The next few weeks passed quickly, and as time went on more details were revealed, plans were formulated, security was arranged, and, to Cormac, a constant stream of interruptions threatened to completely shatter his own tournament preparations. He was used to being in control of his own plans and prided himself on his efficiency and determination; the exact opposite to what was one of the most important fortnights in the young rancher’s life.

They learnt about their opening opponents a few days before the opening ceremonies. Cobalt was to be facing Shauni, another Henger from the Dowling ranch, and an unfancied recent graduate to the A-rank. Lisa was pleased. “My knowledge of henger techniques should give me the edge I need.” she said to Cormac when the letter arrived. Cormac was less happy, as Thenardi’s first opponent was going to be Balkaroth, an S-rank golem from the Marth ranch, official representative of the Kanturk region, and red-hot favourite to win the tournament outright.

Also, Cormac’s sleep became increasingly disturbed by terrible nightmares which then fed from waking memory. Every night he woke up two or three times, drenched in sweat and with his bedcovers knotted around his legs. The strain and stress began to show, both with Lisa and with Thenardi. With the former, the result was several short and stupid arguments. The fact that Lisa’s excitement directly opposed Cormac’s frustration did not help matters. With his monster, repeatedly poor showings I training proved the worst possible prelude to the planned festivities.

------------------

The night before the contest was due to begin, Cormac lay back on his bed and stared at the dark oak rafters, mulling his options over in his head. He was seriously considering withdrawal. Ever since the opportunity to leap from rookie to pro presented itself, little had gone right for him. His sixth sense was warning of nothing but trouble ahead.

And yet...the challenge was great, the rewards greater. The prize money offered would surpass the total earnings for the last year combined. But even the monetary rewards paled in comparison to the possible worth of victory - fame and recognition. Kanturk was a small region in the world of Monster Ranching, and a good performance would thrust them onto the international stage. He dreamt of battling in the great stadiums of Torble, Kawera, Vizely and more...

His thoughts were interrupted by a faint groaning from outside his door. Rising to investigate, Xander’s earlier warning sprang into his mind. He strode over and threw the door open. The sight before him shocked him to his very core.
The familiar view of the kitchen and livingroom was gone. Instead, a dank and fetid cell lay in front of him. A coppery smell lined the air, which caused a wave of nausea to flow through him. A heavily barred door blocked the way out.

Horrified, Cormac wheeled around to retreat the way he came. But all that was there was cold and damp stone. Fighting against his mounting panic, he realised that he must be dreaming, and he tried to rouse himself by pinching his arm in the time-honoured way.

“Oh no, you’re not getting out yet.” came a deep voice that made Cormac shudder.

He whirled around to face a tall, heavily built man. He was dressed head-to-toe in dark blue robes. His face was shrouded in a deep hood, hiding his features. Beside him stood a Blue Death, its malevolent features glinting in the low light.

“Who are you?” asked Cormac, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice.

“It does not matter, though you will find out soon enough. But for now you have other things to worry about.”. The voice was utterly void of emotion. “Disable him, Sunder.”.

The joker’s scythe flicked through the air, faster than the human eye could follow. An angry red mark opened on Cormac’s chest. He cried out and tried to force his way past his captors, but then all the strength left his limbs. He took two steps and then sank to his knees, clutching his chest and feeling the slow trickle of blood seep through his fingers.

“Enough. We have work to do.”

Cormac was half-carried, half-dragged through the now open door. He was shoved into a hard leather chair, and bindings were placed around his wrists and ankles. They were unnecessary - he could hardly lift his head, let alone try to struggle free.

“Begun the procedure.” came the man’s voice from somewhere above his head.

“Yes, sir.” This was a young female voice. Cormac, even in his half-conscious state, recognised it from somewhere before. Cormac attempted to raise his head in an effort to see the owner of the second voice, just as he felt the pinch of a needle in his arm.

Instantly his mind was flooded by white-hot pain. It felt as though icy daggers were being shoved through his brain, which was then dipped in molten lava. He tried to struggle, to escape, to scream, but this body had completely shut down - he couldn’t even moan.

After what felt like an eternity, the man’s voice called out again.

