Chapter 474: CHPT 474: The Combine, Power and Influence.
Bengal and Samuel— two Lupines of Remus, had made it to Ra Stadium. Who knew how many more.
Just in time for the Combine to begin.
The Stadium seats were once again filled to the brim. As if humans were a liquid poured into a sectional bowl to the point of overfilling. From where he stood it looked like they were read to spill out onto the field. Not the important people though. The Sponsors and Benefactors of the Event sat comfortably in deep shade with luxurious foods and items he could smell easily.
"Fiara… what the fuck? What is that?!" It was like a word on the tip of his tongue only for a memory.
His thoughts were cut short by the announcer.
"Ok ladies and gentlemen. Simple stuff here. This is The Combine. An introductory event to showcase each nations physical might at its base. No monsters, no mind games….. hopefully, and no blood. Unless you're incredibly weak. To my next generation of Slayers and Heroes, give the people a show. They came all this way to watch you. Build your image, show off what you've worked for, huh? Let's begin!"
The crowd distantly cheered while others honed in on Claude and the students. He could feel their focus, he knew it well. He'd seen it on his own face many times before. Clearly for different reasons but the intensity matched.
Speaking of intensity, the students got to work. Every event had a different batch of students going all out to prove superiority against the others.
The little girl from the Indus Isles with the haunting presence went to work with her daggers on an active training dummy. She moved as if she had multiple arms, somehow attacking with every dodge from multiple areas at the same time. If Claude looked close enough he could see her eyes moving….. in different directions.
The crowd— who was also drawn to the fighters, oohed and ahh'd in surprise.
"None of you should expect anything less from the youngest chosen of our generation, Ishani Singh! Said to be empowered by Kali of Death…" The announcer said in all his blinding jewelry and long braids.
The crowd cringed.
"Let us try and not judge the girl for the goddesses actions of old…"
The little girl stopped her blade-work and turned to face the announcer center stage.
His playful words in an attempt to soothe the little girl faded from Claude's ears as he watched Bengal on the running track.
"Isn't Kali a Dark God?" Claude whispered to Ursula.
"Yea…. I thought Dark Gods got locked up."
"I'm guessing Indus Officials made a deal of some sort to pardon Kali…. At least for the time being." Isaac explained as they all waited in line for weight lifting.
"That and they probably don't want to imprison a little girl for the rest of her life. Orphanages are enough at that age." Maris said without looking back at her.
"Fair point….. but why make a deal? Why would a goddess listen?" Ursula asked. "I've spoken to one and they don't seem like the type."
"Fame." Claude said it before even thinking clearly as someone hit a bullseye at the target station…. Followed by another splitting the arrow…and another.
Isaac nodded, "They need it like we need air…. At least that's what my father said— oh look."
They all followed Isaac's finger as he pointed to the woman that took to the deadlift portion.
She was….. well, there was no nice way to put it. She was huge. In every way. Over six feet tall and heavy enough to make three hundred pounds on a bar look small. She jiggled everywhere with each step as she approached the plate. Every aspect of her felt… puffy. Even her rosy cheeks and bulbous nose.
Her brown curly hair was tied up in a messy bun as if she just woke up and her armor was put on and tied down as if she was half drunk.
"Who is that?" Claude asked.
"Her names Donna— I think." Isaac replied.
Based on the fact that they shared the event with Arthurian students, she was one of them. Her age was indeterminable but she had to be decently leveled due to the six extra plates she put on each side of the bar.
Over a nine hundred pounds.
"Holy shit…." Warren commented. "Now it all makes sense."
"What makes sense?" Claude felt left out.
"She beat the hell out of a third year in The Dugout…. And then threw up on him." Isaac whispered as Donna lifted the weight.
Claude could practically feel the floor cave where she exerted her insane force.
"EUUUGHHHHAHHHH!!!!" She groaned, spitting purple fluids as the veins in her nearly nonexistent neck bulged.
Her assumed teammates at the front of the line roared with the crowd.
"UP UP UP!"
Slowly she stood, holding over nine hundred pounds at the top of her deadlift. No warm up. No belt. No straps. Just girth.
With a sigh she dropped the weight and the floor shook.
She didn't even look all that tired as she pulled her water bottle from her hip and began drinking.
"Donna Brewer, everyone! At last years Tournament she made quite the impact in strength based events."
As she walked down the line she offered students her drink, including Claude.
"Care for a drink, long legs?"
Claude could immediately smell the grape flavored alcohol inside. There was something else mixed in…. Something maddening that called his Lupine form to the surface. "I think I'm ok."
"More for me." Donna winked at him and headed off.
Ursula grabbed his shoulder to center him, "You ok?"
Claude nodded as he blinked away the glow in his eyes, "Yea….. yea. This place just keeps getting weirder. That girl had to be drinking the strongest alcohol I've ever smelled…"
Ursula slyly pulled his arm over her shoulders in case his legs weakened, "Stay on your toes. That's what everyone's been saying. "
Claude agreed as they shimmied up the line. While he looked around he found the words returning. Weird. Alarming. Even without Samuel who was being cleared to compete. Things would only get worse by then. This wasn't a Tournament centered around winning. Not for Claude.
When he entered it would be about figuring out him and Bengal's angle. And trying not to die. There could be Lupines of Remus elsewhere. Or worse, something he can't forsee.
"Claude…" Cassidy's voice entered his mind as he sat amongst the crowd. "You develop a thing for weird house cats in my absence?"
Claude's stomach lurched as if he drank Donna's ale, "What?"
"Three o'clock. Stadium entrance."
Claude turned and found three cats sitting in the shadows of the entrance hallway. Their eyes on him and unmoving despite the chaos of the stadium floors surrounding him.
He didn't need to close his eyes to know this time.
"Those aren't cats…"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
_Avatar0FFury_
_Avatar0FFury_ Yo! Smaller chap I wanted to use for character intro and small build up, just because of how I’ll formulate the next chapters so they aren’t so heavy. Lmk what ya think and thanks a bunch for reading! Also thanks for the powersgones Sonuis, Shazac, bop, Alex99, shadowwolf1928, MEASTRO, Omeroford, drachenk1nd, train_master, zombie_loveheart, W_G_Gates and everyone else!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone