Chapter 168 - 164: Final Boss

Chapter 168: Chapter 164: Final Boss

System’s voice lingers in the arena, and there’s a bad taste and smell in the air. Metallic like blood. Rotting and sweet like fruit.

"Tanglewood. You have chosen to enable these two, Blaze and Lobo. They are dangers to the system of beast taming. They were never supposed to win."

The reaction is a firestorm.

Every one of the houses, even the ones we personally defeated, rises up in indignation.

House Milian: "It was a fair fight!"

House Hegel: "They were the best!"

House Ixchel: "If you didn’t want them to win...Actually, forget that. It’s illegal for you to STOP someone from winning. What have we become?"

House Yonel: "This is an outrage! You’re telling us the tournament was RIGGED and they still won? This destroys the integrity of the tournament."

House Barillot: "Who are YOU to tell us who should win? If we defeat someone, it should at least be a fair victory!"

Every house has a similar objection. To be fair, they don’t love us, and they clearly wish the tournament had gone differently for them. However, the idea that somehow we were never supposed to win and still won is incendiary. A Molotov cocktail.

The darkness becomes heavier, a suffocating thing.

"SILENCE."

System’s cold voice doesn’t vary its tone or emotion or energy, but I smell impatience.

"You think you all have a choice in the matter? The tournament has always unfolded exactly how it was designed to unfold. Winners. Losers. Culling the weak and unsound."

Far from shutting down the conversation, System sets off another nuclear explosion as the audience shouts, outraged. I expect someone to shout the line from the Hunger Games books and movies: "The odds are NEVER in our favor."

The houses are in an uproar and an uprising.

House Ancelot: "The tournament was ALWAYS rigged? We are giving back our previous trophy."

House Yonel: "Shut down the tournament! Cancel it. Rip it to shreds."

Cancel it, hmmm. That sounds specifically modern. Maybe the players are revolting?

"The tournament has brought you all together. Remember that."

The wise old Mushroom Man floats into the arena on a flying shroom, smiling beatifically. This is almost a Super Mario effect or a 1970s psychedelic one. The mushroom glows, fluorescent neon. As well, Mushroom Man is psychedelic vaporwave radiance.

Awe and surprise register on the faces of everyone. The Mushroom Man is recognized by several. He is a legend in Tanglewood.

The Mushroom Man spreads his hands. "Gentle people, wild beasts, friends, lend me your ears. This dark presence has controlled you and the games for thousands of years."

Outraged murmurs. The lid is about to blow off the arena.

Mushroom Man says, "But there are those from a faraway land that are working to help you. A land beyond your imagination."

I roar loudly, and my amulet pulses.

An amazing thing happens.

The two viewscreens flare to life and show a picture of me in a hospital room. A modern hospital room. Awake. With me: Amber and Damon and my parents on their tablets.

Then, a mosaic forms of people from W City, Paris, London, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, New York, Moscow, Cancun, Toronto, and all over the real world. All of them at their computers and on their devices. This is the livestream of the game. I have tapped into it. My amulet is a conduit.

[Mushroom Man Aid Unlocked.]

It’s a new popup, violet and gold to contrast with the System displays. It’s from Mushroom Man or the intelligence behind him.

Mushroom Man announces, "There are people in this other world who care about Tanglewood and want to help defeat the evil. Their fate is tied to this dimension. Both dimensions need each other. This realm is fighting to free us."

Heads are nodding all around the arena. I feel Kaline’s hand on my fur. Lightning nuzzles me for a second for moral support.

"ENOUGH. This other realm cannot do anything."

But System doesn’t sound too sure.

"We can do anything!"

That’s my voice on the screen. It’s surreal, being in this body and seeing myself on a screen. Worlds literally collide.

Kaline doesn’t know me, but she stares at my human face like she knows me from somewhere and is just trying to place me. With a fierce protective look, she says, "Whoever he is, he’s right. We can do anything!"

