CHPT 531: Gluttony and Grim

"HURRY UP!"

"WHATS THE GOD DAMN HOLD UP?!"

"Did I pay to sit around and stink all day? NO! I CAME TO MAKE SOME MONEY!"

"AHHH HURRY UP!!!"

"[Well. It seems the populous is rather feral today. The Waxing Moon doesn't seem all that interested in discriminating, I guess.]" Arne commented as they waited center stage on the sandstone slabbed tournament grounds.

"Yea seems that way."

"[But you aren't all that bothered this time around. Tolerance growth so soon…? Something else?]"

Claude kept his eyes forward, glued to the back of another students neck.

"Just going over the conversation with Rupont. And wondering what he's playing at. Also worried I'm going to have another forced memory swap with you during the final event…. Also who the fuck is staring at me?" Claude turned his head once to view the crowd. It felt like two rods in the shape of eyes were being burned into his scalp.

"[Oh I'm sure many are having a look here and there. As for Rupont, I can't give you any sound advice but to tread as light as you can. He's working in our favor— in Maris' favor, but he too has his own favor to work in. He works in it often if you pay attention. He's like a Court Jester that's self aware….. and possibly stronger than the king.]"

Claude shook off an anxious shiver.

"[As for the memories. That was entirely my fault I've come to realize.]"

"How so?"

Claude's eyes scanned across the grounds. No sign of the bubbly announcer. Or any semblance of final celebrations underway. It felt underwhelming…. Wrong. Stale.

"[Well… when you go deep into your own mind— when you dream. If I follow your mental steppings I can relive your moments as well. I try not to, but sometimes it happens. I'm guessing the same is beginning to happen in reverse.]"

"You're getting stronger….?" Claude questioned.

"[Or, we're becoming more streamlined. Either way, it was a fluke. I was back home— it got me thinking is all. I'll keep you in your head….. unless I need to keep you safe.]"

"What does that mea—"

BOOM!

A massively explosive gust of wind got the sands rising beyond the tournament walls from outside. As if someone dropped a band below the golden grains. Immediately, Claude's Prey Drive pulled his vision to what moved. In the sky, a spec under the golden sun, shimmering clothing fluttering like stars sewn into a quilt. The Announcer divebombed straight for them.

The vibrant purples, yellows, blues and greens of his floral loose clothing became more visible. More expensive looking. As he drew closer and closer until he was skidding to a halt.

FWSH!

He landed in an invisible bed of wind just outside the formation of students. The sounds of a tornado fell on their ears as faint as a breeze. Chaos as an undertone….

He walked on the winds. Steps rising and falling from the imperfections of the currents that left students hair and clothing ruffling. He looked…. Different. He moved different.

Under the sun, beads of sweat dripped down his temple. He could smell fresh perspiration beneath his arms and in less favorable places. The expensive scent of his clothing and jewelry was an afterthought. As his makeup seemed to be as well.

The glittery golden and silver eyeliner he usually wore was seconds from blending with his sweat and gliding down his ebony skin like starry waterfalls….. only less ethereal and much more disheveled. He was also missing an earring.

"I'm uncomfortable." Claude commented through his mental linking to Cassidy and Ursula.

"Relax. He looks like he was just in the sac." Cassidy commented. "I think maybe Ruponts left you a little more paranoid than usual, aye?"

"I'm always paranoid. But we've got an issue here."

"If he wasn't so late, I'd disagree with you….. let's watch."

Claude could see Cassidy lean in from where he sat through his minds eye. He could practically feel the ghostly flexion of his muscle and tendon as he moved in his seat.

"G-good morning, students!"

The crowd and students embraced him with an unholy symphony of curses and berating remarks. Not his usual show, but not too different from the status quo.

He walked on his winds, circling the student's.

"There's been a last second alteration to our final Tournament Event—"

The crowd erupted— some excited but most angry. Angry at the chance that their money was being played with. Odds changed and morphed. Even The Nine were standing along the guard rails of their section.

