I finally did it. I went through with the fight.
There was a lot of planning, training and organizing to do first. I went back to Hellkit to ask for her help. She taught me a new maneuver. Now I know how to disorient my opponent and make my winning easier. It was the same thing she did to me when we first fought.
We went through some tactics, and then I contacted Juggler to get the fight going. It was in three days, and Jinx from the Death Zone told me I had 12 VIP-tickets, because the mafia had that many too. I was told that the mafia was going to have Kalashnikov's with them, to make sure the fight goes by the rules. And no one helps me during the fight. Now that I think of it, it is outrageous. They didn't trust me!
But anyway, I though long and hard who I would ask to go. I was told that I shouldn't provoke the mafia any more that I already had. I promised to try my best. It was a confined space where the fight was going to be, so it was not recommended to start a gunfight there. Well, I can't say what the mafia will do, but I was going to go by the rules, as long as they were going to do the same.
Of course, I asked Shrew to come, and Nerdy so that he would have something to tell his mama. And for muscle I asked Bobby, and I was sure Morgan and Jinx wanted to see the fight also. Then I asked Juggler. He wanted to know if I was going to behave myself. So that I wasn't going to start a war against the mafia. I promised I would do my best and be on my best behavior. He agreed to go only then. He said that he did business with the mafia, and as fun to be around I was, he wasn't going to jeopardize his businesses. Well, I understand.
I sent a message to Tracy asking if she wanted to go to a show and I wrote her to contact me as soon as possible. And she did, for once. The next day she sent me a message asking what was going on. I asked her to call me and she did. I told her there was going to be a fight between me and someone, and I had a ticket for her. And I knew her "employer" was a dragon, so I told her the dragon was welcome also. She told me she would ask for a vacation. And it was granted. She told me to tell Morgan to keep her window open. I called Morgan, gave her Tracys number and told her to keep her window open.
I wanted Hellkit to see the fight we were training for, so I asked her to come as well. She agreed. And I called Omen to see how it is done as well. He didn't have anything better to do so he agreed to come as well.
I decided to ask Richard to come as well. It was a time for him to see who I really was. If I could use his organization for my benefit, he would find out anyway, so maybe it would be best if he saw me in action. The worst case would be that he and his organization would try and save me and ship me to freedom... But their way was a bit weird, so I would probably end up in Bolivia or something. And no one ships me anywhere without my permission...
That was all the people I could think of. That was ten people, and I had two tickets left. Shrew asked if she could bring Rose and her spirit with, and I agreed. Rose didn't want to see violence, so I asked Tracy to bring Naru as well.
I remembered Shrews first streetname and decided to give her a treat. I called Death Zone -Jinx and asked him to get a designer to make a special seat for my friend with the theme "Princess Terminator". Jinx asked if I wanted a real designer, or someone from the streets, because he knew some young guy who really wanted to be a designer, and tried his best. I told him to get the young guy, because that way we would get more laughs out of it. He charged me 1 000 nuyen, but it was small money for me..
The day of the fight came. I had gone over my strategy many times, and I was certain I would win. Even though I was certain, I did do some preparations, in case I would die. I asked Juggler to make sure the lab was exploded to the skies, and he was welcome to use all my 800 000 nuyen to do just that. He promised to do just that. Apparently that was enough money. Even though I trust Juggler, I wanted to make sure my mission would be complete if I die, I called the Overwatch and asked them to check if the lab would be blown to the skies if I die. They promised to check and tell my team. Then I told my team to complete the mission and punish Juggler if he didn't manage to do his job. After this I was ready to go.
The fight was being held in an abandoned swimming hall. The arena was the pool, and there was a very good place for the audience. I had armed myself with my leather-outfit, dikote-sword and a bad attitude. Well, not that bad, because I had promised Juggler to be on my best behavior.
Jinx from the Death Zone came to tell us that the fight will be recorded, and we could buy the videos afterwards for a low price of 5 000 nuyens. Or if we ordered in advance, we could get it for 2 500 nuyens. I thought about it, but decided that I don't want to see the fight again. Morgan ordered one copy in advance. I said hi to all my guests, and went to the locker room. The bear was at the other end of the pool.
