Bulls, as it turned out. Were BIG. Like, most people knew that, they knew Bulls were large, and I'd seen this one from a distance before. Given that, and my own Perception, I should have been prepared for the size of the animal I was preparing to ride. I should have remained stoic and unbothered as I closed in to climb onto the back of the best that was currently being held confined in a small area, waiting for its next rider. I wasn't.
Standing there next to the Stone hoof Titanic Ox, I felt...small. Not just physically, I was a big guy, and even if its sheer mass dwarfed me, I was tall enough to at least look it in the eye. Not in terms of Impact either, that was something I'd felt from Zeke, and I knew what it was like. This though...this was different. This animal was just...more. It was my equal in Impact, in the weight we imposed on reality, which meant I was essentially feeling the same thing I would be feeling as a mortal when facing something like this.
I'd expected to be unbothered by that, really. I'd stood in the presence of a giant dragon skeleton so big I could fucking run around in its rib cage, but that was somehow more surreal. It was too strange to hit me like this was. Still, despite being incredibly worried about what was coming, I never really considered turning around and leaving. I felt intimidated like a mortal might have instinctively, but only as a sort of phantom instinct. It was just the person I used to be flaring up at an inopportune time. Shane Wyndham might be afraid to do this, but Solomon wasn't. Solomon had done worse, and that knowledge let me shake off any lingering worry easily.
The person the circus had sent to help me out gave me time to sort out how I was feeling. I don't know if he knew I was worried or not, my mask covered my face, but regardless he let me wait, and then, when I indicated I was ready, he led me over to the small boxed in sub pen and let me climb over the side to sit astride the bull. I figured it would buck as soon as I got on, but they had it trained I supposed. Once I was on it didn't move, granted it didn't have much room to move in the smaller section of pen, which was the point, but still, it was impressive.
The assistant looked up at me seriously. "Ok, do you understand all the rules?" I did, and I told him as much, and he nodded again. "Good. You're free to call a halt at any time, it's tough for a G ranker to get killed by accident, so if you get thrown don't be afraid to halt the competition. Getting trampled CAN kill you, and plenty of people have died that way, so don't take any stupid chances. Are you ready to start?" His voice contained a warning, clearly having given this speech to many others and been ignored more than once.
I nodded and he moved to open the gate. As he did, I went ahead and put my plan into action. I triggered Leaf on the Wind. While it might have seemed odd to some people to use that ability to pass this trial, I was pretty sure it was perfect for multiple reasons. Firstly, my strength was colossal, and Leaf on the Wind didn't make me weaker, just less affected by gravity. Being lighter meant that having a grip on the saddle would be much more effective, with less pull from the bucking of the bull.
The decreased gravity should also somewhat mitigate the momentum, or at least my reaction to it. I wished briefly I had some kind of sticking ability, but I would just have to deal with the current setup. Being so much lighter should effectively multiply the efficiency of my Might stat for this though, so I had a decent chance. My other main trump card was my armor. I hadn't switched it out yet, and the absorption ability of my gear should be able to handle what little force I had to suffer with my decreased mass.
With all these idea running through my head, I was pretty confident as the bull trotted out of the sub pen and into the main area where the trial would take place. The bull was moving at a slow and steady plod into the middle of the pen, and I was curious as to what the hell was going on, at least for a second, until we got to the middle of the trial area, when the bull stopped. I looked down at it in curiosity when it did for a second, until finally, with nearly no warning, the bull went absolutely fucking nuts.
The first buck took the bulls back feet off the ground so hard the thing went fully vertical snout to tail. I gripped hard on reflex, barely managing to maintain my hold, and then the bull REALLY started. That first kick had been intense, but it had also been singular. Once its feet touched the mud again (which I swear somehow took less time than gravity should explain) it kicked out again, and then again, faster and faster and harder and harder until I half thought it was just teleporting itself into position, or would have if not for the strain from the yanking.
The thing snapped and whipped like a towel someone was cracking in a locker room, and even with my skill active I had trouble managing to keep ahold of that damn saddle. The beast wasn't fucking around, he wanted me gone, and he wasn't shy about how it happened. This had looked so much less terrifying when Wyatt was doing it, and while I didn't let myself scream, I DID understand why Wyatt had done so.
