I couldn't help but feel the lingering sense of dread as I grabbed my Hawaiian shirt and took one final look down at the pit before leaving; the finalists walked off to the dugout with Nora flashing me a grin and pointing down towards the infirmary, Eustace muttering something under his breath as he caressed his satchel and Wendy staring at Alduin as she sauntered off with a cackle.
"They only thing the NFC fears now… is you."
What the hell did he mean by that? Alduin, Malphas, himself and even Zunk were all feared competitors. Why would Wendy be the one to fear above all others?
Still, there were more pressing matters. I had to get to the infirmary and fast. Dodging the crowd of experts and would-be fighters wanting to give me a piece of their mind, I navigated through a large group of men before finding myself turning towards the darkened steps below, a dingy "infirmary" sign hanging and a shape lurking in the back I assumed was Nora as I walked towards her.
"h….k" they called out, the vocal chords raspy and weak, as if this was their first use in decades.
"Nora? I can't hear you, what're you trying to say?"
I stopped and peered, trying to figure out what was in front of me and instincts stopping me getting closer.
Looking back, that may have saved my life.
What stepped forward into the light and painfully close to me belonged in the deepest parts of this building or at the deft hands of only the most skilled combatant in that pit, not here.
"H…o…k" The sound became clearer, each consonant gurgled out in a guttural drone, his eyes wide and piercing amid a sea of white makeup and thick black eyeliner, a red sigil painted on both sides of his cheeks and joining down at the chin. He edged closer, gripping the sign tightly. "HONK IF YOU'RE HUNGRY" strewn across in a thick pungent putty that pulsated in place, nails digging into the cardboard. One started to peel away as it was forced further in, black rotting flesh poking out from underneath.
"Wh-what the fuck are you? Where's Nora?" I asked, realising how futile and stupid I must have looked, asking this meat clown to explain itself when it could barely even speak.
Then, it let out a guttural screech as it dived for me, a piece of its jaw threatening to tear away from the face as it moved faster than its damaged body should allow.
"Hoooonkryyyy" It howled, the sound like a banshee rooting me to the ground in fear as this ravenous monstrosity made a beeline for me, rotted fingers and bared yellow teeth housed in mouldy gums ready to tear into me.
In that moment, it was as if time froze. From the time between its dive to me closing my eyes and opening them; there was a resounding thud and crunch, dust kicking up all around me when I ventured to look and realised I was somehow intact.
A woman stood in front of me, standing upright and sighing. An instrument strapped to her back that she shook the dust out of while grumbling. She was tall; her face covered in piercings and her lips smeared in black lipstick, her flowing brown hair nestled under a dark blue hoodie. The meat clown was now firmly stuck in the side wall, one of his eyes sealed shut from the kick he'd received and his long grey tongue hanging loosely out of his distended jaw. He didn't move, and the sign now stood next to him like a makeshift tombstone.
"Man, you just attract them like a vulture to carrion, don't you? I knew you were gonna be a headache, but who'd have thunk you'd do this much…" She put her hands on her hips and shook her head as she turned, tiredness wracking her face and smile lines evident from one too many times having to put on a brave face. She irradiated calmness and strength all at once. "Names Freyja, figured we'd be meeting soon. We're close to the end, after all."
She reached out a fist, and I bumped it, awkwardly.
"You mean the end of the tourney? You sure took your time, I think I already met some of your kind." I frowned and felt uneasy, looking past her to the doorway. She retracted her fist and laughed, shaking her head.
"Not as cool as before, I see. No matter, we can walk and talk. Let's go, you're gonna try and save Nelle, right?" She opened the door, and I stopped before stepping past the threshold, hands firmly in my pockets as she eyed me up. "I'm not gonna stop you, y'know… but there's gonna be consequences."
After a moment of hesitation, I walked ahead and passed through the dimly lit hallway, trudging behind her as she spoke, flecks of the light illuminating her and showing a woman under strain; scars on her face from incessant acne that she'd inevitably once picked at, bags under her blue eyes, errant hairs that stuck to her face. When she caught me looking, she flashed a side grin and pushed them out of her face.
"Even someone like me isn't perfect, y'know. Gotta embrace the bad with the good. Wouldn't want any of my fans to have unrealistic expectations. Still, they'll persist… much like you, they're compelled to." She paused as we reached the double doors, turned away from me. I figured it was now or never to try and connect the dots, especially if what I did next incurred some kind of penalty I couldn't get away from.
