Chapter 27: Bear X Brother
The monstrous black fur monster landed on the square tile floor and its hind legs crashed into the cement, its weight shook the arena and even the people in the audience screamed as their seats vibrated. From landing, it spawned a miniature earthquake.
Pokkle remained diligent and prepared for combat, readying his Nen bow after regaining his balance.
"A monster popped from the Magician's hat!" Cocco shouted in disbelief.
Sinbad jumped onto his feet, pointing at the ten foot large beast. "No! That's a bear!"
From his revelation, the audience's attention switched from the monstrous creature onto the bewelded Sinbad. In their minds, they all had the same creature that resembled a normal bear, especially regarding its height, weight, claws, and more pressing, two eyes.
Kilua yanked on the back of Sinbad' clothes, pulling back into his seat. "Don't distract Pokkle."
Sinbad fell back and nodded. "You're right, I was just surprised to see a creature from where I'm from."
"Are you familiar with that thing?" Zushi asked, looking at Sinbad from the corner of his eyes.
"Yes," Sinbad answered, folding his arms and looking at the Magician. "As a child, I would fight them and try to tame them but they don't like to be out in the sun or having a bunch of people staring at them. They are shy creatures."
"You fought with this beast as a child?" Wing inquired.
Sinbad nodded. "In complete darkness too."
"Uh huh," was the only response given by the three listeners to Sinbad's recollection of his past and fighting these monstrous one eyed beasts.
The Magician illuminated in a purple aura, his Nen spiking as he pointed at Pokkle. "Attack!"
The bear glowed in the Magician's Nen and it took a commanding step forward, remaining on two legs. The arena shook from its weight as the bear's paw crushed into the cement. It leaned forward, getting into a four legged stance, and then charged at Pokkle.
The crowd and Cocco held their breath as they watched the titan beast rush after the small human standing in its way. A single slash from any of its claws would be imminent death.
Pokkle concentrated his Nen into his finger tips as they glowed into a bright orange. With his left eye pinched tight, he calmed down and aimed. "Orange Arrow!"
He fired the radiant orange arrow at the chasing bear, the orange arrow was Pokkle's fastest arrow, moving much too quickly for the large creature to block or dodge. The arrow punctured into the bear's single eye and shattered the glass monocle it wore.
The bear leaned back onto its hind legs in uproar, even its vehement rage shook the air.
"Pokkle's arrow pierced the beast's only eye!" Cocco announced. "How will the monster continue after this?!"
Not wanting to ruin this opportunity, Pokkle charged his bow, pouring Nen into his fingertips and knocking his bow. He reared back the red colored arrow and fired.
"Red Arrow!"
The Magician grabbed at his long black hair in distress. "No!"
Pokkle's red arrow shot into the beast's mouth, immediately igniting the innards of the creature in a blazing inferno. The bear tilted forward and collapsed in defeat. The creature dissipated in a black mist.
With enough Nen to fire another Rainbow Arrow, he switched targets onto the defenseless Magician.
Watching his bear be defeated and the Nen bow being pointed at him, the Magician raised his hands in surrender. "I forfeit!"
"Huh?" Pokkle uttered in shock, unexpected to win in such a way.
As if speaking into a void that echo'd his sentiment, even the audience exclaimed their surprise.
"Did the Magician forfeit?" Cocco asked.
The referee, who remained outside of the arena since the falling weapons and creatures, climbed back onto the stage and waved his hands. "The Magician has announced his surrender, the winner of this match is Pokkle!"
The Magician adjusted his monocle on his right eye and blew out an air of relief. "I sure am tired, it takes a lot of energy to perform."
Pokkle watched as the Magician fell onto his behind and laid on the cement floor. A stray cat ran over to the defeated Magician and began licking his face, in response he laughed and smiled.
"Can you believe it folks!" Cocco shouted into her mic. "The Magician who was only a single victory away from challenging a Floor Master has suffered defeat but even worse, he had taken his last tolerable loss. This was the Magician's last fight here at Heavens Arena!"
