The sun slowly sank beneath the mountains looking over the arena which was now starting to come to life with activity. Connor and Shadow had been practicing all day under the sun and the guidance of their new friend, Shiloh. All three knew they would need a plan sooner rather than later, but for the moment the name of the game was survival. Only the best, or the dirtiest, fighters lasted more than a few fight nights. That was according to Shiloh, at least. He had also made it clear that fighters weren't so much slaves as entertainment, a way for the many criminals to maintain their own unique community. Survival of the adrakists depended on their loyalty.
All the fighters watched from their respective cells around the arena as the stands filled up with hundreds of spectators. There were a couple dozen "veteran" gladiators with the rest being made up of humans and keidran who were unfortunate enough to get captured. Connor only recognized a couple of faces during the day, they were nighttime sentries from the caravan though so he hadn't interacted with them.
"Shouldn't be too long now until the boss ladies arrive to start the show." Shiloh commented. Connor could only look to his left at the basitin.
"So, I guess this is it then…" Shadow said from Connor's right.
"We just need to survive Shadow. Quite frankly, you've got a better chance than me of getting out of this mess in one piece."
Shadow knew this, but it didn't make her any less nervous. They were essentially fish food, and the much larger fish were on the other side of the arena.
"Hey, Connor?" Shadow spoke.
"Yeah."
"Just in case the worst happens, I just want you to know that… well… this whole hunting you down for money thing is just a job, okay. So in case I can't say anything later, I just want you to know that I don't hold anything against you."
"Odd time to be honest Shadow, and not quite sure what to make of that, but thank you… I guess. For what it's worth, I understand. That ship captain transported slaves all the time. Never liked the idea of owning someone else, but there's only so much a cabin boy can do."
"Can I ask something of you, Shadow?" Connor continued.
"I'm not exactly in a position to make promises but shoot anyways."
"If I die here, your mission is going to be a failure anyways. So, if you do manage to get out of here without me, could you make sure that Asher is being taken care of? I'm sure Eira will keep him safe, and I wouldn't burden you with taking care of him yourself, but you know, just make sure that he's safe and has someone to love him."
Shadow had to pause to take all of that in. The human was certainly right, if he died here she may as well not show her face to the guild again. There'd be no point in wasting her time trying to haul in only the basitin if she couldn't even get her hands on the box.
"Alright Connor. If I get out of here but without you or that stupid box, I'll make sure that kid is in a good place and then I'll leave him be. You have my word, not as a bounty hunter, but as a keidran."
"Thanks. I'm not going to ask for anything more than that."
"Yeah, well it's all fine and dandy you two, but you both had better at least make it this first fight. Our deal was to escape together. If one of us doesn't make it that's understandable, but nobody kick the bucket until we've got a plan figured out. So don't even talk like you're going to die. You have to believe you'll win, otherwise your match will be over in three seconds."
"You're right Shiloh," Connor replied, "we need to at least survive long enough to put a plan in motion. If one of us is going to die, it better be while escaping to freedom, not dying in a pit. But, I'm not going to lie to myself about winning. Whether I get to sleep tonight in that bunk behind me or under six feet of dirt is going to be mostly a matter of luck and-."
"Hey guys, I think the adrakists are here." Shadow interrupted, pointing up to the center of the stands where three large chairs were positioned just on top of the wooden wall that surrounded the fighting pit.
Suddenly, in an impressive display of smoke and fire, three figures emerged, silhouetted by their own fire and haze. There wasn't a lot of showing off, but Adalinda knew she needed to put in some effort to impress her 'army'. Their loyalty depended on riches, protection, and power of the dragon she felt herself to truly be. Each of her sisters took a seat, Tanwen to her left and Zafira on the right. Adalinda remained standing as the cheers from the crowd began to hush. They all knew their leader always liked to say a few things before opening the events.
"My brothers, my sisters! Bandits, thieves, and criminals of all kinds! Yesterday was our largest haul of the spring!"
The Adrakist paused to let the erupting cheers die down again. "Our coffers have never been this full this early! I take it you all are enjoying your respective shares?"
Again, the crowd erupted with shouts and cheers. Plunder of all kinds had been taken and while Adalinda was sure to get her cut of the best stuff for the sisters' personal hoard, part of having an army was making sure everyone got a piece of the pie.
"Of course, yesterday's plunder would not be ours without the persuasion of Carl." Adalinda gestured to her right as Carl emerged from the front row of the stands. Shouts, cheers, and laughs again filled the arena.
"But I must personally thank our inside man. The treasure he has found us will bring the adrakists, and all of you here, into a new age. Come forward, Sam."
"Sam?" Connor thought. Had he heard the lady right? His eyes soon confirmed what Connor's ears had picked up. Out from the shadows behind the stand came none other than Sam. In his hands was the small box, which also caught the attention of Shadow.
