Chapter 167 - 163: All Of Us Together

Chapter 167: Chapter 163: All Of Us Together

Wildstorm charges toward us, the platform quaking underneath her hooves. Shrewd hyena eyes fix on us.

[Lobo! Do we Super Jump?]

His response comes rapid-fire. [I thought we were saving that? Saving the power of your amulet for when we need it?]

[NO! We have all the power we need. Right here. All around us. It’s time to stop playing small.]

The platform quakes when Lobo summons up a surge of power and rockets up.

Concentrate. All the energy of the audience. Everyone watching. I have all that I need. I’m going to defeat System with everything that I am. Everything that we are.

Wind whistles through my fur, caressing me, buoying me higher. Lifted, I watch the air around me warp and blur. The energy crackles, and the surge nearly shorts out my nerve endings. But I don’t feel depleted. Now, I can tap into the collective, and I have everything I require.

Except how to brake, naturally.

Rotating, I change my trajectory and begin my descent, targeting a spot on the other side of Wildstorm’s stampede. Dust and magic sparks swirl in her wake.

[Heads up, Wildstorm!]

She lifts her muzzle. [You think I don’t sense you? I have a hunter’s heart.]

With a scream, I land on the other side of Wildstorm. THUNK. Lobo touches down a few inches from me.

The drumbeat of hooves escalates when Wildstorm pivots, reversing course and barreling straight for us. ["Heads up," as you say!]

Meanwhile, Ophion hisses. [LOOK OUT!]

Lobo and I dive to either side, clearing the path fraught with danger. The smell of buffalo and hyena and the sharp airy scent of hippogriff fill the space. I plant my feet on the surface as hard as steel with gritty minuscule dirt and fur particles under my paws.

SMASH!

I reel back, the world around me spinning, my side smarting from the impact. [Lobo! Check me! Am I hurt badly?]

[No, I don’t think so.] Lobo’s sharp eyes study me. [Despite nearly being flattened.]

An unstoppable blur of movement from Wildstorm. I roar. [LOOK OUT!]

Lobo leaps on him, biting and clawing. Even though Wildstorm towers above him, Lobo scratches Wildstorm and bites. Bucking, Wildstorm tosses her head. snorting smoke. Clinging like a burr, Lobo refuses to be dislodged.

I coat the ground beneath Wildstorm’s hooves with Shooting Stars, but she scarcely takes notice of them at all. Screeching to a stop, she jerks forward and Lobo pitches forward with a howl and a whine.

I rush in to see if I can break his fall. However, he manages to stumble in the air and land on his feet, tilting from side to side.

[Good one, Lobo!]

He grunts. [Your Shooting Stars did not exactly help.]

[Sorry! Fog of battle. I didn’t think.]

He woofs. [Lucky for us that I can think.]

Meanwhile, Ophion and Zuba manage to beset Moonbeam with all their ferocity, hammering him with attack after attack. I smell the leather of python scales and the earthiness of baboon fur. Also the salty tang of blood. From Moonbeam as well as Zuba.

The battle continues to rage on. I lose count of all the charges and parries, the bucking and clawing, the Super Jumps and narrow escapes. It’s a battle royale. Claws scratch. I bite Moonbeam’s magnificent hide.Lobo once again vaults on her back and clings to her horns even as she plays brinksmanship, rushing headlong toward the edge of the platform.

[Lobo! Jump off!]

He barely escapes his reckoning with the precipice of the platform, leaping to one side.

The announcer shouts, "The contest is even despite it being four against two! Settle in, tournament goers. Settle in for a lengthy match!"

Kaline’s energy is constant. It is a bright spark, a sunburst, sustaining me. [Blaze! Do not falter. The match is just getting started.]

[No, my dear Young Miss. It’s time to bring this match to an end.]

I channel every bit of goodwill and love from the people watching the match. I roar loudly, and Lobo howls. A shimmering light bursts from the amulet, casting its radiance all throughout the arena, lighting up the faces of the audience. On each countenance, I see people moved by our struggle and our courage.

With renewed energy, Ophion and Zuba set about subduing Moonbeam. Ophion drops down and coils around Moonbeam, squeezing. With hooves and wings, Moonbeam resists, gnashing his beak together.

[You noble beast!] Zuba is complimentary, trying to dazzle Moonbeam. [Never have I seen such prowess. No wonder you are one of the final champions!]

