Alt. Title: The Tournament Begins

Author's Notes

I am terribly sorry. It's been an eternity and a half since I last uploaded anything, and that's entirely my fault. Playing games with someone important to me and watching videos took priority over my writing, and procrastination didn't help either. I keep asking for you to forgive and then promising that I'll get better, but if anything I get worse. Just... well, I want you fellas to know that I'm not quitting. Not until every word in my head has been typed out and posted.

Anywho... again, I'm sorry, and let's answer some reviews, yeah?

GiggiEba, I'm glad you liked it. Alright, well, yeah, I've decided that shorter stories are what I'll be going for. Too much filler has been the bane of my existence as of now, so. And yes, hopefully it will.

kevy365, heh, yeah, finally!

ScarOfHerobrine (regarding the message from author), wonder if you've caught up already. You've had plenty of time. :P Thanks for the good wishes, and I'm sorry it took me almost 3 months to write this.

kevy365 (regarding the message from the author), thanks, and I did in the end. :D

Now, I don't know when the next one's coming out. Hopefully, I'll have it done by next week. I've decided, as well, that I'm going to 'cut it short'. I wanted the story to be 32 chapters long, but honestly, I can't think of enough scenes for that to work. So, KOS will be shortened, and it might end up only being 24 or 26 chapters long. That doesn't mean parts of the story are being removed, cuz they're not, I just don't want to keep adding filler chapters.

Anywho... at long, long last, let's get on with the story!

Oh, and uh... the ending is a bit... unpleasant. Nothing sexual, but still. You've been warned. I think.

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Eba's POV

The moment of courage lasted all of about ten seconds. My nerves came back quickly, and they just got worse and worse as more time passed. I tried to distract myself, talking with some of the other contestants, but it didn't really work. I mean, it helped, a little, but I... just, the thought of... so many people watching while I fought somebody else was... overwhelming. What if I lost right then, on my first match? What if one of us got hurt somehow? What if-

The woman with a clipboard came back, calling—or, shouting—my name. "Eba Delgado! Where's Eba Delgado?"

I stood up, taking my sword with me and stiffly walking towards her. "I-I'm here."

"You're up," she said simply, turning me around and nudging me towards the 'arena entrance' door. "Go go go!"

I hesitated, and then tensed up as the cheery voice of the tournament's announcer boomed from the outside. "Magnificent performance from both Della Grace and Avery Grant! Sadly, only Della will be moving on to tomorrow's matches. Up next, we have Magnolia Vesper against Eba Delgado!"

The on-lookers cheered. I frozen in place the second my name was called, staring at the door in front of me that looked more daunting now than ever. The lady was saying—shouting—stuff that I couldn't hear over the sound of my terrified, pounding heart. Then I was somehow out the door, which slammed shut behind me. I felt very small, slowly inching back to glue myself to the wall. People were cheering loudly, and just the green-ness of the arena was unbearable. On the opposite side to me, maybe fifteen meters away, was another young woman with red armor and a longsword who staring at me menacingly.

I couldn't control my breathing or racing heart, dread trailing its cold claws over me. I couldn't stop my hands from trembling as panic rose and swamped me. I quickly scanned the crowd for my friends, cursing myself over and over for ever asking Blight to leave me. I sighed in relief as my eyes finally locked onto my demon. He and the others were all cheering for me, urging me on from their seats. Blight could see, even though we were so far away, how scared I felt. He took a deep breath, gesturing for me to do the same.

I smiled, closed my eyes and drew in a breath. One... two... three... four... five... I let it out, and then took another deep breath. One, two, three, four, five. Finally, I drew in one last deep breath and then let it go, raising my sword. The crowd cheered, but this time, it didn't spook me.

"First things first, ground rules," the announcer said through the many loudspeakers. "Number one rule is that warping is in no way permitted! If you're caught vanishing and reappearing elsewhere, you will be disqualified!