"Sam here infiltrated the caravan weeks ago, disguising himself as security for hire. While this caravan would have been a great target anyways, Sam kept his eyes open and managed to track down a treasure of great wealth. For years, my sisters and I have held the key in hopes that our efforts would be rewarded. Sam, bring the box forward so that Tanwen and I may open it."
Adalinda's tongue tasted the air in anticipation. This box matched the description perfectly. Tanwen had confirmed what was inside earlier, but this was too great of a discovery to keep to just the sisters. Rewards like this helped keep their operation going, helped them continue to gain power and wealth as a dragon should.
All eyes, including Connor's and Shadow's, as Carl gently handed the small box over to Adalinda. Setting the box on a podium, she stepped back as Tanwen rose from her seat and produced a key from an amulet around her neck. She said nothing but raised the key high in the air for everyone to see, before carefully inserting the brass skeleton into its hole in a perfect fit. With a slow turn, the lock opened. Everyone held their breath in anticipation as Tanwen lifted back the lid over its hinge.
The eldest sister then gingerly held the "treasure" in her hands, lifting it above her head so that everyone could see in the fading light. People began to piece together what it was in their heads, and as everyone started to understand what they were seeing, hushed gasps could be heard throughout the arena, followed by whispers.
"Is that…" Shadow started.
"Yeah, I think it is." Connor said.
"And you didn't know?"
"Of course not! I would have just given it to you if I did."
"Hey guys, what am I looking at?" Shiloh asked.
"That, Shiloh, is the the box I stole from Drake." Connor replied. "Of all the things I guessed it could be, I never once thought I'd be carrying around a-."
"-dragon." Shadow finished.
After allowing the crowd to have a long look at the fruits of their labors, Tanwen slowly placed their new treasure back in its box, locked it tight, and then returned to her seat with the box in her lap. Adalinda once again rose to address her followers.
"Brothers and sisters, your eyes have not deceived you! This box contains the egg of a dragon! The stories behind this egg, how it became lost, and found, then lost again over the centuries has become legend. It is said that the great dragon, Lady Nora, laid this egg herself! But now it is ours. The power this egg possesses will be more than enough to transform my sisters and myself into full dragons on the blood moon later this week. With this power, we can finally dominate the area, forge a new kingdom, and build an empire that humans and keidran alike will fear to cross!"
This revelation wasn't quite enough to coax the crowd into cheers. What did this mean for the criminal organization? Luckily, Adalinda knew exactly what to say to appease her army.
"Of course, such a kingdom will need an army, and I can promise you this, when we finally take over this region and become the true seat of power, there will be enough plunder for every single one of you to die rich. So now I ask, will you follow us. Will you be the army of a dragon, and build the greatest empire Mekkan has ever known?"
This was what her people wanted to hear, and in an instant the loudest cheers of the night. The shouting was almost too much for Connor to take, and for Shadow her sensitive ears were in pain. Shiloh was in pain too, though he knew better than to show any weakness to his opponents. After a minute, the crowd got into the rhythm of a chant.
"Adra-kist!"
"Adra-kist!"
"Adra-kist!"
Fists were held high in the air, and this satisfied Adalinda who let a smile form across her face. She looked to Tanwen, who was slightly smiling at the support and enthusiasm from the crowd. Zafira too was smiling, but Adalinda knew her smart little sister was already thinking about all the engineering tasks ahead of them. Raising her hands, Adalinda caused the crowd to break down into applause as everyone exhausted themselves from cheering.
Once the crowd died down once again before continuing. "Then in three days we shall have the ceremony! When my sisters arise the day after, we will have taken on the life-force of a dragon. For tonight though, let us all celebrate our future in the best way we know how, watching our captives fight and die. I hope you all got a chance to watch our fresh gladiators, one even tried to fight me! I tell you, if it weren't for these scales I might have even been scratched by that arrow!"
This elicited laughs from the crowd. Connor could hear someone in the stand above and behind him shout, "Who could possibly think they could take on Adalinda?" Connor had a sinking feeling; Shiloh did say that attracting attention to themselves wasn't a good idea.
"Oh yes, it's quite true!" Adalinda carried on. "We have quite the match-up for him tonight, but we'll save that for last. I'll let Sam start us off with two of our best fighters."
Sam again stepped forward, looked around at the crowd for a few seconds until the adrakist had taken her seat, and then picked up where Adalinda left off.
"Yes, tonight we will start with a matchup you all have been waiting a long-time to see. Guards, bring out our reigning champion. He came to us all the way from the Northwick valley. The legend, the Ghost of the North, Shiloh!"
