Chapter Four

I’m starting to think something’s very fuckin’ wrong.

Riley frowned, watching as one man who appeared only a little older than him disappeared, only to reappear several yards closer to his opponent in an instant. With a near flawless swing of his longsword, a slice of blue something erupted from his blade, slicing forth towards his opponent only to be stopped in its tracks by an equally powerful green something that the woman shot forth from her daggers.

It’s like they’re some weird type of Jedi except only . . . Asian. Riley shook his head, utterly baffled as the duelists continued their explosively colorful fight. Ever since waking up that morning, nothing had been right. First of all, he was in some massive tree . . . fortress. Connected by bridges that stretched over the yawning divides between the trees, an utterly massive complex of structures was built into the great forest. As to just how high up the complex was, Riley wasn’t sure.

They were so high he couldn’t see the ground.

All that was visible when he mustered the courage to glance over the railings of the bridges was a mist that curled chaotically around the thick trunks of the trees. The first time he had done so, he had nearly vomited, much to the amusement of the young man who had fetched him from his room that morning, introducing himself as Heron.

Strange name, that.

After eating breakfast in a massive and nearly empty cathedral-like building that Heron had referred to as the Lowly Dining Commons, Riley had then been led through a series of bridges and walkways to what could only be described as a wooden coliseum. At the center of the arena was a vast sandpit, perhaps the length of a football field, and here he was informed by Heron to “wait for our Seniors to finish their practice bouts.”

And ever since I’ve been watching these crazy Jedi fucks beat the shit out of each other.

He and Heron had eventually been joined by a young man who bore the same floppy brown hair and easy smile as Heron and a small woman roughly his age with dark eyes and a perpetual scowl upon her face. Neither said a word, yet Riley could not help but feel as if they were staring at him out of the corner of their eyes.

A particularly loud explosion of color rocked the coliseum as the woman with the daggers dealt the final blow, sending her opponent flying into the arena wall with a bone-chilling crunch. Elder Qiang called the end of the bout, stepping forth from the shadows at the far edge of the arena to congratulate the victor.

Either I took a pill that would make Mama very disappointed in me or I’m dead and someone sent me to the wrong heaven, Riley thought, his brow furrowing as the defeated man slowly stood up from where he had been tossed, looking only slightly worse for wear despite the brutal ending to the fight. And what kind of fuckin’ steroids are these folks on?!

“That was the last practice bout for the Inner Disciples, so it’s our turn now!” Heron said, grinning broadly. “C’mon, I’ll show you the way down, Honored Guest Ri Lee!”

Moments later, Riley found himself down in the arena, standing before the ever-impassive Qiang. He did his best to ignore the blood splatters that stained the pristine sand. Christ, I haven’t seen this much blood since that one Waffle House parking lot!

“Disciples,” Qiang began, cold eyes scanning the group before him until finally settling upon Riley. “We have an Honored Guest amongst us, put forth by the recommendation of Elder Xiao to join our honored ranks on the path to the Heavens. Who amongst you wishes to test our Honored Guest’s fortitude to ensure that only the strong may call the Whispering Glade their home?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Riley’s eyes widened as sudden understanding struck. Wait, I’m supposed to fight somebody? At practice?? Without a warmup??? Coach would be so unbelievably pissed!

“I will take the honor, Elder Qiang,” Snake said, the lithe woman stepping forward to bow before the Elder. “I wish to see the strength of a barbarian for myself.”

Cruel mirth flashed in Qiang’s eyes momentarily before he swiftly quelled the emotion. “Very good, Disciple Snake. Honored Guest, does such a bout suit you? Or do you wish to concede your right to join our great sect? There is no shame in bowing before your superiors.”

Riley tilted his head, glancing between Snake and Qiang. “You . . . want me to fight a girl?”

Anger flashed in Snake’s eyes and she made to step towards Riley but a flash of Qiang’s hand stilled her.

“Is there a problem, Honored Guest?” the Elder asked, a hint of impatience tinging his words.

“Mama always said I should never fight a girl,” Riley said, smiling apologetically at the Elder. “Also, aren’t we gonna do any drills? In all the practices I’ve ever been to, the fighting usually happens during scrimmage or in the middle of drills. Don’t get me wrong, though! I like the idea of gettin’ it done early, but it does seem kinda strange to me.”

Muted laughter from the viewing deck echoed over the sand and the group turned to find both Elder Xiao and Meihua, alongside some of the Inner Sect Disciples from the earlier bouts, watching on with amused expressions.

“Fine,” Qiang spat, tearing his eyes from the viewing deck to point a finger at Egret. “You. You shall fight our Honored Guest. That is unless the Honored Guest has any more stipulations?”

Riley hesitated. What in Dade County is a stipulation? “Uh . . . no?”

“Very good!” Qiang cried, clapping his hands once before storming off with Heron and Snake to the far side of the ring. The woman shot Riley a particularly hateful glare as she passed him, looking down her sharp nose.

Huh, Riley thought, frowning. She must really be into me. Women are strange.

“Uh, Elder Qiang?” Egret called nervously, the gangly boy tugging anxiously at his hair as he glanced between Riley and the Elder. “Do we get our weapons?”

“NO!”

“Well, shit,” Egret sighed, before settling into a weird half-squat position that looked like something out of a Bruce Lee movie. “I’ll try to make this quick. You seem like an honorable sort.”

Riley just cocked his head, eyeing the young man’s much smaller frame in comparison to his own before breaking out into a broad grin. “Man, it’s strange as Hell to me that y’all’s coaches just let y’all fight whenever you want! I like it!” He paused, a sudden frown replacing his grin as he remembered the fights he had witnessed earlier. “Wait, are you a Jedi too?”

Egret squinted, his hands dropping from the ready position. “The fuck is a— ”

“Fight!”

As the shout echoed through the arena, Riley’s easy smile dropped from his face and a cold mask of serenity took its place as the warhorn of his ancestors reverberated in his ears. Generations upon generations of Florida men had shouted that warcry before marching into battle. Whether it was a family chain restaurant, the local dive bar parking lot, or Miami Beach, a deep bloodlust was awoken in every man of Florida upon hearing such a shout. And Griffith Riley Hawthorne III was nothing, if not a Florida Man.

Somewhere deep inside his core, something ignited, fueled by the sudden shout and burning bright with the glow of a sun rising over a verdant coast.

Before the words had faded from the very air, Riley moved.

[ALL OUT BLITZ]

“What the f— ”

Like a wrecking ball smashing into old Florida homes to clear the way for ever more rental beach condos, Riley launched himself into Egret, snatching the very words from his mouth as Riley’s shoulder blasted the remaining air out of his lungs. It was a perfect form tackle, sending both men flying back into the sand with a bone-shattering crunch.

Coach would be proud.

As Riley stood up from his unconscious opponent, he turned to find the entirety of the Whispering Glade Sect staring at him with slack jaws.

“So when does the actual practice start? ‘Cause I’m ready to pop some mo’fuckin’ pads!”