FORTY-NINE
When I heard my name over the speaker again, I headed down the hall to the gate. The guy waved happily when he saw me, and I noticed he'd been counting a nice bit of money in his hands. The winnings that I'd brought him, no doubt. He stuff them in his pocket, then offered his hand to me when I joined him by the gate.
I shook it. "Looks like it's been a good night for ya."
"Thanks to you!" he grinned. "Watching you fight actually gave me goosebumps, you know? Hope your next match is even better than the last one, Firebrand! Ready to kick ass?"
"As always!" I smirked.
He hit the switch, and the gate slid open again. "I gotta say, it's not even about the money anymore. I just want you to win it all! Go on out there and really show 'em what you got!"
I gave him a thumbs up. "Will do! Enjoy the show!"
Then I headed into the tunnel and down to the far end like before. Kotch and Scotch weren't in the middle of the ring this time, but off to the side. Maybe the hell house would enter from a different place than the other opponents I'd faced? I thought that could be it as I stood near the second gate while they announced me again.
Scotch went first. "The Trio's Tournament has been a spectacle like no other. And while the main competition is over, we're very pleased to announce that our new champion has gladly agreed to fight in a bonus exhibition match to destroy Don Corneo's secret weapon, the infamous and undefeated terror of the coliseum!"
Kotch pointed at me. "Please welcome tonight's leading light, who's crushed all comers and demolished every opponent! Give it up for the Queen of Quashing! The legendary…"
"Firebraaaand!" he and Scotch finished together.
Cheers erupted all around me as I strode into the arena and waved at the crowd before giving them another high fist bump from afar. As I did, I heard people calling out to me from all over the stands, shouts of admiration and excitement from many of the fans I'd earned tonight. It was great, and for a minute, I just stood there and basked in it, blowing the audience a few kisses while I was at it.
"Firebrand, Firebrand!" one girl waved. "Look over here! Oh, she's just incredible! She saved my sister, too!"
Someone a few rows up clapped loudly. "She's really got it!"
Then I heard a guy in the stands on the other side shout out to me. "Firebrand! I love you! Marry me!"
There was a lot of that sort of thing, and hearing it all brought back pleasant memories of my acting days on the plate. I thought I heard my friends cheering me on, too, and when I looked at where I knew they'd been sitting, they were there, all in a row up front just above the top of the arena's lower wall. I waved at them, and they waved back—Wedge, Lena, Biggs, Kunsel, and Marissa. As Wedge flashed me a thumbs up of his own and the crowd kept cheering for a good five minutes, I moved into position and smiled contentedly.
"Ah, it's good to be back in the spotlight again," I laughed softly to myself, my eyes lingering happily on the crowd.
Then, Kotch lifted his free hand, and everyone quieted down. "Her opponent! Buried in the bowels of the coliseum, an unspeakable terror, long imprisoned, set free tonight to finally receive its just punishment! Killer of champions and crusher of heroes!"
Scotch joined in. "The secret horror of Don Corneo's stable!"
"The Super Hell House!" they said together.
The wide area in the middle of the arena lowered, and when it rose back up a moment later and locked into place, the hell house was on it. I narrowed my eyes at the sight of the thing, my blood boiling, and my hands went to my weapons almost before I knew it. The house was still in its disguised form, sitting motionless in the middle of the arena like the large square shed I'd designed it to mimic. But it also sported a pair of tall iron spikes, one on either end of the roof—new additions that I'd never had in the house's original design.
A single wooden door and a few ordinary-looking windows on the front and sides completed the look along with the sloping, angled roof with its red shingles, but they didn't fool me for a second. I knew better than anyone what was lurking inside and how dangerous it was. I drew my weapons even as Kotch and Scotch continued their announcement, my eyes never leaving the modified hell house.
"The manifestation of pure evil versus the most badass woman this side of Midgar!" Kotch boomed. "It's a grudge match for the ages! Have you ever seen a fight more incredible, more epic?"
"You have not! No sir, you have not!" Scotch answered.
Kotch continued. "Who will ultimately prevail tonight, the maiden or the machine? We're about to find out!"
Scotch nodded as he faced the stands. "Keep your eyes glued to the action, ladies and gentlemen! They'll be singing songs about this battle for generations to come! So get ready!"
"The tournament's final, final fight…" Kotch started.
"Begins… now!" they both shouted.