Chants of "ghost" filled the air as the guards approached Shiloh's cell. Shiloh allowed himself to smile. Sure, he was a captive, but at the very least he had earned a modicum of respect from otherwise unrespectable people.
"Well, looks like I'm going to get done working early today. Watch close you two, you might pick up a couple of moves at the last minute."
With a wink at Connor and Shadow, Shiloh removed the cloak he had on all day, revealing a toned and fit body. If Connor was being honest, he could probably out-lift the basitin in terms of sheer strength. Even though he was a teen, Connor had to have 50 lbs on Shiloh and a half a foot of height. Still, it was obvious during sparing that the basitin knew how to move, and without armor it would be speed and skill that wins the day, not brute strength. Connor had at least surmised that much.
The guards didn't even bother to restrain the basitin. They merely flanked him and escorted the champion into the arena as the stadium switched from chanting back to cheering. One of the guards fetched the basitin a sword, what must have been Shiloh's favorite blade as it was kept to the side by itself. Once ready, Sam announced the opponent. "Of course, our Ghost is a fan favorite, but tonight he will finally be squaring off against a rising star. Also hailing from the north country, it's my pleasure to have Aspen back in the arena!"
The crowd began to cheer yet again as the guards unlocked a cell on the other side of the arena. Out stepped a tall keidran. A wolf equally as white as Shiloh but clearly much bigger and stronger. One of the guards retrieved an axe from a spot on the rack with the name "Aspen" scratched into the wood above the hooks.
"The rules are the same as always. Fighters may choose to fight until one yields, or both may choose to fight until death."
Sam then found his seat and the crowd quieted down to witness the headline fight for the evening. Shiloh and Aspen approached each other until they stood a few paces apart in the center of the arena. Shiloh broke the silence between them.
"You know, back home our people are allies. We don't have to fight to the death tonight."
"You're right, we don't have to. But if I kill you tonight, then I'll earn my freedom."
"Is that what you want then, to the death?"
"Yes"
"Very well."
With a mutual nod, the two fighters readied their weapons. After a second of hesitation, both lunged for each other simultaneously and the first contact of steel on steel made the crowd erupt once again. Everyone, even the adrakists, followed the fight closely. The wolf swung the two-handed axe with a speed and agility that was impressive even to Shiloh. However, the basitin managed to maintain his distance. One swing of the axe almost took off Shiloh's head, but he dodged the blow just fast enough that the sharp blade of the wolf's weapon trimmed hair off the basitin's cheek and gave his ear a slight cut.
Shiloh lunged and slashed when he found an opening, but the powerful legs on Aspen allowed the wolf to move away from each attempt at injury. The fight continued for some minutes with neither duelist gaining the upper hand. Slowly but surely the large wolf was forcing Shiloh to the edge of the arena. The basitin realized this and attempted several times to flank his opponent, but Aspen was relentless in his attacks. He couldn't detect the slightest bit of fatigue from the wolf. Finally, near the wooden wall, the basitin had ran out of space to keep his distance.
Aspen lunged at Shiloh with a wide horizontal cut. Shiloh had no choice but to risk it. He quickly ducked, sword covering his head as the axe blade glanced off the polished steel. Aspen then went for a vertical cut; certain he was going to cut the small basitin in half. But before he could, Shiloh jumped as high as his feet would allow, timing it so the axe came down right where he had been. The basitin then sent his sword digging deep into the wolf's collar, penetrating deep into the ribcage as Shiloh let gravity pull him back down. Letting go of the hilt, Shiloh's feet hit the ground and stood still as Aspen stumbled backwards a step. The wolf's eyes looked at the blade, the polished steel reflecting part of the wolf's face back toward Aspen.
With a shuddering breath, Aspen fell to his knees. He began to fall to his side next but Shiloh caught his opponent and helped ease the big wolf to the ground. The crowd was cheering at the excellent opening fight, though there were some audible groans of disappointment for those who had bet the wrong way. For Shiloh it was all just background noise. He looked down at Aspen, struggling to breath with the sword skewering a lung and several arteries. The basitin noticed tears in the corners of the wolf's eyes.
Aspen could barely whisper, "I.. I, just want to go home." This caused Shiloh to also start fighting back tears.
"You're going home Aspen. You're free from this place. Don't fight it, just let go."
Aspen smiled slightly before closing his eyes. A last, weak breath followed and the body went limp, laying in the growing pool of blood. Shiloh could only look at the crimson mess before him. He had killed an ally, possibly even the friend or family of someone he knew back home. Fighting just wasn't something he could do anymore, he had killed and killed to stay alive, but he had to keep fighting for just a bit longer then his new friends would help him leave and get home.