"The music, does it have something to do with you?" I held up the iPod and the faint glow cast a long shadow along the back of the door. She turned and upon seeing it, her face sank for a moment as melancholy settled in.
"Yeah, my sisters know how to bring me to the party even when I don't want to be brought. My job is to oversee actions and consequences. As the bard, music is my primary connector and since I'll always be drawn to those moments and to… well, you. It was inevitable to be here. But something is different this time. They want to put an end to the cycle and can't do so without my being here. They think they're doing the only thing possible. I don't share that sentiment, but we all can only influence at a distance. Anything more and we cause a bigger reaction down the line."
She turned to me and stared at my pockets.
"If you use that silver tear now, it's not a loss that will befall you later, but something far more insidious. You will come to know so much and yet be left with so little. It will change you in ways that even I don't know yet." She almost looked forlorn before that melancholy returned and her smile, though pained, lit up her face as she sighed. "But… you've already made up your mind, so why am I wasting my time?"
I gripped the potion in my pocket and swallowed, nodding.
"She'd do the same for me, if she could." I croaked as I walked forward, Freyja pushing the door open and allowing in the cold, sterile light of the infirmary as her voice called out behind me.
"She already did."
-
Nora was waiting, leaning over Nelle and carefully pushing her hair aside as she dusted off her outfit, meticulous in her efforts to make Nelle look as clean as possible.
"Y'know I didn't really know her, but I had heard stories of the great Madame Nelle Lockwood… discoverer of the mud dwellers, destroyer of the bone spider scourge, hero of The Spaces In Between… she's a legend here in Sturgeon for all that she's done. Yet, I only got to see her in those fights."
Nora shook her head, standing up and looking over at me. "I'm not an emotional kinda gal, but it's never easy to see someone you admire just gone like that."
Saying nothing, I walked over and stood by Nelle's side, Nora backing off to give me some space. Pulling out the potion, I poured the contents into Nelle's mouth and stood back, clutching the bottle in my hand.
The room was silent for the briefest of moments until it was broken by the extreme intake of air, pained cries and gasping by Nelle as her body thrashed, bent and finally sat upright. She clutched at her chest and with eyes watering, grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and pulled me close.
"You just can't help yourself, can you?!" Her voice was low, pained and filled with the kinds of complex emotions that I knew weren't meant for me. I didn't know what to do, what to even say as her voice began to break. "Last time you made the choice without me. I watched you go, and I promised I'd never let it happen again. I wasn't there the last time, and I vowed to be there this time, to make my own choice and help END this fucking mess… but I should've known better… I'm as bound to this as you are." She looked over at the both of us, Nora wide-eyed and glancing at the bottle for a moment before returning her gaze to Nelle. She shook her head and smiled, offering out a hand to help her up.
"Glad you're back in the land of the living, Nelle. It's almost time, I'll leave you guys to it, but wish me luck, kay?" She pulled me in for a hug that lasted just a little bit too long before smirking and dashing off up the stairs, leaving me to hoist Nelle under my shoulder and follow at a snail's pace, obviously still weak from the proceedings.
"Did I ever tell you the story of the nun and the monk, Sal?" She asked, head still drooping on occasion as we cleared the hallway and made for the stairs, the sound of barking and enthusiastic gamblers filling the air as we ascended. I shook my head, and she continued. "There was always two opposing views, nobody is really sure how they started but there was always a disagreement and eventually a pact was made to go their separate ways. But the nun broke the pact and went to her priest for a way to do away with the monk for good. I don't know what happened when they finally clashed, but the end result was two forces that would follow a pattern wherever they went; one who regrets… one who forgets."
As she finished, we reached the top, and she got up from under my arm, stretching and sighing as she looked at me with that same stare wracked with decades of regret, sorrow and guilt.
"All this time and I never get used to it, not once." She caressed my cheek with a hand and shuffled back to the booth, grabbing a bottle from her bag and drinking with vigour as I stood there, dumbfounded and knowing I was the most obscure piece in a much, much bigger puzzle.
Story of My Life, really.
-
After a quick refill on food and drink, allowing me to collect my thoughts, I took my seat in time for the lights to dim and Alduin to be already bathed in the bright light, her cape shimmering as the sleeves fluttered behind her gloriously in the makeshift breeze. She had a flair for the dramatic, that much is sure.