Claude's head spun like a blade before being struck by lightning.

"Find Rupont— where is Rupont—"

"[Claud—]"

"WHERE….." Claude's eyes fell on Rupont— who he truly didn't expect to see. With all his suspicion building and everything flipping up on its head, he thought that would be he icing on the cake. Rupont perfectly missing. Somewhere pulling strings to tighten around Claudes neck. But it seemed he was caught in the switch and flip as well.

So peculiar. He was present. Watching Claude with an innocently confused expression.

"Two down."

"[The Nine, Rupont and the rest of the Fiara Family. Tell me who's left— who's plausible.]"

"Are you finally embracing my paranoia?" Claude questioned.

"[Last time I checked it's you that has the embracing issue….. talk to me, Claude.]"

Nothing else the Announcer said mattered.

"We have three Covens— openly hostile. Lupines of Remus…. Which are heavily unlikely— they have too much riding on an appearance right now. For some reason all they allow is grunts. Samuel and Bengal. It's like there's a disconnect and Samuels pack is trying to clean up the mess that's me."

"[So not them.]"

"No. Sgt Bertrand..."

"[Could explain why he hasn't shown himself... an Elder isn't just taking an assault from someone he deems lower than himself. Rupont could've been holding him off.]"

"Ruponts fast….. but he can't be two places at once. Sgt Bertrand's like me. He wants revenge. There's a chance this is where he tries…"

"SO!!" The Announcer shouted.

Claude was back in the real world— a one as full of espionage, horror and greed as the one in his mind, but also toppled with sandstone floors, deadly heroes and thousands of onlookers.

He'd won them over with something. That wasn't at all good. Because good for them was terrible for him. Him and the rest of the students, no matter how strong.

But then again, how bad could it be? They didn't know Claude was being hunted by an Elder Vampire ….. and a race of ShapeShifters.

"With all that being said ladies and gentlemen? What has really changed? Other than a little scenery switch? Aye?"

"[Except they've all out abandoned the tournament structure.]"

"What are we doing?" Sometimes focus needed to be split. Sometimes he couldn't do that.

The Announcer yelled for the students to spin right, and at breakneck speeds, he ushered them into the liquid dome.

Then again, maybe the speeds at which they traveled wasn't all that fast. Maybe whatever was coming was long overdue. A part of him felt that way. Things felt different. He felt like he was inhaling— in an incredibly perverse and all encompassing way. Like he knew what was coming wasn't pretty— it never was, but he was….. welcoming?

"Claude….?"

He blinked and suddenly he was surrounded by a glass dome. Sand crunching beneath his bare feet. Sinking under his growing weight. Rolling with the steam billowing from his skin. His friends around him eyed him warily as the waves ahead splashed and spun with students diving in to reach the portal at the bottom of the sea.

They continued to watch him. Uneasy.

"Yo dude... you catch whatever the Announcer has? WHY is everyone being so weird?!" Warren commented from behind Ursula.

Students passed them hesitantly.

"Don't get left, Claude. Id hate for the Martial Arts Expo winner to get disqualified." Conroy said coldly.

"Hey, wolfboy. You and your people can play weird staring games later, we have a new challenge. Face me!" Chase had to be dragged by his Tank and Healer.

"See you inside, Claude. Maybe not." Samuel was a sword at his back. Rotted metal left deadly by design.

It wasn't safe. It was different. He knew it. He faced the odds differently. But….. he had responsibilities. He had human friends who didn't need…..

Ursula raised an eyebrow at him.

There it was again.

"How can you see me?!" He thought.

"Because I have eyes." Ursula said aloud. Causing everyone else to look at her. Frosty licked her hand.

Even before she was in his head. Her eyes were….. perceptive.

And like often. He was wrong. Misinformed. Mistaken. Maybe even now. But it felt right in the moment. Even more so because it wasn't the decision he would've made a week ago…

A culmination of new experiences shaped him in that moment like a hot blade under pressure. Talking with Isaac. Maris facing the Vampires. Cassidy spying— insisting on helping despite his odds.