The roar of the crowd snapped Shiloh back to reality. Looking up, he could see people yelling his name, cheering, stuffing their faces with food and drink. He was nothing more than entertainment here, and surviving meant knowing what the crowd wanted. Rising to his feet, Shiloh returned to his normally stern expression, raising a fist in unison with the crowd. The masses responded positively, cheering on their reigning champion. Shiloh's eyes locked with Adalinda who, along with her sisters, had risen from their seats to deliver applause.
Taking the initiative, Shiloh performed a deep bow before his masters. He had pleased them and earned some rest back in his cell. Rising from his bow, Adalinda gave her nod of approval. Shiloh didn't waste time returning to his cell, only waving to the crowd all around him as they began chanting his name. Whatever little excitement the basitin felt from being a gladiator had worn off many months ago. It was nothing more now than something he had to keep up to survive, but he knew eventually his luck was going to run out.
Taking a seat back in his cell, Shiloh looked over at Connor and Shadow, both nearly had their jaws on the floor.
"You… You just buried that sword in the guy. How?" Shadow asked.
"Gravity Shadow, let gravity do the work for you. Don't worry though, you won't have to face someone that tough tonight. When it's your turn to go out there, remember the basics. You're both better fighters already than most of the poor souls that are stuck here, just stay focused and you'll be fine."
Connor and Shadow looked at each other with a worried look. They were nowhere near THAT good, but Shiloh went back to his bunk to stare blankly out at the arena and stopped answering questions, so that was that. Several fights passed. Some elicited cheers, others got boos when it wasn't as violent as the crowd wanted. Many of the spectators were hardened criminals after all, a little blood wasn't going to entertain them. Connor could also see that many were beginning to get drunk and some were leaving the stands, going back to their own camps to carry on the celebrating. Soon enough, guards came to Shiloh. As they were unlocking the cell door, she shot Connor a glance.
"I don't want to do this Connor!"
"You've got no choice Shadow, just remember what he said. I'm sure you'll be fine."
As the guards escorted Shadow away, one leaned into Connor's cell.
"By the way kid, you're going to be up next."
Connor did what he could to keep his nerves steady. This was bad. Shiloh kept her nerves as best she could. After the guards handed her a blade, she closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Weeks ago, she was still training in the guild, and they certainly never taught how to fight in a pit. Her eye took notice of that same keidran guard she had spotted earlier. Something about him was different but she couldn't place it. It didn't matter now though, she had to remember what Shiloh said and stay focused.
Shadow's chosen opponent appeared on the other side of the arena. A tiger, lean and powerful. Clearly, he was taken captive during a raid into the feline territories. One of the guards placed a sword in his hand. A 3-foot blade with a big enough grip to be used with one hand or two. It was the perfect bastard sword for such a fighter. He had also chosen a small round shield for his left side, adequate protection in a light package.
"Any preference on weapons, leopard?"
This was something Shadow had been asking herself all day. She wasn't a fighter; swords weren't her thing. But she knew her way around knives and was trained to be as swift as a falcon.
"Yeah, get me a couple of daggers."
From the side lines, Connor heard a chuckle from Shiloh in the next cell over just as the blades were placed in Shadow's hands. "Guess we get to see what our assassin can do with the right blade."
"Bounty hunter, Shiloh. Shadow is a bounty hunter. In a fist fight we had fought each other to a stand-still. That… thing… tiger, whatever it is looks like an absolute beast."
"You'll see kid, he's not as tough as he looks."
That didn't make Connor feel any better for poor Shadow.
With a nod and the roar of thunderous applause, leopard and tiger rushed toward each other. Shadow needed speed; her opponent was trying to build momentum. Both lept in the air, but Shadow's lighter frame and training meant she was able lunge higher, thus clearing the tiger as he came crashing back to Earth. "Damn, this one is fast…" The tiger thought to himself.
Landing lightly on her feet, Shadow was quick enough to turn and face her opponent who was now gearing up for another charge. She attempted to duck out of the way as the tiger came through, but the shield made solid contact with her body. One swipe from the tiger sent her flying several feet into the dirt. Shadow flipped onto her back just in time to see the tip of the sword plunging down at her in a forceful stab. Contorting herself, the blade grazed her side, leaving a clean and bleeding cut almost to her rib bones. It was painful, but Shadow had to push through.
Taking the opportunity of the tiger having buried his sword into the ground, Shadow lept up from her prone position and made a good hit into her opponent's right shoulder. Confidant that would at least slow the tiger down, Shadow was in for a surprise as the warrior had twisted around to his left, punching Shadow solidly in the gut as he freed his sword. The pommel came down hard on Shadow's back, laying her out. Winding up for another strike, the tiger left one critical area open which Shadow exploited immediately.
"Oooooh!" The crowd of criminals winced. With only one option, Shadow had flipped one dagger around in her hand and slashed up, hitting the tiger square in the loins.
