Despite the previous night ending on a sour note, I was able to get a decent amount of sleep and woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in a while the next morning. Although I couldn't figure out why, the familiar nightmares and intrusive thoughts of the past that normally plagued my dreams had decided to cease for the moment, and I was hoping that this would be the case for the foreseeable future.
Maybe having a goal within reach is giving my mind something else to focus on.
It was a nice thought, and I was thankful for the reprieve, but I decided not to get my hopes up because the odds that this would continue were slim, and I didn't want to disappoint myself.
At least I'm used to them now…
With that sobering thought, and my tasks for the day already in place, I didn't need any prodding and hopped up from bed quickly, somewhat excited to get a move on.
I wonder what Ruby's got planned for me? Hopefully nothing like yesterday.
I rolled my eyes at the idea of going through another fight, and after a quick rinse, a change of clothes and a light breakfast, I left the guild hall and began walking towards the arena. It was a bit unusual to be up so early, notably because the sun was just starting to cast its rays over the city, but I didn't want any chances of being late today, which would make Ruby upset with me, and the free time I'd have would allow me to further inspect the arena's gym, since it would most likely be empty.
I walked along quietly as a cold wind blew by, rubbing my hands together to keep them warm, when I felt a slight tingling in my shoulder and heard soft footsteps approaching me from behind. I didn't think it was strange for someone else to be out this early, but my shoulder acting up made me concerned, and whoever was behind me was closing in fast, while trying to stay quiet.
As the steps grew closer, I decided that I was going to act, and whirled around defensively, ready to face whoever or whatever it was. What I saw instantly caused my mood to sour and sucked all of the tension out of the air. Amber, who huffed in annoyance as she sidled up beside me, stared me down and squinted her eyes suspiciously.
"How'd you hear me? I thought I was being sneaky."
It took everything I had not to sigh with annoyance, and I ignored her question by asking my own.
"Why are you following me, how did you know I would be up this early, and what are you doing here?"
Amber frowned, crossed her arms, and ignored me in turn.
"Hey, don't pretend I didn't just ask you a question! I want to know what gave me away."
I could feel my blood pressure rising and couldn't keep the edge out of my voice.
"And I want to know why you decided to stalk me so early in the morning. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems a bit creepy for someone to do that after having just met."
Amber averted her eyes for a moment and shrugged, wincing only slightly as the bandage on her nose crinkled.
"Ok, ok, fine, no need to start calling me a creep."
She sighed before continuing.
"I wasn't planning on sneaking around or following you, but I'm usually up early and pass by Strongfang's guild every morning. I figured that if I saw you, I'd test us both and do my best to sneak up on you. Obviously that didn't work out well, and now I'm stuck explaining it to you in an attempt to not sound crazy."
If that's what you're trying to do, you're not doing a good job of it.
"…that doesn't really… Please don't do that again. It's creepy."
Amber frowned, turned her head away slightly and sighed.
"You're right, I'm sorry."
We settled into a tense silence after that, making me regret getting up so early. I tried to forget that Amber was walking in stride right next to me, but she decided to break the silence with a question.
"So what gave me away?"
"What?"
"How did you know I was coming?"
I sighed heavily, making my irritation clear.
"Does it matter?"
She leaned towards me slightly, and I saw her arm coming for my shoulders. I ducked underneath it, not wanting a repeat of yesterday, and glared at her. She huffed and took a step away as she explained herself again.
"We're training partners… aren't we? If there's something I'm doing wrong, I want to know what it is and improve, which is why I'm asking."
So, what, you're going to bother me every time you have a question? No thanks.
"Look, I sort of understand why you'd want to do that, but I don't need you chasing me down to ask questions all the time. If we run into each other, I guess you can pick my brain, but don't bother outside of that, ok?"
Amber frowned but thankfully didn't argue.
"Fine… I guess."
She began to pout, but I didn't pay it any mind. She was pushy and forceful, but not in the same way that Shimmer was, and the stark difference made Amber annoying rather than helpful.
It was quiet once again, and I welcomed it, but my peace wa short lived as she asked another question.
Why can't you just leave me alone?
"So, doing anything today?"
Yeah, but I'd rather you not know…
"…Shimmer and her boyfriend Phyl are going to meet up with me at the arena this afternoon. I'm planning on practicing with them to get a better understanding of how dragons fight, and how to handle their elements."
A flash of disappointment crossed Amber's face.
"So, you managed to get two dragons to come train with you? That's… nice, I guess. Considering you're an ape though…Are you sure they're actually going to help you?"
I lifted my hand to my face slowly and let out a long, drawn out sigh to clearly express my waning patience.
I guess she doesn't like dragons. Not surprising, all things considered, but that isn't going to lend to a good atmosphere.
"Let's get a few things straight Amber; First, Shimmer is my friend and is helping me out because she wants to. I'm certain Phyl is on the same page as her, so don't throw out suspicions like that before you have a chance to meet them. It's only going to cause problems for everyone and I'm not going to tolerate it."
Amber slowly looked away as I spoke, and I caught a glimpse of irritation on her face.
"…Alright."
