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((Damn, I honestly didn't realize it had been so long since you last posted. Sorry for the delay.))
"What a coincidence... my father taught me as well. He was my first teacher."
Speaking the name of her paternal combat instructor seemed to leave a vile taste in the girl's mouth, for she twisted her face into a vicious snarl before spitting on the mat. "A little mellow dramatic, that, but I understand the sentiment." For an instant my conscience took me on a trip to a battle I had fought in the Citadel several months before. A white haired mage named Tommy had scorched me with a fireball, triggering a flashback about my childhood that had inevitably led to me screaming my head off at a friendly monk. Remembering the embarassing moment, I sympathized with Madison's plight. "Maybe not so melodramatic after all. I'm probably just a little better at repressing my hate..." The thought trailed off. The assasin was rushing towards me.
It was moments such as this that I had come to cherish. The girl's stockinged feet pattered across the mats, like twin ferocious leaping rodents. Her hair and dress both streamlined behind her, black and purple banners snapping in the wind of her assault. At that moment, I felt content, almost blissful. Call me crazy, but the everything about the fight appeals to me. The sweat leaking from my pores, breath coming in short, quick bursts, and the single second of wondering, just before an opponent attacks, if you're going to survive the next blow. Even the twin bruises on my side and calf were welcome. They were like badges of honor, saying yes, I took a beating, but I kept on fighting, and I won't stop now.
Any bad memories of my father the girl might have provoked through obvious hatred towards her own parent melted away as she entered striking distance. It was uncontrollable. The grin re-appeared on my face, wide as ever.
My merriement lasted only moments. The assassin launched a quick punch at my face, middle knuckle stuck out to reduce the point of impact. "The smaller the point of impact, the greater the pain inflicted." It was a phrase one of my many combat instructors had repeated like a mantra. "So, she likes pain eh?" It was my instinct to move my head out of the way and just let her spiked fist sail past. But something about the slim, almost fragile appearance of her hand gave me pause. Instead of trying to avoid the punch, I clenched my jaw, tucked my chin, and whipped my head forwards, allowing the single knuckle to strike me square in the middle of the forehead.
"Ouch... that was NOT a good idea."
It was almost like being it in the head with a needle. Slim as she might be, "fragile" was obviously not a word one could use to describe Madison Freebird. "Christ, this girl needs to get some meat on her bones. It's like fighting a skeleton... made of stone." My only consolation was that there was a good chance the impact had injured the girl's hand. Trying to ignore the sensation of someone slowly power-drilling a hole in my skull, I kept my eyes wide and observant. No one rushed across an arena to deliver a single punch-- there would be a follow up attack for sure.
"Yes... there it is."
With the efficiency of a spring-loaded machine Madison's knee whipped up, aiming for my midsection. It was yet another powerful, well placed attack, but this time I was ready for her. In fists, my hands scissored across one another, forming a low X block that stopped the girl's knee cold. I anticipated the moment, hoping that she would be even a little off balance, and surged forwards, the bruised crown of my skull aiming a headbutt at her crow-like nose.
-
What seemed like a good idea at first went downhill in a hurry. Joshua had deliberately rammed his forehead into her oncoming hand, jamming her middle finger in the process. He had also intercepted her knee strike, something that Madison was positive wouldn't have happened. The sudden stop threw her off balance, and as she tried to withdraw her leg and make another strike, she caught the sight of Joshua's forehead rocketing toward her face.
The assassin heard a loud crunch as the impact jarred her. A harsh wave of pain pounded through her skull. Madison screamed with enough intensity to rupture the heavens as she clumsily stepped backwards, almost slipping on the mats. It wasn't the first time her nose had been broken in battle; she had suffered the injury in the exact same manner two months prior at the hands of the Salvic chef Christoph in the confines of the Citadel.
Her vision blurred by sweat and throbbing pain, she slowly raised her right hand to her nose. A steady stream of blood had begun to flow, pooling in her gloved hand. Her collected demeanor was slowly being corrupted by rage and hatred. A maniacal scowl was forming on her quivering lips, an inextinguishable fire building in her eyes. Dead... Dead, dead, DEAD! At first, all she wanted was a battle to prove herself in. Now, all she cared about was tasting the man's blood as it trickled out of a deep, fatal gash through his throat.
Madison's tounge reached down into the lace glove, collecting some of the thick crimson liquid. The salty, metallic taste brought a small wave of confidence to her. Gazing up at Joshua, she flicked her hand aside, scattering her blood on the mats below. Her vision was slightly off, and she was feeling woozy from the headbutt, but there was no way she would allow the attack to hinder her. This motherfucker is DEAD!
