Chapter 51

Crucible

Today is one of the weirdest days I can remember experiencing. Not the things that happen, those are pretty normal. It is the way I feel that is weird. It's similar to the feelings I get before I'm going to fight but way worse. How strange is that? I am not even fighting and this is maybe the most nervous I have ever felt.

At least I can eat arena food again today. It feels like it has been forever since I had one of those tiny fried birds, and I have developed a real taste for them. Yet when Xael comes back with the things I can barely keep it down. Where normally tearing the wings off and crunching down on them is usually the highlight of my day I just feel queasy.

Kalon and Tota have a nervous energy about them but I think it’s trending towards excitement. I know the look in the blonde boy’s eyes. There is an assurance there that only comes from intense preparation. Still, I’ve heard Muraab say plans never last more than a couple of exchanges in the pit. He’s probably right, most of my fights don’t really last that long…or have a specific plan. The one for Corlin went pretty well, so there's that I guess.

As always I find the preliminary matches of the day to be a waste of time. There are only a few convict teams left in their own secondary tournament so adult pitters are brought in for matches against each other or various monsters.

When they do bring out the last couple of convict teams for their matches the idiots down there are starting to feel themselves, starting to enjoy the roar of the crowd. I get it, in their own way they are building fanbases just like we are. The difference is the pit slaves competing aren’t all but guaranteed to die at the end of the event.

“Idiots” I mutter to myself as one team celebrates their victory like they are already free.

I might be a little self-centered as I honestly don’t notice how nervous Xael is until just before Kalon and Tota leave the cage. The dark-haired foreigner leaves and comes back a weird number of times. It’s the smell that clues me in, despite doing a really good job cleaning himself I know he’s been throwing up.

“Hey “ I call after Kalon and Tota are gone. “It's going to be fine, you're boyfriend is going to be fine.”

Xael pinches the bridge of his nose in dismay.

“First of all don’t call him that in public, I’ve explained this to you. Secondly I just, I just wish I could actually do something to help.”

“Yeah,” I reply knowingly. “ It would almost be easier if it was us down there.”

“Oh, I know!” He says, shaking his head. “ so annoying.”

On the pit floor, I can see Muraab arming our boys. Tota is given his halberd as per usual, but Kalon is handed something weird along with the pit-sword he straps to his waist. It looks like a loop for a few heartbeats until the boy flicks it out.

“Is that a whip?!” I exclaim, shooting a glance at Xael who is standing in front of his little chair set up.

“It is” He answers with a little smile.

The high-pitched announcer lady interrupts any further conversation.

“From House BloodRock, you know them, you Love them. The pair of dark horses who have made it further than any gambling house in the whole city predicted!”

I wonder if that’s true. I could believe it given there is just nothing special about them. Yes, Tota has spikes but as abilities granted by the curse go, it's worse even than my bite. And Kalon is only human after all.

“Seeking to upset the odds ONE. MORE. TIME. I give you KAAAAAYYYYYLLLOOOOONNN aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnddddd TOOOOTTTTTAAAAAA”

Across the sands from them, the elephant boy and the flame witch look the same as usual. Klash is making some effort to play to the crowd but Embella is clearly just bored to be here.

“And from House HighSail a pair that gives new meaning to the word monster! Everyone’s pick to win the whole tournament and perhaps the scariest youth team ever created!”

That draws a sneer from me. They are pretty scary, but ever created? Not a chance.

“KUUUHHHHHLLLLAAAAASSSSSSHHHH aaaaaannnnnnnnndddddddddd EEEEMMMMBEEEELLLLLLAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

I was proud a few moments ago when the crowd cheered for Kalon and Tota: The reception they had received was more than a little boisterous but it is utterly eclipsed by the roar for Embella and Klash. What can I say people love a dominant force and they have been extremely dominant in this tournament.

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The moment she calls “BEGIN!” I’m holding my breath despite my words to Xael there is an anxious part of me that thinks the flame witch is going to incinerate them instantly.

To my surprise, Tota rushes forward to engage the elephant boy. The range and leverage granted by his halberd is a quality counter to the monstrous size and strength of Klash. There is a little problem though, Embella.

Twirling her metal flamestick the Itti’atti sends a stream of living fire around her partner right towards Tota.

