|1-The Tournament



                       A Short Story by SparHawk

      (This is a tribute to the plots of countless beat 'em up's!)


 Torches  flickered in the great hall.  Strange, grotesque statues lined
the walls and a long table filled the centre.  Tareuk, the Overseer, sat
at  one  end.  Lord Krusher, one of his servants, sat at the other.  The
space  between  was littered with half chewed carcasses, elegant glasses
overflowing with some foul, yellowish liquid - the remains of a gruesome
feast.
 "We  must  intervene!"  shouted  Lord  Krusher,  his enthusiasm turning
slowly  to  anger.   He adressed the tall, cloaked figure at the head of
the table.
 "My  dear  Lord,"  said Tareuk softly.  "You must be patient.  Once the
pitiful  mortals are out of the conquest we can claim what is ours.  For
now, just wait." Tareuk idly played with one of his many rings.
 "We  cannot!  The conquest is not going as planned!  Viper has allready
been defeated, if we leave it too long, who knows?" Krusher stood up and
punched the table.  "Dammit!  We can lose!"
 "Krusher,  calm  down.   Viper was destroyed because of his haste.  Who
was he anyway?  Just some fool shape-shifter from the outer forests.  We
will  not  fail.   You  will  not fail." Tareuk had lost his smile.  His
voice became more sinister.  A sign of anger.
 Krusher shook his head.  "Not if we enter now."
 "Go.   Leave.   Enter as you wish.  I will have nothing more to do with
you."  Tareuk  pointed  at the door to emphasise his dismissal.  The air
felt charged.
 Krusher looked up in surprise.  His master, Tareuk, was staring at him.
Krusher  opened  his mouth as if to speak but closed it again.  He stood
up abruptly, turned, and left the room.
 Tareuk chuckled quietly to himself.

 Spotlights  whirled erratically.  At one corner of the carefully marked
out  area  sat Luino, the Aikido master, idly tossing his pole from hand
to  hand.  In the other squatted the semi-translucent form of Greck, the
out world mercenary and favourite to win this round.  The crowds cheered
when he performed his characteristic dance.
 This  great  cavern  had  been  the venue for the Tournament as long as
anyone  cared to remember.  It was a rough, rocky arena - well suited to
those  who  fought  in  it.   The  cavern  was  chosen  not only for its
peculiarties  of  light  and  sound,  not only for its size, but for its
location.   It  was  at  the  foot  of the immense mountain on which the
Overseers  palace  sat.   This  simple  symbolism,  this  image  of  his
potential 'defeaters' fighting at his feet had pleased Tareuk.
 The  cavern  was,  as  always  at  this  time,  full  to  bursting with
spectators,  gamblers,  supporters  of  the  fighters.   Tickets  to the
Tournament  could  set one back an entire years wages, but for some this
was  acceptable.   The  announcer  sat,  as  he always had, in the tower
overlooking  the  arena  itself.  Even now he was preparing to start the
battle.   The  two  combatants  waited, tensed for action as soon as the
signal was given.
 The  bell  sounded.  Greck immediately stretched to his full height and
shot  across  the  ring.  As he neared where he last saw Luino he spread
himself  wide,  ready  to envelop his opponent.  Unfortunately Luino had
already moved.  His diamoned-tipped pole stabbed Greck in the side.
 Greck  immediately  flattened  himself  along  the ground, pouring over
Luinos  feet.   His  form hardened and Luino found himself pinned to the
floor.   I cannot let this...  thing...  win!  thought Luino.  My people
depend on me!
 Luino suddenly raised his pole to the air.  The crowd silenced.  Slowly
a faint humming came from Luinos lips, building in volume until suddenly
he  screamed.   With  this  he  swung his pole upon the hardened form of
Greck.   The  smell of ozone filled the air.  Electricity covered Grecks
incumbent body, welding him to the floor.
 The   announcer,   as  shocked  as  everyone  else,  shouted  over  the
loudspeaker.  "Tournament Round 32, Luino of the Deserts."

 In   the   changing  rooms  Krusher  readied  himself.   Tareuk  hadn't
understood  the  urgency,  but  he  had.   What  would  happen  if  some
outworlder, or even worse, some peasant took over?  What would happen to
him?  Tareuk would soon see Krushers power.
 In  the  distance  he heard the announcer call Luino the winner.  Pity.
He  would  have liked to fight Greck.  He hated mercenaries.  This Luino
though, what was he?  No less than a peasant, one of the stinking Desert
People!   How he had got this far Krusher didn't know, but he knew Luino
would not get any further.
 Krusher  strolled  calmly  over to the ringside, to put his name on the
roster.   A  quick glance showed that he was pared against some ethereal
named  Ghalis,  and  Luino  had  drawn the short straw with the unbeaten
psychic  witch Kelarsia.  Further down were more minor fights but at the
end  of the roster, after his own name, was Tareuk!  Why had he entered?
Never mind.  Krusher would destroy Tareuk as well!
 Krusher sat on a ringside seat to watch the new fight.

