Isabel was stunned by a quick uppercut. The force of the impact made the ground quake beneath them as she tried to regain her balance. As much as she dreaded the thought of fighting back, Adira wasn't giving her the time or space to think of a new strategy. While she wasn't as used to her new abilities, Adira clearly had years of experience fighting hand-to-hand combat. The only times she would falter is when she would underestimate her strength and speed, causing her to stumble around the ring.
Sensing an opportunity to counter, Isabel kicked at Adira's legs, knocking her off-balance. She grabbed her by the arm and then pinned her to the ground. Placing her elbow across Adira's neck, she pushed down as her opponent tried to free herself.
''We don't have to do this!'' Isabel said.
''You think I want this?'' Adira growled back. She crashed her knee into Isabel's stomach.
The young woman coughed but remained on top. ''If we work together, we can fight them.''
''And them?'' Adira glanced around at the people watching. ''They will be caught in the crossfire. At least this way, only one person will have to die.''
''I don't want to kill you.''
Isabel was caught off guard as Adira freed one of her arms and slammed her fist against the side of her face. Isabel rolled along the ground, screeching to a halt as she clawed her fingers into the ground. She looked up and saw Adira advancing towards her with a solemn look in her eyes. ''Neither do I. But, I will do what I must to protect my people, even if it means making a deal with the devil. I pray that you understand.''
Sighing heavily, Isabel rose to her feet and wiped away the blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. ''I do. I have people to protect too.''
''And if they were here if our roles were reversed, would you want to risk their lives?''
Isabel thought long and hard about her answer. She knew what she wanted to say, but wasn't sure if it was going to be enough to convince Adira to join her cause. To be honest, she wasn't sure if the two of them would be able to defeat the Drakes without any casualties on their side. She was literally trapped against the wall. Up above, she could hear Baerock hollering.
''Enough talk!'' She cried out. ''Kill each other already!''
Isabel clenched her fist in anger. She thought about turning around and charging at the Drakes herself. However, she knew that even if she took down one, the other would kill someone in the crowd, and then there would be no way to convince Adira. All through the battle, Isabel could see Adira always looking to her people, always checking to see if they were safe. Her first and only priority was them. Isabel could understand. If her mother, or Jess, or anyone else from the colony were here, she would do everything she could to save them all.
As Adira closed the distance between them, she suddenly stopped and held her ear. ''What is that noise?''
Bewildered at first, Isabel could then hear something in the distance. Whatever it was, it wasn't coming from within the ring. She looked up and could see that Albatox and Baerock and heard the sound too. They stood up and stared in the direction the noise was coming from. The ground began to shake. Eventually, the noise became loud enough for the other humans to hear. Adira cupped her ears, finding it uncomfortable to hear the increasing volume with her super hearing. As for Isabel, her heart raced when she heard people letting out a war cry. Hundreds, potentially thousands, stampeding in their direction. It could only mean one thing.
''They came for me,'' Isabel whispered to herself before turning back to Adira. ''See! If we fight together, we can…''
Her sentence was cut short as she was tackled from behind by Baerock. The Drake pressed her knee down on Isabel's back as she gripped her wrists and pinned her to the ground. Isabel kicked and thrashed around, struggling to escape. Just when it seemed like she would slip away, Albatox's feet crashed down onto her legs. Isabel screamed in agony.
''That's enough out of you,'' Baerock hissed before turning to her brother. ''What do we do about the humans outside? It sounds like we have quite the army banging on our door.''
Albatox grinned and glared at the people behind the fence watching them. ''We have an army of our own.''
Adira's eyes widened with fright. ''No, you can't! There isn't nearly enough of them. They'll be slaughtered.''
''Then you best join them,'' Albatox replied. ''It'll be the perfect opportunity to test your new abilities.''
Dread was written all over Adira's face. She looked at her people hopelessly. She could hear the army approaching outside. Without her help, her people would be walking into a massacre. But, she didn't want to have blood on her hands. She dared not think about what she was capable of against a normal human. Her eyes cast back down to Isabel. The Dragon Slayer's pleas couldn't reach her, as Baerock pressed her foot on the back of her head and pushed down, digging her face into the earth. At this rate, it looked like the only way Adira could save her family was by becoming just as much of a monster as the Drakes were.
