Savage Awakening 474. Quarterfinals (I)

“Alright, folks!” said the announcer. “It’s the round of 16—it’s getting real low now. Every fighter left’s a threat to make the podium. Every name’ll go down in the history books!”

The stands were packed with cheering fans—quite a few were waving rocks, which Zane found pretty heartwarming. Minor Gods were there too—kings, emperors, and Patriarchs—stuffing the clouds, craning over each other to get a look.

“The eyes of the world are on this one fight!” roared the announcer. “Between two singularly mighty men… without further ado—to the left… it’s Xiaochun, the Living Fortress!”

Xiaochun thumped his chest. He bared a silver-toothed grin.

“Known as the single most physically dominant force—possibly in the entire world, even counting Minor Gods and ancient beasts!” cried the announcer. “He made his name beating down an entire tribe of diamondback apes. Outwrestling, dominating, even strongest… taking their ancestral Beast Bones too! After he came back it’s been strength after strength. He hurled Mount Hua into space! Pulled the Primordial Spear from the stone! …And that’s not even counting his real strength!”

Xiaochun rapped his chin. Clang!

“That’s right,” he grunted.

“His body’s a treasure unto itself. No man in living memory’s so much as scratched him!”

Zane frowned at the man.

This guy kind of looked like him. The real him, that was. But his physique was made of worse stuff—a bit smaller. He wasn’t one to gaze at his own muscles all day, but he couldn’t help but notice this fellow’s didn’t quite stack up either.

He almost looked like a knockoff Zane.

He supposed it wasn’t an uncommon idea, building around strength, making a treasure of your body. He was bound to run into a man like this eventually.

Still, it was a little odd.

The whole time, this Xiaochun hadn’t taken his eyes off Zane.

“Meanwhile—on the other side—it’s Jack! Still championing the Way of Rock!”

Zane waved his rock. By now it was known as his opening move—the crowd went wild.

“Jack, eh?” said Xiaochun. He chuckled—he had a pretty deep voice. Though not quite as deep as Zane’s. “I’ve been watching your fights. Fun stuff. Real fun.”

 “But here's my problem.” He cracked his knuckles. “You fought a poisoner, a pretty boy, and a little girl. You never did pick on someone your own size, did you? Sure hope those muscles aren’t just for show… this fight’s about to go to deep waters. You better know how to swim.” 

Zane was a bit speechless. 

Even this guy’s lines were cornier than his own. 

He shook his head. “Let's get this over with.” 

“Begin!” shouted the announcer. 

*** 

“How about we play a game? Man to man.” 

Xiaochun tapped his chin. “It’s simple. We’ll go blow for blow. Whoever can’t take it anymore loses. Tell you what—I’ll even let you go first. Won’t even block! ‘Cause I take one good look at you, bud. And I think—this guy doesn’t have shit for me.” 

The guy looked at him funny. “…Sure.” 

Xiaochun had to hide a chuckle.

It was almost too easy.

This Jack seemed a simple guy. Xiaochun could even respect that. 

But he was goaded far too easily. 

He was clearly built strong—so much so it even pressured Xiaochun a little, he had to admit… 

But Jack’s mind game wasn’t there. 

All that taunting, all that bluster with the first shot—it was all to goad Jack into this foolish, in-the-moment decision. 

A trick he’d mastered over and over.

Now Jack was heading over. And Xiaochun could guess what was going through his mind, even as he puffed out his chest and crossed his arms, making sure his forearms bulged impressively. 

Now was the point they all realized what they had just agreed to. 

The Living Fortress was a man who’d thrown Mount Hua into outer space. Who’d crushed a whole tribe of diamondbacks! How could you take him down? The sweat was on. 

But the truth was Xiaochun had poisoned those diamondbacks before he fought them. And he’d hollowed out Mount Hua too, before he threw it! He was one of the strongest of his generation—true enough… 

But he didn’t just want to be strong. 

He wanted to be legendary. The one great strongman of his era, undisputed—so strong, it didn’t even make sense! 

And to do that, he had to play the fame game. Had to know when to stack the deck in your favor.

Churning in his belly, even now, were two trump cards: the Draught of Iron Will and the Draught of Diamond Focus. Two of the strongest soul-strengthening elixirs. They’d make it damn near impossible to knock him out! Illegal, of course. But he could run rings around Cloud City’s testers.

Think I’m some fool, huh? Think I don’t know how your little rock trick works?

So as Jack stepped up, Xiaochun stepped right back, put on his best shit-eating grin, and crossed his arms.

He’d enjoy this.

Jack’s face was still puzzled. It was easy to be—easy to convince yourself you stood a chance. You had the first shot, after all!

The fear would come after.

After Xiaochun took their best shot—took it without so much as flinching.

Then the realization would set in. And they would realize they’d have to take what was coming back.

It was enough to make the most disciplined of men piss themselves. He’d seen it happen more than once.

And the worst part was—the more terrified they were, the more they flinched, the worse the damage would be…

Xiaochun’s grin widened.

Take it as a learning lesson. I’ve been where you are once, kid… better luck next time.

“You’re sure?” said Jack.

“What’s the matter?” sneered Xiaochun. It was barely even performance anymore. “Lost your nerve?”

At this point, Jack blinked, shrugged, and gave him a whack.

CLANG!

Xiaochun, the Living Fortress… did not fall.

“He—he took Jack’s shot!” screamed the announcer. “He really did! …For the first time ever—Jack couldn’t knock someone out!”

Zane blinked.

He… actually did.

This guy was tougher than he thought.

The Living Fortress’s head had snapped all the way back. His legs wobbled like wet noodles; his whole spine was bent like a bowstring.