Her sapphire eyes locked on Joshua's, she crouched down, then like a bolt of lighting she sprung forward, her footsteps thundering heavily on the floor. She would allow him no hint of the attack to come. When she was within striking distance, Madison immediately dropped low and hooked her right arm around one of her opponent's legs, hoping that her momentum would be enough to take the big man down.
-
There was a sickening crunch as the strong dome of my forehead flattened Madison's nose. I could actually feel cartilage and bone alike cracking beneath the massive impact. Although I definitely got the best of the situation, I was far from unaffected. The needle-like pain in my forehead broadened to a greater ache. "For Christ's sake, even her NOSE is pointy!" The girl had a body like a porcupine-- I couldn't come into contact with her without hurting myself. I rocked back on my heels, momentarily stunned from the two consecutive head traumas. My vision wavered temporarily, and in the space of that time I heard the most bloodcurdling scream of my life.
A banshee had somehow found her way into my arena, I was certain of it. The scream grated on my eardrums like an old-fashioned washboard, inflicting tiny scratches of which did nothing to help my growing headache. My vision cleared, and I saw no banshee. It was Madison who had delivered the scream.
"Oh God, I've killed her..."
Blood poured from her nose as if a dam had broken within. She reached up, and at first I thought she was trying to stem the flow with her gloved hand. Moments later, I realized she was in fact collecting the blood in a pool, and drawing it towards her...
"Fuck me, she didn't just drink her own blood. Tell me she didn't just do that. I think I knocked this bitch crazy."
I looked to her eyes; judging by the scream I expected to see tears dribbling down her cheeks, a hurt expression of defeat written in her blue orbs. Instead, all I saw was murder. It was a dangerous gleam not unfamiliar to me. I had seen it in the eyes of criminals, terrorists and assassins bent on destroying their target no matter what the cost. Unmistakable, the insane desire to kill pulsed from her pupils outward, consuming her face in a lewd scowl. I realized that I was grinning again, and tried to wipe the smile away. The battle was about to get truly interesting.
Again she charged me, soft feet beating a war-like tatoo on the hard mats. Gone were the light, quick steps that had characterized her previous rushes, replaced by a nearly animalistic run.
Suddenly the spell was broken. I had been so surprised-- so consumed by the change in Madison's attitude that I was still standing as I had been back when I thought I had killed her; legs straight, weight back on my heels. My hands were halfway raised to a guard, but would do me little good, defensively. I was a sitting duck for whatever the assassin was about to hit me with.
Her transition from running to diving was smooth as silk. One moment she was charging me like a baited bull, the next she was sailing through the air, and moments later her shoulder was crashing into my left knee. Her arm looped behind the leg, easily taking out the previously damaged limb. Instinct took over as I fell backwards. She had my left leg, but my right was free, and I lifted it as my back hit the mats, pointing my foot towards the iron grid ceiling, the leg at a ninety degree angle to my body. I ignored the painful stitch forming around my kidney, shifting my focus instead to the situation at hand.
My training in jiu jitsu was taking over. While I preferred a mixture of kung fu forms for striking, there was no beating the japanese art when it came to grappling. I knew Madison's arm was on my leg, so I reached for it with both hands, attempting to grasp her forearm and pin it there. At the same time I bent my trapped left leg at the knee, crossing my right overtop of it. My right ankle neslted onto the opposite quadricep, just below the point of my tented left knee. I was closing a triangle choke quickly around the slim assassin, now squeezing my knees towards each other as hard as I could, her neck at the centre of the triangle. A startling realization swept my mind as I attempted the choke lock.
"If she doesn't move quickly... I think I've got her."
-
Between the injury sustained on her left shoulder, her jammed right middle finger, and now the shattered cartilage of her nose, the pain had become unbearable for Madison. Her senses were dull, her nerves on fire, and the fatigue that came with almost no sleep the previous night had begun to set in. Her offensive instincts weren't as sharp as they should've been, otherwise the assassin would've remembered to hook her free arm around Joshua's other leg as well, lest a situation such as this arose.
Madison's eyes widened as her opponent grabbed her right arm the second he hit the hard mats. She struggled against his iron grip until his right leg crossed across her back. The pressure he put on caused a fresh wave of pain to circulate across her heavily bruised shoulder blade, forcing her to clench her teeth. The painful distraction was enough to allow Joshua to finish applying his strangle hold.