Even with the lightened gravity, I felt like a rag doll as my body was jerked back and forth in mid air. Despite all that though...I was having fun! This was amazing, the adrenaline, the thrill. My heart was pounding and my blood was thundering in my veins. It had become clear up to this point that I developing a reckless and sometimes dangerous love for combat, but apparently, it wasn't just battle I enjoyed. Despite the danger of getting thrown free and my very close up view from several positions of why it was a STONE HOOFED Titanic Ox, this was the most fun I'd had since the hunt ended.
I could see the audience around me, cheering and whooping as I held on for dear life, but the person I was staring at hardest wasn't any of them. It was Callie. Her smile lit up her face like a beacon, not because of the job or because we were closer to completing our mission, but because she could tell how much fun I was having. This beautiful girl was here with me, and she was happy, for the simple and uncomplicated reason that I was happy, and she loved me.
I'd done many things since becoming an Ascendant. I'd fought monsters, beaten serial killers, and even saved some children. That smile though...that smile was the most amazing thing I had seen since I entered this world. Treasure and magic was impressive and interesting, but it didn't have a patch on the sheer beauty of seeing that look on Callie's face and knowing it was aimed at me. I gripped the saddle tighter, and despite being in the exact same situation as a moment ago, I felt so much more...free.
I felt like I was flying, and I knew for a fact that I could do this. I let my body relax, and found that going limp actually helped a lot as long as I maintained my grip, especially with Leaf on the Wind still active. I let myself be jerked back and forth on the back of the bull, and I couldn't pretend I had literally any idea when this was going to end or how long it had gone on so far. Despite my glee and my good mood I was extremely confused at that moment, and when the assistant finally called out for them to end it, I barely heard him.
Luckily, there was a loud horn to signal me passing the trial, so it was easy enough to puzzle out what he said. I relaxed my grip as soon as I heard it, which turned out to be a huge mistake because I'd forgotten I being whipped through the air by a giant beast. I went flying, though Leaf on the Wind slowed me down as I flew. It didn't end up mattering how fast I was going past that though, because I came to a stop against a huge black cushion that I could easily see was made of shadows. Callie had me.
I felt myself lowered slowly to the ground, my head still spinning, and I laughed breathlessly as my back hit the mud softly. Callie's face appeared in my vision, and I wished neither of us were wearing our masks, just so I could see that smile unobstructed. Sadly that wasn't to be, so I sat up with a groan instead. Callie chuckled as she helped me up. "That was pretty damn impressive. Wyatt and the other Jerks are all in awe of you now. That bull made a big impression on them, and seeing you conquer it really won them over."
I laughed a bit as she helped me stand. "Enough to give me the answers to how they're planning to take this place down and for who?" That got me a snort of dismissal. Wyatt might be a bit of a dunce, but he was also a G ranker. With that level of Focus there was only so stupid you could actually be, and I knew better that higher ranking Ascendants tended to level up incredibly low stat values fast because of the overall impression their power left on other people.
She helped me over to the edge of the pen, my feet still a bit unsteady especially on the mud given how dizzy I'd been. When we got to the side, the assistant led the others in a loud round of applause as we approached, giving me a nod of respect. "An excellent showing. I'd ask how you managed, but it's something of an unspoken rule that one doesn't question how a thing is done, as long as you see it completed." He passed me a big. "As agreed, your winnings my friend." His visage was a bit unhappy, and I suspected they collected interest or something while they held the money.
To his shock though, I didn't take it, pushing it back. I put an arm around Callie's shoulder. I had a ready made excuse here. "You Circus is where I first told my girlfriend I loved her, that's worth much more than a few chits. Keep it. Consider it a thank you for everything you've done for us." The assistant looked completely poleaxed, which was far. What I'd just done was absolutely batshit crazy. People didn't just give back money like that.
He looked confused as he took the bag, but after a second his head snapped up, tilting to one side. After a brief pause he turned to us. "You are too kind, I wonder, perhaps you would like to meet our founder. Mr. Castelton hopes to invite the two of you for a personal meeting as thanks for your generosity." I grinned. I'd been hoping for something like that. While they might have someone infiltrating this place, I knew there was at least one person who wouldn't be working for the Jerks or their employers. After all, Cicero Castleton had the least reason to allow his circus to change hands. It was time to get some answers.