They signed up for the same things as him. They weren't spineless dolls that could die from a breeze. He didn't have the right to take them out of a fight. His responsibility wasn't to neuter his friends from battle.

Claude straightened himself out and sighed.

He looked at Maris…. Isaac …. Warren. Even his Companions.

"Something isn't right. But I won't stop you from going in with me. But if you want to stay out I can hide you... I can keep you away from the fight." Claude told them.

BOOM!

Lightning struck behind them, sending rippling waves through the waters ahead.

They spun around to find Ronin stomping towards them.

FWSHHHH!

A blast of golden flame erupted from the crowd like a badly timed firework. A trail of steam followed, landing in front of Ronin in the form of a massive knight in Leonine armor.

"Man, now we definitely can't stay…." Warren said as thunderclouds roiled and the ground heated.

"That's quite the match up." Ursula said as Maris began spinning the waters until a funnel leading straight to the fizzling blue portal was visible.

"No it's not." Isaac commented.

"Why not?" Warren questioned, "You know something we don't?"

"Yea. My dad beats him easy."

"Keep that same energy inside." Ursula commented before jumping.

Warren next.

Isaac looked at Claude. "Not a WereWolf, right?"

"Right."

Isaac shrugged, "Bummer. If this is going to be as bad as you say, then we need a WereWolf…. Don't we?"

The Knight dove in.

"Hurry up."

Maris as always.

Claude and his companions jumped into the waters.

The waves knicked and soaked into his cloak and armor. His sheathed spears tore white bubbles through the hurricane tube until the portal swallowed him. In an instant he was swapped from heat and wetness to a dark stone room— so quick it could've been him blinking. But in that quickness, he could feel the presence of many. Like he was in a dark room surrounded by the silent breathings of hundreds.

And then he was gone. Falling into—

VWOOMP!

A deep blue sky welcomed him tinged by dirty yellow clouds. He was rocketing towards the earth. Flatland below stretched forever under a sheet of dry grass, split by tall trees and small fantastical barnyard adjacent structures large enough to dwarf castles.

He poured hot Mana into the muscles and tendons around his fingers, extending his claws and latching onto the nearest tall tree. As he slid down the wooden length in a flurry of splinters and leaves, he sent out his malevolence tether, pulling in his companions until they all hit the ground.

Warren was just finishing recovering in the form of removing splinters from his hands and quiver.

Frosty approached him with a bundle of arrows in his jaws.

"Thanks, bro. I'll buy you a steak someday…. When I'm not in poverty…. Or an unknown Tangent."

Frosty seemed pleased with that and huffed in agreement.

From a bush behind them something else huffed….. but not as agreeable. Actually something much more aggressive. Something familiar. As if the sound came from a similarly shaped snout…. An equally wide and booming set of lungs and barrel midsection cased in iron bones.

Everyone spun around to face the structure in the distance.

Made of polished and unpolished wood. Doors wide and round like a barn, set with metal spikes and vine curtains. The smells of meat and vegetables inside almost made him believe it was a man-made settlement. It was just off. Too big in scale. And the mudpool was…. Odd. Freshly used. Bubbling with a foreign magic that made the hairs on his skin dance. He wanted to wade in the—

Before the bizarre thought could formulate a nearly invisible wave of red energy rippled through the air. Hitting all of them like an electrified breeze.

"Ursula!"

Isaac flew in front of Warren with his shield up. Ursula covered Maris in her bulk and HellSlayers Aura. Claude's responsive Aura as a Gold Ranker was his defense.

It was enough. But that was only because it wasn't an attack. It was a warning. A poke.

Frosty shook off the attack and sent his own.

Claude's jaw clenched as the bushes moved.

"Is that…..?"

