Chapter Thirty-Two

 

Kuma stepped to his right, swinging the dire mace overhead, only to shatter the designer lamp hanging from the ceiling. Thin shards of glass fell across his shoulders as he let the weapon relax at his side.

"This is pointless," said Kuma, knocking the pieces from his clothes. "We need to find an open cavern for this."

The tight confines of the suite, despite having moved the furniture into the master bedroom, did not provide much practice space. Choo-Choo rested the plastic angerblade on his shoulder. They'd made it from trays they'd stolen from the kitchen, cutting them to size and melting them together to form a facsimile of Noctus Prime's preferred weapon.

"There are too many eyes about, and you know I can't easily leave the Terreno."

"I know, Choo-Choo. I need to get my mind right about this. Otherwise I'll never have a chance at beating him."

His former rival smirked. "Let's talk through the strategy. Your muscles should remember how to swing a weapon."

Kuma wondered what Hylakane would have suggested as a strategy, but given his skill, he might not have even considered the match worth a single thought.

"Let's do it."

Choo-Choo held up the plastic weapon. It looked like an enormous cleaver with a short handle. The real version weighed around seventy pounds.

"Remember, under no circumstances can you allow yourself to be hit by his weapon. It cleaves through armor and will take your limbs off as easily as pruning a shrub. The key will be to wear him out, never letting him near until you can knock him down with your dire mace."

Kuma laughed. "You make it sound so simple. And when have you ever pruned a shrub?"

Choo-Choo grinned. "Despite his size, he's quick. Don't let him bait you into a counteract early in the fight. Especially not into his chain shield, which is perfectly suited for capturing your weapon. He has more reach too. Your best bet will be to keep him turning. He's fast front to back, but doesn't rotate well. If the terrain is uneven, then that strategy will be even better."

"What if it's a cage, or something I can't escape from?"

"Then you're fucked, Kuma. If you value your limbs, you'd probably want to tap out quickly."

A knock on the door startled Kuma. An attendant stood outside with a letter in his hand.

"This invite is for Aman Crownline."

"That's me," said Kuma, accepting the thick parchment and closing the door.

"A letter?"

"Invite," said Kuma, settling onto the arm of the couch against the wall. The front had his false name written in beautiful calligraphy. The card inside revealed a short message written on card stock with the hotel logo.

"He used the gift shop," said Kuma, chuckling. "I would have liked to have witnessed that purchase."

"Who?"

"Noctus," he said, handing it over to Choo-Choo.

"Please accept my invitation for a ceremony of haflwyer at Club Onyx at your immediate convenience." Choo-Choo looked up. "Haflwyer?"

"Brodarian tea ceremony. Haflwyer is a narcotic. They drink it before big battles. Sometimes generals meet halfway and drink together before returning to their separate sides," said Kuma.

"You're not going, right?"

Kuma frowned. "I have no choice. To refuse would be a great insult. On the other hand, I suspect he knows I'm not who I say I am and this will only confirm it. There is almost no literature about the details of the ceremony."

"This will put the whole plan in danger."

The risk was real, but Kuma didn't think he could refuse. Not and face the seven-foot-tall warrior in the arena with his angerblade and chain shield.

"I don't think so."

"Why?"

Kuma thought about his interactions with the Brodarian. "He's here for the tournament. Exposing me would only knock me out, and I believe he is more interested in the fights than winning."

"I thought Brodarians loved winning more than anything else."

"Competing, not winning. They just happen to be really good at winning. I don't know much about them, but Hylakane told stories about Brodarian armies meeting on the battlefield, fighting for days, and then returning to their homelands content that they'd waged the war with honor."

"And I thought Razor clan was weird," said Choo-Choo.

"It all seems like a dream now."

Choo-Choo furrowed his forehead before nodding, a wry smile on his lips. "I miss the days when you were my mortal enemy."

"I as well. Simpler days, man. Simpler days."

After changing into his travel clothes, Kuma headed to Club Onyx. When he stepped through the inner door, a flood of memories hit him. The lights and sounds made him feel like he'd come home—a place that didn't exist anymore. The booths were packed with tourists enjoying conversation with their elegantly dressed hostesses with bottles of bubbly or whiskey at the center of the table. A couple of drunken businessmen were singing karaoke on the main stage to the applause of their friends, while the bar was layers deep.

"Welcome to Club Onyx, Aman Crownline."

Kuma's mind blanked when he realized that Leesa was standing next to him in a silvery dress that hung on her lithe frame, exposing her collarbones. Her hair was a mix of red and blonde.

"I'm looking for Noctus Prime. He's a—"

"We're well acquainted with Noctus. He's a regular guest when he's not competing. Follow me. He has a private room."

