CHPT 473: Underground

An hour had passed since Claude and the rest of the Tournament entrants had been dismissed from the stadium floor to enter their dorms. Fittingly named, The Dugout. As if Ra Stadium wasn't impressive enough, there was a whole community of rooms and buildings built beneath it. The same way the Sunlandian Warriors from before rose from the earth in the Portal Room.

How it looked though was another mystery he'd have to solve later. While everyone flocked to the dorms inside the dugout to get situated and relax on a soft bed. Claude explored the Stadium above ground. As wolf-like as he was, he would never be a den creature in that way.

Being submerged and disadvantaged— cramped up with so many unknown figures, was something he wouldn't get behind. Not now at least.

His friends joined him in their interest. And it wasn't like they could do anything illegal. Sunlandian Warriors lurked. He could see the golden glint of their pyramid helms in most locations.

The Tangent scenario grounds held all manner of biomes for miles on end. Deserts, tundra in an iced out dome covered in glowing blue Runes. It even had a location that was all ocean. He couldn't see it, but he could definitely smell it…. And what was inside. Being with the Orca's taught him what Sharks smelled like. Or maybe that was the OceanLord….

"Hey— what do you think?" Ursula tapped his shoulder.

Claude came back to his senses as they walked the Beast Forest. Another subset of the Stadium— the smallest of them all but still as large as Predator Forest back home.

"About what?"

"How many Chosen do you think are here? Don't you all have a connection? Like how you and Chase spotted eachother?" Warren asked.

Claude hopped over a fallen log as he walked off the path beside them, "I'm not really sure how any of that works. Me and Chase spotted each other because Cernnunos and Fenrir don't like each other specifically….. which is weird as hell since they're from different pantheons. But also makes sense…."

They watched him, unsure of where he was going.

"Hunter and Beast. They oppose each other in theory."

"So Chosen only know other Chosen as possible enemies?" Maris surmised while flipping her sword around as she walked ahead of everyone.

The forest greenery was almost blinding when combined with the potent sunlight reflecting off her blade. The reflective eyes of the creatures that watched them was a whole different story.

"I guess. I'd say no more than ten." Claude guessed, "Could be way more or way less. We'll see once shit gets messy."

"Yea no kidding. We can't be risky and go for the gold every run this time around." Isaac said as he swung his helmet into the bushes lining the path they walked.

"That was never the plan. We're here…. because of me. But also because we can build New Gloria's reputation." Claude explained.

"To hell with that. The Headmaster put us here because we did good as a trio while you two were gone. Nobody is at fault for anything. And we want gold." Maris said. Her ambition persevered as casually as a building tidal wave.

"We do?" Warren questioned, "That's more problems than I think we can manage, sharpy."

Maris wanted to say more. She always had more for Warren. Claude could feel it, but there words were cut short by a feline as large as a Donkey chasing down and tackling a well muscled Buck.

The cat was so massive, when the two landed on the path Claude could hear it's bones crunch as it's antlers cracked off it's head.

CRNCH!

It barely even got to let out a sound before it's head was swallowed whole.

The light gold furred creature with black stripes dined right in the middle of the path.

"Is that…."

"Liger…" Claude finished Isaac's words.

"Looks like they used Glorian Lion based on the sabered fangs."

"Agreed." Claude replied as the Liger went to work on the carcass.

Warren finally relaxed and let out a sigh as it dug its muzzle into the bucks stomach.

The Liger growled and smacked the ground, causing more hisses to unleash around them. Reflexively, Claude let his eyes follow his ears.

Black cats filled the empty spaces in the forest. In the trees. In the bushes, hidden in the split open cores of massive trees. Their fur was low— short furred like a dog and they were rather large for a house cat.

"[Claude—]"

"Got it." Claude shut his eyes and activated Natural Vision.

As he and his guide suspected.

Among the heavy greens of life blooming from the forested biome, shapes filled with a dark red and purple flame stood alone. Like stars in a night sky. Or blood on a piece of paper. Just like the cats back in FeliAlu City.

Claude's stomach twisted. When he opened his eyes they were gone.

"So, guys. Who wants to head back?"