Out from the bush, three PitWolves emerged. A trio of two brothers led by a sister. All brown furred with white faces like bone masks and spiked collars. It made their blood red eyes brighter.

But the most shocking appearance was the sight of a student in the back males jaws. Unmoving. Shaken. Sweating all over in shock. He'd succumbed to a dominance wave.

The PitWolf crunched down on the students neck. Beheading him while staying in step with his canine kill squad. They were done with him. They had a new target.

Claude's brain moved a mile a minute.

"Gold Ranked Tangent. Mid gold at least— trained PitWolf Packs. Mud pools. Flat lands. Arctic mountainous outskirts...."

The leading female threw its head back to ho—

FWOO!

CHCK!

Claude threw his short-spear through her head , killing the wolf begrudgingly. Frosty sent a Dominance wave at the remaining two, catching them by surprise effectively enough to drop their snouts into the earth.

Loba and Diamondback took off.

"NO!….. we need them."

"Oh shit. This is what I think it is."

The mudpool sloshed like something moved beneath the waves.

Except Claude could see the mud handprints on the nearby trees.

Something just left. He could see it hidden in the trees.

It could see its hounds submitted. Absorbed into his pack.

DING!

[Your VanaWarg has attained Pit-Alpha Status. You and your Companions stats will increase for every PitWolf Dominated and Absorbed!]

"Watch my back."

Claude charged the beast in hiding.

His Companions— old and new, followed. His skin grew rock hard black scales. His vision morphed into thermal arrays of oranges reds and purples— flaring at the magics brewing in the mud pool. His canines grew from a half snout as his shoulder muscles doubled.

"URAGH!" He slammed into the tree as hard as he could.

BOOM!

The tree blew into a thousand splinters at its base as he burst through and collided with the beast who had only just started to back away.

The two rolled through the dry grass. The smells of dirt, rotted meat and sweat filled his nose followed by blood and rage.

Diamondback closed his jaws around the beasts shoulder and dragged it away from Claude. He got to his feet just as it grabbed the Primal and threw it at a tree. Ursula caught him before connecting. A fireball wizzed past Claude and slammed into the oily brown fur covering its massive back.

On instinct he threw his spear where the hair disappeared. It barely breached the muscle. He charged in, taking his spear back to rip it through its knees from behind—

"NUAGH!"

THUD!

An elbow smashed into the side of his face, loosening some of his teeth and splitting open his cheek.

[89% HP Remaining..]

The creature turned and charged him with its tusks.

Claude caught them with his arms. As he slid through the grass, he used its momentum to flip it and throw it at the tree behind him.

As soon as its near giant-like body hit the tree, he manipulated the vines and branches to swallow and grind its body out of existence.

Isaac joined in, incinerating the creature through a searing wind tornado as Maris whisked away its blood.

[+400 EXP]

Claude got to his feet with a huff. Ursula tossed him his other spear.

They all looked at the remains. Bones thick as support beams. Enough fat on the ground below to be from ten boars.

Loba spoke to him. He didn't even notice she was in the trees already.

Claude spun around. The others followed facing the new arrivals.

One had already began blowing a sort of whistle.

All over creatures began roaring. Wolves howled. Hunger rose.

"...Damn…"

Just like the Wolves they came in threes. This time all male. They were built just like man. Tall broad shoulders, thick wiry forearms and sturdy legs. Only their feet had hooved nails crusted by layers upon layers of primordial mud. That same mud layering left their furs in a matted crust-like natural armor or second skin.

They breathed raggedly. They're hideous bubble-guts bouncing and sloshing the foulness hidden within. Claude could smell it spilling from their tusked snouts lined with ornaments and weaponry.

"ERAAAAAAAGHHH!!!"

And so it was. The final event was last second switched to a Gold Ranked Orc Tangent.

Claude sent out a Dominance Wave at Frosty's request. He knew what to do. He would lead. This was his home.

Claude pointed out at his sides, "Flank. And leave the PitWolves alive. Frosty wants them all."