Chapter 6:
Since this update had spawned into a monster I decided it made more sense to split it in half. Here is part 1:
Dragons of all things, and clearly Teela and herself were being offered up as virgin sacrifices, if it wasn't really happening before her very eyes she would have laughed out loud at the irony.
"Teela." Lyn yelled over the rising noise of the gathering crowd. "Wake up you little brat!" She added then for good measure she stretched out her left leg and gave the unconscious captain a sharp kick in the shin.
"wa...What..." Teela mumbled wincing as she opened her eyes. "Oh my head."
"Never mind your head it's the rest of you, you should be worried about." Lyn hissed. "Bloody dragons of all the things."
"What dragon?" Teela questioned a frown furrowing her brow.
"That dragon, that large purple fire breathing monstrosity chained up no more than two hundred metres away, the dragon that is eying you up as an appetiser and me as the entree."
"Oh that dragon." Teela retorted sarcastically as she began to tug on her restraints.
"What other bloody dragon might I have been referring to?" Lyn snapped her tirade only cut off by a sudden blast from the Royal Heralds. "Oh here comes your delightful double and her simpering prince."
"Not to mention Mr tall dark and handsome." Teela needled enjoying the way Lyn suddenly went rigid, two high spots of colour on her normally alabaster cheeks. "Oh you didn't think I'd forget just whose name you were moaning..."
"Shut up." Lyn hissed.
"Oh don't tell me Evil-Lyn has a crush..." Teela squealed, then a childish sing song voice she began, "Lyn and Keldor sitting in a tree K I S S I N G, first comes love then comes marriage then comes..."
"A sharp blow to your pretty little head." Lyn snapped.
"That doesn't even rhyme." Teela retorted.
"No but it is infinitely more likely than the rest of that stupid little ditty."
"So you do know it."
"It is hardly exclusive....Just just shut up!" Lyn snapped scowling across at the Captain, at this rate digestion by dragon was starting to look more and more appealing.
"I'm glad to see you're back to your usual charming self." Teela snorted. "I was worried back there for a while, after your mother gave you that potion..."
"That woman is not my mother Captain." Lyn hissed her tone so cold it could have frozen molten lava.
"That's funny because that's not what she said."
Gritting her teeth Lyn resisted the urge scream out her frustration, her magic coiled and swirled around in her belly demanding release, demanding violence, payment, blood but its way out seemed blocked somehow; what had that bloody woman done to her?
"Whatever delusional sentiments that nomad might have expressed have no bearing on reality, this is not our world, she is no more my mother than your double is you! Would a real mother have handicapped me in this way...My magic what did they do?"
"They bound it."
Screaming in frustration and righteous fury Lyn kicked out at anything she could connect with, how dare they? It was her magic, her very essence, the only thing that made her special. How the hell was she supposed to get out of this mess without her magic? Writhing around until she had exhausted herself Lyn grew suddenly silent, she would survive this damn tournament somehow and then she would find those bloody nomads and beat the shit out of them until they fixed this.
"Gather round and welcome to the opening of the sixteenth annual Eternian games, where athletes from around the kingdoms will compete for their liege lords honour and the Royal favour. However before the competition commences we have a little entertainment, a re-enactment of Eternia's savage past...
Behold the great dragon Arix, scourge of the sands of fire. This mighty beast had flamed villages far and wide, destroying life and land, pillaging the wealth of the people until in an effort to appease the beast was made by the cowardly King Croseus of Zalesia. An annual tribute of gold was offered, but Arix demanded more than treasure, a virgin sacrifice must be made.
Croseus the cowardly agreed and from every year a virgin was chosen by lottery from the young maidens of the kingdom. Until the year Croseus's own daughter was selected, the fair princess Arlena. Yet her father refused to allow it and instead dressed his daughter's handmaiden the gentle Serena as the princess.
Arix however would not be tricked so easily and he plagued the land with fire until the brave Princess Arlena offered herself up to assuage the beast.
So inspired by her courage the people rose up and decided to slay the beast and free both maidens from its terror. Behold the citizens of Zalesia...."
"Some rescue party." Teela muttered and Evil-Lyn couldn't help but agree, there was barely a man under fifty in the 'brave citizens' many were women or scraggily old beggars, how on earth they were meant to rescue them.
"Lambs to the slaughter." Lyn retorted eyeing the cheering crowd with disgust before turning her attention to her manacles.
"So which one of us is supposed to be the princess do you think?" Teela suddenly asked her relief palpable that the witch had gotten over her fit and appeared to be back to her old sarcastic self.
"I don't really think it matters much." Lyn grunted as she twisted her thumb the wrong way gritting her teeth against the pain.
