Amazon Apocalypse 4 [Deleted Chapter]: Chapter 70

Myrina dominated her next match, and Cyra, of course, won hers easily. By now, Myrina and I were the only competitors left from the team event. Everyone else had come in through the invitationals.

This, I learned, was the expected result. Powerful people from humble backgrounds were rare, at least compared to those raised from an early age to be part of a great clan. Every major family had at least one way to produce talented children. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be a major family for long.

Night saw us returning to Bridget’s apartment, and for once Bridget was with us thanks to her schedule suddenly clearing up.

“It’s strange,” Bridget began at dinner, “we have one customer who normally places enormous orders every day, but he strangely vanished. Even his own family can’t find him.”

“Doesn’t everything at that bakery you’re working at cost a fortune? Who could afford to place enormous orders every day?” Sakura asked.

“Oh, this guy’s very rich. He’s a patriarch of some merchant clan or something. And a good tipper, too. Funny story, his physician tried to get us to covertly swap out some of our less-healthy ingredients. Ever since he found out, he’s been paranoid about his physician scheming against him!” Bridget let out a laugh, and we shared the sentiment. “Anyway, what’s going on with you all?”

Conversation soon turned to the upgrades I was planning on my armor and how I would approach my next match, and then eventually the quarterfinals.

“You know, Carter, if you beat Cyra, you and I will be up against one another in the final match! Doesn’t that sound romantic?” Myrina poked me in the side.

To me, violently beating on one another in an arena until one was the victor seemed less than romantic. But the Amazonian mind thought differently, so I just nodded along.

“Yes, romantic...” I patted Myrina on the head even as she swiped food right off my plate as fast as I could scoop more stuff off the serving trays on the table. “But you know what would be more romantic? Sharing all your sister’s weaknesses with me and helping me design some custom-made enchantments to counter her.”

I expected Myrina to protest. While the sisters had distinct fighting styles, most of Cyra’s weaknesses were also Myrina’s weaknesses. But instead, Myrina wore a sly grin and nodded vigorously.

“I already have a few ideas!” she cackled ominously.

“We’re turning a tidy profit in Doomblade’s Armory, mostly thanks to your growing prominence in the arena. Making it to the finals will secure our reputation as sellers of top-tier armor here in Mucaria. So don’t be shy about using company resources to build the best equipment,” Sakura added.

I thanked them both, ideas already flowing smoothly. Thanks to my sparring sessions with Myrina, I had a pretty good idea about what strategies would give her trouble.

Ideas seemed to flow smoothly for Myrina as well. Too smooth, in my opinion.

“You need to weld a giant metal cock to your armor! That is certain to distract her!” Myrina suggested.

“I don’t know about that one, Myrina...” I muttered.

“It would distract me!” Myrina protested, arms crossed.

“But this isn’t for fighting you. It’s for fighting Cyra.”

Myrina sighed. “I suppose you’re right. It’s not the cock that is important, but the person it’s attached to.”

She nodded her head, convinced she’d just said something profound. She then bombarded me with an endless barrage of specialized anti-Amazonian tools, about ninety percent of which would be better classified as sex toys. I got a few good ideas out of her, though.

Lasso of Amazonian Binding (Epic)

• When wrapped around the target, this lasso is capable of rapidly restraining the limbs of its target. This lasso is designed with the physically robust bodies of Amazonians in mind, and once locked onto a target, it is extremely difficult to remove in combat.
  

Acid of Amazonian Armor Erasure (Epic)

• This acid is specialized in dissolving the weapons and armor Amazonians tend to wear, rendering both ineffective for continued combat.

Sticky Slime of Amazonian Subjugation (Epic)

• This sticky slime can only be dispelled by magic and possesses non-newtonian effects. The more one struggles, the greater the slime’s restraints.

“Satisfied, Myrina?” I said as I presented the three new inventions.

“Aww. You picked the three least sexy ideas...” Myrina grumbled.

“Hush. Maybe I’ll build some of your other ideas to handle you when the finals come. But first I have to get through your big sister.” I poked Myrina in the forehead, and she rubbed her hands together eagerly.

I was pretty happy with three specialty items, all of epic rarity. Without them, I was pretty sure Cyra would kick my ass, at least in my Doomblade armor. While she hadn’t grown quite as fast as Myrina had at my side, whatever training she’d been undergoing had really pushed her to her limits. The armor she was wearing for the tournament was okay by my standards, but the acid I’d concocted would hopefully make quick work of both it and her sword.

Once she was disarmed, I had a clear path to victory focused on defense. The rest of the items I prepared for the battle, like a new tower shield, some of the Shadefall Clan’s summoned specters, and a couple of Reluna’s talismans, would all work toward that end.

I was so engaged in preparing for my fight with Cyra that I barely remembered the match I had to win before getting to her. Thankfully, Myrina remembered for me. Normally, she hardly kept track of anything, but the idea of a tournament had her oddly focused.

“Come on, fight day, Carter! The lame one. Not the fight against Cyra,” Myrina said.

