Body and Soul: The Endgame Fix

Part 9: Rise and Fall

During training, Angry Girl had even insisted on finally getting him drunk, so he could have a feel for the "disembodiment of the experience," which supposedly resembled being poisoned by Kamaitaki's bite. Hulk was pretty certain she had ulterior motives. It had taken a lot of alcohol for him to feel "buzzed," but he hadn't puked or passed out. Afterward, the seductive pleasantness of being numb, even for just a few minutes, scared him. He thought her drinking herself into a stupor was an odd way for her to handle her pain if that was why she was always doing it. Still, the idea of him imitating his father was enough for him to stay clear of it. Troubles were generally better faced head on in his opinion. Fight them or get the hell away.

Hulk brought his attention back in focus as the Grandmaster shouted: "Let the Contest of Champions BEGIN!!!" The crowd roared and so did Hulk as he charged forward only to meet the full force of Kamaitaki's column of air. Having planned for this, Hulk stabbed his broadsword into the ground for a stable point to brace against and then sheathed his ax between his shoulder blades to free up his hands. Next, Hulk brought his palms together in a thunderous clap that collapsed the column of air, revealing a very surprised Kamaitaki overhead, scrambling to stay aloft. (Later, he learned the Grandmaster had found it quite amusing when everyone's cocktail glasses in the suite had exploded since he wasn't holding one at the time. The windows in most of the luxury suites—not so much.)

Hulk grabbed his sword and closed the distance between them. Kamaitaki twisted like a cat in freefall to land on all fours. Hulk led with a slash at the beast's left shoulder, which the creature instantly slapped away with its right front claws. Hulk kept up his momentum and slammed into its dark-furred shoulder with his own. What he lacked in size compared to his opponent, Hulk made up for with ferocity.

A surprised Kamaitaki rolled and scrambled for purchase with its claws on the loosely packed dirt of the arena floor. Hulk spun and attempted to bring his blade down on the beast's spine with a two-handed blow, but the huge weasel-like creature bit down on the back of his armor where the great ax was attached and flung him away with a flick of its muscular neck. Hulk landed on all fours, but he still had his broadsword in hand. There was bubbling purple blood smeared along the last foot of the blade.

He'd hardly stopped skidding when he charged back into the fray. Kamaitaki reared back on its hind legs with its front claws raking the air and its snake-fast jaws snapping. Hulk used the flat side of his blade to deliver a blow to the side of the creature's jaw, but its claws raked at his thigh, drawing blood. Kamaitaki growled and hissed till a perturbed Hulk connected with a backhand blow to the other side of its jaw.

Reeling a bit, Kamaitaki had had enough of being smacked around, so it launched itself into the air and created a column of wind. "Weasel fight! Not run!" Hulk shouted. Determinedly, he bit down on the blade of his sword and sprang after Kamaitaki, grabbing its tail at the base with the idea of destabilizing it in the air. Hulk had to keep it on the ground to win.

Listing badly atop the column, the wind-rider furiously kicked at its unwanted passenger as they rose higher and higher. Hulk held on stubbornly, and the two were soon stalled out and dropping from a little over 100 meters. Kamaitaki wriggled, attempting to get the upper position and crush Hulk underneath its body. That was just what Hulk wanted.

He climbed its fur and pressed the sword to its belly just in time for the impact with the arena floor. Hulk was glad to have gotten the blade positioned correctly because a double impalement would have been embarrassing if not fatal. Kamaitaki's reaction was a lot more visceral as it rolled and clawed at its belly, shrieking with pain. Hulk had some of the wind knocked out of him, but he was quickly back on his feet with his great ax now in hand.

Kamaitaki got its feet under it, too, but the beast was clearly in pain. "Yield!" Hulk shouted, giving it a chance to back down. "Hulk Champion!"

"NEVER!" it growled, and it pointed to the claw wounds on Hulk's right thigh that were now doused in Kamaitaki's purple blood. "Sloooow Death," it hissed with a satisfied sneer.