"Oh I don't know the idea that you're my maidservant is quite appealing." Teela quipped as she tried to copy Lyn's actions.
"Then I am definitely the Princess." Lyn countered as she wrenched a hand free, swearing fluidly as she popped her thumb joint back in place.
"Yeah cause Princess's use language like that." Teela snickered as she strained on her restraints with all her brute strength.
"Believe me they do; besides I am the closest anyone here will ever get a Zalesian princess." Lyn muttered ignoring Teela's confused expression. "Now stop jabbering away and start thinking of how to bring down that dragon!"
"You mean kill it?" Teela gasped.
"I wasn't talking about taking it out for tea and cake." Lyn hissed. "The contest will continue until either it succeeds and kills all of them then it gets to eat us, or it ends with the dragon's death either at their hands," Lyn paused nodding towards the scattered screaming crowd, "or ours which do you think is the most likely?"
---
Sitting back in his comfortable throne Keldor nodded graciously at all the courtiers who bowed and grovelled in his direction before turning his attention to the entertainment. "A most intriguing idea Milady."
"Thank you Your Majesty." Milady replied proudly dipping her red head graciously.
"I see you found a starring role for your double." Prince Adam grunted in amusement pointing over the far wall where the two women were chained up.
"It seemed only appropriate." Milady retorted.
"I don't suppose there is any chance of them actually being rescued?" Adam quipped.
"None whatsoever!" Milady hissed triumphantly.
"Such a pity..."
"Why are you saying you would prefer her company?"
"Children!" Keldor growled slamming his fist down on the arm of his throne. "Cease this distracting prattle at once." He added before turning his attention back to the action.
The addition of the dragon was mildly entertaining, watching the prisoners scurry back and forth, each time the dragon picking off more of them, some screaming as its flame scorched their flesh others being gored by its talons. However since the outcome was inevitable he found himself quickly bored his eyes drifting from the melee to the two women tied at the far end of the arena.
It was almost a shame, sacrificing two beautiful women, especially the blond who in that outfit seemed to have legs up to her...
Keldor was suddenly jarred out of his musing when the woman in question kicked off her shackles. "How in blazes?" He gasped before he remembered her little stunt in the great hall; clearly she was quite the little escape artist.
"So that was no chance whatsoever." Adam drawled mockingly at a fuming Milady, as the blond freed her red haired companion and both dropped to the arena floor.
Snorting in amusement Keldor sat forward in his seat, suddenly things looked to be getting interesting.
---
"Remind me how the hell this is supposed to work again?" Teela demanded as she threw herself to one side narrowly avoiding a jet of hot flame.
"Eyes and the soft jowl behind the jaw, they are the weak spots." Lyn shouted back as she grabbed some floor missing the strike of a claw by a hairsbreadth. "If we blind it then we can get close enough to stab it through the jowl."
"Yeah sure easy...Blind a dragon." Teela sneered crawling over to a fallen victim and retrieving the sword and shield he had been armed with, not that it had done him any good.
"If you have a better idea captain." Lyn queried reaching down to grasp a spear. "We need to gain some higher ground, split up and present it with different targets it can't keep its eyes on us both at once then if we keep switching its attention back and forth it might present one of us with a chance."
"A chance for what?" Teela cried after the witch as Lyn made a mad dash across the arena.
"Why Teela haven't you ever wanted to ride a dragon?"
---
"Where is she going?" Keldor mused as the blonde one made a run for it.
"She is not going to escape." Milady replied flatly.
"Somehow I do not think escape is her intention." Keldor retorted bemused as the escape artist began to pelt rocks at the tethered beast clearly testing each time just how far it could move, how far it could reach or when it could flame.
"Where is your double going?" Adam asked clearly perplexed as the red head crept around the back of the beast before crawling forward on her belly pushing a shield before her and dragging a sword behind, skilfully playing dead whenever the dragon even so much as flicked its head in her direction.
"She isn't..." The Prince gasped in open admiration as Milady's double suddenly jumped to her feet and flipped herself onto the dragon's back.
---
"Oh shit." Teela cursed as her feet slipped on the dragon's smooth scales and the beast began to buck underneath her. It was like trying to keep your balance and move uphill on a frozen lake that tilted to and fro.
Gritting her teeth Teela grasped the handle of her sword and drove the point of the blade in between the join of two scales. It barely penetrated but it enabled her to hold on to something stable. However it also caught a certain someone's attention and from the way the dragon craned its neck round to glare at her she had better move fast.
Diving to her right Teela gripped the handle of her sword like a balance bar, swinging herself off into open air before executing a flawless half twist dismount to land firmly on the beast's neck narrowly avoiding a blast of hot flame. Well that worked, she was out of the dragon's range of fire but she was weaponless and unless Lyn figured something out soon both of them were going to end up flambéed.