I chuckled. “Way to get me excited. To the arena!”

We went to the arena, where I found myself pitted against an Amazonian warrior with traces of scales on her cheek. I remembered her from somewhere, though it took me a few moments to remember exactly where. She’d been at that party Myrina had turned into a fight and had been standing near Cyra.

I was excited by the realization that I’d be fighting an Amazonian. I’d already tested my strategies on Myrina, but this was an opportunity to test things in the field against another opponent. Still, I’d have to be careful not to give away too much. This seemed like the exact sort of battle Cyra would watch to get a feel for my strengths, so I couldn’t give away my battle plan or the exact items I planned to use. But I could test general strategies and tactics and maybe use one of my new tricks.

“Well, well, well... we meet again, big guy.” The woman cracked her knuckles. She was as big as I was, and the traces of Draconic heritage on her were more visible now, despite the armor she was wearing. Her fingernails lengthened slightly into claws, and her teeth narrowed to points. Her pupils were long and thin like slits, and as she breathed hot air, I saw a few puffs of flames sneak out from between her teeth.

“Ah, you... from the party, right?” I asked, pretty certain that was where I’d seen her last.

“Good. You’re willing to actually talk to me this time. And here I thought anyone besides Cyra was beneath your notice.” the scaled Amazonian flashed me a forced smile, showing more teeth than was really necessary.

Had I offended this woman in some way? From the way she was looking at me, I might have.

Perhaps brushing her aside had wounded her pride. I had meant nothing by it. I’d just been eager to talk to Cyra. But maybe to a proud warrior who thought herself a peer to Cyra, that had been seen as a snub.

Whatever the case was, the Draconic Amazonian warrior didn’t like me. Hopefully, that meant she would fight all the harder.

“I might have taken it easy on you if we’d gotten along, big guy. It’s rare I find a man my own size. Unfortunately for you, I have my eyes on the prize this time. After you lose, you can sit in the stands in broken armor and see why I’m even better than Cyra Samhain! Just you watch.” Her lips curled back in a snarl.

“Listen, I meant no offense. Cyra is just someone of particular interest to me. I’m sure there are plenty of guys here who would love--“

“Shut up! I ain't getting with some shorty!” the dragon woman growled, jerking a sharp nail in my direction.

The referee gave me no time to respond because, a moment later, he waved a flag between us.

“Begin!”

The Draconic Amazonian rushed toward me. I planted my feet and swung my shield in front of me, then lowered my shoulder behind it.

My opponent slammed into my shield, hoping to knock both it and me aside, but I held firm. This enormous tower of metal was even heavier than it looked, and it looked pretty damn heavy. She clawed at the shield momentarily, but the repulsion effects activated and threw the strength of her attack back at her, knocking her backward.

She regained her footing swiftly, not leaving an opening as she reached behind her back and drew a blade. It was a normal-sized sword, but the giant of a woman wielding it made it look more like a gladius.

She let out a ferocious howl and rushed me again. For a second, I thought she was going to slam herself against my shield like she had before, but she had already learned her lesson on that. At the last moment, she shifted positions, turning and rolling to come up behind me and past my defenses.

She wore a victorious grin on her face as she bounced back to her feet and gripped her weapon with one hand on the hilt and the other halfway up the blade as she guided it to the joints in my armor. Given the strength behind that thrust, even my repulsion runes would have a hard time shifting the blade’s tip away from the vulnerable gap.

If she’d struck me with this move when the tournament began, I’d be in trouble. But after all these upgrades, I had a few new tricks up my sleeve. I sent mana flowing through my body toward the part of my armor closest to her. I activated the talisman I’d carefully placed there, along with the shard of crystal I’d swiped during my last match. If the referees thought dangerously unstable magical crystals packed full of mana were perfectly fine to bring into the arena, then I could work with that.

The shard of crystal I’d swiped was far smaller than the one that had nearly taken out a chunk of the crowd when I fought the wizard Jubalin, but this one had a few tricks behind it to empower and bolster its effects. On one end of the crystal, I’d attached a monster core high in fire mana. Instead of storing all the mana in the highly unstable crystal, I stored it in the monster core. That way, the crystal wouldn't be overloaded with mana until I needed it.

On the other side of the crystal, I added one of Reluna’s barrier talismans. It was a pretty weak talisman, all things considered. But charged correctly, it focused the rush of raw fire mana quite effectively.

The result was a cone of flame whooshing out of my armor toward the Draconic Amazonian. The surprise attack might have ended the fight there if I were up against someone who wasn’t part dragon. As it was, all the flames did was blind her long enough for me to turn and bring my sword to bear.

Whump!

My sword struck my opponent unprepared and sent her sprawling in the sand. The deep slap was audible across the arena, and as she rolled to her feet, she seemed to realize she would have lost everything from her shoulder to her hip in a real fight.

As she rolled to her feet, her eyes met mine. There was still plenty of anger in them, but now there was a hint of nervousness and anticipation in equal measure. She hadn’t expected me to block that last blow. Perhaps she’d seen my earlier matches and thought that tactic would stump me.

