The jump didn't exactly go as planned.
As soon as I cleared the frame, I could instantly tell that something had gone wrong. The action itself felt off and unbalanced.
This is going to hurt, I thought in the split second before I hit the ground.
I landed awkwardly on my hip, sending shocks of pain throughout my body. Inertia made me keep rolling sideways on the rough gravel alleyway. Gritting my teeth, I clenched my fingers to distract myself from the hot spikes now shooting up my leg and torso as I tumbled to a stop.
Thank goodness I was lying in the shadow of the building and not out in the street. Who knows how that would've ended up.
Never mind that now, get up Melody! You have places to be!
Motivating myself by imagining the look on Ash's face when I showed up, I shakily got to my feet. I steadied myself, putting a hand on the wall beside me and taking a few steps forward.
I should make myself more presentable as well. I didn't want to arrive looking like a wreck.
Wait a second...
When did I start thinking like that? When have I ever cared about what I looked like? Something was wrong, I didn't usually act like this. Ever.
Deal with it later, you have other problems.
After mentally chastising myself, I quickly brushed the dust off myself and stepped -- or rather limped -- into the street. Nearly everyone had gone to watch the competition, so the streets were practically empty at this point.
All the better for me.
No one needed to see a stray, wounded Lupine out on the Serpentine streets. What was left of my pride would probably disintegrate then.
I need to get there fast, I thought. That means I'll probably have to shift. I'm not sure how my body will cope with that, but it's worth a shot...
Shifting into my wolf form, I shook myself in annoyance, trying to get rid of the heat that was trapped in my thick fur coat. The air was so humid and I was built more for cooler climates. I can't say that I liked cold weather better, but it just suited me more in this form.
I began to run, taking care not to put too much weight on my injured legs. By scenting the air and listening closely, I was able to find out where the competition was taking place. It really wasn't that hard, considering the yells and cheers could be heard even without semi-enhanced hearing. They were just that loud.
Veering left, I narrowly dodged another tribe member heading in the direction of the noises. I waved a quick apology, failing to notice the cloth tied around the Serpentine's eyes. Somehow I didn't find it unusual and just kept on running.
Which later on I would regret, so very much.
Without so much as a backward glance, I arrived at this arena looking structure where the cheers were coming from. I had no idea what all the things supporting the building were for but they were hiding the entrance somewhere.
I'm not about to let some silly poles get in the way of participating from the match.
Trying to weave my way through the poles and pillars without touching them, I saw the glimmer of an entrance. Feeling anxious to get out of this predicament, I raced towards it.
Let me out of this weird place! What is wrong with the Serpentine?
I rushed to the entrance, pausing to shift back into my usual human form before walking in. I was greeted with a rush of deafening cheers and the smell of sweat and metal.
Jeez, I feel claustrophobic already.
The arena itself was huge, stretching far and wide enough to encompass at least half of the town's population. Seats were stacked and arranged tightly, leaving barely enough space to even breathe. I couldn't see what the arena's main event was from where I stood. There was a wall at least twice my height that enclosed some sort of area. I wasn't able to hear anything over the yells from the crowd, but whatever was behind the walls probably wasn't safe.
A hand tapped my shoulder and I spun around. I hadn't been able to hear him come up behind me and that worried me a bit. I shook off the feeling.
"Are you a newcomer to the competition?" A young boy about twelve spoke, excitement glinting in his eyes. "This year's the best yet! I can explain what's going on if you want!"
There was obvious pride in his voice and he didn't pause to let me respond, launching into a somewhat detailed explanation.
Okay then...that makes my life a little easier, I guess.
"For this year's competition, they built a gigantic maze thing for all the competitors! It's so big, right? The maze is like a circle and the competitors are released into it at different spots at random times.
"The only rules they gave was that you have to fight whoever you meet. If you don't fight then you're disqualified. You keep going until the other guy is unconscious or yields. Then the loser is taken out of the maze and can't participate anymore.
