The first two bouts of the day for both Gregory and Yukiko were unimpressive. They faced novices who had not trained as much, but had managed to get two wins each the day before. As the fourteenth bell chimed, Yukiko stepped onto the sands of the arena to face her third opponent of the day, Michelle.
Gregory sat beside Hao and Yoo-jin to watch the fight. Michelle had only lost a single fight against Jason, meaning this fight would likely keep one or the other from the final eight.
“Is she a good fighter?” Hao asked.
“She was Yuki’s equal before we started training with Gin. Michelle hasn’t kept pace since then. The problem is that she’s favored by Nick Shun, and we know she has a necklace of flames. It’s likely she’ll have another trick, too.”
“It’s starting,” Yoo-jin said to silence them.
Gregory felt his heart beat faster as he began to worry. Yukiko and Michelle bowed to each other last before Magus Paul began the fight. Michelle did not hesitate to use the necklace; a fist sized glob of fire formed in her hand and was thrown a second after the command to begin.
The audience was shocked into silence. This was the first display of serious magic any novice had used yet. Yukiko was caught off guard, not expecting Michelle to use the necklace so soon. She brought her hands up, and the globule of flame hit the light blue barrier that appeared. Her cry of pain carried to Gregory and his heart clenched hard. The barrier and globule both vanished, and Yukiko’s left hand dangled at her side as if useless.
Michelle had no follow up ready, not expecting Yukiko to continue after the fire. Yukiko was gritting her teeth in pain, her left hand a mass of blisters. Thanks to the ring she wore, the damage inflicted had been greatly reduced, but it was still significant.
The two women exchanged some words, and Yukiko brought her left hand up so Michelle could see it clearly, clenching the injured hand. Michelle took a step back, unsettled by either the display or Yukiko’s comments, but hesitated when Yukiko failed to follow up.
Yukiko settled into a defensive posture, extending her damaged left hand to beckon Michelle. Michelle did not advance, studying Yukiko carefully, clearly trying to understand her plan. Gregory just smiled as he realized what Yukiko had been doing the whole time.
“Why doesn’t she attack?” Yoo-jin asked.
“Yuki is letting a ring heal some of the damage from the fire,” Gregory replied softly. “Michelle sees a trap but doesn’t know what it is, so she hesitates.”
Michelle apparently decided that Yukiko was bluffing and came in to attack. A gust of wind blew sand up from the arena floor toward Yukiko, but they had seen Michelle fight earlier, so Yukiko was expecting the move. She closed her eyes as the sand flew up to not be blinded. She had only a split second to defend herself when she opened her eyes again, but she managed to slip the attack, using her right hand to push Michelle past and pivot with her.
The fight was soon similar to many of the other fights; strikes, kicks, and the occasional throw. Yukiko stayed on the defensive, taking some hits and returning very few, which seemed to embolden Michelle.
“Here it comes,” Gregory said, having experienced the same trap Michelle was about to, falling for it at Gin’s during their training.
Yukiko stepped back panting, looking spent, with her shoulders slumped. Michelle said something, her head held high as if she was already accepting the victory. Yukiko shook her head, saying something back before falling into a much sloppier version of her defensive stance.
Michelle laughed, but shrugged and rushed at Yukiko. Three steps short, Michelle suddenly pitched forward, her shadow tangled around her legs. Michelle rolled like they had been trained to do. Yukiko capitalized on the moment, meeting her with a vicious attack. Michelle’s forward momentum was stopped cold and she fell backward, her eyes and mouth wide.
Yukiko did not stop; she followed Michelle down, climbing atop the other woman and hammering blow after blow into Michelle’s face. Michelle was lost, feebly trying to defend herself as each strike connected with her face. A minute passed, then two, before Magus Paul finally stepped in and called the match.
Yukiko got off Michelle and bowed to the box, Paul, and Michelle before leaving the arena. The healer on standby rushed out to help Michelle— her face was covered with blood, her nose was shattered, her lips were split open in multiple places, and both eyes were swelling rapidly.
“I’ll be going to get ready,” Gregory said.
“Best of luck,” Hao said.
“It’s Fureno. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
He met Yukiko just as she was coming out of the waiting area. “How are you?”
“Fine now,” Yukiko replied with a pained smile. “The ring helped. It doesn’t stop all the heat, though. I bought enough time to continue, but it was far from pleasant.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Gregory said, stopping a foot away from her. “You did good. You laid that trap beautifully.”
“She was overconfident from the beginning. I should have expected the fire, but I thought she’d keep it as a trump card.”
“I’m glad you managed to stop it,” Gregory said, staring into her eyes. “I need to get ready. My fight is after this one.”
“Nick,” Yukiko nodded, “I feel sorry for his opponent. He’s a fire magi like his grandfather, so he’ll have more than just a single fire globe if you fight him.”
“Hopefully that doesn’t happen until the final eight.”
“Be safe. Fureno is likely still fuming over his loss to me— it’s been his only one.”
“I’ll be safe.”
“The barrier used almost half of the aether the bracelet holds. We’ll have to charge it as best we can tonight.”
