Ziabach's Worst Enemy!
Part 11
They had 3 gaurds next to my cell. And it was an acctual Cell, with Bars and a wooden bed, with only a tattered sheet for a blanket. I sat on the hard bed, looked around, and listened to the dripping of more water in the cell. I spotted a rat munching on a peice of bread and smiled. No matter how rude they were, they managed to feed everything, weather they wanted to or not. f I heard the loud clang of the bars opening. Folken and Dilandau stud there, and they shoved in marel.
"Marel!" I screamed, and ran over to where she landed.
"We've got a proposition for you girl." Dilandau said.
"Oh, what. You can't say my name any more?" I asked, looking up.
"If you manage to beat all of the dragon slayers in high rank, and last against Dilandau for ten minutes, then we'll let your sister go. But you have to stay." Folken said.
"Fight everyone worth fighting and let my sister go." I thought to myself. I looked down at my sister, out cold, with cuts along her cheeks, and a slash on her eyebrow. Not to mention her chin was split open. She must have gone under tremendous pain. "Sounds good to me." I said, then asked, "What are the rules?"
"You get them down on the ground so they can't move for 3 seconds. Or knock them out. And you have to wear this." He signaled to one of the slayers behind him and they came up.
He was carrying a black skirt and black tangtop. If I put the skirt on it would have gone down to my knees.
"You expect me to wear that?" I asked. I had worn dresses before, but not skirts. And it would slow me down, which I knew was what they were going for. "Part of the game girly." Dilandau said.
"All right, I accept." I said, setting my sisters head down and taking the clothes while standing. Dilandau gave me a wicked smile before leaving, and Folken with him.
"Follow us." Folken said. I did, they lead me down some halls that I had seen only once or twice before, and didn't know very well. They pointed to a room and then Folken said, "Change in there."
I walked in, and was glad to see no camera's. There were no windows or anything, it was just a blank room, with one light that I had to turn on.
I changed quickly and cursed Dilandau. They were having me wear this because they knew that without sleeves, if I got cut, I would have less protection, and the skirt would slow me down. But I wouldn't let them keep me from helping Marel. I would free her.
I walked out and Folken gave my clothes to another Slayer. It felt weird to have someone carrying around things that you were wearing a few moments before. I caught Dilandau eyeing a scare I had on my arm that I had gotten from a thorn bush while running home. Because of where the thorns were it looked almost like a tattoo.
Folken and Dilandau led me to a room that ended up being like an arena. There was a land spot, and it was circled by rafters, that were filled with dragon slayers, some in yellow, some in blue, some in Green. All from different floating fortresses, all with different commanders.
My opponent was all ready in the ring. And I wasn't surprised to see it was Gumiel. I laughed and remembered how my brother had once told me there was a slayer that looked like a sheep.
He glared at me, and I looked around like I was bored, watching all the dragon slayers around me. Most of them were booing at me, and I smiled at them to show I didn't care what they thought. They were the bad guy here, I had nothing to hide.
People started cheering and I looked to see Gumiel charging me with his sword out. I dodged easily and flipped back to miss the swing that was coming from him. I landed behind him and kicked him in the back of the neck, making him stumble forward. I put my foot out and he fell on his face, sprawled out, not very graceful looking. I kicked away his sword easily and elbowed him in the Temple.
He scrambled up, just barely missing the timer that had started when he fell. I laughed when he got into a fighting position, but also got into one. He charged again and I side kicked him, using the force of his charge and the strength in my leg, combined, it sent him flying backward, holding his stomach. I ran up and kicked him in the throat, making it hard for him to breath. A simple thing, but very painful. I waited for the timer to go off, and sighed. The match had lasted five minutes, if that. Which was okay, if I was going to fight Dilandau then I was going to need to have lots of energy. He was someone that was challenging.
The crowed booed as Gumiel stud up and slumped away, defeated. I laughed again and watched as Dallet came out. Dallet and Gumiel slapped hands and Dallet nodded to Gumiel before turning to me and walking to the line. He didn't glare, but I knew he was expecting a good fight, and he should.
I remember once I went up against him before, he had caught me up against the wall when they were coming to our town for supplies again. I was desperate and couldn't think of anything to do, and he was knocking me over and making me spill everything I was carrying in the bowl. I got sick of that and finally grabbed a stick off the ground and shoved it in his biceps. He didn't like that and the result was me getting whipped by him, Gumiel, and some other who I don't know.
But I was happy anyway. He had to go to critical care and spent the next two months rebuilding the muscle, and then he had to visit the medical wing every day to be treated for the infection that the splinters had caused him when he pulled the sick out.