Rule number two: if you are knocked down, pinned to the ground, or otherwise cornered, then you have lost the match!

Lastly, if you are caught cheating—and by that I mean using tools, potions, or weapons you weren't given before the match by our tournament moderators—then you are disqualified. Everything past that point should be obvious; fight fair, no poking each other's eyes out, and may the best win."

"Now, contestants, are you ready?" the announcer asked us.

The other girl nodded. I rolled my shoulders, and gave the same answer. "In that case, let the match begin!"

I ran forwards, and the crowd cheered. The other- um, Magnolia, also rushed towards me. Her weapon looked much more menacing that mine... We soon locked blades, and the crowd cheered. We were, to my shock and relief, about as strong as each other. She didn't seem to care, simply glaring at me. I took one last deep breath, and then returned her glare. I spun to the left, causing my opponent to stumble forwards. Then I followed up with a swung as fast as I could, but she managed to keep her balance and lift her sword in time to block my attack.

She didn't seem to like what I tried to do at all. Magnolia began swinging her longsword relentlessly, pushing me back little by little. I started blocking her every strike, holding my ground. My opponent swung upwards in an arc, and I saw my opportunity. I swung my weapon at her torso before she could recover, an audible grunt leaving her as she stumbled back. Just like her, I kept her in place with swing after relentless swing. Her heavy weapon made it hard to block all my attacks, and I managed to drive her backwards.

My opponent was furious, and apparently got angrier with every blow I managed to land. She shoved me backwards with her weapon and got some distance between us. I kept my sword up and at the ready, watching Magnolia do the same. We then began circling each other. I closed my eyes for two seconds to wipe sweat from my brow, and when I opened them, a wooden blade rushed forwards to meet me. Without thinking, I screwed my eyes shut and ducked, raising my weapon above my head to block follow-up attacks.

Magnolia was still mid-swing when I opened my eyes again. It all felt as if it where happening very slowly. The crowd was still cheering loudly, but they sounded so slow and far away. I didn't give my opponent the chance to recover. I swung my faux sword forwards as hard as I could, hitting her side. Magnolia stumbled, recovering quickly. But not quickly enough, as I managed to land another swing, driving her further backwards. I kept swinging my weapon, pushing her along.

Then everything went downhill. My head was snapped to the right as my opponent struck me with a harsh blow. Stars danced over my field of vision, everything moving too much. I stumbled, placing a hand on my head to try and settle the spinning and the loud ringing. I saw another blow coming out of the corners of my eyes. I was about to close them, feeling deeply sad that I had, in fact, lost my first ever match in the tournament. I felt so... so terrible.

My eyes locked onto something, someone, who wasn't spinning. Blight was urging me on from his seat. I couldn't hear anything—the world was spinning too fast and the ringing was too loud—but I could see pride and angst in his gaze. He was worried for me. Not for wether or not I'd win. I could almost hear his voice and make out his words...

You've got this! Come on!

I drew in yet another deep breath, and rolled. The telltale 'whoop' of a blow dodged by a hair reached my ears. I hopped back onto my feet after rolling away and, without skipping a beat, whirled around to rush forwards. I was already mid-swing by the time my opponent had processed what just happened. My blow hit her side, causing Magnolia to grunt and stumble. I landed two more blows, ducking beneath her counter-attack and running past her to get some distance between us.

I turned to face my opponent, the crowd going wild. We were both tired—I could see the sweat on her forehead, and that she was breathing heavily. My head still hurt, a lot, and the ringing hadn't gone entirely. But raised my sword, and rushed back towards her. Magnolia swung forwards in an arc as I approached, but I once more dodged her attack. I spun, and using my momentum, swung for the side of her head. My wooden blade hit her with a 'thunk'. My opponent stumbled back and fell. She slowly tried to get back up, so I ran over and pressed the tip of my faux weapon against her chest, keeping her down. The crowd cheered in the background, Magnolia glaring up at me.