“Enough! He continues to resist - he is not yet ready.”.

The pain left as quickly as it had come. Cormac slumped back in the chair.

“We will try again another time - dismiss the subject.”

Cormac was pulled up by hair until his face was level with the seemingly empty hood.

“You will accept your gifts.” came the hollow voice. “Agent Niamh.”

“Yes, sir.” came the female voice. Cormac, n the edge of consciousness, noticed the slightest hesitation in her voice. Her face briefly swam before his eyes as she reached over and pinched a nerve on his neck. The last thing Cormac saw was the concern buried deep within her dark blue eyes, and then the blackness took him, with a whisper of “Please fight, Cormac...”

--------------------

A light, drizzly rain fell over the ranch. The cold shower stirred the prone figure of Cormac, who was lying in a heap in front of the barn. Slowly he raised his head, in case it fell off. It was still dark.

“...huh? Why am I outside?”, he said aloud.

He stood up, feeling shaky. A dull headache promised to last the day. He was soaked to the skin, and a chill ran through his entire body.

“Cormac? What are you doing out here?”

Lisa’s face appeared in a pool of light from the small lantern they kept in the house.

“I...I’m not...”, began Cormac, before a demonic howl drowned out the rest of his sentence.

“What was that?”, exclaimed Lisa. She dashed over to the doors of the barn and heaved them open.

“Oh...my God!”.

The inside of the barn was a wreck. Training equipment lay scattered around, smashed into pieces. Deep claw marks were gouged out of the rock-hard timber. Lisa’s light picked out Cobalt huddling in a corner, scratches coating his recent polished surface.

“Where’s...Thenardi?”.

Another drawn-out cry echoed through the barn. Cormac spotted Thenardi, lying admist the wreckage, twitching and crying as though having a fit. Cormac dashed over to him, fearful for his partner’s strange behaviour.

“Thenardi!”, he called desperately.

“Thenardi’s eyes slammed open and he lashed out with his razor-sharp claws. He recognised Cormac in the nick of time, and withdrew his claws just before his paw lashed by Cormac’s face.

Cormac relaxed slightly. Lisa appeared over his shoulder.

“How’s Cobalt?”

“Just some superficial scratches, nothing to worry about. I’m more worried about Thenardi.”

Cormac stroked the top of Thenardi’s head. The Mew was still extremely distressed, and it’s green eyes flickered from side to side, looking for an invisible threat.

“So am I. It could be because of the stress of the festival tournament - I’ve been thinking about withdrawing.”

Thenardi shook his head violently.

“Guess that’s not it.”, said Lisa with a smile. “What ‘bout you? Why were you out in the rain?”.

“I’ve...been having nightmares recently. I haven’t been sleeping well at all, I’m up half the night - but what’s really weird is that I can’t remember anything about them afterwards. All that I know is that they’ve been really bad.”

“So you had another one last night?”

“I guess so...but all I remember is...a woman’s face? I think...”

“Doesn’t sound too nightmarish to me.” said Lisa, trying to lighten the mood. She swung the lamp around, surveying the destruction. “Pretty much everything’s totalled.”

“Anything salvageable?”

“Maybe one or two...”

Cormac stood up. “Guess we’ll have to use the prize money on new gadgets then.”

“Oh, you are taking part?”

“Yeah - with both of us, our chances of winning are doubled. Plus, I’m...we’re responsible for all this.” he added, glancing at Thenardi, who reddened slightly.

The first rays of sunlight broke through the early morning gloom. Lisa glanced outside, extinguishing the light. “Well, our escort is due in an hour or so - we might as well get the day started.”

Cormac turned towards her. “I guess so - though I think neither of us’ll be at our sharpest today.”

Lisa’s hand flew to her mouth. “Cormac, what happened to your chest?”, she exclaimed.

He looked down. A thin red line peered out through a tear in his top. Blood framed the lower half of the tear.

“Oh...I...dunno." replied Cormac, gingerly fingering the wound. "It must’ve happened while I was asleep.”

“Well, let’s head back to the house so we can clean and dress it. Thenardi, Cobalt, let's get you two ready.”
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Comments, Suggestions, etc. welcome.