She didn't have anything else to say, so I took her silence as my chance to continue.
"Secondly, I'm not an ape, I'm a human. There's a big difference between the two and it's really starting to irritate me that no one can tell the difference."
Her eyes snapped back to me and her brows furrowed in confusion.
"You're not an ape?"
"No."
She looked at me slowly, and curiously, taking extra time to look over my face.
"...A human, huh…? That explains why you look so… odd."
She slowly smiled.
"If you're a human, then… I guess I don't have to feel so bad about yesterday. I was trying to figure out how I was going to cover up the fact that I lost to a stupid ape, but you just solved that problem for me."
"…really? Is it that much of an issue for you to lose?"
"Uh, yeah. I have a reputation to keep, which means that every loss, especially to an ape, could have a big impact on me. If I was getting my butt kicked by apes, I'd be at risk of becoming a laughing stock, and If that happened, I could be kicked out of the arena, meaning I'd lose out on half of my income."
She sighed and grimaced while shaking her head.
"Besides, I can't imagine how much flack I would get from other cheetahs if they found out. My mom already gave me an earful yesterday and that sucked…"
Amber sighed heavily at the thought and shook her head.
Is that all she cares about? Money and reputation? Weren't there more important things to split hairs over?
"And here I was, thinking Strongfang was the only person that was focused on the money. Do you even care about why you're fighting, or are you just here for the income and the chance to make yourself look good?"
Amber had the dignity to look offended and scoffed at me.
"Of course I care about why I fight! Sure, I like the chance to look good in front of an adoring audience, and making a living off of this is a nice bonus, but it's not like I'm here exclusively for fame and fortune."
She growled as she pointed an accusing claw at me.
"Why do you care anyway? Aren't you about to do the same thing?"
I shook my head.
I didn't like this idea from the start, but what choice did I have…?
"The only reason I'm doing this is because I made a deal with Strongfang. I have a duty to keep my promise to him, and unfortunately this is what I have to do to follow through with it."
I glanced over at Amber.
"When it comes to you though… if you're not here solely for the money or fame, then why? I get the idea that you'd like to improve yourself and become strong, but what motivates you? Is it some kind of personal honor you're after, or are you challenging yourself in some way? What's driving you?"
Amber stopped walking and lifted her chin pridefully.
"Well, unlike some of the fighters, I'm doing this as a way to prove my value, and by extension, the value of my people. I want to prove that we're just as useful as dragons are in combat by showing our strengths against theirs, and by achieving this I hope to make my ancestors proud of me."
Amber tilted her head down and stared at me with a burning passion.
"That's why I want to train with you. If I can reach your level of skill and beat dragons in a fair fight, it will prove to everyone that cheetahs deserve to be respected, and then maybe the dragons won't be stuck up, conceited assholes anymore."
She grinned and shook her head..
"Knowing how they act though, they'll most likely stay the same… but I can dream."
I felt my disdain for her let up just a smidge, and I had to admit to myself that she wasn't entirely what she seemed at first.
I can at least respect why she's so adamant about training… She's passionate, if nothing else.
"Alright, that… makes a lot of sense. Things around here suck, and I'd probably want to do something similar if I was in your place."
Amber gave me a small grin and shrugged.
"See? I'm not that bad! You just haven't given me a chance!"
I gave her a skeptical glance and she flicked her tail at me.
"Hey! I know I came off strong and overbearing yesterday, but it's only because I care."
"Yeah, I'm aware. Trust me, you made that very clear when you forced me to say yes."
She clicked her tongue and frowned.
"Maybe I wouldn't have had to press you so hard if you had been less rude and more considerate."
"Right, because you deserve my help, and I'm the only one between the two of us that's been rude."
She huffed indignantly and gave me a small shove.
"Hey, I'm straightforward with people. You've tried to dodge every question I've asked, and when you do, it's not helpful."
"Yeah, well, I'm not really inclined to be all that useful to someone that forced me to train with them. I think a bit of reluctance on my end is warranted."
I noticed the fur on her neck and shoulders ruffle, and I could tell she was getting flustered.
"Warranted?! Look, I'm not asking for much, and you could stand to be a bit nicer after barging in on me in the locker room!"
You know, I'd still feel guilty about that if not for the fact that you're using it to try and manipulate me.
I tilted my head back and forth with consideration, pretending to ponder her words.
"I suppose, but I won't."
She huffed and crossed her arms angrily.
"Wow, you're an ass."
"And you're a manipulative furball."
As soon as the words left my mouth, Amber turned to face me with her fangs bared.
"You didn't."
"Um… didn't what?"
Amber snarled and tried to swing a paw at my face, but I caught her wrist and held it while she growled at me.
"Hey, stop!"
She tried to move her arm, but I had it locked firmly in my hand. With an angry grunt, she pulled it back towards herself and I let go.
"Why would you say that?"
"Say what…? Furball?"
I saw her fur stand on end and she hissed.
"Yes! Don't ever call me or anyone else that ever again! It's a terrible term and has a lot of underlying meanings associated with it!"
I could feel the hurt in her voice and felt a pang of regret hit me right in the chest.
