Amazon Apocalypse 4: Chapter 67

Compared to the semifinals, the grand finale match of the team brackets was a bit disappointing. The runner-up team was a group of five C-Grade wizards all hoping to put something nice on their applications to join the Dragon Lodge as graduate students. Truthfully, just getting second place in this team tournament was probably enough for that, so I didn’t feel bad about taking them out and scooping the grand prize.

Since we were already qualified for the singles tournament, we didn’t need the win here. It might even be better to not show all our cards so Sakura could still bet heavily on us during the singles matches. But I knew Myrina wouldn’t accept forfeiting match, so we showed up and pulled off a clean win.

“Congratulations, Team Feisty Redhead! As winners of the team matches, you’re entitled to the grand prize, one thousand contribution points each, and an invitation to join the Dragon Lodge’s C-Grade studies program as a Bronze Medallion wielder!” the announcer declared.

The reward was, naturally, completely useless to me. A thousand contribution points didn’t even cover the amount of money my gauntlets were worth or the amount of revenue Doomblade’s Armory generated every fifteen minutes. Still, having some extra coin and a spare medallion under my Doomblade identity wouldn’t hurt. Besides, having Myrina’s alternate identity affiliated with the Dragon Lodge could help if she wanted to attend a class or two with me.

The rewards would have been far more useful to Dannar, Agatha, and Ivanar. Sadly, they were all still out of town and hadn’t returned in time for the final match. Hopefully, they could still talk their way into getting their prizes.

“Whoo! Victory! I, the Magnificent Crimson Disaster, am undefeated once more! All will fall before my supreme, unstoppable might!” Myrina proclaimed as she held the meager prizes aloft.

Much to my surprise, there was actually a bit of cheering. Myrina’s overbearing personality was so far beyond the norm that perhaps she’d circled past insulting and back into being likable, at least to some people. She was still hated by most of the crowd, but she had a growing cult fandom in the stands. The same was true for me, though my controversy was that I was a cheat who relied on expensive magical weaponry to win rather than skill.

I wondered how much had to do with our recent performance in battle and the big advertising push Sakura was doing with our names and faces. While we didn’t receive quite as much attention as Team Seraphim as they modeled our new equipment, we still saw our faces on billboards around the city.

As far as Doomblade’s Workshop went, so far, I’d only heard good things. People loved the armor, and though Mark One suits were still in limited supply, my older style armor sold as fast as it was put on the shelves. Even regular armor was selling well after Gobgob fixed a few issues with the local designs.

On the topic of Gobgob, I was even more pleased by recent developments. She seemed completely transformed from the shy green girl she’d been when we first arrived in Mucaria. While she was still green and still shy, now she had a little issue with coming out of the back room and talking to people to explain how enchantments worked and how to use our equipment.

It was a mighty leap in the right direction for her. If she got comfortable talking to many people from different species here on Mucaria, she’d have a much easier time talking to the suspicious folks of Crownhill. Sakura’s presence and that of a few other notable non-human individuals had diffused most of the racial tensions we might otherwise have encountered after so many violent first-contacts, some people were still tense around anything that clearly wasn’t human. A well-spoken and confident Gobgob would do a lot of credit for her kind, which was exactly what I’d hoped for.

That I could now pawn off nearly all of my work in Doomblade’s Armory on her was a welcome bonus. With the singles tournament beginning soon, I would have to spend more and more time as Doomblade.

I spent the time between tournaments focused on upgrading my armor again. The brain-computer interface needed to be tuned up a little for a more rapid response. I also wanted something to bolster my defenses, so I was ready for someone who could hit a lot harder than the team competitors.

In the end, I settled on a heavy tower shield. It was made of eight inches of steel and titanium, and even without enchantments, it was comparable to the hull of a frigate. With enchantments, it could withstand all but the most ferocious of armor-piercing blows. More importantly, it was disposable, and unlike switching the plates on my armor, I actually could switch out my shields in the middle of battle, assuming I found an opportunity to do so.

Making that opportunity would be easier said than done. Mega Mana Bombs were a must since I knew I’d be facing plenty of wizards from the Dragon Lodge during the singles brackets. While magic users were rare compared to fighters, places like this pocket realm were where most of them congregated.