They'd barely even finished when I sprang into action, turning my blaze talons on and rushing at the hell house with a determined snarl. I struck from the side, cutting at it again and again while it just sat there, seemingly helpless. But I knew it wasn't. When I spun back toward the front, it stirred to life, spewing a salvo of flaming chairs at me from out of the roof. I flinched and got an arm up just in time to deflect a few of them, but the others slammed into me and I stumbled back a few steps. I shook off the pain, though, and kept attacking.
As I fought, I heard Kotch giving more of his typically enthusiastic commentary. "The battle has been joined, and already I can assure you this bonus match will not disappoint!"
"Our heroine's fought the toughest of the tough, the meanest of the mean, but can she handle the horror of the Super Hell House?" Scotch added. "Who knows what surprises it holds?"
"Who will come out on top? Strap yourselves in, folks, because this show's only getting started!" Kotch boomed.
The chairs kept coming, shooting out all around the house as I cut and sliced the wood siding apart and did my best to avoid getting hit. It wasn't easy, though, and I took a few more blows to my arms and chest before the barrage finally stopped. Knowing I wouldn't get much time, I pressed the attack, striking the mech from one side and then another. When it suddenly shimmered and its windows changed color from the glowing red that they'd been to a pale blue, I fell back a minute to think about what it meant. I hadn't seen this before.
"Well, that's new…" I muttered. "Barrier shift, maybe?"
The colors had to be more than decorative, and I remembered how Scarlet and I had often used them to show different elemental affinities in our weapon designs. No doubt that was the idea here, too. And what was shown wouldn't have been its weakness—that would've been a bad idea—but more likely what it was imbued with. Which also meant that the opposite element would be where it was most vulnerable. With the windows glowing blue, that would surely be fire.
Before I could take advantage of that, though, the hell house shot a cluster of exploding toy firecrackers across the ground. I tried to avoid them as I kept moving, but they were like little land mines and went off as soon as I got close. Fortunately, they were more annoying than truly harmful, though they did sting a lot. But then the house itself started to move, jumping right toward me in a rush.
The damn thing was faster than I'd expected, and it slammed me to the ground before I could get out of the way. I cried out in pain when I landed on my back, and I heard the crowd gasp. Then the house's front door suddenly flew open, and a hot wind started sucking at me, trying to pull me inside. Acting fast, I flipped over onto my stomach, stabbed both blaze talons firmly into the ground, and held on tight, gritting my teeth against the wind's relentless pull.
After about a minute or so, it finally slackened and went away, and the door slammed shut again with a bang. Then I yanked my weapons free, rolled aside, and sprang to my feet just in time to see another blast of flaming chairs coming my way. I dodged as many as I could and got myself into position for my next attack while shrugging off the impacts of the few that did manage to hit me.
"Alright, you son of a bitch," I growled. "Time to burn!"
The hell house's windows were still glowing a pale blue like before, and when I focused on my Fire materia and unleashed its magic, a tall, blazing pillar of flame scorched the damn thing. Then, while trying to avoid as many of those exploding firecrackers as I could, I rushed back in, slicing and cutting again and again. At the same time, the windows changed, shifting from blue to a shimmering purple. Lightning? Which meant it was probably weak to wind now, which I didn't have. All that I could do was stick to my other attacks.
When the hell house jumped at me again, I saw it coming this time and dove outta the way as the crowd cheered me on. The mech crashed down nearby, and I struck at it fast and hard, using my weapons to hurl an arc of fiery energy at it and then following it up with a rapid barrage of my own, slashing and spinning and kicking. I mixed it up with a few more fire spells, and though they didn't hit quite as hard as before, they still did a nice bit of damage nevertheless. The house turned to face me with a little hop and then crashed down again.
I stepped back and braced myself, but it stayed where it was. Then it started to rumble, and I knew right away what was happening. First, the hell house rose up on its short, squat iron feet. Then its metal arms sprouted out—four of them instead of the two I'd originally designed it with. Two from the sides and two from the roof. Three ended in large, clawed hands while the fourth—the left arm up on the roof—sported a long, sharp blade instead. Finally, the mech's round head emerged from above the front door through an open window.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what is happening?" Scotch asked.
"Just try and call this house warm and inviting now!" Kotch added. "We dare ya! We double-dog dare ya! The Super Hell House has shown us its true paint job! And it's a doozy!"
Scotch nodded. "How will Firebrand adapt?"
I stayed alert, noticing then that the hell house's windows had gone dark. It seemed to have deactivated its barrier shift, at least for the time being. One less thing to worry about. The mech loomed over me, large and ominous, but I didn't back down. My blaze talons lit and in hand, I glared darkly at my bizarre creation.