"...sorry, I didn't know…"
Her eyes narrowed a bit.
"You're kidding. What kind of rock have you been living under to not have known that?"
"A big one, apparently."
She rolled her eyes and I sighed.
"Well… now you know. Be careful with what you say, because if you had said that in front of my mom, or some other cheetah… I could only imagine what they would have done to you."
She let the threat linger in the air, and eyed me angrily as she waited for a response.
"I'll be more careful with what I say, ok? I wasn't trying to be derogatory… I was only trying to tease you."
"Yeah, well, you did a lot more than that. Not to mention, you caught me half naked in the locker rooms yesterday, so part of me is wondering if you're doing some of this on purpose.
She gave me a sly smile, which irritated me to no end because I felt like didn't have much room to argue. Again.
"I'm not. I promise."
"Mhm, sure. I totally believe that."
I put a hand onto the bridge of my nose and massaged it gently, desperately trying to prevent the oncoming headache that was slowly forming as we walked into the arena together.
Why did I have to offend her out of every cheetah in Warfang…? Jolt… you owe me for this.
It was dead inside the arena, which wasn't surprising, considering how early it was. Amber and I had an easy time walking over to Jolt's desk, and as we passed by it, Ruby emerged from the door that led down the hall and spotted both of us.
"Kiran? You're… here early."
There was a very slight edge to her voice that I chalked up to confusion, and I quickly explained while her eyes darted over to Amber, and narrowed.
"Yes ma'am, I didn't want to be late and decided to head here early this morning. I figured while I waited, I could take a closer look at the gym.
Ruby half nodded towards me, choosing to keep her attention focused on Amber.
"And Amber? You're not doing anything untowardly towards Kiran, are you? I understand that he's an excellent fighter and that you had an… incident yesterday, but I didn't think…"
Amber's mouth fell open, her face flushed red and then she threw her hands onto her hips.
"Mom! Really?! No!"
It took me a second to realize what Ruby was getting at, and when I did, I took a step away from Amber.
Why would that be the first thing she would assume!?
Amber noticed me slide away and threw a paw up to her face.
"Ugh, this isn't happening…"
I flushed red with embarrassment, rubbing the back of my neck while I felt the humiliation sink in, until Ruby started laughing.
"If that's all it takes to rile you up, both of you need to develop some thicker skin. You'll hear much worse than that from the crowd during your fights."
Ruby shook her head and sighed before clearing her throat.
"Since you're here early, Kiran, why don't you stop by my office in five minutes? We can go ahead and get this done now instead of later."
She then glared darkly at me and hissed with just enough to add threat to her voice.
"And I may have been joking, but if I ever catch you messing with Amber, you'll live to regret it."
I quickly gave her a small bow and nodded.
"Of course, ma'am."
Ruby eyed me suspiciously but turned and left to continue on with what she had been doing. As soon as she was gone, Amber punched me in the arm as hard as she could, and huffed angrily. I frowned and elbowed her arm in retaliation, but that only made her angrier and she swung at me again. I grabbed her wrist with my hand again, holding onto it until she tugged back and let go.
"Can you stop that? It's getting annoying."
"After what just happened? Hell no. Somehow, every time you're around, I end up being embarrassed or humiliated in some capacity, and it's pissing me off."
"So that makes it ok to take a cheap shot at me? Aren't you the one that wants to be around me in the first place?"
"Yes, well no… but… shut up! Don't try to flip this around! My mom wouldn't have said that if you hadn't gone into the wrong locker room!"
I rubbed the bridge of my nose softly.
"Why are you still holding it against me?"
She crossed her arms, turned away slightly, and then snapped at me.
"You may not understand, but it really was terrible to be exposed like that. I'm not going to let what happened slide so easily, especially if I'm getting flak for it when it wasn't my fault."
Why not? I just want to forget about it.
"It's not, but there's nothing you or I can do to change what happened. I get that it bothered you, but I don't understand why it's such a big deal. It's not like I was trying to peep on you, or that I think you're attractive or something. Let it go."
Amber shook her head in disbelief and threw a paw up to her face again.
"Wow, I can't believe how dense you are… Is being an asshole hereditary or was it something you had to learn?"
I didn't quite understand how I had just made her angrier at me, considering I had just tried to apologize to her, and ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to stave off the mounting confusion. Then I responded as calmly as I could, hoping to at least figure what I did wrong.
"Wait, how am I being an ass? Didn't I just apologize?"
Amber slid the paw down her face and sighed.
"You can't apologize, insult someone, and dismiss how someone feels all in the same sentence, idiot."
She glared at me while taking a step away.
"I'm going to go before I'm tempted to smack you again. I'll see you later for training."
She walked by me and bumped me harshly, pushing me back a few feet. I stood there, completely baffled as I tried to piece together what happened.
I really don't get what her problem is. Heavens above, she's unbearable.
I stood there quietly, confused and irritated, until Jolt's voice knocked me out of my stupor.
"Uhh… everything alright Kiran?"
I gasped and whirled around to face him, barefly stopping myself from lashing out.
Wait, how long has he been here!?
"O-oh, uh, hey Jolt, just… thinking about a conversation, I suppose."