Only thing I regretted about that was the pain of the whipping and after wards I had to hide until I was pretty sure that Gatti had forgotten what I looked like. Although I am clueless as to how someone could forget a girl shoving a stick into your arm and not have her face etched preeminently into your mind.
I think he had nightmares about me too. Little did he know that it was going to happen again. Maybe not with a stick, but he would feel pain.
Lost in my memory of thoughts, I just barley had time to dodge out of the way before he drove his sword into my stomach. I shoulder-rolled out of the way of the deadly blade. It caught my heal and drew blood. He would pay for that.
I spun around, jumped up, and on my way down I kicked him in the jaw, I heard a sickening crack and Dallet fell to the ground. The timer started, and then stopped when he got up. His Chin was red, and blood was starting to dribble from his mouth.
I felt a pang of regret, he was obviously in pain, but not the way I wanted him to be. I wanted him to know that he had done something wrong. I wanted him to know I was the girl he whipped and then forgot. I wanted to show him how much better I was then he.
I charged, faster then he thought anyone could, except maybe Dilandau, and side kicked him in the stomach while he was still surprised I was so close in such short amount of time.
He flew back and hit the wall, I didn't notice that I had been chasing him back to almost retreating. His back cracked against the hard wood, and he made a small indentation. He fell limply on the ground, but I wasn't waiting.
"You!" I shouted. He looked up and saw me coming, just barley missing him as my foot crunched into the ground. "Three years ago you whipped me for shoving a stick in your ARM!!!" I screamed, I wasn't going to let him leave without telling him who I was.
"That was YOU?!" He asked, surprised, and caught off guard I punched him in the gut, right below where his ribs met and it was relatively tender. (If you put two fingers there and press in it hurts, so imagine what it must feel like for poor Dallet. -_- )
Dallet couldn't take anymore, and collapsed on the ground, he nearly threw up, but was able to stop before he did. The timer started, and I turned my back to walk back to the line for the next match.
I heard the crowed cheering, turned around, and was surprised that Dallet was on his feet, charging at me. He was only about five feet away, and with my quick reflexes and thinking, I brought my foot up and kicked him as hard as I could, in the gut. Now that alone would have been enough to stop him, but since he was running, quickly, the forces combined finally made him collapse, and this time, he did throw up. I almost felt sorry for him.
Viole and Chesta rushed out, carried Dallet in, and then Chesta turned to face me, walked up to the line, and stood there, obviously he was the next I had to fight.
Originally I was supposed to fight Viole next, but since Dallet was now in such bad shape I guess I got/had to skip him, which I had nothing against really. Although I would like to show all of them that I was the best that they would ever meet, besides Dilandau.
Not to shoot myself down or anything, but I could only beat him if I was in the mood for revenge, and right now I wasn't in the mood for him. I was in the mood to get my sister out of here. So I would, and I wouldn't let anyone stand next to me while I was doing it. I was going to do it on my own, with no help from anyone.
Chesta didn't charge, I knew what he was doing. He had watched me fight the others, and had noticed their mistake. He knew I let them choose to charge, not me. But it was all right, even though I was more used to people attacking first, I could change, and be the one who took on their position.
Or I could just wait until he got sick of waiting and charged.
But I didn't want to take that long, I wanted Marel away from these people as quickly as possible. She was probably going to have nightmares about being locked up in the dark rooms and being beaten just because she was my sister, which was not fair at all.
I charged.
Chesta was waiting for me to, and when I did he slid to the side easily, just like I would, but I was counting on that. I stuck my foot out and cut to the side, tackling him to the ground, me on top, him on the bottom. Since he was down on the floor it counted, and the timer started. I punched him twice in the nose, but he literally threw me off, and I landed hard on my back.
He kicked me in the gut, and I scrambled up quickly before he could step on me again. I spun around backwards and kicked him using the momentum of my movements. I cracked him in the jaw in sent his head back, he stumbled, but didn't fall, which was expected, since he was higher in rank he was bound to be able to take more hits then the others, such as Gumiel, Dallet, and Viole. While he was rubbing his mouth I took another advantage, jumped up, put my hands on his shoulders, and flipped over. When I was on my way down I back kicked him in his spine and sent him sprawling to the ground in total surprise. The timer started again.
I jumped on him and punched him in the throat, 2......1...... BEEEP.
I won again. I stud and walked back to the line, the fights were getting longer and longer, but that was all right, I was focused on not getting hurt and keeping my energy up, which I would do, and was doing at the present moment.
I waited as Miguel walked out and stud on the line. He had his sword still on his side, and didn't draw it until Chesta was off the field. I waited, he waited, Miguel was doing the same thing that Chesta was doing, they must have all been watching me from inside the room behind the stadium walls. They were observing how I fought, but that was okay, I had seen them fight the first and only time I was able to walk around Zaibach freely.
