Chapter Thirty

 

Pandora's match lingered in Kuma's thoughts as he watched Noctus Prime and his opponent, Lars Wagner, settle onto their pillars. Given the size of the competitors, both in excess of four hundred pounds, Kuma thought they'd likely stay to the platform as half the other matches had.

It didn't help that the pillar Pandora had destroyed had changed the field. Not considerably, but it made one of the routes harder to navigate. The wooden spear had to be removed before the fourth match. He'd wanted to talk to her, but there was no way to do it surrounded by the other competitors. He was the only one sitting near. The others had gotten up and moved away, signaling their collective displeasure. To the untrained eye, it appeared that she'd almost killed Adriana, but Kuma knew she'd thrown a last-second Push to keep her from being impaled.

"My money is on Lars if any one of you chickenshits wants to stretch your balls," said one of the Botez twins. A few other competitors nodded in agreement.

Valor Drux pounded his fist on the railing. "Never bet against a Brodarian in battle. I'll take your bet. Five grand for the match. Another five that it doesn't last longer than a minute."

The Botez twin—Kuma couldn't tell which—looked apprehensive about the number.

"That's more than I got liquid, mate."

"I'll wait. But I always collect," said Valor with simmering intensity.

"Fine."

The ex-military warrior had become a favorite of the crowd and the other competitors. He'd assembled the best team during the grand melee and had won each of his matches decisively. He'd fought the match after Pandora's, proving to be a tonic for the crowd after the near-fatal result. Valor had offered his opponent the choice between the platform or a chase between the rings. For the first minute, they'd scrapped on the platform, Valor clearly showing he was the better warrior. Even without the stones he'd acquired, Kuma thought he was formidable, but the addition of the faez crystals gave him the edge he needed against opponents with supernatural abilities. When his opponent grabbed the leather ball and tried to lead him on a chase, Valor easily caught him, demonstrating speed and quickness that rivaled Adriana's. The crowd cheered thunderously when he won the match. Kuma suspected that after Noctus, Valor was the next most difficult opponent.

When the signal was given, the two massive competitors lumbered onto the platform. Both ignored the heavy leather ball. Noctus Prime's grin could have swallowed the moon. At seven feet tall, he was a head taller than Lars, who was a champion in world's strongest man competitions and had fought as a mercenary in other realms. It was the fight everyone had been looking forward to that round.

Lars stomped his foot like a bull readying to charge. The enormous warrior broke into a run that would have made a sprinter proud. Noctus made no move to avoid his approach. The impact became inevitable. But at the last moment, the Brodarian shifted to the side, catching Lars and throwing him over his hip. The German flew through the air like a lead blimp. When he hit, the impact was thunderous. Lars struggled to his feet while Noctus watched passively. He could have taken his opponent out when he was briefly stunned, but he gave him a chance to return, beckoning him with the curl of his fingers.

The second approach was more cautious. Lars shuffled forward, hands ready to grapple. Noctus tilted his head as if he were examining a flower or child's drawing. Then he struck, ramming his knuckles into his opponent's forehead. The big man crumpled to the ground, eyes rolling into the back of his head. Noctus put his foot on the leather ball while the unconscious count was given. The cheer for the non-human's victory was surprisingly robust, but Kuma figured they were entertained by the old warrior's superior display.

"You cheated."

The Botez twin jabbed his finger at Valor, who held his hands out passively.

"It's not my fault I can see who is the better warrior. Don't worry. I won't make you pay up now, but we can work out a schedule for later." Valor shrugged. "If you make the top eight and earn yourself a bloodstone plus whatever else he's offering, you'll have more than enough cash to pay me."

As the field was cleared for the next round, Kuma stood and stretched out his muscles. He wasn't going to make the same mistake as Pandora or some of the other competitors who had underestimated their opponents. Given the scouting report, he knew how he planned on approaching Dream, whether it was a stand-up fight or a chase through the arena. Kuma preferred the latter as his experiences training with Instructor Kaz would give him an edge, but since Dream's previous battles had been surprisingly uninspiring, he wasn't sure what to expect.