"What an amazing performance!" the announcer boomed excitedly. "Eba Delgado has won the match! Truly one of the best battles we've seen yet! Magnolia did her best, and she did very good, but it just wasnt quite enough for her to move on. Speaking of, let's move on to the next match-up!"

A door opened on the side of the arena in front of us, the lady with a clipboard gesturing for us to hurry and go there. I moved my sword away and outstretched a hand to Magnolia. The young woman stared at it for a moment and then took my offering. "I'm sorry I hit you so hard," I mumbled, the rush of battle quickly fading away.

"It's... it's fine," she said, giving me a tiny smile. "I hit you just as hard, so... I guess we're even. You did good."

"Thanks... you did great too," I said.

We both walked towards the door, the lady there looking impatient and upset. "Hurry up, you two!" she shouted as we neared before roughly pulling us both into a small room. "You can go sit with your friends now. Gimme your armor, weapons and bracelets and I'll give you visitor's tickets. You need to exit from over there," she said, gesturing to a set of stairs, "and then get back into arena. If you've got better things to do, just leave."

We followed her orders, giving the lady what she asked for. She handed us the paper slips that my friends had gotten when we went in. "Alright, now go. Shoo, go!"

Magnolia and I exchanged looks, and then we walked up the stairs. They led us out a few meters to the left of the arena's entrance. "Well, I guess I wish you luck for tomorrow's match," Magnolia said, holding out a hand.

I smiled and shook it. "Thank you. Um... have a good day."

"You too," she said with a nod, turning away. "Oh, uh... no hard feelings, okay?" she added before walking back up the dirt path and towards the city.

"Okay," I mumbled, waving at her before walking to the gate. My friends stepped through right before I got there, chattering excitedly. Blight noticed me right away, smiling widely. I smiled back, rushing to hug him.

"Hey, hey, wait," he said, moving away. "I don't want to hurt you."

I frowned, a bit hurt, and then remembered. "Oh. Right..."

Cynthia wrapped me up in a hug instead. "You did amazing!" she said, giving me a squeeze.

I blushed, giggling a little in embarrassment. "U-um, thank you..."

Izabell walked up to me and I smiled, gently wiggling out of Cy's arms. I gave the slime girl a hug. "Thank you for taking care of Blight," I murmured, letting go after a minute.

Iza returned the hug. "No problem. You did really well!"

"We were all scared that you got seriously hurt," Annie added.

"Yeah, that looked painful," Simon muttered. "But I guess winning your first match is worth a concussion, no?"

Izabell gave him a look, making the creeper chuckle. "How did it feel, being down there?" Thomas asked. "Apart from, you know, the blow to the head."

I rubbed the side of my head, flinching when my fingers came in contact with the painfully sore spot. "Um... it was terrifying. I panicked almost immediately..." I mumbled.

"But you pulled through, and won," Blight reminded me. "It was very brave of you to even try."

"That's true," Sarah agreed with a nod. "And we're all very proud of you."

I couldn't help but smile and wrap the skeleton girl in a quick hug. To my surprise, she returned the embrace. "You're braver than you give yourself credit for, Eba," she told me as I pulled away.

"Thanks..." I murmured, rubbing my arm self-consciously. I felt so proud! I had actually done it! My cheeks were warm, and I couldn't stop smiling. I would've jumped up and down from how happy I was, but that would've been embarrassing...

"We should celebrate, don't you think?" Cynthia asked, giving me another hug.

"You can come to our house if you want," Simon offered.

"Um..." I exchanged looks with Cynthia and Annie, getting smiles from the both of them. "Thanks, uh... I think we'll go, then..."

Both Izabell and the creeper smiled. "Alright, then, let's go," Simon said, leading us away. "Are you coming guys?" He asked the others.

Jack sighed, tucking his hands in his pockets. "As much as I'd like to join you, there's a lot of matters I have to deal with today. You both can go ahead," he told Adrian and Sarah.

