I would like to thank some people for support through some tough times I've been going through. Consider it a shout out from me.
I would like to thank:
adityamuz1212
CraftKage102897
Ender NightBlade
Henry (Guest)
GreenStar7373
MyBrokenHeart123
And all of my followers and readers.
You all have no idea how much you all help me out. I've been going through some very tough times, with my own place to live, my job and everything.
You all are amazing people, and it's your support that keeps me going with this fic.
Now that I'm done, I'll get on with the chapter.
Enjoy.
A day has passed since Joe's outburst with Blazzette. He laid on the floor of his prison cell, looking at the ceiling.
He could hear the echoing cries of the audience crying out within his cell, assuming the other matches were going on outside.
He heard the door open, in which he turned his head towards those entering.
There was a beast walking along the doors of the cells, covered in burns and cuts.
This confused him.
He yelled to the guard who was walking behind the beast as it entered it's cell.
"How come he's here? I thought the fights were to the death?"
The guard walked over to the cell, and leaned on the bars by its bony arm.
"Princess made a new rule that death isn't allowed in the fights anymore. She says she had a change of heart."
Joe then looked back at the ceiling, and sighed.
"Well, at least I got to her…"
His mind then shifted back to his home back in the overworld.
"Good lord, those girls are going to skin me alive…" He said to himself. "I just hope they're ok…"
His mind then shifted to Cupa, as he reminisced about how they first met. Her shy face, the terrified face she made before he let her live with him, he just couldn't get his mind off her.
He couldn't help but smile at his thoughts on the creeper girl.
He sat up, and popped his neck.
"Wonder if theres anyway I can at least talk to them…" He said, sitting criss-cross, crossing his arms.
He then shook his head, and focused on the task at hand.
"Alright, I'll need to win this tourney if I ever want to get out. I think it said there were eight people who entered...My match was first, and Dreu's was the third...which means I'll have to win this next fight to get to the finals. And I'm sure that bastard's gonna be there too..".
He then stood up, stretching his arms and legs.
"So who's gonna be my next opponent, is my question…" He said, cracking his knuckles.
The door then slammed open, to a Wither Skeleton guard, who didn't seem to like looking at Joe.
"Heads up. You're in the Semi's." The guard said, walking towards Joe's cell.
It opened the door, in which Joe walked out of his cell, and followed after the skeleton.
They walked down the dark corridor, as Joe slyly grinned to himself.
"And you said I wouldn't make it to the Semi's. How long ago was that? Two days?" Joe teased, infuriating the guard.
"You're lucky the princess would have my head if I hurt you." The guard threatened as it led Joe, leaving its back to him.
Joe snorted. "Calm down, I was just kidding around."
"I wasn't." The guard said in return, sending a slight shiver down Joe's spine.
They walked for a few moments, until they reached the gates to the coliseum, in which they could hear the cries and cheers of the crowd awaiting the battle.
"You won't stand a chance against this one." The guard said, looking over to the opposite gate.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Joe asked, raising an eyebrow.
The guard seemed to chuckle, as it looked at Joe.
"She tore apart her opponent. Nothing but a mangled pile of flesh and bone."
Joe froze at this.
"I...I'm sure it wasn't that bad…" He said, laughing nervously.
The skeleton then stared into Joe's eyes
"She didn't even lay a hand on him. He didn't even have a body anymore, he was, quite literally, torn to shreds." It said, emphasizing its words. "It happened so fast, the princess couldn't even show up for it."
So thats why the third match came so fast…
"And you get to fight this witch." The skeleton said.
"B-But I thought I can't be killed?" Joe asked.
The skeleton laughed, then looked at Joe in a dead stare.
"There are such things as...'accidents', you know."
Joe gulped at this, as the color seemed to leave his face.
"Now get in there, the champ doesn't have all day." The skeleton said, as the gate to the arena rose.
Joe sighed heavily, and walked through the gate, into the cheering crowd.
He looked around, and still saw everything in its place. He looked over to the royal seating, and saw the princess in her seat, looking at Joe in a state of worry.
He was still a tad fumed at her, as her quickly looked away to his surroundings.
Meanwhile, the princess looked down sadly.
"I guess he still hasn't forgiven me…" She said, sighing.
Back at the arena, upon his examination, he could see a large, red stain on the ground near where he stood.
A pile of flesh and bone.
"Oh shit…" He said, realizing it was a bloodstain.