"Damn," I muttered. "You're one ugly—"
"MoTHeRFuCKeR!" the Super Hell House croaked.
My jaw dropped. I had never designed this thing to talk. The voice was dry, mechanical, but unmistakeable. Scarlet hadn't included speech in her alterations, either. This was all Corneo's doing, and I recognized his throaty rasp almost right away, although it didn't have any emotion. But I still hated it with a passion, and it made me wanna smash the hell house to bits even more than I already did.
Hearing Don Corneo's voice also made me think of Lydia and how he'd shot her down in the sewers last night. He'd escaped, but his brutal stand-in wouldn't. I'd see to that. And personally kick his fat, ugly ass if I ever saw him again. Rage burned hotly in me as I faced the mech and composed myself, but I remembered how I'd lost it and gone berserk in front of Cloud when we'd fought that other, lesser hell house out by the eaters' nest over two months ago. He'd calmed me down back then, and thinking of him now helped me stay focused.
As soon as the hell house rushed at me, its arms flailing about, I hit my right glove switch and ran off to one side, the acceleration from my suit helping me to evade the attack. Then I raced around behind it and got to work, slicing and dicing with my blaze talons as much as I could while my speed boost was still active.
Then the mech spun around to face me again, and I caught sight of the flame jets mounted on the underside of the foundation. They were just like I remembered, and I only had a split second to react before the hell house let loose with a blast of fire that erupted all around it. I dove hard to the ground with a startled shout, my knee hitting the concrete. I winced and let out a pained hiss as part of the blaze singed my arm. It stung like a thousand bee stings as I lay there with the inferno burning right above me and the heat making me sweat.
"Looks like the hell house is really bringing the heat!" Scotch said. "Firebrand just missed becoming fire-grilled!"
"It's a hot time in the old house tonight!" Kotch agreed.
As soon as it was over, I quickly rolled to my feet and backed away for a minute. My left arm was red but fortunately not seriously burnt. I took a breath, then used some curative magic from my Restore materia to tend to it. The pain diminished a little, enough that I could ignore it, so I hefted my weapons and ran back in, ducking and dodging to avoid the hell house's swinging arms as I kept my eyes alert for another burst from its flame jets. I got in as many hits with my weapons and magic as I could until my acceleration finally wore off.
The siding was coming apart nicely enough, but I realized Corneo's men must've reinforced the interior armor plating I'd designed, making this hell house a lot more resilient than the others. I knew the only way I'd really be able to seriously damage this thing was from the inside. So when it jumped again and landed behind me with a crash, I got ready. I whirled around toward it just as the front door slammed open and that unnatural wind started pulling at me. This time, instead of fighting it, I braced myself and let it draw me in.
The house sucked me inside faster than I'd expected, and the wind was loud in my ears, almost drowning out the gasps from the audience. As soon as the door slammed shut behind me, I doused the blaze talon in my right hand, holstered it, and reached into my belt pouch even as I was being jostled and tossed about like a rag doll. It was dark in here, and I couldn't really see what was hitting me even with the soft orange glow of my other weapon. All I could really do was curl up and endure the beating I was getting from all sides.
My suit soaked up some of the damage I was taking, but not nearly all of it. I had to bite my lip to avoid crying out as what felt like a dozen metal fists punched me over and over amidst all the tumbling about. It was hard, but being in here also gave me the opportunity I needed. As I weathered the assault as best I could, I pulled a raspberry from my belt pouch and held it ready until I felt the brutal attacks finally slow down just a few seconds later. It was almost time.
As soon as the front door flew open and I felt myself being pushed out again, I pulled the pin and dropped the raspberry in the middle of the hell house's interior. When the mech spat me back out into the ring with a violent gust of wind, I rolled across the ground and laid flat, my hands over my head, a short distance away. The house started to come after me, then abruptly stopped when the raspberry exploded and tore through its internals. The whole thing shuddered, and several windows shattered, glass blowing outward in all directions.
"And Firebrand's back with us again!" Kotch exclaimed.
"Looks like she gave that house a bad case of indigestion while she was in there!" Scotch added. "Amazing!"
Kotch pointed as the crowd cheered. "With a stunning reversal, the hell house is dead in the water! Now that is the price you pay for trying to mess with the heroine of Wall Market!"