The skeleton girl looked torn, for some reason. "I can't let you go without anybody to keep you safe."

"I'm going with him," Valory assured her, taking the skeleton king's hand. "You can go celebrate with Eba."

Sarah relaxed, a little, and gave her a nod. We walked back up the path as a group, and split up as we reached Globe Chapel city. Simon led us towards his house-mansion... thing. Cynthia held my hand the whole journey, which I... didn't know how... I... wasn't sure if I... felt uncomfortable with it. I-I mean, um... her hand was warm, so... it... n-nevermind.

I put aside thoughts of Cy's... um... antics, and just felt happy. I had won! The pride and warm, fuzzy feeling came back, and celebrating with my friends? I felt like this was and might always be the best day of my life.

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Kait's POV

Something felt off in... well, everywhere. I hadn't noticed at first, but I woke up feeling that... everything just wasn't quite right. All the castle residents were tense, and skittish. Even Theridas was acting weird, dodging my questions and running off on errands. My clases were even suspended, which almost made me shout in joy before I realized that this meant something was actually wrong. Confused and annoyed, I walked all the way to mom's throne room.

Three messengers were there with her, so I waited until they left to go up to my mom. It was even more worrying that she had called this many to her. "Mom?"

She smiled at me, but I could tell just how tired she was. That was how she looked when we met up again after I had to run from the nether. Exhausted. "Hello, sweetie. Did you need anything?"

I had planned to be strong and demand answers, but now... I couldn't bring myself to do it. "I, um... look, mom, I know something's off. Nobody had been able or willing to tell me what, though. I just... I just want to know. Please."

The queen hesitated for a moment. "You... It's... best you don't know," she muttered. "I don't want you to worry."

The guilt I felt about even asking her when she was so tired immediately vaporized. "What? How does that... no, mom, you have to tell me."

Mom sighed and stood up, holding her arms out for a hug. "Come here, nether-plum," she murmured, wrapping me up in an embrace. "Everything will be just fine, alright? Go practice your fighting skills in the courtyard. I'll send Theridas to help you if you want."

I freed myself from her comforting hug. "So you admit something's wrong? Why won't anybody tell me what it is? I just want an answer, mom!"

The queen frowned and then shook her head. "I already told you, it's best you don't know. Go to your room, Kaitlin. I won't ask again."

I had never felt angrier at my mom. "It's one question, mom! Come on!"

"Go to your room," she said more firmly. "Or I will have somebody escort you there."

I was about to continue arguing, but then I just groaned. "Fine, I'll go! But not to my room," I called over my shoulder as I started walking away. "I'm taking a walk."

"Stay within the fortress walls," mom told me, a hint of worry in her voice.

"I'll go wherever I want!" I shot back, turning a corner.

Now that I was out of sight, I felt terrible. We had never had any arguments. I was just... scared, and upset that nobody would explain to me what was wrong. Maybe a walk would be nice. I heaved a sigh, walking down the fortress hallways and stairs. I passed a lot of servants and a couple more messengers, but I ignored them and they ignored me. The long dark bridge connecting the fortress' island and the mainland greeted me after a few minutes.

I crossed the bridge quietly, lost in my own thoughts. Why wouldn't mom tell me? How did it make any sense to not do so? How would I not worry about something being wrong if she's hiding it from me? What was wrong? Everybody was skittish, and I hadn't seen any of the usual travelers or trading caravans going into and leaving the fortress. So something was definitely keeping everyone on edge. What could it be?

The soft wail of a far-off ghast pulled me from my thoughts, and I suddenly noticed how far I had walked. More worrying, though, was how empty the caverns were. They were devoid of any monsters, and quiet except for the bubbling of lava and a couple more ghast calls. It was beyond unusual for these places to be empty. I continued walking, now focused on my surroundings.

