Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The following few days the teams finally set back to work, engaging in a series of obstacle courses, modestly dangerous mazes, and some low-key puzzle solving yet again. It was rather out of the ordinary, downshifting things like that when they'd normally be increasing in difficulty, but when Dorrin caught brief sight of the elites running through the events, separated from the commoners, he realized that while Quilla was in fine form, Lonks appeared to be limping a bit.

"Ah, the elites have intervened to allow them an additional few days to recover," Dorrin noted. "They seem to have found a way to meddle without being called out for it."

Ziana actually didn't mind. The relatively easy days were allowing her to get more in tune with her body's new abilities. It also meant she and her lover had much more energy to spare for other activities in their off hours. And it was time very well spent.

"How long do you think they'll do that?" she asked. "Stretch things out, I mean."

"The gamblers likely will not mind, so it can go for perhaps a few more days. But those who are here to simply observe the games and not gamble will become bored. Audiences can be fickle things, and to go from high stakes events in which we have been ramping up intensity to these filler challenges, while understandable for a day or two, will quickly lead to rumblings of discontent."

"So we enjoy the respite while we can, basically."

"That's the idea. And while it was certainly not their intention, this has provided ample opportunity for you to ramp up your performance without giving away the reason for your increased abilities. I feel that too sudden a shift would raise suspicion, and while what the Chancellor did with your Infala was a violation of Dotharian law, when they feel threatened the elites have been known to ensure things happen on the field of play."

"But you said our growing popularity would help."

"And it does. And you've seen how we have quietly climbed in the rankings. And now we know why Lonks and Quilla have fallen lower. It is uncommon for elites to be in the lower tiers on the rankings boards, but if Lonks is truly injured, it will hamper them significantly, and in ways their parents and patrons cannot shield them from much longer.

Ziana felt a little surge of hope well up in her chest. A feeling of excitement at the possibility that they could, just maybe, find a way to not just rank highly but actually win. And as her very freedom depended on it, that was something she wanted with more than a passing interest.

"They weren't cuffed together anymore," she commented as they caught sight of the elites as they rotated obstacle courses.

"It is about that time, yes. The top ranked players, and the elites regardless of ranking, will be unbound from here on out. Beyond that, it is a question of performance and rankings."

"So, we'll be unchained soon too?"

"We should have been already, given our current position."

Ziana sighed. "Let me guess. I pissed off Galla's family, so the Chancellor saw to it we'd stay locked up despite the rules."

"An astute observation, but actually, this time it is simply because you are a replacement competitor and slated for servitude. The incentive to attempt to flee is greater for replacements, so they typically do not unbind them until much later in the games."

"Wonderful."

"And now we know your friend escaped, so they are doubly cautious. But do not worry. They will be forced to unbind us soon enough. Once the more challenging levels begin again, they will be unable to avoid it. The gambling public simply would not stand for the handicap."

"Then we just carry on and chip away at the rankings in the meantime."

"Yes."

"I can get behind that," she said, flashing him a sultry look. "And when we're done today, I want you to get behind me ."

She saw his cock twitch in his trousers, somehow always ready to please no matter how many rounds they'd had of the best sex she'd ever experienced. The man was a machine, and they had grown incredibly close in such a brief period, the intimacy shifting from frantic fucking to actual emotional lust, while their shared pigment flourished in their bodies and bound them even more.

It wasn't an Infala bond, which she'd been told took time to form, and even then, it was really up to the pigments, but what they'd developed was pretty damn special all the same. The way he looked at her? It wasn't just lust in his eyes. Not anymore. There was something deeper going on in there, and she felt it as well.

They strengthened that bond over the next two days, both with public performances of teamwork and skill, and private ones of a much more enjoyable nature. Then, at last, it seemed the games were going to get back up to speed, and in a very dramatic and unexpected manner.

Dorrin actually looked shocked when the field overseer unshackled them from one another and told them what the day's event was to be, and his reaction worried Ziana to no small degree. He'd seen a lot in his prior games, but this? He hadn't expected it.

"They have not done this in longer than I can remember," he groused, pacing with buzzing and barely contained energy, his nerves clearly on edge.

