The Saurian Soldier and the Spartan have faced off...
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On the left side of the arena, deep beneath the sand, a ring of metal began to turn. Its scarred surface glittered with a strange blue light, accompanied by a soft hum. Suddenly, the ring rotated counter-clockwise, sending a massive pillar of illumination into the sky. The light faded, leaving an armor-clad human in its wake.
He stood with his knees slightly bent, and his shield at ready. In his right hand he held a spear with a long, solid wood handle. Its stone tip was carved into a wicked point, so sharp that some claimed it could cut the air in half. Slung by his side was his sword, sheathed for now, but ready to be used. His name was Zackeroar.
On the right side of the arena, a similar light pillar burst to life. The illumination cleared, revealing a massive saurian form. A Carnotaurus. Its hide was a mottled light blue and grey, with navy blue tiger stripes on its neck, back, legs, and tail. It turned towards the human on the other end of the arena, revealing its off-white underbelly for a few moments. Its snout, hands, and feet were shaded with a dark grey, nearly black color, as if it had rooted around in ashes before appearing. The dinosaur spotted the human, and it lowered its grey horns towards the target, revealing a navy blue line of spikes running across its back and tail. The beast snorted, the black pupils of its aquamarine eyes narrowing to slits in the sunlight. Its name was Drake.
Drake charged; eyes locked on Zackeroar, his clawed feet shredding through the sand. The warrior raised his spear, giving out a war cry before charging as well. As soon as the dinosaur was close enough, Zackeroar raised his shield to protect himself from the beast’s horns. Drake slammed his head against the metal, sending sparks scattering around their feet. He took a step forwards, pushing his opponent back. Zackeroar twirled his spear, and then went for a jab at his enemy’s face. The point pressed just inches below the socket of Drake’s left eye, barely making an imprint on the pebbly surface.
Drake reared back with a snort, and then lifted his foot, smacking it onto his opponent’s shield. Zackeroar buckled slightly under the pressure, and shifted the spear slightly, drawing back for another jab. Drake kept his foot on the shield, and then suddenly swept his head down, his jaws wide open. Zackeroar saw the attack coming and ducked, hunching his head awkwardly between his shoulders. His foe’s jaws came together with an earsplitting CRACK, just millimeters from the top of his helmet.
Zackeroar twirled his spear and suddenly leapt back, sweeping the weapon at the beast’s massive neck. Drake raised his head to avoid it, but the point grazed his softer neck flesh anyways. With an irritated growl, the dinosaur released his foe’s shield, retreating a short distance. As the warrior took on a fresh battle stance, Drake whirled suddenly, slamming his tail against his opponent and sending it flying.
Zackeroar tumbled on the ground, ending up on his face. He rose, spitting blood and realizing some of his teeth had been loosened by the impact. Rage built within him, and he turned around to face the dinosaur again.
It roared challengingly, scraping at the ground with one foot. With another defiant cry, the warrior gathered his weapons and ran towards the dinosaur.
Drake sprinted to meet his target, thrill running through his veins. This was actually pretty fun! It had been too long since he’d experienced combat, and he’d never taken on an enemy one-on-one before. As he ran, he noticed the warrior raising his spear again, so he kept his eyes on the weapon. It looked like he was going to throw it. Within the next few seconds, that was exactly what happened.
Drake slowed and leaped aside, never taking his eyes off the spear. Hesitating for a few seconds, he lunged, grabbing the weapon out of midair.
Seeing this, Zackeroar slowed down, squinting at the beast. He hoped it wasn’t going to bite that thing in half. He liked that weapon. The dinosaur rolled the weapon back and forth on its tongue, and then suddenly whirled in a complete circle, releasing the spear. Zackeroar recovered from the shock just long enough to avoid having his head impaled. The spear clattered in the distance, sounding as though it had landed very far away. When he looked back up, the monster was closing in at an alarming pace. Zackeroar braced himself, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to dodge in time. As the beast neared him however, it breathed on the ground, sending a thick sheet of ice rippling towards him. Zackeroar then decided to change positions, but the slick surface forced its way beneath his feet, demanding his immediate attention.