There might be a couple reasons why there were no monsters. Adult male ghasts are very territorial, and monsters can usually tell if the ground is going to open up beneath them. But pigmen don't really care about ghasts, and magma cubes tend to hop about even if cave-ins are imminent. The fact that there was nothing here piqued my curiosity. I stuck close to the walls, peeking into small caves and looking around big netherrack pillars to see if I couldn't find anything.

A weird sound caught my attention. It was coming from 'outside' the caverns I was searching, similar to something sliding against gravel. There was an opening nearby, so I walked over to it and peered out. Three zombie pigmen walked side-by-side in silence, iron swords hanging in their sheaths on their backs. What shocked me most, though, were the three unconscious, tied-up people that they were dragging along the rough ground.

I didn't hesitate the moment I processed what was before me. I rushed over and tossed a fireball at the middle monster, the pigmen slowly turning to face me. It didn't even flinch, drawing its sword and blocking my attack. The others drew their own weapons and started walking towards me as I went on. I tossed two more fireballs at them, one of my proyectiles connecting with the closest pigman.

The monster caught fire, but it didn't seem to care. The disgusting smell of burning rotten flesh filled the air. It swung in an arc as I neared, so I ducked beneath its attack and torched it from below. I knocked the burning monster back, and it fell shortly after, reduced to a pile of blackened bone and skin. The other pigman was already mid-swing when I turned away from the corpse, aiming for my head.

I flattened myself to the ground and rolled away, hopping back onto my feet once I'd gotten some distance between us. The monster squealed, shuffling quickly towards me. I threw fireball after fireball at it, but the pigman blocked every one. It finally got close enough to attack me again and did not waste time, swinging diagonally at me. I jumped back, narrowly avoiding the sword's sharp edge, and sent flames his way.

The pigman didn't have enough time to defend himself, backing off and squealing. I gave him no mercy, tossing more fireballs at it until he too was charred to the bone. I looked around, noticing the third monster had continued on its merry way, dragging the unconscious people along. I ran towards it again and flung another fireball at it. The pigman turned around and blocked my attack again, letting go of the ropes and stepping towards me.

Now I was glad for the battle training I had had in school. I charged another fireball and tossed it low to the ground, creating a wall of flame between the pigman and his hostages. The monster recoiled from it and continued shuffling towards me. I threw more fireballs at it and slowly drove the monster further away from the wall. It would soon be close enough for me to bake it like I had the others. Just a little further...-

Something grabbed the back of my shirt and tossed me aside in one fluid motion. I let out a yelp of alarm, hitting the harsh netherrack floor and rolling over it for a moment. I raised my aching head and saw a tall black monster with bright pink eyes. The enderman roared at me, its massive tooth-filled jaws wide open, and ran towards me. I scrambled to get my feet under me, barely managing to toss flames at the monster.

It screeched, the sound a hideous high-pitched wail of anger and pain. The enderman teleported out of range, glaring at me. I noticed the last pigman walking around my flaming barrier towards its captives out of the corner of my eyes. Thinking fast, I summoned a fireball and rushed towards it. The enderman roared as I reared back to throw, and not a second passed before I felt claws digging into my side.

I let out a pained shout and threw the fireball as hard as I could before the tall black monster could fling me away. I could feel bruises and cuts forming all over me as I rolled over the rough ground once again. Then I heard the squeal of an injured pigman. I looked up to see if I had hit it, and was met with the enderman again. I reacted without thinking, making a plume of flame in its general direction as I rolled away and then hopped back to my feet.

The monster roared, taking a few steps back. It was holding its left arm close to its chest, which had burns all over its hand and part of its forearm. And, past it, was the zombie pigman trying to put out its flaming right shoulder. I had bought myself some time, and I was not going to waste it. I rushed towards the enderman, charging up a fireball on each hand, tucking one behind my back. It glared at me and roared, vanishing in a puff of purple particles.