“Understood,” Gregory said before he bowed his head. “I’ll see you after the fight.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
~*~*~
Passing Nick on his way to the arena floor, Gregory gave him a pleasant smile in passing, congratulating him on his quick victory. Nick smiled back, wishing him luck with his own fight. When Gregory stepped out onto the sands, Fureno was already there, sneering at him.
“You both know how this works,” Paul said, not giving them time to exchange comments. “Face the box and bow.”
Gregory did as he was told, not wanting to speak to Fureno anyway. He recalled Yukiko’s judgement that he was no longer a friend and why. When he faced Fureno and was told to bow, he did, but not nearly as deeply as normal.
Paul arched an eyebrow, but instead of chastising him, he commanded them to fight.
Gregory feinted like he was going to rush Fureno, and the man did as Gregory expected, reaching for a necklace hidden under his clothing. A ball of fire appeared in Fureno’s hand, but Gregory was already shifting. Fureno tried to guess where Gregory would be, but Gregory was able to dodge, rolling away from the globule of flame.
“What? No!” Fureno screamed as he watched the fire hit the sand and sit there, burning.
Gregory came out of his roll and rushed straight at the shocked novice. “This is for insulting Yuki,” Gregory hissed as his fist crashed into Fureno’s gut. Fureno completely failed to deflect the attack.
Fureno crumpled over Gregory’s fist, wheezing. Gregory followed up with an edge strike to the back of his neck. Fureno’s eyes crossed and he fell to the ground. Gregory glared down at him, kicking Fureno over so the novice was on his back. Placing his foot on Fureno’s neck, Gregory looked at Paul. “I’ll stomp down unless you stop me.”
Paul just stared back at him and Gregory shrugged, raising his foot and slamming it down onto Fureno’s weakly-protected throat. Eyes bulging, Fureno tried to breathe, but he could not and his eyes rolled back as he fell unconscious.
“Stop!” Paul commanded. “Healer!”
Gregory stepped back, turning to face the box and bow. He caught a glimpse of Sarinia watching him with an inscrutable gaze. Facing Paul, he bowed again before walking off the arena floor.
Nick met him in the waiting area beneath the arena. “That was more brutal than I expected from a friend.”
“Fureno made a mistake and hopefully learned from it,” Gregory replied bluntly.
“Did Michelle make a mistake as well?” Nick asked, keeping the same pleasant smile on his face.
“She did throw the fire first.”
“Which brings up that I’ve not seen her necklace since I gifted it to Yukiko. Did she not like it?”
“You’d need to ask her.”
“Greg, I thought we’d get along better. I am still willing to give you what you really want. I can manage that, if you and Yukiko join the clan. Her betrothal will be broken, and she’ll be all yours.”
“That is a tempting offer,” Gregory said, feigning interest. “She’s been resistant to the idea though. Something about the Eternal Flame subjugating those with eurtik blood in their veins.”
“Ah, yes, I guess she would be, but that very reason is why you need to get her to. You’ll be the one holding her leash. I can get you some powder that will make her more susceptible to suggestion. Just sprinkle it into her drink on the last night of the tournament. I’ll have one of the magus nearby so she can make a servant’s pledge to the clan. From there, she’ll be all yours.”
Gregory looked down, lips pursed as if contemplating the idea, fighting to keep the revulsion off his face. I’ll fucking make you pay for even suggesting that, you bastard, he raged inside his own head. “Can you have it placed inside my room tonight?”
“Of course. It’s the least I can do for a friend,” Nick said, slapping him on the back. “Oh, one more thing if we face off in the final eight; you’ll need to lose to me. Grandfather simply won’t accept me not winning the tournament.”
“Jason will throw over, too?” Gregory asked, not having to pretend to be shocked.
“He knows who will be leading the clan in another hundred years. Keep that in mind. In almost no time at all, I’ll be the most powerful friend you’ll ever need.”
Gregory bowed his head, “You’ve shown me so much.”
“That’s what friends are for. Oh, if you end up against Hayworth in the final eight, do everything you can to maim him. It doesn’t matter if you win, so long as he is publicly humiliated.”
“I can do that,” Gregory agreed. “Sorry I can’t stay longer, but I need to go. Dinner.”
“Do her parents resent you?” Nick asked as Gregory stepped away.
“No, they think I’m just a friend,” Gregory lied, not looking back. “See you later.”
Gregory was glad that Nick still had another fight, or he might have left with Gregory. Once he was out of sight, Gregory’s teeth ground together and his hands clenched tight enough for his knuckles to pop.
Gregory had a smile on his face when he met up with Yukiko and her parents a few minutes later outside the arena.
“You did well,” Yukiko praised him, restraining the urge to hug him.
Yoo-jin giggled lightly, “Oh, it is hard, isn’t it, dear child? To be so close to your heart and unable to hold him? I remember those days. Truthfully, it is still hard today. Society doesn’t like those who display such affection openly.”
“Even my parents never did so,” Gregory said slowly. “I never understood how hard that might be until recently.”
“I will do my best to resist shaming the family,” Yukiko sighed, “or, at least, bring as little shame as I can manage.”
Hao shook his head, “She’s still honest with us, at any rate.”
“Come now, we have an auction to attend and then dinner,” Yoo-jin laughed.
