Chapter Fifteen

 

The second round of fights were still in progress, but Kuma had a different priority for the day. A guide brought him from the Terreno to the main Alliance area by way of well-guarded tunnels. He was shocked by the changes when he arrived as the last time he'd been there was the assault on the complex. The space had been filled with hovels and ramshackle buildings spewing black smoke from cheap fires. Now it rivaled the Terreno or Big Dave's in neon signs, with dozens of new businesses built along the high walls of the narrow cavern, stacked on top of each other with metal stairs leading up at numerous points. Kuma had stayed the stoic warrior during their travel, but couldn't help asking questions of his guide when they arrived.

"The construction seems new. Is this true?"

The guide was a younger waku with a prominently displayed topaz stone in his right ear. Kuma thought the placement unwise as a savvy opponent could rip it out, but the Alliance had no obvious enemies left, so they were less cautious.

"Since Master Thule guided our clan to victory over the wretched Razor and Drops clans, the Undercity has prospered. We are honored to have him as our leader," said the waku.

Kuma didn't even have to ask if his guide had been around before, because he'd observed none of the habits long-term residents of the Undercity had, like pausing before entering new caverns, or checking the ceilings for predators or enemies. The kid—and while they were probably only a year or two apart in age, their experiences were vastly different—spoke more freely, giving information about the new additions and explaining the expansions happening elsewhere in the Undercity. Had their two clans not fallen into a war of attrition, this could have been Razor ushering in the new age in the shadows.

The Alliance Academy was adjacent to the main cavern. Newly constructed the year before after walls between smaller spaces had been knocked out, the area reminded him of the Drops Academy rather than Razor. A large concrete pad was surrounded by low-roofed buildings where students stayed during training. Fungal gardens with ghost-eyes and hooded violets provided color between the paths.

Camina, along with her Academy students, was waiting for him on the concrete pad. A group of waku stood in two lines before her, while the hundred or so others remained on the bleachers surrounding the training area.

"Thank you for joining us, Aman," said Camina. "We're honored by your presence."

"The honor is mine. I am quite curious about the training methods of the waku."

Camina extended her arm towards the two dozen trainees on the field, then made a slashing motion. They broke into groups of two and started sparring using their fists and stones. Kuma placed his hands behind his back and watched passively. He wanted to watch his friend, Camina, rather than the waku, wondering how her years in the Alliance had changed her.

"These are your newest recruits?" he asked.

Her flinch was followed by a pained response. "These are the top students."

"My apologies."

"No need," she said. "You see clearly. I am a poor teacher."

"Tell me about your training program."

They strolled around the outside of the sparring matches. The cadence of shouts and impacts was blessedly familiar to Kuma, making him wistful for the days of old when honing his skills was the only thing he had to worry about.

"They start with simple exercises. Many of the trainees come to the Undercity without the physical tools necessary. After a few months of heavy work on their muscles, they begin martial training, followed by attunement at the sixth month. After that, their efforts are split between stone work and continuation of their fighting skills. This continues through the second year, after which they are placed into the ranks of the working waku."

"I do not believe you need me to tell you where your deficiencies are. Two years is barely enough time to learn how to throw a single punch if that's the only thing you worked on. I spent the first ten years of my life learning a single discipline while you're trying to teach them everything in two short years."

Camina's eyes closed momentarily. "Two years is all I'm given. Master Thule strongly requests that they complete their training in this time, but expects more output. I'm afraid I'm not capable of meeting his expectations, which is why I hoped you might provide an outsider's viewpoint on their training."

The compressed schedule made no sense to Kuma. When he'd joined Razor Academy, he'd had a dozen years of physical and mental training before his first day.

"This isn't training at all," he said, offhandedly.

His words had been instinctual, but they seemed to trigger something in Camina. She stared at the sets of sparring partners with a frown hooked to her lips.

"No, it's not."

Sensing the tension in Camina, he asked, "Would you like me to offer them pointers for improvement?"

"We would be honored."

Kuma approached a set of sparring partners, and after observing them, gave them techniques for improving their attacks. He was careful not to use terms or practices he would have learned in the Undercity, sticking to the quips he heard frequently from Hylakane. Most of it was too advanced for the trainees, but he didn't care if they learned a single thing. When he was finished giving advice to all present on the concrete pad, Camina sent the entire class away to be supervised by her assistant trainers.

"You must be quite disappointed in the quality of my students," said Camina as they strolled back towards the main cavern.

"That is not for me to decide," he said, keeping his arms behind his back. "Do you enjoy it here?"

The question surprised Camina. A half smile faltered on her lips. "That's not for me to decide."

Kuma felt her pain. He'd spent his entire childhood with Camina and had never seen her so subdued. He had to know if there was some of her old spirit left, or if the Alliance had ground that out of her.

"Understood. But if you had your choice, what would you do?"

Camina glanced around surreptitiously. "The life of a wandering warrior sounds romantic."

"Ah, yes, sleeping in ditches and learning how many realms have their own version of the mosquito is quite lovely."

"My apologies, I didn't mean to offend."

Kuma held his hand up. He'd forgotten it wasn't Kuma she was seeing, but Aman. His joke had fallen flat. "Nothing of the sort. I was just waxing on difficulties of not having a home. This tournament has been the most excitement I've had in the last few years."

"I would like to give it a try," she said.

They'd stopped in the tunnel. Camina stepped close. Her lips parted slightly.

"Are you…?"

The intent was made clear by the tongue resting on the bottom of her lips. Heat rose to his face as he thought about his friend Camina.

"I'm sorry," he said, stepping back. "While I'm in the tournament, I must save my energy."

Camina squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so stupid."

"No," he said, placing his hand on her arm. "The fault is mine. I'm unused to such advances."

"Are you and Lady Saha…?"

Seeing a convenient way out of the awkward situation, he said, "We have on occasion to amuse ourselves on the long road, but we're not romantically inclined."

"Oh."

The sweet smile made Kuma wish he'd been more forceful in his rebuke, but he hadn't wanted to hurt Camina's feelings. They'd been friends so long, he thought of her like a sister and couldn't imagine being in bed with her. On the other hand, it might give them a reason to speak again and he wanted to find out if she could be trusted with their secret. He wasn't about to reveal himself yet, but he knew he wanted to. It hurt to hide his true self from Camina.

"I should return. My match is later in the afternoon and I must prepare my mind."

"Understood," she said.

Before he could turn away, she leaned upward and pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth, pulling away quickly and striding down the tunnel alone. Kuma made his way back to the Terreno, catching a ride on a motorized cart filled with Alliance waku on a break. He ignored their attempts to converse with him as he was too busy thinking about the reason why Dominion Thule was rushing the training of his waku. Why continue to recruit new waku if he wasn't going to properly train them? Either he no longer thought them necessary for the defense of the Undercity, or there was some other reason.