Chapter 88 - Enter the Lion

“You sure about this, big bro?”

“Uh, I think so. He should be fine.”

“I don’t know about that. He looks awful shaky, you know?”

“No, that’s just how he gets himself pumped up.”

“Oh. I see, I see. Big bro, you’re so wise.”

“It’s nothing. You’ll be even smarter than I am when you’re my age.”

“Never! You’re my idol, Big bro - and for good reason! You’ve completed the playground 26 times, all by yourself! Kass and I have barely completed six rounds while working together.”

Skyle had the grace to flush at this as he lowered his head and coughed uncomfortably.

“I was just lucky. Besides, I’m a lot more used to dealing with things without using magic, unlike you two. I’m also a lot older.”

“Uh, big bro Leon looks even older than you, Big bro. And his face looks greener than a spinach. If you hadn’t explained it to me, I would have thought that his knees were shaking in fright and he was just about to throw up.”

Leon nearly stumbled at that, barely holding back a mouthful of blood.

“God damn little twerp, and to think I thought you were the nicer one of the bunch. You’re all a bunch of little devils. Devils!”

For what seemed like the hundredth time in the past couple minutes or so, Leon glanced around at the twenty-odd snowblade tigers padding in a slow circle around him, and the Marquese of Draxas wondered just how the hell he had ended up in this situation in the first place.

Kassandra sniffed loudly from where she was busily scratching a snowblade tiger’s ears - Velvet, if Leon did not badly misrecall.

“Pfft, he’s obviously just about ready to soil his silken trousers, you dummies.”

Leon bit back an oath as he sent a furious glare toward the little she-devil.

Kassandra affected not to notice as she held both of the tiger’s massive cheeks in each of her hands and tickled affectionately. “You’re going to show that big, fat, good-for-nothing noble oaf who’s the boss around here, aren’t you Velvet? Aren’t you, girl?”

Velvet’s foot-long fangs began to protrude from between her lips as a hideous grin lit up the enthusiastic tiger’s face.

“Great, just what I needed - more incentives for the murderous beasts to come after me.” Leon did his best not to let his dismay show.

“Relax, Leon. Velvet wouldn’t really hurt you. None of them will. They just want to snatch the little lamb. They know whichever team gets to tag it gets free brushdowns and extra portions of entrails at lunch.”

Leon bit back his curse at the last minute, the lamb-shaped ragdoll trembling in his hand. “Just what kind of self-respecting magical beast hollers and capers around for a stupid brush and some bits of offal? Hell, I'll buy you a whole boatload of Lindenese Caviar if you'll just keep your bloody fangs to yourselves!”

Trying not to dwell upon things he knew he would never understand, nor had any interest to, Leon instead raised his eyes to watch the forlorn rope that stretched a good three stories off the ground. The notion that he was supposed to run - not walk, mind you, but run at a dead sprint - across the seemingly endless length of rope while being accosted by countless berserking snowblade tigers from all sides did nothing to improve his mood.

“Uh, Leon. Are you sure you don’t want to use your summoned spirit? I mean, I completely understand. It’s your first run, after all, and-”

Leon indignantly held up a hand. “Say no more, you upstart peasant. You farmboys think you can look down your smudgy little noses at a scion of the Adrausier lineage? We’re the lions of the sun-scorched steppes, the conquerors of- Yikes!”

Leon barely had time to snatch back his hand as one of the vicious, dastardly tigers actually tried to chomp down on his arm as though it were a drumstick served up for lunch!

“Snowball, no crippling of limbs before the race starts!” An uneasy smile shakily circled its way around Skyle’s face as he turned back to his friend. “Eh, no crippling at all for that matter. Don’t mind them, Leon. They’re just pumped that they get to race with a new player. I think they’re expecting great things from you.”

This last was interrupted by several loud yawning sounds coming from the tigers at Skyle’s back. The damn fleabags had the audacity to lift one massive paw to their mouth in a disturbingly human-like gesture.