"Really? It must be something important, because you were spacing out pretty hard…"
I took in a sharp breath and quickly changed the subject while moving towards the door that led to the offices.
"Don't worry about it, Jolt, it's nothing. So, why are you here so early?"
Jolt slid behind his desk and set down a small sack he had with him.
"I work here, remember?"
I wanted to smack myself, but Jolt was unfazed by the question and continued.
"Why are you here so early?"
"Oh, uh, I was going to go check out the gym, but I have to go meet with Ruby right now, so… I'll see you later."
"Oh, uhm, ok. Bye!"
Jolt waved to me as I quickly left, and I emptied my thoughts of anything Amber related to focus on my meeting with Ruby. I noted that Icey wasn't here yet, so there wasn't a dragon constantly glaring at me as I went through the door that led to the offices. After a quick walk down the hall I made it to Ruby's office and knocked before heading inside.
Ruby was sitting at her desk looking through papers, accompanied by a large fire dragon that was sitting patiently to the side of her desk. The fire dragon had dark red scales, a pale orange underbelly, and a spade shaped spike at the end of their tale. As they turned to look at me, I couldn't help but stare at the two large scars running across her face, reaching all the way from the base of her left eye and down to her chin. Their head was narrow, shaped somewhat like an arrowhead, and had eight dark brown horns that started on her head and made their way down her neck, until they met at a single spike. The dragon slowly raised an eye ridge while I closed the door, and Ruby beckoned me to sit down.
"Let's make this quick, I've a lot of other things to do today."
The fire dragon seemed unimpressed as she took a quick look over me, and frowned ever so slightly before leaning down towards Ruby.
"Ruby… I know that you're always honest with me, but I'm having trouble understanding how this… kid is going to succeed here. I mean, if I judged him on looks alone then I'd say he has no chance. Is there something I'm missing here? Is this a joke?"
Ruby continued to sort through her papers, seemingly unbothered by the comment.
"No Amera, it's not. He's the new fighter that I'm assigning to you, and I promise he's capable. Test him yourself if you have any doubts, and if he doesn't perform I'll get rid of him."
I almost piped up to defend myself, but Amera declined the offer with a disgruntled sigh.
"No, I trust you. It's just hard for me to believe that he's got what it takes."
She peered down at me, and blew some hot air into my face, blowing back my hair.
Was that really necessary…?
"I hope you're got more fight inside of you than outside. There's a lot riding on you, kid."
She kept her eyes one me briefly before turning back to Ruby.
"I can schedule him for his first match for tonight, and then we can match him up in the future based on how he performs. How does that sound, Ruby?"
She shrugged.
"He's your problem now, so whatever works for you. Make sure to take him through orientation though, I wasn't able to do it yesterday and he has some paperwork to fill out."
Amera was horrified by that for some reason.
"You're kidding."
The pointed stare that Ruby gave Amera cemented the fact that she wasn't. Amera whined softly until Ruby frowned, which cut Amera short.
"Fine, I'll do it, but don't think I'll forget. I'll have my revenge somehow."
Ruby rolled her eyes while Amera got up and stretched her limbs, making the small space in the office feel even more cramped.
"C'mon kid, follow me. There's a few things we'll need to go over before your first match."
I waved quickly to Ruby, who wasn't even paying attention anymore, and followed Amera out of the room. We walked two doors down the hall and turned into another office, and immediately I was hit with a strange musk that made me wince. I peered into the room and was shocked to see that the atmosphere here was almost the exact opposite of Ruby's room, as papers and various clutter were haphazardly scattered everywhere and the walls were covered with more awards and posters than free space. The trash can was also overflowing, and the way the room was arranged felt disorganized at best, giving it an overall dysfunctional feeling. Amera sat down behind her desk with a loud sigh and then smiled invitingly at me.
"Sorry for the mess, I've been meaning to get around to tidying up the place but I've been busy."
I stood in the doorway, dismayed by the clutter and resisted the urge to shove a few things out of my way as I entered. Begrudgingly, I stepped around the trash and removed a pile of papers from one of one the chairs before sitting down.
"Well, Kiran, I haven't had a newbie in a while, so why don't we start with introductions. You can tell me your name, likes, dislikes… that type of thing."
I stared back at her silently, not really feeilng all that talkative due to the state of the room and she sighed.
"Fine, I'll go first. I'm Amera, your new boss from now on. I like to see my fighters win, and I hate seeing them lose."
I waited for her to say more, but when nothing came I realized it was my turn. She waved a claw at me and I slowly decided on what to say.
"…My name is Kiran, I like…training and I hate telling people about myself."
Amera snorted and chuckled heartily, which eased the tension and caused me to smile too.
"Ok, fair enough, this isn't my cup of tea either. I'm basically forced to ask that stupid set of questions with every newbie, and if you don't care, then I'm skipping it. We'll get to know each other over time anyway, so unless you want to tell me your deepest darkest secrets, let's move on."
"I'm good."
Amera nodded and pulled a small binder from her desk and tossed it to me. I caught it and after grimacing inwardly at how thick it was, started flipping through the pages and noted with irritation that it was indecipherable to me.