She led him to the party rooms on the opposite side of the stage. The paper door slid wide, revealing the enormous Brodarian. A stylish tea set with a cherry blossom motif sat at the center of the table.

"Aman! I am quite pleased that you accepted my invitation. Thank you, Leesa, for bringing him."

"Shall I send for drinks or food?" she asked.

"Today my friend Aman and I will be dining on conversation and tea."

"Very well."

Leesa left and he took the spot opposite Noctus.

"A bittersweet match at the cusp of rewards," said the Brodarian.

"I would have preferred to meet you anytime rather than this part of the tournament," said Kuma, truthfully.

Noctus' ever present smile faltered. "You fight well, but it won't be enough, my friend."

"Was this invitation to intimidate me?" asked Kuma.

"Not at all. I wanted to share tea as is customary before a big battle."

He grabbed the pot and began to pour two cups.

"You brought haflwyer?"

"It does not travel well. This is green tea, which I thought would be more appropriate for you."

Kuma froze for a second and when Noctus' lips curled into a grin, he knew he'd made a mistake.

"You know."

Noctus let out a belly laugh. "The knot for the dire mace is wrong, haflwyer ceremonies are never offered outside my race because it's often fatal to outsiders, and when we had our day of competition at the pachinko parlor, you moved around the streets as if you'd been born here."

"Was it that obvious?"

"To me, yes. To others, I cannot say. Who are you really? I've met shapeshifters before, but you do not seem like a true changeling."

Kuma sipped his tea. The bitter flavors warmed his belly.

"I'd rather not say."

"Secrets are heavy burdens."

"This isn't to blackmail, is it? I drop out or you expose me?" asked Kuma, cradling the warm cup in his hands.

"I would not dishonor our relationship with such a strategy. I do not know why you hide your face, but I expect it has to do with our host, Dominion."

Kuma glanced towards the paper door, which prompted a laugh from Noctus. He pulled out a black box and set it on the table.

"I do not like to be bothered. I picked one of these up in the city before I entered the Undercity. We're safe to talk." Noctus gestured towards the colorful teapot, which Kuma shook off. "I assume Lady Saha is also not who she appears to be, though I have to say I have not found any cracks in her armor."

Kuma's gut tightened with the thought that he'd been the one to blow their disguises.

"I wish I could say more, but I cannot."

The Brodarian took a sip of his tea as he contemplated the situation.

"Given the knowledge of the Terreno, I suspect that you're a former member of the clans. Probably out to seek your revenge for what happened years ago when our host took control of the Undercity. Do I have it right?"

Kuma sighed reluctantly, which encouraged a smile from his counterpart.

"Do not worry, friend Aman. I do not seek to expose you, only to satisfy my curiosity. This problem has been a burr in my mind. Knowing the truth, even if incomplete, will help me sleep better at night." He let out a belly laugh. "Do you know the best way to defeat a Brodarian?"

"What?"

"Give them an interesting problem that he cannot solve easily," said Noctus, continuing to laugh. "There was a famous battle a few centuries ago that halted halfway through the melee when a strange flash of light fell upon the bloody fields, followed by an explosion in the nearby mountains. The two sides stopped the battle and sent a combined expedition party to discover the reason, only to find it was a meteor. Once they'd returned and the combatants understood why, the battle resumed its fever."

"Who won?"

Noctus quivered even as no noise came out. "No one remembers as it wasn't as interesting as the mystery."

"Or are these stories to confuse your enemies?" said Kuma, lifting his cup.

The big Brodarian winked before taking on a serious mien. He set his hands flat on the table, on opposite sides of his cup.

"I am concerned about our fight tomorrow."

"That you might lose?" asked Kuma with a smirk.

"I wish it were more even, I truly do. Maybe if we fought with fists, or the construction of the arena were different, but the angerblade was developed in the gladiator pits, where death was the loser's reward. I do not wish to hurt you, my friend."

"Use another weapon."

"I cannot. It is not in my blood to give up an advantage," said Noctus.

"And I must win this round and reach the final eight."

"The prize is important to your plans. The bloodstones." Noctus narrowed his gaze. "What do you plan, friend Aman?"

"Please do not ask me that question," said Kuma, shaking his head.

"Fair enough." Noctus' head dipped towards his chest before rising again. "Let us set aside these weighty matters and enjoy our tea in brotherhood. The universe hums its own tune. Let's sing together awhile."

Kuma lifted his cup in salute, taking a sip which the Brodarian matched. Noctus set his down as a grin spread across his enormous face.

"Let me tell you about the time I stole into the Arch Imperator's highland palace and slept with his bonded sister during the Seven Empire Battle..."