Suspicion flared in Leon’s eyes as he spun around on his heel. He turned just in time to catch Kassandra, the little minx, red-handed in the act of letting out a huge, exaggerated yawn while pointing with her hand toward Leon’s back.

Flustered, Kassandra did not even attempt to give any excuses, instead merely sniffing up her nose at Leon and turning her head away from the indignant noble.

“Kass, stop antagonizing Leon. He’s my friend, and you should be nice to him.”

Skyle’s plea fell on deaf ears. Her tiny, button lips moved in response, and Leon thought he caught the words “Fat” and “Ox” somewhere in between.

Glancing down in spite of himself, Leon scowled as he saw nothing but firm muscles and not an ounce of extra fat. He was happy with his physical prowess, thank you very much, and the ladies back at the Draxas Duchy had been even happier.

“Stumpy little brat.”

Leon couldn’t help but wince at the growl that came from Velvet’s throat at his words. Damn cats had ears like no one’s business. Big claws, too. Not even mentioning their fangs, snowblades..

The list only made his shaky resolve waver even more, so Leon firmly stamped down on his courage and lifted his head high. It was not death or injury that scared him, he told himself. Only the spectre of an ignoble defeat haunted him as he sent a wandering gaze through the whole circuit he was to follow.

First, there was there a series of wooden walls that rose ten feet high with ropes attached to them. On the other side of each wall, another rope awaited, as well as a ditch filled with water he was supposed to clear by pushing his weight off the wall and jumping. Beyond the last wall lay the second obstacle course, which was a pond filled with brackish water. There were multiple small disks that were four foot in diameter floating across its surface. He was supposed to clear each of them agilely enough that he did not topple over and fall into the water. After that, awaited the rope dash. It consisted of climbing up a log that was roughly three stories high, then running across a rope that was hardly an inch around in thickness. This rope stretched for an interminable 50 feet or so. At the other end of the rope stood another pole. He was supposed to slide down to the ground and reach the castle that awaited beyond.

This wooden mini-castle was a competent replica of a modern day fortification. He was to dash through the single gate, rush up the stairs, and run across its battlements before finding purchase on one of multiple swinging ropes located at the other end of the wall. After swinging from rope to rope several times, during which time he would be disqualified if his foot so much as graced the ground, he would finally arrive at the final obstacle.

Cliff Mountain was a hundred feet wall with many handholds intentionally carved along its surface. A competent climber would be able to make the top without any difficulty, whereupon he would reach the final stage - Adventure Slide. This dirt hill was intentionally designed to allow for the runner to take one of several sleds and rush down its length at what were patently very unsafe speeds.

The whole run stank of a blatant disregard for the safety of your fellow man, and that was not even counting the two dozen or so bloody snowblade tigers eager to sink their fangs - no matter what Skyle said, for what could a dumb little nitwit of a farmboy know? - into his tender, blue-blooded flesh.

“Remember, buddy. If at any point in time you want to call it quits, you just have to toss the lamb in your hands to the nearest tiger. That’s all they want from all this, and they will happily leave you alone. You’re gonna be alright, big fella - trust me.”

Leon couldn’t decide which annoyed him most, the condescending worry in his friend’s voice, or the uneasy grin that stretched shakily across his bloodless lips.

“You don’t even look like you trust your own words, you flaming turnip-for-brains buffoon. Would it really cost you so much to take some acting lessons, at the very least?”

Some of his misgivings must have shone through his gaze, as Skyle coughed uncomfortably before patting him on the back.

“Really, you’ll be just fine. I don’t know why you insisted on doing the run just because you heard I’m the unbeaten champion here, but I suppose it does look really fun.”

Leon did his best not to gawk.

“You flaming idiot, you think I’m doing this for fun?”

“I really wish it was me doing the run, but I’ll let you go first. Just remember you owe me.”

“Owe you my ass. If I get out of this in one piece, I’ll pay you back plenty - oh, don’t you worry about that.”

“Just one quick run and it’ll be all over. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t touch their tails. It’s the greatest insult that you can give a snowblade cat, and they’ll probably be pissed. Really pissed. You really don’t want a pissed off three-thousand pound cat juggling your ballsack with its pointy claws.”

