The All Powerful Mutt Tamer

Chapter 8

The tension in the grouping arena was so thick hearing Chris say these words.

Dark arts in the tamers world were utterly forbidden and mostly disgraceful.

Liora, the girl from Greduant who had spent the night in Alex’s room, stood a few paces away. Her eyes were fixed on Alex, but they weren't filled with the gratitude he might have expected from a roommate. Instead, her face was twisted in deep, disgust. 

"Dark arts?" Liora whispered, her voice carrying just enough to reach the surrounding students. 

She looked at Julian, who was still nursing his bandaged jaw and trembling whenever the Shadow Stalker moved.

 "I knew you were a lowly commoner, but to use forbidden soul-shrinking techniques to win a fight? That isn't just disgraceful, it’s criminal. 

My academy would have had your head for such a stunt."

Alex turned his head slightly, giving her a look that was more bored than defensive. "You’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours and you already think you’re a judge? I won that fight fair and square. Julian’s beast folded because it realized it was being led by a loud-mouthed clown. If anyone here has an issue with my methods, the appropriate channel is the school authority. Go file a report and see if they care."

"Fair and square?" Chris roared, stepping forward so his shadow completely swallowed Alex’s. "You hit him when he wasn't looking! You used some kind of gutter-magic to turn his A-rank lion into a shivering kitten! There is nothing fair about a scavenger cheating his way into a victory."

The crowd began to chant and murmur, egged on by Chris’s presence. The noble students felt their pride being restored by Chris’s aggression. To them, Alex was a glitch in the system that needed to be erased.

"If you truly defeated Julian," Chris said, his voice dropping into a low, predatory growl, "then a simple fist fight with me should be a walk in the park. No beasts. No 'dark arts.' Just us. Or are you only brave when you have a shadow-mutt to hide behind?"

Alex looked at Chris’s massive frame mainly made from lazy fats from being overded, then at the Shadow Stalker sitting calmly at his heels.

 "I’m not interested, Chris. I have things to do. The high master will be here soon, and I’d rather not start the day covered in your blood. It’s hard to get the stains out of this tunic."

A ripple of shock went through the crowd. The sheer audacity of a zero-star bum talking to the top-ranked student like he was a nuisance was unheard of. 

Chris’s face began to darken, the veins in his neck bulging as he struggled to maintain his composure.

"What's the matter?" Kael shouted from behind Chris, his voice full of mockery. "Is the scavenger afraid of a real man's fist? Maybe he needs his mommy to sew him a bigger cape so he can hide better!"

The laughter that followed was cruel and loud, echoing off the stone walls of the arena. They saw Alex’s refusal as cowardice. Even Liora let out a sharp, disappointed hiss.

"Is this the man I was forced to share a room with?" Liora growled, stepping toward the center of the circle. "You have no dignity. Even a commoner should have enough pride to stand up when he’s being spat on. You’re making the entire intern block look like a collection of whipped dogs."

Alex ignored her. He started to walk toward the back of the arena, but Chris moved with a speed that blurred the air, cutting him off.

"I’m not asking, Alex," Chris said, his eyes burning with a dark, violent light. "I’m challenging you. A friendly match. Just a few rounds to show everyone here the 'superior skill' you used on Julian. If you win, I’ll never mention your name again. If you lose... well, the infirmary is always looking for new patients."

"A friendly match?" Alex repeated, stopping in his tracks. He turned to face Chris fully, his violet-eyed hound letting out a low vibration that made the stone floor hum. "Chris, your idea of 'friendly' usually involves someone ending up with a broken ribs. I already told you, I don't want to do this."

"He’s scared!" Another lackeyyelled from his bench, his voice muffled with mockery.

"Look at him! The scavenger is shaking!"

The laughter intensified, a wall of sound meant to crush Alex’s spirit. Chris grinned, sensing he had backed Alex into a corner. He raised his hands, flexing his massive knuckles, each pop sounding like a dry branch snapping.

"Last chance, Alex," Chris taunted. "Show us the dignity Liora keeps talking about. Or just get on your knees and admit you're a cheat. Maybe then I'll let you walk away with both your legs intact."

“That would be the best option if you ask me, cause there's no way he's winning.” Someone from the crowd muttered. 

Alex let out a long, weary sigh. He looked at the crowd, then at the red-faced Chris, and finally at the Shadow Stalker. The predatory heat in his blood began to stir again, the System feeding him a live feed of Chris’s vital points—his throat, his liver, the soft spot behind his ear.

"Fine," Alex said, his voice suddenly going very quiet. "If you really want to do this, we can. But I’m warning you now. I don't want anyone to be embarrassed again. Once I start, I don't know how to stop 'friendly'."

Chris’s face burned a deep, bright red, like a ripe tomato about to burst. The insult hit him harder than a physical blow. He was the elite. He was the pride of the Hummer name. And here was this trash-tamer, telling him—the top student—that he might be the one getting embarrassed.

Ripples of shock erupted through the crowd almost in an instant. The whispers were no longer about Alex’s cowardice; they were about his insanity.

"Did he just say Chris would be embarrassed?"

"Is he trying to get killed? Chris can shatter stone with one punch!"

Liora’s mouth hung open slightly. She looked at Alex, then at the terrifying violet glow in the Hound’s eyes. For the first time, she felt a flicker of something that wasn't disgust. It was a cold, sharp dread.

Chris didn't wait for a signal. He didn't wait for the masters. He let out a roar of pure fury and lunged, his fist cocked back like a loaded spring. "I'll kill you!"