Threads of the Soul

Chapter 448 - 448: Badgering the Competition

"Sister, I'm still not sure this is a good idea. The qualifiers was one thing, but this is a much bigger crowd. Are you absolutely sure this isn't cheating? Father definitely said this was okay?"Bob nervously glanced between Nixie's mischievously grinning face and the bored looking badger that sat on the ground, idly snacking on honey flavoured treats from a bag it held. The tiny nanomachines that made up Bob's body shifted constantly, making his body flutter with waves of anxiety that moved across the surface of his being.

Putting on her best reassuring face, Nixie floated up so that she was eye level with Bob and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. She pulled him close and patted his chest gently as she said,

"Bobby, I already told you it's completely fine. Dad knows everything, we both know that. He has eyes everywhere. Plus, he saw me compete in the joust. So if it wasn't okay, don't you think he would already be here telling us off?"

Bob's face shifted to one of contemplation as he muttered,

"That is true... I guess you are right. It still feels like cheating though. Why can't you just do it? Why did you have to get me involved?"

Nixie let out a shocked gasp as she floated away from Bob, clutching at her chest as if she had been stabbed in the heart. When she spoke, she did so in her most convincingly hurt and offended tone.

"What? Why are you blaming me?! It's not my fault that the people who made the rules said that someone can't compete in two events. Is that really fair? Restricting someone to one event just because they can't handle someone who is multi-talented?

Besides, this event is all about Honey. I wouldn't be competing at all. Really... If you think about it, they are banning Honey from her greatness just because I am also too good at something else. Do you really think that is fair? Do you Bobby?"

"No... It doesn't sound fair."

"Exactly. So, just like before, all we need you to do is go out there and pretend like you're controlling Honey. She'll do all the work and show everyone her supremacy, right Honey?"

The Badger looked up from its bag of snacks at the sound of its name. It took a moment to place the bag down and swallow the bulging mouthful of treats it had stuffed into its mouth, before finally speaking.

"Yes, yes. All of these peasants and plebeians deserve to witness my natural and obvious supremacy. Plus, I am absolutely dying to try that meat dish they have as the prize. Although I have tasted some of those beasts before... you humans, as worthless as you are, have a way with meat.

Who would have thought it could taste this good!"

Having said her piece, Honey stuffed her face back into the bag and started to savagely tear apart its contents, gulping them all down in one singular feeding frenzy. Bob glanced between the pair with an exhausted expression, before letting out a deep sigh.

Although he didn't need to breathe, it was a habit he had picked up from his father. He felt it was always the best way to express himself.

Since it was his fathers habit, it also meant that Nixie knew exactly what it meant. Resigned Agreement. She flipped in the air, wriggling herself in a celebratory dance before starting to get Honey prepared.

Although they hadn't known each other for long, the pair had fought together countless times in such a short period of time. Every one of their fights always led to a standstill, as neither had the power needed to beat the other.

Instead of the classic 'immovable object meats unstoppable force' it was more akin to two unstoppable forces bashing their heads together stubbornly, or two immovable objects standing face to face menacingly waiting for the other to move.

Even someone as stubborn and hard headed, literally, as the two of them were smart enough to realise it was completely futile. That didn't stop their spars, just reduced their frequency. In the meantime, they often hung out and had developed quite the friendship, even if it was mainly based around treats.

It was for this reason that when Nixie was putting the collar around Honey's neck, to give the illusion she was controlled like all the other tamed beasts, that Honey only lightly gnawed on Nixie's arm.

Just enough that it would grind a regular person's arm down to meat paste, but for Nixie it was a tickling sensation that made her giggle as she worked.

With the collar fitted and her belly full of pre-match treats, Honey waddled out into the open air arena at the call of the announcer. Bob nervously trailed behind, still not entirely convinced of what his sister had said, but in the mindset that if father said it was okay then it must be okay.

Honey basked in the cheered and hollers of the crowd, hopping up onto her hind legs to wave at them like she had seen in some videos she had been shown. This was, as she had learned, the proper way for royalty to greet their peasants, and she was nothing but royalty.

The fact she already had fans, despite having only previously shown herself in the shorter and smaller qualifying match, was a testament to her amazing nature. These people, with their signs displaying her name and her beautiful visage, clearly knew a true superior when they saw one.

Oh, look at that! They even painted their spawn to look like her. Was that offensive? No... They were just trying to do their best to look good instead of like squishy, hairless humans. It was pathetically adorable.

As for the other competitors, Honey didn't pay them a single shred of attention. They were utterly meaningless in her mind, just stones for her to step on in her path to that delectable meat platter reward.

Even if she looked completely ridiculous, like a normal Honey Badger thrown into the pit with an Elephant sized bear, a tiger with lighting shaped stripes that crackled like real lightning and an falcon that circled above, its feathers ablaze with black flames.

This was going to be easy.

***

As the beast battle royal started, and chaos erupted within the arena, Nixie watched on from the side lines. She was still floating in the air, where she found it most comfortable, while she cackled and giggled to herself like some mad genius. Which is exactly how she felt in that moment.

It was the perfect plan. She would absolutely dominate the beast competition with Honey, and since she was using her Mum's dog Snowball as a mount for the jousting, no one would ever know that Honey technically belonged to her.

After all, who would ever believe such a sweet, innocent and harmless girl like her could quell and tame two savage and powerful beasts such as these? Plus if she did get caught, all she would have to do is flash her puppy dog eyes to get out of trouble.

If worst comes to worst, she could just fly away. It was perfect. It was foolproof. It was...

"Ahem."

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind her made Nixie freeze up in horror, her eyes wide in panic. Countless thoughts ran through her mind, a mixture of excuses and possible escape routes, but nothing that she could think of was going to work.

It was at that moment she felt a hand touching the top of her head, as her body slowly rotated in the air while she still floated weightlessly.

The half disfigured, half disappointed, face of her father drifted into view as he slowly spun her round to face him. As soon as she found herself looking into those narrowed eyes, her panic faded away and was quickly replaced by the best innocent smile she could muster.

It was her best performance yet, and honestly she felt that there should be a halo manifesting behind her she was appearing so harmless and innocent. But for some reason that just made Seth narrow his eyes more.

'It's fine... Just keep your cool, he doesn't know anything. He just happened to stop by is all. He can't really know everything.'

"So, Nixie, care to tell me what you are doing here? And while you are at it, you can tell all about the 'Wonder Badger', I'm a big fan."

'Ugh... Busted.'

Letting out a deep sigh, just like Bob did a few moments ago, Nixie started to tell Seth all about her little plan to win two events, how she had roped Bob in and how she was dominating the joust. All the while staring at the ground as she floated above it, too embarrassed to look Seth in the eyes anymore.

If she had looked up, then maybe she might have noticed the hint of pride twinkling behind the fake anger as he listened to her master plan.