In that moment, another mic check echoed throughout the arena, silencing the crowd.
"Welcome all to the Grand Tourney! Our fighters have pushed their way to the semi-finals, and we have our first match here today!" Krieg's voice echoed throughout the coliseum. "In the East Gate, we have our merciful fighter, who surprised us with the first match of the quarter-finals, Joe the Human!"
In that moment, the crowd went wild in excitement, causing Joe to loosen from his nervous state.
"Looks like these people like the Hero after all." Joe chuckled, waving to the crowd.
"And in the West gate, we have our merci-less fighter, who quickly ended her opponent in the second match…"
Joe then looked over to the risen West Gate, and saw what looked like a red-haired woman strutting into the arena.
"The femme fatale of the East Kingdom, Lia the Bloody!"
The woman had long, scarlet-red hair that reached past her bottom, and she seemed to have a black and white-dress that wrapped loosely around her torso. Her skin was pale and white, in which Joe could see almost solid white arms and legs on her.
Joe was slightly intimidated by her ghostly appearance, with the only color contrasting was the color of her hair. But he didn't let this faze him, as he gripped the sheath of his sword.
The woman looked over Joe, and had a maniacal look of lust on her face.
"Ooh, You're a cute one, are you~?" Lia giggled.
Joe went a tad pink, as he braced himself, feeling his heart-rate spike.
"I'm going to have fun~." She said, readying herself as well.
"FIGHT!"
The moment the match began, Joe drew his sword and sprinted at the woman, arm in hand.
Lia giggled at this, as Joe was in range for an attack.
He swung his sword at the woman's side, but soon felt a strange sensation.
His heart felt like it was being gripped, causing him to freeze mid-swing.
"What's wrong?" Lia teased, as Joe was left to his strange sensation.
"The hell...Did you do…" Joe said, shaking from his frozen state.
Lia then moved her head to Joe's ear, giggling.
"The way to a man, is through his heart, is it not~?"
In that moment, a sharp pain surged through Joe's chest, causing him to cry out in pain, and fall to the ground.
"Oh~! That was a very nice scream!" Lia exclaimed.
The pain subsided, as the gripping sensation on his heart seemed to stop.
He took this opportune chance, as he quickly jumped to his feet, and swung his weapon at Lia again.
This time, Lia gracefully dodged the swing, performing a backflip along Joe, just missing his sword.
She was behind Joe, who tried to turn himself, but was met with the same sensation as before, freezing him in his tracks.
She then stepped to Joe, and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.
"I'm going to have fun with you~" She whispered into Joe's ear.
She then bit Joe's ear, drawing blood.
"What in gods name in wrong with you..." Joe said, unable to move.
"Can we all not indulge in our interests?" Lia giggled.
"Yours are way too fucked up…" Joe said, getting another giggle from Lia.
"I guess it all started when I killed my former master with these powers." Lia said in Joe's ear.
"M-Master?" Joe asked, confused.
At that moment, Lia let go of Joe, only to have some unseen force push Joe away from her.
He flew a few feet, and crashed to the ground.
"You were a servant...And you killed your master?" He said, struggling to stand.
"Yes, I did." She replied, moving her hair out of her face. "And thats when I realized... I'm pretty good at it too."
Joe could only sigh at this, and shook his head.
"Where have I heard that before…" Joe said to himself.
"And whenever I do...I just feel so good! Its feels so good to kill!
He raised his head, only to see Lia walking towards him. She had a small stream of blood running down her chin, and was licking her lips.
"My, you taste wonderful~." She said, seeming to be in a state of ecstasy.
Joe was even more appalled at this, as he stared at Lia licking his blood off her lips.
What the hell...
He managed to get to his feet, as he held his sword with both hands towards Lia.
"What are you!?" Joe yelled, his sword at the ready.
The woman giggled, wiping the blood from her chin with her finger.
"I don't think this will be enough for me~" She said, as she licked the blood off her finger.
Joe then ran after Lia, and when he was in range, he consecutively swung his sword in multiple directions, but only to have her flawlessly dodge everyone of his blows.
She then found an opening in Joe's swings, as she readied her own hand.
"Gotcha~." She said, as she opened her palm, and struck Joe on the chest, the force causing him to slide backwards on his feet.
This didn't faze him, as he readied his weapon again.
Lia then raised her hand, and snapped her fingers.