I also noted during the fighting that Myrina and I spent much more time punching and grappling people than I expected. The boosted strength the power armor granted me made it an obvious maneuver, so I figured I ought to help that along. I made a few changes to the shape of the gauntlet that would grant additional protection and dexterity, then reinforced the knuckles of each hand to have the same repulsion enchantments as the flat of my sword. When I was done, I added my new upgrades to Myrina’s suit as well.

“It’s a good thing you finished now. Everyone’s gathering for the main event!” Myrina said excitedly.

“Today? Already?” I asked in surprise. I’d thought I had at least one more day to prepare.

“The matches officially start tomorrow at dawn, but there will be a big welcoming ceremony tonight! And you have to be there. This is where my master plan is going to really take shape! I need to establish myself as the evil, out-of-town competitor with a mysterious background, and you’re part of it!”

“Right. Your plan.” I let out a chuckle before having a thought. “Wait. Everyone’s going to be there, right? Including your sister, Cyra?”

“Yep. She’s a party pooper, but if you give her an event she has to attend, she’ll be there. She’ll probably leave before the after-party, though. Can you believe she doesn’t enjoy getting blackout drunk the night before a fight?”

Myrina shook her head with a sigh of disapproval.

“That’s right. And Feisty Redhead won’t want to do that either.” I placed my hand on her head as I broke the bad news to her. “You can’t drink with your helmet on, and you can’t take it off without revealing your secret identity. Which means tonight you’re also going to be a party pooper, like your big sister.”

Myrina’s eyes widened in horror. “B-but... I thought you were doing upgrades?”

I ran my fingers through her hair. “I just didn’t have time for that kind of upgrade.”

Myrina’s shoulders slumped. Truthfully, I could have easily added some sort of straw attachment to the helmets. But I hadn’t because I wanted an excuse not to drink. If my previous experiences at parties like this one were anything to go by, they’d be drinking some potent stuff. And Myrina was rambunctious enough without the aid of alcohol. With it, I feared Feisty Redhead would become such a menace they’d kick us out of the whole pocket world.

“Fine... we’ll just have our own afterparty back home,” Myrina grumbled.

***

A few hours later, we were back at the arena. The announcements for this tournament were much the same as the one for the team brackets. The tournament organizers explained the rules and how the brackets worked. They introduced the grand prize, which I already knew about.

“Lastly, as many of you have heard, the rumors are true. The winner of this tournament will be granted a command position over a magical auxiliary unit the Dragon Lodge will be providing to Glacia to aid them in the liberation of a border world. This position is a great opportunity, and a smart and skilled individual given such command could use it to bring home the wealth and levels to found a new great family. Fight hard, for the future is yours for the taking!”

The tournament organizer finished, much to the crowd’s polite clapping. We were neatly divided into two sections, which could be best described as nobles and commoners, though officially there were no such distinctions. The sons and daughters of major families had all been invited directly to the singles brackets. Each of them was well dressed and even better armed, looking like the high-born youths they were.

The crowd I was standing in was considerably more motley. Some wore dinged armor, others tattered robes. Most were adventurers and fortune-seekers of one sort or another, which was a more polite term for pirates, bandits, and all-around troublemakers.

The fact that our numbers were exactly equal to those from the invitational brackets wasn’t lost on me. I suspected each of us would be matched against a noble son or daughter, with the expectation that we’d get our asses kicked. The important person would get at least one easy win to keep them from placing too low during the tournament and bringing shame to their families. I was curious who’d be unlucky enough to face Myrina and me.

What caught my eye more than anyone else in the crowd was one dour-looking red-headed Amazonian warrior standing at attention near the front. She was surrounded by other Amazonian-esque women of similar build. Though of varying races, they were all part clearly part of the Samhain Clan.

I was surprised that they were the biggest group in the entire invitational bracket. And from the way a few of the wizards from the Dragon Lodge were standing near the Amazonians, I figured they were at least somewhat associated with the Samhain Clan. Those would either be male relatives or those hoping to win the heart of an Amazonian warrior by besting them in combat during the tournament. I couldn’t exactly complain, since that wasn’t far from what I was doing myself.