Miguel did fancy things with the sword, he'd twist it to make his sparring partner loose their grip so that they'd be defencless. But it wasn't fair that he had a sword and I had nothing to fight with besides my hands. But that would be enough, I wouldn't let him beat me.
We sat and waited for each other to make a move, neither of us took a step towards the other, both waiting, both thinking of strategies to use against our opponent.
Finally, a break I was waiting for. A gust of wind came in from open doors to help the room from getting over heated. Miguel shut his eyes for a second to keep them from watering, but it didn't matter, I was all ready there, sailing through the air, and when his eyes finally did open the first thing they saw was my heal.
It smashed into Miguels nose, crushed it, and he fell backwards onto the ground. I took no time in kicking him in the throat. But when I tried to do it a second time he caught my foot and twisted it, making me twirl in the air and land on my stomach in order to stop the cranking from breaking my ankle.
With me on the floor next to him, it left me wide open, especially since I was on my stomach. Miguel grabbed my arms and put his foot in the center of my spine, pulling my arms back, and over stretching my shoulders.
I glanced at the timer, it just struck 2. I had one more second to get out of this position before the timer went off and I lost the ability to help Marel. I adapted to the position, I swung my leg up and knocked the back of his knee, making it collapse. Then I braced myself for pain and I pulled down on his arms and rolled.
He fell on me, but because I was rolling he ended up on bottom. He released my hands and I grabbed his head and smashed it into the ground, twice. Causing much pain and probably a concussion. Which was a pity, because I liked Miguel, he would have been considered a friend had he not been part of Zaibach and hadn't torched my house and village.
I punched in his nose again and was scared when I found it didn't have the strength it did when my ankle crashed into it. I probably shattered a bone or two in his nose. I didn't want to make him hurt that much.
The timer went off and again, Viole rushed out, he kicked me off without mercy and Gatti came running out to help carry him.
Miguel was unconscious however, and his eyes closed made him look almost dead. I felt a pang in my heart of concern for him, but he was a dragon slayer, he'd make it. I watched, still on the ground from when Viole kicked me off of Miguel.
Gatti didn't wait for anything, he made sure that Viole could get him in safely, then spun around, grabbed my by my throat and hoisted me up two inches off the ground.
"Why did you do that?!" He asked, very, very angry and a glint of hatred in his eyes.=
"I'm sorry! But I have to look out for Marel." I said, choking. "I didn't mean to knock him out, just keep him on the ground until the timer went off!"
Gatti threw me to the ground and I landed badly on my wrist. He walked to his line and waited for me to get to mine. I slowly stud up, rubbing my hands on my neck and looked over as I stud on my line.
By taking position, I was giving Gatti a reason to hate me, if he didn't all ready for hurting his friend so much. Not to mention Dallet, or maybe even Gumiel, but he must be totally appalled by now.
I wasn't going to attack this time, I would let him have the honors, and I didn't have to wait too long before Gatti came charging. He faked attacking one way and then attacked another, punching me in the stomach hard, sending me stepping backwards.
He side kicked me in the gut, and made me hit the wall. I moved out of the way of his incoming punch and tripped over his foot. I was falling for everything he was planning. He had been watching me closely, and knew how I would move and when.
I turned around to face him and caught his next punch, knocking it into the wall, which left him with one arm for defense against my four limbs. I pretended to punch, and instead round kicked him in the side, then elbowed him in the nose.
He denied my next kick and blocked my in coming fist, he Tai Kicked me into the wall, knocking my air out, and put a hand roughly on my shoulder before sticking out his foot and pushing me to the side, tripping on it and falling to the floor.
The timer started.
Gatti was acting like this was second grade for a highschooler! I finally got sick of it and hooked on foot on his ankle, the other on his thigh, and twisted, sending him to the floor next to me.
He grabbed my hair and hit my head against the wall several times before I was able to get out of his grasp and stand up, just as the timer would have hit 3 seconds, but Gatti was all ready standing.
Quickly I took his surprise about me standing and tai kicked him, making him crash into the wall and hit his head. I punched him as his eyes closed to help the impact, and the twirled my foot around the back of his knee. I hit him in the chest with my elbow to send him to the ground with pain.
I placed my foot on his throat and pressed down gently to keep him there for the three seconds I had to for the timer to go off. He was rubbing where I hit him when he stud up. He nodded recognition to me and then walked off the field.
Time to fight Dilandau. But the question was, would I be able to last ten minutes against him if I could hardly keep my wits about me while fighting Gatti? I hoped so, because Marel's life might depend on it.