‘CRACK’

The fire sputters out and the girl lets out a little shriek as the whip lashes out and slices her along the jaw. The girl takes a moment to glare at Kalon unleashing a torrent of flame from both ends of the staff-like weapon. It isn’t thin this time but waves of fire that quickly expand.

She shouldn’t have taken the time to look at him as the whip snakes out again driving the girl back with a lash against her chest and sending the gouts of fire shooting off randomly.

“YES!”

I’m on my feet screaming then, and I’m not the only one. All around the stunned crowd is letting out excited screams or cheers of encouragement. No one expected Kalon and Tota to even put up a fight. Seeing the human boy hurt the Itti’atti not once but twice is more than enough to make the fans lose their collective minds.

I understand now what the pair from BloodRock are trying to do. Tota is armed almost perfectly to keep Klash busy. I doubt he can threaten the huge cursed but neither can Klash break away from him to help his partner. The long reach of the Halberd means Tota can both keep the elephant boy at a distance and punish any attempt to disengage.

All the while Kalon is actively moving his ranged duel away from Klash and Tota. The Itti’atti girl has recovered enough from the shock of actually getting hurt for once to put up a fight, but it’s clear she is getting the worst of it. The blonde boy doesn’t stop moving, spinning and twisting away from the girl’s guided flame all while sending lash after lash at the girl.

Using the whip whilst avoiding streams of fire that are actively chasing him is no mean feat. It’s obvious he has been drilling these movements to an insane degree.

She is bleeding from half a dozen red lines now, while Kalon is barely touched. There is one point where things get a little scary; One of streams of fire suddenly changing direction into a zig-zag motion to cut him off. He deals with the attempt to trap him by dive-rolling under it.

Throwing yourself into a roll when you haven't been knocked over or tossed usually strikes me as stupid. A quick or clever enemy will almost always close the distance and take advantage of the dozens of ways it leaves you open. Not this time, this time I cheer like a maniac.

“FUCKING KILL HER!!”

At some point, I made my way to the bars of the viewing cage. I don’t remember walking over here but now that I have I’m craning my head forward to watch the match and gripping the bars hard enough I could break a human’s hand in my grip.

Kalon has Embella flinching now, the whip has stung her too many times and is only picking up momentum. Even when he misses she jumps back and it's utterly ruining her ability to control the fire.

The whip has lost a little length to the streams of fire but there is still enough that Kalon can stay well out of range of her wider magics, like the cone she incinerated her last opponents with.

I can feel myself grinning as what has to be the final sequence begins. Embella is mouth open, panting and bleeding, her movements more than a little sluggish, her fire just as pathetic as Kalon unloads a horrific barrage.

Crack goes the whip again, sheering yet more skin from her.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack?

With a sudden surge of fear, I look over to Tota and Klash. The elephant boy is unarmed for some reason, I think he threw it maybe? It doesn’t matter since he has managed to close the distance and fucking shatter Tota’s Halberd. The boy they call The HighSail Colossus is strong in a very unfair way.

Utterly ignoring the boy’s spikes he grabs ahold of Tota. To his credit Tota not only struggles in the powerful grip he tears a handful of spikes out of his flesh and starts desperately stabbing them at the grey-skinned monster.

Lifting Tota like he’s nothing, Klash turns and yells something to Kalon. I can’t hear them over the berzerk crowd but I can imagine the exchange. Embella is a bloody swaying mess, yet she’s still kind of standing even if the flame stick has turned from weapon to crutch.

Klash is probably demanding that the blonde boy surrender or he’s going to kill Tota. Smart move if he’s trying to save the Itti’atti girl. I don’t think Tota would want Kalon to take the deal, but the human does pause his assault on the flame witch.

Klash barks one more word and then rips Tota’s arm right out of its socket like I rip the wings off the little game birds they sell here.

Either the crowd has gone silent or my ears have stopped working, the world seems to blur as a gout of blood spews from the spiked boy onto the sand.

Kalon screams something I think and then drops his whip.

‘No. No! Don’t be an idiot. They will never get to him in time to save Tota, surrendering is pointless.’

Kalon does it anyway, the spikey cursed is his friend and has been since the human and his mother arrived at BloodRock a couple of years back. He rushes to the convulsing form of Tota and tries his best to help. Klash does something similar lifting the Itti’atti into his arms as the announcer starts screaming.

“END! WINNERS HOUSE HIGHSAIL!”

I’m right….Tota is dead before the serviles have gotten their stretcher halfway across the pit floor.