"Welp, it seems I am getting evicted," The Magician said in a depressed tone, talking to the cat. He picked up the gray and white animal, rising to his feet. He walked over to the stunned Pokkle and offered the cat to him. "Here, he likes you."
Not knowing what or how to respond, he accepted the cat into his arms. "Thanks…"
The slender and skinny man took off his hat but this forced Pokkle to jump back in fear and the Magician with an exaggerated smile, bowed. "Congratulations. Your eyes do not deceive you."
With that said, the man was swallowed by the hat, leaving only the black hat in its place and as if it came to life, the long magician's hat hopped away, jumping into the fighter's tunnel and disappearing into the shadows.
"What a strange fellow," mumbled Pokkle, looking down at the grey and white cat in his hands.
Intrigued by this Magician, Sinbad leapt from the stands and landed next to Pokkle to try and get a closer look, more importantly, to see the person's Threads of Fate.
This ability to see the connection of Sinbad's and another person's fate was always turned off during his time fighting or in the audience. Due to the amount of people in the arena, it would severely interfere the results and make them inconclusive. However, if he were to get close to the Magician and be able to pinpoint the specific thread, then it would be possible.
But, he ran away before Sinbad could locate his thread.
Sinbad turned toward Pokkle. "What did he say to you?"
Before answering Pokkle fussed with the cat as it ran up his chest and climbed onto his left shoulder, finding a comfortable spot to rest. "He just congratulated me. He didn't seem upset or sad that he lost."
'Was this all a game to him?' Sinbad thought, taking some time to see the angle in which the man could find value in losing. He listened to the audience's reaction to the results of the match. 'Did he wish to fight Pokkle specifically? Was he simply done with his time here in Heavens Arena? Then why leave now?'
"Should we be worried?" Pokkle asked, noticing Sinbad's silence, understanding the man to be in deep thought longer than he would usually be if it were a simple matter.
Sinbad discarded his thoughts on the little information he had, only finding it more harmful to arrive at forced conclusions. "We should keep our eyes peeled for any sudden appearances."
Sinbad turned away to get off the stage but he did scan the arena, taking a closer look at the various weapons and strange animals but didn't sense anything amiss. He started descending the stairs but stopped once Pokkle called after him.
"He did mention something about 'seeing a Floor Master match in the future'," Pokkle recalled, speaking from the top of the stage. "But, he didn't seem to care too much about winning."
Sinbad nodded, making sure to not give away a visible reaction to this added information. "Interesting.."
Then, Sinbad and Pokkle–who was still carrying the gray cat–left the arena.
…
The next morning, Gilgamesh woke up surrounded by gorgeous women and warm comforters. He snapped awake before them but didn't spare them any attention as he climbed out of the truck sized bed. To descend from the royal bed, he rose to his feet and stepped down the five steps to stand on the ground floor.
His eyes scanned his current living environment, his living quarters drowned in gold and stationary worthy of a King. His early hunger forced his feet to carry himself toward the ornate bowl of fruit resting on a dresser to his right.
His target was the ruby red apple as he lifted it and chomped into it. As he digested the fruit, his eyes locked on the painting hanging above the bedazzled bowl and dresser. It was an antique oil painting from the same artist as the one who painted The Rose of Meteor City. The painting had the viewpoint of the beholder in mind, standing at the top of the mountain, glaring down onto the lush green valleys and a crystal blue river ran down the center into an ocean expanding into the horizon.
A view worthy of His Excellency.
Once finished with the fruit, Gilgamesh removed his silk night garments, strolling into a connected adjoining room, the bathroom and found his bath waiting for him as the heated steam warmed his stiff bones. The bath harbored the size of a community pool or even a large pond as he elegantly stepped into the hot water.
It's been a week since Gilgamesh earned his title of Floor Master and his floor finally feels complete. He had disliked the pace at which the lowly movers set up his things but at least it was done. Having an entire floor dedicated to his personal belongings, he had the space to acquire his treasure because even if he were to leave Heavens Arena, this floor will operate as a separate storage unit for his prized possessions.
After five minutes of relaxation, one of his maids entered the bathroom and started to properly clean him, wash the golden strands of his hair, dry him off and then moisturize his skin with a light massage. Once clean and refreshed, a second maid entered the room.