"There, he should bleed out now." Shadow thought. "Just need to keep moving until the blood loss is too much."
The tiger had other plans. While he had stumbled back and felt the blood coming from his nethers, the injury only angered the warrior. With a roar, he lunged forth yet again. Remembering her training, Shadow managed to catch the tiger's sword arm and use his momentum against him. Over committing to the thrust, the tiger found himself tumbling to the ground while Shadow used that same momentum to get back to her feet. Before he could rise again, Shadow delivered a hard kick to the ribs. A slash with the sword cut deep into Shadow's thigh though.
Both were now bleeding; Shadow knew that without another critical hit she wasn't going to outlast this keidran. Another slash from the sword went wide, opening Shadow to her best opportunity of the fight. Flying inside the tiger's reach, Shadow managed to pin the shield with her feet and sink one of the daggers deep into the man's chest, causing him to scream in pain.
Rather than give up and die, the tiger had one last surprise for Shadow. He dropped both shield and sword, opting to use his weight to pin Shadow to the ground. He gripped the leopard with one hand and gave a volley of devastating punches before closing both hands around Shadow's neck, squeezing the life from her.
Connor honestly thought he was going to see Shadow butchered right in front of him. Shiloh wasn't as concerned yet. "Relax lad, she's still got the second dagger. Just hope she knows where to make it count."
The warrior was confident that victory would soon be his. But just as it looked like Shadow was about to give up, a sharp pain radiated from the tiger's neck. Shadow, with her one free hand, found her remaining blade and sent the dagger deep into the tiger's neck. Pulling it out caused blood to come squirting from the neck, falling all over the ground and Shadow's face. The warrior immediately stopped trying to strangle Shadow and instead grabbed his neck, futilely attempting to stop his own bleeding.
It was far too late though, and after only a couple seconds, he fell to the side with the help of Shadow who threw him off her body. The leopard managed to rise to her knees, wiping the blood from her face. Luckily most of it wasn't hers, but the wounds she had were bad. The crowd was entertained though, the underdog had won. Two guards and a man who looked like some kind of healer were quick to pull Shadow to her feet and help her back into the cell.
"Is that guy going to help her?" Connor asked, genuinely concerned. This was the closest fight of the evening, none of the other winners took quite that beating.
"Who, Gerald? Yeah, he'll get that thigh sewed up. If you win a fight like that, people want to see you fight again. She won't have to fight in the pit until her wounds are better." Shiloh said, looking up for the first time since the fight began. The guards, Shadow, and Gerald the healer approached the cell door."
"Set her down nice and gentle in there lads." Gerald ordered, pointing at the hard wood bunk near the back of the cell.
"You really going to waste your time on a keidran who barely survived her first scrap with another fighter?" One of the guards asked.
"It's my job ain't it? Now do as I say and leave me to my work. Don't worry dear, you'll be patched up in no time."
Shadow could only groan as she was laid down. When her leg shifted, she jolted in pain from the large cut in her thigh.
Connor could only watch. If this is how Shadow ends up after a single match, he was sure to be in for a much worse time. "You said the first fight was going to be easy?"
"That was easy." Shiloh replied. "The tiger had only been around a couple of weeks. Choose a sensible weapon like a spear or sword and you'll get out of this next fight without life-threatening injuries."
"Hey, daggers are good weapons asshole!" Shadow was able to growl through the pain.
Shiloh was quick to retort. "Oh they are great weapons, for a dark hallway. This is an arena, cat, next time pair that dagger up with something that has reach."
Shadow huffed before collapsing back to her bunk, letting Gerald do his work. "Now hold still dear, this is going to hurt but it will also save your life."
"Just do it, I've felt worse than a- ouch!"
"Sorry, I'm a bit limited on what needles I can get a hold of out here, but it will suffice."
Connor was watching the whole interaction when a clank on the cell lock turned his attention.
"Alright kid, it's showtime."
Getting up, Connor approached the cell door, allowing himself to be led out.
"Say, who am I going to be fighting?"
"The boss made a special arrangement. From what I hear, you've beaten him once already, so good luck."
Seconds later, Connor was staring up at the arena. Spectators were still hooting and hollering in the stands which made a great circle around the dirt floor. His eyes fell on Adalinda who rose from her seat. Instantly the crowd quieted down.
"For our final fight of the evening, we've had a special request. You see, prior to attempting to fight me, this kid that now stands before us apparently came to the rescue of a wagon being plundered. I've been told he managed to kill three opponents with a knife and bow…"
"Oh shit." Connor thought, figuring where this was going.
"… and after his capture, one of my lieutenants said he had some business with this boy So tonight, Connor here will face our own Carl!"
