Chapter 48
Chapter 48
“You were that much outclassed?” Sog asked, his eyes widening. “By an owl?”
“One’s race doesn’t dictate their power,” Jazzjak said. “But if the owl was truthful and he was a tier four god, then I wonder what path he took.”
“What do you mean?” Fowl asked. “He told Max to take a path similar to the one we’re following.”
“Jazzjak’s correct,” Max said, setting his pen down after writing a few more notes in a journal he always carried. “Just because he said that was the path I should take, doesn’t mean it was the path he took. Something tells me that Gyr Quill spent points on other things besides just his tier. I think he’s looking back with the wisdom of having gone down a different path for a while.”
I wonder how many of their kind were on that world at one point. I’m also curious how many gods that owl has eaten.
You could sense that as well. I could feel a primal hunger from Gyr Quill. Something tells me he isn’t one to let a meal escape unless he isn’t sure of the outcome.
“Correct,” Jazzjak stated, motioning to the screen where their current plan was laid out. “You all have done the first part of getting bloodlines and sparks in place. The obelisks weren’t on the plan, but they’re just as fundamental as the rest of the stuff. That leaves us with—”
Their helper grunted as his tablet flashed a light blue color. “Something wrong?” Sog asked.
“Impossible,” Jazzjak muttered, tapping his screen and swiping.
“What is it?” Tanila asked.
“One second,” their helper said, padded fingers dancing on his tablet. “Max… you have a challenge.”
“For the arena?” Sog asked, smiling immediately.
“Yes… for the arena… the interesting thing is who it’s from.”
Max frowned, knowing one of his eyebrows was trying to climb to the top of his bald head. “Who?”
“Sirocco,” Jazzjak replied.
Laughter erupted inside his head.
That bird… it seems he was upset about something, and I wonder if this is his decision or Gyr Quill’s.
Max frowned, seeing the confused look on Tanila’s face. “He’s got to be within one tier of me to challenge me,” Max said. “Still, he didn’t seem that much stronger.”
“I’m not worried about that. I’m more concerned with why he would even challenge you,” Tanila replied. “What kind of god does that after you did what you just did?”
“A dangerous and crazy one,” Rakonath said. “The gods Max spoke of sound like dragons in some ways. If an alpha gives the order, they won’t go against them right there, especially if they are weaker. A dragon might try to cause problems behind their back, but if the power gap is too strong, they usually aren’t foolish enough to try.” Rakonath pulled out a couple of six-inch-tall wood carvings. Each one was a dragon in different forms of flight. One was larger than the other at twelve inches, resembling what Rakonath looked like in dragon form. “I’ll use this as an example. This one here knows I could tear it apart easily. But if they can defeat these two and get away with it, in time,” the dragon paused, swapping out the three for another twelve-inch figure of himself. “They would hope to be strong enough to challenge me.”
“Besides the fact you’re carrying around toys of yourself,” Cordellia grunted, “are you saying Max is about to face a god who is trying to use him as a footstool to challenge the alpha in their pack?”
“Flock, but yes.”
“Flock, pack, flight, whatever,” their ranger muttered. “That’s stupid.”
“No, it’s the way of everything,” Sog stated. “Demons do it. You elves did it back on your world, and Max’s people did it. Very few species that I know of don’t feed upon the weaker ones to get stronger.”
Cordellia started to respond and stopped.
Max sat there, listening to his friends discuss why this had happened and so soon.
We can win this, right?
I believe so. There wasn’t anything that seemed as overwhelming as Gyr Quill. My biggest concern is what happens if you win.
Because I would possibly own the same world again? Or because I might have to kill Sirocco?
Both. If the bird puts that world up for collateral, you would need to forsake it immediately. The problem is that appearing there is dangerous, especially since we now know that Gyr Quill can detect and see you. I tried to analyze the thread he had tied to us, but it moved around and was slippery.
If you have to kill Sirocco, it should only be done after the offer of mercy.
And that won’t make us look weak to others?
But you are… the problem is we have entered another pool of water, and I’m guessing we’re at the outer ring of being safe from those below and above. I’m not certain how things work exactly after tier five, but we both know that Gyr Quill could challenge you if he wanted.
But then I could just forfeit and give away another world.
Making it harder to reach the tier you want before the three hundred years for your friends’ end.
Max grunted and focused on the gazes he could feel.
“Good discussion?” Rakonath teased.
“You heard it,” Max shot back. “I have to take it. There’s no other option.”
“Yes!” Sog shouted, banging his hand on the table and cracking it. “Uh… sorry, just excited about free DP.”
Max ignored his demonic friend and turned to look at Tanila, who was frowning again. “You’re worried.”
“I’m always worried,” she replied. “The problem is you’re the center of things… and that means… Miranna is going to be as well.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her,” Max replied. “You know that.”
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“That’s the problem and the solution,” Tanila said. “But I don’t want to do this discussion again. Have Jazzjak set the fight. We both know it needs to happen if we’re ever going to get our DP back from the last fight we bet incorrectly on.”
Knowing it wasn’t the time to press the issue, Max turned and nodded at Jazzjak. “Get it set up for tomorrow.”