Before Leon could open his mouth and ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, Skyle slapped him on the shoulder and shoved him forward.

“Ready? Set-”

“W-wait, just like that?”

“What’d you expect, a freaking inaugural address ceremony?”

“No, I mean, they’re really flaming close, farmboy. Shouldn’t I get a little bit of a headstart?” Leon flailed his arms while shuddering at the predatory gazes that surrounded him from all sides.

“Hmm. You do have a point. I don’t think I’ve explained this well enough. Listen, here’s three very important points that you want to keep in mind if you want to come out of this with your hide in-”

“Go go go!” Kassandra’s voice called out with disturbing enthusiasm.

Leon gaped in astonished horror at the hateful little minx, looking for a moment like a whale that had been beached. Then he had no time for anything else as growls rose from all around him, and his feet began to scrabble against the dirt before he even realized he was moving.

Leon felt more than heard the approach of a snowblade tiger on his left and he twitched away while flicking the twice-be-damned lamb ragdoll to his other hand. Feeling something looming uncomfortably close to his side, he instinctively lowered his shoulder and summoned his fire-reinforced strength to bash the approaching shadow aside.

A loud, rumbling impact shook his entire body and he nearly toppled to the other side. As it was, he tottered unsteadily for a while before picking up momentum and continued his desperate dash toward the walls in front of him. In his panic, Leon didn’t even register the surprised yelp as his shoulder charge knocked Wiggles’ questing jaws aside and sent the young snowblade tiger sprawling to the ground in a messy jumble of fur and limbs.

“The hell was that? Fuck me, I thought they weren’t supposed to attack me, only the doll!”

Leon didn’t even stop for a moment to realize that it had been him smashing into the poor, hapless snowblade tiger, and not the other way around. As it was, he could vaguely hear Skyle shouting out in a loud whoop as he cheered his friend on.

“You go Leon! Show these little pussy cats who the Lion of Draxas is!”

A chorus of ferocious growls instantly answered that statement, and Leon didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

“Would it really cost you to keep your damn tongue still for once and not make it even worse than it already is?”

At the very least, Wiggles’ unexpected crash had gained him some precious breathing room as the other tigers reflexively dodged and fell back.

The first of the walls loomed high before him as he approached at a dead sprint. Risking a quick glance over his shoulder, Leon saw too many shadows to count loping along the ground and eating up the distance that separated them far, far too fast for comfort.

“Uh-oh, big bro Leon’s not gonna have enough time to pull himself up the rope before they’re on him. He’s gonna get intercepted before he can even crest the first wall.”

“Pffft, you mean the dumb ox is going to get his butt torn off by the first tiger that leaps off the base of the wall. That’s what he gets for being so fat and clumsy.”

“Shhh, enough, you two. You underestimate my friend. Even though he didn’t get the usual headstart, I have full confidence in him or I would call Toothy back.”

“Oh, that’s right! It’s Toothy!”

Kassandra giggled just then, and that was enough to drive a spear of ice into his guts. Surely, that couldn’t be good news. What kind of name was Toothy for a tiger, anyway?

“Toothy, Big bro? I thought he was banned from the playground after the last time he used them huge fangs to tear-”

“Shush now, you’re going to distract him. Watch how an expert warrior handles this type of desperate, life-or-death situation.”

“Uh, wait a second. Life-or-death? I thought this was supposed to be a game, you damn brain-dead turnip farmer!”

The ice that had stabbed into his guts now swiftly coursed through his veins, clutching at his heart with wintry fingers. His breathing grew even more ragged than it already was, and his vision began to glow red.

“Fine, you want to see the Lion of Draxas? I’ll show you!”

“Pffft, expert my butt. He’s going to brain himself against the wall at that pace.”

“Yeah, Big bro. He’s gotta slow down. He’s going too fast!”

“Shh. Leon knows what he’s doing.. I think.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, you little traitor. Well, here goes nothing.”

BOOM!