I immediately turned around and flung my 'hidden' fireball behind me. The black monster was already there, mid-swing, and my proyectile hit it square in the chest. The blast knocked it onto its back and set it on fire, the enderman screeching and writhing on the rugged stone. I felt bad for hurting it like this. If I had a sword, maybe it wouldn't be suffering as much. I buried those guilty thoughts away for the moment and ran towards the zombie pigman.

The undead monster was slowly dragging its captives away, its blackened shoulder no longer on fire. I hopped over my flaming barrier and tossed my second fireball at it. The pigman noticed, and sidestepped out of the way. I summed two more fireballs and threw them in rapid succession, to the left and then to the right of the monster. It dodged the first, sidestepping into the path of the second, and was not quick enough to move away again.

My fireball knocked it flat on its back, the pigman squealing in agony. I rushed over to the three people on the floor and began to untie them. "Wake up!" I urged, undoing the lopsided knots as fast as I could. "We have to run! Come on, wake up!"

The first person, a man, blinked his eyes open slowly. I shook him roughly, and he woke up in a snap. "Get up and help me untie the others!" I told him, freeing the man of his bonds.

He got up on unstable feet, but managed to crouch down to untie the second person, a young man. I began untying the last, a woman, when an enderman roared. I turned around, a fireball ready. Two more endermen stood on either side of the first, which glared at me with murder in its eyes. I gave the people I was rescuing a brief glance and then turned back to the endermen. The monster's roared at us again, all of them this time, and then charged.

Their screams made me feel like my skull was going to shatter, but I held my ground, summoning a fireball. "Duck down and stay close together!" I told their ex-captives, watching them huddle down close without hesitation, staring at the incoming monsters with wide, terrified eyes.

I waited for only a second for them to run closer, and then set the netherrack a meter in front of me ablaze. The endermen stopped as I spun, creating a perimeter of tall flames around the four of us. I summoned more fireballs and kept them at the ready, staring at the monsters who glared right back. They roared and huffed, the two newcomers hesitantly approaching the fire before stepping back as I raised the fireballs in my hands threateningly.

The first enderman glared at me silently, staying a short distance from my makeshift wall. I returned its stare evenly, still ready to fire. The enderman narrowed its eyes and then teleported away. A scream made me whirl around, and I was just in time to see an already-burnt monstrous hand peel the young man away from the others and through the wall of flames.

"No!" I threw a fireball in its general direction, hoping to hit the monster and not its captive. Then, without hesitation, I kept through my ring of fire and ended up on the other side. I met the boy's terrified, tear-filled gaze for only a moment. Then the enderman warped away, and he disappeared in a cloud of purple particles.

I dropped to one knee, still staring at the spot where the monster had stood a second earlier. I failed. I couldn't save him, and now he was... gone. What kind of princess was I if I couldn't protect my own people? A loud screech pulled me from my stupor, and I turned around to see both other enderman rushing towards me. I stared at them as they approached, and then summoned two fireballs.

The one of the left got to me first, swiping with large hand. I sidestepped away from its attack and threw a fireball right at its face, making the monster screech and stumble back. The other enderman warped away, so I whirled around and spewed flames behind me, catching it by surprise. I didn't relent, tossing fireball after fireball at both of them, determined to keep the others safe.

At last, the endermen screamed and then left. I kept my guard up, looking around. The sounds of cracklings flames and my own heavy breathing were the only ones in the air. I walked towards the ring I made and stomped out part of it, gesturing for the people inside to come out. "It's safe, guys. We need to go back home."

They exchanged looks, tears lining their eyes, before nodding and getting up. "We have to tell his mother," the woman whispered to the man, who nodded. "She'll be devastated."

I led them away, the three of us walking in silence after that. I hadn't thought much about the situation, but now it finally sank in. These people were being carried away by monsters. This, as far as I knew, had never happened before until recently. And I was sure that this is exactly what mom was hiding. Monsters had started kidnapping mobs. How long had it been going on? How many had already been taken? Had any been rescued? Mom would have the answers. And now that I knew, she had no reason to hide them.