The crowd cheered yet again with a mixture of laugher thrown in. The one exit to the arena opened, allowing Carl and Sam to walk into the fighting ring.
"You sure about this Carl? The kid isn't exactly a pushover."
"Please Sam, last time he missed me at twenty yards. My crew is dead because of dumb luck. Well, his luck is about to run out."
"So be it. At least this should be fun to watch."
In Carl's hands was a sword very similar to the one he had been using back on the road. The steel had a dull finish, but the edge glinted from recent sharpening. Back up sword? Perhaps. Carl himself wasn't exactly a large man but he was strong. Still, Connor figured he outweighed the guy and definitely had a longer reach.
"Alright kid, what weapon do you want?"
"Get me a sword that's close to Carl's."
The guard immediately fetched from the rack a sword that had been cared for a bit better. It was solid, long, and had an excellent tip. The two approached each other until they were just out of lunging distance. The men stared at each other, the noise of the crowd fading into the background. Guards surrounding the arena held still as statues. Carl was the first to break the silence between the two.
"You killed my crew. Well, I think you got lucky, and it ends for you tonight. Right here, right now."
"It wasn't luck, Carl. I just had someone to fight for."
After another moment of silence, Carl burst with movement. He covered the ten feet or so in a second, thrusting his sword right to where he thought Connor would be, but the teen had feigned to his right and instead peeled away to his left. Connor then went right for Carl, but his blade was blocked by his opponent's sword. The two circled. Connor quickly figured that Carl really wasn't as experienced with a blade as he thought. In fact, he appeared to be a better thief than fighter. But still, Carl was fast, and fast was dangerous. Thrust, slash, thrust, swing. Connor could barely keep up. After a minute passed, Carl drew first blood as his blade grazed Connor's left shoulder. He zigged when he should have zagged.
"I'll admit kid, I'm not as good as my right-hand man was, but you shot him down before he could show you what he was really capable of."
"Give me a bow and I'll be happy to do it again."
"Not very sporting though, is it? At least you've got a fair fight here, Adalinda insisted on it."
Another thrust parried with a counter coming in a half-second too late to be dangerous. Both were starting to get a bit tired now.
"She must want me for something then, so what is it?"
"Don't know, don't care. Just know that when I'm through here I'm going to find that kid you were protecting."
Connor knew it was nothing more than a taunt to throw him off, but he took the bait anyway. The teen growled and committed to another series of attacks with more vigor than before. Carl was happy at first, his tongue was a lot more dangerous than any blade he carried. He was a bit overconfident however and as the two went back and forth, Connor made a wild horizontal swing that clipped Carl in the face. Wincing, Carl used his free hand between strikes to feel his cheek. A small scratch, not very deep, but a warning that even an inexperienced fighter was still dangerous in their own ways.
"You throw that sword around like it was a club kid, I'll bet that lady you saved could do better."
Connor took a second to catch his breath as they circled yet again. "Actually… she killed your bastard of a friend with his own sword. My arrow only found his gut."
Now it was Carl's turn to be baited. However, Connor didn't quite realize just how well Carl could fight when angered. One cut managed to find Connor's side, and the tip of the blade was just able to nick Connor's upper shoulder. Both superficial wounds but it was clear Carl had more stamina in a fight.
"Really?! So my friend died from that girl, but only after you left him to bleed out in the road? Well in that case…"
Carl then rushed inside Connor's reach, deflected the blade, and elbowed the teen right in the jaw before sending the pommel right into Connor's crotch. Connor fell over in pain, having been stunned by both blows. However, Carl didn't want to finish the fight too quickly now that he had his prey right where he wanted him. Before Connor could reach for his own sword, Carl kicked it out of the way. Connor then tried to roll onto his hands and knees to get up but fatigue had begun to set in. A sharp kick in the ribs from Carl laid Connor on the ground again. Before he could roll away, another kick was administered to the gut followed by a third to the face. Connor was now bleeding from his nose and mouth; it was all he could do to spit out some of the blood and try to breathe.
"Good, now lay there for a minute and listen." The crowd's cheers died down a bit, confused as to why Carl wasn't finishing off his opponent just yet. Instead, the man circled Connor who seemed to barely be conscious.
"Come on kid, get up." Shiloh said to himself, having noticed how poorly the fight had turned.