It was at that moment, a sharp pain surged throughout his entire body. His skin felt like it was being torn open, as cuts and gashes formed all along his body.
He yelled in pain again, giving Lia a burst of ecstasy.
She then ran to Joe, getting very close to him. He managed to raise his sword, only to have something bind his arms.
He looked to his wrists, and could see a red, hair-like whip binding his arms.
He then realized it was Lia's hair, as it binded both of his arms, preventing him from moving.
"Scream for me!" Lia screamed, as she lifted Joe from the ground with her hair, and sent him crashing to the ground on his back.
Joe screamed in pain at this, only to have Lia have more looks of ecstasy on her face.
"Ooh, you're screams are so nice~. Let me hear more!" She said, as she used her hair to lift Joe by his ankles. His grip on his sword was lost, as it fell to the ground.
She lifted him to where he was equal height with their faces.
"What….the hell are you…." Joe managed to say, his whole body aching in pain.
She giggled, as she caressed Joe's cheek with her hand, and wiped off a stream of blood from Joe's previously bitten ear.
"I expected you to know what a Blood Witch is, don't you?" Lia asked, as she lewdly licked Joe's blood off her finger. "I can control the blood flow of any person at will."
"So..what did you do...to my heart…?" Joe muttered, clouded with pain.
"The heart can't sustain a large amount of blood at once. So I streamed that large amount to your heart. The pain came from the strain your it experienced." She explained, smiling.
In that moment, she swung Joe over her, making him fly behind her, causing him to crash into a wall of the battleground.
When the dust settled, Joe was left laying on the ground, unable to move.
I can't believe she's getting off to this...I don't know whether to be disgusted or embarrassed...
Lia then let her hair fly towards Joe, as it picked up him by his wrists and ankles, leaving his limbs spread out, with his head limp.
"Let me hear you scream!" Lia yelled, as she used her hair to pull Joe's limbs in opposite directions.
"Aaaagh!" Joe screamed out in pain, feeling like his arms and legs were about to be torn off.
Lia continued to pull, as Joe continued to scream in pain, as she was biting her lip and caressing herself in complete ecstasy and pleasure.
"Thats it, like that! Your screams are so erotic~!" She moaned, listening to Joe's painful screams.
Joe struggled to fight against her grip, but he was having a very hard time. Her strength was greater than his, as he mustered as much strength as he could to fight against her.
Meanwhile, Blazette looked in horror as Joe's torture, as tears were leaking from her face.
She heard his tortured screams echo throughout the battleground.
She was powerless. She couldn't interfere with an official Tourney match.
All she could do was watch Joe's torture at the hands of the Blood Witch.
After a few moments of this, Lia finally loosened her grip on Joe, but still held on to him.
His head went limp the second she loosened her grip.
"Oh, don't tell me you passed out. Theres still so much to do~" Lia said, as she walked up to him.
Meanwhile, Joe's almost lifeless body still had some life in him.
What am I going to do...I can't lose like this…
Lia placed her hand on Joe's cheek, lifting his head.
I have friends I have to go back to...I can't lose now…
"Guess I'll just have to wake you up~" Lia said, preparing her hand.
Friends…
She swung her hand, delivering Joe a quick slap across the face.
This proved ineffective, as she continued to strike Joe's face.
"Wake...Up!" She said, in between slaps.
Friends...Will be...Your strength…
She kept slapping and slapping him across the face, hoping to wake him up.
My...Strength…
Lia seemed annoyed that her efforts to awaken Joe were ineffective.
"Seems I'll need to be a bit rough." She said, as she moved her hair to her back.
She then used a bundle of her hair to form a dagger, as she readied it near Joe's stomach.
I need...Your strength...Everyone…
"Wake up~!" Lia yelled, as she swung her dagger, intending on stabbing Joe.
Lend me your strength!
In that moment, a light came from underneath Joe's armor and clothes.
This caught Lia's attention, as she stopped mid-swing to look.
Joe then opened his eyes, raised his head, and looked at Lia.
"Out of my face!" He yelled, before bringing his head back, and thrusting it forward, delivering a swift head-butt to Lia's face.
She put her hands to her face, screaming in her own pain, as her grip on Joe fully loosened.
He took this opportunity to retrieve his sword, as he held his sword in front of him with both hands. He then pulled out his wayfinder, which was the cause of the strange glow.
Just please lend me your strength girls...I'll be home soon!
