Chapter 17. Vengeance Part 1.

[Mad Face: Images & GIFs]

"Get. Out. Of my way!" My head was bowed slightly with my fists lightly clenched and my legs barely apart as I said this words with as much sternness and impatience.

I wasn't in a joking mood, or jovial as the picture of the woman blocking my path reeled in my mind. Diana had jumped in front of me on seeing that I was about to escape. She had taken a fighting stance, showing that she wasn't about to let me go just like that.

But, whatever her reason for trying to stop me was, it didn't matter to me. Whether she blamed me for what had just happened, or thought that I had to answer to her, the only thing that concerned me was the fact that she was the obstacle between me and my freedom.

"I won't tell you twice." I said, this time raising my head to look at her desperate expression. I could tell that she was overwhelmed by everything that had just happened, from her constant confused glances on all sides.

Everywhere she looked, there was an Amazonian body or ten lying unconscious. Tears of both confusion and worry welled in her eyes as she clutched on the cursed dagger tightly and stared back at me. The tension between us was rising with each passing second as she continued to block my path.

"W-what d-did y-you do?" She stammered a question that was almost a whisper as her lungs breathed in the cold air.

The very presumption that I had anything to do with all this made me feel a surge of frustration as I glared back at her.

"Diana!" The Queen, who looked rather composed despite the hollow circumstance, shouted to her daughter and threw something at her. "Catch!"

"Don't let him get away. He has to answer to everything he has done." The Queen said as the object she had thrown soared to Diana's feet. She hadn't reached out to catch it because of the confusion she was experiencing.

She stared at the Lasso of Truth on the ground, then back at me, a resolution awakening in her conscious. Her face muscles clenched with anger and frustration as hatred flared in her eyes.

"You did this!" She barked at me, her body shaking from frustration. "You broke the alter and unleashed that curse! You harmed my sisters, once again. I was wrong to t-th.."

She stammered, "Th-think t-that you weren't all bad."

"But this." She looked around once again, and saw the white eyes of the unconscious women. They looked dead, and she was afraid that their purple healing ray, couldn't revert what had happened. "This is unforgivable!"

Her mind went completely numb and cold when she saw Episteme collapsed by a seedling, a distance away. She had jumped to save her from being hit by a curse ball. Her emotions erupted like a volcano as she picked up the Lasso and lashed it at me, with a mad shiver.

I stepped aside making it to narrowly miss me, and turned to glare at her again. "You thought, I was good...and, agreed to SACRIFICE ME??!!"

I shouted those words at her at the top of my lungs as hatred seeped into my system, making my muscles clench harder, and my body convulse.

"Ahhh!" I stretched a frustrated scream as my jaw tinged with exhaustion from so much clenching. "I was hoping that you were different and, maybe I couldn't let the fact that you killed my dog get the better of me. I knew that one day, we could be allies since I was sure that I could get out of here."

"But now." I paused to breathe. My demeanor changed as I completed my statement. "Now, I don't care about the future, or the present. Curse being a friend to Wonder Woman! I thought you stood for justice, but I was wrong."

"Thank that there were Curse balls all over, or otherwise, you would have sacrificed me over some superstition." I said, feeling cursed energy flowing through my whole system, pumping my rage, anger and frustration.

My voice became calmer and serious, as I warned her for the last time. "Get out of my-"

Suddenly, a forceful impact slammed into my back, jolting me forward, and stumbling on the rocky terrain. The night blurred momentarily as I struggled to regain my balance.

"Probably shouldn't have said that twice." The thought crossed my mind as I felt the sensation from the sudden attack. The sensation was swift and sharp, with a mix of shock and discomfort to my spine.

I had talked too much and forgotten that Diana wasn't the only survivor. The remaining women had managed to overlook their shock and had come to help Diana out, while the Queen attended to those who hadn't relapsed yet.

I came to my knees in front of Diana, as I used my palms to stop myself. The attack from behind was followed by a vigorous clutch of my arms and legs.

They stepped on my legs with their heavy boots and used their hands to restrain mine, forcing me to a captured position. I could make out that it was two women from the number of hands holding me down.

"Bind him, Diana." One of them beckoned Diana to use the Lasso of Truth to hold me down. The Lasso was made in such a way that no one could break free, once they had been bound out of it.

I didn't like how it felt being in this position once again. The feeling of being caught was familiar, and it disgusted me, and enraged me. If I was going to be put in a cell, or through a ritual once again, I would rather kill myself than go through such humiliation again.

My ego boosted my anger, and I used all my strength (100/200) to pull them in front before Diana could get to me and confirm my defeat. My legs couldn't move, and that made it harder to push my body forward, but I kept on trying.

I sprang back and forth to create the momentum desirable to topple them, allowing me a chance to break free. Agility allowed to spring effectively, while speed allowed me to spring faster, and with several attempts, I managed to make them budge slightly. And that was enough to swing them.

They came off their feet slightly from the constant push and pull, but that small disorientation was an enough break from the clutch on my legs.

Abruptly separating my feet, I pushed myself back, as if standing up, and immediately stopped as our bodies got pulled back by the force. I switched my direction, and sprang back forward as I managed to shake off from their grasp.

Cursed energy flowed to my fists as I clenched and followed their movement in the air while landing powerful blows on both of them, simultaneously. They came crashing to Diana's feet, just as I extended my knee, aimed directly for her chin.

My breath was held all the while as my knee reached for her chest, before she pushed back with her shielded wrists. But that didn't stop me from switching my movement to an elbow directed for her shoulder.

But she was quick to move, and before my attack could make it to hitting her, she landed a punch on my stomach that sent me flying back.

I landed on my feet as air rushed from my lungs and a sharp pain rose from my stomach. I however chose to suck it up, and not show her that I had felt any pain, and only breathed in.

"I will not lose this time!" I told her while suppressing my pain.

She neither acknowledged, nor dismissed my confidence. She instead stretched the Lasso before her, and burrowed her face, ready to dance. With a nod, she signalled to her sisters to step back and not intervene.

"I got this." Was the look I read from her face as I too boldly clenched my fists tighter, ready to land heavy blows on her entire body. I wasn't planning on holding out this time. I would break all her bones if I had to.

She had the cursed dagger, and the Lasso of Truth on her side, whereas I had my inexperienced punches and kicks.

"Haaam." I took a quick deep breath and felt the boost in my confidence and resilience as I launched my attack with a leap, cursed energy palpating on both my fists.

She didn't wait to defend. She chose to meet me halfway with her attack. We clashed in the air as I landed an impromptu right kick, and she a punch.

Our positions switched while we were still in the air as I kicked with my left leg, aimed for her head, but she defended with her hand.

I threw in more kicks in a rapid series, using my speed, before gravity could pull as back to the ground, as she tried to create an opening for her knee, or punch.

We were both pulled back to the ground as we continue to plummer each other with rage. I landed a punch to her cheek, and she followed it with a punch to my nose.

I soldiered on despite the pain, even as she got more creative and went for exotic moves like sweeps, uppercuts, neck kicks.... It didn't stop me from slapping her face and pushing her chest with a reinforced palm, or swinging my elbows and knees to hit her head.

I was determined to stay alive, by getting her out of the way.

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