“You may socialize with your fellow competitors. Free drinks are available for any who want them. Just leave the fighting for tomorrow!” the tournament organizer joked. From the forced way he laughed and the swiftness with which he departed, I guessed a fight breaking out wouldn't be unheard of.

We turned to one another, and most kept to their side of the informal division between noble and commoner. There were two obvious exceptions, though. One was Myrina. The other was me.

“You! I have to ask you something. Why is everyone in the Phantomfist family so ugly?” Myrina asked, shouting loud enough to be heard from across the entire arena. I shot a glance at the tournament organizer, who was now running for the exit instead of walking toward it.

For once, I was glad for Myrina’s antics. She rapidly drew all the attention away from me, so I received as little notice as was possible for a hulking eight-foot-tall giant in heavily enchanted armor. I wasn’t shy about going straight to Cyra.

“Hey there, big guy, you look tough. But how tough are you?” An Amazonian warrior with traces of scales on her cheeks and arms stood in front of me, blocking my way. She looked like she was mostly human, but had traces of a big lizard somewhere in her ancestry.

“Excuse me.” I pushed her aside, and she seemed shocked I was able to move her. But I paid her no more attention because my real target was standing behind her with arms crossed and head turned toward the ground. She was smaller than I remembered, but maybe that was just my new perspective in this giant body.

Her fierce gaze bored a hole in the arena sand, and though her arms were crossed, she didn’t look curled in on herself. The thin, sleeveless tunic she wore showed off tiny scars lining her skin like badges of honor, and the thin fabric did little to hide the lean muscle concealed just beneath the surface.

She didn’t turn to look at me, though I knew she sensed my approach. She stood like a statue of a warrior, all noble pride and perfect soldier. It was like she bore the weight of the world on her shoulders and stood firm anyway.

My heart beat faster at the sight of her. That was strange. I didn’t think a woman could do that to me anymore.

Finally, she broke the silence and spoke.

“Approach the others if you want to forge a connection with the Samhain Clan. I’m not interested,” Cyra said, finality in her tone.

“I’m not interested in the Samhain Clan,” I replied.

“Then why are you wasting your time with me?” Cyra spoke somewhere between snapping back and merely being cold as ice.

No wonder the others were keeping their distance. Cyra clearly wasn’t in a good mood. But after how far I’d come, I wasn’t about to give up now.

“Out of all the high-born brats here, you’re the most impressive,” I answered honestly.

“Are you trying to win a favor or asking for permission to ogle me?” She finally turned and looked at me. I watched her lips curl partway into a smile, but the expression died before it could spread across her face. By the end, she had narrowed eyes and tight-drawn lips as she met my probing gaze with a stern look of her own.

I chuckled to make up for the fact that she had not. Then I turned to watch the rest of the crowd. Cyra followed my gaze and saw Myrina punching a Phantomfist family member in the face. However, Cyra couldn’t recognize her younger sister in her Feisty Redhead armor. I sensed my time with Cyra would end before I was done.

“They say the path to an Amazonian’s heart lies in the arena. Is that true for you?” I asked, suddenly turning back to Cyra. I had hoped to broach the topic more delicately, but I needed to say my piece before circumstances dragged me away.

Cyra raised an eyebrow. “I will fight whatever foe this tournament pits me against. A year ago, I might have been flattered by your interest. However, times change. If you are strong enough, you’ll face me. But you’ll get no pulled punches from me, for my heart belongs to another.”

Beneath my helmet, I smiled. Across from us, the fight Myrina started shifted into a brawl.

“We’ll meet again, Cyra Samhain.” I turned to go pull Myrina out of trouble.

Cyra turned for the exit and left. And after dragging Myrina out of a mob of thrashing fists and spells to bring her home, I did the same.

<Note>
By the way, I finally broke down and put some of the older stuff in collections. You can check out Long Live the Emperor (abandoned series start, roughly 300 pages in novel form) or the Founding of Deania novella (about 100 pages.)

There's also some April fools/holiday and oneshots up there.

Once we finish this novel, we'll be adding one more such story to the list.