I... I can't... breathe...! Tears began to well up in her eyes; tears of pain, tears of failure. Madison's head began to ache as she tried to struggle against the constricting hold she was in. Nothing... Nothing is working! This is it... Her eyesight was slowly fading. The assassin could feel herself slipping into oblivion.
As she closed her eyes to accept her fate, she realized that Joshua had failed to flip her face up before he executed his triangle hold. Noticing that her forehead was nestled into his crotch, Madison knew had one option left; one that she'd be damned if it didn't break the excruciating hold. Opening her mouth, she buried her mouth further into Joshua's unmentionables, her blood-stained teeth swiftly biting down with as much force as she could muster.
Madison would worry about scrubbing her mouth clean of the salty taste of his sweat-soaked pants with an iron brush later.
-
Victory filled my body, the smile on my face now grim in determination. My legs constricted around the girl's neck, relentless as a python crushing its prey. I could feel her pulse pounding through the large jugular vein, and sense her breathing growing weaker, fainter. Suddenly, I was worried. Madison probably didn't know to "tap out" when she could no longer fight. I loosened my hold a little, hoping that she would whisper some words of acceptance. Instead she lunged forwards, head striking like a snake's, her teeth driving into my unprotected groin.
I felt as if I was watching it happen from very, very far away. There was a moment where all was quiet in my mind, and then two voices spoke in my head.
"She just bit my balls, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did," the second voice responded, calm and cool as the first.
"Is it going to hurt?"
"I think you already know the answer to that."
My mouth opened to scream, but no air came out. It was as if my windpipe had locked up. My back arched like a mighty bridge, until just the top of my head and the balls of my feet rested on the mats.
Pain was everywhere. Pain was everything. My legs seemed paralyzed, as though the acid burning through my loins had severred all communications between my brain and lower body. I realized the reason I wasn't screaming was that I had no air, and drew a deep, shuddering breath. My legs had released their triangular death lock on Madison's neck the second she bit, hoping that this would encourage her to release me. Adrenaline exploded through every vein in my body, trying and failing to shelter me from the agony.
"But I can still use it. To get her away from me... that's all that matters now."
Hardly realizing what I was doing, I channeled the adrenaline, feeling my muscles grow denser, stronger. For once this feeling didn't comfort me; nothing could make me comfortable after having my manhood ground by an assassin's molars. With my strength tripled, I twisted my hands on the girl's arm, hoping to hyperextend it and toss her away. At the same time I wrenched my hips downwards, breaking the fearsome hold she had established over me. The feeling of her teeth sliding off my thick pants, the sudden release from the terrible pressure, was almost as bad as the initial bite. This time I did cry out, an insane bellow that was half-human at best. I rolled away from her, over and over until I reached the edge of the mats.
Panting, and with a Herculean effort not whimpering, I raised myself to my hands and knees, facing the merciless bitch. With my adrenaline maximized, I was incredibly powerful, but still didn't feel like moving. At that moment, I wanted to stay on the floor for a good long while, maybe cry, then crawl into one of the arena's eight corners and fall asleep. My pride would not allow this, however. What the girl had done was unthinkable in my books. This wasn't a battle to the death, she hadn't been in any real danger. For Christ's sake, she had paid in gold to arrange this meeting! My back was up (figuratively, if not physically). I felt determined to beat her, more determined than I had been in some time. Most of my battles I regarded as training oppurtunities, but this one had just gone to a very personal must-win situation.
As a last resort, I began to meditate. The familiar changes occurred, my eyes sharpening, ears becoming more sensitive, touch magnified. The pain magnified too-- "Oh GOD this may have been a mistake"-- but as quickly as it increased, I was able to push it aside. The pranic energy in my body allowed me to think clearly, ignoring the torturous throbbing. I was still aware of it, but only as an afterthought. It became something I could worry about later, when the battle was over.
"And I intend to end this on MY terms."
I still didn't really trust my legs, and so remained kneeling. From within the void, my voice was calm and collected, as hard as steel. Perhaps a tone or two higher than normal, but still rock solid.
"If you're looking to gobble cock, I'm sure Scara Brae has at least one brothel that'd hire your skinny ass. If you're looking to fight, attack me properly!"
Without full mobility, I needed her to come to me. Anger had festered in the assassin's eyes since the beginning of the battle, and I intended to harness her rage. Trying not to show any pain, I raised my self to one knee and waited, as ready as I could be.
-
Madison had only bitten down for a single second, but it was the longest second of her life. Instantly, Joshua's constricting legs had released her as his body arched in an unimaginable amount of pain. Oxygen rushed into her lungs, lighting them on fire. As she drew a deep breath, she could feel the pressure on her right arm increase. Her breath was cut short by another piercing scream. Had Joshua not released the hold on her arm as well, she was positive that it would've been broken.
