Chapter 57:
The Beast Of BloodRock
Much to my disappointment, Klash and Embella don’t get pulled into a name-calling contest. The big elephant boy grunts something about doing his talking on the sands and my eyes feel like they are going to roll out of my head.
In front of the stage, two dozen bookkeepers are set up to take bets. It's always about gambling with the people of Far Mantys. I don’t usually think about it but standing up here I have nothing but time. So I spend a little while pondering the nature of my home city. It isn’t like there is some grand insight revealed to me or anything. Who wouldn’t want free things?
I feel a little surge of bitter joy when I realize the men and women taking bets on whether or not I’m going to fucking die tomorrow are even less protected from the sun than I am. The season of storms might almost be upon us but until it's actually raining all that means is the air is more humid.
When Muraab finally leads us off that stage I’m ready to hit someone, I feel so overheated and annoyed. Xael of course takes it in all stride with the infuriating good nature. I really don’t understand it, he isn’t from here. How does he handle the sun so well?
“Can we please go home?” I growl at Muraab. Thankfully the master of guards not only answers in the affirmative but offers the both of us leather wineskins full of water. The water is warm of course, it's always warm. The last time I tasted water with an edge of coolness to it was when Xael had gotten me ice for my injuries. I had ended up eating most of it.
When we make it back to the BloodRock compound I find myself a little bit torn. Part of me feels the urge to train, to run, to lift heavy things. To do every last little thing I possibly can to prepare for my match tomorrow. None of it will help though will it?
I’m not going to get stronger or faster in a day. I’m not going to miraculously discover some new perfect combination the day before a big fight.
I have been training since I was four years old, I know that day before preparations are usually a waste of time. Worse you can risk an injury whilst gaining nothing. No, I and Xael already have a plan, I am as prepared as I can possibly be. The correct move here is to head back to hall three and rest.
It is also the move I make, and I instantly wish I hadn’t. Intending to stretch and get some water in the hall before maybe catching an afternoon nap. I enter hall three and am greeted by a sight that makes my blood run colder than the ice I ate.
Gori is sitting on the edge of his bed with two of the other boys helping him strap on the frayed leather BloodRock gives us for armor.
The antlered boy meets my gaze and offers a sad smile. Before Gori can say a word I’m spinning on my heels and storming back out of the hall, I can feel myself snickering already but the only sound I can hear is my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.
This is too much! Old man BloodRock is going to send him off to die tonight and it's going to work. Gori has never been much of a fighter, mostly coasting on his size and ability to catch you with his antlers. That isn’t going to help him now, not while he can barely fucking walk.
I burst back out into the sunlight, my snicker growing only louder and fiercer. My friends are dropping left and right. Soon the only one I will have left is Resh, and he lives elsewhere. I’ll be alone again all the time, and the worst part is that I should have known it was coming.
My friendship with Xael, my budding relationship with Viscarra, the special training sessions, the coins under my bed, and even the way the boys in my compound have been treating me. It all conspired together to trick me, make me soft, and make me start thinking I can have things other people get, things like friends and family.
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What an absolute joke. No wonder I can’t stop laughing as I approach the kitchen entrance to the manse.
“What’s so funny North?” Asks the young guard Charik. I don’t respond to his question, I also don’t remember deciding to attack him but I do. Before I know it I tackled the spear-wielding man to the ground. He screams and struggles but I’m a whirlwind of bites and blows. If he manages to hurt me in any capacity it isn’t with his spear and I don’t feel whatever it is.
Spinning about with the armored guard trapped beneath me I bite down on his kicking knee till the bone snaps. I leave him screaming and advance into the kitchen. I don’t remember picking up his spear, but I’m holding it when I storm laughing past the cooks, knocking them aside and destroying anything that looks breakable and enters my reach. The domestic slaves are smart enough to scatter before me, even Kalon’s mother cowers out of the way. The pair of BloodRock guards in the main hall don’t though. They demand I put the weapon down. While I wouldn’t call what I do obeying exactly, I do let go of the spear. It just happens to be in the larger of the two’s stomach.
His armor is better than the useless garbage they give us to fight in the pits with, but so is the spear. The rings part before my ferocity and I’m throwing myself at the other of the pair before he or I really know what's happening.
I have spent my whole life demanding to be treated like a human being and being refused. It turns out they were right all along. I am an animal, and this animal is going to rip the face off of Atar BloodRock and anyone who gets between me and him.
Finding the houselord doesn’t take long, at least I don’t think it does. The world has been reduced to fragmented flashes of the building around me. I can smell him the entire time though, that stupid rain on hot stone stink that I despise.
The blessed houselord is hosting a pair of fancily dressed men in his first-floor office but they don’t stay long. The moment I throw myself at BloodRock himself they scurry out of the room. Much like the guards I attacked along the way I try to tackle the scarlet-skinned man. I don’t know why I think it has a chance of working, I may as well try to tackle an oak tree. The man is simply too big, too heavy, and too strong. With furious contempt, he throws me across the room.
Smashing into the stone wall doesn’t stop me, in fact, I barely feel it. It is enough to bring me mostly back to my senses though. I’m still snickering like a madman but I manage to get some screamed words out.
“YOU CAN’T MAKE GORI FIGHT YET!”
The flame and earth-blessed man looks at me like he’s studying shit he just stepped in.
“And what are you going to do about it?”
“I..” I have no idea what I’m going to do about it. I may have cut through a bunch of the house guards with ease but BloodRock is different. The man is an army all by himself and all but invincible when he activates the abilities of his blessing.
“I will throw the fight tomorrow!”
The single bark of a laugh he lets out says it all. We both know I won’t do that. I won’t give up the opportunity to win a Minor and I certainly won’t volunteer for the sort of punishment I would receive if I lose the houselord his bet with House HighSail. I’m probably in a ridiculous amount of trouble already but I can’t bring myself to care.
“So North what are you going to do? Hmmm? Would you really throw a match when it means so much to you?”
My face twitches and I clench my jaw so hard I cut the gum where my missing tooth once stood.
“When I’m free I’m going to kill you,” I promise the older man. My snicker seems to have finally run its course as my voice doesn’t even waver as I say it.
“You will never be free.” He says turning to walk to his stupid throne of rock. ‘Drip, drip, drip’ go the little droplets of sizzling rock that bleed off his hair.
“Yes, I will. I am going to win tomorrow, and then they will invite me to the next minor, and when I win that I will get to the Majors and you won’t be able to say no.”
The sheer venom in my tone doesn’t seem to matter to him, in fact, I’m not sure the old bastard is even listening.
“You are really that sure you are going to win tomorrow?” He asks me, a sly look slowly creeping across his face.
“Forget a flagship, you can bet the whole fucking house on it!”