"The other rule is kinda like the goal of the competition. All of the paths in the maze eventually lead to the center where another arena is. You're supposed to get to the center and then they'll say what to do next. Isn't that cool?!"
I swear this kid must've had too much sugar this morning. How else does he have so much energy?
He finally stopped, apparently out of breath or something.
"...Thanks, kid," I replied awkwardly. "That was helpful -- "
Another Serpentine woman called out from a few seats over, thankfully interrupting and sparing me from going on.
"Tom!" She scolded. "Stop bothering random people who come in!"
She ushered the boy over and muttered a quick apology. I waved to the kid and nodded to the woman -- presumably his mother -- and walked farther away from the roaring crowd.
Now what do I do?
I had to locate the others, fast. I knew they were going to take part in the competition, but how in the world was I supposed to find them?
There was the possibility of actually joining in myself, but that itself would run multiple risks.
First off, I was still injured pretty badly. Even I wasn't dumb enough but to notice. Entering could reopen my wounds, making it ten times harder to do anything.
Second, the rules were you had to fight whoever you came upon. That meant if I ran into one of the others, I'd have to fight them. As much as disliked Sora and Dakota -- and I'd never say it out loud, but -- I needed them.
So I couldn't jeopardize this. Not even if I really wanted to join and help. Let's face it, I'd just get in the way.
"You there! Yeah you, the Lupine," A voice shouted at me. "Are you here to join the competition?"
I was just getting called out by strangers today, wasn't I?
"Well, not really I don't -- " I tried to say, but I got cut off quickly by an onslaught of words.
The Serpentine lady steamrolled over my interjection, apparently determined to have her say. "That's great! We need another competitor and you fit the perfect description! Having another Lupine join in would make the crowd's day. There are already a few participants from the Feline and Avian tribes. At this rate, we'll have a full set!"
"No, seriously, sorry but I'm not here to -- "
She waved away my protests, dragging me by the hand down the hall and towards some sort of contraption that looked like a stage. A weird, wooden stage with rusted gears put together below it.
"This is going to be a hit! Just stand on that platform and soon you'll be up and going for the glory!"
Half the time I don't even know what she's saying...
Shocked into obedience, I hesitantly stood on the platform. The Serpentine lady beamed at me and promptly turned and -- I'm not even kidding -- skipped away.
What just happened? Why am I here?
I looked up, seeing a hatch above me leading to who knows where. It felt like the walls were about to cave in, though I knew that probably wasn't likely. If it felt claustrophobic before, now it was almost suffocating. I wanted out of here.
Just as I was about to step off the platform, the ground suddenly rumbled and I froze. And then the floor started rising, along with my panic.
"Hey!" I yelled into the dark. "What's going on?!"
There was no reply and above me, the hatch swung open, narrowly missing my head. The cheers had previously been muted, but now they came back full force. I squinted my eyes against the sun, too afraid to move while the platform was still shifting.
The platform shuddered to a stop, and I waited for my eyes to adjust to the brightness.
What the -- ?!
"Give it up for the prize contestant!" A loud voice echoed around the arena, apparently coming from a stand situated high up above the crowds. Someone figure was standing with a cone-shaped object that amplified his voice tenfold. It looked kind of like a conch shell, now that I thought about it.
"Remaining contestants, please make your way to the center of the maze! You will receive further instructions upon arrival!"
Confused and disoriented, I glanced around at the walls surrounding me. They curved around, giving me ample space to move around. The crowds were a good distance away, cheering from the sloping hills that made up some of the stadium's walls. It was almost like...like I was in the center of the maze.
Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me I'm not in the maze right now.
Then the first few contestants stepped in from various exits that presumably led to the rest of the maze.
Let me be wrong...
I met his disbelieving gaze from across the sandpit. And her's. And his. All of them. And a few others that I didn't recognize.
Ash. Sora. Dakota.
They were all here. At the center of the maze.
With me.
(Side Note: Alright, things are getting a little more interesting now...)
This one's not as impressive, but tada!