I knew the mech's vulnerability wouldn't last long, so I sprang back to my feet, readied my weapons, and charged, slashing and cutting at it over and over again as smoke poured from the broken windows. With a yell, I stabbed both blaze talons into the side of the house, tearing off a good chunk of it, then yanked them free. After following it up with a lightning spell, I drank another ether to replenish my energy while my suit's power finally finished recharging.
Not a moment too soon, either. The hell house started to move just seconds later and jumped again. But this time, it landed over on a high platform near the crowd well out of reach of my weapons. I slapped my right glove switch again for another speed boost as the mech launched more of those burning chairs. I ran all around the arena, staying a step ahead of the salvo as the flaming projectiles smashed down behind me so close I could smell the smoke and burning wood. Corneo had added a lot of new tricks to the hell house's arsenal.
Nevertheless, I was gonna tear that thing apart.
I watched intently from the booth as Firebrand outran the burning chairs that crazy house kept throwing at her. It was still sitting over on the high platform it had jumped to earlier, and from time to time while she darted around the arena, Jessie launched a fire or lightning spell at it. She'd done a lot of damage to it so far, but it didn't look even close to being beaten yet. The hell house was really tough.
Jessie hadn't been kidding when she'd told me that the booth was a great place to watch the tournament. I could see everything really well from up here. It still felt a little unreal that my parents and I were being treated like special VIPs, but I loved it. Good drinks—I was still a little young for the stronger stuff, so I had some of that Banora White apple juice instead. Really tasty. And we got to sit right next to the Trio in the same kind of fancy, high-backed chairs they used. Polished wood with soft and very comfortable dark cushions.
It was kinda funny listening to Sam and Madam M arguing like an old married couple at times. As for Andrea, he didn't say very much. I'd been kinda shy around them at first—they were all really important in Wall Market, you know, and I felt small and a little out of place next to them. I'd started cheering Jessie on without even thinking about it, and when I had realized what I was doing and how into it I was, I had been so embarrassed and had blushed like crazy.
I had looked over at the Trio, almost afraid to see how they'd react, but Madam M had just given me a little smile while Sam had chuckled softly in amusement. Andrea had raised an eyebrow but hadn't seemed to mind. So I had finally relaxed and let myself do what I wanted to do, sometimes standing up to see the fight better and encourage Firebrand from afar even more. It was a lot of fun.
I could hardly believe she had let me hold onto her trophy for her. But there it was in my lap. Madam M had come back with it before the match had started, and at first I'd thought she'd just hold it herself. But then she had come over and carefully handed it to me, telling me to be careful with it and to keep it safe for Jessie. I'd happily agreed, so giddy with excitement that I'd squealed in delight, not caring how it might've made me look to the others. I was still cradling the trophy protectively while I continued to watch Firebrand fight.
Then the hell house stopped shooting out those flaming chairs and jumped back down into the arena. As it did, I set the trophy on my seat and stood up again, shouting at Jessie to move as the house came down and tried to crush her. I knew she probably couldn't hear me above the din of the crowd, but I urged her on anyway and cheered when she got away just in time. She dove aside just as the hell house crashed onto the ground right behind her. Then it surrounded itself with a large globe of white, shimmering translucent energy.
"What!?" I frowned. "A shield? Are you kidding me!?"
When Jessie struck the house a moment later with her blaze talons, they just bounced right off, deflected by the shield. She kept trying, but she couldn't get through, and she also had to scramble to avoid getting hit by the house's arms. Its head bit at her too, but she stayed well away from it, circling around the hell house to hit it from another angle. But just like before, the shield kept her out.
"Firebrand's going hard at the house," Kotch announced, "but she'll have to do better than that to raze this roof!"
"Can she beat this hi-tech home?" Scotch asked.
I knew she could. Without a doubt. And then I noticed something. "Firebrand! The arms! Go for the arms!"
She'd seen it, too. The shield covered the hell house's body, but not the arms. Those were outside it, and that meant they were vulnerable. I yelled in excitement when she slashed at the nearest one, spinning and slicing so fast I could hardly keep track of her, and then it flew apart in a shower of sparks just a moment later.
I cheered again when the shield went down, and for a few seconds, Jessie just went to town on that hell house, attacking it again and again, first from one side and then the next as she stayed on the move. When it got going again, Firebrand barely managed to avoid getting skewered by that bladed arm on the roof. It slammed down near her once, twice, three times, but she evaded it each time. Then, as her speed boost wore off, she backed up to give herself some room to maneuver and get away from those arms for a minute or two.
