It was, of course, likely that the man's people had no concept of the handshake, but there was just a feeling about him that rubbed me the wrong way. It was hard to put my finger on exactly what yet. I withdrew my waiting arm and spotted a tiny change in his smile. Was that a confirmation? Had this been some odd power game? I didn't know the answer, and it wasn't something I had ever been good at playing.

"Ah, yeah, nice to meet you. Sorry, can't stay and chat. We've got some friends coming," I said, trying to excuse myself from the awkward encounter.

"Surely, they can't be more important than a chat with me. Someone as new to the Spiral as your universe could well benefit from some of my advice," he replied, and I felt something else with those words. There was a tiny push that accompanied them. Had it not been for my experience with the Siren, I likely would have missed it entirely.

"Sorry, Ghalad was it? Dave's got places to be. You understand, important people and all that," Connie said suddenly, nudging me forward away from the man as she spoke.

His lips twitched, dropping the smile for a fraction of a second. "Enjoy your meeting then," he said, his tone having returned to the one he had greeted me with. He then turned away from us and strode from the building, without a second look.

"That was odd," I said, still not sure what to make of the encounter.

"Some pompous royal, don't recognize the name, but he tried to use a bit of persuasion on you, and I didn't like that at all. Only I get to do that!" Connie said. I really hoped the last part had been a joke.

"I recognize the faction, one of the many powerful dynasties, but not his name. Then again, that's not remotely surprising. There are probably a few thousand princes, if not more, at any given time for most of them. Hard to say what he wanted, but he clearly didn't get it. Might be a problem later, or it will be nothing, who knows," Pryte added, as he took a seat at a nearby table.

"Weird, can honestly say I didn't like him, but I'm guessing that shouldn't be too surprising from what I've read and seen so far," I replied. Now that he was gone, the slimy feeling I had gotten was more pronounced. Connie was right as well, the fact that he had tried any manipulation on me was pretty offensive.

"I've met people like that before. There are tricks to working out what they want without really giving it to them, but it's not an easy thing to learn," Laura said, taking one of the seats next to Pryte.

"Honestly, I'd be more worried if he hadn't come off like that. I'd guess he has no real power yet. Otherwise, dismissing him like Connie did might have gotten us in a fight. Not that it wouldn't have been the right way to handle even if it did," Pryte replied.

"Kind of wished he did, haven't hit a noble in years. Remember that time on Prilshir Pryte? Now that was fun," Yorela said as a savage smile crossed her face.

"Yeah, let's not talk about that one in the middle of the Spire." Pryte's face actually went a tiny bit red as he replied. Just what had those two done during their time together? I was going to have to pry some stories out of Pryte one of these days. Or was Yorela the easier target there?

"Dave!" roared a voice from the entryway. "Have you come to celebrate our victory?" The questioner was a huge giant, even compared to others of his kind, and so far they were the only other Arena squad we had befriended.

"Tomthy!" I yelled back. "We have, but we've also come to talk more about the possibility of an alliance."

"Those are the kinds of talks that require drinking, and a lot of it. So why don't you introduce the new people you have with you there while the booze starts to flow," Tomthy replied as he dragged a large chair over to the table, taking a seat at the end of it.

"Laura is an expert in diplomacy and has come along to help me work out any kind of alliance, as it's not really something I specialize in," I said, pointing to my ex-wife. "The other other human is Grant, a soldier from my world. Finally, Yorela is a friend of Elody who helped us recently on a special mission."

"Well, any friend of Dave's!" Tomthy roared as he downed a drink that had just been set in front of him. Remembering my last experience, mostly, I did the same, slamming it down on the table moments after he did.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Several other giants filed into the room, quickly taking up the other seats as the noise around us grew. Suddenly, the restaurant was busy with food and drink orders as the staff fought their way through crowds. I was just glad for the cover to continue this conversation.

"So, Tomthy, things have taken a pretty bad turn on my homeworld, which is a big part of why we decided to reach out now. The Orcs were nice enough to leave behind a death curse when we took back the planet. And now we are in a situation where it looks like we won't be able to support most of the life on the planet without help. And the harsh reality of it is, you're the only possible shot we have at any help. Sorry to spoil the mood, but we don't have a lot of time," I explained.