I pushed the dreadful questions out of my head and focused on walking back to the fortress. All that mattered now was getting these people home safe.

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3rd person POV

"My liege?" Trudy asked, stepping into the demon's chambers and trying to hide her nervousness. "I have something to report."

The unholy being barely payed any attention to her, staring down at his beast's 'kennel' through the rugged, glass-less window. "Speak."

"The last group of monsters-"

"Sire, I have unfortunate news," a short zombie pigman interrupted, pushing past the blaze woman. An enderman followed close behind, holding a young man tied up in rope with one hand and holding its heavily-burnt other close to its chest. "This is all your monsters brought back. It seems the targets fought back this time."

The demon turned around, ignoring Trudy's annoyed scoff. "A single mob?"

Ivar nodded. "Indeed, my lord. Should I send another team out?"

"You should, but leave this one here," it ordered, walking closer. "Go."

The pigman gave a short bow and promptly left, the injured enderman following. The blaze woman was about to do the same, and then was stopped. "Not you, Trudy. I need you here."

She hesitated, and then turned back towards the demon. "Of course, my lord. What do you need?"

Darkness walked over to and took hold of the young man's bonds, pushing him to kneel at the center of the room, facing Trudy. Then he held out a hand, black flames dancing over his open palm before taking the shape of a shortsword, its hilt pointed away from him. "Kill him," the demon ordered.

The blaze woman blinked, and then stared at the boy. He stared back weakly, his eyes unfocused. The monsters must've done something to him... She looked back up at the demon, and then at the weapon being offered to her. She reached out hesitantly, her eyes wandering back to the boy. He looked so young, so... just... Trudy drew her hand back, fearful as she met the demon's gaze again.

"I... I can't do it, my liege," she whispered.

Darkness hummed, the sword losing its shape. It reformed a split-second later, the hilt now in his hands, and the Demon brought it down on the young man's head. Trudy screamed, turning away and covering her eyes as she heard the blade tear through flesh and bone. She took many deep shuddery breaths, her eyes screwed shut, almost jumping out of her skin as a thud rang out.

"Get out of my sight, Trudy," the demon ordered. "And send someone to clean this mess up."

The blaze woman gave him a tiny nod, trying to hold back sobs as she walked away. It was awful. Everything was awful. The monsters, the kidnappings, all of it. She wanted out. She wanted to leave. She wanted a good night's rest—she had been having nightmares every time she closed her eyes. Nightmares of him—and most of all, she wanted to cry.

Trudy hid in her 'room', finally letting the tears flow. She felt, no, knew that he was going to kill her. She was going to die. The blaze woman sobbed, curling up into a ball, hoping no monsters found her like this. She forced herself to stop after a few minutes. If she didn't do as told, then she would seal her fate. Trudy got up and walked down the rugged halls in search of a guard. The sight and the sound of what happened plagued her.

Another sleepless night.

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Author's Notes

The ending was planned, and supposed to be gruesome. I myself didn't like what happened, and I'm not really sure if it turned out well enough, but it's been done.

The tournament section is what I'm most proud of. Writing fight scenes is always very engaging, cuz I have a very wild imagination, and they're also fun to read. I hope you like this one, and that you think it's as good as my other ones.

Kait's POV... I honestly felt that it was a tad lackluster. Blame the fact that I've been lazy for any rust you find here and there. The action scene there, though I did like.

I have to apologize again for taking so long, because otherwise my consciousness will keep jabbing me in the gut. I'm really sorry, and I'm also very very much thankful to those who stick around despite the long gap between chapters. You fellas are truly amazing.

Anywho... thank you so so much for your time, support, and most importantly, patience. I hope you have an awesome day!

~ LeMafiaKreb