The warrior rolled to the edge of the sparring mats, far out of her reach, leaving the broken assassin on the damp, faded padding. Her short, black hair was matted and sprawled all over her face; tears of pain and humiliation starting their cascade downward, mixing with her salty sweat. Madison rolled over, lying on her back and cradling her right arm like a child. She closed her eyes and sobbed lightly, thoughts of self-doubt running through her mind.
I can't win... I can't defeat him, and he knows it. I should've seen that counter coming, and all I could do was...!
The assassin had to fight back the urge to throw up after the realization of what she resorted to in order to escape from the vicious choke hold. After the wave of nausea passed, she slowly sat up, her velvet dress clinging to her damp, pale skin.
Maybe I should just give up. I'm in no condition to continue this battle. Madison wiped the horrendous salty aftertaste of dirty pant crotch out of her mouth with her sleeve. She could feel nothing but pain at this point--almost every one of her joints were aching, be it from the exhaustion that was brought upon her by the lack of a good night's sleep, or from the battle at hand. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, and an experience she wouldn't soon miss.
Then she got to thinking. No, I can't quit... I've gotten myself too far into this battle to just walk out. Joshua would never let me leave after biting him. Another wave of nausea came and went. Madison sat on the mats cross-legged, hunched over and slowly trying to rub away the stinging sensation in her right elbow. Her face remained cold and emotionless, despite the torrent of feelings and thoughts she was having at that particular moment.
She sat quietly for a moment while Joshua, propped up on one knee, spoke to her. Good, talk to me. Give me time to recover, you idiot. After a second, she replied, her voice corrosive, "Don't be a pissant, it could've been far worse than that. I could've severed your dick and done my part to stem overpopulation." She paused, hitting upon an idea. "Besides, it was hard enough for me to find anything down there in the first place."
Maybe if I can throw him off his game...
-
A true, natural laugh erupted from my throat, but I choked on it and ended up coughing up a couple drops of blood.
"A small dick joke. Classy. Why is it whenever you insult a chick, they always try to cut your nuts off?"
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, smearing away the saliva and blood droplets. The mat in front of me was speckled thinly with diluted crimson, blood mingling with sweat and condensation on the blue canvas. They formed shapes that shimmered in the day's heat, teasing my mind with abstract figures. As the fluid in my lungs settled, I rose painfully to my full height, standing with my arms at my sides, refusing the acknowledge the throbbing pain the woman had induced. The void still protected me from it, and my thoughts remained calculative, understanding that a simple push here and a gentle pull there might help me win the fight.
I reflected on the first time Madison had hit me, a solid elbow to the kidney. It had a caused me little trouble, and now the pain from it was gone, overshadowed by the damage her mouth had done and blocked out by pranic energy. I hoped against hope that the elbow strike had been the cause of my hacking up blood. The other possibility was unthinkable, and I wasn't even sure if it was medically possible. There was nothing I could do about it either way, so I turned my full attention to baiting the assassin.
I re-assumed my previous fixed grin, hoping that it would serve the purpose the laugh would have if I hadn't choked.
"You found something easily enough. If you hadn't, I'd have squeezed your head off like a toy doll." I made a breaking motion with both hands, then winked at her. "Oh, the audacity of Josh Cronen," I thought.
Then I came out with the clincher. "If this doesn't break her," I told myself, "Nothing will." I looked the girl square in the eyes, my voice sure and confident, no hint of a lie to be found.
"By the way Madison... if you really want to stem overpopulation just try another cheap shot like that. I won't hold back, this time."
If the anger I could see in the assassin wasn't feigned, I felt certain this would drive her over the edge. The insult, the repetition of her own words, the implication that I hadn't been trying... together, they formed an antagonist's cocktail. When you follow a career of law enforcement, you pick up a few tricks on how to make the perp attack. Generally, it's the easiest way to justify the use of violence in bringing them down.
What I had said about not giving my full effort was true, and then again it was not true. I had avoided using any lethal striking techniques, but that was nothing new. Such deadly moves never even crossed my mind except in true life-or-death situations. Perhaps more importantly, I hadn't been exerting my full physical strength. I was much larger than Madison, and easily more powerful, but with adrenaline percolating to my muscles like an intravenous drip, my power had tripled. The ability to channel adrenaline was something I normally kept a secret, saving it to surprise enemies in street fights, and regarding it as unsporting in organized combat. Then again, I also regarded attacking a man's groin as very unsporting. Certainly I had to allow the girl some respect for not giving up, but mostly my junk just hurt, and she had put me in that pain rather than just admit defeat. It was literally the kind of thing a child would do.