He then sprinted towards Lia, who had just recovered from the blow.
She had the most angry look on her face, as she stared at Joe running at her.
"You little rat!" Lia screamed in anger, as she sent her hair towards Joe, all pointed like knives.
Joe analyzed this, and quickly stepped out of the way, the hair just barely missing him.
He took this opening to raise his sword, and swing down on the hair, severing the scarlet spears of hair.
A look of horror came across her face, as she saw her cut hair fall to the ground.
What was left of her hair returned to her, but it was shortened.
She attempted to use it, but nothing seemed to happen.
"My...My precious hair!" She screamed in horror.
"Can't do much without that, can you?" Joe mocked, causing Lia to go berserk.
"Don't toy with me!" She screamed, as she held out her hand to Joe, as if she was crushing the air.
Joe stood there, unaffected by Lia's attack.
"W-What?" Lia asked herself, in confusion.
"You're not in control of my body anymore!" Joe yelled, readying his weapon. "It's payback time!"
A look of fear came across Lia's face, as she started to shiver.
"N-No! Stay back!" She begged, watching as Joe walked towards her.
"After all you did to me? I'm not leaving a single scrap of you alive." Joe coldly said, as he stepped closer towards Lia.
In that moment, Lia about-faced, and started running.
"S-Stay away from me!" She screamed as she ran.
This prompted Joe to run as well, as he ran after the fleeing witch. He ran until he was mere feet away, in which he prepared his swing.
"Take your punishment!" He yelled.
The moment Joe said those words, something triggered in Lia's mind, causing her to fall to the ground and start screaming. She was completely hysterical.
"N-No! Please! No more punishing!" She screamed.
Joe hen stopped his swing after hearing this.
"No...More?" Joe asked, confused at what she meant by "more".
"Lia's a good girl! I haven't done anything wrong! Please don't punish me, master!"
Joe's face beamed in surprise, as he lowered his weapon.
The light beaming from his wayfinder seemed to die down as well.
"I always kill people for you! I'm a good girl! Please!" She continued to beg and beg.
Joe couldn't believe what he was hearing. He could see everything about her through her screams
Lia was a victim of abuse. And it traumatized her.
He was able to decode that Lia was a servant of a powerful man. He took advantage of Lia's powers for his own gain, killing people he didn't like.
Though even though she did this, he never thanked or acknowledged the heavy burdens of taking a life put on her.
He could only think that this man abused her beyond belief, which could answer her sudden outbursts.
He could fully understand what was wrong with Lia, why she acted like such a sadist.
She thought that because killing her abusive, former master felt so good to her, and being her mind was very messed up before this, she thought that the more she killed, the better she could feel.
He looked at the screaming and crying girl, sheathing his sword.
"You poor thing…" He said, as he crouched to her level.
"N-No! Please! No!" Lia screamed.
"Lia, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you!" Joe said, grabbing Lia's wrists.
She flailed them around, trying to break free, as she was screaming in Joe's face.
"No! I was good! Please don't hurt me!"
Joe was pushed past his patience line, as he grabbed Lia's shoulders, and screamed in her face:
"Lia, shut up for five seconds!"
In that moment, Lia stopped screaming, going completely silent, staring at Joe.
"I'm not going to hurt you. The fights over." He said, staring back at Lia.
"I-Its...over?" She asked.
"Yes. It is." Joe said, smiling.
He then pulled the girl into a tight embrace, wrapping his arms around her neck, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
"And I understand."
Her face beamed.
"W-What?"
He let go of Her, and looked into her eyes.
"You don't need to cling to the past anymore. Just because it felt good to kill one person, doesn't mean that it will do justice on an another." He said. "You can do so much more than taking lives like that."
"B-But...If I can't be a killer...What can I do?" Lia asked.
"Are you kidding me? You can control the flow of bloodstreams in any living person! Do you know how many lives you can save with that kind of power? You can stop one from bleeding out! Or even control blood thats tainted with poison!" Joe explained.
"I can….help? And….not kill?" She asked.
Joe smiled at this question.
"Thats for you to decide. Do you want to help people with your extraordinary and unusual power? Or do you still want to instill fear?"
Lia looked down, thinking to herself.
"I…."
Joe looked at her, awaiting her answer.
"I...don't know…"
Joe could only sigh and shrug his shoulders.
"Well, I can imagine if this has been a regular thing to you. It can take time to get used to another life." He said, scratching his head.