Guess I'll have to have Shimmer read this to me.
I winced at the thought because asking her for help would only lead to her pestering me about learning how to read.
But I'd rather ask her than anyone else. I can only imagine what Amber would say.
I settled to ask Shimmer for help later while Amera glanced down at a set of papers on her desk and scanned over them until she found what she was looking for.
"So, the binder I just gave you was the rulebook. It's not a long read and most of it is boring, so I'll boil it all down and tell you the one thing you need to remember.
Amera cleared her throat, grinned cheekily, and then slammed one of her paws down onto the desk hard enough to splinter the wood.
"Do EXACTLY as I say AT ALL TIMES or your ass is TOAST!"
She leaned over her desk and towered over me, daring me to challenge her.
"Got it?"
Was that really necessary…?
"Yes ma'am."
She smiled and sat back behind her desk.
"Great! Onto the next subject then."
Is every freaking person in this city some kind of maniac? Why can't I find one normal person to talk to?
"The facilities in the east wing are open for you to use, as long as you don't do anything stupid or break anything. You can also bring guests along with you, but if they get into trouble it falls back on you, so I'd recommend being careful with who you invite."
She paused to make sure I understood and I gave her a quick nod.
"Perfect, that's the second item taken care of! We're on a roll, and the last thing we're going to go over is how things function here at the arena."
There was a quick pause as she read over her papers again.
"Currently, there are two main divisions that fighters participate in. These are the youth and adult divisions, and you'll be placed in the youth division considering your age. There aren't too many differences aside from more restrictive rules, but those exist because we don't want kids to be maimed or killed. Unfortunately for you, this also means that you won't earn as much money because there's less interest in those matches."
That doesn't really matter, I'm not here for the money anyway.
I gave a quick nod and Amera continued.
"While you're a fighter here, you'll be fighting against others who are around your "rank" until you either move up or are booted from the arena. Simple enough, right?"
Amera pointed to a chalkboard behind her that had a poorly drawn dragon at the bottom of a staircase.
"This is you, right now. You're a new fighter that hasn't proven yourself, so you'll be starting out at the bottom of the barrel. If you manage to beat your first opponent, you'll move up."
Amera pointed to the first stair drawn next to the dragon.
"Keep winning and you'll go up, lose and you go down. If you manage to make it to the top, you become the reigning champion of your division. If that happens, you'll be making actual money and have access to a few perks that you wouldn't otherwise have, but I don't think you'll accomplish that, because the current champ is… better than any dragon we've had, so I'm not going to bother explaining those perks to you. If you're curious and want to look it up anyways, you can always read the stupid manual."
"Ok, everything seems pretty straightforward so far."
Amera grinned and a twinkle appeared in her eye.
"And that's where I say you're wrong, kiddo, the arena is used for all sorts of purposes that you might not be aware of. For example, there are personal duels, resolution of legal conflicts, displays of skill, cultural studies, educational studies, entertainment, and a lot more."
"Really? So the arena isn't just here for people to fight for ego, or for others to bet and gamble away all their money?"
Amera chuckled and raised an eyebrow.
"We'll, no, you're not entirely wrong. At the end of the day, this place exists to make money and provide entertainment, which means we'll be doing whatever we can to draw in crowds. For example, sometimes you'll have… special rules to follow in your matches that might make your life difficult."
That doesn't sound good…
"What kind of special rules are you talking about?"
"I can't say right now, but you'll always know what they are before a match because I'll give you a rundown beforehand. Keep in mind that if you beat your opponent but fail to follow the conditions set at the beginning of the match, you lose anyway and take the risk of pissing off the crowd. No one wants to sponsor or watch a fighter that is boring or unsportsmanlike, so remember to always follow the rules."
I slowly crossed my arms in protest.
"That's ridiculous, isn't this supposed to be a place where you prove your skills through fair fights?"
"In some instances, yes, but that's not always the case. Like I said earlier, we're here to make money and form a sort of brand around your name if you're successful. If you have a problem with that though, you can leave right now, because I'm not going to tolerate complaining or refusal to follow through."
I bit my tongue and slid down into my chair. I was going to have to put up with this or risk losing out on what should be a guaranteed meeting with the council.
"Nevermind, forget I said anything."
Amera must have picked up on my reluctance because she leaned her head forward and snorted hot air on me.
"You know, if you don't want to do this, you can just leave. I'm not forcing you to do anything, kid."
"I wish I could, but I'm doing this in exchange for a favor. I'm stuck here, whether I like it or not."
Amera cocked her head to the side.
"Well, Isn't that a juicy bit of info! So what's Strongfang doing for you that you can't do yourself?"
I felt like I had just given away something that I shouldn't have and tried to salvage the situation.
"Why do you think it's Strongfang who's doing something for me?"
Amera snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, don't play coy with me. He's your sponsor and has been pushing for you to be here non-stop since your spar against Amber yesterday. He's always got some sort of plot going on, and this is no different. Maybe you're uncomfortable with sharing, and that's fine, but if it's going to affect you while you're under my wing, I need to know."
