D. MacHale - The Quillan Games

I stepped onto the Tato platform and looked it over. It was the same as I remembered from watching the match when Challenger Green killed Remudi. The five smoky glass domes were intact. I wondered what weapons were hidden below each. I hoped I wouldn’t find out, because breaking them would make the platform unstable.

I pushed my foot down to discover the surface was soft and spongy, kind of like a wrestling pad at school. It had some spring to it. I tried to slide the sole of my boot across the surface. It gripped tight. That was good. There would be no slipping on this surface. I stood in the center to get a feel of how far it was to either side. It felt pretty big, but I knew it would seem to shrink the moment we got into the air. Amazing how that happens. The whole time I inspected the platform. Challenger Green kept his eyes on me. He didn’t move, the same as before his match with Remudi.

As I stepped into the square outline opposite Challenger Green, LaBerge and Veego entered the clearing. The two stood on the edge of the forest and gave each other a hug. It was the first sign of affection I had seen between this brother and sister. I would have been touched, if they weren’t sadistic monsters. One of them was a sadistic monster in a clown suit. You dori’t get much worse than that. I expected them to both come up onto the platform, the way they had before the match between Green and Remudi, but only LaBerge climbed aboard. Veego stayed back, her arms at her side. Just as well, I didn’t want to hear any more of her obnoxious comments.

LaBerge went up to Challenger Green. He whispered a few words to him, which I’m sure were along the lines of, “Good luck. Kill him.” He handed Green the short, metal rod that could either be used as a weapon, or to break the domes. He then came to me. His eyes were red. He had been crying. He reluctantly handed me my steel weapon and said, “I hope this hurts.”

“Thanks!” I said. “I love you too, clowny.”

The guy didn’t even look me in the eye. Wimp. He started to walk away when I asked, “Hey, don’t I get an advantage because I won the last game?”

LaBerge said, “It’s tied. There are no advantages in a tie.”

I said, “I’ll bet you just made that up.”

He didn’t answer. The guy hated me for ruining his fun.

He walked to the center of the Tato platform and stood there quietly, his eyes closed. What was he doing? A few moments passed. He opened his eyes and glanced over to his sister, who stood on the edge of the clearing. She gave him a slight nod. LaBerge nodded back. He took a deep breath and stood up tall, puffing out his chest. In seconds he transformed himself from the broken, sorry clown whose world wasj about to crumble, to the outgoing ringmaster I had first seen on the screen above the city of Rune. This was his last dance, and he was going to play it for all it was worth. He dramatically raised one hand. It was a signal. Music blasted through the forest. It was the same loud, thumping electronic music I’d heard before the last Tato match. I could only imagine what was happening on the streets of Rune and the rest of Quillan as they watched the spectacle.

LaBerge put on a big smile, threw his arms out, and sang, “Place your bets, the time is near; the greatest games on Quillan are here!”

He stalked around the platform, spinning, sliding, and gesturing wildly. “This has been a match for the ages! The greatest Grand X in the history of Quillan. What better way to end it than here, in the Tato dome.” He paused, probably for the crowd to cheer, but there was no way to know if that was happening. I have to admit, he was good. It’s gotta be hard playing to a crowd you can’t see or hear.

“Introducing for the last time, undefeated in an unprecedented seven Tato matches, and ready to retire after one last crushing victory, your champion. Challenger Green!”

Challenger Green didn’t move. It was like watching a statue. He kept his eyes on me.

“And his opponent, a challenger who has done surprisingly well in this Grand X. A new favorite who hopes to last as long as he can before falling to a painful death. Challenger Red!”

Wow, I guess there was no mystery about who he thought would win. It wasn’t until that moment that it finally hit me: This fight was really going to happen. I had to get my game face on, fast.

“Good luck to you both!” sang LaBerge. “The betting is closed. The game will begin!”

He skipped to the end of the platform and jumped off. I bent my legs. I knew what was coming next. With a slight jolt, the platform began to rise. I kept my eyes on Challenger Green, trying not to think about how high we were going. It was hard to miss, since behind him, I saw the trees seemingly sinking down as we rose into the air. I imagined hearing the multiple thousands of people in the streets chanting “Taaaaaaaaaato!” as we ascended. A few seconds later we cleared the tops of the trees to reveal a breathtaking sight. Literally. I had to catch my breath. I could look over the sea of treetops to see the buildings of the gray city far beyond. I felt the platform sway slightly. We were way the heck up there.

The platform stopped with a lurch. This was it. The final stage of the Grand X, the last chapter of my mission here on Quillan, and maybe my last act as a Traveler.

I heard LaBerge’s amplified voice shouting, “Four… three… two… one… TATO!”

And it was on.

(CONTINUED)

Challenger Green moved instantly. He had a plan. He dropped to one knee and used his metal weapon to smash open one of the glass domes. I could instantly feel the platform wobble. He knew he was at a disadvantage with his bad foot, so he had to pull out every possible trick to beat me. That was good, I thought. He was already desperate. He reached into the dome and pulled out a weapon that looked familiar. It was a three-pronged knife. I knew I had seen it someplace before, but couldn’t remember where.

Challenger Green held it up and said, “They call this a tang. I use it for fights in close. Are you ready for a fight in close?”

A tang, of course. It was a weapon made from the three claws of a tang beast on Eelong. Seeing it didn’t even bother me. It wasn’t the time to be worrying about mixing the territories. Challenger Green held the knife low. It looked like he knew how to use it. He started to circle to his right. I knew why. He had a bad left eye. If he was going to attack, it would be to his right. I circled away. I wanted to keep on his left side. The platform wobbled, but not dangerously. That wasn’t a factor. At least not yet.

“You knew we would end up here, didn’t you. Red?” he growled. “This is what I wanted, you know. I could have won all those games, but I wanted us here, on the Tato.”

“Yeah, sure you could have,” I said. “That’s why I had to save your life.”

Green jumped up and slammed down hard on the platform, making it tilt. It wasn’t much, but it surprised me, and my arms flew out to get my balance.

Green laughed. “Wait until we start to rock! It’s all about balance,” he said, shifting weight from one foot to the other. “I know everything about this platform. I know where it’s tight and where it dips. When you hit the wrong spot, look out. You’ll go down.”

I was surprised to see that his foot didn’t seem to bother him. Either he had an incredible tolerance for pain, or he had it strapped up tight in a cast under his pants. Or took painkillers. Or something. Whatever it was, I realized that it wasn’t going to be a factor in this fight. Unfortunately. Green continued circling.

I circled away and said, “You know that either way, the games are done.”

“Then I’ll retire as the only undefeated challenger,” he said proudly. “You think that bothers me?”