"Fans of the violence, the nightmares, the freaks and the geeks! While we have one special exhibition match to announce afterwards, our NFC Openweight Grand Prix comes to an end NOW! Over a dozen fighters attempted to scale the horrors we put in front of them and many lost their lives in that attempt at freedom, glory and a wish. Now, we're left with the three absolute best in the NFC's first ever triple threat for not only the bragging rights of being this year's Grand Prix winner, but…"
Alduin unstrapped the belt and held it high above her, that one eye flashing as the eyepatch rumbled and teeth shimmered.
"A chance to face me for the biggest prize the NFC has to offer. Anytime, anywhere. GLORY TO THE NFC!"
The crowd erupted with cheers and chants of "NFC" as they stomped their feet and bellowed at the top of their lungs. They'd been waiting all night for this, we all had. For all the blood, guts and losses I'd seen down there, there was a distinct part of me that was… excited for this. Turning my pre-amp on, I prepared myself for what was to come next.
If I was to end it all here, I'd give the performance of a fucking lifetime.
"Without further delay, we bring you our finalists! First: She fought off winged beasts, vampires from the Far East and showed us why she's still got the heart of a champion… Nora fuckin' Zayne!"
Nora walks out, fresh tape on her wrists, ribs and legs, knees padded up and feet bare. She looks calm and collected as she takes her spot opposite Alduin, quietly waiting.
"Second: He is one of only two invitational entries in this tournament and represents The Order Of The Moth, he has a satchel full of LITERAL nightmares and, if you'll pardon the pun, is the dark horse of this tournament; ladies and gentlemen… Eustace De Kolta!"
Eustace walked out with purpose, but no fancy hat, cape or full suit. Instead, he was wearing his blazer and shirt with the gloves off and only his satchel adorning him. His face sullen and much like Nora's, focused entirely on the next steps he'd need to take.
I was about to start talking as Alduin finished up her announcements, but Nelle put up a finger and looked down in horror, lip trembling.
"Last but by no means least… She hails from the Hotel Inertia, she ripped Justiano in half, nearly tore the corporeal JJ Watson to pieces, eviscerated the swarms of Teihiihan and nearly took out our NFC Abyss Champion Abaddon The Destroyer… winner of the NFC Wildcard Tourney; "Wendigo" Wendy Hathale!"
Wendy stumbled from the dug out, her hoodie in tatters and the facemask nowhere to be seen. Her eyes were red, wide and darting all around as foam bubbled in her mouth. As soon as she spied the others, she screeched and ran forward on all fours, her clothes splitting as her form rapidly grew into the horrifying unleashed form she'd displayed before, but with far less control behind it. As the stomach grew inward, the thick wiry hair protruded out on the shoulders and that awful malnourished heaving filled my ears, I felt terror run through me.
This wasn't a Wendy in control, not by a long shot.
Alduin leapt out of dodge and up to her perch, a look of shock and uncertainty across her face as she surveyed the situation below, taking a moment of pause before shouting that phrase that seemed almost ceremonial, but nevertheless served its purpose in snapping me out of my state and hitting record.
"BEGIN!"
-
NFC OPENWEIGHT GRAND PRIX FINALS: EUSTACE DE KOLTA VS NORA ZAYNE VS "WENDIGO" WENDY HATHALE
Eustace had already manoeuvred himself far enough away to open his satchel, without any change in his focused expression or word of warning; the long spindly arms carrying monstrous, hungry hands poured out of the satchel and towards Wendy, grabbing onto each of her limbs and trying to hold her in place.
Nora, watching this and seeing an opportunity, rushed forward and secured a flying knee to Wendy's jaw, connecting with full force and sending her skull bouncing back before returning to face forward.
"What a stunning display of teamwork by two of the three finalists! In an unexpected turn straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy, we've not only seen fan favourite Wendigo Wendy go completely feral as the finals begin, but Nora Zayne and Eustace De Kolta recognising the enemy of their enemy is their friend, even for the briefest of moments! Nelle, glad your brush with death was only that… a brush, but what do you make of this? What's going to happen in the long run?"
Nelle's usual cool exterior and knowledgeable bravado was nowhere to be seen. Not due to exhaustion, injury or her earlier fights, but because of what she was seeing down below with Wendy. The woman who had fought so bravely and valiantly when she fell.