 Damn this body, thought Luino.  I'm tired!.  He wasn't sure he could go
on,  calling  electricity  like  that  drained  him.   He had fought two
difficult  battles in a row, and was not ready for a third.  He was calm
though,  he  silenced  his mind with ancient techniques, drained out the
roar of the audience.  His audience.
 In  this small moment of respite he mentally summarised what he knew of
Kelarsia.  She was a witch from the swamplands.  She was fighting to try
and  get  access  to  the  libraries held at Tareuk's palace.  All those
demon-spawn ever though of was knowledge.  He would give her some, right
where it hurts.
 If only this battle were over.  He knew that even if he defied the odds
and  made it to the last round he still had to fight Tareuk himself.  If
he  wanted to gain freedom for the Desert People he would have to become
the  Overseer.  To do this he must defeat the old in battle.  Many, many
people  had tried over the years.  Tareuk was undefeated after nine such
Tournaments.
 Luino  had thought this his last fight.  The Tournament had drained him
beyond  mere  physical strength.  He was no longer the man he was.  He'd
had  to  destroy  his  childhood friend in the third round, still in the
preliminaries.   He tried to put that behind him, the cause was greater.
His  problems  were now compounded by the appearance of Krusher.  It was
no  secret  that Tareuk entered his own people in the Tournament.  Viper
had  been  destroyed by the very witch he was going to fight.  That left
Krusher.
 The  crowd  began  to  cheer  once more.  Wearily Luino looked up.  The
small,  harmless looking Kelarsia sat opposite.  Sighing softly he stood
up  and  bowed.   Kelarsia  nodded.   If  I  kill  her, he thought, then
Krusher,  and  even  Tareuk,  what  then?   He wuuld free his people, of
course,  but  could  he  live as the Overseer?  Could he go through this
every year?
    This  was  a barbaric custom.  The Overseer ruled with an iron fist.
Tareuk  may  be worse than others but not by much.  In the early days of
training  Luino  held high values, but these had been worn away like the
rest  of him.  Everyone who entered this Tournament did it for their own
reasons.   The power the Overseer held could perform miracles.  How many
people  have  seen  their  dreams destroyed, he thought.  How many by my
hand?   Had  Tareuk  held  similar dreams those many years ago before he
became  the  Overseer?   Suddenly  the bell rang, pulling him out of his
misery.  Instinct took over.

    Luino  shoved his pole down hard and vaulted at the still stationary
form  of Kelarsia.  She simply pointed at him.  He stopped dead and fell
to the floor.
    Luino shook his head to clear it.  He squinted through blurring eyes
to see the witch.  She was walking closer.  Luino remained where he was,
biding  his  time.   Kelarsia  suddenly  raised  both  hands skyward and
shouted some obscene oath.  Her hands filled with fire and she hurled it
at Luino.
    Luino  rolled  to one side and leapt to his feet, pole at the ready.
He  lunged  at Kelarsia, spinning his staff in all directions.  Kelarsia
merely  dodged, avoiding each blow.  The strain was beginning to show on
Luino.
    The  fight  degenerated into a melee.  Kelarsia fought like a tiger,
it was all Luino could do to block and retreat.  His pole was useless at
such  close  quarters.   He  threw  it  to  one side.  Kelarsia took the
oppurtunity  to  perform  some foul magic.  Luino suddenly found himself
rooted to the spot.
    Kelarsia  lept into the air landed neatly on Luinos shoulders.  With
her  arms  and  legs  she began to throttle him.  Luino struggled at her
grip.   He  tried  to  throw  her off, but without being able to move he
could not do much.
    "Losing,  big  boy?" said a voice in his year.  Luino nearly fainted
with surprise.
    "Wha..." he began.
    "Shut  up!   Keep  fighting.  I'm prepared to concede, if you let me
have  access  to the Libraries should you win.  I have no wish to fight.
I only seek knowledge.  You have potential, you know.  Don't give up."
    Luino  futilely  struggled as he answered her.  "That's easy for you
to  say.   I don't know how to live with my concious if I do this, but I
accept."
    "Good.  Now, roll when I say.  We've got to make this look good.  If
you have any theatrics left use them when I say.  Roll!"
    Luino  suddenly  found  himself  free.   He  dived  at the floor and
rolled.  Theatrics she wanted?  I'll give her some.
    He  was  not  too  surprised  to  find the witch pinned beneath him.
Using  all  his inner Kai, his life force, he formed an illusion.  Where
once Luino, Aikido master of the Deserts, stood now towered a terrifying
Dragon.   With  a  roar  he bent his 'neck' and swung his head around to
stare at Kelarsia.  He winked softly, then breathed fire at her.
    She  responded  with a shield of her own, and while she did she held
her hand to the Announcer.  "I Concede!" she cried.  The bell rung.  The
fight was over.
    "I'll see you later," she said as she marched out of the ring.

Continues in part two...