Everyone agreed. It was almost time for the Combine anyway…

So they did. Claude gave a parting head bump and scalp scratch to Loba, Frosty and Diamondback before they left the forest. The Sunlandian Warriors stationed at the doors didn't seem to move an inch. Like statues.

Once they reached the outside and headed back to the central stadium they found themselves facing an entirely new area. It wasn't plane sandstone platforms circled by seats anymore. The grounds were littered with magical training dummies, impact pads, tracks, obstacles, targets and weights.

Just like at the University. Simple. This would be the easiest portion. As long as he didn't let loose or get into a fight, it would be hard to draw attention from people like….. The Fiara Family.

Why was that name so damn familiar?

"Yea that's not creepy at all." Warren said as they came to a stop on the fields bordering the combine. In the shadows of the wall that rose to the stadium seats, the floor was cut into stairs leading seemingly down the center of the earth. Magical torches lit the walls further down.

"No gender separation for these dorms I guess?" Ursula said.

Maris nodded.

"Looks like we're hanging with the boys for tonight!" Ursula grabbed Maris' and Warren's arms as they headed down the stairs.

"Move it, Knight." Maris grabbed Isaac's hand.

Claude was prepared to follow as she reached for his as well before stopping. Ursula did as well.

The pack link fed them both an image of a Sunlandian Warrior standing guard at a long hallway. The smells of human waste lingered the clean area.

"You guys go without me. I'm going to find a bathroom." Claude started.

Before they could head off he spoke again, "Ursula. Find us a good spot."

There was clear hidden meaning in his words. Find us a good spot meant find a spot where they could manage sleeping near enemy Lupines. He didn't know the layout below but just in case.

"Got it." Ursula nodded before they headed off.

Claude sighed and looked around at the empty Stadium floor. He could feel the eyes of the watchers on him as he walked towards the civilian area. Hopefully there were no dark aura cats waiting around….

***

It took Claude longer than he liked to find the civilian area. First he left the stadium before realizing it was connected, then he hopped the wall and ran through the crowded bleachers to find the exit into a stairway that finally took him there.

All the while, people in the stands asked him questions and for autographs along with his stats. All he had to do was say he was from New Gloria to shut that down immediately.

He bolted down the steps until he was spit out into a massive white floored open area. Shops were built into the walls like rooms with massive display boards and colorful signs. Lines of people waited to buy what smelled like foods, herbs/potions and trinkets. They stared as he did them.

The Sunlandian Guard standing in the middle of the hallway approached him.

"Young man. You have bathrooms in The Dugout."

"Uhhh— they're full and I'm about to piss my pants." Claude started.

The Sunlandian Warrior eyed him before stepping aside. "Be quick, you don't want to be swarmed by fanatics."

Claude nodded and rushed past him, the moment he did he found the smells of Lupine of Remus clouding his senses of anything else.

It was faint—older, as he walked past lines of people and merchant fronts. As if one was only recently in the area. Sometimes it was stronger— other times it was faint. His nerves grew at the memory. The smell was so tied to violence he felt like he was already fighting.

"[Be calm.]"

Claude walked down the halls until he rounded on the men's bathroom. Not because it was quieter either.

His nostrils flared. Runes cut into the ceiling glowed as he passed the line on the floor, causing the writings connected to the torchlights to glow before ignoring the fire.

Whoever was inside hadn't moved for a while. He was ready to bend down and look under the stalls when the door burst open. If he was less restrained the sudden movement and ear splitting noise wouldn't sprung him into battle.

Purposeful.

He stilled like the trees in a forest— unaffected by disturbing winds…. Or bathroom doors.

"Blyad… I can't stand the Huntsman gear. So hot I can feel my soul burning." An accented voice announced followed by its owner stepping out of the stall.

The Lupine of Remus from before. He was taller up close. Still shorter than Claude by a couple inches, but the length of his limbs was probably the same. He was lanky.

A boyish smile lit up his pale face. Under the torchlights it almost looked like portions of his short black hair were turning silver.

"You look like strong monster."

"Who all is with you." Why even ask?

"They said you were weak Monster. Alone…. Emotional. But here I have smelled three. Three scourge of Romulus. Many monsters. It reminds me of Mother Islandia…"

So that's how he got into the Hunstmen Academy of Islandia.