We circled one another, and I tested one of the three unique items I’d crafted for combatting Cyra. It was the Lasso of Amazonian Binding, and was probably the most obvious of the three creations in its function. I’d practiced with it on Myrina until I was reasonably sure I could use it in combat, and now I tried it again here.

The next time the Draconic Amazonian rushed forward, I flicked my wrist, and the lasso appeared. It spun overhead once in an arc while my shield met my opponent’s sword. Her eyes widened as she realized she was trapped, and before she could slip away, the rope fell around her, trapping her arms by her side.

“What is this?” she grunted and heaved, trying to shrug the rope up over her shoulders or loosen it, but the enchantments hidden among the braided metal wires had already activated.

For once, I was impressed with myself. That had worked better than I thought it would, and with my opponent restrained and on a leash, it was relatively easy to get a few hits in.

After catching my opponent with the lasso the battle was as good as over. I knocked her around a few times, and eventually, dazed and somewhat teary-eyed, I forced the large warrior to submit. I was probably lucky that I already had the Amazonian Conqueror title, because she seemed like the stubborn type.

"Winner, Doomblade!" the referee declared.

"Damn it... I can't believe I actually lost..." the Draconic Amazonian panted, dazed and still in shock. I helped her up, and she walked off on shaky feet.

Cyra was waiting for me after the match. I found her standing in the tunnel leading out of the arena that only competitors were allowed through. Though she rested casually leaning against the wall, I got the impression she’d rushed here from the Samhain Clan viewing booth on the other side of the arena.

“I suppose it would be too much to hope you were rooting for me?” I chuckled.

Cyra frowned, arms crossed. “I should congratulate you on gaining the Amazonian Conqueror title. I’m sure you saw it.”

“I did,” I replied, not mentioning I’d gained the title long ago.

“My cousin you just beat was the last Samhain in the tournament besides me. It seems everything rests on my shoulders now.”

I chuckled. “From the way you looked before, I would have thought that was already the case.”

“You’re strong, Doomblade. Stronger than I thought when I first saw you enter the tournament. You have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. And I suspect you’re holding back a few more.”

“I have a surprise or two with your name on it. But if you want to learn my big secret, all you have to do is lose to me tomorrow.”

Cyra huffed, but there was a trace of a smile on her face. “It’s been a long time since I was looking forward to a fight. Sadly, yours is one I can't savor. My family demands I win this tournament, and I will do so quickly and efficiently. Still, I came here to extend an offer. You bested my cousin and are clearly a capable warrior unaffiliated with other major factions. I don't know if you could keep your armor and weapon supply line if you joined us, but even if not, my family would support you if you were to press your claim on my cousin thanks to this tournament win. We are always looking for strong warriors, and while your item-focused means of combat is unconventional by most standards, it is effective.”

I took a step closer to Cyra. “I’m flattered by the offer, and tell your cousin I wish her the best. But I have my eyes on another prize. One that I very much wish to press my claim on after my upcoming win.”

I reached out, brushing a hand against Cyra’s cheek, as I had many times when it she and I spent time in this city. But unlike then, this time, Cyra pushed my hand away.

“I told you already. My heart belongs to another. Fine. I thought I’d at least extend you an olive branch. I have no wish to be enemies, but the Samhain Clan can’t afford to lose this tournament.”

Cyra turned on her heel and then swiftly departed. I almost revealed myself then and there, but I restrained those desires. Not until I won.

When I passed by the crowd again, I experienced my usual infamy after a match. Outside the arena, I could still hear the announcer criticizing my victory.

“And there you have it once again! Doomblade steals another win thanks to a lucky hit with a unique disposable item! No doubt that magic rope of his costs a fortune! I bet plenty of would-be-warriors with lacking skill, but plenty of coin will head on over to Doomblade’s Armory after that display!”

After the match, I returned to Doomblade’s Armory to make my final preparations. It seemed a lot of people took the announcer’s words at face value because by the time I arrived, there were already a number of people interested in buying a magical lasso like the one I’d used in the fight. I’d have to make several more when I had the chance.

But right now, I told Sakura to claim it was a prototype, which was true. They were single use items with a disposable enchantment that destroyed itself during use, so I needed to make at least one more for my fight with Cyra.

Other than that, it might help to have some additional items. Most importantly, I’d need more specialty monster cores to inscribe. Thankfully, there were plenty of those for sale on the open markets of Mucaria. With my near-limitless supply of contribution points, I could buy everything I wanted, many of them pre-inscribed. I wasn’t shy about sinking the entire day’s profit of Doomblade’s Armory into going into my match with Cyra as well-equipped as I could be.

I finished all those preparations before sundown even came, and after that, all I could do was get a good night’s sleep. For tomorrow, I’d be up against Cyra Samhain.


<Note>
The Draconic Amazonian would have just been disappointed when she found out Carter wasn't actually 8 feet tall.