Cat
And like that, they’re out like a light. Closing my eyes, I shake my head before looking back out to the arena where custodians seem to be picking needles out of a sand mound, thinking back to Poison...There’s just no denying it, as much as I want to think it was all some wild coincidence, the thought of them returns to my mind again and again, try as I might to focus on the moment here and now. In said moment, I’m forced to wait through the commercial break, giving me a brief moment of respite as Caster and Rider go off about some kind of audio book VPN mobile gacha game program, because every corporation needs to stick their nasty fingers in every single pot of soup in the kitchen these days.
Anyways, to my left, I move Coyotl around a bit so they’re resting in a more comfortable position, while to my right, the rat’s eyes are for me only, it’d seem.
“Can I help you, brat?”
“Yous can win, for one thing~”
Groaning and rolling my eyes, I nudge her off with my elbow and shift my focus to the crowd, seeming more rowdy than they did before either of the other fights. I suppose there’s lots on the line now, so a fight for my life against the renowned champion of the Sunlit Bounty would leave me saddled with a lot more attention than I’d like. There’s no point in getting caught up with attention though, I never cared much for it regardless. Instead, my focus is on the bounty itself…
“Okay, rat, are you gonna tell me anything about this Mx. Neptune? Or are you gonna be as helpful as always, as in not at all.”
Her annoying snort doesn’t inspire confidence in me.
“Toots, I wouldn’ta signed ya up for dis if I wasn’t abso-freakin’-lutely sure you could make seafood of this dummy, regardless of what yous knew~”
I’m almost certain she can hear the fire in my eyes crackling as I turn to stare her down.
“Oh, alright, alright, ya sour puss!” she concedes at last, nose in the air and claw waving dismissively. “Theys gots water powers. I ain’t gotta clue how this magic stuff works in specific, but they sing and the water does its work, y’hear?”
“Of course you’d pair me against a water type guy. Has the mighty gamer rat never played an RPG before?”
Her heels clack against the ground, legs kicking as she chortles, whiskers twitching and lips curling into a real shit eating grin.
“Puh-lease! Coulds ya not tell I’m a FGC staple?”
“You disgust me.”
The perk of Coyotl not being awake means I don’t have to explain any of that to them, nor do I have to worry about stopping Liz from going off. Not that I’d have much time to, what with the field looking to be cleared and the doors before me ka-shunking open. Getting onto my foot paws, I swat at the rat’s claw with my tail, denying her a “morale boosting” slap on the ass and stepping out onto the extending bridge myself this time.
“Look sexy, look hot, babe~”
I can feel myself aging from the wicked snarl this rat woman puts on my face. Ain’t got time for her in my head, though, not with another fight for my life on the horizon, though with a hint of possible enslavement this time. I dunno, maybe they treat their fighters well here, but whether that’s the case or not, I can’t risk finding out, not with all that’s on the line if I fail.
“AND NOW IT’S THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR-- IT’S HER-- GOD SLAYER-- FIRE AND BRIMSTONE-- THE RISING SUN HERSELF!! CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT KITTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!”
“We don’t typically do bets on this kind of fight, but we’ve had enough clamouring to see her put an end to our champ’s reign that the estimates are 50/50 between the two.”
“No pressure or anything, guys!” I shout at the announcers, looking at them apathetically as I take my place on my side of the island, the fellas in the mics looking at each other, then back at me.
Caster gives me two thumbs up, and Rider waves very tiredly. Turning back to watch the opposite side of the arena, I cross my arms and wait for their bridge to start coming out, but...nothing.
“She looks antsy as ever to get this show on the road. What’dya say we not keep this fine lady waiting, eh Rider?”
“The time has come, everybody. You know them all too well, and they love that you do.”
Cocking an eyebrow, I still see no sign of my opponent...until I notice the slight tide around the island begin to rock back and forth harder, water creeping up the sand before rising, gathering into a shimmering and rippling orb of water. I can hear the very ocean itself becoming louder the larger it becomes until it’s even bigger than me!
“Give it up for the champion from another land, beyond human understanding, bending the very laws of physics to appear before you today… It’s--”
The brilliant blue before me whirls and crashes like a stormy sea before exploding into a vibrant display of lights and sounds, and in its wake…
“MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIX NEPTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNE!!!”
“Aw, come on, I wanted to do it this time.”
“Sorry! Sorry, got a bit too excited!”
Standing-- No, floating before me is the champ themselves, a 9 foot tall figure of majesty and power, or at least, I think 9 feet tall. Their bottom half ends in a pink, blue, and yellow scaled mermaid tail, swaying back and forth to the music that seems to follow their very presence, each scale shimmering, sparkling, dazzling in ways no creature of this world ever could. Above that, however, is one built mother fucker, ocean blue furred abs with traces of yellow scales traveling up into a breastplate of seafoam and rushing water, each shoulder pad a constantly running waterfall that leads into their powerful arms.
