“What’s up with that face? Did you want to swap places with Gorro?” I said mockingly. “Wouldn’t want to ruin that blinding white ensemble, would you, now, shlumpy? Don’t worry. I’m sure I could kill you with one kick. You look like you haven’t seen a battlefield in your life, you pathetic shrimp.”
“Jezz!” Red grunted through his teeth, putting a hand on my shoulder as he leaned his voice from behind me. “Stop patronizing the host!”
“He started it!” I growled, and then my eyes caught the golden girl over my head. In the center high box I saw her, the dragon princess. She looked down at me with the pettiest look in her eyes, and I cracked a smile, flicking her off. By now, she had to have realized that I was not spellbound anymore, but she didn’t do a damn thing about it. Maybe she thought it wouldn’t make a difference, but I was ready to show her why the goblins had my powers on lockdown!
“Enough of this mutt’s jokes!” Gorro grunted as he slammed his club on the ground, making the ground shake. “I want to eat the marrow off of her bones!”
“Ugh, do you have to be so loud?” I grumbled, glowering at him in disgust. “I’m right here you know.”
“You seem to be a natural at garnering attention,” Red whispered behind me again. “That will be useful. Think you can distract him long enough for me to whip up another spell?”
“Seriously?” I said, pivoting my head slightly toward his direction. “I might be mana-less right now, but I’m not powerless. My strength is coming back at a much faster rate. The way it’s going, I don’t think I’m going to need you for this fight.”
Red smiled. “Music to my ears. You keep him preoccupied.” He scurried over to the corner, the crowd protesting immediately. While everyone was pissed off that Red was tapping out, Gorro was highly amused.
“Heh, what is this?”
“I could ask you the same thing!” I said, pointing at him with a pouty face on. “You’re a level 105 orc! What the Bomotto Bay are you doing being a slave to dragons?!”
“I am no slave! I am their prized champion!”
“Wow, really? Not a slave? So you mean you can leave here any time? You can eat with your family and friends? You can visit your district whenever ya want and drink booze with your warrior pals?!”
He scoffed. “I don’t have time for meaningless chit chat!”
I smirked. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. A slave. Because as far as I could tell, anyone in the midst of dragons who isn’t a dragon is either a prisoner of war or a slave, and the end result is always the same. So quit living in a lie and open your eyes. Matter a fact, I’ll do it for you!” I transformed, and just like that, my wolf form took the crowd’s breath away.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
When I’d first been cursed, I dreaded turning into a beast. I hated how savage it made me feel, how different. I loathed the fact that I was seen as a monster among my people, and hated the frightening faces I’d see looking back at me even more.
The weight of my curse bore down on me. It was nothing I’d experienced before. It was a constant reminder of my otherness, of the fact that I was alone in a world that would never understand me. It was bad enough that I’d been an outcast in my own home, but as a wolf, things were ten times worse. And as much as I tried to push my ugliness aside, it was always there, like a permanent mask I couldn’t take off.
But then, I began to embrace my curse. It was a part of me, and I was a part of it. I couldn't change that. Once I accepted it, everything became so much easier. I learned to control my transformation, and with it came a newfound sense of power. For the first time, I felt like I could protect myself from this cruel world, that same feeling washing over me after I finally changed for the first time in days...
I was reawakened, ready to unleash my true strength.
And judging by that look on the princess’ face, I’d say she understood what she was getting herself into now.
Lucyna got up on her feet as soon as I transformed, like she was about to drop a few stories down to face me herself. Gorro paid little care to my wolf form, or at least that was what he wanted the crown to believe. I could tell the big baddy was sweating bullets inside! I could hear his heart beating in his huge chest as he readied his club and charged at me with a heavy battle cry.
“I WILL TURN YOUR BONES INTO DUST!”
Despite my transformation, I was still shackled in chains. My speed would continue to be limited, but I figured with an orc, that wouldn’t matter. Orcs loved to bulk up on strength and not much else, which meant that his walk speed and reaction speed were both laughable compared to a typical level 105 opponent. I validated that fact when he swung his club at me in a slow and predictable motion. I easily dodged to the side, bouncing on all fours, and then flung him with one sharp jerk of my large furry wolf head.
