Accessory Wars

Chapter 26-Felisa

            I jerked awake to the sound of the buzzer going off. My startled heart raced in my chest until Kami's presence soothed it. I pushed myself upright on the cot, wincing only a little. I flexed my hand, feeling the skin pull against a scab. There was a prod, almost like a poke, in the back of my mind and I realized it was Kami. I un-equipped her. Her energy swirled into a ball before arcing over to the space beside me. Then she appeared sitting on the cot.

"Ow," was the first thing she said.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"No, but I'll live," she replied. I glanced down at my hand, noticing one of my IV lines was missing. It somehow went with Kami when she un-equipped. I made a mental note to ask Kami about it later.

We pushed back the curtains to watch the other fighters while we waited for our IV's to finish. Several more medical stations were set up as the tournament progressed. Without screens, we weren't able to watch the fights. I overheard the commentator talking about round five through the speakers. That meant I slept through round four and the top four were fighting.

One of the queue's opened and I saw the familiar figures of Donna and Valorie step out. They strung their arms together, resting their hands on each other's' shoulders, and pressed their foreheads together. They stood like that for a minute before Donna equipped her friend. Then they hopped onto the lift and headed up. I noticed the damage to the chest was gone but there was less protection around her armpits and hips.

"Accessory forms change based on the Elicit they're bonded to. We can alter our shape and redistribute protection where we see fit, however it takes time and we cannot add matter to our form. If we strengthen one area, another will weaken," Kami explained. Her ability to read my thoughts terrified me at times.

"I...see. You can do that too?"

"Yes. Did you want me to?"

I gave it some thought. Kami's armor focused heavily on upper body protection. It left the legs exposed, however the target area reduced when crouched, which happened often when shooting. If I wanted more leg protection, and maybe a less revealing pair of shorts, I would need to take from somewhere. I relied on my arms to block incoming attacks and reducing torso armor would be a fast way to land in a hospital.

"No. I wouldn't know what to change," I admitted, tucking my hands between my thighs. Kami nodded.

We listened to the fights overhead, the cheers much softer than earlier rounds. Kami told me about a third of spectators stayed until the end. The rest left early when the fighters they were watching were defeated. It opened seats for competitors to watch the last matches in the stand. I had hoped to have watch the last few rounds with Ki and his friends but it would have to wait for a different tournament.

A man brought us a tray of food and I noticed he wasn't staff. The tray was piled high with sandwiches, cups of applesauce, bottles of sports drinks, packs of cookies and several oranges. My stomach gave an angry yowl and I began devouring the food set before me. Kami ate with the same vigor only with more etiquette. The man sat down on the cot Donna previously used, watching us eat with a smile. I noticed a piece of paper tucked under the sandwich plate. Pulling it out, I found it filled with upcoming tournament dates and locations.

"That was a good fight earlier," the man said. I looked up from the paper. He offered a hand. "Frances Moré. I compete in the S-class." Kami and I took turns shaking it. He was handsome: well built, dark tanned skin, chestnut eyes, square jaw. He looked to be somewhere in his thirties. "You might know me more from my Elicit, Greg Heckles?"