I knew that there was a Death Zone mage making sure there was not any magic flying around. Oh, and I pointed Shrew out to Jinx. He took her with saying they had just the place for her. Her face was memorable, and when she saw the seat, I can never forget her face. It was so funny. And the seat was so funny. It had been decorated with Christmas ribbons, skulls, glitter and some kind of foam. It was a bit higher than other seats. She also had a tiara, cape and a fake gun as a scepter.
I was a bit sad because I knew I hadn't got a chance to see Richards reaction when he sees my true self, but maybe others will tell me.
The person watching me at the locker room told me to go. I left the locker room with my sword and descended to the pool. There was sand and sawdust there. Apparently for the blood. The tiles would be very slippery when it is soaked in blood.
The bear had also descended to the pool. I knew that she had her mono-filament whip with her, because that was her favored weapon. I think claymore is more intimidating.
She was strangely dressed. She had long black boots that went up to her thighs, she had a mini skirt and a bright pink jacket that revealed her navel. She seemed confident. Well, who cares, I had been training for this, so I was also sure of my win.
There was no talking, she opened her mono-filament whip and stared at me. I was ready to strike with my sword. I yelled some insults to her way. I insulted her mother, but because she wasn't Nerdy, she didn't seem any angrier. And well, I'm sure Nerdy was gasping in his place.
I decided to use the strategy Hellkit used to win me. I waited for the bear to attack. She did just that, with an intimidating yell. I easily avoided her whip. I had managed to get close, or at least closer, and jumped next to her. I hit her in the head with my elbow to make her ears ring and stepped behind her. At some point, just before I had hit her in the head, she hissed I was a coward. I replied by slashing her open with my sword. It felt so good when my sword sunk into her. The sword entered her from her shoulder, and I pulled it off when it had cut her open to her waist. She seemed very surprised. Ha!
I stepped back enough so that I could wait for her to heal and transform. I was ready so I could transform myself quickly.
It took some seconds, and then the bear got up. She seemed angry. She started to transform. I didn't waist any more time, I dropped my sword and transformed also. I knew that I woul've won her more easily if I had stayed in my human form, but my pride didn't let me. Like her, I was an animal, and I felt more at home in my animal form. And I had gone over the strategies with Hellkit as a leopard.
She growled and stood on her hind legs. I cursed at her in leopard. I decided to wait for her to attack again. I knew that one hit from her paw would be it for me. She was very big compared to me, but I was faster. She had her huge strength, I had my claws, training and speed.
She came at me roaring. I easily dodged again. Her paw hit the floor hard. I didn't stop to think, I made a fake attack at her eyes. She tried to bite my head when I jumped at her, scratched her forehead a bit to make her confused and jumped over her. She shook her head, and I jumped on her again. I sunk my teeth to the back of her neck and ripped her side open with my claws. Then I jumped further away and attacked again. She was bleeding hard, still roaring and coming at me. We clashed, I scratched her again and dodged her attack. Then I did my final attack. She fell to the floor. I backed off waiting for her to get up.
She didn't.
The aura of the bear started to fade. I transformed and yelled for help. She needed first aid and a vet as soon as possible. The mafia people started to run around with their medkits. I told them we had a healer with us, who could help. They ignored me. I also demanded a jacket. Shrew told her spirit to bring me her glitter-cape. The spirit started to fly towards me with the cape. I told it to stop immediately, or it would know my wrath. It dropped the cape near me and stayed out of reach.
Morgan yelled something in a strange language. It sounded like the language the Russians spoke, but they didn't reply. They were giving first aid and running around the bear. The aura had stopped fading, so the bear was alive, but not in very good shape.
I walked to the locker room and put on my spare set of clothes. Then I went to see my guests. Richard didn't know what to say, so he asked when I had been thinking about telling him. I told him I just told him. And if I recall correctly, I told him my totem animal was a cat when we first met, so basically I had told him. It's not my fault he didn't understand...