"What did he mean when he said the martial trials ?"

"He meant we are to fight."

"You mean fight, fight? Like actually fighting, not competing?"

"Yes. It is why we have been unshackled from one another. A member of a team will be chosen at random, and that person then faces multiple opponents over the course of the day."

"You know I don't really like a bunch of them, but I don't want to actually fight anyone."

"It is to score points, and you will be allowed a weapon. What sort they are offering we have no idea." He paced back and forth as the possible outcomes raced through his mind. "They will select me," he said, but the doubt was clear in his eyes. "They have to. I am the most able fighter between us."

"Good, because I don't want to fight. But you said you score points? So, is this more about landing shots than causing damage?"

"It is both. More substantial blows will score higher, but the smaller contacts add up. Damn, I wish we'd known this was coming. And I bet the elites knew it and have prepared accordingly while we have been focusing on agility and speed training."

Ziana stepped closer and put her hand on his chest. His heart was pounding hard. Not from fear, but agitation. And with the look in his eyes, it was clear, he was worried not about himself, but about her .

"It'll be okay. I'm sure you'll kick ass and take names."

He cocked his head, a questioning look on his face. "Why would I take names? I am very familiar with the other competitors."

Ziana chuckled, breaking the tension. "It just means you'll be so busy winning that you'll make a list of everyone you beat."

His lips cracked a slight smile, not relaxed, but at least a little less strained. "I like your optimism."

"We've been performing better and better. Let's just get through this, okay?"

"You're right. I will do my best."

They were soon ushered to the fighting ring, a lone dirt-floored hexagon marked on the ground in the middle of the arena. There were racks of weapons, none edged, but all capable of causing significant harm all the same. As for the ring itself, the rules were simple. Score points and stay in the ring. Step out and you lose points. Do it again and you lose more. Third time? Disqualification from the match and even more penalties.

The combatant teams were listed on a projected board high above, but both partners were named until the fight began. It served to ramp up anticipation for the event and drive even greater betting to take place.

Ziana looked up. The first two rounds they were slated for were both against elites. Aden and Trammia were listed first, then Lonks and Quilla. Further rounds were against other commoners, with their final round set to be against Flagro and Galla.

"Naturally," Dorrin grumbled as he read the names.

"What?"

"See Flagro's schedule? It is to be random, but he faces all of the lesser opponents today. He will enter the final fight fresh and ready, while I will be tired from combat."

"You can do this," she reassured him. "I've got faith in you."

A fanfare erupted from the sound system, which was, like everything else in this alien city, so high-tech that it was hidden from sight, the sound somehow projecting to all parts of the arena at the same time without the lag you'd hear in a stadium back on Earth.

A hush fell over the crowd as they watched the board intently. A second later the board flashed, revealing who the competitors would be from each team. Ziana felt her stomach drop.

"Y-you said it would be you," she said in shock at the sight of her name, not his, listed as the selected fighter.

Dorrin was beside himself. "It should have been. They want an entertaining fight. They want to please the crowd."

Ziana caught sight of Galla, slated to be her final opponent. The woman was smirking. Oh yeah, they'd done this intentionally. This was payback.

She turned her attention to the weapons arranged on racks on either end of the hexagon. They were dull, but there was no doubt they could do some damage in the right hands. Blunt swords, long staffs, shorter fighting sticks, and even war hammers, which looked like they could do some serious harm if swung hard enough. There were also balls on chains and several other bizarre implements, but regardless of which a fighter would choose, each touch would score the same points.

As a result, she figured speed would win out against brute strength. The large mace-like hammers were dangerous, but they'd drain your energy quickly, and once a weapon was selected you could not change for the duration of the day. And as everyone would be watching, your later opponents would be noting any weaknesses and gaps in your style.

"Just stay out of their way," Dorrin said as Ziana's name was called for the first fight.

She looked over at the woman stepping into the hexagon, swinging a long staff with a bit of skill, but nothing impressive. It was Trammia Kuantos, an elite. And regardless of social status, this was the woman she would have to handle one way or another.

"Don't worry," she said, turning to enter the hexagon. "I've got this."