---
Well she was brave Lyn had to give her that, brave and completely stupid. Honestly the foolish girl didn't have to take her literally, riding a dragon.
Crouching low Lyn made her own approach much more carefully, despite being infinitely distracted by Teela's presence, as she half climbed half clung to the beast's neck, the dragon was more than capable of turning and flaming Lyn on the spot.
Getting close enough to feel the heat rising from the dragon's scales Lyn called out to Teela who had almost reached the head. "Catch." The Witch demanded before flinging her spear up to the Captain.
---
Impressed was hardly the word, astounded was more like it and clearly so was everyone around him, as they way the crowd held their collective breath whilst the blond threw the spear to her companion and the sudden gasp of breath when the red head caught it. The courtiers around him breaking out into excited chatter;
"She is going to fall..."
"What is she doing..."
"My goodness how brave..."
The King ignored them all his strong hands tightening on the arms of his throne, his eyes locked on the battling pair, his eyebrow rose in fascination as the red-head began to stab at the Dragon's eyes, one hand locked around it's crest as the beast tried to shake her loose.
"What is her little friend doing?" He asked Adam unable to see past the bulk of the dragon.
"Oh my she's going for its throat."
---
Well it was now or never, and part of her wanted nothing more than to crawl into a little hole and let Teela deal with this mess. Recklessly attacking a more powerful foe was not Lyn's style; it was such a 'Masters' thing to do.
Vaulting herself onto the Dragon Lyn grabbed at the sword Teela had considerately left sticking out of the beast's side before staggering up the beast's neck to join the Captain. Losing her footing Lyn grabbed at Teela as she fell, pulling the redhead with her, only the Captain's strong grip on the spear which was firmly lodged in the Dragon's eye saved them from plummeting straight down.
"Idiot!" Teela screamed as the pair of them dangled dangerously in front of the Dragon's gnashing jaws.
"Just don't let go!" Lyn retorted one arm locked around the girls waist as she thrust out with the sword praying to any deity that might listen to let her hit her mark. When the sword sank hilt deep into the soft gullet Lyn offered a silent thanks.
"Get ready to drop and then run as fast as you can." Lyn screamed over the Dragon's grunts of pain as she dragged the sword across his throat the strong smell of chemicals assaulting her nose as the beasts blood began to bubble in the air.
"Now!" Lyn screamed pulling the sword back out and dropping awkwardly to the ground before pelting for the nearest cover not even glancing behind to see if the Captain had heeded her advice.
"What...the..hell..." Teela panted as she chased after the witch. "Its...still...alive."
"Not for long." Lyn muttered to herself surprising the Captain when she suddenly stopped and turned round to face the beast. "Over here you foul stinking beast!"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Teela screamed as Lyn picked up a charred gauntlet and pelted it at the wounded beast. "It can still attack."
"That's exactly..." Lyn began her explanation cut off as the Dragon reared back, lifting its head to flame the two irritating women who had blinded it and shoved sharp objects into its flesh. Its fire ducts bulging as it built up a hot enough flame then it released the fire in the direction of their voices, but something was wrong, the flame was burning...It was burning.
Pulling Teela to the ground Lyn covered her head but even with her eyelids shut the sudden ball of flame caused spots to dance before her eyes, the sound was similarly to one of Man-at-arms cannon impacts, but the smell as pieces of charred flaming dragon reigned down on prisoner and spectator alike, the smell turned her stomach.
---
Leaning back in his throne Keldor, King of Eternia was speechless. It was not everyday that a dragon exploded in front of your eyes. It was quite clear from the quiet that descended throughout the crowd that they too had been impressed, or perhaps shocked was more appropriate, into silence. Then just as the quiet had descended so the noise rose like a tidal wave, excited chatter quickly gave way to clapping which was followed in rapid succession by whooping until the whole crowd was on their feet chanting and screaming and stamping their appreciation.
Getting to his feet Keldor joined the melee with a more dignified applause as the two heroines shakily got to their feet.
"Forgive me my love, perhaps my early Eternian history is a little rusty but didn't the Dragon slay the Zalesians and devour the princess and her maid?" Adam's drawl cut through the King's musings and Keldor had to quell a chuckle as Milady squealed with repressed fury, emptying the remaining dregs of her wine glass on the young prince's tunic before storming out of the box with her retinue of ladies.
"Indeed Adam, I believe the Dragon later died of old age...I do not recall it being slain by two virgins armed only with a sword and a bent spear."
Returning his gaze to the arena Keldor watched as the two warriors were ushered back to the cells. "Remarkable."
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