lobo’s paws glide over it. We stand near the midpoint opposite House Ixchel.

Green-and orange-striped coils sprawl across the platform as Quetzalcoatl hovers. Meanwhile, Yaretzi sticks out her amphibian tongue, ready to spit poison at us. A mere touch might spell death. All the more reason to eliminate her immediately, then focus on Quetzalcoatl.

The stats display on the screens on either side of the arena.

[Name: [Yaretzi]

[Class: [Expert]

[Race: [Poison Dart Frog]

[Level: 9/10 [XP 50/100 STATUS: Full

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

[Strength: 86

[Defense: 87

[Magic: 86

[Resistance: 89

[Speed: 91

[Charisma: 85

[Luck: 89

[Skills: [Poison (Attack Skill] [Jump (Attack Skill)] [Tongue (Skill)] [Camouflage (Skilll) [Escape Power (Skill) [Super Jump (Skill)][Telepathy(Skill)]

_______________

[Name: [Quetzalcoatl]

[Class: [Expert]

[Race: [Feathered Serpent

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

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

[Strength: 95

[Defense: 93

[Magic: 91

[Resistance: 92

[Speed: 91

[Charisma: 95

[Luck: 90

[Skills: [Flying (Attack Skill] [Bite (Attack Skill)] [Stealth (Skill)] [Nature Power (Skill)[Escape Power (Skill)[Fire/(Skill)[Telepathy](Skill) [Death and Rebirth (Skill)][Procreation (Skill)]

I ask Lobo what I need to know. [Death and rebirth? Does that mean if we kill him it doesn’t count? That he’s the one creature we can kill because he’ll be reborn? And what about Nature Power? What does that do?]

Lobo woofs. [Nature Power is summoning the forces of nature in this fight. The energy of nature. What that looks like, I’m not sure, except that Quetzalcoatl in Aztec legend was a bridge between the heavens and this world and connected to the cycles of nature. As for killing him accidentally, the rules probably don’t allow us to do that, even as an accident. Ask.]

I ask Kaline. [Do the rules punish us if we accidentally kill Quetzalcoatl? He can be reborn.]

Maartenwitz and Niall didn’t talk about this, and I forgot to ask. What’s the matter with me?

Kaline’s hand cards through my fur. [That’s a good question. Although why you think you would kill him--]

[Please. Humor me. I want to do this right.]

Kaline straightens. "I have a question. About the rules."

The announcer booms, "Ask, Tamer Kaline Riddlehoeven."

All eyes are on her, and minute and Lamant give her encouraging smiles. Vedette looks proud, while Niall gestures for her to take charge, flexing his muscles. Hardly frightening, but on the other hand, everyone is watching him, riveted.

Kaline begins. "Master Widdershins and Ser Maartenwitz told us that Quetzalcoatl has the power of death and rebirth, and we see that on the screens. So, if something happens and he dies and comes back to life, will Blaze and Lobo be punished?"

A hush falls over the arena. The audience is moved by Kaline asking that question with such earnestness at such a young age.

After a long moment, the announcer says, "Because death and rebirth are part of who Quetzalcoatl is, the rules about ’no death’ do not apply. Should there be an unfortunate accident, Quetzalcoatl can revive himself, much like the phoenixes in the tournament. The phoenixes also aren’t subject to the ’no death’ rule. So no, Blaze and Lobo would not be punished or disqualified if something were to occur."

The audience breathes a collective sigh of relief, even though they have seen phoenixes in this competition. It’s possible that no one asked about their life-and-death powers because it’s one of those things that is a given among tournament players. But Kaline wouldn’t know.

Kaline beams. "Thank you." She straightens up, signaling that she is ready for combat. With a gentle touch on her arm, Minette also signals that she is ready. And proud of Kaline.

I bump Kaline’s hand with my head. [Well done. I feel so much better.]

The announcer calls out, "3...2...1...BEGIN!"

Lobo and I target Yaretzi first, employing Shooting Stars to keep her away from us. The superheated platform keeps her hopping, literally. With more control over her Super Jumps, she bounces around, her feet noisily slapping the platform.

Kaline provides more information. [Blaze, Yaretzi has a limited range of poison, but she could possibly attack from above when she jumps. Keep your eyes above you too.]

I offer a little "mrrp" of acknowledgment and continue to overheat the platform, making sure that Yaretzi doesn’t stay in one place, and neither do we. Always in motion. One side of the platform to the other. Never staying in one spot. There are two of us, which makes for a divided target.

Meanwhile, Quetzalcoatl plays wingman or wing serpent, providing a place to rest for Yaretzi. Sometime, Yaretzi will glue her sticky frog feet to the scaly serpentine coils and ride his coattails, so to speak.

The announcer calls out, "Two masterful displays of teamwork here. Combined Shooting Stars strategy for House Riddlehoeven and aerial strategy for House Ixchel. Of course, as we’ve seen, Blaze and Lobo have mastered the Super Jump, so I expect an aerial war any moment."

I thought he’d never ask.

[Kaline! I’m going to draw just a little power through the amulet to sustain my Super Jump.]

She’s on board, holding out her hands. [Go ahead. The shamans’ music is stronger now.]

My ears prick up. Haunting, rhythmic, the melodies from House Ixchel sweep me away, or attempt to. Lobo’s ears and tail move in time to the music.

[Lightning! Tell Hans I’m about to draw power through the amulet. Just a little to start.]

Her voice comes through strong, no wavering. [Do it. And tell Lobo he’s there to fight, not dance. Tell him.]

I nudge Lobo. [Come on, Twinkle Toes. Let’s take this battle to the air, like the people want.]

Lobo woofs. [See you in the sky.]

Pulsing and pounding, the power flows through the amulet. My paws lift on their own, and I’m airborne! Lobo, too, thanks to his own power. We streak into the air until we level out at the height of Yaretzi and Quetzalcoatl.]

With a hiss, Quetzalcoatl unfolds his wings, a thunderstorm with feathers. [Took you long enough. Are you prepared for a true battle?]

I bare my teeth. [Anytime, anywhere, on the ground, in the air.]

Lobo howls, hovering. We can’t keep this up forever, but we can make it count.

Fiery stars slice through the air, spinning toward Yaretzi and Quetzalcoatl. Swish. Swish. Swish. Dodging and diving, our opponents evade most of the flaming missiles, but then, HISSS. Direct hit. Missiles explode around Quetzalcoatl’s feathers, and scorch Yaretzi’s froggy hide.

Fire crackles around Quetzalcoatl. Our Shooting Stars are feeding his fire, unfortunately, but that’s a side effect we’ll have to accept. Our target is still Yaretzi, and...

AHHHH!

Fire ignites a jet from Yaretzi, a sickly-looking streak of poison, and the fumes make me sick to my stomach. Lobo gags. We’re being poisoned!