The Proving Grounds
#1 of The New Urios Battle Tournament
I glanced down towards the leaflet in my hand, before looking at the large building in front of me.
There were a couple of people chatting around the front, all wearing weapons on either their waists or their backs.
I was wearing dazzling emerald armour with a white-flecked midnight black cloak over the top of it, blending with my coal coloured fur perfectly. A small quiver rested on my back, looking like it'd only be able to hold a single arrow, and beside it, an unstrung longbow.
Hidden beneath my cloak was a shortsword, gleaming like liquid starlight.
"Excuse me?" I asked politely, "Is this the..."
I glanced at the pamphlet in my hand before continuing.
"Is this the New Urios Battle Tournament?"
"Yeah, you want in?" a nine-tailed fox replied, a shining sword slung across his back, a rapier belted to his left flank, while a broadsword shimmering with every hue of the rainbow hung from his right.
"I should warn you, this isn't for the faint of heart. The best fighters from every corner of the galaxy are going to be here, and only an exceptionally good fighter will stand a ghost of a chance,"
"You know what Tam?" a tall arctic wolf commented, "I think that this little girly wants to play."
I heaved a deep sigh, before looking the kitsune in the eye.
"So can I go in or not?"
He started to answer but the wolf bet him to it.
"Tell you what, honey," he said, draping an arm around my shoulders, "If you do something special for me, I'll let you go in."
I grabbed the arm and twisted it around, before shoving his face into the brick wall, breaking his nose in several places.
"Don't touch me ever again!" I whispered to him furiously, before releasing his arm and walking past the stunned kitsune into the main lobby.
On my back, a pair of glowing tattoos started to shine through my cloak and armour.
"Is that-" the wolf stammered, pulling himself off the wall and staring at my back.
"If it isn't, it's her twin sister." the kitsune replied, grinning slightly.
I walked into a crowded room, full of chattering competitors all trying to get to the registration desk first.
Shaking my head in disbelief, I just leant against the wall and waited.
After about half an hour, the crowds thinned enough to let me through.
"Name?" the salamander at the desk asked.
I remained silent.
"Weapons?"
"Sword and a bow."
"Alright, you'll be in the lightweight division, okay? Down the left is where you'll want to go. One last thing, when we introduce you, it generally helps to have a good call-sign. Have any in mind?"
I hesitated for a moment.
"The Wanderer," I said softly, before walking away.
I walked down the hallway and into a large sitting room, full of anxious competitors ready to fight. There were several of them that caught my eye; a mid-sized labrador jabbing and slicing at the air with two viciously bladed daggers; a winged fox with a pair of shimmering swords in his hands, held in a backwards grip; a large bat with an equally large broadsword resting against his chest.
"This is lightweight?" I said in my mind, a slight smile appearing for a moment on my face.
Pushing the thought from my mind, I found an empty spot and sat down and waited.
After a short while, the wolf that was out the front walked in.
"Hello everyone," he said, "My name is Ryu Karhas, and I'm one of the lightweight division's judges. There are a few rules that I should let you know. Firstly, no cheap shots. Secondly, the judge's decision is final, so don't bitch and whine about it. No killing. No biting or clawing. No teleporting either, for those of you who can. Everything else within reason is allowed. When you are called, please proceed out to the arena as quickly as possible."
He pointed to a ramp from which the sounds of screaming crowds rang.
"First up is the Proving Grounds. You will be fighting a series of holographic enemies, each increasing in difficulty until you either succeed or fail. Safe fighting everyone."
He turned and left.
A chorus of whispers filled the room, all of them concerning the coming fights.
"First up," a voice from outside called, "A master in the Tsia Qet dagger style, Shuriken!"
The labrador bounded up, full of nervous energy, and almost ran up the ramp.
An instant later, an explosion of applause, jeers and cat-calls rocked everyone in the room.
Taking a deep breath, I sat back down and waited.
One by one, the room emptied, the fights colourfully illustrated by some unseen voice, as well as the rise and fall of the crowd's voices and the echoing roar of beasts unknown.
Finally, there was only me and the winged fox left in the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, species of all ages, I give you your next competitor! Born in an unknown place, in an unknown time, she has proven herself against unspeakable forces of evil. Now doomed to wander the universe alone, she stands here before you tonight! I give you, The Wanderer!"
The fox gave me a sly wink.
"Fuckin' Mitch," he exclaimed, "Always exaggerates everything."
Giving him a quizzical stare, I proceeded up the ramp and was hit by a veritable wall of cheers.