Biceps of golden scales and pink forearms, one a shelled crab claw, the other furry and ending in webbed fingers, like...I think the best comparison here is like a platypus, just more fish-like. On their back are little seahorse wings, though their scaled appearance makes them look more like sea-dragon wings, flapping idly on either side of their long, dark blue ponytail, moving as though it were underwater.
To top it all off, an armoured deer head sits atop their strong frame, pink coral rising from it into the shape of antlers, almost taking my attention away from the massive coral trident they wield, seeming to have a microphone on the dull end.
“CAT KITTEN!!” they shout, their voice both booming and bubbly while pointing their weapon in my direction, prompting me to play along and point at myself. “YES YOU, MY FURRY FRIEND!! I’VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR YOU HERE!!”
“You do know my whereabouts aren’t exactly secret, right?” I quip, raising an eyebrow at the giant merperson.
“DON’T BE SILLY, KITTEN! I LIVE ON THE STAGE AND FOR THE SHOW! I WANT THE WHOLE WORLD TO SEE US DANCE! IT HAD TO BE HERE!!”
Shaking my head with a shrug, I hold my paw out to my side, feeling my fire whirl and crackle around my chest, burning away my clothes and creating a fiery replica of it all in white flames before it travels to my paw and begins to manifest my spear. Grasping it firmly, I give it a spin and strike a stance.
“To be frank, hun, there’s nowhere I want to be less than here. Let’s get this over with.”
“WEHEHE!! IT’LL BE A DANCE TO REMEMBER!!”
“Oh, shit, fight’s starting, FIGHT’S STARTING--”
“FIGHT’S STARTING!! LET’S ROCK!!”
With little more than clearing their throat, the pounding of poppy, electronic music quiets the crowd, the water rippling like speakers as they twirl their trident and stab it in my direction, dashing towards me with a trail of mist splashing up behind them. Seeming like a powerful attack, I opt to leap to the side, poised to counter attack when I’m suddenly thrown off balance by a pressure on either of my sides. A coral crab claw coated in rushing water had risen from the water to grasp me between its pincers!
“DON’T BACK DOWN NOW! WE HAVE TO PUT ON A SHOW!”
“Yeah--ghh--yeah, I hear you!” I groan, quickly spinning my spear overhead and drawing a circle of flames that drops down, knocking Neptune’s incoming slash out of the way as well as sizzling against the claw and weakening its grip, allowing me to toss my weapon into the air and put all my strength into prying open the pincers. Both Neptune and the claw reel back for a strike, but swinging my hips back and forth as if the ring of fire around my waist were a hoolahoop, I bounce each strike back, giving me just enough time to leap up high and reclaim my spear. Pointing it down, I dive straight onto the claw, bouncing off it and arcing towards Neptune who effortlessly clashes against my attack with a swing of their trident. In the moment of that clash, however, I see something, sense something, some kind of light inside them…
“THE MAIN EVENT IS ABOUT TO START! HOPE YOU’RE ALL WARMED UP, KITTEN! AHEM!”
“Oh I’ll show you warmed up!”
Flying back and landing on my hindpaws, I assume a defensive stance, thinking of what I might need to dance to take out a sea deity. All I need to do is knock ‘em back strong enough to give me the time, but seeing them spin their trident upside down to sing into the mic on the other end, it’s clear they weren’t kidding about the show starting now.
“Undercurrents~ Pull at your heart~
Feeling so powerful it~ Leads you on~”
Just like that I feel my body being pushed and pulled like the ebbing of a tide, the entire stadium seeming to glow blue as the forces of the ocean seem to move me regardless of land or sea.
“The waves of emotion wash o~ver~ me~
But can you see the ocean~ Through the reef~”
Composing and balancing myself, I’m prepared for the massive wave pulling up behind me, an entire school of coral fish pushing it towards me and going under me as I leap, the fiery frog and bunny following me kicking my paws up higher to avoid the attack in full. As I’m falling, however, Neptune emerges from the back side of the wave, the fish circling around them like a barrier as I’m forced to block an upwards stab while the school nips and tackles at my fur.
“Undercurrents~ Drag at your heart~
Feeling so powerful~ It leads you on~”
Listening to the lyrics, I brace myself, being pulled downwards by the movements of the “water” around me, seeing their radiant realm begin to take form as coral crawls up the walls of the arena and rise up from the sand while Neptune swings a huge tail slap my way.
“A new tide comes in~ And I’m washed away~
Forces stronger than hate~ Are left in the wake~”
Shit! I push forward, clashing against their tail with a shoulder tackle strong enough to push them out of the way, and get me out of range of the tentacle shaped waves that had begun to form and attack behind me.
“Stronger~ than hate~
Anchored to the tidal waves~!”
I’m just not getting a single chance to get an attack in! Hissing and blindly throwing my spear at Neptune who easily deflects it, I instead move to turn their attack against them. The next assault takes on the form of watery chains swimming high with a coral anchor threatening to fall upon me. Instead of dodging or blocking, I take the full brunt of the attack and grab it. Gah! The blood I cough up simply floats as if I were submerged. I had not expected just how powerful their attacks would be after seeing them fight against the resistance of the watery realm! I know I can hit even harder though!