Seconds later, he was lying flat on his back with his enemy looming over him. The beast growled, bringing his horns down. Zackeroar put his shield up, feeling a split second of crushing force as his enemy’s head hit the barrier. The next blow felt a little different, and was accompanied by the shriek of stressed metal. The beast had the front of his shield in its mouth. Zackeroar’s grip tightened instinctively, but suddenly a pungent, warm, wormlike creature oozed over the top of his shield. It’s red, bump-ridden surface dripped a hot, stinking secretion all over his face. Shocked, Zackeroar gagged despite himself, and the shield was wrenched from his grasp. The beast straightened, its prize dangling from its jaws. It was only then when Zackeroar realized what the worm had been. It was nothing more than his foe’s own tongue. The dinosaur hesitated for a moment, as if it didn’t know what to do with the shield at the moment.
Angered, Zackeroar leaped to his feet and grabbed the end of his shield, swinging his other arm and grabbing its inner handhold. The beast shook his head back and forth, trying to dislodge him, but he held on tight. Zackeroar drew a deep breath, ignoring the sickening, spinning world around him, unsheathing his sword with his free hand.
“Zeus, guide my blade.” he whispered, and then he lashed out as hard as he could.
His blade struck flesh and bit so deeply that he felt the burn of the beast’s blood searing across his flesh. His cry of surprise and pain mingled with the wounded roar of his foe, and the warrior fell to the ground in a heap. Zackeroar regained his footing and backed away from Drake, getting a good look at where his sword had pierced.
The blade was buried to the hilt just alongside the monster’s neck. Blood had crusted along the wound as well as the hilt, giving it a disfigured appearance. Drake turned to Zackeroar, breathing hard, and shook his head to dislodge the blade. It remained where it was, and the beast roared in frustration and pain.
Zackeroar turned away and ran. Still roaring, the dinosaur followed close behind. Just as Zackeroar felt the breath of the monster on his neck, he ducked down and seized his spear from the ground. Aside from a few indentations on the handle, it was still in good shape. Zackeroar turned quickly; his confidence building.
Drake lunged for his target, sending a frigid blast of ice shards at the human’s face. Zackeroar put one arm up to shield his eyes, lashing blindly with his spear. Drake managed to dodge two of Zackeroar’s wild attempts to hit him, but the third was shockingly accurate. The metal tip bit deep into his right eye, sending a stabbing pain through his head. Drake roared again, stomping his feet and snorting. Targeting the human with his uninjured eye, he swept his head down, his horns narrowly missing the man’s skull.
Zackeroar realized what he had hit and tried to stay on the beast’s blind side, but it kept turning its good eye his way. Enraged, he called on the power within him. His blue eyes transformed to a vibrant, ruby red, and his black hair changed as well, accepting a new, lighter grey shade.
Drake shifted his feet, and a bone-chilling growl rumbled from his throat. Zackeroar switched his sword from one hand to the other, letting out a little snarl of his own. Then, he rushed at Drake, raising his spear high. Drake blasted Zackeroar with his frost breath, but the warrior didn’t seem fazed by the shards at all. He swung his weapon, catching the side of Drake’s lower jaw with its tip. Drake roared and swept his head down, but Zackeroar sidestepped into his blind spot and slashed into the right side of the dinosaur’s face.
Drake bit again and again, but Zackeroar kept his distance, continuously punishing the dinosaur’s right cheek. Within moments, the right side of Drake’s head was black with thick, ugly ridges of crusted blood. In fact, the crusts became so thick that Zackeroar was unable to make a dent in them after a while. He then tried to aim for Drake’s neck, but the dinosaur fell into a slinking crouch, making it impossible to hit the area. Zackeroar gave out an irritated grunt, and suddenly Drake laid an ice sheet right beneath his feet. The warrior wound up on his face again, and then he felt the unimaginable pain of the beast’s jaws closing around his arm.
Drake pressed one foot on his foe, gnawing on its right arm for a few moments, and then he switched to one of the human’s wildly flailing legs. Then the Carnotaurus picked the warrior up in his mouth and threw it, roaring defiantly. Zackeroar sailed through the air, landing on his injured leg. To Drake’s surprise, red lighting surged from the skies, striking his enemy and sending blazing white sparks across the landscape. His opponent rose, completely healed of his injuries.
Surprise gave way to anger, and Drake laid an ice path, surging towards his foe. Zackeroar turned away from the charging beast and bent down to pick up his shield. He raised the battered metal just in time to avoid being skewered by Drake’s oncoming horns. Zackeroar stepped back as the dinosaur staggered, and then lashed out with the shield. The metal made contact with Drake’s chin, staggering him further. The dinosaur roared and spun again, but Zackeroar had anticipated the attack and ducked beneath Drake’s tail. As the beast repositioned itself, Zackeroar glanced about the arena, spotting his spear lying in the sand, about a stone’s throw from his position. He had to get it.