I looked around the arena with surprise; it was in the form of a ruined city, mounds of rubble scattered everywhere, spot fires burning, the only light in the dark arena.
"Does she have what it takes to survive and prove herself once again, or will she fail? You may begin!"
I reached behind my back and drew my longbow.
A shimmering, emerald string appeared on it, glowing like a solitary star on a moonless night.
I reached back with my other hand and an emerald arrow sprang into my hand, which I promptly nocked.
Pulling the bow to its full draw, I swung around in a slow circle, waiting for my opponents to make the first move.
A shiver ran down my spine as a small breath of wind blew across my neck.
I spun around and released the arrow, shooting off into the darkening twilight, lighting everything it passed.
I instantly reached back again and another arrow sprang into my hand, and at the same time, the other one hit a mound of rubble, before exploding with such violent force, it almost put out the nearest raging inferno.
Slowly, I became aware of a soft scratching sound, coming from all around me.
Frowning, I released the arrow, before drawing another one, its tip spitting white sparks.
Aiming straight up, I released it.
Its tip sputtered for an instant, before exploding with light, bathing the arena with a pure radiance, lighting even the darkest shadow.
The gryphons around me shrank back in fear, before charging at me.
Scowling, I returned my bow to my back, its string fading into nothingness.
I then drew my sword and waited for the first of the gryphons to reach me.
It stretched out a taloned claw and swiped at me.
I backflipped, before lunging forwards and stabbing it at the base of its neck.
With a gurgled cry, it crumpled to the ground.
I pulled out my sword and looked up just in time to see a claw heading for my face.
It sent me flying back, before finally crashing into a mound of rubble.
Scrambling back up, I threw my sword at one of them, lodging it dead centre of its skull.
Reaching back, I drew an arrow, before sidestepping a swipe and slashing at the gryphon's flank.
It let out a hideous screech, blood gushing from the cut, before it too crumpled to the ground, motionless.
I ran over to my sword, yanking it out, before turning to face the two remaining gryphons.
Letting out a fierce battle cry, I charged at them.
The sword connected with one of them, but the other avoided my scything arcs.
It dodged the sword and swiped at my arm.
A gaping gash on my arm suddenly appeared, blood pouring out and drenching the ground beneath me.
"What the hell!?" Mitch exclaimed over the loudspeaker.
He turned to Chloe and Tamati in the judge's box with a horrified expression on his face.
"Quick! Shut it off!" he yelled frantically.
Chloe slammed her hand down on a red button and all of a sudden, the holographic arena vanished, leaving only me and the gryphon in a large, white room.
"No..." Chloe breathed, before closing her eyes and concentrating hard on me.
She shook her head with a pained expression, before turning back to Mitch.
"The anti-teleport field's still up!" she exclaimed in horror.
Tamati looked at the screens in front of him.
"The power's still coming in, but all our generators are off!" he said, "It must be coming in from an outside source."
"So what can we do?" Mitch asked, hopelessly.
"Pray," Chloe said softly, "It's all we can do."
Meanwhile, I was in a world of hurt.
In addition to the gash in my arm, I had acquired a deep cut to my leg and I was staggering all over the place.
I slipped, dropping my sword and whacking my head on the arena wall in the process.
Now dizzy, disoriented and weaponless, I staggered my way to the now closed entry ramp and started banging on it.
"Help!" I cried weakly, my head spinning.
I felt a slight twinge in the back of my neck, so, trusting my instincts, I rolled to one side.
If I had move just a second later, I would've been crushed by a massive paw; as it was, the impact of the paw sent me flying.
I struggled to get back up again and my bloody fingers somehow found my sword.
Staggering upright, I tightened my grip on the sword.
The gryphon lowered itself to the ground in preparation for a leap.
As quick as a flash, it pounced, letting out a deafening roar.
I ducked, and it sailed over the top of me.
Suddenly, time slowed down, and I was watching the belly of the gryphon soar over me in slow motion.
A flash of inspiration struck me, and I thrust my sword blindly upwards.
The gryphon let out a cry of pure pain, before a veritable river of a sticky green substance washed over me.
I glanced weakly at it, lying crumpled against a wall, before everything was swallowed up by a dark void and I tumbled forwards onto the bloody ground, motionless.
"Is she alright?"
"Well, she took a hell of a beating, and to be honest, I'm not sure she'll make it, but I'll try my best. By the way, what the hell happened to her?"
"Turns out one of the gryphons were real."