Perhaps somewhere in the back of Nelle's consciousness, she saw what Wendy did, saw HOW she reacted to Nelle falling in that pit. Maybe Wendy felt as if she was drawn to Abaddon, the same way she was. In any case, she shook her head fervently before finally speaking into the microphone as Wendy broke free of the arms, breaking some and biting clean through others, spraying blood across the pit as she tore towards Eustace.
"She's going to be killed. They all are. Nothing about this was by chance, Sal."
Wendy let loose a claw and grazed Nora's shoulder as she let out a pained howl, creating distance with a vicious kick to Wendy's knee. Nelle persisted.
"Look at it; A former NFC champ who, while undeniably more skilled than most who sign up for these tourneys, has opponents who are either way beneath her in power OR just leave when "their job is done" in Temperance? A Wendigo forced to go through a Wildcard first against an opponent who leaves after "doing as he was told", then against the Abyss champion who himself is taken out prior to winning? And, of course…"
Nelle looks down and her hands shake, my ears ringing with the eponymous words spoken by Eustace after Wendy's victory playing alongside his mentioning of what happened to his family at the hands of an errant and ravenous Wendigo…
"The only thing the NFC fears now… is you."
I could see his grimace flickering with a smile ever so slightly as he pulled the bag open to let out that same monster we saw from the very first fight; The Devourer. Arms draped in paper thin, sallow skin, yellow veins pumping a thick liquid around its translucent body. Beady little eyes stacked atop one another, a mouth filled with black salivating gums and a long spindly tentacle protruding from its mouth.
"A nightmare catcher with a hatred of Wendigos." I finished, swallowing and feeling my hands shake as the realisation swept over me.
It crawled out with the same kind of reflexes one would expect to see from a tarantula, immediately getting out of the way of Wendy's attack and drawing away attention from Eustace. As it wrapped its tongue around Wendy, she pulled on the creature with exceptional force, lifting it off of the ground and smashing into the ground, dragging its flailing body towards her and raising a heel, crushing its skull in one motion, the limbs of the devourer tensing before falling limp.
All the while, Eustace was pulling something much different from the satchel, utilising the distraction to pull out a silver dagger with a glint in his eyes. Snapping his fingers, the tentacle whipped up and sliced through Wendy's chest, puncturing her rib cage and going for her heart.
"I only need pierce that black heart to be rid of you. Clearly, the right call to be made in your current state." He panted, adrenaline running through him in an uncharacteristic moment of candid behaviour. " I wanted to like you, Wendy. Truly, I did. But this proves you are different to the others only in your intellect, nothing more. Forgive me." He tensed his grip on the dagger as the tentacle began pushing on Wendy's spine, her jaw slack in shock.
"Forgive yourself first, De Kolta. You took your eyes off of another opponent!"
He barely had time to turn before Nora's elbow collided with his skull, followed with a stiff kick to the neck that dropped De Kolta hard to the ground, sending his satchel and the dagger flying. Nora turned her attention to the situation at hand, rushing forward to try and wrench the mammoth tentacle away from the rapidly deteriorating Wendy, now reverting to her human form as the tentacle bore deeper into her.
Alduin clapped with joy, lapping up every moment of pain, agony and suffering as if it were the finest of cuisines. Eustace stirred on the ground and upon seeing the dagger was closer to him than the satchel, gripped it tight and got to his knees, blood seeping through his teeth and his knees buckling over and over as he stumbled to get it together.
"First time I've experienced any pain since that night… how utterly appropriate. But you're right, Nora Zayne. I overlooked the other great monster in this tournament, the woman who last held the NFC belt. I won't make that same mistake again."
Holding it as if it were a throwing knife in a carnival show, he carefully aims in the exact same way Abaddon did to Nelle.
"Zanaya, Rex, Qwong… they all succumbed to something pulling at the strings. They're going to kill each other before this is over…" I breathe, legs shaking under the table and threatening to bounce against the audio equipment, but I don't even care. The moment hits me like a freight train and I cannot help but yell into the microphone as time slows to a crawl;
"Eustace De Kolta about to throw that knife directly at you, Nora. Get the fuck out of dodge, NOW!"
He threw it with prejudice, the silver sheen glinting as it cut the air and sped the length of the pit, hurtling towards Nora's back as she desperately tried to remove the tentacle. He smiled, she turned to see.
There was a dull thud and the sound of flesh being split, a gasp from the crowd and the soft dripping of blood hitting the canvas. My heart stopped and I felt the world stop with me in fear of what was to come.
