Heartless Doom

After yesterday's blood bath, Ruth seemed pretty sullen. Without saying a word, she did all that was asked of her, she practiced blocking and counter attacking, throwing, even counter blocking. Lucky for her she was a quick study. By the end of the second day, she was ready for live training.

For her third day she will do live combat, unfortunately, I am "needed" in the arena. She will have to train under fear.

"THIS IS A FINE MATCH UP TODAY!" booms Soldeen "CAFFRY VERSES DOOM. TO THE DEATH!!"

As I look around, I notice the stands are void of voice. Empty. "What is the meaning of this?" I demand, "What is the point if no one is to watch?"

"THE POINT IS CAFFRY WANTS TO MOVE UP IN RANK!" explodes the reply as the gate opposite me rises.

"SHAR, BLAKRAK NORGRU!" is the only sound heard as this tall, skinny, string of a man run towards me. Bow drawn and ready. The game is afoot. As the arrow is released from his bow, I dive to the left, drawing and throwing my dagger in one swift, sound, fluid motion. Quickly trying to get close to Blazer. He easily deflects my knife, running to stay out of my reach.

Arrow after lightning fast arrow wiz by my face and body. None landing a hit, every so often one grazing the skin. Finally I see my chance. I grab the newest shot arrow, quickly shooting it back, catching him off guard and in the calf. Before his body even hits the ground, five new arrows sprout from his back. Death will soon follow.

"DOOMBRINGER! YOU LIVE TO FIGHT AGAIN!" and with that, I leave.

"What they want you to kill this time? A horde of dragons or maybe a god?" Asks Fear half-heartedly, as he watches Ruth practice with a boy a few years older than her. New cuts and bruises showing all over her arms. "Don't just stay on offence, draw him in. Make him work to hit you."

Nothing so easy, you've moved up in rank." Comes my reply automatically. "There wasn't even a crowd this time. It was for the Foul King."

"This calls for a celebration. I'm the second best and most likely to be killed next." Mutters Fear "Come now girl, you must move faster. Don't fear the blade, just don't touch it. Best way to not get hurt; move out of its way. Use your size."

"Ruth!" I bark "give me your report."

Ruth, hearing this, drops her kunai and runs to me to give a training report. "Doom, Fear is nowhere near as tough a teacher as you. He doesn…" I quickly pick up her kunai and press it to her throat.

"How many times must I tell you, never go unar…" as the word starts to leave my mouth she wrenches the kunai from my hand and tries to turn it on me. My knife and hands quicker from true battle, stopping her futile effort by slicing her wrist. "You are going to be a battle fox someday, but never forget. I never loose."

Her hand fully healed by the time she picks her kunai up from where it fell. "I'm not giving up, ever." We soon picked back up our training where she left off.

As the new sun rises on the new month. The final day for her training. She is as ready today as she will be if we trained all day. I will let her enjoy her last promised day.

"Doom? Tomorrow is the month, right? The day I have to fight Riolu?" she asks in a not so innocent sort of way. "He is going to try and kill me, and I have to kill him?"

"No, he may be aiming to kill you but neither of you have to die. You only have to prove that you can be a great fighter, prove you can entertain the king and his men." I say for what feels like the hundredth time that day. "But if you can kill him, don't hesitate, it will show your heartlessness, show that you have what it takes to kill millions of innocents."

At this, Fear walks in, gear in hands. It is our training day. Sparring with each other is one of few pleasures we get here in the arena. I quickly get my armor and sharpen my weapons. Today we will be using axes only.

As he runs at me, ax raised and ready, I start to slowly back up, forcing him to keep advancing. He swings again and again, missing with each shot. I step forward half a step and he swings at me, missing by what must be an inch or less. I deflect the shot with ease and grace, our ax heads clashing, sending sparks all over the floor.

We quickly trade blows, neither of us able to land a hit on the others. The heads of our axes acting both as attacking tools and a shield. Slowly we skate around the training area, till we are both tired and dripping with sweat. A few cuts here and there, nothing to serious or life threatening. Blood slowly running down our bodies.

I bide my time, waiting for the best opportunity to strike. Finally I see it. He swings too hard, to far out of his reach. His ax crashing to the ground, I swing and hit him just below the left shoulder, burying it deep into his back.

He roars in pain as his body slumps to the ground. I raise my ax again, to finish him off. Stopping it mid-swing, less than half an inch from his neck. "Yield?" I bark harshly.

"I have been bested, again." He mutters, "I yield" but as I reach down to help him up; he does a ground sweep, knocking me off my feet. As my head hits the ground, I become dazed slightly and when my head clears some I see his ax coming down towards my throat. Reacting faster than I could think, I knock the ax aside, giving me a hair cut. I break his ankles and bury my ax into his skull.

"Cheep trick. Very impressive. Never thought you would do it." I say as I pull my ax back, his head healing quickly now that the fight is over. "I must remember it."

"If I'm to survive in the arena now, cheep tricks are all that will keep me alive." And with that, he walks out leaving me and Ruth to talk till when food might be supplied.