Hanging on her arms were two black suits for Gilgamesh to choose from, he decided on a classical suit and black tie. He left the closet, entering into a long glass tunnel. Behind the glass walls were his collectable treasure, a suit of armor from ancient times and the knight's holy sword, the full skeletal bones of an extinct lizard, and a silver bone chalice filled with the blood of a savage beast.
Satisfied with the collection he had accumulated over two weeks, Gilgamesh strolled beyond the glass treasure trove tunnel and out into his vast living quarters. A place he rarely visits but still necessary to keep up with appearances and flaunt his luxury.
Only the finest of quality decorated his living spaces, after the continent heard about his grand and forceful climb to the rank of Floor Master, the prestigious weavers, masons, jewelry, and furniture reached out to house their precious designs in his home. Of course, Imane handled all of those affairs and selected the pieces that were worthy to be in Gilgamesh's home.
A Floor dedicated to its Master's was broken into four quadrants that the Master had full control of dedicating whatever they pleased into each quadrant, as the tunnel he traveled through separated the living and the quadrant dedicated to his treasury his living quadrant. He had other items and priceless artifacts but he only displayed the best at the windows.
The living quadrant had everything one needed but it was massive, naturally taking Gilgamesh a few minutes to reach the opposite end to the kitchen area. Right before stepping through the open divider which separated the kitchen and living space, Imane stepped out from her office.
"Your Excellency, I have suspended your breakfast for this morning," Imane wore a long lime green dress and a blue jean jacket on top. On her face, gold rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of her prominent nose. She clutched onto her black clipboard and approached her master. Knowing Gilgamesh's temper, she rushed to explain herself. "On the 211th Floor, a world renowned ice cream shop opened and I believe you would enjoy the soft served cold delight."
Gilgamesh folded his arms in thought. "Yes, I have been growing bored of my morning meals. A change may be required."
"Of course, Your Excellency, that is also why I have asked your kitchen to be closed for the day," Imane said, coming out in front of Gilgamesh and bowing in front of him. She then turned to go to the Heavens Arena elevators which were directly connected to his Floor. "I've requested a new chef and cuisine. They will retake control of the kitchen and breakfast will be waiting for you."
Gilgamesh nodded. "Good work."
Imane's heart fluttered as she pressed the down button on the elevator counsel. It had been a while since she had been praised for her apprehensive work, naturally it pleased her.
Together, they rode the elevator down.
"What is ice cream?" Gilgamesh asked as the elevator door chimed and opened. The bustling noises of feet hurriedly stepping to get to their destination, an endless stream of nonsensical words, and the clashing of metal utensils bombarded Gilgamesh's ears.
The 211th Floor of Heavens Arena was relatively open for the public however they did need to pay a hefty fee to access it but due to the opening of a world renown ice cream shop, the price of entry felt worthy to even get a whiff of the cold desert. So naturally, directly in front of Gilgamesh was an amalgamation of a mutated snake slithering of crowding useless people.
To Gilgamesh, breakfast was an important meal of the day. A moment he prioritized greatly and wished to not be disturbed as he enjoyed his light meal. Breakfast was meant to be sacred and treated as such. Instantly, his mood soured.
"I will–" Imane, acknowledging this problem before Gilgamesh could be irritated by this festering nuisance, was seething. This stopped her from answering her master's question as the blood vessels protruded on her forehead.
"Silence!"
Using Nen to enhance his voice, Gilgamesh commanded the entire floor to bend to his wishes.
And they did, immediately. Even more so when they dared look at the origin of the voice and see the newest and deadliest Floor Master, Gilgamesh's presence.
But shortly after, there was a big crash that broke through the silence like a grenade exploding in an abandoned and uninhabited city. Then, a booming laughter echoed throughout the entire floor.
Gilgamesh's attention snapped to his left, silver metal tables and chairs infested the whole left side for the people to enjoy their food, his eyes locked onto the culprit.
However, he didn't need to visually see the person to become aware of the culprit, because he recognized the irritable and mind piercing laugh and who it belonged to. His twin brother, Sinbad.