That was when the hell house started charging up, and after only a few seconds, it suddenly launched itself at Jessie with its thrusters. She tried to move outta the way, but it was like some kinda seeking missile and flew right toward her. I gasped and shouted in dismay—and so did the crowd—when that damn hell house slammed into her and sent her flying across the arena. She landed hard on her back with a pained cry, and her weapons fell from her hands.
My hands flew to my mouth. "Oh, no! Get up, Jessie!"
She tried to, but then the hell house shimmered, the windows that weren't broken glowing light blue as the whole thing suddenly covered itself in ice. Then it threw more chairs at her. And they tracked her just like the house had. I winced when one of them struck Firebrand across the face, knocking her back down. Others came at her as well, a furious barrage of them. At first, she struggled to withstand it. But then, with a yell, she backhanded one of the chairs and shattered it. Then she rolled aside, grabbed her weapons, and sprang to her feet.
I sighed in relief, but I couldn't help worrying about her. Blood was streaked down the left side of her face, and she'd also gotten some cuts and scrapes across her arms and chest. She held her shoulder for just a moment, grimacing in pain, then lifted one of her weapons. There was a flash of green light from her materia, and then a huge column of fire scorched the hell house, blackening the walls.
"That's it, Firebrand!" I cheered. "Burn that house down!"
"She will, Lydia," Madam M smirked.
I smiled back at her, then watched as Jessie torched the house with another fire spell. It shuddered and spewed flames of its own at her in a wide circle, but she rushed out of range just in time, circling the house and then responding by whipping an arc of blazing orange energy at it with her her blaze talons. It slammed into that weird machine and tore right through one of the walls to hit whatever was on the inside. While smoke poured out through the hell house's windows, Kotch and Scotch praised Firebrand's skill and determination.
"She may be battered, folks, but our heroine's definitely as tough as they come!" Kotch boomed. "The house's days are over!"
"Or are they?" Scotch added.
"This mechanical marauder isn't done yet!" Kotch shouted. "What other secrets does it hold? What else can it do?"
I didn't know what it was, and I didn't care. Firebrand would beat it no matter what. Only a little farther to go now, I was sure. But what the hell house did next made my jaw drop. It actually rose into the air and started to fly! It really did! Jessie frowned, then ran as the house rained chairs and exploding fireworks down at her. My eyes were riveted onto the fight as it entered its last and hardest stage.
"Liftoff! We have liftoff!" Kotch exclaimed.
"Are you seeing this, ladies and gentlemen?" Scotch added. "It's the world's first flying house! Are you seeing this?"
I saw it, alright. The hell house was circling the arena, firing chairs and exploding toys at me as it went. I kept on moving, staying ahead of them as much as I could and pushing through the pain I was in. I felt it all over, but I didn't have time to see to it at the moment. And although my suit had softened some of the blows, it could only protect me from so much. Still, I'd have been in a lot worse shape without it. But I knew I couldn't take much more punishment.
As if to remind me of that, the hell house hovered for a moment or two in midair, then dove straight at me. I ran, but I wasn't fast enough. It crashed down almost on top of me, the impact knocking me right off my feet and throwing me halfway across the arena like a kid's playtoy. I shouted in surprise and hit the ground hard with a pained cry. At first, I just lay there, aching everywhere. Then, when I managed to get to my hands and feet, I spat blood onto the ground.
"Shit…" I groaned.
Wincing with every move, I reached into my belt pouch, took out a potion, and quickly drank the whole thing, for once able to ignore how bad it tasted. The pain lessened a bit after a moment, enough that I felt like I could keep going, and the bleeding slowed, though it didn't really stop. It was the best I could do for now, and I wanted to save my magic for the hell house. I'd done a lot of damage to that thing, but I'd need to hit it even more to finally bring it down.
Its windows glowing a deep purple now, the hell house surrounded itself with electricity and charged at me again, its arms flailing. But this time, I was ready. I sprang into action, diving off to one side just as the mech slammed into the spot where I'd been only a moment ago. Then I blasted it with a fire spell, keeping my distance until the electrical field finally dissipated. When it did and that shield went up again, I attacked one of its other arms with my blaze talons, slashing the metal wrist and hand with a barrage of quick, spinning strikes.
Power slowly built up in my weapons with every blow, and I knew it wouldn't be long before my suit's energy had recharged as well. I just had to buy myself time until everything was ready. With a determined yell, I finally severed the arm, and it came apart in a flurry of sparks as the mech's shield collapsed and the glow in its windows—the ones that were left—shifted to green, which represented wind. And that meant it had to be weak against lightning now.