''Fine.'' She said quietly.
Isabel pushed back with all her strength. However, with two Drakes on her, she had little hope of earning her freedom. She watched on helplessly as Adira marched to her people and lead them towards the end of the ring and down a long corridor. As they began to disappear out of her sights, Isabel wondered about her family. They stood no chance against Adira. Despite her inexperience with her abilities, she had the fighting capabilities of a warrior. She would carve her way through an army more easily than Isabel would. If she didn't rush to stop the fighting, there would be so many dead. In the back of her mind, she thought about the people she couldn't protect because she wasn't strong enough. It all began to churn inside of her…anger, hate, guilt…she couldn't stand it anymore.
With a mighty roar, Isabel sprang up, knocking Albatox and Baerock away. The Drakes quickly recovered and stalked her. Isabel stood her ground, growling and panting like a rabid animal.
Baerock licked her lips hungrily. ''I think we've played with you enough.''
''The Doctor has perfected the formula,'' Albatox stated. ''There's no reason to keep you alive anymore. And don't think about trying to stop the massacre that's about to ensue. You will need to get through us to prevent that.''
''I don't care if I have to fight two Drakes or a hundred Drakes, I'm not going to stop until I win!'' Isabel declared before charging at them.
XXX
Helen was surprised that the army was able to get so close to the stadium without any sort of resistance.
The allies that they had gathered rallied together and stormed over the hill, sprinting towards their destination. Those who had made the trip on horses galloped into the lead, charging with weapons drawn. It was quite a sight. However, Helen couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. She knew that the Drakes would underestimate them simply for the fact that they were human, but surely they would have done something to stop them from getting so close? She constantly looked from side to side, expecting something to happen.
Then, she saw people coming out of the stadium. It appeared to be a large group close to a hundred people. They had no weapons that could be seen, and written on their faces were pained expressions filled with despair, especially from a tall woman that was striding at the front of the pack.
Helen stalled, and that's when Cruise came to stand beside her. ''Looks like the Drakes are using their prisoners to do the dirty work for them.''
''They can't defend themselves,'' Helen said. ''They'll be killed.''
''I doubt the Drakes care all that much. They're here just to widdle down the numbers.''
Catching up with them, Jess stopped in her tracks and held her breath. ''We can't kill them if they're prisoners. They don't even look like they want to fight.''
Cruise sighed. ''Hate to say this, but they're dead regardless. If they don't fight, I'm sure the Drakes would gladly take their lives for us.''
Before Helen had a chance to think about Cruise's words, she noticed the woman at the front had walked over towards where a tall metal beam rested against the side of the stadium wall. At first, she considered the possibility that the woman was a sniper about to climb up the beam to reach higher ground. However, Helen and the others watching looked on in shock as the woman grabbed the beam, bending the metal under the strength of her grip and pulled it off. The woman grunted and moved the beam, which had to be over 50 feet long until it began to tip over and fall down as the horse-riders were closing in.
''Stop!'' Cruise yelled at the top of his voice.
The horse riders looked up to see the metal beam coming down. They veered to the side just in the nick of time. The beam crashed to the ground, meters away from where the riders were just seconds ago. There was an air of fear and confusion as the first wave of the army tried to get their bearings. Meanwhile, the woman leapt up and stood atop the fallen beam, gazing out towards the oncoming army.
A gunshot was heard, and the woman reeled back, clutching her face. Just when it seemed like she was about to fall, she stood tall and moved her hand away to reveal a flattened bullet pressed against her cheek. It dropped harmlessly down to the ground below.
This inhuman display caused everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at the woman.
''What is she? Is she a Drake?''
''Is she like the Dragon Slayer?''
''How can we get past her?''
The questions were passed from person to person. No one dared to approach the metal beam. Close to the front, Helen gazed at the woman, unsure of what to think.
Beside her, Jess held her breath. ''She's just like Isabel. What does that mean?''
