Fight to the Death (2)

The Slinktail Dain had in a headlock manoeuvred out of it, stomping his foot, elbowing him in the ribs and throwing him over his shoulder. Dain landed hard on his back. The air whooshed out of his lungs, and the other Slinktail began pounding into his face. Dain covered his head after the fourth hit while trying to recover his breath. 

Beside him, Zephyr was being toyed with by the female Slinktail. He was barely keeping his own or remaining on his feet. As soon as Fig struck out, he was on the ground, but she wouldn't fight him properly. It was obvious she was playing with him. It was still a tiring process, and to someone much weaker and without any combat skills, Zephyr was having his ass handed to him while she seemed to dance around him. 

Zephyr remained defensive, not wanting to hit a girl. Although he was raised by crackheads, he knew how not to treat a woman. That ran through his mind even though it was meant to be a fight to the death. He needed to put those thoughts about her aside; if he didn't attack, this would be the end of the road. 

Heck, he didn't even want to join this gang in the first place.

"Ooft." Zephyr slammed into the ground after Fig swept her leg beneath his.

"I'm sorry, am I boring you? You seem distracted," Fig snarled, grasping his shirt as she glared at him. 

"Not at all," Zephyr murmured, his throat scratchy.

"Stop playing with him and finish him. I'm growing bored," Garzon ordered from the side. "You know how I get when I'm bored, Fig!"

"That goes for you, too," Bull grunted to Dain's opponent. Their fight seemed livelier as Zephyr heard them shuffling on the ground, wrestling and punching each other. 

Fig smacked Zephyr in the face, jumped on top of him, holding him by the shirt, and continued punching him. Zephyr raised his hands, falling into the soul-sucking mind of someone bullied all of his life. Once she was done, it would be over, and he could continue with the rest of this miserable day…

"Ugh." She punched him just beneath his ribcage, winding him. His breathing came out wheezy. 

"Zephyr, get.ya.shit.together!" Dain grunted out between punches. He blocked another hit, struck the other demon back, and didn't stop punching even as his opponent fell to the ground, unmoving.

That's right. This was his last shot. This wasn't his everyday beating by bullies. It didn't matter if she was a female. Those fuckers wanted a fight to the death. It was either Fig or him. And he'd already died once. 

Zephyr mustered all of his strength and shoved Fig off him, only to punch her and roll her over onto her front. She grunted and struggled against his strength, but the Slinktail knew the manoeuvres to get out of such positions. Zephyr spun around and gasped at the sudden pain in his shoulder and arm. 

Fig held his arm straight, legs wrapped around him on the ground; if she twisted his arm anymore, he was sure his shoulder would pop! Zephyr gritted his teeth and reached out, punching her dead in the pussy. Fig hissed in pain. It wasn't the same for a girl, but it was still a sensitive spot to hit someone!

Bull and Manatee roared in laughter as Fig released her hold on him. Zephyr might not know any proper moves, but he could fight dirty to win. He climbed on top of her, raised her above the ground and slammed her down. It drained most of his energy, so he only did it three times until she recovered and started slipping out of his hold. Zephyr didn't let her, though, as he wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze.

He fixated on his anger from his previous life. He focused on his goal of a better life and what he needed to do to achieve that. Once she was dead, he would be on the right path towards his goal.

It's you or me.

Zephyr thought about his crackhead parents and how their lies screwed him over. How they'd never looked at school report cards. How he had to forge signatures to confirm they were aware of his bullying or to go on the free school trips.

His arms began to tremble. Choking someone was hard. Anger... focus on... ANGER!

It's you or me!

He squeezed tighter, his mind filling up with images of Sonia and the night he discovered her lover Brett with her. How they faced him, expressions cruel.

"Did you really think a woman like Sonia would ever be interested in you?" Brett scoffed.

"Don't look at me like that... all pathetic and stuff... Seriously, it's a complete turn-off," Sonia was next to twist the dagger already placed in his back.

I'm not going to be like that. I'm not going to be that pathetic boy again!

It's you or ME!!!!!

Fig struggled beneath him, attempting to throw him off, legs kicking. Zephyr concentrated on her throat, unable to look at her and wanting to get the deed done. He could hear flesh being beaten into the side of him and was pretty sure he heard a sickening crunch.

"Alright, stop." Garzon pushed Zephyr off Fig effortlessly. The Slinktail was thrown into the other building behind him and collapsed with a loud thud on the ground. 

When he looked up, Fig was crouched over on all fours, heaving for breath. Next to her, Dain stood victorious, with blood coating his fists and an unmoving Slinktail on the ground. With Fig still alive, did this mean he failed? It was a fight to the death. 

Warily, Zephyr walked towards them, ready to bolt at any second if they were going to try and kill him. He was sure to figure something out-

"You're in," Garzon announced, looking between Zephyr and Dain, his arms still folded against his chest.

"What about… Fig?" Zephyr asked, glancing at the Slinktail with turquoise hair now damp from the snow and mud. 

"Fig's too skilful to get rid of," Garzon explained as Fig ignored Zephyr and started aggressively yanking out her daggers from the post and sheathing them by her hips. 

She seemed... completely fine.

Zephyr wondered just how skilled Fig was to be praised like so and treated better to the point the Draegorths didn't let him kill her. "You're lucky I didn't have my knives," Fig said and closed the distance between them as she sheathed her last blade. Leaning forward, she dropped her voice to a whisper. "You're lucky I was going easy on you. Well done for growing a pair."

She was going easy?! Zephyr's nonexistent eyebrows rose in shock, but he masked his features when she stepped back and looked at him like he owed her. Well, he did, really. 

Did Fig know the Draegorths would interrupt, or did she risk it? No, she said she was going easy on him so she could probably get out of his hold? He had no clue, and that was the issue. 

Zephyr needed to learn to fight and grow stronger so he could level up into a Draegorth. One hundred years was a long time, though. He had no intention of taking that long or putting up with the level 3s bullshit for long. Or any bullshit, for that matter.

"Alright, grab your shit. We're heading to camp." Bull ordered as the others entered the tavern. Manatee repeated something Zephyr couldn't understand, but Garzon answered, and Fig followed closely behind them like she wasn't scared by the level 3s. 

"Camp?" 

Dain stopped beside him; his breathing returned to normal. His fists were split, and his clothes were dirty from blood. "That was a bold move, Zephyr. You're lucky they didn't kill you and take your shit."

"Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am…" Zephyr grumbled, not really feeling lucky.