The front door flew open, and the house tried to suck me in again, but I quickly got outta the way, not wanting to risk going back in there with as hurt as I was. Instead, I focused on my Lightning materia, then unloaded on the hell house with a few blasts of electricity. And just like I'd thought, they really ripped into it, tearing big chunks outta the walls and roof and blowing out another window.
"Firebrand stands poised to win it all!" Scotch yelled.
"We may just be witnessing the final moments of the wicked Super Hell House!" Kotch agreed. "The crowd's going wild, but it'll take more than applause to end this nightmare!"
The cheers were deafening, but I kept my eyes on the hell house. It launched itself at me again, slamming me back to the ground, and then let loose with its flame jets. I quickly rolled aside in spite of the pain to avoid getting seared, then scrambled back to my feet and rushed at the mech as soon as the fire went out. I spun, slashed, and kicked at it until the damn thing shuddered, and then I hit it with more lightning magic for good measure. The house staggered as forks of current washed over it, and then for moment it just stopped.
I knew I had to finish it off now, before it got moving again. While the crowd roared, I backed up and put some distance between me and the hell house. Then, just like I'd done to Rosso underneath the Shinra Building, I threw my blaze talons at it. They flew end over end through the air, thin streams of bright orange energy trailing behind them, and embedded themselves into the mech's head.
I ran in, jumped, and landed on it, then yanked out my weapons in a single quick pull as it thrashed about. I stayed on, though, and used it to launch myself away with with backward somersault kick to the ugly dome that passed for its face. As soon as I landed, I slammed my right blaze talon onto the ground, unleashing all the energy stored inside. A line of fire raced across the floor from it and struck the hell house dead on. The resulting explosion didn't throw it into the air like it did Rosso, but it still ripped into the mech pretty hard.
The hell house was a charred, smoking ruin, but it wasn't down for good yet. Its two remaining arms still twitched feebly as it sat there and tried to move. Staring hard at the what was left of my monster, I tapped the phoenix insignia on the buckle at my waist, then quickly holstered my weapons and took two more raspberries outta my belt pouch as the protective barrier surrounded me in a shimmering, translucent orange globe of orange energy. Then, when the hell house threw itself at me in a final charge, I yelled and rushed in to meet it.
There was no way I could avoid the blow, so I took it, but I yanked the pins outta the raspberries at the same time and shoved them down into the hell house's gaping mouth when we collided. I screamed when it bit into my arms, but fortunately, the energy barrier I'd activated kept it from tearing them right off. The pain was still excruciating, though. I held on in spite of it, knowing I had to make sure the monster couldn't spit the raspberries out before they went off.
A moment later, they did.
The explosion was huge and deafening. It tore the hell house apart and threw me across the arena in a huge blast of fire, smoke, and heat. I screamed again as the crowd gasped, and when I slammed back onto the ground, I winced and rolled away from the inferno as what was left of the hell house continued to blow up. Wood, glass, and shrapnel flew everywhere and rained down around me, and I curled up and shielded myself as best I could until it was over.
When the dust had settled, I just lay there for a moment, breathing hard and thanking the planet I was still alive. Without the FEX-01 and its energy barrier, I wouldn't have been. It faded away and disappeared, its power spent for now, but it had done what I'd needed it to do. It had taken the full force of the blast and the brunt of the damage, though I'd endured plenty of pain in the process.
Slowly, I got up, bruised and bleeding but very much alive. The hell house wasn't, though. Not anymore. Debris was scattered all across the arena, pieces of it everywhere. Its head was shattered like a broken egg, and its arms were just twisted bits of blackened metal now. All that was left of its body was a charred, burning husk. I gazed at it in satisfaction, then looked up, closed my eyes for a moment, and let out a deep breath while the audience erupted into cheers.
"And we have a winner!" Kotch shouted. "The hell house is history, ladies and gentlemen! The nightmare is over!"
"So give it up for our champion!" Scotch yelled.
Kotch pointed at me. "The amazing…"
He and Scotch finished together. "FIREBRAAAAND!"
As the crowd went even wilder than before, everyone on their feet now, I smiled up at them, then thrust a fist into the air. I felt free, like a heavy weight had just rolled off my shoulders. Then, as I slowly turned around, I made a thumbs up, my eyes first on my friends in the stands and then on the booth. Although I couldn't really see her from where I was down here, I knew she could see me. I'd won the tournament, and now it was time for the real show to start.