Not wanting to let fear overwhelm her, especially when she was so close to her daughter, Helen marched to the front, ignoring the warnings from the others around her. Alone, she walked out of the crowd and advanced towards the metal beam. She could hear someone rush by her side. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jess walking with her, never taking her eyes off the woman.
''If you value your lives,'' Adira shouted. ''You will leave now and never return. This was only a warning.''
''My daughter is here!'' Helen yelled back. ''What have you done with her?''
Adira stalled, locking eyes with Helen before looking away. ''She's dead.''
A wave of gasps swept over the army. Jess cupped her hand over her mouth to hold back a gasp while Helen's face paled to a sickly level. She slowly shook her head. Behind her, she could hear people talking. They were beginning to lose hope. They were here because Helen had made them believe that her daughter was the key to saving the world and defeating the Dragons. It felt like her heart had been ripped right out of her chest. And yet, she wasn't as upset as she should have been. Something about the shakiness in the woman's tone made her doubt those words.
''You're lying!'' She barked back. ''Where is she?''
''I have her power now. Leave now before I use it against you.''
''If you really have her power, then use it to kill me right now.''
Jess turned to her. ''What are you doing?''
''I know she's lying,'' Helen replied. ''I know that Isabel is still alive.''
More hesitant than ever, Adira stepped to the very edge of the beam. ''She won't be for much longer. Albatox and Baerock will see to that. They will kill her and they've tasked me with killing all of you.''
Suddenly, Dominic emerged from the crowd. ''Is that what they told you? Did they promise the safety of your people in return for your services? Trust me, they're not very good at keeping their word.''
''Silence!'' Adira screamed. ''I'm trying to prevent more bloodshed.''
''Noble, but stupid,'' Cruise called out. ''This world is drunk with blood.''
''This is your last warning! Leave now before I'm forced to kill you. Are you all prepared to die?''
Jess stepped forward without hesitation. ''If I have to give my life for Isabel's, I would do it. That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.''
Helen nodded. ''It's a sacrifice all of us are willing to make. That's why we're here.''
Their words were like a second wind for their allies. Though there was still doubt that they could defeat someone with the same abilities as the Dragon Slayer, they were still ready to fight.
Adira gulped and fought back tears. ''Fine, then I'll kill you all.''
''No, you won't.''
That voice came from one of Adira's people.
She glanced over her shoulder and was shocked to see one of the elders had stepped forward, staring at her with a firm expression. ''We won't allow that. If you want to fight them, you will have to fight us too.''
''What?'' Adira gasped. ''I'm trying to save us. I can't protect everyone if I fight the Drakes.''
''We are aware of that. Death is inevitable. But, if fighting together means we have a chance against the Drakes, I would gladly give my life, just as these people are prepared to do.''
Before Adira could respond, someone else from her group spoke up. ''Yeah, I'd rather die fighting than be a prisoner for the rest of my life.''
''If you and the Dragon Slayer fight together, then we might have a chance at freedom.''
''Please, Adira. We don't care about the cost. We want to fight.''
More and more of her people raised their voices in support of Helen's army. Adira stood speechless as their voices became louder and stronger until they were cheering as one. She looked back at the army outside and saw that they had now begun chanting in unison. Stretching as far as her superior eyes could see were people ready to lay down their lives for a better future, even if most of them wouldn't live to see it.
''That's the thing about humans,'' Cruise said. ''We know that death comes for us no matter what we do, but that doesn't stop us from fighting for a better tomorrow.''
At that moment, Helen and Adira locked eyes. The historian didn't falter as she waited for the warrior's response. Gradually, the fire returned to Adira. She clenched her fists and nodded.
''Follow me.''
XXX
HELLO MY SWEET SUPERSTARS! WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS NEW CHAPTER? I REALLY HOPE THAT YOU LIKED IT AND THAT YOU'RE READY FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST BATTLE YET. DO OUR HEROES STAND A CHANCE AGAINST THE MIGHT AND POWER OF TWO DRAKES? BE SURE TO COME BACK THIS WEDNESDAY TO FIND OUT. I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO SEE WHAT'S ON THE WAY. THERE'S GOING TO BE THRILLS AND BLOODY ACTION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING. STAY SAFE OUT THERE. TA-TA FOR NOW.