"You think this is the end of you Connor, but it isn't. I want to you rot in here knowing that I'm out there. I'm going to hunt that runt down and make him suffer just like my crew did, and then I'm going to find that bitch you saved. I'm going to do so much more than violate her, and her parents are going to watch all of it. Then she's going to come with me back to this very spot. You'll get to see her die, and then I'll finally finish you off. Everyone here will get to watch me break you, and then…"
"Asher, Eira, Asher, no. No. NO!" Connor thought, suddenly coming back to reality with a newfound fury. Instead of lunging for Carl which would have meant the man would stab him before getting close, Connor waited until he got just a little too close during his ranting. Seeing his one opportunity, Connor kicked at Carl's right knee, imploding it from the side. Carl screamed in pain as the crowd gasped. Before Carl could run Connor through, the teen grabbed the hilt and pinned the blade down with his knee. Carl realized his mistake too late as a fist made contact with the front of his face, stunning the man.
It wasn't a normal punch though; Carl's head was already on the ground so there was no place for the energy to go but right into his skull. He could feel his nose break and a couple teeth come loose. He tried to push Connor off of him but then he realized that despite being a teenager, Connor outweighed him just enough to keep him pinned. He couldn't move his sword arm so instead he tried to use his off hand.
Connor though was in a rage. Instead of Carl's slap having any effect, Connor instead grabbed Carl's free hand and did something the man didn't anticipate. Instead of pinning the hand with his other knee, Connor grabbed Carl's wrist, twisted it, and then put his full weight down on the wrist.
Crack
Carl screamed again in pain. His wrist wasn't fully broken, but the move had damaged tendons. His howl of pain was cut short by another punch right into the mouth, busting a couple of fingers.
"You'll never hurt them! You die here!"
The crowd went silent as the beating continued. Connor threw a left, a right, another left, it went on for what seemed like an hour though it was only for about a minute. Carl was now barely conscious and couldn't breathe through his own blood. In fact, the man's face looked more like a tenderized piece of hamburger than a human being. Connor, still enraged, pulled himself up and tore the sword from Carl's grasp. All the man could do was close his eyes as the blade plunged deep into his ribcage, destroying his heart.
Connor put all his weight behind the stab and felt the sword go through skin, muscle, ribs, more muscle, heart, lung, and another set of ribs. Then the gravely dirt. He stood up for a second and screamed like a primal beast. The crowd remained silent. Even Adalinda was astonished by the butchering she just saw, though she tried to hide it from the crowd. Some had bet on Connor winning, but no one thought they'd witness Carl get destroyed in such a manner.
Someone though must have enjoyed the spectacle because he was the first to cheer. Everyone else quickly followed and the stadium filled with a deafening roar of applause, shouting, cheers, whistling. Connor though didn't care. He looked down at Carl's body and conjured a bloody spit. He did look at Adalinda though and saw in her eyes just the slightest hint of fear. That was enough for him, and Connor allowed himself to be led back to the cells. Even the guards were hesitant to get too close, instead choosing to follow just out of arms reach. When they got to the cell, Shiloh was still looking out at Carl's body, jaw slightly open. Connor noticed that Gerald was putting away his equipment.
"Gerald's your name, right?"
"Yeah. You hurt after that pummeling lad?"
"Eh. At least I'm still breathing. More than you can say for Carl. You done patching up my friend?"
"Yes, but she's going to need someone to look after her overnight."
"I'll do it. Shadow knows me. I just need fresh bandages, some rags and water."
"Anything you need mister. Guards, bring him in here, my work is done for now."
With a nod from the guard, the door was quickly unlocked, and Connor was allowed to step inside. Gerald took one look at Connor and put an arm on his shoulder.
"I never like that guy much anyway. Make sure she doesn't move that leg around too suddenly. The wound needs to seal itself before she can even think about fighting."
"I will doc, thanks."
"Just doing my job. Keep fighting like that and I think you'll find yourself a criminal like the rest of us soon enough."
With that the doctor stepped out of the cell and waited as the guards locked it again. In the background the crowd was clearing out, having been satisfied and ready to continue the festivities elsewhere. Connor limped forward to the bunk before sitting down near Shadow's head.
"You okay Shadow?"
She groaned trying to move her body so that she was staring up at the human. "Yeah, I think I'll be okay. You look like shit though. That's a lot of blood."
Connor just laughed. "Yeah, it's mostly Carl's though."
"Honestly, I thought you were screwed."
"I thought so too, but that fucker needed to die."
"In all my time fighting here, I've never seen something like that." Shiloh said, turning his attention to Connor instead of Carl's bloodied corpse.
"Yeah, probably drew too much attention to myself."
"No shit. But if you've got that much rage inside you, it probably helps to let it out now and then. The next guy you fight is going to be scared shitless."
"Speaking of, when is the next fight?" Connor asked.
"Oh, they'll have a smaller one probably on the day they do that dragon egg ceremony or the night prior. We won't be in it though. You two have injuries and I just killed the second-best fighter in this place."
"Good, because I don't think I can do that again." Shadow said.
"Oh so you figured a way out of here then?" Shiloh said.