She looked at joe, partially confused at his statement.
"I guess I can understand if I can't instantly make you good. Minds just don't work that way." He said, standing up.
He then extended his hand to Lia.
"Come on. I'll take you out of here."
Lia started at Joe's hand, then back to him.
"If I can't persuade you to be good, then at least let this be the first step."
"W-What...Would that be?" Lia asked.
Joe smiled at this, still holding out his hand.
"Trust."
She looked at Joe's hand, his words echoing through her mind.
Her hand then raised, as she took Joe's hand.
He grabbed on, and helped her up to her feet.
"Are you alright to walk?" He asked.
She nodded, letting holding onto Joe's hand.
"Alright, lets get you to the-" Joe said in the middle of letting go of Lia's hand, but found she was still holding onto it.
She looked at Joe with a slightly pink face.
"Could...I hold it...until we get there?" She shyly asked.
He could only smile at this, as he nodded in return. He then started walking towards the gate, with Lia slowly following behind him.
Meanwhile. Blazette watched over the whole thing, smiling brightly.
"I guess he really is the Hero you were dreaming about, Milady." Krieg said, looking over the two walking out of the battleground.
The princess looked over the two, with a radiant, hope-filled smile on her face.
"I never doubted it."
About another hour had passed, as Joe was requested by Blazette again.
He walked through the halls of the dungeon-esque corridor, Lia on his mind.
"Hopefully that experience will help her out." He said to himself.
He then felt his shoulder pop, as he groaned in slight discomfort.
"Still, that kinda hurt…" He said, rubbing his shoulder.
He eventually reached the door, in which he sighed to himself.
He then opened the door, and much to his surprise, the princess was waiting for him at the lobby, with a bright smile across her face.
"I'm guessing you still want to warn me about something?" Joe joked, chuckling.
Blazette laughed along, until she spoke.
"I brought you here to apologise."
Joe was surprised at this request.
"Apologise?"
"I was rather cold with you yesterday, even though you had a very valid point with your actions...I'm sorry I couldn't have seen it sooner…" She said, a slight look of guilt across her face.
Joe scratched the back of his head. "I-I was kind of cold as well...I'm sorry for lashing out like that."
Blazette shook her head. "No need for apology. I realize that if you want to help, some rules are going to have to be broken."
Joe smiled at this. "I'm glad you can understand. And I guess I can understand if there are some feet I can't be stepping on. I am a prisoner here after all."
"I'm just surprised you changed the heart of that psychopath down there...She could have killed you at anytime." She said.
"You'd be surprised at what opening your heart to someone can do to their heart." Joe explained, smiling.
"Yeah….I guess I can get that." The princess said, smiling back at Joe.
Joe nodded back, as they laughed along together.
"Well, I should get back to the cell. I still have the finals to look forward to tomorrow." Joe said, turning around.
"W-Wait…"
He turned back to Blazette's pink face, confused.
"Perhaps...You could stay for dinner? A-And maybe you could stay the night in the guest room…"
"R….Really?" Joe asked, surprised.
"W-Well, I'm sure the prison must be uncomfortable...And you have a big match tomorrow, so you'll need your rest…" She timidly muttered, her face getting redder by the second.
"I-I guess." Joe said, attempting to remain humble. "A-And the food is not really...Edible, is how I would put it."
"Well, we have the best food in this world, so I'm sure you won't be disappointed." Blazette replied.
"I've been gathering my own food for me and seven other people before I came here, so anyone offering me food, I consider it a godsend." Joe chuckled.
"Well, consider it a repayment for your sacrifice here. You faced death so many times, but your heart stayed true." The princess offered, smiling radiantly.
"Well, a heart needs to stay strong, otherwise it will stray. Just look at Lia. Her heart and mind went completely off path. She was lost." Joe mentioned.
Blazette nodded. "Agreed." She said, then turned around. "Now, what are your preferences for dinner?" She asked, as she walked towards the stairs.
Joe's face beamed at this, as he followed after the princess.
"Ohohoho, I get a choice!"
My feet are almost frozen. I'm hopped up on three different types of energy drinks. It is goddamned eight in the morning.
Man, you're lucky I love you guys.
But really, I enjoy making these just as much as you all enjoy reading these. Its just kind of a pain when the only free time I have is past midnight…
You all are amazing people, And I look forward to seeing you in the next chapter.