"It won't. All he's doing is securing a meeting for me with the city council."
Amera raised a brow curiously.
"Really? I didn't know he had that much pull…"
"Apparently he does, and I promised I would do this for him if he could do it. I trust him enough to keep his word, but that doesn't make this any easier."
Amera shrugged.
"I guess not, but as long as we don't have any problems it's none of my business, nor do I care. How does that sound?"
"Fine with me. I shouldn't be here for a long time anyway."
Amera chuckled lightly.
"And to think, most of my fighters want me to care. You're something else kid."
I shrugged indifferently and Amera grinned.
"Anyway, back to our discussion. Rules are important, always listen to me, blah blah blah… I think I've covered the important stuff, so unless you have any questions…"
I shook my head no.
"Perfect. You'll have your first match schedule for tonight around eight against an earth dragon named Onyx. He's one of the lowest ranking fighters here, but that doesn't mean that you should underestimate him."
"Is there anything specific I should know about him?"
"There's not much to say, but he is fairly skilled in close quarters combat and is known to use his earth to enhance those skills further. If he can land a hit on you it's going to hurt, so try not to let that happen because I'd rather not have to scrape you off of the walls or floors after being flattened like a pancake."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"Right, I'll do my best to avoid that."
Amera grinned and I sat back up in my chair.
"Will I be allowed to bring any of my own equipment to the fight?"
"No, and get used to that being the answer. Every once in a while you'll be given weapons to fight with, courtesy of the arena, but for the most part you're on your own. If you get caught with something that wasn't approved, you'll lose the match instantly and possibly face further repercussions."
"Noted, but I have one last question for you before tonight. You've said that you're my manager, but what exactly does that mean? What do you do?"
Amera looked offended by my question and wasted no time answering, a small frown now tugging at her lips.
"Well, I'm not just here to order you around. Being your manager means I handle a lot of things in the background so you don't have to think about it. I'm here to give you advice and to prepare you for your next fight, to make sure that you're in tip top shape, and to help you by giving you the information you need."
She gave me a big smile and winked.
"Something else I do, that I'm sure you'll appreciate, is handling the more public aspects of my fighters, such as any type of news coverage, merchandising, etc. I represent you and can handle all of that so you don't have to."
The thought of having some type of merchandise tied to me made me shiver.
"I would have no clue how to handle any of that, and just the idea of it… ugh."
"That's… good, I guess. I didn't know that could be something I'd have to deal with."
"Don't worry about it, you're unknown, unpopular, and uninteresting, so you may never have to deal with it, depending on how you do! Besides, it's not your job to think about all of the details, that's why I'm here!"
Amera twisted her tail around to point at herself and smiled at me while flashing all of her teeth.
"Right..."
Amera moved her tail around to pat me on the shoulder, which hit a lot harder than I would have liked.
"Perfect. Now, my goal is for you to succeed, so we'll have to work together to make that happen. Your success equals my success, and I'm hoping that we'll both be able to make some money. Do you have any plans this afternoon?"
"I was planning on training with some friends. I figured that practice against the elements would be beneficial, so I've got an earth and Ice dragon to spar with."
"Well, look at you, already planning ahead and practicing!"
She brought her tail tip up to her chin and mumbled to herself, but then shook her head.
"I was going to give you a few pointers, but it looks like you've already got that taken care of, so I'll give you your first job instead. Don't exert yourself with your friends. I want you fresh for tonight, so no sparring."
"Welp, Shimmer and Amber aren't going to be happy…"
"Ok, I'll keep it simple. What time is my match tonight?"
"It's at eight, but I want you to meet me back here in my office at seven."
"Ok, I'll be there, is there anything else we need to talk about?"
"Nothing I can think of off the top of my head."
I let out a sigh of relief and started to sit up in my chair.
Finally, this took way too long.
"Cool, I'll see you tonight then."
I stood up to leave, but a soft shove from Amera's tail sent me right back into my seat.
"Hold on a second, you didn't think we were just going to talk, did you? You still have all of your paperwork to fill out!"
Amera dropped a stack of papers onto her desk with a thump. I slunk down into my chair and groaned faintly, wishing to be anywhere but here.
"You'd better follow through on your end of the deal, Strongfang."
"Quit your whining, this shouldn't take too long. Just read through each page and sign where it asks and we'll be out of here in no time."
"Shit, you're kidding me."
"Strongfang didn't bother telling you, did he?"
Amera looked confused and raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me what?"
"Great, another person that has to know…"
—
It took most of the morning for Amera to get me through all of the paperwork, and when we finally finished, neither of us were particularly happy, so she booted me out of her office and ordered me to eat some lunch.
I was hungry at this point, but decided I should find Jolt to see if he had eaten yet. I mosied over to his desk and found that he was talking with Shimmer and Phyl, who were here earlier than I expected. They were both sporting brand new orange badges with the word guest stamped on each side, and they waved at me when they saw me. Phyl and Shimmer also had bags slung over their backs that were stuffed, and while I tried to get a better look, Shimmer bounded over to me excitedly with barely contained excitement.
"Good morning Kiran!"
"Morning."