"Well, not exactly. But the day they do their thing with that egg, everyone is going to be distracted. That's when we can slip out."
"And what about the egg, Shadow?" Connor questioned. After all, she was the one obsessed with getting that box.
"Screw it. Nothing is worth this kind of punishment. We gotta get out of here as quick as we can."
"Fine by me, but we're going to need something a little more fleshed out."
"Let's keep our eyes and ears open then, there's got to be some kind of opportunity."
The adrenaline was wearing off on Connor now and so he just tilted his head back.
Connor woke up minutes later when the cell door opened and Gerald stepped in, left bandages, rags, and water, then promptly left to attend to other wounded patients. Connor got up and brought the supplies over to the bunk. Looking over at Shiloh, he was already asleep. He couldn't have been that old, but all this fighting must have made him feel a lot older. Certainly, slept like it at least.
He decided to keep his voice down out of respect. "Here, Shadow. Let me help you sit up."
He leaned down and let Shadow put an arm on his shoulder. Connor was careful to slowly bring Shadow up so as to not cause too much pain. He then quickly took a rag, rinsed it in the warm clean water, and sat next to Shadow.
"Okay, let's get these cuts clean one more time before bandaging them up again. I'm no healer, but I can clean a wound."
"I can do it myself."
"You should just try to hold still. That's what Gerald said anyway."
"Fine…"
It took about twenty minutes before Shadow was fully bandaged. More cleaning later and Connor was ready to get the same treatment. He struggled with the one on his arm though.
"Here, let me help you. It's hardest to bandage your own arm."
"Go for it, I'm getting too tired."
"Hey Connor?"
"Yeah?"
"You said earlier that you really didn't hate me, You meant that, right?"
"Yes, I meant it. Why?"
"Well, it's just that… nevermind."
"I've got all night to listen, do your best."
"Well, you're the first human outside of the guild that hasn't tried to hurt me when given the chance."
"I left you tied to a tree last week…"
"Yeah, but you also left my supplies and even gave up some rations."
"Okay, so maybe I'm not the worst piece of shit you've ran into. That doesn't mean we're friends."
"Well look, I guess what I'm asking is, if I stopped trying to turn you in, would you let me join you and that basitin to Maine? I've got nowhere to go, but I understand if you wanted me to get lost."
Connor had considered that thought before. Heck, he might have even offered something like that to Shadow. His head was tired and recovering from a concussion though so he couldn't recall.
"If you really don't have anywhere to go, and you are done trying to turn me into Drake, then I guess you can join us."
Connor could swear he heard a sniffle. In the dim light he could see tears in Shadow's eyes. Wow, she really didn't have any one or any place to go. At least he could look forward to home and family.
"Hey Shadow?"
"Yeah?"
Shadow was immediately surrounded by warmth. At first she wanted to fight, instinct telling her that she was under attack. But then she realized the truth. Connor had was hugging her.
"Y- you're hugging me?"
"Yeah silly, you've never been hugged before?"
The silence that followed confirmed Connor's question.
"Oh. You really haven't been hugged before? By anyone, ever?"
Shadow was a bit insulted. "Yes dummy, I've been hugged before. Just… not for a long time."
"Well, don't look too much into it. I guess Asher just softened me up a little."
"Tell that to Carl, oh wait…"
Connor laughed again. "You know what I mean. Anyway, it's getting late and I haven't slept in two days."
"Too bad this bunk isn't longer."
"Here, let me help you down, but keep your head lifted for a moment."
Connor again let Shadow use his shoulder as leverage as she lowered herself back down to the bunk. She put both feet up onto the bunk and was about to make some room for Connor to at least sit when she felt him drag her back toward him a few inches. Resting her head back down, she realized that her head was now in Connor's lap. She was in for another surprise as a blanket covered her body up to the neck. Connor had grabbed the blanket from the top shelf and leaned into the cell's wall to sleep. His arm again fell to rest on Shadow, but this time it was on her shoulder. He wasn't about to say it, but Shadow could feel that Connor had changed a bit since earlier that day. He wasn't mean, or being smart, or taking any kind of pleasure in her condition. No, he was simply being a comfort in whatever way he could. It felt… nice.
Miles away, Asher woke up to find himself being held tight. He realized that Eira had bundled him up once they got to the Tigers' camp and had fallen asleep on one of their communal beds. Tigers and Tigresses surrounded them, but right here with Eira he felt just as safe as when he was with Connor. He still couldn't sleep well on his own. Asher hadn't told anyone, but when he'd close his eyes to sleep he'd keep reliving the shipwreck, and his mom. With Connor captured those dreams had intensified. But at least Eira was here, and was someone who apparently cared enough to help keep him warm through the night. He laid his head back down and drifted back to sleep.
"I'm coming, brother…"