Greetings Readers
What a week! I'm glad it's over! Between one client who can't make up their mind about the work count to another who is paying me for an outline, but wants to write it themselves...I don't understand people, really.
Anyway, I hope all of you have had a fairly chilled week now that we're ramping up toward the weekend. Let this chapter of Fell Dragon usher in a chill weekend for you.
The Behemoth left the ring as the umpire got the group's attention to explain the rules. As Bruno moved through the crowd the Saith must have been aware that he was heading his way because he simply hopped off the back of the stands and waited for the behemoth to join him. He was leaning against the cement stand looking somewhat agitated.
“Bolx?” queried Bruno.
“Ah! It was Saita then.”
“The girl asked me to come to talk to you.”
The Saith looked a little flustered but eventually stammered. “About what?”
“I got a distinct impression that she didn’t want you to see this fight.”
“I can understand that. Six against one? Since when did those rules change?”
“It hasn’t, she wants this. The girl has a death wish.”
“Yeah, well, before we get to that point, I would like to discuss her contract. I want her to come with me after this.”
“You are sorely mistaken if you believe that you have that kind of power here Saith. Not even your Queen wields enough power to just buy a contract without talking to a Dreg King.” Bruno laughed. “And anyway, Saita doesn’t want to leave. She is moving up into S-class once this fight is decided.”
As if on cue the crowd roared and Bruno continued. “She is hunted, young warrior. She is safe here.”
“She isn’t hunted, she was banned, don’t try, and lie to me to get me to leave. I was there, I heard the words her king used against her,” he growled. “She needs to come with me.”
“The only thing she needs to do is to complete her contract and decide where she wants to go from here. Return in about four months and see if she will be interested in you.”
“Do you believe this to be some kind of romantic gesture?”
“Well, she said that you confuse her.”
A loud boo echoed from the crowd and one of Bruno’s heads turned and he grumbled. “That’s going to scar.”
He turned his whole body and yelled. “Three more Princess! Get them!”
He turned back to Bolx and said. “You can speak to her after the match, but she will tell you the same thing I did.”
“What class is she fighting at right now?” Bolx peered around the Behemoth.
“D-class, her opponents are all S-class.”
Bolx seemed to consider this before saying. “Heard of the Saith Games?”
Bruno snorted. “Who hasn’t? Maybe 10 species that are not Saith get invited to the games every year.”
“She should enter. I am sure that she would be warmly welcomed, human or not. A single D-class fighter against a 6-man S-class team. Something worth boasting about.”
Now Bruno’s faces lit up and he said. “And who would sponsor her for this event? Competing as an external fighter is generally expensive. Plus, there has been a war. We thought the Games would be cancelled for the third time in a row.”
“Give me an hour. Make sure her injuries aren’t of such a nature that she can’t be fully healed within the next six months.”
Saita had spent a year watching how Toma and his group of dogs worked and within the first five minutes she had managed to push three of them from the platform into unconsciousness. The other remaining three were a little more of a problem. Though they had been thrown from the platform successfully they had not remained outside of it for five counts.
Toma was circling behind her and the other two, a black mongrel and a white wolf-like creature, were before her. They were fast learners, and her bag of tricks was coming to an end. She would need to come in closer if she wanted to get an opening.
A movement in the air behind her told her to flatten herself as Toma leapt over her. In his wake, she leapt and grabbed at the white wolf’s throat and slammed him into the mongrel. Before they could untangle themselves Toma was over them protecting them. He caught a boot to the underside of his chin and the crunch echoed through the stadium.
The black creature grabbed Saita around the middle and ran with her to the edge of the platform. She didn’t hesitate to grab his tail and the base and bend it upwards. It roared with pain and dropped her. She grabbed at the fur on its chest as she fell to the floor, stuck a boot in its chest and threw him over her body as she rolled. A crunch sounded behind her, but she had no time to look as Toma was at her throat again. She had been sure she had broken his jaw but as he latched onto the space between her neck and shoulder, she knew she had miscalculated. The crunch she heard this time was of her own bones. She punched Toma’s throat as she yelled in pain. He did not let go. Instead, he drove her to the floor and the white creature was there in time to try and bring a set of wickedly sharp claws to her face.
Thinking fast she pushed her left hand in under Toma and lifted his back to take the blow. His jaws came away from her to snap at his partner and that was their downfall. Saita ducked under Toma’s form and lifted him into his partner. With only one arm functioning as it should, she didn’t have the strength to push them far from her. Toma’s throat was stained red, and he glared at Saita while the white dog lay on the ground shaking its head in confusion.
Saita was uncomfortable aware of the pain shooting from her neck, but she took a deep breath, allowing Myla’s technique to soothe the pain. She wasn’t sure if Toma had punctured an artery or not, but she knew she was running out of time now. The white dog set its head on the platform and whined. Toma looked to it with panic and then to the rest that lay scattered around the stadium. He was alone now. His face ached but he had drawn a considerable amount of blood from her. He wondered how long she would still be able to go. Then she ran at him. He was so startled by this move he could only open his mouth.
With her right hand, she gripped the inside of his muzzle and slammed him into the platform with her all her might. She watched his eyes cross over his nose before rolling into the back of his head. She let out a breath she had been holding and got up to turn around, only to receive a claw through her face. The force flattened and dazed her, but she had enough sense to bring her right arm to cover her throat. Then the white dog latched onto her arm and started shaking her around. At one point he reared, stupidly with her still in his mouth. Her weight drove them both down. Once he was on his back Saita grabbed her right wrist with her left hand and forced her arm lengthwise into the dog’s maw. Its tongue lay pinned under her arm and her blood ran down its throat. It panicked and started trying to cough out the blood, but it found it too difficult with its jaw wedge open. With panic gripping it, its hand slapped the platform three times.
Saita wrenched her arm from its jaws and stood up. That was the sign of a forfeit, and she knew well enough not to continue from that. The dog spun over to lie on its stomach, vomiting and spitting her blood up. It was only the roaring of the blood in her ears had subsided that she actually heard the crowd’s cheers. She released her profusely bleeding arm and lifted her hand over her head in victory. Blood flowed into her right eye from fresh cuts and nausea swamped her. She was losing too much blood. Blood, she knew was not common outside of the human colonies.
The umpire was making an announcement and pointing to her. She watched the dogs pick up their companions and vanish to the underground levels to get their injuries seen too. She would have to follow soon, or she was going to pass out in front of the crowd.
“Give another wave, Princess.” said the umpire. “And welcome to S-class without killing a single fighter.”
Left hand still in the air Saita waved it at her new fans.
What a fight! Saita survived in the ring. Now all that remains is for her to survive the bloodloss once she leaves the ring. However, we've learned from experience that the System doesn't allow her to die easily. Tune in next week to learn more about the Saith Games and what is to happen with the wayward princess.
For those of you just joining us, please note that this the third book in the Fell Dragon series. Follow this link to read the two earlier books:
Fell Dragon Book 1
Fell Dragon Book 2
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
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Haven't read the other parts yet? Follow these handy links:
Part 7>>You are Here>>Part 9