I bump Zuba’s shoulder with mine in appreciation for his words and his strategy. [Yes! Moonbeam, you are a rare breed.]

Snorting, squawking, Moonbeam doesn’t feel the snare drawing tighter around him. [Flattery? I’m not that soft-minded...AGH!]

He struggles, but Ophion’s coils prove inexorable and mighty. Fading fast, Moonbeam strains to escape, but he cannot.

The goodwill now fills the room, bathing all of us. Kaline shouts, "These noble beasts deserve all our respect. Remember, we are coming together! Coming together as people of Tanglewood!"

No one scolds her for her spontaneous outburst. Minette’s and Lamant’s eyes shine with pride. Lobo howls and I roar.

One by one, the beasts in the arena, especially the defeated ones, add their voices to the chorus of joy and unity. We are all united in a brotherhood of animals. And also a brotherhood of players. The love from the human world, the real world, seeps into the arena.

Moonbeam grows drowsy and slowly collapses in a sleepy heap on the platform.

The announcer is awed. "Moonbeam is down! Such a valiant, fierce hippogriff! Only one beast remains. Wildstorm could yet prevail. So far, though, at this juncture of the contest, House Riddlehoeven-Lammermoor is leading!"

I lick Moonbeam affectionately.

[What are you doing?] Lobo faces down Wildstorm, who tosses her head again. [This is no time for sentimentality!]

[No, but it is for unity. Besides, he fought magnificently.]

The tremor underneath my feet puts a stop to me paying my respects. Windstorm is electrified. Wildstorm is an unstoppable machine, hooves pumping and pounding towards me, making the distance between us vanish. Energy crackles, lightning flashes, and thunder rolls.

This is not going to defeat us.

All of us swarm Wildstorm. Lobo and I leading, Ophion and Zuba adding the muscle, and the battle rages on. And on. And on. Kaline and Lamant fight valiantly, working in concert with us, spurring us onward. The House of Milian also puts in a noble effort.

Shooting Stars. Check.

Python squeeze. Check.

Super Jumps until I don’t know if I’m in the air or on the platform.

Biting. Clawing. Squeezing. Fighting. Finally, Wildstorm begins to smell fatigued. Her energy flags. We wear her down through sheer persistence.

[I yield.]

Her storm and electricity and lightning whimper and peter out, and she sinks to the platform.

Silence is its own living beast for a long moment. I catch my breath. I finally remember what breathing feels like. My entire body shudders. Lobo presses against my side. [We did it.]

[You did it.] Lightning’s voice is a balm and a celebration. [It’s almost over. Now--]

The roar of the crowd drowns out everything. The voices of Vedette, Niall, Elandior, Hans, and Minette reach us. The joyful hiss and snort and squawk and roar of our fellow beasts wash over me. Gussie squawks! "Win! Win! Win!"

The announcer’s soaring voice quells the absolute eruption in the arena. "They have done it! House Riddlehoeven-Lammermoor has done it! Well fought, House Milian! Well fought indeed. The victors are House Riddlehoeven-Lammermoor! Will the members of that house please join Blaze and Lobo for a well-deserved victory?"

He doesn’t need to ask. The moment the platform touches down, Lamant and Vedette hug Minette and Kaline. A family four-way hug. As for me, I’m in a hug pile that’s several tigers deep. Lightning and the cubs just cover me. This is wonderful. This is the best feeling in the world. Although I know System is lurking, waiting to spring the final trap, I can’t help just savoring the family togetherness. I even think I feel Einswine nuzzle us and Maartenwitz pat my nose, because of course he’s part of this. His triumph. His moment.

Magical confetti pours down on us, and fireworks explode above. The air is thick with joy and completion. It feels better than anything I have ever experienced.

The announcer booms, "Ladies and gentlemen and beasts, I give you the winners of this year’s Beast Taming Elimination Tournament...the House of Riddlehoeven-Lammermoor!"

More cheering.

Continuing, the announcer gushes, "We will have the grand trophy presentation shortly."

Lobo nudges me. [Look.]

I look up from the blissful pile and see a sight I will never forget.

The arena fills with every house, encompassing every tamer, and every beast from the tournament. Unprompted. Spontaneous. The wave of unity and emotion is off the charts.

Suddenly, the lights flicker and the arena is plunged into darkness.

System’s actual cold voice fills the arena. "Now the real contest begins."