AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A common move among my opponents in the pit was to attempt to decapitate me and the mask prevented their every strike. They couldn’t hack or slash at my face either — another popular tactic.
My vision was obscured and I missed the majority of the incoming blows, which meant I relied heavily on my shield and attacked without care or warning when I finally saw an opening. I hacked and slashed with no finesse, and this seemed to knock some of the more experienced fighters off their game. I had become unpredictable.
When I should have defended, I attacked, when I should have parried, I dodged and attacked them from the side. It made my opponents wary of me.
I got through two rounds before I began to feel tired. Having your life and the life of your fated mate could do that to you. I had no energy left and yet I kept on going.
The other fighters in the anteroom, waiting for their turn with me, muttered among themselves about how I was a demon possessed, about how it was impossible for me to keep going. I saw the fear in their eyes and used it.
I wailed in the ring when I saw an opportunity for them to overwhelm me. My voice echoed inside my mask and reverberated like striking a gong. It spooked them and made them back away.
I realized I could influence how others thought without having to use my ability.
I angled my head toward them so they could hack at the lock on the side. Each blow rang loud in my ears but no matter how hard they struck the mask simply would not break.
Then the next round was announced. It would be between two newcomers — new in recent times, at least. They mentioned my name, which garnered a loud cheer. Everyone loved an underdog. And then the second name… and I had to turn my head to one side to make sure I had heard it right.
It couldn’t be… could it?
The door opened and the loud roar of the audience beckoned me. I crossed the expanse toward the fighter approaching from the other side.
He was big, with tall horns and a massive muscular frame. He had a badly dented shield and mace bigger than my head. And on the tip of his bluff nose… a pair of shattered glasses.
“Cayggod? I thought they said it was you.”
He shrugged. “It’s a big event. One everyone will remember.”
“I don’t remember you caring about being remembered.”
“I don’t. But everyone else does.”
The siren wailed and Cayggod shifted his weight. I did the same.
“Are we really going to do this?” I said. “I don’t want to fight you.”
“It’s necessary, I’m afraid.”
And with that, he swung his enormous mace around and I barely had time to duck to avoid it. It made a deep whomp noise as it passed over my head and was so heavy that its weight turned Cayggod around. He shifted his weight and brought the mace up over his head and I rolled to one side as it slammed into the dirt where I had just been standing.
If I thought he’d let me off with an easy victory, I was quickly realizing that simply wasn’t going to happen. I don’t know at what point I must have pissed him off, but piss him off I had as he threw all his strength into each blow he hurled at me. His eyes were fiery pits of anger and he screamed like a wailing banshee. I had never known him to be so aggressive.
I dodged one way and then the other. What I lacked in pure brute strength I made up for with speed. It might be a boring tactic to watch… except that with each attempted escape, I stood a chance of mistiming my movements and getting caught by one of his vicious blows.
And all it would have taken to end me was just one.
Then, I saw my chance.
He swung the mace around with his immense strength yet again, low this time. I jumped it, rolled so I was beside him, and spun around, my legs catching him right behind the knee. Just one leg wouldn’t do the job. It had to be two.
He lost his balance and began to fall. His mace was still completing its move and slammed into the dust beside my head.
That was close!
I jumped into Cayggod’s back as he struggled to get to his feet. I wrapped my arms around his muscular arm and locked it in a powerful grip.
“Choke me out,” Cayggod murmured to me.
“Huh?”