I asked to buy the video, and Morgan sold her copy to me. She made some profit off me, that woman, but she asked all of us to a victory party, she was buying. Or well, it was my money...
I asked Juggler if I had made the mafia angry. Juggler didn't think so. He told me he didn't want to go and try his luck with either of us. Apparently he didn't know how fierce we could be.
Nerdy couldn't talk. He seemed to be even more intimidated by me. Good.
When we left, Shrew burned her seat with magic.
Juggler didn't want to go to the party, but Richard, Tracy, Omen and Hellkit came. Omen said that that's how it is done. Hellkit seemed pleased that I had really learned something. Well, she is a good teacher...
Tracy seemed to be a bit out of place at the bar in Touristville. Richard also, he seemed to be still processing. It's not that big a deal! Ha! And well, maybe this helps me to climb higher in his organization. They don't seem to be too smart, but even more enthusiastic.
It was awesome party, awesome fight, and everything. When I went home I was just thinking, that maybe leopards are the only shifters who heal in the animal form. Who knows. Sly was in his fox-form, and he didn't heal. The bear did heal in her human form, but not in her bear-form. Maybe I broke her. Maybe it had something to do with me. I hit her with my sword, and she healed, but when I had scratched her with my claws she didn't heal. I have to keep exploring.
I had won the fight, so now my mission was to destroy the lab and the people in the lab. I was just plotting, when Shrew asked if I wanted to have a favor from Rose or any other mage/shaman in her disposal. All I had to do was to do a favor to a swamp spirit, and then I would have a favor from Rose or one of her friends. I decided to do something else than my revenge, so I agreed to have a favor from Rose waiting, and agreed to go with Shrew. Apparently she owed a favor to the swamp spirit. Well, it had helped us to go to the astral journey when we picked up Shrews little helper.
We were asked to meet the swamp spirit the next day at ten. I wanted to check the place beforehand so I would know if it was an ambush. Shrew came with me, and of course she brought her spirit with her. It is useful, at least sometimes.
We checked the place from the outside, and then I asked Shrew to tell her spirit to go to the hall and check it from the inside. I could see lots of spirits flying around, checking the place, just like us. I also saw a few astral forms of mages or shamans there. One of them came to read our auras.
Watcher spirits are apparently made to fulfill a certain mission, and that is all they do, just one thing, and their life purpose is full. That makes them stupid and prone to getting lost, getting killed or not doing what the summoner has wanted, because the watcher is stupid, and understands things differently if not explained properly. That's what I know about watchers, and it was a bit funny to look at all the watchers flying around, going to the wrong halls, getting lost, trying to find their summoners. Too bad astral world is not something Shrew can see always. It is funny.
The spirit didn't find anything worth mentioning from the hall. We decided to go back home and return early enough so we could check the place again.
In the morning we were ready to jump into the car, and suddenly I felt a weight in my chest. I can't go in the car. It felt so small, and somehow I couldn't force myself to get in. I always have to make myself go to small confined spaces. And I get very distracted in the small confined spaces, and I can feel terror in my mind, and I get very anxious and sweaty and annoyed.
I decided to run to the place, but Shrew told me I couldn't get there in time. So I tried to steal a bicycle. Shrew called us a pickup-taxi while I put explosives on the bicycle and exploded it into space. And then we went to the meeting place.
We were at the place a bit after nine o'clock in the morning. The meeting was at ten in the morning. There was quite lot of people around already. Some of them were further away, smoking their cigarettes and keeping an eye on the environment. We decided to join the people standing further away.
The swamp spirit arrived at quarter to ten. Jinx arrived at five to ten. We went indoors when most of the other people went in. I went to tell the spirit who I was replacing there. Yea, because I had agreed to go and do the favor instead of some mage or something who didn't want to, I had to go and tell the spirit who I was replacing so that it would know.
At ten a big black limousine drove in. Three elves stepped out. One of them seemed familiar. Two of them reminded me of the one glitter-idiot in my kill-list. These guys must be paladins of Tir, and this familiar-looking person was familiar because he was one of the princes. I didn't have any idea why these people came in, but most probably they had something to do with the favors asked.