Drake began to back up, keeping one eye on his target. The human was nearly invincible at the moment, so it should survive a full on charge attack. He just needed to get it on its back again. Then he’d have the advantage.
As he moved, he saw the human rush over and pick up its spear. It then held a battle stance, ready. Drake’s pupil slitted, and he charged with another roar; temporarily replacing the arena’s ambience with primal thunder. Zackeroar raised his shield, hiding his smile from his foe. He waited until the dinosaur was really close, and then thrust the point directly at the beast’s head. There was a sharp CLINK as the metal made contact with the top of Drake’s head, after which the spear promptly snapped in half. Surprised, Zackeroar was thrown off balance for a fraction of a second…long enough for Drake to make a move. The Carnotaurus closed the gap, sending the human flying with an upward sweep of his horns.
Drake slowed for a moment, peering at the human as it gained altitude. There was a flash of red lightning, and suddenly its appearance changed again. As it began to fall, the look on its face was one of pure terror. The Carnotaurus’s eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. The human’s flight path was going to bring it right into the arena wall. Drake sprinted, laying down an ice path and surging across it. Whenever he ran out of ice, he made more paths, streaking towards the impact zone. The human wasn’t invincible anymore.
As Zackeroar sailed through the air, he spotted the wall coming up quickly. Gritting his teeth, he stared fearlessly at the barrier. He’d die facing down his enemy. Only cowards closed their eyes. Even so, he braced for impact. Just as he was about to become a rather disgraceful mess, a blurred blue-and-white form replaced the stone. Helpless, Zackeroar crashed right into it.
Drake gasped as the human hit his stomach, and he crumpled against the arena wall. As he lay on the ground, he turned his head to look at his foe. To his relief, the human had survived. The Carnotaurus tried to rise, but the sharp pain in his neck stopped him. So far, every motion he’d made since the injury had caused a tiny amount of blood to leak and crust on his skin. Up till now, he’d thought very little of how much blood he’d lost. He made a second attempt to get to his feet, but his legs just trembled and stayed in the same position.
Zackeroar got to his feet, slightly dazed from the impact. It had saved him? Why? The warrior stared at the beast, query in his eyes. For one thing, he himself had almost died. Did that mean the dinosaur won this fight? Another thing…the dinosaur had saved his life. Did that mean it was smarter than he’d originally thought? The idea chilled Zackeroar’s blood. Somehow, the beast’s presence felt far more dangerous than before. He walked over to its side, watching as its flanks rose and fell, erratic with labor. Once Zackeroar reached its head, he bent down, hesitating slightly, and then grabbed his sword with his left hand. With a little difficulty, he pulled it free. Drawing a deep breath, Zackeroar lifted the sword high. Was the beast really too dangerously intelligent to live? The thought stilled his blade for a few moments, and he paused.
Drake watched as the human raised its weapon, its non-dominant arm bent awkwardly. He closed his eyes. Well, it was KIA for him now. At least he’d done the right thing. This was the human’s decision. The battle shout of his foe reached his ears, but instead of the feel of steel to his neck, there was a dull thunk by it instead. He opened his eyes, finding out that the human had simply stuck the blade into the sand next to his weak area. The warriors locked eyes for a moment, and there was a split second of wordless understanding between the two.
< Thank you. > Drake told him, and then the dinosaur was out cold.
Zackeroar fell to his knees, shocked. Had the dinosaur just spoken to him? Before he could make any sort of response, he flinched, suddenly aware of the pain in his right arm. He looked down at it, spotting a wicked-looking hole in his palm. He was silent for a moment, staring grimly at the amount of blood he was losing. He must have caught the tip of the beast’s horn in his hand when it charged into him. It had hit him quite hard, so he wouldn’t be surprised if the collision had resulted in some sort of hole in his shield. Zackeroar opened his mouth, but he didn’t even have enough strength to curse his luck. Keeling over, he lay motionless by his foe. Even as his eyes closed, he could feel his will trying to keep his mind active.
Stay strong! he thought with all his might. Do not give in to weakness!
His body had other plans, and his consciousness failed abruptly.
***
The warriors were found lying quite still in the arena. Zackeroar was taken to the wRHG recovery center immediately. The wRHG regulators made preparations to move Drake, but when they returned to the arena, he was gone. Still, his vitality tracer shows that he’s alive, so maybe he had enough strength to rise and go back to his forest by himself. The strange runic markings around his previous position suggest otherwise.
The battle has officially concluded. The winner will be decided by the people.
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