Gorro went flying, bye bye butterfly! When his back hit the ground, he lost his club, but I happily tossed it back to him with my snout, angering the burly beast.
The crowd shouted at me with bitter pettiness that made it all the funnier. Since Gorro was a crowd pleaser, he got right back on his feet and grabbed his weapon, charging at me again.
Not much brain for a body so big, huh? I repeated the process, this time he fell on his knees and I caught a piece of his calf in my teeth. I was wearing him down, the orc trying to fling me off as I tossed, bit, and enraged him. When he drained all of his stamina, I finally transformed into a fae again, and what happened next was so predictable it felt like I was cheating.
He thought I had powered down, taking the opportunity to swing at me head on. I allowed him to target me, because I had a plan, and once he was close enough, I took one giant leap back and dropped on my butt, laying the chains around my wrists and ankles in layers. They laid flat with my limbs sprawled out wide enough so his club couldn’t slice me. And just like that, I was as free as a bird!
“Idiot!” I heard Lucyna shout from above, pissed off that the sorry lump had just sealed this fight before it even began.
Feeling the adrenaline rush through my veins, I let out an excited laughter that quieted the crowd. They were numb with fear. I get that a lot. I was sure a few of them knew what came next, the front sixth row of men who’d bet against me about to lose a fortune right now.
The orc looked over to me stumped, surprised that I was actually unbound. And then, he reacted. He swung his club at me again, this time with more force. I leaped over it, avoiding the impact, and landed on his back. Extending my wolf claws, I leaned my body over his head and dug into his eyes, blinding him.
With orcs, taking their eyesight was key. All of that rage and oppression, muscle and mean meant nothing if they couldn’t see. The orc brute wailed in pain, trying to toss me off of him as I held on tight. He was pretty persistent with shaking me off, especially with the crowd now booing his name.
Heck I’d be pissed too if I wasted a butt load of money on a muscle head with a win record like that.
“The Undefeated! The Bone Breaker!” I taunted. “I will do to you what I do to all of those orcs who have killed my people! And here I thought you were a prisoner of war. You enjoy performing for these dragons! So I have no sympathy for you! You’re not in the collective few Silas is trying to save, and for that, I’ll have no problem introducing you to your shitty friends in the afterlife!”
The orc grunted, trying to take a swing at me with his free hand. I let go of him and dodged the blow, then I grabbed onto his thick black ponytail to attack. But this one started to play smart. He dropped himself on his back, knowing I’d flee to avoid being crushed under his heavy weight. And I did, I wasn’t suicidal. But he couldn’t stay down there forever, and when he got up from lying down, I’d be ready for him.
His once loving audience was now barking at him to get up and end my life. While I was fast on my feet, my strength was nothing compared to him. That being said, I was going to have to rely on his blindness to give me that edge against him in a melee fight, as well as these lovely unlinked chains around my wrists!
My feet went left and right as I studied his movements. He tried to focus on the sound of my steps along the sand to locate me while blood continued to trickle down his eye sockets as he tried to swing at me. I swung back, whipping him with my metal links against his legs over and over again. His once green skin turned blue and purple from bruises, until Gorro had enough. With a battle-cry, he dropped his spiked club and tried to chase me with his hands instead.
Sweat and saliva drooled down the corner of his angry lips. This time I didn’t move, giving him a false sense of hope in catching me. Just like a typical orc, they become mindless when in Enrage mode. They toss tact and make room for failure. He should have asked himself why I was standing there, open for his attack. Instead, he took his ticket straight to the body pits of The Blood Games, leaping in to grab me and allowing me to leap over him and rip out his spine with my sharp wolf claws.
One opening was all I needed. The crowd wanted savagery, I gave them savagery, killing their undefeated champion!
How many humans have you killed for sport? All of that ends tonight, asshole!
The audience protested, but as I listened carefully, I saw a couple of dragons fist-pumping as I stood on the dead orc with his spine in my upright fist.