An answering groundswell of a roar builds in the room. The entire arena has turned against System. Why? Easy. It’s rewriting and violating the very rules that they live by. The rules that the System ingrained in them.

SNAP!

Iron cage bars start to come down with a teeth-chattering CREAK.

Lamant shouts, "Oh, no, you shall not!"

Several of the mages start channeling their power to reverse the iron cage bars’ descent. Beams of energy shoot up and push back against the iron bars. The flying creatures and the ones with Super Jump abilities attack the iron cage bars, flying valiantly to push the cage into the stratosphere. CREAK! The cage retracts with a SNICK. Cheers and huzzahs!

[You think you can challenge me? You are all my possessions! You are all tamed beasts! You are leashed and you do not even comprehend what I have done for you. How I have made your lives better with the beast taming rules.]

I growl. Way to spin yourself as the caring parent, System.

"Possessions?" Minette’s voice rings out. "We should stop listening to you right now. Tamed beasts are not possessions. They are our partners. They are part of us and part of our families."

The outcry grows louder. Onscreen, every person attached to a tablet or a computer increases hs or her efforts. The sheer concentration becomes a force that is palpable in the room.

FLASH.

I’m in the hospital room, the bed uncomfortable beneath me. It grounds me. My human body feels solid and heavy, if weak.

FLASH.

I’m back in the arena in my tiger form.

FLASH.

I’m back in the hospital room in human form.

FLASH.

I’m still in the arena.

[Lobo! What is happening?]

[You’re being pulled back home. We’re going home. But something is anchoring us.]

I growl. [We have to defeat System. Let’s tell all our tamers to combine their powers!]

[Blaze...Josh...bro. Your Earth body is wear. You’re tied to it. If System hits you, it could go very bad for you.]

I’m determined. [Well, I’m not going to just keep switching channels forever! We have to end this once and for all. Are you in?]

[What do you think?]

Cheered by his resolve, I communicate to Kaline. [Tell everyone to concentrate their energy. Force it to show itself.]

Kaline calls out, "Everyone! Focus all your energy together. We’ll flush this intruder out of hiding! There’s nowhere for it to hide!"

Everyone starts chanting in an old tongue of Tanglewood. Ancient words that I don’t recognize. The energy expands powerfully. It presses down on everyone, then bathes all of us, concentrating in the middle of the arena near the Mushroom Man.

"Show yourself," Hans shouts. "Or do you have something to hide? Show yourself."

[Show yourself!] I bare my teeth. [You heard them!]

Dark and silver smoke materializes, forming a gleaming silver entity with Gothic dark accents. Very different than the dark and silver digital demon that we glimpsed earlier. It doesn’t matter. Now, all of Tanglewood and the real world can see what we are dealing with.

Reaching out with cold, long silver fingers, it grabs for me. [I will take you first. You will be the first sacrifice. The first one to fall before the new order.]

[JOSH!]

Lightning isn’t bothering with my game avatar name, my beast name. But then again, why would she? My real name has more power here. My real name has always had more power.

Those icy silver fingers close around me, and my mind starts to go numb. What is happening? Onscreen, the human me lapses into a waking coma, staring into space, operating the table mindlessly. No! No! This cannot be. I have to break free.

Fading. Fading fast.

[I will give my life for my world.] I focus on the entity with my vision fading. [Just let everyone go free. I will give my life for both worlds.]

[NO!] Lobo and Lightning both chorus.

Then Gussie, clever, impulsive Gussie, says something that makes everyone do a double take.

"JOSH! Let him go. Let him go!"

Josh.

My real name.

It has an effect immediately. System’s grip slips. Those arctic fingers can’t seem to keep hold of me. Dangling in the air, I scramble to escape, even if it means I have a nasty fall.

Drawing on my Super Jump power and channeling my amulet, I leap right into the swirling heart of System’s digital shadowy body. Crackling, the amulet discharges all of its power into System. Feeling the energy buoy me up, I empty all the collective love and grace into the heart of System. SNAP. I overload it! System is dying!