"She must've put up a brave fight to get this badly hurt..."
"She won."
"WHAT?"
"You heard me."
"You're joking, aren't you?"
"Nope."
"So do you think someone wants her outta the tournament?"
"I think someone wants her dead..."
I slowly awoke in a medical bay of some kind, though for some reason, the world had taken on a yellowish tint.
I was about to get up when I realised where I really was.
I was suspended in a yellow liquid, bubbling all around me, and sensors placed all over my bare chest.
As soon as I realised this, and what was in my lungs that moment, I started gagging.
"Hey!" a voice from outside the tank called, "Just breathe normally! The liquid has a high concentration of oxygen in it, so just take it easy!"
A blurry figure strode into my view, distorted by the bubbles.
"Guys!" it called in an unmistakably feminine voice, "She's awake!"
Another figure ran into my view, before inspecting me closely.
I tried to speak, but it seemed that the fluid wouldn't allow it.
Both of them saw it however.
"Just a sec, we'll get you out in a moment!" the second one said, also female.
She pressed a button on the control panel in front of her and a whooshing sound filled my ears.
Immediately, the tank began to empty, and before long, I was lying in the foetal position on the bottom of it, coughing up copious amounts of the fluid from my lungs.
"Veritas!" one of them exclaimed, running over to me and draping a warm blanket over my sopping wet fur.
I cringed as I heard my name.
"How- how-" I managed to gasp.
"How do we know your name?" the same vixen replied, grinning slightly, "Well, it helps to have telepathic powers I guess..."
I just gaped at her in silence, well, as silently as I could while coughing up the liquid.
Before long, I had managed to get rid of it, and a dull ache had formed on both my leg and my arm where I had been cut.
I looked down at my arm and was surprised to see, well, absolutely nothing.
All that was there was a patch of slightly lighter fur.
I immediately looked down at my leg and I saw the same thing.
"What happened?" I asked nervously.
"One of your opponents were real..." one of them said, a concerned expression on her face.
"B-but gryphons aren't real!" I exclaimed, horrified.
"Yes, actually they are," a dark-blue wolf replied, the same one who had done the commentating, "They live in the Krushn sector and almost no-one who's gone up against them alone has survived."
I stood up and wrapped the blanket around me more securely.
"Where are my clothes?" I asked, glancing nervously around me.
"Oh, you mean your armour? I put them aside when we pulled you out from the arena; I've gotta say though, they were beautifully made."
I blushed slightly.
"Thanks." I replied, my cheeks burning.
Suddenly, I realised something.
"How long have I been out for?" I asked.
"Only three days." a third individual said, walking in.
"Days!?" I exclaimed, "The tournament must be well and truly over by now!"
The first one shook her head.
"No, actually, and to be honest, you must be from the other side of the universe if you didn't know that. Every fighter in the galaxy, no matter how good or bad, is involved in it. Naturally, this results in a large number of competitors, and it'd be impossible to fit them all in on one day, or a week for that matter, so the tournament stretches over two months. The first week, this week, will reduce over three million combatants to only 500,000. Then, each week, we continue to reduce that number as we near the actual tournament. Twenty competitors will then battle it out for the championship."
She gave me a queer look.
"Is that all Veritas?"
I gave her a slight smile.
"Well, it seems that you all know my name, but I'm afraid that I don't know yours."
The three of them gave me a surprised look.
A salamander stepped forwards.
"I admit that you mightn't of heard of me, but surely you've heard of Chloe the Firefox, or Mitch Swiftblade?"
I shook my head.
"Well, as Rukairo said there," the vixen said, "My name's Chloe, and I was given the name 'Firefox' mainly because of my heritage. Mitch, not so much. In fact, I can't remember the last time you used your sword, Mitch."
He shrugged.
"No need, really. Not enough action, Chlo'."
He paused, winking at her.
"At least there's no boredom in the bedroom, eh?"
She sighed, before offering me a hand.
"Here," she said, "Let me show you your room. I've put your stuff in there."
"Thank you," I said, "For everything."
She smiled graciously.
"Don't mention it!" she replied happily.
I took her outstretched hand and she led me out of the room and into a darkened corridor.
"One sec," she said, before a fireball blossomed into being above her palm.
I just looked at her in amazement.
She led me through corridor after winding corridor, before eventually ending up in front of a door.
"Well," she said, "Here we are."
She turned around to see my reaction and was surprised to see my bare body.
"Oh," she said, blushing and turning away, "You must've dropped your blanket somewhere."
I smirked slightly.