"I'll try that next," I told myself, imagining how Madison would react to being called a child, "If the last barb I stung her with was too weak."
-
Pagoda warrior or not, this guy is an asshole. Madison stood up despite her aching body, anger beginning to cloud her judgment. She wanted nothing more than to run to the other side of the arena, grab her daggers, then Joshua cut to pieces. The assassin clenched her sweaty fists, trying to submerge her emotions so she could concentrate on the battle.
However, Joshua's grin was messing with her psyche. There was something about his arrogance, his confidence, that only added fuel to her fire. Madison slowly began to circle her opponent, drawing closer with each step, trying to think of what she was going to do next.
There's something different about him right now. He seems more alert than before.
Once she was in range, she sprung forth with a left hook punch to his jaw, attempting to knock a few of his teeth loose with her bony fist.
-
As the assassin began circling in, my grin became less fixed, more natural, finally reaching my eyes. I had mastered the pain below my belt, shoving it into the deepest recessess of my conscious. The girl's moves were a little stiff, slightly jerky from the bruising she had taken. She was still dangerous though; that much was evident from the deadly expression on her face to the questing hands that seemed ready to tear me to shreds. Besides, if she was moving stiffly, I had trouble moving at all. As long as I stayed standing still the pain in my crushed genitals was dormant, but I feared any sudden movements might rekindle the flame of agony.
She circled like a shark honing in on a floating object, looking for the best angle of attack. I refused to give her an edge; as she moved diagonally, coming a little closer to me with each step, I rotated on the spot, taking baby steps to ease my discomfort. Gone was the bouncing, boxer-like positioning I had used before. Now I was a mountain, firm and (hopefully) impregnable. I kept my torso facing towards her, but my hips turned sideways lest she should launch a second attack at my groin.
Madison had clearly learned a lesson; she did not rush in, heedless of the danger a larger more powerful opponent presented. Instead she kept circling, forcing me to wonder how she might attack. I countered the tactic mentally, keeping my mind empty. My hands floated around mid-torso level, ready to repel any offensive move. I waited, turning like the slow spin of a planet. Finally the girl stepped into striking range, and without hesitation swung a quick haymaker, slim but solid knuckles aiming for my chin.
My first instinct was to duck and return with an uppercut, but before instinct could take over I had commanded my body along a different path. A kick or knee to the groin might be enough to finish me, so I did no relish the idea of trading blows with the vicious assassin just then. I needed to end the battle before my lack of mobility became too apparent. Like a cracking whip my right elbow snapped up, bent so my forearm and upper arm were practically parallel. The point of my elbow extended just above my temple, like some bizarre salute thrown by an amputee. My well-built tricep effectively blocked my chin, and Madison's bony knuckles plowed into it like a crash-test locomotive.
"Aack, charlie horse!"
Taking a blow from such a pointy fist sent pain biting deep into my arm, but I powered through it, knowing I would have only a split second to trap the attacking limb. My right arm snapped back down, aiming to capture Madison's wrist in my armpit even as my hand circled her elbow from the outside in, powerful fingers reaching to grasp her bicep. My legs worked simultaneously with the arm, pivoting my body backwards on my right foot. Unless the slippery assassin managed to slide away, I would have her trapped in a one-handed arm bar, her left limb hyper extended in a most painful manner. The quick footwork caused me considerable discomfort below deck, and I prayed that this time, she would not escape.
-
Madison's fist hit true, but Joshua's heightened reflexes allowed him to throw an elbow up in defense. The assassin thought that the technique was a strange one indeed. Wait, and elbow? Why, of all things, would he--! Her thoughts were interrupted by her opponents lightning quick movements as her body jerked, her left arm feeling as if it were just ripped clean out of its socket.
The Pagoda warrior's counter caught Madison by surprise as she was instantly dropped face-down on the floor by Joshua's momentum. She could feel an incredible amount of pressure on her hyper-extended left elbow, weakly trying to resist the simple yet highly effective submission hold. She tried as hard as she could to block out the pain, but it was just too great. As she clenched her eyes shut, a few tears squeezed out; her mouth open, a scream lying dead in her throat.
Madison knew it was over. There was no way she would be able to get out of the armbar. She could hear the laughter of her brothers echo inside her head--they knew she was done for as well. So, this is it... I'm a failure after all...
Her heart beginning to ache far more than her arm, she weakly called out the three words she hated the most, her voice raspy and shaking. "I--I give up!"