Post date: Apr 2, 2016 2:50:57 PM
Caradorynee: Feats & Wagers
#3
Lark’s Human heart damn near stopped as he gaped at the Human girl clinging to the enormous Pouriecolt.
What was she thinking to take on such a vicious creature? Didn’t she realize that she was blowing all his plans to hell and back again?
Lark rose to his feet and leaned out over the branch. He grasped another, thicker branch, just above his head for stability.
Blinking several times to activate the heightened sight being a Dueally offered him, his orange pupils dilated to the point where his blue irises all but disappeared.
The Human girl came into better focus.
He watched in fascinating horror as she plunged her short-blade into the Pouriecolt’s underbelly again and again.
The beast’s roar, even from this distance, echoed in Lark’s ears.
Then the beast made a sweeping gesture toward the girl with one of its legs. Its razor-sharp claws sure to lacerate the young woman to pieces.
Lark cringed for his dreams were about to end up in a pile of entrails at the beast’s cloven hooves.
But instead the beast caused self-inflicted wounds as the girl miraculously slipped beneath the Pouriecolt’s swipe and dropped to the ground.
Lark brought his hand to his chest. His heart hadn’t beat this fiercely in a very, very long time.
Was the Human going to make a run for safety in the capitulation zone?
He was of two minds on that issue.
Grant it, he would lose a fair amount of his bonedoons, if she fled, but not as many as he would if the Human didn’t survive. If she died he would lose everything. His bonedoons, his home, and possibly even his life.
Lark sucked in a ragged breath and immediately began to cough. Too much concentration of oxygen in the air for his Dueania lungs liking.
By the time he got his breathing back under control it was to notice that the Human wasn’t running to any corner of the competitor’s square. No she was standing between the Pouriecolt’s long legs with her head, almost two feet, below where the creature’s legs disappeared into the black flesh of the hindquarter.
Lark blinked.
What was the Human doing? The Pouriecolt could easily stomp on her or kick her aside, like he’d watched her do so earlier to a Tooacua.
Then to Lark’s shock the Human sheathed her blade.
Lark tried to swallow but found his throat close tight. For sure the girl was going to die.
Again she surprised Lark as she reached to the holster that was strapped to her thigh. She grasped hold of something and pulled.
A grin flashed to Lark’s lips.
The girl had a grappling hook of some sort.
Lark chuckled. Smart move. Then he whistled softly as he watched the young woman wrap her arms around one of the spindly legs of the Pouriecolt. She fastened the hook-like end to a towline.
She nimbly evaded another swipe of the creature’s claws and swiftly darted to the other Pouriecolt’s leg. She wrapped the towline around the flesh and then began to circle the creature again and again.
The beast tried repeatedly to swipe its hoofed claws toward her, but she deftly dodged and wove her way around the beast several more times.
The beast growled and snarled and then tried to move forward.
The Human paused. She unsheathed her blade again and swiftly cut the towline and then scampered out of the way as the beast teetered.
Lark’s grin widened and a low laugh erupted in the back of his throat.
His dreams of riches bloomed as the girl stood watching, with a satisfied smirk, as the Pouriecolt’s upper weight shifted forward and then start to topple to the Caradorynee ash covered surface.
Lark saw her bring the tattered cloth quickly back up to her face a moment before a cloud of ash billowed out from under the fallen beast.
Lark gave a hoot of triumph.
He watched as she turned to face the other competitors surrounding her who, all but a few, seemed to be transfixed at the sight of the downed and still snarling Pouriecolt.
One Karco made to move toward the girl, then thought better.
She had obviously proven to be quite a match and for those creatures, like the young Karco, that had a reasonable sized brain quickly steered clear of her.
The girl reared her head, almost as if she scoffed at the Karco’s cowardliness.
To Lark the girl didn’t appear to be satisfied. She turned and scanned the other competitors, then charged forward.
Whether her aggressive advance on yet another Tooacua was a sense of intuition toward the creature’s future attack upon her, or her own bloodlust, Lark resisted in guessing.
Aggression was needed on Caradorynee, but bloodlust would only end in the girl’s death.
He watched as she swiftly disabled the tentacle creature with a slash to its lower body and then kept moving.
Lark’s attention was immediately drawn to the Caradorynee master, in the girl’s quadrant, as the massive brute waved a large rod-like tool, a hamprod, over his head. Even in the distance Lark heard the Karco’s authorative roar.
All in the quadrant halted and even some from the surrounding quadrants paused.
The first champion to advance had been declared.
Star immediately dropped her weapon and sank to her knees at the Caradorynee master’s command.
She bowed her head in a show of submission, as did all around her, in their own fashion. She’d only witnessed one of these Caradorynee’s rituals before, but that had been enough. Any competitor that did not show due respect for whichever of their comrades had been chosen was dealt with in a swift and brutal manner.
Star had no desire to die. And besides the brief reprise while the competitor was rewarded with the shegata, the sign that marked them with the right to advance to the next level, would be welcomed.
Star felt winded, her lungs still adjusting to the now lack of moisture. The gash on her left arm, while not overly deep, stung terribly from the trickle of sweat that seeped into the wound.
The towering Caradorynee master made its way through the crowd. Competitors scurried out of the way as it lumbered to the outskirts of the quadrant.
Star held her breath, but not in anticipation. A sliver of fear crawled along her sweaty skin as the Caradorynee master paused and then lumbered on by her and then paused again.
Had her long braid falling over her shoulder, just as it passed, offended the Caradorynee master? Had it seen the involuntary action as a means of disrespect?
A whoosh of air escaped Star as she was suddenly and rather abruptly hauled up off the ground. She restrained the urge to lash out as the brute’s club-like hand hoisted her high into the air, but she couldn’t restrain the cry that expelled from her lips.
The Caradorynee master roared again. The harsh sound hurting Star’s ears.
It took Star a moment to realize, as she was being carted away, that she wasn’t about to be punished but was the one that actually had been chosen to advance.
A gurgle of laughter replaced her next cry and she couldn’t help the grin that spread across her mouth as she glanced around at her fellow competitors, who had resumed their fighting.
She had won. She would advance to the next level. She would wear the shegata.
©Human in Inhuman Worlds by Janet Merritt