"I somehow get the feeling that you aren't exactly straight, then." I said, a grin spreading across my face.
She just shrugged, also smiling.
"I'll leave you to it then,"
She walked away, before turning back again.
"Oh, by the way, don't be afraid to make new friends here."
I gave her a look of absolute confusion, to which she replied with only a wink, before walking away again.
Taking a deep breath, I cautiously pulled open the door.
I was greeted by the sight of a small room with three doors, one in front of me and one on either side.
I assumed that one went to an eating room, and one to the bedroom, but as to the third one, I had no idea.
A cold breeze gusted through the room, making me shiver, and I immediately regretted dropping that blanket.
I went to the door on the left and opened it.
There was a large yew table taking pride of place in the centre of the room, surrounded by a multitude of comfy looking chairs.
I heard a series of footsteps behind me, but when I turned around, there was no-one there.
Sighing, I left the room and went to the door opposite to me.
Just as my hand touched the door, I heard a girlish giggle ring through the air.
I flung open the door, and was greeted by the sight of a large bed, covered in a light blue quilt.
There was a door on the side of the room, leading to a bathroom probably.
On the bed sat my armour and weapons, gleaming like the first day they were made, and alongside it, a note sitting on a small pile of clothes.
I sat down and picked up the note.
Veritas (it read),
It has come to my attention that you have no possessions of your own, other than your weapons and your armour. Please, take these as a small token of my friendship and may you have safe future battles.
Chloe
Smiling, I picked up the first piece of clothing on the pile, a pale green shirt, and tried it on.
It was extremely soft, like liquid fabric, and left a weird feeling on my fur afterwards.
I then picked up a pair of pants off the pile, also a pale green, and went to pull them on.
A loud noise startled me, and I turned to see a young wolf walk in.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, "I didn't know anyone was in here."
He blushed as he saw me half-naked.
"I- I'll just be going now." he stammered.
He turned to leave, but I held out an arm to stop him.
"Wait, what's your name?"
"Fyron," he replied, blushing an even deeper shade of red.
"Fyron, if I may ask, what are you doing here? You don't look like a fighter."
He smirked.
"Well, you're right, I'm not a fighter. I'm a servant of the Order of the Firefox."
"You mean- wait, never mind." I said, before a wide grin appeared on my face, alarming Fyron.
"What?" he asked.
"Well, I was wondering if you could help me with something..." I started, before standing up and walking over to him.
"With what?" he asked, before realisation dawned on his face.
I moved close to him, sliding down his pants, revealing his monster 9 inch cock, and started to gently massage it.
He gave a muffled groan and was about to say something when I kissed him deeply.
After a couple of seconds, he pushed me away, shaking his head.
"No," he mumbled, "This isn't right."
I flashed him a confused smile.
"What's wrong honey?"
"I shouldn't be here." he said before turning to leave, attempting to pull up his pants but tripping in the process.
I gave a low whistle at the sight of his ass, before rolling him over.
"C'mon," I pleaded, "Just for a little while?"
A series of conflicting expressions flitted across his face, before he reached up and kissed me.
I recoiled slightly at his surprisingly cold touch, before melting into his arms.
He softly licked my face, before something hard poked me in the leg.
I pulled away slightly and saw his rock-hard cock dripping pre-cum onto my fur.
I swiftly pulled off my shirt and threw it to one side before rolling off of him.
He gave a disappointed groan as I ran over to the bed, literally jumping onto it, before rolling onto my back and spreading my legs wide.
He leapt up onto the bed with me and crawled on top of me.
Grinning slightly, Fyron leaned down close to me, and speared me with one quick thrust.
Letting out a cry of complete ecstasy, I humped against him, before he shoved me back down again in a dominating gesture.
He continued to thrust deep into me, moaning aloud as my snatch tightened against his cock.
I yelped as his thrusts became harder and harsher, while his pants became heavier.
All of a sudden, he stiffened above me, and I felt his warm seed splurt into my womb.
He flopped down on top of me, and I gave a sigh of disappointment.
"First time?" I asked him, his cock still buried deep within me.
"Wha- yeah, I guess." he panted.
I flashed him a wicked smile, before rolling him over so that I was on top.
"Well, I'd better show you the ropes after that little warm up then!"
* * * * * *
Tamati is copyright to tamati the nine tailed fox
Veritas, Chloe, Scott, Ryu Karhas, Rukairo and Fyron are copyrighted to me, ChloeTheFirefox
Mitch is copyrighted to SPAMZZKRR