Claude studied him. He could hear his pulse if he listened— even his muscles tensing. Not to attack. Just anxiety. Even so he faced him. He couldn't be alone. Not with his back to the wall so calmly.

"[You can't use your Natural Vision but you can get a scan of the area in other ways. Lupine ways. The same way he tried you.]"

Arne was a blessing.

Claude straightened out to act as if attacking was out of the question. The Lupine of Remus regarded him with amused confusion.

"Where is your figh—"

WOSHH!

Claude moved in a blur towards the stall closest to him, sending his foot flying into the side of it.

BOOM!

The metal stall wall busted off its hinges and fell into the wall on the other side. As he moved, the Lupine of Remus' Prey Drive spiked and he lunged at Claude.

Knowing what was coming, Claude recovered from the kick instantly, switching legs to kick the Lupine in the chest mid-jump.

CRACK!

His ribs cracked around Claudes foot as he flew back into the far wall near the stall he previously exited.

All the while, he caught an animalistic growl escape someone's lips in another stall.

"Two here. Possibly more coming." Claude positioned himself to face either the back door or the back of the bathroom.

The Lupine got up after coughing up blood and removed his Academy navy blue and white jacket. His muscles bubbled and the black hair covering his eyebrows went silvery grey as it grew down his back. Stripes mottled his skin like burn marks before stopping at one's voice.

"Enough, Bengal." Whoever was in the stall moved, and the smell of filth and waste moved with him.

Claude felt a pang of disgust as he realized he wasn't smelling a bathroom. He was smelling who was inside.

He couldn't believe it.

Another Lupine of Remus stepped out of the stall in front of Bengal. At least it was who he assumed was standing no more than twenty feet away from him.

He hadn't grown much. In fact, he looked like he lost weight. Mostly baby fat, giving his face an all too adult feel to the point that he looked like his father. Only he wasn't clean. Something about him had become extremely dirty in their distance.

His hair was overgrown and swept back along his head in matted dirty blonde dreads. Under the torchlights he could see poorly hidden bald spots. His nose sat on his face wrong from being broken and incorrectly reset. Dark eye bags gave his face shadows even in light. Speaking of, his eyes were weird….. the same way a drawing of a person can immediately go from calm to insane if you shrink the pupils. To think there was a time he looked like the prince in children's books.

He looked to be just putting on his University Uniform.

"Claude... " Ear rings glowed on each of his ears with runic power.

"Samuel…"

Samuel said his name with a tangible sense of loathing that could only match his own.

"You did exactly what Det. Cyrene said you would. You aren't alone."

"And what did you do?" Claude could feel his pulse in his forehead.

"What I always do."

Samuel flashed his claws and Claude growled just as the door swung open. Bengal and Samuel's nostrils flared.

"Hot damn! Somebody in here smells like a carcass in August." The southern accent seemed calm, until you listened.

The hooded man entered the bathroom, standing behind Claude and leaning against the wall. He chewed on a toothpick, cool as a cucumber.

"What ya'll boys up to? A little scuffle?" He teased, a wolffish grin made its way to the only visible portion of his stubbled face.

"Something like that." Claude replied.

The man spit out the toothpick, "Well, we're going to put that on hold. Especially since someone just told a metric shit ton of journalists that Ronin's son just arrived…. "

Samuel clenched his jaw.

"What? Wasn't me, blondy." He smiled fully, revealing a set of canine fangs as sharp as a blade, "Or maybe it was."

His eyes glowed from beneath his hood the same as Claude's as he patted his shoulder to pull him out of the bathroom.

"You boys be safe now. Blood in a bathroom is never a good look…. If you know what I mean."

They headed for the door with the man sliding aside his long coat to showcase the Autobows strapped to his hip. As soon as they stepped out, a flood of men and women with pens and paper headed into the bathroom like zombies on the chase for human flesh.

Suddenly the hall seemed more spacious as they headed back to the stadium.

"Thanks for the backup, Cassidy."

Cassidy— who seemed taller and more snug in his long coat tipped his head at him, "No sweat."

"How'd you get here?"

"Come on, wolfman. I'm a Bounty Hunter. All I have to do is tell them I'm hunting…"

Not much of a lie the way Claude saw it.