"Check it out, we're approved and ready to go, so let's get started! Where are we heading for our first ever group training?"
I put up a hand and motioned for her to calm down.
"Woah woah woah, hold up a second, I need to eat some lunch, and we have a small change of plans that I need to discuss first. My new manager has made a request and I have to go along with it."
Shimmer narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, but the smile didn't leave her face.
"What's up? It's nothing bad is it?"
"Eh, it's not really bad, training will just be different than we expected. Let's talk over lunch though, I'm starving."
Jolt agreed with me as he held his stomach.
"Yeah, I'm really hungry because I woke up late and missed breakfast…"
Shimmer puffed up her cheeks angrily.
"Aww, c'mon guys, can't lunch wait? This is way more exciting than food!"
Jolt shot me a look filled with desperation and I managed a small nod towards him.
"No, we're going to eat first. My manager told me to do that, and if I don't listen to her I can get in trouble. Lunch, then training."
Shimmer pouted, and nodded with an impatient groan, while Jolt mouthed a quick thank you to me and then grabbed his bag with his mouth.
"Fiiine, we can eat, but let's hurry because I've been looking forward to this all morning!"
Phyl chuckled and yawned, and I saw that his eyes were barely open and that there were bags underneath them.
"Seriously, that's all she's been talking about. She was up all night because of how excited she was, so I might end up taking a nap while you two are at it."
We all started making our way towards the east wing, and the thought of food made my stomach growl.
"If you're tired, that's fine, I'll be observing rather than sparring today anyway. If you're up for it though, I'd love to get some input on some earth techniques from you. I have my first match against an earth dragon tonight and any insight would be great."
Phyl considered it for a moment before giving me a quick nod.
"Sure, we can go over a few things. In fact, I brought some books along that have various info on techniques and fighting styles, so you can read them if you'd like."
I quickly tried to think of a reason to decline the offer, without revealing my inability to read, but something clicked in Jolt's head and he gasped, drawing everyone's attention.
"Woah, wait, you've got a match already!?"
Shimmer squealed joyfully and bounded out in front of us.
"This is great! We should all support Kiran and watch it tonight! What time is it at Kiran?"
I slowly smiled at her enthusiasm and support, but tried to hide it with a casual shrug.
"It's around eight, but you don't need to worry about being there, I'll be fine."
"And miss out on my friend's first arena match? Pfft, yeah right."
Phyl sighed and looked slightly embarrassed as we entered the hall with food vendors.
"I'll actually be busy at that time, so you'll have to go without me, Shimmer. I can't skip out on my lessons with dad."
Shimmer pecked him on the cheek and quickly reassured him, despite the obvious disappointment on her face.
"It's ok, Jolt and I can make up for your absence, right Jolt?"
"Oh, uh… sure. I'm not the best at cheering… and I need to make sure Miss Ruby is ok with me at a match that late… but yeah, I think it'd be fun!
"If you two insist then. I'll try to give you a wave or something while I'm kicking this guy's ass."
Shimmer laughed and snorted at the same time, and then gave me a small smack on the shoulder with her tail. I stuck out my tongue in response, and there was a bit of snickering as I bought a sandwich and some fruit from a vendor, sadly watching as more of my gil disappeared.
"You're sounding pretty confident, Kiran. Maybe if you do well enough, you'll end up with some kind of super cool nickname!
Shimmer gave me a sly grin as we all sat down. Jolt and I dug into our lunches, and Phyl did his best not to fall asleep as he yawned heavily and rubbed his eyes.
"I have a lot of ideas forming already… maybe something like… The Lameinator, or Stick in the mud, or-"
I rolled my eyes.
"Ha ha, very funny. You're lucky the stick in the mud isn't interested in kicking your sorry butt."
Shimmer scoffed and lightly shoved my shoulder with her tail, while rolling her eyes.
"As if. You wouldn't stand a chance against me if I was actually trying."
"Mhm, sure. That's why you did so well back at Farleigh, right?"
I took another bite of my sandwich while Shimmer readied up another reply, but noticed that Jolt was starting to look a bit worried as we bickered, so I gave him a quick wink to let him know things were fine. He smiled in relief and went back to eating.
"Hey! That was training! If we were taking things seriously, I wouldn't have held back so much!"
"Riiiiiight…"
Shimmer huffed and stomped her paw on the table.
"If I remember right, the first day I managed to get you stuck in a block of ice. I tried to be more careful after that!"
I sighed as Jolt and Phyl leaned in eagerly to hear the details.
"Yeah, fair, but I wasn't exactly trying my heart out either. I didn't even use my sword at any point, remember?"
Shimmer bumped me with her tail again.
"I think you're just being a sore loser."
"But you're the one that kept losing… right?"
Phyl smiled and put his paw onto Shimmer's, which seemed to reign in her fire somewhat.
"Why don't we save this for later? If you two are so adamant about proving that you're better, maybe you could have a serious spar to prove who's better?"
"That's a good idea! As long as Kiran isn't afraid to lose, that is."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but agreed.
"Fine, by me. Maybe tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? Why not today?"
I leaned my head back a bit.
"Right. Forgot to tell you that I can't spar today, Amera's orders."