“You’re crazy like that,” their helper replied. “Never wanting to wait.”
***
Max ignored the announcer, studying his opponent, who was three hundred yards away.
“This just goes to show you’re weak to make the arena like this!” Sirocco shouted.
Glancing at the arena he had chosen, Max just shrugged. It was only three hundred yards tall and about a mile in diameter. Black stone covered the entire floor, walls, ceiling, and columns that appeared every twenty yards.
I guess I was supposed to make this a fight in the sky?
It would appear that using his brain isn’t something he does often. Still, we’ll need to play it smart. Again, we don’t want to tip our hand about all our skills.
“Still not going to tell me why you initiated this challenge?” Max called out once more.
Sirocco didn’t say a word and banged his swords together, letting the sound of them echo through the arena.
I guess the 1:1 odds tell us what those in charge feel this fight is worth.
And we’ll have to see if they were right.
When neither Max nor Sirocco spoke, the sound of the bell that marked the start sounded.
Max dashed sideways, both weapons out as the falcon god flew toward him.
A pair of oversized swords slammed into the space he had been standing as the bird reached him in less than a few seconds, even winding through the columns.
He’s faster than I thought.
Max’s weapons were swords, moving with blinding speed as he parried and dodged the blades almost as tall as he was. Sirocco’s dark feathers shimmered with silver, purple, and red as he sent combos at Max.
[ Demonic Teleportation ]
What was that?!
Max knew Bob had moved him as over a hundred different feathers had come at him at the same time, creating a wall of projectiles that had barely given Max’s skill time to react.
I’m on it, focus on fighting, don’t just dodge and play defense.
Max grunted, dodging around another column as Sirocco bounded upward into the air.
“Stop running, little mouse!” the falcon shouted. “I’m hungry!”
Bob began forming a wind blade near them, hidden behind the column, barely above the surface of the arena floor.
Lure him around, stay close. We’ll use this and see what we can do.
Swapping to his bow, Max sent two shots toward the bird, who deflected both, now flying toward his position. Seeing Sirocco coming toward him, Max dodged to the side, both weapons out and forming an X as he parried an overhead strike.
Sirocco flew past, turning quickly, and Max left the ground, going airborne as well.
He can’t turn fast, it’s a—
Like a ball, Max bounded from column to column, avoiding strikes as the falcon god continued to streak toward him. Each time the god moved with a speed that felt faster than Max’s own, yet once he was to the bird’s side, he gained a few seconds of relief before it was able to turn and come again.
Almost there, like ten more seconds. Be ready.
Max changed directions, playing around the area he knew Bob wanted him to lead Sirocco, watching dust and stone fly up as the bird cleaved chunks of stone from the barriers he had chosen to select in this arena.
Five more .
Another attack came, and Max moved as he had the other time, when Bob took over again.
[ Blink ]
Two walls of feathers created a minefield of pain at the spot Max dodged to.
A sensation of pain radiated in Max’s left arm and leg.
[ Poison Resisted ]
His sonar told him that seven of the six-inch-long feathers had managed to penetrate his armor, somehow not impeded at all by the metal.
[ Regeneration ]
“I can smell your blood!” Sirocco shouted as the bird flew upward to the ceiling of the arena, its wings held outward as it gazed where Max now stood. “You don’t know what real power is!”
The falcon god came again, and Max moved toward the spot he knew Bob wanted him to go. As he raced toward it, the feathers didn’t push themselves out like most weapons did from his flesh. There wasn’t time to talk about it as Sirocco came at him again, both swords coming in a left-right attack.
Max held his ground, swapping out his left weapon for his gorgon shield, blocking and parrying both as the two gods slammed into each other. At that moment, Bob unleashed the trap he had set, a thick blade of air slicing at the falcon god from behind. It struck the left wing and lower back, and the feathers where it hit shimmered a soft green.
Sirocco bounded to the side, finding that an airwall had been summoned there. Max didn’t wait. They were evenly matched in strength, but the speed difference was going to be troublesome. Even worse were the feathers that wouldn’t come free.
[ Ultimate Form ]
His body grew, and for the first time since Sirocco had entered the arena, Max could see the yellow eyes tremble slightly. Max pushed upward with his shield, forcing the falcon god’s weapon off it, his bone shield swapping in an instant.
[ Bone Rain ]
Fifty bones surged forward, striking Sirocco in the chest, arm and face as Bob pinned their opponent with air walls.
Another shimmer came from the plumage of the falcon god, and Max sensed more feathers incoming. He adjusted his shield, holding it up to block, only to find that each of them passed through his defenses as if none were there at all.
Over a hundred feathers struck, sinking three inches or more into his flesh.
“Oh, we have a close fight on our hands, folks!” the announcer shouted as Max fought through the pain and notifications that flew by.
[ Poison Resisted ]
His artifact was parried by Sirocco, but his strength pushed the bird god back.
“I’m going to enjoy eating your heart,” Sirocco screeched before shooting upward at the ceiling.
These feathers!
I know. Focus. We showed one card; we’re going to have to show more. This isn’t a fight like the others.
Max grunted to himself and moved to track his opponent. For the first time in a while, he realized this fight wouldn’t be an easy one.