“Go on~ Take the bait~!
You can’t fight the current of love~!”
“I DON’T NEED HATE TO BEAT YOU!!”
Neptune moves back in, the school swarming about them making their incoming hip slam even more deadly, but I use the anchor in my arms to block their attack, resummoning my spear in my tail and melting through the anchor’s chains with its blade before spinning the hunk of metal twice my size upside down and swinging it down on the enemy! They’re flung back by the heavy strike, but regain control quickly, flipping about and giggling like a dolphin.
“YES, THERE SHE IS!! COME, COME!! LET’S PLAY!!!”
Ugh, do they have to make this sound so fun?! They’re like a bubbly Minhocão...wait.
No, no wait, Neptune doesn’t even give me a chance to think as their song speeds up, like they hit fast forward, resuming normally as the beat builds and builds.
“ONE TWO THREE FOUR~!!
MOTION ON THE OCEAN FLOOR~!!”
The power of the current is almost overpowering as bubble speakers form all around the arena, each number summoning forth a new threat. One, a coral dolphin rocketing towards me that I block with the anchor. Two, a coral shark doing much the same, forcing me to swing the anchor and bat it out of the way. Three, a WHALE of coral rising from the sand, to which I raise my violent underwater instrument and hurl it forward, dropping it onto the rising threat and hearing them crash and smash against each other. Four, crabs. Crabs, everywhere! All rising from the sand, scuttling out of the deeper water and snapping at my paws!
“FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT~!!
DOUBLE BUBBLE SWIM SOME MORE~!!”
Before I even have a chance to deal with the latest attack, I’m swarmed by more aquatic assaults, five and six each being water guns the previously ignored water tendrils pull out, firing geysers of suds and bubbles for seven and eight, burning to the touch and forcing me to move through the crowd of crabs! My frog and bunny familiars hop at and tackle what they can of the swarm while I use my spear to vault over the spots I can’t step, leaving a trail of flames from its tip with each thrust towards the sand that propels me upwards.
“ONE TWO THEE FOUR~!!
MOTION ON THE OCEAN FLOOR~!!”
Neptune repeats their first assault, first a dolphin I kick back at, then the shark I’m forced to slash in half, and ultimately landing in a seemingly safe spot before the jaws of the whale come up from the sand on either of my sides! Thankfully, I arrived with a plan, pulling the trail of fire I’d left and letting it whirl around me, forming an unfortunately familiar snake of flames that slithers between each of the whale’s teeth, melting each off and staggering the beast long enough to jump out.
There’s a merciful beat in the song where Neptune swings and dances to their song, making the currents even stronger while Nia-Flare coils around the whale and I point my spear down midair, spinning a fox featured ball of fire, golfing it to pinball between the newly appearing crabs to open up a space in the sand. With a pause in the singing and Nia-Flare holding the whale in front of the bubble beams, I finally find the chance to start my dance!
“I’d recommend the audience put on their headphones!”
I picture it in my mind, a field of green, a garden of silence and calm, weaving a fiery web around me and begin to paint the scene. Earthy, alive, life that sips from the water and grows...and screams.
“MANDRAGORA!!”
Rising from and pulling up the flames I’d woven around me, a figure of beauty and wonder appears, rooting itself into the sand and letting its leafy hair flourish, finally taking a deep breath and SCREAMING MY FUCKING EARDRUMS OUT.
Goddess be damned, it takes a moment of wobbling back and forth to come to, but when I do, I notice the battlefield is empty of all but me and Neptune, and I can tell their ears are ringing just as much as mine. We can’t even quip at each other now, in fact, all we have are our bodies, what with becoming deaf to even the songs of our souls. That light...I knew something was up. Without it, I’m returned to my regular clothes, and Neptune is unarmed, just as I am.
Wasting no time, I charge in, claws bared and reared back to slash, and yet, Neptune shows even more strength than before, the scales on their arms deflecting my attacks like they were nothing! It’s almost like...they traded their strength for the magic the light granted them, and with it out of the way, a punch to the gut from their crab claw launches me back, tumbling into the sand.
Picking myself up, things become clear upon seeing the stance Neptune holds themselves up with. This isn’t strength I can contend with alone...and it’s strength they wouldn’t be wielding alone, leading me to reach into my pocket and fiddle with my last resort: my phone.
From here on, I focus my efforts on the defensive, dodging however I can knowing how powerful their attacks are. Even if my evasive maneuvers only seem to frustrate and egg them on more, all I have to do is wait this out until I can even the playing field. Our brawl has me growing quickly exhausted as what attacks Neptune does land weigh heavily on me, but I endure, waiting, watching...listening. Because I know, even being unable to hear a damn thing, I’ll hear her voice in my head the moment she shows up…
“Oh Niamh, oh my~”