Kuma gathered near the judge for final instructions. While they were given he tried to pierce the veil of mystery that his opponent had cultivated in the tournament thus far. Dream was an unassuming figure, with dusty brown hair and an unremarkable face that made it hard to remember. He was neither big nor small. He was the embodiment of the word average and had won his previous fights mostly on the backs of his opponents' mistakes, so there was little to understand. Using his amber, Kuma found it hard to penetrate his opponent's demeanor, as if he hid in a cloud, mist obscuring his true self. As Kuma returned to the pillar for the start of the match, he grew worried that Dream was more than he appeared to be. The lackluster fights compared to the rest of the tournament potentially revealed a darker reason.

When the horn sounded, Kuma burst into movement, beating Dream to the platform. He planned on grabbing the leather ball and making a run for it, but when he leaned down to scoop up the object, his foot kicked the ball over the edge into the sand. Before he could follow it over, his opponent had cut off his advance.

The simple, unforced mistake had Kuma staring over the edge, trying to figure out how it'd happened. Dream had his fists up. His form wasn't all that tight. Kuma shook off the accidental kick and prepared to engage his opponent. He should be able to beat him in a scrap.

The first punch went wide. Kuma didn't even see Dream move. It was as if he'd thought his opponent was in an entirely different location. Kuma resisted the urge to stare at his traitorous hand, but he knew that wasn't the issue. A second attack was met with a block and a counter kick, knocking Kuma back a few steps. This wasn't going as he'd planned. He threw himself at Dream, only to find his attacks missing, or landing as glancing blows, then catching solid hits to the jaw or midsection. The hits weren't particularly intense, the strike of a younger warrior, but collectively they were adding up.

When Kuma went for a roundhouse only to find himself on his back, having caught an elbow to the jaw, he worried he was losing the match. As he popped back to his feet, he saw Lady Saha's incredulous glare as if she couldn't believe he was losing either.

Two more attacks. Two more counterblows, leaving Kuma staggered. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong. Dream was messing with his head. He didn't know how, but there was no way he'd become this shitty of a warrior.

Kuma burned his amber, using every ounce of his energy to flood Dream with his senses. The initial burst of information staggered Kuma with overwhelming details. A spate of vertigo shot through his gut right as Dream caught him in the ribs with a side kick. Kuma retreated before his opponent could follow up with a second attack.

The world didn't make sense to Kuma. It was like looking through two screens, each one showing a different image. The differences were giving him a headache. He thought back to his training in the maze when he first got his amber. This was similar, except that the darkness was one-sided.

When Dream came at him again, he sensed the difference between the two realities. Dream's footfalls didn't match the sound of his approach, nor grunt of his attack. Kuma ignored the Dream he was seeing and blocked the one he detected with his other senses.

Dream frowned.

His hands dropped for a second, even as Kuma found new resolve. Ignoring the visuals, Kuma threw punches and kicks where his amber told him Dream was located. Half his attacks went wide, but he managed a couple of solid blows, leaving his opponent scowling. Encouraged by the result, Kuma threw himself at Dream, forcing his opponent backwards and landing more hits. Kuma saw his chance to knock Dream out of the competition, but then he heard the sound of footsteps rapidly retreating. He followed the sound, running with his eyes closed not to be distracted by false realities, and leapt at the edge of the platform, catching Dream in midair and landing with his full weight on his opponent. Ribs cracked upon impact. Kuma dared to open his eyes to find a different opponent than the one he'd stepped onto the platform with. Tiny bumps covered his face and exposed flesh. Dream was groaning, struggling to remain conscious. Kuma helped him by rabbit punching him in the forehead.

Back on his feet, he had all the time in the world to collect the leather ball to the applause of the crowd. They weren't near as rapturous as the other matches, but he figured that either the scrap hadn't appeared that interesting due to the illusions from Dream, or his connection to Lady Saha made him a less appealing figure.

When he reached the competitor area, Pandora asked him in maetrie, "What was that about? You looked drunk."

"I'll explain later."

He grabbed a water bottle and chugged the contents. Another match in the books. One more for the top eight. Dominion Thule might have turned the Undercity upside down, but Kuma bore a kernel of hope that they could take it back.