All the elves seemed to have lots of things, spells, foci etc. active in the astral space. Soon we would know why we were asked there. Why the spirit wanted to cash in all the favors at once.
Finally the elves told us why we were there.
The prince wanted a cup of troubles. He didn't know where it was, but that's why we all were there. We were supposed to find the cup for him. They had their own schedule and tasks that started from somewhere, and hopefully lead them to the cup. But any one of us could go and start looking on our own. If someone could find it before them, that someone could have all those favors. It sounded cool, my own army of mages, shamans and other magical beings. Well, I think I was the only shifter there.
There was this one person, a but dirty, who asked what would happen if he didn't want to go and do any task. The prince asked if this person was sure. He replied he didn't want to do anything. The prince said OK. Then I saw magic. Lots of magic flying around in the big building. The prince used a spell, and many people in the building tried to dismiss the spell, or defend the target. I don't really know what was happening, but there was lots of magic in the air. Then the person started bleeding from his eyes, mouth, nose and ears. And he dropped dead. The prince said that this persons debt was paid, and if anyone else would like to not attend. No one said anything. I asked if I could move the body. The prince didn't need him anymore, so I was free to do what I wanted. I decided to move him, because others seemed a bit startled. Not all, but some of them. And a dead body in the middle of the building was not appealing.
I saw quite many people calling their friends and telling them to come and pay their debt as soon as possible.
The first task on this quest of the cup of troubles was to break into Fort Luis. Hm, We've been there already. I didn't want to go there knowing what had happened there. First the blimp was run into the Fort, and then Shrew, Nerdy, Morgan and Bobby were being held there as prisoners.
There were two trolls that decided to go and break into there. We decided to wait for a better task. Oh, and we saw old friends, Runefox was one of them.
Morgan called me. She asked me to go to the left corner of the building. There was an orc that was Morgans friend, and she was going to be in our team. I did as she said, telling her about the quest. She had apparently gotten a call from her friend who owed the spirit a favor, and didn't want to go. Morgan didn't want to go either, so she asked her contact to go.
The orc was waiting there. dressed in a leather skirt. She seemed weird. Well, she couldn't be any weirder than me and my team...
Later on, when the trolls had gotten details and left, the elves told us that the oncoming tasks were most probably to bring a package to a place and trade it to a link. Then to bring the link back, then they would perform ritual magic (don't ask, I don't know), and then, when they knew where the cup was, it had to be retrieved. Shrew had made her own calls and found out that the last person known to have the cup was a dragon. I didn't really want to go and try my strength against a dragon just yet..
The elves told everybody, that we could leave our contact information, and they could call us when the trolls were done, and there was a new task to complete. Or we could stay and wait for the next task. Of course, the ones who stayed got the chance to take the task or not take it first. If everyone else said no, the last one asked was not allowed to say no.
We decided to stay. I found myself a nice corner, sat down and started to sharpen my knife. The one negative thing about getting a dikote-coated claymore was that I couldn't sharpen it anymore. Well, that's why I had my normal backup-sword and a good selection of knives. And if all else was lost, I still had my nails and claws..
I started to get bored and hungry. I looked at the orc in our group. I thought about making her to get me some food, but I decided to keep waiting.
Our wait was rewarded. There were our team and two people we didn't know. One of them was a dwarf and the other one elf. The new task was to deliver a package to certain coordinates, swap the package to the link and bring the link back. The delivery-place was in the tribe-lands. We decided to take this task, because I couldn't do ritual magic, and neither could Jinx or Shrew. And none of us wanted to go and steal from a dragon.
We were allowed to choose one of the two strangers to take with us to the mission. We chose the elf, because she new illusion-magic. The dwarf was an adept, so he could hit hard, but we needed someone who could sneak us all into places.
