Chapter 36: Boundaries

Miguel and Tarja were now walking towards the lake, and Miguel noticed pairs of security guards dotted around the complex, patrolling. The majority were near the main mansion house, though others were circling the tall outer walls. It occurred to him that Madam Kampion’s house was like New Baravia in miniature – a circular walled complex. Boundaries and guards to keep the privileged in, and undesirables out.

The pair stopped near the small boathouse, and Miguel glanced down at the clipboard he was still holding. He was curious to know whether his stats had been updated according to the experience he had spent within the recent task, and he found that indeed, it had:

Strength: 14 Speed: 18 Melee: 6 Ranged: 15 Spirit: 1 Agility: 7 Dead lift: 95kg Time trial: 2.6 minutes Melee bout percentage: 82% Shooting accuracy percentage: 91% Magical knowlege: no data Obstacle course: 55%

None of the training activity scores had shifted, however. He looked up at Tarja. Rather than staring at her own sheet, she had been glancing around at the guards. “A lot of security on patrol today. More than normal.”

“Hmm.” Miguel looked around once again, though he didn’t feel he’d been in the complex for long enough to know what ‘normal’ looked like. “Huh. I wonder if it’s because we’ve attracted attention to ourselves in the contests.”

“Perhaps.” Tarja narrowed her eyes again, then pointed to the far side of the lake. “There’s an outdoor obstacle course, you know. We’ll start there. Then, in terms of magical knowledge, you can study for that.”

Miguel made a face. “Study magic?”

“Yeah, I know – it sounds pretty weird. I’m afraid you can’t try it out. But the principles behind the way magic works in Demon Hunters can be studied. The code, you know... the rules. So that you know how to use it when the time comes.”

“That makes sense I guess. I’d always wondered...”

But Tarja had already set off at a run for the far side of the lake.

The pair spent the next hour working out on the obstacle course, leaving their clipboards at the start. The course consisted of a series of metal and wooden barriers on a strip of ground between the lake and the perimeter wall. Some of the barriers hung out right over the lake, and the players were forced to leap from one to the next.

“You’re more nimble than inside the game,” said Tarja at one point.

“Yeah. But my agility is improving step by step.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

On the far side of the apparatus, near the perimeter wall, were a series of high hurdles, and Miguel paused for a moment after passing this section of the course, panting and leaning against the wall. Tarja came to stand beside him. Both of them were damp with sweat, and still panting from the exertion.

Tarja yawned, leaning back on the wall. Miguel couldn’t help but notice the tight-fitting nature of her black long-sleeved top. She ran her hand through her blonde hair before letting it flop back over her face, and then glancing around at Miguel. “Damn, I need a shower,” she said.

“You quitting for the morning?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Time for a change of activity. And we get new clothes in our room. You’re welcome to use mine, though – it’s bigger. Even the shower is huge... if you want to take a look.” She raised an eyebrow.

“I, uh...” Not for the first time, Miguel felt a little bit at sea when faced with Tarja’s blatant but unexpected flirtation. “Sounds good,” he replied at last.

She sniffed, moving around to face him. “Don’t, tell me,” she said. “You haven’t fallen for Aluna now, have you?”

“No, I... I mean, she’s nice. Beautiful. A great team mate.”

“Beautiful? Hell... keep it in your pants, Rubio.”

“I am, I mean... She’s just a work associate.” He frowned, looking around and mentally asking himself why he felt so on edge about Tarja’s avances. “The thing is, you’re a lot of fun, I can see that. And we are not currently being observed by the population of New Baravia, which is a big plus, I must admit. But this whole place is totally freaky. We can’t exactly go for a cup of green coffee and get to know each other, can we?”

“As long as our stats are progressing, they’re happy. And they say it’s a form of exercise.”

Miguel felt a certain stirring in his loins despite himself, but then tried to remember the danger he was in. “Tarja, I’m basically here under the threat of death, you have to realize.”

“You’ll get over it, Schmoop,” she replied, beginning to walk back towards the start of the course where they had left their clipboards. “And for what it’s worth, I’m happy to bump your obstacle course percentage by ten percent after this morning.”

“You can do that?”

“Sure. Sid put me in charge of your training, remember?”

“Right.”

She paused, raising the clipboard, scribbling on it, and then handing it back to Miguel, staring at him intently as if contemplating a piece of food on her plate.

“Well then. Grab yourself some food, and then enjoy the books. You’ll find that training in the main compound. And if you’re feeling restless after that, well... my room is the one two along from your own.”

“Got it.”

She snickered, and then began to walk away.

Miguel felt preoccupied as he ate his lunch alone in the mess hall at the back of Madam Kampion’s mansion. Nobody was there at first except a very young-looking boy serving the basic food. It was early. A few minutes later, a pair of guards came in, both dressed in combat fatigues like his own. They sat on the opposite side of the area, spoke together in hushed voices for a few moments, rushing their meal, and then hurried off.

Miguel was left along once again, and it occurred to him that he didn’t know where to find the books that Tarja had mentioned, besides that they were in the ‘main compound’.

He walked over to the server.

“Hey.”

The boy’s eyes widened, and it occurred to Miguel that many of the ordinary folk of New Baravia would know who he was – they had seen him on their screens. Looking at the age of this kid, it was just as well he had kept things family-friendly with his fellow contestants.

“Was the food... uh, alright?” said the boy, half-stumbling over his words.

“The food?” Miguel was still thinking of the contest, the bread shared in the cave with Sid and Aluna, before realizing that the kid was asking about the meal that Miguel had just been served. He glanced back over to the table, where the tray and half-finished food was still sitting. “Yeah, um... delicious. Well done.”

The boy nodded, smiling broadly now, but still looking very nervous.

“Thing is,” Miguel continued, frowning, “I don’t know where to go next. Is there, like... a library?”

The boy’s eyes widened again, before he pointed towards the door. “Outside, go to the back entrance of the main building. Then up the stairs. I, uh... well, I’m not allowed, myself.”

“Right. Hopefully the boss is cool with me going there myself.”

As Miguel looked towards the door where the youth had indicated, he noticed six of the local guards in pairs, all running in the same direction. “That’s strange...”

Walking away, he stepped back outside.

And that was when he heard the first gunshot.