Wendy, now human and with tentacle still attached, held out a defiant hand that allowed the dagger to puncture clean through. Digits twitching and shaking as the other hand tried to form a fist and pull the dagger out. When she did so, still breathing heavily, she stuck the tentacle in the back with all her might. It writhed and flailed before falling limp and detaching itself, a circular scorch mark on her back with a faint symbol still visible, but no deep wound observable.
"I don't know what you did, De Kolta, or if you even knew you were doing it. But if we're gonna do this, I do it with a clear head." She dropped to a knee as Eustace stared incredulously at her, unsure of how to respond. She coughed heavily before regaining her composure. "Looks like whatever I throw at you next will be it. Whoever is left standing can take on the Tony Jaa wannabe behind me. Seems only fair since this is personal, right?" She flashed him a grin and it was so disarming even I couldn't help but grin with her, Nelle shakes her head and chuckles to herself.
"Every time, there's always one like her." Eustace staggers to his feet, smiling but clearly not able to withstand much more himself.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Hathale. I didn't come this far to falter n-." Before he'd finished, Wendy cleared the length of the pit and stood in front of him, hair now a tangled mess as it blew down her face and her expression blank.
"Too slow." She hissed before striking him once in the stomach, a shot so hard it split the seam in his waistcoat and sent the buttons flying. He spat out blood and stumbled back, groaning while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on her.
"I need to avenge them. I need to fulfil my promise to the order… I can't let something like you wander freely, knowing what you could do to anyone else!" He cried, dashing for the satchel as Wendy dashed forward again.
This time, she lashed out with a strike that was aimed for Eustace's stomach, but instead caught the satchel.
The ensuing chaos was nothing short of a maelstrom of darkness and a wall of sound. As if a bomb had gone off, huge dust clouds kicked up around the venue and a low droning followed with several distinct footsteps, cries and undulating sounds crept through the venue. Whatever Wendy had done to the satchel, it'd allowed everything Eustace kept within the satchel to begin spilling out at once.
But within a few moments of the sounds to spill out of the venue, the dust cleared and silence reigned once more. Wendy was shielding an unconscious Eustace, deep scratches on her body while Nora stood with that same black sheen over her as she held a shadow-like creature by the neck, tossing it aside as she spied Wendy.
There was a momentary lull as the two women's eyes met, Nora cracked her neck and Wendy moved Eustace to the side of the pit, panting and exhausted but still game.
"You give me anything less and I'll know." Wendy quipped, rotating her shoulders and taking in some deep breaths. "A cornered beast is more dangerous than a confident one."
Nora smirked, the black sheen still visible but fading as she opened her arms.
"Of course, which is why I'll let you get the first shot."
"You'll let me approach, no bullshit?" Wendy's eyes narrowed as she began to close the gap.
"Can't beat the shit out of you without you getting closer." Nora grinned, tension in the air.
Wendy gritted her teeth and faked a left hook, driving her right fist under Nora's jaw in a searing uppercut that landed clean and sent Nora's neck backwards.
But Nora did not falter.
With the arm in range, she held the wrist and with one well-placed punch to the elbow joint completely broke the arm. She screamed and grabbed Nora with her good arm, holding onto her wrist tape as she fired volley after volley into Nora's stomach.
But again, Nora did not falter.
Instead, she absorbed every shot until Wendy inevitably tired, waited for her chance and struck with a left high kick to the head.
As Wendy fell, her hand reached out and grabbed Nora's wrist tape again, the only thing holding her up the sheer will inside her.
Wendigo Wendy was out cold.
The fight was over.
As the moment calmed, the crowd erupted into cheers and Alduin stood up, clapping and laughing heartily. I took to the microphone and did what I do best.
"That was the most intense fight I have EVER seen not just here but anywhere. This was an all-time classic I would love to see run back again and my god is it good to say that knowing that all three survived against the odds?! What a final. What competitors. Give it up for Nightmare Catcher Extraordinaire Eustace De Kolta, Wildcard Winner Wendigo Wendy Hathale and the NFC Openweight Grand Prix Tournament Winner: Nora Fucking Zayne!"
It was a beautiful moment punctuated by the intense stare down between these two women. Nora declared her desire to fight and so in 3 hours, they'd go toe to toe for the ultimate prize;
The NFC Openweight Championship.