We called Nerdy and Bobby and Morgan, who agreed to come with us. We made quick preparations, because we were supposed to walk about 30 kilometers. We couldn't take too much things to carry. I was the most experienced with survival skills, so I gave instructions, and I couldn't follow them myself. I wanted to take my shotgun, and slugs, and explosives, and survival knife, and survival kit. And suddenly I realized my equipment exceeded the wight limit I had given myself. I asked if Bobby could carry my explosives, but apparently he had guns of his own to carry. What use is a troll if you can't use him to carry your stuff?? Well, he hits hard and shoots even harder, so maybe that's the real use for a troll.
We got a ride from Morgans contact. We also got a guide. Everything was ready to roll, so we picked up the package. It was a plastic bag with instructions and an unconscious fairy who was tied up and also looked a bit hurt. The instructions gave us information about the location. We were supposed to take this fairy, named Lightning Bean, to the coordinates and trade her to the link. We didn't know what the link was, but hopefully the person at the other end knew. The person was a fairy queen.
We decided to heal the fairy as well as we could, and let it stay unconscious. Shrew healed it as well as she could. Then I asked if this was the fairy that killed Shrews spirit in the blimp a while back. She asked her spirit to come and see, but it didn't know, because the meeting was very quick. But I don't think there is many fairies at the Fort Luis. So maybe we had a terrorist with us...
We met Morgans contact and smuggled ourselves over the border. The contact, quite young guy, led us through the minefields. No one stepped on a mine.
We started hiking. We were quiet, just trying to walk as fast as we could, and not waist any energy. Surprisingly even Nerdy stayed along, and well, he did talk about his mommy, but I have learned to ignore him. And I think he has avoided me after the fight between me and the bear.
When we were close to the coordinates we were supposed to drop the fairy off Morgan told our guide to stay put. He said he wasn't going to be there if we were staying longer. He was ready to help us back to Seattle if we left during the same night. Morgan told we were hoping to get back on the same night.
We walked to the coordinates, and decided to try and wake the fairy up. Morgan took some water and sprinkled it across her little face. She woke up after a while and demanded to know where she was and why she was tied up. We had wrapped her to a blanket so that she couldn't escape.
Others spoke with the fairy about who we were taking her to. When they had concluded that she was in the right queens area, and we didn't want her to run away because we didn't trust her just yet I asked if she was the one who ran the blimp to Fort Luis. She refused to confess to anything. And then she asked what we were doing there. So apparently she really was the same fairy that was a terrorist. I told her she was a terrorist. She told me she didn't regret a thing. I told her she had gotten caught. She told me she had killed the person who she was supposed to kill. I told her she had earned my respect by talking about those people like that. She didn't like humans, and seemed a bit puzzled when I told her I wasn't part of that species at all.
I lost my interest after this, so I have quite vague memories about how we got into contact with other fairies. But we did anyway. Bean-fairy left to wait for the queen to wake up. Apparently it would be bad to wake her up in the middle of her beauty sleep or something. There was one of the fairies, who was a guard, watching us. I told others I'd go and hunt a bit if we were going to stay there until morning anyway. I never want to miss an opportunity to hunt rabbits or deers or whatever.
We decided to put my radio on me so others could call me back when needed. It demanded a bit of creativity, but Morgan got it to stick. The fairies denied hunting in their area, so I had to run about five kilometers to one direction so I wouldn't get them mad. Hah.
I found a rabbit. I trailed it for a while. Then I saw it. It was quite the fast little bugger. I chased it for kilometres, sometimes losing it, and then finding it again, until I couldn't find it anymore. And suddenly I realized I was completely lost. I tried to put my radio on, but it was impossible to do with my paws. And if I transformed, it would break down. So I decided to try and find my way back. The radio crackled, so I was too far. My instincts told me to climb higher, but I didn't want to. At one point Morgan tried to talk, but all I could get from it was gibberish. I thought maybe they were in trouble, so I sped up.
At one point I saw a forest spirit. It waved its hands to me and pointed a direction and tried to make some really weird noise. I thought maybe one of the fairies had made it, so I followed its instructions. It apparently gave me some sort of magic, because I was moving faster.
Who knows what has happened. The sun is up, I'm still lost in the woods, going to some strange direction the spirit is guiding me, and my radio doesn't work. This seems to be an exciting adventure, if nothing else.
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