Far from slowing down, Leon pumped his legs for all they were worth in one final, insane burst of speed as he ducked his head and smashed his shoulder against the wooden wall with all the force he could muster.

The rickety wall exploded into splinters as Leon burst through a human-sized hole at its base. The entire wall shuddered as it tottered unstably for a moment. Leon immediately splashed straight into the water-filled ditch beyond. It only came up to his waist, and so Leon spat out water as he eyed the oncoming tigers with a grim look on his face.

“Oh crap,” Skyle murmured.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Big bro?”

No explanations were needed, as Leon immediately bashed the rear of the wall with his shoulder once more. The entire wall let out a groan as it toppled back in the direction of the rushing tigers. Toothy’s malicious little grin vanished as its big, round eyes caught sight of the 10-foot wall coming down on top of him. The snowblade tiger hissed in panic as he scrabbled against the dirt and back-pedaled as fast as he could.

The entire wall fell down with a thundering crash, sending splinters flying everywhere and covering everything under a great cloud of dust.

“Holy hell, Leon. Seriously?”

“Uh, Big bro, is big bro Leon going to be alright?”

“From the cats, maybe. I’m going to skin that dumb brute with my own two hands, though.”

Kass’ tinkling laughter rang out in the air. “I told you he was just a dumb ox.”

“Where is big bro Leon? I can’t see him through the dust.”

“Neither can the cats. I think that’s the whole point, Reik.”

“Then how is he going to find the next rope to climb, Big bro?”

“Well, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of. He’s not climbing.”

“Huh?”

BOOM!

Another thunderous crash rang out from the distance, and shrieks of splintered wood filled the air, promptly followed by the sound of splashing water.

Even Kassandra looked completely dumb-founded at this. “Don’t tell me he’s really going to..”

Skyle’s smile wilted off his face as his skin grew waxier by the second.

“Yeah, I think when he said he was going to smash my peasant records, he meant it in the most literal way.”

“B-but Big bro, that’s six walls of sturdy pinewood planks. Surely, he can’t mean to-”

BOOM!

Reik stood there gaping with his mouth wide open, and Skyle could only shake his head.

“Uh, isn’t that cheating, Big bro?”

“Not technically. He’s not using any spells, after all - only his fire-strengthened body. Our tigers and even you guys do the same thing. It’s just that he’s a far more extreme case.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Whatever you call it, you have to stop your dumb ox of a friend, you dummy! He’s gonna wreck the whole playground!”

Skyle held his hands up toward Kassandra, shrugging as though to say it was clearly out of his hands now.

“I really..”

BOOM!

“.. don’t think that there’s any..”

BOOM!

“.. stopping him now..”

BOOM!

As though the Lion of Draxas had finally found his rhythm, the final three explosions came in quick succession, one after the other. A thin, ringing sound buzzed in Skyle’s ears, but his eyes couldn’t make out much of anything from the area where the walls stood.

“Hey, are you alright in there?” Skyle cried out worriedly.

“Didn’t you say the big ox knew what he was doing?”

Skyle coughed out a mouthful of dust. “It’s not Leon I’m worried about. He’ll be just fine. I’m more worried about Toothy. Poor thing, he looked so excited to be back at the playground.”

“Woa. Even Big bro’s friends are so godly- Oww! What was that for, Kass?”

“Don’t encourage him. He’s just a big, dumb ox. Lion of Draxas, my butt. More like Ox of Draxas.”

That last was met with a hearty laugh.

“You hear that, Leon? You’re hereby known as the Ox of Draxas!”

An inarticulate howl of rage was all the response Skyle got.

Still, that was fine. It should be just enough to motivate his friend into conquering this new challenge with all his heart.

That’s all Skyle wanted, to give his friend small, encouraging pat on the back.

Or a swift kick in the ass, whichever worked out in the big, lumpy idiot’s best interests.

A proud smile secretly stretched across his lips then, hidden from Reik and Kass’ eyes.

“Go give them hell, Lion of Draxas. Roar, and show them why you are the King.”