"Damn. Well, I was hoping a celebration with friends was the main reason for your visit. I can't fault you for this reason at all, though. I'd do whatever I possibly could if the situation happened to Tregulep," Tomthy said, this time ripping a chunk of meat free from a giant leg after he spoke. It had only been dropped in front of him moments ago.

Laura took several drinks of her own mug and set it back down on the table, with a deliberate gentleness, the complete opposite of me. "I understand if you aren't willing to sign any true partnership or alliance, but if we could at least come to some sort of trade deal, that would be amazing. We are trying to, at the very least, acquire six months' worth of food supplies, funds to be able to distribute it, and access to your gate network."

"Actually, I've got some good news on the front. Dad wants to meet you. He heard about your performance in the Arena and was pretty glad I ran into you. So once we finish up our meal, how about you join us for a trip to Tregulep to meet the big guy himself?" A giant grin crossed the man's face. Had he just been waiting for the perfect moment to let that news drop? I didn't know, but I was incredibly glad to hear it.

"I should probably get back to Earth to help with the preparation for the spike," Elody said, finishing her own mug before she spoke.

"Yeah, as much as I want to see your world, Tomthy, I've gotta get back to the work on the housing. Can I please have a raincheck, though? Maybe one where I bring my family?" Glorp added, sounding like a kid again.

"It is understandable, you likely have much work to do on your planet, whoever wishes to come may of course join us. And yes, little fast one, I would love to show you around. Now, a toast to what will soon come!" Tomthy yelled the second part, lifting his refilled mug high over the table.

I joined him and hoisted my own mug. "To lasting friendships!" I shouted. Around the table, everyone lifted their own mugs, and then as one, we lowered them to our mouths and drank. I could already feel my head starting to swim. I had forgotten just how strong their drinks were.

Mel's first planned stop was a check-in with his last Arena squad. This one he could do before he left the Spiral. He needed to know what news was spreading about Dave, and while Pryte was great at the bigger picture, he just wasn't connected to the fighting circuits like Mel was.

These were people who spent their lives fighting, all to keep a faction that would throw them away in a second if the need arose, afloat. Mel hated how many people he had watched die over his long life. That was something he was determined to change. He wasn't entirely sure how just yet, but Sanquar's existence meant there were ways. He just needed to figure them out.

"Hey, you can't just come in here!" an annoyed voice yelled as Mel walked through the door into a waiting room.

"Like hell I can't. Ya think ya got the nerve ta stop me?" Mel replied, glaring at a man he had trained for decades.

"Holy shit, Mel! I didn't recognize you at first. How do you look so young?" the man yelled, his face softening to a incredulous tone as he replied.

"Good living, but that ain't important. What have ya and yer squad heard about the new people I've hooked up with Brailt?" Mel asked. He saw the man's pointed ears dip just slightly, and he knew what that meant. There was something he didn't want to say. "Spit it out. I don't got all day!"

"Your team made a big stir on their tenth floor, drew a lot of eyes. A couple of people came sniffing around wanting information on what kind of training you specialized in. We didn't tell 'em shit. Whether you're here or not, you're still one of us," Brailt replied. And more importantly, Mel believed him.

"Any guess who they worked for?" Mel asked. This part he had no real idea of the answer to. There were just far too many possibilities.

"Nah, but they were professionals. So whoever sent 'em could afford some real scary guys. Too bad for them, they didn't have a lifetime of experience being screamed at by you. Now that's real fear," Brailt answered. Mel let a smile slip through, his glare softening.

"Alright, I appreciate ya letting me know. Wish the rest of the squad my best. I got some more shit to get to," Mel said, and left the room as Brailt gave him an affirmative nod.

He wanted to know who the hell was sniffing after him. But that wasn't an answer he could get in the Spire easily. He doubted anyone else he was planning to see had the answers either. That just meant keeping his eyes looking behind him, because he sure as well wasn't stopping this trip now that it had started. He had a moon to get to.

The Crest Crushers made their debut in the Arena to quite a stunning victory. Few squads so easily dominate their first floor. Even rarer are the ones that can do so without turning it into a massacre. Though when you consider their trainer is Melhelm, it becomes a bit more understandable how they became as good as they were.

A History of Arena Squads Volume 11 by Bjorn Madhen

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.