"Noooooooo! You're kidding!"
"I'm not, sorry. I'll be a spectator today, but I bet someone else will spar with you."
I looked to Phyl, who quickly shook his head before Shimmer turned to him. He stopped before she could see and smiled nervously while patting Shimmer's head.
"Sorry, but you know I'm not the best fighter…"
A quick glance to Jolt made him almost choke on his food.
"No way! I'm not even going to the training!"
Shimmer grumbled and then stuck her tongue out at me, but I ignored it and scarfed down the rest of my food. Phyl consoled a pouting Shimmer while Jolt and I finished our lunches, and once he was finished, we wasted no time leaving the east wing. All four of us made our way back, and as we neared Jolt's desk, I saw Amber standing quietly with her arms crossed. She had a small scowl on her face and tapped her fingers rapidly against her arms, stopping only when she saw the small group of us approaching.
"You're late! What took you so long?"
Amber glowered at me, which caused Jolt to hide behind Shimmer, while Phyl looked between the two girls with clear confusion. Shimmer's mouth dropped open and she quickly whispered over to me.
"Kiran, what's she talking about? Why is she here!?"
I had a sense that this wasn't going to go over well, but I ignored Shimmer's question to address Amber.
"We're not late, and I had to eat first, so deal."
Shimmer stomped her tail, earning her a small, quick glare from Amber.
"Fine, but let's not waste any time, I've been looking forward to this all day!."
Amber stood up from the counter and stretched her arms up high above her head.
"I went ahead and got arena seven reserved for us to use today, because I figured that would be a good environment for all of us to spar in."
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"Ah, about that. I'm not supposed to be sparring because I have a match tonight. Instead, Phyl is going to show me what earth dragons can do, so I have some sort of idea on what to expect from my opponent."
Amber's mouth slowly curled down, but she didn't protest or argue.
"...guess I should've talked to you after your meeting then. That's on me."
I was surprised that she didn't end up complaining, and took that as a good sign.
"Well… if you're still interested, feel free to tag along I guess. Again, no sparring, but it's still a learning experience."
Amber sighed and glanced off to the side.
"...I guess I'll come today. I know a lot about earth dragons and what they can do, so… I might be able to give some input if earthy over there isn't up to snuff."
"Hey! Phyl is plenty up to snuff, and his name isn't Earthy!"
Shimmer practically growled at Amber, but she was ignored as Amber moved her eyes back to me.
"Don't think that you're getting out of sparring with me."
"I know, I know. You'll have your chance."
Amber nodded and glanced over the dragons while grimacing.
Man, I guess she really hates dragons… She's not saying anything, but I wonder how long that will last.
She narrowed her eyes at Shimmer before motioning us to follow her. Shimmer huffed, and shuffled up to my side to whisper harshly in my ear.
"Ok, what's going on!? Why is she going to be practicing with us!?"
I winced at Shimmer's sour tone and put my hand up to rub the bridge of my nose.
"Can we talk about it later?"
The look Shimmer gave me made it clear that it couldn't wait.
Hey everyone! I hoped you enjoyed the chapter!
Lil' B - Thanks for both your feedback and your encouragement! Your review made me laugh, and it means a lot to hear that someone is enjoying the story.
I kinda get why having the title of the story contain "Spyro" might be a bit misleading, so I'll keep that in mind next time I post a story. He will appear in the story, and he does have a role, I just wasn't quite sure what to name the story originally and settled on that title to create the general idea of the setting.
Glad you liked the character building. Jolt especially was fun, because I'm somewhat basing him and his relationship with Shimmer on people I know.
I do have a somewhat unusual style for writing, but having the action and dialogue separated helps me when I'm editing and looking through things on my own.
Thanks again for your review! I fixed those spelling and grammar errors right away, so know that your efforts are not wasted!
Platikov5 - So, yes, Kiran could have used the transformation technique to disguise himself and possible ease some of the issues he's running into, but I spent a great deal of time considering that option before deciding not to go that route. There are a few key issues, but I'll try to keep it simple;
The disguise itself would be difficult to create, due to how unfamiliar Kiran is with the races of this world. Imagine if he made a mistake and someone noticed? Not to mention, he'd have to copy and maintain the particular movements and cues that those races naturally follow, which would require time to study.
He'd also have to convince a few others to go along with his ruse and lie with him. I can imagine that Shimmer would not be a fan of this, and the consequence of someone accidently slipping up or revealing his identity would create a high risk with low reward. Perhaps if he had started back in Farleigh, it wouldn't be a big deal, but at this points there's several people that know him, making it much more difficult.
It also would be fun from a writing standpoint, at least for me, to constantly have him switch back and forth with his disguise. Managing that would be a pain, and when he finally met the council and explained himself, it wouldn't go over well when they realized he wasn't who he said he was. Generally people don't take kindly to being lied to, especially when they're the governing officials of that particular land.
BettingChicken - Thanks for your review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! To answer your question, yes, Spyro and Cynder will be appearing in the story, and they will both have active roles at varying points. I know they've been hinted at and that it can be difficult to wait, but they will be present, I promise!