But he was still up.

Zane shrugged.

Fair enough. He figured he’d try a little harder next time.

***

It took a few seconds for Xiaochun, the Living Fortress, to remember where he was. And another few for his ears to stop ringing.

He blinked blearily across the ring, tears in his eyes.

There stood Jack, looking a bit concerned—he was saying something. Xiaochun couldn’t quite hear over the ringing in his ears.

“Hey there,” said Jack with a friendly wave. “Your turn.”

The black spots were still fading from his vision.

“Bluh?” said Xiaochun.

“…That’s the game, right? You took my shot. Fair’s fair.”

Then Jack presented his own chin.

…A chin that looked a lot more chiseled up close…

Xiaochun took a step back, swallowing—what the hell had just hit him!? He still hadn’t pieced it together—everything felt woozy, blurry.

“Now hold on a second there,” he slurred.

Jack waited patiently.

He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Silence.

“What?” said Jack.

“I…” croaked Xiaochun.

The audience was starting to boo. He was on the verge of tears.

You bastards—I just took the hardest hit I’ve ever taken in my godsdamned life! He wanted to shout. So hard the past few minutes were only just coming back to him—

He blinked dumbly down at Jack’s rock.

…Jack hit him that hard—even with his trump-card elixirs?

He blinked some more at Jack, who was starting to frown.

“Look,” said Jack. “If you won’t hit me, I’m going to hit you again.”

***

“Wait!” gasped the Living Fortress. “Wait—I’ll go—I’ll go!”

He took a rattling breath and cleared his throat.

Then he snapped upright, boomed out a laugh—suddenly fine. “I was merely considering what best to compare that fist to—a pillow or a feather duster. You’ll have to do a lot better than that!”

Somehow Zane doubted that.

“Go ahead.”

He lifted his chin.

“Hmph! This,” breathed Xiaochun, “is the sky-sundering, demon-sealing fist!”

He raised his fist, clenched it tight.

Darkness smoldered around the knuckles. Hellish red flared off in dramatic bursts.

“A fist that annihilated the King of the Diamondback Apes. A fist that downed the Silverclad sage in a single blow!”

His voice cracked a bit. It wasn’t the most convincing performance, Zane felt—this fellow was doing better at the start of the fight.

Then Xiaochun let out a howl and struck. CLANG!

CRACK!

The sound of bones shattering.

The fist dropped off Zane’s face and came away mangled meat.

The crowd gasped.

Zane blinked. He almost forgot.

He staggered—a bit delayed, admittedly. He hoped he saved it.

“Ow,” said Zane. “Alright, my turn.”

The Living Fortress was still staring at his pulped fist.

Then he looked slowly back at Zane, pupils quivering.

He shrieked.

Zane whacked him.

***

“That was… uh… fast!” said the announcer. “Well—like that, Jack’s off to the quarterfinals!”

“He's just physically overwhelming,” muttered Tutor Li. “But we knew that. The quality of soul and body you’d need to take down the Living Fortress, just like that…”

“I’ll bleed him,” breathed Virya. She turned, cheek still pressed against the glass. “…Poison?”

“I…” Tutor swallowed. “I’m sure you’ll manage it, miss—but we haven’t even seen him take a knee so far! Whatever he’s got in that rock… clearly he’s a once-in-an-era talent with it.”

“I’ve taken down bigger game.” Virya grinned. “Dunno. I think it’ll be fun.”

“It’s just—” He wrung his hands. “Mistress—I’m sure you can defeat him. Your family would like a guarantee. We can’t just… wing it with a man like him. And we still don’t know what he’s capable of…”

There came a knock at the door.

“There’s a visitor here for the Mistress,” said a servant. “A man named Saint Earthshatter.”

“Earthshatter…” muttered the Tutor. “Come in?”

The door burst open. Earthshatter burst through, white beard in a mad frizz.

“You,” gasped Earthshatter. “You’re fighting him next. Aren’t you?”

He looked quite out of breath, as though he’d run a long way very fast.

“That’s right,” said the Tutor, nonplussed. “What’s it to you?”

Earthshatter ground his teeth. “Listen to me,” he said. “My name is Earthshatter. I am a master of stone. I will not be humble now. You must understand who you are dealing with. In all matters of the sediments, the tectonic plates, the flows of the earth… I am not a master. I am the master. Certainly in the field of the rock-based arts. I was regent to the Dwarven Kings. I raised the Kyria mountain ranges with nought but law knowledge!”

“Fair enough,” said Tutor Li, looking taken aback.

“That man. That… Jack. That fraud—”

He jabbed his finger at the glass.

“I’ve studied him since the moment he set foot in that arena. I know all his methods, every damned thing, all his little gimmicks—I’ve had enough of him, enough!”

He stomped up.

“Let me help you,” he said. He was red in the face—trembling now. “I know how to break him. I’ve dreamed of it. I see it, even now—where all his strength comes from! I know how to exploit all his weaknesses. To take the mask off his excuse for a rock-based art—expose him for all the world to see—the earplugs, they were the last straw! I can’t take it anymore! If I have one more client come to me with a godsdamned pebble—!”

Earthshatter took a deep breath.

“You don’t understand,” he said at last. “My disciple of ten years just told me he wanted to quit meditating on the flows of the mantle, which shape the mountains and the valleys. He told me, ‘I don’t want to learn that old stuff anymore, master. That’s boring. I just—”

Earthshatter couldn’t even say it. “‘I just—want to hit people with rocks.’”

He sounded broken.

Tutor Li looked like he didn’t know what to say.

Virya, though, perked up. “I’m listening.”

Earthshatter sniffled. “…Alright. This is what you must do.”